tained the fenate, and confuls, and patricians, and all the ancient magiftrates, and committed thofe offices only to Romans. Thefe lights, we may fuppofe, fhone more faintly under barbatian kings than under Roman emperors; but they were not totally fuppreffed and extinguished, till after the kingdom of the Oftrogoths was destroyed by the emperor of the east's lieutenants, and Italy was made a province of the eastern empire. Longinus was 1 fent then in the year 556 by the emperor Juftin II. to govern Italy with abfolute authority and he changed the whole form of the government, abolifhed the fenate, and confuls, and all the former magiftrates in Rome, and Italy, and in every city of note conftituted a new governor with the title of Duke. He himself prefided over all; and refiding at Ravenna, and not at Rome, he was called the Exarch of Ravenna, as were alfo his fucceffors in the fame office. Rome was degraded to the fame level with other places, and from being the queen of cities and emprefs of the world was reduced to a poor dukedom, and made tributary to Ravenna which fhe had used to govern. 13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, faying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe to the inhabiters of the earth, by reafon of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels which are yet to found. Notice is then proclaimed by an angel, ver. 13. that the three other trumpets found to ftill greater and more terrible plagues, and are therefore diftinguished from the former by the name of woes. The defign of this meffenger is to raife our attention to the following trumpets ; and the following we fhall find to be more ftrongly marked than the foregoing. The foregoing relate chiefly to the downfal of the western empire; the two following relate chiefly to the downfal of the eastern empire. The foregoing are defcribed more fuccinctly, and contain a lefs compafs of time; the following are fet forth with, more particular circumltances, and are of longer duration as well as of larger defcription. CHAP 1 Sigonii Hift. de Reguo Italiae. Lib. 1. Blondi. Decad. primae Lib. 8. ND the fifth angel founded, and I faw a ftar fall from heaven unto the earth and to him was given the key of the tomlefs pit. bot 2 And he opened the bottomlefs pit, and there arofe a smoke out of the pit, as the fmoke of a great furnace: and the fun and the air were darkened, by reafon of the smoke of the pit. 3 And there came out of the smoke locuits upon the earth; and unto them was given power, as the fcorpions of the earth have power. 4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grafs of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the feal of God on their foreheads. 5 And to them it was given that they fhould not kill them, but that they fhould be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. 6 And in those days fhall men feek death, and fhall not find it; and fhall defire to die, and death fhall flee from them 7 And the fhapes of the locufts were like unto horfes prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. 8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of li ons. 9 And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates ofiron; and the found of their wings was as the found of chariots of many horfes running to battle. 10 And they had tails like unto fcorpions, and there were ftings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. II And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomlefs pit, whofe name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. 12 One woe is past, and behold there come two woes more hereafter. At the founding of the fifth trumpet, ver. 1, 2, 3. a ftar fallen from heaven,' meaning the wicked impoftor Mohammed, 202 opened the bottomlefs pit, and there arofe Mohammed, a fmoke out of the pit, and the fun and the air were dar kened' by its Saracen or that prophet is very is, a falfe religion was fet up, which filled the world with darkness and error; and fwarms of Arabian locufts overfpread the earth. A falfe fitly typified by a blazing Aar or meteor. likewife are properly compared to locufts, not only because numerous armies frequently are fo, but fwarms of locufts often arife from Arabia: in the plagues of Egypt, to which con'the locuits,' made in thefe trumpets, ‹ brought by an east-wind,' that is from eastward of Egypt; and also because The Arabians also because is and also because Exod. x. 13. are Arabia, which lay tural locufts locufts or m are grafhoppers for multitude,' for bred in pits and holes of the earth, fo in the book of Judges, vii. 12. the people of Arabia are in the original the word for both is the fame. As the nathefe myftical locufts are truly infernal, and proceed with the fmoke 'from the bottomless pit.' It is too a remar air were really darkened.' For we learn from an "eminent Arabian hiftorian, that "in the feventeenth year of Heraclius half the body of the fun was eclipfed, and this defect continued from the former Tifrin to Haziran, (that is from October to June) fo that only a little of its light appeared." The feventeenth year of Heraclius that at this time the fun and the coin cides with the year of Christ 626, and with the 5th year and exercising his followers in depredations at home, to of the Hegira; and at this time Mohammed was training fit and prepare them for greater conquests abroad. 'It was commanded them, ver. 4. that they fhould not the grafs of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree;' which demonftrates that these were not given to the Arabian officers and foldiers. hurt de Gefner. de Infect. Plin. Nat. Hift. Lib. 11. Cap. 29. Sect. No Heraclii decimo feptimo dimidium corporis folaris lufecit, manfitque ejus deliquium a Tifrin priori ad Haziran, non appareret nifi parum quid de lumine ipfius. AbulIs's Chron. Tab. No. 33. Abul-Pharajii Dyn. 9. p. 102. Ela. Saracen, Lib. 2. P. C Hift. Dyn 8. p. 99. Verf. Pocockii. 6. Yezid was marching with the army to invade Syria, Abubeker charged him P with this among other orders; Destroy no palm-trees, nor burn any fields of corn; cut down no fruit-trees, nor do any mifchief to cattle, only fuch as you kill to eat." Their commiffion is to • hurt only thofe men who have not the feal of God in their foreheads; that is those who are not the true fervants of God, but are corrupt and idolatrous Christians. Now from history it appears evidently, that in those countries of Afia, Africa, and Europe, where the Saracens extended their conquefts, the Chriftians were generally guilty of idolatry in the worshipping of faints, if not of images; and it was the pretence of Mohammed and his followers to chastise them for it, and to re-establish the unity of the Godhead. The parts which remained the freest from the general infection were Savoy, Piedmont, and the fouthern parts of France, which were afterwards the nurferies and habitations of the Waldenfes and Albigenfes; and it is very memorable, that when the Saracens approached these parts, they were defeated with great flaughter by the famous Charles Martel in feveral engagements. As they were to hurt only the corrupt and idolatrous Chriftians, fo thefe, ver. 5, 6. they were not to kill but only to torment, and should bring fuch calamities upon the earth, as should make men weary of their lives. Not that it could be supposed that the Saracens would not kill many thousands in their incurfions. On the contrary their angel, ver. 11. hath the name of the deflroyer. They might kill them as individuals, but ftill they fhould not kill them as a political body, as a state or empire. They might greatly harrafs and torment both the Greek and the Latin churches, but they fhould not utterly extirpate the one or the other. They befieged Conftantinople, and r even plundered Rome; but they could not make themfelves masters of either of those capital cities. The Greek empire fuffered most from them, as it lay nearest to them. They difmembered it of Syria and Egypt, and fome o Vol. I. p. 25. ther P Ockley's Hift. of the Saracens. 9 Petavii Rationar Temp. Part 1. Lib. 8. Cap. 5. Mezeray A brege Chronol. A. D. 732, &c. r Sigonii Hift. de Regno Italiae Lib. 5. Ann. 846. ther of its beft and richeft provinces; but they were ne ver able to fubdue and conquer the whole. As often as they befieged Conftantinople, they were repulfed and defeated. They attempted it in the reign of Conftantine Pogonatus A. D. 672; but their men and fhips were miferably deftroyed by the fea-fire invented by Callinicus, and after seven years fruitlefs pains they were compelled to raise the fiege, and to conclude a peace. They at. tempted it again in the reign of Leo Ifauricus A. D. 718; but they were forced to defift by famine, and pestilence, and lofes of various kinds. In this attempt they exceeded their commiffion, and therefore they were not crowned with their usual fuccefs. The taking of this city, and the putting an end to this empire, was a work referved for another power, as we shall fee under the next trumpet. In the following verses, 7, 8, 9, 10. the nature and qualities of thefe locufts are described, partly in allufion to the properties of natural locufts and the defcription given of them by the prophet Joel, and partly in allufion to the habits and manners of the Arabians, to show that not real but figurative locufts were here intended. The firft quality mentioned is their being like unto horses prepared unto battle;' which is copied from Joel, ii. 4. The appearance of them is as the appearances of horfes, and as horfemen, fo fhall they run.' Many authors have " obferved that the head of a locuft refembles that of an horfe. The Italians therefore call them cavalette, as it were little horfes. The Arabians too have in all ages been famous for their horfes and horfemanship, Their ftrength is well known to confist chiefly in their cavalry. Another diftinguishing mark and character is their having on their heads as it were crowns like gold;' which is s Theoph. Cedren. ad an. Conft. 5. Zonarae Annales Lib. 14. Cap. 20, &c. Petavii Rationar. Temp. Part 1. Lib. 8. Cap. I. Blair's Chronol. Tab. No. 34. Part 2d. t Sigonii Hift. de Regno Italiae Lib. 3. Anno 718. Petav. ibid. Cap. 5. u Vide Albertum, Aldrovandum, Theodoretum & apud Bochart. Hieroz. Part Poft. Lib. 4. Cap. 5.-caput aut faciem equinae non abfimilem. A qua locuftae ab Italis vocantur cavallette. Col. 474. |