C Y P 
CY'PRESS. See Cupressus and Chenopodium. 
CY'PRTAN (Thafcius Caecilius), a learned and vene¬ 
rable Chriftian father, faint, and martyr, in the third 
century, was a native of Africa, and, according to fome 
writers, of Carthage, which was the fcene in which he 
paffed the greater part of his life. But nothing certain 
can be determined refpeiling the place of his birth. He 
polfelTed the advantages of a learned and liberal educa¬ 
tion, and for fome years taught rhetoric in the fchools 
of Carthage, with eminent reputation, and to his no fmall 
emolument. During this time he was attached to the 
Gentile religion, in which he had been bred ; but, when 
lie was conliderably advanced in life, and moll probably 
in the year 246, he was converted to Chriftianity by the 
arguments of Caecilius, a prelbyter in the church of Car¬ 
thage, whofe name he afiumed in honour of his friend- 
fliip and virtues. Upon his embracing the Chriftian 
faith, he entirely altered his mode of living, which had 
before been gay and fplendid; fold his eftates for the 
fake of diftributir.g the produce in works of benevolence 
and charity ; and diftinguilhed himfelf by the ftridtnefs, 
purity, and humility, of his manners. To fuch a mif- 
taken degree did he carry his felf-denial, that he forbade 
himfelf many of the molt lawful and innocent indulgences, 
and even feparated from his wife, abfurdly conceiving 
that the attainment of Chriftian knowledge and perfec¬ 
tion required fuch unnatural facrifices. After having 
given fatisfadlory proof of the fincerity of his converfion, 
he was baptized ; and, in the year 247, ordained a pref- 
byter in the Chriftian church. So exemplary was his 
condudt, and fo fatisfadtory his fervices in this fitua- 
tion, that, in the year 248, or 249, moll probably upon 
the death of Donatus biihop of Carthage, he was, at the 
general and earned delire of the Chriftians in that city, 
chofen to be his fuccelfor. It was in vain that he at¬ 
tempted to decline that office, in favour of fome of his 
feniors in the faith ; the importunity of the people pre¬ 
vailed, and his own inclination was forced to give way 
to their vvilhes. For a conliderable part of two years af¬ 
ter this event, he condu&ed the affairs of his bifliopric 
without moleftation, and with a ftridt attention to the 
reformation of the corrupt manners, which at that early 
period had taken place in the Chriftian church. But, in 
the year 251, the Decian perfecution commenced ; when 
the heathens at Carthage, who refented his defection of 
their caufe, diredted their rage particularly againft Cy¬ 
prian, and often demanded, in a clamorous manner, in 
the theatre and other public places, that he (hould be 
thrown to the lions. In thefe circumftances he thought 
it moft prudent to withdraw from the ftorm, and was 
profcribed by government, and his goods confifcated. 
He, however, declared, that this ftep was taken in obe¬ 
dience to a command which he received from God in a 
vifion; and upon that ground he defended it, in oppo- 
fition to fome remonftrances, that, by withdrawing from 
the fcene of perfecution, he had improperly deferted his 
poll and his principles. In this inftance he was either 
credulous, or guilty of a pious fraud. During his re¬ 
tirement, which lafted for about fourteen months, he di¬ 
ligently employed himfelf in writing letters to his peo¬ 
ple, to his clergy, and to the Chriftians at Rome ; and, 
in other parts of the empire, exhorting them to ftedfaft- 
nefs in the faith. When the fury of that perfecution 
was abated, in confequence of the death of the emperor 
Decius, Cyprian returned to Carthage, and afterwards 
held different councils for regulating the affairs of the 
church ; in which a variety of points was difcuffed, chief¬ 
ly relative to matters of eccleftaftical difcipline. About 
the year 252, when a dreadful peftilential diftemper was 
raging throughout the Roman empire, and Carthage had 
her fhare in the calamity, Cyprian, by his exhortations 
and example, encouraged the Chriftians in that city to 
exercife the nobleft aits of charity and friendly aid to¬ 
wards the affliifted, of every party and religion, to the 
great credit of that faith of which he made a profeffion. 
1 
C Y P 5S7 
©n another occafion, the liberal temper and humane ge- 
nerofity of this bifhop and his flock w'ere fignally dif- 
played, in the large collectionwhich they made to re¬ 
deem from flavery fome Chriftians of Numidia, who had 
been carried away captive during the inroads ol fome 
neighbouring barbarians into their country. But the 
greateft glory of Iris life aroie from the fortitude and pa¬ 
tience with which he fubmitted to perfecution, and to 
death itfelf fooner than violate his confidence, and re¬ 
nounce thofe principles which he conceived to be founded 
in truth. In the year 257 the fire of perfecution was 
kindled anew, by the orders of the emperors Valerian 
and Gallienus, and Cyprian was fummoned before Af- 
pafius Paternus, the proconful of Africa; when, freely 
owning himfelf to be a Chriftian, and remaining unftiaken 
in that profeffion, he was banifhed to Curubis, a town 
twelve leagues from Carthage, where he refided eleven 
months, without fuffering the penalties of confifcation, 
or being prohibited the confolatory vifits and attention 
of his Chriftian brethren. This time he employed in 
writing letters to different Chriftians who were fuiferers 
for their faith, to encourage them to ftedfaftnefs and per- 
feverance, and to cheer their minds in their arduous Situ¬ 
ations . At the expiration of that period, Galerius Maxi¬ 
mus, a new proconful, recalled him to Carthage; but 
with no favourable intentions towards him. Soon after 
his return, finding that orders were iffued to carry him 
before the proconful, who was then at Utica, forty miles 
diftant from Carthage, he retired to a place of temporary 
concealment, being defirous of bearing his laft teftimony 
to the truth of his religion in the prefence of that people 
to whom he had miniftered. When the proconful was 
come from Utica to Carthage, he no longer avoided thofe 
who were lent to apprehend him; and, when urged by 
that magiftrate to obey the imperial edidt, and to facri- 
fice to the gods, refolutely refufed, and was condemned 
to be beheaded. To this fentence, which was put in 
execution at a place called Sexti, near the city of Car¬ 
thage, Cypriau fubmitted with firmnefs and cheerful- 
nefs, in the year 258. As a man and as bifhop, he pof- 
feffed great excellence of charafter. His piety was un¬ 
affected, although not without a ftrong tiudfure of en- 
thufiafm ; and his morals grave, regular, and exemplary. 
His epifcopal duties he difcharged with fidelity, pru¬ 
dence, and affedtion; and, with an unaffuming modcfty 
and humility, that endeared him to the flock under his 
care. His intelledtual talents were acute and lively; and 
his acquired abilities are laid to have been very refpec- 
table. But, as far as we are enabled to judge from his 
remains, he was more diftinguifhed by his excellence as 
a rhetorician, than by his proficiency in philofophy, of 1 
profound erudition. The charadteriftics of his writings 
are corredtnefs, perfpicuity, and perfuafive eloquence, 
not without a due mixture of force, and clofe argumen¬ 
tative reafoning. If he is fometimes too figurative and 
declamatory, the fault tnuft be afcribed to the bad tafte 
of the times in which he wrote. According to the judg¬ 
ment of Erafmus, he is the only African writer who at¬ 
tained to the native purity of the Latin tongue. His 
works that remain confift of treatifes upon a variety of 
fubjedts, fome being defences of the Chriftian religion 
againft Jews and Gentiles, others on Chriftian morality, 
and others on the difcipline of the church ; and numerous 
ufeful and entertaining epiftles. They have been often 
printed ; but the moft valuable editions are thofe of Eraf¬ 
mus, in 1520; of Rigaltius, publifhed at Paris, in 1648, 
and afterwards in 1666, with very great additions ; of bi¬ 
fhop Fell, at Oxford, with the Annales Cyprianici of bi¬ 
fhop Pearfon prefixed, in 1682 ; and of father Marand, a 
benedicline monk of the congregation of St. Maur, at Pa¬ 
ris, in 1727. They were alfo tranflated into Englifh, with 
ufeful and valuable notes, by Mr. Marfhall, in 3717. 
CYPRIA'NUS (John), a learned Poiifh divine, of the 
confcfiion of Augfburg, born at Rawitz, in the palatinate 
of Poftnania, in 1642. He purfusd his Rudies at Breflaw, 
in 
