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.

ANNOT.

What he meaneth by Symaclian Sail, is not easie to determine; Massilian Port is that of Marseilles in France, called in Latine Massilia, the sense of this Prophecy then if any be, is, that a great Fleet shall go from thence to Venice, to carry succours to the Hungarians, who it seemeth shall be much distressed at that time by the Turks, and that Sicily and Genoa shall add to this Fleet a considerable succour of Men, and Warlike Munition.

XXIX.

ANNOT.

He that giveth place to no body is the Pope; as for the last Verse, I had rather read St. Quintin and Gales, which are two considerable Towns in France, then otherwise.

That place taken, not taken was the City of Noyon in Picardy, which was taken by the Spanish Cavalry, cloathed after the French Mode, which stratagem deceived the Citizens and Soldiers that defended it: so he saith taken, because it fell into the hands of the Spaniards, and not taken, because it was by a stratagem or deceit.

XXX.

ANNOT.

Puola is for Paulo here, and by it is understood the port of Malta, which being Besieged by the Turks, Philip the II. King of Spain, sent an Army to relieve it, which made those of Byzantium (which is Constantinople) cry alas, &c.

XXXI.

ANNOT.

Mortara is a Town in Italy, by Cassich and St. George he meaneth two other places.

XXXII.

ANNOT.

Porphiry is a kind of hard red Marble speckled with white spots, which is very scarce, and chiefly in great pieces; our Author then saieth that a great Colomn of that stuff shall be found, and about the Basis of it some words in Roman Characters, and that about that time a great Fleet shall be a gathering at the Port of Methelin, which is an Island in the Archipelago, belonging now to the Turks, as for the third Verse, I cannot tell what to make of it.

XXXIII.

ANNOT.

All these intricated words and sense foretell that, when a King of Danmarck named Hercules shall be made King of the Romans, that then Italy and Venice it self shall stand in great fear of him; and that he shall be as great a Prince or Monarch as ever was in Europe; and that very likely, for by his dignity of King of the Romans he consequently shall attain to the Empire.

XXXIV.

ANNOT.

The first Verse signifieth, that some certain man who was married, shall be parted from his wife, and shall attain to some great Ecclesiastical Dignity.

The second Verse is, that in coming back from some place or entreprise, he shall be met and fought with, and compelled to escape over the Tyles of a House.

The third Verse is, that a man of great account shall be betrayed by five hundred of his men.

And the last, that when these things shall come te pass, Narbon and Salces, which are two Cities of Languedoc, shall reap and make a great deal of Oil.

XXXV.

ANNOT.

This Prophecy ought to be understood of an Emperour of Germany, whose name shall be Ferdinand, who being accompanied with many Germans, that for the most part are faire haired people shall come and War against Græcia, which is expressed here by the names of Macedon and Myrmidon, the first of which is a Countrey, and the last a Nation, both in Græcia.

XXXVI.

ANNOT.

This Prophecy was fulfilled in the year 1560. when Antony of Bourbon King of Navarre, and his Brother Lewis of Bourbon Prince of Condé, coming to King Francis II. at Orleans, upon the 29. of October, the Prince of Condé was put in prison, and the King of Navarre arrested. The Lord Andrew Fauyn in his History of Navarre, saith, that the opinion of the Councel was, that the Prince of Condé should be beheaded, for having been the chief of the conspiracy at Amboise, and the King of Navarre should be stabbed in the Kings Chamber by the King himself, assisted by others for that purpose. The Lady of Montpensier gave notice of it to the King of Navarre, who being sent for by the King, charged expresly Cattin his waiting man and an old servant of his Father take a care and preserve his bloody shirt after his death till his son came to Age, to revenge it upon the murderers. God be thanked this came not to pass, for the King having called him, and going about to provoke him with foul words, he answered so meekly and humbly, that the Kings anger was appeased, where upon the Duke of Guise going out of the room said, O what a cowardly Prince is this. These things are expressed in the first and second Verse, when he saith that a great King should be put in Prison by a young one, because Antony of Bourbon, though he was not a great King in Lands, yet he was a great one in courage and prudence. And it was not far from Easter, sith it was but five months before, viz. from the beginning of November, to the sixth of April 1591 which was Easterday; the Author putteth in this circumstance, because the next Easter after, the King of Navarre was made General of France under the Queen Regent.

He addeth the blow of a Knife, as we have shewed; he also saith a lasting bad time, which proved very true; moreover, he saith, what lightning in the Hunt or Topmast, because King Francis died presently after. In the fourth Verse he saith, that three Brothers shall be hurt and killed, those three Brothers were Antony of Bourbon King of Navarre, killed at the Siege at Rouen, the Cardinal of Bourbon, and Lewis of Bourbon Prince of Condé, killed at the Battle of Jarnac.

XXXVII.

ANNOT.

Here is foretold a prodigious inundation of the River Garonne, in the month of December, by which the Walls, Building, and the City of Thoulouse is threatned to be overturned. The last word of all is barbarous, and added to make up the rhime.

XXXVIII.

ANNOT.

For the better understanding of this, the hard words must first be made plain; Blaye is a City upon the River Garonne, and the Port-Town to Bourdeaux; Rochel is a City upon the same Coast; Agen is a City in Gascony not far from Bourdeaux, and Narbonne is a City in Languedoc, by the Mediterranean Sea; Æmathian was formerly the Countrey of Macedonia, wherein Julius Cæsar and C. Pompeius fought their last Battle in the Pharsalian Fields, and therefore saith the Latine Poet Lucanus:

These things being considered the sense is, that there shall be an Invasion made by the English, to whom those of Rochel shall joyn, upon the Town of Blaye, which shall proceed as far as Agen, and that thereabout will be a bloody Encounter between the English and French, beyond that which was fought in the Æmathian Fields, and that the succours that should come from Narbonne to the French, shall be deluded and hindered by the speech and discourse of some.

XXXIX.

ANNOT.

Arbissella is a Town situated by the Sea-side above Savona, going towards Genoa. Vezema and Crevari are in the Inland Countrey, and a little further remoted from the Sea then Arbissella. The quick Gascon was Blasius of Monluc, one of the Valliantest men of his time, who came from a single Souldier to be Marshal of France. Guiry and la Charry were two of his Companions. This Stanza doth Prophetically foretell two things, one is, the design that the Marshal of Brissac, then Governour of Piemont had upon Savona: the other, the taking of Pianca by Blasius of Monluc, as to the first, the Lord of Villars writeth in his Memorials, that the Lord Damzay sent advice to the King, that the taking of Savona was more probable then any other design, which signifieth that the Marshal of Brissac had of a long time eyed that Town, and therefore he sent by night some Troops into those three little Towns, to see if they could surprise Savona, but the design did not succeed. The Histories only mention that the Marshal of Brissac went from Court in the year 1557. with a design to take Savona; but this stanza speaketh of the same design 1556.

At the same time in the year 1556. the 29. of June Blasius of Monluc, as he relateth in his Commentaries, did surprise the Town and Fort of Piance, called in Latine Corsinianum, he had with him the Captain la Charry, the Captain Bartholomew of Pezero, and the son of Captain Luzzan. At first the French were beaten back, but the valliant Monluc did encourage them again by his example, going the first in, and saying only, follow your Captain.

Which having said, he thrust himself under the Gate, where three or four men might stand sheltered by the planks of the Fort, and having his Sword in the left hand, and his dagger in the right, he began to break and cut the Brick and made a hole, which opening by degrees, he thrust his arm through, and pulled the gap so strongly, that he caused all the Wall to fall down upon himself, without being hurt by it. This is the meaning of the Author in the fourth Verse; when he saith, the quick Gascon was behind the Wall; In prosecution of this, the Switzers did beat down the rest of the Wall, and all came into the Town crying, France, France. Monluc ran presently to the Fort, and with the help of his men took it, that is the meaning of the Author, when he saith, old and new Pallace to graple. The old Pallace was adjoining to the Market-place of the Town, in which the French were prisoners with the Captain Gourgues, to the number of fifty or sixty tied two and two, and so kept by twenty Souldiers, whom they did kill as we have said. The new Pallace was the Fort. The Author used that ancient word grapper, which in the Provencal languague signifieth, to pull down with ones hands, and in the contrary sense, to shut and plaister so well some thing, that there will be a necessity of the help of the hands to open what was shut up.

XL.

ANNOT.

This is a peculiar accident that happened before the taking of the Town of Saint Quentin by the Spaniard in the year 1557. and fell out thus. News being come to the King of France, that the powerful Army of the Spaniard was gone to Besiege St. Quentin, he made all imaginable diligence to succour it; the Spaniards to hinder the relief had seized upon an ancient Abby of the Vermandois, which is in the next Forrest, that was anciently called the Forrest Bourlis, and is at present called the Forrest of the Abbay Vermandois, called in Latine Augusta Veromanduorum, builded by an ancient Hungarian Captain called Vermandig. In process of time it was all ruinated, and only one Abby left, wherein was the Episcopal See, which afterwards was transferred into the City of Noyon. After the ruine of this Town, that of St. Quentin next to it became the chief City of Vermandois; It was named St. Quentin, because the Emperor Dioclesian having sent St. Quentin a Roman Senator to be Governour of it, he did convert the Inhabitants to the Christian Faith, and after he himself did suffer there Martyrdom.

In that Abby a great many Flemmings had intranched themselves, but the French going to relieve the Town, did force their Trenches and Fortifications, and in the heat of the fight the two younger Sons of the Captain being armed Cap a pée, though they were not killed, yet were astonished with blows they did receive upon their heads, their followers and Guards being all cut in pieces.

XLI.

ANNOT.

This did happen lately, viz. some five or six years ago, when the Duke of Crequy Embassadour at Rome was affronted by the Corses, which are the Popes Guard: for which the King of France demanded reparation, and seized upon Avignon, till the Pope granted him that all the said Corses should be banished, and a Pyramis erected in Rome to the perpetual infamy of that Nation.

XLII.

ANNOT.

The sense of these words is very plain and signifieth onely, that there will be an union and League between these Towns, viz. Barcelona, Genoa, Vinice, and the Kingdom of Sicily against the Turks, whom they shall encounter near Monaco, and put them to flight, and follow them as far as Tunis.

XLIII.

ANNOT.

By the Crucigere Army is understood the Christian Army, because the word Crucigere signifieth one that beareth a Cross, from the two Latine words Crux and gero; the Ismaelites are the Turks, who boast themselves to be descended from Ismael, the son of Abraham and Agar, the meaning of this is, that the Christians going about to attempt some landing place, the Turks shall watch them, and set upon them by Land and Sea, in which Sea fight he mentioneth only ten choice Galleys, and a notable Ship called Raviere, (if it be not false printed) I am much of an opinion that this came to pass when Philip the II. King of Spain made an attempt upon Algiers, by his Admiral André d’Oria, who had to do with the Moores upon the Land, ready to receive him, and some part of their fleet that watched him, but cross and contrary winds caused him to return re infecta.

XLIV.

ANNOT.

This is a Prophecy concerning Geneva, out of which he warneth every one to come; his reason is, that the golden Age of that Town shall be changed into an Iron one; and that there shall be one against Raypos, that shall extermine them all, before which there shall appear some signs in Heaven. Now the Author being a rank Papist, it is to be supposed that he warneth out of Geneva all those of his Faith, because of the coming of Calvin, whom he foresaw was to come into that Town, and to change the Government thereof, and to extermine them all, which is to be understood, in point of Religion, as for what prodigies did precede that change; I had no time to consult Authors upon it, the judicious Reader may chance to find them in those that have written of this matter.

XLV.

ANNOT.

By Mendosus, is Anagrammatically to be understood Vendosme; but who is that shall never be weary of asking, or whose Dominion Vendosme shall have, or what is meant by the last two Verses, passeth my understanding.

XLVI.

ANNOT.

This Prophecy doth onely and properly belong to the City of Thoulouse; and by it are warned all the red ones, that is, all those that usually wear Red or Scarlet Gowns, as those of the Parliament and the Capitols to come out of it, because saith he, There shall an expiation be made of the Sacrifice, meaning that there shall be a great slaughter among the Citizens, as it did happen at several times, the first Anno 1563. another time when the first President Durauti, and several other of the red Gowns were put to death, &c. The two last Verses signifie, that the chief contriver of this uproar shall be strangled, and many others besides him.

XLVII.

ANNOT.

This is plainly to be understood of those Traytors, the delivered and signed the death of King Charles the I. of blessed Memory, against the sense and advise of at least three parts of four of the Nation, and who afterward saw themselves for the most part shut in Prison for this fact and brought to a shameful end.

XLVIII.

ANNOT.

By the great Maritime City of the Ocean, Encompassed with Crystaline Fens, is to be understood the City of London, for as for that of Venice, it is situated upon the Mediterranean or rather Adriatick Sea: London then is threatned here of a fearful wind, which whether the Author meaneth for the time that is past now, and that shall come hereafter I know not, sure I am, that I have within this fifteen years seen two such winds in London, as I never saw the like any where else; the first was that day that Olivier the Usurpator died, the other was about six or seven years ago, caused by the lightning that fell in Hereford-shire, and did mix with a Western wind and came as far as London, carrying the tops of houses, and doing then for above 10000. pounds dammage.

XLIX.

ANNOT.

This Prophecy taken with all its circumstances, and the subject it treateth of, is the most remarkable of all those that ever Nostradamus was Author of, for here we see a concatenation of circumstances linked together, to make it true to any bodies eyes, for first the number of this Stanza being 49, signifieth the year wherein the King died, for although by the English account, who begin their year at the 25. of March, it may be said it was in 48, because it did happen upon the 30th. of January, yet according to the general account of the most part of the World, the year begin upon the first day of January, so that the King dying on the 30th. of January, it may be said it was in the year 1649.

The first Verse signifieth, that at that time there was no good intelligence between the Cities of Flanders and Brabant, as I remember very well that there was not, but upon what score, I have forgotten.

The second Verse is plain to any body that can either read or hear it.

The third Verse by the Salt and Wine, understandeth France, who was then in War with the Spaniard, and in some divisions among themselves, so that they could not take the Kings part as to relieve and free him by force, but sent Embassadours to mediate a composure of the difference.

The fourth Verse intimateth that by reason of the said Wars that were in France, the said murdering Parliament had liberty to do what they listed for the bringing the Kingdom into ruine.

L.

ANNOT.

Mensodus is the Anagramme of Vendosme, by which is meant Antony of Bourbon Duke of Vendosme, brother to the then Prince of Condé, and father to Henry IV. Norlaris is the Anagram of Lorrain; now any body that understandeth any thing in History, knoweth what dissention and feud there was between the House of Bourbon, and that of Lorrain in the time of Francis the II. for the House of Bourbon, though next to the Royal blood, was the least in favour, and those of the House of Lorrain did Govern all, and had so far prevailed as to have got the Prince of Condé into their hands, and had him condemned to have his head cut of, which would have been executed, had not the King that very day fallen sick of the disease he died of. Now this being understood our Author will have that Mensodus, which is Vendosme shall lay aside the Norlaris, that is Lorrein. By the red pale is meant the Cardinal of Lorrain, brother to the Duke of Guise, who grew pale at this. By the male at the interreigne is so obscure, that we leave it to the judgement of the Reader.

LI.

ANNOT.

The name of red Sects, may very well be applied to the Protestants of France, against whom in those days it seemed that fire, Water, Iron and Rope had conspired, for they were put to death by each one of those fatal instruments for their Religion sake. This is a lively expression of the unhappy Massacre of the Protestants in France upon St. Bartholomews day 1572.

The two last Verses signifie, that all the Contrivers of that Councel, were of opinion at first to proceed some other way, but only the Duke of Guise, who was the principal actor in it, and whom our Author saith, did undo the world; for he was the cause of mischief, not only then but ofterwards.

LII.

ANNOT.

This Prophecy was fulfilled in the Reign of Charles the IX. in the year 1558. when the peace was treated of, and concluded the year after 1559. the War on the other side begun to appear by the raising of the Protestants, who begun publickly their opinion in the time of Francis the II. and Charles the IX.

There was never seen such a prosecution of War and of Peace together; for there was never an estate more embroiled in Wars than that of Charles the IX. was, nor where Peace was more sought after; for there was nothing but Wars and treaties of Peace, Men and Women did complain on all sides, for the wrong and dammages they received from both parties, the Protestants believing to do God a good service in destroying Images, and killing Priests and Monks. And the Papists on the other side thinking to make a sweet Sacrifice unto God, in practising the same cruelties upon the Protestants, and so in all corners of France every one did set himself to do evil.

LIII.

ANNOT.

A young Tyrant called here Nero, shall cause some Pages to be burnt alive in three Chimneys, and afterwards himself shall be put to death by three of his own blood, this fact savoureth so much of bestial cruelty, that I cannot belive any Christian Prince can ever be guilty of it.

LIV.