ི་ not for a third part of it, and the night likewife. At the founding of the fourth trumpet (ver.12.) the third part of the fun, moon, and ftars, that is the great lights of the Roman empire, are eclipfed and darkened, and remain in darkness for some time. Genferic left the weftern ́ empire in a weak and defperate condition. It ftruggled hard, and gafped as it were for breath, through (8) eight short and turbulent reigns, for the space of twenty years, and at length expired in the year 476 under Momyllus, or Auguftulus as he was named in derifion, being a diminitive Auguftus. This change was effected by Odoacer king of the Heruli, who coming to Rome with an army of barbarians, ftripped Momyllus of the imperial robes, put an end to the very name of the western empire, and caufed himself to be proclamed King of Italy. His kingdom indeed was of no long duration; for after a reign of fixteen years he was overcome and flain (9) in the year 493 by Theodoric king of the Oftrogoths, who founded the king Perfecut. Vandal. Lib. 1. n. 3. 1 (8) Sigonius de Occidentali Imperio. Lib. 14, & 15 in initio. (9) Sigonius ibid. Lib. 15. in fine. Procop. de Bell. Goth. Lib. 1. Cap. 1. (1) Sigo kingdom of the Oftrogoths in Italy, which continued about fixty years under his fucceffors. Thus was the Roman fun extinguished in the western emperor; but the other leffer luminaries, the moon and ftars, ftill fubfifted; for Rome was ftill allowed to have her fenate, and confuls, and other fubordinate magiftrates as before. Odoacer (1) at firft fuppreffed them, but after two or three years reftored them again. Theodoric (2) changed none of the Roman institutes; he retained the fenate, and confuls, and patricians, and all the ancient magiftrates, and committed these offices only to Romans. These lights, we may suppose, fhone more faintly under barbarian kings than under Roman emperors; but they were not totally fuppreffed and extinguished, till after the kingdom of the Oftrogoths was deftroyed by the emperor of the eaft's lieutenants, and Italy was made a province of the eaftern empire. Longinus was (3) fent then in the year 566 by the emperor Juftin II to govern Italy with abfolute authority: and he changed the whole form of the government, abolished the fenate, and confuls, and all the former magi (1) Sigonius ibid. Lib. 15. Ann. 476 et 479. num inftitutum mutavit : fiquidem et fenatum,et confules,patricios,--cæterofque qui fuerant (2) Jam vero nullum Roma- in imperio,magiftratus retinuit, eofque magiftrates in Rome and Italy, and in every city of note conftituted a new governor with the title of Duke. He himself prefided over all; and refiding at Ravenna, and not at Rome, he was called the Exarch of Ravenna, as were also his fucceffors in the fame office. Rome was degraded to the fame level with other places, and from being the queen of cities and empress of the world was reduced to a poor dukedom, and made tributary to Ravenna which she had used to govern. 13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, faying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe to the inhabiters of the earth, by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels which are yet to found. Notice is then proclamed by an angel (ver. 13.) that the three other trumpets found to still greater and more terrible plagues, and are therefore diftinguished from the former by the name of woes. The defign of this meffenger is to raise our eofque Romanis hominibus tantum mandavit. Sigonius ibid. Lib. 16. Ann. 494. (3) Sigonii Hift. de Regno Italiæ, Lib. 1. Blondi Decad. primæ, Lib. 8. (4) Vide our attention to the following trumpets; and the following we fhall find to be more strongly marked than the foregoing. The foregoing relate chiefly to the downfall of the western empire; the two following relate chiefly to the downfall of the eastern empire. The foregoing are described more fuccinctly, and contain a less compass of time; the following are set forth with more particular circumstances, and are of longer duration as well as of larger defcription. I CHA P. IX. AND the fifth angel founded, and I faw a ftar fall from heaven unto the earth and to him was given the key of the bottomlefs pit. 2 And he opened the bottomlefs pit, and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the fmoke of a great furnace: and the fun and the air were darkened, by reason of the fmoke of the pit. 3 And there came out of the smoke locufts upon the earth; and unto them was given power, as the fcorpions of the earth have power. 4 And it was commanded them that they fhould not hurt the grafs of the earth, neither ther any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the feal of God in their foreheads. 5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a fcorpion, when he striketh a man. 6 And in thofe days fhall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall defire. to die, and death fhall flee from them. 7 And the shapes of the locufts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. 8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. 9 And they had breaft-plates, as it were breaft-plates of iron; and the found of their wings was as the found of chariots of many horses running to battle. 10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were ftings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. II And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomlefs pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, - VOL. III. H but |