exile and altered form. The Chorus weeps at the narration. Then Prometheus declares to Io, the labours and dangers which yet await her, and how that, having at last been brought to Egypt, Jupiter should restore her to happiness and her wonted appearance. As soon as he has procured credit to his words, he narrates to Io a part of the journey already completed, as well as other things which befel her in her journey hither. Then Io, being convulsed with a new access of madness, departs. The Chorus however praises equal matches, and discommends the love of the heavenly potentates. Prometheus, who had already predicted to Io that he was to be liberated by a hero descended from her, proceeds after her departure to utter ominous words against Jupiter, and declares that certain nuptials will prove fatal to him; if he contracted these nuptials (he says) he would be dispossessed of his heavenly throne by a son born from this union. Mercury, therefore, is sent by Jupiter to him, who commands Prometheus to declare what these nuptials are. Prometheus, however, so far from diminishing his pertinacity, vociferates more daringly, and acts not as a captive addressing the ambassador of Jupiter, but as a freeman conversing with a slave. Mercury, when he sees that he can effect nothing by words, denounces against him the horrible vengeance and pains of Jupiter, and admonishes the Chorus to depart, lest it should participate in the dreadful punishment about to be inflicted on Prometheus. The Chorus refuses to desert their friend in the moment of danger. And now suddenly lightnings and thunder arise, the sea heaves with storms, the earth trembles in violent commotion, and Prometheus, not conquered even by these horrors, is cast headlong into Tartarus with the rock to which he is affixed."

This, then, is the alleged prototype of the Christian religion. I do not know how the abstract may strike my readers, but it does seem to me, that, so far from presenting a resemblance to Jesus Christ, it exhibits no very imperfect picture of a being termed the devil, as portrayed in the pages of Milton.

The fact is, that no less than a score of historical personages, are held, by various authors, to have borne a close affinity with the fabled Prometheus. He is like the cameleon, assuming all colours, varying with the light in which men choose to regard him, under the influence of their perverted vision; or, as his ancient friend and fabulous deity Proteus, changing his form at the motion of the wand of any magician, who may wish to exhibit him for a while to amuse an astonished audience. (L. ii. p. 50-53). In the present controversy, you have made the following concessions, either by your silence, or your confession: The word Joseph you took to be a variation of the word Jesus. This I denied, and you say, "this I have no objection to yield!" You asserted that it was said, that all the disciples of Jesus were

Jews. I asked for your authority-and to this, no reply. I proved that though even the names of the disciples were Grecian, it would not follow, that the disciples themselves were Grecian-to this, no reply. I went on to prove, that though even the disciples themselves were Grecian, neither would it follow that the story they propagated was Grecian-to this, no reply. I questioned if you knew the language of Jesus and his disciples, though you made the most positive assertion respecting it-to this, a confession of ignorance. I proved that the very Greek of the New Testament evinced that the book must have been for the most part written in Judea, prior to the destruction of Jerusalem. I challenged you to the disproof of this-and to this, no reply. You asserted, that "from the time of the destruction of Jerusalem to the predominance of the Christian religion, under the Roman Emperors, we have no history of Jerusalem." This I disprovedand to this, no reply., You ascribe the fabrication of Christianity to some Grecian fabulist. I asked for his name, his motives, his residence and to this, no reply. You said he could make converts, because nobody could contradict him. This was exploded-and to this, no reply. I argued, that your fabulist could most easily have been convicted-and to this, no reply. You assimilated the Christianity of Origen to your own. This you were challenged to establish—and to this, no reply. I proved from Pliny's letter, that Christianity and Christians must have existed several years before you permitted them to see the light-and to this, no reply. I inquired how Tacitus could be guilty of so great an anachronism, as to speak of Christians in Rome fifty or sixty years before, according to you, they actually existed-and to this, no reply. You affirmed that public records were very rare at the time when Tacitus wrote. The contrary was established by historical proofsand to this, no reply. I exhibited in your observations a specimen of a syllogism not to be found in Aristotle, or in the dictates of common sense-and to this, no reply. You affirmed, that the earliest record of Christianity, was the letter of Pliny. This point was called in question-and to this, no reply. You asserted, that Pliny, "by his own confession," knew nothing of the Christians before he came into Asia Minor. You were challenged to produce that confession, and the confession is not forthcoming.

You were charged with falsifying historical documents, and you confess an error of memory. These, Sir, I take to be so many concessions in my favour made by yourself; how far they authorise a triumph on your part, I will not say. They never would have been noticed by me, had you not been so anxious to produce a conviction on the minds of your readers, that you had "triumphantly refuted" me. I should have been content to leave them to avail what they might in the general discussion, but when a man strives to gain a victory by loud shouting, rather than by meeting difficulties, the claims of truth require that the hollowness of the sound should be exposed.

Unitarian Worthies.-No. 3, Thomas Emlyn.
(Concluded, from page 201.)

AFTER about ten weeks absence, though Mr. Emlyn had received discouraging accounts of the rage that prevailed against him in Dublin, he thought it necessary to return to his family. Finding that both his opinions and his person lay under a great odium among many who knew little of the subject in dispute, he deemed it an act of justice to himself, and especially to the truth, to show what evidence there was in the Scriptures for the doctrine which he had embraced. Accordingly, he wrote his "Humble Inquiry into the Scripture account of Jesus Christ." A few days after this work was printed, our author intended to return to England; but some bigotted dissenters, hearing of his design, resolved to have him prosecuted. A special warrant was therefore obtained from the Lord Chief Justice (Sir Richard Pyne), to seize Mr. Emlyn and his books. He was accordingly brought before the Justice, and with some difficulty admitted to bail. The trial was delayed till June 14, 1693. On that day, Mr. Emlyn was informed by an eminent lawyer, that he would not be permitted to speak freely, but that it was designed to run him down like a wolf, without law or game; and he was soon convinced that this was not a groundless assertion. The indictment was for writing and publishing a book, wherein he had blasphemously and maliciously asserted, that Jesus Christ was not equal to God the Father, to whom he was subject; and this, with a seditious intention, or, to use some of the words of the indictment, "that Thomas Emlyn, &c. not having the fear of God before his eyes, nor yielding reverence to the true and orthodox holy Christian religion; but being wholly moved by the instigation of the Devil, and presumptuously treating of the Divinity of our Saviour, did write, and cause to be printed, a certain infamous and scandalous libel, with intent to disturb the peace and tranquillity of this kingdom, to seduce the pious, true, and faithful subjects of our Lady the Queen, from the true and sacred Christian faith." The first point to be proved on the trial, was, that Mr. Emlyn was the author of the book. The only evidence adduced, was that of Mr. Boyse, Mr. Emlyn's former co-pastor. He proved the agreement of the book with our confessor's sentiments, which amounted to the barest presumption. The Queen's

counsel contended that this was as good as positive evidence, and was seconded in this barefaced proceeding, by the Lord Chief Justice. In short, the torrent was so violent, that Mr. Emlyn's own counsel could not withstand it. The main question, however, related to the blasphemous nature of the publication. This was taken for granted-no proof of it was offered, and Mr. Emlyn's counsel dared not to touch upon the subject; and our worthy was not permitted to speak for himself. In fine, the Jury brought him in guilty: of which verdict, when too late, some expressed their concern. The verdict being pronounced, the Attorney-General moved, that Mr. Emlyn might suffer the punishment of the pillory; but the passing of the sentence was deferred. In the mean time, Mr. E. was committed to the common jail. When he appeared for judgment, it was moved by one of the Queen's counsel, that he should retract; but to this our author would not consent. The Lord Chief Justice, therefore, proceeded to pronounce sentence upon him: which was, that he should suffer a year's imprisonment, pay a fine of a thousand pounds to the Queen, and lie in prison till he had paid it; and that he should find security for good behaviour during life. Then, with a paper on his breast, he was led round the four courts to be exposed. This sentence was, by some, thought to be severe and cruel; but the Lord Chief Justice did not scruple to magnify the mercy of it, because, in Spain and Portugal, the punishment would have been no less than burning. For a time, he remained in the custody of the under Sheriff of Dublin, then he was hurried to the common jail, where he lay among the prisoners in a close room filled with six beds, and then, by an habeas corpus, was removed to the Marshalsea on accourt of his health. During the whole time that he remained here, his former friends kept at a distance from him, and all offices of friendship and civility ceased, To this statement, an exception must be made in favour of the plainer tradesmen of his former congregation. But of all men, the dissenting ministers of Dublin were the most destitute of kindness. Not one of them, Mr. Boyse excepted, vouchsafed to Mr. E. that small office of humanity, the visiting of him in prison; nor had they so much pity on the soul of their erring brother, as they deemed him, as to endeavour to turn him from the error of his way, For a long time, our author continued with little appear

ance of relief, content with this, that he knew for whom and for what he suffered. At length the exorbitant fine was reduced to seventy pounds, and was accordingly paid. Twenty pounds more were shamefully exacted by Dr. Marsh, Archbishop of Armagh, who, as Queen's almoner, had a claim of one shilling in the pound upon the whole fine. During Mr. E.'s confinement in the Marshalsea, he regularly preached there. We cannot forbear adding some remarks of Dr. afterwards Bishop Hoadly, on this unjust and illegal transaction. "Sometimes we of the Established Church can manage a prosecution, for I must not call it a persecution, ourselves, without calling in any other help. But I must do the Dissenting Protestants the justice to say, that they have shown themselves, upon occasion, very ready to assist us in so pious and Christian a work, as bringing heretics to their right mind: being themselves, but very lately, come from experiencing the convincing and enlightening faculty of a dungeon or a fine! This hath been experienced, particularly in Ireland, by one who could not see exactly what they saw, about the nature of Christ before his appearance in the world. For as with you, the Catholics, a man had better blaspheme Almighty God, than not magnify the Blessed Virgin; so with many of us, it is much more innocent, and less hazardous, to take from the glory of the Father, than of his Son. Nay, to bring down the Father to a level with his own Son, is a commendable work, and the applauded labour of many men of leisure. But to place the Son below his own Father, in any degree of real perfection, this is an unpardonable error; so unpardonable, that all hands are united against that unhappy man. And he found, at length, that he had much better have violated all God's commandments, than have interpreted some passages of Scripture differently from his brethren. The Non-conformists accused him-the Conformists condemned himthe Secular power was called in, and the cause ended in an imprisonment and very great fine: two methods of conviction about which the Gospel is silent."

The Church established, however, lent their aid to control and intimidate. The Bishops seated themselves on the bench at the trial-influenced the Judge-and the Judge terrified the Jury into a sentence of condemnation, telling them, with great anger, that if they acquitted Mr. E., "My Lords the Bishops were there;" and when the