* The strong probability is, that the letter of Ignatius is a forgery throughout, and was gotten up for the sake of the introduction. Condemned by Trajan, and ordered to be carried to Rome to be devoured by wild beasts, for the amusement of the people, it is claimed the letter was written on his way to that city. Why he should write to the church at Rome while on his way there, is something remarkable, since there is nothing in the letter that was important to be known to the Christians, if there were any there, before his arrival. The epistle breathes a spirit which is unnatural and repugnant to every feeling of humanity. The following is a specimen of the whole. "May I enjoy the wild beasts which are prepared for me; and pray that they may be found ready for me: which I will even encourage to devour me all at once, and not fear to touch me, as they have some others And if they refuse, and will not, I will compel them." (Sec. 5.) Why would Ignatius write an epistle of this character to the Romans while he was on the way to Rome himself? especially "as he was pressed by the soldiers to arrive at the great city before the public spectacle, that he might be delivered to the wild beasts." Why import a Christian Bishop from Antioch for the wild beasts of the Amphitheatre, if there was one to be found in the mean time in Rome? Where was Clement, the third Bishop? Our confidence is not increased in the genuineness of this letter, that the first distinct reference is made to it by Irenaeus. (D.) WRITERS in the third and fourth centuries, for reasons sufficiently obvious, take pleasure in scandalizing the name of Domitian as the persecutor of Christians, and the great enemy of the Christian cause. It is claimed he put to death many persons accused of Atheism, the common charge against Christians, on account of their refusal to offer incense or to worship the ancient gods of Rome. Flavius Clemens, his cousin, is given as an instance. Now hear what a co-temporary historian has to say on the subject: