A pronostycacyon practysed by master Mathias Brothyel of Rauensburgh. Anno. 1545

The prologue.

¶ The practyse of master Mathias bro∣theyl of Rauensburgh, vpon the yeare of the incar∣nacyon of our Lorde Iesu Chryst. M. CCCCC. xlv. Wrytten for the pleasure of the moost noble prynce and lorde, lorde Frederyke coū∣tye Palatine vpon Rhene, duke in Bauary. &c.

I Doubte not most noble and benigne lorde, but that your highnes kno∣weth the texte of Moses in hys fyrst booke enty∣tled Genesis, wherin he sheweth and declareth that God almyghty created all thynges of nought, & of none other thyng but on∣ly by hys deuyne worde & breath of hys mouth, made all thys whole vnspeake∣able worke of heauen, earth, the sea and al that in thē is conteyned, aswel visyble as inuisyble: & that he doth yet styl with out ceassing or intermission worke what soeuer is done amōge al his cretures by the same his deuyne power. For in such

wyse hath god (as ye wolde say) inward¦ly powred him self into al his creatures that al men (onelesse they be clene desty∣tute of syght, or voyde of al reason) may se that God is contynually with vs, and that he gouerneth and susteyneth all his creatures by certayne meanes, and she∣weth his diuine goodnes emonge al his creatures by the heauenly influences. And thys poincte also the moost wyttye and lerned men, I meane naturall Phy∣losophers, haue after a sorte wel percey∣ued, and through their awne reason and cleare wyt haue so ferre atteigned, that they haue agreed in thys, that there is one only God, & that al creatures are by one certaine excellent diuine sapience ru∣led, vpholden and susteyned. And these Phylosophers also haue come so nyghe to the verite, & to the knowledge of God in their hygh contemplacions, that they haue determyned and auouched al thys

whole, wonderfull, fayre and ineffable workemanshyp of God, as namely the heauens, the sonne, the moone with all other sterres and creatures, to haue ben created and made by the hyghest artify∣cer & chefe fourmer of al thynges. which God moost entyrely loueth mākynde & fauoureth the same, because he hath en∣graued & enplāted in the hartes of men his diuine wyl & pleasure by the light of nature & the enducyng of the lawe of na∣ture, & hath made mankynde an image like vnto him self, & his sprite immortal incomprehensyble, & quycke or swyft of knowlege, much apt to cōtemplacion, & euermore hauing minde to his oryginal that is to God and to thynges ghostly, prone, diligent, fayne, & much desyrous. ¶ He hath furthermoe so sensybly & vy∣sybly clothed & couered the soule, with fleshe, bloud & other materiall substaūce taken of the earth, and made it sēs••••le &

perceyuable to the sence of touchynge, that it loueth earthly, trāsytory, tempo∣ral or mundayne thinges. Plato auou∣cheth man to be the soule onely, whiche soule hath the body but as a certayne ta¦bernacle and instrument. And whā it is infused into the body, it is as ye woulde say obscured or darkened & (as it were) enbraked or enprisoned in a derke dun∣gion, so that it forgetteth all heauenly thynges, & maketh searche to inquire of thinges vnnecessarie, as what God doth in heauen, & what thynges men dooe a∣monge them selues: & not what thinges God worketh emōg vs in the worlde by his creatures, as namely of the skye, the sunne, the moone, & the other planettes and of the whole fyrmament, where the heauēs selfes neuertheles shewe fourth hys ryghteousnes, as wytnesseth the Psalmest, in suche wyse that al thynges cha••ces to come emonge vs in earth, do

folowe & ensue by the course & influence of the sky, & by the reuolucion of planet∣tes & of the stars fyxed. All which thin∣ges although thei be vnto your excellē∣cy manifest & by your owne experiēce suf¦ficiently knowen, yet ye may somewhat more clearely vnderstande & perceiue as wel by this pronosticaciō of mine, as al∣so by the practises of other mē that haue wryttē in this kind: that the Eclypses of the two great lightes, & of the other syg∣nes in heauē, without doubte do induce & sygnifye great perels, of the worlde, & dissensyons emonge those persons that haue the power of the world, & be rulers & gouerners in the same: which thing is of me in the chapters here ensuinge in this lytle worke of my practyse in many places shewed & declared. ¶ And foras∣much also as I know most noble prince your highnes by reson of your noble ver¦tues mete to be in a prīce: & furthermore

by reason of a singuler prudence geuē to you of God, that ye haue a specyal incly∣nacion, & a singuler affeccion towardes experyence, and towardes all artes. I haue thought it best in presētynge myne obeisaūce & seruice, to dedicate thys my Pronosticacion vnto your hyghnes, hū∣bly besechyng that the same wyll accept and take in good part this my lytell la∣bour. If at any time I can do plesure vn to your hyghnes in greater thynges, I acknowledge my whole studye, dyligēce and trauayle boūde thervnto, yea and promise my self also to be both prompt & ready from tyme to tyme. In the meane whyle, besechyng that God almyghtye wyll longe, kepe and gouerne your high¦nes prosperously in reast and peace, and lucky state of al thynges.

¶ Geuen at Monace in the yeare. M. CCCCC. xliiiii. on the day of the Natiuite of saynt Iohn Baptyst.