Chapter XI: French

Le prochain, fils de l’_Aisnier_ parviendra,
Tant eslevé jusqu’au au Regne des fors,
Son aspre gloire un chascun la craindra,
Mais les enfans du Regne jettez hors.

English.

The eldest Son of l’_Aisnier_ shall prosper,
Being raised to the degree of the great ones,
Every one shall fear his high glory,
But his children shall be cast out.

ANNOT.

This is an Horoscope, for the Interpretation of which we are beholding to, Mr. _Mannessier_ of _Amiens_, who saith that the Father of the Lords l’_Aisniers_ writ to _Nostradamus_ his friend, to know his childrens fortune, who sent him those four Verses for an answer, by which it is evident that the eldest should be an eminent Man, as it fell out, being one of the chiefest men in the Province of _Anjou_, and one of the chiefest instruments to make Peace between _Louis_ the XIII. and his Mother _Mary_ of _Medicis_, after the Battle of _Pont de Cé_.

The fourth Verse saith, that some of his other Children should be expelled the Kingdom, as it happened by reason of a false report raised against one of them, which compelled him to retire into _Portugal_ till the truth was known, as it was afterwards to his great repute and honour.

XII.

French.

Yeux clos ouverts d’antique fantaisie,
L’habit des seuls sera mis a neant,
Le grand Monarque chastiera leur frenesie,
Ravir des Temples le Thresor par devant.

English.

Eyes shut, shall be open by an antick fancy,
The cloths of the alone shall be brought to nothing.
The great Monarck shall punish their frenzy,
For having ravished the Treasure of the Temple before.

ANNOT.

I can fasten this upon no body, but upon some Monks, which are called here _The alone_, because of their solitary life, who shall be punished by a King, for having robbed the Church.

XIII.

French.

Le corps sans ame plus n’estre en sacrifice,
Jour de la mort mis en Nativité.
L’Esprit Divin sera l’ame fœlice,
Voiant le Verbe en son Eternité.

English.

The body without the soul shall be no more admitted in Sacrifice,
The day of the death shall be put for the Birth-day,
The Divine Spirit shall make the Soul happy,
By seeing the Word in its Eternity.

ANNOT.

The first Verse seemed to Prophecy the Reformation of Religion, and the change of opinion concerning the Lords Supper, which should be no more a Sacrifice (as the _Roman_ Church calleth the Mass) of a body without a soul, but only a commemoration of the Lords death, as the second Verse confirmeth, saying, _The day of the death shall be put for the Birth-day_, seeing, that by the commemoration of that death, we are renewed into a newness of life, and as it were born again. The last two Verse are easie.

XIV.

French.

A _Tours_, _Gien_, _Gergeau_, seront yeux penetrans,
Descouvriront le long de la grande _Sereine_,
Elle & sa Suite au Port seront entrans,
Combat poussez Puissance Souveraine.

English.

At _Tours_, _Gien_, _Gergeau_, shall be piercing eyes,
Who shall discover along the great _Syren_,
She and her Attendans shall enter into the Port,
By a fight shall be thrust out the Soveraign Power.

ANNOT.

_Tours_, _Gien_, and _Gergeau_ are Cities upon the River of _Loire_, which is called here _the great Syren_, because of the length of its course, the meaning then is, that those Cities shall be watchful, and stand upon their guard, and shall fight against a King, which if it hath already come to pass in the Civil Wars, or shall happen hereafter, I cannot affirm.

XV.

French.

Un peu devant Monarque trucidé,
_Castor_, _Pollux_, en nef astre crinite,
L’Airain public, par Terre & Mer vuidé,
_Pisa_, _Ast_, _Ferrare_, _Turin_ Terre interdite.

English.

A little before a Monarch be killed
_Castor_, and _Pollux_ shall appear, and a Comet in the Ship;
The publick brass, by Land and Sea shall be emptyed,
_Pisa_, _Ast_, _Ferrare_, _Turin_, Countreys forbidden.

ANNOT.

The meaning of this is, that a little before a Monarck be killed, _Castor_ and _Pollux_ two Meteores so called, as also a Comet in that constellation of the Heavens, called _the ship of Argos_, and _the Publick Brass_, that is, the Canons by Land and Sea shall be emptied, and these Towns of _Italy_, viz. _Pisa_, _Ast_, _Ferrare_, _Turin_, shall be excommunicated by the _Pope_.

XVI.

French.

_Naples_, _Palerme_, _Sicile_, _Syracuse_,
Nouveaux Tyrants, fulgures, feu Cœlestes,
Force de _Londres_, _Gand_, _Bruxelles_, & _Suse_,
Grand Hecatombe, Triomphe, faire Festes.

English.

_Naples_, _Palermo_, _Sicily_, _Syracusa_,
New Tyrants, Lightnings, Celestial fires,
Army from _London_, _Ghent_, _Bruxelles_, and _Suse_,
A great Hecatomb, Triumphs, and Feasts.

ANNOT.

There is nothing difficult but the word _Hecatomb_, which is a Greek word, signifying a Sacrifice of an hundred Oxen.

XVII.

French.

Le Camp du Temple de la Vierge Vestale,
Non esloigné d’_Ethene_ & Monts _Pyrenées_,
Le grand conduit est chassé dans la Male,
North gettez Fleuves, & Vignes mastinées.

English.

The Camp of the Temple of the Vestal Virgin,
Not far from _Ethene_ and the _Pyrenean_ Mountains,
The great Conduit is driven in the Clock-bag,
Rivers overflown in the North, and the Vines spoiled.

ANNOT.

There is so many faults in the impression of this, and so hard to be rectified, that I had rather leave it to the liberty of the judicious Reader, then make my self ridiculous in not giving him satisfaction.

XVIII.

French.

Nouvelle Pluie, subite, impetueuse,
Empeschera subit deux excercites,
Pierre, Ciel, Feux, faire la Mer pierreuse,
La mort de sept, Terre & Marin subites.

English.

A new Rain, sudden, impetuous,
Shall suddenly hinder two Armies,
Stone, Heaven, Fire, shall make the Sea stony,
The death of seven shall be sudden upon Land and Sea.

ANNOT.

The first two Verses signifie, that a sudden and impetuous Rain shall hinder two Armies from fighting.

The two last Verses foretell several Prodigies, the which happening, seven persons shall suddenly die upon the Sea and Land.

XIX.

French.

Nouveaux venus, lieu basty sans defence,
Occuper place pour lors inhabitable,
Prez, Maisons, Champs, Villes prendre a plaisance,
Faim, Peste, Guerre, arpent long labourable.

English.

New comers shall build a place without fence,
And shall occupy a place that was not then habitable,
They shall at their pleasure take Fields, Houses and Towns.
There shall be Famine, Plague, War, and a long arable field.

ANNOT.

This is so plain, that it needeth no Interpretation.

XX.

French.

Freres & Sœurs en divers lieux captifs,
Se trouveront passer pres du Monarque,
Les contempler ses deux yeux ententifs,
Des plaisant vont, Menton, Front, Nez les marques.

English.

Brothers and Sisters shall be made slaves in divers places,
And shall pass before the Monarck,
Who shall look upon them with attentive eyes,
They shall go in heaviness, witness their Chin, Forehead and Nose.

ANNOT.

This is obvious to the meanest capacity.

XXI.

French.

L’Ambassadeur envoié par _Biremes_,
A my chemin incogneus repoulsez,
De Sel renfort viendront quatre triremes,
Cordes & Chaines en _Negrepont_ troussez.

English.

The Embassadour that was sent in _Biremes_,
In the midleway shall be repulsed by unknown Men,
From the Salt to his succours shall come four triremes,
Ropes and Chains shall be carried to _Negrepont_.

ANNOT.

_Bireme_ is a Galley that hath two ranges of Oares, _Trireme_ is one that hath three ranges. The meaning then of this is, that an Embassadour shall be sent in a Galley with two ranges of Oares, and that he shall be met in his way by unknown men, that is, Pyrates; there shall come to his succours _from the Salt_, that is, from the _French_ four _Triremes_, that is four Galleys, every one having three ranges of Oares, but they shall all be carried to _Negrepont_, an Island belonging to the _Turk_.

XXII.

French.

Le Camp _Ascop_ d’_Europe_ partira,
Sadioignant proche de l’Isle submergée,
D’_Arton_ classe Phalange partira,
Nombril du Monde plus grand voix subrogée.

English.

The Camp _Ascop_ shall go from _Europe_,
And shall come near the drowned Island;
From _Arton_ shall go an Army by Sea and Land,
By the Navel of the World a greater vice shall be substituted.

ANNOT.

The Author hath darkned this Stanza with so many barbarous words, as _Camp Ascop_, _drowned Island_, D’_Arton_, _Navel of the World_, that it is very like either he did not understand himself, or would not be understood by others.

XXIII.

French.

_Palaces_ Oiseaux, par Oiseau dechassé,
Bien tost apres le Prince parvenu,
Combien qu’hors Fleuve ennemy repoulsé,
Dehors saisy, trait d’Oiseau soustenu.

English.

_Palais_ Birds, driven away by a Bird,
Soon after that, the Prince is come to his own,
Although the enemy be driven beyond the River,
He shall be seased upon without, by the trick of the Bird.

ANNOT.

The meaning of this is, that many Courtiers (called here _Palace_ Birds) shall be justled out of favour by another principal Bird, that is a great Courtier, as soon as the Prince shall come to his own.

The two last Verses seem to foretell that the said principal Courtier shall seize upon the Prince, notwithstanding that some succour shall come to his help, which shall be beaten back beyond the River.

XXIV.

French.

Bestes farouches de faim Fleuves traner,
Plus part du Champ encontre _Ister_ sera,
En Cage de Fer le grand fera traisner.
Quand rien enfant de _Germain_ n’observera.

English.

Wild Beasts for hunger shall swim over Rivers,
Most part of the field shall be near _Ister_,
Into an Iron Cage he shall cause the great one to be drawn,
When the Child of _German_ shall observe nothing.

ANNOT.

_Ister_ is a River, _German_ is a proper name of some considerable person, whose Son shall not observe or take notice when that eminent person mentioned here, shall be drawn into an Iron Cage.

XXV.

French.

La Garde estrange trahira Forteresse,
Espoir & umbre de plus haut mariage,
Garde deceüe Fort prins dedans la presse,
_Loire_, _Saone_, _Rhosne_, _Gar_, a Mort outrage.

English.

The Garrison of strangers shall betray the Fort,
Under the hope and shadow of a higher Match,
The Garrison shall be deceived, and the Fort taken in the crowd,
_Loire_, _Saone_, _Rhosne_, _Gar_, shall do harm to Death.

ANNOT.

There is no difficulty but in the last Verse, where you must observe that _Loire_, _Saone_, _Rhosne_, and _Gardon_, which for the Verses sake is contracted into _Gar_; are Rivers of _France_, which are threatned here of overflowing, and causing the death of many people.

XXVI.

French.

Pour la faveur que la Cité fera,
Au grand qui tost perdra Camp de Bataille,
Le sang d’ans _Pau_ le _Thesin_ versera,
De sang feux, mors, noyez de coup de taille.

English.

Because of the favour the City shall shew,
To the great one, who soon after shall loose the Battle,
The _Thesin_ shall pour blood into the _Pau_,
Of blood, fire, dead, drowned, by Edgeling.

ANNOT.

This is plain, if you observe that the _Thesin_ is a River of _Italy_, and the _Pau_ another, into the which the _Thesin_ runneth.