CENTURY V.
I.
French.
Avant venue de ruine Celtique,
Dedans le Temple d’eux parlementeront,
Poignard cœur d’un monté au coursier & picque,
Sans faire bruit le grand enterreront.
English.
Before the coming of the ruine of Flanders,
Two shall discourse together in the Church,
Dagger in the heart by one, on Horse-back and Spurring,
Without noise they shall bury the great one.
ANNOT.
This is a further specification of the whole ruine of Flanders, before which it shall
happen, saith our Author, that two shall talk together in the Church, and one shall
stabb the other with a Dagger, and then take Horse, and fly, the dead one being
buried without Pompe or Ceremony.
II.
French.
Sept conjurez au Banquet feront luire,
Centre les trois le Fer hors de Navire.
L’un les deux classes au grand fera conduire,
Quand par le mail dernier au front luy tire.
English.
Seven Conspirators at a Banquet shall make their Iron glister
Against three, out of a Ship:
One shall carry the two Fleets to the great one,
When in the Palle-malle the last shall shoot him in the forehead.
ANNOT.
The two first Verses foretell a Conspiracy of seven against three, one of which
seven shall carry both Fleets to some eminent person, at which time he shall be shot
in the forehead by the last of the seven.
III.
French.
Le Successeur de la Duché viendra,
Beaucoup plus outre que la Mer de Toscane,
Gauloise branche la Florence tiendra,
Dans son Giron d’accord nautique Rane.
English.
The Successor to the Dukedom shall come,
Far beyond the Tuscane Sea,
A French branch shall hold Florence
In its Lap, to which the Sea-frog shall agree.
ANNOT.
By the two first Verses is meant a lawful Successor to the Duke of Tuscany who
shall come to recover the said Dukedom, which shall then be in the possession
of the French.
It is hard to guess what he means by the Sea-frog, unless it be some considerable
Prince at Sea, which shall then be in League with the French.
IV.
French.
Le gros Mastin de Cité dechassé,
Sera fasché de l’estrange Alliance,
Apres aux Champs avoir le Cerf chassé,
Le Loup & l’Ours se donront defiance.
English.
The great Mastif being driven from the City,
Shall be angry at the strange Alliance,
After he shall have hunted the Hart in the Fields,
The Wolf, and the Bear shall defie one another.
ANNOT.
By the strange Alliance is meant that which Cromwel had with France, to the
prejudice of his Majesty of England, who is here meant by the Mastif, a Creature,
for which England hath been famous.
By the Wolf and the Bear are meant the French King and the Switzers, or those
of Savoy.
V.
French.
Sous ombre faincte d’oster de servitude,
Peuple & Cité l’usurpera luy-mesme,
Pire sera par fraus de jeune pute,
Livré au Champ lisant le faux proësme.
English.
Under the fained shadow of freeing people from slavery,
He shall usurpe the people and City for himself;
He shall do worse by the deceit of a young Whore,
For he shall be betrayed in the field reading a false proem.
ANNOT.
The two first are plain, and may be referred to the foregoing Stanza concerning
Oliver.
The last Verses are plain, and I leave them to the judicious Reader.
VI.
French.
Au Roy l’Augur sur le chef le main mettre,
Viendra prier pour la Paix Italique,
A la main gauche viendra changer le Sceptre,
De Roy viendra Empereur pacifique.
English.
The Augur shall come to put his hand upon the Kings head,
And pray for the Peace of Italy,
In the left hand he shall change the Scepter,
Of a King he shall become a peaceful Emperour.
ANNOT.
Although the Augur in Latine signifieth one that telleth events of matters by the
flying voices, or sitting of Birds, yet it is taken also (as here) for a Prelat or Clergyman,
who shall put his hand upon a Kings head, and pray for the peace of Italy,
and shall put a Scepter in his hand, and install him Emperour, what King this should
be, is easie to be conjectured by the Author, being a French-man, and setting down
a King without any Epithite, and this Prophecy is a confirmation of one before of
the same nature.
VII.
French.
Du Triumuir seront trouvez les os,
Cherchant profond Thresor ænigmatique,
Ceux d’alentour ne seront en repos,
Ce concaver Marbre & plomb Metallique.
English.
The bones of the Triumuir shall be found out,
When they shall seek for a deep and ænigmatical Treasure,
Those there about shall not be in rest,
This concavity shall be Marble and Metallick Lead.
ANNOT.
I suppose none so ignorant in the Roman History, but knows, that there was a
combination between Octavius Cæsar, Marcus Antonius, and Lepidus, to make themselves
Masters of the Roman Empire, and to divide it amongst themselves, this plot
being made by three, was made by the Triumuiri, the meaning then is, that when they
shall go to seek for a Treasure, they shall find the bones of one of those three persons,
and in that cavity that they shall have digged, they shall find Marble and
Lead.
VIII.
French.
Sera laissé le feu vif, mort caché,
Dedans les Globes horrible espouventable,
De nuict a classe Cité en poudre lasché,
La Cité a feu, l’ennemy favourable.
English.
The fire shall be left burning, the dead man shall be hid,
Within the Globes terrible and fearful,
By night the Fleet shall shoot against the City,
The City shall be on fire, the enemy shall be favourable unto it.
ANNOT.
The two Verses signifie, that fire shall be hid within Globes, I suppose them to be
Granado’s, or a Mine.
The two last Verses signifie, that the Fleet in the Harbour, or near it, shall set the
City on fire, and that they shall come out of the Fleet to help to quench the fire,
and so shall the enemy be favourable.
IX.
French.
Jusques au fond la grand Arche Maluë,
Par chef Captif l’amy anticipé,
Naistra de Dame front, face cheveluë,
Lors par astuce Duc a mort attrapé
English.
To the bottom of the great Arch Malüe,
By a Captain that is a Prisoner, the friend shall be anticipated,
One shall be born of a Lady with a hoary face and forehead,
Then by craft shall a Duke be put to death.
ANNOT.
The meaning of the first is unknown to me: I leave it to the Reader.
The sense of the last is as obvious to the meanest capacity, as the two precedent
are obscure.
X.
French.
Un chef Celtique dans le conflict blessé,
Aupres de Cave, voiant, siens mort abattre,
De sang & playes & d’ennemis pressé,
Est se couru par incogneus de quattre.
English.
A General of Flanders wounded in Battle,
Near a Cellar, seeing death to overthrow his people,
Being much oppressed with blood, wounds and enemies,
Is succoured by four unknown.
ANNOT.
This needeth no further interpretation, than that it seemeth to be near its event.
XI.
French.
Mer par solaires seure passera
Ceux de Venus tiendront toute l’Afrique,
Leur Regne plus Saturne n’occupera,
Et changera la part Asiatique.
English.
By solaries she shall pass secure,
Those of Venus shall hold all Africa,
Saturn shall hold their Kingdom no longer,
And shall change the Asiatick part.
ANNOT.
This is so obscure in words and sense, that I can judge no more than that it signifies
a great change in Africa and Asia, which I suppose is already come to pass by
Taffaletta.
XII.
French.
Au pres du lac Leman sera conduite,
Par garse estrange Cite voulant trahir,
Avant son meurtre a Ausbourg la grand suite,
Et ceux du Rhin la viendront envahir.
English.
Near the Leman Lake shall be a Plot,
By a strange Whore to betray a City,
Before she be kill’d her great retinue will come to Ausbourg,
And those of the Rhine shall come to invade her.
ANNOT.
We have said often before, that the Leman Lake is that of Geneva. The rest is
so manifest, that it needs no interpretation.
XIII.
French.
Par grand fureur le Roy Romain Belgique,
Veexer voudra par phalange Barbare,
Furent grinssant chassera gent Lybique,
Depuis Pannons jusque Hercules la bare.
English.
Through great anger the Roman Belgick King,
Shall come to vex with Barbarian Troops,
Gnashing with fury, he shall draw away the Lybian people,
From the Pannons as far as Hercules.
ANNOT.
By the Roman Belgick King, is understood Philip the second King of Spain; because
he was made King in Flanders, by his father Charles V.
The second Verse signifieth the diverse Nations that his Army was composed
of.
In the third, by the Lybian people are understood the Jews, which he drove away
from Spain into Africa.
The Pannons are the people of Hungary, called Pannones, and the meaning that he
drove them out as far as Hercules Pillar, at the mouth of the Straits, signifies the
great expulsion he made of them, which were about the number of 200000.
XIV.
French.
Saturne & Mars en Leo Espagne captifue,
Par chef Lybique au conflict attrapé,
Proche de Malte, Herede Prinse vive,
Et Romain Sceptre sera par Coq frappé.
English.
Saturn and Mars being in Leo, Spain shall be captive,
By a Lybian General taken in the Battle,
Near Malta, an Heirse shall be taken alive,
And the Roman Scepter shall be strucken by the Cock.
ANNOT.
By the Cock is meant the King of France. The rest is plain.
XV.
French.
En navigant Captif prins grand pontife,
Grand apres faillir les clercs tumultuez,
Second esleu absent son bien debife,
Son favory Bastard a mort tué.
English.
In Sailing a Pope shall be taken Captive;
After which, shall be a great uproar amongst the Clergy,
A second absent elected, consumeth his goods,
His favourite Bastard shall be killed.
ANNOT.
These Verses signifie no more, but that a Pope going by water, shall be taken
Prisoner, for which, all the Clergy shall be in disorder, and elect a new one, who
shall consume his Goods, and shall have a favourite Bastard, that shall be killed.
XVI.
French.
A son haut prix plus la larme Sabæe,
D’humaine chair par mort en cendre mettre,
L’Isle Pharos par Croisars perturbée,
Alors qua Rhodes paroistra dur espectre.
English.
The Sabæan Tear shall be no more at its high price,
To turn humane flesh by death into ashes,
The Island Pharos shall be troubled by Croisars,
When at Rhodes shall a hard Phantasm appear.
ANNOT.
The Sabæan Tear, is Frankincense, so called; because it is the Gum of a Tree
that groweth in that Countrey, whence the Poet saith,
India mittit ebur, molles sua thura Sabæi.
The meaning therefore of the two first Verses, is, that Frankincense shall be no
more so dear as it hath been; because it shall be no more used, in enbalming and
burning of dead bodies.
The third verse saith, the Island Pharos (which is that little Island that lyeth before
the Harbour of Alexandria) shall be troubled by Croisars, that is, Christians,
when there shall appear a Phantasme, or a Vision shall be seen at Rhodes.
XVII.
French.
De nuit passant le Roy pres d’une Andronne,
Celuy de Cipres & principal de guerre,
Le Roy failly la main fuit long du Rhosne,
Les conjurez liront la a mort mettre.
English.
The King going along by night near an Andronne,
He of Cyprus and chief of the War,
The King having missed the hand, runneth away along by the Rhosne,
The Conspirators shall put him to death there.
ANNOT.
I could not find what he meaneth by Andronne, therefore I believe it is a barbarous
and forged word, which the Author hath foisted in, to make the first Verses
rhime with the word Rhosne in the third Verse, which is a famous River in
France.
XVIII.
French.
De duel mourra l’infelix profligé,
Celebrera son victrix l’Hecatombe,
Pristine loy franc edict redigé,
Le mur & Prince septiesme ira au tombe.
English.
The unhappy being overcome, shall die for grief,
His Victrix shall celebrate the Hecatomb,
The former law and free Edict shall be brought again,
The wall and seventh Prince shall go to the Grave.
ANNOT.
Victrix is a Latine word, and the Feminine Gender of victor, and signifieth a
woman that is victorious; Hecatomb is a Sacrifice, wherein an hundred Oxen are
killed.
XIX.
French.
Le grand Royal d’Or, d’Airain augmenté,
Rompu la pache par jeune, ouverte guerre,
Peuple affligé par un chef lamenté,
De sang barbare sera couverte Terre;
English.
The great Golden Royal, being increased with Copper,
The agreement being broken by a young man, there shall be open War,
People afflicted by the loss of a General lamented,
The ground shall be covered with barbarous blood.
ANNOT.
By the great golden Royal, is understood (if I mistake not) a King rich in Gold
and Silver, who being joyned with one rich in Copper, shall make open War against
one that shall have broken his agreement.
Quære: Whether this came not to pass when Gustaphus Adolphus King of Sweden
and rich in Brass, being helped by the French Gold and Silver; was not the General
so much lamented, after he had almost ruined the Emperour, 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 word propin,
it is a diminutive of the Latine word propinquus, 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’Armée 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 War 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, Ægypte, 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, Ægypt, 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 haut 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 Methelin 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 caché,
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, fierce, and wicked villain.
The second part is contained in the two last Verses, wherein he 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 which is the head of wisdom,
And now is the Rose of the World,
A Bridge shall be ruinated with its great preeminence,
It shall be subdued, and made a wrack by the Waves.
ANNOT.
He foretelleth the destruction of a famous Bridge in the Countrey of Attica, of
which Athens is the chief City, and because it was always famous for learning, he
calleth it here the head of Wisdom; and that Wisdom, the Rose of the
World.
XXXII.
French.
Ou tout bon est, tout bien Soleil & Lune,
Est abondant, sa ruine s’approche,
Le Ciel s’advance a changer ta fortune,
En mesme estat que la septiesme Roche.
English.
Where all well is, all good O Sun and Moon,
Is existent, his ruine draweth near,
The Heaven is making hast to change thy fortune,
Into the same case as the seventh Rock is.
ANNOT.
By this dark Stanza, the Author seemeth to foretell the woful condition of a
Countrey that was happy before, but shall fall to ruine, I suspect he intended France,
because being a Frenchman he did not name it, for I think there was never such a
change in the world as was in that Kingdom, in the time of the Civil Wars between
the Roman Catholicks, and the Protestants.
XXXIII.
French.
Des principaux de Cité rebellée,
Qui tiendront fort pour liberté r’avoir,
Detrencher masles, infœlice meslée!
Cris, hurlemens a Nantes pitieux voir.
English.
Of the chief men in a rebelled City,
Who shall stand out to recover their liberty,
The Males shall be cut in pieces, O unhappy quarrel!
Cries and houlings, it shall be pity to see at Nantes.
ANNOT.
The Author applyeth this Prophecie to the City of Nantes in Britany, but want
of Books that treat of the History of that Countrey; I could neither satisfie my self,
nor the Reader, if this hath come to pass already or not.
XXXIV.
French.
Du plus profond de l’occident Anglois,
Ou est le chef de l’Isle Britanique,
Entrera classe en Garonne par Blois,
Par Vin & Sel faux cachez aux barriques.
English.
From the deepest Westerly part of England,
Where the chief of the Britain Island is,
A Fleet shall come into the Garonne by Blaye,
By Wine and Salt fire shall be hidden in Barrels.
ANNOT.
There is a notable and sensible error in the French Copy, and without reforming
it, the sense is not only obscure, but also impossible; for instead of Blois, which the
Author hath put here, I suppose to make the rime good, it must be written Blaye,
which is a Sea Town of the mouth of the River Garonne, and Blois is a mid-Land
Town, upon the River Loire, about a hundred Leagues distant from the other.
The rest signifieth no more, but that there shall be some Warlike Stratagem
made use of by the French (understood here by the names of Wine and Salt) in
puting fire into Barrels.
XXXV.
French.
Par Cité franche de la grand Mer Seline,
Qui porte encor l’estomach la pierre,
Angloise classe viendra soubs la bruine,
Prendre un rameau de grand ouverte guerre.
English.
By a free City of the Selyne Sea,
Which carrieth yet the stone in the Stomach,
An English Fleet shall come under a fog,
To take a branch of great open War.
ANNOT.
What should the Author mean by the free City of the great Seline Sea that carryeth
yet the stone in the Stomach, is hard to guess; for my part I believe it to be
Venice. First, because by the Seline Sea, he always understands the Mediterranean;
because the great Turks name in our Authors time was Selyn, who was Master of
the greatest part of it. Secondly, there is no other free City so considerable as this.
Thirdly, by the stone in the Stomach, may be understood, the Pillars that are in
the Piazza of St. Mark, and as it were in the Centre of Venice, as the Stomach is in
the Body. The sense therefore is this, as I take it, that a considerable Fleet shall
come to Venice, or rather to Molamocco, which is the Harbour, and there take a branch
of great open War, that is, to be either against the Venetians, or against the Turk in
their behalf.
XXXVI.
French.
De Sœur le frere par simulte feintise,
Viendra mesler rosee en Mineral,
Sur la placente donne a vieille tardive,
Meurt le goustant, sera simple rural.
English.
The Brother of the Sister, with a fained dissimulation,
Shall mix Dew with Mineral,
In a Cake given to a slow old woman,
She dieth tasting of, the deed shall be simple, and Countrey like.
ANNOT.
This foretelleth a notable poisoning that shall be done by a Brother upon his
Sister, which, because she died not fast enough, according to his mind: and therefore
called her slow, he would set her forward with a poisoned Cake, the Poison was
Mineral, and therefore Arsenick or Sublimate, mixed with Manna, called here Dew;
because Manna is nothing but a Dew, condensed upon the Bark of a certain Tree;
the Conclusion is, that the woman shall die eating of it, though the meat seemed to
be simple and rural.
XXXVII.
