Chapter LXXXIX: French

Sept ans _Philip_ fortune prospere,
Rabaissera des _Barbares_ l’effort,
Puis son midy perplex rebours affaire,
Jeune _Ogmion_ abysmera son fort.

English.

_Philip_ shall have seven years of prosperous fortune,
Shall beat down the attempt of the _Barbarians_,
Then in his Noon he shall be perplexed and have untoward business,
Young _Ogmion_ shall pull down his strength.

ANNOT.

This Stanza was made concerning _Philip_ the II. King of _Spain_, who for the first seven years that he came to his Crown, had prosperous fortune, did brave exploits against the _Barbarians_, and chiefly in the person of his Brother _Don Juan_ of _Austria_, who got the memorable Battle of _Lapantho_ against the _Turks_, but in the middle of _his Noon_, that is of his Age, fell into great perplexities and cross businesses, being constrained to put his onely son _Don Carla_ to death, and to poison his wife and after that never prospered, when young _Ogmion_ (that is _Henry_ IV. King of _France_) came to the Crown.

XC.

French.

Un Capitaine de la grand _Germanie_,
Se viendra rendre par simulé secours,
Au Roy des Roys, aide de _Pannonie_,
Que sa revoke fera de sang grand cours.

English.

A Captain of the great _Germany_,
Shall come to yield himself with a fained help,
Unto the King of Kings, help of _Hungary_,
So that his revolt shall cause a great bloodshed.

ANNOT.

_Pannonia_ in Latine is _Hungary_, there is nothing hard in this, unless it be what he meaneth by the King of Kings, whether it be the great Turk or the Emperour.

XCI.

French.

L’Horrible peste _Perynthe_ & _Nicopole_,
Le _Chersonese_ tiendra & _Marceloine_,
La _Thessalie_ naistera l’_Amphipole_,
Mal incogneu & le refus d’_Antoine_.

English.

The horrid pestilence shall seize upon _Perynthe_ and _Nicopolis_,
The _Chersonese_ and _Marceloine_,
It shall waste _Thessalia_ and _Amphipolis_,
An unknown evil and the refusal of _Antony_.

ANNOT.

There is several faults in the impression here, for instead of _Perynthe_, it must be _Corinth_. For _Marceloine_, it must be _Macedoine_: the substance of the whole is, that there shall be a great plague in all these Countries of _Asia_. The refusal of _Antony_ is foisted here to make up the rime with _Macedony_.

XCII.

French.

Le Roy voudra dans Cité neufve entrer,
Par ennemis expugner l’on viendra,
Captif libere, faulx dire & perpetrer,
Roy dehors estre, loin d’ennemis tiendra.

English.

The King shall desire to enter into the new City,
With foes they shall come to overcome it,
The Prisoner being free, shall speak and act falsly,
The King being gotten out, shall keep far from enemies.

ANNOT.

The sense of all these words so ill jointed, is no more but that a certain King shall desire to enter into a new City, and there they shall come and Besiege him, where he shall both act and speak deceitfully to get his liberty, which having obtained, shall keep far from his foes.

XCIII.

French.

Les ennemis du Fort bien esloignez,
Par Chariots conduits le Bastion,
Par sur les Murs de _Bourges_ esgrongnez,
Quand _Hercules_ battra l’_Hæmathion_.

English.

The enemies being a good way from the Fort,
Shall upon Wagons be conducted to the Bulwark,
From the top of _Bourges_ Walls they shall be cut less,
When _Hercules_ shall beat the _Hæmathion_.

ANNOT.

_Bourges_ is the chief City of a Province in _France_ called _Berry_.

There is nothing difficult in this, but onely what he meaneth by _Hercules beating the Æmathion_, unless by _Hercules_ he meaneth the _French_, and by _Æmathion_ the _Spaniard_.

XCIV.

French.

Foibles Galeres seront unis ensemble,
Ennemis faux, le plus fort en rempart,
Foible assailies _Wratislavie_ tremble;
_Lubeck_ & _Mysne_ tiendront _Barbare_ part.

English.

Weak Galleys shall be united together,
False enemies, the strongest shall be fortified,
Weak assaults, and yet _Breslaw_ quaketh for fear,
_Lubeck_ and _Misne_ shall take the part of the _Barbarians_.

ANNOT.

_Breslaw_, _Lubeck_ and _Misne_, are three Cities of _Germany_; the rest is plain.

XCV.

French.

Le nouveau fait conduira l’exercite,
Proche apamé jusque aupres du Rivage,
Tendant secours de _Melanoise_ eslite,
Duc yeux privé, a _Milan_ fer de Cage.

English.

The new man shall lead up the Army,
Near _Apamé_, till near the Bank,
Carrying succours of choice Forces from _Milan_,
The Duke deprived of his eyes, and an Iron Cage at _Milan_.

ANNOT.

_Apamé_ is a barbarous word, at least I cannot tell what language it is, the rest is plain enough, and signifieth that a Duke shall be deprived of his eyes, and shall be put in an Iron Cage at _Milan_.

XCVI.

French.

Dans Cité entrer exercite desniée,
Duc entrera par persuasion,
Aux foibles portes clam Armée amenée,
Mettront feu, mort, de sang effusion.

English.

The Army being denied the entrance of the City,
The Duke shall enter by persuasion,
To the weak Gates, _clam_ the Army being brought,
Shall put all to fire and sword.

ANNOT.

_Clam_ here is in Latine _præposition_, signifying secretly; the rest is easie.

XCVII.

French.

De Mer Copies en trois parts divisées,
A la seconde les Vivres failliront,
Desesperez cherchant Champs _Elisées_,
Premiers en breche entrez victoire auront.

English.

A Fleet being divided into three parts,
The victuals will fail the second part,
Being in despaire they’l seek the _Elysian_ Fields,
And entring the breach first, shall obtain victory.

ANNOT.

A Fleet being divided into three parts, the second division shall fall into want of victuals, for which being desperate, they shall attempt the Town of the enemy, and shall enter it by the breach, and get the victory.

XCVIII.

French.

Les affligez par faute d’un seul taint,
Contremenant a partie opposite,
Aux _Lygonois_ mandera que contraint,
Seront de rendre le grand chef de _Molite_.

English.

The afflicted want of one only died,
Carrying against the opposite part,
Shall send word to those of _Lyon_, they shall be compelled,
To surrender the great chief of _Molite_.

ANNOT.

This is the most nonsensical thing that is in all the Book, for neither the words nor the connexion is intelligible, therefore it being so much out of the common road of our Author, I am apt to believe that it was at first very falsly printed, and that those that came after, were loth to alter it for the respect of antiquity.

XCIX.

French.

Vent _Aquilon_ fera partir le Siege,
Par murs jetter cendres, chaulx, & poussiere,
Par pluye apres qui leur sera bien piege,
Dernier secours encontre leur Frontiere.

English.

The North wind shall cause the Siege to be raised,
They shall throw ashes, lime, and dust,
By a rain after that shall be a trap to them,
It shall be the last succours against their Frontiere.

ANNOT.

Here is described a notable stratagem of a Besieged Town, who against rainy weather cast so much ashes, lime and dust, that the rain coming thereupon, it made such a mire, as the Besiegers were not able to assault it.

C.

French.

Navale pugne nuict sera superée,
Le feu, aux Naves a l’Occident ruine,
Rubriche neuve, la grand néf colorée,
Ire a vaincu, & victoire en bruine.

English.

In a Sea-fight, night shall be overcome,
By fire, to the Ships of the West ruine shall happen,
A new stratagem, the great Ship coloured,
Anger to the vanquished, and victory in a Mist.

ANNOT.

He foretelleth of a Sea-fight in the night, wherein by the light of the burning Ships night shall be overcome, the Ships that came from the West shall be worsted, and by a stratagem of a great Ship painted in colours, anger shall remain to the vanquished, and the victory shall be got in a Mist.

THE PROPHECIES OF Michael Nostradamus.

_CENTURY_ X.

I.

French.

A l’Ennemy, l’ennemy foy promise,
Ne se tiendra, les captifs retenus,
Prins preme mort & le reste en chemise,
Donnant le reste pour estre secourus.

English.

To the enemy, the enemy faith promised,
Shall not be kept, the prisoners shall be detained,
The first taken, put to death, and the rest stripped,
Giving the remnant that they may be succoured.

ANNOT.

These words are plain, though the sense be a little intricated, and the contents being of small concernments, deserve no further explanation.

II.

French.

Voile Gallere Voile nef Cachera,
La grand Classe viendra sortir la moindre,
Dix Naves proches le tourneront poulser,
Grand vaincüe, unies a soy joindre.

English.

The Galley and the Ship shall hide their Sails,
The great Fleet shall make the little one to come out,
Ten Ships near hand, shall turn and push at it,
The great being vanquished, they shall unite together.

ANNOT.

These are some particularities of a Sea fight between a great Fleet and a small one, wherein he saith, that some had hid their Sails, belike they were unwilling to come out of the Harbour and to fight; but he saith, that the great Fleet will compel the little one to come out; but ten great Ships will come to help the little Fleet, and after the great one hath been overcome, will joyn themselves to the little Fleet.

III.

French.

En apres cinq troupeau ne mettra hors,
Un fuitif pour _Penelon_ laschera,
Faux murmurer secours venir par lors,
Le Chef le Siege lors abandonnera.

English.

After that, five shall not put out his flock,
He’l let loose a runnaway for _Penelon_,
There shall be a false rumour, succours shall come then,
The Commander shall forsake the Siege.

ANNOT.

This Stanza is either nonsensical or falsely printed, and what he meaneth by _Penelon_, is utterly unknown.

IV.

French.

Sur la minuit conducteur de l’Armée,
Se sauvera subit esvanovy,
Sept ans apres la fame non blasmée,
A son retour ne dira oncq ouy.

English.

About midnight the leader of the Army,
Shall save himself, vanishing suddenly,
Seven years after his fame shall not be blamed
And at his return he shall never say yea.

ANNOT.

This is plain of a General of an Army, who shall forsake his Army, and save himself, and yet seven years after when he cometh back, his reputation shall be as clear, as if he never had committed such an errour.

V.

French.

_Albi_ & _Castres_ feront nouvelle ligue,
Neuf _Arriens_, _Lisbonne_, & _Portuguez_,
_Carcas._ _Thoulouze_, consumeront leur brigue
Quand chef neuf monstre de _Lauraguez_.

English.

_Albi_ and _Castres_ shall make a new league,
Nine _Arriens_, _Lisbonne_, and _Portuguez_,
_Carcas._ _Thoulouse_, shall make an end of their confederacy;
When the new chief shall come from _Lauragais_.

ANNOT.

_Albi_, _Castres_, _Carcassonne_, and _Thoulouse_, are Cities of _Languedock_, which our Author saith, will enter into a confederacy among themselves, and joyn with _Lisbon_ and the _Portuguez_, and this shall happen when the general of the Army, shall be one born in _Lauragais_, which is another of the same Province.