Chapter LI: French

Le sang du juste a _Londres_ fera faute,
Bruslez par feu de vingt & trois les Six,
La Dame antique cherra de place haute,
De mesme secte plusieurs seront occis.

English.

The blood of the just shall be wanting in _London_,
Burnt by fire of three and twenty, the Six,
The antient Dame shall fall from her high place,
Of the same Sect many shall be killed.

ANNOT.

Leaving unto the impartial Reader his liberty to judge of this Prophecy, we for our part understand by it the impious and execrable murder, committed upon the person of our last most gracious Sovereign King _Charles_ I. of blessed memory, to whose expiation it seemeth our Author attributeth the conflagration of _London_. By that proportion _of three and twenty, the Six_, is to be understood the number of Houses and Buildings that were burnt, which is about the proportion of three in four, and cometh near to the computation, as also by that _three twenties and Six_, may be understood the year 66. _By the antient Dame that shall fall from the high place_, is understood the Cathedral Church of St. _Paul_, which in the time of Paganism was dedicated to _Diana_, meant here by the title of an antient Dame, the _fall from her high place_, hath relation both to the sumptuousness and height of her building, as also to her situation, which is in the most eminent place of the City.

By this Verse, _Of the same Sect many shall be killed_, is signified the great number of other Churches even the number of 87 (which he intimateth here by the name of the same Sect), that should be involved in the same woful conflagration.

LII.

French.

Dans plusieurs nuits la Terre tremblera,
Sur le printemps deux efforts feront suitte,
_Corinthe_, _Ephese_ aux deux Mers nagera,
Guerre sesmeut par deux vaillants de Luitte.

English.

During many nights the Earth shall quake,
About the Spring two great Earth-quakes shall follow one another,
_Corinth_, _Ephesus_ shall swim in the two Seas,
War shall be moved by two great Wrestlers.

ANNOT.

_Corinth_ is a City of _Grecia_ and _Ephesus_ one of _Asia_; the rest is plain.

LIII.

French.

Le grande Peste de cité maritime,
Ne cessera que Mort ne soit vengée,
Du juste sang par prix damné sans crime,
De la grande Dame par feinte noutragée.

English.

The great Plague of the Maritime City,
Shall not cease till the death be revenged
Of the just blood by price condemned without crime,
Of the great Dame not fainedly abused.

ANNOT.

This is a confirmation of the LI. Stanza and foretelleth the great Plague we have had here in the year 1665. which he saith shall not cease till the death of the Just blood, meaning King _Charles_ the I. be avenged who was as is here expressed, condemned without crime, and sold for a Price.

By the great Dame unfainedly abused, he meaneth the sumptuous Cathedral of St. _Paul_, which was polluted and made a Stable by those prophane wretches.

LIV.

French.

Par gent estrange & Nation lointaine,
Leur grand Cité, apres eau fort troublée,
Fille sans trop different de domaine,
Prins chef, serreure, navoir esté riblée.

English.

By a strange people and remote Nation,
The great City near the water shall be much troubled,
The Girl without great difference for a portion,
Shall take the Captain, the Lock having not been pickt.

ANNOT.

In the explication of this mystical Stanza, I believe every body may be as wise as I.

LV.

French.

Dans le conflit le grand qui peu valoit,
A son dernier fera cas merveilleux,
Pendant qu’_Adrie_ verra ce qu’il failloit,
Dans le Banquet poignarde l’orgueilleux.

English.

In the fight the great one who was but little worth,
At his last endeavour shall do a wonderful thing.
While _Adria_ shall see what was wanting,
In the Banquet he shall stabb the proud one.

ANNOT.

This is concerning some eminent person, who having shewed no great valour in a Battle, shall nevertheless in a Banquet be so bold as to stab a person of quality, that was proud.

This accident must happen somewhere about _Venice_, because he saith that _Adria_, which is taken for _Venice_ shall look on.

LVI.

French.

Que Peste & Glaive n’a sceu definer,
Mort dans les pluies, sommet du Ciel frappé,
L’Abbé mourra quand verra ruiner,
Ceux du Naufrage, l’Escueil voulant graper.

English.

He whom neither Plague, nor Sword could destroy,
Shall die in the Rain being stricken with Thunder,
The Abbot shall die when he shall see ruined,
Those in the Shipwrack, striving to catch hold of the Rock.

ANNOT.

There is two accidents contained in this Stanza, the first is in the two first Verses, where he saith that some considerable person, who had escaped the Sword, and the Plague shall be strucken by the Thunder, and die in a great showr of Rain.

The second is, in the two last Verses, where he saith, an Abbot shall perish by Shipwrack, thinking to save himself by holding the Rock.

LVII.

French.

Avant conflit le grand tombera,
Le grand a mort trop subite & plainte,
Nay miparfait, la plus part nagera,
Aupres du Fleuve, de sang la Terre teinte.

English.

Before the Battle the great one shall fall,
The great one to death too sudden and bewailed;
One shall be born half perfect, the most part shall swim,
Near the River the Earth shall be dyed with blood.

ANNOT.

The words are plain enough, but of the sense every one may think what he pleaseth.

LVIII.

French.

Sans pied ne main, dent aigue, & forte.
Par Globe au fort de Port & laisne nay,
Pres du portail, desloial le transporte,
_Seline_ luit, petit grand emmené.

English.

Without foot or hand, sharp and strong tooth,
By a Globe, in the middle of the Port, and the first born,
Near the Gate shall be transported by a Traitor,
_Seline_ shineth, the little great one carried away.

ANNOT.

The sense of the whole is this, that an Infant begot by some person of quality shall be exposed in the night time, the Moon Shining, which he calleth _Seline_, from the Greek word σεληνη, which signifieth the Moon.

LIX.

French.

Classe _Gauloise_ par appuy de grand Garde,
Du grand _Neptune_ & ses tridens Soldats,
Ronger _Provence_ pour soustenir grand bande,
Plus _Mars_, _Narbon_, par Javelots & Dards.

English.

The _French_ Fleet by the help of the great Guard,
Of great _Neptune_ and his Tridentary Soldiers
Shall gnaw _Provence_ by keeping great company,
Besides, _Mars_ shall plague _Narbon_ by Javelins and Darts.

ANNOT.

Here be two things designed in this Stanza one is concerning _Provence_, which shall be eaten up by Soldiers, and the other concerning the City of _Narbon_, which shall be Besieged, or the Citizens fall out among themselves.

LX.

French.

La foy Punique en Orient rompue,
Grand _Jud._ & _Rhosne_, _Loire_ & _Tag_ changeront,
Quand du Mulet la faim sera repeue,
Classe espargie, Sang & Corps nageront.

English.

The punick faith broken in the East,
Great _Jud._ and _Rhosne_, _Loire_ and _Tag._ shall be changed,
When the Mules hunger shall be satisfied,
The Fleet scattered, Blood and Bodies shall swim.

ANNOT.

The Punick Faith in Latine _Punica fides_, a false Faith, was so called from the _Carthaginians_, called in Latine _Pæni_, which was an unfaithful Nation.

I do not know what he meaneth by great _Jud._ as for _Rhosne_, _Loire_ and _Tag_, they are three Rivers, the two first in _France_, the last is the River of _Lisbone_ called in Latine _Tagus_. The rest is easie.

LXI.

French.

_Agen_, _Tonneins_, _Gironde_ & la _Rochelle_,
O sang _Troien_ mort au Port de la fleche,
Derrier le Fleuve au Fort mise leschelle,
Pointes, feu, grand meurtre sur la bresche.

English.

_Agen_, _Tonneins_, _Gironde_ and _Rochelle_,
O _Trojan_ blood death is at the harbour of the Arrow,
Beyond the River the Ladder shall be raised against the Fort,
Points, fire, great murder upon the breach.

ANNOT.

_Agen_ and _Tonneins_ are two Towns in _Gascony_, _Gironde_ is a River that passeth in that Countrey, the sense therefore of the whole is, that there shall be great Wars, and fightings in those Towns, as also upon that River, which happened in the time of the civil Wars in _France_, as every body may read in the _Annals_, and also in the Commentaries of the Lord of _Monluck_.

LXII.

French.

_Mabus_ puis tost alors mourra, viendra,
Des gens & bestes un horrible desfaite,
Puis tout a coup la vengeance on verra,
Sang, Main, Soif, Faim, quand courra la Comete.

English.

_Mabus_ shall come, and soon after shall die,
Of people and beasts shall be an horrible destruction,
Then on a sudden the vengeance shall be seen,
Blood, Hand, Thirst, Famine, when the Comet shall run.

ANNOT.

Here is nothing hard but who should be this _Mabus_, at last I found by transposition of Letters that he meaneth _Ambus_, which was the name of the Heades man that beheaded the Duke of _Montmorency_ at _Thoulouse_, how miraculous therefore appeareth our Author, who did not only foretell general things, but also particular accidents, even the names of the persons that were to be born a hundred years after.

LXIII.

French.

_Gaulois_, _Ausone_ bien peu subiuguera,
_Pau_, _Marne_ & _Seine_ fera _Perme l’Vrie_,
Qui le grand Mur contre eux dressera,
Du moindre au Mur le grand perdra la vie.

English.

The _French_ shall a little subdue _Ausonne_,
_Pau_, _Marne_, and _Seine_ shall make _Perme l’Urie_,
Which shall raise a great Wall against them,
From the less to the Wall the great one shall loose his life.

ANNOT.

_Ausonne_ is always taken by the Author for the City of _Bordeaux_, because _Ausonius_ a famous Latine Poet was born there, the rest is so obscure, and the text so corrupted, that I had rather leave it to the liberty of the Reader, then to become ridiculous, by not acknowledging my ignorance.

LXIV.

French.

Seicher de faim, de soif, gent _Genevoise_,
Espoir prochain viendra au defaillir,
Sur point tremblant sera Loy _Gebenoise_,
Classe au grand Port ne se peut accueillir.

English.

Those of _Geneva_ shall be dried up with hunger and thirst,
A near hope shall come when they shall be fainting,
The _Gebenna_ Law shall be upon a quaking point,
The Navy shall not be capable to come into the Port.

ANNOT.

Here you must observe that _Gebenna_ in Latine signifieth _Geneva_, and therefore this whole Stanza is concerning the City of _Geneva_.

LXV.

French.

Le park enclin grande calamité,
Par l’_Hesperie_ & _Insubre_ sera,
Le Feu en Nef, Peste, & Captivité,
_Mercure_ en l’_Ar_, _Saturn_ fenera.

English.

The Park enclineth to great calamity,
Which shall be through _Hesperia_ and _Insubria_,
The Fire in the Ship, Plague, and Captivity,
_Mercury_ in _Aries_, _Saturn_ shall wither.

ANNOT.

Though the words be plain, nevertheless the sense is very obscure, and chiefly as I suppose by the faults of the impression, all what I can tell you here, is, that _Hesperia_ in Latine, is _Spain_, and _Insubria_, is _Savoy_.

LXVI.

French.

Par grand dangers le Captif eschapé,
Peu de temps grand a fortune changée,
Dans le Palais le peuple est attrapé,
Par bonne augure la Cité assiegée.

English.

The Prisoner escaped through great danger,
A little while after shall become great, his fortune being changed,
In the Palace the people shall be caught,
And by a good Sign the City shall be besieged.

ANNOT.

All this is plain, both in the words and the Sense.

LXVII.

French.

Le blond au nez forche viendra commettre,
Par le Duel & chassera dehors,
Les exiles dedans fera remettre,
Aux lieux marins commettans les plus forts.

English.

The fair one shall fight with the forked Nose,
In Duel, and expel him out,
He shall re-establish the banished,
Putting the stronger of them in Maritine places.

ANNOT.

Both the Sense and the words are plain.

LXVIII.

French.

De l’Aquilon les efforts seront grands,
Sur l’Occean sera la Porte ouverte,
Le Regne en l’Isle sera re-integrand,
Tremblera _Londres_ par voiles descouvertes.

English.

The endevours of the North shall be great,
Upon the Ocean the gate shall be open,
The Kingdom in the Island shall be re-established,
_London_ shall quake, for fear of Sails discovered.

ANNOT.

This is a very remarkable one, which hath been fulfilled since the happy restauration of his sacred Majesty King _Charles_ II. now Reigning: For the endevours of the North, (_viz._ the _Dutch_) have been very great. The _ocean_; like a _gate_, hath been open to all kind of Armies, to play their pranks upon. His Majesty, and Kingdom, have been happily restored.

LXIX.

French.

Le Roy _Gaulois_ par la Celtique dextre,
Voiant discorde de la grand Monarchie,
Sur les trois parts fera fleurir son Sceptre,
Contre la Cappe de la grand Hierarchie.

English.

The _French_ King, by the Low-Countreys right hand,
Seeing the discord of the great Monarchy,
Upon three parts of it, will make his Scepter to flourish,
Against the Cap of the great Hierarchy.

ANNOT.

This signifieth, that the _French_ King, through the discord that is in the _Spanish_ Monarchy, shall cause his _Scepter to flourish_ upon three parts of the _Netherlands_; notwithstanding the assistance of the King of _Spain_, who is called here _the Cap of the great Hierarchy_; that is, the great defender of the Popedom and Popery.

LXX.

French.

Le Dard du Ciel fera son estendue,
Morts en parlant, grande execution,
La pierre en larbre la fiere gent rendue,
Brait Humain, Monstre purge expiation.

English.

The Dart of Heaven shall make his circuit,
Some die speaking, a great execution,
The stone in the tree, the fierce people humbled,
Humane noise, a Monster purged by expiation.

ANNOT.

All this Stanza signifieth nothing but a fearful Thunder and Lightning, called here, _the Dart of Heaven_, that shall do a great deal of mischief; for as he saith, _some shall die speaking_, there shall be _a great execution_, the _Thunderbolt_ shall stick in the _Tree_, _the people that was fierce, shall be humbled, and a Monster purged by expiation_, that some notorious wicked person shall be consumed by that Cœlestial fire.

LXXI.

French.

Les exiles en _Sicile_ viendront,
Pour delivrer de faim la gent estrange,
Au point du jour les _Celtes_ luy faudront,
La vie demeure a raison Roy se range.

English.

The banished persons shall come into _Sicily_,
To free the forrain Nation from hunger,
In the dawning of the day the _Celtes_ shall fail them,
Their Life shall be preserved, the King shall submit to reason.

ANNOT.

It is hard to judge what he meaneth by that _Forreign Nation_, which shall be relieved in _Sicily_, by the banished, nor what _King_ is that which _shall submit to reason_; let it be left to every body’s private judgement.

LXXII.

French.

Armée _Celtique_ en _Italie_ vexée,
De toutes partes conflit & grande perte,
_Romains_ fuis O _Gaule_ repoulsée,
Pres du _Thesin_, _Rubicon_ pugne incerte.

English.

The _French_ Army shall be vexed in _Italy_,
On all sides fighting, and great loss,
The _Romans_ run away, and thou _France_ repulsed,
Near the _Thesin_, by _Rubicon_ the fight shall be doubtful.

ANNOT.

A _French_ Army shall be distressed, if not destroyed in _Italy_. The _Romans_, that is, those under the Pope, that shall take their part, shall be put to flight, and this battle shall be fought by the River _Thesin_. Another shall be fought by the River _Rubicon_, whose event shall be doubtful, that is to say, it shall hardly be known who got the victory.

LXXIII.

French.

Au Lac _Fucin_ de _Benacle_ Rivage,
Pres du _Leman_ au port de _Lorguion_,
Nay de trois Bras prædit Bellique Image,
Par trois courones au grand _Endymion_.

English.

At the _Fucin_ Lake of the _Benacle_ Shore,
Near the _Leman_, at the Port of _Lorguion_,
Born with three Arms, a Warlike Image,
By three Crowns to the great _Endimion_.

ANNOT.

There is a Lake in _Italy_ called _Lacus Fucinius_; the Lake of _Geneva_ is called _Lacus Lemanus_; the meaning then of this obscure Stanza, is, (if I understand any thing) that a Monster shall be _born with three Arms_, near one of those Lakes, which shall be a sign of great Wars: what he meaneth by the _three Crowns to the great Endymion_, is unknown to me.

LXXIV.

French.

De _Sens_, d’_Autun_ viendront jusques au _Rhosne_,
Pour passer outre vers les Monts _Pyrenée_,
La gent sortir de la Marque d’_Ancone_,
Par Terre & Mer Suivra a grand trainées.

English.

They shall come from _Sens_ and _Autun_, as far as the _Rhosne_,
To go further to the _Pyrenean_ Mountains,
The Nation come from the Mark of _Ancona_,
By Land and Sea shall follow speedily after.

ANNOT.

_Sens_ and _Autun_ are two Cities in _France_, the _Pyrenean_ Mountains, are those which divide _France_ from _Spain_.

LXXV.

French.

La voix ouie de l’Insolit oiseau,
Sur le Canon du respiral estage,
Si haut viendra du froment le boisseau,
Que l’homme d’homme sera _Antropophage_.

English.

The noise of the unwonted Bird having been heard,
Upon the Canon of the highest story,
The Bushel of Wheat shall rise so high,
That man of man shall be _Antropophage_.

ANNOT.

This is a prediction of a mighty Famine, wherein men shall eat up one another, when an _unwonted Bird_ shall be seen and heard to cry, being perched upon one of the biggest pieces of _Ordinance_.

_Antropophage_ is a Greek word, signifying a _Man-eater_, from ἄνθροπος, _homo_, and φαγος, _comedens_, of which sort of men there be too many already.

LXXVI.

French.

Foudre en _Bourgongne_ avec cas portenteux,
Que par engin oncques ne pourroit faire,
De leur Senat _Sacriste_ fait boiteux,
Fera Scavoir aux ennemis l’affaire.

English.

Lightning in _Burgundy_, with marvellous accidents,
Which could never have been done by art,
Of their Senate _Sacriste_ being lamed,
Shall make known the business to the enemies.

ANNOT.

The _Senate_ or Parliament of _Burgundy_, sits at _Dijon_, among them there is always a Church-man, that is one of the Judges, to see that nothing be done to the prejudice of the Church. I suspect that it is he, that is called here _Sacriste_, and who shall reveal the business to the _Enemies_. The two first Verses need no explication.

LXXVII.

French.

Par Arcs, Fœux, Poix, & par feux repoussez,
Cris hurlemens sur la minuit ouys,
Dedans sont mis par les rempars cassez,
Par Canicules les Traditeurs fuis.

English.

Being repulsed with Bows, Fires, and Pitch,
Cries and howlings shall be heard about midnight,
They shall get in through the broken Walls,
The betrayers shall run away through the Conduits.

ANNOT.

It is a Town Besieged, where after a repulse given to the Besiegers, they shall get in by the Treason of some within, who shall run away through the Conduits or Channels of the Town.