202 Journal of Philology . Fronte sub adversa gradibus sublime tribunal Tollitur, antistes prcedicat unde Deum.
Si bene commemini, colit hunc pulchorrima Roma Idibus Augusti mensis, ut ipsa vocat. But once again, the Acts of a Roman Synod of A.D. 499, in which there is a list of the churches and clergy of Rome, give none of St Hippolytus 34 , but there was certainly an altar over the grave of that saint, where the communion was administered at least upon the Ides of August, Servat ad soterni spem Judicis ossa sepulchrum, Pascit idem Sanctis Tibricolas dapibus. We should therefore conclude that it was served by the priests of St Lorenzo, as the sermon was preached in the church of St Lorenzo. And here we have perhaps the earliest indication that the Martyr of the Ides and of the Field of Verus was really the friend of Laurence. For why should the priests of the latter officiate and preach in honour of the Doctor of Portus ? It may not be amiss to add a few words with respect to the manner of these martyrs' deaths. It is unlikely that any Hippo- lytus was torn by horses ; certain, I conceive, that he of Portus was not 35 . Three Eastern martyrologies describe him as having been drowned in the sea; which at least shews that the compilers took him to have been drowned in a sea-side place. But nearer home the tradition was that he was drowned in a deep well in Portus. This, if not true, is evidently home-sprung ; one of the numerous wells with which Portus, like Piraeus, was furnished for the use of outward-bound vessels, would be a ready self-suggest- ing means of death, when the officer came hastily from Rome, tried, condemned, and executed the accused Christians and returned before evening to the city. Accordingly, on that strip of the old Veientine territory, which was intercepted between the old Ostian mouth of Tiber 84 This notice I have gained from Hum), while the Bollandists suggest the Dbllinger (p. 36) since the writing of not very probable hypothesis that they this essay. both were martyred in the same way, 35 Ruinart and Baillet both take this and buried in the same place, and adored manner of death to be transferred from on the same day, being, to begin with, the bishop to the soldier (Tillemont, of the same name. Mem. Ecd. Tom. rv. not. 4, in Lauren-
