even before the occurrence of the event, to see the general nature: though historical facts alone can enable us, both to explain it in detail, and to determine positively upon its precise amount or extent. We might in short, at any time subsequent to the year 1806; had it only been then understood, that the sixth head had recently fallen, and that the Francic Emperorship was the seventh head: we might, I say, have determined, at any time subsequent to the year 1806, that the prophecy of the fifth vial, when translated from symbolical into verbal language, spoke to the following effect.

The THRONE of the Francic Emperorship, which is no other than the seventh head of the Roman wild beast, will be violently attacked: and the attack, to whatever length it is destined to be carried, will prove successful. For we are told, that the bestial KINGDOM will be filled with darkness, and that the military adherents of the throne will be inflamed with diabolical rage on account of the eminent calamity sustained by that throne. Still however no signs of repentance and amendment will appear.

Such would evidently have seemed to be the general purport of the prophecy even before its accomplishment, provided only it had been then ascer, tained that the Francic Emperorship was the exist ing head of the wild beast. Accordingly, I myself laid it down, from the mere decyphering of the symbolical language, that such was its general purport; for I was perfectly right in my supposition, that the Francic Emperorship was the existing head of

the

the wild beast, though I arrived at that supposition by a faulty arrangement of the eight forms of Roman government; for, deeming the Carlovingian Emperorship to be the last form, and erroneously imagining that that Emperorship had been translated to France, I thence viewed the Francic Emperorship as the head of the Roman wild beast which would be in existence at the time of the prophecy's accomplishment. So that, by the rectified arrangement which I have now adopted, no part of my grand results, as to the calamity destined to befall the wild beast under the fifth vial, and as to the yet future exploits attributed to the last form of Roman government, is at all affected or deranged. In short, I did not err in my conclusion itself, but in the mode after which I arrived at that conclusion. This circumstance need scarcely be pointed out to the attentive reader.

But, though it were easy even a priori to lay down the general purport of the prophecy respecting the fifth vial, it was impossible, without the elucidation afforded by the event itself, to determine, either upon the specific circumstances, or upon the precise extent, of the predicted calamity. For a successful attack upon a THRONE, if nothing more positively distinctive be said, may import, either such an attack as should thoroughly cripple it, or such an attack as should strip it of a large part of its territory, or such an attack as should entirely subvert it. The naked symbolical action, described in the words, The fifth angel poured out his vial on the

THRONE

THRONE of the wild beast, is capable in the abstract of conveying any one of these three meanings: and, of course, we can only be positive as to its true meaning, when the event foretold has actually occurred.

At present however, unless I be greatly mistaken, we are living subsequent to the event foretold: and this event now determines the true meaning of the prophecy to be the last of its three possible meanings; namely, that the predicted attack upon the THRONE of the wild beast denotes such an attack as should entirely subvert it.

Yet it is worthy of observation, that, although the event alone can fully interpret prophecy; still, had it been ascertained some few years ago that the Francic Emperorship was that short-lived head of the wild beast which was destined to be violently SLAIN BY THE SWORD, we might have almost ventured to anticipate the nature and issue of the predicted attack upon his THRONE. For, if the Francic Emperorship, because identified with the seventh form of Roman government, was at once to be SHORT LIVED and to be SLAIN BY THE SWORD: We

might from these premises have very reasonably argued, that THE ATTACK UPON THE THRONE and

THE PREMATURE DEATH INFLICTED BY THE

SWORD related, as we now find that they do relate, to one and the same event; namely THE COMPLETE EXCISION OF THE FRANCIC EMPERORSHIP. It commonly however seems good to divine wisdom to check the restless curiosity of man, by not suffering

a pro

a prophecy to be perfectly understood, till after the event of its accomplishment. Hence, as the key to the prophecy of the fifth vial is the identification of the Francic Emperorship with the short-lived and sword-exscinded SEVENTH head of the wild beast ; this identification was never discovered by any commentator until after the prophecy in question had been fulfilled. Yet, to all appearance, so easy were it to find the true key, that now, when it is found, we almost wonder why it should never have been found before.

(2.) The prophecy of the fifth vial, as I have just observed, relates, not only to the final subversion of the seventh short-lived head, but likewise to its antecedent and preparatory decline. Instead therefore of deeming the vial poured out on the eventful day of Waterloo, we must look for the commencement of its effusion some time before that grand leading occurrence. For, as the vial is poured out upon the throne of the wild beast, the commencement of its effusion will obviously synchronize with the commencement of the successful attack upon the throne.

་

Agreeably to this natural principle, I suppose the fifth vial to have begun to flow in the year 1808: when the Spanish nation arose as one man, and (in singular harmony with the terms of the prediction) struck directly at the THRONE of the wild beast by declaring its seventh head or the Franco-Imperial government of Napoleon to be a tyrannical usurpation. From this characteristic I suspected at the

time,

time, that the fifth vial had begun to flow: and, on that ground, I anticipated a series of disasters to France, though of course I knew not to what precise extent they might amount. My sentiments on the matter stand recorded in a respectable monthly publication and I scrupled not to avow my belief, a belief founded on the circumstance that the French government was the existing head of the wild beast, that the Spanish struggle would be successful *.

As yet however, the stream flowed with comparative penuriousness: baffled in Spain, the seventh head was nevertheless eminently successful in Ger- · many: the vial had merely commenced. But its baleful effects soon began to be felt by France upon a larger scale. The autumn of 1812 was marked by Buonaparte's frantic attack upon Russia. Of his vast armament, not a tithe returned to tell the tale of destruction. The campaign of 1813 was distinguished by his complete defeat before Leipsic, his loss of the whole of Gerinany, and his disgraceful flight across the Rhine. The vial was now flowing with portentous rapidity: but, even yet, its stream,

* See Christian Observer for Dec. 1808. p. 757. My paper there inserted bears date Oct. 1. 1808. I was right in supposing the Imperial French government of that period to be a head of the beast; but I was wrong, as to the PARTICULAR head with which I then identified it. Had I supposed it to be the short-lived seventh head, I should have anticipated its complete subversion: but, imagining it to be a continuation of the eighth or last form of Roman polity, I certainly from such premises did not expect more than its signal humiliation.

though