Chapter XCIV: French

Au _Port Selyn_ le Tyrant mis a Mort,
La liberté non pourtant recouvrée,
Le nouveau _Mars_ par vindict & remort,
Dame par force de frayeur honorée.

English.

In the _Port Selyn_ the Tyrant shall be put to death
And yet the liberty shall not be recovered,
The new _Mars_ by vengeance and remorse,
Lady by excess of fear honoured.

ANNOT.

By the _Port Selyn_, is meant _Constantinople_, because of several Emperours of the _Turks_ that have been of that name, therefore the intention of this Prophecy, is, that one of the Turkish Emperours shall be put to death at _Constantinople_, which for all that, shall not recover her liberty. The _new Mars_, be like he is so called, that shall put him to death _by vengeance without remorse_. _The Lady by excess of fear honoured_, may be applied to the present great Sultaness, Mother to this present Emperour of the _Turks_, who hath hitherto made her self very considerable by a great party, which she hath raised against her Son, to prevent him from putting his Brothers to death, as is usually practised in that Court.

XCV.

French.

Devant Moustier trouvé enfant besson,
D’Heroik sang de Moine & vetustique,
Son bruit per Secte, Langue, & puissance Son,
Qu’on dira fort eslevé le Vopisque.

English.

Before the Minster shall one twin be found,
From Heroik blood, of a Monk and Ancient,
His fame by Sect, Tongue, and Power shall be sounded,
So that they shall say the Vopisk is much raised.

ANNOT.

The meaning of the whole is, that a Twin shall be found before a Church, begot by a Monk, of Illustrious and Ancient Family, and shall become very famous, _So that they shall say the Vopisk is much raised_. _Vopiscus_ in Latin, is, that one of the Twins, which cometh to perfect Birth.

XCVI.

French.

Celuy qu’aura la charge de destruire,
Temples & Sectes changez par fantaisie,
Plus aux Rochers, qu’aux vivans viendra nuire,
Par langue ornée d’oreille rassasie.

English.

He that shall have charge to destroy,
Churches and Sects, changed by fancy;
Shall do more harm to the Rocks, than to the living,
By a smooth tongue filling up the Ears.

ANNOT.

As the words of this Stanza are plain, so is the sense most obscure, and so to be left to the Readers private Judgement.

XCVII.

French.

Ce que fer, flamme, na sceu parachever,
La douce langue au conseil viendra faire,
Par respos, songe le Roy fera resuer,
Plus l’Ennemy en feu sang militaire.

English.

What neither Iron nor Fire could compass,
Shall be done by a smooth tongue in the Councel,
In sleep a dream shall make the King to think,
The more the Enemy in fire and Military blood.

ANNOT.

The sense of this is plain, though the words be somthing untowardly expressed.

XCVIII.

French.

Le Chef qu’aura conduit peuple infiny,
Loin de son Ciel: de mœurs & langue estrange,
Cinq mille en _Crete_ & _Thessalie_ finy,
Le Chef fuiant sauvé en la Marine Grange.

English.

The Captain that shall lead an infinite deal of people
Far from their Countrey, to one of strange manners and Language,
Five thousand in _Candia_ and _Thessalia_ finished,
The Head running away, shall be safe in a Barn by the Sea.

ANNOT.

It is some great Commander that shall lead a multitude of people into a strange Countrey, far from their own; suppose _Candia_ and _Thessalia_, where the said Commander shall be compelled to run away, and to save himself in a Barn by the Sea side.

XCIX.

French.

Le grand Monarque qui fera compagnie,
Avec deux Rois unis par amitié,
O quel souspir fera la grand mesgnie,
Enfans, _Narbonne_ alentour, quel pitié!

English.

The great Monarch shall keep company,
With two Kings united in friendship;
O what fights shall be made by their followers!
Children, O what pity shall be about _Narbon_.

ANNOT.

This Stanza requireth no interpretation more, than what every one will be pleased to give himself.

C.

French.

Long temps au Ciel sera veu gris Oiseau,
Aupres de _Dole_ & de _Tuscane_ Terre,
Tenant au Bec un verdoiant rameau,
Mourra tost Grand, & finira la Guerre.

English.

A great while shall be seen in the Air a gray Bird,
Near _Dola_ and the _Tuscan_ Land,
Holding in his Bill a green bough;
Then shall a great one die, and the War have and end.

ANNOT.

_Dola_ is a Town in _Burgundy_. The _Tuscan_ Land, is that which belongeth to the Duke of _Florence_.

THE PROPHECIES OF Michael Nostradamus.

_CENTURY_ II.

I.

French.

Vers _Aquitaine_ par insults _Britanniques_,
De par eux mesmes grandes incursions,
Pluyes, Gelees, feront terroirs iniques,
_Port Selyn_ fortes fera invasions.

English.

Towards _Gascony_ by _English_ assaults,
By the same shall be made great incursions,
Rains, Frosts, shall marre the ground.
_Port Selyn_ shall make strong Invasions.

ANNOT.

Three Prophecies are contained in this Stanza, the first that the _English_ shall make an incursion in _Gascony_; the second, that there shall be a great dearth by Rains and Frosts; the third, that the _Turks_ shall make great Incursion.

II.

French.

La teste glue sera la teste blanche,
Autant de mal que _France_ a fait leur bien,
Mort a l’_Anthene_, grand pendu fus la branche,
Quand prins des siens, le Roy dira combien.

English.

The Glue-head shall do the white head
As much harm, as _France_ hath done it good,
Dead at the Sails yard, a great one hang’d on a Tree,
When a King taken by his own, shall say, how much?

ANNOT.

I did never find that word of Glue-head before in any Author, and I believe if _Cotgrave_ were alive again, it would puzzle him to give the interpretation thereof.

The third and fourth signifie, that one shall be hanged on the Sails-yard, and another on a Tree, when a King shall be taken by his own Men, and shall say how much? that is, how much money shall I give you to set me free.

III.

French.

Par la chaleur Solaire sur la Mer,
De _Negrepont_, les Poissons demy cuits,
Les Habitans les viendront entamer,
Quand _Rhode_ & _Genes_ leur faudra le Biscuit.

English.

By the heat of the Sun upon the Sea
Of _Negrepont_, the Fishes shall be half broiled,
The Inhabitants shall come to cut them up,
When _Rhodes_ and _Genoa_ shall want Biscake.

ANNOT.

_Negrepont_ is an Island of the _Archipelago_ near _Morea_, anciently called _Eubœa_. _Rhodes_ is another Island, and, _Genoa_ a City in _Italy_, by the Seaside. The rest is plain.

IV.

French.

Depuis _Monac_ jusqu’aupres de _Sicile_,
Toute la plage demoura desolée,
Il ny aura Fauxbourgs, Cité, ne Ville,
Que par _Barbares_ pillée soit & volée.

English.

From _Monaco_ as far as _Sicily_,
All the Sea coast shall be left desolate,
There shall not be Suburbs, Cities, nor Towns,
Which shall not be pillaged and plundred by _Barbarians_.

ANNOT.

_Monaco_ is a Town seated by the Sea-side in _Italy_, between _Provence_ and _Genoa_. This Prophecy hath been once already fulfilled, when the famous Pyrate _Barbarossa_, being sent by the grand Seignor, to help the _French_ King against the Emperour _Charles_ the V. in his return home, plundered all that Coast, and carried away an innumerable multitude of people into slavery.

V.

French.

Quand dans Poisson, Fer & Lettre enfermée,
Hors sortira qui puis fera la Guerre,
Aura par Mer sa classe bien ramée;
Aparoissant pres de _Latine_ Terre.

English.

When in a Fish, Iron and a Letter shall be shut up,
He shall go out that afterwards shall make War,
He shall have his Fleet by Sea well provided,
Appearing by the _Roman_ Land.

ANNOT.

The words and the sense are plain.

VI.

French.

Aupres des Portes & dedans deux Citez,
Seront deux Fleaux & onc n’aperceu un tel,
Faim, dedans Peste, de Fer hors gens boutez,
Crier secours au grand Dieu immortel.

English.

Near the Gates and within two Cities
Shall be two Scourges, I never saw the like,
Famine, within Plague, people thrust out by the Sword,
Shall cry for help to the great God immortal.

ANNOT.

This needeth no Interpretation.

VII.

French.

Entre plusieurs aux Isles deportez,
L’un estre nay a deux dens en la gorge,
Mourront de Faim, les Arbres esbroutez,
Pour eux neuf Roy, nouvel Edict leur forge.

English.

Among many that shall be transported into the Islands,
One shall be born with two Teeth in his mouth,
They shall die of hunger, the Trees shall be eaten,
They shall have a new King, who shall make new Laws for them.

ANNOT.

This is so plain, that it needeth no explication.

VIII.

French.

Temples Sacrez, prime facon _Romaine_,
Rejetteront les goffes Fondemens,
Prenant leurs Loix premieres & humaines,
Chassants non tout, de Saints le cultement.

English.

Churches Consecrated, and the ancient _Roman_ way,
Shall reject the tottering Foundations,
Sticking to their first humane Laws,
Expelling, but not altogether the worshipping of Saints.

ANNOT.

This Prophecy, is concerning the beginning of the Reformed Religion, when the _Roman_ Church rejected it, yet nevertheless, for shame they left off many of their fopperies, for ever since they never appeared so great Worshippers of Saints as before.

IX.

French.

Neuf ans le Regne le maigre en paix tiendra,
Puis il cherra en soif si sanguinaire,
Pour luy grand peuple sans Foy & Loy mourra,
Tué par un beaucoup plus debonaire.

English.

Nine years shall the lean one keep the Kingdom in Peace,
Then he will fall into such a bloody thirst,
That a great people shall die without Faith or Law,
He shall be killed by one milder than himself.

ANNOT.

It is a lean man that shall keep in Peace the Kingdom, for the space of nine years, and then shall become cruel; so that he shall put to death many people without Law, or regard of his promise.

X.

French.

Avant long temps le tout sera rangé,
Nous esperons un siecle bien senestre,
L’Estat des masques & des seuls bien changé,
Peu trouveront qui a son rang vueille estre.

English.

Before it be long, all shall be set in order,
We look for a sinister Age,
The state of the Visards and of _the alone_ shall be changed,
They shall find few that will keep their ranks.

ANNOT.

All the difficulty of this consisteth in what he meaneth by the _Visard_ and _alone_, for my part, I believe he aimeth at the _Popish_ Clergy and Monks; the first by reason of their Hypocrisy, the other by reason of their solitariness. The rest is plain.