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when Paganism ceased to be the religion of the, empire; consequently, the imperial power must have been the seventh or last head of the Dragon! That the heads represent forms of government cannot be doubted, when the symbol is properly considered. The head is the chief and most essential part of an animal; so is the government of an empire; the different heads of the Dragon must; therefore, represent as many heads or forms of government. And in farther confirmation of this point it is observable, that the head has been used figuratively in all nations for the chief, principal, or topmost, of any thing. The heads of the Dragon have been differently named by different authors. Lord Napeir enumerates them as follows: "1 Kings, 2 Consuls, 3 Dictators, 4 Triumvirs, 5 Tribunes, 6 Emperors, and 7 Popes."* But it is evident that this cannot be the right enumeration of them, for the Papal government formed no part of the Heathen Roman empire. Dr. Henry More, who flourished in the seventeenth century, counted them as follows: Kings, Consuls, Tribunes, Decemviri, Dictators, Pagan Cæsars or emperors, Christian emperors, and emperors Pagano-Christian. But this is more unlikely than the former; for the Christian emperors, and the emperors Pagano-Christian, by whom he meant Popes, were both subsequent to the conversion of the Roman

* See Napeir on the Revelation, p. 157. See his Apocalypsis Apocalypsews, in loc,

empire from Paganism. We will only produce one more enumeration of the Draconic heads, which is that adopted by Bishop Newton, and at present most generally received. They are the following: Kings, Consuls, Dictators, Decemvirs, Military Tribunes with consular authority, Emperors, and Dukes. The principal defect in this last list is that the emperors are considered the sixth instead of the seventh head, the dukedom of Rome never constituting a head of the Roman empire while in its Heathen or Christian state. In support of the general assertion, that there were only five forms of Roman government previously to the imperial, a passage in the beginning of the sixth book of Livy's Roman history has been unfairly quoted. For Livy's words are to the following effect: "I have," says he, "in the five former books, given an account of all the wars abroad, and the seditions at home, which the Romans have had, from the first building of the city to the taking of it, under kings, consuls, decemvirs, dictators, and consular tribunes."* From this quotation it is plain that Livy's sole meaning is, that from the foundation of Rome, in the year before Christ 753, till the taking of the city by the Gauls A. U. C. 364, and B. C. 389, the Romans

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* Quæ ab conditâ urbe Româ ad captam eandem urbem Romani sub regibus, primùm, consulibus deinde ac dictatoribus, decemvirisque ac tribunis, consularibus gessere, foris bella, domi seditiones, quinque libris exposui. Lib. vi. c. 1. See also Dr. Mitchell's New Exposition of the Revelation, Part II. pp. 10, 11. Stockport, 1800,

were under five different kinds of government. But it is well known that the imperial power did not commence till after the battle of Actium in A. U. C. 722, and B. C. 31, a period of 358 years after the taking of Rome by Brennus, and in the course of which appeared a new form of Roman government, that of the Triumviri, evidently as distinct from any of the others, as kings are from consuls, or consuls from emperors. For the triumvirate consisted in the division of the Roman republic into three parts, each governed by an officer possessed with consular authority in his own province; and all three united together in the regulation of the whole Roman state.* Consequently it differed entirely from the imperial power, which was the entire conversion of the Roman state from a republic to a monarchy. The following must, therefore, be the seven heads of the Dragon, viz. The Regal Power, the Consulate, the Dictatorship, the Decemvirate, the consular power of the Military Tribunes, the Triumvirate, and the Imperial Government. In support of this enumeration the celebrated passage in Tacitus's Roman history, which has been so often quoted to serve a different purpose, may be here produced with great advantage. It is to the following effect: "The city of Rome was originally governed by kings. L. Brutus instituted liberty and the consulate. The dictatorship was only occasionally appointed; neither did the decemviral power

* See Rollin's Roman History upon the Triumvirate, as well as other historians who have written upon the same subject.

last above two years; and the consular power of the military tribunes was not of long continuance. Neither had Cinna nor Sylla a long domination: the power of Pompey and Crassus also was soon absorbed in that of Cæsar; and the arms of Lepidus and Antony finally yielded to those of Augustus*." Here, it is evident, there are exactly seven forms of government mentioned, which are the same that have been already noticed. It has been objected that Tacitus mentions in this passage more than seven kinds of government; but this objection will be seen to rest upon no foundation, when it is considered that neither Cinna nor Sylla introduced a change in the government, the power which the first held being the consulate, and that of the latter at one time being the consulate, and in a subsequent period the dictatorship. And it is well known that the power of Pompey, Crassus, and Cæsar, was the first triumvirate; and that of Lepidus, Augustus, and Antony, the second triumvirate. Thus we have from the testimony of Tacitus, one of the greatest Roman historians, the names of the seven Draconic heads; and it is also demonstrated that the imperial power is the seventh, and not the sixth head, as commentators

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* Urbem Romam à principio reges habuere. Libertatem et consulatum L. Brutus instituit. Dictaturæ ad tempus sumebantur: neque decemviralis potestas ultra biennium, neque tribunorum militum consulare jus diu valuit. Non Cinnæ non Sullæ longa dominatio: et Pompeii Crassique potentia cito in Casarem: Lepidi atque Antonii arma, in Augustum cessêre. Tacit. Annal. Lib. I. in principio.

See Poli Synopsis Criticorum, in loc.

have hitherto imagined. But the Dragon is also represented with ten horns. That these ten horns

The following is the history of the rise, continuance, and fall, of the seven Roman forms of government: The regal government commenced with the foundation of Rome, and continued 244 years, viz. from B. C. 753 to B. C. 509. The kings that reigned were seven in number, who began their reigns as follows: Romulus, B. C. 753; Numa, 715; Tullus Hostilius, 672; Ancus Martius, 640; Tarquinius Priscus, 616; Servius Tullus, 578; and Tarquinius Superbus, 534. The consulate was introduced by Lucius Junius Brutus; and continued at the head of the republic, with frequent interruptions, till the establishment of the triumvirate of Augustus, Antony, and Lepidus, B. C. 43. The first that filled the office of dictator was Titus Lartius Flavius, B. C. 498. This office was originally held 'for only six months at a time, and was only resumed when the affairs of the Romans were in a critical state. The dictator knew no superior in the republic, the consuls themselves being in subjection to him. As his power was absolute, he could proclaim war, levy forces, conduct them against an enemy, and disband them at pleasure. But this office, so respectable and illustrious in the first ages of the republic, became odious by the perpetual usurpations of Sylla and Julius Cæsar; and after the death of the latter, the Roman senate, on the motion of the consul Antony, passed a decree which for ever forbade a dictator to exist in Rome. The decemviral power was instituted B. C. 450, and was so denominated from ten men being invested with absolute authority. But this form of government was of very short continuance; for in the third year it was entirely abolished in consequence of the great dissatisfaction of the people, and consuls were again appointed. The military tribunes with consular authority were first elected B. C. 443, during whose administration, the consular dignity was entirely suspended. They were only three originally; but the number was afterwards augmented to six or more, according to the will of the people, and the emer

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