WATERS became wormwood, and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter. And the FOURTH angel sounded, and the third part of the SUN was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars, so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise," Rev. viii. 10, 12. And the THIRD angel poured out his vial upon the RIVERS AND FOUNTAINS OF WATERS, and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the WATERS say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, wast, and shalt be, because thou hast JUDGED thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink, for they are worthy. And I heard another out of the altar say, Even So, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy JUDGMENTS. And the FOURTH angel poured out his vial upon the SUN, and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues, and they repented not to give him glory. After Attila had partially ravaged Northern Italy, or had fallen upon the third part of the rivers and fountains of waters, and after these had become wormwood to Rome by the rebellion of the confederates of Italy at Tortona, not only was the emperor taken out of the way, but the IMPERIAL POWER in Italy was speedily extinguished, and the third part of the SUN was smitten. Yet it was darkened only for a season, for the third part of the day and of the night likewise. He that previously letted, had indeed been taken out of the way, and Rome became the seat of papal supremacy to lord over the minds of men. But popery gave renewed life to the empire. The second beast not only exercised all the power of the first beast before him, but he also caused the earth and them that dwell therein to worship the FIRST BEAST whose deadly wound was healed. The time passed away during which the sun of Rome, or the emperorship, as exercising temporal jurisdiction over Italy and the once imperial city, was to be smitten with darkness, or cease to shine. And CHARLEMAGNE WAS BY THE POPE CROWNED EMPEROR OF THE RoMANS. He restored the western empire. And after the kingdom of Italy was subdued by Otho, the king of Germany, he appropriated the western empire, and, says Gibbon, "for ever fixed the imperial crown in the name and nation of Germany." But from that memorable era this maxim of public jurisprudence was introduced by force and ratified by time," that he might not legally assume the titles of emperor and Augustus till he had received the crown FROM THE HANDS OF THE ROMAN PONTIFF." "The successors of Charlemagne and Otho were content with the humble names of kings of Germany and Italy, till they had passed the Alps and the Appenines, to seek their imperial crown on the banks of the Tiber." Such was the institution of the power superior to that of kings, which formed the restoration of the imperial authority of ancient Rome, and which was established by the prescription of ages. But Gibbon, who thus describes it, and who could paint so well the image of things that were past, was not a prophet, nor the son of a prophet, nor a believer in the prophets, and the time is come in which the word for ever, as he has written it, must be blotted out. The imperial power, in an early age of its renovated existence, was transferred from France to Germany, and, but as yesterday, for the sake of regaining that power anew, we have seen the contest between France and Germany carried on again and again from side to side of the region where the supremacy of Rome has been repeatedly contested, along the rivers and fountains of waters. And we have now simply to look to the next word that is written in prophecy, which abideth for ever, and to the next event in history, which, like all the former, has left its memorial to ages. But it is meet that history, in respect to events so prominent that it cannot there err, should do its own office, in order that no hand of man need here be raised to touch the ark of the testimony, at this spot of its far progress, or at any other; but that prophecy itself should speak, by facts, to expose the impotency and refute the fallacy, while it utterly and entirely disclaims the aid, of any private interpretation. Looking then, in due course, and in its stated order and time, for the exaltation of the emperorship, as it was seen in the days of Cæsar or of Charlemagne, or for the rising of the sun, as it was once seen in the heavens, may we not, in full assurance of the truth of God's holy word, and in speaking of manifest judgments, open the almanack again, or read from history its next most remarkable event, to see whether the next vial has been poured out, or the next judgments have been made manifest, and whether Bonaparte's imperial glory, like that of Britain on the sea, bears not its true character and eternal mark, when all else pertaining to it shall pass into oblivion, that of one of the last plagues, or of the vials of the wrath of God poured upon the earth. 1800. The Austrians defeated at Marengo, June 14. 1801. Treaty of peace between Austria and France. 1802. Peace of Amiens, March 27. 1803. War with Britain and France. 1804. Bonaparte EMPEROR, May 18. "The motion was carried in the tribunate with one dissenting voice, that the supreme power should be rendered hereditary in the person and family of Na poleon. The legislative body, without hesitation, adopted it, and a senatus consultum forthwith appeared, by which Napoleon Bonaparte was declared emperor of the French. He openly assumed the imperial title and dignity. In assuming the title of emperor, not of king, it escaped not observation, that Napoleon's object was to carry back the minds of the French to a period antecedent to the rules of the recently dethroned dynasty, to the days of CHARLEMAGNE, who with the monarchy of France combined both a wider dominion and a loftier style. As that great conqueror had caused himself to be crowned by Pope Leo, so Napoleon now determined that his own INAUGURATION should take place under the auspices of Pius VII., nay that the more to illustrate his power, the head of the Catholic church should repair to Paris for this purpose." "The title of king most obviously presented itself. That of emperor implied a yet higher power of sovereignty, and there existed no competitor who could challenge a claim to it. To Napoleon's own ear the word king might sound as if it restricted his power within the limits of an ancient kingdom; while that of emperor might comprise dominions equal to the wide sweep of ancient Rome herself, and the bounds of the habitable earth alone could be considered as circumscribing their extent."+ "The emperor and empress received the congratulations of all the powers of Europe, excepting England, Russia, and Sweden, upon their new exaltation."+ "But the most splendid and public recognition of his new rank was yet to be made by the formal act of coronation, which, therefore, Napoleon determined should take place with circumstances of solemnity, * Hist. of Napoleon, vol. i. pp. 300, 302. + Sir Walter Scott's Life of Napoleon, vol. v. pp. 147, 148. Ibid. p. 156. which had been beyond the reach of any temporal prince for many ages. His policy was often marked by a wish to revive, imitate, and connect his own titles and interest, with some ancient observance of former days; as if the novelty of his claims could have been rendered more venerable by investing them with antiquated forms, or as men of low birth, when raised to wealth and rank, are sometimes desirous to conceal the obscurity of their origin under the blaze of heraldic honours. Pope Leo, he remembered, had placed a golden crown on the head of Charlemagne, and proclaimed him emperor of the Romans. Pius VII, he determined, should do the same for a successor to much more than the actual power of Charlemagne. But though Charlemagne had repaired to Rome to receive inauguration from the hands of the pontiff of that day, Napoleon resolved, that he who now owned the proud, and in protestant eyes profane, title of Vicar of Christ, should travel to France to perform the coronation of the successful chief, by whom the See of Rome had been more than once humbled, pillaged, and impoverished, but by whom also her power had been recreated and restored, not only in Italy, but in France itself. On the 25th November, the pope met Bonaparte at Fontainbleau ; and the conduct of the emperor Napoleon was as studiously respectful towards him, as that of Charle magne, WHOM HE WAS PLEASED TO CALL HIS PREDECESSOR, could have been towards Leo.-On the 2d December, the ceremony of the coronation took place in the ancient cathedral of Notre Dame, with the addition of every ceremony which could be devised to add to its solemnity."* "The emperor took his coronation oath as usual on such occasions, with his hand upon the Scripture, Sir Walter Scott's Life of Napoleon, vol. v. pp. 158, 159. |