is one who lays down his life, or suffers death, for the sake of his religion. The word is Greek, μαρτυς, and properly signifies "a witness." It is applied, by way of eminence, to those who suffer in witness of the truth of the gospel.

The Christian church has abounded in martyrs, and history is filled with surprising accounts of their singular constancy and fortitude under the cruellest torments human nature was capable of suffering. The primitive Christians were accused by their enemies of paying a sort of divine worship to the martyrs. Of this we have an instance in the answer of the church of Smyrna to the suggestion of the Jews, who, at the martyrdom of Polycarp, desired the heathen judge not to suffer the Christians to carry off his body, lest they should leave their crucified master, and worship him in his stead. To which they answered, "We can neither forsake Christ, nor worship any other: for we worship him as the Son of God; but love the martyrs as the disciples and followers of the Lord, for the great affection they have shown to their King and Master." A like answer was given at the martyrdom of Fructuosus in Spain. For when the judge asked Eulogius, his deacon, Whether he would not worship Fructuosus? as thinking, that, tho' he refused to worship the heathen idols, he might yet be inclined to worship a Christian martyr; Eulogius replied, "I do not worship Fructuosus, but him whom Fructuosus worships." The primitive Christians believed, that the martyrs enjoyed very singular privileges; that upon their death they were immediately admitted to the beatific vision, while other souls waited for the completion of their happiness till the day of judgment; and that God would grant chiefly to their prayers the hastening of his kingdom, and shortening the times of persecution.

The churches built over the graves of the martyrs, and called by their names, in order to preserve the memory of their sufferings, were distinguished by the title martyrium confissio, or memoria.

The festivals of the martyrs are of very ancient date in the Christian church, and may be carried back at least till the time of Polycarp, who suffered martyrdom about the year of Christ 168. On these days the Christians met at the graves of the martyrs, and offered prayers and thanksgivings to God for the examples they had afforded them: they celebrated the eucharist, and gave alms to the poor; which, together with a panegyric oration or sermon, and reading the acts of the martyrs, were the spiritual exercises of these anniversaries.

Of the sayings, sufferings, and deaths of the martyrs, though preserved with great care for the above purpose, and to serve as models to future ages, we have but very little left, the greatest part of them having been destroyed during that dreadful persecution which Diocletian carried on for ten years with ferocious fury against the Christians; for a most diligent search was then made after all their books and papers; and all of them that were found were committed to the flames. Eusebius, indeed, composed a martyrology, but it never reached down to us; and those since compiled are extremely suspected. From the eighth century downwards, several Greek and Latin writers endeavoured to make up the loss, by compiling, with vast labour, accounts of the lives and actions of the ancient martyrs, but which consist of little else than a series of fables: Nor are those records that pass under the name of Martyrology worthy of superior credit, since they bear the most evident marks both of ignorance and falsehood.

(Peter), a famous divine, born at Florence in 1500. He studied philosophy and the tongues at Padua and Banonia, was a regular Augustinian in the monastery of Fiesole, and was counted one of the best preachers in Italy. Zuinglius and Bucer's writings gave him a good opinion of the Protestants, and his conversation with Valdes confirmed it. He preached that doctrine at Rome in private; but, being impeached, fled to Naples, and thence to Lucca, where he brought over to the Protestant interest Emanuel Tremellius, Celsus, Martinengas, Paul Lascius, and Jeremiah Zanchy. He was sent for to England by king Edward VI, and made professor of divinity at Oxford in 1549. In Queen Mary's reign he returned to Straßburg, and was present at the conference of Poissy. His sentiments were not the same with Calvin's about Christ's presence in the eucharist. He wrote a great number of works, and died in 1562.