Page:Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1827) Vol 2.djvu/153

 OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. 135 nesareth, he was transformed into a valorous knight, C H A P. who charged at the head of the Spanisli chivah-y in I L_ lan em- re. their battles against the Moors. The gravest histo- rians have celebrated his exploits ; the miraculous shrine of Compostella displayed his power; and the sword of a military order, assisted by the terrors of the inquisition, was sufficient to remove every objection of profane criticism ''. The progress of Christianity was not confined to the Beyond the „ ., T 1 •••/>! limits of the Roman empn-e ; and accordmg to the prmntive latners, j^on who interpret facts by prophecy, the new religion, P' within a century after the death of its divine Author, had already visited every part of the globe. " There exists not," says Justin Martyr, " a people, whether Greek or barbarian, or any other race of. men, by whatsoever appellation or manners they may be distin- guished, however ignorant of arts or agriculture, whe- ther they dwell under tents, or wander about in covered waggons, among whom prayers are not offered up in the name of a crucified Jesus to the Father and Creator of all things'"." But this splendid exaggeration, which even at pi-esent it would be extremely difficult to reconcile with the real state of mankind, can be con- sidered only as the rash sally of a devout but careless writer, the measure of whose belief was regulated by that of his wishes. But neither the belief nor the wishes of the fathers can alter the truth of history. It will still remain an undoubted fact, that the barbarians of Scythia and Germany, who afterwards subverted the Roman monarchy, were involved in the darkness of paganism ; and that even the conversion of Ibei'ia, of Armenia, or of ^l^thiopia, was not attempted with any degree of success till the sceptre was in the hands of an orthodox emperor ^ Before that time the vari- P The stupendous metamorphosis was performed in tiie nintli century. See Mariana, (Ilist. Ilispan. 1. vii. c. 13. torn. i. p. 285. edit. Hag. Com. 1733.) who, in every sense, imitates Livy ; and the honest detection of the legend of St. James by Dr. Geddes, Miscellanies, vol. ii. p. 221. 1 Justin Martyr, Dialog, cum Tryphon. p. 341 ; Irenaeus adv. Haeres. 1. i. c. 10 ; Tertullian adv. Jud. c. 7. See Mosheim, p. 203. ' See the fourtli century of Mosheim's History of the Church, ftlany,