And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
Ver. 2. Like unto a leopard] Which is the female among the panthers, the property whereof is, as Pliny telleth us, with her sweet smell to allure the beasts unto her, hiding her terrible head, till she hath them within her reach, and then teareth them in pieces. Just so dealeth Rome with her unhappy proselytes. The Papacy is an alluring, tempting, bewitching religion. No sin past, but the pope can pardon it; none to come, but he can dispense with it, Etiamsi per impossibile, matrem Dei quis vitiasset, said Tecelius.
As the feet of a bear] Which stands firm on her hinder feet, and fights with her fore feet; so doth the Papacy with its canons, decrees, traditions, &c.
As the mouth of a lion] Wide, ravenous, roaring, and insatiable.
And the dragon gave him his power] This bargain was offered to Christ,Matthew 4:8,10, but he would none of it. The bramble in Jotham's parable thought it a goodly thing to reign; so did not the vine and fig tree.