Imperial power, and The Patriciate. The last of these was to remain a short time, which was actu " office of dictator among the Romans, he quotes the opinion of Licinius, who derives it from the Albans, μετὰ τὸν ̓Αμελία καὶ Νομίτωρος θάνατον, ἐκλειπούσης τῆς βασιλικῆς συγγενείας, ἐνιαυσιαίες ἄρχοντας ἀποδεῖξαι, τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχοντας ἐξεσίαν τοῖς βασι λεῦσι, καλεῖν δὲ αὐτοὺς δικτάτωρας. “ After the death of Amulius and Numitor, the royal family becoming extinct, annual magistrates, called dictators, were appointed, which possessed equal power with kings." Here Licinius evidently confounds the two separate governments of the dictatorship and the prætorian power; for the Latins, previously to the destruction of Alba, did not elect annual magistrates, but only a perpetual dictator, as is evident from Dionysius's own history; for, speaking of Cluilius, he says, τῆς μεγίσης ἀρχῆς ἀξιωθείς, σε he was esteemed worthy of the chief authority;" and, in another part of his work it is observed of Metius Fufetius, that he was one or durol Tỹ μeyis aρxy Endouroar," whom they (the Albans) invested with the chief authority." From these two last passages it is evident the chief authority of the Alban or Latin state was invested in one person only, and not two as would appear by the first quotation made above. That the government of the Latins previ ously to the destruction of Alba was not only different in nature, but also in name, from that which they had subsequently to that event, is fully evident from Livy, who, in the first book of his history, numbering Cluilius among the Alban kings, says, Cluilius Albanus rex moritur; dictatorem Albani Mettum Fuffetium creant. "Cluilius the Alban king dying, the Albans create Mettus Fuffetius dictator;" and in his eighth book, when describing the final war of the Romans with the Latins, he says, Prætores tum duos Latium habebat, L. Annium Setinum et L. Numicium Circeiensem. “Latium had at that time two prætors, L. Annius of Setia, and L. Numicius of Circeii." See also Sigonius de antiquo jure Italiæ, Lib. i. c. 3, and Rollin's Roman history, Vol. ally the case; for, from its first rise to independent power to its utter extinction, there passed only about 45 years, a short time in comparison to the duration of several of the other heads; for the primitive regal government continued at least 428 years; the dictatorship was in power about 88 years; the power of the prætors was in being for upwards of 300 years; the consulate lasted about 280 years; and the imperial power continued upwards of 500 years. "And the Beast that was, and is not, even he is an eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition." That is to say, the Latin kingdom that has already been, but is now no longer in existence, shall immediately follow the dissolution of the seventh form of Latin government; and this dominion is called an eighth, because it succeeds to the seventh. Yet it is not an eighth head of the Beast, because the Beast has only seven heads; for to con III. p. 111, Edit. Lond. 1754. Sigonius says, (speaking of the Latin councils,) Concilium-Latinorum tale fuit, quale in Græcia Amphyctionum: sic enim ab initio erat traditum, ut omnes Latini nominis rerum communium caussa ad lucum Ferentinæ, qui erat sub monte Albano, coirent; ibique de summa republica consultarent, ac duobus prætoribus rem universam Latinorum committerent." The council of the Latins was similar to that of the Amphyctions in Greece: for thus it was ordered from its beginning, that all bearing the Latin name should assemble at the grove of Ferentina, in one common cause, and there consult about the republic, and commit their whole state to the care of two prætors." See Sigon. ib.. " of stitute a new head of the Beast, the form of government must not only differ in nature, but also in name. This head of the Beast is, therefore, the seven,” (ex T☎y έπтà,) * that is, one of the seven, the preposition ex having precisely this meaning. The form of government represented by this head is, consequently, the restoration of one of the preceding seven. But the form of government here intended must be that from which the Beast obtains his name, for it is said, "THE BEAST-is an eighth, and one of the seven;" the restored head is, therefore, the regal state of the Latins, or, in other words, the Latin kingdom, ("H Aarívy Baσinsía,) which followed the patriciate, or seventh head of Latin government. But the Beast, in his eighth state, or under his first head restored, "goeth into perdition." No other Latin form of government shall succeed; but the Beast, in his last, or Antichristian state, shall be "taken, and-cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone." "And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast." The meaning of horns has already been defined when speaking of those of the Dragon; but it is evident the ten horns of the Beast and Dragon cannot be the same, as interpreters commonly con The following Greek words Ex Tv TTà is translated ແ one of the seven;" in three of the old English versions. Calmet's translation of the Vulgate, de septem, is "une de sept," one of the seven. ceive; because the powers represented by the Beast and Dragon are different. Therefore Bishop Newton aims at a more probable interpretation in counting the horns as they stood in the eighth century, when the Pope was advanced to temporal authority. "The principal states and governments," he tells us, "then were, 1. of the senate of Rome, who revolted from the Greek emperors, and claimed and exerted the privilege of choosing a new western emperor; 2. of the Greeks in Ravenna; 3. of the Lombards in Lombardy; 4. of the Huns in Hungary; 5. of the Alemanes in Germany; 6. of the Franks in France; 7. of the Burgundians in Burgundy; 8. of the Goths in Spain; 9. of the Britons; 10. of the Saxons in Britain." * The grand objection against Bishop Newton's scheme is, that these ten were not the principal Latin monarchies which subsisted during the temporal authority of the church; for of the horns of the Beast the angel thus speaks: "These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast;" therefore the ten horns must be the principal strength of the Latin empire, that is to say, this empire is to be under the dominion of ten monarchs independent of each other in every other sense, except in their implicit obedience to the Latin church. That this must be the meaning may be gathered from the angel's words: "The ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings which have re *See his Dissertation on the seventh chapter of Daniel. ceived no kingdom as yet, but receive power as kings one hour with the beast." That is to say, though the Latin empire be now in existence, the ten horns refer to ten Latin kingdoms yet in futu rity, and consequently they have received no dominion AS YET; for that part of the Latin empire now in power is the sixth head, or imperial government of the Heathen Cæsars. But the ten states of the Latins receive dominion as monarchies or independent powers one time with the Beast, that is to say, at the same time with him; consequently the Latin empire here intended, is the one which is yet to arise. "These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings; and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful." The ten powers 66 * The most common meaning of pa, here translated hour, is season or time; and in Hederic's Lexicon the first Latin meaning given is tempus, which signifies time or season. The evident sense of y apvy pay in Polybius is "the spring season," See his Mag. Hist. Lib. iii. p. 356. Amstel. 1670. And even in the New Testament pa is sometimes translated time as in Mark vi. 35. xal on pa ohλ); and now the time is far passed." See also Rom. xiii. 11. Mid par must, therefore, mean, one time, that is to say, the ten horns are in existence one time (the same time) with the Beast. Midy you, in the following verse, is translated one mind, and evidently means that the ten kings had the same mind. Vitringa's translation of pav par by the Latin words uno eodemque tempore, "in one and the same time," I am satisfied contains the sense of the original; as does also the French version en un meme temps, words of the same import. |