evil, and that he has power to co-operate with the Deity," &c. These are so very like what are said to have been the leading and distinguishing tenets of the Pelagians, that we may venture to conclude the latter to have sprung from them. It does not appear that Pelagius, who was a British christian, and whose original name was Morgan, or Morgant, was the founder or inventor of the religious system that goes under his name. When he went abroad to Rome, Africa, Jerusalem, and other parts, there is reason to believe that he only taught and defended the religious principles that prevailed, and which he had imbibed in his own country. He had been educated, it is said, in the college or monastery of Bangor, which, in all probability, had been originally a drudical seminary, and would continue still to inculcate, in some form or degree, many of the precepts and maxims of the old religion, and among the rest those above mentioned. As a pupil or student there he would naturally imbibe them, and when he went abroad, would as naturally promulgate and defend them: hence the rise or origin of that frightful heresy of Pelagius, about which there has been so much clamour and contention in the world ever since, and in opposing which the redoubtable Bishop of Hippo, commonly called Saint Augustine, rendered himself so celebrated. After all, may it not really be very fairly questioned whether the druidism of Pelagius, or the platonism of his opponent, was the most foreign from, or inimical to the religion of the New Testament? The mere opinion or authority of Augustine can determine nothing against Pelagianism; for it does not appear that he was either more pious, more honest, more wise, more learned, or more infallible, than his opponent. His chief advantage or superiority seems to have consisted in his having the civil and ecclesiastical powers, with the rabble or majority on his side; and that advantage or superiority Caiaphas also had, in his controversy with Jesus Christ, and the Jews, in theirs with the apostles. The question must be decided, like all other religious questions, by the voice of scripture, and not by that of Saint Augustine, or any other such saint or sinner. Pelagius is also supposed to have been an universalist, because universalism appears to have been a druidical tenet, but in that he could be no more a heretic than Origen, and others, in ancient as well as modern times.

Other accounts have been given of the first introduction of the gospel into Britain, of which the following are the most remarkable. One ascribes it to James the son of Zebedee; but the little credit that is due to this will soon be perceived by adverting to the early date of that apostle's martyrdom. By

another account, the honour of being the first publisher of the gospel in this island, is given to the apostle Simon Zelotes, or the Canaanite; by another to Philip; by another (especially among the Caledonians) to Andrew; by another to Peter, to which some popish writers are inclined to give no small credit; by another to Paul, which has had some very respectable advocates, who seem to deem it of all others the most probable. By another account, this same honour has been given to Aristobulus, mentioned in Rom. xvi. 10. The faint or remote resemblance between this name and Arwystli, is perhaps the best reason that can be offered in favour of this tradition, though it is not known that its advocates have ever thought of that. But of all the accounts of this interesting event that have yet appeared, no one has been given more circumstantially, or with an air of greater confidence and solemnity than that which ascribes it to Joseph of Arimathea; a sketch of which shall be here given, for the reader's amusement: he will deem it curious, far as he may be from thinking it probable or credible.

This story, or tradition states (according to William of Malmsbury) that Philip (the apostle, as it is supposed) visited France, where he preached and converted many; and being desirous to spread the knowledge of Christ still farther, chose twelve (others say ten) of his disciples, and having devoutly laid his hands on each of them, sent them to preach the word of life to the Britons, under the conduct of his dear friend Joseph of Arimathea. Having arrived here, A.D. 63, they entered upon their work, and preached with great zeal and diligence. The barbarous king of the country, however, and his subjects, rejected their doctrine, and would not abandon their own superstition. But as Joseph and his companions had come from a very distant country, and behaved modestly, he granted them a certain island, called Iniswitrin, for their residence. Two other pagan princes granted them successively twelve hides of land for their subsistence. While they lived in that wild place, they were. admonished by the angel Gabriel to build a church to the honour of the blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. To this angelic admonition they were not disobedient, but presently set about the work, and built a small chapel of wattles, at a place which had been previously pointed out to them. This being the first christian church in these regions, the Son of God himself did it the very singular honour of dedicating it to the honour of his Mother*.

Gul. Malm, de ant. Glast. Eccl. apud Gal. tom. i.

This marvellous tale (evidently a fabrication of the monks of Glastenbury, to establish the reputation of their house) was afterwards considerably improved, as appears by the following extract, said to have been taken out of the archives of the church of Glastenbury:-" They were six hundred men and women who were to come over, and had taken a vow of abstinence till they should come to land, which vow they all broke, except fifty (one hundred and fifty says another account) who came over the sea upon the shirt of Josephes, the son of Joseph. But the rest having repented of the breach of their vow, a ship was sent to convey them over, which had been built by King Solomon. With them came over a Duke of the Medes, called Nacianus, formerly baptized by Joseph, in the city of Saram; the king of which, called Mordraius, was also of this party, and afterwards valiantly killed a king of North Wales, by whom Joseph was kept in prison." (This must doubtless be acting quite in character, like one of the primitive christians, to resist and kill a persecutor'!) This notable story has been differently told: one of its circumstances is, that Joseph had been imprisoned by the Jews at Jerusalem, but miraculously delivered by four angels, who took up the very house where he was imprisoned, and conveyed him to his own city of Arimathea. Christ is also said to have appeared to him, and carried him to the place where he had buried him, and shewed him the linen cloth about his head; after which he was baptized by Philip,, and was present with him at the assumption of the blessed Virgin; and fifteen years after he came to Philip, in Gaul, who sent him over to Britain, as was before related. Another additional circumstance of this curious tale is, that at the time of the persecution mentioned in Acts viii. when most of the christians of Jerusalem were scattered abroad, Joseph of Arimathea, Lazarus, and others of the disciples of Christ, were taken up by the Jews, and put into an open boat, without oars, sails, or rudder, at Joppa, or somewhere thereabout in the Mediterranean. In that dismal situation they were wonderfully preserved, and under the care of an invisible pilot, happily conducted over the mighty waters, so that in a very short time they all safely arrived in the south of France, where they found Philip, the apostle, engaged in disputation with the Druids of that country. Shortly after, it was thought proper that Joseph and twelve more should be sent as missionaries to this island, as has been already stated.

Such an account as this, one would imagine, could impose upon no man in his sober senses; and yet, strange as it may seem, it has actually done so.-Like many other idle tales, it has had its advocates, and appears to have obtained no small share of credit in the religious, world. But it certainly deserved none; and of all the accounts of the event in question, it bears the most improbable, absurd, wild, and legendary aspect. How wretched must have been the condition of our popish ancestors, when they could give heed to such a stupid tale as this! And how striking is the contrast between their blind credulity, and the arrogant scepticism of their descendants of the present day! The right path surely lies somewhere between these two extremes.

Eusebius, as has been already observed, speaks as if some of the apostles had preached here, which may not be altogether improbable; but he mentions none of them by name. Others however, as we have seen, have amply supplied that deficiency; but unfortunately their testimonies or assertions bear not the stamp of authenticity. None of them have any thing to support them like the evidence that appears in favour of Brân, the son of Llyr Llediaith *, and father of the celebrated Caractacus; which is, in fact, the only account of the event in question that may he depended upon, or that seems any way worthy of credit. The respectability of the Triades as a historical document, the consistency of its statement of this interesting event, and its natural coincidence with all known facts, cannot fail of recommending this account to the attention of every serious inquirer†.

Llyr Llediaith, or Llyr of barbarous speech, is supposed to have reigned over the Silures about the time of the birth of Christ. There have been other British princes of the name of Llyr; as Llyr Lluyddog, Lyr Merini, and also Llyr ab Bleiddyd, whose story is said to be the original of Shakespear's tragedy of King Lear. Llyr Llediaith had a son named Manawydan, who was of the bardic, or druidical order, and refused the succession to the Silurian sovereignty, when his brother Brân and family were carried captive to Rome; on which account he was called one of the three unambitious princes of Britain; the other two were Llywarch Hên, and Gwgon Gwron: all of whom declined the offer of dominion and royalty, after they had been initiated in bardism, and when they could not be debarred from the offered dignity. After his brother's return, Manawydan is supposed to have embraced the gospel, of which some of his descendants also appear to have become zealous and shining professors.

Those who wish to see more upon this subject,, may consult Bishop Lloyd's Hist. Acct.; Bishop Stilling fleet's Orig. Brit.; Dr. Calamy's God's Concern for his Glory in the Brit. Isles; Owen's Cambrian Biography; Carte and Rapin's Histories of England; and Henry's His. Gt. Brit.

After the return of Brân and his fellow exiles, the gospel appears to have been zealously and diligently promulgated among our ancestors; and to adopt the language of the Evangelist," the word of God increased and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly, and (as it is said of the Jewish priests) a great company of the Druids were obedient to the faith." How long things continued in this favourable state cannot now be said; but in the space of a hundred or six-score years, that is, toward the latter part of the second century, a great languor and declension seems to have taken place. At that time Lleurwg (otherwise Lleuver mawr and Llês ab Coel,) commonly called king Lucius, the great-great-grand-son of Brân, ruled over the Silures, by the favour or permission of the Roman Emperor, as has been already intimated. This prince, like his good and memorable ancestor, being a zealous christian, and very anxious for the revival and vigorous propagation of christianity among his countrymen, thought proper to send to Rome for missionaries to assist in so worthy and laudable an undertaking. What might induce him to send to Rome on such an occasion, rather than any where else, cannot now be said with any degree of certainty; but that he actually did send thither, seems to admit of no doubt. As a king, he might suppose and conclude that christianity, as well as every thing else that was useful or valuable, could not fail of being found in the utmost possible perfection in the great metropolis of the Roman empire, and of the civilized world. However that was, his application to Rome met with the desired success. His messengers returned, accompanied with the missionaries, who soon entered upon their work in good earnest; their names were Dyvan, Elvan, Fagan, and Medwy. A remarkable and worthy saying of Fagan is still commemorated; "Where God is silent, it is not wise to speak." He is supposed to have settled in Glamorgan, or to have successfully laboured, and been much venerated in that district, where there is a church dedicated to his memory.

These missionaries were, probably, all British christians who had settled at Rome. Dyvan was evidently of that description; he appears to have been a-kin to king Lucius, and a descendant of Manawydan, the son of Llyr. If they were all of the same nation, which seems most likely, they would of course, be the fitter for the service in which they were here to be employed. Through their exertions, aided