a catalogue or list of martyrs, including the history of their lives and sufferings for the sake of religion. The term comes from μαρτυρικός, "witness;" and λόγος, "discourse."

The martyrologies draw their materials from the calendars of particular churches, in which the several festivals dedicated to them are marked; and which seem to be derived from the practice of the ancient Romans, who invented the names of heroes and great men in their fasti or public registers.

The martyrologies are very numerous, and contain many ridiculous and even contradictory narratives: which is easily accounted for, if we consider how many forged and spurious accounts of the lives of saints and martyrs appeared in the first ages of the church, which the legendary writers afterwards adopted without examining into the truth of them. However, some good critics, of late years, have gone a great way towards clearing the lives of the saints and martyrs from the monstrous heap of fiction they laboured under. See the article LEGEND.

The Martyrology of Eusebius of Caesarea was the most celebrated in the ancient church. It was translated into Latin by St Jerome; but the learned agree that it is not now extant. That attributed to Beda, in the eighth century, is of very doubtful authority; the names of several saints being there found who did not live till after the time of Beda. The ninth century was very fertile in martyrologies; then appeared that of Florus, subdeacon of the church at Lyons; who, however, only filled up the chasms in Beda. This was published about the year 830, and was followed by that of Waldenburtus, monk of the diocese of Treves, written in verse about the year 844, and this by that of Usuard, a French monk, and written by the command of Charles the Bald in 875, which last is the martyrology now ordinarily used in the Romish church. That of Rabanus Maurus is an improvement on Beda and Florus, written about the year 845; that of Notker, monk of St Gal, was written about the year 894. The martyrology of Addo, monk of Ferrières, in the diocese of Treves, afterwards archbishop of Vienne, is a descendant of the Roman, if we may so call it; for Du Sollier gives its genealogy thus: The martyrology of St Jerome is the great Roman martyrology; from this was made the little Roman one printed by Rosweyd; of this little Roman martyrology was formed that of Beda, augmented by Florus. Addo compiled his in the year 838. The martyrology of Nevelon, monk of Corbie, written about the year 1089, is little more than an abridgement of that of Addo; Father Kircher also makes mention of a Coptic martyrology preserved by the Maronites at Rome.

We have also several Protestant martyrologies, containing the sufferings of the reformed under the Papists, viz. an English martyrology, by J. Fox; with others by Clark, Bray, &c.

MARTYROLOGY is also used, in the Romish church, for a roll or register kept in the vestry of each church, containing the names of all the saints and martyrs, both of the universal church and of the particular ones of that city or monastery.

MARTYROLOGY is also applied to the painted or written catalogues in the Romish churches, containing the foundations, obits, prayers, and masses, to be said each day.