This medal is one of many that were made to commemorate the conquest of Judæa, and the destruction of Jerusalem. Some of the medals were of gold, some of silver, and most of copper. I have seen one which was found near Carlisle, which is of silver, and about the size of a shilling.

Charles. Are they all alike, mother. Have they all a weeping woman sitting under a tree, and a man standing behind her, as in this picture?

Mother. No, not all. Some have the palmtree of Palestine, with a captive female sitting weeping beneath it; others, like this, have the Emperor in armour on the other side of the tree. Some have a trophy, that is a pile of arms,

swords, spears, and shields, piled up instead of the palm-tree; others have, in the place of the female figure, a group of Jews prostrate before the armed Emperor; and one is known to bear the temple candlestick, as it is also sculptured on the arch of Titus, which is at the other end of this box.

Charles.-Thank you; now tell me what are the words on each side of the tree, and the letters S. C. underneath it?

Mother. The words are JUDEA CAPTA, and they mean "Judea captured.” They tell of the overthrow of the nation of the Jews, and the bringing their land entirely under the power of the Romans. S. C. means by a decree of the

senate.

Charles. Have all the medals the same words, "Judea Capta," on that side of them?

Mother.-No; some have only JUDAEA; others have VICTORIA AUGUSTI, or PROVIDENTIA AUGUSTI, or CONCORDIA AUGUSTI. "Victory," 66 Providence," or "Concord of Augustus:" one has nothing printed, another has PALESTINA-INPOTESTATEM, P.R.R., or "Palestine reduced under Roman power: and that which has the candlestick is inscribed HIEROSOLYMA CAPTA, Jerusalem captured."

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Charles.

of the medal?

And what is there on the other side

Mother. The two sides of a medal or coin, are called the obverse and the reverse. This which we have been talking about is the reverse. The other side, or obverse, has "the image and superscription of the Cæsar." This is in all medals the same. There is the head of the Emperor Vespasian, surrounded by the super

scription, IMP. CAES. VESPASIAN.

AUG PM:

TR.P COS. III. This means," Emperor, Cæsar, Vespasian, Augustus. High Priest; by the power of the Tribunes. Father of his country. Consul thrice."*

Charles. And when were these medals made?

Mother. The Emperor Vespasian commenced his third-time consulship in the year 824, from the building of the city of Rome, that is in the year of our Lord 71, in which year this and other medals were struck, to commemorate the entire conquest of Judea. I told you that the pictures on the ends of the box speak to us of Roman power and Roman weakness. Now, I can only say a few words to you, to tell you what I meant by that. These medals serve to show us how great the might of the ancient Romans was, when they subdued the greatest kingdoms of the world, and brought the inhabited parts of it under their dominion. Thus are ruined monuments of their grandeur found in many lands. In this our country, considered by the Romans as cut off from all the world besides, there are Roman walls and towers, and in all parts, where Roman camps were made, many curious things and many coins have been dug up, and all these are proofs to us of the former greatness and power of the Roman people. These medals, which tell of the overthrow of Jerusalem, tell

*One medal has been described, with the legend Judea Capta, struck in the second consulship of Vespasian. It is supposed that it was struck immediately on receiving the intelligence of the capture of Jerusalem. For Titus took that city on the eighth of September, in the second consulship of Vespasian, who announced himself in that same month for the third consulship.

also of that power. This people, small in their beginning, was God's sword to punish his disobedient people. Great as they were, they were only instruments in his hand, fulfilling his purposes and accomplishing his will. Thus it is, dear, that God raises up nations and kings, and, whilst they think they are advancing their own greatness and power, he uses them to manifest his glory, and makes their history a volume in which men may read that the "Lord reigneth, he setteth up one and pulleth down another.”

Charles. But how do these medals tell of Roman weakness, mother?

The

Mother. They lead us to ask, where are the people who caused them to be made? The captive widow, lone, desolate, sitting on the ground, lives still but where is imperial Rome? suppliant prisoners of Roman arms, prostrate before their imperial conqueror, have outlived the oppression, and scorn, and cruelty of eighteen hundred years; they are increasing in numbers and in influence in all parts of the world, and possess, at this moment, greater strength than they have had at any time since these Roman proofs of their conquest; but the Rome which witnessed their ruin, and the triumph of her armies over them, has been given to the spoiler; and the very monuments which she created to celebrate her own triumphs, now tell of her destruction. They remind us of what Rome WAS. They remind us also, of what

Rome Is.

Charles.-Thank you, mother, I will try to learn more of the history of these wonderful nations, especially of God's ancient people, the Jews. Why, I wonder, have these been pre

served so long, and the great people who carried them away captive and destroyed Jerusalem, have been lost?

Mother.-The Bible tells us why. Therein God says, that " though he make a full end of all the nations which have carried them captive, yet will he not make a full end of them;" and he also tells us, that the days shall come when he will gather both Judah and Israel from all countries, whither he hath driven them, and make a new covenant with them, and in those days they shall call a long rejected Saviour "THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS."

DEATH OF A BELIEVING JEW.

IN the memoir of the life of the late benevolent Elizabeth Fry, the following interesting account is inserted. It forms a part of her journal for December 20th, 1831 :

"I went to Clapham to visit. a poor dying converted Jew, who had sent a letter to beg me to go and see him: my visit was highly interesting. I often wish for the pen of a ready writer, and the pencil of an artist, to picture some of the scenes I am brought into. A man of pleasing countenance, greatly emaciated, lying on a little white bed; all clean and in order. His Bible was by his side, and he was animated, almost beyond description, at seeing me; he kissed my hand, the tears came into his eyes, his poor face flushed, and he was ready almost to raise himself out of his bed. I sat down and tried to quiet