HEROD Agrippa having caused St. James the great to be put to death, and finding that it pleased the Jews, resolved, in order to ingratiate himself farther with the people, that Peter should fall a sacrifice to his malice. He was accordingly apprehended, and thrown into prison; but an angel of the L•rd released him, which so enraged Herod, that he ordered the sentinels, who guarded the dungeon in which he had been confined, to be put to death. St. Peter, after various other miracles, retired to Rome, where he defeated all the artifices, and confounded the magic of Simon, the magician, a great favourite of the emperor Nero: he likewise converted to christianity one of the concubines of that monarch, which so exasperated the tyrant, that he ordered both St. Peter and St. Paul to be apprehended. During the time of their confinement, they converted two of the captains of the guard, and 47 other persons to christianity. Having been nine months in prison, Peter was brought out from thence for execution, when, after being severely scourged, he was crucified with his head downwards; which position, however, was at his own request. He, as well as Paul, suffered on the 29th day of June. His body being taken down, embalmed, and buried in the vatican, a church was afterwards erected on the spot; but this being destroyed by the emperor Heliogabalus, the body was removed, till the 20th bis••p of Rome, called Cornelius, conveyed it again to the vatican: afterwards Constantine the great erected one of the most stately churches in the universe over the place. Before we quit this article it is requisite to observe, that previous to the death of St. Peter, his wife suffered martyrdom for the faith of Christ, and was exhorted, when going to be put to death, to remember the Lord Jesus.
HEROD Agrippa having caused St. James the great to be put to death, and finding that it pleased the Jews, resolved, in order to ingratiate himself farther with the people, that Peter should fall a sacrifice to his malice. He was accordingly apprehended, and thrown into prison; but an angel of the L•rd released him, which so enraged Herod, that he ordered the centinels, who guarded the dungeon in which he had been confined, to be put to death. St. Peter, after various other miracles, retired to Rome, where he defeated all the artifices, and confounded the magic of Simon, the magician, a great favourite of the emperor Nero: he likewise converted to christianity one of the concubines of that monarch, which so exasperated the tyrant, that he ordered both St. Peter and St. Paul to be apprehended. During the time of their confinement, they converted two of the captains of the guard, and 47 other persons to christianity. Having been nine months in prison, Peter was brought out from thence for execution, when, after being severely scourged, he was crucified with his head downwards; which position, however, was at his own request. He, as well as Paul, suffered on the 29th day of June. His body being taken down, embalmed, and buried in the vatican, a church was afterwards erected on the spot; but this being destroyed by the emperor Heliogabalus, the body was removed, till the 20th bis••p of Rome, called Corn•lius, conveyed it again to the vatican: afterwards Constantine the great erected one of the most stately churches in the universe over the place. Before we quit this article it is requisite to observe, that previous to the death of St. Peter, his wife suffered martrydom for the faith of Christ, and was exhorted, when going to be put to death, to remember the Lord Jesus.
