“that their stubbornness and inflexible obstinacy deserved punishment.” So that without being convicted of any crime, but that of constancy in their religion, this equitable heathen, this rational philosopher, this righteous judge, condemns them to a cruel death. And for this conduct the emperor, his master, commends him. For in answer to Pliny’s question, “Whether he should go on to punish the name itself, though chargeable with no crimes, or the crimes only which attended the name?” Trajan in his rescript, after commending Pliny, orders, “that if they were accused and convicted of being Christians, they should be put to death, unless they renounced that name, and sacrificed to his gods.” Tertullian and Athenagoras, in their Apologies, very justly inveigh with great warmth against this imperial rescript; and indeed, a more shameful piece of iniquity was never practised in the darkest times of popery. I hope also my reader will observe, that this was lay-persecution, and owed its rise to the religious zeal of one of the best of the Roman emperors, and not only to the contrivances of cruel and designing priests; that it was justified and carried on by a very famous and learned philosopher, whose reason taught him, that what he accounted superstition, if incurable, was to be punished with death; and that it was managed with great fury and barbarity, multitudes of persons in the several provinces being destroyed merely on account of the Christian name, by various and exquisite methods of cruelty. ----- Footnote 43: Apol. c. 2. Footnote 44: E. H. l. 3. c. 32. Footnote 45: Ad Scapul. ----- The rescript of Adrian, his successor, to Minutius Fundanus, pro-consul of Asia, seems to have somewhat abated the fury of this persecution, though not wholly to have put an end to it. Tertullian tells us[46] that Arrius Antoninus, afterwards emperor, then pro-consul of Asia, when the Christians came in a body before his tribunal, ordered some of them to be put to death; and said to others: “You wretches! If you will die, ye have precipices and halters.” He also says, that several other governors of provinces punished some few Christians, and dismissed the rest; so that the persecution was not so general, nor severe as under Trajan. ----- Footnote 46: Ad Scap. -----