CENTURY VII.
I.
French.
L’Arc du Thresor par Achilles deceu,
Aux procrées sceu le Quadrangulaire,
Au fait Roial le comment sera sceu,
Corps veu pendu au Sceu du populaire.
English.
The bow of the Treasure by Achilles deceived,
Shall shew to posterity the Quadrangulary,
In the Royal deed the Comment shall be known,
The body shall be seen hanged in the knowledge of the people.
ANNOT.
By the bow of the Treasure, is understood the Marshal d’Ancre, Favorite to the
Queen Regent of France Mary of Medicis, who was first complained of, for his maleversations
by Achilles de Harlay President of Paris, whence followed his death being
Pistolled in the Quadrangle of the Louvre, by the command of Lewis XIII. and his
body afterwards dragged through the streets, and hanged publickly by the people
upon the new Bridge.
II.
French.
Par Mars ouvert Arles ne donra guerre,
De nuit seront les Soldats estonnez,
Noir, blanc, a l’Inde dissimulez en terre.
Soubs la feinte ombre traistre verrez sonnez.
English.
Arles shall not proceed by open War,
By night the Souldiers shall be astonished,
Black, white, and blew, dissembled upon the ground.
Under the fained shadow you shall see them proclaimed Traitors.
ANNOT.
Arles is a considerable City in France; the rest is plain.
III.
French.
Apres de France la victoire Navale,
Les Barchinons, Salinons, les Phocens,
Lierre d’or, l’Enclume serré dans balle,
Ceux de Toulon au fraud seront consents.
English.
After the Naval victory of the French,
Upon those of Tunis, Sally, and the Phocens,
A golden Juy the Anvil 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 Toulon 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 fois 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 he 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 Sardinia,
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,
A 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
War 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,
In 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, Lectoure, Agen, are all Cities of the Province of Guyenne
in France.
XIII.
French.
De la Cité Marine & tributaire,
La teste 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 interpretation.
XVI.
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 travaillé.
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 Citadins 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 Calf 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 Greek words μέσος and ποταμὸς, 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 œufs 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 Ærain, 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 livrée 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 Ships grapled one with another, and being so close together, represented a Land
fight.
The French at last did their utmost endeavour against the Admiral, which was
succoured by six other Ships, of which two were taken with the Admiral, and carryed
to Diepe; this is the Authors meaning, when he saith, Fly-boats and Galleys about
seven Ships. He nameth the Admiral Chief of Madrid; that is, chief Spaniard,
which received blows of Oars, whose Ship was taken, and four more of his Company,
which were brought to Diepe. In this agree the Historians on both sides.
XXVII.
French.
Au coin de Vast la grand Cavalerie,
Proche a Ferrare empeschée au Bagage,
Pompe a Turin front telle volerie,
Que dans le fort raviront leur hostage.
English.
In the corner of Vast the great Troop of Horse,
Near Ferrara, shall be busied about the baggage,
Pompe at Turin, they shall make such a robbery,
That in the Fort they shall ravish their hostage.
ANNOT.
I could not find what he meaneth by this place Vast, which being the Key of all
the rest, I could proceed no further, but am constrained to go to bed, and leave this
for to night, among Insolubilia de Alliaco.
XXVIII.
French.
Le Capitaine conduira grande proye,
Sur la Montagne des ennemis plus proche,
Environné par feu fera telle voye,
Tous eschapez, or trente mis en broche.
English.
The Captain shall lead a great Prey
Upon the Mountain, that shall be nearest to the Enemies,
Being encompassed with fire, he shall make such a way,
That all shall escape, but thirty that shall be spitted.
ANNOT.
The two first Verses are plain.
The meaning of the last two is, that the said Captain being encompassed with
Fire, shall make himself such a way, that all his men shall escape, but thirty that shall
be spitted by the enemies.
XXIX.
French.
Le grand Duc d’Albe se viendra rebeller,
A ses grands peres fera le tradiment,
Le grand de Guise le viendra debeller,
Captif mené & dresse monument.
English.
The great Duke of Alba shall rebel,
To his Grandfathers he shall make the Plot,
The great Guise shall vanquish him,
Led Prisoner, and a Monument erected.
ANNOT.
Ferdinand of Toledo, Duke of Alba in Spain, a faithfull servant of Charles V. and
Philip II. his Son, after he had made several proofs of his Valour, and prudence in
the affairs of Piemont and Milanese, was commanded to go to Naples and Rome, to
succour the Colonesse, and others of the Spanish party; to obey this command, the
Author saith, He went about to rebel, not against his Prince, but his Grandfathers, viz.
the Pope and the Cardinals, upon which the Senate of Venice wrote to him, desiring
that he would not trouble the Pope, seeing that all his Predecessors had fought
for him, as the Lord of Thou saith in his sixteenth Book; but he answered, that it
was the Pope himself that was the cause of it, and that he was bound to oppose him.
During that rebellion to his great fathers, as the Author calleth it, the great de
Guise, came with his Troops, and compelled him to a diversion, and to let alone
Marshal Strozzy, the Cardinal Caraffa, Captain Montluc, Camillo Ursini, Captain
Charry, and others; so that all the Countrey about Rome was freed, and thus the
Author saith, the great de Guise shall come to quell him.
The fourth Verse addeth two things, that a Prisoner was carryed away, and that
a Monument was erected. History makes no mention of the Prisoner, unless it
were that Captain Montluc, having taken by assault the Town of Pianea or Corsmian,
by a sink which he broke; the Captain Gougues a Gascon being a Prisoner of War
in the Town, with many others, and hearing the cries of France, France, perswaded
his Comrades to fall upon their Keepers, and to kill them with their own weapons
and this Prisoner that was taken at Montisel, was brought back again into France,
as well for his known Valour, as for his Warlike deliverance, and since that made
himself famous in Florida.
As for the Monument erected, makes me think he meaneth the Constable of France,
who was taken Prisoner at the Battle of St. Quentin, and by the Monument, he
meaneth the Escurial, which Philip the II. caused to be built in memory of that
Victory, which obliged Henry the II. to call back again in all hast the Duke of
Guise with all his Forces, or else France had been in danger to be lost.
XXX.
French.
Le sac sapproche, feu, grand sang espandu,
Pau grand Fleuve, aux Bouviers l’entreprise,
De Genes, Nice apres long temps attendu,
Fossan, Thurin, a Savillan la prise.
English.
The plundering draws near, fire, abundance of blood spilt,
Pau a great River, an enterprise by Herdsmen,
Of Genes, Nice after they shall have staid long,
Fossan, Thurin, the prize shall be at Savillan.
ANNOT.
The plundering draweth near, here the Author speaketh of things that should
happen in his days. He writ this the first of March 1555. and History mentioneth
that from the first of March 1555. till the beginning of 1559. the plundering of Piemont
in Italy was very great, since the taking of Cazal by the French, for there was
nothing but continual fightings, taking and retaking Towns, Skirmishes and Battles,
and most of them by the River Pau, the greatest of Italy. The rest of the second
Verse, and the beginning of the third saith, that the undertaking of Genoa shall be by
the Herdsmen, by whom he meaneth the Turks, who being called by the French to
help them in the taking of Nice, made an action fit for Herdsmen and villanous Traitors,
doing nothing, because they had been bribed by the Genoeses.
This was done after the French had stay’d long for this infidel, who endeavoured
to delude the French, and take all for himself; and this is the meaning of, After Nice
had stayed long. In the mean time the Spaniards increased their Victories, as the
fourth Verse witnesseth to the taking of Fossan, Thurin, and Savillan.
Fossan is a Town of Piemont, which that it might be distinguished from Marseilles,
which the Author often calleth Fossen or Phocen, he putteth in the Epithete of Thurin,
to signifie he meaneth Fossan in Piemont.
He saith that Fossan of Piemont shall have the taking towards Savillan, that is, this
Fossan which belongeth to the Spaniards, will take some Towns near Sivillan.
XXXI.
French.
De Languedoc, & Guienna plus de dix
Mille, voudront les Alpes repasser.
Grans Allobroges marcher contre Brundis,
Aquin & Bresse les viendront recasser.
English.
From Languedoc, and Guienna more then 10000.
Would be glad to come back over the Alpes.
Great Allobroges shall march against Brundis,
Aquin and Bresse shall beat them back.
ANNOT.
Languedoc and Guienne are two Provinces in France, from whence many Souldiers
shall be raised to go into Italy, but being distressed, shall wish to come back again
over the Alpes. By the great Allobroges, I understand those of Savoy and Piemont,
who shall go against Brundis, in Latine Brundusium, but shall be beaten back by
Aquin and Bresses, Cities belonging to the Venetians.
XXXII.
French.
Du Mont Royal naistra d’une Casane,
Qui Duc, & Compte viendra tyranniser,
Dresser Copie de la marche Millane,
Favence, Florence d’or & gens espuiser.
English.
Out of the Royal Mount shall be born in a Cottage,
One that shall tyranise over Duke and Earl,
He shall raise an Army in the Land of Millan,
He shall exhaust Favence and Florence of their gold.
ANNOT.
This needeth no Interpretation.
XXXIII.
French.
Par fraude Regne, forces expolier,
La classe obsesse, passages a l’espie,
Deux faincts amis se viendront r’allier,
Esueiller haine de long temps assoupie.
English.
By fraud a Kingdom and an Army shall be spoilt,
The Fleet shall be put to a strait, passages shall be made to the spies,
Two feigned friends shall agree together,
They shall raise up a hatred that had been long dormant.
ANNOT.
The words are plain.
XXXIV.
French.
En grand regret sera la gent Gauloise,
Cœur vain, leger croira temerité,
Pain, sel, ne vin eau venin ne cervoise,
Plus grand captif, faim, froid, necessité.
English.
In great regret shall the French Nation be.
Their vain and light heart shall believe rashly.
They shall have neither Bread, Salt, Wine, nor Beer,
Moreover they shall be Prisoners, and shall suffer hunger, cold, and need.
ANNOT.
The words are plain, and the onely question is whither this distress threatned here
to France is past or to come.
XXXV.
French.
La grand poche viendra plaindre pleurer,
D’avoir esleu, trompez seront en l’Aage,
Guiere avec eux ne voudra demeurer,
Deceu sera par ceux de son langage.
English.
The great Pocket shall bewaile and bemoan,
For having Elected one, they shall be deceived in his Age,
He shall not stay long with them,
He shall be deceived by those of his own language.
ANNOT.
The great Pocket which is the Key of this Stanza being obscure, forceth me to
leave the rest unperfect.
XXXVI.
