Three Drafts of 'Chap. VIII Of the four great Empires, & the temporal Dominion represented by the last horn of the fourth Beast' (section 7.1l)

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Chap. VIII
Of the four Monarchies \great Empires,/ |& the temporal Dominion represented by the last horn of y^e fourth Beast|

In the language of Prophesy Beasts \& Birds/ are put for nations & kingdoms & their several parts for the analogous parts of the kingdoms: as their heads for the governing parts, their horns for their military powers, their wings for the armies & governments w^ch they streach over nations, their bodies for the common people, their flesh for the riches, their bones |for| the fortified cities & strong holds, their teeth nails & hoofs for bands of soldiers, such as are Legions Squadrons & Regiments, their the number of their heads horns or wings of any Beast for the number of governments dominions & particular kingdoms in that Beast, & sometimes for their & the life of the Beast for the conti|n|\u/ance of the nation even after its dominion is taken away. And because shortlived Beasts are put for long lived kingdoms, the days of the Beasts are put for the yeares of the kingdoms.

The four Empires are represented by Daniel in two \two several/ Visions, the first of w^ch is Nebuchadnezzar's vision of the Image \composed/ of four metalls. In expounding this, Daniel tells us that the golden head, the silver breast, the brazen belly & thighs, & the iron leggs signify four successive kingdoms whereof the first is that of Babylon. Thou o king, saith he to Nebuchadnessar, art king of kings, for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom power & strength & glory & wheresoever the children of men dwell, the {S}|b|easts of the feild & the fowls of the heaven [that is the kingdoms of the world] hath he given into thine hand that & hath made the ruler over them all: Thou art this head of gold. And after thee [that is, after thy kingdom] shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee [the Persian] & another third kingdom of brass [the Greecian] which shall beare rule over all the earth, & the fourth kingdom [the Roman] shall be strong as iron forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces & subdueth all things. – And whereas thow sawest the feet & toes part of potters clay & part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided but there shall be in it but there shall be in it of the strength of iron – & as the toes of the feet were part of iron & part of clay so the kingdom shall be partly strong & partly broken,

The other is Daniels vision of the four Beasts, & in expounding this Daniel tells us that the Lion, the Bear, the Leopard & the deadfull {sic} terrible & exceedingly strong ten horned Beast w^ch arose successively out of the great sea, are four kingdoms w^ch shall arise out of the earth. And all interpreters agree that the|se| kingdoms are the same with {sa}|th|ose signified by the four parts of the Image, the ten horns answering to of the fourth beast answering to the <2r> ten toes of the iron leggs, & the everlasting kingdom of the son of man w^ch succeeds the four {leggs} kingdoms \reigns w^ch appears after the four Beasts/ & is over all nations & shall not pass away (Dan. VII.14) answering to the stone w^ch smote the Image upon its feet & brake it to pieces & became a great mountain & filled the earth & signifies a kingdom which God shall set up & w^ch shall break in pieces & consume the former kingdoms & not be left to other people but stand for ever. Dan. II.44, 45.

The Greeks & Latines recconed the great Empires of the world in this order; the Assyrian, the Medic, the Persian, the Grecian & the Roman. And If with Daniel we omit the Assyrian the four great Empires will be the Medic, the Persian, the Grecian & the Roman. The Medic & Babylonian arose together out of the Assyrian Empire & were contemporary, & being twins may brothers & twins may either of them or both together be taken for the first of the four Empires. In the vision of the Ram & He-Goat Daniel reccons the Medic in the first place & the Persian in the second putting the Goa Rams two horns for those two Empires. In the vision of the Image Daniel puts the Babylonian in the first place saying to Nebuchadnezzar; Thou art this head of gold. In the vision of the four Beasts Daniel seems to represent both together by the first Beast with \two/ Eagles wings. For the wings of a Beast represent the kingdoms of which the Beast is composed, as is manifest by the four wings of the Leopard. {T}

The first Beast, saith Daniel, was like a Lion [magnanimous & strong] & had eagles wings, stretching out its dominion over two large kingdoms the Babylonian & the Medic. And I beheld, saith Daniel, till the wings thereof were pluckt, that is, till its dominion was taken away. And then its dominion was taken away it was not slain but only fell down from that exalted state \state of glory/ in which its kings were worshipped as Gods, & being below \on the earth/ it was lifted up [before] & made to stand on its [hinder] feet as a man & a mans heart was given unto it. Its life was therefore prolonged after its dominion was taken away.

The second Beast w^ch was like a Bear, raised it self up on one side to signify that he \it/ arose by raising one part of his|ts| people above the other, the p|P|ersians above the Medes. And he \it/ had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it, as if it was was eating them that is the Sardes Babylon & Egypt Memphys the three imperial fenced cities of the conquered kingdoms of Lydia Babylon|ia| & Egypt. \These it had in its mouth to distinguish them from its proper body./ And they said unto it, Arise devour much flesh, that is, devour the flesh upon the ribs, or the riches of the three kingdoms. For the Medes & Persians were poor people & fared hardly & were cloathed in leather untill they conquered those three very rich & flourishing kingdoms, And saith whereby they grew very rich; And the fo as Daniel notes \also/ in another Prophesy, where he telling us \saying/ that the fourth king of Persia shall be far richer then all the former & by his power through his riches he shall stirr up all against the realm of Greece.

The third Beast was like a Leopard (nimble & fierce) & had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl. The Beast had also four heads, & <3r> ^{dominion was given to it}. It was therefore the Empire of the Greeks which after the reign of Alexander the great & his sons, brake into four great kingdoms {he} to the four winds of heaven (Dan. XI.4) w^ch kingdoms are here represented by the four wings & four heads of this Beast.

The fourth Beast was therefore the Empire w^ch reigned next after the Greeks & subdued them. This Beast was dreadfull & terrible & strong exceedingly & had great iron teeth & nails of brass & devoured the whole earth & trode it down & brake it in pieces, & therefore it was the biggest the strongest & the most warlike of all the Empires: & such was the Roman. This Beast was divers from all the former kingdoms. They were {illeg} governed by kings this by a Senate & Consuls. And it had ten horns in its head, & the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kingdoms which shall arise. This fourth beast is properly the Empire of the Latines :|.| For all the four Beasts are still in being. The T three first had their domi\ni/ons taken away by the Beasts which rose up next after them, but their lives were prolonged. The Lion had a mans heart given to it & is still the nations of Me Babylonia & Media. The Bear is still the nations of Pe Persia. The Leopard is still the nations of Greece Asia minor Egypt & Syria, and the nations of the Roman Empire on this side Greece are the proper body of the fourth Beast. This Beast trode down the nations represented by the third Beast & stamped upon them & reigned over them till the building of Constantinople & the erecting of the Constantinopolitan Empire: & then being separated from them & as the second Beast had three ribs in his mouth to distinguish his conquests from his proper body so the nations of the former Empires conquered by the Latines \fourth Beast/ are to be distinguished from the proper body of the|at| fourth Beast. Now that Beast upon the erecting of the Constantinopolitan empire being separated from the nations of the other Beast which he had \trode down &/ conquered, reigned alone in the west & there brake into ten kingdoms A.C. 408 & 409 as we shewed above, & these kingdoms are its ten horns.

Now Daniel considered the horns & behold there came up among them another little horn before whom there were three of the first horns pluckt up by the roots & behold in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man & a mouth speaking great things & its look was more stout then its fellows, & it made war with the saints & prevailed against them. And one that stood by & made Daniel understand \know/ the <4r> interpretation of these things told him that the ten horns were ten kings that should arise & another [king] should arise after them & be divers from the first [kings] & subdue three kings & speak great words against the most High \& wear out the saints/ & think to change times & laws & \^that [after he had subdued the three kings]/ ^{they should be given into his hand for a time times & half a time}. This little horn in being numbred amongst the other horns & called a king must be a little kingdom: for by kin horns & kings Daniel understands kingdoms. But it was of a different kind from the other ten kingdoms having a life or soul peculiar to it self with eyes & a mouth. By its eyes it was a Seer & by its mouth speaking great things \& changing laws/ it was a Prophet as well as King. And such a Seer a Pr Prophet & a King was the Church of Rome. This was a dominion very divers from all other dominions, & the only dominion among the ten kingdoms to which the{illeg} prophesy \of this horn/ can be applied

A Seer Ε᾽πίσκοπος is a Bishop in the litteral sense of the word, & this Church claims the universal Bishopric.

With his mouth he gives laws to kings \as an Oracle/ & pretends to infallibility & that his laws \dictates/ are binding to the whole world which is to be a Prophet in the highest degree. He claims a power of dispensing with Gods laws, of forgiving or retaining sins, of remitting or relaxing the pains of Purgatory & Hell, of granting indulgencies, of canonizing saints, of dispensing of kingdoms by divine right, of absolving subjects from their oaths of allegiance & of depriving all his opposers of heaven by excommunication. This is his mouth. This is his look more stout then his fellows. And he is the only dominion in the world who pretends to such an universal dictatorship & who speaks such great words against the most High. \How he rose up with such a \spiritual/ power we have shewed above./ It remains that we shew how he subdued three of \those kings of kingdoms which from their first number were called/ those kings or kingdoms \the ten kings/ & \how he/ became a kingdom himself with a temporal power.

The Francks were heathens till the reign of Clodovæus their king. He being converted to the Roman Catholic religion A.C. 496 subjected his kingdom to the Pope, & the Pope made Remigius Archbishop of Rhemes his deputy Bishop over France.^[1] This was the first \first/ considerable step made \gained/ by the Pope towards the Vniversal Bishopric \over{illeg} the barbarous nations who had invaded the Empire/. Then Clodovæus having gained a great victory over the Goths received from the Greek Emperor Anastasius a splendid crown adorned with gemms besides other presents: & having worn it one day for that victory A.C. 507, sent it seven years after as a present to {Re} the Pope, as more fit to adorn that august head then his own. This crown, as Sigebert tells us, was afterwards called Regnum, the Reign or Kingdom. And this was the first instance of the Popes wearing a temporal crown \as king of Rome./ & gives an occasion to reccon him hence forward amongst the horns as a temporal king. For the Emperor Leo Isaurus A. C. 726 to put a stop to the worship of Images w^ch had been long overspreading the east called a meeting of Counsellours & Bishops in his Palace, & by their advice {sent} out an edict against that worship, & wrote to Pope Gregory 2^d tha{t} a general Council might be called. But the Pope thereupon calling a Council at Rome confirmed the worship of \But he had not yet a kingdom for w^ch he should wear it./ |He was now Lord Lord of the Alpes Cott Province called the Alpes Cottiæ besides \some/ other territories in several other places. Yet these possessions were rather {Cha} but his Metropolis Rome \with {illeg}/ {illeg} hands of the Ostrogoths Rome with all Italy was now under the dominion of the Ostrogoths.|^[2]

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In the year 524, the Greek Emperor Iustin put out an Edict that the Churches of the Arians should be every where consecrated to the Catholick religion Whereupon Theodericus the Gothick king of Italy, sent Pope Iohn I with some of the Senators of Rome to the Emperor to tell him that unless he restored the Churches to their owners, he would treat the Catholicks in Italy in the same manner. The Pope going the next year upon this Embassy, was received very honourably by the Emperour & received great presents from him, & instead of perswading the Emperour to restore the Churches, conspired with him against restoring them, & consecrated as many of them as he could to the use of the Catholicks: & upon his retourn to Italy was imprisoned for it by Theodericus his king, & wrote from prison to the bishops of Italy to arm themselves with the sword of the spirit against the Arian religion for extirpating it, & to consecrate all the churches of the Arians (that is of the Goths) wherever they could find them, for the use of the Catholicks, as he had done at Constantinople. He was therefore confederate with the Greek Emperor against his king.

Iustinian succeeded Iustin, & in the year 532 designing to make war upon the Vandals sent to Pope Iohn II great presents with a {sic} Epistle conteining a profession of his faith to be approved by his Holiness, & represented therein that he had always a desire to keep the unity of the Apostolic seat & therefore made hast to subject & unite all the Priests of the whole eastern territory to the seat of his Holiness – which was the Head of all the Churches. This he did to engage all those of the Church of Rome in his party during the wars which he was going to make against those of another religion.

When he had conquered the Vandals & was beginning a war upon the Goths, Theodahatus \their king/ the successor of Theodericus sent Pope Agapetus upon an embassy to Iustinian for putting a{illeg} stop to the war. Agapetus went very unwillingly, \being in the Emperors interest &/ was received very splendidly by the Emperor & against the mind of the Emperor & Empress, deposed Anthimius Patriarch of Constantinople, & substituted Mennas into that bishopric. Whence it is manifest that the Emperor for keeping the Church of Rome in his interest against the Goths still suffered the Bishop of Rome to act in the east as universal bishop.

The next year A.C. 536 Bellisarius having taken Sicily \from the {illeg}/, sailed into Italy with the Emperors forces & landing at Regium, the people in all the villages out of hatred to the Goths immeda|i|ately came over to him. Thence he marched to Naples & the Neopolitans were inclined to surrender, but the city being garrisoned by Goths held out a seige of 20 days. Thence he marched to Rome, the Romans by the perswasion <6r> of Pope Silverius inviting him, & promising to surrender their city so soon as he came near it. And this was done in December A.C. 536, the garrison of the Goths withdrawing when they found themselves betrayed. Sammicum, Calabria, Apulia Beneventum & all Italy southward of Rome revolted also to Belisarius: & so did Tuscia, Narnia, Spoletum, Perusia & some other places. The next year the Goths besieged Rome with an army of an hundred & fifty thousand men. Bellisarius had but a small army \of about 5000 men having left the greater part of his army in garrisons/ but being assisted by the Romans he held out the siege a whole year & 9 days & ruined the army of the Goths so that the Goths out of desperation were forced to raise the siege. Then Dacius Bishop of Millain with the chief men of that city went to Belisasarius {sic} desiring him to send them a small force because Millain & all Liguria were ready to revolt. And accordingly a force \of a thousand men/ being sent, Millain with the greatest part of Liguria revolted, & put the Goths upon besieging that City. And at the same time the garrison of the Goths in Ariminum suspecting the fidelity of the citizens retired & left that city to the forces of Belisarius: w^ch put the Goths upon besieging that city also. \✝/ < insertion from f 5v > ✝ They took Millain \the next winter/, levelled it with the ground, slew all the males \citizens/ for their perfidy & sold \in revolting & gave/ the weomen for slaves \to their allies the Burgundians for servants,/, but were forced to raise the siege of Ariminum, & retire to Ravenna their capital city where they were besieged w^th their king \{illeg} Vitiges Vitiges/ by Belisarius, & forced to surrender, {upon} ( A.C. 539), & their king with his Queen were sent prisoners to Constantinople.

✝ They took Millain the next winter, levelled it even w^th the grownd, slew all the male citizens for revolting & gave to the number of three hundred thousand for revolting, & gave the weomen to their allies the Burgundians for servants; but were forced to raise the siege & of Ariminum & retire to Ravenna their metropolis capital city, where they were besieged \by Belisarius/ & forced to surrender A.C. 539, & their King Vitiges with his Queen were sent prisoners to Constantinople. Thus the Greek Bishop of Church of Rome by conspiring with the Greek Emperor against the Goths on account of religion, & causing the Latines to revolt to the Greeks, gave such a turn to this war as enabled Bellisarius with a small force assisted by the revolting Latines to ruin the Gothick Kingdom. And this was the first of \the/ three horns which fell before the little horn. This Kingdom reigned over the Pope & therefore was to be removed to make way for his rise.

After this Belisarius being recalled, the Goths took up arms again & revived the war for a time & in this contention Rome was almost dispeopled & laid in ruins, & the bishop of Rome lost his authority in the east till the Emperor Phocas restored it, & the Lombards A.C. 568 invading Italy, took from him the Alpes Cottiæ & restored them not till the reign of Pope Iohn VI A.C. 704.

The Emperor Leo Isaurus A.C. 726 to put a stop to the worship of Images, which had been long overspreading the east, called a meeting of Councellours & Bishops in his palace, & by their advice put out an edict against that worship, & wrote to Pope Gregory the 2^d that a general Council might be {held} called. But the Pope thereupon calling a Council at Rome, confirmed the worship of < text from f 6r resumes > Thus the Church of Rome by conspiring with the Greek Emperor against the Goths & inclining the people of their communion to revolt from them \& thereby putting {illeg} them upon sieges,/, {sic} gave such a turn to this war as enabled Belisarius with a small force assisted by the revolting Romans to ruin the Gothic Kingdom. The Francks also seized part of the Gothic territories.

And now the Pope having by the assistance of his allies subdued a kingdom w^ch reigned over him & hindred his rise, deserved by this conquest & the acquisition of the universal bishopric over the Greek Churches to weare the Crown which had been lately conveyed to him from the Emperor by the King of the Franks, they helping him as well to the conquest as to the c|C|rown.

Yet the Pope being carried prisoner to Rome Constantinople A.C. 545 & there imprisoned by Iustinian & the City of Rome being by these wars almost emptied of inhabitants & its buildings ruined; the Greek bishops A.C. 551 began to disregard his authority till the Emperor Phocas restored it.

The Emperor Leo Isaurus A.C. 726, to put a stop to the worship of Images w^ch had been long overspreading the east called a meeting of Councellours & Bishops in his palace & by their advice put out an edict against that worship, & wrote to Pope Gregory y^e 2^d that a general Council might be called. But the Pope thereupon calling a Council at Rome confirmed the worship of <7r> Images, excommunicated the Greek Emperor, absolved his subjects in Italy from their obedience & forbade them to pay tribute to him & thereby got the c|C|ity \& Duchy of/ Rome into his own hands & caused a great part of the Exarchate or kingdom of Ravenna to revolt & kill Paul the Exarch. And the Lombards also being Zealous for the worship of Images & pretending to favour the cause of the Pope invaded the cities of the Exarchate. Hitherto Rome had been a Dukedome in the hands of the Emperor & governed by a Duke appointed by the Exarch or deputy King of Ravenna: henceforward it \the City & Duchy/ became the temporal Metropolis \& Principality/ of the Pope. as well as his Episcopal seat.

^[3]At length Pope Zechary A.C. 752 fearing the power of the Lombards deposed Childeric a sloathfull & useless king of France & the last of the race of Merovæus, & absolving his subjects from their oath of allegiance gave the kingdom to Pipin king of Austrasia & Suevia, for ever, \the Maior of the Pallace/, hoping thereby to strengthen himself by making a new & potent friend. Thus by conjunction of these two kingdoms did one of the ten horns fall before the little horn. And while the Pope had a temporal Metropolis & his temporal power in France (in ordine ad spiritualia) was grown so very great, he deserves now much more then formerly to weare the temporal crown sent him by Clodovæus. ^[4]|And| The same year in March this Pope died, & Stephen succeeded, & before the end of the year the Lombards took Ravenna & put an end to the Exarchate. And this is the second of the three kingdoms that fell {all} before the little horn.

^[5]Then Pope Stephen knowing better how to deale with the Greek Emperor then with the Lombards, went the next year to their king to perswade him to return the Exarchate to the Emperor, but this not succeeding he went into France & perswaded Pipin to take the Exarchate & Pentapolis from the Lombards & give it |to| S^t Peter. And accordingly Pipin A.C. 754 came with an army into Italy & made Aistulphus king of the Lombards promise the surrender. But the next year Aistulphus on the contrary, to revenge himself on the Pope besieged the city of Rome. Whereupon Pope Stephen sent letters to Pipin wherein he told him that if he came not speedily against the Lombards, pro datâ sibi potentia alienandum fore a regno Dei et vita æterna, he would excommunicate him. as he had done the Greek Emperor. Pipin therefore \fearing a revolt of his new subjects &/ being devoted /indebted\ to the Church of Rome came speedily with an army into Italy, raised the siege, besieged the Lombards in Papia & forced them to surrender the Exarchate & region of Pentapolis to the Pope for a perpetual possession. And now Ravenna & the rest of the Exarchate were surrendered some few cities excepted, & the keys sent to Rome & laid upon the Confession of S^t Peter, that is, upon his Tomb at the high Altar, in signum veri perpetuiqꝫ dominij sed pietate Regis gratuita, as the inscription of a coin of Pipin has it. This was in <8r> the year of Christ 755. And hence forward the Popes left off in their Epistles & Bulls to note the years of the Greek Emperors as they had hitherto done.

^[6]Afterwards the Lombards invading the Popes countries, Pope Adrian sent to Charles the great the son of Pipin to come to his assistance, and accordingly Charles entred Italy with an army, invaded the Lombards, overthrew their kingdome, became master of their countries, & restored \to/ the Pope not only to what they had taken from him but also the rest of the Exarchate which they had promised Pipin to restore to the Pope but had hitherto deteined, & also gave him some cities of the Lombards \& was \mutually/ made Patricius by the Romans/. These things were done in the years 773 & 774. And this is the third kingdom which fell before the little horn.

^[7]The Pope reigned now over the Exarchate & part of the kingdom of the Lombards, but some of his {new} subjects being desirous to shake off his government & recover their ancient rights liberty raised a great commotion against him, accused him of certain crimes & made him fly to the king of France. Whereupon Charles the great went again with an army to Rome with an armed force to resettle him, & upon a day appointed presided in a Council of Ital{l}ian & French Bishops to hear both parties. But when the Popes adversaries expected to be heard the Council declared that he who was the supreme Iudge of all men was above being judged by any other then himself. And thereupon the Pope made a solemn declaration of his innocence, & in recompence for the service & honour done him created Charles Emperor of the Romans & Charles at his coronation took this oath of Fealty to the Pope: In nomine Christi spondeo atqqꝫ polliceor Ego Carolus Imperator coram Deo & beato Petro Apostolo me protectorem ac defensorem fore hujus sanctæ Romanæ Ecclsiæ {sic} in omnibus utilitatibus quatenus divino fultus fuero adjutorio prout sciero poteroqꝫ. This was done in December A. C. 800.

Thus the Pope & the King of Austrasia\his friend the king of France/ conspired to raise one another & the Pope rose up among the ten kings by rooting up three of them before him. The kingdom of France he gave to his friend; |the Ostrogoths he helped the Greek Emperor to subdue as Arian;| the kingdom of Ravenna he gained to himself; & the kingdom of Lombardy he divided between himself & his friend. \the King of France./ And in token that he is a king as well as a Bishop, he weares the crowns of those three kingdoms upon his head in form of a triple crown & carries the keys of the cities of two of the \two last/ kingdoms in his hand. And being exalted above k|K|ings & Emperors & declared by \a/ Council above all humane judicature & the supreme Iudge of all <9r> men, he has reigned ever since amongst the ten kin other horns with a peculiar soul & a look more stout then his fellows. And having rooted up \two of/ the three kings in favour of the worship of Images, he has changed times & laws, & set up the abomination in the western Empire.

His kingdom they call Peter's patrimony because given by Charles the great to S^t Peter. And for the same reason the keys of the cities of his kingdom they call S^t Peter's keys, they being offered to S^t Peter upon his Confession or Altar. But some turning history into an Allegory tell us that the keys represent the power of binding & loosing & are the keys of heaven & that the three crowns relate to heaven earth & hell as if the \Pope/ was crowned king of those three regions. I need not stay to confute such trifling These are whimsies & I \w^ch I need/ not stay to confute. them. |Others come nearer the truth who tell us that the crowns denote the Ponificial {sic} Imperial & Royal power of the Pope. For Peter's patrimony was taken partly from the Greek Emperor & partly from y^e king of y^e Lombards.|

After Daniel had described the rise & reign of the fourth Beast & of his horns, he proceeds to describe their fall by a vision of God sitting in judgment in the Temple in the most holy place in his throne above the Ark between the Cherubims, Daniel standing before the Temple & seing this vision as it were through the flames of the Altar. I beheld, saith he, till the thrones were set & the Ancient of days did sit whose garment was white as snow & the hair of his head like pure wooll. His throne [seen through the fire] was like the fiery flames, & his wheels [the wheels of his throne as in the \like/ visions of Ezekiel] a burning fire. A fiery sr|t|ream [the flame of the Altar] issued & came forth from before him & thousand thousands [represented by the Cherubims] ministred unto him, & ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him [& from his face the heaven & earth fled away.] The judgment was set & the books were opened & Daniel |I| beheld till the [fourth] Beast was slain & his body given to the burning flames [upon the Altar.] And one like the son of man [Michael the great Prince who standeth for the children of Daniel's people, the word of God & king of kings with a two edged sword,] came in the clouds of heaven to the ancient of days & [at the sounding of the seventh Trumpet] there was given him dominion & glory & a kingdom that all people & nations & languages should serve him.

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In the year 524 the
Greek Emp^or Iustin

Chap.
Of the four Monarchies.

1 In the language of Prophesy Daniel tells us Beasts are put for nations – – – – for y^e years of the kingdoms.

2. The four Monarchies are represented in {sic} three of Daniels \by Daniel by three \in four// visions, that of the Image, that of the four Beasts & that of the Ram & He goat \besides the Prophesy of /& that of the Angel Gabriel telling Daniel what is written in\ the scripture of truth./. For the reign of the two \first/ horns of the Ram comprehends all the times of the reign of the two first monarchies & the Gr reign of the {six} \last/ horns of the Goat comprehends all the time of y^e reign of the {illeg} last monarchy|, & the Prophesy of the scripture of truth is a comment upon the Vision of the Ram & He Goat.|

3. In expounding the \Nebuchadnezzars/ vision of the Image Daniel tells us that the Golden head the silver breast the brazen belly & thighs & y^e iron leggs signify four successive kingdoms whereof the first is that of Babylon. Thou o{illeg} king, saith he to Nebuchadnezzar, art king of Kings, for y^e God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom power & strength & glory, & wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field & the fowls of the heaven hath [that is, the kingdoms of the world] hath he given into thine hand & hath made the ruler over them all: Thou art this head of gold. And after thee [that is, after thy kingdom] shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee [the Persian] & another third kingdom of brass [the Grecian] w^ch shall bear rule over all the earth & the fourth kingdom [the Romans] shall be strong as iron, for as much as iron breaketh in pieces & subdueth all things. – And whereas thou sawest the feet & toes part of potters clay & part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided, but there shall be in it of the strength of iron – & as the toes were of the feet were partly strong part of iron & part of clay so the kingdom shall be partly strong & partly broc {sic}ken \brittle:/ that |is| it shall be divided into many kingdoms \& principalities/ some of w^ch shall be \firm &/ potent & some of them fallen infirm & weak.

4 In expounding his own vision of the four Beasts Daniel tells us that the Lion the Bear the Leopard & the dreadfull terrible & exceedingly strong ten horned Beast, w^ch arose successively out of the great sea are four kingdoms w^ch shall arise out of the earth. \And/ All interpreters agree that these kingdoms are y^e same w^th those signified by the four parts of the statue Image: the ten horns of y^e fourth Beast answering to the ten toes of the iron leggs, & the everlasting kingdome of the son of man w^ch succeeds the four & is over all nations & shall not pass away (Dan. 7 {illeg}. 14) answering to the stone w^ch smote y^e Image upon {illeg} \its/ feet & brake it to pieces & became a great mountain, w^ch \mountain/ |&| filled the \whole/ earth, {illeg} \w^ch mountain/ |&| signifies a kingdom w^ch God shall set up & w^ch shall consume & break in pieces \& consume/ the former kingdoms & not be left to other people but stand for ever. Dan.

5 In \describing &/ expounding his vision of the r|R|am & He-Goat, he tells us that the Ram had two horns & the two horns were high & the higher but one was higher then the other & the higher came up last & that the Ram having two horns are the kings of Media & Persia, that is, the horn w^ch came up first is the kingdom of Media & \the/ horn w^ch came up last & was higher then the other is the kingdom of Persia. This kingdom of Persia is the second Monarchy & the kingdom of Media is contemporary to the first monarchy, & therefore the Ram in the reig{illeg}n of his two horns comprehends all the times of the two first monarchies. The kingdoms of the Babylonia & Media arose out \of/ the Assyrian Monarchy \Empire/ & as colla{l}|t|eral branches of Monarchy \that Empire/ may be either of them or both together \be/ taken for the Empire w^ch reigned <12r> next after the Assyrian & next before the Persian, that is for the first Monarchy \univ Empire/ when the Persian is accounted the second. The Greeks & Latins accounted the Assyrian Monarchy \Empire/ the first, the Medic the second, the Persian the third, the Grecian the fourth & the Roman the fift, & according to this recconing, if with Daniel we omit the Assyrian, the four {illeg} Empires will be the Medic, Persian, Grecian & Roman. Daniel therefore puts the \collateral/ Empire of y^e Medes & Babylonians indifferently in the first place. In the vision of the Image he puts the Babylonian Empire in the first place saying to {Ne} Nebuchadnezzar Thou art this head of gold. In the vision of the Ram & Goat he omitts the Empire of the Babylon & puts the Empire of the Medes in the first place saying the Ram w^th two horns (one of w^ch rose up before the other) are the kings of Media & Persia. In the vision of the four Beasts he puts them both together in the first place, {illeg} representing them by the two \great/ wings of y^e Lyon wherewith it was lifted up from the earth & made to stand on the feet as a man. like Eagles wings. For the wings of a Beast T signify the kingdoms of w^ch the Beast is composed as is manifest by comparing the four wings of the Leopard w^th the four horns of the He Goat, both w^ch signify the division of the Greek Empire \Monarchy/ into four kingdoms to y^e four winds of Heaven. T

< insertion from f 11v >

The Greeks & Latines recconed the great Empires of the world in this order: the Assyrian, Medic, Persian, Grecian & Roman. If with Daniel we{illeg} omit the Assyrian the four great Empires will be the Medic, Persian Grecian & Roman. The Medic & Babylonian rose together out of the Assyrian Empire & were contemporary & so so {sic} may either of them or both together be taken for the first M Empire. In the vision of the Ram & He Goat Daniel reccons reccons the Medic in the first place & the Persian in the second, putting the Goats two horns for those two empires. In the vision of the \metallic/ Image Daniel puts the Babylonian in the first place & th saying to Nebuchadnezzar, Thou art this head of G|g|old. In the vision of the four Beasts Daniel{s} seems to represent both together by the Lion first Beast with eagles wings. For the wings of a Beast {illeg} represent the kingdoms of w^ch the Beast is composed as is manifest by the four wings of the Leopard. The first Beast, saith Daniel was like a Lion (magnanimous & strong) & had eagles wig|n|gs, streatching out its power over two large kingdoms the M Babylonian & the Medic. And to repre I beheld saith Daniel, till the wings thereof were pluckt, that is, till its dominion was taken away, & it wa when its dominion was \taken away it was/ not slain but \only/ fell down from that exalted {illeg} state in w^ch its kings were worshipped as Gods, & it was lifted up \[before]/ & made to stand on its [hinder] feet as a man & a mans heart was given unto it.

For if the power by w^ch the king of fierce countenance is mighty \being not his own power/ must be a greater power then his own, & a power forreign to \himself that is/ the Greeks, \& a \this power must be a/ greater power then his own/ & so can be only y^e power of the Romans \while they reigned/. For if it was \had been/ any power of the Greeks it would have been one of the Goats horns & one of y^e \the greatest of al/ after the king time of y^e kingdom of y^e four horns he would have had two horns one this horn would have been then the little horn w^ch \came up last &/ waxed exceeding great whereas the Goat {of} has {illeg} |whereas this little horn grows the greatest of all the Goats horns & is his only horn {a}| So then the Goat in the reign of his last horn was great by a forreign power & |therrefore {sic} reigned under such a power.| & \G He/ signifies the same thing \Empir thing/ with the Leopard. In the reign of his first horns he is the Leopard reigning by his own power: In the reign of his last horn he is the Leopard reigning by another's power & \in this last reign he/ comprehends all the times that the life of the Leopard reigning is prolonged after the his proper dominion is taken away, that is all the time of the fourth Empire untill a stone cut out of {one} without hands falls upon the feet of the Image & breaks in pieces at once all the four parts of the Image. And there thefore {sic} its said that the vision of this is at the time of the end & in the last end of the indignation Dan. VIII.17, 19, that is, it reaches to the end of all Daniels visions & to the last end of the Iewish captivity. \It reaches to the end of 2300 days & days in all Daniels prophesies signify years/ // The last horn of the Goat is described \great above all the former horns,/ exceeding great, great up \{sod}{illeg} in breadth/ by conquering eastward ward {sic} & southward, \& in height/ great up to the host of {gr} heaven, great above all the former horns & therefore can signify nothing less then the mighty power of the Greeks under the admi{illeg}nistration of the Romans, this being the only power in the world that \has hitherto {illeg} been/ greater then the power \of the Greeks in the reign/ of Alexander the great. [For where the parts of prophesy are not adapted to the parts of history in due proportion the interpretation is frivolous & trifling.]

Some

It may

As a Beast may continue after its dominion is so may a horn. For the Rams two \first/ horns continued upon his head till the Goat brake them both & yet / For y^e Ram had two horns under one Monarch till he notwithstanding that \both his horns/ \after/ y^e Medes were conquered by the Persians. And tho the Persian Empire had but one Monarch yet the Ram had two horns till he was vanquished by the Goat. And in like manner we are to conceiv {sic} that the Goat has four horns till the end of the \reign of the Leopard or/ third monarchy notwithstanding any conquests that the horns may make upon one another. Now \For And when/ Daniel tells us that in the latter time \end/ of their kingdom when the transgressors are come to y^e full a king of fierce countenance shall stand up: & the latter time of their kingdom is the latter time of the kingdom of the Goat Leopard with four |we are to understand that in the end of the third Monarchy \Empire/ this king stands up & there| <12v> heads & four wings. The kingdom of the four horns is not perpetual but comes to an end & when it is expiring the king of fierce countenance stands up that this king begins bec stands up in the end of th{illeg}|e| \third/ Empire & beginning of the fourth. But these things will be best understood by comparing them with the prophesy of the scripture of truth w^ch is a commentary upon \the vision of the Ram & He Goat/ For there Daniel describes the breaking of the Greek monarchy into four great kingdoms & tells the actions of two to the four winds of heaven & tells the actions of the kings of the north & south w^ch are two of the four, & \&/ prosecuting\es/ their history down to the \eighth year of the/ reign of Antiochus Epiphanes, the year in w^ch Antiochus \came \east/ out of Egypt &/ set up the religion of the heathens in the Temple & in all Iudæa, & there Daniel |{illeg} concludes the history of the kings of the north & south with these words: For the ships of Chittim . . . . forsake the holy covent {sic}. There Daniel breaks off & in the next words passes to the Romans reigning over the Greeks.| breaks off & passes to the Romans {sic} saying, And after him arms shall stand up. For in this very year the Romans assisted by the king of Pergamus \& king of Pergamus/ conquered the kingdō of Macedon w^ch is \being/ the mother kingdom of the Greek\s/ {Empire}, the fall thereof may be recconed to put an end to y^e Greek Empire & give a beginning to the Roman. ‡

In the first year of Antiochus, the \High Priest & other/ transgressors against the holy covenant set up a place of exercise against to teach the heathen customes to the youth of y^e Iews \in Ierusalem/ to teach the young men the customes of the heathen & in the eighth year of his reign when he{illeg} set up the abomination in the Temple & cities of Iudea, many of the Iews consented to his religion & sacrificed unto Idols; so that this may \seems to/ be said the {illeg} \period of time when the/ transgressors were {illeg} come to the full, & by consequence when the king of fierce countenance was to stand up.

When the hebrew particle מז relates to time it signifies from & after \or after & from thence forward/ as מצח a tempore \from the time ①/ Dan. XII.11, {illeg} \& X.27./ ③ מז מצא from the going forth Dan IX.25 ② מז חיום from the day Dan. X.12. ממלד \from the king &/ after the king Dan XI.8 [ממגו after him Dan. XI.31.] And so here ממגו not\signifies from &/ after him, {illeg} not at any time after but continually after. T in the times next after him \or from thence forward/ arms \arms after him shall stand up or \{illeg}/ from {illeg} \that time/ forward {arms} \arms// shall stand up. Now since these arms pollute the sanctu of strength & take away the daily {m} sacrifice & the little horn of the He Goat \or king or fierce countenance/ does the same thing, we may thence know that these arms are the little horn.

or from that time {illeg} forward arms shall stand up or from thence forward arms shall stand up a king of fierce countenance shall stand up.

Daniel had mentio in this Prophesy \of y^e Scripture of truth/ had \had/ \upon less occasions/ mentioned the Romans twice before. & therefore we need not wonder if he understands the \In the very last words/ h|H|e had \{illeg} in the last words/ mentioned their ships coming \w^th an embassy/ against Antiochus: & therefore we need wonder {sic} if \he/ mentions them again {&} when they conquered the Greeks, \Kingdom of Macedon, For he/ especially since he afterwards sets down a long period of time w^ch relates to the reign of the fourth Empire saying, It shall be for a time & times & half a time, & therefore in this prophesy \he/ describes the affairs of that Empire w^ch would have been improper if he had not been speaking of the affairs of that Empire before.

3 Daniel had in this prophesy of the scripture of truth had \upon less occasions/ mentioned y^e Romans twice before. He mentions their war against Antiochus the great & in this very year he mentions their embassy against Antiochus Epiphanes in Egypt. And can we think that he would make no mention of their conquering all the kingdoms of the Greeks? \& extending their dominion ove {sic} all the east &/ And yet he mentions it not unless in these short words And after him arms shall stand up. They stood up therefore by conquerin They stood up therefore by conquering for {illeg} the Greeks Arms in this prophesy are every where used for for {sic} the military power of a kingdom. Standing up is growing great & powerfull by conquest And Daniel is here speaking \describing the affairs/ /speaking\ of the kingdom of the Greeks or third Monarchy & had brought the description of the affairs of this kingdom to a period. & the And therefore after by saying that after him arms shall stand up he meant|s| that after the reign of {illeg} \from thence forward/ a new dominion should stand up with over the nations of the Greeks {illeg} that by conquest. He tells us afterwards that it should be for a time times & half a time. This is a period of the fourth Empire: & these Daniel \in this prophesy/ had been describing the affairs of that Empire rise & reign of that Empire, & might comprehended its rise in these words: and after him arms shall stand up.

|When| These arms take stand up they take away the daily sacrifice & so doth the little horn of the Goat when it grows {illeg} after it is grown great, & therefore they are the same.

< text from f 12r resumes >

The Bear w^ch is the second Beast or Persian Empire raised himself up or stood up on one side to signify that the rise of the Persians this Empire began with the rise of the Persians above the Medes. He held three {illeg} ribs in his mouth to signify his conquests. The ribs are the strong cities of the three kingdoms of Sardes Babylon & Egypt. He is bid to rise He held them in his mouth between his teeth as if he was eating them to signify that are the cities of three conquered nations distinct from his own original body. He is bid to rise & eat much flesh that is to eat the flesh upon the ribs, or to draw much riches from his conquests. For the Medes \& Persians/ were poor & fared hardly & wore leather garments before they conquered Sardes Babylon – & Egypt, but afterwards \grew very rich &/ by their riches stirred up all against the realm of Greece.

The Leopard by h w^ch is the third \Beast or Greek/ Monarchy \Empire/, by his four heads & four wings denotes

6 Daniel tells us further that the rough Goat is the king of Greece (that is the kingdom) & had a notable horn between his eyes & smote – & smote Sandracottus in India.

7 Daniel sayth further that out of one of the four horns came fourth {sic} a little horn w^ch waxed exceeding great toward the south & toward the east & toward the pleasant land. And it waxed great even against \to/ the Prince host of heaven & it cast down \some/ of y^e host & of the stars to y^e grownd Ye he magnified himself to the Prince of y^e host & by him the dayly sacrifice was taken away & the place of his sanctuary was cast down \and an host was given him against the daily sacrifice & {illeg} by reason of \in/ transgression \[of desolation]/ & it cast down the truth to the grownd & it {practiced} & prospered/ &c And in the interpretation of this p{illeg} vision he saith that in the latter time of their kingdom [the kingdom of the four horns] when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce

{The ex}plication of the four
{Mon}archies.

{The pro}phesy of the scripture of truth is a commentary upon the {Ram & t}he vision of the Ram & He-Goat|,| \& in this vision/ ,|&| Daniel comprehends {the times} of the two first Monarchies in the Ram & the times {of the} two last in the Goat. For he tells us that the Ram had {two horns} & that the two horns were high but one was higher {then} the other & the higher came up last & that the Ram {havi}ng two horns are the kings of Media & Persia, that is, the {ho}rn w^ch came up first is the kingdom of Media, & the horn w^ch came up last is the kingdom of Persia. The kingdom of Persia is the second Empire & the kingdom of Per|Me|dia is \was/ contemporary to the first kingdom of Babylon w^ch was the \or golden/ head of the Image, & was one of the win first. And as the Ram in the reign{s} of his first horns comprehends the times of the two first Empires & in the reign of his second horn is the second Empire so the Goad|t| in the reign of his first horns is the third Empire & in the reign of his last horn comprehends the times of the fourth.

For Daniel tells us that the {illeg} Goat had a notable horn between his eyes & waxed very great & when he was strong the great horn was broken & for it came up four notable ones towards the four winds towards the four winds of heaven. And in explaining this he saith that the rough Goat is the king of Greece & the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power. In all this Prophesy Daniels kings are kingdoms. The kings of Media & Persia are the kingdoms of Media & Persia & the king of Greece is the kingdom of Greece & the first king is the first kingdom. It is not the person of Alexander the great but his kingdom \while it continued in a monarchical form that is/ during his own reign & the reign of his brother Aridæus & son Alexander. For \when/ this king was succeeded by four kingdoms & kingdoms did not come up in the room of Alexanders person but in the room of his kingdom. Now when by all this it's manifest that the Goat in the reid|g|n of these horns is the Greek Empire or third Monarchy represented by the Leopard, the four horns of the Goat & the four heads of the & four wings of the Leopard signifying one & the same thing.

Daniel tells us further that out of one of the four horns came forth a little horn w^ch waxed exceeding great, & in explaining this he tells saith that in the latter time \lat {sic} end/ of their kingdom when \the/ transgressors are come to the full a king of fierce countenance shall stand up & understanding dark sentences shall stand up, & his power shall be mighty but not by his own power. \All/ Which is as much as to say that in the latter time \end/ of the kingdom of the Leopard when¹ they \the fourth Beast/ shall |be| taken⁶ away⁷ his² dominion³ \by the fourth beast/, his life shall be prolonged & he shall still {illeg} \{illeg}/ be mighty but not by his own power, or or \that is,/ that the Greeks after their \proper/ dominion is taken away {illeg} by the Romans shall still flourish under the \administration of/ Romans & be mighty by their power {illeg}. & that The Goat \therefore/ in the reign of his last horn signifies the Greeks in this state of things. & by consequence that the Goat in \reigning under the administration \by {illeg} under/ power of the Romans & so then |so| is contemporary to/ the fourth Empire. |For the power being non by w^ch the last horn is mighty being none of the Goats horns must be p|a| power foreign to the Greeks [& there is no other \such forreign/ power then \besides/ that of the Romans w^ch grew up & the power of y^e Romans is the only forreign power w^ch grew up in the end of the Greek empire & by which the Greeks became a mighty]| <14r> reig{ning} under the administration of the {Romans. And the power} by w^ch the king of fierce countenance is {mighty being not his own} power {must} be a po but some other power {but another power} greater then his own, can be must be a {power distinct from that of the Gree}ks & {so can be no} other power then that {of the Romans. For if it had been} the power of the Greeks it {would have been one of} the horns & this horn would ha{l}|v|e {been greater then the little} horn {illeg} last & waxed {exceding great: whereas the} Goat had no such horn.

{Now since y^e Goat} in the reign of his last horn was great \mighty/ {but not by his own po}wer & therefore reigned under {illeg} such a power {he} signifies the same thing with the Leopard: In the {reig}n of his first horn he is the Leopard reigning by his {ow}n power: In the reign of his last horn he is the Leopard {re}igning by anothers power & by consequence comprehends all the time that\in which/ the life of the Leopard is prolonged after his proper dominion is taken away, that is all the time of the fourth Empire untill a stone cut out of without hands falls upon the feet of y^e Image & breakes the whole in pieces at once. And therefore its said that the vision is at the time of the end & in the last end of the indignation (Dan. VIII.17, 19,) that is, it reaches to the end of all Daniels visions at once & to the last end of the Iewish captivity. // It reaches to the end of the 2300 days & in all Daniels prophesies days are put for years. The Iews kept no account of time \by days/ longer then a month. They counted the age of the Moon or days of the month, & the months or Moons in a year, but their months & years consisted of no certain number of days; & for Daniel to tell the Iews of an exact period of 2300 natural days when they had no method in use of counting that number nor could determin by their years & months the number of days in any period of time past, would have been very improper & therefore days in all this prophesy as well as in all the rest of Daniels prophesies must signify years are types of years, & 2300 years are not yet expired.

The last horn of the Goat is described great above all the former horns, exceeding great in length & breadth by conquering eastward & southward, & \&/ great \in height/ up to the host of heaven: and therefore can signify nothing less then y^e mighty power of the Greeks under the administration of the Romans, this being the only power in the world that has hitherto been greater then the power of Alexander the great.

The little horn of the Goat is by some taken for Antiochus Epiphanes but very injudiciously. A horn of a Beast is never taken for a single person. A new horn always signifies a new kingdom & the kingdom of Antiochus was an old one. Antiochus reigned over one of the four horns, & the little horn was a fift under its

<13v>

In the vision of the four Beasts Daniel described the the Leopard only during {illeg} tho by a \The Goat & the Leopard are one & the \same/ kingdom reigning first by their one {illeg} power & then/ untill their dominion be \is/ taken away, surviving the & surviving the loss of their dominion & by consequence after their own dominion is taken away, reigning by & under the power of another. In this vision of the four Beasts Daniel describes only the reign of the Leopard by his own power {illeg} & tells you that after his dominion is taken away his life should be prolonged: here he repeats in y^e vision the {sic} Goat he first repeats the reign of the Leopard by his own power & then untill the end of the kingdom of the four horns & then by a new ho of the Goat & then under the type of the Goat reigning in a new horn he describes the life & actions of the Leopard after his dominion is taken away & tells you to make you understand that the Goat in the{illeg} reign of this horn represents the horn great above a tells you that his power should be mighty but not by his own power. And to re He represents this horn great above all the former horns, exceeding great in {len} breadth eastward & southward, \&/ great in height up to the host or stars of heaven \but not by his own power./, & this can signify nothing less then the mighty power of the Greeks under th by & under the power \administration/ of the Romans, this being the only – – – Alexander the great. So then the Goat in the reign of his last horn [signifies the Greeks reigning by & under the power of the Romans & so is contemporary to the fourth Empire. {A Th} And this reign being the life of the Leopard under after his proper \own proper/ dominion is taken away, must last to] & being still mighty but not by his own power is the Leopard surviving y^e loss of his dominion & being still mighty but not by his own power. It is the & both are the Greeks & then & living till {still} in this state till the stone cut out of falls upon the feet {illeg} of the Image & brakes in pieces all the four metalls parts of the Image at once that is till the end of the fourth monarchy. For the nations of the Greeks \in Europe Asia Syria & Egypt/ are still mighty but not by their own power. They were formerly mighty by the power of the Romans & they are now mighty by the power of the Turks & Daniel tells us that the vision of the Goat reigning in his last horn is at the time of y^e end & in the last end of the Indignation \Dan VIII.17, 19)/, that is it reaches to y^e end of all Daniels visions & to the last end of the Iewish captivity.

The little \last/ horn of the Goat is by some

The character of the little horn answers much better to the kingdom of Pergamus then to Antiochus Epiphanes. For this was a new kingdom differen {sic} from the four. It was at first a {illeg} only came out of the western side of y^e king of y^e north

^{[Editorial Note 1]}

so the arms grew out of the \substance/ kingdom of the north untill they had conquered the whole kingdom, & this conquest was made partly \before partly/ after the reign of Antiochus. so that you \may/ understand the phrase arms out of him shall stand up to signify arms w^ch came out of him shall stand up or arms shall stand up out of him & in either sense it signifies the kingdom of Pergamus waxing great out of y^e kingdom of y^e no\r/th.

<14v> ^{[Editorial Note 2]}

Daniel tells us that y^e little came out of one of the fourth horns that is out it side as a branch & [that it waxed exceeding great towad|r|d the south & toward the {sic} east] & by consequence that horn & its branch are both appe so that y^e horn & its branch appeared together like two in the form of two horns upon one base & therefo the lesser of w^ch gro|e|ws out of y^e greater & this signifies the division of one of the four horns \kingdoms/ into two the lesser of w^ch arises & \& increses {sic}/ out of y^e greater substance of the greater. Daniel tells us also that this little horn waxed exceeding great towards the south & towards y^e east & therefore it arose in the northwest corner of the Greek monarchy & conquered southward & eastward. And in expounding this vision he tells that in the latter end of the kingdom of the four kings represented horns a {illeg} when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance should stand up \& be mighty but not by his own power/, that is, the \little horn/ should then stand up over the nations of the Greeks \& become exceeding great/ by conquering southward & eastward, & thereby become exceeding great |but| And by all this not by his own power. And by all this I conclude that the little horn is the kingdom of Pergamus. For \that/ kingdom arose on y^e western side of the northern horn. It was at first only a castle w^th a small district \in the western border of Asia minor/. By degrees it increased in power & at length took from the kingdom of y^e north all allmost all Asia on this side y^e mountain Taurus & beating also the Gauls to whom it had been tributary the governor of the castle \Pergamus/ was saluted king by his army. Thus it grew \by the side &/ out of the substance of the Northern horn & became \in form of/ a little horn. Afterwards it lost part of its \territories/ to Antiochus the great but recovered all again by the assistance of the Romans. And continuing in strickt league with the Romans it assisted them in conquering the kingdom of Macedon \an Philip{illeg} 156 An. Sam. 933/ [w^ch was one of the four horns, & the root & fountain of the rest, & go & at the same time [& in the same year the transgressors \of y^e holy covenant/ conspired with y^e Greeks to set up the abomination in the Temple & cities of Iudea. \This was An. Sam. 933 in the 8^th year of Antiochus an. Philip. 156. an. Sam. 933/ Then the kingdom of Pergamus by the w^ch had hitherto been a little horn, was by the last will & testament \of its last king Attalus an. Sam. 969/ & thereby \thereby {made}/ became a king of fierce countenance It was not conquered & broken off in pieces but continued in their hands & {made} as a gift They \Romans/ succeeded Attalus in the throne of this kingdom \by a legal right/ & reigned over it in the room of {illeg} kings & by their administration it became a king \or kingdom/ of fierce countenance. Then it conquered the kingdom of Syria, An. An Sam. 1037 & the kingdom of Iudea an. Sam. {illeg} the next year & the kingdom of Egypt An. Sam. 1071 & by conquering those three kingdoms became exceeding great \it/ stood up & became exceeding great towards the south & towards the east & towards the pleasant land, but not by its own power.

After this the little horn grew up to the host of heaven & cast down of y^e \host &/ stars to y^e grownd. Then it magnified it self to y^e Prince of y^e host & took away the dayly worship. But for understanding these things its necessary to compare this vision of the Ram & Goat with the Prophesy of y^e Scripture of \w^ch/ truth. For they both concern the nations of the Greek Empire reigning first by their ow {sic} power & then by the power of others till the end of the four Monarchies, \& the last is a commentary upon the first/ And being about one & the subject, they must be compared together before either of them can be well understood.

In y^e prophesy of y^e scripture of truth Daniel tells us how y^e first Monarchy of the Greeks should be broken into four great kingdoms to the four winds of heaven, & then describes the history of the kings or kingdoms of y^e north & south w^ch are two of the four & prosecutes the description down to y^e 8^th year of Antiochus Epiphanes & there breaks of & passes to the description of the little horn or king of fierce countenance in these words, And arms out of him shall stand up. Arms are every where in this prophesy put for the military force of a kingdom & setting up is put for grow making war & growing great & powerfull by conquest & here it g signifies standing up {over} the kingdoms of the north & south of w^ch Daniel had been hitherto speaking. {Arms} shall stand up & a king of fierce countenance shall stand up are phrases of the same signification & they stand up over the kingdoms of the north & south or Syria & Egypt when the kingd little horn waxes exceeding great towards the south & towards the east. Arms out of him shall stand up, that is out of \the substance of/ his kingdom. {illeg} by com As the little horn grew out of the northern \horn/ by converting the substance of y^e horn into its own sub–