See Morery Grt. Dict. on the word. Fraxinet.

'iterum ad ulcifcendam fuorum ftragem Galliam incurfantes magno numero proftravit Anno 731, & Avenionem ab illis captam recepit. Tum Narbonenfem, quam ii cum Hifpania, cui 'contributa erat, occupatam tenebant, aggreffus, caput ejus Nar'bonam, ac reliqua deinceps expugnavit Oppida; cafis qui ad opem ferendam fapius accurrerant Saracenis. And I know not whether they ever had the hardiness to return again. 'Tis true, there is much mention of a neft or fettlement of fome Saracen Pirates or Rovers,at a place called Fraxinet, which fome have plac'd in the Valleys of Piedmont; but as that is highly improbable, that Pirates and Sea rovers fhould plant themselves fo far off the Sea; fo has it been of late prov'd by a French Author that it was not in Piedmont, but on the Coast of Provence in the Mediterranean, more remote from them. So that this firft enquiry is in fome measure answered, and the Saracens appear, exactly according to this prophecy, to have afflicted only those who had not the Seal of God in their foreheads. (2) I fhall enquire how it can be twice faid to continue but five Months, or about 150 Years, when 'tis well known,that the Dominion and Power of the Saracens, continued four or five hunred years. Now in answer to this, which I own to be chief difficulty of the Trumpets, nay indeed of the whole Apocalypfe: Since no copies of the New-Teftament,that I know of, have inftead of in, or 15. months inftead of 5;which otherwife would wonderfully agree with hiftory, it being juft about that space of time, or 450 years from the rife of the Saracen Empire,and Mahometan Religion, with the * beginning of Mahomets preaching.

Ut autem annos implevit 40 [Muhammed] Vocatus fuit, (ad munus propheticum) die Lunæ, qui fecundus erat menfis Rabii prioris anno 922. Alexandri Magni, qui erat Vigefimus regni Cosrox. Elmacin. Hiftor. Sara

cen. p. 2.

Anno decimo quarto [Vocationis fux] Migravit Muhammed gloriofæ memoriæ Medinam.- -Atque ab hoc anno Era ducitur Hegira; Eftque Annus ætatis Muhammedis gloriofe memorix 54. [Nempe a 16. Julii A. D. 622.] Ibid p. 4.

Natus eft Mecche Anno Alexandri 892. [882] Abulpharag. Hiftor. Dynaft. p. 101.

Poft Completos demum annos ætatis 40 Prophetiæ munius fibi arrogavit. Ibid. p. 102.

or

A.D.608 or 609, and the first grand downfal of it, by the rife of the Turkish Empire at the Inauguration of † Tangrolipix (after the taking of the Capital City Bagdad,) A. D. 1057 or 1058, as is well known in Hiftory; I fhall propofe my own Conjecture; which is this, That thefe numbers twice repeated, may be taken diftinctly and feperately; and fo in the whole will amount to about 300 years: that the former 150 years may belong particularly to the Eastern, and the latter 150 to the Western Empire: and that withal they may be accompted not from the first rife of the Saracens, or their ravaging fuch parts of the Roman Empire, as formerly belong'd to the Grecian, Perfian or Babylonian Monarchies; But from their first attempts, on what belong'd fingly to the Roman Empire; or indeed more exactly, from their first befeiging or ravaging the two chief Seats of the Empire, Conftantinople and Rome: and fo may be reftrain'd to the Countries adjoining to, and depending on thofe Cities. And,in this fenfe and reftriction, the Prophecy will agree well enough with

Anno decimo [Hegira] Muhammedes ægrotavit, & diem obiit die lunæ qui vicefimus octavus fuit menfis Sephar, annos natus 63. quorum 40 tranfacti funt antequam munus propheticum fibi vendicaret, 13 alii dum Mecchæ fubfifteret, & 10 demum poft Hejram, quibus Medinæ fubftitit. Abul. Pharag. P. 103.

Obiit autem die Lunæ qui 12s erat menfis Rabii prioris Anni 11, cum natus eflet annos 63. aut fecundum alios 65, Elmacin. p. 9. 10.

• Natus juxta Al Kodai Anno Alexandri 882, juxta Abulfeda 881, Errore ergo fcribarum manifefto apud Abul Pharagium pro 82 fuppofitum videtur 92. Pocock. Not. in Specim, Hift. Arab. p. 170.

Anno [Hegira] 447. [A. D. 1055. vel 1056] Togrulbecus [five Tangrolipix] ut Bagdadum venit prehendit Melecrahimum, & ceffavit Oratio ejus in fine Ramadani. Atque ita defiit Imperium Boijtarum quod duraverat annos 117. Laus fit ei cujus Imperium non tranfit. Veniens autem Princeps Togrulbecus Bagdadum adduxit 18 Elephantes, & domicilium fixit in arce imperiali, fuitque ei Bagdadi ftabilitum Imperium. Anno 449. [A. D. 1057 vel 1058] Induit Chalifa Caijmus Biamrilla Principem Togrulbecum vefte Imperiali, eumque coronavit, & torque atque armillis ornavit; fcripfitque ei auctoritatem confignatam de præfectura aulæ fuæ, & ftabilitum ei fuit Imperium atque Regnum, nec in utraque Iraca & Chorafana quifquam fuit reliquus qui litem ei moveret. Elmacin p. 271. 272.

Anno [Hegira] 447° Idem [Soltan Togrol Beg] Bagdadum pervenit, ibique pro co in fuggeftis oratum eft. Abul. Pharag. p. 226.

History

Dan. 2.

Hiftory. Now that thefe Numbers may be taken as distinct Numbers, and applicable to diftinct Times and Places, feems to me probable, because they are twice repeated, juft in the fame manner, and at fome confiderable diftance in the Trumpet: which where the Numbers are the very fame, is not to be parrallel'd in all the Book of the Apocalypfe befides. And that the Numbers may be look'd on as so diftinct that they may be fucceffive, and one after a nother, fo that the firft may be apply'd to the Eastern, andthe laft to the Western Empire, is alfo prob able because the one is confiderably prior to the other in the Prophecy; and chiefly because the latter is particularly afcrib'd to the Tail of the Locufts,by the Alexandrian MS. and other the beft Copies of the New-Teftament, as I have above rendred the Text from them. Now we know by the explication of Nebuchadnezzars Image, that the upper or fore-parts of the Image belong'd to the former, and the lower or binder-parts belong'd to the latter Monarchies and accordingly the former 150 years, may belong to the former parts of the Saracen Empire; and the latter to the latter parts of it, or to its Tail, as those MSS. directly exprefs it: and the Series of the Prophecy would of it felf very well allow. And then that the dates or Epocha's of thefe feveral Periods, are not to be taken from the Saracens afflicting thofe Countries, which were once part of the former Monarchies, we fhall fee hereafter; where we thall find that the Fourth Monarchy fcarce ever is at all concern'd with them. But that particularly we ought to date the first Period, from the Primary Seige or Attempt, on the Capital City of the East; and the laft Period from the like Primary Ravaging of the Capital City of the West, I collect from the parallel fifth Vial, which, as I have already obferv'd, is capable of giving us affiftance in fuch a difficulty; where we find the Kingdom of the Beast in general afflicted, and its Subjects in general in great torment; but yet the Vial it felf was poured out on the Throne of the Beast; as if the Plague was dated from thence, and Apoc. xvi.. 10. thence fpread it felf into the reft of the Kingdom. And the fifth Angel poured out his Vial upon the Throne of the Beast; and his Kingdom was full of darkness, and they gnawed their Tongues for pain, and blafphemed the God of Heaven because of their pains,

See Schol. 2.

After the 5th. Vision of the OPen Codicil.

11.

and

*

tionar. Temp.

P. 462.

and their fores; and repented not of their deeds. So that if we fuppofe from this parallel Vial, that the fifth Trumpets Numbers are to be dated from the firft Onfets on the Thrones of the Roman Empire, which at that time were two, Conftantinople and Rome, we fhall find that the Hiftory of the Saracen Oppreffions, will agree well enough with the Number in the Trumpet before us. And as to the former 150 years for the Greek Empire, they will be dated from the beginningof the Saracens first Vid. Petav.Rafamous fiegeof Conftantinople A. D. 673, and their period will end at theirtaking of † Crete, about 1 50 years afterwards, A. D. 823. which immediately preceded their Attempts for Italy and Rome,the otherObject of theirOppreffion and Violence. Accordingly the date of the latter 150 years, for the Western Empire will follow, A.D.846When the Saracens first came and ‡ fack'd part of the Old Throne of the Beaft, the City of Rome; and carryed away the Silver Doors of one of its Churches :and its conclufion will fall about A. D. 996. And accordingly we find that they were beaten out of Italy by the Emperor Otho III.A. D.§ 1001.

*The year that followed, being the fifth of Conftantinus Pogonatus [A. D. 673] the Saracens came up to the borders of Thrace, feixing on all that lay betwixt the Hebdomum or Western Promontory, and Cyclobium. Conftantine brought out bis Fleet, and every day they fought from Morning till Night, betwixt the Brachiolum of the Golden Gate, and Cyclobium; fo near were they got to Conftantinople. From the Month of April till September they pertinaciously continued their fiege, and then dispairing of fuccefs departed to Cizicum: where they wintered, and the Spring again renewed the War: And this courfe they held. for feven years, as the Greck Annals tell us. Howel Pt. 3. p. 288.

+ Creta fub Michaele Balbo a Saracenis Hifpanienfibus occupata circa annum 823. Petav. Rationar. p. 401. See alfo Howel Pt. 4. P. 355.

Hoc anno [846] infigne Romana Ecclefia accepit detrimentum. Quippe Saraceni prada libidine ftimulati ex Africa claffem Romanis littoribus intulerunt; & procurfu ad urbem facto opimas Apoftolorum Petri & Pauli fuburbanas bafilicas, nemine vim propulfante diripuerunt; ac pretiofis omnibus earum ornamentis ablatis, ipfas etiam bafilice Vaticanæ valvas argenteas absportarunt. Appia inde via digreffi Fundos petiere, oppidoque fuccenfo, & civibus aut morte aut fervitute multatis, prope Cajetam confedere. Sigon. De Regno Italiæ.

Inter hæc Saraceni magna manu in Campaniam irruperunt, & Capuam ejus provincia Caput ceperunt; quod ubi Otho cognovit tanta celeritate in Ita liam fefe retulit ut 8 Kal Aprilis A. D. 1001 Ravennæ conftiterit. Inde ad Saracenos contento curfu profectus,non minore felicitate Capuam recepit quam. virtute Hoftes e finibus pepulit. Sigon. De Regno Italiæ.

they

Hypoth. 6. prius.

Apoc. ix. 13. &c.

and four years afterwards A. D. 1005. within the time limited here, they were utterly driven away from the Italian Coafts; or at leaft from thofe parts of them which belong'd to the Western Empire or Latins. For the attempts that were made there afterwards, were made on the Greeks, who had fettled themfelves in the foot of Italy; and not at all on the Latins or Romans; and fo were only a relique of their Invafions of the Greeks, and ought not to be accounted a part of this Period of their tormenting the Latines, and indeed foon after this their whole power dwindled away, and the Turks came in their place.

TRUMPET. VI.

ND the fixth angel founded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,

14. Saying to the fixth angel which had the trumpet, loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.

15. And the four angels were loofed; which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to flay the third part of men.

16. And the number of the army of the horse-men were two hundred thousand thousand and I heard the number of them.

17. And thus I faw the horses in the vifion, and them that fat on them; having breaft-plates of fire, and of jacinct, and brimStone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of Lyons; and out of their mouths issued fire, and smoke, and brimstone.

18. By these three were the third part of men kill'd; by the fire and smoke, and brimstone which issued out of their mouths.

19. For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for

In Venetorum Annalibus annotatum ego invenio, hac tempeftate [ A. D. 1005 Bello Saraceno, quod quartum a fe geftum Veneti vocant] Saracenos Italia omni feliciter fuiffe ejectos.- A Venetis non tam Barium obfidione liberatum, quam ex ipfo hofte, multis ex illius triremibus in conflictu disjectis, reportata victoria; graviffimo quidem exitu Nobilis; ut Saraceni toto mari depulfi non amplius ab eo Tempore claffibus oras Italicas appetere aufi fuerint. Boxhorn. Hift. Univerfal. p. 581.

unte