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, and for fupplying the Romans with nad experienced the want of them. They lects of former times, and corrected the r princes. Of Septimius Severus it is provifion of corn, which he found very onfulted, that at his death he left a cerowance to the Roman people for seven years: and alfo of oil as much as for the space of five years might fupply not only the ufes of the city, but likewife of all Italy which might want oil. Of Alexander

Severus it is alfo faid, that (4) he took fuch care in providing for the Roman people, that the corn which Heliogabalus had wafted, he replaced out of his own money; the oil alfo, which Septimius Severus had given to the people, and which Heliogabalus had leffened, he reftored whole as before. The color of the black horse befits the feverity of their nature and their name, and the balances are the well known emblem of juftice, as well as an intimation of fcarcity; and the proclamation for juftice and judgment, and for the procuration of corn and oil and wine, is fitly made by a creature like a man. This period continued during the reigns of the Septimian family about 42 years.

7 And when he had opened the fourth feal, I heard the voice of the fourth beaft fay, Come, and fee.

8 And I looked, and behold, a pale horse; and his name that fat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him: and power was given unto them, over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with fword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beafts of the earth.

(3) Rei frumentariæ, quam minimam repererat, ita confuluit, ut excedens vita, feptem annorum canonem P. R. relinqueret. Spartian. ibid. p. 97. olei vero tantum ut per quinquennium non folum urbis ufibus, fed et totius Italiæ quæ oleo egeret, fufficeret. Spartian in Severo. ibid. p. 73.

(4) Commeatum populi Romani fic adjuvit, ut quum frumenta Heliogabalus evertiffet, vicem de propria pecunia loco fuo reponeret-Oleum quod Severus populo dederat, quodque Heliogabalus imminuerat, integrum reftituit. Lamprid, in Alex, ibid. p. 121.

The

The fourth feal or period (ver. 7, 8.) is diftinguished by a concurrence of evils, war, and famin, and peftilence, and wild beafts; and was proclaimed by the fourth living creature, who was like an eagle, and had his ftation in the north. And I looked, and behold, a pale horfe; and his name that fat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him and power was given unto them, over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with fword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beafts of the earth. These are the fame four fore judgments, with which Ezekiel (XIV. 21.) threatened Jerufalem, the fword, and the famin, and the noisome beaft, and the peftilence: for in the oriental languages the peftilence is emphatically (5) ftiled death. Thefe four were to destroy the fourth part of mankind; and the image is very poetical, of death riding on a pale horse, and hell or the grave following with him, ready to fwallow up the dead corpfes. This period commenceth with Maximin, who was an emperor from the north, being (6) born of barbarous parents in a village of Thrace. He was indeed a barbarian in all refpects. There was not, as an (7) hiftorian affirms, a more cruel animal upon the earth; he was fo cruel, that he was defervedly called by the name of Cyclops, Bu firis, Phalaris, and the worft of tyrants. The hiftory of his and feveral fucceeding reigns is full of wars and murders, mutinies of foldiers, and invafions of foreign armies, rebellions of fubjects, and deaths of princes. There were more than twenty emperors in the space of fifty years, and all or most of thein died in war, or were

(5) Voce 9avare intelligendus eft genitus. Julius Capitolin. in Maxi Ao ex Hebraifmo: Nam ita min. Hift. Auguft. Script. VI. Edit. fumitur apud Jer. IX. 21. et XVIII. Salmaf. p. 138. Vide etiam notas 21. Sic apud Sirachidem legimus Salmaf. et Cafauboni. Maživos, so ΧΧΧΙΧ. 29. λιμος και θανατο, ubi μεν γενών των ενδότατων Θρακών και itidem var haud dubie peftilen-papar. Max. qui quod ad genus tiam fignificat. Syrus quoque tum hic attinet, ex intimis Thracibus, et fetum apud Lucam 20μes vertit N. mibarbaris erat. Herodian. Lib. 6. i. e. Davares. et LXX Hebræorum p. 143. Edit. H. Steph. 1581. 757 i. e. peftem vertunt Saratov, ut et Chaldæus et Latinus Lev. XXVI. 25. Horum exemplo Severus Sulpitius, Hift. 1. mortem pro peftilentia pofuit. Grot. in Matt. XXIV. 7.

(6) Hic de vico Thraciæ, vicino barbaris, barbaro etiam patre et matre

(7) Neque enim fuit crudelius ani. mal in terris-tam crudelis fuit, ut illum alii Cyclopem, alii Bufiridem, alii Scironem, nonnulli Phalarim, multi Typhonem, vel Gygem vocarent. Jul. Capit. ibid. p. 141.

murdered

murdered by their own foldiers and fubjects. Befides lawful emperors, there were in the reign of Gallienus (8) thirty tyrants or ufurpers, who fet up in different parts of the empire, and came all to violent and miferable ends. Here was fufficient employment for the fword; and fuch wars and devastations muft neceffarily produce a famin, and the famin is another diftinguishing calamity of this period. In the reign of Gallus the Scythians made fuch incurfions, that (9) not one nation fubject to the Romans was left unwafted by them, and every unwalled town, and moft of the walled cities were taken by them. In the reign of Probus alfo (1) there was a great famin throughout the world; and for want of victuals the army mutinied, and flew him. An ufual confequence of famin is the peftilence, and the peftilence is the third diftinguishing calamity of this period. This peftilence, according to (2) Zonaras, arifing from Ethiopia, while Gallus and Volufian were emperors, pervaded all the Roman provinces, and for fifteen years together incredibly exhaufted them; and fo learned a man

as

Lipfius declares, that he never read of any greater plague, for the space of time that it latted, or of land that it overfpread. Zofimus, fpeaking of the devaftations of the Scythians in the reign of Gallus before mentioned, farther addeth, that (3) the peftilence not

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(8) Vide Trebell. Pollio. de triginta tyrannis. Hift. Aug. Script. VI. p. 184, &c. Edit. Salmafii.

· (9) wse unde év elveç Paμalog væпxov απόρθητον υπο τετων καταλειφθηναι, σασαν δὲ ὡς ειπειν ατειχιςον πολιν, και των ωχυρωμένων τείχεσι τας πλείες aλava. adeo quidem, ut nulla gens Romanæ ditionis ab eis non vaftata manferit, fed omnia, prope dixerim, oppida deftituta mænibus, et iidem munitorum magna pars, capta fuerint.. Zofim. in Gall. Lib. 1. Sect. 26.

(1) εγενείς λιμος κοσμικος μέγας, και μη ευρεθενίων αναλωμαίων, ετασίασεν ὁ έφαλος και επελθοντες έσφαξαν αυτον. fames ingens per totum orbem gradata elt: annona autem deficiente, feditione in exercitu excitata, a militibus inter. fectus eft. Joan. Malala. Chrono

lefs

graph. p. 400. Edit. Oxon. 1691.

Nec

(2) Zonaras author est, nec cæteri tacuere, fub Gallo et Volufiano im. peratoribus, peftem ab Ethiopia exortam omnes Romanas provincias pervafiffe, et per quindecim continuos annos incredibiliter exhaufiffe. alia unquam major lues mihi leca (inquit vir noftro ævo celebris) fpatio temporum, five terrarum. Mede, p... 446. Zonar. in Gal. et Voluf. Lipfius de Conftantia. Lib. 2. Cap. 23.

(3) εχ ήττον δε τε πανλαχοθεν επι βρισανίες πολεμές και ὁ λοιμος πολεσι

τε και κωμαις επιγενομενος, ει τι λετ

λείμμενον ην ανθρωπείον γενος διεφθειρενα επω πρότερον εν τοις φθάσασι χρόνοις τας σαυλην ανθρώπων απωλειαν εργασάμενος. Nec minus bello, quod undique icaturiendo velut emerferat, lues etiam pe

lefs pernicious than the war, deftroyed whatever was left of human kind, and made fuch havoc as it had never done in former times. He faith alfo, that in the reign of Gallienus, (4) fuch a grievous peftilence as never happened at any time before, rendered the calamities inflicted by the barbarians more moderate. He faith af terwards too in the reign of Claudius, that (5) the peftilence feifing on the Romans as well as the barbarians, many of the army died, and alfo Claudius the emperor. Dionyfius in (6) Eufebius treating of the fame time, mentions the war and the famin and the peftilence, as fucceeding one another in their natural order. St. Cyprian too mentions (7) all the three together as troubling the world more at that time than at any other. He wrote alfo a (8) treatife upon this very peftilence, which he entitled De mortalitate, as if he had taken the name from the prophecy which had predicted it. In fhort, without alleging more teftimonies, Eutropius affirms of Gallus and Volufian, that (9) their reign was remarkable only for the peftilence and difeafes and ficknefs. Orofius (1) afferts much the fame thing: and Trebellius Pollio likewife (2) informs us, that in the reign of Gallienus the peftilence was fo great that five thousand men died in one day. When the countries lie

tilens in oppidis atque vicis fubfecuta, quicquid erat humani generis reliquum, abfumfit: quæ fane nunquam fuperioribus fæculis tantam hominum ftragem ediderat. Zofim. ib.

(4) λοιμος επιβρισας ταις πόλεσιν, οἷος έτω πρότερον εν παντι τῷ χρόνῳ συνεβη, τας μεν ύπο των βαρβαρων συμφοράς μετριωτερας απέφηνε. tanta peitis in civitatibus exorta, quanta nunquam prius ullo tempore exftiterat, ralamitates a barbaris illatas leviores reddidit. Zofim. ibid. Sect. 37.

(5) Avaμery de te rospexas Pwμαίων, απέθανεν μεν πολλοί τε τρατευματος, τελευτα δε και Κλαυδιος. Sed quod in Romanos quoque peltis fævire cæpiffet, cum alii complures in exercitu mortui funt, tum etiain Claudius vivendi finem fecit. Zofim. ibid. Sect. 46. (6) Eufeb. Ecclef. Hift. Lib. 7. Cap. 22.

(7) Sed enim cum dicas, plurimos conqueri quod bella crebrius furgant, quod lues, quod fames fæviant, &c. Ad Demetrianum p. 129. Edit. Felli. Quod autem crebrius bella continuant quod fterilitas et fames folicitudinem cumulant, quod fævientibus mou bis valetudo frangitur, quod humanum genus luis populatione vaftatur, &c. Ibid. p. 130.

(8) Vide Edit. Felli. p. 110. (3) Sola peftilentia, et morbis, atque ægritudinibus notus eorum principatus fuit. Eutrop. Lib. Cap. 5.

9.

(1) Hac fola pernicie infignes Gallus et Volufianus. Orof. Hift. Lib. Cap. 21.

(2) Peftilentia tanta exftiterat, ut uno die quinque millia hominum pe rirent. Trebell. Pollio in Gall. p. 177. ibid.

thus

thus uncultivated, uninhabited, unfrequented, the wild beasts multiply, and come into the towns to devour men; which is the fourth diftinguishing calamity of this period. This would appear a probable confequence of the former calamities, if history had recorded nothing of it: but we read in history that (3) five hundred wolves together entered into a city, which was deferted by its inhabitants, and where the young Maximin chanced to be. It is well known, that the Heathens maliciously afcribed all public calamities to the Chriftians, and among them we find objected (4) the wars which they were obliged to wage with lions and wild beafts; as we may collect from Arnobius, who wrote foon after this' time. The color of the pale horse is very suitable to the mortality of this period; and the proclamation for death and destruction is fitly made by a creature like an eagle that watches for carcafes. This period continued from Maximin to Diocletian about fifty years.

9 And when he had opened the fifth feal, I faw under the altar the fouls of them that were flain for the word of God, and for the teftimony which they held.

10 And they cried with a loud voice, faying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, doft thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

11 And white robes were given unto every one of them, and it was faid unto them, that they fhould reft yet for a little feafon, until their fellow-fervants alfo, and their brethren that should be killed as they were, fhould be fulfilled.

The following feals have nothing extrinfecal, like the proclamation of the living creatures, to determin from what quarter we must expect their completion; but they

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