said: "My fate
this day appears as sad for me as it is glorious for thee. I had
horses, soldiers, arms, and treasures; is it surprising that I should
regret the loss of them? If it is thy will to command the universe, is
it a reason we should voluntarily accept slavery? Had I yielded
sooner, thy fortune and my glory would have been less, and oblivion
would soon have followed my execution. If thou sparest my life, I
shall be an eternal monument of thy clemency." Although the Romans had
very often killed their captives, to the honour of Claudius be it said
that he treated Caradoc kindly, gave him his liberty, and, according
to some historians, allowed him to reign in part of Britain as a
prince subject to Rome. It is surprising that an emperor who had shown
such clemency could afterwards become one of Rome's sanguinary
tyrants; but Claudius was a man of weak intellect.

There were several of the Roman Emperors and Governors who befriended
the Christians, took part in their Christmas festivities, and
professed faith in Christ. The Venerable Bede says: "In the reign of
Marcus Aurelius Antonius, and his partner in the Empire, Lucius Verus,
when Eleutherius was Bishop of Rome, Lucius, a British king, sent a
letter to his prelate, desiring his directions to make him a
Christian. The holy bishop immediately complied with this pious
request; and thus the Britons, being brought over to Christianity,
continued without warping or disturbance till the reign of the Emperor
Diocletian." And Selden says: "Howsoever, by injury of time, the
memory of this great and illustrious Prince King Lucy hath been
embezzled and smuggled; this, upon the credit of the ancient writers,
appears plainly, that the pitiful fopperies of the Pagans, and the
worship of their idol devils, did begin to flag, and within a short
time would have given place to the worship of the true God." As this
"illustrious Prince King Lucy"--Lucius Verus--flourished in the latter
part of the second century, and is credited with the erection of our
first Christian Church on the site of St. Martin's, at Canterbury, it
seems clear that even in those early days Christianity was making
progress in Britain. From the time of Julius Agricola, who was Roman
Commander from 78 to 84, Britain had been a Roman province, and
although the Romans never conquered the whole of the island, yet
during their occupation of what they called their province (the whole
of Britain, excepting that por