Chapter XI: French

L’Enfant Roial contemnera la Mere,
Oeil, pieds blessez, rude inobeissant,
Nouvelle a Dame estrange & bien amere,
Seront tuez des siens plus de cinq cens.

English.

The Royal Child shall despise his Mother,
Eye, feet wounded, rude disobedient,
News to a Lady very strange and bitter,
There shall be killed of hers above five hundred.

ANNOT.

This was fulfilled about the year 1615. when _Lewis_ XIII. King of _France_, being then about 15 years of age, by the perswasion of some Grandees about him, made War against his own Mother _Mary_ of _Medicis_, then Regent of the Kingdom, whereupon was fought between them the Battle _du pont de say_, where above five hundred on the Queens side were slain, whereupon it was a good Jest of the Prince of _Guimena_, who being required by the Queen _Anna_ of _Austria_, to lay his hand upon her side; and to feel her Child (now _Lewis_ XIV.) stirring, after he had felt; now I know, said he, he is a true Son of _Bourbon_; for he beginneth to kick his Mother.

XII.

French.

Le grand puisnay fera fin de la guerre,
En deux lieux assemble les excusez,
_Cahors_, _Moissac_, iront loing de la serre,
_Rufec_, _Lectoure_, les _Agenois_ rasez.

English.

The great younger Brother shall make an end of the War,
In two places he shall gather the excused,
_Cahors_, _Moissac_, shall go out of his clutches,
_Ruffec_, _Lectoure_, and those of _Agen_ shall be cut off.

ANNOT.

_Cahors_, _Moissac_, _Ruffec_, _Lectoure_, _Agen_, are all Cities of the Province of _Guyenne_ in _France_.

XIII.

French.

De la Cité Marine & tributaire,
La teste rase prendra la Satrapie,
Chasser sordide qui puis sera contraire,
Par quatorze and tiendra la Tyrannie.

English.

Of the City Maritine and tributary,
The shaven head shall take the Government,
He shall turn out a base man who shall be against him,
During fourteen years he will keep the tyranny.

ANNOT.

This is positive concerning the Cardinal of _Richelieu_, who made himself Governor of _Havre de Grace_, called here the Maritine City, and there kept his Treasure, and tyrannised for the space of about fourteen years.

XIV.

French.

Faux exposer viendra Topographie,
Seront les Urnes des Monuments ouvertes,
Pulluler Sectes, sainte Philosophie,
Pour blanches noires, & pour antiques vertes.

English.

They shall expound Topography falsly,
The Urnes of the Monuments shall be open,
Sects shall multiply, and holy Philosophy
Shall give black for white, and green for old.

ANNOT.

This is a perfect description of our late miserable estate in _England_, when there was such multiplicity of Sects, and such a Prophanation of sacred things.

XV.

French.

Devant Cité de l’_Insubre_ Countrée,
Sept ans sera le Siege devant mis,
Le tres-grand Roy fera son entrée,
Cité puis libre hors de ses ennemis.

English.

Before a City of _Piemont_,
Seven years the Siege shall be laid,
The most great King shall make his entry into it,
Then the City shall be free being out of the enemies hand.

ANNOT.

This needeth no interpretation.

XVI.

French.

Entrée profonde par la grande Roine faite,
Rendra le lieu puissant inaccessible,
L’Armée de trois Lions sera défaite,
Faisant dedans cas hideux & terrible.

English.

The deep entry made by the Queen,
Shall make the place powerful and inaccessible,
The Army of the three Lions shall be routed,
Doing within an hideous and terrible thing.

ANNOT.

A Queen shall cause such a deep Trench to be made before a Town, that it shall be impregnable, and the Army of Lions, that is either Generals, or of a Prince that shall bear three Lions in his Arms, shall be routed.

XVII.

French.

Le Prince rare en pitié & clemence,
Apres avoir la paix aux siens baillé,
Viendra changer par mort grand cognoissance,
Apres grand repos le regne travaillé.

English.

The Prince rare in pity and Clemency,
After he shall have given peace to his Subjects,
Shall by death change his great knowledge,
After great rest the Kingdom shall be troubled.

ANNOT.

This positively concerneth _Henry_ the IV. King of _France_; who after he had by many Battles and dangers given peace to his Kingdom, was by a Murderer snatched away, and the Kingdom put into new troubles, by the war that the Princes had among themselves.

XVIII.

French.

Les Assiegez couloureront leurs paches,
Sept jours apres feront cruelle issüe,
Dans repoulsez, feu, sang, sept mis a l’hache,
Dame captive qu’avoit la paix issüe.

English.

The Besieged shall dawb their Articles,
Seven days after they shall make a cruel event,
They shall be beaten back, fire, blood, seven put to death,
The Lady shall be Prisoner who endeavoured to make peace.

ANNOT.

This needeth no interpretation.

XIX.

French.

Le Fort _Nicene_ ne sera combatu,
Vaincu sera par rutilant metal,
Son fait sera un long temps debatu,
Aux Citadins estrange espouvental.

English.

The Fort _Nicene_ shall not be fought against,
By shining metal it shall be overcome,
The doing of it shall be long and debating,
It shall be a strange fearful thing to the Citizens.

ANNOT.

_Nice_ is a Town in _Piemont_, situated by the Sea side, now whether this Prophecy came to pass in the time of the Wars between _France_ and _Savoy_, or shall come to pass hereafter, it is more then I can tell. As for winning of it by glistering Metal, it is no new thing or practice, witness _Philippus_ of _Macedon_, who said no City was impregnable, wherein might enter an Ass loaded with gold.

XX.

French.

Ambassadeurs de la _Toscane_ langue,
_Avril_ & _May_ _Alpes_ & Mer passer,
Celuy de Veau exposera l’harangue,
Vie _Gauloise_ en voulant effacer.

English.

The Embassadors of the _Tuscan_ tongue,
In _April_ and _May_, shall go over the _Alpes_ and the Sea,
One like a Calf shall make a speech:
Attempting to defame the _French_ customes.

ANNOT.

The sense and the words are plain.

XXI.

French.

Par pestilente inimitie _Volsicque_,
Dissimulée chassera le Tyran,
Au Pont de _Sorgues_ se fera la trafique,
De mettre a mort luy & son adherent.

English.

By a pestilent _Italian_ enmity,
The dissembler shall expel the Tyrant,
The bargain shall be made at _Sorgues_ Bridge,
To put him and his adherent to death.

ANNOT.

There is no difficulty in this.

XXII.

French.

Les Citoiens de _Mesopotamie_,
Irez encontre amis de _Tarragone_,
Jeux, Ris, Banquets toute gent endormie,
Vicaire au Prone, pris Cité, ceux d’_Ausone_.

English.

The Citizens of _Mesopotamia_,
Being angry with the friends of _Tarragone_,
Playes, laughter, feasts, every body being asleep,
The Vicar being in the Pulpit, City taken by those of _Ausone_.

ANNOT.

By the Citizens of _Mesopotamia_, is understood a people that live between two Rivers, from the Greek words μέσος and ποταμὸς, the rest is easie. We have said before, that by _Ausone_ the Author understands the City of _Bourdeaux_, which he called _Ausone_, from the Poet and Consul of _Rome_ _Ausonius_ who was born there.

XXIII.

French.

Le Roial Sceptre sera contraint de prendre,
Ce que ses Predecesseurs voient engagé,
Puis a Laigneau on fera mal entendre,
Lors qu’on viendra le Palais saccager.

English.

The Royal Scepter shall be constrained to take
What his Predecessors had morgaged;
After that, they shall mis-inform the Lamb,
When they shall come to plunder the Palace.

ANNOT.

This is obvious to every body’s capacity.

XXIV.

French.

L’Ensevely sortira du tombeau,
Fera de chaisnes lier le fort du pont,
Empoisoné avec œufs de Barbeau,
Grand de _Lorrain_ par le Marquis du pont.

English.

The buried shall come out of his Grave,
He shall cause the fort of the Bridge to be tied with Chains,
Poisoned with Barbels hard Row,
Shall a great one of _Lorrain_ be by the Marques du pont.

ANNOT.

This Prophecie is divided in two parts. The first two Verses talk of a man that shall be taken out of his Grave alive. The two last speak, that a great man of _Lorrain_ shall be poisoned by the Marques _de pont_, in the Row of a Barbel, which according to Physitians, is a dangerous meat of it self, and chiefly if it be Stewed, the Poisoner himself seemeth to be no other than a Duke of _Lorrain_, or one of his Sons, for he stileth himself _N._ Duke of _Lorrain_, Prince of _Bar_, and Marques _du Pont_.

XXV.

French.

Par guerre longue tout l’exercite espuiser,
Que pour Soldats ne trouveront pecune,
Lieu d’Or, d’Argent cair on viendra cuser,
_Gaulois_ Ærain, signe croissant de Lune.

English.

By a long War, all the Army drained dry,
So that to raise Souldiers they shall find no Money,
Instead of Gold and Silver, they shall stamp Leather,
The _French_ Copper, the mark of the stamp the new Moon.

ANNOT.

This maketh me remember the miserable condition of many Kingdoms, before the _west-Indies_ were discovered; for in _Spain_ Lead was stamped for Money, and so in _France_ in the time of King _Dagobert_, and it seemeth by this Stanza, that the like is to come again, by reason of a long and tedious War.