the most high God, who show us the way of salvation." This she did daily for a long time, till at last, Paul, annoyed by this kind of proclamation thus made at his heels, turned about, and by a single command subdued the demoniac influence that possessed her, and restored her to the freedom of sense and thought. Of course she was now no longer the submissive instrument of the will of her mercenary managers, and it was with no small vexation that they found all chance of these easy gains was forever gone. In their rage against the authors of what they deemed their calamity, they caught Paul and Silas, as the foremost of the apostolic company, and dragging them into the forum or court-*house, where the magistrates were in session, they presented their prisoners as a downright nuisance: "These men, who are Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city; and teach customs which are not lawful for us to adopt nor observe, if we are to maintain the privileges of Roman citizens." What the latter part of the accusation referred to, in particular, it is not easy to say, and probably there was no very definite specification made by the accusers; for the general prejudice against the Jews was such, that the mob raised a clamor against them at once; and the magistrates seeing in the apostles only some nameless foreign vagabonds, who having come into the city without any reasonable object in view were disturbing the peace of the inhabitants, had no hesitation whatever in ordering them to be punished in the most ignominious manner, and without any question or defense, conforming to the dictation of that universally divine and immaculate source of justice,—the voice of the people,—instantly had them stripped and flogged at the discretion of their persecutors. After having thus shamefully abused them, they did not dismiss them, but cast them into prison, and set their feet in the stocks.
"Philippi was a city of Macedonia, of moderate extent, and not far from the borders
of Thrace. It was formerly called Crenides, from its numerons springs, from
which arises a small stream, mentioned Acts xvi. 13., though it is commonly omitted
in the maps. The name of Philippi it received from Philip, father of Alexander,
who enlarged it, and fortified it as a barrier town against the Thracians. Julius
Caesar sent hither a Roman colony, as appears from the following inscription on a
medal of this city, COL. IUL. AUG. PHIL. quoted in Vaillant Num. æn. imp. T.
I. p. 160, and from Spon Misc. p. 173. See also Pliny, L. IV. c. ii. and the authors
in Wolfii Curae, [Greek: prôtê tês meridos tês Makedonias polis], 'the first city of that district of
Macedonia:' but in what sense the word [Greek: prôtê], or 'first,' is here to be taken, admits
of some doubt. Paulus Æmilius had divided Macedonia into four districts, and
that in which Philippi was situated, was called [Greek: prôtê], or the first district. But of this
district, Philippi does not appear to be entitled, in any sense, to the name of [Greek: prôtê polis].
For if [Greek: prôtê] be taken in the sense of 'first in respect to place,' this title belonged rather
to Neapolis, which was the frontier town of Macedonia, towards Thrace, as appears
from Acts xvii. 1. And, if taken in the sense of 'first in respect to rank,'
it belonged rather to Amphipolis, which was the capital of this district of Macedonia,
