part of it. And at the time of the end shall the king of the fouth push at him, and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships, and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow, and pass over. (ver. 40.) These things alfo (2) Porphyry refers to Antiochus: that in the eleventh year of his reign he warred again against his fister's fon Ptolemy Philometor, who hearing of his coming, gathered together many thousands of the people; but Antiochus like a whirlwind with chariots, and with horfemen, and with a great fleet entered into many countries, and in paffing over laid all waste; and came to the famous land, that is Judea, and fortified the citadel out of the ruins of the walls of the city, and fo marched forwards into Egypt. But here Porphyry may be convicted of falfifying history; for after Antiochus was difmiffed out of Egypt by the Romans, he never ventured to go thither again. The (3) eleventh was the last year of his reign and all (4) historians agree, that the latter part of his reign was employed in his eaftern expedition, in reducing Artaxias king of Armenia to his obedience, and in collecting the tribute among the Perfians; and before he returned, he died. Others therefore (5) have faid, that the prophet here refumes his former fubject of the wars between Antiochus Epiphanes king of Syria, and Ptolemy Philometor king of

Part 1. Lib. 4. Cap. 10. So likewife Eufebius, Jerome, & Sulpitius Severus Usher's Annals. A. M. 3840. Prideaux Connect. Part 2. B. 3. Anno 164.

(2) Et hæc Porphyrius ad Antiochum refert: quod undecimo anno regni sui rurfus contra fororis filium Ptolemæum Philometorem dimicaverit. Qui audiens venire Antiochum, congregavit multa populo. (4) 1 Macc. III. 31, &c. VI. 1. rum millia. Sed Antiochus quafi tempeftas valida in curribus, et in equitibus, et in classe magna ingreffus fit terras plurimas, et tranfeundo universa vastaverit: veneritque ad ter tam inclytam, id eft, Judæum, et arcem munierit de ruinis murorum civitatis, et fic perrexerit in Ægyptum. Hieron. ibid.

&c. 2 Mace. IX. 1, &c. Joseph. Antiq. Lib. 12. Cap. 8. Sect. 1. p. 544. Edit. Hudfon. Valefii Excerpta ex Polybio, p. 145. Appian. de Bell. Syr. p. 131. Edit. Steph. p. 212. Edit. Tollii. Diodorus Siculus apud Hieron. Col. 1131,

(5) Menochius, Sanctius, Maldonatus, &c. apud Poli Synopf. Calmet,

fo

Houbigant

Egypt. But it is not likely, after giving an account of the conclufion of those wars by the interpofition of the Romans, that he should return to them again. Having hitherto deduced things in a regular feries, it is more probable that he should continue that feries, and proceed to other fsubsequent events, than that of a fudden he should stop short, and revert to Antiochus, after the intermixture of fo many other affairs. But the question is not fo much what it was probable for him to do, as what he actually hath done: and we shall find, that the remaining parts of the prophecy are applicable to other fubfequent events than to the transactions of Antiochus. The kings of the south and the north are to be taken and explained according to the times, of which the prophet is speaking. As long as the kingdoms of Egypt and Syria were fubfifting, so long the Egyptian and Syrian kings were the kings of the fouth and the north: but when these kingdoms were fwallowed up in the Roman empire, then other powers became the kings of the fouth and the north. And at the time of the end, that is, (as Mr. Mede (6) rightly expounds it) in the latter days of the Roman empire; fhall the king of the fouth push at him: that is the Saracens, who were of the Arabians, and came from the fouth: and under the conduct of their false prophet Mohammed and his fuccessors, made war upon the emperor Heraclius, and with amazing rapidity deprived him of Egypt, Syria, and many of his finest provinces. They were only to push at, and forely wound the Greek empire, but they were not to fubvert and destroy it. And the king of the north fhall come against him like a whirlwind with chariots, and with horfemen, and

with

many ships, and he shall enter into the countries, and Shall overflow and pass over: that is the Turks, who were originally of the Scythians, and came from the north; and after the Saracens seised on Syria, and assaulted with great violence the remains of the Greek empire, and in time rendered themselves absolute masters of the whole. The Saracens dismembered and weakened the Greek empire, but the Turks totally ruined and destroyed it:

(6) Mede's Works, B. 3. p. 674. & B. 4. p. 816.

and

and for this reason, we may prefume, so much more is faid of the Turks than of the Saracens. Their chariots and their horsemen are particularly mentioned; because their armies confifted chiefly of horse, especially before the institution of the Janizaries, and their standards still are horfe-tails. Their ships too are faid to be many; and indeed without many ships they could never have gotten poffeffion of fo many ilands and maritime countries, nor have so frequently vanquished the Venetians, who were at that time the greatest naval power in Europe. What fleets, what armies were employed in the besieging and taking of Conftantinople, of Negropont or Eubœa, of Rhodes, of Cyprus, and lastly of Candy or Crete? The words shall enter into the countries, and overflow, and pass over, give us an exact idea of their overflowing the western parts of Afia, and then paffing over into Europe, and fixing the feat of their empire at Conftantinople, as they did under their seventh emperor Mohammed the fecond.

Among his other conquests this king of the north was to take poffeffion of the holy land, and to fubdue the neighbouring countries; but the mixed people of Arabia were to escape out of his hands. He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. (ver. 41.) Porphyry and those of his opinion (7) affirm, that Antiochus marching hastily against Ptolemy the king of the fouth, did not meddle with the Idumeans, and Moabites, and Ammonites, who were situated on the side of Judea; left his being engaged in another war should render Ptolemy the stronger. Grotius faith, (8) that Antiochus spared these nations because they obeyed all his commands; and therefore the Maccabees made war upon them, as the friends of Antiochus. An ancient com

mentator, and venerable father, Theodoret, on the contrary, (9) afferts, that neither do these things any more than the reft fit Antiochus; for having overthrown these nations, he constituted rulers over them, one of whom was Timotheus the commander of the Ammonites. This Timotheus, I suppose, was the fame who is mentioned in the fifth chapter of the first book of Maccabees. The diversity of these accounts demonftrates the difficulty of accommodating this paffage to Antiochus. If we believe Theodoret, it cannot be applied to Antiochus in any fsense. If we rather follow Porphyry or Grotius, it can be applied to Antiochus only in an improper fenfe. The words are, Many countries shall be overthrown, but these shall escape out of his hand. The manner of expreffion fufficiently implies, that he should attempt to conquer these as well as the rest, but not with the fame fuccess. These should not like the rest be overthrown; they thould deliver themselves, and escape out of his hands; and we read of no fuch transaction in the history of Antiochus. We shall find that the whole. may be much better accommodated to the Othman empire. He shall enter alfo into the glorious land: the fame expreffion of the glorious land was used before; (ver. 16.) and in both places it is rendered by the Syriac tranflator. (1) the land of Ifrael. Now nothing is better known, than that the Turks took poffeffion of the holy land, and remain masters of it to this day. Sultan Selim (2) entered into Jerufalem in his way to Egypt. And many countries shall be overthrown: Aleppo, Damafcus, Gaza, and the neighbouring cities and countries were forced to submit, and receive the yoke of the conqueror. But

κατεσε

ver. 41. Syr.

(9) Ουδε ταυλα δε αρμοτίει τω. 16. Pervenietque ad terram Ifraelis. Αντιοχως και γαρ τότες κατασρετ ψαμενα, ἡγεμονας αυτοις σεν, ὧν εἰς ἦν ὁ Τιμοθεο Αμμανίλων ή εμενα. Neque hæc Antiocho conveniunt; etenim cum hos fubegiffet, duces ipfis præfuit, ex quibus unus erat Timotheus dux Ammanitarum. Theodoret in locum. p. 690. Edit. Sirmondi.

(1) Stabitque in terra Ifraelis. ver.

(2) Savage's Abridgment of Knolles and Rycaut. Vol. 1. p. 243. Prince Cantemir's Hift. of the Othman empire in Selim I. Sect. 21. p. 163. Joannis Leunclavii Pandect. Hift. Turcic. Cap. 210. p. 486. Edit. Paris. p. 366. Edit. Venet. Pauli Jovii Hift. Lib. 17. et Rerum Turc. Comment. in Selymo.

1

thefe these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon: these were fome of the people who inhabited Arabia, and the Arabians the Turks have never been able with all their forces to fubdue entirely. Sultan Selim their ninth emperor, was the conqueror of the neighbouring countries, and annexed them to the Othman empire; but he could not make a complete conquest of the Arabians. By large gifts (3) he brought over fome of their chieftains, and fo bribed them to a fubmiffion: and ever fince his time, (4) the Othman emperors have paid them an annual penfion of forty thousand crowns of gold for the fafe paffage of the caravans and pilgrims going to Mecca: and for their farther security the Sultan commonly orders the Basha of Damafcus to attend them with foldiers and waterbearers, and to take care that their number never fall short of fourteen thousand. This penfion was not paid for fome years on account of the war in Hungary: and what was the confequence? One of the Arabian princes in the year 1694, with feveral thousand of his countrymen, attacked and plundered the caravan going in pilgrimage to Mecca, aud made them all prisoners. The neighbouring Bashas were fent against him; but the prince defeated them all by a fstratagem, and put them to flight. Among the prisoners who had been taken was the most illustrious Chan of Tartary, whom the Arabians dismissed upon his parole, that he would carry their complaints to the Sultan, and procure the continuance of the penfion. He stood to his engagement, and never ceased importuning the Othman court, till the arrears of the penfion were duly paid. But notwithstanding this penfion, the Arabians, as often as they find a lucky opportunity, rob and plunder the Turks as well as other travelers. An instance of the fame kind happened lately, and is related in the London Gazette of

(3) Savage ibid. p. 248. Itaque Selymus per idoneos homines plures corum duces data fide ad se Memphim evocavit, et fumma liberalitate profecutus eft: quorum exemplo fiebat, ut cæteri quotidie accederent, acceptisque muneribus in verba ejus continuo juVOL. I.

rarent. Pauli Jovii Hift. Lib. 18. p. 1064. Edit. Gryphii. 1561.

(4) Prince Cantemir's Hist. in Ahmed II. Sect. 49. p. 393. with the note, and alfo in Bajazet II. Sect. 1. p. 116. with note 2.

Dd

Feb.