his empire, and called it the city of peace.
Syria, Persia, India, and the greatest part of
Alia; Egypt, and the greatest part of Africa ;
Spain, and some parts of Europe, were all sub-
dued in the intermediate time. But when the
caliphs, who before had removed from place
to place, fixed their habitation at Bagdad,
then the Saracens ceased from their excursions
and ravages like locusts, and became a fettled
nation; then they made no more such rapid and
amazing conquests as before, but only engaged
in common and ordinary wars like other nations;
then their power and glory began to decline,
and their empire by little and little to moulder
away ; then they had no longer, like the pro-
phetic locusts, one king over them, Spain (6)
having revolted in the year 756, and set up
another caliph in opposition to the reigning house
of Abbas. If these months be taken doubly,
or for 300 years, then according to (7) Sir
Isaac Newton, “ the whole time that the ca-

liphs of the Saracens reigned with a temporal
“ dominion at Damascus and Bagdad together,
was 300 years,
viz. from the

year 637 to the
year 936 inclusive;" when (8) their empire

was

(6) Elmacini Hift. Saracen. Apoc. Chap. 3. p.305. SeelikeLib. 2. Cap.3.p. 101. Blairibid wife p. 91. of Mr. Jackson's Ad(7) Sir Isaac Newton on the dress to the Deitts: wherein are

fome

was broken and divided into several principalities or kingdoms. So that let these five months be taken in any possible construction, the event will still answer, and the prophecy will still be fulfilled ; tho' the second method of interpretation and application appears much more probable than either the first or the third.

In the conclusion it is added, (ver: 12.) One woe is past, and behold there come two woes more bereafter. This is added not only to distinguish the woes, and to mark more strongly each period, but also to suggest that some time will intervene between this first woe of the Arabian locusts, and the next of the Euphratéan horsemen. The fimilitude between the locufts and Arabians is indeed so great that it cannot fail of striking every curious observer: and a farther resemblance is (9) noted by Mr. Daubuz, that “ there hath happened in the extent of this " torment a coincidence of the event with the “ nature of the locusts. The Saracens have made “ inroads into all those parts of Christendom " where the natural locufts are wont to be seen " and known to do mischief, and no where else : " And that too in the same proportion. Where

66 the

some pertinent observations (8) Elmacin. Lib. 3. Cap. I. concerning the completion of p. 203. Blair's Tab. N° 39. this and the succeeding Woe. (9) Daubuz. p. 409;

(1) Elmacini

“ the locusts are feldom seen, there the Sara

cens stayed little: where the natural locusts “ are often seen, there the Sacracens abode most; " and where they breed moít, there the Saracens “ had their beginning, and greatest power. “ This may be easily verified by history.”

13. And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar, which is before God,

14. Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.

15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to flay the third part of men. 16 And the number of the

army

of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand : and I heard the number of them.

17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breast-plates of fire, and of jacinct, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire, and smoke, and brimstone.

18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.

19 For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails : for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.

20" And the rest 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 silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood : which neither can see, 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 sixth trumpet (ver. 13, 14, 15.) a voice proceeded from the four horns of the golden altar, (for the scene was still in the temple) ordering the angel of the sixth trumpet to loose the four angels which were bound in the great river Euphrates; and they were lcofed accordingly. Such a voice proceeding from the four horns of the golden altar is a strong indication of the divine displeasure; and plainly intiVOL. III.

I

mates

mates that the sins of men must have been very great; when the altar, which was their fanctuary and protection, called aloud for yengeance. The four angels are the four sultanies or four leaders of the Turks and Othmans. For there were four principal sultanies or kingdoms of the Turks, bordering upon the river Euphrates : (1) one at Bagdad founded by Togrul Beg, or Tangrolipix, as he is more usually called, in the year. 1055: another at Damascus founded by Tagjuddaulas or Ducas in the year. 1079.: a third at Aleppo founded by Sjarfuddaulas, or Melech in the same year 1079 : and the fourth at Iconium in Asia Minor founded by Sedyduddaulas or Cutlu Muses, or his fon, in the year 1980. These four sultanies subsisted several years afterwards ; and the fultans were bound and restrained from extending their conquests farther than the territories and countries adjoining to the river Euphrates, primarily by the good providence of God, and secondarily by the croisades or expeditions of the European Chriftians into the holy land in the latter

part

of the eleventh, and in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Nay the European Christians took

feveral

- (1) Elmacini Hift. Saracen. Cofm. B. 3. p.726. Edit. 1703 Lib. 3. Cap. 7 &-8. p. 271 & Introduct, to the Hift. of Asia. 284. Edit. Erpenii. Heylin's Chap. 11. Sect. 2 & 3. Sandys's

Travels.

2