a

kingdoms, i. e. the Perfian and the Grecian, and a “little horn which came forth out of one of the four horns of the He-goat," or the King of Grecia," to form a diftinct picture of a particular train of events, which we are thus naturally led to suppose will take place in the eastern part of the world.

Third Vifion--The RAM and the HEGOAT, including "the LITTLE HORN" of the Eaft.

In the former vifion, which was a general hiftory of the four kingdoms, Per

a The fource of this figure, of horns for kingdoms, as Spanheim observes, must be derived from the Oriental languages, in which the fame word fignifies a born, and a crown, and power, firength, and Splendour. A horn was an emblem of royalty among the Phoenicians, and the Chaldee Paraphrafts explain the Hebrew word keren, a born, by the term malchutba, which fignifies a kingdom. Newton, c. xv.

fia was described as a bear, to mark its character for cruelty and oppreffion. In this, which fhews only the rife, progress, and decline of two of the kingdoms, apparently with a view to the principal subject of it-the little born, which was to arife after them-Perfia is defignated by its common fymbol, a ram b.

"Behold there ftood before the river,

"It was usual for the kings of Perfia to wear a ram's head made of gold, and adorned with precious ftones, instead of a diadem; for so Ammianus Marcellinus defcribes them. Bishop Chandler and others farther obferve, that ram's heads with horns, one higher and the other lower, are still to be seen on the pillars at Perfepolis." Newton.

The goat is made the type of the Grecian or Macedonian Empire, because the Macedonians were denominated Egeada, or the goat's people, 200 years before the time of Daniel. It is alfo remarkable, that Alexander's fon by Roxana was named Alexander Egos, or the fon of the goat: and fome of Alexander's fucceffors are represented in their coins with goat's horns. Newton.

a ram

a ram which had two horns, [Media and Perfia] and the two horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher [Perfia] came up laft. I faw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and fouthward, [it had poffeffion of the Eaft] fo that no beaft might ftand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great. [as in the time of Xerxes and Darius.] And as I was confidering, behold, an he-goat came from the west [the king, or rather kingdom of Grecia] on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: [he came with fuch bounding rapidity, that he feemed not to touch the ground] and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. [Alexander king of Macedon, who had first fubdued Greece.] And he came to the ram that had two horns......and ran unto him in the fury of his power. And I faw him come clofe unto the ram, and

he

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he was moved with choler against him,' and finote the ram, and brake his two horns, and there was no power in the ram to ftand before him, but he caft him down to the ground, and stamped upon him and there was none that' I could deliver the ram out of his hand. Therefore the he-goat waxed very great : and when he was ftrong, the great horn was broken; [Alexander died at the height of conqueft, and in the prime of life] and for it (or, inftead of it) came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven. [Alexander's four Captains, who divided his kingdom; Caffander held Macedon, and Greece, and the wefern parts-Lyfimachus had Thrace and Bithynia, and the northern regions; -Ptolemy poffeffed Egypt and the fouthern countries-Seleucus obtained Syria and the eastern provinces.] And out of one of them came forth a little. horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the fouth, and toward the east,

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and toward the pleasant land. And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it caft down fome of the host, and of the ftars to the ground, and ftamped upon them. Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the hoft, and by him the daily facrifice was taken away, and the place of his fanctuary was caft down. And an hoft was given him againft the daily facrifice by reafon of tranfgreffion, and it caft down the truth to the ground; and it practifed, (or wrought) and profpered." To this description I fubjoin the explanation given by the angel, previous to any obfervations upon it-" And in the latter time of their kingdoms, [that is, of the four kingdoms which fucceeded Alexander's kingdom] when the tranfgreffors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark, fentences, fhall ftand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully,