powers became the kings of the fouth and the north. And at the time of the end, that is, fas Mr. Mede (6) rightly expounds it) in the latter days of the Roman empire; fhall the king of the South push at him: that is the Saracens, who were of the Arabians, and came from the fouth; and under the conduct of their false prophet Mohammed and his fucceffors, made war upon the emperor Heraclius, and with amazing rapidity deprived him of Egypt, Syria, and many of his fineft provinces. They were only to push at, and forely wound the Greek empire, but they were not to fubvert and deftroy it. And the king of the north fhall come against him like a whirlwind with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships, and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over: that is the Turks, who were originally of the Scythians, and came from the north; and after the Saracens feifed on Syria, and affaulted with great violence the remains of the Greek empire, and in time rendered themselves abfolute mafters of the whole. The Saracens difmembered and weakened the Greek empire, but the Turks totally ruined and destroyed it and for this reason, we may prefume, fo much more is faid of the

(6) Mede's Works. B. 3. p. 674. & B. 4. p. 816.

Turks

(7) Anti

Turks than of the Saracens. Their chariots and their borsemen are particularly mentioned; because their armies confifted chiefly of horse, efpecially before the inftitution of the Janizaries, and their standards ftill are horfe-tails. Their ships too are faid to be many; and indeed without many ships they could never have gotten poffeffion of fo many ilands and maritime countries, nor have fo frequently vanquished the Venetians, who were at that time the greatest naval power in Europe. What fleets, what armies were employed in the befieging and taking of Constantinople, of Negropont or Euboea, of Rhodes, of Cyprus, and laftly of Candy or Crete? The words shall enter into the countries, and overflow, and pass over, give us an exact idea of their overflowing the western parts of Afia, and then paffing over into Europe, and fixing the feat of their empire at Conftantinople, as they did under their feventh emperor Mohammed the fecond.

Among his other conquefts this king of the north was to take poffeffion of the holy land, and to fubdue the neighbouring countries; but the mixed people of Arabia were to escape out of his hands. He shall enter alfo into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but thefe fhall efcape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the chil

dren

dren of Ammon. (ver. 41.) Porphyry and those of his opinion (7) affirm, that Antiochus marching haftily against Ptolemy the king of the fouth, did not meddle with the Idumeans, and Moabites, and Ammonites, who were fituated on the fide of Judea; left his being engaged in another war fhould render Ptolemy the ftronger. Grotius faith, (8) that Antiochus fpared thefe nations, because they obeyed all his commands; and therefore the Maccabees made war upon them, as the friends of Antiochus. An ancient commentator, and venerable father, Theodoret, on the contrary, (9) afferts, that neither do these things any more than the reft fit Antiochus; having overthrown these nations, he conftituted rulers over them, one of whom was Timotheus the commander of the Ammonites. This Timotheus, I fuppofe, was the fame who is mentioned in the fifth chapter of the first book of Maccabees. The diverfity of these accounts demonftrates the difficulty of accommodating this paffage to Antiochus. If we believe Theodoret, it cannot be

(7) Antiochus, aiunt, feftinans contra Ptolemæum regem auftri, Idumæos, et Moabitas et Ammonitas, qui ex latere Judææ erant, non tetigit; ne Occupatus alio prælio, Ptolemæum redderet fortiorem. Hieron. ibid.

for

applied

(8) His pepercit Antiochus quod omnia imperata facerent. Vide 1 Macc. V. Ideo Maccabæi his populis, ut Antiochi amicis, bellum intulere. Grot. in locum.

(9) Ουδε ταυτα δε αρμοτίει τη Αντιοχή

applied to Antiochus in any fenfe. If we ra ther follow Porphyry or Grotius, it can be ap plied to Antiochus only in an improper fehfe. The words are, Many countries shall be overs thrown, but these shall escape out of his hand. The manner of expreffion fufficiently implies, that he should attempt to conquer these as well as the reft, but not with the fame fuccefs. Thefe fhould not like the reft be overthrown; they should deliver themselves, and escape out of his band: and we read of no fuch tranf action in the hiftory of Antiochus. We fhall find that the whole may be much better accommodated to the Othman empire. He fall enter alfo into the glorious land: the fame expreffion of the glorious land was used before; (ver. 16.) and in both places it is rendered by the Syriac tranflator (1) the land of Ifrael. Now nothing is better known, than that the Turks took poffeffion of the holy land, and remain masters of it to this day. tered into Jerufalem in

翼

Sultan Selim (2) enhis way to Egypt.

And

odoret in locum. p. 690. Edit. Sirmondi.

(1) Stabitque in terra Ifraelis. ver. 16. Pervenietque ad ter ram Ifraelis. ver. 41. Syr.

Knolles and Rycaut. Vol. 1. p. (2) Savage's Abridgment of 243. Prince Cantemir's Hift. of the

And many countries fhall be overthrown: Aleppo, Damafcus, Gaza, and the neighbouring cities and countries were forced to fubmit, and receive the yoke of the conqueror. But these fhall ef cape out of his band, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon: these were fome of the people who inhabited Arabia, and the Arabians the Turks have never been able with all their forces to fubdue entirely. Sultan Selim their ninth emperor, was the conqueror of the neighbouring countries, and annexed them to the Othman empire; but he could not make a complete conqueft of the Arabians. By large gifts (3) he brought over fome of their chieftains, and fo bribed them to a fubmiffion : and ever fince his time, (4) the Othman emperors have paid them an annual penfion of forty thousand crowns of gold for the safe paffage of the caravans and pilgrims going to Mecca: and for their farther fecurity the Sultan commonly orders the Basha of Damascus to attend "them with foldiers and water-bearers, and to take care that their numbers never fall fhort of four

C