or his fon, in the year 1080. These four 424. "fultanies fubfifted feveral years afterwards; "and the Sultans were bound and reftrained “ from extending their conquests farther than "the territories and countries adjoining to the "river Euphrates, primarily by the good pro"vidence of God, and fecondarily by the "croifades or expeditions of the European "Chriftians into the Holy Land in the latter 66 part of the eleventh, and in the twelfth and "thirteenth centuries. Nay, the Européan "Chriftians took feveral cities and countries "from them, and confined them within nar

rower bounds. But when an end was put to the croifades, and the Chriftians totally "abandoned their conquefts in Syria and Pa"leftine, as they did in the latter part of the "thirteenth century; then the four angels on "the river Euphrates were loofed. Soliman "Shah, the firft chief and founder of the "Othman race, retreating with his three fons "from Jingis Chan and the Tartars, would "have paffed the river Euphrates, but was

•

unfortunately drowned, the time of loofing "the four angels being not yet come. Dif"couraged at this fad accident, two of his "fons returned to their former habitations:

425.

"but Ortogrul the third, with his three fons Condoz, Sarubani, and Othman, remained "fome time in thofe parts; and having ob"tained leave of Adalin the Sultan of Ico"nium, he came with four hundred of his "Turks, and fettled in the mountains of Ar"menia. From thence they began their ex"cursions: and the other Turks affociating "with them, and following their ftandard, "they gained feveral victories over the Tar66 tars on one fide, and over the Chriftians on "the other. Ortogrul dying in the year 1288, Othman his fon fucceeded him in power and authority; and in the year

st

1299, as fome say, with the consent of Ala"din himself he was proclaimed Sultan, and "founded a new empire; and the people af"terwards, as well as the new empire, were "called by his name. For, though they dif"claim the name of Turks, and affume that "of Othmans; yet nothing is more certain, "than that they are a mixt multitude, the re"mains of the four fultanies above mentioned, "as well as the defcendants particularly of "the house of Othman.

"In this manner, and at this time, the four angels were loofed, which were prepared for

an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to flay the third part of men; that is, as before, the men of the Roman empire, and especially in Europe, the third part of the world. The Latin or Weftern "empire was broken to pieces under the four "first Trumpets; the Greek or Eaftern em"pire was cruelly hurt and tormented under "the Fifth Trumpet; and here, under the "Sixth Trumpet, it is to be flain, and utterly "deftroyed. Accordingly all Afia Minor,

66

Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Thrace, Macedon, "Greece, and all the countries which formerly belonged to the Greek or Eaftern "Cæfars, the Othmans have conquered, and fubjugated to their dominion. They firft paffed over into Europe in the reign of Or"chan their fecond emperor; and in the year

1357 they took Conftantinople, in the reign "of Mohammed their feventh emperor; and "in the year 1453, and in time all the re་ maining parts of the Greek empire shared "the fate of the capital city. The last of "their conquefts were Candia, or the ancient "Crete, in 1669; and Cameniec in 1672. "For the execution of this great work it is faid that they were prepared for an hour,

" and

"and a day, and a month, and a year; which "will admit either of a literal or a mystical "interpretation; and the former will hold good, if the latter fhould fail. If it be "taken literally, it is only expreffing the same "thing by different words, as peoples and mul"tudes and nations and tongues are jointly "ufed in other places: and then the meaning 426.is, that they were prepared and ready to "execute the Divine commiffion at any time, 66 or for any time, any hour, or day, or month, or year that God fhould appoint. If it be "taken myftically, and the hour, and day, and "month, and year be a prophetic hour, and day, «and month, and year, then a year (according

66

to St. John's, who follows herein Daniel's "computation) confifting of 360 days is 360 years, and a month confifting of 30 days is 30 years, and a day is a year, and an hour "in the fame proportion is 15 days; so that "the whole period of the Othmans laying the "third part of men, or fubduing the Christian "States in the Greek or Roman empire,

amounts to 391 years and 15 days. Now "it is wonderfully remarkable, that the firft

conqueft mentioned in hiftory, of the Othmans over the Chriftians, was in the year

"of the Hegira 680, and the year of Chrift "1281. For Ortogrul in that year (ac"cording to the accurate hiftorian Saadi) "crowned his victories with the conqueft "of the famous city of Kutahi upon the "Greeks.' Compute 391 years from that "time, and they will terminate in the year "1672: and in that year, as it was hinted “ before, Mohammed the Fourth took Ca"meniec from the Poles, and forty-eight "towns and villages in the territory of Came"niec were delivered up' to the Sultan upon. "the treaty of peace. Whereupon Prince "Cantemir hath made this memorable reflec"tion: This was the laft victory by which any advantage accrued to the Othman ftate, or any city or province was annexed to the "ancient bounds of the empire.' Agreeably to which obfervation, he hath intitled the "former part of his hiftory, Of the Growth แ of the Othman Empire; and the following part, Of the Decay of the Othman Empire. "Other wars and flaughters, as he fays, have "enfued. The Turks even befieged Vienna "in 1683; but this exceeding the bounds of "their commiffion, they were defeated. Bel"grade and other places may have been taken

" from