led the Roman and English priests in the dark ages. Poland has in modern times, been the chief seat of Jewish literature. A famous Jewish school existed at Cracow in the sixteenth century, to which youth were sent from all parts of Europe. At Lessen, in Germany, a college was established in 1801, where Hebrew youth are taught the languages and sciences.

FATE OF THEIR BELOVED CITY AND COUNTRY.

About fifty years after the destruction of Jerusalem, the emperor Adrian sent a colony to rebuild it in the Roman style, and called it Ælia Capitolina, which excited a rebellion of the Jews under, Barchobebas, the false Messiah, but they were subdued with a terrible slaughter, and the city was finished, and all Jews were prohibited from entering it, or looking at it, upon pain of death. To prevent further disturbance, Adrian destroyed all that remained of the ancient city, and as he could not change the face of nature, he profaned every place held sacred; erected a theatre with the stones of the Temple; and a temple to Jupiter on the site of the Jewish Temple, and placed a hog of marble upon the gates of the city. For centuries, the Jews durst not creep over the rubbish to bewail their city without bribing the guards.

About the commencement of the fourth century, the emperor Constantine restored to the city its ancient name, and enlarged and adorned it; and soon after, Julian, designing to root out Christianity from the earth, favored the Jews, and offered to rebuild their Temple. The Jews were at once raised to a pitch of enthusiasm. They brought forth immense wealth, and consecrated it to the purpose. Spades and pickaxes of silver were provided by the rich, and the women shewed their zeal by removing the rubbish in their mantles of silk. But a terrible earthquake and fiery appearances compelled them to abandon the undertaking.

In the year 613, Chosroes, the Persian monarch, took Jerusalem, and delivered it into the hands of the Jews, who pillaged the Christian temples, and put 90,000 Christian

prisoners to death. It was soon after re-taken by Heraclius, the Greek emperor, but retained only a short period, for, in the year 636, the Saracens took it, and by command of Omar, on the ground where Solomon's Temple stood, was erected a Mahometan mosque. The inhabitants were allowed their religion, but were not permitted to ride upon saddles or to bear arms. The holy and beloved city now remained subject to the caliphs about 400 years.

In 1099, the city was taken by the crusaders, and as the Jews were successors of those who crucified the Saviour, they were most inhumanly put to death.

In 1189, it was retaken by the Turks, and by them it has been held in subjection, together with the whole of Palestine to the present time.

FALSE CHRISTS.

Christ told his disciples that there should be false Christs and false prophets, who should shew great signs and wonders; insomuch, that, if it were possible, they would deceive the very elect. But none attracted much regard until A. D. 132, when one arose, calling himself Barchobebas, or son of a star, the person predicted by Balaam. He excited his countrymen to rebellion against the Romans, and promised them a full restoration to former glory. The Rabbi Akibha became his fore-runner, and publickly anointed him as the Messiah and King of the Jews; putting a diadem on his head. 200,000 Jews were soon collected around this impostor in the field, who fell with fury upon both heathens and christians. They gained, at first, some advantage over the imperial army; but, in a short period, they were all scattered or slain by the forces of Adrian. Barchobebas and his precursor, with 580,000 Jews fell by the sword; besides vast multitudes who perished by famine and pestilence. Such of the Jews as survived, were sold as slaves, and dispersed over the earth.

Others in succeeding periods claimed the like homage, but the twelfth century was the most prolific. One then appeared in France; another in Persia; another in

Spain; a fourth in Fez, who pretended to work miracles; a fifth beyond the Euphrates, who drew prodigious multitudes after him; two others in Persia, and one in Moravia. All these impostors were put to death, and drew indescribable calamities upon the Jews in various parts of the world.

But none, since Barchobebas, ever imposed so far upon the Jews, or became so distinguished as Zabathia Tzevi, who appeared at Smyrna, in 1666. He was adored as the first born of God. 400 prophets prophesied of his glories. The Jews every where prepared to follow him to the Holy Land. But interfering with the rights of the Grand Seignior, he was taken, and being shewn the stake, he turned Turk.

The last impostor that has collected many followers, was Mordecai, a German, in 1682. In 1650, a great council was convened upon the plains of Egeda, in Hungary, to consider whether the Messiah had come. 300 Rabbis were present. Some were perplexed with the Christian miracles, but the majority agreed that he had been retarded by their sins.

PERSECUTIONS AND SUFFERINGS.

In the 28th of Deuteronomy, Moses declared to the Israelites that if they forsook God, they should endure sufferings such as no nation had ever known. Some of these were brought upon them in the first captivity< and in the wars of the Maccabees. But since they crucified the Lord of glory, they have awfully realized the whole.

Such

Eleven hundred thousand perished in the destruction of Jerusalem. 580,000 fell with Barchobebas. as survived were sold as slaves into Egypt, and forbidden on paid of death even to look at their beloved city. Sapor, king of Persia, becoming jealous of them, violently persecuted them, A. D. 200, throughout his dominions. When the Roman Empire became Christian, the Jews were universally abhorred as the persecutors of Christ, and all intercourse with Christians was publicly forbidden. If any Jew married a Christian, or circumcised

1

a slave, he was put to death. Mahomet flattered them for a season, so that they began to view him as the Messiah; but he became their inveterate foe, and turned his arms against them, as a people accursed of God; slew vast multitudes; drove them into exile; confiscated their estates, and compelled all who remained to pay the most exorbitant tribute.

In the East, a law was passed in 760, constituting such Jews as embraced the Mahometan faith sole heirs of the property of the whole family, which induced numerous youth to renounce Judaism. In 849, the eastern Jews were compelled by the Mahometans to wear a cord or sash around their waist, as a disgraceful mark, were expelled from all offices which they had enjoyed, and prohibited the use of horses, and compelled to ride on asses with iron stirrups. These marks of infamy have continued in all Mahometan countries to the present day.

By the disputes respecting image worship, they were involved in new trouble in the eighth century, in the West. Such as would not bow to the cross and images were subjected to the greatest vexations.

In 763, the Jews aided the Saracens in their encroachments upon France, which excited the rage of Charlemagne. He determined to destroy them, but commuted their punishment, and their chiefs only suffered death. The Jews of Thoulouse were condemned to receive a box on the ear thrice a year at the gates of the churches, and to pay a perpetual fine of thirteen pounds of wax. In other cities they were made liable to other insults. At Beziers, in Languedoc, the populace threw stones at them with impunity from Palm Sunday to the Tuesday on Easter week.

In Egypt the Jews suffered persecutions about 1037, from the Caliph Haben. And in 1039, they were all banished from the East by the Sultan Cajens, who resolved upon their total extirpation. Multitudes of them passed into Africa and Spain. The princes of the captivity became totally extinct.

In 1055 an effort was made by the Jews in Spain to convert the Mahometans to the Jewish faith, which so

incensed the king of Grenada, that 100,000 families were reduced to the greatest extremities.

During the eleventh and twelfth centuries, the Jews suffered the greatest indignities from the crusaders, who trampled upon them, extorted their money, and put them to death, on their march to and from the holy land, as the crucifiers of the Lord of glory. In the first crusade, 1500 were massacred at Strasburgh, 1300 at Mayence. 12000 were slain in Batavia. Women at Treves, seeing the crusaders approach, killed their children, preferring to send them, as they said, to Abraham's bosom, to having them fall into the hands of the crusaders. Basil, Treves, Coblentz and Cologn, became human shambles. When Jerusalem was taken, all the Jews were inhumanly murdered. It is difficult to tell who were hated most, the Saracens in the East, or the Jews in the West. The public cry through Europe was, "Let us exterminate the descendants of those who crucified Jesus Christ, and let the name of Israel be no more remembered."

In England, the Jews who, by usury, had attained to great wealth, were, in 1188, assessed at the then enormous sums of £60,000, and in 1189, when Richard I. ascended the throne, the mob fell upon them, and put multitudes to death. At York, the mob assembled to inflict upon them similar barbarities. The Jews shut themselves up in a castle; and being closely besieged, rather than fall into the hands of the English, they set fire to the castle, and 500 were burnt after killing their wives and children. These persecutions induced the wealthiest of them to leave the kingdom. Subsequent monarchs invited them back, but only to plunder them. The whole of their property was often claimed by the kings, and extorted by the greatest cruelties. King John compelled them to wear a disgraceful badge on their garments. He ordered the whole of them, women and men to be imprisoned and tormented until they should pay 66,000 marks. From Henry III. they purchased an edict to preserve them from the outrages of the crusaders. Some of the Archbishops and Bishops forbad any one's selling them provisions on pain of excommunication. They were often accused of the foul

1