goat's people; and upon this occafion, as heathen authors report. Caranus, their first king, going with a great multitude of Greeks to feek new habitations in Macedonia, was commanded by the oracle to take the goats for his guides to empire: and afterwards feeing a herd of goats flying from a violent ftorm, he followed them to Edeffa, and there fixed the feat of his empire, made the goats his enfigns or ftandards, and called the city Ægea or the goat's town, and the people Ægeada or the goat's people. This observation is likewife owing to the most excellent (6) Mr. Mede: and to this may be added that the city Ægeæ or Æge was the (7) usual burying-place of the Macedonian kings. It is alfo very remarkable, that Alexander's fon by Roxana was named Alexander Ægus, or the son of the goat; and (8) fome of Alexander's fucceffors are represented in their coins with goat's horns.

This he goat came from the weft: and who is ignorant that Europe lieth weftward of Afia? He came on the face of the whole earth, carrying every thing before him in all the three parts of the world then known: and he touched not the ground, his marches were fo swift, and his conquefts fo rapid, that he might be faid in a manner to fly over the ground without touching it. For the fame reason the fame empire in the former vifion was likened to a leopard, which is a fwift nimble animal, and to denote the greater quickness and impetuofity, to a leopard with four wings. And the goat had a notable born between bis eyes; this horn, faith the angel, is the first king, or kingdom of the Greeks in Afia, which was erected by Alexander the great, and continued for fome years in his brother Philip Aridæus, and his two young fons Alexander Ægus and Hercules. Dean Prideaux, fpeaking of the swift

ness of Alexander's marches, hath a (2) paffage, which is very pertinent to our present purpose. "He flew with victory swifter than others can "travel, often with his horfe pursuing his ene"mies upon the fpur whole days and nights, "and sometimes making long marches for feve"ral days one after the other, as once he did "in pursuit of Darius of near forty miles a day "for eleven days together. So that by the speed of his marches he came upon his enemy "before they were aware of him, and con

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quered them before they could be in a posture "to refift him. Which exactly agreeth with "the description given of him in the prophecies " of Daniel fome ages before, he being in them "fet forth under the fimilitude of a panther or leopard with four wings: for he was impetu"ous and fierce in his warlike expeditions, as a panther after his prey, and came on upon "enemies with that speed, as if he flew with a "double pair of wings. And to this purpose "he is in another place of thofe prophecies com

his

pared to an he-goat coming from the west "with that swiftness upon the king of Media " and Perfia, that he seemed as if his feet did 66 not.

(8) Prideaux Connect. Part 1. Book 8. Ann. 330. Alexander 2.

(1) Herod. Lib. 6 & 7. (2) Arrian, de Exped. Alex. Lib. 1. Cap. 14. &c. Sic Gra

not touch the ground. And his actions, as "well in this comparison as in the former, fully "verified the prophecy."

In the two next verfes we have an account of the Grecians overthrowing the Perfian empire. (ver. 6, 7.) And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had feen ftanding before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power. And I faw him come clofe unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote 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 ftamped upon him; and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand. The ram had before pushed westward, and the Perfians in the (1) reigns of Darius Hyftafpis and Xerxes had poured down with great armies into Greece: but now the Grecians in return carried their armas into Afia, and the he-goat invaded the ram that had invaded him. And he came to the ram that had two borns, which I had feen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power. One can hardly read these words without having some image of Darius's army ftanding and guarding the river (2) Granicus, and of Alexander on the other

nicum, tot millibus equitum pe- ripa, fuperavit. Quint. Curt. ditumque in ulteriore ftantibus Lib. 4. Cap. 9.

VOL. II.

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Diod.

other fide with his forces plunging in, swimming across the stream, and rufhing on the enemy with all the fire and fury that can be imagin'd. It was certainly a ftrange rafh mad attempt with only about thirty-five thoufand men to attack, at fuch disadvantage, an army of more than five times the number: but he was fuccefsful in it, and this fuccefs diffufed a terror of his name, and opened his way to the conqueft of Afia. And I faw him come close unto the ram: he had feveral close engagements or fet battles with the king of Perfia, and particularly at the river Granicus in Phrygia, at the ftraits of Iffus in Cilicia, and in the plains of Arbela in Affyria. And he was moved with choler against him, for (3) the cruelties which the Perfians had exercised toward the Grecians; and for (4) Darius's attempting to corrupt fometimes his foldiers to betray him, and fometimes his friends to destroy him; fo that he would not liften to the most advantageous offers of peace, but determined to pursue the Persian king, not as a generous and noble enemy, but as a poisoner and a murderer,

(3) Diod. Sic. Lib. 17. p. 599. Edit. Steph. p. 543. Tom. 2. Edit. Rhod. Quint. Curt. Lib. 5. Cap. 6.

(4) Quint. Curt. Lib. 4. Cap. 11. Verumenimvero, quum modo milites meos litteris

to

ad proditionem, modo amicos ad perniciem meam pecunia folicitet; ad internecionem mihi perfequendus eft, non ut justus hoftis,fed ut percuffor veneficus. (5) Diod. Sic. Lib. 17. ibid. Quint. Curt. Lib. 5. Cap. 6 & 7. (6) Quint.