Trusting their own boasted strength, and in pride
The Armour Invincible casting aside.

Where the Beatified Nations above,

To their golden harps sing of God's Love-
Do they with the discords of earth sympathise,
Whose lutes are unstrung responsive to sighs :
In their Perfect Life of repose and bliss,
Do they pity the heedless follies of this-
The folly which turns from a World of Light,
To grope with the mud-rake in blindness of night?
If grovelling we seek the baubles of earth,

A handful of dust is all we are worth:

Give us Grace, Blessed LORD, to contemplate Thee,
And garner up stores for Eternity.

C. A. M. W.

THE moon was riding high over the city of Lyons, one April night, in the year of our LORD 178, when two men passed from the crowded streets into the wild hill country which lay round the city. Both of the men were wrapped in large cloaks, and evidently wished to avoid observation, but there was something in the unusual height of the younger of the two, which made the peasants who passed them occasionally turn round and look; they could see that he was no Gaul by his great height, nor had he, though evidently a warrior, the military bearing of a Roman soldier, and the peasants were right in their surmises concerning Uldras, for such was the name of the young man,he was neither Gaul nor Roman, but an inhabitant of Scandinavia by birth, though now enrolled as a Tribune and wearing the arms of one of the foreign legions, attached to the imperial army, which had

its head quarters in Lyons, and was mainly recruited from the neighbouring tribes, though in its ranks were found, as was usual in these mercenary bands of the Empire, men of almost every country in Europe, among others, Germans, Britons, Spaniards, and Norwegians, to which latter people Uldras, as I have said, belonged. His companion, Cœlius Cenchrea, had lately come from Rome, where he had held high office for many years, but disgusted with the vices and follies of the Imperial city, and alarmed at the increasing tyranny of the Empire, had retired to Lugdunum (or Lyons), throwing up the most brilliant prospects of office under the Empire, and with them, it must be confessed, the constant danger of assassination, for the sake of that ease and dignity so dear to philosophic Romans of the higher class.

The origin of the friendship between Coelius and Uldras, had been the rescue by the latter of Cœlius' daughter from a gang of marauding Gauls, and a better acquaintance with the Norwegian had made Cœlius take a great interest in and liking to the young Tribune, which interest was increased by the discovery that Uldras was a believer in the new doctrines known as Christian, for Cœlius was a virtuous man as well as an inquiring one, and, having made some acquaintance with the leaders of the Church at Lyons, had been much attracted by their high morality, and was desirous of knowing more of their tenets. This night, Uldras was taking his friend to be present at the funeral of a Christian Priest who had lately been murdered by the mob of Lyons, and whose body had with difficulty been rescued by some of the Christian soldiers under Uldras, the putting down the riot being an excuse to the authorities for his act, and given up to the Church for burial. As the two walked along the wild hill track which led to the cave used both as a church and cemetery by the Christians, Cœlius gently rallied his friend on his late warlike exploit against the people of Lyons.

"The magistrates were by no means of one mind about your achievement, my friend," he remarked, some said that a Christian deserved no better a fate. Others said, however, that the public peace must be kept, and that the tribunals were the proper places for dealing with malefactors."

Well," remarked Uldras, "the mob would soon have been pillaging the shops and booths, had I not interfered, and then the Stationaries would have been required to put them down. I do not think

we cut many throats among the citizens, I told my men to use the flat of the sword as much as possible; but do the magistrates know that we carried off the body ?"

'I cannot say. What said Pothinus to your proceeding? did he not deem it violence unfitting a follower of Christus ?"

"No, he said that as a soldier of Cæsar, I could not have done otherwise. Had it been a riot about bread instead of an inhuman massacre of one of the elders of the Church, I should have done the same, but I foresee in this act, my Cœlius, the signs of a storm, and I may ere long be forced to lay down the sword and helmet, and face the lions of Africa for CHRIST's sake. Even so come, LORD Jesus,' he added, removing his helmet for a moment as he pronounced the Name which is above every name.

There was a pause, and the two walked on in silence for some way. "Are we near the place ?"

"Close by, just inside that copse: stand; who goes there?"

At that moment a man emerged from the copse, and approached Uldras half drew his sword.

them ;

"Stand, who art thou ?"

"I am a poor shepherd, and would know if you need a goat or kid to sacrifice?"

“I thank you, I need not a goat," answered Uldras, somewhat emphasising the last word.

"Perhaps, noble sir, you need a lamb,” said the man, drawing nearer to Uldras, and making a peculiar sign with his hand.

"The Lamb I need was sacrificed long ago," answered Uldras,1 making a similar sign, whereupon, laying aside all disguise, the deacon, for such was the stranger, approached Uldras, and said,

"Welcome, my brother, I judged that you were one of the faithful when first I saw you."

"I am Uldras of the foreign legion."

"I have seen you at the Eucharist, but I knew not your name." Tertius, the deacon, was my instructor in the faith, and by the venerable hands of the Bishop Pothinus was I baptised."

"And thy companion, is he also of us ?"

"Not yet," answered Cœlius, "but I am a friend to all who name the Name of CHRIST."

1 For this mode of recognition among the early Christians, Dr. Newman's "Callista" is my authority.

"Thou art welcome," said the deacon, "I have but lately arrived at Lyons, I have come hither from Rome to speak with Irenæus, who is shortly to depart for the great city."

"I also am from Rome," said Cœlius, men say that Cæsar is greatly incensed against the Christians."

"It is even so," answered Victor, the deacon, "the letters of the holy and blessed Justinus obtained for us the mercy of Pius, but Aurelius hath sworn to destroy the followers of CHRIST."

"Justinus, I remember him," said Coelius, "is he yet alive ?" "He has passed to his reward."

"How, is he dead, the venerable philosopher?"

"He was martyred at Rome, four years ago."

"Out upon the bloody city," cried Cœlius, fiercely, "true to her traditions she waters her pavement with the blood of her noblest sons : how died he ?"

"Even as the blessed Paul, by the sword, I have spoken with those who saw him suffer."

At that moment two or three more of the congregation approached, and Victor hurried off to meet them, leaving Uldras and Cœlius alone. "I do not think," said the former, "that the Bishop will permit your presence at the celebration1 of the Divine Mysteries, since at these even our converts and catechumens are not present."

"Are they then so secret, my Uldras ?"

"Such is the rule of the Church, but to the rest of the service you will be welcome."

"Men bring strange charges against you,-they say that you eat the flesh of one of your number, and drink his blood !"

Uldras smiled scornfully.

"I know wicked men malign us, and blaspheme our most holy rite, in which with bread and wine we make solemn commemoration before the Eternal FATHER, of His SON our LORD's death, and are mystically united to His Body and Blood-but I see the congregation are now assembling, let us go to them, in order to receive the Bishop."

So saying, Uldras led the way through the thicket to a smooth open space, in front of the entrance to the cave, which entrance was carefully concealed by a pile of brushwood. Here were gathered the little con

1 During seasons of persecution the early Christians were compelled to celebrate the Eucharist when they could,—hence I have ventured in this tale to introduce a midnight celebration.

gregation who had met to do honour to their martyred friend and teacher, though each individual among them knew that he came there at the peril of his life. The congregation consisted of men and women of all ranks and stations of life, and Cœlius recognised among them Roman patricians of both sexes, tribunes of the Stationaries or imperial troops, merchants and artificers, beside several slaves, both male and female. A little group, consisting of a Roman lady and two attendants, one, a girl of about nineteen or twenty, and the other, a young boy, particularly attracted his notice, for though the attendants stood somewhat behind their mistress, she turned frequently to converse with them in whispers, and treated them in all respects as if they were her equals in birth, an idea new to Cœlius, who had not yet learned that "in CHRIST JESUS were neither bond nor free." The lady being an acquaintance, Cœlius drew near to speak to her, and the two slaves modestly retired.

"I did not expect to meet you, Victoria, here."

"Nor I you, Cœlius; are you also of us ?"

"No, I am not; but you know I am a friend, so do not fear me." "GOD grant that one day you may be more than a friend," answered Victoria, gently. "Blandina, my child, bring my cloak, and spread it on that stone."

The young slave-maiden, thus addressed, brought the cloak, and, having done what her mistress desired, drew back once more.

"Blandina, is she also a Christian ?" asked Cœlius, surveying the slight delicate form of the slave with some interest.

She is a better Christian than I shall ever be," answered her mistress; "but GOD forbid that the storm which is about to burst should fall on her,-poor thing, she would never survive the torture."

"I cannot imagine that you have much reason to fear," said Cœlius, "Cæsar must respect the piety and morality of your sect; Aurelius is no Nero to wallow in blood."

"It may be so," sighed Victoria, "but I fear the worst; the Edict has gone forth, and soon the highest and the lowest of those who follow JESUS will be dragged before the tribunals.”

"And Victoria does not fear such a fate ?"

"No, Cœlius, I do not, they can but kill the body."

'Strange," thought Cœlius, so said Justinus; the woman and the sage both hope for the same immortality; do the slaves expect an equal portion of bliss, I wonder? I will ask those two."