tinually falling into the very faults which I am so forward to condemn." 66 66 we must return to Well, my boys," pursued Mr. Trevilly, the subject from which we have digressed. The deadly persecution under Diocletian raged in Britain, as well as in other parts of the Roman empire, and the British Church was allowed the honour of supplying martyrs to the faith of CHRIST crucified. The name of one of these martyrs is still preserved in our Prayer Book. Do you know the name to which I allude ?" "I think I do, sir," said Edward. "Is it not S. Alban?" 66 Yes," replied Mr. Trevilly: "he is often styled the protomartyr of Britain, and is commemorated in our calendar on the 17th of June. Venerable Bede, an early British historian, has given a full account of his martyrdom." "Will you kindly tell us about it, sir ?" said Edward. 66 Willingly," said Mr. Trevilly, taking a book from the shelf; "I will relate the account to you almost in the words of Bede himself." The boys were all eagerly attentive, and Mr. Trevilly began. "Alban, though yet a Pagan at the time when the cruelties of wicked princes were raging against Christians, gave entertainment to a Clergyman flying from his persecutors. The holy life and teaching of this Priest led, by God's grace, to Alban's conversion. It soon came to the ears of the wicked prince that this holy confessor of CHRIST, whose time of martyrdom was not yet come, was concealed at Alban's house; whereupon he sent some soldiers to make a strict search for him. When they came to the martyr's house, S. Alban immediately presented himself instead of his guest, in the habit or long coat which he wore, and was led bound before the judge. "It happened that the judge, at the time when S. Alban was carried before him, was standing at the altar, and offering sacrifice to devils. When he saw S. Alban, he told him in much wrath, that because he had dared to conceal a rebellious and sacrilegious person, rather than deliver him up to the soldiers, he should undergo all the punishment that was due to the Priest, if he abandoned his former religion. But S. Alban, who had voluntarily declared himself a Christian to the persecutors of the faith, was not at all daunted at the prince's threat; but putting on the armour of spiritual warfare, publicly declared that he would not obey the command. Then,' said the judge, 'of what family or race are you?' "What does it concern you,' answered S. Alban, of what stock I am? If you desire to hear the truth of my religion, be it known to you that I am now a Christian, and bound by Christian duties.' "I ask your name,' said the judge; tell me it immediately.' "I am called Alban by my parents,' replied he, and I worship and adore the true and living GOD, Who created all things.' "Then the judge, inflamed with anger, said, 'If you will enjoy the happiness of eternal life, do not delay to offer sacrifice to the great gods.' "S. Alban rejoined, that these sacrifices could not answer the wishes of those who offered, but would only lead them to the everlasting pains of hell.' "The judge, being much incensed at these words, ordered this holy confessor of GOD to be scourged by the executioner; believing he might by stripes shake that constancy of heart, on which he could not prevail by words. S. Alban bore his torture patiently, or rather joyfully, for our LORD's sake. When the judge saw that he was not to be overcome by tortures, or withdrawn from the exercise of the Christian religion, he ordered him to be put to death. On his way to execution, he had to cross a river, but the bridge over it was so crowded with persons anxious to attend the martyr, that he was unable to pass. S. Alban, therefore, urged by an ardent and devout wish to arrive quickly at martyrdom, drew near to the stream, and on lifting up his eyes to heaven the channel was immediately dried up, and he perceived that the water had departed, and made way for him to pass. Among the rest, the executioner who was to have put him to death observed this, and moved by Divine inspiration, hastened to meet him at the place of execution, and casting down the sword which he had carried ready drawn, fell at his feet, praying that he might rather suffer with the martyr whom he was ordered to execute; if possible, instead of him. When they arrived at the place appointed for his execution,-a most beautiful plain, worthy, from its lovely appearance, to be the scene of a martyr's sufferings, -the head of our most courageous martyr was struck off; and here he received the crown of life which GOD has promised to those who love Him. But he who gave the wicked stroke was not permitted to rejoice over the deceased, for his eyes dropped upon the ground together with the blessed martyr's head." "And what became of the brave executioner," exclaimed Charles, "who refused to slay S. Alban, and was willing, if it were possible, to die in his stead?" "He also received the crown of martyrdom," said Mr. Trevilly. "Bede proceeds to tell us that he was beheaded at the same time, and adds, that though he was not regenerated by baptism, yet he was cleansed by the washing of his own blood, and rendered worthy to enter the kingdom of heaven." "But do you think it is true, sir," said Collings, "that the river was dried up, and that the eyes of the executioner fell out?" "Archdeacon Churton is of opinion," said Mr. Trevilly, “ that this story is much embellished, and that there is no need for miraculous intervention. We know, however, that in the early ages of Christianity especial proofs of God's mercy and power were shown." "And had these things any effect upon the people, sir?” said Edward. "Yes," answered Mr. Trevilly; "the judge himself, it is recorded, was so astonished at them, that he ordered the persecution to cease immediately, beginning to honour the death of the saints, by which he before thought they might have been diverted from the Christian faith.' "I believe, sir," said Edward, "that a monastery was afterwards built in the place where S. Alban suffered, was there not, sir ?" "Yes," said Mr. Trevilly; "Offa, king of the Mercians, A. D. 793, founded in this place the stately monastery of S. Alban's, whose abbat had superiority over all others. A Christian Church had been previously erected to the memory of the martyr, which was standing in the time of Bede." "Is there any account of the martyrdom of any other eminent Christians in this persecution ?" asked Charles. "Doubtless a great many suffered," said Mr. Trevilly, “but the particulars of their deaths are not preserved. Two names are mentioned as having suffered at the same time, Aaron and Julius, citizens of Chester; or, as Gildas says, of Carlisle." "Will you tell us about their martyrdom ?” asked Edward. "Little is said of them," replied Mr. Trevilly, "except that they endured excessive torments with great patience and joy. But I must not detain you longer this evening, as we have already exceeded our usual time." The boys rose to leave with regret; they had been much interested, and would willingly have remained longer to listen to the words and deeds of martyrs and confessors, who had in days of old adorned the Church's history. DARKNESS VISIBLE.-Not a single object of terrestrial nature could anywhere be distinguished; an unfathomable abyss of "darkness visible" seemed to encompass us on every side; and as we looked forward into its black obscurity in the direction in which we were proceeding, we could scarcely avoid the impression that we were cleaving our way through an intermediate mass of black marble in which we were imbedded, and which, solid a few inches before us, seemed to soften as we approached, in order to admit us still further within the precincts of its cold and dusky inclosure. Even the lights which at times we lowered from the car, instead of dispelling, only tended to augment the intensity of the surrounding darkness, and as they descended deeper into its frozen bosom, appeared absolutely to melt their way onward by means of the heat which they generated in their course.C. Wise's Aeronaut. 43 MY AUNT NELLY'S PORTFOLIO. (Continued from Vol. VIII., page 348.) PERPLEXITY of choice, for this time at least, is laid at rest. Christmas demands its carol, and here it is. And O, how touchingly does this holy season bring back those days when its echoes first floated along the dear and honoured old roof it was especially composed for. 66 As well as I can remember, it was on the Christmas-Eve of 1820 or 1821, that our little band of choristers had assembled for a last practice in what we called our room of all works." There were my three sisters, and myself, and a few picked warblers from the Sunday school, with Aunt Nelly for audience; and really, how lovely some of those voices were, having been well filtered from their vulgar intonation, pronunciation, and, above all, their extraneous graces. I have never heard such since there was an efficiency-an almost tangibility in the tones which one never meets with in a drawing-room, owing in a measure, perhaps, to the confidence which an established leader gives. Something, too, is to be allowed for the sanctity of the subject which raises, or ought to raise, the vocalist above the flutter of personal competition, and something-much, in fact, for rude health. On this well-remembered Eve, we amateur choristers, in the pauses of the practice, were expressing our regret at the want of local fitness in the general tone of Christmas carols. They were charming, we agreed, the old ones especially, for singing around the household hearth; but there was an absence of something more suited to place and time-something more- -no matter what we said, our present business is with the result, which was that Aunt Nelly abruptly disappeared from the bench, and that the next morning before we either of us had quitted our beds, a fair copy of the subjoined carol had been, somehow, conveyed to our dressing-tables. As it was a thing of common occurrence for her to help us out in all our lawful and reasonable projects, the occurrence excited little or no surprise; far less did it enter any of our heads that she had composed the desired verses her own dear self. We liked them because they were something new, and went nicely to our favourite "Jubilate tune," (substituting, as is seen, the angelic chorus for all those monkish jubilations ;) the little ones were pleased because they were "nice and short," after those columns upon columns which old nurse, "without remorse or mitigation" of a single verse, required that they should sing through. Even our honoured mother expressed approval. Those words, she said, were at least more reverential than was generally the case in regard to occasional hymns; they were more church-like-more appropriate; could be sung "in any place." My dear father's was the only dissenting voice. Nothing, he maintained, could ever come up to his old favourite- "Rejoice and be ye merry, Set sorrow aside, &c." CHRISTMAS HYMN. Hark, the Christmas Hymn is stealing To God be glory in the highest; Through this dear and hallowed dwelling, Babe and suckling, youth and maiden, Hear a strain shall dry your tears. Earthly cares and human leaven, To yon font devoutly pressing, Prostrate fall before His table, Hallelujah, &c. |