The whole scene of sacred Prophecy is composed of three principal parts: the regions beyond _Euphrates_, represented by the two first Beasts of _Daniel_; the Empire of the _Greeks_ on this side of _Euphrates_, represented by the Leopard and by the He-Goat; and the Empire of the _Latins_ on this side of _Greece_, represented by the Beast with ten horns. And to these three parts, the phrases of the _third part of the earth, sea, rivers, trees, ships, stars, sun, and moon_, relate. I place the body of the fourth Beast on this side of _Greece_, because the three first of the four Beasts had their lives prolonged after their dominion was taken away, and therefore belong not to the body of the fourth. He only stamped them with his feet. By the _earth_, the _Jews_ understood the great continent of all _Asia_ and _Africa_, to which they had access by land: and by the Isles of the _sea_, they understood the places to which they sailed by sea, particularly all _Europe_: and hence in this Prophecy, the _earth_ and _sea_ are put for the nations of the _Greek_ and _Latin_ Empires. The third and fourth Beasts of _Daniel_ are the same with the Dragon and ten-horned Beast of _John_, but with this difference: _John_ puts the Dragon for the whole _Roman_ Empire while it continued entire, because it was entire when that Prophecy was given; and the Beast he considers not till the Empire became divided: and then he puts the Dragon for the Empire of the _Greeks_, and the Beast for the Empire of the _Latins_. Hence it is that the Dragon and Beast have common heads and common horns: but the Dragon hath crowns only upon his heads, and the Beast only upon his horns; because the Beast and his horns reigned not before they were divided from the Dragon: and when the Dragon gave the Beast his throne, the ten horns received power as Kings, the same hour with the Beast. The heads are seven successive Kings. Four of them were the four horsemen which appeared at the opening of the first four seals. In the latter end of the sixth head, or seal, considered as present in the visions, it is said, _five_ of the seven Kings _are fallen, and one is, and another is not yet come; and the Beast that was and is not_, being wounded to death with a sword, _he is the eighth, and of the seven_: he was therefore a collateral part of the seventh. The horns are the same with those of _Daniel_'s fourth Beast, described above.