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The true prophecies or prognostications of Michael Nostradamus, physician to Henry II. Francis II. and Charles IX. Kings of France, and one of the best astronomers that ever were. / A work full of curiosity and learning. Translated and commented by Theophilus de Garencieres, Doctor in Physick Colleg. Lond. cover

The true prophecies or prognostications of Michael Nostradamus, physician to Henry II. Francis II. and Charles IX. Kings of France, and one of the best astronomers that ever were. / A work full of curiosity and learning. Translated and commented by Theophilus de Garencieres, Doctor in Physick Colleg. Lond.

Chapter 741: ANNOT.
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About This Book

A collection of cryptic prophetic quatrains written in archaic French and organized with astrological references, presented alongside a near‑literal English translation and extensive commentary. The verses use compact metaphor, omen-like imagery, and historical allusion, often leaving meanings ambiguous and dates indeterminate; the translator’s preface and notes explain astrological terms, unpack obscure phrasings, and caution readers about multiple possible interpretations. The work functions as both a repository of terse forecasts and a study in how celestial symbolism and elliptical language shape uncertain predictions rather than deliver precise, timeable events.

French.

Dieu, le Ciel tout le Divin Verbe a l’Onde,
Porté par rouges sept razes a Bizance,
Contre les oingts trois cens de Trebisonde,
Deux Loix mettront, & horreur, puis credence.

English.

God, Heaven, all the Divine Word in water,
Carryed by red ones, seven shaved heads at Bisantium,
Against the anointed three hundred of Trebisond,
They shall put two Laws, and horror, and afterwards believe.

ANNOT.

This seemeth to foretel that the Sacrament according to the Roman Church, shall be carried by Cardinals and seven Priests to Constantinople, against which three hundred of Trebison shall dispute, who shall compare the two Laws with horror, and afterwards believe.

XXXVII.

French.

Dix envoyez, chef de nef mettre a mort,
D’un adverty, en classe guerre ouverte,
Confusion chef, l’un se picque & mord,
Leryn, Stecades nefs, cap dedans la nerte.

English.

Ten shall be sent to put the Captain of the Ship to death,
He shall have notice by one, the Fleet shall be in open War,
A confusion shall be amongst the Chief, one pricks and bites,
Leryn, Stecades nefs, caps dedans la nerte.

ANNOT.

The three first Verses are plain; as for the fourth I believe it to be the Language of the Antipodes, for I think no man can understand it.

XXXVIII.

French.

L’Aisné Roial sur coursier voltigeant,
Picquer viendra si rudement courir,
Gueule lipée, pied dans l’Estrein pleignant,
Traine, tiré, horriblement mourir.

English.

The eldest Royal prancing upon a Horse,
Shall spur, and run very fiercely
Open mouth, the foot in the Stirrup, complaining,
Drawn, pulled, die horribly.

ANNOT.

This foretelleth of the eldest Son of a King, who prancing upon his Horse, shall Spur and run so fiercely, that his foot being intangled in the Stirrup he shall be dragged and pulled, and die a fearful death.

In the year 1555. upon the 25 of May, this came to pass in the person of Henry of Albret, the second of that name, King of Navarre.

This Prince Henry II. the eldest Royal riding upon a horse did spur him so hard, that he ran away with him, so that he perceiving the danger he was in, pulled the Bridle so hard that the horse’s mouth was broken; the pain did not stop the horse, but contrariwise, he grew the more untoward, that Henry fell down, and in falling one of his feet hung in the stirrup, so that he was drawn, and died a horrid death. This I found in the History of Naples.

XXXIX.

French.

Le conducteur de l’Armée Francoise,
Cuidant perdre le principal Phalange,
Par sus pavé de l’Avaigne & Ardoise,
Soy parfondra par Gennes gent estrange.

English.

The leader of the French Army,
Thinking to rout the chiefest Phalange,
Upon the Pavement of Avaigne, and Slate,
Shall sink in the ground by Gennes, a strange Nation.

ANNOT.

It seemeth that a French General, thinking to rout and overcome the chiefest strength of his enemy, and going upon a brittle Pavement, made of Slate, shall sink in the ground not far from Genoa, which he calleth a strange Nation to the French.

XL.

French.

Dedans tonneaux hors oingts d’huile & graisse,
Seront vingt un devant le port fermez,
Au second guet feront par mort prouesses,
Gaigner les portes & du quet assommez.

English.

With Pipes annointed without with Oyl and Grease,
Before the harbour, one and twenty shall be shut,
At the second Watch, by death, they shall do great feats of Arms,
To win the Gates, and be killed by the Watch.

ANNOT.

The words and sense of this Stanza are plain.

XLI.

French.

Les os des pieds, & des mains enferrez,
Par bruit maison long temps inhabitée,
Seront par songes concavant deterrez,
Maison salubre & sans bruit habitée.

English.

The bones of the feet and of the hands in shackles,
By a noise a house shall be a long time deserted,
By a dream the buried shall be taken out of the ground,
The house shall be healthful, and inhabited without noise.

ANNOT.

I have found the truth of this Stanza upon the place, in my going to Lion, it was my fortune to lye at a Town four Leagues on this side of it, called Lapacodier, where this Story was told me to have happened few days before.

It chanced that a Company of Foot was to lie in the Town, and distressed for quarter, they enquired why such a house was empty, and were told it was not inhabited by reason of a noise heard there every night. The Captain of the Troop resolved, since he feared not the living, not to fear the dead, and thereupon lay in the house that night, where Beds were provided for him, and about half a Dozen of his stoutest Souldiers; so they laid down their weapons on the Table, and began to be merry at Cards and Dice, expecting the event. The door being fast locked, about twelve and one they heard as though some body knockt at the door, one of the Souldiers by the Captains command, with a Pistol in his hand, and a Candle, opened the door, then appeared to them a Phantasm, in the shape of an old man, loaded with Chains, that made a great noise, this Phantasm beckened to the Captain at the Table to come to him, the Captain also rising, beckened to the Phantasm to come to him, this lasted for a while, till the Captain resolved to go to him, and so taking a Candle in one hand, and a Pistol in the other, bid his Souldiers follow him hand in hand with their Arms, then taking the Phantasm by the hand, which was exceeding cold, he led them into the Cellar, and through many turnings, till at last the Phantasm vanished, and the Candles went out, then were they constrained to remain there till day light, when perceiving where they were, and having taken notice of the Place where the Phantasm left them, they went out, and related the story to the Townsmen; so afterwards they digged in that place, where they found a kind of a Trunk, and the bones of a man in it shackled, they buryed the body in a Church-yard, and no noise was heard afterwards in that house, this came to pass about 1624.

XLII.

French.

Quand Innocent tiendra le lieu de Pierre,
Le Nizaram Sicilian se verra,
En grands honneurs, mais apres il cherra,
Dans le bourbier d’une Civile guerre.

English.

When Innocent shall hold the place of Peter,
The Sicilian Nizaram shall see himself
In great honours, but after that he shall fall
Into the dirt of a Civil war.

ANNOT.

Nothing can be more plain and true than this Prophecie, and those that deny it, may also deny the light of the Sun, but to make it more evident, we will examine it Verse by Verse.

When Innocent shall hold the place of Peter; that is, when one named Innocent shall be Pope, as he was that preceded the last.

The Sicilian Nizaram shall see himself in great honours; that is, the Sicilian Nizarim, for Nizaram, is the Annagramme of Mazarin, letter for letter, who was born in Sicily, shall see himself in great honours, as he did; for he was then in his greatest splendor.

But after that he shall fall into the dirt of a Civil war; As every one knows he did, having put in Prison the Prince of Condé, the Prince of Conty, and the Duke of Congueiulle, can any thing be more plain, and yet when I read this forty years ago, I took it to be ridiculous.

XLIII.

French.

Lutece en Mars, Senateurs en credit,
Par une nuict Gaule sera troublée,
Du grand Cræsus l’Horoscope predit,
Par Saturnus, sa puissance exillée.

English.

Lutetia in Mars, Senators shall be in credit.
In a night France shall be troubled,
The Horoscope of the great Cræsus foretelleth,
That by Saturn his power shall be put down.

ANNOT.

Lutetia in Latine is the City of Paris, after the death of Henry IV. the Parliament of Paris began to prick up their ears, and to go about to call the great ones to account, amongst whom was the Marquess d’Ancre, favourite of the Queen Regent, that had gathered great riches, and therefore is called here Cræsus, our Author saith, that his power shall be put down by Saturnus, which must here be understood mistically, which proved true, for by the Kings command, then Lewis XIII. he was shot with three Pistols in the Louvre.

XLIV.

French.

Deux de poison saisis nouveaux Venus
Dans la cuisine du grand Prince verser,
Par le souillard tous deux au fait cogneus,
Prins qui cuidoit de mort l’aisné vexer.

English.

Two newly come being provided with poison,
To pour in the Kitchin of the great Prince,
By the Cooks Boy the fact shall be known,
And he taken, that thought by death to vex the elder.

ANNOT.

This came to pass in the time of Henry IV. who was poisoned at Melan, by two unknown men, who were discovered by the Cooks Boy in the doing of it, and were both taken, the History is at large in Peter Matthew his Historiographer, which I could not insert here for the satisfaction of the Reader; because I could not get the Book, the Reader may satisfie himself upon the place.

Other Stanzas, taken out of twelve, under the seventh Century, out of which eight have been rejected, because they were found in the foregoing Centuries.

LXXIII.

French.

Renfort de Sieges manubis & maniples,
Changez le sacre & passe sur le pronsne,
Prins & captifs n’arreste les prez triples,
Plus par fonds mis elevé, mis au Trosne.

English.

Recruit of Sieges, spoils and prizes,
Corpus Christi day shall be changed, and the pronsne slighted,
They shall be taken and made Prisoners, do not stay in the threefold Field,
Moreover, one put in the bottom shall be raised to the Throne.

LXXX.

French.

L’Occident libre les Isles Britanniques,
Le recogneu passer le bas, puis haut,
Ne content triste Rebel corss. Escotiques,
Puis rebeller par plui & par nuict chaut.

English.

The West shall be free, and the Brittish Islands,
The discovered shall pass low, then high,
Scottish Pirates shall be, who shall rebel,
In a rainy and hot night.

LXXXII.

French.

La stratageme simulte sera rare,
La Mort en voye rebelle par contrée,
Par le retour du voyage Barbare,
Exalteront la potestante entrée.

English.

The stratagem and grudge shall be scarce,
Death shall be in a rebellious way through the Countrey,
By the return from a Barbarian travel,
They shall exalt the Protestant entrance.

LXXXIII.

French.

Vent chaut, conseil, pleurs, timidité,
De nuict au lict assailly sans les Armes:
D’oppression grand calamité,
L’Epithalame converty pleurs & larmes.

English.

Hot wind, councel, tears, fearfulness,
He shall be assaulted in his bed by night without Arms,
From that oppression shall be raised a great calamity,
The Epithalamium shall be converted into tears.

ANNOT.

The reason why I have put no Annotations to these, as I have done to the rest, is, because according to my judgement, and that of the most Learned, they are spurious.