Star.
London, England, 1808-06-10 00:00:00

OLD BAILEY.

Yesterday seven prisoners were tried, fOur whom
wzre convicted of felony, viz.
Wiliam Donington, John Barrow, Mary Smith, and Joia
Stokes. _ _

And three were acquitted.
Same day the Sessions ended, when sentence of
transportation for seven years was passed on
Jane Day, Thomas Moran, John Green, James Tolly, France;
Spencer, IVary Lewis, Sarah Edwards, John Kenton, alias Brooks,
Thomas Alldridge, John Wilson, James Clark, Thomas White,
Sara% Kettle, Ann Powell, Robert Passley, Joseph Lebeck, James
Tollson, William Lowe, Watkin Roberts, Mary Evans, Richard
Abrams, Mary Jones, Ann Hodges, sen. and Thomas Hutchins.
Ann Covey and Mary Tolman alias Crawley, were mite:iced
to be imprisoned in the House of Correction, Cletkenwell, for two
,years each.
Three to be imprisoned in the same gaol for twelve calendar
months each; one of whom, viz. Peter Jones, to be publicly
whipped 100 yards at St. Giles's.
Fourteen to be imprisoned for six calendar months each.
Three to be imprisoned in Newgate for one year each, viz.
Saachaar, Glosse, and Savan (Malays), for manslaughter.
Sixteen to be imprisoned in the same gaol for various periods.
Six to be privately, and one publicly, whipped.
Ten fined ls. each and discharged, and fifty-nine were dies
I charged by Proclamation.
The Sessions adjourned to the lath of Idly.

Wednesday night, or early yesterday morning, Mr.
WILLI tstsores house, of South Lambeth, was broken
open, and robbed of a quantity of plate and valuable
w,:aring-apparel. This is the second time 'within the
short space of fifteen months that this house has be( n
plundered.
LITERARY Fustn.—The Members of this melt -nt
Institution held their Annual Dinner on Wednesday
last, at the Ship Tavern, Greenwich. The President,
Vice Presidents, Council, and Committee, were in-
vited by the LRD MAYOR to accompany him in the
city state barge. They embarked at King's-stairs,
Tower, and proceeded to the West India Docks, af.
ter viewing which they went to Greenwich, where
they landed about four o'clock. The Duke of SO..
MBRSET took the chair, and was supported by the
Earls of R AMOR, GLENDOREIMOUNTNO Rn is, Viscount
VALENTIA, the LORD MAYOR, &C. &c. After dinner,
" The KING," and " The Prince of WALES, the Pa•
tron of the Literary Fund," were given, and received
with the greatest applause.

TO IHF. EDITOR OF THE STAR.

ON THE PROPHECIES.

No. IX.

THF. SPZOND TRUMPET.
The second Angel sounded, and as it were a great moun-
tain, Lrning with fre, was cart into the sea ; and the-third
Bart of the became Mood : and the thi:d part of the
creatures srli h were in the sea, and had life, died ; and
the third ft.rrt of the shies were destroyed. (Rev. viii. 8,9.)
We have already seen that, in prophetic language,
4i a trovntain" signifies a kingdom or empire; and
"fee" a sword—strife, contention and war o. In the
Apocalypse (vii. 15.) " waters" are put for "peoples,
an,l ;milt:tusks, and nation: and tongues;" and we know
that :he Fathering together cf waters is called seas (Gen.
i. 10.) "-The sea" then, applied to multitudes, means
an assembinge of various nations into one coriamu-
nity ; and, by an obvious analogy, the living creatures,
in such a sea, represent those cello are in possession of
role, power and authority—political life ; and shire,
the political intercommunication between the Govern-
nient and its distant dependenciest. if:noun/aim is the
political fabric of rule and dominion—the sea the mats
of the people ; and as waters poured into the sea be-
come a part of it, so strange nations, when poured
into a sea are melted in the common mass, and
can no more be separated.
Such being the different significatiorts of the figures
employed in this trumpet, we may be assured that
any interpretation which does not embrace them, or
only embraces them partially, cannot be the true sense
of the prophecy. A great Empire, in a state of com-
bustion, consuming and wasting itself with internal
war, is here given as a prey to various "peoples, and
multitudes, and nations and tongues ;" the scene of
action is filled with bloodshed ; the government which
formerly existed is destroyed through all its members ;
and this embraces a portion of the nations and tongues
so extensive as to be called " a third part."
As the events which fulfilled this part of. the pro-
phecy carnot be comprised within the limits of one
Numbeie I shall for convenience divide the detail into
two sections : the first will enable the reader to form
some idea of the intestine fire by which the Empire
alluded to in this Trumpet was consumed and wasted
—the second, of the consequences which resulted to
those by whom the different departments of the go
vernment were filled.
§ 1. Of the Great Mountain; the Fire in its &scuds ;
and the sea into which it was cast.
We know from the sealed book [Daniel] that after
the Grecian there was to be but one other great em-
pire, within the proper scene of Daniel's visions;,
namely, that of the descendants of Chittim (Dan. xi.
30, 31). It was also foretold in the same book that
this empire should be divided into ten kingdoms, but
in such a dark manlier that the imp.rt of the expres-
sions might be considered as in some measure sealed
up. This trumpet explains the nature of the events
Which led to this change in the Roman empire, by
destroying the power of the former rulers.
It may truly be said that those intestine commo-
ti,ns, which at length exhausted and destroyed the
strength of the state, to such a degree as to occasion
the complete overthrow of the Imperial head, had
their commencement in the breach of peace which
took place between those, who had combined against-THE
Loxo and his Mess:am—the Jews and the Romans.
To describe the miseries that were brought -upon A
very extensive part of the Empire by this war, is not
here neeemery. The particulars may be found in va-
rious historical relations. From this time rebellions
in the distant provinces became frequent; disputes
for the succession taught the army that the sove-
reignty was at their disposal ; Emperors were op-
posed to Emperors, and armies to armies. The
removal of the scat of Empire to Constantinople
hastened the fall of Imperial Rome, and the dis-
contents occasioned by this change were heightened
by those of religion. " Christianity had long been
waking progress in the empire. It now ascended the
throne of the C.ssens. As the Christians had for-
merly goer. persecuted, they, in their turn, became
persecutors
aee;est the ancient worship: the punishment of death
was &nor:need against the sacrifices formerly or-
dained Ity law.; the altar of Victory was overturned,
the Cron,: was eN:ilted in its stead, and displayed in
place of that triumphant eagle, under which the world
Lad been ccnit:t.e,:c.i. The mist dreadful hates and
ar.'rnr• sties aro,e. The Pagans accused the Christians
ntifcrtunes
freeel, that the remains of Paganism alone had
drewn down the wrath of OnNIPOTENCE. Both par-
ties ware more occupied about their religious disputes
than the common safety; and, to complete the mise-
ries of this unhappy people, the Christians became di-
%ideal among themselves: new sects sprung up; new
disputes took place ; new jealousies and antipathies
raged ; and the same punishments were denounced
heretics and pagans. An universal bigotry
debased the minds of n:en. In a grand assembly of
the provinces it was proposed, that as there arc three
persons in the Trinity, they ought to have three ezr-
perers. Sieges were raised, and cities lost, for the sake

• Sk!e the 1 1.-..sTrumpt.
t'l•„,. EgyviAns, ace Tiling to Pix-r A *co, feigted the Moon
to Le ca-1-I,a :Itrvl:gh I,er circuit in Ih. p. (pliotios; lib. alv. c.
i proptiety a this hicruglyphical cornbioation is apparent,
when tve recoil,ct that with them *lvo Moon symbolised the
tel:t c,t; *wry region.

of a bit of rotten wood, or withered bone, which was
supposed to have belonged to some saint or martyr.
The effeminacy of the age mingled itself with this
infatuation.; and Generals, more weak than humane,
sat down to mourn the calamities of war, when they
should have led their troops to battle."

To give a full detail of these internal feuds, wars,
and rebellions, by which the empire was set in a state
of combustion, and many barbarous nations invited
to share in the common spoil, destroying the power
of those who filled the different public offices through-
out this great empire, would be to transcribe a great
part of the Roman history. A brief outline, and
brief it must necessarily be, considering the length of
the period and variety of circumstances to be embra-
ced, may, however, be here useful, save time in
our progress, and prevent the necessity of referring
the reader to voluminous works which he may not
have at hand when these strictures meet his eye.
In the course of fifty years following the mur-
der of ALEXANDER SEVERUS (A. D. 235) more than
fifty Caesars are enumerated, who, with that title,
either lawful or usurped, made their appearance, to
contend for the imperial diadem, were proclaimed,
dethroned, and murdered by their own soldiers.—
Weakened by its dissensions, unweildy from its mag-
nitude, corrupted and effeminated by the wealth ac-
quired by its conquests, and governed by weak
princes—or rather having only the semblance of a
government, the distant provinces grew turbulent,
and panted for emancipation.
In the mean time the Goths, originally inhabitants
of Scandinavia (at present Sweden and Norway) call-
ed by the ancients the nursery of nations, began to make
irruptions into the empire. PRISCUS, believed to be a
brother of the Emperor Deems, joined these barba-
rians, and in attempting to usurp the Empire, lost his
own life. Deems, led into an ambush by his own Ge-
neral Gu.Lvs, was killed by the Goths. GALLUS,
who aspired to the purple, was killed by his own sot.
diers. ENIILIAN his rival fell in the same manner,
while marching against another competitor VALERIAN.
The barbarians on all sides poured upon theprovinces,
weakened by these civil wars. VALERIAN'S Generals
gained some victories over them in Gaul and 11-
lyria ; but swarms of Scythians invaded Asia Minor,
and took Trebizond, Chalcedon, Nice, and Nicome-
dia, while the Persians under SaPott gained impor-
tant conquests, and even pillaged Antioch. VALE.
RIAN, by his own imprudence, fell into the hands of
SAPOR, by whom he was treated as a slave till his
death. He was succeeded by his son GALLIENCSI
whose whole reign was nothing but a continuation of
ravages by the barbarians and insurrections of the sol-
diers. When informed that the Egyptians had revolt-
ed, he replied with indifference" Very well, cannot we
live without the linen of Egypt ?" and being told that
Gaul was likewise lost " Is the Republic lost," said
he, " because we can have no more stuffs of Arras ?"
During his reign, a crowd of rebels assumed the title
of Emperors, and occasioned much bloodshed. TRE-
ariaars reckons thirty of them : CREVIER reduces the
number to eighteen. POSTIII;MCS, who was one of
them, deserves to be distinguished from the rest : he
reigned seven years in Gaul, with credit to himself;
he repulsed the Germans, and, according to custom,
was murdered by his soldiers.
CLaunitTs H. retrieved the Roman affairs a little,
but he only reigned three years. Under AURELIAN
and his successors, TACITCS and Pr-onus, the two
latter of whom, as usual, were murdered, the condi-
tion of the Empire was still farther improved ; but
the barbarians had found their way into it, and war,
almost incessant, was necessary to repel them.
In the year 284, DIOCLETIAN came to the throne.
The Empire being pressed on all sides, he sought an
assistant for its defence, and in 286 fixed upon MAXI-
MIAN for his colleague; a Pannonian of obscure birth,
ferocious, but a good soldier. The empire still remain-
ed one body, but it had now two heads—a system, which
was afterwards productive of the most pernicious
effects. In the mean time it had its advantages :
MAXIMIAN drove out of Gaul those formidable Ger-
mans, who were incessantly renewing their incur.
sions ; and DIOCLETIAN was equally successful against
the Persians and barbarous nations in the East. To
guard against new dangers, Droctrruat resolved to
name two CTsars, who should each command an
army, with the right of succession to the empire ; and
CONSTANTIi'SCHLmtus and GALtRICS were appointed.
In :305 DiocterrAx and his colleague abdicated the
Empire. They were succeeded by CONSTANTIUS and
GALERIUS, the former of whom died the following
year at York, having previously named his son Cox-
STANTINE successor to his dominions. This Prince was
immediately proclaimed by the army, and the Ro.
Iman Empire was again doomed to' the horrors of

civil war.
G A LERIus, dreading CONSTANTINE, reused him the
title of Emperor, which he conferred on &VERO& In
the mean time the city of Rome proclaimed MAXEN.
TICS, the son of MAXIMIAN, Emperor ; who, incapa-
ble of supporting himself by his own strength, invited
his father to resume the sovereignty. MAXIM] AN em-
braced the proposal, after having in vain solicited
thocr.ETIAN to adopt the same conduct. SEVERUS,
betrayed by Lis army, was in a short time obliged to
open his veins. MAXIMIAN dreading GALERII:S, re-
tired into Gaul and united CONSTANTINE to his in-
terest by giving him his daughter in marriage. GA.
LEntussoon followed. MAXENTIVS seduced part of
• Russet's Modern Europe, Letter I.

his troops, but GALEIeWS escaped. hiAxianAN roads
this i prextext for attempting to depose his own son;
but filing, fled from Rome, and again returned to
CONITANTINE, whom he tried, but without success, to
engage in the war. He then joined GALF.RIGS
orals-died with him soon after, and again joined CON•
STANTINE. • At length, attempting the life of Col:=
srAterms, he was forced to strangle himself. GALE..
ItICS died in the following year, and MAxixteix and
LICIN7US divided betwem them the provinces he had

possessed.
MAXMTIUSI in the mean time, sought the destruc- 1
tion of CONsTANTiNa, under pretence of revenging
his father's death, while CONSTANTINE meditated his
ruin, under colour of freeing Rome from the oppres-
sion of a tyrant, who was universally execrated. MAX.
ENTIUS had made many enemies lsy persecuting the
Christians, who were now numerous in the Empire.
CONSTANTINE resolved to turn this to his own benefit,
avowed himself a favourer of the Christians, and
fixed the monogram of Thus CHRIST on the Labanan,
which became the principal standard of the Romans.
In a short time he passed the Alps, bore down every
thing before him, and encamped within two miles of
Rome. MAXENTIOS at length ventured to give him
battle, was defeated and slain. Rome gladly received
her deliverer ; the Senate dedicated temples to him,
and Africa even appointed Priests to pay divine ho-

nours to his family
After this victory, which happened in the year 312,
CONSTANTINE and his colleague LICINIUS immedi-
ately secured to the Christians the power of living
according to their own laws and institutions ; a pri-
vilege which was confirmed by an edict drawn up at
Milan, in the following year. In the mean time
-MANINIIAN, who reigned in Asia, was forming plans
for dethroning Limit's and CONSTANTINE. LICINILS
marched against him, who, being defeated, destroyed

himself by poison.
The Empire had now only two masters, and had
some reason to expect a cessation from the intestine
wars with which it was wasted, for LICINIUS was
married to CONSTANTINE'S sister. Consanginuity is
no barrier against the encroachments of ambition.—
In 314, the two Princes quarrelled, a battle ensued,
and Lteritus was defeated. This was followed by a
treaty of partition, by which LICINICS was obliged to
cede to the conqueror, Greece, Macedonia, Panno-
nia, Dardania, Dacia, all Illyria, and Mzsia Prima.
In order to fix the Empire in his own family, CON-
STANTINE gave the title of Czsar to his three sons,
CRISPUS, CONSTANTINE and CONSTANTIUS, then infants.
Peace continued for a few years, and he bad time to
apply himself to the affairs of Christianity. To please
the enlightened Clergy of the age, the Papias Poppzan
law against celibacy was repeated, and the privilege
of Vestals, to make bequests by will, before they were
of age, was granted to persons of both sexes .a.ho con-
secrated themselves to evangelical virginity—as if the rava-
ges of war had not been a sufficient drain on the po-
pulation and strength of the empire, without the aid
of edicts subversive of the first law of nature.
In 321-, the war was renewed between the two Em-
perors. LICINIUS, defeated in different battles, was
reduced to the necessity of throwing himself at the
victor's feet. Ile obtained a promise of his life, but
was soon after strangled!
Having now no rival, CONSTANTINE gave impor-
tance to the wrangles of sophists, by dignifying them
with the nature of affairs of state. Sophisms and he-
resies followed ; Councils were called to settle these
ecclesiastical disputes, penal laws succeeded, and
Christians persecuted Christians !
Having returned to Rome, after a long absence,
CONSTANTINE rendered himself odious to the citizens,
by ordering his son Calsros to be put to death, at the
instigation of- his step-mother, without trial ; and by
executing afterwards, on a bare accusation, the Em-
press herself. Several persons of rank also perished
without any known reason, and among others the
younger Deimos, a boy of twelve years of age. A
placard was affixed to the gates of the Emperor's pa-,
lace describing him as a second NEMO ; every mouth
was filled with reproaches and curses ; such was the
rage of the populace, that they even dared openly to
insult him, and he left Rome in disgust.—Behold, in
the execrable crimes of CONSTANTINE the Great*, the
true origin of the new capital of the Rowan empire,
the building of which accelerated its ruin. Bvzasi.
num rose into a magnificent city, received the name
of Constantinopk, and to its grandeur were sacrificed
the strength and interests of the empire. To people
it, a law was passed, by which the landholders in Asia
were deprived of the natural right of disposing of
their. estates, even by will, unless they had a house in
that city. Privileges of every kind, corn, wine and
oil, were lavished on the inhabitants. The Alexan-
drian fleet, which used to furnish Rome. with corn,
was destined to supply the new city ; 80,000 mea-
sures of wheat were daily distributed among the peo-
ple, and in a short time the Asiatic fleets were also
employed in furnishing the necessary supply. Rome
lost many of its principal citizens, its riches, lustre,
power, though more than ever necessary to enable it
to withstand the invasion of the barbarians. By an

• I ought not to pass over in silence the many attempts, which
have been made to palliate the crimes of Constantine. In a note
to his ifitise Sow/nu, pp. 30-3 s, Dr. VALPY has defended his
character in a plausible manner.. Yet he has the candot.r to ac-
knowledge some of his faults' Such was," says he, " the influ-
ence of Christianity in a Prince, who, thiugh he was oftema prey
to the passions which assailed him, was at his death universally
regretted, and dignified with the title of Restorer of his country."

-WP

ucessive multiplication of (Egan:its I.:prawns-me Ir,+,
infamous, imposts were rendered. recess-,:r7. T,
crown the folly of this reign. the troops desired
guarding the frontiers wero withdrawn and placed LI
garrison in the cities, a rnoasuro according to
MONTFACIcIEV, u produced LNVO evils ; th. 2 rernev2l%
the barrier Which restrai.l:d so runly nafr:ns ;
the effeminacy of tli soldiers, who now frequentei
the cities and theatres."

Stich was the internal fire with which tl:e
mountain was wasting and consuming itself at the time
of CONSTANTINE, fill ig the third p.n.: of !Le
nations composing the Roman empire, with deschtion
and bloodshed. The consequences that might be ex.
petted followed—lts fall w,:s accelerated, and it
gradually became a prey to the varicus natiens by
which it was invaded.

3LIC: S.

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