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Moriniis mentions them to have been holden by the Popes ; to me 

 therefore it is clear, that they are not of the first age the Christian aera. 

 I haidly think, that they were the fabrication of the Greek emperors,* 

 whose sacred inscriptions, above alluded to, were all in the Grecian 

 character ; nor can any good reason be assigned for their preference 

 of the Hebrew, this not being the letter in which the New Testa- 

 ment, excepting perhaps the Gospel by St, Mathew, was originally 

 written. They must be of earlier date than the age of Leo X. ; for, 

 at that period, they are spoken of by Theseus Ambrosius as being 

 of uncommon rarity ; See also Morinus as quoted above. I suppose 

 them therefore to have been the fabrication either of the age of 

 Charlemagne, or of the Crusades. In favour of the first supposition 

 there is (^besides the analogy, which Doctor Barrett has observed be- 

 tween the inscription and the motto of that prince,) this fact to be 

 considered, that it was just at this time, A. D. 787, that the intro- 

 duction of image worship, sanctioned by the 2d Council of Nice, 

 may be considered as bearing date ; for the second it may be alleged, 

 that the account of Wagenseil, who places their origin in Palestine, 

 is at least considerably plausible. The words of Morinus plainly 

 intimate, that they Were preserved to assist the purposes of Papal 



• Dr. Barrett observes an analogy between the inscription and the motto of Charlemagne, 

 which was thus written, and in this order, 



"Christus regnat, 

 " Tincit, 



" imperat" or triuniphat. 

 " The first Urie," he says, answets to " Christus regnat :" the second line explains his con- 

 " quest, that it consists in his being the author of peace ; or, to use a classical expression, he 

 " was " sine clade victor :" the third and fourth lines explain the nature of his kingdom, or 

 '' triumph," &o. 



