sors of christianity, like soldiers, and like men." This was the first conference, and was held privately, at the governor's own house; but the next day he took his seat in the place appointed for the public examination of criminals, and ordered the prisoners to be conducted from their dungeons into his presence. Upon their appearance, he again accosted the heroic mother, observing, "that her life might be indifferent to her, as she had not long to live, yet it was her duty to regard her children, whose flourishing youth, promised long service to society." "No," replied the undaunted matron, "they have long fought for their ungrateful country, their God now calls for an exertion of their courage, and as they formerly toiled for transitory reward, let them now fight for rewards that shall be eternal," The warmth of this reply raised the judge's utmost indignation; he considered it as an insult upon his authority, and ordered her to be struck on the face for her presumption, and to be instantly removed from the tribunal.

The judge now signified his desire to examine the sons, which he undertook to do separately, and Janúarius, the tribune, was first brought to his trial. The governor attempted to shake his constancy, by showing him what preferments, authorized by the emperor himself, would attend his conformity to the religion by law established, at the same time, laying before him what cruel tortures must attend his refusal. But Januarius still remained inflexible, and showed his bosom all covered with wounds "Think you," cries he, "that I, who have borne all these in fighting for you while you remained inactive here, will fear to receive a thousand for the master who died for me? No! prepare your whips and torments;

at least you shall find, that as I have given my fellow soldiers an example how to live, they shall see in me, an example how to die."

This reply only exasperated the governor still the more, he therefore ordered, him to be immediately whipped in his presence, at the same time loading him with invectives. While the orders were performing, Felix, the second son of this illustrious family, was called forth to the tribunal, who followed his brother's example, and met with the same treatment. Philip, the third brother, was then brought forward, and told the emperor's orders were, that he should sacrifice to Mars; to which replied, "that the God which had given him courage in battle he had sacrificed to every day: and whilst he had life he would never quit his standard, nor by a base desertion gain his safety here, by the loss of immortality.”

In this manner, they all persisted in their adherence to christianity. But the governor had some hopes of prevailing with the youngest, as he was as yet but a mere youth, and consequently unable to refute the objections which could be brought against it. There was, therefore, every method tried to influence him: he was told that the emperor had a right to challenge his obedience preferable to his mother, and had it in his power to exact it under severe penalties. But the young christian replied, that, "It was true he owed the emperor his duty, but that his God challenged it first; that gratitude, justice, and every other motive conspired to make him the servant, first of an heavenly master; and when his duties to him were fulfilled, that then he should discharge all that was due to his temporal sovereign."

In this manner they were brought to and from the tribunal for several days, and allowed in their prison nothing but bread and water; yet still they continued fixed in their resolutions of dying, and encouraged each other in setting an example of heroic, or rather christian fortitude. At length, however, the emperor's orders for their execution arrived, and they were all taken from prison; the mother to be beheaded, and the sons whipped to death, with cords loaded with plummits of lead.

The terrible procession began from the prison gates; the mother, with a firm and resolute countenance, marched first, and the sons followed, laden with chains, and attended by the executioners, with the instruments of death in their hands. This was a very different procession, from that in which they had some years before traversed the streets of Rome, when they were crowned with garlands, and saluted with acclamations in every street. Yet those very looks which, after their return from victory, were so modest, now assumed a noble majestic severity; and they walked forward through pitying multitudestheir eyes directed to that heaven to which these honourable martyrs were hastening.

When arrived at the place of execution, they were unbound in order to take leave of each other; and the mother, fondly hanging on the face of her eldest son, who was first to undergo the torture, is said to have spoken in the following manner: "I thought myself once happy in having so many children to present to my country, I am now much happier in having so many to offer to my God. Blest, blest be the day, in which you were born, and the pangs which I felt in bringing you into the world. Oh my son, my soldier, my hero, my christian! this, this is your

day of triumph; I shall soon have more reason to rejoice at your groans and sufferings than when crowned with conquest you triumphantly entered the streets of Rome. As for my own life, it is worn to the very last dregs, and cannot be an offering so acceptable to heaven as thine; persevere to the last, and we shall in a few minutes meet together, where we shall fear no future disturbance from men, and no ingratitude from our country."

The executioner now began to inflict the dreadful punishment, and the mother without fainting or betraying the least weakness of her sex, continued to look on. Januarius kept his eyes still directed to heaven, nor could the severity of his torture, nor the insults from his executioners draw from him a single groan. In the same manner the rest of her children took leave, and even the spectators, averse as they were to the christians, could not refrain from shedding tears on this horrid occasion.

Felicitas still looked on with a steady and noble countenance, till it came to the turn of her youngest child, who, with looks still blooming with youth and beauty, came to take his last farewell of her. Upon his coming up to embrace her, her spirits could no longer contain, but she burst into a flood of tears, and hung upon his neck for some time in a transport of unspeakable sorrow. At last resuming her former fortitude: "0 thou," said she, my all that is now left me, my youngest lad, dear child, resist but a few minutes and we shall soon be together. I have now but one short pang, and all will be over. All mankind are set against us, and what have we to do among them? No, my child, let us go to a place of endless rest, where the good shall meet with friends like themselves, and the wick

ed, cannot intrude to molest us. Look upon the poor mangled bodies of your already happy brethren! What is there terrible in death, when attended with those rewards which shall crown the righteous? They are now looking on, with happiness, upon us two miserable creatures, as we are, thus struggling under, thus loaded with earthly calamity."

When all the sons were tortured to death, at last it came to the matron's turn to suffer, but their fortitude seemed nothing when compared to hers; she received the stroke with greater looks of joy than she had ever before testified, and set the surviving world a pattern of constancy, piety, and maternal tenderness.

St. Gregory observes, that she seemed as much afraid of leaving her children in the world, as other parents are of surviving them.

BOADICEA.

THE first female character in English history which draws our attention, is Boadicea, queen of the Iceni, who, when the emperor Nero sent Suetonius to conquer England, then in a state of barbarism, having been treated ignominiously by the Romans, headed the Britons with undaunted spirit, and attacked with success several settlements of her insulting conquerors. London, which was then a flourishing Roman colony, was reduced to ashes, and seventy thousand of the enemy were destroyed. But this carnage was revenged by Suetonius in a great and decisive battle, where thirty thousand Britons are said to have perished; and Boadicea herself, rather than