THE French Prophet: BEING The Famous Predictions Foretelling the Fate of France, With the Ruin and Downfall OF THE Present FRENCH KING, This Ensuing Summer, 1692.
By the Victorious Arms of our Gracious Sovereign King William the III.
With the Great Confusion and Distress of several Cities and Sea-Ports of France, The Insurrections of the People in several Parts thereof, thereby facilitating a Descent upon FRANCE.
Being a Prophecy of a Great and Learned Man in France,which was found in St. Rhemy in Provence, and happily brought to Light by the Care of several French Protestants, who escaped the French Kings Tyranny, and safely arrived in England.
Printed both in English and French.
Together, with several other notable late Predictions of that Reverend and Learned Divine, D. B—ly; wherein is briefly hinted the speedy subversion of the French Monarchy, by the Confederate Army, under His present Majesty.
Licensed according to Order.
LONDON, Printed for H. Marston in the Strand, 1692
The French Prophet: Or, The Sad Fate of France Predicted.
THE present Tryal of Skill between the boundless Ambition of France and the tugging Confederacy engag'd against him, affords Mankind no mean Hopes and Fears, and no small Expectation of the Event: And if Portents and Predictions, we [...]e over the Prodroma's of extraordinary Accidents and Revolutions, we have great Reason to believe, that since the present Firment of Christendom is too violent to hold at a Stay, and some great Change must certainly very shortly ensue, we might reasonably expect some Propheticks pointing to this present Summer, 1692. Though Prophecies 'tis true, generally meet the same Treatment from the present Age, which the Patriark, Noah's Prophetick Sermon of Forty Years (whilst he was Building the Ark) receiv'd from the Brutish Race of Mankind, before the general Deluge.
Now the generality of Prophecies are commonly couch'd in such Obscurity, that it is very difficult to explain them, yet, without Vanity, I think I may assert these to be as free from that dark Obscurity as any that has come to light, and perhaps, those that speak as plainly to this Fourth Year of our present Gracious Sovereign K. William, as can rationally be expected. You have them in French (the very Language they were writ in) as well as English, they were found, with divers others in the Ruin of an old Monastry near the Place of the Authors Nativity, the manner and way of writing them, gives sufficient Assurance of their Antiquity, and consequently, can be no Sham or Invention.
To strengthen these, I shall here insert some of the many late Prophetick sayings of a great Man of our Nation, the Learned Dr. B—ly, who writing on the Fate of the present Times, delivers himself to this Effect:
1. ‘The French Protestant Churches cannot be long without [Page] some Redress, because the Time of the Anti-Christian Apostasie is now so near its end. I look upon the Churches of Thyatira, as the Emblem of those Churches of the Protestation, that lye in the Bowels of Princes, who yet own Antichristian Rome; of which there is none so eminent and conspicuous as the French Protestant Churches, with whom also the Vandois are Allyed.’
2. ‘Seeing that there is an extraordinary Concurrance of gracious Signatures of God upon our present Soveraign, there is great hopes God will stir him up to appear at this Time in so Honourable a Service, as Scripture stiles it, as of helping the Lord against those Mighties: And if God be pleased to stir Him up, He will undoubtedly appear with Him; for I am bold, in our God, to say, I shall not be mistaken in our King, as to some extraordinary Service God hath to do by Him, the time being so near, and that on these great Reasons.’
1. ‘That he is the Third Descendant of the Great Prince of Orange, by whom God was pleased, in the United Provinces to propagate the Protestancy, and to give that curb to the grasp of that Time, after the Ʋniversal Monarchy: And because he fell a Martyr in it, and receiv'd no Recompence from the Bounty of God, equal, after the general estimate of Providence, I doubt not God hath reserved it for his Posterity, and for the Prince that he hath raised at this Time to be so Serviceable to the Protestant Religion, and inspired with so much Zeal and Courage for it.’
2. ‘Our King, as Prince of Orange, but now under greater Stiles, is One of the Princes and Nobles of France; That as the first Works of those Churches were principally by Princes and Nobles, proceeding of themselves: In the same manner shall their Last greater Works be done: In which regard, our King appears an Instrument fitted by God, as a Prince and Noble proceeding from themselves.’
3. ‘Above all, I persevere, that within the Six next Summers, viz. in 97. Anti-Christian and Turkish Tyranny shall Fall, and a great Re-Reformation ensue. And now, if these things shall seem of value to so Sovereign an Authority, let [Page 4] it please them to take care, that Consideration may be had whether upon just Grounds, what is, or hath been offered, can be refus'd, viz. on due Debates, according to the Records of Scripture, Chronology, History, Reason, and Experience, without any other Reflections than what enter into the Merits of the Cause.’
Advice 1. ‘That the Arms of the Protestauts Refugees of France, of the Vandois of Protestant Princes in general, be highly valued.’
Adv. 2. ‘I would most humbly advise, That there might be, under so great an Authority and Influence, an Assembly of Men Learned, and loving the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, who might discover so admirable a part (hitherto it may be called a Terra Incognita) of Scripture, even the stupendious Prophesies of it.’
‘I am bold to say, if I had, as now God hath vouchsafed me, understood Prophesie in the Years 48 and 50, and so onward, in the very Top of those Powers over the Nation, and kept close and steady to the Guidance of it, I should certainly have foreseen the Re-enstating the Church of England, that lay then in the Dust, and so of the Royal Family that should do it.’
Here begins The French Prophesie.
Annotations.
This is a true Picture of the impending Miseries of France.
Annotations.
This speaks of a League and Insurrection that shall be at [Page 6] Bordeaux, which is here called Ansone, from a Famous Latin Poet, named Ansonius, who was Born in that City.
Annotations.
The City of Plaucus is Lyons, because he was Founder of it, (it's a Famous City in France): That City is threatned here of a sudden Change, caused neither by her Goodness or Wickedness, but by a certain Position and Aspect of the fixed Stars, which makes it fatal.
Annotations.
By this Stanza is promised to England a Martial Prince, [Page 7] who hath his Heart from Heaven, and with all endeavours follows his prosperous Fortune.
English.
He who shall the Principality hold with great Cruelty, in the Conclusion shall see a great Army ruin'd by a most dangerous Fire-blow, he might do better to make an Accord, otherways he shall drink the Juice of Orange.
Annotations.
In the first Place, here is an exact Discription of the French Power and Dominion, which has been carry'd on by the greatest Cruelty and Oppression where ever they have been Conquerors▪ so great have been the Desolations in the Empire, and part of Italy, especially in Savoy; and the Palatinate especially the latter, that there is not a Village left for many Miles together. (And he shall see his Army ruin'd by the most dangerous Blow of Fire.) By this Fire is plainly meant the force of Powder, the now common and terrible Composition of the horrid Engines of War. (He might do better to make an Accord.) It is certainly the true Interest of France to lay hold on this wholesome Councel, if the Pride and Ambition of the great Tyrant would refund the Acquisitions and ill gotten Victories to purchase that Peace, which, at present, indeed is not agreeing with his Kidney. (Otherways he shall drink the Juice of an Orange.) Most certainly, by this Juice of Orange must be meant, The Arms of his present Majesty our most illustrious Monarch, for want of which Accord, not made, nor now like to be, perhaps before July next, the Great Lewis will find the Force and Power of this Mighty Prince in the Bowels of France.
Annotations.
I shall here take notice only of the latter part, which relates more immediately [...] (And the Black one with his Highness shall not suffer hi [...] [...] be over-press'd,) that is, the Spaniard, with his Highness the Prince of Orange, shall t [...]ke the Emperors part, and make some Check to the Progress of France: For the Black one, must mean Spain, the Epethite of Black being the vulgar Characteristick of the Spaniard, and His Highness must mean his present Majesty, more properly called His Highness in the Prophesie, as the young Hannibal against Rome, being an early Sworn Foe to France: and though not so Potent a one, yet no less Zealous a Champion of the Consederacy; when only Prince of Orange, (During Three Years he shall keep his People in Order,) Here the English and French Prophet jump, for here we come to the Old Prediction of this approaching 92, the Famous Fourth Year of His Majesties Reign before-mentioned. During three Years of our Sovereigns Reign, France shall hold up his Head against his Enemies, and make hard shift to keep Peace at home. But this great Fourth Year, let him look for Domestick Insurrections and Rebellions from a People over-laden with intollerable Burthen of so long a War; and feel the weight of the impending Bolts that hang over him, whose Execution perhaps the Justice of Providence has thus long retarded, to fall at last more home and more heavy. When both the Eagle and the Son of Man, shall be Exalted, and the Lil [...]y meet the Fate it hath deserved.