John Trapp on Daniel 7:8

Ver. 8. And I conſidered the horns] For without a ſerious and ſedulous conſideration, I could not have kenned it: ſo ſlily and ſecretly worketh the Myſtery of iniquity.

And behold there came up among them another little horn] This is Antiochus Epiphanes ſay ſome, the great Turk ſay others, the Pope ſay a third ſort (and with them I concur) whoſe Kingdom is here called a little horn: becauſe the Pope was, at firſt, a mean Miniſter of the Roman Church; viz till Conſtantine's time. Afterwards, he was only Primat and Metropolitan of the Churches of Italy: no man took him for a Prince, no not when he began to write Volumus & jubemu[illegible: 1 letter], We will and command you, A. D. 606. but he grew up by degrees, and cunningly gat among the ten horns, till at length he overtopped them.

Before whom there were three of the firſt horns pluckt up by the roots] Theſe were (according to ſome) Chilperick the French King, Frederick the Emperour, and King John of England, whom he made his vaſſal. Others reckon them to be Chilperick, the Exarch of Italy, in the time of Gregory the ſecond, and Deſidorius, King of Lombards ſlain by Charles the Great at the inſtigation of the Pope. For three Kingdoms coming under him, let it be conſidered whether they be not Spain, Germany and France: or whether this prefigured not (ſaith One) his triple crown?

And behold in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man] In reſpect of his feined curteſy, and profound policy. To be ſharpſighted, is commendable: but to be wittily wicked is to do the devil doubty ſervice.

And a mouth ſpeaking great thing] Big ſwoln with blaſphemies, both againſt God and his Vicegerents upon earth. Pope Boniface wrot to Philip the Fair, King of France, Volumus te ſcire te in temporali & ſpirituali nobis ſubjacere. We would you ſhould know, Sir, that you are to ſubject your ſelves to us,Alſted. Chron. both in temporals and ſpirituals, &c. Accordingly he took upon him to overtop and command, at pleaſure, all Chriſtian Kings and Emperours. The application that the malicious Jew-doctours blaſphemouſly make of this little horn to our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, is worthy of all execration.