Martyr was probably mistaken in fome of his affertions on this point, as Le Clerc obferves, Hift. Eccl. p. 624. The laft Editor of Juftin takes this point under confideration, but he hath hardly given a fatisfactory account of it, or removed the difficulties. Præf. p. lxxxiv.

If there had been any danger in presenting an Apology to Adrian, yet every one who knows Ecclefiaftical Hiftory, must know that the Chriftians of thofe times were men whom the fear of death would not have deterred. But the danger perhaps was not fo great: Adrian feldom acted cruelly, except when he was moved by fufpicion, jealousy, or envy, and, whatsoever his temper was, he ever affected to appear generous, mild, open, gentle, and affable: in colloquiis etiam humillimorum civiliffimus fuit, fays Spartian, Adr. 20. much more might he admit Ariftides, who was a learned man, an Athenian, and a philofopher; for he loved to converse with men of letters, and he was, by incorporation, an Athenian; he had been at Athens before he was Emperor, and the Athenians had paid him the compliment of making him their Archon, and he was always kind to them.

Adrian feems to have had no hatred for the Christians, or for any other religious fects, and to have been more difpofed to banter than to perfecute them. In a letter to Servianus, in which he gives the Ægyptians a very bad character, he observes that Alexandria was inha

Tillemont, Hift. des Emp. ii. p. 197.

bited by Jews, Samaritans, Chriftians, and worhipers of the Ægyptian deities, and that all these people, notwithstanding their diversity of opinions, and their religious fquabbles, in reality worshiped only one God, and that God was. Money. See Vopifcus, Saturnin, 8. p. 719. and the Mifcell. Obferv. ii, p. 309. The Ægyptians had no extraordinary character with many people. Vid. Schol. Aristoph. Nub. 1128.

Adrian gave a Refcript to Minucius Fundanus concerning the Chriftians (preferved in Eufebius iv. 9. and at the end of Juftin's first Apology) which is obfcure. It is probable that he compofed it fo on purpose, for the fame reafon that moved his predeceffor Trajan to grant the Chriftians only an half-favour, and a fort of connivance. Thus Severus Alexander paid divine honours to Chrift, and was very kind to the Chriftians, and yet, as Lampridius expreffes it pretty accurately, Judais privilegia refervavit; Chriftianos effe paffus eft. 22. 29. Adrian's Refcript, though it doth not manifestly exempt Christians from punishment, yet feems in fome degree to favour them, and might have been fo interpreted by a judge who was difpofed to put the mildeft conftruction upon it. it. The Chriftians therefore made their use of it, and often appealed to it.

Lampridius, who was a Pagan, mentions a report that Adrian had a defign to deify Jefus Chrift, and to build him a temple; but he pofitively affirms that Severus Alexander intended it, He adds that the Emperor (I sup

pofe

pofe he means Alexander) was deterred by fome perfons, probably Pagan priests, who confulting the Gods, found, as they faid, that, if fuch a thing were executed, Christianity would be established and Paganifm abolished. Chrifto templum facere voluit [Severus Alexander] eumque inter deos recipere. Quod et Adrianus cogitaffe fertur, qui templa in omnibus civitatibus fine fimulacris jufferat fieri: quæ hodie idcirco quia non habent numina, dicuntur Adriani, quæ ille ad hoc paraffe dicebatur. Sed prohibitus eft ab iis qui confulentes facra, repererant omnes Chriftianos futuros fi id optato eveniffet, et templa reliqua deferenda. 43. The report concerning Adrian's defign was groundless in all probability. See Spartian. Adr. 13. and Bafnage Annal. ii. p. 59. and yet it evidently fhews that he never paffed for an enemy to Christianity.

m

Since the Chriftian Apologifts reproach the Pagans for their human facrifices, Quadratus and Ariftides may be fuppofed to have touched

Interea ea traditio Lampridii nobis lucro eft. Etenim fi imaginibus referta tum temporis fuiflent templa Chriftianorum, fingi nullo potuiffet modo, Adriania numinibus vacua Chrifto fuifle pofita. Neque Adriano aliquid caufle fuillet, cur ejufmodi templa conderet, expertia fimulacrorum, fi Ecclefia in more habuit imagines in templis collocare. Nulla quoque, Conftantino imperante, imagines Chriftianorum in Bafilicis videbantur, utpote quæ ad fimilitudinem Adrianiorum accedebant. Bafnage Annal. ii. p. 60.

m Dr. Middleton, and many befides him, have obferved that of the Chriftian Apologifts the latter often copy the earlier; and a man who reads them must be blind not to fee it, or perverfe not to own it.

2.

upon

n

upon that fubject. Adrian forbad this wicked practice, and alfo made laws in favour of flaves.

Several Apologies were afterwards made by Christians, addreffed fometimes to the Emperors and the Senate. Pagans of rank and quality were perhaps not much moved by them, yet they must have had fome knowledge of them; for doubtlefs the Chriftians, who valued nei-. ther danger nor money nor labour, when the common.cause required it, and of whom fome were of good families and fortunes, got them transcribed, and handed them about to perfons of eminence, and it could be no difficult thing. to give them to those Emperors who had learning and humanity. And indeed, which is very remarkable, the Apologies are addreffed to fuch fort of Emperors, to Adrian, Titus Antoninus, Marcus Aurelius, Lucius Verus, and perhaps to Commodus, who, bad as he was, yet fhewed kindness to the Chriftians. The Emperors commonly were acceffible enough, and did not ufe to hide themselves like eaftern Monarchs. Auguftus, for example, fuffered all perfons to approach him, and when a poor man once offered him a petition in a timorous manner, with a hand half extended and half drawn back, the Emperor jefted with him, and told him that he looked as if he was giving a halfpeny to

Tillemont, Hift. des Emp. ii. 262, etc. See alfo Eufebius Præp. Eu. iv. 16, 17.

Tillemont, Hift. Eccl. ii. p. 631. and Juftin M. Ed. Paris 1742. Præf. p. cxii.

an

:

an Elephant. Promifcuis falutationibus admittebat et plebem, tanta comitate adeuntium defideria excipiens, ut quendam joco corripuerit, quod fic fibi libellum porrigere dubitaret, quafi elephanto ftipem. Suet. Aug. 53. Nor was the style of the Apologifts fuch as could difguft the readers. They wrote in general as well, and with as much learning, elegance, vivacity, and good fenfe, as their Pagan contemporaries. Thefe Christians were by no means obfcure and contemptible perfons; they had enjoyed a libéral education, they were learned, and fome of them had been philofophers, and retained the habit of philofophers; and in thofe days a philofopher and a man of letters might have access to perfons of the highest rank and quality: Le Clerc was far from thinking that the ancient defenders of Chriftianity were quite despised by the Heathen, as fome are willing to imagine. On the contrary, he fuppofes that their arguments against Paganifm contributed greatly to its deftruction. It is very neceffary for those "who would be well acquainted with Eccle"fiaftical History, to read the Authors who in "the early ages compofed Apologies for Chri

ftianity, and at the fame time overfet the re"ligion of the Heathen. These were the first "attacks which were made on Paganism, and "which gave the very Pagans such a disgust

for it, that almoft the whole Roman Empire "declared for Chriftianity, as foon as it was "fafe to do fo." Bibl. Choif. xxvii. 426.

UNDER