Chapter LXXVII: French

Entre deux Mers dressera promontoire,
Qui puis mourra par le mors du Cheval,
Le fier _Neptune_ pliera Voile noire,
Par _Calpre_, & Classe aupres de _Rocheval_.

English.

Between two Seas shall a Promontory be raised,
By him, who shall die by the biting of a Horse,
The proud _Neptune_ shall fold the black Sail.
Through _Calpre_, and a fleet shall be near _Rocheval_.

ANNOT.

I could not find what he meaneth by _Calpre_, nor by _Rocheval_, which I suppose to be the proper names of places, when he saith, that proud _Neptune_ shall fold the black Sail; he maketh an allusion to the History of _Theseus_, Son of _Ægeus_ King of _Athens_, who being sent with other Children into _Candia_, to become a prey to the _Minotaure_, his Father sent the Ship with black _Sails_, as in a case of Mourning, charging _Theseus_, that if he came back again safe he should put on white Sails, but coming in sight of _Athens_, _Theseus_ for joy forgot to put on the white Sails, so that his Father _Ægeus_ thinking he had miscarried, cast himself from a Rock into the Sea, so that he saying that _Neptune_ shall fold the black Sail, he meaneth, that there shall be joyful news.

LXXVIII.

French.

D’un chef vieillard naistre sens habeté,
Degenerant par scavoir & par Armes,
Le chef de _France_ par sa Sœur redouté,
Champs divisez concedez aux Gensdarmes.

English.

An old head shall beget an Idiot,
Who shall degenerate in Learning and in Arms,
The head of _France_ shall be feared by his sister,
The fields shall be divided and granted to the Troopers.

ANNOT.

The sense of this is so plain, that any body may make his interpretation of it.

LXXIX.

French.

_Bazas_, L’_Estoure_, _Condom_, _Auch_, _Agine_,
Esmeus par Loix, querelle & Monopole,
Car _Bourd_, _Tholose_, _Bay_, mettra en ruine,
Renouveler voulant leur _Tauropole_.

English.

_Bazas_, L’_Estoure_, _Condom_, _Auch_, _Agen_,
Being moved by Laws, quarrels and Monopoly,
For they shall put to ruine _Bordeaux_, _Tholose_, _Bayonne_,
Going about to renew their _Tauropole_.

ANNOT.

This Key of the sense of this Stanza lieth in the last word _Tauropole_, which is compounded of the Latin word _Taurus_ a Bull, and of the Greek word πολέω, that is, to sell; so that the meaning of it is, that those Cities mentioned shall rise in Rebellion against the _Monopolites_, and those that shall lay a Tax upon Cattle.

LXXX.

French.

De la sixiesme claire splendeur Celeste,
Viendra Tonnerre si fort en la _Bourgongne_,
Puis naistra monstre de treshideuse beste,
_Mars_, _Avril_, _May_, _Juin_, grand charpin & rogne.

English.

From the sixth bright Cœlestial splendour,
Shall come very great Lightning in _Burgundy_,
After that shall be born a Monster of a most hideous beast,
In _March_, _April_, _May_, _June_ shall be great quarelling and
muttering.

ANNOT.

The first Verse is of a most dark and abstruse sense, in which I confess my ignorance, unless he meant from the sixth of the seven Planets, the rest is plain enough.

LXXXI.

French.

D’humain troupeau neuf seront mis a part,
De Jugement & Conseil separez,
Leur sort sera divisé en depart,
_Kappa_, _Theta_, _Lambda_, mors, bannis egarez.

English.

Nine shall be set aside from the human flock,
Being divided in Judgement and Counsel
Their fortune shall be to be divided,
_Kappa_, _Theta_, _Lambda_, dead, banished, scattered.

ANNOT.

There is nothing difficult here, but what he meaneth by _Kappa_, _Theta_, _Lambda_, which are three Letters of the Greek _Alphabet_.

LXXXII.

French.

Quand les Colomnes de Bois grande tremblée,
D’_Auster_ conduite, couverte de rubriche,
Tant videra dehors grande assemblée,
Tremble _Vienne_, & le Païs d’_Austriche_.

English.

When the wooden Columns shall be much shaken,
By _Auster_, and covered with rubbish,
Then shall go out a great assembly,
And _Vienne_, and the Land of _Austria_ shall tremble.

ANNOT.

_Auster_, in Latin is the Southwind. _Vienna_ is the chief City of _Austria_, belonging to the Emperour of _Germany_.

LXXXIII.

French.

L’Agent estrange divisera butins,
_Saturne_ & _Mars_ son regard furieux,
Horrible, estrange, aux _Thoscans_ & _Latins_,
_Grees_ qui seront a frapper curiux.

English.

The stranger Agent shall divide booties,
_Saturn_ in _Mars_ shall have his aspect furious,
Horrid, and strange to the _Tuscans_ and _Latines_,
The _Grecians_ shall be curious to strike.

ANNOT.

By the _Tuscans_ are meant the people under the Dominion of the Duke of _Florence_; and by the _Latines_, those under the _Pope_.

LXXXIV.

French.

Lune obscurie aux profondes tenebres,
Son frere passe de couleur ferrugine,
Le grand caché long temps soubs les tenebres,
Tiedera Fer dans la Pluie sanguine.

English.

The Moon shall be darkned in the deepest darkness,
Her brother shall pass being of a ferrugineous colour,
The great one long hidden under darkness,
Shall make his Iron lukewarm in the bloody Rain.

ANNOT.

This signifieth, that when the Moon shall be totally Eclipsed in the night, and that all the next day her Brother the Sun shall be seen of a ferrugineous, (that is an Iron like colour) then shall a great one that was hidden arise, and do great feats of Arms with the death of many men.

LXXXV.

French.

Par la responce de Dame Roy troublé,
Ambassadeurs mespriseront leur vie,
Le grand ses Freres contrefera doublé,
Par deux mourront, hain, ire, & envie.

English.

A King shall be troubled by the answer of a Lady,
Embassadors shall despise their lives,
The great one being double in mind shall counterfeit his Brothers,
They shall die by two, anger, hatred, and envy.

ANNOT.

There is nothing difficult here, but the last Verse, which yet will be plain enough, if you make these three words anger, hatred, and envy not co-herent with the foremost, but subsisting by themselves; as if one should say, there shall be anger, hatred, and envy.

LXXXVI.

French.

La grande Roine quand se verra vaincue,
Fera exces de Masculin courage,
Sur le Cheval, Fleuve passera nue,
Suite par Fer, a Foy fera outrage.

English.

When the great Queen shall see her self vanquished,
She shall do a deed of a Masculine courage,
Upon a Horse, she shall pass over the River naked,
Followed by Iron, she shall do wrong to her Faith.

ANNOT.

It is some great Queen, who seeing her self vanquished, shall swim naked on Horseback over a River, being followed by those that would have either killed or taken her, and after that shall forfeit her faith, but whether it be to her Husband, Friends, or Relations, is not expressed.