Renan was right in this; but we cannot admit his further statement that “the day of the death of Marcus Aurelius can be taken as the decisive moment at which the ruin of ancient civilisation was decided.” It was decided long before; perhaps it would be nearer the truth to say that the day of Marcus’ accession was the first day of decadence, as it was the last of the old type of Roman rule. But in truth the fate of empires never hangs on a single day or a single ruler. They grow and they decay over long centuries: the seed of life and the rot of death is working long before its effects appear without; and in the reign of Marcus the Empire was already doomed. The old Roman virtues--those especially which form the _morale_ of an imperial race--strict probity, sacrifice of individual interests to the good of the State, initiative, enterprise and the fighting qualities were all dissolving. In their place was being developed the citizen, who is ever the product of centralisation--the man without originality, devotion, or virtue; who is interested in subtlety rather than in truth; wrapped up in his own petty world, incapable of heroism or sacrifice. In the midst of this death there was a strange stirring of life in the North and in the East--a life which was to feed on the death of the Empire. The forbears of Alaric and his Goths had already knocked at the gate and announced his coming. The eloquent pleadings of the Christian apologists addressed to Marcus himself told of a new stirring in the spiritual and intellectual world--of a new vision which he and his friends could not or would not see; and the brave words and noble deeds of the martyrs told that there was life in this new creed--yes! life and love to conquer Stoic apathy and pagan death. CHAPTER IX THE MARTYRS OF CHRIST In reading the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius we frequently are struck by the almost Christian spirit which permeates them. Mr. F. H. Myers has well said: “Whatever winds of the Spirit may sweep over the sea of souls the life of Marcus will remain for ever the high-water mark of the unassisted virtue of man.” So sublime and seemingly preternatural is his spirit that men in all ages have asked and answered in various ways the questions: “Has Christianity anything better to offer us? and if so, in what precisely does it consist?” It is as an answer to these questions that I introduce this brief reference to the story of the Martyrs, preferably a few of the many that suffered under Marcus himself.