[Footnote 17: See ancient inscriptions from the catacombs, containing
prayers for the dead in Bock's Hierurgia (vol. 2, ch. 7), also in
Annali delle Scienze Religiose, Luglio 1839, as also in the well-known
works on the catacombs. Bingham admits that the eucharistic sacrifice
was offered for S. Augustine, S. Monica, the emperors Constantine
and Valentinian at their funerals. (S. Ambrose prayed for Valentinian
Gratian and Theodosius.) "In the communion service" says he "according
to the custom of those times, a solemn commemoration was made of the
dead in general, and prayers were offered to God for them". Bingham,
Antiq. l. 23, c. 2. "The custom of praying and offering up sacrifice
for the faithful departed most evidently appears to have prevailed in
the church even from the time of the apostles", says the Protestant
bishop Milles, Opera S. Cyrilli. p. 297. "In primitive times" says
Palmer "these commemorations (in the mass) were accompanied by
prayers for the departed". Origin. Liturg. vol. 2, p. 94. With these
Protestant admissions before us and many others collected in the
Annali delle Scienze Relig. Luglio 1839, we opine that the Rev. Mr.
Breeks ought to have been solicitous for his own soul rather than for
that of Mrs. Wolfrey, whose inscription was dictated by the spirit
of primitive Christianity. The following is the inscription on
Thorndike's tomb at Westminster "Tu lector, requiem ei et beatam in
Xto resurrectionem precare". On Bp. Barrow's tomb at S. Asaph's "O
vos transeuntes in domum Domini, domum orationis, orate pro conservo
vestro ut inveniat requiem in die Domini". Both were written by their
own direction: other Protestant testimonies may be seen ap. Srett. o.
462.]

[Footnote 18: Pope Vigilius (A.D. 538.) in his epistle to Profuturus,
bishop of Braga in Spain, says, that the canon never varied, but that