the thing is come to pass every one may clearly see that he pretended to Prophecie that particular thing And besides he doth sometimes deliver the thing in so obscure terms that without a peculiar Genius it is almost impossible to understand it The second is that though the Prophecie be true in it self yet no body knoweth neither the time nor how For example he plainly foretelleth that the Parliament of England should put their King to death nevertheless no body could tell nor when nor how till the thing was come to pass nor what King it should be till we had seen it The third is that he marketh the times with Astrological terms viz when such and such Planets shall be in such and such Signs but as those Planets are often here and go out of it and come there again no certain judgement can be made of it The fourth is that many times he giveth some peculiar Circumstances to those he speaketh of which may be found in others Thus the Royal first born might have been applied to Lewis the XIII to Lewis the XIV to the first born of Philip the II. and Philip the III. King of Spain and to Kings of England Father and Son Nevertheless we find that this word Royal first born was intended for Henry IV. Grandfather on his Mothers side as we shall shew hereafter This being so it cannot be expounded but after the event The fifth is that the knowledge of future things belongeth to God alone and no body can pretend by any study to have a certain acquisition of it in all its Circumstances The sixth is that the orders of Gods providence which cause the several events in all States will not permit that men should have a publick notion of his designs sometimes he revealeth them to his Servants or to some particular man as he pleaseth but he will not have them to be known among the common sort of men The seventh is the experience we have had or many who pretending to understand the Author have made a quantity of false Prophecies expounding the Stanza's according to their fancy as if God had given them the same understanding that he gave the Author and what ought to confirm us more in this point is that they have expounded some Prophecies as if they were to come to pass which were past already by which we see the the darkness of humane wit who without authority pretendeth to bite into the forbidden fruit of knowledge The eighth is that this knowledge is no way profitable for the Vulgar because those things being decreed by God they shall come to pass without forceing our liberty nor hindering the contingency of sublunary things where we must observe that the Prophecies which were revealed to men are many times conditional as we see in that of Jonaâ— against Ninive but those that they have left in writing for the times that should come after them are absolutely true and shall infallibly come to pass as they have foretold them This no ways hindereth but God may reveal some secrets of his to private men for their benefit and that of their friends without imparting it to the Vulgar who may be should laugh at them The ninth is that God hath peculiarly reserved to himself the knowledge of times Daniel by a special favour knew the end of the Babylonian Captivity and the time of the Messiah's birth and yet the interpreters can scarce yet expound clearly the meaning of the seventy weeks of Daniel and we see that since 1600. years ago holy men from age to age have foretold the proximity of Dooms-day and the coming of Antichrist The tenth is that the foretelling of future things in this Author is for the most part included in business of State and one might beguilty of a criminal temerity if he would discover things that concern us not and the concealing of which is commended by all prodent persons seeing that we owe respect love and submission to those that bear rule over us For these reasons dear Reader I would not have thee intangle thy self in the pretentions of knowing future things If you have light concerning them keep thine own secret and make use of it for thy self Preserve peace and let the Almighty govern the World for he can turn all things to his Glory and may when he pleaseth raise up some Wits that will make known unto us what we desire without any further trouble to our selves Before I make an end I cannot but acquaint thee for gratitude sake of my Obligation to several persons which have lent me Books to help me towards the finishing of this work as namely that worthy Gentleman and the Honour of his profession Mr. Francis Bernard Apothecary to St. Bartholemews Hospital and Mr. Philip Auberton Gentleman belonging to the Right Honourable the Earl of Bridgwater Farewell THE LIFE OF Michael Nostradamus Physitian in Ordinary to HENRY the II. and CHARLES the IX Kings of France MIchael Nostradamus the most renowned and famous Astrologer that hath been these many Ages was born in St. Remy a Town of Provence in the year 1503. upon a Thursday the 14th of December about noon His father was James Nostradamus a Notary of the said Town his Mother was Renata of St. Remy whose Grandfathers by the Fathers and Mothers side were men very skilfull in Mathematick and Physick one having been Physitian to Renatus King of Jerusalem and Sictly and Earl of Provence and the other Physition to John Duke of Calabria Son to the said Renatus whence cometh that our Author saith in his Commentaries that he hath received from hand to hand the Knowledge of Mathematicks from his ancient Progenitors After the death of his great Grandfather by the Mothers side who first gave him a slight tincture and made him in love with the Mathematicks he was sent to School to Avignon After that he went to Mount Pelier to study Philosophy and Physick till a great Plague coming he was compelled to go to Narbonne Thoulouse and Bourdeaux where he first began to practise being then about 22 years of age Having lived four years in those parts he went back again to Monpelier to get his degrees which he did with a great deaal of applause Going to Thoulouse he past through Agen where Julius Caesar Scaliger stayed him with whom he was very familiar and intimately acquainted though they fell out afterward there he took to wife a very honourable Gentlewoman by whom he had two Children a Son and a Daughter all which being dead and seeing himselâ— alone he resolved to retire himself into Provence his Native Countrey After he had gone to Marscille he went to Aix where the Paâ—liament of Provence sitteth and was there kept three years at the City Charges because of the violent Plague that raged then in the year 1546. as you may read in the Lord of Launay's Book called the Theater of the World who describeth that Plague according to the informations our Author
shut up in a pack Those of Toulon to the fraud shall consent ANNOT. This foretelleth a Naval victory to the French against the Turks by the means of a Granado called Anvil that shall be shut up in a Barrel by a plot to which those of Toulou shall be privy IV. French Le Duc de Langres assiegé dedans Dole Accompagné d' Authun Lionnois Geneve Auspourg ceux de la Mirandole Passer les Monts contre les Anconois English The Duke of Langres shall be besieged in Dole Being in company with those of Autun and Lion Geneva Auspourg those of Mirandola Shall go over the Mountains against those of Ancona ANNOT. Langres is a City in France whose Bishop is a Duke and a Peer of the Kingdom Dole is a City in Burgundy so is Autun and Lion Geneva is a City by Savoy Auspourg another in Germany Mirandola is a Countrey in Italy so is Ancona V. French Vin sur la Table en sera respandu Le tiers naura celle quil pretendoit Deux sois du noir de Parme descendu Perouse Pise fera ce quil cuidoit English Wine shall be spilt upon the Table By reason that a third man shall not have her whom he intended Twice the black one descended from Parma Shall do to Perusa and Pisa what be intended ANNOT. Perusa Pisa and Parma are three Cities in Italy VI. French Naples Palerme toute la Sicile Par main Barbare sera inhabitée Corsique Salerne de Sardaigne l'Isle Faim peste guerre fin de maux intemptée English Naples Palermo and all Sicily By barbarous hands shall be depopulated Corsica Salerno and the Island of Sardania In them shall be famine plague war and endless evils ANNOT. Naples is a City in Italy Palermo is a City in the Island of Sicily Corsica an Island in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to the Genoese Salerno is a Town in Italy Sardinia an Island in the Mediterranean The Reader may easily make an interpretation of the rest VII French Sur le combat des grands chevaux legers On criera le grand croissant confond De nuit tuer Moutons Brebis Bergers Abysmes rouges dans le fossé profond English At the fight of the great light Horsmen They shall cry out confound the great half Moon By night they shall kill Sheep Ewes and Shepherds Red pits shall be in the deep ditch ANNOT. By the great half Moon is understood the Turk VIII French Flora fuis fuis le plus proche Romain Au Fesulan sera conflict donné Sang espandu les plus grands pris en main Temple ne Sexe ne sera pardonné English Flora fly fly from the next Roman In the Fesulan shall be the fight Blood shall be spilt the greatest shall be taken Temple nor Sex shall be spared ANNOT. Fesulan is a Countrey in Italy Flora is the Goddess of Flowers the rest is easie IX French Dame en l'absence de son grand Capitaine Sera priée d'amour du Viceroy Feinte promesse malheureuse estreine Entre les mains du grand Prince Barroy English A Lady in the absence of her great Captain Shall be intreated of love by the Viceroy Aâ—fained promise and unhappy new years gift In the hand of the great Prince of Bar. ANNOT. Bar is a principality joyning to Lorrain which Henry IV. King of France gave for a Portion to his Sister Catharine when she married the Duke of Lorrains Son The rest is plain X. French Par le grand Prince limitrophe du Mans Preux vaillant chef de grand exercite Par Mer Terre de Galois Normans Cap passer Barcelonne pillé l'Isle English The great Prince dwelling near the Mans Stout and valiant General of a great Army Of Welchmen and Normans by Sea and Land Shall pass the Cape Barcelone and plunder the Island ANNOT. Mans is a City in France chief of the Province called le Main The rest is plain XI French L'Enfant Roial contemnera la Mere Oeil pieds blessez rude inobeissant Nouvelle a Dame estrange bien amere Seront tuez des siens plus de cinq cens English The Royal Child shall despise his Mother Eye feet wounded rude disobedient News to a Lady very strange and bitter There shall be killed of hers above five hundred ANNOT. This was fulfilled about the year 1615. when Lewis XIII King of France being then about 15 years of age by the perswasion of some Grandees about him made VVar against his own Mother Mary of Medicis then Regent of the Kingdom whereupon was fought between them the Battle du pont de say where above five hundred on the Queens side were slain whereupon it was a good Jest of the Prince of Guimena who being required by the Queen Anna of Austria to lay his hand upon her side and to feel her Child now Lewis XIV stirring after he had felt now I know said he he is a true Son of Bourbon for he beginneth to kick his Mother XII French Le grand puisnay fera fin de la guerre En deux lieux assemble les excusez Cahors Moissac iront loing de la serre Rufec Lectoure les Agenois rasez English The great younger Brother shall make an end of the War It two places he shall gather the excused Cahors Moissac shall go out of his clutches Ruffec Lectoure and those of Agen shall be cut off ANNOT. Cahors Moissac Ruffec Lectonre Agen are all Cities of the Province of Guyenne in France XIII French De la Cité Marine tributaire La testâ— rase prendra la Satrapie Chasser sordide qui puis sera contraire Par quatorze and tiendra la Tyrannie English Of the City Maritine and tributary The shaven head shall take the Government He shall turn out a base man who shall be against him During fourteen years he will keep the tyranny ANNOT. This is positive concerning the Cardinal of Richelieu who made himself Governor of Havre de Grace called here the Maritine City and there kept his Treasure and tyrannised for the space of about fourteen years XIV French Faux exposer viendra Topographie Seront les Urnes des Monuments ouvertes Pulluler Sectes sainte Philosophie Pour blanches noires pour antiques vertes English They shall expound Topography falsly The Urnes of the Monuments shall be open Sects shall multiply and holy Philosophy Shall give black for white and green for old ANNOT. This is a perfect description of our late miserable estate in England when there was such multiplicity of Sects and such a Prophanation of sacred things XV. French Devant Cité de l' Insubre Countrée Sept ans sera le Siege devant mis Le tres-grand Roy fera son entrée Cité puis libre hors de ses ennemis English Before a City of Piemont Seven years the Siege shall be laid The most great King shall make his entry into it Then the City shall be free being out of the enemies hand ANNOT. This needeth no
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
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