death and driven out naked They shall change their red and black into green ANNOT. Here I confess to be at a loss as may be a wiser man then I. XXXI French Le Sainct Empire viendra en Germanie Ismaelites trouveront lieux ouverts Asnes viendront aussy de la Caramanie Les soustenans de Terre tous couverts English The Holy Empire shall come into Germany The Ismaelites shall find open places Asses shall also come out of Caramania Taking their part and covering the Earth ANNOT. By the Ismaelites he meaneth the Turks who brag to be descended from Ismael Caramania is a Province of Turky so that the sense of this Stanza is that there shall be a great Invasion of the Turks into Germany and that those of Caramania with their Asses shall come to their help and shall be in such numbers as that the Earth shall be covered with them XXXII French Le grand Empire chascun en devoit estre Un sur les autres le viendra obtenir Mais peu de temps sera son Regne estre Deux ans aux Naves se pourra soustenir English The great Empire every one would be of it One above the rest shall obtain it But his time and his Reign shall last little He may maintain himself two years in his Shipping ANNOT. This is plain enough without interpretation XXXIII French La faction cruelle a Robe longue Viendra cacher soubs les pointus Poignards Saisir Florence le Duc le Diphlongue Sa discouverte par Immeurs Flagnards English The cruel faction of long Robe Shall come and hide under the sharp Daggers Seize upon Florence the Duke and the Diphlongue The discovery of it shall be by Countrey fellows ANNOT. This is the Prognostication of a conspiracy against the Duke and City of Florence by those of the long Gown which shall be discovered by Countrey fellows that live in places without Walls XXXIV French Gaulois qu'Empire par Guerre occupera Par son Beau-frere mineur sera trahi Par Cheval rude voltigeant trainera Du fait le frere long temps sera hay English A Frenchman who shall occupy an Empire by War Shall be betrayed by his Brother in Law a Pupil He shall be drawn by a rude prancing Horse For which fact his brother shall be long hated ANNOT. This foretelleth of a Frenchman who shall by War obtain an Empire or Kingdom and shall be betrayed by his Brother in Law a Pupil whom afterwards he shall treacherously cause to mount a fierce prancing Horse who shall throw him down and drag him for which the said King shall be hated long after XXXV French Puisné Roial flagrant d'ardant libide Pour se jouir de cousine Germaine Habit de femme au Temple d' Artemide Allant murdry par incogneu du Marne English The Kingly youngest son heated with burning lust For to enjoy his Cosen German Shall in womans apparrel go to the Temple of Artemis Going shall be murdered by unknown du Marne ANNOT. This is concerning the younger son of a King who being extreamly in love with his Cosen German shall disguise himself in a womans apparel and shall go so disguised to the Temple of Artemide that is of some Church Dedicated to the Virgin Mary to meet her but in going shall be murdered by an unknown man named du Marne XXXVI French Apres le Roy du Sud guerres parlant L'Isle Harmotique le tiendra a mespris Quelques ans bons rongeant un pillant Par tyrannie a l'Isle changeant pris English After that the King of the South shall have talked of Wars The Harmotick Island shall despise him Some good years gnawing one and plundering And by tyranny shall change the price of the Island ANNOT. The two first Verses are concerning Philip the II. King of Spain who is called here the King of the South whom after his vain and frustrated Invasion of 88. the Harmotique Island that is England shall deride and he after that shall have some good years that is of Peace still pillaging and plundering his Subjects and shall change the price of England that is make it of a higher value and more flourishing then ever it was before as it did prove in Queen Elizabeth's time XXXVII French Grande assemblée pres du Lac du Borget Se rallieront pres de Montmelian Passants plus outre pensifs feront projet Chambray Morienne combat Saint Julian English A great assembly of people near the Lake of Borget Will go and gather themselves about Montmelian Going beyond they shall make an enterprize Upon Chambery Moriene and shall fight at St. Julian ANNOT. This Lake of Borget is in Savoy as also Montmelian Chambery Moriene and St. Julian the meaning of it then is that a great Army shall be gathered about that Lake which shall go through Chambery Moriene and Montmelian and shall fight at St. Julian XXXVIII French Amour alegre non loin pose le Siege Au Saint Barbar seront les Garnisons Ursins Hadrie pour Gaulois feront plaige Pour peur rendus de l'Armée aux Grisons English Cheerful love doth lay Siege not far The Garrisons shall be at Saint Barbar Ursini Hadria shall be sureties for the French And many for fear shall go from the Army to the Grisons ANNOT. The first two Verses are inexplicable the two last signifie that there shall be an Army of Frem with whom Hadria that is Venice and the Ursini the noblest Family in Italy shall take part insomuch that many of the contrary party shall run for fear to the Grisons which is a Nation dwelling in the Valteline and other Countreis there about between the Venetians and the Switzers XXXIX French Premier fils veufve malheureux mariage Sans nuls enfans deux Isles en discord Avant dixhuit incompetant Aage De l'autre pres plus bas sera l'accord English Of the first son a widow an unhappy match Without any Children two Islands at variance Before eighteen an incompetant Age Of the other lower shall be the agreement ANNOT. Although the words be intricate nevertheless the sense is plain concerning Francis the II. King of France who being married young and before he was 18. years of Age to Mary Stuart Queen of Scotland died presently after and left her a widow and also England and Scotland which he calleth here two Islands at variance among themselves of the last Verse the sense is very obscure and hath relation to what did happen afterwards to the said Mary Queen of Scots and Dowager of France XL French Le jeune nay au Regne Britannique Qu'aura le Pere mourant recommandé Iceluy mort Londre donra topique Et a son fils le Regne demandé English The young man born to the Kingdom of Britanny Whom his Father dying shall have recommended After his death London shall give him a topick And shall ask the Kingdom from his son ANNOT. This Prophecy is plain concerning his Majesty King
Charles II. now Reigning who having been recommended by his dying Father to his Subjects presently after his death they turned tail and took the Kingdom from him for a good while XLI French En la frontiere de Caussade Charlus Non gueres loing du fond de la valée De Ville Franche Musique a son de Luths Environnez Combouls grand myrtée English Upon the Frontiere of Caussade and Charlus Not far from the bottom of the Valley Of Ville Franche there shall be Musick of Lutes Great dancing and great company of people met together ANNOT. Caussade Charlus and Villefranche are little Towns in Provence not far one from another the rest is easie XLII French Le Regne humain d'Angelique geniture Fera son Regne paix union tenir Captive guerre demy de sa closture Long temps la paix leur fera maintenir English The humane Reign of an Angelical brood Shall cause his Reign to be in peace and union Shall make War captive shutting it half up He shall cause them to keep peace a great while ANNOT. This is only a foretelling of some Gallant Prince who shall maintain his Subjects in great peace and tranquility XLIII French Le trop bon temps trop de bonté Roiale Faits desfaits prompt subit negligence Leger croira faux despouse loiale Luy mis a mort par sa benevolence English The time too good too much of Royal bounty Made and unmade nimble quick negligence Fickle shall believe false of his loyal Spouse He shall be put to death for his good will ANNOT. This is concerning another King who through his too much goodness simplicity and negligence shall make and unmake those about him and being fickle shall believe false reports made concerning his own wife and at last by his to much goodness shall be put to death XLIV French Par lors qu'un Roy sera contre les siens Natif de Blois subjuguera Ligneres Mammel Cordube les Dalmatiens Des sept puis l'ombre a Roy estrennes Lemures English At that time that a King shall be against his own One born at Blois shall subdue the Ligures Mammel Cordua and the Dalmatians After that the shadow of the seven shall be to the King a new-years gift and Hoggoblins ANNOT. Blois is a City in France Ligures are the Genoeses in Latine called Ligures as for Mammel I cannot tell what to make of it Cordua is a City of Spain and the Dalmatians is a Nation near the Adriatick Sea and under the Venetians I leave the interpretation of the last Verse to the ingenious Reader XLV French Lombre du Regne de Navarre non vray Fera la vie de sort illegitime La veu promis incertain de Cambray Roy d' Orleans donra mur legitime English The shadow of the Reign of Navarre not true Shall make the life of illigitimate chance The uncertain allowance from Cambray King of Orleans shall give a lawfull Wall ANNOT. The Reign or Kingdom of Navarre is called not true because the King of Spain doth possess it and not the King of France who is the lawful King thereof as also in regard of the Kings of France and before of Jane of Albret and Antony of Bourbon This Kingdom being not true in regard of the said ones the title and quality is called here shadow The Author saith that the quality of the King of Navarre shall make the life of illigitimate chance because after the death of Francis the II Catherine of Medicis being not opposed in the Regence by Antony of Bourbon King of Navarre she was willing to gratifie him in what she could And because his Brother Lewis Prince of Condé had been condemned to death and not executed it was a fair occasion for her to shew the King of Navarre how much she did defer to him Therefore twelve days after the death of King Francis he was freed out of Prison and was admitted to justifie himself under the King of Navarre's Bail Thus the shadow of the Kingdom of Navarre not true did cause the life of a Prince to be saved but that life was illegitimate and that Kingdom not true by chance that is by accident because of the death of King Francis Leaving off the third Verse to be explained after the fourth King saith the Author shall give Orleans for legitimate because Cha les the IX who during the life of Francis the II. did bear the title of Duke of Orleans did succeed his Brother thus the Verse saith that Orleans shall give a King for legitimate Now for the third Verse you must suppose that by the Treaty at Madrid 1526. and after this by that of Cambray the King Francis the I. did part with the Sovereignty of Flanders and of all the Low-Countreis in favour of Charles the V. Emperour it is of that uncertain allowance of Cambray of which the Author talketh here and saith that in that time viz. of the death of Francis the II. that allowance shall be uncertain because Francis the I. having no power of himself to renounce the rights and dependance of the Crown of France the Parliament that was assembled then would have made void that allowance without breaking the Peace declaring that the Kings of France ought to preserve the right they had upon the Low-Countreis and to require them again upon any occasion and upon that France did not refuse the Election which the Low-Courtreis made of the Duke of Alencon for their Sovereign Prince and Duke of Brabant XLVI French Vif sort mort de l'or vilain indigne Sera de Saxe non nouveau Electeur De Brunsvick mandra d'amour signe Faux le rendant au peuple seducteur English The living receives his death from Gold infamous slut◠Shall be of Saxony not the new Elector From Brunswick shal◠come a sign of love Falsly persuading the people that he is a seductor ANNOT. This Prophecy is concerning an old Elector of Saxony who being in health before shall die suddenly being poisoned in a golden Cup by a woman whom he calleth here infamous slut And that from Brunswick a Countrey adjacent to Saxony shall come a Messenger upon pretence of Love who shall persuade the people that the said Elector was a Seducer XLVII French De Bourze Ville a la Dame Guyrlande L'on mettra sus par la trahison faite Le grand Prelat de Leon par Formande Faux Pellerins Rauisseurs deffaite English From Bourze City belonging to the Lady Garlant They shall impose by a set treason The great Prelate of Leon by Formande False Pilgrims and Ravishers destroyed ANNOT. I believe that there is a fault here in the impression and that instead of Bourze it must be Bourges which is a famous City in France and Capitol of the Province of Berry for I do not know any Town in Europe called Bourze What he meaneth by the Lady Garlant is unknown I believe also that instead of Leon
that Law shall be most seducing ANNOT. This foretelleth the declining of the Mahometan Religion after which another Religion shall be set up worse then the Mahometan The first decay of it shall begin in Scythia a Kingdom belonging to the King of Persia through which runneth the River Boristhenes XCVI French Chef de Fossan aura gorge coupée Par le Ducteur du Limier L'curier Le fait patré par ceux du Mont Tarpee Saturne en Leo 13. de February English The Chief of Fossan shall have his throat cut By the Leader of the Hunt and Greyhond The fact committed by those of the Tarpeian Mountain Saturn being in Leo the 13. of February ANNOT. Fossan is a City in Piemont belonging to the Duke of Savoy the Chief man of Governour of which is threatned here to have his throat cut by some souldiers either of Rome or belonging to Rome signified here by the Tarpeian Mountain upon which the Capitol was built and this fact to the committed by one that shall be a famous Huntsman upon the 13 of February Saturn being then in the Sign of Leo. XCVII French Nouvelle Loy Terre neuve occuper Vers la Syrie Judée Palestine Le grand Empire Barbare corruer Avant que Phebe son Siecle determine English A new Law shall occupy a new Countrey Towards Syria Judea and Palestina The great Barbarian Empire shall fall down Before Phoebe maketh an end of her course ANNOT. The words and sense are plain XCVIII French Deux Royal Freres si fort guerroieront Qu'entreux sera la guerre si mortelle Qu'un chacun places fortes occuperont De Regne vie sera leur grand querelle English Two Royal Brothers shall War so much one against the other That the War between them shall be mortal Each of them shall seize upon strong places Their quarrel shall be concerning Kingdom and Life ANNOT. This needeth no interpretation XCIX French Aux Champs Herbus d' Alein du Varneigre Du Mont Lebron proche de la Durance Camps des deux parts conflict sera si aigre Mesopotamie defaillira en France English In the Meadow Fields of Alein and Varneigre Of the Mountain Lebron near the Durance Armies on both sides the fight shall be so sharp That Mesopotamia shall be wanting in France ANNOT. Alain and Vernaigre are two small Towns in France seated by the Mountain Lebron near the River called Durance where the Author saith there shall be such a sharp fight that Mesopetamia shall be wanting in France to understand this you must know that Mesopotamia is a Countrey between two Rivers from the Greek words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth middle and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth a River the meaning then of the Author is that the Battle so sharp the ground shall be wanting to bury the dead C. French Entre Gaulois le dernier honoré D'homme ennemy sera victorieux Force terreur en moment exploré D'Un coup de trait quand mourra l'envieux English He that is the least honoured among the French Shall be Conqueror of the man that was his Enemy Strength and terrour shall in a moment be tried When the envious shall be killed with an Arrow ANNOT. This is plain THE PROPHECIES OF Michael Nostradamus CENTURY IV. I. French SEra du reste de sang non espandu Venice quiert secours estre donné Apres avoir bien lon temps attendu Cité livrée au premier Cor sonné English There shall be a remnant of blood unspilt Venice shall seek for succours After having long waited for it The City shall be surrendred at the first sound of the Trumpet ANNOT. This to my judgement is concerning the Siege of Candia in which the Venetians for the space of about twenty years desired and expected succours from the Christian Princes which came so slowly that the City was fained to surrender upon honorable terms which is the meaning of the first Verse There shall be a remnant of blood unspilt II. French Par mort la France prendra voiage a faire Classe par Mer marcher Monts Pyrenées Espagne en trouble marcher gent militaire Des plus grands Dames en France emmenées English By reason of a death France shall undertake a Journey They shall have a Fleet at Sea and march towards the Pyrenes Spain shall be in trouble by an Army Some of the greatest Ladies in France carried away ANNOT. The whole sense of this is that by reason of some bodies death France shall make war against Spain by Sea and Land and put Spain in great trouble The fourth Verse saith that some of the greatest Ladies in France shall be carried away but the question is whether by the Spaniards or which is more probable by their own Husbands going to war against Spain III. French D' Arras Bourges de Brodes grands enseignes Un plus grand nombre de Gascons battre a pied Ceux long du Rhosne saigneront les Espagnes Proche du Mont ou Sagunte sassied English From Arras and Bourges many colours of black men shall come A greater number of Gascons shall go on foot Those along the Rhosne shall let Spain blood Near the Mountain where Saguntus is seated ANNOT. Arras and Bourges are Cities of France As for brodes we have said before that it signifie brown men such as are the Gascoins inhabiting the Province of Aquitania near Spain Saguntus is a City in Spain that was destroyed by the Romans IV. French L'Important Prince fasché plaint querelle De rapts pillé par Coqs par Libiques Grand par Terre par Mer infinis Voiles Seule Italie sera chassant Celtiques English The considerable Prince vexed complaineth and quarelleth Concerning rapes and plunderings done by the Cocks and Libiques Great trouble by Land by Sea infinite Sails Italy alone shall drive away the French ANNOT. This considerable Prince was Philip the II. King of Spain who was vexed to see the Cocks that is the French and Libiques that is the Turks joyned together under Barbarossa to commit so many Rapes and violences upon his subjects V. French Croix Paix soubs un accomply Divin Verbe L' Espagne Gaules seront unis ensemble Grand clade proche combat tresacerbe Coeur si hardy ne sera qui ne tremble English The Cross shall have peace under an accomplished Divine Word Spain and France shall be united together A great Battle near hand and a most sharp fight No heart so stout but shall tremble ANNOT. We have said before that by Divine Word we must not understadd the second person of the Trinity but a Divine or Theologian called in Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which also signifieth Divine Word Therefore the meaning of the first Verse is that under the Government of some eminent Divine be like a good Pope the Cross shall have peace that is the Christian Religion shall be in Peace and persecution shall
Conquestes meurtrira innocens English In the year that Saturn in Aquarius shall be in conjunction With Sol the King being strong and powerful Shall be received and Anointed at Rheines and Aix After Conquest he shall murder innocent persons ANNOT. This Prophecy is remarkable for the things that it foretelleth viz. that in the year that Saturn shall be in conjunction with sol in the Sign of Aquarius a King of France shall be annointed both at Rhemes and Aix for Rheme◠is a City in France where the Kings use to be Annointed and Crowned and Aix is another in Germany where the Emperours use to be so But the last Verse is ominous where he saith that after his Conquests he shall murder innocent persons LXXXVII French Un fils de Roy tant de Langues apprins A son Aisné au Regne different Son Pere beau au plus grand fils comprins Fera perir principal adherent English A son of a King having learned divers Languages Shall fall out with his elder Brother for the Kingdom His father in Law being more concerned with his elder son Shall cause the principal adherent to perish ANNOT. One King shall have two Sons the eldest shall succeed him in the Kingdom the youngest having been well brought up and educated shall raise troubles against the King his Brother but he shall be destroyed by the means of his own Father in Law LXXXVIII French La grand Antoine du nom de fait sordide De Phtyriase a son dernier rongé Un qui de plomb voudra este cupide Passant le port d'Esleu sera plongé English The great Antony by name but in effect sordid Of Phtyriasis shall at last be eaten up One that shall be covetous of Lead Going upon Port d'Esleu shall fall into the Water ANNOT. Phtyriasis in Greek is the disease called by the Latines Morbus pedicularis when one is devour 〈…〉 by Lice as were Herodes Sylla Pherecydes and Philip II. King of Spain c. As for Port d'Esleu the question is whether it be the proper name of a place or the name of a man that shall throw another in the water LXXXIX French Trente de Londres secret conjureront Contre Leur Roy sur le pont l'Entreprise Les Satellites la mort desgouteront Uu Roy esseu blond natif de Frize English Thirty of London shall secretly conspire Against their King upon the Bridge the Plot shall be made These Satellites shall taste of death A King shall be elected fair and born in Friezeland ANNOT. Here may be alleadged that passage of Scripture There is nothing so secret but shall be revealed for here is plainly told the number of those wicked persons who conspired against their lawful Sovereign King Charles I. of blessed memory as also the place where the Plot was first laid for it is well known that they used to assemble at the Bear at the Bridge foot XC French Les deux copies au murs ne pourront joindre Dans cet instant trembler Milan Thesin Faim soif doutance si fort les viendront prendre Chair pain ne vivres nauront un seul boucin English The two Armies shall not be able to joyn by the Walls At that instant Milan and Thesin shall tremble Hunger thirst and fear shall so seize upon them They shall not have a bit of meat bread nor victuals ANNOT. Milan is a City in Italy and Thesin is the River that passeth by it XCI French Au Duc Gaulois contraint battre au Duelle La nef de Mole Monech naprochera Tort accuse prison perpetuelle Son Fils regner a vant mort taschera English A French Duke compelled to fight a Ducl The Ship of Mole shall not come near Monaco Wrongfully accused shall have a perpetual Prison His son shall endeavour to Reign before his death ANNOT. To understand this Stanza we must suppose four Histories Paradin relateth the first which is that the French and Spanish Armies having their Winter quarters in the Dukedome of Milan Anno 1555. The Marquess of Pescaire sent word to the Duke of Nemours by a French Gentleman that he and three more desired to break a Lance with him upon the borders of Ast The Duke accepted the challenge without giving notice to the Marquess of Brissac then General of the French Army who was very angry at it nevertheless he advised the Duke to go but not with a Guilt and light Armour but with a wrong one such as became a Cavaliero which he did not do nor the other three that went with him whence it came that the Lord Classe a French man running against Malespine was wounded to death in the shoulder nevertheless one of the seconds to the Duke of Nemours the Lord Moncha killed upon the place Caraffa Nephew to Pope Marcel II. and the Lord Manoa one of the Duke of Nemours party falling from his Horse a little wounded broke his neck As for the Duke of Nemours he ran twice against the said Marquess without hiting one another but at the third time they both brake their Lances without doing any harm Thus the French Duke was compelled to fight a Duel We have the second History from Turpin and many others which is that the Marquess of Masseran having put himself into the King of France's service in hopes to have the Government of Bielais and proving a Traitor the Marshal of Brissac who had discovered his perfidiousness resolved to take him in his house of Gaillany which he had fortified to secure his retreat after his Treason The Lord de Termes was commanded to do it which he did so dexterously that he took him into his house after dinner and then compelled him presently to surrender the Castle of Jamaglia the Marquess obeying sent thither presently his son Claudius to put it into the hands of the Lords de la Mante and of Villars These two viewing the Castle to observe the places that might be fortified and going from room to room heard a lamentable voice crying Have mercy upon me They caused presently the Prison doors to be opened and found a poor Gentleman of Vercelle whom the Marquess had detained there 18 years for endeavouring to serve an execution against him in the Duke of Savoy's behalf And it is remarkable that his Imprisonment was all this while concealed so that no body ever heard of it in so much that his friends suspecting he had been killed by one of his enemies they prosecuted him so hard that after much tortering he confessed what he had not done and was consequently put to death in the presence of the said Marquess of Masseran who knew the Countrey Thus we see one wrongfully accused that was executed and this Gentlemans Imprisonment which was to be perpetual After this they carryed the poor Gentleman almost all naked and being nothing but skin and bones to the Lord of Termes who caused him to be clothed and gave him Money to go back to his friends The third
History is that the Duke of Nemours Son was one of the chief ringleaders of the League against Henry IV and did what he could before he dyed to get the Kingdom of France endeavouring first to make himself Sovereign Prince of Lion Forrest and Beaucolois The fourth History is that at the latter end of the year 1555. the Lord la Mole carrying to Rome the Cardinals of Tournon and Lorrain went directly to the Island of Corsica whence he drew some Forces which he joyned to his and to those of Monluc and would not Land at Monaco for some reasons but went directly to Civita Vecchia By this we understand that Verse of the Stanza The Ship of the Mole shall notcome near Monaco XCII French Teste trenchée du vaillant Capitaine Sera jettée devant son adversaire Son corps pendu de la Classe a l'Antenne Confus fuira par rames avent contraire English The head cut off the valliant Captain Shall be thrown down before his adversary His body hanged at the Sails Yard Confused they shall fly with Oars against the Wind. ANNOT. These words are plain enough though no body can tell whether the thing is past already or shall come to pass hereafter XCIII French Un Serpent veu proche du lict Royal Sera par Dame nuict chien n'abageronts Lors nastre en France un Prince tant Royal Du Ciel venu tous les Princes verront English A Serpent shall be seen near the Royal bed By a Lady in the night the Dogs shall not bark Then shall be born in France a Prince so Royal Come from Heaven all the Princes shall see it ANNOT. This seemeth to be an allusion to the Birth of Alexander the great for it is said that when his mother Olympia proved with Child of him there was seen in her Bed and about her Bed a great Serpent which was the presage of his future greatnesâ— therefore our Author also will have that when such a Prodigie shall appear in France that then shall be born such a Prince as he mentioneth here the circumstances are that this Serpent shall be seen by a Lady in the night time and that the Dogs of the house shall not bark at him XCIV French Deux grand freres seront chassez d' Espagne Laisné vaincu soubs les Monts Pyraenaecs Rougis Mer Rhosne sang Leman d' Alemagne Narbon Blyterre d' Agath contaminées English Two great Brothers shall be driven from Spain The elder of them shall be overcome under the Pyrenean Mountains Bloody Sea Rhosne Blood Leman of Germany Narbon Bliterre of Agath polâ—uted ANNOT. The two first Verses are easily understood by those that know the Pyrenean Mountains to be those that part Spain from France The two last Verses signifie there shall be bloody VVars in those places the Rhosne is a swift River of France that passeth through the City of Lyons Leman is the Lake of Geneva and Narbon is a City of Languedock XCV French Le Regne a deux laissé bien peu tiendront Trois ans sept mois passez feront la guerre Les deux vestales contre rebelleront Victor puisnay en Armorique Terre English The Kingdom being left to two they shall keep it but a little while Three years and seven months being past they shall make War The two Vestals shall rebel against them The youngest shall be Conquerour in the Armorick Countrey ANNOT. This signifies that a Kingdom shall be left to two who shall keep it but a little while about the space before mentioned By the two Vestals that shall rebel are to be understood two Nuns who having Interest in the state by their nearness of blood shall challenge a title in the Kingdom The last Verse signifies that the youngest that contended for the Kingdom shall overcome the eldest in the Province of Gascony XCVI French La soeur aisnèe de l'Isle Britannique Quinze ans devant le frere aura naissance Par son promis moyenant verifique Succedera au Regne de Balance English The eldest Sister of the Brittain Island Shall be born fifteen years before her Brother By what is promised her and help of the truth She shall succeed in the Kingdom of Libra ANNOT. This signifies that the Princess born so long after her Brother shall be married to a King of France which is understood here by the Kingdom of Libra therefore the last King Lewis the XIII was called the Just because born under the Sign of Libra XCVII French L'An que Mercure Mars Venus retrograde Du grand Monarque la ligne ne faillit Esleu du peuple Lusitant pres de Pactole Qu'en Paix Regne viendra fort enveillir English When Mercury Mars and Venus shall retrograde The Line of the great Monarch shall be wanting He shall be elected by the Lusitanians near Pactole And shall Reign in Peace a good while ANNOT. This signifies the late change of state in Portugal when they threw off the Spanish yoke and chose a King amongst themselves John the IV. Duke of Branganza Father to the present Queen of England for by the Lusitanians are meant the Portugals so called from their Countreys name Lusitania Pactoles is the River that runs by Lisbonne otherwise called Tagus in Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from the Sands XCVIII French Les Albanois passeront dedans Rome Moyennant Langres demipiler affubles Marquis Duc ne pardonnes a l'homme Feu sang morbilles point d'eau faillir les ble's English The Albanians shall pass through Rome By the means of Langres covered with half Helmets Marquess and Duke shall spare no man Fire blood small Pox Water shall fail us also Corn. ANNOT. The meaning is that when the people of Albania lying between the Venetian Territories and Grecia shall come to Rome by the means of a Bishop of Langres who is a Duke and Peer of France being covered with half Helmets a kind of a Cap that they wear in War then shall be fire blood small Pox and want of Corn. XCIX French L'Aisnè vaillant de la fille du Roy Repoussera si profond les Celtiques Qu'il mettra Foudres combien en tel arroy Peu loing puis profond es Hesperiques English The valliant eldest son of the daughter of the King Shall beat back so far those of Flanders That he will cast Lightnings O how many in such orders Little and far after shall go deep in Spain ANNOT. This is scarce to be understood of any body but the present King of France Lewis the XIV who was the elder son and born of Queen Ann Daughter to the King of Spain who by his valour and fortune made last year such progress in the Conqueâ— of Flanders that it hath caused admiration in every body insomuch that if he do the like this year it may be propably suspected he will afterwards go deep into Spain according to the contents of this Prophecy C. French Du feu Celeste au Royal
the eighth but because I do not know the particularities of his death and the place of it I cannot make the rest good L. French La Pestilence lentour de Capadille Un autre faim pres de Sagunt sapreste La Chevalier Bastard de bon senille Au grand de Thunes fera trancher la teste English The Plague shall be round about Capadille Another famine cometh near to that of Sagunce The Knight Bastard of the good old man Shall cause the great one of Tunis to be beheaded ANNOT. The difficulty here is what is meant by that word Cappadille for my part I think he meaneth Italy for some times the Italians use by way of admiration to say Capoli or Capadillo Sagunce is a Town in Spain which for the love of the Carthaginians withstood the Romans a great while till they were brought to an extremity of famine and then set fire in their Town LI. French Le Bizantin faisant oblation Apres avoir Cordube a soy reprinse Son chemin long repos pamplation Mer passant proye par la Cologne a prinse English The Bizantin making an offering After he hath taken Cordua to himself again His way l ng rest contemplation Crossing the Sea hath taken a prey by Cologne ANNOT. This is an express delineation of Charles the V. Empire who at the latter end of his days retired into a Monastery reserving unto himself for his subsistance the revenue of the Kingdom of Castille expressed here by Cordua which is a City of Spain LII French Le Roy de Blois dans Avignon Regner D' Amboise Seme viendra le long de Lindre Ongole a Poitiers Saintes aisles ruiner Devant Bony English The King of Blois shall Reign in Avignon He shall come from Amboise and Seme along the Linder A Nail at Poitiers shall ruine the Holy Wings Before Bony ANNOT. The first Verse and the interpretation is easie Amboise is a Town in France upon the River of Loire The two last Verses being inperfect admits of no interpretation onely to let the Reader know that Poitiers is a very great City in France and Capital of the Province of Poitou LIII French Dedans Boulogne voudra laver ses fautes Il ne poura au Temple du Soleil Il volera faisant choses si hautes En Hierarchie n'en fut onc un pareil English He shall desire to wash his faultes in Bulloin In the Church of the Sun but he shall not be able He shall fly doing so high things That the like was never in Hierarchy ANNOT. There is two Towns called Bolloin one is in Italy the other in France the last is that which is meant here for Cardinal Richelieu who is the man that did so high things and the like of which was never in Hierarchy that is in the Clergy a little afore his death had vowed if he recovered his health to go in Pilgrimage to Bulloin where there is a famous Temple for Miracles as they say dedicated to our Lady which is called here the Sun by an allusion to that passage of the Revelation And there appeared a Woman cloathed with the Sun but the said Cardinal was prevented by death LIV. French Soubs la couleur du traité mariage Fait magnanime par grand Chiren Selin Quintin Arras recouvrez au voiage D' Espagnols fait second banc Macelin English Under pretence of a Treaty of Marriage A Magnanimous act shall be done by the great Cheiren Selin Quintin Arras recovered in the journey Of Spaniards shall be made a second Macelin Bench. ANNOT. This is a Prognostication concerning a King of France meant here by the great Cheiren Selin who under pretence of a Treaty of Marriage shall recover in his journey these two Towns Saint Quintin and Arras for the Shambles are called in Latine Macellum Quodilimactentur pectora quae mercatoribus venundantur LV. French Entre deux Fleuves se verra enserré Tonneaux caques unis a passer outre Huit Pont rompus chef a tant enferré Enfans parfaits sont jugulez en coultre English Between two Rivers he shall find himself shut up Tuns and Barrels put together to pass over Eight Bridges broken the chief at last in Prison Compleat children shall have their throat cut ANNOT. It is an accident that hath often happened to a Commander of an Army to find himself either by his own oversight or by the policy of his enemies shut up between two Rivers having upon neither of them a Bridge at his command as it did happen once to the Prince of Condé the Grandfather of this in the time of the Civil war for Religion who was forced by it to dissolve his Army and bid every one shift for himself so that they almost all escaped by several small parties some going one way some another at such time it is an ordinary shift to make use of empty Vessels and Caskes to make a Bridge as our Author doth mention here LVI French La bande foible la Terre occupera Ceux du haut lieu feront horribles cris Le gros troupeau d'estre coin troublera Tombe pres D. nebro descouvert les escrits English The weak party shall occupy the ground Those of the high places shall make fearful cries It shall trouble the great flock in the right corner He falleth near D. nebro discovereth the writings ANNOT. I dare not comment upon this for fear it should be said of me what was said of the Glose of Accurtius obscura per obscurius LVII French De Soldat simple parviendra en Empire De Robe courte parviendra a la longue Vaillant aux Armes en Eglise ou plus pire Vexer les Prestres comme l'eau fait l'esponge English From a simple Souldier he shall come to have the supreme command From a short Gown he shall come to the long one Vaillant in Arms no worse man in the Church He shall vex the Priests as water doth a Spunge ANNOT. I never knew nor heard of any body to whom this Stanza might be better applied then to the late Usurper Cromwel for from a simple Souldier he be came to be Lord Protector and from a Student in the University he became a graduate in Oxford he was valliant in Arms and the worse Churchman that could be found as for vexing the Priests I mean the Prelatical Clergy I believe none went beyond him LVIII French Regne en querelle aux freres divisé Prendre les Armes les nom Britannique Tiltre Anglican sera tard advisé Surprins de nuit mener a l'air Gallique English A Kingdom in dispute and divided between the Brothers To take the Arms and the Britannick name And the English title he shall advise himself late Surprised in the night and carried into the French air ANNOT. This prognosticateth a great division in England between Brothers about the Title and Kingdom of England insomuch that in conclusion one shall be surprised by night and carried away into France
the fierce ones that is stout men of Grenoble the chief Town of Dauphiné shall be hidden and that such a Hail shall fall upon them as not one third part shall be left LXX French Harno is trenchans dans les flambeaux cachez Dedans Lyon le jour du Sacrement Ceux de Vienne seront tretous hachez Par les Cantons Latins Mascon eront English Sharp Weapons shall be hidden in burning Torches In Lyons the day of the Sacrament Those of Vienna shall be all cut to pieces By the Latin Cantons after the example of Mascon ANNOT. This foretelleth a notable Treason that shall be acted at Lyons upon the Sacraments day otherwise called Corpus Christi day upon which the Roman Catholicks are wont to make a Procession with the Sacrament about the Town with abundance of burning Torches of fearful bigness insomuch that some as at Angeirs require 20 or 24 men to carry them in those Torches our Author saith shall VVeapons be hidden by means of which the fact shall be committed The rest is easie LXXI French Au lieux Sacrés animaux veus a Trixe Avec celuy qui nosera le jour A Carcassonne pour disgrace propice Sera pose pour plus ample sejonr English In the Sacred places Animals shall be seen at Trixe With him that shall not dare in the day In Carcassonne for a favourable disgrace He shall be set to make a longer stay ANNOT. Whether the Author did understand himself here I know not I am sure I do not Carcassonne is a City of Languedoc and Trixe is a barbarous word LXXII French Encor seront les Saints Temples pollus Et expilez par Senat Tholosain Saturne deux trois Siecles revolus Dans Auril May gens de nouveau Levain English Once more shall the Holy Temples be polluted And depredated by the Senate of Thoulouze Saturn two three Ages finished In April May people of a new Leaven ANNOT. This is when the Planet Saturn hath finished twice three Ages that is 600 years from the time that this Prophecy was written then the Senates of Thoulouze being men of a new Leaven meaning being Protestants shall cause the Romish Churches to be polluted and depredated in the Months of April and May. LXXIII French Dans Foix entrez Roy Cerulée Turban Et regnera moins evolu Saturne Roy Turban Blanc Bizance coeur ban Sol Mars Mercure pres la Hurne English In Foix shall come a King with a Blew Turbant And shall Reign before Saturn is revolved Then a King with a White Turbant shall make Bizance to quake Sol Mars Mercury being near the top of the Mast ANNOT. Foix is a Countrey of France near Gascony where the Author saith a King with a Blew Turbant shall come and shall govern less then an Age that is 100 years after which another King with a VVhite Turbant shall come and shall Conquer Bizance which in Latine is Constantinople the Blew or Green Turbant is attributed to the great Turk and the VVhite one to the King of France by whom the Turks have a Prophecie their Monarchy shall be subverted LXXIV French Dans la Cité de Fertsod homicide Fait fait multe Boeuf arant ne macter Retour encore aux honneurs d' Artemide Et a Vulcan corps morts â—epulturer English In the City of Fertsod one murdered Causeth a Fine to be laid for killing a plowing Oxe There shall be a return of the honours due to Artemide And Vulcan shall bury dead bodies ANNOT. VVhat is that City of Fertsod is hard to guess there being none of this name in Europe that I know The rest of the words are plain though the sense be abstâ—uce enough therefore we shall leave them to the liberty of the Reader LXXV French De l' Ambraxie du pais de Thrace Peuple par Mer Mal secours Gaulois Perpetuelle en Provence la Trace Avec vestiges de leur Coustumes Loix English From Ambraxia and from the Countrey of Thracia People by Sea Evil and French succours The Trace of it shall be perpetual in Provence The footsteps of their Customs and Laws remaining ANNOT. VVhat Countrey this Ambraxia should be is yet unknown for my part I take it to be a forged word as for Thracia it is a Countrey between Hungary and Greece Observe here that Evil is not an Epithete to either People or Sea but a word of admiration by it self as malum in Latine which is called vox admirantis LXXVI French Avec le noir Rapax sanguinaire Yssu du peaultre de l'inhumain Neron Emmy deux Fleuves main gauche Militaire Sera meurtry par Joyn Chaulveron English With the Black and bloody Rapax Descended from the paultry of the inhumane Nero Between two Rivers on the left Military hand He shall be murdered by Joyne Caulveron ANNOT. This Prophecie portendeth the death of a black bloody and ravenous man which in Latine is Rapax who shall be murdered between two Rivers by one whose proper name shall be Joyne Chaulveron LXXVII French Le Regne prins le Roy conviera La Dame prinse a mort jurez a sort La vie a Royne Fils on desniera Et la pellix au fort de la consort English The Kingdom being taken the King shall invite The Lady taken to death The Life shall be denyed unto the Queens Son And the Pellix shall be at the height of the Consort ANNOT. You must observe that there is a word false printed which is Pellix instead of which should be Pellex which in Latine signifieth a Whore or Concubine The sense therefore of this is that a certain King having taken another Kingdom shall put the Queen of it to death as also her own Son after which he shall make his Concubine Queen LXXVIII French La Dame Grecque de Beaute laydique Heureuse faite de proces innumerable Hors translatée au Regne Hispanique Captive prinse mourir mort miserable English The Graecian Lady of exquisite Beauty Made happy from innumerable quarrels Being translated into the Spanish Kingdom Shall be made a Prisoner and die a miserable death ANNOT. This Stanza is concerning the Lady Elizabeth of France Daughter to Henry the II. and Sister to Charles the IX who being promised first to Don Carlo Infante of Spain was afterwards Married to his Father Philip the II. at which the young man being vexed and discontented began to raise combustions in the State for which and his too much familiarity with his Mother in Law he was strangled by his Fathers command and she poisoned LXXIX French Le Chef de Classe par fraude stratageme Fera timides sortir de leurs Galeres Sortis meurdris chef renieux de Cresme Puis par l'Embusche luy rendront les salaires English The Commander of a Fleet by fraud and stratagem Shall cause the fearful ones to come forth of their Galleys Come out murdered chief renouncer of Baptism After that by an Ambuscado they
that some Souldiers disguised like Herds-men shall lead Oxen into a place where were hidden before Weapons in the Grass but the Weapons making a noise by their clashing they shall be discovered not far from a place that he calleth here Antipolique purposely to rime with Herbipolique in French which word Herbipolique signifieth a Town of Pasture XIV French Urnel Vaucile sans conseil de soy mesmes Hardy timide par crainte prins vaincu Accompagré de plusieurs putains blesme A Barcelonne aux Chartreux convaincu English Urnel Vaucile without advice of his own Stout and fearful by fear taken and overcome Pale and in company of many Whores Shall be convicted at Barcelone by the Charterhouse ANNOT. This Stanza is an Horoscope which the Author made upon that Gentleman named Urnel Vaucille and signifieth that the said man should find himself in such perplexity that he could not be able to take advice what to do and that fear should make him hide himself to be apprehended in a place where he should be taken When he was taken he was presently convicted of those crimes that he was accused of therefore the Officers of Justice did conduct him to the Charter-house of Barcelone which is four miles from the said Town in a place called Campoalegre for the beauty and situation of it to that place many Whores did accompany him to receive the punishment they had deserved therefore the Author saith that he went thither pale as foreseeing the terrour of the punishment he was to undergo XV. French Pere Duc vieux d'ans de soif chargé Au jour extreme fils desniant l'esguiere Dedans le puis vif mort viendra plonge Senat au fils la mort longue legere English A Father Duke aged and very thirsty In his extremity his son denying him the Ewer Alive into a Well where he shall be drowned For which the Senate shall give the son a long and easie death ANNOT. It is a Duke very aged who shall die of a Dropsie or of some other burning disease which will make him very thirsty the Physitians shall forbid any water to be given him therefore this Duke shall press his son very much to give him the Ewer that he may drink his fill but his son refusing the Father shall fall into such a rage that being alone he will go and throw himself into a Well where he shall be drowned This unhappy death will be the cause of much murmuring and the Senate or Parliament of that place will make enquiry after it by which enquiry the son will be found guilty therefore for his punishment he shall be condemned to a long and easie death as to live all his days in some Monastery XVI French Heureux au Regne de France heureux de vie Ignorant sang mort fureur rapine Par non flatteurs seras mis en envie Roy desrobé trop de foy en cuisine English Happy in the Kingdom of France happy in his Life Ignorant of blood death fury of taking by force By no flatterers shall be envied King robbed too much faith in Kitchin ANNOT. This is a prognostication of a King of France who though happy in his Reign and Life and being given to no great vices as blood fury or taking by force yet shall be much envied and robbed by his Subjects and chiefly by those he â—rusteth about his Kitchin XVII French La Reyne Ergaste voiant sa fille blesme Par un regret dans l'estomach enclos Cris lamentables seront lors d' Angolesme Et au germain mariage forclos English Queen Ergaste seeing her Daughter pale By a regret contained in her Breast Then shall great cries come out of Angolesme And the Marriage shall be denyed to the Cousin German ANNOT. It is unknown what Queen he meaneth by the name of Ergaste the rest is easie Angolesme is a City of Gascony or Languedoc XVIII French Le rang Lorrain fera place a Vendosme Le haut mis bas le bas mis en haut Le fils d' Hamon sera esleu dans Rome Et les deux grands seront mis en defaut English The House of Lorrain shall give place to Vendosme The high pulled down the low raised up The son of Hamon shall be Elected into Rome And the two great ones shall not appear ANNOT. The two first Verses of this Prophecy were fulfilled in the time of Henry the third King of France in whose time the Duke of Guise and House of Lorrain were grown so powerful in France that they drove the King from Paris and assumed themselves a rank and authority over the Princes of the Blood so that the King was forced to cause them to be slain after which Henry IV. who was King of Navarre and Duke of Vendosme took his place again as first Prince of the Blood The two last Verses are too obscure to be interpreted and I believe were onely forced by our Author to make up his Rime as he hath done in several other places XIX French Jour que sera pour Roine saluée Le jour apres le salut la Priere Le compte sait raison valbuée Par avant humble oncques ne fut si siere English The day that she shall be saluted Queen The next day after the Evening Prayer All accompts being summoned and cast up She that was humble before never was one so proud ANNOT. It is a woman be like of a small Fortune who coming to be a Queen by her humility the next day after Evening Prayer she shall appear so proud as the like was never seen XX French Tous les amis qu'auront tenu party Pour rude en lettres mis mort saccage Biens publiez par sixe grand neanty Onc Romain peuple ne fut tant outrage English All the friends that shall have taken the part Of the Unlearned put to death and robbed Good sold publickly by proclamation a great man seized of 〈◊〉 Never Roman people was so much abused ANNOT. The sense of this is that a great man that took part with all those that were unlearned shall be put to death and their goods praised and sold publickly upon which goods another great man shall seize and this is to be done in Rome There is fault in the Impression of the third French Verse for instead of fixe it must be fisc and instead of Neanty it must be Nancy XXI French Par le despit du Roy soustenant moindre Sera meurdry luy presentant les bagues Le Pere Fils voulant Noblesse poindre Fait comme a Perse jadis firent les Magues English To spite the King who took the part of the weaker He shall be murdered presenting to him Jewels The Father and the Son going to vex the Nobility It shall be done to them as the Magi did in Persia ANNOT. This is a King who with his son taking the peoples part against the Nobility shall be killed in presenting to
gave him Thence he went to Salon de Craux a City distant from Aix one dayes Journey and in the middle way between Avignon and Marseille there he Married his second Wife Anna Ponce Genelle by whom he had three Sons and one Daughter the eldest was Michael Nostradamus who hath written some pieces of Astrology Printed at Paris in the year 1563. The second was Caesar Nostradamus who hath deserved to be numbred among the French Historians by reason of the great Volume be hath written of Provence The third was a Capuchine Frier Caesar did insert in his History the propagation of that Order in Provence The fourth was a Daughter Nostradamus having found by experience that the perfect knowledge of Physick dependeth from that of Astrology he addicted himself to it and as this science wanteth no allurement and that besides his Genius he had a peculiar disposition and inclination to it he made such a progress in it that he hath deserved the Title of the most illustrious one in France insomuch that making some Almanacks for recreation sake he did so admirably hit the conjuncture of events that he was sought for far and near This success was the cause of an extraordinary diminution of his fame for the Printers and Booksellers seeing his same did print and vent abundance of false Almanacks under his name for lucre sake whence it came that his reputation suffered by it and was the cause that the Lord Pavillon wrote against him and that the Poet Jodele made this bitter Distichon Nostra damus cum falsa damus nam fallere nostrumest Et cum falsa damus nil nisi Nostra damus To which may be answered Nostra damus cum verba damus quae Nostradamus dat Nam quacunque dedit nil nisi vera dedit Or thus Vera damus cum verba damus quae Nostradamus dat Sed cum Nostra damus nil nisi falsa damus Nevertheless the Beams of Truth did shine through the Clouds of Calumny for he was singularly esteemed of by the Grandees Queen Katharine of Medicis who had a natural inclination to know furture things And Henry the II King of France who sent for him to come to the Court in the year 1556. and having had private conference with him about things of great concernment sent him honourably back again with many gifts He went from Salon to the Court upon the 14 of July in the year 1555. and came to Paris upon the 15 of August Assoon as he was come to Town the Lord Constable of Montmorency went to see him at his Inn and presented him to the King who received him with much satisfaction and commanded that his lodging should be at the Palace of the Cardinal of Bourbon Archbishop of Sens. There he was taken with the Gout for ten or twelve days after which his Majesty sent him one hundred Crowns in Gold in a Velvet Purse and the Queen as much Their Majesties desired him to go to Blios to see the Princes their Children and to tell them his opinion of them It is certain that he did not tell them what he thought considering the Tragical end of those three Princes viz. Francis the II. Charles the IX and Henry the III. Having been so much honoured at Court he went back again to Salon where he made an end of his last Centuries two years after he dedicated them to the King Henry the II. in the year 1557. and in his Luminary Epistle discovereth unto him the future events that shall happen from the Birth of Lewis the XIV now Reigning till the coming of Antichrist While he was at Salon he received there the Duke of Savoy and the Lady Margaret of France Sister to Henry the II. who was to Marry the said Duke according to the treaty of the general Peace made at Cambresis both entertained him very familiarly and honoured him often with their presence The Duke came in October and the Lady in December When Charles the IX went a progress through his Kingdom he came into Provence and did fail not to go to Salon to visit our Author who in the name of the Town went to salute him and make a Speech this was in the year 1564. the 17 of November The extraordinary satisfaction that the King and the Queen Mother received from him was such that being both at Lion they sent for him again and the King gave him 200 Crowns in Gold and the Queen almost as much with the quality of Physician in Ordinary to the King with the Salaries and profits thereunto appertaining Being come back to Salon he lived about 16 Months longer and died upon the 2 of July 1566. in his Climacterical year of 63. having all his Senses about him His Disease was a Gout at first which turned into a Dropsie the time of his death it seemeth was known to him for a friend of his witnesseth that at the end of June in the said year he had writen with his own hand upon the Ephemerides of John Stavius those Latine words Hic prope mors est that is near here is my death and the day before his death that friend of his having waited on him till very late took his leave saying I shall see you again to morrow morning you shall not see me alive when the Sun riseth which proved true He died a Roman Catholick having received all his Sacraments and was solemnly buried in the Church of the Franciscan Friers at Salon on the left hand of the Church door where his Widow erected him a Marble Table fastened in the Wall with this Epitaph with his Figure to the Life and his Arms above it The Inscription of his EPITAPH is in imitation of that of Titus Livius and is thus D. M. Ossa clarissimi Michaelis Nostradami unius omnium pene mortalium digni cujus Divino calamo totius Orbis ex astrorum influxu futuri eventus conscriberentur Vixit annos LXII menses VI. dies X. Obiit Salonae CIâ— Iâ—LXVI Anna Pontia Gemella conjugi optimo V. E. Which may be rendred thus Here lies the Bones of the most famous Nostradamus one who among Men hath deserved by the opinion of all to set down in writting with a Quill almost Divine the future Events of all the Universe caused by the Coelestial influences he lived 62 years 6. Months and 10. days he died at Salon in the year 1566. O Posterity do not grudge at his rest Anna Pontia Gemella wisheth to her most loving Husband the true Happiness He had a Brother named John Nostradamus famous for several Works that he hath witten the Catalogue of which is in the Book of Mr. du Maine de la Croix Intitled the Library As for our our Author he hath left several Works among which is a Book of Receits for the preservation of health Printed at Poitiers in the year 1556. Another concerning the means of beautifying the Face and the Body that was Printed at Antwerp by Plantin in the year 1557.
Work but got his liâ—ing Honourably by his practise of Physick by which we may see that he did write some things which himself understood not unless they were such general ones as might be read in the Heavens CHAP. XII Elogies given to Nostradamus by several Authentical Authors IF several Authors either by envy or ignorance have defamed our Author others of no small repute have taken his defence in hand D' Aurat one of the most excellent Poets of France living at the same time as Nostradamus made a few explications of his Prophecies which as the report goes did please the Readers I am sorry I could not get them it would have been some ease to me for it is easier to add than to invent The first Volume of the Lord la Croix du Main maketh honourable mention of him the same saith that his Motto was Faelix Oviam prior Aetas Happy the first Age that was contented with their Flock shewing by that what esteem he had of frugality and sincerity of manners and what aversion he had against the Vices of his Age the unruliness of manners and consenage of men Ronsard the Prince of the French Poets singeth his praises The Lord Boucher in that great Volume intitled the Mistical Crown in favour of the future Croisade doth vindicate our Author from Calumny and expoundeth some of his Prophecies pretty happily I will not relate here what his Son Caesar Nostradamus writeth modestly of him in his History of Provence under Lewis the XII Henry the II. and Charles the IX his Evidence may be suspected because of the Consanguinity One of the greatest Wits of this last Age who desireth to be nameless giveth him this Character First That God Almighty hath chosen Michael Nostradamus among the common sort of Christians to impart unto him the knowledge of many prodigious and extraordinary future things Secondly He maintaineth that after the Apostles and Canonical Prophets he is the first of all in three things in his certainty and infallibility in the generality and in the quantity As to the first he doth not doubt but the Abbot Joachim ought to give him place for though he hath foretold somethings that have come to pass he hath written a hundred others which are meer fopperies Thirdly He maintaineth that the Emperour Leo in his prophetical Tables is far below him for he doth only aim at those things which regard the Eastern Empire as Theophrastus Paracelsus hath done for the Western Concerning the quantity of things he maintaineth that none of the others can dispute it with him for Nostradamus hath made above a thousand stanza's if we had them all each of which containeth two or three prophetical Truths some of which regard the East others the West others some private Kingdoms and States others private and particuler things and all with Truth and certainty CHAP. XIII What these Stanza's Prophecie of THe Author in his Epistle to King Henry the II. saith that he treatech of things which were to happen in many Cities and Towns of Europe and of a part of Asia and Africa And to say Truth I have found nothing in them concerning the East or West Jappan or China He treateth chiefly of France as of his Native Kingdom and of his own Countrey Provence and that which is next to it viz. Piemont He speaketh amply of the Popes and of Italy Turky and England As for the Empire Spain and Suedeland he doth moderately speak of them Concerning Aethiopia and Africa there is some nine or ten Stanza's In all those places he foretelleth many things not only general for every State but also particular and individual for several persons He also foretelleth many supernatural prodigies in the Heavens the Air the Sea and the Land He hath inserted among his Prophecies four Horoscopes the first of the Grandfather of the Lord l' Ainier in the Province of Anjou the second of one called Urnel Vaucile the third of one Cosme du Jardin and the fourth of one whom he nameth not but describeth him by his stature CHAP. XIV Since what time these Prophecies began IT is certain that they began in January 1555. because he dedicated the first seven Centuries to his Son Caesar the first day of March in the said year and consequently they were made before that time and we cannot allow less than two Months to an Author for the making of 700. Stanza's Nevertheless for a greater manifestation of his prophetical spirit I have not found any of his Prophecies that did come to pass before the first of March 1555. As for the Eight Ninth and Ten Century there is reason to believe that the effect of them doth not begin before the 27 June 1558. which is the date of his Liminary Epistle to Henry the II. Nevertheless he saith in the same Epistle that in a writing by it self he will set down the exposition of his Prophecies beginning the 14 of March 1557. and in the Epistle to Nostradamus his son he saith in general that he hath composed Books of Prophecies each one containing one hundred Stanza's without specifying whether he spoke of the seven that he dedicated to him or of all the others As for my part I believe he had made them all in the year 1555. but that he had not yet examined the three last Centuries according to the Calculation of his Astronomical assertions as he seemeth to indicate often in his Epistle to Henry II. and to say the truth I have found some Stanza's which were fulfilled before the year 1558. though very few As for the extent of his Prophecies it is certain that it is to the end of the World as I shall make it appear in the explication of the 48 the 49 and 56. Stanza's of the first Century and the 72 73 and 94. of the tenth and all according to the Holy Scripture All these things being premised we shall proceed to the explication of the Prophecies setting first the Authors Luminary Epistle to his Son THE PREFACE TO Mr. Michael Nostradamus HIS PROPHECIES Ad Caesarem Nostradamum Filium vita Felicitas THy late coming Caesar Nostradamus my son hath caused me to bestow a great deal of time in continual and nocturnal watchings that I might leave a Memorial of me after my death to the common benefit of Mankind concerning the things which the Divine Essence hath revealed to me by Astronomical Revolutions and since it hath pleased the immortal God that thou are come late into this World and canst not say that thy years that are but few but thy Months are incapable to receive into thy weak understanding what I am forced to define of futurity since it is not possible to leave thee in Writing what might be obliterated by the injury of times for the Hereditary word of occult praedictions shall be lockt up in my brest considering also that the events are definitely uncertain and that all is governed by the power of God who inspired us not
the East shall come the African heart To vex Adria and the Heirs of Romulus Accompanied with the Libian feet Melites shall tremble and the Neighbouring Islands be empty ANNOT. This was a clear and true Prognostication of that famous Invasion made upon Maltha by the grand Signor Solyman the magnificent in the year of our Lord 1565. and just ten years after the writing of this Prophecy wherein that Island and some of the Neighbouring ones were wholly depopulated by the Turks to the terror of Venice called here Adria and of all the Islands of the Adriatick Sea For the better understanding of this the Reader must observe that Punicas in Larin signifieth Africa so that the African heart signifieth the help the Turk had from Tunis Tripoly and Algier Cities seated in Africa and under the Turkish Dominion by which not only Maltha which in Latin is Melita but Venice and Rome were put into a great fright the conclusion of this Siege was that after six weeks time and the loss of 26000. Men the Turks were constrained shamefully to retire Vide the Turkish History French X. French Sergens transmis dans la Cage de Fer Ou les Enfans septains du Roy sont pris Les vieux Peres sortiront bas d'Enfer Ains mourir voir de son fruit mort cris English Sergeants sent into an Iron Cage Where the seven Children of the King are The old Men and Fathers shall come out of Hell And before they die shall see the death and cries of their fruit ANNOT. This Prophecy signifieth that some Sergeants or Executioners shall be sent into a Prison to put to death seven Children servants of a King that were Imprisoned there and that some old Men their Fathers shall see their death and hear their cries XI French Le mouvement de Sens Coeur Pieds Mains Seront d'accord Naples Leon Sicile Glaives Feux Eaux puis au Noble Romains Plongez Tuez Morts par cerveau debile English The motion of the Sense Heart Feet and Hands Shall agree Naples Leon Sicily Swords Fires Waters then to the noble Romans Dipt Killed Dead by a weak-brain ANNOT. The two first Verses signifie the concord that shall be among the Spanish dominions expressed here by Sense Heart Feet and Hands After which the Romans or those of Rome shall be evilly intreated being drewned killed and put to death by a weak brain I guess this to have come to pass when the Emperour Charles the V. his Army sacked Rome under the command of the Duke of Bourbon who was killed at the Assault and of the Prince of Orange who permitted licentiousness to his Souldiers and suffered them to commit more violence than ever the Goths or Vandales did and therefore is called here weak brain This Prince of Orange was of the House of Chalon after which came that of Nassau XII French Dans peu ira fauce brute fragile De bas en haut eslevé promptement Puis en estant desloyal labile Qui de Verone aura gouvernment English Within a little while a false frail brute shall go From low to high being quickly raised By reason that he shall have the Government of Verona Shall be unfaithful and slippery ANNOT. This foretelleth of a wicked person who in a short time shall be from a low degree exalted to a high one by reason that those that have the Government of Verona shall be unfaithful and slippery That person seemeth to be some Pope who from a low degree shall be exalted to that dignity by the unfaithfulness and slipperiness of the Venetians who are now Lords of the City Verona in Italy XIII French Les exiles par ire haine intestine Feront au Roy grand conjuration Secret mettront ennemis par la mine Et les vieux siens contre eux sedition English The banished by choler and intestine hatred Shall make against the King a great conspiracy They shall put secret enemies in the mine And the old his own against them sedition ANNOT. Although this Prophecie seemeth to be indefinitely spoken because in every Countrey or Kingdom where there is banished people they most commonly plot against their King and Countrey nevertheless I find two remarkable Histories to make this good one in France and the other in England That of France is thus The Cardinal of Lorrain and the Duke of Guise his Brother being in great favour with Henry II. the Queen Mother promoted them in the beginning of the Reign of Francis II. his successor so that the Cardinal was made Lord high Treasurer and the Duke General of the Armies to the prejudice of the Constable of Montmorency Those two favourites fearing the persecution that is raised by envy did remove all the great ones from the Court whether they were commanded to do so or whether they had any other pretences The Princes of Condé and of la Roche sur yon were sent into Flanders to Philip 11. Condé to confirm the alliance between the two Crowns and la Roche sur yon to carry the Order of France Diana of Poitiers Dutchess of Valentenois was banished from Court and compelled to surrender to the Queen all the Jewels she had extorted from the King besides the Castle of Chenonceaux which the Queen took for her self The Marshal St. Andrew was likewise banished from the Court The King of Navarre was in Bearn The Constable took also his leave and surrendred to the King the Seal of his Office On the other side the Protestants began to stir notably having on their part many Princes as that of Condé of Porcien Gaspard of Coligny Admiral of France d'Andelot and the Cardinal of Chastillon his brothers Magdalene of Mailly their Sister Lady of Roye the King of Navarre All these discontented persons and the Protestants made a great conspiracy under pretence of Religion and of freeing the King from the tyranny of the Guisians They did by Choler the Protestants because they had been so ill used in the time of Francis I. and Henry II. and lately by the Guisians And the discontented for to pull down their power it was also by an intestine hatred because the Constable could not brook to be dispossessed of his Office of great Master which was given to the Duke of Guise and the others to see themselves from the management of Affairs and the Protestants by the spirit of a Contrary Religion Their conspiracy tended to expel the Guisians and to seise upon the Queen the King and his Brothers To compass their end they secretly sent some trusty persons of their own who nevertheless feigned to be their Enemies insomuch that the King of Navarre sent them word that he would be always of their party though apparently he took the Courts part But the old his own saith the fourth Verse that is to say the Kings old friends shall raise Sedition against them which happened in the year 1650. when the Guisians having discovered the conspiracy that was
this Mabus at last I found by transposition of Letters that he meaneth Ambus which was the name of the Heades man that be headed the Duke of Montmorency at Thoulouse how miraculous therefore appeareth our Author who did not only foretell general things but also particular accidents even the names of the persons that were to be born a hundred years after LXIII French Gaulois Ausone bien peu subiuguera Pau Marne Seine fera Perme l'Urie Qui le grand Mur contre eux dressera Du moindre au Mur le grand perdra la vie English The French shall a little subdue Ausonne Pau Marne and Seine shall make Perme l'Urie Which shall raise a great Wall against them From the less to the Wall the great one shall loose his life ANNOT. Ausonne is always taken by the Author for the City of Bordeaux because Ausonius a famous Latine Poet was born there the rest is so obscure and the text so corrupted that I had rather leave it to the liberty of the Reader then to become ridiculous by not acknowledging my ignorance LXIV French Seicher de faim de soif gent Genevoise Espoir prochain viendra au defaillir Sur point tremblant sera Loy Gebenoise Classe au grand Port ne se peut accueillir English Those of Geneva shall be dried up with hunger and thirst A near hope shall come when they shall be fainting The Gebenna Law shall be upon a quaking point The Navy shall not be capable to come into the Port. ANNOT. Here you must observe that Gebenna in Latine signifieth Geneva and therefore this whole Stanza is concerning the City of Geneva LXV French Le park enclin grande calamité Par l' Hesperie Insubre sera Le Feu en Nef Peste Captivité Mercure en l'Ar Saturn fenera English The Park enclineth to great calamity Which shall be through Hesperia and Insubria The Fire in the Ship Plague and Captivity Mercury in Aries Saturn shall wither ANNOT. Though the words be plain nevertheless the sense is very obscure and chiefly as I suppose by the faults of the impression all what I can tell you here is that Hesperia in Latine is Spain and Insubria is Savoy LXVI French Par grand dangers le Captif eschapé Peu de temps grand a fortune changée Dans le Palais le peuple est attrapé Par bonne augure la Cite assiegée English The Prisoner escaped through great danger A little while after shall become great his fortune being changed In the Palace the people shall be caught And by a good Sign the City shall be besieged ANNOT. All this is plain both in the words and the Sense LXVII French Le blond au nez forche viendra commettre Par le Duel chassera dehors Les exiles dedans fera remettre Aux lieux marins commettans les plus forts English The fair one shall fight with the forked Nose In Duel and expel him out He shall re-establish the banished Putting the stronger of them in Muritine places ANNOT. Both the Sense and the words are plain LXVIII French De l'Aquilon les efforts seront grands Sur l'Occean sera la Porte ouverte Le Regne en l'Isle sera re-integrand Tremblera Londres par voiles descouvertes English The endevours of the North shall be great Upon the Ocean the gate shall be open The Kingdom in the Island shall be re-established London shall quake for fear of Sails discovered ANNOT. This is a very remarkable one which hath been fulfilled since the happy restauration of his sacred Majesty King Charles II. now Reigning For the endeavours of the North viz. the Dutch have been very great The Ocean like a gate hath been open to all kind of Armies to play their pranks upon His Majesty and Kingdom have been happily restored LXIX French Le Roy Ganlois par la Celtique dextre Voiant discorde de la grand Monarchie Sur les trois parts fera fleurir son Sceptre Contre ta Cappe de la grand Hierachie English The French King by the Low-Countreys right hand Seeing the discord of the great Monarchy Upon three parts of it will make his Scepter to flourish Against the Cap of the great Hierarchy ANNOT. This signifieth that the French King through the discord that is in the Spanish Monarchy shall cause his Scepter to flourish upon three parts of the Netherlands notwithstanding the assistance of the King of Spain who is called here the Cap of the great Hierarchy that is the great defender of the Popedom ann Popery LXX French Le Dard du Ciel fera son estendue Morts en parlant grande execution La pierre en larbre la fiere gent rendue Brait Humain Monstre purge expiation English The Dart of Heaven shall make his circuit Some die speaking a great execution The stone in the tree the fierce people humbled Humane noise a Monster purged by expiation ANNOT. All this Stanza signifieth nothing but a fearful Thunder and Lightning called here the Dart of Heaven that shall do a great deal of mischief for as he saith some shall die speaking there shall be a great execution the Thunderbolt shall stick in the Tree the people that was fierce shall be humbled and a Monster purged by expiation that some notorious wicked person shall be consumed by that Coelestial fire LXXI French Les exiles en Sicile viendront Pour delivrer de faim la gent estrange Au point du jour les Celtes luy faudront La vie demeure a raison Roy se range English The banished persons shall come into Sicily To free the forrain Nation from hunger In the dawning of the day the Celtes shall fail them Their Life shall be preserved the King shall submit to reason ANNOT. It is hard to judge what he meaneth by that Forreign Nation which shall be relieved in Sicily by the banished nor what King is that which shall submit to reason let it be left to every body 's private judgement LXXII French Armée Celtique en Italie vexée De toutes partes conslit grande perte Romains fuis O Gaule repoulsée Pres du Thesin Rubicon pugne incerte English The French Army shall be vexed in Italy On all sides fighting and great loss The Romans run away and thou France repulsed Near the Thesin by Rubicon the fight shall be doubtful ANNOT. A French Army shall be distressed if not destroyed in Italy The Romans that is those under the Pope that shall take their part shall be put to flight and this battle shall be fought by the River Thesin Another shall be fought by the River Rubicon whose event shall be doubtful that is to say it shall hardly be known who got the victory LXXIII French Au Lac Fucin de Benacle Rivage Pres du Leman au port de Lorguion Nay de trois Bras praedit Bellique Image Par trois courones au grand Endymion English At the Fucin Lake of the Benacle Shore Near the Leman at the
be applied to France when the Infan of Spain Don Balthazar died c. XVI French Un Prince Anglois Mars a son coeur du Ciel Voudra poursuivre sa fortune prospere Des deux duelles l'un percera le fiel Hay de luy bien aymé de sa Mere. English An English Prince Mars hath his heart from Heaven Will follow his prosperous fortune Of two Duels one shall pierce the gall Being hated of him and beloved of his Mother ANNOT. By this Stanza is promised to England a Martial Prince who shall have his heart from Heaven and with all endeavours follow his prosperous fortune which is a remarkable and commendable part in a man By the last two Verses it seemeth that this Prince shall have a Son who shall fight two duels for one of which his Father shall be angry and hate him but his Mother shall love him for it XVII French Mont Aventine brusler nuit sera veu Le Ciel obscur tout a un coup en Flandres Quand le Monarque chassera son Neveu Lors gens d'Eglise commettront les esclandres English Mount Aventine shall be seen to burn in the night The Heaven shall be darkned upon a sudden in Flanders When the Monarch shall expel his Neven Then Churchmen shall commit scandals ANNOT. Mount Aventine is one of the seven Mountains in Rome The rest is plain XVIII French Apres la pluye de lait assez longuette En plusieurs lieux de Rheims le Ciel touché O quel conflit de sang pres deux sapreste Pere Fils Rois noseront approché English After a pretty long rain of Milk In many places of Rhemes the lightning shall fall O what a bloody fight is making ready near them Father and Son both Kings shall not dare to come near ANNOT. Rhemes is a City in France The rest is easie XIX French En Lucques sang lait viendra pleuvoir Un peu devant changement de Preteur Grand Peste Guerre Faim soif fera voir Loin ou mourra leur Prince Recteur English In Luca it shall rain Blood and Milk A little before the change of the Magistrate A great Plague War Hunger and Thirst shall be seen A great way off where their Prince Ruler shall die ANNOT. Luca at present is a strong Town and a little Common-wealth by it it self in Italy governed by their own Magistrate That Town is threatned here to see those prodigies mentioned a little before the change of their Government besides a great Plague and dearth as also the death of their chief Magistrate who shall die far off that Countrey As for the raining Milk and Blood they are Prodigies that have appeared often before and therefore not incredible as those that are Versed in History may justifie and although the reasons may be drawn from natural causes yet wonld they be too tedious if I should insert them here XX. French Par les Contrées du grand flevue Betique Loin d' Ibere au Royaume de Grenade Croix repoussees par gens Mahometiques Un de Cordube trahira a la fin Contrade English Through the Countreys of the great River Betis Far from Iberia in the Kingdom of Granada Crosses beaten back by Mahometan people One of Corduba shall at last betray the Countrey ANNOT. The great River called in Latine Betis and in Spanish Guadalquivir is the River of Sevilia the most famous Town in Spain for Trade This River runneth through most of the Spanish Dominions and dischargeth it self into the Ocean about the mouth of the Straights over against Barbary upon which Coast of Spain lyeth the Kingdom of Granada the chief City of which is Corduba in Spanish Cordua This Kingdom was of time almost immemorial occupied and inhabited by the Moores till they were expelled and driven back into Barbary by Ferdinand and Isabella King and Queen of Castilia The rest is easie XXI French Au Crustamin pres Mer Adriatique Apparoistra un horrible poisson De face humaine de corps aquatique Qui se prendra dehors de l'Hamecon English In the Crustamin near the Adriatick Sea An horrid Fish shall appear Having a mans face and a fishes body Which shall be taken without a hook ANNOT. I suppose this Crustamin to be some place so called near the Adriatick Sea As for Fishes with an humane face we have several examples of them Ambrosius Paraeus relateth divers and in his works hath inserted the Pictures of them 1. When Mena was Governour of Aegypt and walked by the Nilus side he saw a Sea-man rising out of the River having an humane shape as far as the Navel and with a grave look and fair hairs intermixed with white ones bony Breast and distinct Arms the rest of the body was like a Fish Three days after in the Morning appeared another Sea monster like a woman those two Monsters appeared so long that every body had time to consider them 2. Rondeletius saith that in our age was taken a Fish in the Sea of Norway which every body presently called a Monk because of the resemblance 3. In the year 1531. was seen a Sea-monster covered with Scales which for the resemblance was called a Bishop Rondeletius and Gesuerus have the Picture of it 4. In the year 1523. was seen in Rome a Fish about the bigness of a Child of five years old that had humane shape to the Navel except the ears So that all those things related of Tritons Nereides and Sirens seem not altogether fabulous and we may conclude with Pliny Vera est valgi opinio quicquid nascatur in parte naturae ulla in Mari esse praeterque multa quae nusquam alibi lib. 9. cap. 2. XXII French Six jours lassaut devant Cité donné Livrée sera forte aspre Bataille Trois la rendront a eux pardonné Le reste a feu sang trauche taille English Six days shall the assault be given to the City A great and fierce Battle shall be fought Three shall surrender it and be pardoned The rest shall be put to fire and Sword cut and slasht ANNOT. Some famous City must be here understood which the Author hath not named The same shall be assaulted for six days continually and in conclusion shall be surrendred or betrayed by three men who shall be pardoned and all the rest put to Fire and Sword Most men that have knowledge in History interpret this of the City of Magdebourg in Germany that was destroyed with Fire and Sword by the Earl of Tilly General for the Emperour against Gustavus Adolphus King of Swedeland For the like devastation and cruelty was never heard of in Europe XXIII French Si France passe outre Mer Liquistique Tu te verras en Isles Mers enclos Mahomet contraire plus Mer l' Adriatique Chevaux Asnes tu rongeras les os English If France goeth beyond the Ligustick Sea Thou shalt see thy self inclosed with Islands and Seas
Cité L'Eschelle au Mur la Cité repentir English The Common-wealth of the great City With great harshness shall not consent That the King should go out being summoned by a Trumpet The Ladder shall be put to the Wall and the City repent ANNOT. It is hard to know what he meaneth by the great City wherein there is a Common-wealth whether it be Venice Genoa Geneva Luca or some of the Cities of Switzerland but it seemeth that a King shall take shelter in it who shall be summoned by a Trumpet to come out but the City will not suffer it for which the said City shall be sealed and repent LI. French Paris conjure un grand meurtre commettre Blois le fera sortir en plein effer Ceux d' Orleans voudront leur Chef remettre Anger 's Troyes Langres leur feront un mes fait English Paris conspireth to commit a great murder Blois will cause it to come to pass Those of Orleans will set up their head again Anger 's Troyes Langres will do them a mischief ANNOT. The Prophecy contained in the two first Verses came to pass in the time of Henry the III. King of France when the Parisians did rebel against him and made Barricadoes in the streets thinking to have taken him who was compelled to run away for his life and fly to Chartres This rebellion was raised and somented by Henry of Lorraine Duke of Guise whom the King afterwards caused to be murdered with his brother the Cardinal of Lorraine at the Convention of the three Estates kept at Blois Orleans Anger 's Troyes Langres are remarkable Cities in France LII French En la Campagne sera si longue pluye Et en l' Apoville si grande siccité Coq verra l'Aigle l'aisle mal accomplie Par Lion mise sera en extremité English In Campania shall be so long a rain And in Apulia so great a drought The Cock shall see the Eagle with his wing disordered And by the Lim brought to extremity ANNOT. Campania and Apulia are two Provinces of the Kingdom of Naples The last two Verses of the Prophecy came to pass about the years 1630 and 1631. when Gustavus Adolphus King of Swedeland called here the Lion brought the Empire signified by the Eagle to extremity the King of France signified by the Cock looking upon and underhand assisting him LIII French Quand le plus grand emportera le prix De Nuremberg d'Ausbourg ceux de Basle Par Agripine Chef de Frank fort repris Traverseront par Flandres jusqu'en Gale English When the great one shall carry the prize Of Nuremberg Ausbourg and Basil By Agrippina the Chief of Frankfort shall be taken They shall go through Flanders as far as France ANNOT. Nuremberg Ausbourg and Basil are Cities of Germany By Agrippine is understood the City of Cologne called in Latine Colonia Agrippina from the Founderess of it Agrippina Mother of the Emperour Nero or from M. Agrippa favourite of Augustus Caesar LIV. French L'un des plus grands fuira aux Espagnes Qu'en longue playe apres viendra seigner Passant Copies par les hautes Montagnes Devastant tout puis apres regner English One of the greatest shall run away into Spain That shall cause a wound to bleed long Leading Armies over the high Mountains Destroying all and afterwards shall Raign ANNOT. This is so plain that it needeth no interpretation LV. French En l'an qu'un oeil en France Regnera La Cour sera en un bien fascheux trouble Le grand de Blois son amy tuera Le Regne mis en mal doubte double English In the year that one eye shall Reign in France The Court shall be in a very hard trouble The great one of Blois shall kill his friend The Kingdom shall be in an ill case and double doubt ANNOT. The meaning of the first Verse is when a King having but one eye shall Reign in France Blois is a City in France upon the River Loire LVI French Montauban Nismes Avignon Besier Peste Tonnerre Gresle a fin de Mars De Paris Pont de Lion Mur Monpelier Depuis six cens sept vingt trois parts English Montauban Nismes Avignon and Besier Plague Lightning and Hail at the end of March The Bridge of Paris the Wall of Lion and Monpelier shall fall From six hundred and seven score three parts ANNOT. Montauban is a Town in Gascany Nismes and Besiers are Towns in Languedoc Avignon is a Town in France belonging to the Pope which shall suffer these damages by Lightning at the end of March. LVII French Sept fois changer verrez gens Britanique Teints en sang en deux cens nonante an France non point par appuy Germanique Aries double son Pope Bastarnan English Seven times you shall see the English to change Died in blood in two hundred ninety year Not France by the German support Aries doubleth his Bastarnan Pole ANNOT. The two first Verses concern England the third France the fourth marketh the time by the motion of the Sign of Aries which shall be favourable to France We shall leave the two first Verses to be interpreted by the English Nation which is most concerned in it and come to the last two which concern France The third Verse saith that France shall not change as England by reason of the help it shall have from Germany which hath been made good already for these hundred years notwithstanding the Wars between Henry II. and the Spaniard the Conspiracy of the Protestant party against Francis the II. at Amboise the civil Wars under Charles the IX the League under Henry III. and Henry IV. the Forrain Wars under Lewis XIII and Lewis XIV now Reigning The Authors meaning by these words but France not is you shall not see France change seven times in two hundred ninety years as the Brittish nation and then he giveth the reason of it by German help that is to say that France shall have help from Germany The fourth Verse saith that during those two hundred ninety years Aries doubleth his Bastarnan Pole to understand this we must suppose first that the Sign of Aries ruleth over France Palestine Bastarnia c. Secondly we must learn from Ptolomy and other Geographers that Bastarnia containeth the people that are towards Sarmatia or Poland which were called by the Ancients the people of Admone Sidane Roxolane and by others Peucins from the Island Peâ—ce which is in Istria Thirdly we must suppose that the Sign of Aries hath two Poles the first is that of the Aequinoctial Line and the second that of the Eccliptick because the Sign of Aries beginneth just in the Line of the Equator and afterwards stretcheth towards the North. Now it is so that the place where its extension endeth in the Eccliptical Line of the Sun is called by the Author the Bastarnan Pole It is a Pole sith in the constellations of Heaven we call Poles the two
Seont ouis au Ciel les Armes battre Celuy an mesme les Divins ennemis Voudront Loix Saintes injustement debatre Par Foudre guerre bien croians a mort mis. English There shall be heard in the Air noise of Weapons And in that same year the Divines shall be enemies They shall unjustly put down the Holy Laws And by the Thunder and the War true believers shall die ANNOT. There is no obscurity in this XLIV French Deux gros de Mende de Rhodez Milland Cahors Limoges Castre malo sepmano De nuech l'intrado de Bmrdeaux an cailhau Par Perigort au toc de la Campano English Two great ones of Mende of Rhodez and Milliaud Cahors Limoges Castres an evil week By night the entry shall be from Bourdeaux one cailhau Through Perigort at the ringing of the Bell. ANNOT. This Stanza is half French and half Provencal language All the Cities named here Mende Rhodez Milliaud Cahors Limoges Castres Bourdeaux Perigort are Cities of France bordering upon Provence which is the Countrey wherein our Author was born The meaning of it is that all those Cities shall rise against the Collectors of the Kings Taxes and shall set upon them by the sound of the Bell which is already come to pass and may come to pass yet XLV French Par conflict Roy Regne abandonera Le plus grand Chef faillira au besoing Morts profligez peu en rechapera Tous destrenchez un en sera tesmoin English By a Battle the King shall for sake his Kingdom The greatest Commander shall fail in time of need They shall be killed and routed few shall escape They shall be cut off one only shall be left for a witness ANNOT. This is a Prognostication of a great Battle by the loss of which a King shall forsake his Kingdom his chief Commander having deserted him in time of need The slaughter shall be so great that none shall be left but one for a witness XLVI French Bien defendu le fait par excellence Garde toy Tours de â—a proche ruine Londres Nantes par Rheims fera defence Ne passes outre au temps de la bruine English The fact shall be defended excellently well Tours beware of thy approaching ruine London and Nantes by Rhemes shall stand upon their defence Do not go further in foggy weather ANNOT. Tours is the chief City of a Province in France called Touraine which is commended here for having resisted excellently well but is forewarned to look to her self after that and to beware of her approaching ruine XLVII French Le noir farouche quand aura essayé Sa main sanguine par feu fer arcs tendus Trestout le peuple sera tant effrayé Voir les plus grands par col pieds pendus English The wild black one after he shall have tryed His bloody hand by fire Sword bended Bows All the people shall be so frighted To see the greatest hanged by the neck and feet ANNOT. It is a description of a Tyrant who after he shall have tryed his bloody hand by Fire Sword and bent Bows shall cause his chies men to be hanged by the neck and feet Since the Author did write there had been such a Tyrant in the world namely John Basilides great Duke of Russia in the year 1572 Read Panl Osburne in his Life XLVIII French Planure Ausone fertile spacieuse Produira taons tant de sauterelles Clarte solairé deviendra nubilense Ronger le rout grand peste venir delles English The Plain about Bourdeaux fruitful and spacious Shall produce so many Hornets and so many Grasphopers That the light of the Sun shall be darkened They shall crap all a great plague shall come from them ANNOT. I cannot find in History that this hath yet happened since the writing of these Prophecies therefore I reckon it de future XLIX French Devant le peuple sang sera respandu Qui du haut Ciel ne viendra esloigner Mais d'un long temps ne sera entendu L'Esprit d'un seul le viendra tesmoigner English Before the people blood shall be spilt Who Shall not come far from the high Heaven But it shall not be heard of for a great while The Spirit of one shall come to witness it ANNOT. This Prophecie is concerning some just person that shall be murdered openly His blood shall cry to Heaven but shall not be heard for a good while till at last is shall be discovered by some body L. French Libra verra regner les Hesperies De Ciel Terre tenir la Monarchie D' Asie forces nul ne verra peries Que sept ne tiennent par rang la Hierarchie English Libra shall see Spain to Reign And have the Monarchy of Heaven and Earth No body shall see the forces of Asia to perish Till seven have kept the Hierarchy successively ANNOT. Libra is one of the twelve signs of the Zodiack which is favourable to Spain so that the meaning of this is that Libra shall see Spain to Reign And besides that to have the Monarchy of Heaven and Earth that is to have the command of the Pope and of the best part of Europe So that no Asian or Turkish forces shall receive damage by the Christians till seven Popes of the Spanish faction have Reigned successively and one after another LI. French Un Duccupide son ennemy poursuivre Dans entrera empeschant la Phalange Hastez a pied si pres viendront poursuivre Que la journée conflite aupres du Gange English A Duke being earnest in the pursute of his enemy Shall come in hindering the Phalange Hastened on foot shall follow them so close That the day of the Battle shall be near Ganges ANNOT. A Phalange in Latine Phalanx is a Squadron of Souldiers which word was antiently proper only to the Macedonians Ganges is a River in India LII French En Cité obsesse aux murs hommes femmes Ennemis hors le chef prest a soy rendre Vent sera fort encontre les gens darmes Chasfez seront par chaux poussiere cendre English In a besieged City men and women being upon the walls The enemies without the Governour ready to surrender The Wind shall be strong against the Souldiers They shall be driven away by lime dust and ashes ANNOT. This is a peculiar and remarkable accident wherein the besiegers of a City shall be driven away from their enterprise by Lime Dust and Ashes scattered and dispersed against them by a mighty wind LIII French Les fugitiss bannis revoqués Peres Fils garnissant les hauts puits Le cruel pere les siens suffoquez Son Fils plus pire submergé dans le puits English The runnaways and banished men being recalled Fathers and Sons garnishing the high wells The cruel father and his retinue shall be suffocated His Son being worse shall be drowned in the Well ANNOT. The words are plain out of which every one may
Prest a combattre fera defection Chef adversaire obtiendra la victoire Larriere garde fera defension Les defaillans morts au blanc terretoire English One being ready to fight shall faint The chief of the adverse party shall obtain the victory The rearegard shall withstand it out Those that fall away shall die in the white Terretory ANNOT. There is nothing difficult here but what he meaneth by the white Terretory whether it be positive or Allegorical I leave the judgement of it to the Reader LXXVI French Les Nictobriges par ceux de Perigort Seront vexez tenants jusques au Rhosne L'Associé de Gascons Bigorre Trahir le Temple le prestre estant au Prosne English The Nictobriges by those of Perigort Shall be vexed as far as the Rhosne The associate of the Gascons and Bigorre Shall betray the Church while the Priest is in his Pulpit ANNOT. Nictobriges in Greek signifieth a people living in a dark and moist Countrey Perigort and Bigorre are two Towns in France The rest is plain LXXVII French Selyn Monarque l' Italie pacifique Regnes unis Roy Chrestien du monde Mourant voudra coucher en Terre Blesique Apres Pyrates avoir chassé de L'onde English Selyn being Monarch Italy shall be in peace Kingdoms shall be united a Christian King of the world Dying shall desire to be buried in the Countrey of Blois After he shall have driven the Pyrates from the Sea ANNOT. Selyn is the name of a Turkish Emperour the meaning therefore of this is that under the Reign of one Selyn a Turkish Emperour Italy shall be in peace and all the Christian Princes united LXXVIII French La grand Armée de la pugne civile Pour de nuit Parme a l'Estranger trouvée Septante neuf meurtris dedans la Ville Les estrangers passez tous a l'Espée English The great Army belonging to the Civil War Having-found by night Parma possessed by Strangers Shall kill seventy nine in the Town And put all the Strangers to the Sword ANNOT. Parma is a City in Italy The rest is plain LXXIX French Sang Royal fuis Monheurt Mars Aiguillon Remplis seront de Bourdelois les Landes Navarre Bigorre pointes Aiguillons Profonds de faim vorer de Liege Glandes English Royal blood run away from Monheurt Marsan Aiguillon The Landes shall be full of Bourdeloir Navarre Bigorre shall have points and Pricks Being deep in hunger they shall devour the Cork and Akorns ANNOT. Monheurt Marsan Aiguillon are Towns in Gascony Landes is a desert Countrey wherein nothing groweth but Pine-trees Bourdelois are those of Bourdeaux Navarre is a Kingdom and Begorre a Province joyning to those Landes or Pine-trees Countrey LXXX French Pres du grand Fleuve grand fosse terre egeste En quinze parts l'eau sera divisée La Cité prinse feu sang cris conflict mettre Et la plus part concerne au collisée English Near the great River a great pit Earth digged out In fifteen parts the Water shall be divided The City taken fire blood cries fighting And the greatest part concerneth the Collisée ANNOT. This Prophecy was fulfilled when Rome was taken and sacked by Charles Duke of Bourbon and Philibert of Chalon Prince of Orenge Generals of the Emperour Charles the V. with such cruelties as never was committed by the bloody Goths and Vandales and to shew that the Author intended Rome is apparant by two instances The first is by the great River which is the Tyber which though not very great in its Channel and depth yet is very great yea the greatest in Europe by its fame The other is the word Colisée which is that famous Arch of Tratan in Rome remaining yet to this day LXXXI French Pont on fera promptement de nacelles Passer l'Armée du grand Prince Belgique Dans profondres non loing de Bruxelles Outrepassez detrenchez sept a picque English A Bridge of Boats shall suddenly be made To pass over the Army of the great Belgick Prince In deep places and not far from Bruxelles Being gone over there shall be seven cut with a Pike ANNOT. This is concerning the Siege of Antwerp by the Prince of Parma Governour of the Low-Countreys for the King of Spain who having besieged caused a Bridge of Boats to be made upon the River Scheld to hinder the succours of the Hollanders who by that means were constrained to surrender it LXXXII French Amas sapproche venant d' Esclavonie L'Olestant vieux Cité ruinera Fort desolée verra sa Romanie Puis la grand flamme estaindre ne scaura English A great troop gathered shall come from Sclavonia The old Olestant shall ruine a City He shall see his Romania very desolate And after that shall not be able to quench that great flame ANNOT. That great troop from Sclavonia shall be the Venetians because they possess most part of that Countrey The old Olestant is their Duke because he is not chosen unless he be very old by Romania is understood what the Venetians possess in that Countrey LXXXIII French Combat nocturne le vaillant Capitaine Vaincu fuira peu de gens profligé Son peuple esmeu sedition non vain Son propre fils le tiendra assiegé English In a fight by night the valliant Captain Being vanquished shall run away overcome by few His people being moved shall make no small mutiny His own son shall besiege him ANNOT. This needeth no interpretation LXXXIV French Vn grand d' Auxerre mourra bien miserable Chassé de ceux qui soubs luy ont esté Serré de chaines apres d'un rude cable En l'an que Mars Venus Sol mis en Esté English A great man of Auxerre shall die very miserably Being expelled by those that have been under him bound with Chains and after that with a strong Cable In the year that Mars Venus and Sol shall be in a conjunction in the Summer ANNOT. Auxerre is a City of France distant from Paris 40. leagues to the Southward LXXXV French Le Charbon blanc du noir sera chasse Prisonier fait mené au Tombereau More Chameau sus pieds entrelassez Lors le puisné fillera l'Aubereau English The white Coal shall be expelled by the black one He shall be made Prisoner carried in a Dung-cari His feet twisted upon a black Camel Then the youngest shall suffer the Hobby to have more thread ANNOT. The first Verse is altogether Allegorical and Metaphorical therefore I leave it to the judgement of every Reader I shall only deliver my opinion upon the whole I take it to be some white Prince that shall be overcome by a black one put in a Dungcart after thâ—t tied upon a black Camel and then the younger son of that black Prince shall give the prisonner a little more liberty LXXXVI French L'An que Saturne en eau sera conjoint Avecques Sol le Roy fort puissant A Rheims Aix sera receu oingt Apres
was not the General so much lamented after he had almost ruined the Emperous whom he did challenge to have broken his word and had covered the ground with German and Swedish blood XX. French De la les Alpes grand Armée passera Un peu devant naistra monstre vapin Prodigieux subit tournera Le grand Toscan a son lieu plus propin English Beyond the Alpes shall a great Army go and A little before shall be born a Vapin Monster Prodigious and suddenly the great Toscan Shall return to his nearest place ANNOT. What the Author meaneth by Vapin is unknown to me as for the wrod propin it is a diminutive of the Latine word propinquns by the figure of Rhetorick called Tmesis XXI French Par le trespas du Monarque Latin Ceux quil aura par Regne secourus Le feu livra divisé le butin La mort publique aux hardis accourus English By the death of the Latine Monarque Those that he shall have succoured in his Reign The fire shall shine the booty shall be divided The stout comers in shall be put to publick death ANNOT. Every body may judge of this as well as I therefore to trouble my self it should be to no purpose XXII French Avant qu'a Rome grand aye rendu l'Ame Effrayeur grande a l'Armee estrangere Par escadrons l'embusche pres de Parme. Puis les deux rouges ensemble feront chere English Before that a great man yeildeth up his Soul at Rome The Army of strangers shall be put into a great fright By Squadrons the ambush shall be near Parma After that the two red ones shall make good cheer together ANNOT. Here is nothing difficult but what he meaneth by the two red ones for my part I suppose them to be two Cardinals XXIII French Les deux contens seront unis ensemble Quand la pluspart a Mars seront conjoints Le grand d' Affrique en effrayeur tremble Duumuirat par la chassé desjoint English The two contented shall be united together When the most part shall be joyned to Mars The great one of Africa shall be in fear and terrour Duumuirat shall by the pursuit be disjointed ANNOT. This signifieth that two powerful Princes shall joyn together to make VVar in Africa which shall be much terrified at it but this Duumuirat that is this agreement of two Princes shall be broken off and disjoyned XXIV French Le Regne Roy soubs Venus eslevé Saturne aura sur Jupiter Empire La Loy Regne par Jupiter levé Par Saturnins endurera le pire English The Kingdom and King being raised under Venus Saturn shall have power over Jupiter The Law and Reign raised by Jupiter Shall be put to the worse by the Saturnins ANNOT. I shall leave this to be expounded by those that have more skill in Astronomy then I have XXV French Le Prince Arabe Mars Sol Venus Lion Regne d'Eglise par Mer succombera Devers la Perse bien pres d'un Million Bizance Aegypte Ver. Serp. invadera English The Arabian Prince Mars Sol Venus Leo The Kingdom of the Church shall be overcome by Sea Towards Persia Very near a Million Byzance Aegypt Ver. Serp. shall invade ANNOT. This is of the same nature as the foregoing therefore I leave it to the same expositors XXVI French La gent esclave par un heur Martial Viendra en ha ut degré tant eslevée Changeront Prince naistra un Provincial Passer la Mer copie aux Monts levée English The Slavish Nation shall by a Martial luck Be raised to so high a degree That they shall change their Prince and elect one among themselves They shall cross the Sea with an Army raised in the Mountains ANNOT. This is so plain that it needeth no interpretation XXVII French Par feu armes non loin de la Mar negro Viendra de Perse occuper Trebisonde Trembler Pharos Metelin Sol alegro De sang Arabe d' Adrie couvert l'Onde English By Fire and Sword not far from the black Sea They shall come from Persia to seize upon Trebisonde Pharos and Methelin shall quake Sun be merry The Sea of Adria shall be covered with Arabian blood ANNOT. This Prophecy foretelleth clearly and plainly that the Persians shall come to invade the Turkish dominions a part of which is the Empire of Trebisond and that Pharos and Meshelin two Islands in the Mediterranean Sea shall quake for fear As also that the Adriatick Sea which is that Sea that belongeth to the Venetians shall be covered with Turkish blood at which the Author is so jocund as with an exclamation he inviteth the Sun to be merry and rejoyce at it XXVIII French Le bras pendu la jambe liée Visage pasle au sein poignard cache Trois qui seront jurez de la meslée Au grand de Genes sera le Fer lasché English The arm hanging and the leg bound With a pale face a Dagger in the bosom Three that shall be sworn to the fray To the great one of Genoa the Iron shall be darted ANNOT. This manifestly foretelleth a conspiracy of three men against the Duke of Genoa one of which three men under the shew of a sore Arm and an impotent Leg shall carry a Dagger in his bosom with which he shall stabb the said Duke XXIX French La liberté ne sera recouvrée L'Occupera noir fier vilain inique Quand la matiere du Pont sera ouvrée D' Hister Venise faschée la Republique English The liberty shall not be recovered It shall be occupied by a black fierce and wicked villain When the work of the Hister Bridge shall be ended The Venetian Common-wealth shall be vexed ANNOT. This Stanza is divided into two parts the first of which is comprehended in the two first Verses viz. that the liberty of some politick body he nameth not which shall not be recovered but shall be seized upon by a black fiere and wicked villain The second part is contained in the two last Verses wherein be saith that the Common-wealth of Venice shall be in trouble when the Bridge made over the River Hister shall be finished XXX French Tout a l'entour de la grande Cité Seront Soldats logez par Champs Villes Donner l'assaut Paris Rome incité Sur le Pont sera faite grand pille English Round about the great City Soldiers shall lye in the Fields and Towns Paris shall give the Assault Rome shall be attached Then upon the Bridge shall be great plundering ANNOT. This is concerning the taking and sacking of Rome by the Duke of Bourbon General of Charles V. Forces therefore he saith that Paris shall give the Assault because the said Duke of Bourbon was a Frenchman XXXI French Par Terre Attique chef de la sapience Qui de present est la Rose du Monde Pont ruiné sa grand preeminence Sera subdite naufrage des Ondes English In the Countrey of Attica
guerre pour cause des nuées Gammares locustes cousins Du Leman fautes seront bien desnuées English Through Swedeland and the Neighbouring places By reason of the Clouds shall fall to War The Lobstars Grass-hopper and Gnats The faults of Leman shall appear very naked ANNOT. By Leman is meant the City of Geneva the rest needeth no further interpretation LXXXVI French Par les deux restes trois bras separez La grand Cité sera par eaux vexée Des Grands d'entre eux par esgarez Par teste Perse Byzance fort pressée English Divided in two heads and parted into three arms The great City shall be troubled with Waters Some great ones among them scattered by banishment By a Persian head Byzance shall be sore oppressed ANNOT. This Prophecy containeth three things the first is an Inundation by which Paris is threatned for without doubt he meaneth here that City at the head of which the River Seine is divided in two heads and makes an Island where the Cathedral Church and the Palace are situated and then parted into three branches one of which runneth by the Church of the Augustines the other by the Quay of la Megisserie and the third passeth under the great Hospital this City then is threatned here of an Inundation to which it is very subject by reason of the lowness of her situation and the confluence of several Rivers that meet at the head of it The second part of the Prophecy hinteth that at that time some great ones of that City shall be banished and the third that Constantinople which was anciently called Byzantium or rather the great Turk by a figure of Rhetorick called Synecdoche shall be much oppressed by the Persians LXXXVII French L'An que Saturne hors de servage Au franc terroir sera d'eau inonde De sang Troien sera son mariage Et sera seur d' Espagnols circondé English In the year that Saturn out of stavery In the free Countrey shall be drowned by water With Troian blood his marriage shall be And for certain he shall be hedged about with Spaniards ANNOT. By Troian blood is understood the French Nation the meaning therefore is that in the year that a great Inundation shall be in France then shall a notable marraige be made by which the French shall be hedged about or fenced by Spaniards LXXXVIII French Sur le Sablon par un hideux Deluge Des autres Mers trouvé Monstre Marin Proche de lieu sera fait un refuge Tenant Savone esclave de Turin English Upon the sand through an hideous Deluge Of other Seas shall be found a Sea Monster Near to that place shall be made a Sanctuary Which shall make Savone a slave to Turin ANNOT. VVhen by the overflowing of the Neighbouring Seas a Sea Monster shall be cast upon the Sand near to that place shall be built a Fort that shall make Savona a slave to Turin Savona is a Town by the Sea side belonging to the Genose Turin is the chief City of Piemont belonging to the Duke of Savoy LXXXIX French Dedans Hongrie par Boheme Navarre Et par Banieres feintes seditious Par fleurs de Lis paix portant la barre Contre Orleans fera esmotions English In Hungaria through Bohemia and Navarre And by banners fained seditious Through flower de Luce the Countrey that wears the Bar Against Orleans shall make commotions ANNOT. This Stanza is divided into two parts the two first Verses foretell the troubles that were to happen in Hungaria Bohemia and Navarre for Religion sake The two last ones were fulfilled when the Prince of Condé who in his Arms wears the flower de Luce with the Bar did seize upon Orleans for the Protestant party XC French Dans les Cyclades en Corinthe Larisse Dedans Sparte tout le Peloponese Si grand famine peste far faux conisse Neuf mois tiendra tout le Cherronesse English In the Cyclades in Corinthe and Larisse In Sparta and all Peloponesus There shall be so great a famine and plague by false arts That shall last nine months in Chersonesus ANNOT. Cyclades are the Islands in the Aegean Sea Corinth Larissa Sparta Peloponesus and Chersonesus are Countreys of Grecia XCI French Au grand marche qu'on dit des mensongers De tout Torrent Champ Athenien Seront surpris par les Chevaux legers Des Albanois Mars Leo Sat. au Versien English In the great Market called of the Liars Which is all Torrent and Athenian Field They shall be surprised by the light Horse Of the Albanese Mars in Leo Saturn in Aquarius ANNOT. VVhen Mars shall be in the sign of Leo and Saturn in that of Aquarius then the Countrey of Athens shall be over-run by light Horseman of Albania XCII French Apres le siege tenu dixsept ans Cinq changeront en tel revolu terme Puis sera l'un esleu de mesme temps Qui des Romains ne sera trop conforme English After the seat possessed seventeen years Five shall change in such a space of time After that one shall be elected at the same time Who shall not be very conformable to the Romans ANNOT. The meaning is that when a Pope shall have sat in the Chair for the space of 17 years within the same space of 17 years five others shall be elected and after them another that shall not be well approved of by the Roman Clergy and Nobility If my memory doth not fail me this is come to pass already but wanting the Popes Chronology I could not make it good XCIII French Soubs le terroir du rond Globe Lunaire Lors que sera dominateur Mercure L'Isle d' Escosse fera un Lumenaire Que les Anglois mettra a desconfiture English Under the Territory of the round Lunary Globe When Mercury shall be Lord of the ascendant The Island of Scotland shall make a Luminary That shall put the English to an overthrow ANNOT. This Prophecie must of necessity be past for since the union of both Kingdoms under one King such a thing hath not happened nor is it likely it should be hereafter XCIV French Translatera en la grand Germanie Brabant Flanders Gand Bruges Bologne La trefue fainte le grand Duc d' Armenic Assaillera Vienne la Coloigne English He shall translate into the great Germany Brabant Flanders Gand Bruges and Bullen The truce fained the great Duke of Armenia Shall assault Vienna and Colen ANNOT. It is concerning an Emperour that shall add all those Countreys to the Empire of Germany XCV French Nautique rame invitera les umbres Du grand Empire lors viendra conciter La mer Aegee des lignes des Encombres Empeschant londe Tirrhene de fletter English The Sea Oare shall invite the shades Of the great Empire then shall it come to stir The Aegean Sea with lines of Encumbers Hindering the Tirrhene Sea to roll ANNOT. This is either Mistical or Metaphorical or I understand it
blood His Forces shall be beaten back to the Forrest ANNOT. The difficulty lyes in the word Brothers which I suppose to be the United Provinces The rest is plain VIII French Ceux qui estoient en regne pour scavoir Au Royal change deviendront a pauvris Uns exilez sans appuy Or navoir Lettréz lettres ne seront a grand pris English Those that were in esteem for their learning Upon the change of a King shall become poor Some banished without help having no Gold Learned and learning shall not be much valued ANNOT. This Prophecie is clear enough and here the Author hath said nothing but what doth commonly happen IX French Aux Temples Saints seront faits grands scandales Comptez seront peur honneurs louanges D'un que lon grave d'Argent d'Or les Medals La fin sera en tourmens bien estranges English To the holy Temples shall be done great scandals That shall be accounted for honours and praises By one whose medals are graven in Gold and Silver The end of it shall be in very strange torments ANNOT. Here the Reader must understand that the Author was a Roman Catholick and therefore calleth Holy Temples the Churches of the Romish Religion which in the beginning of the Civil Wars in France were much abased by those of the Protestant Religion then called Huguenots whose chief was Henry King of Navarre who was the only man amongst the Protestant party that could have Money and Medals coined to his stamp as being King of Navarre But the last Verse of this Prophecie proved too true when upon St. Bartholomews day the 24 of August in the year 1572. the general Massacre of the Protestants was made through France X. French Un peu du temps les Temples des Couleurs De blanc noir des deux entremislée Rouges jaunes leur embleront les leurs Sang terre peste faim feu eau asâ—ollée English Within a little while the Temples of the Colours White and Black shall be intermixt Red and Yellow shall take away their Colours Blood earth plague famine fire water shall destroy them ANNOT. By the Temples of the Colours VVhite and Black I suppose he means that of Peace and of VVar by the Red and Yellow may be meant the Empire of the Sweads who shall be at variance together and by their long VVar shall bring the Plagues here mentioned as it came to paâ—s in the VVars of Germany between the Emperour and Gustavus Adolphus King of the Sweads XI French Les sept rameaux a trois seront reduits Les plus aisnez seront surprins par morts Fratricider les deux seront seduits Les Conjures en dormant seront morts English The seven branches shall be reduced to three The eldest shall be surprised by death Two shall be said to kill their Brothers The Conspirators shall be killed being asleep ANNOT. It is apparent that he speaks of seven Brethren that shall be reduced to three whereof the eldest son shall be surprised by death and two of the rest shall be said to have murdered their Brother the Conspirators shall afterwards be killed in their sleep XII French Dresser Copie pour monter a l'Empire Du Vatican le sang Royal tiendra Flamens Anglois Espagne aspire Contre l' Italie France contendra English To raise an Army for to ascend unto the Empire Of the Vatican the Royal blood shall endeavour Flemings English Spain shall aspire And shall contend against Italy and France ANNOT. This prediction signifies no more but that there shall be a great commotion among the Nations of Europe concerning the election of a Pope which is called here the Empire of the Vatican because the Vatican is the Popes Palace in Rome XIII French Un dubieux ne viendra loing du regne La plus grand part le voudra soustenir Un Capitole ne voudra point quil regne Sa grande Chaire ne pourra maintenir English A doubtful man shall not come far from the Reign The greatest part will uphold him A Capitol will not consent that he should Reign His great Chair he shall not be able to maintain ANNOT. What should that doubtful man be whom our Author doth mention here is not easie to be understood but it seemeth that it shall be some body pretending to the Popedom who shall have a great party for himself and yet for all that shall be excluded and not able to keep his Seat so that this Prophecie is but the second part of the foregoing for they have both a relation together The Capitol anciently was the Citadel of Rome and now is the place where the Courts of Judicature meet called Campidoglio XIV French Loing de sa Terre Roy perdra la Bataille Prompt eschapé poursuivy suivant pris Ignare pris soubs la dorée maille Soubs feint habit l'Ennemy surpris English Far from his Countrey the King shall loose a Battle Nimble escaped followed following taken Ignorantly taken under the gilded Coat of Mail Under a feigned habit the enemy taken ANNOT. This Prophecy was fulfilled in the year 1578. when Don Sebastian King of Portugal went into Affrica to help and succour Muley Hamet against Muley Maluc that had expelled him out of the Kingdom of Fez and Morocco and there fought that famous Battle of Alcasserquibir wherein his whole Army was routed and himself slain by the Moores and his body afterwards sold to the King of Spain for a 100000. Crowns XV. French Dessous la Tombe sera trouvé le Prince Qu'aura le pris par dessus Nuremberg L' Espagnol Roy en Capricorne mince Feinct trahy par le grand Untitemberg English Under the Tomb shall be found the Prince That shall have a price above Nuremberg That Spanish King in Capricorn shall be thine Deceived and betrayed by the great Vutitemberg ANNOT. VVe hear of no Prince that had that advantage upon Nuremberg but only Gustavus Adolphus King of Sweden who took it The last two Verses signifie no more then that the King of Spain shall be wasted at the time when the Sun is in Capricorn XVI French Ce que ravy sera du jeune Milve Par les Normans de France Picardy Les noirs du Temple du lieu de Negrisilve Feront aux Berge feu de Lombardie English That which shall be taken from the young Kite By the Normans of France and Picardie The black ones of the Temple of the place called black Forrest Shall make a Rendezvouz and a fire in Lombardie ANNOT. The meaning is that what the Normans and those of Picardie shall save from the hand of a young conquering Prince the same shall be imployed in building a Temple in the black Forrest which is that part of the Forrest of Arden that lies near Bobemia and another part of it to build a House in Lombardie XVII French Apres les livres bruslez les Asiniers Contraints seront changer d'habits divers Les
Saturnins bruslez par les meusniers Hors la pluspart qui ne sera convers English After the Books shall be burnt the Asses Shall be compelled several times to change their Cloaths The Saturnins shall be burnt by the Millers Except the greater part that shall not be discovered ANNOT. This seems to foretell a persecution of ignorant men against the learned after which shall happen a confusion amongst the ignorant persons who shall be forced to disguise themselves The last two Verses seem to be of the same sense for by the Saturnins I understand studious people and by the Millers rude and unlearned persons XVIII French Par les Physiques le grand Roy delaissé Par sort non art de l'Ebrieu est en vie Luy son Genre au Regne hault pousé Grace donnée a gent qui Christ envie English The great King being for saken by Physicians Shall be kept alive by the Magick and not by the art of a Jew He and his kindred shall be set at the top of the Kingdom Grace shall be given to a Nation that envieth Christ ANNOT. This in plain words signifieth no more but that a King shall be desparately sick and forsaken by his physicians and shall recover by the help of a Jew for which fact those of that Nation shall be reestablished in his Countrey XIX French La vraye flamme engloutira la Dame Que voudra mettre les Innocens a feu Pres de l'aussaut l'exercite s'enflamme Quand dans Seville monstre en Boeuf sera veu English The true flame shall swallow up the Lady That went about to burn the guiltless Before the Assault the Army shall be incouraged When in Seville a Monster like an Ox shall be seen ANNOT. Seville is the chiefest City of Andalusia a Province in Spain the rest is plain XXI French L'Union feinte sera peu de durée Les uns changes reformez la plus part Dans les Vaisseaux sera gent endurée Lors aura Rome un nouveau Leopart English The feigned union shall not last long Some shall be changed others for the most part reformed In the Ships people shall be pen'd up Then shall Rome have a new Leopard ANNOT. VVhen the things contained in the three first Verses shall come to pass then Rome shall have a new Pope expressed here by the word Leopard from the variousness that is in his Pontifical Garments XXI French Quand ceux du Pole Artique unis ensemble En Orient grand effrayeur crainte Esleu nouveau soustenu le grand tremble Rodes Bisance de sang Barbare taincte English When those of the Artick Pole shall be united together There shall be in the East a great fear and trembling One shall be newly Elected that shall bear the brunt Rodes Bisance shall be ay'd with Barbarian blood ANNOT. This foretelleth an union between the Europeans or Nations of the North against the Eastern people or Turks and that the Christians shall make choice of such a General that shall make the East quake and get such Victories whereby Rhodes and Constantinople shall be dyed with Turkish blood XXII French Dedans la Terre du grand Temple Celique Neveu a Londres par paix feinte meurtry La Barque alors deviendra Schismatique Liberté feinte sera au corne cry English Within the ground of the great Coelestial Temple A Nephew at London by a fained peace shall be murdered The Boat at that time shall become Schismatical A fained liberty shall be with Hue and Cry ANNOT. I think that by the great Coelestial Temple he meaneth that of St. Paul in which or in the ground about it shall be murdered a Nephew by his Uncle which shall cause great divisions and diffensions in the City compared here to a Boat and that a dissembled or fained liberty shall be proclaimed XXIII French Despit de Roy numismes descriez Peuples seront esmeus contre leur Roy Paix fait nouveau Saintes Loix empirées Rapis onc fut en si piteux arroy English The despight of a King and Coin being brought lower People shall rise against their King Peace newly made Holy Laws being made worse Rapis was never in such a great disorder ANNOT. The first thing here to be observed is the word Rapis which is the Anagramme of Paris which he saith was never in such a trouble before as it shall be when the people shall rebel against the King for hatred and because he shall have put low the price and intrinsical value of Coin and Money he foretelleth also that there shall be a new Peace made and that the Holy Laws shall be much impaired XXIV French Mars le Sceptre se trouvera conjoint Dessoubs Cancer calamiteuse guerre Un peu apres sera nouveau Roy oingt Qui par long temps pacifiera la Terre English Mars and the Scepter being conjoyned together Under Cancer shall be a calamitous War A little while after a new King shall be anointed Who for a long time shall pacifie the Earth ANNOT. The meaning of this is that when the Planet of Mars shall be in conjunction with the constellation he calleth here the Scepter that then shall be a very calamitous VVar. the two last Verses are plain enough of themselves XXV French Par Mars contraire sera la Monarchie Du grand Pescheur en trouble ruineux Jeune noir rouge prendra la Hierarchie Les proditeurs iront jour bruineux English By Mars contrary shall the Monarchy Of the great Fisherman be brought into ruinous trouble A young black red shall possess himself of the Hierarchy The Traitors shall undertake it on a misty day ANNOT. This Prophecie is concerning a certain Pope signified here by the word of great Fisherman because in his Seal is graven a Fisherman and therefore in all his Bulls and Expeditions it is always written Datum Romae sub sigillo piscatoris this Pope then it seeme 〈…〉 shall be brought to ruine and another it seemeth shall succeed him having here three Epithetes viz. Young Black and Red which signifieth that against the common election of Popes he shall be elected young and shall be Black in his complexion and Red in Cloaths viz. a Cardinal Hierarchy is a Greek work signifying Dominion over the Church The last Verse needeth no explication being plain enough of it self XXVI French Quattre ans le siege quel que peu bien tiendra Un surviendra libidineux de vie Ravenna Pise Verone soustiendront Pour eslever la Croix de Pape envie English Four years he shall keep the Papal seat pretty well Then shall succeed one of a libidinous life Ravenna Pisa shall take Verona's part To raise up the Popes Cross to Life ANNOT. This Prediction seemeth to have not only a relation to the foregoing but also a connexion for the Author still handleth the matter of the Popedome and saith that after that Pope shall have Reigned four years there shall succeed one that
before it be throughly finished some ruine shall fall upon a great man and kill him one declared innocent of the fact shall be accused of it after his death and he that shall be guilty of it shall escape by hiding himself in a VVood in misty weather XXXVIII French Aux profligez de Paix les ennemis Apres avoir l' Italie superée Noir sanguinaire rouge sera commis Feu sang verser eau de sang colorée English To the vanquished the enemies of peace After they shall have overcome Italy A bloody black one shall be committed Fire and blood shall be powerd and water coloured with blood ANNOT. A bloody black man shall be put into the hands of the vanquished by those that were enemies to peace after they have conquered Italy whence shall proceed sire and blood and water coloured with blood XXXIX French L'Enfant du Regne par Paternelle prinse Expolier sera pour delivrer Aupres du Lac Trasym en la Tour prinse La troupe hostage pour trop fort s'enyvrer English The Child of the Kingdom through his Fathers imprisonement Shall be deprived of his Kingdom for the delivering of his father Near the Lake Trasymene shall be taken in a Tower The troop that was in Hostage being drunk ANNOT. The Lake Trasymene in Italy is that near which Annibal got that famous Battle upon the Romans The rest is as plain as the words can bear XL. French Grand de Mogonce pour grande soif esteindre Sera privé de sa grand dignité Ceux de Cologne si fort le viendront plaindre Que le grand Groppe au Rhin sera jetté English The great one of Ments for to quench a great thirst Shall be deprived of his high dignity Those of Colen shall bemoan him so much That the great Groppe shall be thrown into the Rhine ANNOT. This foretelleth the fall of an Archbishop of Ments in Latine Moguntia who is the first Ecclesiastical Elector and shall be deprived of his dignity by a covetous and powerful Prince to satisfie his covetousness at which those of Colen his neighbours shall be so incensed that they shall throw that covetous person into the Rhine XLI French Les second Chef du Regne Dannemark Par ceux de Frize l'Isle Britannique Fera despendre plus de cent mille mark Vain exploiter voiage en Italique English The second head of the Kingdom of Dannemark By those of Friezeland and the Brittish Island Shall cause to be spent above 100000. Mark Vainly endeavouring a journey into Italy ANNOT. This signtfieth onely a conjunction of the Dutch Danish and English Forces to attempt something in Italy which shall prove fruitless and cost a great deal of Money XLII French A l' Ogmion sera laissé le Regne Du grand Selin qui plus fera de fait Par l' Italie estendra son enseigne Regira par prudent contrefait English Unto l'Ogmion shall be left the Kingdom Of great Selyn who shall do more then the rest Through Italy he shall spread his Ensigns He shall govern by a prudent dissimulation ANNOT. VVe have said before that when ever the Author speaks of Ognion he meaneth the King of France the meaning therefore of this whole Stanza is that Henry the II. Son to Francis the I. whom he calls here great Selin shall do more in Italy then his Predecessors had done which proved true and he governed his Kingdom with a prudent dissimulation XLIII French Long temps sera sans estre habitée Ou Siene Marne autour vient arroufer De la Thamise Martiaux tentée Deceus les gardes en evidant repousser English A great while shall be unhabited Where Seine and Marne comes to water about Being attempted by the Thames and Martial people The Guards deceived in thinking to resist ANNOT. By the two first Verses he meaneth without doubt the City of Paris for it is watered by those two Rivers the Seine and Marne that joyn together at the head of it but how this City should become unhabited is the great question and chiefly by the means here alledged viz. of the English signified by the Thames and other Martial people the Guards deceived in thinking to repulse the enemy XLIV French De nuict par Nantes l'Iris apparoistra Des Arcs Marins susciteront la pluye Arabique Goulfre grand classe parfondra Un Monstre en Saxe naistre d'Ours Truye English By night in Nantes the Rain-bow shall appear Sea Rain-bows shall cause Rain The Arabian Gulf shall drownd a great Fleet A Monster shall be in Saxony from a Bear and a Sow ANNOT. Nantes is a City in France Iris is the Rainbow Saxony is a Province in Germany the rest is plain XLV French Le Governeur du Regne bien scavent Ne consentir voulant au faict Royal Medite classe par le contraire vent Le remettra a son plus desloyal English The Governour of the Kingdom being learned Shall not consent to the Kings will He shall intend to set out a Fleet by a contrary Wind Which he shall put into the hands of the most disloyal ANNOT. This signifies that the Governour or Vice-Roy of a Kingdom shall refuse to consent to his Kings Deeds the rest needeth no interpretation XLVI French Unjuste sera en exil Anvoyé Par pestilance aux confins de non seggle Response au rouge le fera desvoye Roy retirant a la Rane a l'Aigle English A just person shall be banished By plague to the Borders of Non seggle The answer to the red one shall make him deviate Retiring himself to the Frog and the Eagle ANNOT. I cannot find what he meaneth by Non-seggle by the Eagle he meaneth the Emperour and by the Frog the King of France for before he took the Flower de Luce the French bore three Frogs XLVII French Entre deux Monts les deux grands Assemblez De laisseront leur simulte secrete Bruxelle Dolle par Langres accablez Pour a Maline executer leur peste English Between two Mountains the two great ones shall meet They shall forsake their secret enmity Brusselle and Dolle shall be crushed by Langres To put their plague in Execution at Maline ANNOT. Brussel is a Town of Brabant and so is Maline Dolle is one of Burgundy and Langres another of France XLVIII French La saincteté trop faincte seductive Accompagne d'une langue diserte La Cité vieille Parme trop nastive Florence Sienne rendront plus desertes English The fained and seducing holiness Accompanied with a fluent tongue Shall cause the old City and too hasty Parma Florence and Sienna to be more desert ANNOT. I know not what he means by the old City unless it be Rome by reason of its antiquity XLIX French De la partie de Mammer grand Pontife Subjuguera les confins du Danube Chasser les croix par fer raffe ne riffe Captifs Or bagues plus de cent mille Rubles English From
the party of Mammer high Priest They shall subdue the borders of Danubius They shall expel crosses by Sword topse-turvy Slaves Gold Jewels more than 100000. Rubles ANNOT. Some parties of the Popes side shall subdue those bordering upon Danubius and drive away the Priests turn all things topse-turvy make slaves and take a booty above the value of 100000. Rubles A Ruble is a piece of Gold of the great Mogul worth two or three pound sterling L. French Dedans le puis seront trouvez les os Se l'inceste commis par la Marastre L'estat changé en fera bruit des os Et aura Mars ascendant pour son astre English In the Well shall be found the bones Incest shall be committed by the Stepmother The casa being altered there shall be great stir about the bones And she shall have Mars for her ascending Planet ANNOT. It is the strange wickedness of a woman that shall incestuously be got with Child by her Son in Law and when she is delivered shall kill her Child and throw him into a VVell a while after the water beginning to corrupt a search shall be made of the cause and then the Childs Bones shall be found which shall cause a great stir and for to know this wicked woman he saith that the Planet of Mars shall be the ascendant in her Horoscope LI. French Peuple assemble voir nouveau spectacle Princes Roys par plusieurs assistans Piliers faillir murs mais comme miracle Le Roy sauve trente des instans English People assembled to see a new show Princes and Kings with many assistants Pillars shall fail walls also but as a miracle The King saved and thirty of the standers by ANNOT. The words of this prediction are plain and easie and signifie no more than what often happeneth and may happen yet viz. that where a concourse of people shall be to to see a new show the Pillars and walls of the Building shall fall and people perish by the ruine as if it were by a Miracle the King and thirty of the spectators shall be preserved LII French En lieu du grand qui sera condamné De prison hors son amy en sa place L'espoir Troyen en six mois joinct mort né Le Sol a l' Vurne seront prins fleuves en glace English Instead of the great one that shall be condemned And put out of Prison his friend being in his place The Trojan hope in six months joyn still born The Sun in Aquarius then Rivers shall be frozen ANNOT. By the Trojan hope is meant a King of France who after he hath been marryed a Months shall have a Child still born LIII French Le grand Prelat Celtique a Roy suspect De nuict par cours sortira hors du Regne Par Duc fertile a son grand Roy Bretagne Bisance a Cypres Tunis insuspect English The great Celtique Prelate suspected by his King Shall in hast by night go out of the Kingdom By the means of a Duke the fruitful Britanie Bisance by Cyprus and Tunis shall be unsuspected ANNOT. The great Celtique Prelate was the Cardinal of Lorrain Brother to the Duke of Guizse who being suspected by the King went away by night to Rome By fruitfull Brittain is understood the province of that name in France which by the means of the Duke of Mercure her Governour shall be unsuspected by the King LIV. French Au point du jours au second chant du Coq Ceux de Tunes de Fez de Bugie Par les Arabes captif le Roy Maroq L'an mil six cens sept de Liturgie English At the break of day at the second crowing of the Cock Those of Tunis and Fez and Bugia By means of the Arabians shall take Prisoner the King of Morocco In the year 1607. by Liturgie ANNOT. By Liturgie I suppose he meaneth under pretext of Religion The rest is easie to be understood LV French Au Chelme Duc en arrachant l'esponce Voile Arabesque voir subit descouverte Tripolis Chio ceux de Trapesonce Duc prins Marnegro la Cité deserte English The Chelme Duke in pulling a spunge Shall see Arabian Sails suddenly discovered Tripolis Chios and those of Trapesan The Duke shall be taken Marnegro and the City shall be desert ANNOT. Chelme is a German word that signifies a Rogue By Marnegro is meant the Black Sea or Nigropont By pulling a Spunge I suppose the great quantity of Spunges that stick to the Rocks in that Sea Tripolis Chios and Trapezon are places in the Turkish Dominions LVI French La crainte Armée de l'ennemy Narbon Effroyera si fort les Hesperiques Parpignan vuide par l'aveugle d' Arbon Lors Barcelon par Mer donra les piques English The feared Army of the enemy Narbon Shall so much terrifie the Spaniards That Parpignan shall be left empty by the blind d'Arbon Then Barcelon by Sea shall give the Chase ANNOT. A great Army gathered about Narbon shall so much terrifie the Spaniards that Parpignan a Town of theirs shall be desolate and left empty by the Governour here called the blind d'Arbon then Barcelon which is a Sea-Town in Catalonto belonging to the Spaniards shall come to its succours and chase the enemy by Sea LVII French Celuy qu'estoit bien avant dans le Regne Ayant Chef rouge proche a la Hierarchie Aspre cruel se fera tant craindre Succedera a sacrée Monarchie English He that was a great way in the Kingdom Having a red head and near the Hierarchy Harsh and cruel shall make himself so dreadful That he shall succeed to the Sacred Monarchy ANNOT. This is a person of great quality and near of blood to a King who being a Cardinal cruel and dreadful shall be Elected Pope I suppose Clement the VII LVIII French Entre les deux Monarques esloignez Lors que le Sol par Selin clair perdue Simulté grande entre deux indignez Qu'aux Isles Sienne la liberté renduë English Between the two Monarchs that live far one from the other When the Sun shall be Ecclipsed by Selene Great enmity shall be between them two So that liberty shall be restored to the Isles and Sienne ANNOT. Here is nothing difficult but the word Selene which is the Moon from the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The meaning is that at such a time when the Sun is Ecclipsed by the Moon Sienn◠and the Islands about it shall be at liberty LIX French Dame en fureur par rage d'adultere Viendra a son Prince conjurer non dire Mais bref cogneu sera le vitupere Que seront mis dixsept a Martyre English A Lady in fury by rage of an Adultery Shall come to her Prince and conjure him to say nothing But shortly shall the shameful thing be known So that seventeen shall be put to death ANNOT. The sense of this Stanza and the words are plain LX. French Le Prince hors
de son Terroir Coltique Sera trahy deceu par interprete Rouen Rochelle par ceux de l' Armorique Au Port de Blavet deceux par Moin Prestre English That Prince being out of his Celtick Countrey Shall be betrayed and deceived by an Interpreter Rouen Rochel by those of Gascony At the Port of Blavet shall be deceived by Monk and Priest ANNOT. We have said many times before what is meant by the word Celtique The Port of Blavet is that of the River of Bordeaux LXI French Le grand Tapis plié ne monstrera Fo rs qu'a demy la pluspart de l'Histoire Chasse du Regne aspre loin paroistra Au fait Bellique chacun le viendra croire English The great Carpet folded shall not shew But by half the greatest part of the History The driven out of the Kingdom shall appear sharp afar off In Warlike matters every one shall believe him ANNOT. This needeth no interpretation LXIL French Trop tard tous deux les fleurs seront perdües Contre lay loy Serpent ne voudra faire Des ligueurs forces par gallops confondü s Savone Albingue par Monech grand martyre English Both the flowers shall be lost too late Against the Law the Serpent will do nothing The forces of the Leaguers by gallops shall be confounded Savone Albingue by Monech shall suffer great pain ANNOT. The two first verses are too mistical for me the third signifieth that by gallops that is by Troops of Horses the Leaguers viz. those that held the party of the League shall be routed by the Kings Cavalry The fourth that Savone and Albingue two Towns of the Genoeses shall be put to much trouble by those of Monech and Monaco another Town near them belonging to the Prince of Monaco a Genoese of the house of Grimald LXIII French La Dame seule au Regne demurée L'unique esteint premier au lict d'honneur Sept ans sera de douleur eplevrée Puis longue vie au regne par bonheur English The Lady shall be left to reign alone The only one being extinguished first in the Bed of Honour Seven years she shall weep for grief After that she shall live long in the Reign by good luck ANNOT. The second and fourth Verses perswade me that this Stanza came to pass in the time of Catharine of Medicis wife to Henry II. because she lived long and the King died in the bed of Honour and thus he saith that she was left to Reign alone because her four Sons were all little ones so that she alone was Regent in France The second Verse saith The holy one being extinguished first in the Bed of Honour By this word the only one the Author meaneth not the only Son but the only one living such as Henry II was to her who was extinstuished in the Bed of Honour and died of the wound he received at Tilting The third Verse saith that after his death her mourning lasted seven years that is from the first of August 1559. to the first of August 1566. because that all those 16 Months that Francis II. she had nothing but continual sorrow by the conspiracy of Amboise the secret practises of the King of Nauarre and Prince of Cond◠his Brother by the insurrection of the Protestants when Charles IX visited his Kingdom Anno 1556. after which she put off her mourning The fonrth Verse signifieth that she should be long lived for she lived above 60 years He saith also that she was Regent by great luck that is great luck for her self but not for the Kingdom for it was most unhappy in her time LXIV French On ne tiendra pache aucun arresté Tous recevants iront par tromperie De trefue paix Terre Mer protesté Par Barcelone classe prins d'industrie English No agreement shall be kept All those that shall admit of it deal falsly There shall be protestations made by Land and Sea Barcelone shall take a Fleet by craft ANNOT. This is a description of the sad and calamitous estate of France in the time of the Civil wars when no agreement could be kept on the Roman Catholicks side witness the several Peaces that were made and broken the Massacre of Vassa and that infamous perfidy committed by them on St. Bartholomews day being the 24 of August Anno 1572. LXV French Gris bureau demy ouverte guerre De nuit seront assaillis pillez Le bureau prins passera par la serre Son Temple ouvert deux au plastre grillez English Between the Gray and sad Gray shall be half open War By night they shall be assaulted and plundered The sad Gray being taken shall be put in Custody His Temple shall be open two shall be put in the Grate ANNOT. This Stanza affordeth us a commical History which is that about the year 1601. when there sprang up in France a Kind of Friers who bosted themselves to be the true observers of the Rule of St. Francis and that the Cordeliers and Capushines did not keep it so exactly but they had need of a great reformation the King Henry IV. granted them a Convent at Beaufort and upon his example many other places desired them they went to possess themselves of the house of la Blamet near Angiers but the Cordeliers being loath to be dispossessed by these new comers called Recollets did besiege them by main force broke open the Gates scaled the VValls the besieged did not defend themselves by words or exorcismes but with good Stones and Flints so that if the people had not come the fray would not have ended without murder some of them were put in Prison others kept in Custody this is the meaning of the Author when he saith There will be half an open War between the Gray and the sad Gray for the Cordeliers have a Gray habit and the Recollets a sad Gray LXVI French Au fondement de nouvelle secte Seront les os du grand Romain trouvez Sepulchre en Marbre apparoistra converte Terre trembler en Auril mal enfeüvez English At the foundation of a new sect The Bones of the great Roman shall be found The Sepulchre shall appear covered with Marble The Earth shall quake in April they shall be ill buried ANNOT. The meaning is that when they shall go about to make a foundation of a house for a new Sect of Friers they shall find the bones of a famous Roman in a Marble Sepulchre and that in April the Earth shall quake whereby many shall be swallowed up LXVII French Au grand Empire par viendra tout un autres Bonté distant plees de felicité Rege par un issu non loing du peautre Corruer Regnes grande infelicité English To the great Empire quite another shall come Being farther from goodness and happiness Governed by one of base parentage The Kingdom shall fall a great unhappiness ANNOT. This needeth no Interpretation LXVIII French Lors que Soldats fureur seditieuse
interpretation XVL. French Entrée profonde par la grande Roine faite Rendra le lieu puissant inaccessible L'Armée de trois Lions sera défaite Faisant dedans cas hideux terrible English The deep entry made by the Queen Shall make the place powerful and inaccessible The Army of the three Lions shall be routed Doing within an hideous and terrible thing ANNOT. A Queen shall cause such a deep Trench to be made before a Town that it shall be impregnable and the Army of Lions that is either Generals or of a Prince that shall bear three Lions in his Arms shall be routed XVII French Le Prince rare en pitié clemence Apres avoir la paix aux siens baillé Viendra changer par mort grand cognoissance Apres grand repos le regne travaille English The Prince rare in pity and Clemency After he shall have given peace to his Subjects Shall by death change his great knowledge After great rest the Kingdom shall be troubled ANNOT. This positively concerneth Henry the IV. King of France who after he had by many Battles and dangers given peace to his Kingdom was by a Murderer snatched away and the Kingdom put into new troubles by the war that the Princes had among themselves XVIII French Les Assiegez couloureront leurs paches Sept jours apres feront cruelle issüe Dans repoulsez feu sang sept mis a l'hache Dame captive qu'avoit la paix issüe English The Besieged shall dawb their Articles Seven days after they shall make a cruel event They shall be beaten back fire blood seven put to death The Lady shall be Prisoner who endeavoured to make peace ANNOT. This needeth no interpretation XIX French Le Fort Nicene ne sera combatu Vaincu sera par rutilant metal Son fait sera un long temps debatu Aux Ciâ—adins estrange espouvental English The Fort Nicene shall not be fought against By shining metal it shall be overcome The doing of it shall be long and debating It shall be a strange fearful thing to the Citizens ANNOT. Nice is a Town in Piemont situated by the Sea side now whether this Prophecy came to pass in the time of the Wars between France and Savoy or shall come to pass hereafter it is more then I can tell As for winning of it by glistering Metal it is no new thing or practice witness Philippus of Macedon who said no City was impregnable wherein might enter an Ass loaded with gold XX. French Ambassadeurs de la Toscane langue Avril May Alpes Mer passer Celuy de Veau exposera l'harangue Vie Gauloise en voulant effacer English The Embassadors of the Tuscan tongue In April and May shall go over the Alpes and the Sea One like a Caif shall make a speech Attempting to defame the French customes ANNOT. The sense and the words are plain XXI French Par pestilente inimitie Volsicque Dissimulée chassera le Tyran Au Pont de Sorgues se fera la trafique De mettre a mort luy son adherent English By a pestilent Italian enmity The dissembler shall expel the Tyrant The bargain shall be made at Sorgues Bridge To put him and his adherent to death ANNOT. There is no difficulty in this XXII French Les Citoiens de Mesopotamie Irez encontre amis de Tarragone Jeux Ris Banquets toute gent endormie Vicaire au Prone pris Cité ceux d' Ausone English The Citizens of Mesopotamia Being angry with the friends of Tarragone Playes laughter feasts every body being asleep The Vicar being in the Pulpit City taken by those of Ausone ANNOT. By the Citizens of Mesopotamia is understood a people that live between two Rivers from the the Greek words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the rest is easie We have said before that by Ausone the Author understands the City of Bourdeaux which he called Ausone from the Poet and Consul of Rome Ausonius who was born there XXIII French Le Roial Sceptre sera contraint de prendre Ce que ses Predecesseurs voient engagé Puis a Laigneau on fera mal entendre Lors qu'on viendra le Palais saccager English The Royal Scepter shall be constrained to take What his Predecessors had morgaged After that they shall mis-inform the Lamb When they shall come to plunder the Palace ANNOT. This is obvious to every body's capacity XXIV French L' Ensevely sortira du tombeau Fera de chaisnes lier le fort du pont Empoisoné avec oeufs de Barbeau Grand de Lorrain par le Marquis du pont English The buried shall come out of his Grave He shall cause the fort of the Bridge to be tied with Chains Poisoned with Barbels hard Row Shall a great one of Lorrain be by the Marques du pont ANNOT. This Prophecie is divided in two parts The first two Verses talk of a man that shall be taken out of his Grave alive The two last speak that a great man of Lorrain shall be poisoned by the Marques de pont in the Row of a Barbel which according to Physitians is a dangerous meat of it self and chiefly if it be Stewed the Poisoner himself seemeth to be no other than a Duke of Lorrain or one of his Sons for he stileth himself N. Duke of Lorrain Prince of Bar and Marques du pont XXV French Par guerre longue tout l'exercite espuiser Que pour Soldats ne trouveront pecune Lieu d'Or d'Argent cair on viendra cuser Gaulois Aerain signe croissant de Lune English By a long War all the Army drained dry So that to raise Souldiers they shall find no Money Instead of Gold and Silver they shall stamp Leather The French Copper the mark of the stamp the new Moon ANNOT. This maketh me remember the miserable condition of many Kingdoms before the West-Indies were discovered for in Spain Lead was stamped for Money and so in France in the time of King Dagobert and it seemeth by this Stanza that the like is to come again by reason of a long and tedious War XXVI French Fustes Galées autour de sept Navires Sera livree une mortelle guerre Chef de Madrid recevra coups de vires Deux eschapées cinq menez a Terre English Fly-boats and Galleys round about seven Ships A mortal War there shall be The chief of Madrid shall receive blows of Oars Two shall escape and five carried to Land ANNOT. Paradin saith in his History that in the year 1555. towards the end of August those of Diepe had permission from the King to fight a Fleet of the Spaniards which was coming into Flanders and brought Men Money and several Merchandises They went to Sea and after much searching they discovered the Fleet wherein were 22 great Ships The Diepois had but 19 men of War and five or six Pinnaces with which they set upon them between Calais and Dover The fight was very bloody almost all the
carnem prophetabunt filii vestri siliae vestrae But such a Prophecy did proceed from the mouth of the Holy Ghost who was the Supreme and eternal Power which being come with that of the Coelestial bodies hath caused some of them to foretel great and wonderful things as for my part I challenge no such thing in this place God forbid I confess truly that all cometh from God for which I give him thanks honour and praise without having mixed any thing of that divination which proceedeth a Fato but only of that which proceedeth à Deo Natura and most of it joyned with the motion and course of the Coelestial Bodies inso much that seeing as in a burning Glass and through a Cloudy Vision the great and sad events the prodigious and calamitous accidents that shall befall the Worshippers first of God and secondly those that are Earthly propped up with a thousand other calamitous accidents which shall be known in course of time for God will take notice of the long barrenness of the great Dame who afterwards shall conceive two principal Children But being in danger she that shall be added to her by the temerity of age running a danger in the 18 and not able to go beyond the 36 shall leave behind her three females and he shall have two that never had any of the same father the differences between the three Brothers shall be such and then shall they be united and agreed insomuch that the three and four parts of Europe shall quake by the lesser in years shall the Christian Monarchy be upheld and augmented Sects shall rise and presently be put down again the Arabians shall be put back Kingdoms shall be united and new Laws made Concerning the other Children the first shall possess the furious Crowned Lions holding their Paws upon the Escutcheons The second well attended will go so deep among the Lions that the second way shall be open all trembling and furious going down to get upon the Pyrenaean Mountains The ancient Monarchy shall not be transferred the third innundation of humane blood shall happen and for a good while Mars shall not be in Lent And the Daughter shall be given for the preservation of the Church the Dominator of it falling into the Pagan Forces of the new unbelievers she shall have two Children one from faithfulness and the other from unfaithfulness for the confirmation of the Catholick Church and the other who to his confusion and late repentance shall go about to ruine her There shall be three Regions by the extreme differences of the leagues viz. the Roman the German and the Spanish who by a Military hand shall make divers Sects forsaking the 50 and 52 degrees of altitude and all those of remote Regions shall do homage to the Regions of Europe and of the North of 40 Degrees Altitude who by a vain fright shall quake after that those of the West South and East shall quake because of their power insomuch that what shall be done cannot be undone by Warlike power They shall be equal in Nature but much different in Faith After this the barren Dame of a greater power then the second shall be admitted by two people by the first obstinate that had power over the others by the second and by the third that shall extend his Circuit of the East of Europe as far as the Hungarians vanquished and overcome and by a Maritine Sail shall make his excursions into the Trinarrian and Adriatick Sea by his Mirmidons and Germany shall fall and the Barbarian Sect shall be wholly driven from among the Latines Then the great Empire of Antichrist shall begin in the Attila and Xerxes to come down with an innumerable multitude of people insomuch that the coming of the Holy Ghost proceeding from the 48 Degree shall transmigrate driving away the abomination of the Antichrist who made War against the Royal who shall be the great Vicar of I. C. and against his Church and his Kingdom per tempus in occasione temporis and before this shall precede a Solar Eclipse the most dark and obscure that was since the Creation of the World till the death and passion of I. C. and from him till then and it shall be in the Month of October when such a great Translation shall be made that every body will think that the weight of the Earth shall have lost its natural motion and be swallowed up in perpetual darkness In the Spring before and after this shall happen extraordinary changes mutations of Kingdoms and great Earth-quakes with pullulation of the new Babylons miserable daughter increased by the abomination of the first Holocaust and shall last only 73 years and 7 Months then from that Stock she that had been long time barren proceeding from the fifth Degree who shall renew all the Christian Church and then shall be a great Peace Union and Concord between one of the Children of the wandring and seperated foreheads by divers Kingdoms and such Peace shall be made that the Instigator and Promoter of Military function by diversity of Religions shall be tied to the bottom of the deep and the Kingdom of the Rabious who shall countefeit the wise shall be united And the Countreys Towns Cities and Provinces that had deserted their first ways to free themselves captivating themselves more deeply shall be secretly angry at their liberty and Religion lost and shall begin to strike from the left to turn to the right restoring the holiness beaten down long before with their former writing so that after the great Dog shall come forth the biggest Mastif who shall destroy all that was done formerly then Churches shall be built up again as before the Clergy shall be restored to its former state and shall begin to Whore and Luxuriate and to commit a Thousand Crimes And being near unto another desolation when she shall be in her higher and more sublime dignity there shall rise powers and Militaty hands who shall take away from her the two Swords and leave her only the Ensigns from which by the means of the crookedness that draweth them the people causing it to go straight and not willing to submit unto them by the end opposite to the sharp hand that toucheth the Ground they shall provoke till that a branch shall proceed from the barren which shall deliver the people of the World from that meek and voluntary slavery putting themselves under the protection of Mars depriving Jupiter of all his honours and dignities for the free City established and seated in another little Mesopotamia And the chief Governour shall be thrust out of the middle and set in the high place of the Air being ignorant of the conspiracy of the Conspirators with the second Thrasibulus who long before did manage this thing then shall the impurities and abominations be objected with great shame and made manifest to the darknes of the darkened light and shall cease towards the end of
the change of his Kingdom the chief men of the Church shall be put back from the love of God and many of them shall apostatise from the true faith and from the true Sects the middlemost of which by her worshippers be a little put into ruine the first wholly in all Europe and most part of Africa undone by the third by the means of the poor in Spirit who by madness elevated shall through libidinous luxury commit adultery The people will rise and maintain it and shall drive away those that did adhere to the Legislators and shall seem by the Kingdoms spoiled by the Eastern men that God the Creator hath loosed Satan from his Infernal Prison to cause to be born the great Dog and Doham who shall make so great and abominable a fraction in the Churches that the Red nor the White without Eyes and without Hands shall not judge of it and their power shall be taken a way from them Then shall be a greater persecution against the Church than ever was and in the mean time shall be so great a Plague that two parts of three in the world shall fail insomuch that no body shall be able to know the true owners of fields and houses and there shall happen a total desolation unto the Clergy and the Martial men shall usurpe what shall come back from the City of the Sun and from Molita and the Staechades Islands and the great Chain of that Port shall be open which taketh its denomination from a Sea Oxe and a new incursion shall be made through the Sea Coasts willing to deliver the Castulan Leap from the first Mahometan taking and the assaulting shall not altogether be in vain and that place where the habitation of Abraham was shall be assaulted by those who shall have a respect for the Jovials And that City of Achem shall be encompassed and assaulted on all sides by a great power of Armed men their Sea Forces shall be weakened by the Western men and to that Kingdom shall happen great desolation and the great Cities shall be depopulated and those that shall come in shall be comprehended within the vengeance of the wrath of God and the Sepulchre held in so great veneration shall remain a great while open to the universal Aspect of the Heavens Sun and Moon and the sacred place shall be converted into a Stable for small and great Cattle and put to prophane uses O what a calamitous affliction shall be then for women with Child and chiefly by the principal Easterly head being for the most part moved by the Northern and Westerly men vanquished and put to death beaten and all the rest put to flight and the Children he had by many women put in Prison then shall be fulfilled the Prophecy of the Kingly Prophet Ut andiret gemitus compeditorum ut solveret filios interemptorum what great oppression shall be made then upon the Princes and Governours of Kingdoms and especially of those that shall live Eastward and near the Sea and their Languages intermixed very sociably The Language of the Arabians and Latines by the African communication and all the Eastern Kings shall be driven away beaten and brought to nothing not altogether by the means of the strength of the Kings of the North and by the drawing near of our age by the means of three secretly united seeking for death by ambushes one against another And the renewing of the Triumvirate shall last seven years while the fame of such a sect shall be spread all the world over and the Sacrifice of the Holy and immaculate Host shall be upheld And then shall the Lords be two in number victorious in the North against the Eastern ones and there shall be such a great noise and Warlike tumult that all the East shall quake for fear of those two Brothers not Northern Brothers And because Sir by this discourse I put all things confusedly in these predictions as well concerning the event of them as for the account of the time which followeth which is not at all or very little conformable to that I have done before as well by Astronomical way as other of the sacred Scriptures which cannot erre I could have set down to every quatrain the time in which they shall happen but it would not please every body much less the interpretation of them till Sir your Majesty hath granted me full power so to do that my Calumniators may have nothing to say against me Nevertheless reckoning the years since the Creation of the World to the Birth of Noah have passed 1506. years and from the Birth of Noah to the perfect building of the Ark near the universal Flood have passed 600. years whither solary or lunary or mixed for my part according to the Scriptures I hold that they were solary And at the end of those 600. years Noah entered into the Ark to save himself from the Flood which Flood was universal upon the Earth and lasted a year and two months and from the end of the Flood to the birth of Abraham did pass the number of 295. years and from the birth of Abraham to that of Isaac did pass 100. years and from Isaac to Jacob 60. years and from the time that he went into Aegypt till he came out of it did pass 130. years and from the time that Jacob went into Aegypt till his posterity came out of it did pass 430. years and from the coming out of Aegypt to the building of Salomon's Temple in the fourth year of his Reign did pass 480. years and from the building of the Temple till Jesus Christ according to the supputation of the Chronographers did pass 490. years and so by this supputation which I have gathered out of the Holy Scriptures the whole cometh to about 4173. years eight Months more or less But since the time of I. C. hitherto I leave it because of the diversity of Opinions And having calculated these present Prophecies according to the order of the Chain which containeth the revolution and all by Astronomical Doctrine and according to my natural instinct and after some time and in it comprehending since the time that Saturn shall turn to come in on the 7 of the Month of April till the 25 of August Jupiter from the 14 of June to the 7 of October Mars from the 27 of April till 22 of June Venus from the 9 of April to the 22 of May Mercury from the 3 of February till the 24 of the same afterwards from the 1 of June till the 24 of the same and from the 25 of September till the 16 of October Saturn in Capricorn Jupiter in Aquarius Mars in Scorpio Venus in Pisces Mercury within a Month in Capricorn Aquarius in Pisces Luna in Aquarius the Dragons head in Libra the Tail opposite to her sign according to a Conjunction of Jupiter and Mercury with a quadrin Aspect of Mars to Mercury and the head of the Dragon shall be with a
in omnes tua amplitudo humanitas homines deosque pietas ut solus amplissimo Chrisâ—ianissimo regis nomine ad quem summa totius Religionis authoritas deferatur dignus esse videare But only I shall beseech you O most Merciful King through your singular and prudent goodness to understand rather the desire of my Heart and the earnest desire I have to obey your most excellent Majesty since my Eyes were so near your Royal splendor than the greatness of my work can deserve or require From Selin this 27 June 1558. Faciebat Michael Nostradamus Salonae Petreae Provinciae THE PROPHECIES OF Michael Nostradamus CENTURY VIII I. French PAu Nay Loron plus feu qu'a sang sera Laude nager fuir grands aux Surrez Les Agassas entrée refusera P ampon Durance les tiendront enserrez English Pau Nay Loron more in fire then blood shall be Lauda to swim great ones run to the Surrez The Agassas shall refuse the entry Pampon Durance shall keep them enclosed ANNOT. The Prophecies of this and of the remaining Centuries being for the most part so obscure as no man is able to make any sense of them the judicious Reader must not expect from me what no man else can do let him suffice if I give him as much light as I can and leave the rest to his own judgement and industry Pau is the chief Town of the Province of Bearn in the Kingdom of Navarre where Henry the IV. King of France and Navarre was born Nay and Loron are barbarous words so are Surrez Agassas and Pampon Durance is a River of France II. French Condon Aux autour de Mirande Je voy du Ciel feu qui les environne Sol Mars conjoint au Lion puis Marmande Foudre grand guerre mur tomber dans Garonne English Condon and Aux and about Mirande I see a fire from Heaven that encompasseth them Sol Mars in conjunction with the Lion and then Marmande Lightning great War Wall falls into the Garonne ANNOT. Condon Aux Mirande and Marmande are Towns in the Province of Guyenne and Languedoc Garonne is the River of Bourdeaux III French Au fort Chasteau de Vigilanne Resviers Sera serré les puisnay de Nancy Dedans Turin seront ards les premiers Lors que de dueil Lyon sera transy English In the strong Castle of Vigilanne and Resviers Shall be kept close the youngest son of Nancy Within Turin the first shall be burnt up When Lyon shall be overwhelmed with sorrow ANNOT. Vigilanne and Resviere being falsly writen here it must be set down Veillane and Riniere which are two strong Castles the first being seated in Piemont and the last in Burgundy Nancy is the chief Town of Lorrain and Turin of Piemont Lyon is a famous City in France so that the sense of this Prophecy seemeth to be that the youngest Son of Nancy that is of Lorrain shall be kept close Prisoner in those two Castles of Veillane and Riniera and that the chief men of Turin shall be burnt when the City of Lyon shall be oppressed with sorrow IV. French Dedans Monech le Coq sera receu Le Cardinal de France apparoistra Par Logarion Romain sera deceu Foiblesse a l'Aigle force au Coq croistra English Within Monech the Cock shall be admitted The Cardinal of France shall appear By Logarion Roman shall be deceived Weakness to the Eagle and strength to the Cock shall grow ANNOT. Monech is false written here it must be Monaco which is a Principality and Town in Italy by Genoa belonging to the House of the Grimaldi wherein the French were admitted by the policy of Cardinal Richelieu during the Wars between France and Spain Logarion is a Barbarous name by which he meaneth some body unknown to us By the Eagle is meant the Emperour who was very low at that time and by the Cock the King of France who was very powerful where it is to be observed that by the Eagle the Emperour is always understood because it is his Arms and by the Cock is meant the King of France because a Frenchman is called in Latine Gallus which also signifieth a Cock. V. French Apparoistra Temple luisant orné La Lampe Cierge a Borne Bretueil Pour la Lucerne le Canton destourné Quand on verra le grand Coq au Cercueil English A shining adorned Temple shall appear The Lamp and wax Candle at Borne and Bretueil For Lucerne the Canton turned of When the great Cock shall be seen in his Coffin ANNOT. Borne and Bretueil are two particular places the first is one of the four Baronies of the River Mase viz. Petersem Steen Horne Borne the other is a little Town in Britany Lucerne is one of the Cantons of Switzerland VVe have said before what is meant by the great Cock viz. the King of France Let the Reader make up the rest according to his fancy VI. French Charté fulgure a Lyon apparente Luysant print Malte subit sera estainte Sardon Mauris traitera decevante Geneve a Londres a Coq trahison feinte English A thundering light at Lyons appearing Bright took Maltha instantly shall be put out Sardon shall treat Mauris deceitfully To Geneva London and the Cock a fained treason ANNOT. Maltha is an Island in the Mediterranean Sea famous for the Knights that inhabit it and take their name from thence Sardon and Mauris are barbarous words VII French Verceil Milan donra intelligence Dedans Tycin sera faite la paye Courir par Seine eau sang feu par Florence Unique choir d'hault en bas faisant maye English Verceil Milan shall give intelligence In the Tycin shall the Peace be made Run through Seine water blood fire through Florence The only one shall fall from top to bottom making maye ANNOT. Verceil and Milan are two Cities in Italy the Tycin or rather Thesin is a River of the same Countrey Seine is the River that runneth at Paris Florence is a famous City in Italy and maye a barbarous word foisted up to patch up his Rime VIII French Pres de Linterne dans des tonnes sermez Chivas fera pour l'Aigle la menée L'Esleu cassé luy ses ges enfermez Dedans Turin rapt espouse emmenée English Near Linterne enclosed within Tuns Chivas shall drive the plot for the Eagle The Elect cashiered he and his men shut up Within Turin arape and Bride carried away ANNOT. Linterne is a small Town in Italy by Tuns are meant woodden Vessels such as they put Rhenish wines and others in Chivas is a Town in Piemont and Turin the chief Town of the said Countrey IX French Pendant que l'Aigle le Coq a Savone Seront unis Mer Levant Hongrie L'Armée a Naples Palerme Marque d' Ancone Rome Venise par barbe horrible crie English Whilst the Eagle and the Cock at Savona Shall be united Sea Levant and Hungary Army at Naples Palermo Mark of Ancona Rome Venice
LIX French Par deux fois haut par deux fois mis a bas L'Orient aussi l'Occident foiblira Son adversaire apres plusieurs combats Par Mer chassé au besoin faillira English Twice set up high and twice brought down The East also the West shall weaken His adversary after many fights Expelled by Sea shall fail in need ANNOT. This foretelleth of some considerable person who shall be twice set up and brought down again The second Verse is pronounced after the manner of the old Oracles as â—iote Aeacida Romanos vincere posse For no body can tell here whither the East shall weaken the West or otherways The last two Verses are easie LX. French Premier en Gaule premier en Romanie Par Mer Terre aux Anglois Paris Merveilleux faits par cette grand mesgnie Violant Terax perdra le Norlaris English The first in France the first in Romania By Sea and Land to the English and Paris Wonderful deeds by that great company By ravishing Terax shall spoil the Norlaris ANNOT. The first in France is the King the first in Romania is the Pope who it seemeth shall joyn together by Sea and Land and come against Paris who shall call the English to its help insomuch that strange deeds shall be done by that great company As for Terax it seemeth to be the proper name of some man who by ravishing a woman called here the Norlaris shall spoil her and cause sad consequences Norlaris by transposition of Letters is Lorrain LXI French Jamais par le decouvrement du jour Ne parviendra au signe Sceptrifere Que tous Sieges ne soient en sejour Portant au Coq don du Tag a misere English Never by the discovering of the day He shall attain to the Sceptriferous sign Till all his seats be settled Carrying to the Cock a gift from the Tag to misery ANNOT. This signifieth that one pretending to a Kingdom shall never attain to it by often removing his place until all his seats be settled that is untill his wandring be ceased And a gift brought by him to the King of France from Portugal signified here by the Tag which is the River of Lisbon the Capital City of it from which gift shall proceed misery LXII French Lors qu'on verra expiler le Saint Temple Plus grand du Rhosne sacres prophaner Par eux naistra pestilence si grande Roy fait injuste ne fera condamner English When one shall see spoiled the Holy Temple The greatest of the Rhosne and sacred things prophaned From them shall come so great a pestilence That the King being unjust shall not condemn them ANNOT. The greatest Temple of the Rhosne is that of the City of Lion which is seated upon that River of Rhosne which when it shall be robbed and spoiled then shall come a horrid Pestilence which our Author attributeth to the injustice of the King then Reigning who shall neglect to punish those Sacriledges LXIII French Quand l'adultere blessé sans coup aura Meurdry la femme le fils par depit Femme assomée l'Enfant estranglera Huit captifs prins sestoufer sans respit English When the Adulterer wounded without a blow Shall have murdered the wife and son by spight The woman knocked down shall strangle the child Eight taken prisoners and stifled without tarrying ANNOT. This is the description of a sad Tragedy which to understand you must joyn all the Verses together and make it one sense The Adulterer wounded without a blow is one that shall get a disease suppose the Pox his wife finding fault with it he shall murder her and her Son she not being quite dead shall strangle another Child which it seemeth she had by this Adulterer and for this fact eight shall be taken prisoners and immediately hanged by which you must suppose the fact to be done in France for there they Judge and Hang immediately whereby in England they must stay till Sessions-time LXIV French Dedans les Isles les enfans transportez Les deux de sept seront en desespoir Ceux de terroüer en seront supportez Nompelle prins des ligues fuy l'espoir English In the Islands the Children shall be transported The two of seven shall be in despair Those of the Countrey shall be supported by Nompelle taken avoid the hope of the League ANNOT. This seemeth to have a great relation to our late unhappy troubles in England when the Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Glocester were transported into the Isle of Wight which are the two of the seven for the Queen hath had seven children and the Kings Majesty and his Highness the Duke of York were driven into the Low-Countreis being in a manner in dispair of ever coming again and those Countreys were much the better for the harbouring of them in the last Verse by Nompelle I understand Anagrammatically Monpelier which being taken there is no more hope in the League as it did happen in the time of Henry the IV. King of France who never saw the League or Covenant quite routed till that Town was taken for it is familiar enough to those kind of Prophets to make an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and joyn things past to those that are to come to darken the Readers understanding and as the Scripture saith Us videntes non videant LXV French Le vieux frustré du principal espoir Il parviendra au chef de son Empire Vingt mois tiendra le Regne a grand pouvoir Tyraâ—â— cruel en delaissant un pire English The old man frustrated of his chief hope He shall attain to the head of his Empire Twenty months he shall keep the Kingdom with great power Tyrant cruel and leaving a worse one ANNOT. The words of this Prophecy are plain enough and because I cannot learn in History that such things have come to pass yet therefore I reckon it among those de future LXVI French Quand l'Escriture D. M. trouvée Et Cave antique a Lampe descouverte Loy Roy Prince Vlpian esprouvée Pavillon Royne Duc soubs la couverte English When the writing D. M. shall be found And an ancient Cave discovered with a Lamp Law King and Prince Ulpian tried Tent Queen and Duke under the rugge ANNOT. In the year 1555. Ferdinand Alvaro of Toledo Duke of Alba being sent by Charles the V. into Italy to resist the French arrived in June at Milan and having gathered together all his Forces Besieged the Town St. Jago but Henry II. King of France sending some succours by the Duke of Aumale he raised up his siege and put his Army into Garrisons The Duke of Alba leaving the Field in this manner the Duke of Aumale besieged Vulpian wherein were 1000. souldiers in Garrison under the command of Caesar of Naples besides the Inhabitants Never was a place so suriously assaulted and so manfully defended so that the French were many times beaten
is to come I dare not assert LXXXIV French Paterne aura de la Sicile crie Tous les aprests du Gouphre de Trieste Qui s'entendra jusques a la Trinacrie De tant de voiles fuy fuy l'horrible peste English Paterne shall have out of Sicily a cry All the preparations of the Gulph of Trieste That shall be heard as far as Trinacry Of so many Sails fly fly the horrid plague ANNOT. It hath been impossible for me to make any sense of this and therefore I believe that it is falsely printed and that instead of Paterne it should be Palerme which is the chief Town in Sicily Trinacry is Sicily it self so called quod tria habeat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seu promontoria LXXXV French Entre Bayonne a Sainct Jean de Lux Sera posé de Mars la promottoire Aux Hanix d'Aquilon Nanar hostera Lux Puis suffoque au lit sans adjoutoire English Between Bayonne and Saint John de Lux Shall be put down the promoting of Mars From the Hunix of the North Nanar shall take away Lux Then shall be suffocated in his bed without help ANNOT. Bayonne is a Town in France upon the stontiers of Spain and Saint John de Lux is the utmost frontiere of France that way that being supposed he saith that about Saint John de Lux the promoting of the war shall be set down that is that peace shall be made as it was about seven or eight years ago between France and Spain and the Marriage concluded between the King and the Infanta The two last Verses are nonsensical and only set down to make up the rhime LXXXVI French Par Arnani Tholose Villefranque Bande infinie par le Mont Adrian Passe Riviere hutin par pont la planque Bayonne entrer tous Bichoro criant English By Arnani Tholose and Villefranche An infinite deal of people by the Aprian Cross Rivers noise upon the Bridge and plank Come all into Bayonne crying Bichoro ANNOT. Arnani Tholose and Villefranche are Towns of a Province in France called Languedoc Mont Adrian is a Mountain thereabout and Hutin is an old French word signifying noise and strife the sense then of this Prophecy is that by those Towns and Mountains shall pass an infinite multitude of people with a great noise and strite and shall come and enter into Bayonne every one crying in that Countrey Language Bichoro which is as much as to say Victory LXXXVII French Mort conspirée viendra en plein effet Charge donnée voyage de mort Esseu crée receus par siens desfait Sang d'innocence devant soy par remort English A conspired death shall come to an effect Charge given and a journey of death Elected created received by his own defeated Blood of Innocency before him by remorse ANNOT. There is no mistical sense in this and the words are plain although of crabbid construction LXXXVIII French Dans la Sardaigne un noble Roy viendra Qui ne tiendra que trois ans le Royaume Plusieurs couleurs avec soy conjoindra Luy mesme apres soin sommeil Matrirscome English A noble King shall come into Sardinia Who shall hold the Kingdom only three years He shall joyn many Colours to his own Himself afterwards care sleep matrirscome ANNOT. Sardinia is an Island in the Mediterranean Sea now in the possession of the Spapaniard since he took the Kingdom of Naples the three first Verses are something intelligible the last is altogether impossible and barbarous LXXXIX French Pour ne tomber entre mains de son oncle Qui ses enfans par regner trucidez Orant au peuple mettant pied sur Peloncle Mort traisné entre Chevaux bardez English That he might not fall into the hands of his Uncle That had murdered his Children for to rule Taking away from the people and putting his foot upon Peloncle Dead and drawn among armed Horses ANNOT. This signifieth that an Uncle shall murder his Nephews Children that he may Reign and that the said Nephew shall withdraw and save himself from the said Uncle The rest is altogether obscure if not absurd XC French Quand des croisez un trouvé de sens trouble En lieu du sacre verra un Boeuf cornu Par vierge porc son lieu lors sera double Par Roy plus ordre ne sera soustenu English When of the crossed one of a troubled mind In a sacred place shall see a horny Oxe By Virgin Pork then shall his place be double By King no henceforth order shall be maintained ANNOT. By the crossed is understood some order of Knight-hood who for the most part wear that Badge one of which being mad and seeing in a Church a Horny Oxe come by a Virgin Hog shall be kept from harm or rescued by a Hog or Sow that was a Virgin and it seems crossed the said Oxe that he should not gore the Knight that then such order of Knighthood shall be no more maintained nor upheld by the King of that Countrey wherein such thing shall happen XCI French Parmy les Champs des Rhodanes entrées Ou les croisez seront presques unis Les deux Brassiers en Pisces rencontrées Et un grand nombre par Deluge punis English Through the Fields of the Rhodanes comings in Where the crossed shall be almost united The two Brassiers met in Pisces And a great number punished by a Flood ANNOT. Rhodanus in Latine is the River ef Rhosne which cometh from Switzerland and passing through the Lake of Geneva runneth to Lyon it seemeth then that in those Fields that are about that River there will be a fearful inundation when the Brassiers or rather Croziers which is a constellation so called shall meet in Pisces which is one of the twelve Signs of the Zodiack XCII French Loin hors du Regne mis en hazard voiage Grand Ost duyra pour soy l'occupera Le Roy tiendra les siens captif ostage A son retour tout Pais pillera English Far from the Kingdom a hazardous journey undertaken He shall lead a great Army which he shall make his own The King shall keep his prisoners and pledges At his return he shall plunder all the Countrey ANNOT. These obscure words signifie no more but that a King shall send a great Army far from his Kingdom the Commander of which Army shall make the Army his own which the King hearing shall seize upon the Commanders Relations and keep them Prisoners and Hostages for which the said General being angry shall at his return spoil the Countrey XCIII French Sept mois sans plus obtiendra prelature Par son decez grand schisme fera naistre Sept mois tiendra un autre la Preture Pres de Venise paix union renaistre English Seaven months and no more he shall obtain the Prelacy By his decease he shall cause a great Schisme Another shall be seven months chief Justice Near Venice peace and union shall grow
him Jewels and he and his son shall be dealt with all as the Magi that is the Grandees of Persia used to do with their Kings whom they were wont to murder or depose XXII French Pour ne vouloir consentir au divorce Qui puis apres sera cogneu indigne Le Roy des Isles sera chassé par force Mis a son lien qui de Roy n'aura signe English For not consenting to the divorce Which afterwards shall be acknowledged unworthy The King of the Island shall be expelled by force And another subrogated who shall have no mark of a King ANNOT. This is plain concerning England and the late calamities thereof when our gracious King for not consenting to the wicked factions of the Parliament then and that have been acknowledged so since was expelled by force and an Usurpator that had not the least sign of a King sat in his place XXIII French Au peuple ingrat faites les remonstrances Par lors l'Armée se saisira d' Antibe Dans larc Monech feront les doleances Et a Freius l'un l'autre prendra ribe English The remonstrances being made to the ungrateful people At that time the Army shall seize upon Antibe In the River of Monaco they shall make their complaints And at Freius both of them shall take their share ANNOT. This signifieth that at the same time that the remonstrances shall be made to an ungrateful people the Army shall seize upon the Town of Antibe which is a Sea Town between France and Italy and that there shall be great complaints at Monaco which is another Sea-Town near it and at the place called Freius both parties shall either agree or divide their shares XXIV French Le captif Prince aux Itales vaincu Passera Gennes par Mer jusque a Marseille Par grand effort des forens survaincu Sauf coup de feu barril liqueur d'Abeille English The captive Prince vanquished in Italy Shall pass by Sea through Genoa to Marseilles By great endeavours of forrain forces overcome But that a Barrel of Honey shall save him from the fire ANNOT. A Prince vanquished in Italy and taken Prisoner shall come through Genoa to Marseilles where he shall be once more overcome by strangers but that a Barrel of Honey shall save him from being burnt This is the sense of the words as near as I can judge the judicious Reader may make what construction he pleaseth upon them XXV French Par Nebro ouvrir de Brisanne passage Bien esloignez el tago faramuestra Dans Pelligouxe sera commis l'outrage De la grand Dame assise sur l' Orchestra English By Nebro to open the passage of Brisanne A great way off el tago fara muestra In Pelligouxe the wrong shall be done Of the great Lady sitting in the Orchestra ANNOT. Here once more I lost my Spectacles and could not see through therefore I had rather be silent then coin lies I shall only tell you that Orchestra in Latine is the seat wherein noble Personages sit at the beholding of Stage-plays XXVI French Le successeur vengera son Beau frere Occuper Regne soubs ombre de vengeance Occis obstacle son sang mort vitupere Long temps Bretagne tiendra avec la France English The Successour shall avenge his Brother in Law Shall hold by force the Kingdom upon pretence of revenge That hinderance shall be killed his dead blood ashamed A long time shall Brittany hold with France ANNOT. This is plain enough of it self without any interpretation XXVII French Charle cinquiesme un grand Hercules Viendront le Temple ouvrir de main bellique Une Colonne Jules Ascan reculez L' Espagne clef Aigle neurent onc si grand pique English Charles the Fifth and one great Hercules Shall open the Temple with a Warlike hand One Colonne Julius and Ascan put back Spain the Key Eagle were never at such variance ANNOT. Charles the V. was the Emperour and that great Hercules was Henry the II. King of France whom he calleth Hercules because he was King of France and the Author nameth often in his Stanza's the Kings of France Hercules or Ogmions because that great Captain of the Antiquity left his name glorious in the Gaules whence the ancient Historians have given him the name of Hercules Gallicus Henry the II. also was not only an Hercules by being King of France but also a great Hercules because of his Warlike humour and for his great feats in Arms. To open the Temple signifieth to make War because the Romans in ancient time were wont to shut the Temple of Janus in time of Peace and kept it open during the War Caesar Augustus did shut that Temple once in his time which was never done before but twice the first under Numa Pompilius the second after the overcoming of Charthage XXVIII French Second tiers qui font prime Musique Sera par Roy en honneur sublimée Par grasse maigre presque a deny etique Rapport de Venus faux rendra deprimée English Second and third that make prime Musick Shall by the King be exalted to honour By a fat one and a lean one one in consumption A false report of Venus shall pull her down ANNOT. Notwithstanding the obscurity of this sense and the bad connexion of the words we may perceive that by this Stanza is meant that a King having two Mistresses shall exalt them in great honour till by a report made by a fat woman and a lean one that is in a consumption that the said Ladies prove unfaithful to the King he will depress them as low as they were before XXIX French De Pol Mansol dans Caverne caprine Caché pris extrait hors par la barbe Captif mené comme beste mastine Par Begourdans amenée pres de Tarbe English From Pol Mansol in a Goats Den Hidden and taken drawn out by the beard Prisoner led as a Mastiff By Begourdans shall be brought near to Tarbe ANNOT. Here and in some other places of this work is to be observed that the Author doth sometimes put two Towns instead of one that he may distinguish it from others of the same name as here he calleth Pol Mansol to distinguish the Town of St. Paul which is three Leagues from the Rhosne over against the Town of Pont St. Esprit from that which is in the lower parts of Provence The sense therefore of this Stanza is that this Begourdans a proper name of a man shall pull out another by the beard that was hidden in a Goats Den and shall lead him captive as far as Tarbe which is another Town of Provence XXX French Nepveu sang du St. nouveau venu Par le surnom soustient arcs couvert Seront chassez mis a mort chassez nu En rouge noir convertiront leur vert English Nephew and blood of the Saint newly come By the surname upholdeth Vaults and Covering They shall be driven put to
that the Europeans shall be fed no more with Manna as the Jews were in the Desert but shall pass to the Land of Promise that is of peace and quietness C. French Le grand Empire sera par l' Angleterre Le Pempotan des ans plus de trois cens Grandes Copies passer par Mer Terre Les Lusitains n'en seront pas contens English The great Empire shall be in England The Pempotan for more then three hundred years Great Armies shall pass through Sea and Land The Portugueses shall not be contented therewith ANNOT. This is a favourable one for England for by it the Empire or the greatest Dominion of Europe is promised to it for the space of above three hundred years at which the Portugueses or Spaniards shall much repine THE PROPHECIES OF Michael Nostradamus CENTURY XI IX French MEysinier Manthi le tiers qui viendra Peste nouveau insult enclos troubler Aix les lieux fureur dedans mordra Puis les Phocens viendront leur mal doubler English Meysinier Manthi and the third that shall come Plague and new attempt shall trouble them enclosed The fury of it shall bite in Aix and the places there about Then they of Phocens shall come and double their misery ANNOT. These are names of particular persons that are here threatned of the Plague as also the City of Aix Capital of Province and the Countrey about it and after that the City of Marseilles named here Phocens because they are a Colony of the old Phocenses in Greece XCVII French Par Ville Franche Mascon en desarroy Dans les Fagots seront Soldats cachez Changer de temps en prime pour le Roy Par de Chalon Moulins tous hachez English By Ville Franche Mascon shall be put in disorder In the Faggots shall Souldiers be hidden The time shall change in prime for the King By Chalon and Moulins they shall be all hewed to pieces ANNOT. Ville Franche is a Town five Leagues from Lion and Mascon another about the same distance from Ville Franche and Chalon from Mascon and Moulins from Chalon The meaning of it is this that there shall be an attempt from Ville Franche upon Mascon by Souldiers hidden in Faggots that shall be cut off by the succours of those Chaâ—ons and Moulins which like did happen in the time of the Civil Wars in France between the King and the League when the Towns stood one against another but because I can find nothing of it in the History I suspend my further judgement therein THE PROPHECIES OF Michael Nostradamus CENTURY XII V. French FEu flamme faim furt farouche fumée Fera faillir froissant fort foy faucher Fils de Deité toute Provence humée Chasse de Regne enragé sans crocher English Fire flame hunger theft wild smoak Shall cause to fail brusing hard to move Faith Son of God! all Provence swallowed up Driven from the Kingdom raging mad without spitting ANNOT. The curiosity of the Author in striving to begin all his words in the two first Verses hath made the sense of this Stanza so obscure that I believe no body ever did or shall truely understand it all what can be gathered out of it is great threatning of several calamities that were to happen upon Provence his native Countrey as it did a little while after his death by the Civil Wars for Religion XXIV French Le grand secours venu de la Guyenne S'arrestera tout aupres de Poitiers Lion rendu par Montluel en Vienne Et saccagez par tous gens de Mestiers English The great succours that came from Gascony Shall stop hard by Poitiers Lion surrendred by Montluel and Vienna And ransacked by all kinds of Tradesmen ANNOT. The words and sense of this are plain XXXVI French Assault farouche en Cypre se prepare La larme a l'oeil de ta ruine proche Bizance Classe Morisque si grand tare Deux differens le grand vast par la Roche English A cruel assault is preparing in Cyprus Tears in my eye thou art near thy ruine The Fleet of Constantinople and the Morick so great damage Two differents the great wast shall be by the Rock ANNOT. A cruel Assault is preparing signifies the shortness of the time in which it was to happen for our Author Prophecied 1555. and Cyprus was taken by the Turks in the Month of August 1571. Selymus the II. fifth Emperour of the Turks where the perfidiousness of the Bassa Mustapha that Besieged it is remarkable for having the Town delivered him upon Articles First that the Inhabitants of the City yet alive should enjoy their lives liberty and goods with free exercise of Christian Religion that the Governour Bragadinus with the rest of the Captains and Souldiers might in safty depart with Bag and Baggage and at their departure take with them five pieces of Ordinance and three Horses which soever it should please them to make choise of and that the Turks should safely conduct them into Crete finding them both Victual and Shipping yet all these matters agreed upon and commenced into Writting as also by solemn Oaths on both side confirmed the prefidious Basla nevertheless caused Bragadinus to have his Ears cut off then caused him to be set in a Chair and his skin to be flain off from him quick his head to be cut from his dead body and upon the point of a Spear to be set upon a high place his skin also stuffed with Chaff he caused to be hanged up at the Yards Arm and so to be carried about IV. French Deux corps un chef champs divisez en deux Et puis respondre a quattre non ouys Petits pour grands a pertius mal pour eux Tour d' Aigues foudre pire pour Eussovis English Two bodies one head fields divided into two And then answer to four unheard ones Small for great ones open evil for them The Tower of Aigues beaten by Lightning worse for Eussovis ANNOT. Out of this crabbid Stanza we shall pick what we can and leave the rest to the judgment of the judicious Reader First The two bodies one head may be understood either a Monster that was so as it did happen once in Italy as Pareus witnesseth or of the union of the two Kingdoms of France and Navarre under Henry the IV. or of England and Scotland under King James The Tower of Aiguemortes was strucken with the Lightning a while after our Author had put out his Prophecies V. French Tristes Conseils desloiaux cauteleux Aduis meschant la loy sera trahie Le peuple esmeu farouche querelleux Tant Bourg que Ville toute le paix haie English Sad Councels unfaithful malicious Ill advice the Law shall be betrayed The people shall be moved wild quarrelsome Both in Countrey and City the peace shall be hated ANNOT. This is plain VI. French Roy contre Roy le Duc contre Prince Haine
entre iceux dissension horrible Rage fureur sera toute Province France grand guerre changement terrible English King against King and Duke against a Prince Hatred between them horrid dissension Rage and fury shall be in every Province Great War in France and horrid changes ANNOT. This is a true picture of the miseries of the Civil Wars in France when Charles the IX King of France was against Henry King of Navarre and the Duke of Guise against the Prince of Condé VII French L'accord pache sera du tout rompue Les amitiez pollues par discorde L'haine euvieille toute foy corrompue Et l'esperance Marseilles sans concorde English The agreement and contract shall be broken in pieces The friendships polluted by discord The hatred shall be old all faith corrupted And hope also Marseilles without concord ANNOT. This is a second part of the foregoing VIII French Guerre debats a Blois guerre tumulte Divers aguets adveux inopinables Entrer dedans Chasteau Trompette insulte Chasteau du Ha qui en seront coulpables English War and strifes at Blois war and tumult Several lying in wait acknowledgment unexpected They shall get into the Chasteau Trompette by assault And into the Chasteau du Ha who shall be guilty of it ANNOT. This Prophecy is concerning the Civil Wars of France between the King and the League He saith at Blois War and tumult because the Duke of Guise and the Cardinal his Brother were both killed there at the convention of Estates by the Kings command which he calleth here acknowledgment unexpected because the Kingdom did own the fact The last two Verses are concerning the two Castles or Fortresses of Bourdeaux who in those days were sometimes by one party and sometimes by another LXV French A tenir fort par fureur contraindra Tout coeur trembler Langon advent terrible Le coup de pied mille pieds te rendra Girond Garon ne furent plus horribles English He shall by fury compel them to hold out Every heart shall tremble Langon shall have a terrible event The kick shall return to thee a thousand kicks Girond Garon are no more horrid ANNOT. The two last Verses seem to have a relation to the foregoing Stanza and to import that the Governour of Bourdeaux shall compel them to hold our and because Langon a Town 20 or 30 Miles distant from Bourdeanx was of the contrary party and did annoy sometimes those of Bourdeaux it is threatned here to have a thousand kicks for one Gironde and Garonne are the two Rivers of Bourdeaux LXIX French Eiovas proche esloigner Lac Leman Fort grand apprests retour confusion Loin des Nepueux du feu grand Supelman Tous de leur suyte English Eiovas near yet seemeth to be far from the Lake Leman Very great preparatives return confusion Far from the Neveux of the late great Supelman All of their train ANNOT. This is a notable one directly foretelling the Enterprise or Scalado made by the Duke of of Savoy upon Geneva for the better Intelligence of which we shall first give the sense word for word and then set down the whole History as a piece of Cabinet that the Reader after so much tedious and crabbid reading may have some field to spatiate and recruit it self Eiovas near Eiovas by Anagram is Savoy or the Duke of it who at that time was near Geneva yet seemeth far from the Lake Leman which is the Lake that passeth through Geneva called in Latine Lacus Lemannus Very great preparatives because at that time he made great preparations to Scale the Walls of Geneva Return because he was forced to retire Confusion because he was confounded in his undertaking Far from the Neveux of the great Supelman that is an action much unworthy the Kindred of Henry the IV. called here great Supelman to whom he was Allied All of their Train that is all that were with him in that undertaking did partake of his return and confusion Now the History is thus About the latter end of the year 1600. the Duke of Savoy having done before all his endeavours to take the City of Geneva by force did resolve at last to have it by craft and stratagem He did frame a design full of Courage Understanding and Conduct as well as of misfortune it was long a hatching without being discovered and although it was known that he caused Ladders to be made and that he bought every where men of courage and resolution and had a great number of them alread◠at Chambery well payed and maintained waiting for the ripeness of the design though Ignorant of it No body could believe that it was against those of Geneva because at that time he did treat with them of the manner of living friendly and of the liberty of Trade having sent to them for this purpose a few days before the President Rochette to treat and advise of a manner of living friendly together for the ease of the people They did so much hearten and relish his propositions and promises that although Cities of such condition do not lightly believe them that have been their Enemies nevertheless they trusted to that and grew careless of their own preservation thinking that there was nothing more powerfull for their security than the treaties of peace between France Spain and Savoy in which they thought themselves included under the name of the confederate with the Cantons of Switzerland insomuch that the Dukes Subject went thither so familiarly that the day before this Execution some Gentlemen that knew something of the design being come into the Town to buy some Horses said they would come again the next day to conclude the Bargain and others had kept the same Language for other Wares so fully perswaded were they of a success though Heaven who laugheth at the thoughts of the proud had resolved to humble and abase them The Governour of Lion had presently notice that the Duke of Savoy was coming on the side of the Mountain and carryed with him scaling Ladders of which he sent notice to the King and provided what was necessary for the defence of Lion although the same Advice said it was not for France yet all this could not hinder the Execution which was in the mean time a doing D'Albigny Lieutenant General of the Duke in those Countreys he had on this side of the Mountains had made the Troops to pass and for that purpose had assigned them of their Quarters in the Towns of Geneva in several places that they might not be so soon discovered The Randezvous was at a place called Chambery the time of the Execution was reserved to the prudence of the Leader The time was not according to the precept of the Parthians who ever fought by night nor of the Lacedemonians who undertook nothing but in the time of the full Moon for it was one of the darkest and longest nights of all the year the Troops began their March about six
with him whose good and bad fortune depended from an answer pleasing his Majesty who bid him once for all to tell what he had done with the Duke of Savoy and the Earl of Fuentes assuring him that his clemency should be greater than his fault The Duke of Biron answered the King more proudly than eyer that it was to pross an honest man too much that he never had any other design but what he had told him already Would to God it were so said the King You will not tell me Farewell good night As he went out of the Closet and had passed the Chamber door he met Vitry who with his right hand seized upon the Hilt of his Sword and with his left upon his right Arm saying The King â—ath commanded me to give him an account of your Person give up your Sword You jeer said the Duke No my Lord he hath so commanded me The Duke of Biron answered I pray thee let me speak to the King No my Lord the King is gone to Bed He saw the Duke of Monbazon and desired him to intreat the King that he might surrender it into his own Hands The King sent word to Vitry to obey his commands The Duke was fained to suffer his Sword to be taken from him saying My Sword that hath done so many good services Yes my Lord give me your Sword said Vitry To me said the Duke that have served the King so well that my Sword should be taken from me my Sword that hath made an end of the War and given Peace to France that my Sword which could not be taken by my Enemies should be taken away by my Friends All these complaints availed nothing he ungirted his Sword with his left hand and gave it to Vitry looking about if he could seize upon any other out care was taken for that When he saw all the Guards in order in the Gallery he thought he should have been Massacred upon the place and cryed to them fellow Souldiers give me a little time to pray to God and let me have some Firebrand or Candlestick in my hand that I may have the Honour to die desending my self He was answered that no Body would offend him that his best defence was to obey the King who commanded to lead him to Bed you see said he how the good Catholicks are used He was carryed into the Arms Closet where he neither slept nor lay down but past the night in blasphemies against God and reviling words against the King Pralin was staying for the Earl of Auvergne at the Castle Gate and when he offered to go out to his lodging stay my Lord you are the Kings Prisoner The Earl astonished answered I I and Pralin answered yes my Lord you I Arrest you by the King and make you his Prisoner give up your Sword take it said the Earl it never killed any thing but Boars if you had given me notice of this I should have been in Bed and asleep two hours ago The next day about dinner time the Duke of Biron sent word to the King that if he did not take care of the Province of Burgundy it would be lost because the Baron of Lux would let in the Spaniards as soon as he should have notice of his detention The King was very much offended at this message and said see the impudence and boldness of the Duke of Biron who sendeth me word that Burgundy is lost if I do not look to it His obstinacy hath undone him if he would have confessed the truth of a thing that I have under his hand he should not be where he is I wish I had paid 200000. Crowns and he had given me the means to forgive him I never loved any man so much I would have trusted him with my Son and my Kingdom 'T is true he hath served me well but he cannot deny but that I have saved his life three times I rescued him once from the hands of the Enemy at Fontain Francoise so wounded and astonished with blows that as I plaid the part of a Souldier to save him I was also fained to make that of a Captain to make the retreat for he told me he was not in a case to do it The Saturday next the prisoners were carryed to Paris by water and put into the Bastille in several Chambers The Duke of Biron was put into that called of the Saints famous for the Prison of the Constable of Saint Paul executed in the time of Lewis the XI and the Earl in the Chamber above him The care the order and vigilancy with which he was guarded did put him in some amazement for his Guards waited on him without Arms and served him with a Knife without a point which made him say that it was the way to the Grave the place of Execution But when he knew that the Hangman of Paris was a Burgundian he remembred that La Brosse an Astrologer had foretold him sometimes seeing his Horoscope which he fained to be that of one of his friends that he should be beheaded and Caesar a Magician that a blow of a Burgundian given behind should hinder him to attain the Kingdom The Arch-Bishop of Bourges went to see him and endeavoured to settle his Conscience and to disswade him from some Atheistical opinions that he had Villeroy and Sillery went also to see him and by the Kings Command and at his request Few days after the King being at St. Mourder Fossez the Lords la Force the Earl of Roussy Brother in Law to the Duke of Biron Saint Blancard his Brother Chasteau-neuf Themines Salignac St. Angel Longuac Friends and Kinsmen of the Duke of Biron went and cast themselves at the Kings feet to implore his Mercy and that he would be pleased to moderate the severity of his Justice requesting that the same clemency which he had shewed to many others that had as grievously offended him would at least save his life and confine him into such a place where he might do no harm that their whole Kindred might not be branded with Insamy and have a regard to his Fathers service and his which though they were not equal to his offence yet at least to consider that he was only guilty for his intention The King bid them rise and told them that their requests were not displeasing to him That he would not be like his Predecessors who would not suffer any body to intercede for those that were guilty o high Treason The King Francis II. would never give a hearing to the Wife of the Prince of Condé my Uncle Concerning the clemency you would have me shew to the Duke of Biron it should not be clemency but cruelty if it were only my particular Interest I would forgive him as I do now with all my heart but my Kingdom and my Children to whom I owe much are concerned in it or they might reproach me hence forwards that I have tollerated an evil which I might have
prevented my Life that of my Children and the preservation of my Kingdom are concerned in it I will leave it to the course of Justice you shall see what Judgement shall be given I will contribute what I can to his Innocency I give you leave to do the same till he be found guilty of high Treason for then the Father cannot intercede for the Son nor the Son for the Father the Wife for the Husband nor the Brother for the Brother Do not become odious to me for the love you bear him As for the note of Infamy there is none but himself Have the Constable of St. Paul from whom I derive my Pedigree and the Duke of Nemours of who I am Heir both beheaded left any note of Infamy upon their Posterity should not the Prince of Condé my Uncle have been beheaded the next day if King Francis the II. had not dyed Therefore ye that are Kinsmen to the Duke of Biron cannot be noted with Infamy if you continue in your faithfulness as I assure my self you will And I am so far from depriving you of your Offices that if any new one should fall I would bestow them upon you I am more sorry for his fault than you can be but to conspire against me that am his King and Benefactor is a crime that I cannot forgive without losing my self my Wife my Son and my Estate I know you to be so good French men that you would not have the last and shall take Patience for the first Thus the King dismissed him and sent his Commission to the Court of Parliament to decide the business The Process was framed in the Bastille by the Lords of Achilles de Harlay first President in the Court of Parliament of Paris Nicolas Potier second President Stephen Fleury and Philibert of Thurin Councellors in the same Court They asked him if he did not write in Cyphers he denyed it then were shewed unto him several Letters written and sealed with his own hand which did witness his Intelligences with the Spaniard and the Duke of Savoy and contained advices that he gave of the wants that were in the Kings Army How little Money he had to maintain the War and to satisfie the Switzers of the discontent of the French Nobility and how several French Troops might easily be defeated and that to divert the Kings forces it was necessary to invade Provence and did much press upon the 50000. Crowns and the 4000 men promised or else said all is lost Some of these things he confessed and did so intangle and contradict himself that the Commissioners had pity on his indiscretion He was asked what opinion he had of La Fin he said he took him for an honest Gentleman his Friend and Kinsman his Evidnces being read to him and himself brought face to face he did with the most horrid Imprecations and Blasphemies in the World deny them and charged La Fin with the most horrid Crimes that can be Imagined calling still God for a Witness of his Innocency La Fin stood firm in the confirming of his Evidence and did more particularly declare the whole conspiracy The Duke answered that if Renazé were there he would tell the contrary Renazé who had a little while before escaped his Prison in Piemont was brought before him and confirmed all what La Fin had said Next to that was brought one of the Kings waiting men who witnessed that having lyen in his Chamber by the Kings command the first night of his Imprisonment he had adjured him by several offers and promises of rewards to give notice to his secretaries to be out of the way for some days and to tell the Earl of Roussy his Brother in Law that he should send presently to Dijon to give the same advice to those that were left there and above all that if they were examined they should all constantly deny that ever he did write in Cyphers Thus the business having been thorowly examined it remained only to proceed unto Judgment but the Prisoner being a Peer of France the King having erected the Baroay of Biron into a Dukedom by the Laws the Prisoner could not be judged but by his Peers which being summoned and not appearing the Court of Parlament being authorised by the Kings Commission proceeded to Judgment The 23 of July 1602. the Chancellor with the Maisses and Pontcarré Privy Councellors went to the Parliament where all the Chambers were assembled together There he made known the Kings intention in a business wherein the good of the Kingdom was so much concerned and represented on one part the quality of a Person commendable for his services but on the other the soulness of the Crime for the Judgment of which the King did rely upon the integrity and prudence of the Court The Kings Attorney and Soliciter having represented to the Court that the Peers summoned gave no appearance and that the Prisoners petition who asked for Councel was not to be received The Court proceeded to examine the Evidences whereupon they sat three times after which the Prisoner was brought from the Bastile by Montigny Governour of Paris and Vitry Captain of the Kings Guards in a close Barge covered with Tapistry and followed by two other Barges full of Souldiers and Switzers He entred into the Palace through the Garden of the first President and rested himself in one of the Chambers where he was offered a Breakfast The time being come he was to be heard the Recorder went and called him into the Guild-hall where when he saw one Hundred and twelve Judges before his face he was some thing daunted and was made to sit within the Bar upon a joint stool where he sat in such a posture as stretching forth his right foot and having his Cloak under his arm and his left hand upon his side he kept the right one free either to stretch it forth to Heaven or to smite his brest when occasion served The Chancellor did so frame his discourse that he never named him by his name nor that of his qualities Of many evidences there was five chiefly urged against him The first to have been conversant with one Picotée born in Orleans and refugied in Flanders to keep intelligence with the Arch-duke and to have give him 150. Crowns for two journeys to that end The second to have treated with the Duke of Savoy three days after his arrival to Paris without the Kings leave and to have offered him all assistance and service against any person whatsoever upon the hope or promiss of marrying his third daughter The third to have kept intelligence with the said Duke in taking of the City of Bourg and other places giving him advice how he might defeat the Kings Army and destroy his person with many other circumstances to that purpose The fourth to have sent by Renazée a note to the Governour of the Fort of Saint Catherine promising to bring the King before the said Fort so
near that he might be either killed or taken telling what cloths he himself would wear and what Horse he would ride that he might be distinguished To have sent several times la Fin to treat with the Duke of Savoy and the Earl of Fuentes against the Kings service These are the first confessions and acknowledgements that the Prisoner made before the Commissioners in the Bastille but now he thinketh he may as lightly deny them as he had unadvisedly before confessed them Upon the first Article he answered that Picoté being once his Prisoner had offered his service for the reduction of the Town of Seurre in Burgundy and that the King had approved of it that it is true he had given him the said sum but it was as a reward for his pains and charges in this negotiation which sum he hath charged upon the Kings account with some other small ones laid out by him for the King that since the reduction of the said Town he had not seen Picoté but in Flanders when he went thither Embassadour for the confirmation of the Peace where the said Picotée came to him with many others intreating him he would be pleased to mediate with the King for the liberty of returning into their Countrey and enjoying their Estates and that he did wish them to go to the Lords Belieure and Sillery who would prescribe them what orders they were to follow in this business and never had any other conversation with Picoté Upon the second That he could not have treated with the Duke of Savoy three days after his arrival at Paris seeing that himself did not come there but a formighafter and that la Fin came but after him that all his discourses with him were in publick and before witnesses and therefore could not be suspected that Roncas had sometimes mentioned to him the Marriage of the third daughter of the Duke and that he did impart it to the King that his Majesty having sent him word by la Force his Brother in Law that he did not approve of it he never thought of it since that the intelligence he is accused to have kept with the Duke of Savoy is confuted enough by what he did for when the King had commanded him to wait and keep company to the Duke in his return from France and to shew him the strongest places upon the Frontiers of Burgundy he did humbly excuse himself to the King of it saying that he foresaw well enough that the Duke would not keep the Treaty of Peace and that it would be a great grief to him to make War against a Prince with whom he should have kept company and made good cheer and that he did advise the Baron of Lux to let him see only the weaker places that he might not know the strength of the Countrey Upon the third That if he had kept correspondence with the Duke of Savoy he would not have undertaken the taking of Bourg almost against the Kings will without any other help then of those that were ordinarily with him that of fourty Convoys that were brought to relieve the Town he had routed thirty seven and the other three entered in his absence that the King knoweth very well he was offered 200000. Crowns to let the succours enter into the Citadel of Bourg that although his Majesty had commanded him in the time of a Truce made with the Duke of Savoy to let those of the Citadel of Bourg have every day 400. Loafs of Bread 50. bottles of Wine half an Oxe and six Sheep he did only let them have fifty bottles of Wine and one Sheep by which means the Town was surrendred within the time promised that if he had had any evil design against the King and Kingdom he would not so freely and willingly put the Town into the hands of him that is now Governour of it that the Governours of Places that were in the Duke's service and are now in that of the King can witness whether he shewed them any favour that for his giving advice to the Duke to defeat the Regiment of Chambauld he will prove that Chambauld did not come into the Army but one Month after the time mentioned in his Calumny besides that this advice was without appearance of reason for from Chambaula's quarters to his there was at least six days journey and as much to go to the Duke and as much to come back besides the time required for the marching of the Forces therefore all that was a meer invention of la Fin. Upon the fourth That he intreated his Majesty to call to memory that he was the onely man who dissuaded him to go and view the Fort representing unto him that there was in it â—xtraordinary good Gunners and that he could not view it without great danger and upon that he offered the King to bring him the next day the Plat-form of it and to take it with 500. Musquettiers and that himself would be in the Head of them Upon the fifth That it was true all the evil he had done was in two Months time that la Fin had been with him during which he did hearken and write more then he ought but that with the same he had written he had so long served the King that it was enough to prove the sincerity of his intentions that the refusal of the Citadel of Bourg which he thought the King had promised him had put him into such a discontent that he found himself in a capacity to hearken to any thing and to do any thing that if he had been a Protestant it may be the place should have been refused him no more then it was to de Boaisse who was such an one as he told the King himself at Lyon that la Fin had also once told him that the King speaking of him and of his Father said that God had done well for to take him out of this world when he was killed for he was a very chargeable and unprofitable servant and for the Son it was not all Gold that shined that these words had so much incensed him that he could have found in his heart to be all covered with blood Upon that the Chancellor asked him of what blood he meaned he answered of my own desiring not to live any longer after he had heard such reproches as blemished the services of his Father and his onw that nevertheless his anger and discontent went never so far as to attempt upon the King that his fault was only in words and it may be little in Writting that his Majesty seeing with how much ingenuity he did acknowledge his fault had forgiven him all what was past in the presence of the Lords Villeroy and Sillery and that if since that time he was found to have done any thing amiss he would blame his Judges of Injustice if they did not condemn him to death that if he had done nothing amiss since he thought the Kings pardon to be sufficient
continues in his faults and abuseth his Pardon the last fault payeth for all Besides the Court hath not seen that Pardon he oughted to have produced it in writing under the Kings Hand and Seal and to forgive him once more would put him into such a condition as to contrive always Treasons against the State the remedy of a present evil is not to be neglected upon the hope of an uncertain good he is in a case to be no more useful nothing can be expected from his courage but revenge he that can bring no profit by his virtue and faithfulness must do it by being made an exemple Such were for the most part the reasons of the Court according to which and to the conclusions of the Attorney General the Chancellor did pronounce Sentence of death against the Prisoner some were of opinion that la Fin should be arrested as one that could not justifie himself for having concealed such a damnable Conspiracy till he saw that the Spanish affairs went to wrack The Chancellor did moderate these opinions representing that the Conspiracy was not yet wholly discovered and that such things would hinder the rest of those that knew some thing of it to reveal it that a man that saveth the Kings Person and his Estate ought rather to berewarded then punished And in confirmation of this the King sent Letters to la Fin by which he assured him that such a service done to him and his Kingdom should never prove his ruine The Court stayed onely for the Kings intention upon the execution of the Sentence which Sillery had carried to St. Germain The Scaffold was ready to be set up in the place of Greve but the execution might have proved dangerous in the middle of so much people of different humors and tempers and already there was a rumour as if some body should throw him a Sword with which he should make himself a passage or else have died with a blow less shameful then that of the Hangman upon his friends intreaty the execution was ordered to be done in the Bastille The next day about noon the people knowing that the Sentence was past went some to the Greve thinking that the execution should be done there others to St. Antony street to see the Prisoner pass by he saw from his Chamber that multitude and guessed that he was to be the Spectacle of those Spectators here the anguish of the Grave began to beset him and drawing a consequence from the shadow of death that the body was not far of he sent Baranton a Scotish Gentleman to intreat the Marquess of Rhosny to come to see him or if he could not come to sue for his Pardon to the King He sent him answer he could do neither and that he was extreamly sorry for his misfortune that if he had believed him at his coming to to Court he should have confessed what the King did desire to know of him for by concealing of it he did hinder the King to give him his life and all his friends to sue for it The next day last of July 1602. the Chancellor the first President Sillery three Masters of Requests some Officers of the Chancery Rapin Lieutenant of the short Gown his Lieutenant Daniel Voiâ—in Register of the Court of Parliament six Sergeants and seven or eight more went to the Bastille about ten of the Clock in the morning as soon as they were come in the Chancellor commanded that the Prisoners Dinner should be carryed without giving him notice of his coming and in the mean time he and the first President made a List of those whom they would have to be present in that action Some Presidents three Masters of Requests three Auditors six Serjeants of the Parliament the Lieutenant Civil the Kings Attorney at the Chastelet Rapin and his Lieutenant the Knight of the Watch the Prevost of the Merchants four Aldermen four Councellors of the City and some few others to the number of fifty About noon the Prisoner looking through the Grates of his Chamber Windows perceived the Wife of Rumigny Caption of the Castle weeping with her hands up and guessed that those Tears were drawn by the compassion of his Fortune Hewas confirmed in his opinion when he saw the Chancellor followed by the Serjeants Rapin and his Lieutenant and some others go through the Bastilles Yard into the Chappel then he began to cry aloud O my God I am a dead man ah what injustice it is to put an Innocent Person to death thereupon he intreated Rumigny to tell his Brothers Sisters and Kindred that they should not be ashamed of his death because he was Innocent of that he was accused The Chancellor commanded he should be brought down into the Chappel where as soon as he saw the Chancellor are you come said he to pronounce me my death The Chancellor saluted him then put on his Hat the Prisoner stood bare headed and began to speak first Ah my Lord Chancellor is there no pardon is there no Mercy such and such whom he did name one after another have committed such offences and yet have been pardoned What you that look like an honest man have you suffered that I should be so miserably condemned ah my Lord if you had not told the Court that the King would have me to die they would not have condemned me so My Lord my Lord you could have hindred that evil and you have not done it you shall answer for that injustice before all the rest of the Judges that have condemned me and saying so he stroke the Chancellor upon the Arm. Ah! what a great service the King doth this day to the King of Spain to rid him of such an Enemy as I was might I not have been kept within four Walls till some occasion had offered where I might have been useful Ah my Lord have you forgot my fathers love to you so much as not to give notice to the King of what I say and what dammage he suffereth in loosing me I am yet as willing as ever to do service to the Kingdom you could let him know so much he hath so good an opinion of you I am sure he would believe you A Messenger could quickly go thither â—ud back again what shall a thousand Gentlemen my Kinsmen say doth he think that a ter my death they can do him any service and what if I had been guilty would I have come upon those false assurances that President Janin that great Cheat gave me when he told me that businesses were so ill mannaged in France that it was fit I should see the King and tell him of it who at my perswasion would settle them in bettter order I have neglected all the advices of my friends to hearken unto his perswasions I have trusted to that cursed Traitor la Fin who writ to me that I could eome in all safety and that he had told the King nothing but of the Marriage that was propounded
to me with a daughter of Savoy that the King would receive me with all Kindness What then the goings to and fro of many the reasons of those who advised me to come and the Kings Letters were they all baits to catch me I am well served to have trusted to much upon his Word I could have sought and got other securities if I had not trusted to my Innocency I am come upon the confidence of my integrity since his pardon Ah! doth he not know that he hath forgiven me I have hâ—d some evil designs I have hearkened I have written I have spoken I confessed them all at Lyon he did assure me never to remember it and did exhort me that from hence forwards I should commit nothing that might compel me to have recourse to his clemency Nevertheless I am now accused of things that are blotted out by his pardon I have not offended him since unless it be in that I desired War rather than Peace because my humour is not peaceable had not the King at that time reason to approve of it if this Crime deserveth death I fly to his clemency I implore his Mercy The Queen of England told me that if the Earl of Essex would have humbled himself and asked forgiveness he should have obtained it I do being Innocent what he would not do being guilty Ah! shall all Mercy be put out for me those that have done worse have found Grace and Mercy I perceive what it is I am not the more guilty but the most unhappy and the King who hath been so sparing of his Subjâ—cts lives hath a mind to be prodigal of mine To conclude he forgot nother of what might be said by a Soul pierced with grief spite anger and violent threatning in exclamations and revilings against the King and his Parliament in reproaches against the Chancellor that he had more contributed to his condemnation than to his absolution in words that are not fit to be spoken nor related His words ran so falt that the Chancellor could not stop them Nevertheless he took occasion to tell him his passion suggested him many things without appearance of reason and against his own jadgment that no body had known his deserts better than he and that he could have wished his faults had been as unknown as dissembled that the knowledge of them had been so visible and apparent that his Judges had more ado to moderate his punishment than to inflict it That Sâ—ntence was given upon the proofs of several attemps he had made against the Kings Person and his Estate and for having kept intelligence and correspondency with the Enemies of the Kingdom of which he had been found guilty that if he had concealed the truth in the answers to his accusations he should now reveal it being so near to his end and that for these causes the King did ask his Order of Knighthood and his staff oâ— Marshal of France with which he had formerly honoured him He pulled the Order out of his Pocket and put it into the Chancellors hands Protesting and Swearing upon the Salvation of his Soul that he never had broken the Oath he made in receiving it that it is true he had desired War more than Peace because he could not preserve in Peace the reputation he had got in War as for the Staff he never carryed it Nevertheless by the Oath that the Knights of the Holy Ghost take they are bound to take no Pension Wages nor Money from forrain Princes and to engage themselves in no bodies service but the Kings and faithfully to reveal what they shall know to be for or against the Kings service Aâ—ter that the Chancellor exhorted him to lift up his thoughts from Earth to Heaven to call upon God and to hear patiently his Sentence My Lord said he I beseech you do not use me as other men I know what my Sentence beareth my accusations are false I wonder the Court would Condemn me upon the Evidence of the most wicked and detestable man that is alive he never came near me without Witchcraft nor never went from me till he had bewitched me he did bite my left ear off and made me drink inchanted waters and when he said that the King had a mind to rid himself of me he called me his King his Benefactor his Prince his Lord he hath communication with the Devils and hath shewed me a Wax Image speaking these words in Latine Rex impie morieris ungodly King thou shalt die If he hath had so much power by his Magick as to make an inanimate body to speak it is no wonder that he should make my Will conformable to his Here the Chancellor stopt him and told him that the Court had well considered his answers and his Letters that he ought not to find fault with his Sentence that it had done him the same Justice as a Father should do to his son if he had offended in the like manner He had scarce spoken these words when the other answered what Judgment I have been heard but once and had no time to tell the fiftieth part of my justification if I had been heard at large I could have made it clearly appear that la Fin is such a one as I say what Judgment upon the Evidence of a Bougerer of a Rogue that hath forsaken his Wife of a treacherous and perfidious man that had Sworn so many times upon the Holy Sacrament never to reveal what was between us of a Knave that hath so often counterfeited my Hand and Seal It is true I have written some of those Letters that were shewed me but I never intended to put them in Execution and the rest are falsified Is there not many that can counterfeit so well the Hand and Seal of others that themselves can scarce distinguish them It is well known that the Lady Marchioness of Vernevil hath lately acknowledged that to be her own hand which she had never written My Heart and my Actions have sufficiently countervailed the faults of my Hand and of my Tongue Besides the King hath forgiven me I do implore his Memory for a Witness You say I have been found guilty to have attempted upon the Kings Person that is false that never came into my mind and I knew nothing of it till that la Fin did propose it to me before St. Katherines Fort six or seven days after the Siege if I had been thus minded I could have easily brought it to pass I was the only man that hindred the King to go before the Fort If my services had been taken into consideration I should not have been thus condemned I believe that if you had not been present the Parliament would not have judged me so rigorously I wonder that you whom I thought to be prudent and wise have used me so cruelly it would have been more honourable for your quality and old age to implore for me the Kings Mercy than his Justice There is Dungeons here
Tongue an manners that no body could have distinguished him from a natural Spaniard The Embassador having sworn in the name of the most Christian King the treaty of Peace made at Veruins the King of Spain presented him with a rich Chain of Jewels and with six other of Gold valued at 150. Crowns a piece to bestow upon as many oâ— his own servants as he should think fit Tâ—e pride and preâ—umption of this young man was such as to perswade him he deserved one of them and chiefly because one of his fellows was thought worthy of it but his Master did not think so and thus he was neglected Thus enâ—y and jealousie were the Windows by which the Devil crept into his Soul the vanity lying pride and debauchery gave him a full admittance he had spent all his Money to buy the love of a Courtisane and wanted means to follow that course which he had no mind to leave off His Masters neglecting of him had extraordinarily vexed him but he comforted himself that he knew his secrets and that in revealing them to the King of Spains Ministers he shot two Birds with one shot for he should avenge himself of that contempt he had received and should have a way to continue his amorous expences With that intention he made himself known to Don Franchese one of the Secretaries of State and told him what means he had to serve the King of Spain and to shew him proofs of that service and affection he had vowed to him long before by imparting to him all the Letters that the Embassador did both send and receive from the King his Master Don Franchese heard this proposition as from a young man whose Brains were not well settled or perhaps did abhor such infidelity therefore told him coldly that the Catholick King was in so good amity with the most Christian one that he desired to know no more of his business than what his Embassador should tell him L'Oste did not despond for all this but went to Don Ydiaques another Secretary of State who knowing how important it is for a Prince to know the secrets of his Neighbours and that the slighting of such an offer would be prejudicial to the King his Masters service did hearken unto this Traitor approved of his design and exhorted him to persevere in the good affection he shewed to the King of Spains service promised to acquaint the King with it and to procure him such a reward as he should have reason to be satisfied with The Councel agreed that l'Oste should be incouraged and Don Ydiaques presented him to the Duke of Lerma to whom he shewed the Alphabet of Cyphers with which his Master writ his Letters into France had sent The Duke exhorted him to continue his good Will gave him 1200. Crowns for an earnest of the Bargain with a promise of as much for a yearly pension besides a considerable gratification he was to expect from the King Since that time the French Embassador received no Letters but they were presently imparted to the Spanish Councel But the Lord la Rochepot being called back into France l'Oste lost the conveniency of prosecuting his Treasons and consequently the hopes of his promised reward therefore sought means to come again into his first Masters that is Villeroy's service but he was a while kept back from it by reason of a difference between his Mother and Villeroy about some rest of Accounts but l Oste had rather take that loss upon him than to be deprived of that occasion The Embassador himself gave him a large Testimony of his ability and faithfulness and was Instrumental for his re-admission into that service Thus being re-established he became more diligent and sedulous than ever before and not only writ more Letters than any of his fellows but also offered them his service to help them that he might have a more perfect knowledge of all transactions and so impart them to the Spaniard and so visited and conferred with Taxis the Spanish Embassador at Paris and after that with his successor Don Baltazar de Cuniga with so much cunning and secrecy that the Councel of Spain received his Letters before des Barreaux the French Embassador at Madrid could receive those of the King Des Barreaux sent word to the King that when he propounded any thing according to his Majesties command to the Councel of Spain he found them always preadvised and could not find out by what means certainly said the King there must he some in my Councel that keep a strict intelligence with the Spaniard and I can not tell whom to suspect Providence doth often draw good effâ—cts out of the worse causes and permitteth that the wicked should disclose one anothers wickedness as a Nail driveth out another Loste had revealed himself familiarly to one Raffis formerly Secretary to the Lord Lansac a fugitive into Spain for many Treasons and exempted from pardon but the Spaniard had begun to cut him short of his former Pensions since the Treason of the Baron of Fontancâ—â—es Governour of Dornavenest in Brittanny in which the said Raffis had been a principal Actor though in vain so that since the Councel of Spain looked upon him as an unprofitable servant and withdrew their Pension Raffis finding himself near a great want and misery thought this occasion might be a means to prevent it and to procure his return into his native Countrey by doing so great a service to his Prince therefore he went to one of the French Embassadors most faithful servants and told him his grief for having had a share in so many Treasons and Rebellions in France which he acknowledged God had into his particular protection that he was resolved to blot out the memory of them by a notable service done to the King and Kingdom but that could not be unless he had first obtained pardon for all his former misdemeanors This being told to the Embassadour he heard Raffis who told him in general that the King was betrayed and his most secret Councel bewrayed but that he could not name the Traitor no not to his Majesty himself before he had his pardon that being done he would wholly withdraw himself from those whoâ—â— he knew certainly to be enemies to the Kingdom The Embassadour sent an express to the King to give him notice of it The King sent him full power to treat with Raffis with promiss to ratifie whatsoever he should promiss to Raffis Raffis could not make good his accusation but by two Letters written by Loste to a great friend of his named Blas which Letters he knew to be in a Box of Blas who lodged with him therefore upon some pretext or another they found means to send Blas â—s far as l' Escurial In his absence Raffis and Descardes Secretary to the Embassadour broke open the Box and took out the Letters by which Loste did much magnifie the liberalities of Spain as being above his desert and expectation with this
le Loup Nul Empereur ne fit jamais tel coup Et rien plus pis a ce Prince n'avienne English The Purveyor of the Monster without equal Shall shew himself like the Sun Ascending in the Meridional line In persecuting the Elephant and the Wolf No Emperour did ever such an act I wish nothing worse may happen to that Prince ANNOT. This is a Prophecie of the glorious success that Lewis the XIII was to have against the Spaniard in Italy and the Protestant party at home XL. French Ce qu'en vivant le Pere n'avoit sceu Il acquerra ou par guerre ou par feu Et Combatra la sangsüe irritée Ou jouira de son bien paternel Et favory du grand Dieu Eternel Aura bien tost sa Province heritée English That which while he lived the father did not know He shall get it either by Water or by Fire And shall fight with the angry Leech Or shall enjoy his Paternal goods And be favorised by the great Eternal God Shall quickly become Heir of his Province ANNOT. This concerneth the present King of France Lewis the XIV who hath lately got by Fire and Sword those Provinces in the Low-Countreys to which he laid claim by his Wives Title which his father never knew nor attempted XLI French Vaisseaux Galeres avec leur Estendar Sentrebattront pres du Mont Gilbatar Et lors sera forfait a Pampelonne Qui pour son bien souffrira mille maux Par plusieurs fois soustiendra les assaux Mais a la fin unie a la Coronne English Ships and Galleys with their Standard Shall fight near the Mountain Gilbatar And then shall be endeavoured against Pampelonne Which for her good shall suffer a thousand evils And many times shall resist the assaults But at last shall be united to the Crown ANNOT. This Prophecieth the reduction of the City of Pampelona the chief City of the Kingdom of Navarre under the obedience of the King of France and Navarre XLII French La grand Cité ou est le premier homme Bien amplement la ville ie vous nomme Tout en alarme le Soldat es Champs Par Fer Eau grandement affligée Et a la fin des Francois soulagée Mais ce sera des six cens dix ans English The great City where the first man is Fully I name the Town to you Shall be alarmed and the Souldier in the field Shall be by Fire and Water greatly afflicted Aud at last shall be helped by the French But it shall be from six hundred and ten years ANNOT. That great City where the first man is is Amsterdam because the first Letter and the last Sylable of it maketh Adam But of her affliction by Fire and Water and of her being relieved by the French in the year 1610. I can find nothing in the History those that are better furnished with Books than I am may chance to satisfie themselves and others better than I can do XLIII French Le petit coin Provinces mutinées Par forts Chasteaux se verront dominées Encor un coup par la gent Militaire Dans bref seront fortement assiegez Mais il seront d'un tresgrand soulagez Qui aura sait entrée dans Beaucaire English The little corner Provinces revolted By strong Castles shall see themselves commanded Once more by the Military Troops Within a little while shall be strongly Besieged But shall be helped by a great one That hath made his entry in Beaucaire ANNOT. This little Corner and Provinces revolted are Holland and the rest of the United Provinces who are threatned here with many troubles as they did suffer till the Peace of Munster That great man that helped them was the King of France XLIV French La belle Rose en la France admirée D'un tres-grand Prince a la fin desirée Six cens dix lors naistront ses amours Cinq ans apres sera d'un grand blessée Du tract d'Amour elle sera enlassée Si a quinze ans du Ciel recoit secours English The faire Rose admired in France Shall at last be desired by a great Prince Six hundred and ten then shall her love begin Five years after she shall be wounded With the love of a great one she shall be intangled If at five years she receiveth help from Heaven ANNOT. This Prophecy was concerning the Match between Lewis the XIII and Ann of Austria Infanta of Spain who were both Married very young XLV French De coup de fer tout le Monde estonné Par Crocodil estrangement donné A un bien grand parent de la Sangsue Et peu apres sera un autre coup De guet a pens commis contre le Loup Et de tels faits on en verra l'yssüe English All the World being astonished at a blow of Iron Strangely given by a Crocodile To a great one kin to the Leech And a little while after another blow On purpose given against the Wolf And of such deeds the end shall be seen ANNOT. I think this needeth no further explication then that I have given upon the 31. Stanza XLVI French Les Pourvoieux mettra tout en desroute Sangsue Loup en mon dire escoute Quand Mars sera au Signe du Mouton Joint a Saturne Saturne a la Lune Alors sera ta plus grande infortune Le Soleil lors en exaltation English The Purveyor shall put all in disorder Leech and Wolf do ye hearken to me When Mars shall be in the Sign of Aries Joyned with Saturn and Saturn with the Moon Then shall be thy greatest misfortune The Sun being then in its exaltation ANNOT. This is plain if you remember that by the Purveyor is meant the King of France by the Leech the King of Spain and by the Wolf the Duke of Savoy XLVII French Le grand d' Hongrie ira dans la Nacelle Le nouveau né fera guerre nouvelle A son voisin qu'il tiendra assiegé Et le noireau avec son Altesse Ne souffrira que par trop on le presse Durant trois ans ses gens tiendra rangé English The great one of Hungary shall go in the Boat The new born shall make a new War To his Neighbour whom he shall Besiege And the black one with his Highness Shall not suffer to be overpressed During three years he shall keep his Men in order ANNOT. This is concerning the King of Bohemia and his War with the Emperour who is called here the great one of Hungary because he is King of it the black one with his Highness is the Pals-grave who after three years broils was defeated at the Battle of Prage XLVIII French Du vieux Charon on verra le Phoenix Estre premier dernier des fils Reluire en France d'un chascun aimable Regner long temps avec tous les honneurs Qu'auront jamais eu ses Predecesseurs Dont il
rendra sa gloire memorable English The Phoenix of the old Charon shall be seen To be the first and last of the Sons To shine in France beloved of every one To Reign a great while with all the honours That ever his Predecessors had By which he shall make his glory memorable ANNOT. No doubt but this is meant of some King of France which is to come XLIX French Venus Sol Jupiter Mercure Augmenteront le genre de nature Grande Alliance en France se fera Et du Midy la Sangsue de mesme Le feu esteint par ce remede extreme En Terre ferme Olivier plantera English Venus and So Jupiter and Mercury Shall augment humane kind A great Alliance shall be made in France And on the South the Leech shall do the same The fire extinguished by this extreme remedy Shall plant the Olive-Tree in a firm ground ANNOT. By the consent of all Astronomers those four benigne Planets augment generation That great Alliance mentioned here by which the fire was extinguished and the Olive-Tree planted in a firm ground is the Marriage of the present King of France Lewis the XIV with the Infanta of Spain by which all differences were composed and the Peace firmly settled L. French Un peu devant ou apres l' Angleterre Par mort de Loup mise aussy bas que terre Verra le feu resister contre l'eau Le rallumant avecque telle force Du sang humain dessus l'humaine escorce Faute de pain bondance de cousteau English A little while before or after England By the death of the Wolf being put as low as the ground Shall sec the fire resist against the water Kindling it again with such force Of humane blood upon the humane bark That want of bread and abundance of knives shall be ANNOT. The meaning is that a little while after or before the said match mentioned in the foregoing England was or should be brought as low as the ground and that there should be abundance of humane blood spilled and a great decay of Trade with Wars which is that he calleth Want of Bread and abundance of knives LI. French La Ville qu'avoit en ses ans Combatu l'Injure du temps Qui de son Vainqueur tient la vie Celuy qui premier la surprit Que peu apres Francois reprit Par Combats encore affoible English The City that had in her years Resisted the injury of the times And oweth her life to him that overcame her Being the first that surprised it Which a little while after Francis took again Being yet weâ—kened with fightings LII French La grand Cité qui n'a Pain a demy Encor un coup la saint Barthelemy Engravera au profond de son Ame Nismes Rochelle Geneve Montpelier Castres Lion Mars entrant au Belier S'entrebattront le tout pour une Dame English The great City that hath not bread half enough Shall once more engrave In the bottom of her soul St. Bartholomew's day Nismes Rochel Geneva and Montpelier Castres Lion Mars coming into Aries Shall fight one against another and all for a Lady ANNOT. That great City mentioned here is Paris which is threatned of another St. Bartholomew's day which was fatal to the Protestants in France for upon that day in the year 1572. there was a general Massacre made of them through all France insomuch that in Paris alone there was above ten thousand slain As for those Towns here named that are to fight about a Lady I cannot guess what Lady it should be unless he meaneth the Roman Church LIII French Plusieurs mourront avant que Phoenix meure Jusques six cens septante est sa demeure Passé quinze ans vingt un trente neus Le premier est Subjet a maladie Et le second au fer danger de vie Au seu a l'eau est subjet a trenteneus English Many shall die before that Phoenix dieth Till six hundred and seventy he shall remain Above fifteen years one and twenty thirty nine The first shall be subject to sickness And the second to Iron a danger of life Thirty nine shall be subject to fire and water ANNOT. By the Phoenix is meant a Pope because there is but one of that kind at once the meaning of the rest is unknow to me LIV. French Six cens quinze vingt grand Dame mourra Et peu apres un fort long temps pleuvra Plusieurs Pais Flandres l' Angleterre Seront par seu par fer affligez De leurs Voisins longuement affiegez Contraints seront de leur faire la Guerre English Six hundred and fifteen and twenty a great Lady shall die And a little after it shall rain for a great while Many Countreys as Flanders and England Shall by fire and Iron be afflicted And a good while Besieged by their Neighbours So that they shall be constrained to make War against them ANNOT. What that great Lady was that should die in the year 635. is not easie to guess there being many in every Countrey that died that year The rest is easie and we have seen the truth of it in our days and may see it hereafter LV. French Un peu devant ou apres tres-grand Dame Son ame au Ciel son corps soubs la lame De plusieurs gens regretée sera Tous ses parens seront en grand tristesse Pleurs souspirs d'une Dame en jeunesse Et a deux grands le dueil delaissera English A little while before or after a very great Lady Her soul in Heaven and her body in the Grave Shall be lamented by many All her kindred shall be in great mourning Tears and sighs of a Lady in her youth And shall leave the mourning to two great ones ANNOT. This may be understood of the death of Anna of Austria Queen of France who left in mourning two great ones viz. her two Sons Lewis the XIV King of France and Philip of Bourbon Duke of Orleans Or of the death of the Queen Dowager of England Henrietta Maria who also was much lamented and left in mourning two great ones viz. Charles the II. King of England and James Duke of York his Brother LVI French Tost l'Elephant de toutes parts verra Quand Pourvoyeur au Griffon se joindra Sa ruine proche Mars qui tousiour gronde Fera grands faits aupres de Terre Sainte Grands Estendars sur la Terre sur l'Onde Si la Nef a esté de deux frere enceinte English Shortly the Elephant on all sides shall see When the Purveyor shall joyn with the Griffin His ruine at hand and Mars which always grumbleth Shall do great feats near the Holy Land Great Standarts upon the Earth and the Sea If the Ship hath been with Child of two Brothers ANNOT. The Elephant is the Emperor the Purveyor the King of France the Griffin the Hollanders the meaning then is that the Emperor shall go to ruine when the French and the Hollanders shall joyn together And that there shall be great Wars and Fightings in the Holy Lands both by Sea and Land when two Brothers of great quality shall go in one Ship LVII French Peu apres l'Alliance faite Avant solemnises la Feste L'Empereur le tout troublera Et la nouvelle Mariée Au Franc Païs par sort liée Dans peu de temps apres mourra English A little after the Alliance made Before the Feast be Solemnized The Emperor shall trouble all And the new Bride Being by fate tied to the French Countrey A little while after shall die ANNOT. This is concerning a match that shall be made between the French King and some Lady of another Countrey which Match shall be disturbed by the Emperour and the Bride shall die a little while after her Marriage LVIII French Sangsue en peu de temps mourra Sa mort bon signe nous donra Pour l'accroissement de la France Alliances se trouveront Deux grands Roiaumes se joindront Francois aura sur eux puissance English The Leech within a little while shall die His death shall be a good sign to us For the augmentation of France Alliances shall be found Two great Kingdoms shall joyn together The French shall have power over them ANNOT. The Leech was Philip the IV. the last King of Spain who died a little while after he had Married his Daughter to Lewis the XIV now King of France by which Marriage the Peace was made between the two Kingdoms in the Island of the Conference upon the Borders of France and Spain By his death and that Match is foretold the encrease and happy condition of the Kingdom of France FINIS