(Thascius-Caecilius), a principal father of the Christian church, was born at Carthage in Africa, at the latter end of the second or beginning of the third century. We know nothing more of his parents than that they were heathens; and he himself continued such till the last 12 years of his life. He applied himself early to the study of oratory; and some of the ancients, particularly Laetantius, inform us, that he taught rhetoric in Carthage with the highest applause. Cyprian's conversion is fixed by Pearson to the year 246; and was at Carthage, where, as St Jerome observes, he had often employed his rhetoric in the defence of paganism. It was brought about by one Caecilius, a priest of the church of Carthage, whose name Cyprian afterwards took; and between whom there ever after subsisted so close a friendship, that Caecilius at his death committed to Cyprian the care of his family. Cyprian was also a married man himself; but as soon as he was converted to the faith, he resolved upon a state of continence, which was thought a high degree of piety, as not being yet become general. Being now a Christian, he was to give the usual proof of the sincerity of his conversion; and that was by writing against paganism and in defence of Christianity. With this view he composed his piece De Gratia Dei, "or concerning the grace of God," which he addressed to Donatus. It is a work of the same nature with the Apologetic of Tertullian, and the Octavius of Minutius Felix. He next composed a piece De Idolorum Vanitate, or "upon the vanity of idols." Cyprian's behaviour, both before and after his baptism, was so highly pleasing to the bishop of Carthage, that he ordained him a priest a few months after. It was rather irregular to ordain a man thus in his very noviciate; but Cyprian was so extraordinary a person, and thought capable of doing such singular service to the church, that it seemed allowable in this case to dispense a little with the form and discipline of it. For besides his known talents as a secular man, he had acquired a high reputation of sanctity since his conversion; having not only separated himself from his wife, as we have observed before, which in those days was thought an extraordinary act of piety, but also consigned over all his goods to the poor, and given himself up entirely to the things of God. It was on this account no doubt, too, that when the bishop of Carthage died the year after, that is, in the year 248, none was judged so proper to succeed him as Cyprian. The quiet and repose which the Christians had enjoyed during the last 40 years, had, it seems, greatly corrupted their manners; and therefore Cyprian's first care, after his advancement to the bishopric, was to correct disorders and reform abuses. Luxury was prevalent among them; and many of their women were not so strict as they should be, especially in the article of dress. This occasioned him to draw up his piece De habitu virginum, or "concerning the dress of young women;" in which, besides what he says on that particular head, he inculcates many lessons of modesty and sobriety. In the year 249, the emperor Decius began to issue out very severe edicts against the Christians, which particularly affected those upon the coast of Africa; and in the beginning of 250, the heathens, in the circus and amphitheatre of Carthage, insisted loudly upon Cyprian's being thrown to the lions: a common method of destroying the primitive Christians. Cyprian upon this withdrew from his church at Carthage, and fled into retirement, to avoid the fury of the persecutions. He wrote in the place of his retreat, pious and instructive letters to those who had been his hearers; and also to the libellatrices, a name by which those pusillanimous Christians were called, who procured certificates of the heathen magistrates, to show that they had complied with the emperor's orders in sacrificing to idols. At his return to Carthage he held several councils on the repentance of those who had fallen during this persecution, and other points of discipline; he opposed the schemes of Novatus and Novatianus; Cyprinus Novatianus; and contended for the rebaptising of those who had been baptised by heretics. At last he died a martyr in the persecution of Valerian and Gallienus, in 258. Cyprian wrote 81 letters, and several treatises. The best edition of his works are those of Pamilius in 1568; of Rigaltius in 1648; and of Oxford in 1682. His words have also been translated into English by Dr Marshall.

in ichthyology; a genus of fishes, belonging to the order of abdominales. The mouth is toothless; there are three rays in the gills; the body is smooth and white; and the belly-fins have frequently nine rays. There are 37 species, principally distinguished by the number of rays in the vent-fin. The most remarkable are,

1. The carpio, or carp. This was introduced into England about the year 1514, by Leonard Malchal, to whom we are also indebted for that excellent apple the pepin. Ruffia wants these fish at this day. Sweden has them only in the ponds of people of fashion. They chiefly abound in the rivers and lakes of Polish Prussia, where they are sometimes taken of a vast size. They are there a great article of commerce, and sent in well-boats to Sweden and Ruffia. The merchants purchase them out of the waters, of the noblest of the country, who draw a good revenue from this article. The ancients do not separate the carp from the sea-fish. They are sometimes found in the harbour of Dantzig between the town and a place called Hela.

Carp are very long-lived. Gellner brings an instance of one that was near 100 years old. They grow also to a very great size; some authors speak of carp weighing 200 pounds weight, and five feet in length. The carp is a prodigious breeder: its quantity of roe has been sometimes found so great, that when taken out and weighed against the fish itself, the former has been found to preponderate. From the spawn of this fish, caviare is made for the Jews, who hold theurgeon in abhorrence. The carp is extremely cunning, and on that account is sometimes styled the river-fox. They will sometimes leap over the nets and escape that way; at other times they will immerse themselves so deep in the mud as to let the net pass over them. They are also very shy in taking a bait; yet at the spawning-time they are so simple as to suffer themselves to be tickled, handled, and caught by any body that will attempt it. This fish is apt to mix its milt with the roe of other fish; from which is produced a spurious breed, as has been observed in the offspring of the carp and tench, which bore the greatest resemblance to the first. The same has also been observed of the carp and bream.

In Polish Prussia, and many other parts of Germany, the sale of carp constitutes a part of the revenue of the nobility and gentry: so that the proper management of that fish is reduced to a kind of system, founded on the experience of several generations. Of the methods there practised, we have an account in the Philosophical Transactions for 1771, art. 37, communicated by Mr J. Reinhold Forster; who says, he has seen carp treated and maintained according to those methods, "above a yard long, and of 25 pounds weight," but had no opportunity of ascertaining their age. "In the pond, however, at Charlottenburg (he adds), a palace belonging to the king of Prussia, I saw more than two or three hundred carp, between two and three feet long; and I was told by the keeper they were between 50 and 60 years standing. They were tame, and came to the shore in order to be fed; they swallowed with ease a piece of white bread of the size of half a halfpenny roll."—Mr Forster, in this paper, also vouches a most extraordinary circumstance, namely, the possibility of the carp's not only living for a considerable time out of water, but of its growing fat in its new element. The author has seen the experiment successfully tried, and attended to the whole process, in a nobleman's house where he then resided, in the principality of Anhalt-Dessau. The fish being taken out of the water, is wrapped up in a large quantity of wet moss, spread on a piece of net, which is then gathered into a purse; in such a manner, however, as to allow him room to breathe. The net is then plunged into water, and hung up to the ceiling of a cellar. At first the dipping must be repeated every three or four hours; but afterwards the carp need only to be plunged into the water once in about six or seven hours. Bread soaked in milk is first given him in small quantities. In a short time, the fish will bear more, and grow fat under this seemingly unnatural treatment. Mr Daines Barrington, in a note, confirms a part of the preceding account, by mentioning the practice of a certain fishmonger near Claremarket, who, in the winter, frequently exposes a bushel at least of carp and tench, for sale, in the same dry vessel, for six or seven hours; many of which are not sold, and yet continue in health, though breathing nothing but air, during the time above mentioned, for several days successively.

2. The barbus, or barbel, is so extremely coarse as to be overlooked by the ancients till the time of the poet Ausonius, who gives it no great character. They frequent the still and deep parts of rivers, and live in society, rooting like swine with their noses in the soft banks. It is so tame as to suffer itself to be taken by the hand; and people have been known to take numbers by diving for them. In summer they move about during night in search of food; but towards autumn, and during winter, confine themselves to the deepest holes. The barbel is about the length of three feet, and will weigh 18 pounds; the belly white; the dorsal fin is armed with a remarkable strong spine, sharply serrated, with which it can inflict a very severe and dangerous wound on the incautious handler, and even do much damage to nets. They are the worst and coarsest of fresh-water fish, and seldom eaten but by the poorer sort of people, who sometimes boil them with a bit of bacon to give them a relish. Their roe is very noxious, affecting those who unwarily eat of it with a nausea, vomiting, purging, and a slight swelling.

3. The tinca, or tench, was treated with the same disrespect by the ancients as the barbel; but is now in much more repute. It has by some been called the physician of the fish; and its slime has been said to be of so healing a nature, that the wounded fishes apply it as a flytack. In this country it is reckoned a wholesome and delicious food; but the Germans are of a different opinion. By way of contempt they call it the fishmaker. Gellner even says, that it is insipid and unwholesome. It does not commonly exceed four or five pounds.