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The first quality mentioned is their being like unto horfes prapared unto battle; which is copied from Joel (II. 4.) The appearance of them is as the appearance of borfes, and as horsemen, fo fhall they run. Many authors have (3) obferved that the head of a locuft refembles that of an horfe. The Italians therefore call them cavalette, as it were little horses. The Arabians too have in all ages been famous for their horfes and horfemanship. Their ftrength is well known to confift chiefly in their cavalry.

Another diftinguifhing mark and character is their having on their heads as it were crowns like gold; which is an allufion to the head-drefs of the Arabians, (4) who have conftantly worn turbants or mitres, aud boaft of having those ornaments for their common attire, which are crowns and diadems with other people. The crowns alfo fignify the kingdoms and dominions which they should acquire. For, as Mr. Mede (5) excellently obferves, No nation had ever. fo wide a command, nor ever were fo many king

(4) Arabes mitrati degunt. Plin. Nat. Hift. Lib. 6. Cap. 28. Se&t. 32. Edit. Harduin. Hic mitra velatus Arabs. Claudian de Laud. Stil. I. 156. Pocockii Not in Carm. Tograi Arab. pag. ult.

(5) Nulli unquam genti tam

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late regnatum fuit, neque tam brevi temporis fpatio unquam tot regna, tot regiones, fub jugum miffa. Incredibile dictu, veriffimum tamen eft; Octoginta, aut non multo plurium, annorum fpatio fubjugârunt illi et diabolico regno MuhammeH 4

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kingdoms, fo many regions fubjugated in fo fhort a space of time. It founds incredible, yet most true it is; that in the fpace of eighty or not many more years, they fubdued and acquired to the diabolical kingdom of Mohammed Palestine, Syria, both Armenia's, • almost all Afia Minor, Perfia, India, Egypt, Numidia, all Barbary even to the river Niger, Portugal, Spain. Neither did their fortune or ambition ftop here, till they had added alfo a great part of Italy, as far as to the gates of Rome; moreover Sicily, Candia, Cyprus, and the other ilands of the Mediterranean fea. Good God! how great a tract of land! how many crowns were here! Whence alfo it is worthy of obfervation, that mention is not made here, as in the other trumpets, of the third part; forasmuch as this plague fell

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dis acquifiverunt Paleftinam, Syriam, Armeniam utramque, totam ferme Afiam minorem, Perfiam, Indian, Ægyptum, Numidiam, Barbariam totam ad Nigrum ufque fluvium, Lufitaniam, Hifpaniam. Neque hic ftetit illorum fortuna, aut ambitio, donec et Italiæ magnam quoque partem adjecerint, ad portas ufque urbis Romæ ; quinetiam Siciliam, Candiam, Cyprum, et reliquas maris Mediterranei infulas. Deus bone,

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quantus hic terrarum tractus! quot hic corona! Unde dignum quoque obfervatu eft, non hic, ut in cæteris tubis, trientis mentionem fieri: fiquidem non minus extra imperii Romani fines quam intra ipfum caderet hæc clades, ad extremos ufque Indos fefe porrectura. Mede p. 468.

(6) Arabes mitrati degunt, aut intonfo crine: barba abra, ditur, præterquam in fuperiore labro. Aliis et hæc intonfa.

no lefs without the bounds of the Roman empire than within it, and extended itfelf even to the remotest Indies.'

They had also faces as the faces of men, and hair as the hair of women: and the Arabians wore their beards, or at leaft muftachoes, as men; while the hair of their heads was flowing or plaited like that of women; as (6) Pliny and other ancient authors teftify. Another property copied from Joel is their having teeth as the teeth of lions; that is strong to devour. So Joel describes the locufts (I. 6.) as a nation, whofe teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek-teeth of a great lion: and it is wonderful how they bite and gnaw all things, as (7) Pliny fays, even the doors of houses. They had also breastplates, as it were breaft-plates of iron: and the locufts have a hard fhell or fkin, which (8) hath

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hath been called their armour. defigned to express the defenfive, as the former was the offenfive arms of the Saracens. the found of their wings was as the found of chariots of many horfes running to battle. Much the fame comparison had been ufed by Joel, (II. 5.) Like the noife of chariots on the tops of mountains fhall they leap: and (9) Pliny affirms, that they fly with fo great a noise of their wings, that they may be taken for birds. Their wings, and the found of their wings, denote the swiftness and rapidity of their conquests; and it is indeed aftonishing, that in less than a century they erected an empire, which extended from India to Spain.

Moreover they are thrice compared unto Scorpions, (ver. 3, 5, 10.) and had ftings in their tails like unto fcorpions; that is they should draw a poisonous train after them, and wherever they carried their arms, there alfo they should distil the venom of a false religion. It is farther added (ver. 11.) that they had a king over them; the fame perfon fhould exercife temporal as well as fpiritual sovranty over them; and the caliphs were their emperors, as well as the heads

(9) Tanto volant pennarum ftridore, ut aliæ alites credantur. Plin. ibid.

(1) Mede, ibid. p. 470.

of

(2) Vergiliarum exortu parere, [Circa Maii Nonas] deinde ad Canis ortum obire, [Circa XV. Calendas Augufti]

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of their religion. The king is the fame as the ftar or angel of the bottomlefs pit, whofe name is Abaddon in Hebrew, and Apollyon in Greek, that is the deftroyer. Mr. Mede (1) imagins, that this is fome allufion to the name of Obodas, the common name of the kings of that part of Arabia from whence Mohammed came, as Pharaoh was the common name of the kings of Egypt, and Cæfar of the emperors of Rome: and fuch allufions are not unufual in the ftile of fcripture. However that be, the name agrees perfectly well with Mohammed and the caliphs his fucceffors, who were the authors of all those horrid wars and defolations, and openly taught and profeffed that their religion was to be propagated and established by the sword.

One difficulty, and the greatest of all, remains yet to be explained; and that is the period of five months affigned to these locufts, which being twice mentioned, merits the more particular confideration. They tormented men five months, (ver 5.) and again (ver. 10.) their power was to hurt men five months. It is faid without doubt in conformity to the type; for locufts (2) are obferved to live about five months, that

et alias renafci. Plin. Nat. Hift. Lib. 11. Cap. 29. Sect. 35. Edit. Hard. Locuftæ vere natæ fub finem æftatis obeunt, nec

fupra quinque menfes vivere folent. Bochart. Hieroz. Part Poft. Lib. 4. Cap. 8. Col.

495.

(3) Nec

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