LOnge tyme amiable reader. I thought howe I myght not onely heale the cōmon people (half blid) but also those which haue knowlege, to take away theyr errors, desyrynge that it may profyte al men, pryncipally to witnes, and shewe my good wyll towarde [...] the magistrates and Senate of Bruxelles, seynge then that in these present tumultes, destructions of townes, robbyng of villages, and euyll reportes on all sydes, all persons (excepte suche as be madde) gladly trust of better tyme, the which thing the cō mon people were wont to looke for in the yerely pronostications as of y e Oracles of Apollo, whervnto dyuers gaue more fayth, then in tymes past to y e sayinges [Page] of the Sibelles. Neuertheles of tentymes they varied farre frō the truth, as they maye knowe whiche wyll take payne to rede our opinion herein the fartilitie of the yere is desired by the paysant or husband man, Dyuers be curious to knowe yf the yeare shalbe subiect to many maladies or not, and principally the phisitions and Apotecaries, the man of warre enquyreth whether the confederation of the peace shalbe kept or not. Of the succes of townes, and gouernemente of the same, enquyreth the Citezyn and handycraftman. Fynally by the pronosticatours, y e fortunes and encombraunces of Emperours and kynges be loked for, but therin they speake soberlye: for by experyence princes desyre no euyll tydynges. All this is treated diuersly of many, & that [Page] coldly and doubteously, wytnes the yere precedent. M. D .lij. for of the great fluddes there chaū sed two or thre tymes not without great damage of Selande & Brabant, no man declared. Neuerthelesse it had ben profytable to haue knowen it, for thynges foresene receaueth not so muche hurte, as thinges not foresene. Of the warres not loked for, & so secretelye wroughte by the Frenche kynge agaynst themperour, who aduertised his maiestie? Of y e tumult of y e Iarmanes who pronosticated? Of the laste weat & rayny wether beyng som what damageable, no man made brute. If in these litle things (as dayly rayne and tempestes) men fayle, then by a more stronger reason, in thinges more secrete, Thastrologiens fayle.
Cardanus sayth how no man [Page] can pronostike of thynges secret, whiche knoweth not the daylye disposicions of the ayre. We conlesse Astronomye as thother artes to be a gyfte of God, amongest whom Astronomye occupyeth not the least place, for sondry vtilities that they haue necessary to the life humayne. She disposeth the measures, ordre, nombre of dayes, monethes and yeares by the circuyte and mouing of the Sonne, and the Mone, by the whiche we knowe that the worlde lasteth not alwayes, for if this good ordre of yeares were not knowen, thentendement rauyshed from thyngs of time past shulde fall into innumerable errours and darckenesse. And shoulde not awayt after certayn yeares, thend of the generation humayne, nor also of the deade retourned to lyfe shalbe of God [Page] seperated, nor his holye churche from other, and adourned with the rewardes perpetual. There is further in the hystories & dayly businesses ryght great vtilite, of the whiche he that maketh no compte, disprayseth the common welth, and lykewyse that whych to the lyfe of man is moost excellent. In the same Astrologie we haue aboundantly proposed certayne great and true signes, signyfyinge many thynges, yet neuerthelesse they be not to be feared, nor credited as goddes: but to thende that by deuyne signes we be admonyshed to know our selues, and from euyll threteninges to kepe oure selues. Y et alwayes trustynge in the goodnes of god, we slepe in pleasures, and delites, which therby prouoketh his wrath towardes vs, yet he chastiseth vs from our excessiue [Page] euils by some discipline, as warres, sterilitie, inuudation, sicknes burninges, takyng our riches & goodes, and by these meanes, as by men of warre (as sayth Theo philacte) distresseth vs of our puissances, to thende that recognisyng our euyls, we shuld not perysh, by the which chastisemente, he wyll correcte vs. Dyuers by tharte of Astronomy, wold make certaine aduertisementes, albeit that they know not the pleasure of God. Ecclesiasticus sayth: I regarde all the worke of god, seyng that man cannot fynde anye reason of that which is done vnder the sonne, and the more he trauayleth therein, the lesse he shall fynde, and if the sage saye that he knoweth, yet he cannot fynd it. And in Ecclesiastici, serch not thynges excedyng thy intendement, but to that whiche God [Page] hath commaunded the, vpō that only thinke alwayes, for the inquisitour of the maiestie shall be thrust downe from glory. These thynges shalbe more clere, when we haue declared what men be least gouerned by the constellations, as fyrst Emperours and all kynges be not subiectes to y e starres. Of themperour of Thassuri [...]ns, Iulius Firmicus in the seconde boke, the .xxxiii. cha. sayth that some Mathematicien can not say truth, nor discerne of the fortune of Emperours. Themperours sayth he be not subiecte to the course of the starres, for they be only of whom y e starres hathe no maner of puissaunce, for to descerne theyr fortunes, forsomuch as they be lordes of al the world, theyr fatale fortunes are gouerned by the onlye iudgemente of God. Hitherto be the wordes of Firmicus. [Page] Of the kynges the holy scripture testifieth, how theyr harts ben gouerned of the hand of god And in Prouer, xxv. the heauen is the heyght, and the erth is the lowe part, but the hart of a kyng is inscrutable. All thynges then, onelye of kynges be made to vs, (yet though to our iudgemente they seme euyll) it is necessarye that they be good, for god indifferently vsyng kynges as instrumentes, for y e most parte geueth them to vs for oure synnes, and enormities, for there is no euyll in the citie whiche the lord hath not geuen, the which Citie if god kepe it not, they labour in vayne that kepeth it. Thys is a greate consolation to all Chrysten men, to the ende that for mourmurynge and resystynge the worde of God, there come not vppon vs thinges more greuous. This [Page] opinion confyrmeth Firmicus, howe there is no man vnto thys presente tyme hath sayde other thinges then incertayne of them perour Charles the .v. and of other kynges: but we shal declare thynges veritable of the maiesty of this sayde Emperoure, when we shall make mencion of the. iiij Monarchie. We maye saye some thinge by his reuolution, but for certayne respectes we wyll not touche it. The wyse men not after this present world, (as some be, disguising theyr vysages and apparell resemble wyse) haue do mination ouer the starres and elementes. Of this true wysdom is the begynnynge of the fear of god, the whiche surmounteth in the heartes of them that trulye knoweth hym. The true knowledge is to embrase hym, as beynge onely y e fountayne of truth, [Page] wysdome, bountie, iustice, iudgement, mercy, pitie, puissance, and helth, and that we should do reuerence to his fatherly bountie, by a loue the whiche the Sonne ought to haue towardes his father, for to the louers of the lord all thinges turneth to goodnes. This knowledge thus aduaunsed enstructeth vs in a true fear, and reuerēce, that he maketh vs beleue (and truth it is) howe all goodnes commeth from hym.
They knowe alsoo (as we haue sayde before) howe of God commeth peace, warre, lyfe, & death, lyghte and darckenes, peste, famyne, haboundaunce, helth, and dyuers innumerable other thin ges, wherby he sheweth vnto vs his wyll to our welth, or the seuerytye of his iust iudgementes with vengeannce. Those be thei the whych nothyng so difficile or [Page] be so maleheureux, that departe from the charitie of Iesu Christ. Those I saye, haue dominacion ouer thelementes, and haue armures, that is to say the buckler of fayth. The contrary, the debilitie of fayth maketh the courage ryght feble in tymes of afflyction, wythout remembryng God. Thempyres and dominations of kynges be thereby augmented and demynyshed, he molifyeth our dolour, yfwe beleue S. Paule, the whyche admonisheth vs of the perylles that shal come vpon vs at the laste dayes, not onelye as to the bodye, but also to the spirite, to thende that we shall learne to defend our selues, and in so greate calamytye, all thynges to aske of the onelye GOD, ayde and consolation, and to obteyne the same lette vs not doubte.
[Page]In this last age of the worlde we be fallen into suche time that one brother aryseth agaynste thother, one countrey agaynste an other so that the geste shall not be sure of hys hoost. Euerye man studieth for his perticuler welth, one wyll take no payne for his brother, yet alwayes after the sentence of Saynt Augustyne, he lyueth well and holylye, whiche the leaste that he maye, lyueth for hym selfe. Lette vs not thynke that the fyrste partes be premysed to the loue of hym selfe, and the seconde to the charity of his neighbour. Saint Paule teacheth vs by thaffinitie composicion connexion, proportion, and beaultie of our members that whyche one member oweth to thother, here by the offices fraternelles be geuen to vs to knowe that we haue a father in [Page] heuen, to whom all that we thinke to be secrete, is knowen. But alas our confidence is returned from vs, the whiche is fyxed in our rychesse, but the knowledge therof profiteth litle to thē whiche dayly attende affliction, as all Christen men do, which haue no warre with heauen, but with the worlde, the Deuyll, and the fleshe, what more, all theyr lyfe is but warre. Lykewyse also the saige falleth not here, for by dyuers sciences, as Philosophie, Theologie, the sciences of the lawes, Phisicke, Astrologie. &c. we be eleuated and come to the wysdome of God, the whiche is profoundly reueyled in these artes and sciences, to thende that we may be reduced to his knowlege For the heauens manyfeste the glory of God, and the workes of his hande sheweth the fyrmament. [Page] Who shalbe he that regardyng man (the which of the philosophers is called y e litle world) shal not be rauyshed in great admiration of his maker and creator. If you looke on hyghe, you shall see the dyuers mouinges of the starres and elementes, lykewyse theyr situations, distaunce, propertie, and yet so manye lampes burnyng, & two greate lightes, as in the day the Sonne, in the nyght the Moone, the whyche shynynge and illuminynge ouer all the worlde, be created for the vsaige of man, and to manifeste the glory of God. These be creatures and instrumentes wherby God enspireth his natural puyssance accordyng to his wyll, and conuerteth to accions suche as he hath predestinate. We haue of no creature more greater and maruelous vertue [Page] then o [...] the sonne, the which [...] [...] uers for that cause hath bene honored for a god, by reason wherof the Lorde (to thende that all prayse redounde to his glorye) hath made the lyghte, and hathe fylled thearth with all kindes of herbes, before the creation of the Sonne. Man then (as sayth Aristotle) maketh not the sonne y e pryncipall and necessary cause of thynges that hath ben created before that, but it is an instrument wherewith God vseth his pleasure. For withoute that he myght worke by hym self, this cō sideration deliuereth vs of a supersticious feare, and is made of the creatures, y e which we think is contrarye vnto vs, as amongeste the planettes Mars and Saturne, the contrary retyreth vs from an euyll admyration of thynges semynge to vs wholesome [Page] and salutaire, and maketh vs turne to the Auctour of the same, whiche is onely God, this wytnesseth Ieremy which saith, feare not the starres and signes of heauen as in tyme past the wicked Ethnyckes and Paynyms dydde. The prophete condempneth not here all feare, but when thynfydeles transported the gouernement of the worlde, to the Starres and Elementes, they thoughte howe theyr felicitie or miserye was in the iudgemente of them, and not in the wyll of God. Yf so be that the starres & elementes threateneth any thinge (as apte to vices) euyl inclinations, and other lyke thynges, our maners ought to be gouerned with a dylygent and meane temperaunce, to the ende that the euyll inclynations be not vanquysshers.
[Page]In aduersites we must cloth our selues with force and magnanimitie. In thynges prosperous and equall the starres geueth vs inclination to some vertue or good maners, enforce our selues to be aided by studie and knowledge kepynge vs not to passe a meane in our courage, callyng al way aide of God to be gouerned by hym. Lette vs not glorifye in our gyftes, as the stronge man was wonte to do in his force, the ryche man in his ryches (yet in vayne) but let our reioysynge be to vnderstande and knowe that it is the Lorde that doth mercy, iudgemente, & iustice in thearth, the whiche in greate libertye by his wysedome maketh that whiche he purposed to make from y e begynnyng of the worlde, and by his incomprehensible and mightye puissaunce putteth in execution [Page] that whiche he predestinated to make. It foloweth then, that by his prouydence not only the heauē, thearth, or creatures be gouerned (as aboue is sayde) but also the wylles and councels of men, ben gouerned to come to thende to haue knowen hym before. To fortune or good aduenture we ought not to attribute any thynge, as the paynyms do. If good succes be blessynge of God, c [...]lamitie and aduersitie be contrary, these wordes be by for tune, or at aduenture, and agree to the pouidence of God: but for so muce that by thordre of reason, thnde and necessitie of thinges wiche commonlye cometh vpons, be hydden in the councell o God, and by humayne opinion incomprehensible, menne calle [...] them fortunes, albeit that they p [...]ede from y e wyl of god. [Page] Like reason is to be geuē of thinges to come, this is confyrmed by the holye Scripture, wherof all those that trauayle and turment them selues in the thinges abouesayde, maye take a remedye. Dauid sayth in y e .liiij. psal. Caste your solicitude vppon the Lorde, and he wyll nourysh you. And in the fyrste of Saynt Peter the .v. Humble youre selues vnder the puyssant hand of god, to thende that he exalte you in the tyme of visitation, castyng all solicitude in him, for he soroweth for you. And Saynt Mathewe in the. vii, Chapiter, He soroweth for vs as the mother doth hyr chylde. Hereby it is euidente howe muche and howe great is the solicitude and beneuolence of God towardes vs. The Astrologiens make obiectiō, esteminge howe the starres and elementes [Page] be ordeyned to infallible mouementes, as apparaunce, or rising and goynge downe of the same elementes, coniunction of lumyres and planetes, appositions, and other aspectes, Eclipses, by the cognysion, congression, consentment, discordant, and regression of them, men maye predicte diuers accidentes commynge to the worlde, as warres, mortalities, famines, contagious sickenesses, peace, haboundaunce of goodes, mutacions of realmes, and sectes, death of Princes, tumultes of people, perturbations of publyque thynges, inundacions, earthquakes and lyke thinges, the whyche by the influence celestyall vertue of the Elementes, and puyssance of the starres we se folowe and fall on vs.
These thynges (as we confesse) be made, and depende [Page] by the stable and constante mouynge of heauen, and the coning Astrologien in predestinatynge these thynges is only God. Let vs beleue, and we muste confesse that God may by his mercy and pitie turne these ryghte horrible thretenynges of the starres, and present euylles, and of his bountye, and by prayers of good people, chaunge & turne his sentence from vs. We rede that this chaū sed to the Niniuites, to whome was declared by Ionas the prophete, howe within fortye dayes they shoulde peryshe. Lykewise the furnace of Babylon burnyng aboue the accustomed fashion, by the commaundemente of kynge Nabuchodonosor, coulde not burne the chyldren beinge putte therein. The death of Ezechie, pronounsed by the mouth of Iesaie, was by compassion diuyne [Page] prolonged bycause of his lamentation and prayers▪ God is not nowe abriged, what thyng shuld lette, but that the euylles which the starres threateneth maye be chaunged by this remedye? We haue seen in yeares paste ryghte cruell warres shortlye appaysed, agaynst the opinion of dyuers. Nowe we muste praye God to geue vs the same succes and fortunes in those thynges that in this troubelous tyme they maye be profytable to his honour, and to the increase of his church▪ Finallye in thynges that be more worthy then the heauen, thaccion of the starres is of no puissāce, as the soule reasonable enspired of God, and the which worke by his wyll is more noble then all other creatures, for she beareth with hyr the ymage of God, and to the vtilitye of the same, by the [Page] ryghte haboundaunte larges of God, the other creatures be geuen to vs, this confyrmeth Ptolomee in Centiloque, y e .viij. chapiter, the soule (sayth he) of the wyse man aydeth the celestiall vertue, as the good paisaunt or husbandman labouryng and culturynge y e earth, aydeth nature. Yf then the soul be cause, ayding to thynges celestiall, she semeth to be free, seynge that she is more noble then the heauen. Also the vertue of the starres be muche ayded by the complexions of the people, the whiche be causes of maladies, for these complexions chaungeth by the disposition of the starres, and lykewyse doth thynclinations, that by tharte medicine & grace of god, we easly vanquysh, which to the Lucianistes, Atheistes and Epicuriens▪ is impossible, who maketh a confusion [Page] of the soule, and of the complexion of the body, & herin they be greate imitatours of Galien, whereof is the religion to eate, dryncke, play, and after this lyfe ther is no ioye, but let vs relynquysh these foles which haue no god. And seyng the benefytes of God be so great, let vs demaund his succoures and aide, he wyll geue it vnto vs oftentimes, as he shewed to Moses in the readde sea, and to Iosue likewyse, he retarded the sonne manifestly, geuyng ayde against thumayne esperāce. This honor perteineth & ought to be referred only to god to thend that we shulde beleue y t god may & wil succor & aide vs, w tout lokīg for it. Also thastrologiē must regard y e causes vniuersal, as warres, cōtagious maladies, y e which haue more strēgthehē y e causes perticulers, as techeth Ptolomee [Page] in the fyrst Centiloque, hereby it is euident howe dyuers men be subiectes to the constellations, as those be the whiche by studye education, and institution couenable, maye not surmounte, nor chaunge theyr affections and maners, And to those herevnto contrary, as those the whyche by studye, education, disciplyne, institution, science, or otherwayes may surmounte and vanquyshe theyr affections, it is notarye that to them the starres beareth lytle or no damnaige. Neuertheles we wyll not susteyne with the Stoiciens, that men be without affections, for euery manne foloweth the nature of his seede: but those whiche be more wyse, may by industry, art, and maner of meates chaunge theyr complexions, for the natures and entendementes of some chaungeth more easelye [Page] then those of other: wherefore, this celestiall worde serueth, knowe thy selfe.
This studious prouidence is greatlye necessarye to oure lyfe, the mooste parte of this philosophye is comprehended in decent and couenable education, the whiche (as wytnesseth Quintilien) muste begynne in youth, by thys reason, it maketh that the moost noble, and those which eateth beste meate, be more ingenious then the other. The ayre is aswell ryghte couenable to the prudence and industrye of man, as the bloude, wytnesse Hyppocrates in the boke of thayre and waters. &c. To make couenable and decente education or nouryshment, we muste consulte wyth the Phisition, which knoweth a good part of Astronomye, beyng a parte of Phisicke, for that is as [Page] muche couenable to a Phisicion, as necessary, as sayth Hyppocrates in hys sayde booke of thayre and waters. &c. For thereby the varyacions of tyme and mutacions of the stomacke is knowen. And after there muste be considered the rysynge and goynge downe of the Elementes, pryncypally of the Canycle, after Arctures, and thoccident of Pleiades or Porceletes, for the diseases in these dayes commonlye make theyr Iugementes and shewynges, the other maketh the personnes to dye, and other chaunge into other kyndes of maladies, this sayth Hyppocrates. These rysynges and occidentes of the Elementes, we haue putte in oure Almanackes, wherwithall euery man that wil may ayde hymselfe: these thynges be almoost forgotten of the [Page] phisicions, whiche neuerthelesse wyll be of great estimacion, and not onely be forgetfull but dyspraysers, whiche is worse. I feare that the ignoraunce of diuers is cause of enuye whiche is alwayes hurtefull to al good artes: but of these thinges we shal speake at an other tyme more amply. (?)
¶ Of the laste Monarchie, whiche is of the Romaynes, presentlye gouerned by the grace of God, by Charles the .v. Emperoure, ryght vyctorious.
DYuers haue prescribed thynges muche variable of y e last Monarchie, and of Charles the fyft Lorde there of: but for that the most parte be fables, we let them passe, takynge onelye that which sayde by Daniell the Prophet his prophecye, the whiche is e true cronicle of this worlde, ytynge of this Monarchye, [Page] sayth as herafter foloweth. The fyrst is the moost noble of al thother, beynge of the Chaldeens, and Assiriens, the whiche is represented by the head of gold, of the stature of Nabuchodonosor. And by the Lyons hauyng wynges of an Egle, the whiche amongest all other beastes is the most noble, so is this Monarchie, whervnto is ioyned for the nature of the beastes crueltie and rauyne. The seconde hath bene of the Mediens and Persiens, lykened to the poictryne & arme of syluer of the stature aforesayd like vnto a beare, and stode vpon the one syde. Amonge his teethe in his mouth he had thre greate longe tethe, and it was sayd vnto hym, aryse eate vp much flesh. The thyrde was lyke vnto a leoparde, this hadde wynges as a fowle, euen foure vpon the back, [Page] this beast had fowre heades, and there was power geuen hym, this was of the Grekes and Alexandre the great, kynge of y e Macedonians, by the nature of the beaste this Monarchye is knowen, yf it be not sufficiently knowen of al men, gentle reader loke on the historye of Gesnerus of fowre foted beastes, she hath also ben likened to the bely and cuysses made of brasse. Of y e fourth sayth Daniel, that it is the last of the Romaynes, and of ours now present. After Daniell sawe in a vision by nyght, and beholde the fourth beaste was grymme and horrible, and maruelous strong, it had great yron teeth, it deuoured and destroyed and stamped the resydue vnder his feete, it was farre vnlyke the other beastes that were before it, for it had tenne hornes. &c.
[Page]It is also compared to the legges of Iron in the stature of Na buchodonosor, to the which partes of the feete, one was of yron and thother of earth. Of these Monarches reade Iosephus, Sabelliq. Canon, Sebastian Munstre. The historye of Alexandre the great, and Daniel the Prophete in the seconde and. vij Chap. of his Prophecie, & other Historigraphes worthy of fayth.
By this is sufficientlye knowen the shortenes of the world. To whom our Sauiour Iesus Christe, the onelye Messias (so much desyred) is borne, reigning Cesar August, & there is comon yeares passed synce thincarnation. M .ccccc. lij. yet from y e houre of the Natiuitie, the sayde Romayne Empyre hadde longe endured, that is to saye, XLVII yeres, when Iulius was made [Page] Consul. It is shewed vnto vs further, how god toke great cure and solicitude ouer vs, & that the mutatacions of Realmes been made and predicte dyuynelye, to thende that beynge admonished by good counsayle, we maye auoyde euilles, further by thinter pretation of Daniel, it is euident that this Empire shalbe deuided and departed, whiche the tenne hornes sheweth, diuers partes of hyr be seperated, as Englond, Fraunce, Denmarke, Espaigne, Pole, and other, Saynte Paule testifyeth that before the coming of the defection of the laste tyme they shuld not come. And because the same is passed longe tyme, it is lykewyse true that the daye of the lorde approcheth, that the Empyre is come to y e Almains. Cardanus referreth the greate beare to the last starre of the taile [Page] when she passeth (sayth he) ouer Constantinople, she geueth ouer thempyre. After she is come vpō Fraunce to the Galles, and laste she is come to the Almaynes, to whom she trāsported thempire. The tayle of the beare sygnyfyeth force withoute comparison, and she is yet situate vpon the Almaynes, hitherto be the wordes of Cardanus. The nature of this starre is like and semblable to the strength of the beaste, proposed in the fourth Monarchie. The fortune of this Empyre shal not be alwayes vnanime, but sometyme habound in puisance, sometyme weake and affeabled, whiche is shewed by the legges parte Iron and parte earth.
This Romayne Empyre hathe hadde some magnifique and noble Emperours of greate vertue and felicitye, as Arthure, Maximian, [Page] Constantyne the greate, Charlemayne, and at this present Charles the .v. Hitherto in some thynges victorious, other Emperours they haue had with out any vertue, and in feates of warre infortunate, and in dyuers batayles vanquysshed. By this it is euident and clere, that the victories come of God, and that the Romayne Monarchye shalbe the laste, and shall not be vanquysshed, destroyed, nor reuersed, then only of God, and by the Roialme of Iesus Christ. Dyuers haue attempted to subuerte the same, pryncypallye the Turkes, the whiche (albeit they haue obteyned certayne vyctoryes agaynste Themperoure) yet shall not this last Monarchi be put in subiection, nor broken, as by longe experyence it hath ben hytherto approued: but it [Page] shall abide one tyme in greate augmentacion, and another time with discresemente, vnto suche tyme as of the Mountayne is cutte a stoone withoute handes, and vntyll she haue brused the stature of Nabuchodonosor, the whiche representeth the Monarchye of the worlde, and the face falle entierlye, and this stone become a greate mountayne, that is to saye the great Roylme durynge the worlde. This we haue wylled to putte to, to the ende that all Chrysten people shoulde knowe that the Monarchies be gouerned diuynely, and that they rule ouer the configurations celestialles. And thys laste Monarchye (the whyche Charles the fyfte gouerneth at this presente) shall not be brused nor affeabled by humayne puysaunce, althoughe dyuers be [Page] of the opinion and sentence that the Roialme of Turques shulde abate it, but by the onelye stone whiche is Chryste, it shal perysh, when he shall come to iudge the quycke and the dead, but the day and howre when he shal returne to iudgemente, is not knowen of any creature nor of thaungelles, but it is in the only wyl and iudgement of the heauenlye father, the whiche clearelye rehearseth S. Mathew in the .xxiiij. Chap Neuerthelesse it is permytted by holye scripture to enforce by some coniectures & similitudes, to attayne and come to the age or year of his comming (always the day and the houre abydyng vnknowen) Our Lorde hath inuited and drawen vs for to serch and obserue by a couenable similitude or parable of a fygge tre, when the braunch is tender, and [Page] his leaues be out, you know that Somer is approchynge. You also lykewyse when you se the thinges aboue sayd in the .xxiiij. cha. Lyfte vp your heades, knowing that youre redemption and the kyngdome of God is next to the gates. By these wordes, and by the fashyon of thynges, future & nowe presente, whereof also many be past, he that diligently searcheth thē, may easely coniecture somethinge for vs, of this which dyuers auctours haue lytle reculed of the breuite and small enduryng of this worlde, we shall briefely resite. Fyrste we wyll set forth the wordes of Elie, whereby the Iewes confounde them selues, which haue set fourth (as they saye) howe the worlde shall endure syxe thousande yeares, that is to saye, two thousande yeares without lawe, two thousande [Page] yeares with the lawe, and two thousande yeares after the dayes of Christe. To these wordes it semeth Saynt Peter confyrmeth in his seconde epistle in the thyrd chapitre, sayinge that one daye to the Lorde is as a M, yeres, and a thousand yeres as one day. Of the lyke that foloweth, that as the Lorde in syx dayes created al, and the vij. day he reposed him self, lykewise sixe m. yeres he gouerned this worlde, subiect to generations & corruptions, & in the. vii, M. he beganne repose perpetual, & as the syxt day was not in all permytted to worke and trauayle, but that a good part of the same day drawynge towardes euenynge was laide to the saboth, likewise the sixte thousande shall not be holye suffred nor graunted as it is wrytten in other passage that [Page] the Lorde shall abrydge y e dayes for the chosen, as the sixe first generations, that is to say, of Adā, Seth, Iared, Cainan, Malaleel & Iared, be trespassed or departed, and the seuenth whiche is of Enoch, is immortall, Lykewyse sixe thousande yeares shall regenerate death, & in y e seuenth shall haue the fortunate immortalitie, his vigour. Item in S. Math .xxiiij. S. Marke .xiij. sayth the Lord, of this daye and houre no creature knoweth, nor yet thaū gelles of heauen, but my father onlye. And as the dayes of Noe were, lykewyse also shalbe the comynge of the sonne of man, for as they were in the dayes before the deluge, eatynge, drynckynge maryinge and geuynge in mariage, vnto the daye that Noe entred in the arcke, they knewe nothyng, nor vnto the time y t the [Page] deluge came & toke them awaye all, Lykewyse shall be the commynge of the sonne of man. By these wordes it semeth Iesus Chryst to haue taken not onlye the similitude of the qualitie, but also of the quantitye of thynges, I call qualities manners of this corrupted worlde, wherof there is no doubte, for S. Luke confirmeth it in his. xvij, Chapter, the quantitie is called the nombre of yeares. The sentence is somewhat more obscure, but Saynt Mathewe declareth it, when he sayth: Lykewise as the dayes of Noe were, so shalbe the cominge of the sonne of man. And Saynt Paule to the Romaynes in the v. Chapter, affyrmeth how Adā was the fourme and figure of the commynge of Iesu Christ. As also he sayth in the fyrst to the Corinthiens, the .xv. Chapt. The [Page] fyrst man Adam in soule [...] and the last in spyryte [...] the fyrste man of thearth [...], the seconde manne that is to saye the Lorde, is of heauen. Yf then Iesus Chryste is the other Adam of whome the fyrste hath ben the fygure, and that the cō mynge of Iesus Christ shalbe as the dayes of Noe before the deluge, who wyl not beleue that so longe tyme that is passed from Adam terrestre, vnto the dayes of Noe & the deluge, that it shall not passe so muche from Adam celestiall, the whiche is our lorde Iesus Christ, vnto thende of the worlde or deluge of fyre. Saynt Peter sayth in his seconde Epistle in the thyrd chapter, the day of the Lord shall come as a thefe in the nyght, wherby the heuens shall passe in maner of a tempest, and the Elementes beynge chafed [Page] [...] the earth shall founder, [...] thonerages or workes [...] in them shall burne, and by and by after the same sayth, whereby the heauens beyng on fyre shalbe defayted, and the elementes beyng burned shal foundre. Nowe it is euydent oute of Genesis, the .v. Chapyter, that from Adam vnto the deluge be passed. M. CCCCCC .lvi. yeares, it is lykewyse true howe the ende of the world shalbe approchynge to like yeare of our lorde thousande syxe hundred fyftye and syxe. It is nere at hande, for there remayneth nowe no more but. C. and foure yeares. Yet alwayes for so muche that none knoweth the abreuiation of the sayde tyme, the whyche is purposed for the electe, for this reason it semeth ryght difficyle precisely to knowe the tyme.
[Page]There is other that saye how the yeares of the Lord ought to be accompted, not from his Natyuytye: but from his resurrection, Ascencion, or sendynge of his holye spyryte, whyche shoulde make greate variation and mutacion of the yeares. And as Noe knewe not the daye nor the howre of the deluge, (yet alwais of the yeare not ignoraunte) Lykewyse to vs is permytted by the holye Scryptures to searche the yeare, albeit that the daye and howre remayne vnknowen. Some also coniecture the ende of the worlde, from y e birth of Chryste vnto his passion and resurrection whiche cometh to xxxiij. yeares and certayne dayes, whose nomber is vnknowen. And for euerye yeare of Iesus Christe they accompte so manye great yeares Mosaiques, y t is to [Page] say, Iubilaires, and make euery yeare fyfty yeares, the which iubiles semeth ryght wel to accord together, for .xxxiij. Iubiles be of our Ciuile yeares. M .cccccc. and. L. wherevnto adde certayne fewe yeares for the portion and rest of the dayes y t Chryst lyued amongest vs, more thenne the sayde .xxxiii. yeares. It shulde be more euident yf euerye one of the sayd yeares of the life of Iesu Christe, we shulde make comparison and similitude to euery iubile of the churche then begynnynge. And if the symilitude of thynges make so many yeres of Christ, as of the Iubilaires of the churche, it shulde be the more to accoumpte of the ende of the world: but forsomuch that these thynges deuines, oughte to be more subtyly and at length treated, and that it pertaineth more [Page] vnto Theologiens then to medecynes, we wyll make here no further mention. There is other thynges that would a litle serue to this purpose, as thaccomplishment parfytte of the escriptures and Prophecies, insomuche that one iote is not wrytten in the holy scrypture that shall not be▪ accomplysshed before thende of the worlde. By these wordes we maye certaynelye perswade that the worlde is nowe lame, and very aūcient, and in maners and fashions falleth, and greatly halteth.
Nowe lette vs pray the eternall father of oure Lorde Iesu Christ maker of thumayne gendre, that to this tyme so euil and daungerous (by whom merueylous sygnes sheweth vs greate calamyties) for the loue of hys sayde sonne▪ oure sauiour, whom [Page] he woulde to be offered for oure synnes, that he kepe his church, and so by the vertue of the grace of his holye spirite, he confyrme, and conforte in suche wyse oure couraiges, that we feare not any daungers or peryls, nor alsoo the death. Here we haue finished our pronostication, yf the reader had not attended some thyng of the warres, peace, fruites of the earth, and suche lyke thynges as men were accustomed to put in pronostications. Our pronostication forsomuche as it is vtile and continuall of dyuers yeres maketh of suche thinges no mentiō, addynge neuerthelesse that the warres whiche hathe happened in the churche in the laste dayes of the worlde, that is to say, discentions, sectes, dyuers factions and lyke thynges, be more to be had in horreur, then the discordes [Page] of Emperours and kynges, and what is worse, they be more hurtefull then shoulde be warre turquoyse. Let vs praye to god that it wyl please him to be peace and accorde in his churche, and as he is the selfe same veritie, so to declare and manyfest the only verite, and in suche wyse to accorde the hearts of prynces, that they maye with one minde resist the cruell beast whiche alwayes is thursty of the Christen bloud. The Lorde shall geue largelye the fruites of the earth, yf we folowe the counsayle of Moyses, Deutero .xi. Chap. and Leuitic .xxvi. The Lorde sayth: yf you walke in my ordinaunces, and kepe my commaundements, and do them, I wyll geue you the rayne in his tyme, the earth shall geue fruyte, the thresshynge shall reache vnto the vyne harueste, and [Page] the vyne haruest shall reache vnto the sowynge tyme, & you shall eate your meate in plenteousnes and dwell in your landepeaceably, and I wyllsende peace in the earth, and you shall slepe without any man to make you afeard These thynges we must daylye remember to thend that GOD turne not his wrathe vpon vs, and shette the heauen. But lette euery man walke so in his vocacion, that he asmuche as he may kepe hymselfe from offendynge God, and lette vs at his hande, attende his greate munificence, the whiche to his owne he neuer denyed.
¶ Conclusion.
¶ Gentle Reader seynge that pronostications comonlye be not welcome, and that men call them the bokes of lyes, we wil asmuch as i vs is possible, preserue ours from [Page] that vyce, and haue fortified it by holy scripture, and with the sayinges of the good philosophers, more then by the doubteous opinions of thastrologiens, this maner hath not ben longe vsed: but when it shalbe in vsaige, it shall haue the moore swetenes and grace, for euerye tyme hath his guyse and vse of his methode or practike what he wyll, we haue folowed oures, semynge to vs mooste conformable and nereste the trueth. And to thende that those whiche haue almooste loste theyr corage, and be ouermoche fearefull, we maye delyuer from theyr feare, and that they shulde not fall (as dyuers dyd the year past) into desperation. Fynallye, this calamitie and myserye the whiche was wonte to come by pronostications, toke his begynnyng of the phisicions, for leuing [Page] the counterpois, they meddled thynges agaynste the deuoir of Phisicke. Reade and geue no more fayth to pronostications then they meryte, and confyrme your harte in such sorte agaynst al thinges, that you may lyue ioyousely, and in the ende dye in the fayth of Christ our Lorde.