we have in the xvith of the Acts of the Apostles, of a transaction that in some respects resembles this fact at Doris, and may receive considerable light from it.

St. Paul was at Philippi in Macedonia: (it was now the 11th year of Claudius.) He there cured a " certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying. And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the market-place unto the rulers--and the multitude rose up together against them, and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely. And when it was day the magistrates sent the sergeants, saying, let those men go. And the keeper of the prison told this saying to Paul.-But Paul said,--They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romaus, and have cast us into prison, and now do they thrust us out privily? but let them come themselves and fetch us out.And when they heard that they were Romans-they came, and besought them, and brought them out, and desired them to depart out of the city," Acts xvi. 16-39.

Here we have an instance of a tumult raised by some selfinterested and designing men, the common people incensed by their arguments, the magistrates drawn into an act of injustice. Petronius seems to have suspected, that the disorder at Doris had been committed with the connivance of the rulers there. It is not at all unlikely that the magistrates of cities and towns, who possibly were but a few degrees above the common people, might sometimes approve of these outrages and act a part in them: but the presidents and proconsuls, men of a larger genius, who had been educated at Rome and served offices there, who were better acquainted with the Roman constitution, had a greater charge, and were more immediately accountable to the emperor and the senate for the observation of their edicts and the peace of the provinces, never or very rarely entered into these measures; but punished such disorderly practices when they happened, and by fresh precepts endeavoured to prevent them for the future.

However, this act of the magistrates at Philippi was a sudden thing; ("they have beaten us openly uncondemned.") The order was given without a hearing; and as soon as it was light the next morning, they sent their officers with directions that the prisoners should be released. ▾ Vid. Pears. Ann. Paul. p. 11. A. ch. 51.

They soon repented of what they had done, and notwithstanding the specious pretences and obnoxious charges of the masters of this damsel, that Paul and Silas had taught customs which were not lawful for them to observethey were sensible they had gone beyond their commission, and were apprehensive of being called to an account, by a higher authority to which they were subject. This order of release was sent before they had heard that these men were Romans, and whilst they knew no better than that they were mere Jews, and defended by no other privileges than those that belonged to all of that nation. And the history Josephus has given us of the fact at Doris, and the conduct. of the president of Syria upon the occasion of it, may very well render every part of this relation here highly probable. When these magistrates knew that Paul and Silas were Romans, their concern was still increased; and their own interest obliged them to all the farther condescensions which Paul demanded.

But to return to the course of the narration.

X

There was another signal instance of the moderation of Claudius to the Jews, which may not be passed by. But before I produce it, I must give some short history of the vestment of the high priest, which I shall do in almost the very words of Josephus; who says, that Herod the Great and his son Archelaus had this sacred vestment in their keeping, and lodged it in the castle Antonia; and that the Roman procurators who succeeded to them in the government of Judea finding it there, kept the possession of it till Vitellius president of Syria, in the latter end of Tiberius's reign, gave it to the Jews to keep it themselves. The high priest wore this garment four times only in the year; at the three great feasts and on the day of the fast. It was delivered to him seven days before these seasons, and was first purified before he put it on. The next day after these solemnities were over, it was returned to the officer of the chest. This was the method whilst it was kept by Herod and the Roman governors. But, as was just hinted, Vitellius gave it to the Jews, that they might lock it up in a chest of their own in the temple, and take it out thence for their use without asking particular leave.

But when Cuspius Fadus was procurator of Judea, he received orders from the emperor to take the holy gar'ment which the high priest alone wears into his own pos⚫ session.' Josephus does immediately before this mention a * Την τολην τε αρχιερέως. Joseph. Ant. lib. xviii. cap. 5. sect. 3.

2 A. D. 45.

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disturbance which the Jews of Paræa gave to some of their neighbours. He does not say that irregular proceeding had brought upon them this disagreeable message: though it was highly probable, that it was owing to their irregular conduct in that or some other affair.

But however that be, when Fadus had received these orders, he called together the high priests and chief men ' of Jerusalem, acquainted them with the emperor's orders, ' and commanded them" to deliver to him the vestment of the high priest, that it might be lodged in the castle of 'Antonia, as formerly." They did not dare absolutely to 'refuse but they earnestly entreated Fadus, and Cassius Longinus president of Syria, who was then likewise at 'Jerusalem,' (and who was indeed come thither with forces on purpose to prevent the sedition which it was apprehended the delivery and execution of this order might occasion ;) that they would give them leave to send ambassadors to the emperor, and that they would wait till 'fresh directions came from Rome; with which request 'they complied.' When the Jewish ambassadors came to Rome, they found there Agrippa the younger, who seconded their petition. The emperor granted their petition, and sent by them a letter directed to the magistrates of Jerusalem, the senate, people, and the whole nation of the Jews: in which he says, Agrippa-having introduced to me your 'ambassadors, who thankfully acknowledge the benefits I ⚫ have conferred upon your nation, and earnestly beseeched me, that you might have the sacred vestment and the crown in your own keeping, according as it had been al'lowed by the excellent and my well beloved Vitellius, I 'have granted that so it should be. I have ratified this 'sentence from that principle of piety with which I am ' possessed, and because I will that all men worship [God] according to the laws of their country."

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"b

This argument will be imperfect if I do not show some instance of this equity to the Jews in the reign of Nero. The only fact I shall mention here is this. It happened in the time that Festus was governor of Judea, who was the person who sent Paul to Rome. Agrippa the younger

a

4 Ος δη και τοτε μεταπεμψάμενος τες αρχιερεις, και τις πρωτες Ιεροσολυμίτων, κατά την κέλευσιν το αυτοκράτορος, παρήνεσεν αυτοίς τον ποδήρη χιτωνα, και την ἱεραν τολην ἣν φορεῖν μονος ὁ αρχιερευς εθος έχει, εις την Αντωνιαν, ήπερ επί φρεριον, καταθέσθαι, κεισομένην ὑπο τη Ρωμαίων εξωσία, καθα δη και προτερον ην. Ant. lib. xx. c. 1. sect. 1.

b Συγκατεθεμην δε τη γνωμη ταυτή, πρώτον δια το εμαυτε ευσεβες, και το βέλεσθαι έκατες κατα τα πατρια θρησκευειν ib. sect. 2.

* A. D. 60. Basnage Ann. P. E. A. 60. n. 3.

d

raised the buildings of the house in which he resided when he was at Jerusalem, and which had been the palace of the Asmonean family: by which he had not only a fine prospect of the city, but likewise overlooked the inner court of the temple. When the people of Jerusalem saw what he had done they were greatly incensed for neither do our 'customs nor our laws permit, that any beside the priests 'should see what was done in the temple. They therefore 'raised a high wall at the extremity of the west side of the inner court of the temple, whereby they obstructed not only the king's view [sc. Agrippa's] out of his diningroom, but also the view from the western portico without 'the court, where the Romans used to keep guard on the festival days. Agrippa was exceedingly provoked at it, and Festus the governor yet more; and commanded 'them to pull the wall down again. But they desired he 'would permit them to send ambassadors to Nero. Festus 'giving them leave, they deputed to Nero ten of their chief 'men, and Ishmael the high priest, and Helchias the keeper of the sacred treasury. Nero having given them an audience, not only forgave what they had done, but allowed that the building should remain.'e

This must be acknowledged to be a remarkable instance of goodness. It shows a great backwardness in Nero, or those who then governed him, to break in upon their religion, or any thing they esteemed sacred. This palace of Agrippa and the Roman fort stood either directly west, or at least very near west of the temple. The entrance into the temple was at the east end, so that they had no view from these buildings into the temple itself; only the high ground they stood upon and the loftiness of the fabric, gave a view into the inner court where the sacrifices were performed. And it being, as it seems, inconsistent with their law, or at least with their customs, that their sacred acts should be overlooked by any but the priests, the building that obstructed the view was permitted by the emperor to remain. I have already taken notice of the permission the Roman government had given the Jews, to kill any Gentile, though a Roman, who entered beyond the bounds prescribed to those who were not Jews, and need not repeat it here.

d Τοιχον εν εγείρεσιν επι της εξέδρας ύψηλον, ήτις ην εν τῳ εσωθεν ἱερῳ τετραμμένη προς δυσιν. • Νερών δε διακόσας αυτών, ο μονον συνεγνω περι τα πραχθέντος, αλλα και συνεχώρησεν ούτως εαν την οικοδομίαν, τη γυναικι Ποππηΐᾳ, Θεοσεβης γαρ ην, ύπερ των Ιεδαίων δεηθειση xapizoμevos. Ant. lib. xx. c. 8. sect. 11.

V. I have now brought down my account of the treatment which the Roman commonwealth and empire gave to the several religions which obtained in the countries under their dominion, and particularly to the Jewish religion during the period I am concerned with. There are in this short view several acts of goodness and justice done to the Jews by presidents of provinces, besides the edicts and declarations of the senate or the emperors. But as the particulars relating to this subject mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, are chiefly instances of the conduct of governors of provinces, or the officers next in authority under them, it will not be amiss to add two or three more testimonies relating to the behaviour of persons of those characters.

There happened likewise, says Josephus, another dis⚫turbance at Cæsarea; the Jews and Syrians, who lived 'there promiscuously, running both into a seditious beha'viour. For they would have it that the city was theirs, because the founder of it, Herod their king, was a Jew. These allowed that the founder indeed was a Jew, but they asserted, that notwithstanding that the city was the 'Greeks'. For if it had been given to the Jews, there 'would have been no right of erecting statues and temples in it. This point they disputed one with another till they 'came to blows, and the more resolute of each party_had daily skirmishes together. For the elders of the Jews 'were not able to keep the seditious part of their own people in order; and the Greeks were ashamed to yield to the Jews. These had the advantage in point of wealth ' and strength of body; but the Greeks had the encourage'ment and assistance of the soldiers. For the greatest part of the Roman garrison there consisting of men raised in Syria, they were ready to join with the Greeks as being 'their countrymen. The officers however did their best to suppress these disturbances, and from time to time 'seized the most factious of each side, and punished them 'with scourging or imprisonment. But yet the sufferings of those who were apprehended did very little restrain or terrify the rest, for they were the rather the more provoked 'to be seditious. At length the Jews having had the bet'ter in a combat, Felix coming into the market-place required them to withdraw peaceably, threatening them se⚫verely if they did not. They not obeying him, he ordered

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1 A. D. 56. vid. Basnage, Ann. Polit. Ecc.

* Τοις γη μην επαρχοις φροντις ην ανατέλλειν την ταραχήν, και τες μαχίμως τερες ἑκατέρωθεν αει συλλαμβάνοντες εκόλαζον ματιξι και δεσμοις" Caterum militum præfectis curæ erat tumultum comprimere, &c. Hudson. Vers.

VOL. I.