Forraign and domestick prophesies

Now followeth a Prophesie of St Hildegard a devout and religious Abbatesse, uttered about the year of Christ 1146, 60 years before the begging Fryars were born; clearly fore-telling their manifold abuses, yea, so l vely as if shee had lived in their daies.

You shall have it verbatim out of the Commentary of learned Brightman on Dan. 9. fol. 101.

The preamble of learned Brightman, I have a good minde (saith he) to adde to all that hath been said, in stead of a conclu∣sion, the Prophesie of Hildegard the Abbatesse; both because I have often made mention of it, as also because I think it is not easily come by, and it doth serve to give much light to the matter in hand. That worthy man John Fox, and Gountrey∣man of blessed memory, hath set this same down in his book of the Acts and Monuments of the Church.

The Prophesie.

In those daies there shall rise up a sort of blockish fellowes, proud, covetous, perfidious, and crafty, that shall eat up the sins of the common people, carrying a certain shew of foolish su∣perstion, under a feigned coverture of beggery; preferring themselves before all other men, by reason of a counterfeit reli∣gion.

Men of an arrogant disposition and feigned holiness, void of all shame, or fear of God, in inventing many new mischiefs,

strong and stout; but all prudent men and faithfull Christians shall curse this pestilent order. Men who will shun labour, and give themselves holy to idlenesse, rather choosing to get their li∣ving by flattery and beggery, and that will bend themselvs with all their might every way they can, perversly to resist the teach∣ers of the truth, and hinder them; and for this end they will fl••t∣ter Noblemen, that may assist them in this purpose. They shall also deceive the Nobles, and draw them into error, that they may furnish them with all necessaries, yea with all the delights and pleasures of this world; for the devil shall engraft these four principal vices into their mindes, Flattery, Envy, Hypocri∣sie and Slander; flattery, where with to purchase great matters to themselvs; envy; when they shall see benefits bestowed upon others besides themselves; hypocrisie, whereby they shall seek to please men by means of a counterfeit dissembling; slander, whereby they shall extoll and set out themselves with praises, by derogating from others, that they alone might be renowned among men, specially the simpler sort that are deceived by them.

They shall preach indeed diligently, but without all sense of piety, and not after the manner of the holy Martyrs of old; they shall derogate from the secular Princes, they shall take a∣way the Sacraments from the true Pastors, and shall take almes of those that are very sick and miserable, insinuating and by little and little winding themselves into the hearts of the common people.

They shall have familiarity with women, teaching them how to deceive their husbands and friends with sugered and dissem∣bling words; how to rob them of their goods, and then to give the same, being thus purloyned, unto these their teachers; for they shall lay hold on whatsoever men get, or howsoever it be gotten, by stealth, robbery, or by any legerdemain; and will say to them, Give it unto us, and we will pray for you; so that labouring to cover other mens sins, they shall quite forget their own.

And (alas!) they shall receive any thing from rogues, filchers, theeves, robbers that steal by the high-way side, sacrilegious per∣sons,

userers, adulterers, hereticks, schismatick, apestats, wheres and bawds of Noblemen, perjured-merchants, corrupt Judges, souldiers, Tyrants, or from any that live contrary to Gods law.

Perverse and wicked men they shall be, embracing the per∣swasion of the devil, the sweetnesse of sin, a soft a••d delicate life; and a certain fulnesse and abundance of all worldly things, though it be to their own eternal damnation: and all these things shall manifestly appear to be in them, and they shall every day wax•• more wicked, and that with mindes more and more obdurate.

But, when as once their crafty conveyances shall be found out & all their other wickedness, then shal their large gif••s cease, and they shall go from house like hunger-bitten and m••d dogs, looking down upon the earth, and drawing in their necks like doves, and all to get their fill of bread.

Then shall the people pursue them with this out-cry, Wo be unto you miserable wretches, that are ordeined to sorrow; the the world hath deceived you, the devil hath guided you with his reines hitherto, your flesh is frail, your heart is altogether without wit, graces or wisedom, your mindes are unstable and wavering, and your eies are blinded with much vanity and fol∣ly, your idle bellies have lusted after delicate d••shes of meat, and your feet have been swift to wickednesse.

Remember the time when you were in fight happy, yet pri∣vily envious; p••or abroad, but rich at home; courteous in shew, but great flatterers indeed; unfaithfull, treacherous, per∣verse, back-biters, holy hypocrites, supplanters of the trueth, immoderately just, proud, unchaste, unconstant teachers, deli∣cate martyrs, gain-thirsty confessors; gentle, but yet slander∣ers; religious, but yet covetous; humble, but yet proud; mercifull, but yet impudent lyars; pleasant fla terers, peace-ma∣king persecutors, oppressors of the poor, bringers in of men-sects devised by your selves; min that were counted mercifull, but are found out to be wicked wretches, lovers of the world, conjurers, drunkards, ambitious, patrones of wicked facts, the polers and pillers of the whole world; unsatiable preachers, that

seek to please men, and to deceive women; sowers of discord, of whom that famous Prophet Moses spake wisely in his Song, A people without counsel and understanding; would to God they had knowledg and understanding, and could have fore-seen their latter end.

Yee have built your nests on high indeed; and when yee could rise up no higher, ye fell down like as did Simon Magus, whom God destroyed and smote with a mighty plague; so shall you be thrown down upon the earth out of the clouds, and that by means of your false doctrines, your wickednesse, lyes, slanders, and detestable facts.

Then the people shall say unto them, Out upon you, get yee packing hence, you Captaines of mischief, over-turners of trueth. ye Shunamitish brethren, fathers of heresies, false Apo∣stles, that counterfeited the lives of the Apostles, whereof yee have not be••n imitators by no means: you sons of iniquity, wee will not follow the manner of your waies.

For Pride and arrogancy have seduced you, and insatiable co∣vetousnesse hath entangled your erring mindes; and seeing that you would needs ascend up higher then was meet and equal for you, yee are fallen back headlong into everlasting shame and reproach by Gods just judgment.

And so farr Hildegards Prophesie of the abominable abu∣ses of the Church of Rome, and her wicked and counterfeit crew of Jesuites and Fryars; which lear∣ned Brightman brought in to clear his exposition afore∣said: whereby it may appear in what high esteem and credit prophesies were and are still amongst the lear∣ned.

From which Prophesie may be gathered, first the corruption of the said Church and Priests; secondly, the downfall of both predicted in plain terms:

The Turks have a prophesie amongst themselves, That their Emperour should win the Red A••ple of Constantinople; and in the sixth year after, if they did not defend th••mselves brave∣ly, th•• Christians should overcome them; but howsoever in the twelfth, they should at furthest be overcomed by the Christians, then their fatal destruction not to passe the twelfth year, makes them in the mean while use the Christians as their future de∣stroyers, with much hostili••y, as a revenge anticipate.

Sibylla Tiburtina's Prophesie of the Birth of our Saviour Christ.

God toucht my tongue with a prop••••ri••k spiri••, Infallability to speak of a Virgins merit. In Nazareth shee shall conceive a Son, Bethlem shall behold with admiration. O heavenly Maid! happy beyond all measure, Whose fruitfull breasts bring up so rich a treasure:

More of the Oracles of Sibylla (according to Castalio) against Rome and her pretended holy Father the Pope.

There shall of men the tenth age then arise, VVhen God who did the heavens high devise: At whose presence the earth doth quake and move, Of Imagerie extinquish shall the love. And shall of Rome raised on her hills seven, The People shake: then be is the strength down driven Of her riches, while Vulcane in his ire Oft shall on her send furious flames of fire.

Out of her first book at this part: De Cœlo veniet Sidus magnum in mare magnum, &c.

From heaven there fell a great Starr in the Sie, And burnt it up although both great and hie, So Be••s burnt up, and shall no longer stand, Thou Babylon of Italy the Land, VVho mu••thereth Saints, and many faithfull Jew, Temples tread down that did the trueth avow. Yet thou O mischant suffer shalt great pain, As thou deservest, desert shalt thou remain; Remain shalt th••u desert for evermore, Thy native soyle henceforth thou shalt abhore, For thou in poison hath delighted thee, Mother of whoredom and adulterie. As widow-hood, and viper venemous, Ʋpon thy banks thou shalt sit dolorous; And Tyber stood for thee his Spouse shall mourn. Thy minde is mad, thy heart for blood doth burn. Thou doest misknow Gods minde and might; for why, Only I am (sayst thou) and who but I? Eternal God now wrack shall thee and thine, In all the earth shall not resist but ruine, A monument, or yet a mark of thee, VVhich thou haast when God gave prosperity; Thou mischant now sit solitar alone, Hurld fyne to hell with many grievous groan: VVhere thou shalt bide burning both bone and lyre Into that lake of furious flaming fire.

Out of the same fift book at this part: Italia infelix, deserta, infleta manebis, &c.

O cursed and unhappy Italy. Ʋnmeind or mournd for, barren shalt thou be, To ground as green, as wildernesse unwrought, To woods wilde and bushes beis thou brought.

Out of the seventh Book.

Rome, when thou thinkest thee in thy highest hight, God shall tread down thy sturdy strength and might. The second time (O Rome) again to thee Hereafter yet I will speak secondle.

Out of the eighth Book.

O Rome up raised now with thy Tops high, The like ruine from heaven shall fall on thee: Plain beis thou made, down shall thy tops turn, And flaming fire all wholely shall thee burn. Far shalt th••u flyt into an uncoubt land, Thy riches shall be reft out of thine hand. In thy wall steeds shall wolves and toads convene, VVaste shalt thou be, as thou had never been, VVhere then shall be thy Oracles divine? VVhat golden Gads shall keep or save thee fyne? VVhat God (I say) of Copper or of Stone, VVhere then shall be thy consultation Of thy Senate? what helps thy noble case, Of Saturn, Jove, or Rhea in this case, VVhose sensless souls or idols thou before Religiously did worship and adore: Of whose green graves, unhappy Creet avants, Their figures dead, up d••st thou set like sants.

Then followeth immediately of the Pope.

When Rung in thee hath fifteen Emperours, Of all the world that hath been conquerours, Then comes a King, a manifold Crown to bear, VVhose name shall be to Ponti very near. His wicked foot the world shall visitate, Great gifts and goods then shall hee impetrate, Discovered things he shall loose and remit, Of Magick art well shall hee know and wit, The Mysteries and secret Sorcery, The mighty God hee makes a babe to be, And down he shall tread all true wo ship in, And at chief heads of Errors first begin. His Mysteries to all he shall expone, Then comes the time of mourning and of moan; For in a Rope his ending shall he make, The potent people, and the town shall wrack: Thus shall they say, wee know, and hope a day, Sometime on us should come this bitter day. The Fathers old; and Babes shall mourn for thee, Beholding then thy dolorous destiny. On Tyber bank lamenting sore thy case, Sad shall they sit, within any loud alase.

And shortly after followeth, out of the same.

Lament shall you and mourn, laying aside Thy purple weed, Imperial robes of Pride, And into sackcloth, siting sorrowfull; Repeat shalt thou thy plaintes pitifull, O Royal Rome, thou bragging Prince but Peer, Of l••te in land, the only daughter deer; Thy pride but pomp, ruined shall remain, Thou once trod down, shalt never rise again;

For gone shall be the glory of that Army, That beareth the Eagles in their Ensignie: To whenee then shall thy forces forward fair? VVhat Land with Armes shall help thee any mair?

Then followeth,

Then ends the world, then comes the later light, Then God shall come to judg his folk aright, But first shall fall on Rome but resistance, Of Gods wrath the wofull vengeance, A wofull life, a bloody time shall be, Oh, people rude! oh, Land of cruelty! Thou little lookest, nor doest regard aright, How poor and bare thou first came in the light, That to the like again you should return, And last before a dreadfull judg should mirn.