The Predictions of Nostradamus, before the year 1558, foretelling the trial and death of Charles I, the parliamentary and Protectorian government, the burning of London in sixty six, the great plague & Dutch War at the same time, King James departure, King William and Qu. Maries reign, the humiliation of the King of France by the Confederacy, the reformation of that kingdom, and the return of the French Protestants considered in a letter to a friend.

THE PREDICTIONS OF Nostradamus, Before the Year 1558. FORETELLING

• The Trial and Death of CHARLES I.
• The Parliamentary and Pro∣tectorian Government.
• The Burning of London in Sixty Six.
• The Great Plague & Dutch War at the same time.
• King JAMES'S Departure.
• King WILLIAM and Qu. MARIES Reign.
• The Humiliation of the King of France by the present Confederacy.
• The Reformation of that Kingdom.
• And the Return of the French Protestants.

Considered in a Letter to a Friend.

AS for Nostradamus's Predictions, I am satisfied from a thorough-examination of the Principles of Astrology, that it is a very vain thing to build any thing upon that Art: But there are some of his Rhapsodies that are confined to such individuating circumstances, as I would fain hear your thoughts, about them. He has not mentioned England much above 20 times, in his many thousand Verses; and yet here are near half that number of Predictions which have been fulfilled in our Age, to the greatest

exactness, tho they seem uncapable of being fulfilled above once, by the confining Characters of them. I will endeavour to render them more literally from the French, than others have done, that there may be no cavil about the sense of the words.

The Death of Charles I. is determined by these peculiar circum∣stances, never known before in the world; viz. The Death of a King of England by a Court of Justice; and that also by the Parliament; and this also after a time of Civil War in the Netherlands, as that of Holland and Flanders was, which ended at the Peace of Munster, 1647. It is also made to be succeeded by the Parliamentary Government, which no other King of England's Death or Deprivation had after it; and the French Alliance with the Usurpers is also added to it, just as the Royal Family was banished out of France.

Centurie 9. Quatraine 49.

Gand & Brusselles marcheuront contre Anvers, Senat de Londres mettra a mort Ieur Roy; Le Sel & Vin luy seront a l'envers, Pour eux avoir le Regne en desarroy.

Gainst Antwerp, Gant shall Brussels with it bring; The London Senate put to death their King: The Salt and Wine shall then against Him be, For them to have the Realm in Anaroloy.

By the Salt and Wine in the third Verse, is meant France, accord∣ing to the use of that same term in Centur. 5. Quatr. 34. and in Centur. 10. Quatr. 7. And it is known, that the great product of that Kingdom for the King's Revenue, for Commerce with other Countreys, as well as for the chief support of its own Inhabitants, is their Wine and Salt; but is more especially its character in di∣stinction from other Countreys, which it excels only in these two Commodities.

Gant and Brussels stand for the two general divisions of the Seven∣teen Provinces, as it is usual in this Book for Cities to signifie Countreys.

The plainness of the terms in this Prediction, and the particula∣rizing circumstances of it fulfilled to exactness, does strangely tempt one to be confident, that it could be no guess at a venture; and then it does also shew from the first and third Verses of it, that the stile of this Author is both figurative and prophetical, or mysterious.

This would make one very really believe, that the Protectorian Government was also foretold in the following Quatraine.

Centur. 8. Quatr. 76.

Plus Macelin, que Roy en Angleterre. Lieu obscur nay par force aura l'Empire; Lasche sans foy, sans loy seignera terre, Son temps s'approche si pres que je soupire!

In England, King shall under Butcher truckle, A mean man force the Realm to him to buckle; Faithless and lawless he shall bleed the Land: I sigh to think his time's so near at hand!

Here we have an obscure person taking the Government upon him soon after the Butchery of a King of England, and forcing the Nation to own him: and that also against Oaths and Promises, and the Law of the Land; and this also further determined to the times near Nostradamus. These circumstances shew the thing not capable of happening above once in the world. But when we find it also fulfilled in the Age next to Nostradamus, how is it possible not to be confident that these Verses can mean no other thing, but that single event only? And in this there is neither figurative nor mysterious expressions. The fixing this to the same time of the King's Death, with which the Parliamentary Government is joined in the former, does also shew, that the Protectorian Government must be just al∣most at the same time with that of the Parliament, or force (as it is said) the Parliament to acknowledge it.

After this encouragement, who would not verily believe, that the burning of London in Sixty Six was signified in what follows?

Centur. 2. Quatr. 51.

Le sang du juste a Londres fera faute, Bruslez par foudres de vingt trois les six: La Dame Antique cherra de place haute, De mesme secte plusteurs seront occis.

The just man's blood shall guist on London six, By Lightning burnt of twenty threes the six: The Ancient Lady shall fall from high place, And many shall be slain of the same Race.

That which is rendred twenty threes, does in the French signifie twenty three, as well as twenty threes. But the six in the French be∣ing plural, determines it best to Threescore and six; and being used without a Substantive, it does in common use of speech denote only the date of years; as Six, without any thing else joined with it, sig∣nifies in Seventy six, or Eighty six: and such an use of Numbers, with∣out

any thing numbred, is very frequent in the Predictions Admirables of Nostradamus.—The term of Lady in the third Verse must, ac∣cording to the use of Prophecy, signifie either England, or London, which is the same; as Babylon and Samaria are put for those King∣doms, and are called Women, and Ladies, and Queens. And the character of falling from on high, joined here with the burning of Lon∣don, is the same with those of Babylon in Revelat. chap. 18. together with the Antiquity and Greatness of it. So also in Isaiah chap. 47. and elsewhere. This prophetical use of these terms does determine their Application.—And then the slaughter of many of the same Sect, or Race, does well fit the Dutch War to the English loss.—To apply the Lady to the falling of St. Paul's Church, is without example in the kind, and is inconsistent with what is said of the Lady in the next Quatraine.

And that the next Quatraine does belong to the same things, ap∣pears from the mention of all the same things in it which are in the former: as that of just blood to be revenged; The great Lady joined with a City, which by the name of the City-port is the same with Lon∣don in the former; and lastly, because it is the next Stanza to the former, with all the same things in it; as may now here be seen.

Centur. 2. Quatr. 52.

La Grande Peste de Cité Maritime Ne cessera, que mort ne soit vengée Du juste sang par pris damné sans crime, De la Grande Dame par feinte n'outragée.

The City-Ports Great Plague shall not be ended, Until the death of just blood be avenged: Gailtless condemn'd, for gain, upon pretence To the Great Lady he had done violence.

Here the great Plague in Sixty Six is said to be for the same Crime that the Fire and War are said to be for in the former Quatraine: And the King's accusation is here made to be a Charge of Treason against his Countrey, under the name of the Great Lady. This is a very determining circumstance: but how can this signifie the profa∣ning of Paul's Church?

These plain Predictions would make one take notice of Nostrada∣mus's claim to inspiration in his Preface. And these being so very plain, one would expect something in him about so strange a change as the late Revolution was. Consider then the following Quatraine, which foretels the election of a King of England from the

Low-Countreys, upon the loss of a former King; which cannot be conceived to be capable of being above once fulfilled.

Trente de Londres secret conjureront Contre leur Roy. Sur le Pont l'entreprize: Luy Satallites la mort desgouteront. Un Roy eleu blond natif de Frize.

Thirty of London 'gainst their King devise; On him about the Bridge the Enterprize: His Guards for's death do with displeasure mourn Elected King a Dutch-man fair-hair'd born.

The thing being a Prophecy, The Death of a King may be only the loss of State, and Dignity; as it several times signifies in the Revelations. The Bridge shews the King's going away by water; the Thirty of London agree well with the 29 Lords mentioned in the Ga∣zette, Decemb. 11.-88. at Guildhall; the Secret Conspiracy is the term that Nostradamus and all Papists would give to that meeting.

The Queens Succession seems also to be plainly foretold,

Centur. 4. Quatr. 96.

La Soeur aisnée de l'Isle Britannique Quinze ans devant le frere aura naissance, Per son promis moyennant verifique Succedera au Regne de Balance.

The eldest Sister of the British Throne, Fifteen years older than her Mothers Son, On promis'd terms fully unto agreed, Unto the Balance-Kingdom shall succeed.

The determining Characters of this Prediction are, 1. The eldest Daughter of England. 2. Born 15 years before a Brother, that is, the Duke of Cambridge, Anno 77. 3. Her admittance to the Throne upon condition, or a Bill of Rights first declared. 4. Succession as a Sovereign Queen. 5. With the Title of France, as Balance or Libra signifies here, and in Quatraine 42, 61, 70. of Century the fifth. And Orange is also in France; why not then a Kingdom to be hoped for there? That the Salique Law shall be abrogated in France, is this Author's mind in Quatr. 38. Centur. 5.

And the present King of France's Humiliation in Orange by the pre∣sent Consederacy, seems fairly promised from hence.

Predictions Admirables 5.

Celuy qui la Principauté Tiendra par grande cruauté, A la fin verra grande Phalange, Par coup de feu tres dangereux. Par accord pourra faire mieux, Autrement boira suc d'Aurange.

He who the Principality Shall keep with cruel Tyranny, At last shall see a dreadful Troop, Most dangerous for him to give fire, Better b'agreement to retire, Else juice of Orange he shall soop.

Orange in the last Verse fixes the Principality in the first Verse to that only. And never was there such a Tyrant in it, as now; nor ever so dreadful a Troop of Confederates against him.

This is still further confirmed by these following Predictions.

Centr. 6. Quatr. 1.

Autour des Monts Pyrenees grand amas De gent estrange secourir Roy nouveau Pres de Garonne, du grand Temple du Mas Un Romain Chefle craindra dedant l'Eau.

About the Pyrenaean Hills, great Bands T' assist a new-made King from Foreign Lands, Hard by the Garonne, the great Temple near, A Roman Chief Him in the Sea shall fear.

The Garonne in the third Verse determines the signification of About the Pyrenaeans to any part of South-France Eastward. And the Roman Chief must then be the King of France.

With this agrees Quatrain 9. Centur. 3.

Bourdeaux, Roüen, & la Rochelle joints Tiendront autour la grand Mer Oceanes; Angleis, Bretons, & les Flamans conjoints, Les chasseront jusques aupres de Roūannes.

Bourdeaux and Roan and Rochell join'd shall be, To keep the Coasts of the great Ocean Sea: Dutch, English, and French Britains all-united, Shall chase them to Rouannes sore afrighted.

In the following Quatraines we have the Reformation of the King∣dom of France about this time.

Centur. 5. Quatr. 51.

La gent de Dace, d' Angleterre, & Polonne, Et de Boeme feront nouvelle ligue Pour passer outre d' Hercules la Colonna Barcins, Tyrrhens dresser cruelle brigue.

The English, with the Poles, and men of Dace, And the Bohemians, shall agree to pass Hercules Pillars by a new-made league, Spaniards and Tuscans drive on the fierce Intrigue.

Quatr. 52. Ibid.

Un Roy sera, qui donra l'opposite Les Exils elevez dessus le Regne De sang nager la gent cast Hippolyte Et florira long temps sous telle enseigne.

To this a King shall opposition make, The Exiles into the chief places take: In blood, Hippolyt-like, the Chast Tribe lay, And long time shall he flourish in that way.

The Opposition mentioned in the last Quatraine, does necessarily tye it to that before it; and the Confederacy in the first Quatraine had

never any thing like it in the world, but the present Confederacy against the King of France and the Turk: It is a Confederacy from all parts of Europe, East, West, North, and South. And from thence it appears, that by passing Hercules Pillars, must be meant the Latin use of that phrase; that is, To go to the end of the world; which join'd with a great Confederacy, must signifie in Prophecy a very great de∣sign of Conquest. For, that it is not to go to America, appears from the scituation of some of these Countreys. The King mentioned in the second Quatraine, against whom this Confederacy is, must be a Romish King, who has Monks and Friers in his Kingdom, as the Chast Tribe or People must signifie: And then the King must be the King of France: for there is no other Romish Prince excepted out of this Confederacy, but He. Barcins, or Barcelonians, stand for Spani∣ards, as one City is generally used in this Book for the whole People of that Nation. So also may Tuscans stand for Italians. Thus then do we see all here tied to this present juncture. And then the raising the Exiles above all, must signifie the advancement of the exil'd French Protestants to govern that Kingdom; and the Chast Tribe slain, must be the Monks and Friers, for rebelling against the Change: This is well expressed, by likening it to the Case of Hippolytus, who was torn in pieces for refusing to lie with his Mother-in-law; the true Church being but the Mother-in-law to those people, who will be pressed to enter into her Bosom and Embraces, but will judge it to be Spiritual Adultery. This agrees well with the 7000 to be slain up∣on the Ascension of the Witnesses in the 11th chap. Revelations, ver. 13. Upon this Reformation of France, the King is said to flourish a long time in this way; which intimates, that the Conversion shall be lasting.

From a reflection upon the late Revolution, compared with the other changes of the State of England within these hundred years, we may observe the fulfilling of what follows, contrary to all examples of the neighbouring Countreys round about us.

Centur. 3. Quair. 57.

Sept so is verrez changez gens Britanniques Taints en sang en deux cens nonante ans.

In ninety and two hundred years, you'll see, England seven times with blood will changed be.

This Change of England must be either seven Conquests of it by Fo∣reign Nations, or seven Changes of the Governing Power of it with∣in

it self. Seven Conquests of Foreign Nations is unconceivable and un∣parallell'd for that compass of years. It must then be seven Changes of the Governing-Power of England. Nostradamus wrote this in the time of Q. Elizabeth. The first Change then was to Kings; the next was the Parliament after the Death of Charles I. Then Protectors; then Kings again: for the bustles after the Protectors were but a state of Anarchy, and struggles only for the King's return, which began with Sir George Booth. And besides, the whole interval was so small, not above one year, and three Scuffles of unsettled Powers only in that time, that none can account them settled Governments. Where∣fore Kings returned were the fourth Change; and the late change to King and Sovereign Queen is the fifth; and we see it necessary from thence to have one Change more, and very likely two, before this Generation passes away. The Blood mentioned with the Changes, may signifie only the trampling down all opposition against it, or the end of the Plotters against the Government.

Thus you see with how little allowance for Prophecy, or mysteri∣rious expressions, these things are verified. But what to ascribe the Predicting Power to, I leave to your self. Nostradamus pretends to Inspiration, as well as to Astrology; and indeed, as I see many lucky hits from Astrology, without the least grounds from the force of its Principles: why may there not be the hand of some unseen Spirits in it, either for good ends, or to draw in some to a too great trust in unreasonable ways? The famous stories we have of Nickson's, and other ordinary persons Predictions, which can very hardly be doubt∣ed of, do satisfie us, That men need not be very Wise, not be ex∣traordinarily Holy, to foretel things truly, where they have no grounds or reasons for it. However, I hope I have given you some diversion in this, and desire your opinion of all. I am

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