imitation of the appearance; and yet, there It is to me likewife very wonderful, that the Instead of the Latin infcription and cross, we have now a Greek monogram, and a fort of crofs no otherwife formed on Conftantine's ftandard than is ufual on Julian's, with S. P. Q. R. So that in no one particular does the coyn peculiarly represent the appearance in the fky. The vifion I fear, is no more than a dream, and the monogram heathen Greek chriftianized. This writer, you fee, reader, gives the miracle up, and he is a thorow orthodox man. He adds, others read the monogran chrefterion, the oracle (inftead of Chriftos) and if Constantine had his admonition in a dream only, according to Lactantius and Gregory Nazianzen, the fer pent, which is at the bottom of the standard, will, as ufual, reprefent Efculapius, who delivered his oracles in that manner: fo that the whole may be no more than the dream of a pagan. Conftantine, in the heathen man 0 4 ner, 1 Of the numents in Lewis. ner, might dream he would conquer Maxentius, and chriftianize it to ferve his purpofe (a). In short, I believe the emperor told Eusebius what that hiftorian relates, and sware to the truth of it. But I think for myself it was a cheat. Mr. Jortin's conclufion, after confidering the matter, is this ;-It is an ugly circumstance, and I wish we could get fairly rid of it. See the 3d volume of remarks on ecclefiaftical history. What Conftantine told Eufebius concerning his vision, or the appearance in the sky, is this Horis diei Meridianis, fole in occafum vergente, crucis tropæum in cœlɔ ex luce conflatum, foli fuperpofitum, ipfis oculis fe vidiffe affirmavit, cum hujufmodi infcriptione: Hac Vince. Stuff: And therefore, neither the pagan nor the christian, in their panegyrics on Conftantine's victory over Maxentius, fay a fyllable of this prodigy. The Druid temple mentioned by Mr. Marfone mo- tin, we faw near the villageClaffernis, and feveral other refts and monuments he takes no notice of. There are many vast single stones erect; and circles of them in fome places. There (a) Fabricius, an honorarius arbiter, as Mr. Jortin calls him, is of opinion, that the miracle of the crofs in the sky was a folar balo, which fometimes represents a lucid crofs, and being rarely feen, Conftantine might fanfy it miraculous, are are two monuments confifting of three great stones each; and one we faw composed of five or fix prodigious flat stones on one another. The fingle rude unhewn ftones were, I fuppofe, the idols of the pagan iflanders, that is, representations under which the more knowing worshiped the Deity. That such vaft craggs were early confecrated to fuperftition, is evident from hiftory, facred and prophane. In the 28th chapter of Genesis it is written, Neither rear you up a pillar to bow down to it; as their neighbours the Gentiles did. Diodorus Siculus, Maximus Tyrius, Quintus Curtius, and Paufanias, prove it. As to the circular rude obelisks, they were to be fure the heathen temples, and ferved likewife for feats of judicature, inaugurations and national councils. So Virgil tells us in his seventh book Hinc fceptra accipere, et primos attollere fasces Enclos'd by facred groves, which gave delight, There There the tribunal stood, and house of prayer; These circular temples were formerly furrounded with large groves. Once girt with fpreading oaks, were thofe enormous obelisks; but all the trees have been long fince cut down. The woods and folitudes were thought to give an air of mystery and devotion to their fervice, and to incline the people to believe fome divinity refided there. By the folemn scenes of fhade and filence, their minds were disposed to hearken to the fabulous theology of the priests, and brought to comply with all the fenfeless rites of their worship. All the antients had the notion of refiding divinitys in woods and forests of the most venerable antiquity, and that every grove had its deity, or fupernal who delighted in it. Fidem tibi Numinis facit, says Seneca in his 41ft Epiftle. We think fome god inhabits these fine fhades. And when Horace was to be inspired, he meets Calliope in the grove.— Through hallow'd groves I ftray, where ftreams beneath "From lucid fountains flow, and zephyrs balmy breath." The The wifeft men of former times gave în→ to this opinion, and the priests made it the fupport of their falfe religion. We find in the facred hiftory, that it affected the He+ brews very strongly, and that notwithstanding the pofitive laws against it, the people of God could not be reftrained from worshiping in groves. Religious corruption thereby encreased, and at laft they forfook the Lord, and ferved Baal and Afbteroth.. A reflexion on the Dei How beautifully different from all this is pure christian religion! God, in the doctrine ty, and true of revelation, is one, omniprefent, and im religion. menfe fpirit; for ever prefent with every part of the real univerfe of beings, and immediately interpofing, in the fupport of every part of the creation; and this one, eternal, infinite mind we are to worfhip, neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerufalem; but in the temple of the universe, which his majefty fills; and in purity of foul, and invioLable virtue and morality of life. The grove, the bill, the boufe, the priest, are nothing, in refpect of an exact imitation of the moral perfections of the Deity. imitating obeying I know, reader, there are fome great di- Whether vines who talk in a different manner, and the Deity, will have it," that there is fomething pre-his pofitive vious to imitating of God, and more accept- law, is able to him, which is obeying him." Toluable, imitate his example, is paying him a dutiful. refpect; most va |