1801.] 
repofing at noon in the environs of Mentz, 
at Schilingen, in the year 235 of the 
Chriftian era, at the age of twenty-fix 
years and fome months, after having reign- 
ed thirteen years complete. The death of 
Alexander Severus caufed a univerfal grief 
({ays Lamprid:us, and after him Crevier, 
Azcient Hiftory) at Rome, and through- 
out the whole empire, as the mildnefs and 
equity of his government had rendered him 
extremely popular. He was bitterly la- 
mented; in fhort, made a gad of. Laftly, 
the hiftorians add, that a cenotaph was 
erected for him in Gaul, and that his 
body, taken to the capital (Rome), was 
inclofed in a magnificent tomb, and the 
higheft honours paid toit. A religious fo- 
lemnity and feftivals were inftituted to his 
honour, which were ftill obferved at the time 
when Lampridius wrote. We are not 
acquainted, fays Citizen Schneider, with 
any cenotaph in Gaul, but that of Vienne, 
excepting that of Drufus, ereéted near the 
Rhine, at Mentz, of which hiftory makes a 
particular mention. Hence arifes~a prin- 
cipal and ftrong prefumption that this'ce- 
notaph is that of Alexander Severus, of 
which Lampridius {peaks ; although he 
Goes not cite the city, he fays,; in Gaul. 
Vienne was the principal city of it, the 
capital, and one of the moft confiderable 
places of war, as, fays Citizen Schneider, 
Lhave already fhewn. It {carcely adniits of 
a doubt, and.is, on the other hand, very 
natural to think, that Vienne would have 
the honour of immortalizing a prince fo 
generally regretted as Alexander Severus. 
Thus, fays Citizen Schneider, from 2 va- 
riety. of caufes, great \cities firiving to 
imitate Rome (and Vienne, it feems, juftly 
merited the title of beautiful and fecond 
Rome), an enfemble of facts, circumftances, 
and conjectures, a fort of probable certainty 
is formed, which authorifes us to conclude 
that our monument is the cenotaph of 
Alexander Severus, refpetable for its an- 
' tiguity, and much more as it is the ceno- 
_. taph of the firft prateétox,of the Chriftians; 
and indeed it was under his reign that the 
fr church was railed in which worthip 
was publicly rendered to Jefus Chrift. 
_ Although he made profeffion of Paganifm, 
we areinformed that he had a fecret incli- 
~ nation for Chriftianity, which his mother, 
Maméa, a Chriftian born, had in{pired him 
--with, Things foon changed their face 
under the reign of Maximin, the murderer 
and fucceffor of Alexander Severus, but a 
tyrant as much hated and detefted as his 
_ predecefior was beloved. Maximin, doubt- 
_tefs, with a view to conceal his crime and:+ 
 @ouciliate the people, at fir affected re- 
i 
Account of an ancient Monument ot Vienne. 303 
{pet for the memory of Alexander, and 
even feigned to approve of the funera} ho- 
nours which had been decreed to him, 
But not being able to conceal his ferocious 
character long, he foon manifetted contra- 
ry fentiments, by banithing from the court 
and army all the friends of the young and 
virtuous Alexander, among whom were a 
great number of Chriftians, who were vi- 
olently perfecuted, and their churches pul- 
led down, Civil wars and other revolu- 
tions rendered the reign of Maximin very — 
ftormy. This univerfal diforder was 
doubtlefs one of the principal caules 
which prevented our monument trom being 
terminated and brought to perfection. — The 
Profeffor then proceeds to inveftigate and 
explain why this fort of monuments had a 
pyramidal form. The pyramid is a well- 
known fymbol of immortality, as we learn 
by its etymology from the Greek word arg, 
which fignifies fire or flame. Another 
reafon aud motive of this conftruction is, 
that its form is more foiid and more dur- 
able than any other—on this account, the 
Kings of Egypt adopted it for their fa- 
mous tombs, known by. the names of the 
Pyramids of Egypt. In effe&t, this figure 
of a building refifts better the injuries of 
time; the rain-water runs from it more 
eafily, and cannot lodge on it; the four 
corners are expoled to the four cardinal 
points, fo that the four, principal winds 
cannot ftrike it, at right angles. The 
Greeks have preferved for their funeral 
monuments the pyramidal fieure, which 
they had received trom the Egyptians, as 
the Romans learned it from the Greeks, 
We have retained it from both thefe na~ 
tions, and preferved it in our maufolea. 
The Greeks and Romans endeavoured to 
bring thefe monuments to perfection, and 
to render them more agreeable to the eye, 
by giving them a lighter and bolder con- 
fruction. For this purpole, they elevated 
them, fome by means of a pedettal, and 
fome were placed on an entire body of ap- 
chitecture, which feryed for a bafis. Ofthe 
latter kind is the cenotap of Vienne. Ne- 
verthlefs this novelty of method did not 
at all injure the folidity, as our monument 
demonftrates. The four angles in it are 
oppofed to the four cardinal points, in 
imitation of the pyramids of Egypt, which, 
in all probability, has greatly contributed 
to its prefervation. Father Montfau- 
con makes mention likewife of this mo- 
nument (in his book, intitled Avtiquities. 
explained), after Spon. On the article of 
Tombs, he gives a defign in which our 
cenotaph is not at all difcernible. Thefe 
are his words :-=‘* I conceive that we 
ought 
