and what makes a great Noife in Fable or Romance, of King ARTHUR (u) attended by BRITISH (x) Knights, and all those who fince that, either Chriftian or Infidel, have diftinguish'd themselves at Joufts (y) and Tournaments, in ASPRAMONT (≈) or MONTALBAN, (a) DAMASCUS, (b) or MOROCCO, (c) or TRE it ten Years, and then raz'd it, 432 Years before the Building of Rome, is well known to all, who have read Homer, Virgil, Ovid and other Poets. (u) King Arthur, Brit. i. e. A ftrong Man, King Arthur was crowned, A. D. 516, and was a famous Hero in old British Hiftory. They fay, he fought 12 Battles with the Saxons, with vast Valour and Succefs. He combated alfo with many foreign Knights and Champions, died in the goth Year of his Age, and 34th Year of his Reign. (x) British, of Bretain, Heb. and Phan. i. e. The Land of Tin: or Brit. ie. painted, because the old Phænicians dug Tin out of Cornwall, &c. and the old Britons painted themselves with Woad, &c. to make themselves appear more terrible in War, as the Pits in Scotland, and the wild Americans do to this Day. (y) Joufts, which was a very antient Diverfion, when the Combatants mounted on Horseback, armed, adorned with Feathers and Lances in their Hands, run at one another a full Gallop, one on one Side, and the other on the other Side of a low Rail. This Sort of Exercife (called Joufts and Tournaments in the Old French) was first introduced into Germany, at Magdeburg, A. D. 835, by Henry called the Fowler, a Saxon Prince, who was elected Emperor of Germany, fome time after Charles the Great, by Manuel Comnenus, Emperor of Conftantinople, about A. D. 1114. by K. Henry IV. in Smithfield, before the English Nobility, A. D. 1409. But was used among the old Saxons, as a Trial of Manhood and Innocence; and called by them Kamp-Fight, now by us a Duel and Combat. Lat. Fr. i. e. A Fight between two Men. (x) Afpramont; Lat. i. e. A rough, rocky Mountain; a feigned Name in old Romances. (a) Montalban; Lat. i. e. A white Mountain. A Mountain distant 12 Miles from Rome in Italy; whereon, the decifive Combat was fought between the three Horatii on the Side of the Romans, and the three Curiatii, on that of the Albans. Some take it alfo for Montanbain, in France, and others, for a feigned Name in Romances. (b) Damafcus; For therein it is faid that Cain and Abel the first Heroes fought for Life and Death, Gen. 4. 8. (c) Morocco; Heb. i. e, Weft, or Arab, i. e. A Government, Gr. i. e. Black; because it is Weft TREBISOND; (d) or those who were fent from the Shores of AFRICK, (e) when the Powers of (f) CHAR Weft from Canaan, and the People are Black. The Romans called it Mauritania, i. e. The Country of the Mauri, whom we call Moors and Blacks. A large, pleafant and fruitful Kingdom in Africa, upon the Atlantic Ocean. It is 300 Miles long, and 180 Miles broad; and is divided into feven Provinces. Morocco is very large and was the capital City of it; but now Fez enjoys the Honour. This Country contains many Romans Antiquities ftill. Here King Juba acted the Hero with Pompey, Curio, Scipio, Ca far, &c. (d) Trebifond, or Trabifond; by the Greeks, Trapeza, i. e. a four-footed Stool, because it refembles that. The capital City of Cappadocia, and the Seat of a Turkish Governor, near the Euxine Sea. This Country is faid to have been the Land of the Amazons, afterwards the Seat of the Parthian Empire. Alexis Comnenuus founded this Empire, when the Turks took Conftantinople from him, A. D. 1204. Muhammed the Great took it from the Greeks, A. D. 1461, fo it has continued in their Poffeffion. The Greeks now call it Romania, through a Miftake. (e) Afric, for African, from Africa, Arab. i. e. An Ear of Corn, because it is very fruitful in Corn in the Vallies; or from Ifrifki or Ifrifkish, an Arabian Prince. The Tartars and Indians call it Magrib and Al-Grib, i. e. The Weft, on Account of LEMAIN, its Situation in Respect to them. Its ancient Names were Olympia, Oceana, Efchatia, Coryphe, Hef peria, Eria, Ortygia, Ammonia, Ethiopia, Ophiufa, Cephenia, Cyrene, Lybia. Africa is the largeft Peninsula in this Part of the World, encompass'd with the Sea, except the Ifthmus of Suez, which is 18 Leagues or 64 Miles long. It is one of the four grand Parts of the Earth, larger than Europe, much lefs than Afia, extending from N. to S. about 4800 Miles, and from E. to W. 4800 Miles. It lies almoft under the Torrid Zone, is exceffively hot, barren and fandy, very imperfectly known to the Antients, who thought it was not habitable, and even to us this Day, in the inland Regions. It was peopled by the Pofterity of Ham, who bear his Curfe to this Day, for they have been always Slaves to other Nations, Gen. 9. 25. Christianity flourifh'd there in the first Ages, Tertullian, St. Auguftin, St. Cyprian, were glorious Lights therein; but alas! now they are almost all Heathens and Muhammedans. Christianity was weakned by the Invafion of the Goths and Saracens, and laftly of the Muhammedans, A. D. 722. (f) Charlemain; Fr. i. e. Charles the Great. In the Teut. and Sax, it fignifies frong, flout, valiant. A mighty Hero, a valiant and pious Prince, born A: D. 742. He was King of France, and made Emperor of Germany, ; Book I. LEMAIN fell by FONT ARABIA. (g) Thus far were thefe beyond the Comparison of any mortal Valour, yet they obferv'd their dread Commander; he, in Shape and Gesture proudly eminent, ftood like a Tower for his Form had not loft all her firft Brightness, nor did he appear lefs than an Archangel ruin'd, and a great Excefs of Glory obfcur'd: As when the Sun newly risen looks thro' the mifty Air, which hinders his Beams from piercing through; or when from behind the Moon in dim Eclipfe, he fheds a bad Influence on half the Nations, and perplexes Monarchs with Fear of Change; fo darkned was the Archangel, yet he fhone above them all, but deep Scars of Thunder had mark'd his Face, and Care was vifible on his faded Cheeks, but under Brows of dauntless Courage and confiderate Pride, that watch'd for Revenge. His Eye was cruel, but caft Signs of Remorfe and Compaffion, to behold his Companions, or rather Germany, A. D. 800. Crown'd at Rome by Pope Leo III. with the Title of Cafar Auguftus and the two-headed Eagle, to make the Roman and German Empire, which he poffefs'd in great Part. A victorious, learned, liberal, juft and pious Prince; therefore he was dignity'd with the Title of most Christian King, which the French Kings have enjoy'd ever fince. He dy'd peaceably at Aix la Chaple, Jan. 28, A. D. 814, of his Age 72, Reign 45, and was buried there. Frederick I. took his Body out of the Sepulchre, out of which were taken a great Number of Reliques and Rarities, which he had collected in his Life-Time; but not like the Riches found in King David's. (g) Fontarabia; Span. from thofe OBS. the Lat. i. e. A rapid Stream. those who had follow'd him in his Crime, (whom he had beheld far otherwife once in Blifs) condemn'd now to have their Lot in Pain for ever; Millions of Spirits for his Fault depriv'd of Heaven, and for his Apoftacy flung from eternal Splendors; yet how faithful they ftood, tho' their Glory was wither'd! As when Lightning hath fcorch'd the Oaks, though their Tops be fing'd and bare, their ftately Trunks ftill ftand upon the blafted Heath. SATAN now prepares to fpeak, whereon they bend their doubled Ranks from Wing to Wing, and fo half enclose him about with all his Peers. They all kept mute, thro' Attention; and thrice he attempted to fpeak, and as many Times, in Spite of all his Scorn, Tears, fuch as Angels may be faid to weep, burft forth; but at last, mixing his Words with a great many Sighs, he faid: YE Numbers of immortal Spirits! Powers, matchlefs except with the ALMIGHTY! and even that Strife was not inglorious, tho' the Event was fatal, as this Place teftifies, and this fad Change, hateful to utter; but what Power of Mind, foreseeing or foretelling from the Depth of paft or prefent Knowledge, could have fear'd how fuch united Force of fo many Gods, and fuch as stood like thefe, could ever be defeated? For who can yet believe, tho' after fome Lofs, that all these powerful Legions, whofe Expulfion hath almoft empty'd Heaven, fhall fail to afcend up thither again, by the Power of their own Strength, and again take Poffeffion of their native Seat? Bear witness against me, all the Hoft of Heaven, if different Counfels, or any Danger fhunn'd by me, have loft our Hopes: But he who reigns now the Monarch in Heaven, 'till then fat on his Throne, as one fecure, upheld by old Repute, by Cuftom, or Confent, and his Royalty and State put forth at full, but always conceal'd his Strength, which encourag'd us in our Ar¬ E tempt2 tempt, and occafion'd our Fall. Henceforward we know his Might and our own, fo as neither to provoke him to new War, or very much to fear War, being provok'd. Our better Part remains, we are ftill able by clofe Defign, by Fraud, or Guile, to bring to pass what we could not effect by Force; fo that he at length may come to learn from us, that he who overcomes by Force, has overcome but Half his Foe. Time may produce new Worlds, of which there went a common Report in Heaven, that before it was long he intended to create one, and therein fix a Generation, whom his choice Regard should favour équal with the Angels in Heaven: Thither, if it be but to pry, fhall perhaps be our first Sally; thither, or elsewhere, for this infernal Pit fhall never hold celeftial Spirits in Slavery, nor the Abyss cover us long under Darkness: But a full Council, and a good Deliberation among us, muft bring thefe Thoughts to Perfection: Peace is defpair'd of, for who can think of fubmitting? War then, either proclaim'd or defign'd, muft be refolv'd on... SATAN finish'd his Speech, and in Approbation. of his Words were drawn Millions of flaming Swords, from the Thighs of mighty Cherubim. The fudden Blaze made a Light in Hell: They rag'd highly against the HIGHEST, and grafping their founding Shields fiercely in their Arms, beat an Alarm for War, hurling them with Defiance towards Heaven. CHAP, |