supposed to have enjoyed far higher advantages than Polycarp—­a minister who is said to have been contemporary with all the apostles—­a ruler of the Church who is understood to have occupied a far more prominent and influential position than the pastor of Smyrna—­is exhibited in the legend of his martyrdom as appearing “of his own free will” [424:3] at the judgment-seat of the Emperor, and as manifesting the utmost anxiety to be delivered into the mouth of the lion.  In the commencement of the second century the Churches of Rome and Ephesus doubtless possessed as much spiritual enlightenment as any other Churches in the world, and it is a libel upon their Christianity to suppose that they could have listened with any measure of complacency to the senseless ravings to be found even in the recent edition of the Ignatian Letters. [424:4] The writer is made to assure the believers in these great cities that he has an unquenchable desire to be eaten alive, and he beseeches them to pray that he may enjoy this singular gratification.  “I hope,” says he, “through your prayers that I shall be devoured by the beasts in Rome.” [425:1] ...  “I beg of you, be not with me in the love that is not in its season.  Leave me, that I may be for the beasts, that by means of them I may be worthy of God....  With provoking provoke ye the beasts that they may be a grave for me, and may leave nothing of my body, that not even when I am fallen asleep may I be a burden upon any man....  I rejoice in the beasts which are prepared for me, and I pray that they may be quickly found for me, and I will provoke them that they may quickly devour me.” [425:2] Every man jealous for the honour of primitive Christianity should be slow to believe that an apostolic preacher addressed such outrageous folly to apostolic Churches.

When reviewing the external evidence in support of these Epistles, we have had occasion to shew that they were probably fabricated in the former part of the third century.  The internal evidence corroborates the same conclusion.  Ecclesiastical history attests that during the fifty years preceding the death of Cyprian, [425:3] the principles here put forward were fast gaining the ascendency.  As early as the days of Tertullian, ritualism was rapidly supplanting the freedom of evangelical worship; baptism was beginning to be viewed as an “armour” of marvellous potency; [425:4] the tradition that the great Church of the West had been founded by Peter and Paul was now extensively propagated; and there was an increasing disposition throughout the Empire to recognise the precedence of “her who sitteth at the head in the place of the country of the Romans.”  It is apparent from the writings of Cyprian that in some quarters the “church system” was already matured.  The language ascribed to Ignatius—­“Be careful for unanimity, than which there is nothing more excellent” [426:1]—­then expressed a prevailing sentiment.  To maintain unity was