XII. Beast that should rife out of the Sea, with a 2.3. Seventh Head, on which no Crown is feen, but Ta.. which was foon Wounded to Death, and fo was only to Continue a short Space, after the Dragon had given him his Power and his Seat, and great Authority. Now all this is perfectly Juftified by Hiftory, for after that the Seat of the Roman Empire was removed to Conftantinople, where the name of Dragon remained, because it was the Continua tion of the Old Roman Power, as that of Leopard was Reviv'd, because it Rencw'd the Grecian. Thefe Emperors Founded and Supported a new Empire at Rome, which differed in nothing fo much from the Other, whence it was derived, 'as in its Duration; for the Eatern Branch at Conftantinople preferv'd its Power many hundred years, but the Western, at Rome, foon fell into the Hands of the Barbarous Nations, whom we find in Daniel next defcribed: "And the Ten Horns out of this Kingdom are: "Ten Kings that shall arise. In the description of the Old Roman Empire by Rev. XII. 3. by The great Red Dragon, there are these Ten Horns mentioned as the last Stage of that Power: but the Crowns are reprefented on the Heads. In the defcription of the Renewal of that Empire in the Weft, the Beast that rifes up out of the XIII. 1. Sea, had Seven Heads and Ten Horns, and Ten Crowns upon his Horns. Which makes a manifest Diftinction between the Condition of the Old Roman Empire transferred to Conftantinople, with a Crown, which it continued long to wear on the Seventh Head; and the Condition of this New Western Roman Empire, whofe Seventh Head was foon, as it were, Wounded to Death, and thefe Horns clapt on to ftop and heal the Wound, fo that they only deferved the name of wearing Crowns. And indeed that Western Empire, from the time it grew totally diftinct from the Other, under Honorius, never enjoy'd any cafe or fecurity, but from first to laft, was always oppreffed by the Ravages and Depredations of the Barbarians, till, in fine, they divided it amongst themselves, and then, and not till then, the Empire enjoyed Reft under its Rev. 4: Ten new Mafters, to the Wonder of the World, XII. 3. who Worshipped the Dragon that gave Power to the Beast, and Worshipped the Beast: That is,. divided their Obedience between the Empire of the Eaft, and thefe New Kingdoms, which were XVII.12 fet up in the Weft. For Worshipping, as I have already fhew'd, rightly expreffes that Unreaso-. nable Idolatrous Refpect which Mankind have in all Ages fhewn to Abfolute Princes, by treating them as Gods. These Ten Horns are most particularly explained in the fame place where the Seven Heads are: diftinguished, in order of Time, "And the Ten Horns which thou faweft, are "Ten Kings, which have received no Kingdom,, "as yet, but receive Power as Kings One Hour "with the Beast. By this we learn, that they were not in being: in St. John's Time, that they were to begin all! together, and were to form one Beast, which is just before called the Eighth, who is of the Seven; that is to fay, that the Seventh Form of the Roman Government, should, upon its Division : inte XVII. 8 into the Western and Eastern Empires, at lit receive a Total Alteration in the Weft, which would be an Eighth, in order, but would be one of the Seven firft, revived again: Which was formerly, and is not, at the time St. John writes, and yet is (or should be) when Men are fuppofed beholding it in the Vifion: And this was that of the Decemvirs, which was one of the Five firft Forms of the Roman Governments, and which was Renewed again in the Ten Kings, who came out of the Bottomless Pit, (or Abyss, as it is in the Original,) that is, the Unknown Barbarous Countries, whofe Extremities were undiscovered, and which furrounded the Extent of the Roman Empire, called the Sea. Of thefe Barbarous Nations fome came from about the Cafpian Sea originally, till by degrees they fettled in Germany and Thrace, and others from Sweden, Denmark: and Moscovy; and when they invaded the Roman Car Sig Empire, they were but Ten, ift, Vifi - Goths, 2dly, Vandals, 3dly, Francks, 4thly, Burgun Occ.. dians, 5thly, Hunns, 6thly, Alans, 7thly, Ed. Bafil. * " de Imperio, Sueves, 8thly, Herules, 9thly, Oftro-Goths, 1579 and pag. 639 and tothly, Lombards. That thefe Ten Nations taking the Government of the Roman Empire into their Hands, revived the form of the Decemvirs, may be the more properly faid, fince the fift Tecemvirs were erected purposely to bring New Laws from Greece, and establish them in Rome. And, in like manner, these Ten Barbarous Nations introduced their own Laws into the Roman Empire. Thus we find, that Seven Heads had fully expreffed all the Variety that would happen in the Roman State, even after this mighty Change, when the Eaft continued Strong as Iron under Dan. II. One Head, and the Weft Broken into Ten Toes 42, 43 of Clay, which did not cleave to the Iron. By which we may Obferve, how precifely this Vision of the Four Beafts, does in its cnd, as well as during all its Continuance, preferve a Likeness to the feveral Periods alluded to in the Wifion of the Great Image. SECT. |