(St.), the patroness of music, has been honoured as a martyr ever since the fifth century. Her story as delivered by the notaries of the Roman church, and from them transcribed into the Golden Legend and other books of the like kind, says, that she was a Roman lady born of noble parents, about the year 225. That notwithstanding she had been converted to Christianity, her parents married her to a young pagan nobleman named Valerianus; who going to bed to her on the wedding night, as the custom is, says the book, was given to understand by his spouse, that she was nightly visited by an angel, and that he must forbear to approach her, otherwise the angel would destroy him. Valerianus, somewhat troubled at these words, desired that he might see his rival the angel; but his spouse told him that was impossible, unless he would consent to be baptized and become a Christian. This he consented to; after which, returning to his wife, he found her in her closet at prayer, and by her side, in the shape of a beautiful young man, the angel clothed with brightness. After some conversation with the angel, Valerianus told him that he had a brother named Tiburtius, whom he greatly wished to see a partaker of the grace which he himself had received. The angel told him that his desire was granted, and that they should be both crowned with martyrdom in a short time. Upon this the angel vanished, and was not long in shewing himself as good as his word; Tiburtius was converted, and both he and his brother Valerianus were beheaded. Cecilia was offered her life upon condition that she would sacrifice to the deities of the Romans; but she refused; upon which she was thrown into a caldron of boiling water, and scalded to death: others say that she was stifled in a dry bath, i.e. an inclosure, from whence the air was excluded, having a slow fire underneath it; which kind of death was sometimes inflicted by the Romans upon women of quality who were criminals. Upon the spot where her house stood, is a church said to have been built by pope Urban I. who administered baptism to her husband and his brother: it is the church