Britain! form'd by Nature's partial hand, And learn this leffon from her awful doom, FOURTH STROPHE. Dire fuperftition aim'd An influence eternal o'er the mind; FOURTH ANTISTROPHE But now, O peftilent pow'r! Of man, the fcourge, the tempter, and the fnare, Is Is coming thy appointed hour, Thy priests no longer their affignments bear, The fierce avenging angel's hand Is rais'd, deftruction wide to fpread, That city 'till, of tyranny the nurse, Feel in th' extreme the blasting curse; 'Till o'er her ftreets, a ruin'd heap,* Forlorn the owl fhall cry, and hideous fatyrs leap. FOURTH * Almost every commentator of eminence upon Scripture fuppoles, that the living and visible city of Rome will be made defolate after the 1260 years of papal ufurpation are expired. They differ about the time when thefe years are to expire. The celebrated hiftorian Thuanus tells us, that about the time of Henry the Fourth, of France, many fuppofed the day was then come wherein the papak power would be finally abolished. The fame hopes were entertained about the time of William the Third of England. It is natural to anticipate the day of its deftruction: wildom, however, fhould instruct us, not to attempt the final deftruction of the papal power till the time is fully ripe. If 1260 years are determined by the prophets of the Almighty for the ufurpations of the papal power, that power cannot longer continue; and in a premature attempt to extirpate it we may be overwhelmed with ridicule and ruin. It is faid in Revelations, "And the ten horns which thou faweft upon the beast, these fhall hate the whore, and fhall make her defolate, and naked, and "thall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdon 66 unto FOURTH EPODE. How has the wild fanatic race Or feel the whip's corroding pains " unto the beaft, until the words of God fhall be fulfilled. And the "woman which thou faweft is that great city which reigneth over "the kings of the carth." Chap. xvii. ver. 16, 17, 18. In the fame chapter it is faid, " And the ten horns which thou fawest are "ten kings." Ver. 12. And a little before, "The feven heads are "seven mountains on which the woman fitteth.” Ver. 9. It seems here to be plainly foretold, that the various empires which formerly fupported the power of Rome, (which is feated on seven mountains) fhall, after a certain time, be the inftruments of its deftruction. King of France, who was called the eldeft fon of the church, has lately annihilated, or has been made to annihilate, the papal power in. his dominions. When Spain, Portugal, Naples, Poland, Venice, &c. follow the footsteps of France, then it would be prudent for those who are in Rome to fly from it as haftily as they can. See my Obfervations upon the Downfal of the Papal Power, and the Confequen Events, The Butt But not far diftant is the glorious time,* And the king of the north fhall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots and with horfemen, and with many fhips." Daniel, chap. xi. ver. 40. The idea of maintaining a balance of power in Europe, is in many respects deferving of commendation, provided it does not militate against the fulfilment of the prophecies. Our Saviour himself faid, "I am not come to deftroy the prophets, "but to fulfil." It will appear, if we attend to Daniel, to be certainly foretold, that Ruffia fhould overcome the Turks at an appointed time. It would be wife, one would think, in the Chriftian powers, at the arrival of this time, (which I think will be immediately after the annihilation of the papal power) to co-operate with the Ruffians, and to conquer fome of the Turkish provinces for themselves, that the power of Ruffia might not be too far-aggrandized. The power of the Turks and of the Barbary ftates may, in fome measure, be immediately abridged. It is difficult to say how far. There is a certain odious crime, the difgrace of humanity, to which the Turks are extravagantly addicted. This, with their be lief in predeftination, I conceive to be the caufes of that inceffant plague which defolates their dominions. For their high criminality in this refpect, fee "Aaron Hill's Travels into the Ottoman Empire, &c. p. 80. See Robertfon's edition of Salmon's Geographical Grammar, p. 422. Sce Fitts's Account of the Mahometans, p. 26. See The Prefent State of the Ottoman Empire, by Paul Ricaut, p. III. See the Work of Elias. Habefci on the Ottoman Empire, in various places. See Corneille Le Bruyn's Travels, p. 101, 102. See various other authors. The elegant Bufbequius fays of it, " Quod nefas Turcis "familiare." Epiftol. p. 156. When When Ruffia, like a whirlwind, fhall o'erthrow The hungry vulture hov'ring in the air, Shall afk, in fcreams, their carcafes for food, And not to part from thence 'till drunken with their blood. EPILOGU I. Written by a young Gentleman of Bridgwater, and spoken in the Character of Violante, in the Comedy of the Wonder. The Play was acted by Defire of the Union Lodge in Exeter. YE, who poffefs that fecret, which to gain We oft have fued-as often fued in vain; And let me tell you, Sirs, the trial's such, I doubt you'd fqueek, were you prefs'd half so much. Well |