or about, three hundred pounds; and the report of this cannon is faid to have been fo great, that all the country round about was fhaken to the diftance of forty furlongs. For forty days the wall was battered by these guns, and fo many breaches were made, that the city was taken by affault, and an end put to the Grecian empire.

Moreover they had power to do hurt by their tails, as well as by their mouths, their tails being like unto ferpents, and having heads. In this refpect they very much refemble the locusts; only the different tails are accommodated to the different creatures, the tails of Scorpions to locufts, the tails of ferpents with an head at each end to borfes. By this figure it is meant, that the Turks draw after them the fame poisonous train as the. Saracens; they profefs and propagate the fame impofture; they do hurt not only by their conquefts, but also by fpreading their falfe doctrin; and wherever they establish their dominion, there too they eftablish their religion.

lentum-Bombarda maxima torquebat globum, cujus pondus continebat tria circiter talenta-Bombardæ hujus tonitru tantum effe traditum eft, ut finitima regio ufque ad quadra

Many

ginta ftadia concuteretur.--Jam quadraginta diebus murus bombardis fortiter quaffatus erat. &c. Chalcocond. ibid. Lib. 8. p. 203, 204. Edit. Paris. p. 158, 159. Edit. Venet.

(5) See

Many indeed of the Greek church remained, and are still remaining among them: but they are (5) made to pay dearly for the exercise of their religion; are fubjected to a capitation-tax, which is rigorously exacted from all above fourteen years of age; are burdened befides with the most heavy and arbitrary impofitions upon every occafion; are compelled to the lowest and most fervile drudgery; are abufed in their perfons, and robbed of their property; have not only the mortification of feeing fome of their friends and kindred daily apoftatize to the ruling religion, but had even their children taken from them to be educated therein, of whom the more robuft and hardy were trained up, to the foldiery, the more weakly and tender were caftrated for the feraglio: but notwithstanding thefe perfecutions and oppreffions fome remains of the Greek church are ftill preferved among them, as we may reasonably conclude, to ferve fome great and myfterious ends of providence.

But tho' the Greek church was thus ruined and oppreffed, the rest of men (ver. 20, 21.) who were not killed by these plagues, the Latin church which pretty well efcaped thefe calamities, yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they Should

(5) See Smith's and Rycaut's accounts of the Greek church. (6) Vitring,

fhould not worship devils, daponia demons or fe cond mediatory Gods, as it hath largely been fhown before, faints and angels, and idols of gold and filver and brass and ftone and wood. From hence it is evident, that thefe calamities were inflicted upon the Chriftians for their idolatry. As the eastern churches were first in the crime, fo they were firft likewife in the punishment. At first they were vifited by the plague of the Saracens, but this working no change or reformation, they were again chaftifed by the ftill greater plague of the Othmans; were partly overthrown by the former, and were entirely ruined by the latter. What churches were then remaining, which were guilty of the like idolatry, but the western, or thofe in communion with Rome? And the western were not at all reclamed by the ruin of thereaftern, but perfifted ftill in the worship of faints, and (what is worse) the worship of images, which neither can see, nor bear, nor walk: and the world is witnefs to the completion of this prophecy to this day. Neither repented they of their murders, their perfecutions and inquifitions, nor of their forceries, their pretended miracles and revelations, nor of their fornication, their public ftews and uncleanness, nor of their thefts, their exactions and impofitions on mankind: and

4

they

"

they are as notorious for their licentiousness and wickedness, as for their fuperftition and, idolatry. As they therefore refufed to take warning by the two former woes, the third woe, as we fhall fee, will fall with vengeance upon them.

I

ANI

CHA P. X.

ND I faw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud, and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the fun, and his feet as pillars of fire.

2. And he had in his hand a little book

open: and he fet his right foot.

upon the fea, and his left foot on the earth,

3 And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, : feven thunders uttered their voices.

4 And when the feven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven faying unto me, Seal up thofe things which the feven thunders uttered, and write them not.

5 And the angel which I faw stand upon the fea, and upon the earth, lifted up his hand to heaven,

6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven and the things that therein are, and the earth and the things that therein are, and the fea and the things which are therein, that there fhould be time no longer :

7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to found, the mystery of God fhould be finished, as he hath declared to his fervants the prophets.

8 And the voice which I heard from heaven fpake unto me again, and faid Go, and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the fea, and upon the earth.

9. And I went unto the angel, and faid unto him, Give me the little book. And he faid unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth as fweet as hony.

10 And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was

in

my mouth sweet as hony: and as foon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.

If And he faid unto me, Thou must prophefy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.

St.