Chapter XVI (2)

All widely-spread opinions, however apparently absurd, have, or have
had at some time, a foundation in nature or in historical fact; and it
cannot be uninteresting, with a view to the history of popular
traditions, to place on record those which I have here collected, even
although we cannot at present trace them satisfactorily to their
origin. The whole subject of trances, and the various phenomena
connected with them, including the second sight, is one hitherto very
imperfectly studied, and for that reason I have not entered into
detail on that part of the question; but I may possibly do so at a
future period.—Believe me, very truly yours,

WILLIAM GREGORY.

EDINBURGH, _April 16, 1850_.

It is well known that in all ages, and in most countries, prophetic traditions have been said to exist; and although it may often have happened that such traditions have arisen from spurious prophecies, written after the event, and falsely said to have existed before it, yet it would also appear that genuine prophecies have from time to time appeared, and become traditions before the events took place. Of course, we do not here allude to the Scriptural prophecies, but to such as have no pretensions to a divine origin. There can be little doubt that the Sybilline Books contained prophecies of the future fate of Rome; and although we cannot now ascertain, even if this were the case, whether they were accurate predictions, or merely sagacious guesses, nor whether the event confirmed them, yet the tradition of their existence is in itself curious. We cannot here enter into an enumeration of the various prophecies which are said to have existed, in ancient or modern times, before the events occurred, but on some future occasion we may return to that subject: in the mean time we may allude, as a modern example of popular prophecy in our own country, to the prediction of the extinction of the male line of the house of Seaforth, in the person of a deaf Caberfae—a prediction which Mr Morritt of Rokeby, the friend of Scott, heard quoted in Ross-shire at a time when the last Lord Seaforth, who became quite deaf, had several sons in perfect health. We have no doubt our Highland readers are acquainted with many analogous cases.

Our present object is to direct attention to the fact, that in Germany, more especially on the Rhine and in Westphalia, there exist many remarkable popular prophecies concerning public events, of various dates, and originating in various quarters, but exhibiting a remarkable coincidence in many of the chief points. Many of these have been printed at various times; others exist as traditions among the peasantry; others, again, are said upon good evidence to have been in modern times taken down from the lips of the prophets themselves, all or most of whom are now dead. Yet they generally predict, and often with strange minuteness of detail, events which were to occur about this time,—viz. in 1848, 1849, and 1850. Political and religious convulsions, wars, and finally peace and prosperity, form the burden of them; and we shall see that the events of 1848 and 1849 supply apparently strong confirmation of their truth, their previous existence being admitted.

Having spent some months in Rhenish Prussia during the summer of 1849, we made many inquiries on the subject, and found everywhere, and among all classes, a firm conviction of the _genuineness_ of many of the popular prophecies; while it was admitted that they had long been known and believed by the people. As the matter, considered under any point of view, is a curious and interesting one, we procured the latest work on the subject, which in fact appeared while we were in Germany. It is entitled, “Prophetic Voices, with Explanations. A collection as perfect as possible, of all Prophecies, of Ancient and Modern date, concerning the Present and Future Times, with an explanation of the obscure parts,” by Th. Beykirch, licentiate in Theology, and (R.C.) curate in Dortmund. The worthy Curate is often too brief in his accounts of the prophecies themselves, and very diffuse in his explanations, which, for the most part, tend to extract from the predictions the comfortable assurance of the complete reestablishment of the Roman Catholic religion, and the utter discomfiture of Protestantism. He even treats his readers to a disquisition, altogether out of place, on Scriptural prophecies, and an interpretation, by Holzhaüser, of the Apocalypse, in which he applies to Protestantism the same passages which Protestants apply to the Papacy, and does so, apparently, very much to his own satisfaction. We shall not touch on these parts of his work, but use it as a storehouse, from which we may draw the predictions themselves, without regarding them through the theological medium of the reverend author.

The first we shall mention is of an ancient date. It is the vaticination of Brother Herrmann, a monk of the monastery of Lehnin, who flourished circa A.D. 1270, and died in the odour of sanctity. It is written in a hundred leonine hexameters, rhyming in the middle and end of each verse, and was printed in 1723 by Professor Lilienthal, from what was said to be an old MS. His prophecies chiefly concerned the future fate of his own monastery of Lehnin in Brandenburg, and of the monastery of Chorin in the Uckermark, a part of Brandenburg. But as that fate depended on public events, more especially on the history of the princes of that country, his vaticination assumes the form of a brief prophetic history of the house of Hohenzollern, that is, the now royal house of Prussia. Our readers will probably readily dispense with the whole of the original hexameters of the good monk, but we shall give a few specimens: he begins—

1. “Nunc tibi, cum cura, Lehnin! cano fata futura,

2. Quæ mihi monstravit Dominus, qui cuncta creavit,” &c.

“Now, oh Lehnin! I sing with sorrow to thee thy future fates,

Which the Lord, the creator of all, has shown to me.”

He proceeds to describe the prosperity of Lehnin under the race of Otto I., and its decay after the extinction of this family, which took place in the person of Henry III., 1320. These princes were from Anhalt, of the race called the Askanier in German history.

At verses 14 _et seq._, he describes Brandenburg as becoming a den of lions, while the true heir is excluded. After Margrave Henry III., the Dukes of Pomerania, Mecklenburg, Brunswick, Anhalt, Electoral Saxony, and Bohemia attacked the Mark, (Brandenburg,) and committed horrible devastations. The Emperor Louis of Bavaria seized it for himself, excluding the princes of Saxony, the nearest heirs to the former princes.

After various details concerning the fate of Brandenburg, plundered by robber knights and barons, who were to be put down by a strong emperor, as happened under Charles IV. who died in 1378,—he comes to the accession of the Hohenzollerns, and describes the first prince of that family as rising to distinction by holding two castles or Burgen. The Emperor Sigismund sold Brandenburg to Frederick, Burggraf of Nuremberg, of the house of Hohenzollern. He belonged to the lower nobility, but now became more important by the possession of two castles—those of Nuremberg and Brandenburg. These examples are sufficient to give an idea of that part of Brother Herrmann’s prophecy, concerning events which preceded the printing of it in 1723, and in which he describes _seriatim_, without giving the names, and very briefly, but in striking language, the fate and character of the successive Margraves, Electors, and Kings, till he comes to Frederick William I., who died in 1740, seventeen years after the prophecy was printed, and whose character and death he describes. Then follows Frederick the Great, whose career, with its vicissitudes, is indicated with tolerable clearness. One line is curious,

84. “Flantibus hinc Austris, vitam vult credere claustris.”

“When the south wind blows, he trusts his life to the cloisters.”

In fact, Frederick, when hard pressed by the Austrians, was once compelled to conceal himself in a monastery.

_Auster_ signifies south wind, but is probably here used for Austria.

After his successor, Frederick William II., whom the good monk truly describes as vicious, sensual, and oppressive, but not warlike, comes this line—

89. “Natus florebit; quod non sperasset habebit.”

“The son shall flourish; he shall possess what he did not hope for.”

The application of this to the late king, Frederick William III., is obvious. Under him, Prussia, after having been reduced to the lowest ebb by Napoleon, became, unexpectedly, far more powerful than it had ever been.

90. “Sed populus tristis flebit temporibus istis.

92. “Et princeps nescit quod nova potentia crescit.”

“But the sad people shall mourn in these times;

“And the King knows not that a new power is arising.”

These lines also apply well to Frederick William III.

93. “Tandem sceptra gerit, qui ultimus stemmatis erit.”

“At length he bears the sceptres, who shall be the last of his race.”

Now this is very remarkable. In line 49, he had said—

49. “Hoc ad undenum durabit stemma venenum.”

“This poison[2] shall last to the eleventh generation.”

The present king, Frederick William IV., is the eleventh from Joachim III., the first Protestant prince of Brandenburg, in reference to whom the above line is written. But why did the writer (even supposing the prophecy not to have existed earlier than 1723, when it was printed) stop at this point? We shall see that other prophecies coincide with this one in predicting that the present will be the last King of Prussia.

Then comes the remarkable line—

95. “Et pastor gregem recipit, Germania regem.”

“And the shepherd receives his flock, Germany a king.”

The worthy curate of Dortmund explains this as pointing out the submission of Europe to the Pope, and of Germany to one sovereign. Brother Herrmann goes on to predict peaceful times, and the restoration of Chorin and Lehnin to their pristine splendour.

We have omitted many curious lines, but the reader will probably feel satisfied that the brief and obscure vaticinations of Brother Herrmann are worthy of notice, especially that part of them relating to the last hundred and twenty years, bearing in mind that they were printed in 1723.

The next prophet mentioned by our author is Joseph von Görres, who died in January 1848—that is, before the last revolution in France, which shook the thrones of Europe. On his deathbed he lamented the misfortunes about to come on Poland, described Hungary as appearing to him one huge field of carnage, and wept over the approaching downfall of the European monarchies. The events of February and March 1848, the insurrection in Posen, the devastations committed by the Prussians in suppressing it, and the war in Hungary, would appear to be the events to which he referred. But he was a man deeply read in history, and there are some of those prophetic hints which may possibly have occurred to him as reflections on probable events, and have assumed a certain degree of vividness in his mind.

We now come to a peasant prophet, namely Jaspers, a Westphalian shepherd, of Deininghausen, near the ancestral seat of the Lord of Bodelschwing. He was a simple-minded pious man. In 1830, soon after which time he died, he publicly predicted as follows:—

“A great road (said he) will be carried through our country, from west
to east, which will pass through the forests of Bodelschwing. On this
road, carriages will run _without horses_, and cause a dreadful noise.
At the commencement of this work, a great scarcity will here prevail;
pigs will become very dear, and a new religion will arise, in which
wickedness will be regarded as prudence and politeness. Before this
road is quite completed, a frightful war will break out.”

These words, to the astonishment of the natives, have nearly all been fulfilled. The railway from Cologne to Minden has, since his death, been carried through the very district he mentioned in 1830, before the first English railway had been opened, and when the primitive shepherds of Westphalia were little likely to know anything about railways. The scarcity took place at the time specified; and his remark as to a new religion is supposed to apply to a deterioration of manners among the simple natives, consequent on the opening up of their district. A personal friend of Jaspers collected the following sayings, which the author, after minute inquiry on the spot, considers as genuine.

1. “Before the great road is _quite finished_, a dreadful war will
break out.”

The railway has for a year or two been in operation; but, up to the end of 1849, as we saw by advertisements, the second line of rails was not laid down. It is probably still only in progress. Now in 1848 and 1849, we have seen war in Schleswig-Holstein, Hungary, Italy, Posen, and Baden.

2. “A small northern power will be conqueror.”

Probably the Danish war, and the success of Denmark, is here meant.

3. “After this another war will break out—not a religious war among
Christians, but between those who believe in Christ and those who do
not believe.”

Here we must remember that the simple and ignorant peasants of Westphalia have strong religious feelings and prejudices, and are apt, like some nearer home, to apply the term Infidel somewhat rashly. Possibly Russia and the Greek church may be here alluded to.

4. “This war comes from the East. I dread the East.

5. “This war will break out very suddenly. In the evening they will
cry ‘Peace, peace!’ and yet peace is not; and in the morning the enemy
will be at the door. Yet it shall soon pass, and he who knows of a
good hiding-place, for a a few days only, is secure.”

The probability of a war, in which Russia shall take an active share, cannot escape any observer of the signs of the times; and, with the aid of railways, which were not known at the date of Jaspers’ death, the sudden outbreak is quite possible, even in Westphalia.

6. “The defeated enemy will have to fly in extreme haste. Let the
people cast cart and wheels into the water, otherwise the flying foe
will take all carriages with them.

7. “Before this war, a general faithlessness will prevail. Men will
give out vice for virtue and honour, deceit for politeness.

8. “In the year in which the great war shall break out, there shall be
so fine a spring, that in April the cows will be feeding in the
meadows on luxuriant grass. In the same year, wheat may be harvested,
(in his district,) but not oats.” (This appears to be likely to apply
to 1850.—W. G.)

He seems here to hint that the harvest of oats will be interrupted by the war; if so, the war occurs in autumn.

9. “The great battle will be fought _at the birch-tree_, between Unna,
Hamm, and Werl. The people of half the world will there be opposed to
each other. God will terrify the enemy by a dreadful storm. Of the
_Russians_, but few shall return home to tell of their defeat. Jaspers
described this battle as terrific.”

We shall by and by hear more of this birch-tree.

10. “The war will be over in 1850, and in 1852 all will be again in
order.

11. “The Poles are at first put down; but they will, along with other
nations, fight against their oppressors, and at last obtain a king of
their own.

12. “France will be divided internally into three parts.”

It is curious to notice, that at present, although the state of matters in 1830 was very different, there are three parties in France, all of them powerful: namely, the Buonapartists, (with at least a part of the Orleanists,) and the moderate as well as the _pro tempore_ Republicans, headed by Louis Napoleon; the party of the old Bourbons and the priests, led by Falloux and the old nobility, such as Larochejaquelein and Montalembert; and lastly the Red Republicans, Socialists, and Communists. These three parties hold each other in check, and no one of them can at this moment do much.

13. “Spain will not join in the war. But the Spaniards shall come
after it is over, and take possession of the churches.

14. “Austria will be fortunate, provided she do not wait too long.

15. “The papal chair will be vacant for a time.

16. “The nobility is much depressed, but in 1852 again rises to some
extent.

17. “When asked as to the future of Prussia, he maintained an
obstinate silence, saying only that King Frederick William IV. would
be the last.”

This agrees with Brother Herrmann, as formerly stated. A man named Pottgiesser, in Dortmund, long since dead, drew up a genealogical tree of the royal house, in which he says of the present king—to whom he gives no successor—“He disappears.”

18. “There will be one religion. On the Rhine stands a church which
all people shall aid in building. From thence, after the war, shall
proceed the rule of faith. All sects shall be united; only the Jews
shall retain their old obstinacy.”

The dome at Cologne is obviously alluded to. We shall see, hereafter, that Cologne is expected to become the seat of ecclesiastical rule by other prophets.

19. “In our district priests shall become so rare, that, after the
war, people will have to walk seven leagues in order to attend divine
service.

20. “Our country will be so much depopulated, that women will have to
cultivate the soil; and seven girls shall fight for a pair of
inexpressibles.

21. “The house of Ikern shall be set on fire by shells.

22. “The soldiers shall march to battle (or to war) first, then
return, decked with the cherry blossoms. And only after that shall the
great war break out.”

In spring 1848, troops marched to Baden, at the time of the first insurrection there, in which war General von Gagern was killed; and they returned home decked with cherry blossoms.

23. “Germany shall have one king, and then shall come happy times.

24. “He spoke also of an approaching religious change, and warned his
children, when that time should come, to go to Mengede.”

When jeered on his prophetic powers, Jaspers often said—

“When I have long been in the grave, you will then often remember what
I have said.”

There is a prophet in Dortmund, who, among other curious things, said, in 1840, “When the Prussian soldiers shall be dressed like those who crucified our Lord, then war shall break out with great violence.” It is worthy of notice that, since that time, the whole Prussian army, with the exception of the Hussars, have been armed with helmets of Roman form. Their new Waffenrock, or military coat, is also a short plain surtout, buttoned to the throat, and probably not unlike a Roman tunic.

The predictions of Jaspers are curious—first, on account of their minuteness; secondly, because they specify dates yet future. We shall see that they coincide, in many of the chief points, with other popular prophecies.

The next prophet is Spielbähn, a Rhenish peasant. “Spielbähn” signifies, in the dialect of his countrymen, “the fiddler;” and this name was given to him on account of his skill as a rustic performer on the violin. He was employed as messenger and servant in the convents of Siegburg and Heisterbach. His predictions have been published by Schrattenholz, and widely circulated; but, as we could not procure this work, we can only give such extracts as our author has selected.

Spielbähn died in 1783 in Cologne. He is said to have been rather addicted to the wine-flask, and to have occasionally indulged in predictions of doubtful authenticity, possibly from interested motives. But he is thought, in the main, to have uttered what he really believed to be true predictions, and he gave them out as visions. He predicted the imprisonment of the Archbishop of Cologne, which took place a few years ago, with many less interesting local occurrences, which our author passes over. Speaking of the present time, (1848–50,) and of what should follow, he said—

1. “In that time it will be hardly possible to distinguish the peasant
from the noble.”

In Rhenish Prussia, where the Code Napoleon prevails, there is hardly a trace of the splendour of the old aristocracy to be found. The nobles of old family who remain have lost all exclusive privileges, and are poor.

2. “Courtly manners and worldly vanity will reach to a height hitherto
unequalled. Yea, things will go so far, that men will no longer thank
God for their daily bread.

3. “Human intellect will do wonders, (or miracles,) and on this
account men will more and more forget God. They will mock at God,
thinking themselves omnipotent, because of the carriages, which shall
run through the whole world, (or everywhere,) without being drawn by
animals.

4. “And because courtly vices, sensuality, and sumptuousness of
apparel, are then so great, God will punish the world. A poison shall
fall on the fields, and a great famine shall afflict the country.”

In Nos. 3 and 4, railways and the potato blight seem meant.

5. “When a bridge shall be thrown across the Rhine at Mondorf, then it
will be advisable to cross, as soon as possible, to the opposite
shore. But it will only be necessary to remain there so long as a man
will take to consume a 7 lb. loaf of bread; after which (that is, in
less than a week,) it will be time to return.”

This coincides with Jaspers’ prediction of the shortness of the last great struggle.

6. “Thousands shall conceal themselves in a meadow among the seven
mountains, (opposite Bonn.)

7. “I see the destruction of the heretics, with dreadful punishments;
of those who dared to think their puny minds could penetrate the
councils of God. But the long-suffering of God is at an end, and a
limit is put to their wickedness.”

The worthy curate dwells with peculiar satisfaction on this prediction.

8. “Observe well, thou land of Berg! Thy reigning family, which
proceeds from a Margraviate, shall suddenly fall from its high
station, and become less than the smallest Margraviate.”

The grand-duchy of Berg, on the Lower Rhine, of which Düsseldorf is the chief town, was given by Napoleon to Murat, and was afterwards part of the kingdom of Westphalia, but, since the peace, has formed part of Prussia, the royal family of which, as we have seen, descends from the Margraves of Brandenburg; but in 1783 all this was as yet in the womb of time. See also Jaspers, No. 17, and Brother Herrmann, verse 93.

9. “The false prophets (heretic clergy?) shall be killed with wife and
child.

10. “The holy city of Cologne shall then see a fearful battle. Many,
of foreign nations, shall here be killed, and men and women shall
fight for their faith. And it will be impossible to avert from
Cologne, up to that time spared by war, all the cruel extremities of
war. Men will then wade in blood to the ankles.

11. “But at last a foreign king shall arise, and gain the victory for
the good cause. The survivors of the defeated enemy fly to the
_birch-tree_; and here shall the last battle be fought for the good
cause.”

See Nos. 9 and 33 of Jaspers’ sayings, as to the birch-tree and the German king; also verse 95 of Brother Herrmann.

12. “The foreign armies have brought the ‘black death’ into the land.
What the sword spares the pestilence shall devour. Berg shall be
depopulated, and the fields without owners; so that one may plough
from the river Sieg up to the hills without being (Scoticè)
challenged. Those who have hid themselves among the hills shall again
cultivate the land.”

See No. 20 of Jaspers’ predictions.

13. “About this time France will be divided internally.”

See Jaspers, No. 12.

14. “The German Empire shall choose a peasant for Emperor. He shall
govern Germany a year and a day.”

The Archduke John, late regent of the empire, had long lived, banished from court, as a Styrian peasant, adopting the costume and manners of the peasantry. He also married a peasant girl. His regency lasted little more than a year, and, indeed, after the year had expired, he only returned to Frankfort in order to resign his power to the present commission.

15. “But he who after him shall wear the imperial crown, he will be
the man for whom the world has long looked with hope. He shall be
called Roman Emperor, and shall give peace to the world. He shall
restore Siegburg and Heisterbach, (two convents, above mentioned.)

16. “Then shall there be no more Jews in Germany, and the heretics
shall beat their own breasts.

17. “And after that shall be a good happy time. The praise of God
shall dwell on earth; and there shall be no war, except beyond the
seas. Then shall the fugitive brethren return, and dwell in their
homes in peace for ever and ever.

“Men should heed well what I have said, for much evil may be averted
by prayer; and although people jeer me, saying I am a simple fiddler,
yet the time will come when they shall find my words true.”

See Jaspers’ predictions, Nos. 18 and 23. Brother Herrman, also, in verses 96–100, prophesies happy times, and the restoration of the convents of Chorin and Lehnin.

The next seer is Anton (Anthony), called the Youth of Elsen, a village near Paderborn, in Westphalia. He had the gift of the “second sight”—that is, he saw visions—and has a great reputation in that country as a true seer. His predictions were first collected by Dr Kutscheit, from whose work the author extracts as follows. The date is not given by our curate.

1. “When the convent of Abdinghof is occupied by soldiers, armed with
long poles, to which little flags are attached, and when these troops
leave the convent, then is the time near.”

At this time (1849) Prussian lancers occupy the convent, which has been converted into a barrack. This was not the case when the prediction was made.

2. “From Neuhaus, houses may be seen on the Bock, (Buck,) and a
village is founded between Paderborn and Elsen. Then is the time
near.”

The Bock is a wooded eminence near Paderborn, where an inn was built. To obtain a fine view from the inn, the wood was lately cut through, and thus the buildings have become visible from Neuhaus. The village or _dorf_ is a newly-founded country house, or rather farm-house, with its appurtenances—_Scoticè_, a town.

3. “When people see, in the Roman field, houses with large windows;
when a broad road is made through that field, which shall not be
finished till the good times come, then shall come heavy times.”

In the Roman field, on the high road to Erwitte, the Thuringian Railway was begun in 1847, and a terminus, the buildings of which have very large windows, has been laid down on the spot. The works have been, from the necessity of the times, suspended for the present. See Jaspers, No. 1, and Spielbähn, No. 3.

4. “When barley is sown on the Bock, then is the time close at hand.
Then shall the enemy be in the land, and kill and devastate
everything. Men will have to go seven leagues to find an acquaintance.
The town of Paderborn shall have eight heavy days, during which the
enemy lies there. On the last day, the enemy shall give up the town to
plunder. But let every man carry his most valuable property from the
ground floor to the garret; for the enemy will not have time, even to
untie his shoestrings, so near will succour be.”

In the summer of 1848, the first attempt was made to grow barley on the Bock, a cold, high-lying district.

5. “The enemy will try to bombard the town from the Liboriberg, (a
hill close to Paderborn); but only one ball (or shell) shall hit, and
set on fire a house in the Kampe. The fire, however, shall soon be
extinguished.

6. “The French shall come as friends. French cavalry with shining
breastplates (cuirassiers) shall ride in at the Westergate, and tie
their horses to the trees in the Cathedral close. At the Giersthor,
(another gate) soldiers with gray uniforms, faced with light blue,
shall come in. But they will only look into the town, and then
immediately withdraw. On the Bock stands a great army, with double
insignia, (or marks—possibly the two cockades, Imperial German and
Prussian, now worn by the Prussians,) whose muskets are piled in
heaps.

7. “The enemy shall fly towards Salzkotten, and towards the heath. In
both places a great battle shall be fought, so that people shall wade
in blood to the ankles. The pursuers from the town must take care not
to cross the Alme bridge; for not one of those who cross it shall
return alive.

8. “The victorious prince shall enter, in solemn procession, the
castle of Neuhaus, which shall be repaired (for the occasion?)
accompanied by many people with green boughs in their hats. On the
Johannes Bridge, before Neuhaus, there shall be such a crowd that a
child shall be crushed to death. While this goes on a great assembly
shall be held in and before the Rathhaus (Town House.) They shall
hurry (or drag) a man down from the Rathhaus, and hang him on a
lamp-post before it.

9. “When all these things shall have come to pass, then shall there be
a good time in the land. The convent (of Abdinghof) shall be restored;
and it will be better to be a swineherd here, in our land, than a
noble yonder in Prussia (proper).”

Next comes an old traditionary prophecy concerning Münster.

“Woe to thee, Münster! Woe to you, priests, doctors, and lawyers! How
shall it be with you in the days of sorrow?

“For three days they shall go up and down thy streets. Three times
shall the city be taken and lost.

“Let every man keep in the garret; thus shall he be safe. A dreadful
fire shall break out in and destroy Ueberwasser, so that it may be
seen from the cathedral place to the castle.

“The enemy shall be beaten, and shall fly through Kinderhaus so fast
that they leave their cannon on the street. All this shall happen in
the same year in which an illustrious person dies in the castle.

“The conquering prince shall make his entry through the Servatii-Thor,
(a gate).”

Part of this prophecy has been spread over the district of Münster for sixty years; part of it comes from the tailor at Kinderhaus, who also prophesied much to Blucher. He was one of the seers, or, as they are called in that country, “Spoikenkikers.” “Spoikenkikers,” in high German, signifies ghost or spirit; “Spoikenkikers” is our Scotch word “Keeker,”—in high German, “Spoikenkikers.”

The next is an old prophecy concerning Osnabrück.

“Osnabrück shall suffer much for fourteen days, and see a bloody
contest in her streets.

“Even the service of the Greek Church shall be performed in the
churches of Osnabrück.”

This is quite possible, should Russians enter Westphalia. See Jaspers, No. 9.

“A violent contest shall arise between Catholics and Protestants. All
the churches shall be again taken possession of by the Catholics.

“A priest, in the act of carrying the most Holy (the Host) into the
Lutheran Church, shall be killed by a ball at the church door.”

The three preceding prophecies are very remarkable, from the minute details which they contain, and which seem to indicate that the seers described _what they saw_ in visions or in dreams. Of course, most of these visions, referring to events yet future, cannot be at present verified. But the signs given by Anton, to know when the time approaches, have come to pass.

The following traditionary prophecy about Cologne, was found by Magister Heinrich von Judden, pastor of the small church of St Martin, in the convent of the brethren of the Holy Virgin of Carmel, (in Cologne?):—

“O happy Cologne! when thou art well paved, thou shalt perish in thine
own blood. O, Cologne! thou shalt perish like Sodom and Gomorrha; thy
streets shall flow with blood, and thy relics shall be taken away. Woe
to thee, Cologne! because strangers suck thy breasts and the breasts
of thy poor,—of thy poor, who therefore languish in poverty and
misery.”

Old tradition concerning Coblenz:—

“Woe! woe! Where Rhine and Moselle meet, a battle shall be fought
against Turks and Baschkirs, (Russians?) so bloody, that the Rhine
shall be dyed red for twenty-five leagues.”

Traditions of battles in Westphalia:—

“A prodigious number of people shall come from the east towards the
west.

“The whole west and south shall rise against them.

“The armies shall meet in the middle of Westphalia.

“A dreadful battle shall take place on the Strönheide, (a heath,) near
Ahaus.

“At Riesenbeck, a bloody combat shall be fought.

“At Lüdinghausen,” said a seer, “I saw whole hosts of white-clad
soldiers. (Austrians?)

“Ottmarsbocholt will have much to suffer.

“On the Lipperheide (a heath) a bloody battle is fought.

“Also in Rittberg, and the whole country round, a battle shall be
fought.

“But the chief engagement shall be _at the Birch-Tree_.”

Every one, says the author, who takes the trouble, can hear all this from the mouths of the peasantry. In many places, the seers have even described the positions of the troops, and the direction in which the cannon are pointed.

Prophecy of a Capuchin monk in Düsseldorf, of date 1672:—

“After a dreadful war (Napoleon’s wars?) shall there be peace; yet
there shall be no peace, because the contest of the poor against the
rich, and of the rich against the poor, shall break out.

“After this peace shall come a heavy time. The people shall have no
longer truth nor faith.

“When women know not, from pride and luxuriousness, what clothes they
shall wear—sometimes short, sometimes long, sometimes narrow,
sometimes wide; when men also change their dress, and wear everywhere
the beards of the Capuchins,[3] then will God chastise the world. A
dreadful war shall break out in the south (Hungary?) and spread
eastward and northward. The kings shall be killed. Savage hordes shall
overflow Germany, and come to the Rhine. They shall take delight in
murdering and burning, so that mothers, in despair, seeing death
everywhere before their eyes, shall cast themselves and their
sucklings into the water. When the need is greatest, a preserver shall
come from the south. He shall defeat the hordes of the enemy, and make
Germany prosperous. But, in those days, many parts shall be so
depopulated, that it will be necessary to climb a tree to look for
people afar off.”

An old prophecy concerning the battle of the _Birch-Tree_:—

“A time shall come when the world shall be godless. The people will
strive to be independent of king or magistrate, subjects will be
unfaithful to their princes. Neither truth nor faith prevails more. It
will then come to a general insurrection, in which father shall fight
against son, and son against father. In that time, men shall try to
pervert the articles of faith, and shall introduce new books. The
Catholic religion shall be hard pressed, and men will try with cunning
to abolish it. Men shall love play and jest, and pleasure of all
kinds, at that time. But then it shall not be long before a change
occurs. A frightful war shall break out. On one side shall stand
Russia, Sweden, and the whole north; on the other, France, Spain,
Italy, and the whole south, under a powerful prince. This prince shall
come from the south. He wears a white coat, with buttons all the way
down. He has a cross on his breast, rides a gray horse, which he
mounts from his left side, because he is lame of one foot. He will
bring peace. Great is his severity, for he will put down all
dance-music and rich attire. He will hear morning mass in the church
at Bremen. (According to some traditions, he will read mass.) From
Bremen he rides to the Haar, (a height near Werl;) from thence he
looks with his spyglass towards the country of the Birch-Tree, and
observes the enemy. Next, he rides past Holtum, (a village near Werl.)
At Holtum stands a crucifix between two lime-trees; before this, he
kneels and prays with outstretched arms, for some time. Then he leads
his soldiers, clad in white, into the battle, and, after a bloody
contest, he remains victorious.

“The chief slaughter will take place at a brook which runs from west
to east. Woe! woe! to Budberg and Söndern in those days! The
victorious leader shall assemble the people after the battle, and
address to them a speech in the church.”

So runs the above prophecy, according to the concurring testimony of many peasants of that country. It was long ago printed in a small pamphlet, in the convent at Werl. But, at the removal of the convent, all its books were lost or destroyed. The tradition, however, remained among the peasantry, and has even penetrated into France; for when French (troops?) came to Werl, they inquired for the Birch-Tree. In Pomerania also, natives of Westphalia, when quartered there, have been questioned about its position. It stood long between Holtum and Kirch-Hemmerde, villages lying between Unna and Werl. When it withered, a new one was, by royal order, planted on the spot. This proves that the Government knew of the prophecy or tradition, and felt an interest in it. The people believe so firmly in the prophecy, that the peasantry near Werl even opposed the introduction of new hymn-books, under the impression that they were the predicted _new books_. Bremen, Holtum, Budberg, and Söndern are villages near Werl. A crucifix stands at Holtum between two young lime-trees; and a brook there flows from west to east.

Another old prophecy of the battle of the Birch-Tree. This prophecy was printed at Cologne in 1701, in Latin. The title, translated, is as follows:—

“A prophecy concerning the frightful contest between South and North,
and a terrific battle on the borders of the duchy of Westphalia, near
Bodberg, (Budberg.) From a book, entitled, A treatise on the heavenly
regeneration (or restoration,) by an anonymous author, illuminated (or
enlightened,) by visions. With permission of the Officialate at Werl.
Cologne, 1701.”

It was translated and printed in German by the monks of Werl, but, as already stated, their library was destroyed or dispersed.

“After these days shall dawn the sad unhappy time, predicted by our
Lord. Men, in terror on the earth, shall faint for expectation of the
coming events. The father shall be against the son and the brother
against the brother. Truth and faith shall no longer be found. After
the nations, singly, have long warred against each other, after
thrones have crumbled, and kingdoms been overthrown, shall the entire
South take arms against the North. (Auster contra Aquilonem.) Then
country, language, and faith shall not be contended for, but they
shall fight for the rule of the world.”

“They shall meet in the middle of Germany, destroy towns and villages,
after the inhabitants have been compelled to fly to the hills and the
woods. This dreadful contest shall be decided in Lower Germany. There
the armies shall pitch camps, such as the world has not yet seen. This
fearful engagement shall begin _at the Birch-Tree_ near Bodberg. Woe!
woe! poor Fatherland! They shall fight three whole days. Even when
covered with wounds, they shall mangle each other, and wade in blood
to the ankles. The bearded people of the seven stars (?) shall finally
conquer, and their enemies shall fly; they shall turn at the bank of
the river, and again fight with the extremity of despair. But there
shall that power be annihilated, and its strength broken, so that
hardly a few will be left, to tell of this unheard-of defeat. The
inhabitants of the allied places shall mourn, but the Lord shall
comfort them, and they shall say, It is the Lord’s doing.”

The two preceding prophecies, both old, and printed long since, have probably a common origin, whatever that may be. The tradition has probably come to the people from the monks of Werl.

Some predictions or visions, connected with the prophecy of Werl:—

A seer, named Rölink, of Steinen, who has been dead some time, prophesied of three processions in Kirch-Hemmerde.

“The first shall be a funeral procession. The names of several men
shall be hung up on the church.”

This happened when, in the war of 1813–15, some brave men of this district fell in battle.

“The second procession shall go from the old church to the new one.”

This took place when the Catholics of Kirch-Hemmerde built a new church; and the Host was carried from the Simultankirche into the new edifice.

“The third shall be after a dreadful war. Then shall Catholics and
Protestants again go together in procession into the old church, and
have one religion.”

He said further,—

“When two towers are built between Söndern and Werl, then shall a
frightful war soon break out.”

The towers are now there, having been lately built. One is a chimney for the Salt-Works; the other a Bohrthurm, (a tower over the pit whence the salt spring is pumped up.)

Another seer, named Ludolf, saw the whole order of battle of both armies, and pointed out in a corn-field near Kirch-Hemmerde the spot, near the _Birch-Tree_, where he saw in his vision a colonel fall from his horse, struck by a ball. The horse, he said, would run to a sheaf of oats, (therefore late in autumn,) snap at it, and in the same moment fall, also pierced by a shot.

A third seer, Hermann Kappelmann, of Scheidingen, near Werl, prophesied as follows, thirty years ago (1819,) before a whole company.

“The times are yet good, but they shall change much. After many years
a frightful war shall break out. The signs shall be: When in Spring
the cowslips appear early in the hedges, and disturbances prevail
everywhere; in that year the explosion does not take place. But when,
after a short winter, the cowslips bloom very early, and all appears
quiet, let no man believe in peace.

“When great wisps of straw stand on the Bärenwiese, (Bear’s meadow,)
then shall the war break out.”

The Bärenwiese is a large common meadow at Scheidingen. Soon after the French and Polish revolutions of 1830 it was divided, and on that account wisps of straw were set up. The people believed the great war was then at hand. Now there are once more wisps of straw set up, to mark the line of the railway to Cassel, which is in progress.

“When you then hear cannon from the side of Münster, then hasten to
cross the Ruhr, and take bread (a loaf) with you sufficient for three
days. He who only puts his foot in the water shall be safe from harm.
Then you may return, but whether you shall find your posts (or poles)
again, I cannot say. (Probably marks of agricultural subdivisions.)
After a short contest shall follow peace and quiet. The peace shall be
announced at Christmas from all the pulpits.”

Numberless traditions speak of the burning of the town of Unna, round which, and not through it, the armies will march, on account of the conflagration. Others speak of the burning of Dortmund, on the east side. Others, again, describe how the remains of the enemy fly to Erwitte and Salzkotten, and are there totally cut to pieces. All the towns and villages from Paderborn to the Rhine have similar traditions. There is a very old one concerning the Marienheide, (a heath,)—namely, that there the Whites shall drive the Blues before them, and through the Lippe, in which many shall be drowned.

Traditions concerning the years 1846–1850:—

“1846, I would not be a vine.”

“1847, I would not be an apple-tree.”

“1848, I would not be a king.”

“1849, I would not be a hare, a soldier, or a gravedigger.”

“1850, I would not be a priest.”

In 1846, the crop of grapes was too heavy for the vines.

In 1847, the apple-trees broke under the weight of their fruit.

In 1848, as we know, kings were at a discount.

In 1849, the hares suffered from the suspension or abolition of the game laws in Germany; the soldiers had much to suffer; and the gravediggers, in consequence of war and cholera, were overwhelmed with work in many places.

As to the priests in 1850, we heard from several quarters, of an old prophecy that there shall be a fearful massacre of priests, against whom the people shall be much embittered. One seer declares, that such will be the hatred of the peasantry towards the priests, that a peasant, sitting down to dinner with his family, and having just stuck a fork into the fowl, shall, on seeing a priest pass by the house, lay down his fork, rush out, beat out the priest’s brains with his club, and then return to his meal with satisfaction.

Another tradition, of which we heard from several well-informed persons, states that a pope shall come as a fugitive to reside at Cologne, with four cardinals, and there exercise his ecclesiastical functions.

A prophecy, of date 1622, concerning certain months of a year not named.

“The month of May shall earnestly prepare for war. But it is not yet
time. June shall also invite to war, but still it is not time. July
will prove so cruel, that many must part from wife and child. In
August, men shall everywhere hear of war. September and October shall
bring great bloodshed. Wonders shall be seen in November. At this time
the child is twenty-eight years old, (the powerful monarch) whose wet
nurse shall be from the east. He shall do great things.”

Prophecies of the “Powerful Monarch:”—

One prophet says,—“He shall be of an ancient noble house, and descend
from the top of the rocks. His mother shall be a twin. He will be
Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, (the German Empire.) Holzhaüser
says, ‘He shall be born in the bosom of the Catholic Church;’ his name
shall be, ‘The Help of God.’”

See the preceding prophecies, _passim_.

We have now given a sufficient sketch of some of the more curious and definite popular German prophecies. The curate of Dortmund adds a considerable number of others, more vague, mystical, and in some cases theological, which we omit, as not adapted to our present purpose; and others not bearing on Germany, of some interest—especially a long one concerning Italy, by the Franciscan monk, Bartolomeo da Saluzzi—which want of space prevents us from discussing at this time.

Let us now consider the foregoing prophecies in general. We must admit, as it seems to us, that there exist in Germany unfulfilled popular prophecies, the authenticity of which is respectably attested and generally admitted.

We further observe, that, taking the whole of them, as far as known to us, we can trace the following points pervading the entire series, more or less:—

1. A great war after a peace, about this time.

2. It is preceded by political convulsions, and lesser wars.

3. The East and North fight against the South and West.

4. The latter finally prevail, under a powerful prince, who unexpectedly rises up.

5. The great struggle is short, and occurs late in the year.

6. It is decided by the battle of the Birch-Tree, near Werl.

7. After horrible devastations, and murders, and burnings, caused by this war, peace and prosperity return.

8. Priests are massacred and become very rare; but

9. One religion unites all men.

10. All this takes place soon after the introduction of railways into Germany.

11. The present King of Prussia is the last.

12. The “powerful prince” from the South becomes Emperor of Germany.

13. France is, about this time, inwardly divided.

14. The Russians come as enemies to the Rhine, the French enter Germany as friends—without entering into further details.

We see moreover, that, admitting the genuineness of the prophecies, partial fulfilment has in several cases taken place. Here it must be noted, that our curate has chiefly confined himself to the unfulfilled parts, and has avowedly omitted many fulfilled predictions. While we attach considerable importance to the general impression among the people of the truth of these prophecies, which in part depends on their partial fulfilment in past times, our chief object has been to put on record the more remarkable of the unfulfilled predictions, in order that they may be compared with future events.

If we seek to form any idea of the origin of these prophecies, we find that there are three sources, from which the people may have derived the traditions.

1. They may possibly be, in some cases at least, derived from the reflections of sagacious men. Even Napoleon predicted dreadful wars, and that Europe must become either Cossack or Republican. But although some things may thus be explained, we do not see how the minute details, in other cases, can be thus accounted for.

2. Scriptural prophecies may have been applied to modern events, which, indeed, are no doubt foretold in them, in a general way. We cannot avoid observing the tolerably frequent occurrence of Scripture language in the predictions; but this also does not account for all the details.

3. The seers or prophets may have had genuine visions, or dreams, in which they saw what they describe; it has been seen that various prophets use language implying this. And, while the general resemblance of the different visions naturally leads us to suspect that the popular traditions have a common origin; we can at most conclude from this, that the original seer or seers lived long ago, which only increases the difficulty. They were probably, like Brother Herrmann, monks and ascetics, their imaginations exalted by religious fervour: in other words they were nervous and excitable, and predisposed to visions. Supposing their visions known to the people, the feeling of the marvellous, if excited along with religious sentiments, may have led to visions or second sight among the peasantry, and thus visions may have been multiplied and expanded in details.

If we reflect on the many known instances of prophetic dreams, and on the alleged and respectably attested cases of somnambulistic prevision, we shall see reason to hesitate before we deny the possibility of the occurrence, in certain individuals, of prophetic visions. We are far from imagining that, if such have been the case with our German seers, they have enjoyed direct communications from Heaven; on the contrary, were we satisfied of the fact, we should regard it as a phenomenon depending on some obscure physical cause, which may in time be discovered and traced; and which, at all events, exists by Divine permission.

Here we may allude to the remarkable prophecy of Monsieur de Cazotte, who, some years previous to 1787, predicted to a large company of persons of rank, science, and literature, with much detail, the atrocities of the Reign of Terror. He likewise told many of those present, both male and female, that they should perish on the guillotine. To Condorcet he said, that he should die in prison, of the effects of a poison which he should long, with the view of escaping a public execution, have carried about his person—which happened. He also predicted the fate of Louis XVI. and his Queen. This prophecy caused much amazement, and soon became known. Persons are yet alive, both in France and England, who heard it detailed before 1789. We have seen one of them. Now, it might be said, that Cazotte merely exercised a rare sagacity, in judging of the course of events, at a time when all France was enthusiastically looking forward to the blessings of liberty, and while yet no one dreamed of violence or bloodshed. But this would hardly account for the details he gave. On the other hand, he often uttered predictions; and it is very remarkable, although it has been too much overlooked, that those who report his prophecies, including the above one, always state that, when about to predict, he fell into a peculiar state, _as if asleep_—yet not ordinary sleep. It can hardly be doubted that this was a trance, in which he saw visions. That they were fulfilled to the letter is surely, if only a coincidence, a most wonderful one. If, again, it was merely the result of sagacious reflection, how came it that Cazotte alone, of all the able thinkers then in Paris, made these reflections, and was laughed at for his pains?

The laborious, minute, and conscientious researches of the Baron von Reichenbach have proved, beyond a doubt, that we are far from being acquainted with all the physical influences which surround us; and he has even referred to a physical cause—_one_ source of the belief in ghosts—by proving that luminous appearances are visible, to sensitive persons, over recent graves. No one can fail to see the resemblance between the Sensitives of Baron von Reichenbach, who are far from rare, and the Spoikenkiker, or ghost seers, of the curate of Dortmund.