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they drew all their subjects to themselves; but when the kingdom passed to the Persians, the course of the subjects immediately shifted to them. And when the Macedonians in turn took the scepters, everyone, abandoning those whom they had previously obeyed, brought the customary tribute to these. And since the Romans assumed power over all, everyone runs together to the west, taking no account of the Macedonians; for they themselves are also numbered among the subjects. Rightly, therefore, he compared the changes of affairs to winds, which now here, now there push the waves of the sea. For this reason he also mentioned the four winds, since there have been four successions of kingdoms. And he teaches us what difference the beasts had from one another. 4. "For the first," he says, "was like a lioness, and it had wings like an eagle's; I watched until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and it stood on human feet, and a human heart was given to it." He signified the kingdom of the Assyrians, or rather the Chaldeans—for it was the first to rule over the greatest part of the inhabited world—by the lioness; for the animal is royal, and he says "its wings were like an eagle's"; for this animal too rules over all winged creatures. Just as, therefore, Nebuchadnezzar said he had seen the head of that image 81.1416 as golden; and the most divine Daniel, interpreting, said: "You are the golden head, O king;" so also here he has placed the mightiest of the beasts for the first kingdom, not testifying to its greater strength, but showing it as the first and more honorable. But nevertheless he saw how "its wings were plucked;" that is, it was stripped of all its subjects, and was deprived of its former power. "And it was lifted," he says, "from the earth;" which means, it ceased to rule. "And it stood," he says, "on human feet." It became, he says, equal to its subjects. "And a human heart was given to it." It learned, he says, through experience to think human thoughts, and not to transgress the measures of nature with the imagination of its mind; for when they held the rudders of the kingdom, they were sick with pride and immeasurable arrogance; for which reason also the blessed Isaiah says: "God will bring upon the great mind of the king of the Assyrians;" rightly, having learned by experience the change of affairs and the precariousness of prosperity, they think human thoughts, and know themselves, and have acquired a human heart. Thus then he related the things concerning the first beast. And he adds: 5. "And behold, another beast, like a bear, and it was raised up on one side, and three wings in its mouth between its teeth, and thus they said to it: Arise, devour much flesh." Here he alludes to the Persian kingdom; and he says it is like a bear, on account of the cruelty and harshness of its punishments. For of all barbarians the Persians are the cruelest in their punishments, using flaying, and by the cutting off of limbs piece by piece devising long tortures, and making death bitter for those being punished. For this reason, he says, they also said to it: "Arise, devour much flesh;" not permitting it to do this, but foretelling what was to come, and testifying to its cruelty and savageness. "And three," he says, "wings in its mouth." For it ruled over the three parts of the inhabited world, the eastern, and the northern, and the southern. For Cyrus, the first to rule the Persians, brought all the East under his control as far as the Hellespont; and Cambyses his son conquered Egypt, and made the Ethiopians his subjects; and Darius the son of Hystaspes ruled over the nomadic Scythians, who were allotted to inhabit the northern part of the world. And Xerxes the son of Darius attempted to join Europe also to his subjects; but having been defeated by the Athenians in a naval battle, he returned in disgrace, and learned the harm born of insatiability. For this reason he says: "Three wings in its mouth;" 81.1417 but some of the copies have ribs; but it makes no difference. For whether this or that is put, it teaches that the three parts of the inhabited world

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ἑαυτοὺς ἅπαντας εἷλκον τοὺς ὑπ ηκόους· μεταβάσης δὲ τῆς βασιλείας εἰς Πέρσας, μετ έβη παραυτίκα καὶ τῶν ὑπηκόων πρὸς ἐκείνους ὁ δρόμος. Μακεδόνων δὲ πάλιν τὰ σκῆπτρα λαβόντων, ἀφέντες ἅπαντες ἐκείνους οἷς ὑπήκουον πρότερον, τούτοις προσέφερον τὸν συνήθη δασμόν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι τὸ κατὰ πάντων ἀνεδήσαντο κράτος, εἰς τὴν ἑσπέραν συντρέχουσιν ἅπαντες, Μακεδόνων οὐ δένα ποιούμενοι λόγον· τοῖς γὰρ ὑπηκόοις καὶ αὐτοὶ συνηρίθμηνται. Εἰκότως τοίνυν τὰς τῶν πραγμάτων μεταβολὰς ἀνέμοις ἀπείκασεν, οἳ νῦν μὲν ὧδε, νῦν δὲ ἐκεῖσε τῆς θαλάττης ὠθοῦσι τὰ κύματα. Τούτου δὲ χάριν καὶ τῶν τεσσάρων ἐμνημόνευσεν ἀνέ μων, ἐπειδὴ καὶ τέσσαρες γεγόνασι βασιλειῶν δια δοχαί. ∆ιδάσκει δὲ ἡμᾶς, καὶ ὁποίαν πρὸς ἄλληλα εἶχε τὰ θηρία διαφοράν. δʹ. "Τὸ πρῶτον γὰρ, φησὶν, ὡσεὶ λέαινα, καὶ πτερὰ αὐτῇ ὡσεὶ ἀετοῦ· ἐθεώρουν ἕως οὗ ἐξ ετίλη τὰ πτερὰ αὐτῆς, καὶ ἐξήρθη ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἐπὶ ποδῶν ἀνθρώπου ἐστάθη, καὶ καρδία ἀνθρώπου ἐδόθη αὐτῇ." Τὴν Ἀσσυρίων βασιλείαν, εἴτ' οὖν Χαλδαίων, αὐτὴ γὰρ πρώτη τοῦ πλείστου τῆς οἰ κουμένης ἐκράτησε, διὰ τῆς λεαίνης ᾐνίξατο· βασιλικὸν γὰρ τὸ ζῶον, καὶ "τὰ πτερὰ ἀετῷ ἐοικέναι" φησί· καὶ γὰρ τοῦτο τὸ ζῶον τῶν πτηνῶν ἁπάν των κρατεῖ. Ὥσπερ τοίνυν καὶ τῆς εἰκόνος ἐκείνης 81.1416 ὁ Ναβουχοδονόσορ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἔφη τεθεᾶσθαι χρυ σῆν· ἑρμηνεύων δὲ ὁ θειότατος ∆ανιὴλ ἔφη· "Ἡ κεφαλὴ ἡ χρυσῆ σὺ εἶ, βασιλεῦ·" οὕτω κἀνταῦθα τῶν θηρίων τὸ κράτιστον ἐπὶ τῆς πρώτης τέθεικε βασιλείας, οὐκ ἰσχὺν αὐτῇ πλείονα προσμαρτυρῶν, ἀλλ' ὡς πρώτην τιμιωτέραν ἀποφαίνων. Ἀλλ' ὅμως εἶδεν, ὡς "ἐξετίλη αὐτῆς τὰ πτερά·" τουτέστι, γυμνὴ τῶν ὑπηκόων ἁπάντων ἐγένετο, καὶ τῆς προ τέρας ἐστερήθη δυνάμεως. "Καὶ ἐξήρθη, φησὶ, ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς·" ἀντὶ τοῦ, βασιλεύειν ἐπαύσατο. "Καὶ ἐπὶ ποδῶν, φησὶν, ἀνθρώπου ἐστάθη." Ἴση, φησὶ, τοῖς ὑπηκόοις ἐγένετο. "Καὶ καρδία ἀνθρώ που ἐδόθη αὐτῇ." Μεμάθηκε, φησὶ, διὰ τῆς πείρας ἀνθρώπινα φρονεῖν, καὶ μὴ ὑπερβαίνειν τῇ φαντασίᾳ τῆς διανοίας τὰ μέτρα τῆς φύσεως· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ, ἡνίκα τὰ τῆς βασιλείας κατεῖχον πηδάλια, τύφον ἐνόσουν καὶ ἀλαζονείας ἀμετρίαν· διὸ καὶ ὁ μακά ριος Ἡσαΐας φησίν· "Ἐπάξει ὁ Θεὸς ἐπὶ τὸν νοῦν τὸν μέγαν τὸν ἄρχοντα τῶν Ἀσσυρίων·" εἰ κότως καὶ τὴν τῶν πραγμάτων μεταβολὴν τῇ πείρᾳ μαθόντες καὶ τῆς εὐημερίας τὸ σφαλερὸν, ἀνθρώ πινα φρονοῦσι, καὶ ἑαυτοὺς γινώσκουσι, καὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρωπίνην ἐκτήσαντο. Οὕτω μὲν οὖν τὰ περὶ τοῦ πρώτου διηγήσατο θηρίου. Ἐπάγει δέ· εʹ. "Καὶ ἰδοὺ θηρίον ἕτερον ὅμοιον ἄρκτῳ, καὶ εἰς μέρος ἓν ἐστάθη, καὶ τρία πτερὰ ἐν τῷ στό ματι αὐτῆς ἀναμέσον τῶν ὀδόντων αὐτῆς, καὶ οὕτως ἔλεγον αὐτῇ· Ἀνάστα, φάγε σάρκας πολλάς." Τὴν Περσικὴν ἐνταῦθα βασιλείαν αἰνίττεται· ἄρκῳ δὲ αὐτὴν ἐοικέναι φησὶ, διὰ τὸ τῶν τιμωριῶν ὠμὸν καὶ ἀπηνές. Βαρβάρων γὰρ ἁπάντων ὠμότεροι περὶ τὰς τιμωρίας οἱ Πέρσαι, ἐκδοραῖς χρώμενοι, καὶ τῇ κατὰ μέρος τῶν μορίων ἐκτομῇ μακρὰς τὰς κολάσεις μη χανώμενοι, καὶ πικρὸν κατασκευάζοντες τοῖς κολα ζομένοις τὸν θάνατον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο, φησὶ, καὶ ἔλεγον αὐτῇ· "Ἀνάστα, φάγε σάρκας πολλάς·" οὐκ ἐπι τρέποντες τοῦτο ποιεῖν, ἀλλὰ προλέγοντες τὰ ἐσό μενα, καὶ τὸ ὠμὸν καὶ ἀνήμερον προσμαρτυροῦντες. "Τρία δὲ, φησὶ, πτερὰ ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτῆς." Τῶν τριῶν γὰρ τῆς οἰκουμένης τμημάτων ἐκράτησε, τοῦ ἑῴου, καὶ τοῦ βορείου, καὶ τοῦ νοτίου. Κῦρος μὲν γὰρ, ὁ πρῶτος Περσῶν βασιλεύσας, τὸ Ἑῷον ἅπαν μέχρι τοῦ Ἑλλησπόντου ὑφ' ἑαυτὸν ἐποιήσατο· Καμβύσης δὲ ὁ τούτου παῖς καὶ τὴν Αἴγυπτον ἐχει ρώσατο, καὶ Αἰθίοπας ὑπηκόους ἀπέφηνε· ∆αρεῖος δὲ ὁ τοῦ Ὑστάσπου, Σκυθῶν τῶν Νομάδων ἐκρά τησεν, οἳ τὸ βόρειον ἔλαχον μέρος τῆς οἰκουμένης οἰκεῖν. Ξέρξης δὲ ὁ ∆αρείου ἐπεχείρησε μὲν καὶ τὴν Εὐρώπην τοῖς ὑπηκόοις συνάψαι· ναυμαχίᾳ δὲ ἡτ τηθεὶς Ἀθηναίων, αἰσχρῶς ἀνέστρεψε, καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀπληστίας τικτομένην ἔμαθε βλάβην. Τούτου χάριν φησί· "Τρία πτερὰ ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτῆς·" 81.1417 ἔνια δὲ τῶν ἀντιγράφων πλευρὰ ἔχει· οὐδὲν δὲ δια φέρει. Εἴτε γὰρ τοῦτο, εἴτε ἐκεῖνο τεθείη, διδάσκει ὡς τὰ τρία τμήματα τῆς οἰκουμένης