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NOTE TO THE DRAMA.
For the better understanding of different allusions in the foregoing drama, I beg to transcribe a few passages from Fox's History of Martyrs, taken from Book I., which contains an account of the ten persecutions of the primitive church.
He says, on the authority of Justin Martyr,—"And whether earthquake, pestilence, or whatever public calamity befell, it was attributed to the Christians;" (then is added) "over and beside all these, a great occasion that stirred up the emperors against the Christians came by one Publius Tarquinius, the chief prelate of the idolatrous sacrifices, and Mamertinus, the chief governor of the city, in the time of Trajanus, who, partly with money, partly with sinister, pestilent counsaile, partly with infamous accusations, (as witnesseth Nauclerus,) incensed the mind of the emperor so much against God's people."
In the account of the third persecution (an. 100), Eustasius, a great and victorious captain, is mentioned as suffering martyrdom, by order of the Emperor Adrian, who went to meet him on his return from conquest over the barbarians, but, upon Eustasius's refusing on the way to do sacrifice to Apollo for his victory, brought him to Rome and had him put to death.
In the fourth persecution (an. 162), it is mentioned that many Christian soldiers were found in the army of Marcus Aurelius:—
"As these aforesaid were going to their execution, there was a certain souldiour who in their defence took part against
