Apoc. viij. 8, A

9.

See Jer. Lj. 25.

TRUMPET II.

ND the fecond angel founded; and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the fea: and the third part of the fea became blood.

9. And the third part of the creatures which were in the fea, and had life, dyed; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.

This fecond Trumpet throws a great burning Mountain into the Sea, or the Maratim and Infular Parts of Europe, and thereby destroys what was contain'd in it, its Inhabitants and Ships, all things with and without Life, the People and Cities thereto belonging. This Trumpet therefore most naturally belongs to the Irruption of the fecond of the Barbarous Nations, the Vandals, who A. D. 406. or 407. made a terrible Invafion into the Western and Maritim Parts of Europe; and in a fhort time breaking thro' all Oppofition, made themselves Mafters first of France, then of Spain and Portugal, and afterwards from Africa, were a great Plague to the Southern and Peninsular part of Italy it felf. Let us hear Sigonius's Account, and then that of St. Jerom, who may be call'd an Eye-Witness, as Living and Writing at that time. • Anno Domini 406. inquit Si'gonius tertia Barbarorum in Occidentem eft falta impreffio; qua "Gallia primum, deinde Hifpania, poftremo Africa, occupata, atque omni genere calamitatis affli&ta funt.-Godigifilus enim Rex Vandalorum ex Scythia cum Vandalis & Alanis egreffus, & po• pulis plurimis per viam affumptis, citato agmine nemine refiftente recto Itinere ufque ad Rhenum proceffit. Ibi vero Franci denique "occurrerunt; ac tranfitum impedire conati funt. Verum a Vandalis multitudine fuperantibus pulfi, haud magno momento ceffe'runt. Ita Vandali fine impedimento pridie Kalendas Januarias, tefte Profpero, trajecto Rheno in Galliam penetrarunt. Atque Anno 407. proximas Rheno Provincias Germaniam primam, & Belgicam fecundam ingressi late victoriam, fruftra repugnantibus Honorii Præfectis, exercuerunt, &c. St. Jerom's Account is Apud Medum. in thefe words, Innumerabiles, inquit ille, & ferocissima na• tiones univerfas Gallias occuparunt. Quicquid inter Alpes &

Pyren

K

Pyrenæum eft; quod Oceano & Rhodano includitur (N.B.) Quadus, Vandalus, Sarmata, Alani, Gipedes, Heruli, Saxones, Burgundiones, Alemanni, & Hoftes Pannonii vaftarunt. Magunciacum capta atque fubverfa eft:& in Ecclefia multa Hominum millia trucidata. Vangiones longa obfidione deleti. Rhe'morum urbs præpotens, Ambiani, Atrebates, Morini, Torna*cus, Nemeta, Argentoratus tranflati in Germaniam. Aquilania, novemque Populorum Lugdunenfis & Narbonenfis Provin•cia præter paucas urbes populata funt cuncta: non poffum abfque lacrymis Tolofe facere mentionem ; que ut hucufque non ruerit faniti Epifcopi Exuperii merita præftiterunt, Ipfa Hifpania jam "jamque peritura contremifcunt. Roma vitam auro redimit. This was the fad State of the Maritim part of Europe under thefe Barbarous Vandals; who confining themfelves wholly within their own Bounds, at leaft during the proper interval of this Trumpet, met with no Defeat; but went on without controul, agreeably to the Prophecy, till they had Subdu'd France, and Spain, and Portugal, (and made Rome it felf pay for its Liberty,) and there they fetlled themfelves; till fome time afterward, but not till towards the Period for the next Trumpet, they went into Africa, and Founded the Kingdom of the Vandals there, of which more hereafter.

TRUMPET III.

A heaven as it were a it

ND the third angel founded, and there fell a great ftar from Apoc. viij. heaven burning as it were a lamp; and it fell upon the third

part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of water.

11. And the name of the ftar is called wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood: and many men dyed of the waters, because they were made bitter.

This third Trumpet brings down from Heaven a kind of Comet, or Blazing-Star, a Portentous Meteor to be fure, and lets it fall upon the Rivers, and the Fountains of Water: and the Stars name Wormwood, implys, that here is denoted fome fad and bitter Calamity among thefe Rivers and Fountains of Water. This must therefore be the dreadful Inundation of the third of

X 2

the

See Howel pt.

2. p. 656,657. & Sigon. A.

D. 442.

P.135.

the Barbarous Nations the Huns: and the Star which has a par-
ticular and bitter Name in the Trumpet, Wormwood, must be
their famous Leader Attila, who has a like particular, and bit-
ter, or afflicting Name in Hiftory, being ftil'd Metus Orbis, and
Flagellum Dei, The Scourge of God, and Terror of Men: and the
Rivers and Fountains of Water must be principally Lombardy.
And if we leave the Trumpet, and look into Hiftory, to pafs
by the Defolations they brought on the Empire about 40 years
before, of which we have but very imperfect Accounts in Hi-
story; and the wafting of Mafia, Thrace, and efpecially Illyri-
cum about 10 years before, of which alfo we have not fuffici-
ently the Particulars, and which lay chiefly in his way to Lom-
bardy, we fhall find that in the middle of the fifth Century A.
D. 452, this Attila with a prodigious Army of his Huns, made
a terrible Invafion into the Western parts of Europe; and while
he kept along the Danube, or near the Rhine, the greatest Ri
vers of Europe, and fo the Outskirts of his Jurifdi&tion, he
carry'd all before him; and when he enter'd Lombardy, his pro-
per Province, about A. D. 452. he made the most terrible of
all the Invafions of the Barbarous Nations. For, as Sigonius ob-
ferves, Hac irruptio omnium quas Barbari intulerant noftrornm
fermonibus celebratissima, & vulgo maxime decantata fuit. And
as Latus the Hiftorian has it. Dimiffus Hoftis (Attila ; poft pug-
'nam nimirum Catalaunenfem,) non defiit effe Metus Orbis, Fla-
gellumve Dei; (ita fe vocitabat ;) fiquidem regreffus in Panoni-
am, exercitu inftaurato, in Italiam, totam rurfus fecum trahens
Scythiam conceffit, &c. But to prevent multiplicity of Te-
ftimonies, take the whole Account in Sigonius's own words,
who is esteem'd one of the moft Accurate Hiftorians in these
Matters. Anno Domni 452. inquit ille, Italia favo novarum
← calamitatum laboravit incendio ; fiquidem Attila, cum inimenfo
ac formidabili illo fuo barbarie coeuntis exercitu, in ipfam De-
mum ferox ac truculentus inivit. -Urbem Aquileiam tandem
Fintravit, ac bona civium qui remanferant militibus diripienda,
ipfofque,pro cujufque libidine conflictandos permifit. —direptis bo-
nis, Templis inde tectifque publicis ac privatis incendium eft illa-
tum: urbfque ad deterrendas exempli fœditate finitimas ad folum
everfa. Ex civibus alii captivi in poteftate hoftium remanferunt,

*alii tormentis excruciati vitam mifere finierunt. - Concordia, Altinum, Opitergium, Patavium, & Atefte, eximia atque inveterata nobilitatis Oppida, in poteftatem cefferunt, captaque atque direpta fubjectis facibus diro, ac prope hoftibus etiam ingrato Spectaculo conflagrarunt. Maritimis his Oppidis expugnatis nor recto curfu, ficut opinio fuerat, ad Padum proceffit ut Romam (N. B.) quam in Sermone jactabat appeteret ; verum ad dexteram converfus fefe ultra Padum continuit; atque uni prædationi ac va'ftationi, ut videbatur, urbium deditus, Mediterranea Venetia Oppida, Tarvifium, Vicetiam, Veronam, Mantuam, Cremonam, Brixiam, Bergamumque petivit : & capta ac pariter militari populatione exhaufta fubvertit. Tranfmiffo inde Abdua, Liguriam ingreffus, eandem urbibus ejus intulit labem; Laudi, Como, Novaria, Vercellis, Eporadia, Taurino, Mediolano, 'ac Ticino. Inde Padum fine impedimento trajecit: atque oc‘currentes Æmilia urbes Placentiam, Parmam, Regiumque fub• inde adortus, nullum item in eas exemplum hoftilis feritatis omifit. Fam omnia quæ intra Apenninum & Alpes (N. B.) erant fuga, populatione, cade, fervitute, incendio, & defperatione, repleta erant: nullaque malifacies aberat. But then, what is here alfo very remarkable, is, that when fometimes he ventured beyond the Bounds of this Trumpet, he was Beaten, or at leaft, fail'd of his Defign. Thus in his firft Onfet, as foon as he went beyond the Rhine farther into France, belonging to the foregoing Trumpet, he was miferably Beaten by Aetius the Ro

man General, in the thence famous Campi Catalaunici; and Sigon. p. 219, might, as it was thought, have been utterly deftroy'd, but 220. that a Politick Reafon fav'd him. Thus alfo, when he went to deftroy Rome, he fail'd of his Defign; as he did alfo of another in France afterwards. As if whatever was beyond the ftrict bounds of this Trumpet, the Rivers and Fountains of Water, was equally beyond his Power, and the force of his Arms alfo.

A

TRUMPET IV.

ND the fourth angel founded; and the third part of the fun Apoc. viij. 12. was fmitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third

part of the stars: So as the third part of them was darkened, and

the

the day fhone not for a third part of it, and the night likewife. This fourth Trumpet Eclipfes the European Sun, Moon, and Stars, and fo deprives them of their light and influence. i. e. It exflinguishes the Western Emperor, and his fubordinate Governors; thereby putting an intire end to the very remainders of the Roman Cæfars. This therefore is plainly the fourth Inundation of the Barbarous Nations, or the Invafion of Italy, by the Heruli under Odoacer their Leader. A. D. 476. Who with great cafe overcame the lat Emperor Momyllus Auguftulas, and thereby put an intire period to the European or Western Empire. Take this History alfo in the words of Sigonins. Anno Domini 476, inquit ille, citeriore • Italia ad auctoritatem obfequiumque fuum adducta,Odoacer He'rulorum Rex Romam inde acceffit; atque urbem corona circun' dedit: ipfam, ni se dederet, expugnaturum denuncians. Populus autem dira urbium aliarum calamitate edoctus, deditione repente facta, obviam extra urbem effufus ipsum magna hilaritate excepit, Quod ubi vidit Momyllus Auguftulus Purpuram statim depofuit, ac fefe tandem infausto a Patre fibi parato Imperio Abdicavit ; ac in Lucullanum Campania caftrum, tanquam in exilium abiit. Atque his quidem variis atque ancipitibus rerum temporumque fucceffibus Roma jam quartum poft Chrifti an*num 400. capta, Italiaque a Barbaris firmo tandem poffideri Imperio cœpta eft. Imperium autem Romanum quod in Augufto initium fumpfit, in Auguftulo finem accepit. Neque enim pofthac hic titulus in Occidente dum rerum potiti Barbari funt eft auditus. And fo much fhall fuffice for the four former and leffer Trumpets.

Apoc. viij. 13.

Apoc.ix. 1.c.

A

TRUMPET V.

ND I beheld and heard an Angel flying through the midst of Heaven, faying with a loud voice, wo, wo, wo, to the inhabiters of the Earth, by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels which are yet to found.

And the fifth angel founded; and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth, and to him was given the key of the Bottomlefs pit.