But the heads of the Beast have a double signi fication; for the angel says, "They are also seven

conclude a peace, and the ambassadors there found themselves in a great strait how to satisfy the two principal branches of that house. Each of them pretended to the electorate: the first having had possession thereof for many ages, required the restitution of it; and the second, alleging the signal services he had done the empire, would not consent to the peace, unless it were provided that he should still enjoy that honour. In conclusion, as Maximilian had many friends, so Charles Lewis did not want his supporters: whereupon they came to this agreement, (in 1648,) that Maximilian duke of Bavaria should have the first electorship, and an eighth should be erected for Charles Lewis prince palatine of the Rhine; upon this condition, that if the Guilielmine branch failed before the Rodolphine, these latter should again take possession of their ancient electorship, and the other be wholly abolished." In 1692 a ninth electorate was added by the emperor Leopold in favour of the duke of Hanover of the house of Brunswick Luneburg. From that period to the year 1777 the electoral college consisted of the three ecclesiastical electors, Mentz, Treves, and Cologne, and the six secular, Bohemia, the palatinate of the Rhine, Saxony, Brandenburg, Bavaria, and Hanover. The dominions of the last elector palatine of the Rhine having devolved, in December 1777, to the elector of Bavaria, the electoral college was again reduced to eight members until the peace of Luneville; when the three ec clesiastical electors were secularized, the archbishop of Ratisbon introduced as a new elector-arch chancellor, and the duke of Wirtemberg, the landgrave of Hesse-Cassel, the margrave of Baden, and the grand duke of Tuscany, as duke of Saltzburg, raised to the electoral dignity. This increased the number of electors to ten, viz. the elector-archchancellor, Bohemia, Bavaria, Saxony, Brandenburg, Hanover, Wirtemberg, Hesse-Cassel, Baden, and Saltzburg. But this arrangement was not of long duration. In the year 1806 the German empire was dis

kings." Before, it was said, they " are seven mountains;" here" they are also seven kings," which is a demonstration that kingdoms are not here meant by mountains; and this is a further argument that the seven electorates are represented by seven mountains, for though the sovereigns of these states ranked with kings, they were not kings; that is to say, they were not absolute and sole lords of the territories they possessed, independently of the emperor; for their states formed a part of the Germanic body. But the seven heads of the Beast are also seven kings; that is to say, the Latin empire has had seven supreme forms of government; for king is used in the prophetical writings for any supreme governor of a state or people, as is evident in Deut. xxxiii. 5. where Moses is called a king. *

Of these seven kings, or supreme forms of government, the angel informs St. John "five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and, when he cometh, he must continue a short space. Several interpretations of this passage have been noticed in explaining the heads of the Dragon; and it is plain that none of them can be

solved; and the electoral college was not only dissolved with the dissolution of the German empire; but the title of elector, a title which for so long a series of years conferred a rank equal to that of the old kings of Europe, became altogether extinct." See Estate of the Empire, by Lewis du May, knight, Edit. Lond. 1676; and Rees' Cyclopædia on the word Elector.

* See Poli Synopsis Criticorum, în loc.

right, from reasons already given. We must, therefore, look for them among the governments of the Latin nation, where they can only be found, as will presently appear. It is well known that the first form of Latin government was that of kings, which continued after the death of Latinus 428 years till the building of Rome, B. C. 753. After Numitor's decease the Albans, or Latins, instituted the form of a republic, and were governed by dictators. We have only the names of two, viz. Clu, ilius and Metius Fufetius or Suffetius; but as the dictatorship continued at least 88 years, it is possi ble there might be others though their names and actions are unknown. † In the year before Christ 665 Alba, the metropolis of the Latin nation, was destroyed by Tullus Hostilius, the third king of the Romans, and the inhabitants carried to Rome. This put an end to the monarchical republic of the Latins; and the Latins elected two annual magi→ strates whom Dionysius calls dictators, but who

* The Latin kings, beginning with Æneas, reigned in the following order: Æneas 3 years, Ascanius 38 years, Silvius 29 years, Æneas Silvius 31 years, Latinus Silvius 50 years, Alba Silvius 39 years, Capetus Silvius 26 years, Capys Silvius 28 years, Calpetus Silvius 13 years, Tiberinus Silvius 8 years, Agrippa Silvius 40 years, Alladius Silvius 19 years, Aventinus Silvius 37 years, Procas Silvius 23 years, Amulius Silvius 44 years, and Numitor 2 years. See Dionysius Halicarnassensis, Antiq. Rom. Lib. i.

+See Vetus Latium à P. Marcellino Corradino, Lib. i. cap. Edit. Rom. 1704.

are called prætors by other writers. * This form of government continued till the time of P. Decius Mus, the Roman consul; for Festus in his fourteenth book informs us that the Albans enjoyed prosperity till the time of king Tullus; but that Alba being then destroyed, the Consuls till the time of P. Decius Mus held a consultation with the Latins at the head of Ferentina, which is under the Alban mount, and the empire was governed by the council of both nations." The Latin nation was Romans B. C. 336,

entirely subjugated by the which put an end to the government by prætors, after it had continued upwards of 300 years. The Latins from this time ceased to be a nation, as it respects the name; therefore the three forms of government already mentioned were those which

* Albâ itaque eyersâ, Latina gens reipublicæ instar vixit, et duos dictatores, quos alii prætores vocant elegit, quibus summum imperii jus esset, quandoquidem Latini populi quovis anno ad Lucum Ferentinæ coibant, ut ibi annuum magistratum crearent. "Alba being therefore overthrown, the Latin nation lived like a republic, and elected two dictators, whom others call prætors, who were invested with the chief anthority of the state, since the Latins assembled at the Ferentine grove that they might there create an annual magistrate." See Vetus Latium à P Marcellino Corradino, Lib. i. cap. 8. Edit. Rom. 1704. This author calls them dictators from the authority of Dionysius, which will be examined in another place.

+ Albanos rerum potitos usque ad Tullum regem, Albâ deinde dirutâ, usque ad P. Decium Murem, consules populos Latinos ad caput Ferentinæ, quod est sub monte Albano consulere solito, et imperium communi consilio administrare. Ib.

the Latins had during that period which the angel speaks of, when he says, "the beast which thou sawest was." But as five heads, or forms of government, had fallen before St. John's time, it is evident that the two other heads of government which had fallen, must be among those of the Romans; first, because though the Latin nation so called was deprived of all authority by the Romans, yet the Latin power continued to exist, because the very conquerors of the Latin nation were Latins; and, consequently, the Latins, though a conquered people, continued to have a Latin government. Secondly, because the angel expressly says, when speaking to St. John, that one is, that is, the sixth head, or Latin form of government, was then in existence, which could be no other than the imperial power, because the Romans were masters of the whole earth then known. It therefore necessarily follows, that the Roman forms of government by which Latium was ruled must be the remaining heads of the Beast. Before the subjugation of the Latins by the Romans four of the Roman forms of government had fallen, the regal power, the dictatorship, the decemvirate, and the consular power of the military tribunes, the last of which was abolished about B. C. 366; none of these, therefore, ruled over Latium, But as the Latins were finally subdued about B. C. 336, the consular government of the Romans which was then in existence, must be the fourth head of the Beast. This head continued, with very little inter