Part I, Chapter 4
Original
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, saith1 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 kingdoms, Dan. viii 22. for it continued in a monarchical form during the reign of Alexander the great, and his brother Aridæus, and young sons Alexander and Hercules; and then brake into four kingdoms, by the governors of provinces putting crowns on their own heads, and by mutual consent reigning over their provinces. Cassander reigned over Macedon, Greece, and Epirus; Lysimachus over Thrace and Bithynia; Ptolemy over Egypt, Lybia, Arabia, Coelosyria, and Palestine; and Seleucus over Syria.
The fourth Beast was the empire which succeeded that of the Greeks, and this was the Roman. This beast was exceeding dreadful and terrible, and had great iron teeth, and devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with its feet; and such was the Roman empire. It was larger, stronger, and more formidable and lasting than any of the former. It conquered the kingdom of Macedon, with Illyricum and Epirus, in the eighth year of Antiochus Epiphanes, Anno Nabonass.. 580; and inherited that of Pergamus, Anno Nabonass. 615; and conquered that of Syria, Anno Nabonass. 679, and that of Egypt, Anno Nabonass. 718. And by these and other conquests it became greater and more terrible than any of the three former Beasts. This Empire continued in its greatness till the reign of Theodosius the great; and then brake into ten kingdoms, represented by the ten horns of this Beast; and continued in a broken form, till the Antient of days sat in a throne like fiery flame, and the judgment was set, and the books were opened, and the Beast was slain and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flames; and one like the son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Antient of days3, and received dominion over all nations, and judgment was given to the saints of the most high, and the time came that they possessed the kingdom.
I beheld, saith4 Daniel, till the Beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flames. As concerning the rest of the Beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. And therefore all the four Beasts are still alive, tho the dominion of the three first be taken away. The nations of Chaldea and Assyria are still the first Beast. Those of Media and Persia are still the second Beast. Those of Macedon, Greece and Thrace, Asia minor, Syria and Egypt, are still the third. And those of Europe, on this side Greece, are still the fourth. Seeing therefore the body of the third Beast is confined to the nations on this side the river Euphrates, and the body of the fourth Beast is confined to the nations on this side Greece; we are to look for all the four heads of the third Beast, among the nations on this side of the river Euphrates; and for all the eleven horns of the fourth Beast, among the nations on this side of Greece. And therefore, at the breaking of the Greek empire into four kingdoms of the Greeks, we include no part of the Chaldeans, Medes and Persians in those kingdoms, because they belonged to the bodies of the two first Beasts. Nor do we reckon the Greek empire seated at Constantinople, among the horns of the fourth Beast, because it belonged to the body of the third.
Notes to Chap. IV.
1 Chap. vii. 4.
2 Chap. vii. 5.
3 Chap. vii. 13.
4 Chap. vii. 11, 12.
Musean translation
Mouseia's complete machine-assisted Musean edition, made directly from the complete 1733 English text of Newton's two parts (fourteen chapters on Daniel, three on the Apocalypse) for fidelity, the author's argument and cadence, and modern clarity. The volume's printer's matter is omitted: the title page, Benjamin Smith's dedication to Lord King, and the contents table.
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: 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 Ancient 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, divided it between them, and by that 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," says1 Daniel, "till its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on its feet like 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 condition.
The second beast was like a bear, and represents the empire which reigned next after the Babylonians, that is, the empire of the Persians. "Your kingdom is divided," that is, broken, says 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 were under the Medes at the fall of Babylon, but soon rose above them.2 And it had three ribs in its mouth, between its teeth, to signify the kingdoms of Sardes, Babylon, and Egypt, which it conquered, but which 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 would become divided into four kingdoms, Dan. viii 22. For it continued in a monarchical form during the reign of Alexander the great, and his brother Aridæus, and his young sons Alexander and Hercules; and then broke into four kingdoms, the governors of provinces putting crowns on their own heads, and by mutual consent reigning over their provinces. Cassander reigned over Macedon, Greece, and Epirus; Lysimachus over Thrace and Bithynia; Ptolemy over Egypt, Lybia, Arabia, Coelosyria, and Pafor fear thatine; and Seleucus over Syria.
The fourth beast was the empire which succeeded that of the Greeks, and this was the Roman. This beast was extraordinarily dreadful and terrible, and had great iron teeth, and devoured and broke in pieces, and stamped the remainder with its feet; and such was the Roman empire. It was larger, stronger, and more formidable and lasting than any of the former. It conquered the kingdom of Macedon, with Illyricum and Epirus, in the eighth year of Antiochus Epiphanes, Anno Nabonass. 580; and inherited that of Pergamus, Anno Nabonass. 615; and conquered that of Syria, Anno Nabonass. 679, and that of Egypt, Anno Nabonass. 718. And by these and other conquests it became greater and more terrible than any of the three former beasts. This empire continued in its greatness till the reign of Theodosius the great; and then broke into ten kingdoms, represented by the ten horns of this beast; and continued in a broken form, till the Ancient of Days sat on a throne like fiery flame, and the judgment was set, and the books were opened, and the beast was killed and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flames; and one like the son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days3, and received dominion over all nations, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High, and the time came that they possessed the kingdom.
"I beheld," says4 Daniel, "till the beast was killed, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flames. As for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away; yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time." And therefore all four beasts are still alive, though the dominion of the first three has been taken away. The nations of Chaldea and Assyria are still the first beast. Those of Media and Persia are still the second beast. Those of Macedon, Greece, and Thrace, Asia Minor, Syria, and Egypt are still the third. And those of Europe, on this side of Greece, are still the fourth. Seeing therefore that the body of the third beast is confined to the nations on this side of the river Euphrates, and the body of the fourth beast is confined to the nations on this side of Greece, we are to look for all four heads of the third beast among the nations on this side of the river Euphrates, and for all eleven horns of the fourth beast among the nations on this side of Greece. And therefore, at the breaking of the Greek empire into four kingdoms of the Greeks, we include no part of the Chaldeans, Medes, and Persians in those kingdoms, because they belonged to the bodies of the first two beasts. Nor do we reckon the Greek empire seated at Constantinople among the horns of the fourth beast, because it belonged to the body of the third.
Notes to Chap. IV.
1 Chap. vii. 4.
2 Chap. vii. 5.
3 Chap. vii. 13.
4 Chap. vii. 11, 12.
Plain English translation
Mouseia's complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from the complete 1733 English text of Newton's two parts. The volume's printer's matter is omitted: the title page, Benjamin Smith's dedication to Lord King, and the contents table.
Of the vision of the four Beasts.
In the next vision, that of the four Beasts, the prophecy of the four Empires is repeated with several new additions: 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 Ancient of Days sitting in judgment.
The first Beast was like a lion and had eagle's wings, to point to the kingdoms of Babylonia and Media, which overthrew the Assyrian Empire, divided it between them, and by that became powerful and grew into great Empires. In the earlier prophecy the Empire of Babylonia was represented by the head of gold; here both Empires are represented together by the two wings of the lion. "And I looked," says1 Daniel, "until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on its feet like a man, and a man's heart was given to it;" that is, until it was humbled and subdued, and made to know its human state.
The second Beast was like a bear, and it represents the Empire that ruled next after the Babylonians, that is, the Empire of the Persians. "Your kingdom is divided, or broken," Daniel says 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 were under the Medes at the fall of Babylon, but soon rose above them.2 It had three ribs in its mouth, between its teeth, to signify the kingdoms of Sardes, Babylon, and Egypt, which it conquered but which did not belong to its proper body. And it devoured much flesh, the riches of those three kingdoms.
The third Beast was the kingdom that succeeded the Persian; this was the empire of the Greeks, Dan. viii. 6, 7, 20, 21. It was like a Leopard, to signify its fierceness, and it had four heads and four wings, to signify that it would become divided into four kingdoms, Dan. viii 22. It stayed under one monarchy during the reign of Alexander the great, his brother Aridæus, and the young sons Alexander and Hercules; then it broke into four kingdoms, when the governors of provinces put crowns on their own heads and, by mutual consent, ruled over their provinces. Cassander ruled over Macedon, Greece, and Epirus; Lysimachus over Thrace and Bithynia; Ptolemy over Egypt, Lybia, Arabia, Coelosyria, and Pafor fear thatine; and Seleucus over Syria.
The fourth Beast was the empire that succeeded that of the Greeks, and this was the Roman. This Beast was extremely dreadful and terrible; it had great iron teeth, and devoured and broke in pieces, and stamped what was left with its feet; and such was the Roman empire. It was larger, stronger, more formidable, and longer lasting than any of the former. It conquered the kingdom of Macedon, with Illyricum and Epirus, in the eighth year of Antiochus Epiphanes, Anno Nabonass. 580; and it inherited that of Pergamus, Anno Nabonass. 615; and it conquered that of Syria, Anno Nabonass. 679, and that of Egypt, Anno Nabonass. 718. By these and other conquests it became greater and more terrible than any of the three former Beasts. This Empire continued in its greatness until the reign of Theodosius the great, and then broke into ten kingdoms, represented by the ten horns of this Beast; and it continued in a broken form, until the Ancient of days sat on a throne like fiery flame, and the judgment was set, and the books were opened, and the Beast was killed and his body destroyed and given to the burning flames; and one like the son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days3, and received dominion over all nations, and judgment was given to the saints of the most high, and the time came that they possessed the kingdom.
"And I looked," says4 Daniel, "until the Beast was killed, and its body destroyed, and given to the burning flames. As for the rest of the Beasts, they had their dominion taken away; yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time." And so all four Beasts are still alive, even though the dominion of the first three has been taken away. The nations of Chaldea and Assyria are still the first Beast. Those of Media and Persia are still the second Beast. Those of Macedon, Greece and Thrace, Asia Minor, Syria and Egypt are still the third. And those of Europe, on this side of Greece, are still the fourth. Since the body of the third Beast is confined to the nations on this side of the river Euphrates, and the body of the fourth Beast is confined to the nations on this side of Greece, we are to look for all four heads of the third Beast among the nations on this side of the river Euphrates, and for all eleven horns of the fourth Beast among the nations on this side of Greece. And so, when the Greek empire broke into four kingdoms of the Greeks, we include no part of the Chaldeans, Medes and Persians in those kingdoms, because they belonged to the bodies of the first two Beasts. Nor do we count the Greek empire seated at Constantinople among the horns of the fourth Beast, because it belonged to the body of the third.
Notes to Chap. IV.
1 Chap. vii. 4.
2 Chap. vii. 5.
3 Chap. vii. 13.
4 Chap. vii. 11, 12.
About this section
Part I, Chapter 4 is part of Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel, and the Apocalypse of St. John by Isaac Newton. This page sets the 18th-century English original beside 2 direct-source translations, so any line can be checked against the source. It is part 5 of 32 in the work, which is kept in the European tradition.
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