As to the tradition of these lines, having been writ in the original by Merlin I confess, I lay not much weight upon it: But it is enough to justify their authority, that the book from whence I have transcribed them, was printed 170 years ago, as appears by the title-page. Bickerstaff, or other merry gentlemen are pleased to think. If this be granted, I am sure it must be also allowed, that the author (whoever he were) was a person of extraordinary sagacity and that astrology brought to such perfection as this, is, by no means, an art to be despised whatever Mr. Some of these predictions are already fulfilled and it is highly probable the rest may be in due time: And, I think, I have not forced the words, by my explication, into any other sense than what they will naturally bear. But Charles being descended from the Count of Hapsburgh, founder of the Austrian family, shall soon make those heads but two by overturning Philip, and driving him out of Spain. That is, Spain shall have three kings which is now wonderfully verified: For, besides the King of Portugal, which properly is part of Spain, there are now two rivals for Spain Charles and Philip. It was a fiction of the poets, that he had three heads, which the author says he shall have again. Geryon is said to have been a king of Spain, whom Hercules slew. This prediction, though somewhat obscure is wonderfully adapt. And, indeed, properly speaking, England is now no more for the whole island is one kingdom, under the name of Britain. It is added, that Old England shall be no more, and yet no man shall be sorry for it. Reaums, or as the word is now, Realms, is the old name for Kingdoms: And this is a very plain prediction of our happy union, with the felicities that shall attend it. I cannot guess who is meant by Norways Pride, perhaps the reader may, as well as the sense of the two following lines. Lambert Symnel is the name of a young man noted in our histories for personating the son (as I remember) of Edward the Fourth.ДЄnd Norways Pryd, &c. By Symnele is meant the pretended Prince of Wales who, if he offers to attempt any thing against England, shall miscarry as he did before. By the Grin Berrys, in the next line, is meant the young Duke of Berry, the Dauphin's third son, who shall not have valour or fortune enough to supply the loss of his eldest brother. By the Fish is understood the Dauphin of France, as the Kings eldest sons are called: It is here said, he shall lament the loss of the Duke of Burgundy, called the Bosse, which is an old English word for Hump-shoulder or Crook-back, as that Duke is known to be: And the prophecy seems to mean, that he should be overcome, or slain. One kind of stuff used to fatten land is called Marle, and every body knows, that Borough is a name for a town and this way of expression is after the usual dark manner of old astrological predictions. This is a plain designation of the Duke of Marlborough. The River Thames frozen twice in one year, so as men to walk on it, is a very signal accident which perhaps hath not fallen out for several hundred years before and is the reason why some astrologers have thought that this prophecy could never be fulfilled because they imagined such a thing could never happen in our climate.ДЇrom Toune of Stoffe, &c. Seven and ten make seventeen, which I explain seventeen hundred, and this number added to nine makes the year we are now in for it must be understood of the natural year, which begins the first of January. This line describes the year when these events shall happen. I set it down word for word in the old orthography, and shall take leave to subjoin a few explanatory notes. I found it in an old edition of Merlin's Prophecies imprinted at London by Johan Haukyns, in the year 1530. The original is said to be of the famous Merlin, who lived about a thousand years ago: And the following translation is two hundred years old for it seems to be written near the end of Henry the Seventh's reign. Partrige hath learnedly vindicated himself in his Almanack for that year.ДЇor a farther defence of this famous art, I have thought fit to present the world with the following prophecy. Last year was published a paper of predictions, pretended to be written by one Isaac Bickerstaff, Esq but the true design of it was to ridicule the art of astrology, and expose its professors as ignorant, or impostors.

Merlin project predictions