French.
Trois sens seront d’un vouloir & accord,
Qui pour venir au bout de leur attainte,
Vingt mois apres tous eux & leurs records,
Leur Roy trahy simulant haine, feinte.
English.
Three hundred shall be of one mind and agreement,
That they may compass their ends,
twenty months after by all them and their partners,
Their King shall be betrayed, by dissembling a fained hatred.
ANNOT.
The difficulty of meeting in any Countrey three hundred men of one mind, hath
perswaded me that our Author writ this for England; but by reason there hath been
since a general pardon, I will keep my mind to my self.
XXXVIII.
French.
Ce grand Monarque qu’au mort succedera,
Donnera vie illicite & lubrique,
Par nonchalance a tous concedera,
Qua la parfin faudra la loy Salique.
English.
The great Monarch that shall succeed to the great one,
Shall lead a Life unlawfull, and lecherous,
By carelesness he shall give to all,
So that in Conclusion the Salique Law shall fail.
ANNOT.
This hath a Relation to the precedent Stanza, therefore, &c.
XXXIX.
French.
Du vray rameau de fleur de Lis issu,
Mis & loge heritier d’Hetrurie,
Son sang antique de longue main tissu,
Fera Florence florir en l’Armoirie.
English.
Issued out of the true branch of the City,
He shall be set for Heir of Hetruria,
His ancient blood waved by a long while,
Shall cause Florence to flourish in the Scutcheon.
ANNOT.
This is only in commendation of the Family of the Medicis, and of their Alliance
with the Crown of France; for Catharine of Medicis, wife to Henry II. was
Queen of France when our Author lived.
XL.
French.
Le sang Roial sera si tresmeslé,
Contraints seront Gaulois de l’Hesperie,
On attendra que terme soit coulé,
Et que memoire de la voix soit perie.
English.
The Royal blood shall be so much mixed,
The French shall be constrained by the Spaniards,
They shall stay till the term be past,
And the remembrance of the voice be over.
ANNOT.
This only signifieth a strict Union between the French and the Spaniards, by several
Alliances.
XLI.
French.
Nay soubs les ombres & journée nocturne,
Séra en Regne & bonté Souveraine,
Fera renaistre son sang de l’antique Urne,
Renouvelant siecle d’Or pour l’airain.
English.
Being born in the shadows and nocturnal time,
He shall be a Soveraign in Kingdom and bounty,
He shall cause his blood to come again from the ancient Urn,
Renewing a golden Age instead of a brazen one.
ANNOT.
This foretelleth the greatness and goodness of a Prince that shall be born in the
beginning of the night.
XLII.
French.
Mars eslevé en son plus haut befroy,
Fera retraire les Allobrox de France,
La gent Lombarde fera si grand effroy,
A ceux de l’Aigle comprins soubs la Balance.
English.
Mars being elevated in its higher Steeple,
Shall cause the Allobrox to retreat from France,
The people of Lombardy shall be in so great fear,
Of those of the Eagle comprehended under Libra.
ANNOT.
The Allobrox are the people of Savoy. Those of the Eagle comprehended under
Libra, are the subjects of the Empire that use the French tongue.
XLIII.
French.
Le grand ruine des Sacrez ne sesloigne,
Provence, Naples, Sicile, Seez & Ponce,
En Germanie au Rhin & la Coloigne,
Vexez a mort par tous ceux de Mogunce.
English.
The great ruine of the sacred things is not far off,
Provence, Naples, Sicily, Sez and Ponce,
In Germany towards the Rhyne and Colen,
They shall be vexed to death by those of Moguntia.
ANNOT.
He foretelleth the troubles that were to be shortly in those Countreys for Religion.
XLIV.
French.
Par Mer le rouge sera prins the Pyrates,
La paix sera par son moyen troublée,
L’une & l’auare commettra par faincte acte,
Au grand Pontife fera l’Armée d’oublée.
English.
By Sea the red one shall be taken by Pyrates,
The peace by that means shall be troubled,
He shall commit anger and coveteousness by a feigned action,
The High Priest shall have a double Army.
ANNOT.
By the red one is understood some Cardinal that shall be taken by Pyrates, for
which the peace shall be in danger to be broken, the same Cardinal shall by a feigned
action be guilty of choler and covetousness, and for his recovery and the defending
the Rites of the Church, the Pope shall have a double Army granted to him.
XLV.
French.
Le grand Empire fera tost desolé,
Et translate pres d’Arduenne silve,
Les deux batards par l’aisné decollé,
Et Regnera Ænodarbnez de milve.
English.
The great Empire shall soon be made desolate,
And shall be translated near the Forrest of Arden,
The two Bastards shall have their heads cut off by the eldest son,
And he that shall reign, shall be Ænodarbnez nosed.
ANNOT.
By the great Empire is meant that of Germany, which he says shall be translated
near the Forrest of Ardens, which is near the borders of France. Two Bastards shall be
beheaded by command of the elder Brother of the House, and he that shall Reign
shall have a reddish beard, and a Hawks nose.
XLVI.
French.
Par Chapeaux rouges querelles & nouveaux schismes,
Quand on aura esleu le Sabinois,
On produira contre luy grands sophismes,
Et sera Rome lessée par Albanois.
English.
By red Hats, quarrels and new schismes,
When the Sabin shall be Elected,
Great sophismes shall be produced against him,
And Rome shall be endamaged by the Albanois.
ANNOT.
By red Hats are understood Cardinals of Rome, who shall raise great quarrels and
schismes, when a Pope of the Countrey of the Sabins (which is near Rome) shall be
Elected, against whom many things shall be objected, and that Rome shall be endamaged
by the Albanians, which are a Warlike people, and for the most part subject
to the Common-wealth of Venice.
XLVII.
French.
Le grand Arabe marchera bien avant,
Trahy sora par le Bisantinois:
L’Antique Rhodes luy viendra au devant,
Et plus grand mal par Austre Pannonois.
English.
The great Arabian shall proceed a great way,
He shall be betrayed by the Bisantines,
The ancient Rhodes shall come to meet him,
And a greater evil by a South wind from Hungary.
ANNOT.
By Bisantine is understood the great Turk, Master of Constantinople, formerly called
Bysantium.
XLVIII.
French.
Apres la grande affliction du Sceptre,
Deux ennemis par eux seront defaicts:
Classes d’Affrique aux Pannons viendra naistre,
Par Mer & Terre seront horribles Faicts.
English.
After the great afflictions of the Scepter,
Two enemies shall be overcome by themselves,
A Fleet of Affrica shall be born to the Hungarians.
By Sea and Land shall be horrid facts.
ANNOT.
The words of this Stanza are plain, though the sense be something obscure.
XLIX.
French.
Nul de l’Espagne, mais de l’antique France,
Sera esleu pour le tremblant nacelle,
A l’ennemy sera faicte fiance,
Qui dans son Regne sera peste cruelle.
English.
None out of Spain, but of the ancient France,
Shall be Elected to govern the tottering Ship.
The enemy shall be trusted,
Who to his Kingdom shall be a cruel plague.
ANNOT.
The two first Verses foretell a schisme in the Church of Rome, understood by a
tottering Ship, and that a French-man shall be Elected Pope to remedy it.
The two last Verses are easie to be understood.
L.
French.
L’An que les Freres du Lys seront an Aage,
L’Un d’euz tiendra la grand Romanie:
Trembler les Monts ouvert Latin passage,
Bache marcher contre Fort d’Armenie.
English.
In the year that the Brethren of the Lillies shall be at Age,
One of them shall hold the great Romanie:
The Mountains shall tremble, the Latine passage shall be opened,
A Bassha shall march against the Fort of Armenia.
ANNOT.
By the Brethren of the Lillies are meant the Heirs of the Crown of France; the
rest is plain.
LI.
French.
La gent de Dace, d’Angleterre, & Polone,
Et de Boësme feront nouvelle ligue,
Pour passer outre d’Hercules la Colonne,
Barcins, Thyrrans dresser cruelle brigue.
English.
The people of Dacia, England, and Poland,
And of Bohemia shall make a new League,
To go beyond Hercules Pillars,
Barcins and Thyrrens shall make a cruel plot.
ANNOT.
By Barcins he means those of Carthage, which is now Tunis, and by the Thyrrens,
those that live near that Sea.
LII.
French.
Un Roy sera qui donra l’opposite,
Les exilez eslevez sur le Regne,
De sang nager la gent caste hyppolite,
Et florira long-temps sous telle enseigne.
English.
A King shall be, who shall be opponent
To the banished persons raised upon the Kingdom,
The chast Hippolite Nation shall swim in blood,
And shall flourish a great while under such an Ensign.
ANNOT.
Here is Demorritus’s Well where the truth may be, but I cannot find it.
LIII.
French.
La Loy du Sol, & Venus contendans,
Appropriant l’Esprit de Prephetie:
Ne l’un ne l’autre ne seront entendus,
Par Sol tiendra la Loy du grand Messie.
English.
The Law of the Sun and Venus contending,
Appropriating the spirit of Prophecy,
Neither one nor the other shall be heard,
By Sol the Law of the great Messias shall subsist.
ANNOT.
This is of the same obscurity with the foregoing one.
LIV.
French.
Du pont Euxine, & la grand Tartarie,
Un Roy sera qui viendra voir la Gaule,
Transpercera Alane & l’Armenie,
Et dans Bisance Lairra sanglante Gaule.
English.
From the Euxin Sea, and great Tartaria,
A King shall come to see France,
He shall go through Alanea and Armenia,
And shall leave a bloody rod in Constantinople.
ANNOT.
This is so plain, that it needeth no interpretation.
LV.
French.
De la felice Arabie contrade,
Maistra puissant de la loy Mahometique,
Vexer l’Espagne, conquestre la Grenade,
Et plus par Mera la gent Ligustique.
English.
Out of the Countrey of Arabia the happy,
Shall be born a powerful man of the Mahometan Law,
Who shall vex Spain and conquer Grenada,
And by Sea shall come to the Ligurian Nation.
ANNOT.
The Ligurian Nation are those of Genoa.
LVI.
French.
Par le traspas du tres-vieillard Pontife,
Sera esleu Romain de bon aage,
Qui sera dit que le siege debiffe,
Et long tiendra & de picquant courage.
English.
By the death of the very old high-Priest,
Shall be a Roman elected of good age,
Of whom it shall be said, that he dishonoureth the Seat,
And shall live long, and be of a fierce courage.
ANNOT.
The sense and the words are plain.
LVII.
French.
Istra du Mont Gaulsier & Aventine,
Qui par le trou advertira l’Armée,
Entre deux Rocs sera prins le butin,
De Sext. Mansol faillir la renommée.
English.
One shall go out of the Mountains Gaulsier and Aventine,
Who through a hole shall give notice to the Army,
Between two Rocks the booty shall be taken,
Of Sext. Mansol shall loose his renown.
ANNOT.
The Mountains of Gaulsier and Aventine are two of the seven Mountains of Rome,
out of which, it seems, one shall go out to give notice to the Army without, and the
Booty of the Pope, called Sextus, shall be taken.
But what he meaneth by Mansol, I am ignorant.
LVIII.
French.
De l’Aqueduct d’Uticense, Gardoing,
Par le Forest & Mont inaccessible,
Emmy du pont sera taché ou poing,
La chef Nemans qui tant sera terrible.
English.
From the Conduit of Uticense and Gardoing,
Through the Forrest and unaccessible Mountain,
In the middle of the Bridge shall be tyed by the Wrist,
The chief Nemans, that shall be so terrible.
ANNOT.
By the Conduit of Gardoing, he means that of the River Gardon, that passeth by
Nismes, where there is a famous Conduit.
But what he meaneth by the chief Nemans, I cannot find.
LIX.
French.
Au chef Anglois a Nismes trop sejour,
Devers l’Espagne au secours Ænobarbe,
Plusieurs mouront par Mars ouvert ce jour,
Quand en Artois faillir estoile en Barbe.
English.
The chief English shall stay too long at Nismes,
A red haird man shall go to the succours of Spain,
Many shall die by open War that day,
When in Artois the Star shall fail in the Beard.
ANNOT.
All the difficulty lyeth in the last Verse: for my part I believe he meaneth by it
a bearded Comet, such as the Latines call Cometa barbatus.
LX.
French.
Par teste rase viendra bien mal eslire,
Plus que sa charge ne porte passera,
Si grand fureur & rage fera dire,
Qua feu & sang tout Sexe tranchera.
English.
By a shaven head shall be made an ill choice,
That shall go beyond his commission,
He shall proceed with so great fury and rage,
That he shall put both Sexes to fire and Sword.
ANNOT.
By a shaven head must be understood a Priest of the Romish Religion; because
they all have their heads shaven.
LXI.
French.
L’Enfant du grand nestant a sa naissance,
Subjugera les hauts Monts Apennins,
Fera trembler tous ceux de la balance,
Depuis Monts Feurs jusques a Mont Senis.
English.
The Child of the great man that was not at his birth,
Shall subdue the high Apennine Mountains,
Shall make all those under Libra to quake,
From Mount Feurs, as far as Mount Senis.
ANNOT.
The Apennine Mountains, are those that divide Italy in two parts.
Those under the Sign of Libra are the people of France. Feurs is a City in
France, in the Province of Forrest. Mount Senis is a high Mountain in
Savoy.
LXII.
French.
Sur les Rochers sang on verra pleuvoir,
Sol Orient, Saturne Occidental,
Pres d’Orgon Guerre, a Rome grand mal voir,
Nefs parfondrées, & prins le Tridental.
English.
It shall rain blood upon the Rocks,
The Sun being in the East, and Saturn in the West,
War shall be near Orgon, and great evil at Rome,
Ships shall be cast away, and the Trident be taken.
ANNOT.
I could not find what he meaneth by Orgon. As by the Trident being taken, I suppose
he meaneth a Ship called Neptune, because Neptune is always painted with a
Trident.
LXIII.
French.
De vaine emprise l’honneur indue plainte,
Galliots errants par Latins froid, faim vagues,
Non loin du Tybre de sang la Terre teinte,
Et sur humains seront diverses plagues.
English.
Honour bringeth a complaint against a vain undertaking,
Galleys shall wander through the Latin Seas, cold, hunger, Waves,
Not far from Tyber the Earth shall be died with blood,
And upon Mankind shall be several plagues.
ANNOT.
Tyber is the River of Rome, the rest are several prodigies that shall come to pass.
LXIV.
French.
Les assembles par repos du grand nombre,
Par Terre & Mer conseil contremandé,
Pres de l’Autonne, Genes, Nue, de lombre,
Par Champs & Villes le Chef contrebandé.
English.
The gathered by the rest of the great numbers,
By Land and Sea shall recall their Councel,
Near Autonne, Genes, and Nue of the shadow,
In Fields and Towns the Chief shall be one against another.
ANNOT.
This passeth my understanding.
LXV.
French.
Subit venu l’effrayeur sera grande,
Des principaux de l’affaire cachés:
Et Dame Embraise plus ne sera en veuë,
Et peu a peu seront le grands fachés.
English.
One coming upon a suddain shall cause a great fear,
To the Chief men that were hidden and concerned in the business,
And the Lady Ambraise shall be seen no more,
And by little and little the great one shall be angry.
ANNOT.
What he meaneth by the lady Ambraise, I cannot find, the rest is easie.
LXVI.
French.
Sous les antiques edifices Vestaux,
Non esloignez d’Aqueduct ruiné,
De Sol & Lune sont les luissans metaux,
Ardente Lampe Trajan d’or buriné.
English.
Under the ancient edifices of the Vestals,
Not far from an Aqueduct ruinated,
Are the bright mettals of Sun and Moon,
A burning Lamp of Trajan of ingraven gold.
ANNOT.
Monsieur Catel in his second Book of Languedoc Chap. V. saith, that there was a
famous Aqueduct, which the Romans builded from the River Gar to the Town of
Nismes, which at present is ruinated.
Secondly, Near the Town there was a famous Temple dedicated to Diana, where
there is a Spring of water so great, that it seemeth rather a Lake then a Fountain.
Thirdly, I find that the Emperour Adrian caused a Temple to be built in the honour
of Plotina Trajan’s wife.
Fourthly, He relateth that Jean Poldo found in the Town of Aix a Marble with
this inscription: Plotina Trajanis uxor, summa honestate & integritate fulgens, sterilitatis
defectu sine prole fecit conjugem, qui ejus opera Adrianum adoptatum in Imperio Successorem
habuit, a quo in beneficii memoriam Nemausi æde sacra maximo Sumptu, sublimique
structura, ac Hymnorum cantu decorata, post mortem donata est: That is to say,
Plotina, Trajans wife, famous for her honesty and integrity, was barren and left no
Children to her Husband, which she perceiving, intreated the Emperour to adopt
Adrian for his Son, and to make him his Successor in the Empire, which being come
to pass, the new Emperour in acknowledgement of such a benefit, did build her a
Temple of a magnificent Structure, and caused it to be Consecrated with Musick
after her death.
Fifthly, The said Author saith, that this Marble was taken out of that Temple,
when the River of Gardon did so overflow, as we have said.
By all this we see, that there was a Temple of Vestals at Nismes, Diana the Maid
being their chief Patroness, which is made now a Nunnery, called la Fontaine. There is
also to be seen the Temple of Plotina, Trajans wife, built by Adrian his Successor.
And as it was the manner of the Ancients to put some of those inextinguishable
Lamps in their Graves; it is very likely, there was one of them in this Temple, and
because it should be known whose Grave it was, he caused Trajans name to be Engraven
in the foot of the said Lamp.
Let us explain now the Stanza: Under the Ancient Vestal buildings of the Temple
of Diana, not far from the ruined Aqueduct, which carrieth the water from the River
Gar to Nismes, shall be found shining mettals of Sol and Luna, that is, Meddals of gold
and silver, with a burning Lamp of gold, wherein the name of Trajan was Engraven.
Histories make mention of several burning Lamps in this manner, that have been
found still burning in the ground, and not consumed, though they had been there
above 500 years; certainly the Oil of it must have been incombustible, and could
be extracted out of nothing but gold, quia nil dat quod non habet.
LXVII.
French.
Quand Chef Perouse n’osera sa Tunique,
Sens au convert tout nud s’expolier:
Seront prins sept faict Aristocratique,
Le Pere & Fils morts par poine te au collier.
English.
When the Chief of Perouse shall not dare without a Tunick,
To expose himself naked in the dark,
Seven shall be taken for setting up Aristocracy,
The Father and the Son shall die by pricks in the Collar.
ANNOT.
Perouse is a City in Italy; the rest is plain.
LXVIII.
French.
Dans le Danube & le Rhine viendra boire,
Le grand Chameau, ne sen repentira:
Trembler le Rhosne & plus fort ceux de Loire,
Et pres des Alpes Coq le ruinera.
English.
In Danubius and the Rhine shall come to drink,
The great Camel, and shall not repent;
The Rhosne shall tremble, and more those of Loire,
And near the Alpes the Cock shall ruine him.
ANNOT.
This foretelleth a great incursion of the Turks into Germany, insomuch that they
shall water their Camels in the Rivers of Danubius, and of the Rhyne, to the great
terrour of France, wherein those Rivers of Rhosne and Loire are.
But the last Verse, saith the Cock; that is, the French, shall overcome and ruine the
Turks, near the Mountains of the Alpes.
LXIX.
French.
Plus ne sera le grand en saux sommeil,
L’Inquietude viendra prendre repos,
Dresser Phalange d’Or, Azur, & vermeil,
Subjuguer Affrique & ronger jusqu’aux os.
English.
The great one shall be no more in a false sleep,
The restlessness shall take rest,
He shall raise an Army of Gold and Azure,
He shall conquer Affrica and gnaw it to the bones.
ANNOT.
This is concerning some great Prince, who shall raise a powerful Army, and conquer
Affrica with it.
LXX.
French.
Les Regions subietes a la Balance,
Feront trembler les Monts par grande Guerre,
Captifs tout sexe, avec toute Bizance,
Qu’on criera a l’Aube Terre a Terre.
English.
The Regions under the sign of Libra,
Shall make the Mountains quake with great War,
Slaves of all sexes, with all Bizance,
So that in the dawning of the day, they shall cry to Land to Land.
ANNOT.
This foretelleth the destruction of Constantinople, anciently called Byzantium, by
those that live under the Sign of Libra, that is, the Europeans, and chiefly the
French.
LXXI.
French.
Par la fureur d’un qui attendra l’eau,
Par la grand rage tout l’exercite esmeu,
Charge des Nobles a dixsept Bateaux,
Au long du Rhosne tard Messager venud.
English.
By the fury of one staying for the Water,
By his great rage the whole Army shall be troubled,
There shall be seventeen Boats full of Noblemen
Along the Rhosne, the Messenger shall come too late.
ANNOT.
The words and sense are plain.
LXXII.
French.
Pour le plaisir d’Edict voluptueux,
On meslera la poison dans la Loy,
Venus sera en cours si vertueux,
Qu’obfusquera du Soleil tout alloy.
English.
By the pleasure of a voluptuous proclamation,
The poison shall be mixed in the Law,
Venus shall be in so great request,
That it shall darken all the allay of the Sun.
ANNOT.
By a Proclamation, favouring or promoting Licentiousness, poison shall be mixed
in the Law, and leachery so much countenanced, as it shall obscurate the allay of the
Sun, that is, piety so much commended in the Gospel, to all those that will fight
under Christs Banner.
LXXIII.
French.
Persecutée sera de dien l’Eglise,
Et les Saints Temples seront expoliez,
L’Enfant la mere mettra nud en chemise,
Seront Arabes au Polous ralliez.
English.
The Church of God shall be persecuted,
And the holy Temples shall be spoiled,
The Child shall turn out his Mother in her Smock,
Arrabians shall agree with the Polonians.
ANNOT.
The Author could not be mistaken in this Prophecie; for the Church of God
shall always be persecuted, the Apostle confirmeth it, when he saith, that all those
that will live piously in Christ, must suffer persecution: As for the spoiling of Churches,
and other barbarous actions, it hath been seen so often in France, in the time of the
Civil Wars for Religion, that it needeth no confirmation.
The last Verse concerning a peace between the Turks and the Polonians, was fulfilled
in the year 1623. when Sigismundus King of Poland, by his Embassador the
Duke Šbarasky, and by the mediation of the English Embassador, concluded a Peace
with the great Turk Mustapha, the Articles of which you may read at large in the
Turkish History.
LXXIV.
