gdom shall not
be left to other people; but it shall break in pieces, and consume all
these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that
the stone was cut out of the mountains without hands, and that it brake in
pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver and the gold._

Notes to Chap. III.

[1] Chap. ii. 41, &c.

* * * * *

CHAP. IV.

_Of the vision of the four Beasts._

In the next vision, which is of the four Beasts, the Prophecy of the four
Empires is repeated, with several new additions; such as are the two wings
of the Lion, the three ribs in the mouth of the Bear, the four wings and
four heads of the Leopard, the eleven horns of the fourth Beast, and the
son of man coming in the clouds of Heaven, to the Antient of Days sitting
in judgment.

The first Beast was like a lion, and had eagle's wings, to denote the
kingdoms of _Babylonia_ and _Media_, which overthrew the _Assyrian_ Empire,
and divided it between them, and thereby became considerable, and grew into
great Empires. In the former Prophecy, the Empire of _Babylonia_ was
represented by the head of gold; in this both Empires are represented
together by the two wings of the lion. _And I beheld,_ saith [1] _Daniel_,
_till the wings thereof were pluckt, and it was lifted up from the earth,
and made to stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to
it_; that is, till it was humbled and subdued, and made to know its human
state.

The second Beast was like a bear, and represents the Empire which reigned
next after the _Babylonians_, that is, the Empire of the _Persians_. _Thy
kingdom is divided_, or broken, saith _Daniel_ to the last King of
_Babylon_, _and given to the _Medes_ and _Persians__, _Dan._ v. 28. This
Beast _raised itself up on one side_; the _Persians_ being under the
_Medes_ at the fall of _Babylon_, but presently rising up above them. [2]
_And it had three ribs in the mouth of it, between the teeth of it_, to
signify the kingdoms of _Sardes_, _Babylon_, and _Egypt_, which were
conquered by it, but did not belong to its proper body. And it devoured
much flesh, the riches of those three kingdoms.

The third Beast was the kingdom which succeeded the _Persian_; and this was
the empire of the _Greeks_, _Dan._ viii. 6, 7, 20, 21. It was _like a
Leopard_, to signify its fierceness; and had four heads and four wings, to
signify that it should become divided into four kingdom