rule before, and was returned into Power again, appears to me the best Obfervation in his whole Book: and feems every way exact, and perfectly agreeable to the words of the Text: nay to that degree fo, that I do not fee any other poffible fenfe that can fairly be put upon them. On which account I fhall wholly acquiefce in, and rely upon it. But then, as I differ from Dr. Creffener in the particular application of that rule, fo I am not equally fatisfy'd with his other Opinion, that the bare change of the Name of that Supream Power, alters the Form of Government, and makes the diftinction of the feven Kings from one another: as if the fame Man, with the fame Power, governing the fame Empire, might conftitute three Forms of Government, by making ufe firft of the ftile of King, then of Dictator, and afterwards of Cafar. I can hardly think this a fair and full account, of the difference of any Forms of Government; nor does the application of that Rule to the Cafe before us agree very well with Hiftory, as may appear by the various difficulties and objections, occurring in thofe Authors who embrace it. But If I may have leave to propose my own Opinion here, I would fay that, according to the common notion of Mankind, the difference of Forms or Kinds of Government, especially in the fame State, where the extent of the Supreme Power is ufually much the fame in all, as it was particularly in the Roman Empire, is to be taken from the different number of the Supream Governors. If the fame Empire be at one time govern'd by a single person; another time by two; another time by three; another time by four; another time by fix; another time by ten; and another time by five Supreme Magiftrates with equal power, or at leaft abfolute and full power, I fay thefe are plainly feven feveral forts Grotius fays, That an Emperour had really the fame power that a King had; But if that be fufficient, to qualify a Supreme Power for the Name or title of King, then all the feveral different Rulers of the Roman State might as well have that Nam, and fo be comprehended under the five firft Kings here mentioned. For the Confuls are faid to have fucceeded into all the power and the authority of the Kings that were before them; And all the other Kinds of Government had the fame authority: and tho' there should be some small difference in the degree of their authority, yet that is no more than is to be found betwixt different forts of Kings. Dr. Creffener Demonftr. p. 142. 143. P 3 ог or Kinds or Forms of Government in that Empire. And if, after the change of the Government by a fingle perfon, the fame Empire comes to be govern'd by a fingle perfon again; whether the Name be the fame, or not the fame, I fay this is not a New Form of Government, but the revival of a former. And if after the Empire had been govern'd by ten Su-preme Magiftrates, it comes again to be govern'd by the fame number, This is not the introduction of a New, but the restoration of that Ancient Form again. This being premis'd, let us now enquire how this difficult Text is to be understood. Obfervation I. The Beast with feven Heads and ten Horns, as we have already & II. prius. prov'd, is the Roman Empire, when it is govern'd by ten Supreme Governors: which it was formerly, under the Decemviri; and is not, at this time of the Angels Interpretation, because it was then govern'd by a fingle perfon, Domitian; and shall hereafter arife out of the Sea or Abyffe at the rise of the ten Kings, at that time future; and fhall go at laft into Perdition, as well as the other Forms of Government before it. And the World shall wonder at the Beaft, which thus was for merly under the Decemviri: and is nct at prefent under the Gafars; and yet is in reality ftill exifting. e. The Beast or Empire it felf is in being now, tho' 'tis not an Empire with ten Supreme Governors; andfo cannot, be called a Beaft with ten Horns, fuch an one as we are now describing. The feven Heads fignify the feven Mountains upon which the Re- Woman fitteth; [viz. Mons Palatinus, Capitolinus, Quirinalis, 1. cap. 2. c. Cœlins, Esquilinus, Aventinus, and Viminalis.] And they alfo fignify feven Kings, or Forms of Government, belonging to the fame feven Hills of Rome; Five whereof are fallen; [That under two, or of Confuls: that under three, or of the double Triumvirate: that under four, or of the former fet of the Tribuni militum Confulari poteftate: that under fix, or of the latter fet of the Tribuni militum Confulari poteftate: and that under ten or of the Decemviri.] One is at prefent in power; [That under a fingle perfon, or of the Cafars;] The other is not yet come; [that under five, in the days of Lactantius, of which presently;] and when he cometh he must continue but a short Space; That number of Emperors reigning only 3 years,or a little Godwin man Antiq. . longer longer than the fhorteft of the foregoing Forms, that of the Decemviri. And the Beaft which fhall arife with feven heads and ten horns, which truly was once in Being under the Decemviri, and is not fo now, under the Cafars, He is the eighth; He is to be fo exceedingly different from the former Government under the Decemviri;[Because most of the Kings were to be of the barbarous Nations, and the Empire torn into fo many real parts, with seperate Governors; and befides did not be long to Rome as a Common Head, as it was under the Decemviri;] that it well enough deferves the Name of another diftinct Form of Government: but yet being, Governments See Dr. Crefin the fame Countries, and over the fame People that con- fener's Demonftituted the Roman Empire, and by the union of thofe barba- ftrat. 1.4• C. 4• rous Nations with the Ancient People of the Roman Empire, and in great part governing them by the Roman Laws; incorporated into the Roman Empire; and the principal of the ten Kingdoms, the Greek Empire being all along an unconquered part of the true Ancient Roman Empire; it is in fome fence the fame Empire, under the fame number of Governors, as it was under the Decemviri; and fo is flrictly one of the other feven Ancient Forms of Government; it is of the feven: and in common with the reft, fhall at last go into Perdition alfo. This feems to me the moft eafy and genuin fenfe of this most difficult Text: and that it exa&ly agrees with History I am now to fhew. Of thefe feven Forms of Roman Government, all but two are indifputable. For every body knows that the Roman Empire was govern'd by a fingle perfon, under the Kings at firft; under Dictators frequently upon an occafion; under the Cafars or Emperors for a long time alfo. 'Tis as well known, that the Roman Empire, was governed by two Confuls a great while, and at feveral times: and that it was govern'd by three, twice, under the two Triumvirates. That it was moreover govern'd by four, under the former fet of Tribuni militum confulari poteftate; of which that was then the number; and after by fix of the fame for a confiderable time, is equally out of queftion; as it is, that for fome time they were govern'd by ten under the Decemviri, But that thefe were all the Forms of the Ro man man Government before St. John's time may be deny'd ; because Livy and fome others were of Opinion, that fometimes the number of the Tribuni militum confulari poteftate was eight: And that ever that Empire was afterward a Pentarchy or govern'd by five, is not generally known. As to the former difficulty, I obferve, that tho' Livy and fome others, have believ'd that thofe Tribunes, were fometimes in number eight; and tho' Livy has once the Names of fo many in his Hiltory; yet because * (1) This is fuppos'd to be contrary to the Original Law, whereby the number of thefe Tribunes was never to exceed fix: because (2) The Fafti Capitolini, which are the most authentick records we have of that matter, have never any more than fix, no not in that year when Livy names two more; becaufe (3) As to that fingle year, both Sigonius and Pighius fhew out of the fame Fafti, that two of them were that year not Tribunes but Cenfors; and that one of them was fo, appears farther by the Teftimony of Plutarch; it is generally concluded, by the moft Learned in the Roman Antiquities, that their number was never more then fix. And as to the latter difficulty, it is not only probable from ‡ Eutropius, who liv'd a little after, and † Photius who liv'd ft. * Id nec Legi de horum magiftratuum numero di tx confentaneum; (sex enim ut effent cautum ab initio fuerat;) nec verum hoc anno videtur. Siquidem Sigonius, tàm in fcholiis Livianis, quàm in commentario in Faftos, ac poft eum Pighius poftremos duos M. Furium Camillum, & M. Poftumium Albinum non Tribunos militum confulari poteftate, fed Cenfores fuifle oftendunt ex Faftis Capitoliois. Accedit Plutarchi Autoritas, fcribe.itis Dictatorem Camillum prius Cenfuram geffiffe quam Militum Tribunatum. Alia quoque ex diverfo Camilli Tribunatuum numero Argumenta fuggerit Sigonius. Dujatius in Liv. p. 469. Per hoc tempus Licinius a Galerio Imperator eft factus, Dacia Oriundus, notus ei antiqua confuctudine, & in Bello quod adverfus Narfeum gefferat ftrenuis laboribus & officiis acceptus: Mors Galerii confeftim fecuta eft. Refpub. tum ab his quatuor Imperatoribus tenebatur, Conftantino & Maxentio filiis Auguftorum, Licinio & Maximino novis hominibus. Eutrop. lib. 10. † Οτι, Φησί, Σεβήρε νόσῳ τελευτήσαν G, Λικίννι ὁ ἐπ' ἀδελφῇ γαμβρός Κων σαντίνω βασιλίνει· τὴν δὲ λοιπὴν τῆς ἑσας μοίραν Μαξιμιανὸς ἐπεχε. Μαξέν τὰ δὲ τῆς καταὶ Ῥώμην ἦρχεν, ἀδελφιδός ὧν Μαξιμιαν. καὶ ἡ ὁ τε ἦν Μαξι -peravỡ tô algrigs, o No Aixantary. Phot. Biblioth. Cod. 256, p. 1408. Apud Act. Metroph. & Alex. later, . later, but certain from two Contemporary Witnesses of Rome it felf under their Dominion. And this change See Lactantity of Government to a Pentarchy, is the more remarkable, because us De Mortiit was contrary to a Rule, or Law that was made not long be- bus Perfecutofore, viz. That there should be two Emperors [Augufti] and rum, chap. xvij. & xxxij. two Cafars only at the fame time. These five were Galerius Maximianus, Licinius, Maxentius, Conftantinus, and Maximinus; which exactly agrees with the words of the Text, whereby this feventh King, or Form of Government was to continue but a fhort space: and yet all the feven Forms were to have the Sovereignty over the feven Hills of Rome. This Obfervation of the five Emperors I receiv'd from a Learned Friend; and it fo exactly agrees with my ftating thefe Matters above, and with the words of the Text, that I cannot but look upon it as very confiderable in the prefent cafe: and yet fuch as could hardly have been found out, or at least been depended on till the late Discovery and Publication of that most useful Piece of Lactantins, De Mortibus Perfecutorum, without which, we + Κωνταντία τος ΚωνταντινΘ εὐθὺς ερχόμενο βασιλεὺς τελεώτατα, και σε βαρὺς πρὸς ἢ τρατοπέδων, ε ἔτι πολὺ τύτων πρότερον πρὸς αὐτῷ ο παμβασι - Λικίννι@ δὲ ἐπὶ τέτοις ὑπὸ κοινῆς ψήφο λέως Θεό αναγορευθείς. τέντων αὐτοκράτωρ καὶ σεβατὸς ἀναπέφίωε· ταῦτα Μαξιμίνον δεινῶς ἐλύπη, μόνον Καίσαρα παρα παντων εἰσέτι τότε χρηματίζονται· ὃς δὴ εἶν τα μάλισα τυραννικὸς εν παραρπάσεις ἑαυτῷ τὰ ἀξίαν σεβατὸς μὲ αὐτὸς ὑφ ̓ ἑαυτῆς γεγονώς - Μαξι μιαν Πας Μαξέντι@ τὰ ἐπὶ Ρώμης τυραννίδα συζητάμε, &c. Conftantii igitur filius Conftantinus ab ipfo ftatim exordio fupremus Imperator & Auguftus a militibus, diuque antea ab omnium Imperatore Deo renunciatus,-Poft hæc Licinius communi Imperatorum fuffragio Imperator & Auguftus declaratus eft. Quod quidem Maximinus ægre admodum tulit, qui hactenus Cxfar duntaxat ab omnibus appellabatur. Hic ergo præ cæteris tyrannico ingenio præditus Auguftus a feipfo renunciatus eft,-Maximiani filius Maxentius Romæ tyrannidem arripuit, [Atque hæc fub Maximiano Galerio.] Eufeb. Hiftor. Ecclefiaft.l.viij. chap.13. 14. Victus contumacia [Maximianus] tollit Cæfarum nomen; & fe Liciniumque Auguftos appellat; Maxentium & Conftantinum Filios Augustorum. Maximinus poftmodum fcribit, quafi nuncians. In Campo Martio Q muft |