which even adversity could not subdue: his noble deportment and address procured him the admiration of the emperor and his court; so that the hero and his family, instead of being doomed to punishment, had their chains knocked off, and their pardon pronounced ; an act of clemency which added lustre to victory.

St. Paul could not continue unacquainted with these transactions; nor was it possible, for a mind like his, to feel indifferent to events that regarded the happiness or misery of mankind, by deciding the fate of nations. The occurrences of the age must be considered by him, as under the direction of the God whose servant he was; and subservient to His gracious design of diffusing the Gospel among all nations. The subjugation of the island of Britain by the Romans would be regarded by the apostle as likely to terminate in the good of that country.

That, by means of the British captives returning home to their native land, where they had the opportunity of becoming acquainted with the Christians and their religion, the knowledge of Christianity might be conveyed to our island, is no improbable conjecture.→ Pious soldiers in the Roman army, as well as officers, civil or military, must also become instruments of diffusing the same Divine knowledge in Britain as well as in other parts of the empire where they were stationed.

It is, therefore, reasonable to suppose that, by means of the family of Caractacus returning to Britain, the Gospel might have been introduced among their countrymen; if, therefore, we can find any traditionary notice that this was the case, we shall be the more ready to accede to such an account.

That what we here suppose was so in reality we are

2

assured from faithful documents long preserved, though in obscurity, and therefore not to be despised because not blazoned abroad in the world like most of the monkish fictions. In those historical notices, handed down to us in the form of triades, we have some account of the blessed event of which we are speaking. I shall give the accounts, as we have it, in two distinct passages the first is, where the three holy families of Britain are mentioned; the first of which is

"Brán, the blessed, the son of Lear, the stammerer; and this was that Brán that first brought the Christian faith to this island from Rome, where he was detained a captive, through the treachery of Cartismandua, (here called Aregwedd Foeddawg,) the daughter of Avarwy, the son of Lud."

"The second holy family is that of Cunedda, the Northumbrian Prince, who is commended for having been the first who gave a legal establishment, and be stowed lands for the maintenance of religion."

"The third is Brechan, prince of the territory of Brecknock; who took care to have his children and grand-children educated in a religious way, that they might instruct and convert their countrymen who were yet destitute of the Christian religion."

In another triad, Brán, (or Brennus,) is ranked with Lleirog, (or Lucius,) and the last king of the CambroBritons, Cadwalader. These are styled the three blessed or sainted sovereigns of Britain, and Brân in particular; because

"He was the person who first introduced the Christian religion among the nation of the Cymry, from Rome; where he had been detained for seven years as a hostage for his son Caradoc, (Caractacus,) whom the Romans made a captive through the treachery of Are

gwedd Foeddawg," that is, Cartismandua, queen of the Brigantes.*

The History, or Genealogy, of the British Saints, agrees with what is said in the Triads, respecting the introduction of Christianity into Britain by the father of the great Silurian hero. The passage runs thus:"Brán, the son of Lear, the stammerer, was the first of the nation of the Cymry that embraced the Christian faith."

In another copy, it is said thus :

"Brán was the first who brought the Christian faith to this country."

With respect to the family of Caractacus, although Tacitus mentions his wife and brothers, no mention is made of his father; who is said, in the Triads, to have been detained as a hostage seven years at Rome. That such a circumstance should be introduced into these ancient notices, is not a little singular; it is not improbable that it was at first inserted by some conceited transcriber. It would seem that, although Caractacus was liberated, the jealousy of Claudius, and the policy of an enemy, would not suffer that prince to return to Britain. His family continued with him at Rome, perhaps as prisoners at large, while he lived; and, at the death of that hero, his family might be permitted to return home, as we are told his father did.

In that little work, The Genealogy of the Saints, express mention is made of the names of some persons who accompanied Brân into this country, as Christians,

* As the name Foedhawg, or Boedhawg, in sound, appears to be the British name of Boadicea, Mr. Wm. Owen has confounded this princess with the infamous Cartismandua: but Tacitus plainly enough distinguishes the one from the other; the one being queen of the Iceni, whereas the other reigned over the Brigantes.

to preach the Gospel, and to form a Christian church in Britain; and that, in particular, among the Silurians in Wales: these are Ilid and Cynvan, who are said to be Israelites. But there is mention of one who is called a man of Italy, and named, in consonance with the genius of the language, Arwystli; that is, Aristobulus, who, according to some other accounts, was the first bishop in this island.

The whole of the account which we have in the ancient memorials referred to, is very different from the mode in which the monkish fictions are generally dressed out. There is nothing like the Glastonbury tale of Joseph of Arimathea, and his twelve associates. There is nothing contrary to probability, and the general state of things in that age. St. Paul was brought to Rome about A. D. 58; although, according to others, it was later: but, if we admit their chronology, the apostle might have had intercourse with some of the family of the captive prince, by means of some of the saints in Cæsar's household; and Aristobulus, it would appear, was the person whom St. Paul delegated for the blessed purpose, in company with two more, to announce the glad tidings of salvation to the Britons. Thus we have sufficient evidence, besides the rational probability of the thing, that if St. Paul himself was not the apostle of Britain, it was through his interference, and his general anxiety for the salvation of the Gentile world, that the Gospel was first brought to Britain.

We have before considered the positive testimony of our old historian Gildas Badonicus; who, although his notice of the most important events are short and abrupt, and delivered in a confused style and manner, has not passed by this important article of intelligence, that Christianity was introduced among our ancestors during the reign of Nero; though he mentions not who were

the honoured instruments of introducing into this island that important blessing. But, in a writer like Gildas, we must not be surprized that we have no detail of events which transpired at so early a period.

Bishop Stillingfleet, in his valuable work of ORIGI NES BRITANNICE, has reasoned thus on the subject of our present disquisition :

"It is certain," says the bishop, "that St. Paul did make considerable converts at his coming to Rome; which is the reason of his mentioning the saints in Casar's household. And it is not improbable that some of the British captives, carried over with Caractacus and his family, might be some of them who would certainly promote the conversion of their country by St. Paul."

It is rather remarkable that the learned prelate should undesignedly coincide with the statement of our British tradition, with which he was utterly unacquainted; and the world might have continued ignorant of so valuable a fragment of historical intelligence, had it not been for the liberality of an opulent London tradesman, a native of Wales, who patronized the design of collecting materials for a Welsh Archaiology.*

Thus the conquests of Rome prepared the way for the spread of Christianity; by opening that intercourse between the different provinces of the empire, which tended to the diffusion of the true religion among mankind. The general prevalence of the language of Rome, which extended along with its conquests, had also a happy effect in the establishment of Christianity, by lessening

native

*Owen Jones, Esq. of Thames-street, an eminent furrier, a of Glyn Myvyr, in the county of Merioneth. Under the patronage of that gentleman three volumes of the Archaiology of Wales have been published; and it is much to be wished that the design were extended.