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and had John Howard for a frequent hearer and an attached friend. Stennett's works are: Discourses on Personal Religion (2 vols., 1769; 4th ed., Edinburgh, 1891); Remarks on the Christian Minister's Reasons for Administering Baptism by Sprinkling or Pouring of Water (London, 1772); An Answer to the Christian Minister's Reasons for Baptizing Infants (1775) ; Discourses on the Parable of the Sower f 1786). His works were collected as The Works of S. Stewnett

. . With route Account of his Life and Writings by W. Jones (3 viola., 1820. His best. hymns are " On Jordan's stormy banks I stand," " Majestic sweetness sits enthroned," " ' T is finished l so the Saviour cried."

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Besides the Life in the Works, ut sup., consult: S. W. Duffield, English Hymns, pp. 443-444, New York, 1886; Julian, Hymnology, pp. 1091-92; DNB, liv. 150.

Notarii or independent (non-official) stenographers were accustomed to take down the thrilling words spoken by the early Christians in the Roman catacombs or in their examination by the magistrates. Thus they performed a great service, for these words, circulating thereafter under cover of secrecy, were instrumental toward converting those who were not yet Christians, in reviving the courage of the faint, and were no less transporting to others who were hazarding their lives that they might publicly hear some expression of their adopted creeds. Thus it was that Christ's teachings became spread to the very ends of the Roman world. Nor was this the only service rendered by stenography to the new religion. For the Church owes to the shorthand art the preservation of the Acts of the Martyrs; both those records which have been preserved intact, under the form of legal examinations concluded by a verdict, and other proceedings which for want of being stenographed, or else having been distorted in sequel to the loss of the originals, have come down augmented by tradition, and adorned with miracles, in the shape of tales and legends.

The proconsular tribunals had their special recorders, in the guise of stenographers, who were known as exceptores, who belonged to the officium, and reproduced the debates which ran their course in their hearing. As officials these are

r. Sten- to be distinguished from the notarii, ography in who had no such rank. The legal ex-

Trials of axninations, once taken down by the Christians. aid of shorthand notes (in a form of syllabic abbreviation), were transcribed in full, handed over to the judge, and included in the brief of the case at issue. The judicial archives (archivxcm proconsulis) became the depository of these court reports, which formed the official collection of the public records (acts publics) to which there is frequent reference by various writers, including Eusebius, Cyprian, Apollonius, and Jerome. These acts are precious not only because they give the family names and Christian names of the ac-

cured, together with their qualities; for whether or not the judge was acquainted with the party appeasing before him, he was firav expected to take official cognizance of his identity; but because they furnish certain interesting pan;iculara about the future martyr and the proconaul'ia state of mind. As an example use may be made here: of the dialogue between Tatian Dulas and the Governor Maximus, his examiner. Dulas says: " My God is the true God. He became man, was crucified, laid in the sepulcher; he rose again the third day; he sits at the right hand of the Father." Answers the governor: " Wretch, thou seeat plainly thou hart two gods." Dulaa: " Thou exTest in speaking of two gods; for I adore the Trinity." Governor: " Thou halt then three? " Dulas: " I confess and adore the Trinity. I believe in the Father, I confess the Son, and I adore the Holy Ghost." Astounded by these replies, to which he can ascribe no meaning, Maximus then says to the accused: " Try to explain to me how, believing in one only God, thou canst yet proclaim three? " The record from which this passage it taken is evidently authentic; such a series of questions and answers could hardly be invented. The: Christians would then seek to obtain copies of the Acts of the martyrs, and had to pay dear for them to the people of the officium. " It being of moment," as is stated in the Acts of Tarachus, Probus, and Andronicus, "to collect the evidence bearing on our brethren's confession, we have obtained for 20) denarii, from one of the recorders named Sabast.u,;, the right to copy the Acts." The reading of these copies kindled the courage and increased the number of the believers. Accordingly the Roman magistrates directed their attention to the matter, and measures were more than once taken to put an end to these secret communications. When Vincent of Saragossa was examined, it was forbidden to commit the debates or proceedings of the case to writing. In the history of the martyrdom of Victor the Moor, a pagan magistrate, who distrusted the venality of his agents, took pains to insure that the " Acts " of the trial should not be distributed, or circulated abroad. "Anolinus, the proconsul, even had all the exceptorea apprehended who happened to be in the palace, to satisfy himself that they were concealing no note, no writing. These men swore by the gods and the emperor's weal that they would secrete nothing of the .kind. All the papers were brought forward; whereupon Anolinua had them burned in his presence by the hands of the executioner. The emperor highly approved this measure " (L. P. and E. Guenin, Hist. de la stknographie cans l'antiqteitt' et au nioyen 6ge, Paris, 1908).

In the year 92, Clement, bishop of Rome (q.v.), ordered a compilation of the first .Acts of the martyrs. In 237, Bishop Anterns (q.v.) continued the work of Clement. He made a care:'ul research of the Acts of the martyrs among compila-

Martyrum. Christian Rome. In a painting of the underground cemetery of St. Calixtus, Arrenghi reports having seen Bishop Anterus represented as being surrounded by uotarii, who appear