we find the following:

"It appears that the sign of the _cross_ was in use _as an
emblem having certain religious and mystic meanings attached
to it, long before the Christian era_; and the Spanish
conquerors were astonished to find it _an object of religious
veneration_ among the nations of Central and South
America."[349:4]

Lord Kingsborough, in his "Antiquities of Mexico," speaks of crosses
being found in Mexico, Peru, and Yucatan.[349:5] He also informs us that
the _banner_ of Montezuma was a cross, and that the historical paintings
of the "Codex Vaticanus" represent him carrying a cross as his
banner.[349:6]

A very fine and highly polished marble cross which was taken from the
Incas, was placed in the Roman Catholic cathedral at Cuzco.[349:7]

Few cases have been more powerful in producing mistakes in ancient
history, than the idea, hastily taken by Christians in all ages, that
every monument of antiquity marked with a cross, or with any of those
symbols which they conceived to be monograms of their god, was of
Christian origin. The early Christians did not adopt it as one of their
symbols; it was not until Christianity began to be paganized that it
became a Christian monogram, and even then it was not the cross as we
know it to-day. "It is not until the middle of the _fifth_ century that
the pure form of the cross emerges to light."[349:8] The cross of
Constantine was nothing more than the [Symbol: PX], the monogram of
Osiris, and afterwards of Christ.[349:9] This is seen from the fact
that the "_Labarum_," or sacred banner of Constantine--on which was
placed the sign by which he was to conquer--was inscribed with this
sacred monogram. Fig. No. 30 is a representation of the Labarum, taken
from Smith's Dictionary of the Bible. The author of "The History of Our
Lord in Art" says:

"It would be difficult to prove that the cross of Constantine
was of the simple construction as now understood. As regards
the Labarum, the coins of the time, in which it is expressly
set forth, proves that the so-called cross upon it was nothing
else than the same ever-recurring monogram of Christ."[350:1]

[Illustration: Fig. No. 30]

Now, this so-called monogram of Christ, like everything else called
Christian, is of Pagan origin. It was the monogram of the Egyptian
Saviour, Osiris, and also of Jupiter Ammon.[350:2] As M. Basnage remarks
in his _Hist. de Juif_:[350:3]