Matthew Poole and continuators on Revelation 13:1

1 AND I stood upon the sand of the sea , and saw a beast rise up out of the sea , having seven heads, and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns , and upon his heads the name of blasphemy .

The place of Iohn's present Residence was Patmos, which was an Island, ch. 1.9. He was yet in a Vision, but thought he was upon the Sea-shore, either in Patmos, or elsewhere;

and saw a Beast rise up out of the Sea; that is, (as I should think) unexpectedly; for who would expect to see a Leopard rise from thence?

This Beast is described like the Dragon, ch. 12.3. (only that is described with but seven Crowns) by which we understand the Devil in the Heathen Emperors of Rome; and we shall find it, v. 2. so answering Daniel's Vision of the four Monarchies, that I cannot but think the Roman Emperors, after the time of Theodosius, are meant, several of which were Arrians, as also were the Goths and Vandals (many of them) who from 402, invaded the Empire, and were not beaten out, till 564, little above 40 years before Boniface was confirmed in his Primacy.

The Arrians denying the eternal Existence of Christ, as God, may well be said to have the Names of Blasphemy upon them, or upon their Heads; but whether by these ten Heads be meant the ten sorts of Governours made use of in the Empire, or the ten Governments into which the Goths and Vandals divided the Empire, is not easie to determine, nor possibly much material. There are other Notions about this Beast: some would have it to be the Devil, but he is plainly distinguished, v. 2, and 4. from the Dragon: Some would have it to be the Turk, but we read of the worshipping of this Beast, which is what we read not done to the Turkish Emperors, who also began not till above the year 1200, (tho indeed the Saracens began [illegible: 1 letter]00 years before) but Rome, which never was the Turks Seat, is made the Seat of this Beast. Some would have it to be Idolatry it self; this was Grotius his Notion; see the Reasons against it in Mr. Pool's Synopsis Lati[illegible: 1 letter]a. Some would have it the Pagan Empire of Rome, but Iohn never saw the first Rise of that. This is a Beast that rose after the Dragon was cast down; which must be the Roman Empire under the Dominion of the Papacy, in which respect only it is now one Beast again; for otherwise in civil Respects it is divided into ten crowned Horns, i. e. distinct independent Kingdoms or Principalities.

Marginal references: Dan. 7.7.; Chap. 17.3. 9, 12.; Or, names.