It had
the form of a Latin cross, which, we may observe, as well as the Greek
cross: is found upon ancient Christian monuments; though of course
we cannot bring forward other instances so ancient as the monument
in question. (See Rock p. 516). "It is hard to conceive", says the
learned Mazois, "that the same man should bow at once before the cross
of Christ, and pay homage to Janus, Ferculus, Limetinus, Cardia, the
deities of the threshold, and the hinges of doors. Perhaps at this
time the cross was of a meaning unknown except to those who had
embraced the Christian faith, which, placed here among the symbols
of paganism, as if in testimony of gratitude, informed the faithful,
that the truth had here found an asylum with a poor man, under the
safeguard of all the popular superstitions". So far Mazois, whose
opinion is embraced by the author of the interesting work on Pompeii
published by the society for promoting useful knowledge: but is it not
probable, I may ask, or rather is it not certain that, at that early
period, while some members of the same family were pagans, others were
Christians? it is not then surprising if in the same house we find
both Christian and Pagan emblems: we may suppose, that some such
persons may have been inmates of the same house as Mr. Bulwer's
pagan gladiator Lydon and his Christian father Medon. Pompeii was
overwhelmed by ashes in the year of Christ 79: and if Vesuvius still
occasionally lay waste the surrounding country, we are indebted to it
for the preservation not only of a thousand classical monuments, but
also of a representation of the cross of Christ, which cannot be of a
much later date than the time of the destruction of Jerusalem.
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