18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimftone, which iffued out of their mouths. 19 For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto ferpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt. 20 And the reft of the men which were not killed by these plagues, yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and filver, and brafs, and ftone, and of wood: which neither can fee, nor hear, nor walk: 21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their forceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts. At the founding of the fixth trumpet (ver. 13, 14, 15.) a voice proceeded from the four horns of the golden altar, (for the fcene was still in the temple) ordering the angel of the fixth trumpet to loofe the four angels which were bound in the great river Euphrates; and they were loofed accordingly. Such a voice proceeding from the four horns of the golden altar is a strong indication of the divine difpleafure; and plainly intiVOL. III. I . mates very mates that the fins of men must have been great, when the altar, which was their fanctuary and protection, called aloud for vengeance. The four angels are the four fultanies or four leaders of the Turks and Othmans. For there were four principal fultanies or kingdoms of the Turks, bordering upon the river Euphrates: (1) one at Bagdad founded by Togrul Beg, or Tangrolipix, as he is more ufually called, in the year 1055: another at Damafcus founded by Tagjuddaulas or Ducas in the year 1079: a third at Aleppo founded by Sjarfuddaulas or Melech in the fame year 1079: and the fourth at Iconium in Afia Minor founded by Sedyduddaulas or Cutlu Muses, or his fon, in the year 1080. Thefe four sultanies subsisted several years afterwards; and the fultans were bound and restrained from extending their conquefts farther than the territories and countries adjoining to the river Euphrates, primarily by the good providence of God, and fecondarily by the croifades or expeditions of the European Chrif tians into the holy land in the latter part of the eleventh, and in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Nay the Européan Christians took - (1) Elmacini Hift. Saracen. Lib. 3. Cap. 7 & 8. p. 271 & 284. Edit. Erpenii. Heylin's 2 feveral Cofm. B. 3. p. 726. Edit. 1703. Travels. feveral cities and countries from them, and confined them within narrower bounds. But when an end was put to the croisades, and the Christians totally abandoned their conquefts in Syria, and Palestine, as they did in the latter part of the thirteenth century; then the four angels on the river Euphrates were loofed. Soliman Shah (2) the first chief and founder of the Othman race, retreating with his three fons from Jingiz Chan and the Tartars, would have paffed the river Euphrates, but was unfortunately drowned, the time of loofing the four angels being not yet come. Difcouraged at this fad accident, two of his fons returned to their former habitations: but Ortogrul the third, with his thrée fons Condoz, Sarubani, and Othman, remained fome time in those parts, and having obtained leave of Aladin the fultan of Iconium, he came with four hundred of his Turks, and fettled in the mountains of Armenia. From thence they began their excurfions; and the other Turks afsociating with them, and following their ftandard, they gained several victories over the Tartars on one fide, and over the Chriftians on the other. Travels. B. 1. p. 34. 7th Edit. (2) Pocockii Supplem. AbulPharaj. Hift. p. 41, 42. Her I 2 belot. Bib. Orient. p. 822, 694, &c. (3) Pocock. Ortogrul (3) dying in the year 1288, Othman his fon fucceeded him in power and authority; and in the year 1299, as some say with the confent of Aladin himself, he was proclamed fultan, and founded a new empire; and the people afterwards, as well as the new empire, were called by his name. For tho' they difclame the name of Turks, and affume that of Othmans, yet nothing is more certain, than that they are a mixt multitude, the remains of the four fultanies above mentioned, as well as the defcendents particularly of the house of Othman. In this manner and at this time the four an→ gels were loofed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to flay the third part of men, that is as before, the men of the Roman empire, and especially in Europe the third part of the world. The Latin or western empire was broken to pieces under the four first trumpets; the Greek or eastern empire was cruelly hurt and tormented under the fifth trumpet; and here under the fixth trumpet it is to be flain and utterly destroyed. Accordingly (3) Pocock. ibid. Herbero. P. 694, 697. (4) Pocockii Supplem. p. 43. Herbelot. p. 693. A. H. 758. cæpit Decem. 25. 1356. Pocockii Index. (5) Leunclav. Pandect. Hift. Turc. Cap. 129. p. 448. Edit. Paris. p. 339. Edit. Venet. Pocock. ibid. p. 47. Herbelot. p. all Afia Minor, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Thrace, Macedon, Greece, and all the countries, which formerly belonged to the Greek or eastern Cæfars, the Othmans have conquered, and fubjugated to their dominion. They first (4) paffed over into Europe in the reign of Orchan their second Emperor, and in the year 1357; they (5) took Constantinople in the reign of Mohammed their feventh emperor, and in the year 1453; and in time all the remaining parts of the Greek empire fhared the fate of the capital city. The laft of their conquests were (6) Candia or the ancient Crete in 1669, and Cameniec in 1672. For the execution of this great work it is faid that they were prepared for an bour, and a day, and a month, and a year; which will admit either of a litteral or a mystical interpretation; and the former will hold good, if the latter fhould fail. If it be taken litterally, it is only expreffing the fame thing by different words, as peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues are jointly used in other places: and then the meaning is, that they were pre 615. Prince Cantemir's Hift, of the Othman empire. B. 3. Chap. 1. Sect. 9. p. 103. Savage's Abridgment of Knolles and Rycaut. Vol. I. p. 180, &c. 13 pared (6) Prince Cantemir, B. 3. Chap. 12. Sect. 8. p. 262. Sect. 16. p. 265. Savage. ibid. Vol 2. p. 192, & 200. (7) Prince |