T HE WAR

59? TH E PROPH ETS

NOTES ON CERTAIN POPULAR PREDICTION S CU RRENT IN THI S LATTER AG E BY

ERBERT TH U RSTON H ,

I i f U I 6 Ma vns apw'fos c a n; euc afe c Ka kw;

LONDON “ B U S O T S L TD R N Es A E .

2 8 O D ST T W , RCHAR REE , . 1 9 1 5

P R E F A C E

H b o o k de alin IS little , g with the pro phe c ie s current during or recalled to

memory by the present war , has been suggested at least in part by ’ Do n - D er lli ger s well known essay , iWei s s agungsglaub e und das P rophet ent hum i n d er c hri s tli c henZei t an , of which excellent trans

lation was published forty years ago by Mr . ’ D r D n . o Alfred Plummer . lli ger s survey dealt almost exclusiv ely with the predictions of the Middle Ages ; the present work concerns itself with those prognostics which hav e attracted atten in n find tion rece t times , and are expected to n i n n a v n their fulfilme t our own ge er tion . E e Do n i n n n lli ger , spite of his stro gly a tipapal an n st dpoi t , did not think of questioning the possibility of a genuine gift of prophecy , whether a a v a n tur l or infused . He belie ed , for ex mple , av n no that S o arola possessed it , althou gh by ’ means all Savonarola s predictions were justified it by the sequel . Naturally is not the aim of the following pages to show that credibility is to be denied o n principle to ev ery attempt to foretell v future e ents . St . Paul writes , as we all know v i Pre fac e

D v espise not prophecies , but pro e all things ,

- v . 2 2 hold fast that whi c h is go od ( 1 Thess . 0 I ) ; a nd L although , as ightfoot well notes , the mean ' n ‘ n i g of Wp ocfznreca in the New Testame t is forth ” n i n telli g rather than foretelling , spiration , in o an n ther words , rather th predictio , still the n latter se se is also implicitly included . That v and are n n there ha e been , , ma y perso s to whom a knowledge of the future is imparted inways that n n c v . trans end our comprehe sio , I fully belie e But th at this knowledge ev er extends to the foreseeing of political ev ents of general interest ffi n is v ery di cult to establish by ev ide ce . It does not seem to be part of the div ine dispensation that assurance regarding the decrees of Prov i dence should be giv ento any considerable body n n n of ma kind . Certai ly a careful scruti y of such pretended oracles as are discussed in the present v olume must lead to an attitude of extreme ll suspicion in regard to a literature of this type . Of the many hundred predictions recorded i nthe various collections which I hav e examined almos t all hav e been long ago refuted by the actual n in a v . v course of e e ts I ha e , f ct , come across o ne and a but , th t a prophecy to which attention

has not hitherto been directed , which seems to me to retain the least semblance of intrinsic

- a . 8 o 8 . v v prob bility (see pp 4 below) Moreo er , e en n v here the extri sic e idence is quite unsatisfactory , a nd should the terrible catastrophe foreshadowed u a n o ne nh ppily come a ywhere near realization , Prefac e v ii could feel no confidence that we were in the presence of anything more than a rather

exceptional coincidence .

Although the longest chapter in this volume , that concerned with the pretended prophecy of v St . Malachy , may seem at first sight to ha e n little to do with the prese t war , the observant reader will soondiscov er that these papal mottoes are closely interwov en with the fabric of nearly all the recent religious predictions concerning r a n p esent c lamities and the e d of the world . It therefore se emed desirable to discuss the ques tion of the fraudulent origin of the list in some

detail , the more so that much that is written on - n the subject is curiously ill i formed . The sub a f a n st nce o the ch pter deali g with St . Malachy is taken from two articles which I contributed to The M o nt h as a n and 1 8 far b ck as Ju e July , 99 , where the intimate dependence of the mottoes P anv i nio was a on , I think , made cle r for n the first time . The fact that ev e in such a work as The Cat ho li c Enc y c lopce di a the prophecy should be treated as a document of serious v alue seemed to render it needful to deal with the subject somewhat more fully and a v in e exh usti ely than the matter its lf deserved .

a l s t 1 1 . M rch 3 , 9 5

C O N T E N T S

CHAPTER I PROP HECY m 1 8 70- 1

T at s e aso ns f u ar exc i eme n R—EDU LI Y — o po p l t t The war o f 1 8 7o V ogue o ft he V oi x P ro ’ ph e ti que s and o f other s imil ar c ollec tio ns B es se d C a erine ofR ac c oni i—Anna M ari a ai i l th g — T g and t h e three d ays o f dark—ne s s M ade le ine Po i s at and M aximin o f La S al ette Th e famo us prophec y o fO rv a — e nr V the O s rin o ft he C a l H y , ff p g — p A s ugge s ted alli anc e for Q uee n V i c tori a The O rv al prophe c y an av o w ed fo rgery- Th e failure o f M ary — — ’ “ Lat as t e The prop e c o fB o i s K ing G e o rge s i s e ” h y l l o fc aptiv ity . CHAPTER II TH E PRO P H ETS AND E C C LE S I A S TI CA L A UTH O R ITY

TE TS o f Fa e r d e B u a nd M r Du S th c k g . C o unc i l o f L ateran — — o f I mprim aturs The Sa i nt o fTo ul ouse S uppo s ed Prophe c y o fthe ’ — C uré D Ars ;—i t s re al me aning U ms at i s fac t o rine ss o f t he e v idenc e The Fe as t o fo ur L ady an inter — i polat i on The Dom B o sc o fab r c atio n. CHAPTER III B ROTH ER J OHANN ES — — o f t he P rophe c y Th e Antic hri s t The B a e o ft h e B as — n r dib e ro si on f ttl — e ts I c e l p fu o de tail S at P éladan and hi s e xtrav aganc es A re e -and -e as edi or—M adam e Faus an Péla f y t t d M . ’ an e a n—Th r n d s r c it ti o e st a ge o mi s s io ns o f B rothe r o anne s— redi c i o n a rib u ed t o S ma J h P t tt t t . Tho s o f C ane rb ur —O er B eas r i t y th t p ophec e s . ix x C ont e nt s CHAPTER IV AR M AG E D D ON AND TH E END o r W AR

B f h B i rc r — as ers—The attl e o t e h T ee —J p us P ro phe c y o f M aye nc e H e rm ann o f v i si o no fBl e s s e d Andre w — d n C arme i u B o“b o la The p re dic ti o ns o fa m o e r l te n n Ti ll o nly t h e fo urth part o f m e n re main — an n i s Fl aw s i n t h e e v ide nc e A l e tte r t o E gl h pri est .

CHAPTER V D I V I NER S AN D S OOTH S AYER S N arithm e ti c al p ro gno sti c o f th e ye ar o f t h e ’ — K a i s er s d o wnfall Suc h c ab b a li sti c div ina ’ io ns no no v e — o ui s Na o e o ns fa a t lty L p l , t l — e n e nur ye ar Ah i ll us trati o n fro m t he e ighte th c t y n sfl Th e nume r ic al s igni fic anc e o f P i us papa no u Th e m etho d s o f Zadki e l a nd Old M o o re M e n n m arke whe n they hi t and ne v e r m arke whe they mi s s e —S o me mod e rn oro s c o es—The c o mme rc i a h p — l v a ue o f a gi o f re ading t h e s ars M ad ame d e l — ft — t Theb e s N o s tradam us A M o ther t ipto n fab ric a — i c ati on Th e de ath o fa s ov e re gn c or re c tly fo reto ld . CHAPTE R V I

- P Y F S T M L C HY TH E s o CALLED P RO H E C O . A A ’ M a ac s a a mo oe s O G U E o f S t . l hy p p l tt fi i d— v i i nd ur o se H o w rs t pub l she Tr i al ty a p p ns—Fund a l e s s c harac te r o ft he interpretati o m e ntal di ffe re nc e b e tw ee n t h e m ottoe s whi c h p re nd o s e w i c o o w t he da e o f ub i c a c e de—a th h h f ll t p l ti o n V ague ne s s and re ady adaptab i lity o f t he l ate r — nv i ni — i s b o o o rac l e s The Pope b o ok o f P a o Th k unq ue sti o nab ly us ed fo r t h e fab ri c ati o n o f t h e — e n w ic r v e i s mo tto es O v e rwhe lming e v id c e h h p o s th ’ — nc o ora e d as se rti o n P anv ini o s b lunde rs o f 1 557 i rp t ’ n S M a ac s s u os ed ro e c o f 1 1 2 i t . l hy pp p ph y 4 — n ar n and O rigi n o f t h e fo rge ry The o ri e s o fWe i g te — in e m —h e s H arnac k G rounds fo r r ej e c t g th T e P op i e e nc e s drawn rom e i r s till t o c ome and th e nf r f th m ottoe s . C ont e nt s xr CHAPTER VII P AG E T H E FATE O F EN G LAND AN D TH E COM I NG O F ANTI CH R I S T — ATI ONAL pro phec i e s No s tradamus pr edi c ts 00 e ars o fm ari ime e m i re fo r n and —3 y t p E gl An Engli sh re v o l uti o n al s o fo reto ld — u do n— B ar o o me w o ause r and M ll e . C o é th l H lzh ’ — England s re c o nv e rs io n t o t he F aith Prophe c y f w d t h n s so r—Ani ri s a o d o S t . Ed ar e C o fe t c h t c c r — ’ i ng t o t he As c e ns i on of I s ai ah Adso s gre at — ’ m e ro r o f Fra n i s rac e R e r B ac o ns a a E p — k h og P p Angeli c a s The t wo ide as c o mb ined i n t he late r m edi v a e nd —S i n e n Fe rre r n h ne ar ae e s t . t e l l g V c t — o appro ac h o ft he e nd o ft h e wo rld Antic hri st alre ady ’ — F an i o u s e d r b o rn S t . r c s o f Paol s s ppo p o phe c y H o lzhaus er a nd many o the r mys ti c s p redi c t fo r t h e Churc h a p e ri od o fp e ac e and tri umph whi c h i s t o rec e de ni i — fli in v i e w e ar i p A t c hr st C o n c t g s r g d ng t h e d ate and o rde r o ft h e e v e nts whic h he rald t h e se c o nd min i c o g o fChr st .

THE W AR AN D THE PRO PH ETS

C H AP TER I — P RO P H ECY I N 1 8 70 1 8 7 1 V ERY schoolboy is familiar with the portents which inthe pages of Livy are noted as occurring in profusion at seasons of special danger and

calamity in the history of the republic . L a n as was But even ivy , respecter of tr ditio s he , did no t disguise his misgiv ings regarding the authenticity of many of the preternatural occur fences which he thought it incumbent upon him to i s a a record . Thus it th t at breathing space in his c hronicle of the s econd Punic war b e re marks At R ome or i n the neighbourhood n a n ma y portents occurred th t wi ter , or , as often ’ happens whenonce mens minds are affected by a and religious fe rs , many were reported thought ” 1 s v an le sly belie ed . There c in any case be no 1 i v Li i b . xx a 62 . R o ma: au c i rc a ur e mu e c . t b m a a L y , , p lt b i eme ro di i a ac a aut uod e v e ni re s o e mo i s s e me in p g f t , , q l t t l li i n nimi i i ” re o em a s mu a nunt at a e t emer e c red a sun . g , lt t t t xx i nd 6 xi i n C . i a ii 2 xx v 1 a d c 1 x 0 e t . f 3 ; 3 44 , 2 P ro ph e c y in 1 8 7 0 - 7 1 ' doubt that an atmosphere of exc itement and unrest is singularly fav ourable for the propaga 1 tion of credulities of all kinds . We need not v is s exactly call it ner es , that , if nerve be sup posed to be synonymous with a condition of r abject terror . There is Often no terror ; terro n a i f ct is the effect rather than the cause . But s s n there is a loss of mental balance , a di po itio s to clutch at straws , an inability to ob erve any a outw rd object without magnifying it tenfold , and we must believe that this attitude of mind at is dis tinctly unhealthy . It may times be a a s stimulus , but stimulu which is followed by a c an regrettable reaction . The more we maintain an attitude of robust common sense the bette r v s Our for ours el es and for our neighbour . a a s British phlegm , which is not perh ps now day quite so distinctiv ely British a characteristic as it s v at s as u ed to be , is a aluable asset time such

these . I am led to make these reflections by t he indications which meet us o nso many s ides just a s s now of general di po ition to credulity , not only with regard to s tatements of fact and c horrors ommitted in the war , but also with n regard to predictions concerni g the future . At the time of the great Franco -Prussian contest of — 1 8 70 1 8 7 1 there was a positi v e epidemic of pro

r n n o i n e r ro he c i e s and t he ro he ti c S i i t E . ra s D ll g , P p P p p , g t 8 - 0 o ins o ut ho w ri e ro ec i e s were u o n t he dis pp . 9 9 , p t f p ph p t urb e d so i o f a and a so how e mu i ied durin t he ime l It ly, l th y lt pl g t

ft h re i m . 1 2 . o e G a Sc s i b . t h ; , p 5 “ ” V o ix P ro phét iq ue s 3

he c ies a o n . a n p , especi lly the French side A cert i é C uric ue a a a Abb q , member of v rious le rned s s a i n ocietie , compiled work , which its fifth n 1 8 2 editio , published in 7 , filled more than thirtee n hundred pages with vaticinations sup l pos ed to refer to our present age . Though a large proportion of these utterances profess to hav e emanated from canonized saints or from s n im per ons in repute of holi ess , it would be poss ible to find a s ingle item which could hav e giv en a clue to any ev ent known to h av e hap n was pened si ce the book published , or which was v s e en likely to be helpful , except in the mo t a s i n s a a gener l way , to reader e rch of mor l fi at i n n e di c o . For the most part the predictio s an N t wit h are obs cure d hopelessly elusiv e . o standing their Christian originthey are not one whit more eas y of interpretationthan the oracles n v f of paga D elphi . If e er they seem to O fer a definite indication of s omething capable of in v e st i at io n v av g , they either pro e to h e been

o i x r o h ti ues ou Si ne s A ari ti ons e t P redi c ti ons V P p é q , g , pp M o de m e s t o uc hant le s grands év' éne m ents de la Chré ti e nt é au ’ ’ XI Xe s i éc le e t v e rs l a r o c h e de l a Fi n de s em s ar l Ab b é pp T p , p ’ ’ J . M . C uric ue M e mb re de l a S oc ié é d Arc héolo ie e t d Hi s t o i re q , t g d la e M o s e e t . v . e c . th ed 2 o s ari s : a mé 1 8 2 . A ll , , 5 , l , P P l , 7 v as numb er o f s imi ar b oo s a e ared ab o u t h e s ame ime t l k pp t t , e . . ere M ari e Anoine Le Grand a e e t l e Grand R oi t h g , P t , P p , 7 c d . o u ous e 1 8 2 n o h t v d V . de S e a L e r e e a i , T l , 7 ; t y, P p D a e re t ti ari s 1 8 2 F x m n de a ro heti e de . R o u xa e l L zz , P , 7 ; , E P p Bl ois aris 1 8 1 C o ind e anc La Fi n de s e m s ari s , P , 7 l Pl y, T p , P , ’ ' 1 8 1 V . de S e na 7 L Av e ni r d v o il , ari s 1 8 0 1 8 1 A. Le t y, é é P , 7 , 7 ' e e i er La Cle de s s ue ur i v r e , em ; G . Na t o e , P ll t f T p q , E p Dél é i ar s 1 8 1 . , ; e t c b ut i t wo u d b e use e s s t o a em a P 7 , l l tt pt b ib i r l og aphy . 4 P roph e c y in [ 8 7 0 - 7 1

s s s n v ns fal ified by ub eque t e e t , or when com n a us n pared with one a other , they le d to co tra i t r n n a a d c o y conclusio s . A more u profit ble t sk th an th at of the editor who with great labour a V o i x P ro héti ues g thered up these p q , it would a be impossible to im gine . Without attempting to furnish any account of the heav enly portents with which the book is fille d— a a n ns v the pp ritio s of sai t , the mo ing a s s st tues , the testimony of posses ed per ons , the s and s ai r armies , crosse serpent seen in the , the a n s aurora b ore ali s t h e men ci g a pect of the , a a - u n ns shocks of e rthqu ke , the dried p fou tai that ‘ — ll r r re a . a c a e e beg n to flow , etc . , etc of whi h p n as s o ne se ted full of prophetic ignificance , or two brief illu s trations may be gi v enof uttera nces c a in whi h the prophet , or more prob bly the ’ n v n f n prophet s i terpreters , ha e bee su ficie tly ill adv ised to ve nture upon definite s tatements and s c an n dates . For the mo t part the works of o ized

s a . . aints , for ex mple , St Bridget , St Gertrude , n s L a a . St . There a , St . eo rd of Port M urice , etc , w n c n hich are laid u der ontributio , furnish no As a m er e m atte r o fc uri o s ity i t m ay b e i nte re sting t o trans a e t h e eadin s o ft he c a ers o fB o o V e c o rre s o nd t o l t h g h pt k , th y p - v l n h t h d . nd e a h e ne 0 1 o f o . i i t e e a b r t e ra pp . 4 53 ( 4 ) g ” l S T a er run as title Propheti c igns in t he El e me nts . he c h pt s Th e n f h i i o o ws 1 e or r o t e C arc e ri ofSt . F ranc i s o fAs s s ; f ll , T t v e rflw o f t h e i e r h n i n rin 2 The o o b ; T e i e rm e s of , T 3 , t tt t p g arb res Th e Auro ra B o re a i s o fO c t 2 th and 2 t h 1 8 0 ; , . ; D 4 l 4 5 , 7 The c ro s s o f i aro und t h e moo no nt he ni o f e c emb e r 5 , l ght ght D 8 t h 6 The mons e r s er e n s ee n in th e air at arn ne ar ; , t p t J y , M e Th e b a e in t he sk a t t h e v i a e o f Go laz e i n tz ; 7 , ttl y ll g o and 8 ree mi i ar sc ene s wi ne s sed i n t h e eav ens b P l ; , Th l t y t h y

ob s erv e rs i n t he R ine and ; The e ar ua e i n ib e . h l 9 , thq k T t Anna M aria Taigi 5 more th an general premonitions of calamity for a e the Church , which might belong to any g or any combin ation of circum s tan c es . But some of the utterances of persons in repute of sanctity n are represented as bei g more explicit . Thus we learn that Blessed Catherine of R acconigi a n 1 s n ounced , before 544 , that after three centurie a had elapsed , descendant of Francis I , King s of France , hould rule over the world like a ‘ i s f second Charlemagne . There a little di ficulty here , since the male line of Francis I came to an end with Henry I II , but the editor thinks it obv ious that the royal house of Bourbon in n a a n ge er l must be me nt , and the partisa s of the Comte de Chambord were consequently left free to deriv e all encouragement from this prediction v nfo r of a uni ersal Christian monarchy . U t unat e ly we hav e come to the end of almost four s centuries since Bles ed Catherine prophesied , and the ad v ent of the second Charlem agne s eems f r ff n a nn as a O as ev er . The Ve er ble A a Maria a Voi x P ro héti ues T igi , according to the p q , was a n much more preci s e . She nnou ced that the n - p o t ifi“c at e of Pius IX would last twenty seven years . He was in fact Pope for nearly thirty '

e a s . two y r Moreover , she very definitely asserted that he would live to see the triumph of the Church in spite of all the calamities that would v pre iously come upon the world . Indeed we

1 oi x ro h ti ues v 1 1 ol . . 1 00 V P p é q , , p . i ii 1 o x 6. V , , 7 6 Proph e c y in 1 87 0 - 7 1 have quite a minute description of all the occur rene es which would then take place

t he e ne m e s o ft he C urc ddeno r o en All i h h , hi p , will pe ri s h during t he day s o fdarkne s s with t he e xc e ptio n o f s o me fe w wh om Go d will c o nv e rt imme diately a e rwards ft . The ai r will the n b e infe c te d b y t he demo ns who w a e ar unde r all nds o f de ous a e ill pp ki hi s h p s . The po s se s s io n o fa b le s se d c andle will s ec ure it s o wne r ro m de a s o a s o w t he s a n o f ra e rs f th , l ill yi g p y add re s s e d t o o ur e s s e d ad and t he an Bl L y h oly ge ls . e r t he da s o fdar ne s s a n s e e r and au Aft y k , S i t P t P l av n c o me do wn ro m e av e n w re ac rou h i g f h , ill p h th gh o ut t he wo rld and w de s na e t he new o e ill ig t P p , ‘ um n in Co e lo who i s t o s u c e e s I X L e c d u . , Pi A g re at light will fl as h f ro m th e ir b o die s and will s e ttle u o n t he c ard na t h e u ure o n f p i l , f t p ti f . ain c ae t he rc an e a e ar n e nu o n S t Mi h l A h g l , pp i g th p e a r in uman o rm w o d t he de v e nc a ne d th h f , ill h l il h i n t h e r d o ft he re a n f n r u til e p io p c hi g o A tic h i s t . In e s e da s e o n s a e x e nd it s e m re th y , R ligi h ll t pi r t h w r e re s a b e o ne th o ugh o ut e o ld . Th h ll rd Th s an w b e c o nv e r e d as we e e . e us s Sh ph R i ill t , ll as E n and and C na and all t he a u w b e gl hi , f ithf l ill fill e d with joy in be h olding this ov e rwh elming h r t riumph o ft e Ch u c h . e r t he da s o f dar ne s s t he H o ouse o f Aft y k , ly H Lo re to will b e c arrie d b y t he ange l s t o R o me and ’ o s e d int he as c a o f a n ar a o r will b e dep it b ili S i t M y M j .

1 i s o fc o urse is a re e re nc e t o t he so -c a ed ro ec of Th , , f ll p ph y w ic i s dis c us sed a e r n in a v i M a ac o c er . St . l hy, h h l t h pt 2 - o i x r o h ti ues ( t h ed . v ol . ii . 1 0 1 . rd V P p é q s , , pp 7 (3 ed 1 8 7 1 ) 9 9 342 -3

8 P rophe c y in 1 87 0 - 7 1 Within t he Churc h its e lf th ey will think th at all i s n 1 ! e re i s c o n us o n o s . ar a e ars a d 0 l t M y pp th f i , n n n r c o fus io e v e namo g p ie s t s . And the seer goes o nto explain th at with the c n a all nv v omi g of M ry will be co erted , e en the n Jews a d the Ph ari s ees . Of s imilar import is the s o - called secret of a M ximin Giraud , the shepherd boy , who , with M élanie was n , the wit ess of the apparitions of Les V oi x La Salette . The Editor of professes to print from a copy made b y the Venerable E mard Pierre y , the holy founder of the Society s s n of the Ble ed Sacrament , whose ame is intro duc e d as if he thus made himself gu arantee for n ’ the authe ticity of Maximin s pretended secret . Without quoting the whole we may note these ev ents which will follow upon the loss of faith by three- qu arters of the population of France A P ro te s tant nati o n o ft he no rth will b e c o nv e rte d t o t he a and b me ans o f s na o n t he o e r f ith , y thi ti th na o ns w re urnt o t he a ti ill t f ith . The o e who s a c o me a e r t he re s e n o e P p h ll ft p t P p , us I X w no t b e o man na s e ra as ro main Pi , ill R ( p , whic h might e ithe r me an th at he wo uld no t b e o f o manb r o r a h e o u d av e t o e s ab s h his R i th , th t w l h t li e pis c o pal s e e e l se whe re ) . Whe nme nare c o nv e rte d Go d will re s to re p eac e t o t he wo rld . Afte rwards this p e ac e will b e ov e rth rown b y t he l mons t re Be as t ( e ) . And t he B e as t will c o me at t he e nd o ft he nine te e nth c e n ur o r at a e s at th e e nnn o ft he we n e t y l t t b gi i g t ti th . The La S ale t t e Sh e ph erd Bo y 9 So th at we h av e app arently the conv ers ion of n an nv n a E gl d the co ersio of the world , non R an n a and n a all om pope , profou d pe ce , o ly fter n s n i s these thi g , the comi g of the Beast who to n as s . up et the peace No e the less , the Be t is to arriv e at l atest at the beginning of the twentieth century ! Such were the prophecies whic h were widely circulated and greedily s wallowed during the period of mental and political disturbance which

- followed upon the Franco Prus s ian War . Need less to s ay th at there were many which were understood to hav e a more direct reference to the fin al outcome of the dram a which was then being n an enacted o the soil of Fr ce . Thou gh Paris a a n 1 8 1 had c pitul ted before the end of Ja uary , 7 , some time h ad still to elapse before the treaty of peac e was s igned and a s till longer period before n the German garrisons , left behind to e sure the n n payme t of the i demnity , were entirely with a n n was dr w from Fre ch territory . This of all others the s easonmost fertile in prophecies of a n n v . a forthcomi g di i e intervention The Germ ns , was e v n s s it beli ed , would ma ufacture ome excu e nv a n n a n I n for i di g the cou try sec o d time . punis hment for the i nfide lit ie s and c rimes whi c h had n i n culmi ated the horrors of the Commune , Pari s would againbecome the prey of the enemy

and would be almost entirely destroyed by fire . But when the humili ation of the - French capital was complete , God would come to the aid of His — 1 0 Proph ec y in 1 8 7 0 7 1

v . t s faithful ser ants A grea leader would ari e , whom ev ery Legitimist identified with the

Bourbon claimant , the Comte de Chambord . He would reign as king by the name of Henri and s n V , to the white ta dard which he unfurled n all good Fre chmen would rally . The wicked would be exterminated , or else be converted , and the cause of Catholic Christianity would ev ery It where triumph . was under the inspiration of ideas such as these that the prophecy attributed ’ Ar -2 to the Curé d s was disseminated in 1 8 7 1 . With this it will be necessary to deal more at length in a future chapter . In the meantime let me copy the latter portion of the much -debated ” Prophecy of Orval , which more perhaps than any other augury gav e encouragement to the supporters of Henri V . The Prophecy of Orval was originally c i rc u lated as an ancient prediction which had been L 1 printed at uxemburg in 544 . A copy of this booklet , it was said , chanced to be preserved in the neighbouring monastery of Orval (Aurea Valli s wa a s 1 . ) , and thence m de public in 793 But others contented themselv es with asserting a v more vaguely that , wh te er its origin , the text was at least known to be in existence in the R v monastery before the French e olution . The v document , as we ha e it , begins with the rise of the great Napoleon and describes his career somewhat minutely . Seeing that the earliest G a 1 8 printed opy d tes only from 39 , this is not The Prophec y ofOrv al 1 1

r v s ve y con incing, neither is one more impres ed by the fairly accurate presentment of the reign s of Louis XV I II and Charles X ( 1 8 1 5 whic h almost certainly had already ended when the n n . docume t first saw the light The i terest , of s v course , begin with what is ob iously intended to be a forecast of the ev ents after 1 8 3 0 ; and as a here , the unprejudiced re der will clearly dis nc n n cern , the prophet to all appeara e knew othi g v e whatever of the Second Empire , but belie d l that after Louis Philippe had reigned a few years he would be ov erthrownby another rev o lu a a n tion . Then this new democr cy , ccordi g to e nd i n the forecast , would itself a period of war n in n terrible and desolatio , which would tur be succeeded by the glorious rule of a legitimi s t n monarc h u der whom the Church would triumph . D v a n a ates are not ery cle rly i dic ted , but the prophet seems to hav e belie v ed th at the Re v ol a n a and a a tio , which he fores w which ctu lly came n n i 1 8 8 t e a s . a 4 , would last about ye r After th t nn n a n a a a s he a ou ced a purific tio by gre t c l mitie , w a n which as to be followed by“ sort of golde age inwhi c h a Bourbon ki ng ( the offs pri ng o fthe ” e n n i . a a Cap , . , a desce d t of Hugh C pet) would bring pros perity bot h to Franc e and to the n n n n . a Church Apostrophizi g , the , u der the me ” n R v n r e s of So s of Brutus , the e olutio a i who L e s were to depose ouis Philippe , the prophet go on

He i s ar indi c le ly c ated unde r t he phras e R o i d u Pe uple . 1 2 P roph e c y in 1 87 0- 7 1

2 2 w n f ru us ! C a u on th . o e s o s o e H l , y B t ll p r b e as ts th at are go ing t o de v o ur yo u. G e at Go d ! wh at a c las h o farm s ! A full numb e r o fmoo ns i s no t e t c o m e e d and b e ho d man warr o rs are y pl t , l , y i s e en c o ming m r Th n 2 Th I v e . de s o a e d mo u n f 3 . e ti e S o e l t tai o t he Lo rd [t h e s e v e nhills o nwhic h R o me i s built! has n Th e s o n o f uda t he ur n c rie d u to Go d . s J [ B o b o s ; t h e king s o f I s rael w e re o ft he t rib e o fJ uda! h av e c r e d t o Go d ro m t he o re n and and b e o d Go d i f f ig l , h l , i s no o n e r de a l g f . a a fir ac c o m ane hi s arro w T n 2 4 . Wh t e p i s s ! e time s s i x mo ons [fiv e y e ars! and again s ix time s t e n mo o ns fiv e o e r e ars o r a o e e r t e n e ars [ th y , lt g th y ! n h av e fe d hi s a ge r .

W t re a ! re s umab ar s . 2 5. o e o th e e g t c ity [p ly P i ! e o d e re are man n s arm e d b t he o rd b ut B h l , th y ki g y L , fire has alre ady le v e lle d the e t o t he g ro und ; ye t t he w no G ha m rc n m us t e r s o d s e u o e . j t ill p i h , y p th Th ab od o f r m i s ur e d fire t he 2 6. e e c i e p ifi b y ; g re at riv e r [t he S e ine ! c arrie s it s wate rs all c rim s o ne d w o o d t o t he s e a and au ne ar ith bl , G l , ly d s me mb e re d w b e re un e d i , ill it . 2 v C m n God o e a . o o n r u . s e c e e u c e 7 l p y g P i , q it n o f v s n n h o n and t he i s la d c apti ity . Li te ; u ite t e li flw r— m t he white o e c o e ! i r h Th 2 a s o e s e e n i s t e w s o f Go d . e 8 . Wh t f i h o ld b lo o d o fpas t c e nturie s will again t e rminate lo ng c o n e n o ns b ec aus e e no ne s o e as o r w b e s ee n t ti , th l p t ill - in C e ltic Gaul . h m n w e r u r firm 2 . T e a o o u Go d w b e 9 , p f l th gh , ill o n his ro ne and man w s e aws w e s a s th , y i l ill t bli h The o s r n o ft he Ca w e s o rude n pe ac e . ff p i g p ill b p t and w s e a Go d w b e o u w him i th t ill th ght ith . The C o nv e rsi o n ofEngland 1 3

0 an s t o t he a e r o fme rc e s t he o n 3 . Th k F th i H ly Sio m n h o r o fo ne re a Go p roc lai s agai t e gl y g t d . 1 an o s s e e c o me and d r n at t h e v n 3 . M y l t h p i k li i g s tre am ; th re e king s and p rinc e s c as t o fft he mantle o f e rro r [he re sy! and s ee plainly t he true faith o f

G o d .

me w r - r 3 2 . At th at ti t o thi d p a ts o fa g reat p eo ple o f t h e s e a En and and c o and re and b e n [ gl S tl , I l i g C a c a re ad w re urnt o t he rue a tholi l y! ill t t f ith . G i a n s d dur n o ur n m ix 3 3 . o d s ag i b le s e i g f te e ti e s s mo o ns s ev e n e ars and s i x me s r ee n mo o ns [ y ! , ti thi t

ab o u s i x e ars o r a o e e r r e e n e ars . [ t y , lt g th thi t y ! Go d i s we ar o f av n ran e d H i s me rc e s 34 . y h i g g t i ; ne v e r e e s s fo r t he s a e o f H i s e e c H e w th l , k l t ill p ro lo ng pe ac e during t e n time s twe lv e mo o ns [t e n ar y e s ! . Go d a o ne i s re at ! o o i do ne t he 3 5. l g All g d s ; n r n f r Th m n f v arr v s a s a e o t o s u e . e a o e e s i t g i g f il i , r f w r bo n o t o ac e s . Th e w we r e c me o ure d d r n t e n 36. hite flo b o s b sc u i g me s s ix moo ns fiv e e ars and s ix me s w en ti [ y ! , ti t ty mo o ns t e n e ars o r a o e e r e e n e ars and [ y , lt g th fift y ! , th e ndis appe ars fo r e v e r uc e v and e o o d in o s e me s man 37 . M h il littl g th ti ; y c e s e r s b fire iti p i h y . 8 n s rae c m r f and 3 . Th e I l o e s t o Go d Ch is t o r go o d

The a r m n 39 . c c u s e d s c hi s atic s a d t he faithful eo e b e s e ar e n t w am But t h e me p pl will p at d i to o c p s . ti i r Go a n r s o v e . d o e w b e b e e v e d in and t he d l ill li , thi ar o f au and a a nthe rd ar and a a w p t G l , g i thi p t h lf , ill n r b e witho ut a y c e e d . w n 0 . b e t he s ame w e r na o s 4 It ill ith o th ti . 1 An o d r ix m re mo ons . d b e a e ad s e s e 4 h l , l y ti th , 1 4 Proph ec y in 1 87 0 - 7 1 and four time s fiv e mo o ns [alto ge the r ab o ut thre e y e ars ! h av e p as s e d s inc e all things h av e b e en n n s e ara e d and t he as c e ur has b e u . p t , l t t y g 2 e r a num e r no t c o m e ed o fm o o ns God 4 . Aft b pl t , c o mb a s rou hi s t wo us o ne s b ut t he man o f t th gh j t , v o n ue r But all i s o v e r ! The Go d has e il c q s . high ac e d a wa o ffire e o re m unde rs and n and pl ll b f y t i g , an n m r I c s e e o o e . We who now read this incoherent rho domon tade in cold blood find it diffi cult to restrain our impatience . It seems incredible that Frenchmen and F re nc hwome n of intelligence can hav e pinned their faith to it as a supern atural rev ela a tion . And yet in France fter the war there were literally scores of books written to v indicate its authenticity and to interpret its oracles as those 1 an of a sacred text . M y pious writers took it n ’ simply for gra ted , while others busied them v in a n n and n sel es c lculati g the moo s speculati g , n n for example , upo the ide tity of the three ff an Kings who were to cast o the m tle of heresy .

wou d b e us e e s s t o a e m a n c a a o ue b ut t he It l l tt pt y t l g , fo llo wing t wo b ooks may b e c ited as ty pic a l s pe c ime ns : Alb e rt d e B e c e nri le ra nd m ona r ue R e s t aura te ur d a Trdne e t , H V ( g q ) d e s Gl o i re s d e la F r anc e e t 8 0 ans de r ev o luti o ns anno nc és c i u s ar l e s r o h i e s P is 1 8 1 A h aut t ar b é A. C a b . b j gé p p p é , , 7 ; E y, L e ttres s ur l e s P ro phé ti e s m o de r ne s e t Co nc o rdanc e de t oute s ’ ' l r di i on us u au re n nr i i B es e c t s e d H e o ie rs 1 8 1 . o p j q g V , P t , 7 th w w n no e the s e o rks e t thro ugh mo re than o ne edi t io n. I n a th r i mo re e x rav a an b o o t he A b rn - av i n s b é . o é C t ll t g t k , H T h g y m aintai ne d that t he re al autho r oft h e P ro phe c y o fO rv al was No s radamus ; s e e e t tre s da Grand P r o het e ari s 1 8 0 t L p (P ) , 7 ,

. 2 nd 1 pp 3 a 53 .

S e e fo r e xam e H u ue ari s s e s Crimes c i s es Chdti , pl , g t, P m n ns 1 and . e ts o . 8 (Ly ) , pp 9 4

1 6 P ro ph e c y in 1 87 0 - 7 1 Nothing perh aps c ould more effectiv ely illu s trate the worthles s nes s of all this clas s of pro p he c ie s than the fact th at already i n the course of s ixty years three successi v e interpretations h av e been adopted to determine the identity of this young Prince the offs pring of Hugh ” ’ a fift i es a v nwas C pet . In the erificatio sought in nas a and c o mme n the dy ty of N poleon III , t at o rs were at pains to pers u ade their readers that the Prince Imperi al and his mother the Empress Eugénie could claim through the family of n s Medi a Coeli to be de cended from Blanche , the 1 L no w a a daughter of St . ouis ; and g in when the hopes of the Ch ambord legitimi s ts hav e suffered nc as shipwreck there are still writers , i redible it ma a a n v a y ppe r , who cli g to the Or l prediction , pointing out th at Louis XV II i s s till rep re sented at the present moment (thi s was written i n 1 1 0 s ix a ns 9 ) by gr ndchildren , the so of n ” 2 Prince Edmond a d Adalbert de Bourbon . n T nt n c . is s e ra Ac ordi g to M , the , the young ff i s . prince , the o spring of the Cap , still to come n s an a a man No e the le s , to y imp rti l who has the patience to look into the questionof the prophec y v a s a n of Or l , it mu t be perfectly pl i that the n nc a n docume t , though possibly i orpor ti g older a a a a materi ls , was deliber tely fabric ted bout the 2 n all year 1 8 3 . The date is determi ed with

1 ’ Se e eanin Le s Ruine s e t les Chr oni ue s d e ZAb b a e J t , q y ’ d rv ari s 2 2 no e . o al . (P , p 4 , t ’ l r H e u e 8 t h . N Ti s s e rant oi c i ed an . . c H , V , ( y, p 44 , note . A C o nfe ssi o n ofFraud 1 7 desirable ac curac y by the language of paragraph 2 n n s an 7 Come , you g pri ce , quit the i l d of L n n n and a v . c pti ity iste , u ite the lio the white 1 8 0 1 8 2 n flow e r . From 3 to 3 the youthful He ri was 1 0 a 1 8 0 n V , who ye rs old in 3 , was residi g i n a a n a Gre t Brit i , and there was at th t time ev ery probability th at he would continue to live c an there . It hardly be doubted that by the island of capti v ity the prophet meant Great and Britain , that by the union of the lion and fleur- de-l s the white flower ( y ) he intended to su ggest the desirability of a matrimonial alliance n V n between He ri and the Pri cess Victoria , the r n futu e Queen of E gland . s an The two fact , in y case , of which we have a n n : cert i k owledge are these First , that no printed text of the Prophecy of Orval has ever been produced which is older than 1 839 ; and n 1 8 seco dly , that in 49 the Bishop of Verdun publis hed a letter in which he condemned the v a as a Prophecy of Or l fraud , declaring that the fabricator was a priest of his own dioces e who under pressure of a juridical examination had n 1 co fess ed his guilt .

In s e o ft he r e c aus e d b s uc a sc and a pit g i f y h l , I h av e [wro te t he Bi s ho p! at le as t had t he c o nso latio n o fo b t aining fro m t he mouth o ft he c ulp rit hims e lf a c o m e e adm s s o no fhi a H de c are d t o me s u . e pl t i i f lt l , in ac a t he e o o r n ed at ux emb o ur f t , th t littl b k p i t L g 1 is we e arn was a c e r ain Ab b é H e nri u ardin who Th , l , t D j c om i ed a c o ec ionof r o e c i es in1 8 0 t o w ic h e av e the p l ll t p ph 4 , h h g ’ ame ofL Orac le n . 1 8 P roph e c y in 1 87 0 - 7 1 ’ in1 had nev e r e x s e d e c e inhi s o wn ma na 544 i t , x pt i gi o n a t he o r o n ab ou t he Em re he me ans ti , th t p ti t pi [ , o f c ourse t he rs Em re o f N a o e o n was , fi t p i , p l I! e n re his wo r a th e re s had e e n ec e d ti ly k , th t t b pi to g e th e r at rando m fro m s c rap s o f anc ie nt p ro hec i e s o rro w e d ro m v ar ous o ut -o f-t he -wa p , b f i y c o ec o ns w re ard t o w c ro nounc e no ll ti , ith g hi h I p O no n a at t he rs he had no o e r n e n o n p i i , th t fi t th i t ti in p e rp e trating th i s fraud th an j us t t o amus e him s e b ut a e n so me o fhis re d c o ns c anc e d lf , th t wh p i ti h t o c ome rue he had b e en le d o n ar b v an t , , p tly y ity , ar b a s e s ame t o e rs s in a dec e on ro m p tly y f l h , p i t pti f n w ’ whic h he i s o glad t o b e re s c ued . It is abundantly ev ident that such a letter could not hav e been writtenand published in the a s newsp per , if the confession of guilt spoken of ha therein d not been authentic . The Abbé D na H . ujardin , the priest thus incrimi ted , was v n at and no s li i g the time made prote t . He was well known to have identified himself with the in n and prophecy pri t , thou gh the Bishop does n n a n a not actually me tio hi“s n me , he i dic tes him

D . clearly by initials as M . Curé de

B . But in spite of all this , as has been was n already noticed , the prophecy not o ly I nthe pre fac e t o the e arly c opie s oft he Prophec y o fOrv al i nWas aid t o n i thi s pred c ti o s b e c o tained ina l ttl e b ook pub lished i n 1 544 . ’ At t he time t he Bi shop s l etter was pe nned t he fulle st pub iv n t o i t . a ared li c i ty was g e It ppe i n mo st o f t h e C atho lic ne ws a ers and no ab in t he ournal de B rux elle s M arc p p , t ly j , h n l t h 1 8 . B o is e e r a d t he o ri ina re ac e t o t he g , 49 th th l tt g l p f ro e c of O rv a ma b e ound in M i ne i c ti onnai re des P ph y l y f g , D

ro h ti e s ii 2 . C . P réc i s Hi s tori ues B russe s P p é , , 7 7 f q ( l , vol xix . 8 . . , p 4 5 M arie Lat ast e 1 9

1 8 0 s revived in 7 , finding thousand of enthusiastic n s a n defe der , but it has also ret i ed its credit with some strangely consti tuted intelligences down to

our o wnday . A word or two may be added about another 1 8 1 -2 prophecy which was much discussed in 7 , a Lat ast e - that of M rie , lay sister of the Congre gat io n of the Sacred Heart . The prediction is a n in any c se oteworthy on this ground , that we possess beyond reasonable doubt the actual n words of the mystic , not o ly dictated by herself at a date prior to the coming to pass of v s any of the e ent discussed , but published sub a a a sequently with ecclesiastic l pprob tion . The a v n ann n exact ye r of the re elatio c ot be assig ed , but it mu s t h av e h appened upon some feast of a n n 1 the Imm ac ul te Co ceptio prior to 8 43 . Marie Lat as t e belie v ed th at on thi s occa s ion s he was told by our Sav iour that it was H is will that the doctrine of the Immacul ate Conception s hould n be proclaimed on earth a d acknowledg“ed by all n L Christia s . Our ord then added : I hav e chos e n to Myself a Pope and I have inspired v him with this resolution . He will e er hav e this thou ght in his mind from the time that he shall

be Pope . He will collect together the Bishops of the whole world that their voices may be heard procl aiming Mary Imm aculate in her Con ” t n t t c e p io . Then Marie La as e learnt from the n a s ffl same preter atur l ource that a iction shall ” reign in the city which I love [presumably 2 — 0 P roph e c y in 1 87 0 7 1

R e ome! . This city will se m to succumb n v e ars and a n a duri g three , little lo ger fter these a three years . But My Mother sh ll descend into the city ; she will take the hands of the old man n and seated on a thro e will say to him , Behold ! a s the hour rise , see thy enemie , I cause them a n dis to disappear one fter a other , and they

v . v appear for e er Thou shalt li e , and I will live with thee . Old man , dry thy tears ; I bless ’ thee . s a Now it is unque tion ble that Pius IX , who 1 8 6 was elected in 4 , had the definition of the

Immaculate Conception much at heart , and that

1 8 . he carried out his purpose in 54 Of course , v n n he may ha e k own , and bee influenced by , L at ast e v this prediction of Marie , but e en so , the rapid fulfilment of the prophecy is sufficiently n n n striking . Co seque tly whe the papal govern ment was ov erthrown in 1 8 70 and Victor Em R manuel became master of ome , those who ’ remembered the holy lay-sister s words were confident th at after the l apse of three years t he Sov ereign Pontiff would triumph ov er his enemies and th at the temporal sovereignty would a be restored to him . At bout this period a new ’ edition of Marie Lat ast e s writings and revel a s a a tions was publi hed with episcop l pprobation , and the Vicar- General of the diocese of Aire

(M . Guitton) , together with another theologian ,

n i e a o m s o e o M ari e Latas te . E . H ly Th p , L f f pp - i n En r n Wr ti s ed vo l . i 1 . 6 1 0 and e t te s a d . . 3 4 , L g ( g , p 5 The Te st whic h Faile d 2 1 committed themselves i“n print to the statement that for both of them the decisive test of the

truth of her , prophecies will be the triumph of ” l v R the present Pope and the deli erance of ome . U n s nfortu ately the test failed ; not only Piu IX , a but two of his successors , have p ssed to their a off rew rd , and the triumph is apparently as far v n s as ev er . E e the most robu t champions of ’ Marie Lat ast e s prophetic gifts must surely by this time hav e h ad their faith somewhat shaken . Hardly less popular at the same epoch was the

- s o called Prophecy of Blois . If we could really n trust the correct ess of the text , which is sup posed to hav e been communicated verbally to Le rett e e Mlle . de y , afterwards known as M re v n U To uriére Pro ide ce , by an rsuline of Blois , a 1 8 0 c lled Soeur Marianne , in 4 , the prediction would be a v ery remarkable o ne ; for many of its paragraphs seem to accord minutely with events 1 8 20 1 8 0 which happened in , 3 , and later on . But it is just here that the ev idence is most n n u satisfactory . Mere Provide ce was under the impressionthat s he had been forbidden to write downany of the things that Soeur Marianne had

told her . Cons equently we h av e to trust to the memory of other members of the Blois Com munity who had heard some of t he disconnected utterances which Mere Prov idence had passed

. 1 8 0 on to them by word of mouth In 7 , when

this prophecy first began to attract attention ,

. H . om s n i o e o M ari e utas te . 0 . E Th p , L f f L , p 34 C 2 2 P roph ec y i n 1 87 0-7 1 Mere Providence herse lf was 93 years old and incapable of giv ing any exact account of what - she had heard sixty six years before . But the general drift of the predictions pointed to a happy consummation in the near future , when

France , after a period of desolating war and a e revolution , would enter upon a golden g of peace . For example Suc h wo nde rful things will happe n that t he mo s t s c eptic al will b e obliged t o s ay that t he finge r o f

God i s he re . Yo u will s ing a Te D e um ; b ut talk o f Te — D eums I te ll yo u that it will b e s uc h a Te D eum h n v r en s n o r as as e e be u g be f e . It will t ake fifte e n o r twe nty y ears fo r F ranc e r r m h r a am t o rec ov e f o e c l itie s . H o ev e r h n s s e e do n and u t o t he w , t i g will ttl w , p me o f e r ec e ac e un ranc e s a av e ti p f t p , til F h ll h be c ome mo re p ro sp erous and tranquil than ev e r n n m n a r was o w s o e e e rs o b . k , tw ty y will ll y The triumph o fre ligio n will b e s uc h th at no o ne r r n ro n w e e t has ev e b e fo e s e e it s like . All w g s ill b s r t he aws o f t he a e w b e b ro u no ight , l St t ill ght i t harmo n o se o f Go d and t he C urc t he y with th h h , e duc atio n giv e n t o c hildre n will b e tho ro ughly C r s an and t he u ds fo r wo r men b e ev e r h i ti , g il k will y ll r wh e e re s to re d .

as ! Al not twenty , but forty , years —have sped by s ince the epoch of the calamities those of

1 e e i a F R ux x amen d la P ro heti e de Blo i s See s c . o e p lly , E p

ari s . and R ic haude au La ro h ti e de Bl o is (P , p 33 ; , P p é n r c is r i e me t s t d . é av e c d e s Ec lai c s s h e ours C . P (4 , T , f Hi s t ori ques p . 9 1 .

2 4 Pro ph e c y in 1 8 7 0 - 7 1 are v e r hot m end h s man sa t o him y , y fri , t i will y ,

get do wn and hav e a glass o fwine . I am in ” t o o muc o fa urr t he me s s en e r w re a nd h h y , g ill ply ; L r the n he will ride o n to wards e B e ry . Yo u will all b e at me ditatio n wh e n yo u will hear th at t wo me s se nge rs h av e go ne p as t ; b ut the n a ’ rd arr v e r e and wat e r who w e o u thi will i , fi , ill t ll y th at t he day i s w o n; b ut he will hav e t o b e at Tours in anh o ur and a h alf . There were many other prophecies in circula i n n - tion the days of the Fra co Prussian War , but we may be satisfied with hav ing touched upon those which were most widely discussed . At the present time I note th at the Prophecy of v i n n Or al still figures a little brochure (u dated , but from its contents obv iously compiled or revised since the great war of 1 9 1 4 began) which in ’ is now being sold Paris . Anna Maria Taigi and the Nun of Blois apparently Offered nothing which the compiler found to his purpose , but from the Orval prediction he has extracted one sentence as bearing upon the present situation

C o me o un r nc e e av e t he s e o f c a v , y g p i , l i l pti ity ; n t h o nt r u ite e li o t he white flowe .

This , the reader will be pleased to learn , is now interpreted as an inv itation to his gracious Majesty King George V to u nite under his

1 ‘ The c o mme ntato rs ar e agre ed that the go o d s i ste r M ari anne use d thi s phrase in 1 8 04 t o c onv ey that th e ne ws wo uld c o me b y rain a m anner o f o c omo io n she was unab e t o e x aino e r t , l t l pl th n i i es Th e dis a r m B s t ur i a o u m . wi s e . t c e f o lo o To s s b t 35 l ’ Les P redi c ti o ns s ur l a Fin de l Alle ma ne di ions e t g , E t

ib rairi e Rue de S eine 0 aris fr. 1 . 0 . L , 4 , P , 5 The I sland ofCapt iv it y

’ leadership the armies of France and Belgium . ’ But why King George s island should be an island of captiv ity is a problem which is unfortunately left without explanation of auv sort .

’ i ons sur la Fin d l All a n d ti e m . 2 P r c e e 1 . e g , p CHAPTE R I I

TH E PROP HETS AND ECCLES IASTICAL AUTHORITY T must not be supposed that the flood of prophetic literature of which we have just been speaking was allowed to cir

culate entirely without protest . Already 1 8 0 - in 7 , before the Franco Prussian War had been more than a month or two in progress , a series of able articles , which rumour correctly attributed to Father Victor de

Buck , the distinguished Bollandist , began ‘ to appear in the P réc i s H i s t ori q ues of Brussels . Not only did the writer himself deprecate strongly the credulity with which these pro hec ie s b e p were too commonly received , but appealed to the praiseworthy example of pru dence set by certain other religious periodicals which had not allowed themselv es to be sucked

into the vortex . Still more important was the éa pronouncement of the famous Bishop of Orl ns , r D U anlo u n 1 8 M . g p p , who si ce 54 had been a é member of the Acad mie francaise . A confer

‘ n v o ue —t h De s Prophéti es e g e fi rs t artic l e was printed

i f r O c ob e r 1 8 0 . e nd s in t he réc s o e t s . a i t wa P t , 7 , pp 479 q , fo llowed by four others . r Du anlo u M g . p p 2 7 ence delivered by him on this subject was after wards published as a pastoral u nder the title of ' é e c one oraines n L ettre s ur les proph tr s t mp . I this the Bishop tells his readers incidentally th at he had had more than twenty books of this kind in n o ne his hands , and that he k ew that of of them , Le rand Av énement réc édé du rand P ro di e G p G g , more than copies had been s old in a few

weeks . But the main appeal of the letter is , of n ff course , co cerned with the regrettable e ects produced upon the Christian life by the unre strained indulgence o f this appeti te for the

marvellous .

F rom all s ide s t o -day [wro te t he Bi s h o p! we he ar o fno n b ut m rac e s and ro ec e s and t o o ur thi g i l p ph i , n r n a n ma s a w a o ur rd s ge e atio l s o o e “y y h t Lo u e d o nc e t o s ay t o H is : Thi s g e ne ratio n s e e k e th a — r t s r s ign Ge ne a i o i t a s ig num q uce i t . Th e re i s n n t r r i n n m n n e r o d s o thi g o s u p i s e us thi s ph e o e o . P i o f ro ub e e o urs are i t s o rd nar w ne s se s and t l , lik , i y it c H o w m c h nde e d i n h m ds f o ur aus e s . u t e o , i , i t s o rro ws h av e we no t ne e d o fthat t o k e n fo r g o o d s i num in b o num P s x x v 1 - o f w c t h e g ( . lx . 7 ) hi h P s almi s t s peak s ? Wh e n g re at po litic al and s o c ial ’ c ommo o ns av e u se me ns m nds w e n un ti h p t i , h o n ed c a am e s av e fa e n u o n a e o e w e n w t l iti h ll p p pl , h p ro fo und re v ol utio ns h av e s h ak e n a natio n t o i t s v e r o unda o ns d s urb e d ma na o ns b e n t o y f ti , i t i gi ti gi wo r e t r t o e rc e t h e dar ne s s o fe v e n s t o k ; th y y pi k t , c atc h a glimp se o ft he my s t e rio us unkno wnhidde nin t he u ure t o d sc o v e r at as t he s a v a o n o n f t , i l t l ti l g “ d h ec nt r a e re de sire t e e e d av our. he he e , xp t S i T l , wh 2 8 Ec c le siast ic al Aut h orit y no t h n re as sur n is s e e n is s urre nde re d fo r the i g i g , ma nar e re e v e r n i s s ee n e s e c a at i gi y , wh ythi g , p i lly wh r ar nd w nd r- r is h ope d fo r. P o phe t s i s e a o e wo ke rs t o o v s o ns Orac e s ro d e s are mu e d ; i i , l , p igi ltipli ; with n n n m n Ne v fa atic s i g o o d faith k av e s g e t i gle d . e r t he le s s so u s in e r c rav n fo r urn ea e r , l th i i g light t g ly t o an s o urc e w c o e rs a c ur o us e ar i s e n y hi h ff it , i l t ‘ t o tho s e marv e llo us tale s and t o th o s e v o ic e s whic h ro e s s t o hav e c o me ro m o n t he c re du ous p f f high ; l , and s o me me s t he sc e c a t emse v e s ro u ti pti l h l , th gh th at deep ne ed o fpe ne t rating t he unknownwhic h is n o rnint he uman s ou are s we o ff e r ee a i b h l , pt th i f t ; o e e ne ra o n e e ds o nc me ras and at o ne me wh l g ti f hi , ti se ize d with v ainfears t remb le s be fo re the c alamitie s announc ed as at t he a ro ac o ft he e ar 1 000 at pp h y , ano th e r follo wing t he do minant c raze i s fille d with e u a o n o r oe s t o s ee w ou m s v n x lt ti , g l p ith t i gi i g , ’ r b uo y e d up b y h o pe s t h at a e e qually basele s s .

And since we are upon this topic , it may be ’ n r D anl u well to suppleme t M g . up o p s shrewd criticism by citing the text of certain conciliar decrees to which he rightly makes appeal as expressing the mind of the Church in the most authoritativ e manner . The first of these pro no unc e me nt s was drawn up in the form of a papal bull during the fifth council of Lateran in 1 1 6s ac ro a ro b ante c onc i li o 5 , pp , and includes the following passage

1 Anob v i ous re ere nc e t o the b oo re v i o us s o e no f oi x f k p ly p k , V ti es ere we re a so Ge rma nc o i o n n th P rophé qu . Th l llec t s b e ari g e m n s ame title P rophe tenst im e . 1 e t r l h i l u t e sur e s ro t s . . no e n ra . Du a E ns . p p , L P p é , g t , p 4 v i mo di fied t he rende rin e v I ha e s l ghtly g th re gi e n. - H arduin Conc i li a v ol . i x 0015 . 1 808 . , , , 9 The Fift h C o unc il o fLat e ran 2 9 As regards t he time at whic h th e c alamitie s t o c o me are t o a en t he c o m n o f n c r s and h pp , i g A ti h i t t he da o f ud men l e t no o ne a ow m s e t o y j g t , ll hi lf anno unc e e m and t o fix e r da e fo r ru has th th i t , T th s aid th at it i s no t fo r us t o kno w t he time s o r r n H i mo me nts whic h t he Fath e k e ep s i s o wnp o we r. All who up t o t h e p r e s e nt h av e dare d t o make s uc h p re dic ti ons h av e be e n fo und t o b e liars (ips o s m e ntit o s ui s s e c ons ta t and i s c e r a n a e r f ) , it t i th t th i c o nduc t has done no s mall inj ury t o t he auth o rity o fth o s e who are c o nt ent t o p re ac h with out pre dic t in F o r t h r n w r d all and n . e u u e e e o a g f t , th , f bi y t o announc e future e v e nts in th e ir pub lic dis c o urs e s b means o f anc u e x ana o ns o f o c r ure y f if l pl ti H ly S ipt , t o p o se as h av ing rec e iv e d s uc h ins truc tio ns from t he o o s o r b a rev e a o n ro m e av e n and H ly Gh t y l ti f H , t o s et f o rth s t range and v aindiv inatio ns o r thing s o f r w v r h rd re v e t o a s o . o e e t e o a th t t If , h , L l anyone b y ins piratio nc e rtainthing s t o c o me t o pas s int he Churc h o fGo d as t he matte r i s o fg re at mo me n s e e n a no s r i s to b e t , i g th t pi it lightly e ev ed b ut s r s are t o b e ro v e d as t he o s e b li , pi it p , Ap tl e s e s he e r he are o fGo d we ha in t tifi , w th t y , will t t , o rd nar law s uc a e e d ns ra o ns t ale s i y , h ll g i pi ti ( as s e r tae ins irati one s b e unde rs oo d t o b e e nc e p ) , t h fo rth re s e rv e d t o t he examinatio n o f t he Apo s tolic S ee b e fo re be ing made pub lic o r p re ac h e d t o t he p eo ple (ant e q uam pub lic entur aut populo prce dic en t ur And an n n v n t he ) . if y dare ina y way t o c o t ra e e re m s s e s e s ide s t he e na e s rov de d b law p i , b p lti p i y a a ns s uc we w em t o nc ur a s e ne nc e o f g i t h , ill th i t e c o mmunc a o n a s o rom w c e c an b e x i ti l , f hi h th y a so v e d on b t he o man on f e c e en b l ly y R P ti f , x pt wh at t he o n o fde a p i t th . 30 E c c le siast i c al A ut h o rit y Although these warnings were immediately a s s a s ddre ed to the popular pre cher , who at a time of political excitement and religious decay l a a ex t rav a anc e s scand lized m ny by their g , they nev ertheless illus trate the attitude of eccles iastical authority towards all such pretended rev elations n v a a v i . general Moreo er , comp rati ely modern n na n decree , passed at Paris in a atio l cou cil of n i n 1 8 and all the Fre ch Bishops 49 , subsequently i s ratified by the Holy See , still more to our v purpose . Its enactment was ob iously occasioned by the vogue of t h e prophecy of Orv al and a number of similar predictions then current in France Sinc e [s aid t he C o unc il! ac c o rding t o t he Apo stle not e v e r s r i s t o b e b e e v e d we warno ur oc s y pi it li , fl k th at no o ne ras h ly s e t him s elf t o s p re ad t he kno w e d e o f ro ec e s v s o ns and m rac e s re a n t o l g p ph i , i i i l l ti g o c s t he u ure s a e o f t he C urc o r s m ar p liti , f t t t h h i il s ub ec s ub s ed w o u e r av n e e n j t , if p li h ith t th i h i g b n n a r v h r n r ar exami e d a d pp o e d b y t e O di a y . P i s h r e s s and c o n e s s o rs in e r rude nc e w de e r p i t f , th i p , ill t t he faithful o fCh ris t fro m a t oo e as y ac c e ptanc e o f

1 The e xampl e s et b y Sav o naro l a s ome ye ars b e fo re had b e en w a num e f e r fo llo ed b y b r o o the r po pul ar p re ac he rs . J o me o f Be rgamo i n 1 508 h ad anno unc e d t o v ast c ro wds that Italy wou d b e de v as a ed a nd a R o me e nic e and M i a n wou d l t t , th t , V , l l d a na io n i e r i b e de stroye b y t h th to unkno wn. A l ttl e l ate r a Franc i s c an F ranc e sc o d a M o nt e u c i a no ro duc ed a s i mo re , p l , p t ll e ns a i o n h i s ro e i e tre me ndo us s t b y p ph c e s o fw o e s t o c o me . H re dic e d a R o me wo u d b e a id was e t he c e r o f e v i p t th t l l t , l gy l i e e x e rmina ed a fo r re e e ars ere wo u d b e ne i e r l f t t , th t th y th l th

mas s no r s e rmo ns a t he and wo u d b e b a e d in b ood e tc . , th t l l th l ,

Se e t he ac c o un iv e n b as o r i s t or o the o es En . t g y P t , H y f P p , g

rans . v o l . v . 2 1 e t s e . t , , pp 7 q

32 E c c le siast i c al Aut h o rit y

W r t o mmun a e d iii . e fo bid them o b e c ic t public ly t o o e rs o r t o b e ro a a e d e o re h e av e b e e n th , p p g t b f t y h c ano nic ally p ro no unc e d upo n o r witho ut o ur a o r n uth izatio . W o r d re ac e r e e r o f th e r u r r iv . e f bi p h s ith eg la o s ec ular c le rgy t o intro duc e s uc h s to rie s into the ir ' s e rmo ns witho ut fi rs t s ub mitting the m t o ec c le s i The r e s in ar o f r as t ic al autho rity . p i ts c h g e p a is h e s lare bound t o mak e thi s p ro hib itio n known t o re ac e rs who are s ran e rs p h t g . r e s m s n t v . Suc h s to i u t o b e publis he d e ith e r as b o o s o r as ar c e s in er o d c a s ou o ur k , ti l p i i l , with t n n w r r n f m erm s s o a d e o d th e e ad o e . p i i , f bi i g th v n au o r a o n i s v e n t o i . Wh e th iz ti gi pub lis h s uc h s to rie s t he inj unc tio n o -f U rban V III s ho uld b e r rv c a e fully obse e d . v ii W k r n nd ur ar . e as o us e so s a o de p i p , dau h e rs t he nuns o f all re o us c o mmun e s t o g t ligi iti , r o n r r n b e partic ula ly th e i gua d i this matte r . Wh at e v e r ma b e s a d t o em and w a e v e r t he de re e y i th , h t g o f trus t th ey repo s e in tho s e who c o nv e rs e with em e ou h t o b e e re me re s e rv e d and th , th y g t xt ly n Th rue i n p rude t . e t s t pie ty s that whic h i s exac t i o b s e rv n t he aw s o ft he C urc i g l h h . v W e o r h e u a n v n iii . f b id t p blic tio o f all de o tio s ‘ and ra e rs une s s e v n ro p y l th y h a e b ee duly app v e d . No doubt all the Bishops did not in this matter v M r D hold the iews here expressed by g . ouais , and in the years which followed the Franco Prussian W ar there was some difference of opinion and action among them regarding the

1 da C e r Fran o is A See t h R ev ue u . 1 512 1 1 2 v o e l . xii l gé c , g , 9 , l ,

6. p . 3 7 AnA rc hie pisc o pal Imprimat ur 3 3 ecclesiastical approval of books of prophecies . Father de Buck in 1 8 70 was thoroughly justified i nsaying that for the most part these collections n appeared without the san c tio of authority . v n c V oi x P o héti ues E e in the ase of the r p q , which was les s open to objectionthan some other c a n a s publi tio s of the s me clas , the three first editions bore no episcopal imprimatur of any v kind . The fourth , howe er , had two or three letters prefixed which might be held to amount v equiv alently to an ecclesiastical appro al . The s c 1 8 2 a fifth , publi hed towards the lose of 7 , be rs a formal though somewhat gu arded commenda n M r Déc ham s tio signed by g . p , Archbishop of a n M li es , in whose diocese the book was printed . His letter seem s to throw the respons ibility of approv ing such collections upon sundry articles which h ad appeared i n the well -known ‘

a Ci v iltd Catto li c a . Jesuit periodical of It ly , the These articles directed attention to the predic tions as documents which deserved to be treated seriously and which might usefully help to i n spire confidence in the hearts of despondent v belie ers . Probably the Archbishop felt that it would be tactful to entrench himself against such criticisms as thos e of Father de Buck by invoking ’ the example of the Jes uit Father s o wn religious v n brethren who , li i g under the shadow of the

Vatican , were believed to be almost more papal 1 Se e i n ar i c u ar Ci v i ta Ca t t o li c a M arc 2 2 nd 1 8 2 p t l l , h , 7 ,

6 t s e . and . 2 A ri 2 rd e 1 8 2 . 2 1 e t s e . C . pp 5 q , p l 3 , 7 , pp 9 q f N v mb e r 1 th 1 8 1 2 nd o e . a u and 1 8 . 1 e t se . 7 , 7 , p 5 9 , J ly , 54 , pp q 34 Ec c lesiast i c al Aut h o rit y than the Pope himself . It must be c o nfes sed that these Civ i lta articles are now rather pitiable s reading . The trust reposed in such prediction Lat as te as those of Marie , Anna Maria Taigi , and in the still more apocryphal utterances ri . Ca s a us attributed to St of Arles , Jerome ‘ D v é a Bottin , and a id Par , teach a p inful lesson as to the fallibility of the guidance afforded by the learned editors . It becomes plain that in matters in which the wish was the father to the thought , neither all their orthodoxy nor all their theological learning could sav e them from egre

- gio us self deception . n Speaking ge erally , however , very few of the books of prophecies , especially at first , appeared im rirnatur with any sort of p , and the enthusiasts who , with more or less of good faith , were keenly interested in propagating these revelations of the v future , realized the ad antage of associating them as far as possible with names which all the v religious world held in eneration . Sometimes this result was attained by attributing the pro he c ie s v p themsel es to saintly authors like St . ’A . C ae sarius é d rs é Bridget , St , the Cur , the Abb m r n E a d . y , etc , sometimes by i ducing priests who were exceptionally respected to take an activ e part in the propagation of this kind of

literature . A remarkable example of the latter procedure mav be noticed in the case of the 1 All the se write rs w e re q uoted in j ustific ation o f t he b e li e f that t he triumph o ft he Churc h might b e ex pec ted inthe near u r i h nt ific at i f tu e dur ng t e po e ofPius IX h mse lf. The S aint ofTo ulo use 35

- F r well known Capuchin missioner , athe Marie Cle r ue L v 680 Antoine ( g ) , whose ife , a olume of a 8 v o pages roy l , has recently been published ‘ a n T ul under the title of Le S i t de o ous e . The ’ as good Father s biographer , while skating as v rapidly possible o er thin ice , does not dis gui s e the fact that the holy Capuchin was the compiler of one of the most famous of these 001 n L e rand lections of prophecies , that k own as g d v P ope e t le gran R o i . He e idently feels that n a some sort of explanatio is c lled for , and thus in speaking of the nightmare of di s couragement and irreligionwhich had settled down on France 1 8 0 re after the war of 7 , the biographer just ferred to tells us that all good Frenchmen eagerly

looked forward to happier times , adding that While t he w is e r o f the m we re c o ntent t o wait fo r ev e n s t o de v e o t he mo re arde n s r s ea e r t l p , t pi it , g t o an c a e t he c o m n o f t he dawn urne d he ti ip t i g , t t ir e av e nwards and c o ns u e d t h ur In th o ught s h lt e fut e . re s ons e t o s s a e o f o u ar ee n c h was p thi t t p p l f li g , whi de s re ad in ranc e at th e me an mme ns e wi p F ti , i numb e r o fp re dic ti o ns we re d ragged t o light o ut o f o ld b o o s o r e e nds o f mo re o r e s s do u u k , l g l btf l n Th re a d C auth e tic ity . e g t b o y o f ath olic s belie v e d n m Th m s o r n w niv e rs i e . e o s e e s a e rs t he U th t b p p , and t he v ar o us S e mai ne s Cat ho li ues o ne d in i q , j i v n em c urre nc r e s s o f s and n gi i g th y , p i t high t i g uaran e e d m n s ro e c e s g t th e auth e tic . Th e e p ph i ra e d r v n m n The g tifi a c a i g al o s t u iv e rs ally fe lt .

1 Le S aint d e o u ous e Vi e du P ér e M ari e -Ant oi ne T l , , nes - i d use ar . r M ar e e Beau ieu ou o p P E t l (T l , 36 Ec c le siast i c al Aut h orit y p re s e nt o utlook was s o glo omy that menwere driv e n t o find c o ns o a o n in o e s w c a as ! e re no l ti h p , hi h , l w mo re an ano ms and w ic o n l e d t o ur e r th ph t , h h ly f th nm n ‘ di s app o i t e t . One of the most ardent collectors of these pro het ic a was p utter nces , it appears , a certain a ul e nt ius s and F ther F g , an enthusiastic royali t a s was supporter of the Bourbon cl im , who then also a member of the Capuchin community at v a Toulouse . From him were deri ed the materi ls for the two v olumes which the s aintly Pere M arie Antoine publi s hed under the titles of Le g rand P ape e t le grand R o i and L e pro c hain D énoue e a ruent de la Cri s e ac tue ll . The biogr pher just quoted tells us th at of all the brochures of which Pere Marie- Antoine was the author these two v a h ad the greatest sale . E en member of the i e nt n M r . E v Fre ch episcopate , g p , Bishop of s Aire , wrote enthu iastically to the author when the second of these two works appeared I hav e draine d it at a draught as o ne drinks ro m a ob e u o fa b ev e ra e un no wn b ut mo s f g l t f ll g k , t n has a av ur o f e b e nd re re s . e o f hi g It l ft fl pi ty hi , and als o a s te adfas t s pirit t o e nc o unte r t h e te rro rs r n wit h whic h we a e th re at e e d.

U na nhappily , the Great Mo rch , Henri V , whos e glorious reign these prophecies professed i n 1 8 8 and to announce , died 3 , by this fact it n ” was made clear that the sai t of Toulouse , in n n spite of his perso al holi ess , was by no means

1 6. Le S aint de ou ous e . T l , p 3 7 ’ The Cure d Ars 37 divinely inspired when he encouraged his countrymen to attach credence to these fallacious predictions . Naturally the holiness of the author of a pro phec y was held to be a point of ev en more im portan c e than the holiness of those who put

a . f ith in it We cannot , therefore , be surprised to find that the authority of such a man as the ’ Curé d Ars was widely invoked to lend credit to the dream of a renovated France , a triumphant

Christian monarchy , and a pope reinstated in his temporal jurisdiction . This particular attempt to invest the alluring but baseless vision with a religious sanction has the better claim to our attention because the same materials were served n 1 1 up agai in the September of 9 4 , and were supposed to find their true fulfilment i n the v e ents of the military drama then being enact ed . The whole process is worth studying as an illus t rat io nof the mentality of those who put faith in v re elations of this kind . Although the accredited biographers of the Blesse d Jean Marie V ianney attribute to him a i remarkable prophetic g ft , often exercised for the a benefit of individu l souls who consulted him , they are silent as to any disclosures of future v political e ents . It was a fixed principle with the holy Curé to concern him s elf as little as possible a with such m tters of public interest . The sanc t ific at io n of his o wn soul and the help of his

neighbours absorbed all his time . The fact then D 38 E c c l e siast ic al Aut h o rit y rem ains th at all thes e alleged predictions of the ’ Curé d Ars which were so keenly di s cussed in 1 8 7 1 and in 1 9 1 4 depend simply upon the testi n n - mo y of a you g lay brother unnamed , who , as the political crisis of the Franco- Pru s sian War v grew more and more gra e , professed to recall in more and more detail what had been told him by the Curé in the course of two interv iews some twelv e or fifteen years earlier . If we had to de pend entirely upon the information o fthe Abbé C uric ue V oi x P ro he q , the compiler of the p ti ues w q , we should not even kno to what reli gio us congregation this lay- brother belonged ; but in the Grand P ape e t grand R oi of Pere Marie- Antoine we learn that he was a member L of the azarist Order . That the recollections of n this ano ymous brother , unsupported by any v other e idence , oral or documentary , should have been s o readily credited and should have supplied material for discussion to thousands of v n Catholics and e e unbelievers , is alone a curious rev elation of the keenness of the popular rv appetite for the ma ellous . But the manner in which the s o-called prophecy was rev ived and re -cast forty-three years later to fit quite another set of circumstances is even more instructive . Perhaps the simplest way of making the matter intelligible will be to translate the relevant data from the pages of the Abbé Curic q ue in the order in which they were taken down by the ’ - members of the lay brother s own community .

40 Ec c le siast ic al Aut h o rit y

n a d m n r . h a ight It will b e a s ig o ft e l s t J u g e t . P ri s ll b e rans o rme d and a s o t wo o r hre e o he wi t f , l t t r n t ano n e me t c e s . he a o c b u e iti T y will w t iz , th y ” 1 n v m t will ot ha e ti e fo r i .

’ From Abbé C uric q ue s account it plainly ap pe ars that this passage was already anaddition ’ to the brother s original statement . But at the 1 8 1 beginning of March , 7 , he had still further recollections to communicate . The Abbé Curic ue q , when making these public in the 1 8 1 autumn of 7 , remarks that this further sup plement , like that just quoted , must plainly have reference to events which at that date had not yet come to pass . The e nemy will no t quit t he c ountry alto ’ r m a a n n e e . e c o e c a a d th e g th Th y will b k g i , y will r n n r n f r o de s t roy ev e ythi g o the i li e o ma c h . N re s is tanc e will b e o ffe red ; th ey will b e allo we d t o adv anc e b ut a e r ha h e r s u s b e c ut off , ft t t t i pplie will w ff h w r r and the y ill s u e r g re at los se s . T ey ill e ti e o ards e r o wnc ounr b ut we s a o o w em t w th i t y , h ll f ll th nd n t man f r m u a o o em ev e re ac h o e . p , y th will h

1 i u s oi x ro h t e . v . . n h v e n th cd ol 1 1 . 1 8 2 I t e rs io V P p é q , 5 , , p printed b y Pere M ari e -Anto ine other detai ls are added in thi s ‘ n x n nd r e s ame c o te t . Lyo s a M a s i ll e s are named as “othe r c iti e s a wo u d b e rans ormed and i t i s s a ed a God s a th t l t f , t t th t h ll c ome t o e t he ood s a rium w e n t he re urn o f t he h lp , g h ll t ph h t a an un i - i K ing (He nri V ) sh ll b e no c e d . Th s shall re e stab l sh a ‘

a nd ro s eri wi ou ex am e . i i fli pe ac e p p p Re g on s a o ur s ty th t ” l l h ll h again b ette r than e v e r b e fore . See The Chri s ti an Trumpe t

o ndo n . 8 8 . (L , p 1 It i s impo rtant t o reme mb er that whe nthis was fi rst c om mit t ed t o wri in in 1 8 1 t he war was indee d ov er b ut man t g 7 , , y i e n h e P russ iangarriso ns were s t ll l ft i Franc e to sec ure t e ob s r di i ons of eac e vanc e o fthe c on t p . H ow t he S t ory G rew 4 1 Th e n we s hall rec apture e v e rything that th ey hav e ‘ c a r ed o ff and ent mo re e s de s . r i , pl y b i ’ According to Pere Marie- Antoine s version the lay brother here spoke not of the enemy ” but of the Prussians . He also declared that a the Prussi ns would advance as far as Poitiers , 00 - 3“ miles south west of Paris , and that the papal zouav es of C at he lineau and Charette ” would cover themselves with glory . ’ But not even yet were the brother s rec o llec 1 8 1 tions entirely exhausted . In November , 7 , too late for this third edition of the Voix P ro héti ues é Curic ue v p q , Abb q recei ed from the L azarists these further details , written down ’ n V ianne s some time in August , concerni g M . y communication to the lay brother fifteen years before . The c r s s i s not o v e r e t la g ro s s e aflai re i i y ( ’ n s t as as s é e ar w m n rn e p p ) . P i s ill b e de o li s h e d a d b u t in arn s t no t n r E n a e n e e b u e e . v e s t , ti ly t will h pp mo re t e rrib le th an anything we h av e yet s e e n (he re fe rs p re s umably t o t he s ie ge and t he pe riod o ft he C o mm n m nd u e . o ev e r e re b e a l e o ) H w , th will i it b y c t he de s ruc o n n whi h t ti will ot go .

Asked what kind of limit was meant , the : brother declared he did not know But , he our added , we shall come through all right (p tant nous s erons e n d e a c ) , and I should not ” think of leaving the house . By this time the

brother , who according to his own fellow reli

1 oi x ro h ti ues rd ed . . V P p é q , 3 , p . 349 42 Ec c lesiast ic al Aut h orit y

i o us a a g , was simple countrym n who in general knew little of the news of the day , had heard of the indemnity and of the Prussian garrisons that were to remain in France until the indemnity

. e was paid At any rate , it was only at this dat é (August , that he represented the Cur ’ d Ars as having finally said to him

he an hem t o eav e s o one r b ut t he T y will w t t l , enemy will d emand mo re money o r some o th e r c on n n h m a m c e s s o a d e c o e c . s e i , t y will b k Thi ti it will b e a fight t o a fini s h (on s e b at t ra pour t o ut de b on) ; fo r on t he fi rs t oc c as io n o ur s oldie rs did not fight e b ut e n h oh ! ho w he w ll , th t ey will fight ; t y will ! The e ne m i s ue le t ar s urn fight y , it tr , will P i b , and he b e el eas ed h ems e v e s b ut t y will w l pl wit th l , we s hall s mash them and put them t o flight for e o on g o o d and all (e t on les c has s ra pour t ut d e b ) . ’ I dont know (adde d t he h oly Curé) why I tell yo u all s b ut ent he me c ome s o u remem e r thi , wh ti y will b and o u w b e u e eas in o ur m nd as e as it , y ill q it y y i , w ll e wh tho s o s hall believ e yo u. To anyone who pays attention to the sequence and the wording of these communications , it became abundantly plain that the brother b e lie v ed (what so many other Frenchmen believed , while Prussian garrisons still remained on French soil and the payments of the war indem m n fiv e ity were still bei g made) , that the milliards of French gold once delivered over would only 1 o i x ro héti ues th ed vol . i i . 1 2 th c d . v ol . 1 1 V P p q , 4 , p 7 ; s , , p . 1 83 . 1 bid I . The Pro ph ec y adapt ed t o 1 9 1 4 4 3 whet the Prussian appetite for more . The opp o r t unit c c ne s era as lon y would soon come ( p g) , a pretext would be found for fresh demands , the

Prussians would again invade France , Paris in would be burned , but God in the end would t erv e ne and the enemy would have to disgorge all they had taken . i n 1 1 Now , September , 9 4 , those who endea v oured to apply this prediction to the camp aign then begun cannot fail to hav e seen the weak points of such an interpretation . But they took ‘ certain sentences apart from their context , and some of the more unscrupulous deliberately added a clause to the original , naming a feast L of Our ady (the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin , September 8 th) as the turning point of the c am n p aig . Of this clause concerning the feast of Our Lady there is not a trace either in the ver sion of the Abbé Curic q ue or even in what he describes as the interpolated text of P et e Marie

Antoine . Still , in the following adaptation , 1 1 which was widely circulated in September , 9 4 , the prophecy sounded highly impressiv e Th n m r mm a e e e e y will no t re ti e i e di t e ly . Th y n n f v a a re urn de s ro as e c ome . E ec e will g i t , t yi g th y f ti re s s anc e n t o fe r hem h w b e i t will o b e f e d t . T ey ill al o e d t o adv anc e b ut a e r tha e r c o mmunic a l w , ft t th i n o s b e c ut off and e s ufe r rea o s s e s . ti will , th y will f g t l h e e n re re o ards e r own c ounr b ut T y will th ti t w th i t y , e b e o o e d and no t man re ac e r th y will f ll w , y will h th i 1 nd See fo r example the b roc hure Les P redi c ti ons sur la Fi e ’ Al ma n ri s L le e a . 2 0 . g (P , p 44 Ec c le siast ic al Aut h o rit y

a he w e n re s o re a h e av e a e n g o l . T y ill th t wh t t y h t k n m n uc h mo re e rr e a a a d o re in add o . w y , iti M t ibl n ar t hings will h app enthan h av e ye t b een s ee . P i s s ufe r b ut a rea r um b e ne sse d on will f , g t t i ph will wit ‘ t h f r d e Fea s t o Ou La y . To those who still continue to treat this predic o ne n tion seriously can only poi t out that , accord ’ ing to the express terms of the lay brother s c n a count , Paris was to be bur ed down before a the hour of triumph came . P ris has not been im burned down , and it is consequently quite possible to identify the change of fortune which 8 t h 1 1 began about the of September , 9 4 , with the final v ictory foreshadowed by the Lazarist - fi c nv ic lay brother . It is dif cult to resist the o

tion that the brother , no doubt in all good a f ith , had come to read his own dreams into a somewhat vague recollection of his conv ersa

é . tions with the holy Cur At any rate , as the 1 8 2 prophecy stood in 7 , and as it was unani mo us l y interpreted by its editors at that date , it n a n t is certain that the predictio w s o fulfilled . Not unlike the forecast attributed to the Blessed Jean Marie V i anney is that fathered D o m upon the saintly Bosco , the founder of the

Salesians . The motive , viz . , to secure the appearance of high religious sanction for an

encouraging prognostic , was no doubt the same in each case ; but while the prophecy assigned to

1 ni . h ai h r nd See e . t e l C o c le a se v e ra o e r n i s , g , D y l th E gl h a ne wsp pers . The Dom B o sc o Fabric at ion 45

’ the Curé d Ars has at least so me shadow of foundation in the recollections of the Lazarist - n lay brother , the prediction circulated u der the name of D o m Bosco seems to have been a

deliberate imposture . In fact , the whole setting of the document proclaims its suspicious charac ter . It appeared in many English and foreign

newspapers , but I quote it here exactly as it Oc c ult R ev i ew 1 1 stands in the for October , 9 4 As I go t o p re s s ye t ano th e r p re dic tio n o ft he p re s e n war reac e s me h s me rom N o r a ou h t h , t i ti f w y , th g t he auth o r o fth e p redic tionis s tate d t o hav e bee n a o r u ue s e r e s b t he name o fDo m o sc o who P t g p i t y B , d e d t en e ars a o and t he uo a o ni s a rans a o n i y g , q t ti t l ti ro m th e e - no n renc a e r L e M atin in f w ll k w F h p p , , n une 1 0 1 runs a o c a e are d i . s o s whi h it pp J , 9 It f ll w In 1 9 1 3 o r 1 9 1 4 a gre at E urop ean W ar will rman w b o rn c m e e t o break o ut . Ge y ill e t o pl t ly ec e s b ut no t b e o re t he e rmans av e e ne ra e d pi , f G h p t t no t he e ar o f ranc e he nc e e w b e o rc e d i t h t F , w th y ill f n rr n bac k t o t he furt h e r banks o fth e Rhine . A a og a t man will s ee hi s family t re e c ut in s plinte rs and r m n h r a a t a ple d up o b y all t e wo rld . G e t b ttle s will a a o n n m 1 t h t k e pl c e Augus t 1 5th a d S epte be r s . At a me t he o e d ie and v e a a n and th t ti P p will li g i , o m r n bec e s t o ge r th an ev e r . P oland will ge t bac k h r r e ight s . Do m Now to begin with , Bosco was not a

Portuguese priest , neither did he die ten years ‘

a o . g A Piedmontese by birth , he died in Turin 1 is po ss ib e a i nso me manuscr ip c o p iedmone se It l th t ”t y P t n u was wri e b t mi sread o r u ues e . On t he o er and tt , P t g th h , Father M ac ey te lls me that he has heard ofanother Dom Bosc o wh was o f or u ue se na i na i o P t g t o l ty . 46 Ec c les iast ic al Aut h o rit y

1 8 88 . in January , The only point which would lead one to think the prophecy worthy of a mo ment ’s consideration is the explicit statement that this prediction containing an announce ’ ment of the Pope s death in August or Septem ber at the beginning of a great European war was published in Le M atinin 1 90 1 . A friend of mine who had the curiosity to write to the Paris ffi L e M atin o ce of to make inquiries , sent on to me the letter he received in answer . The letter simply stated that L e M atinhad published no such prophecy . This may be taken as con c lus iv e , and it seems useless to attempt to pursue the matter further . The more so that , in answer n R ev . . . to my i quiries , the Very C B Macey , the R ector of the Salesian School at Battersea , has kindly informed me that according to the unani mous testimony of their older Fathers there was no ground for attributing such a prediction to their venerable founder .

48 B ro t he r J o h anne s

far a quoted of any such work . So s the public at large are concerned , the prophecy of Brother Johannes may be said to h av e dropped from n a v the clouds . No si gle detail in the ccount gi en of it has been v erified or seems capable of veri

fic at io n. But let us turn at once to the document e h nP la n . os i é da itself , which , according to M J p , F i aro who found it and edited it for the g , is translated from a Latin original written some 1 where about the year 600 .

TH E ANTIC H R I S T

1 e o e w man mes av e ma ne d h a he . P pl ill y ti h i gi t t t y rec o n ed him fo r all t he s a e rs o ft he am are g iz , l y L b alike and all ev il - doe rs are t he p rec urs o rs o f t he r m v - do e r s up e e e il . 2 The rue n c r s b e o ne o ft he monarc hs . t A ti h i t will

o fh is me a s o n o f u e r . H e w l c a u on t he ti , L th i l ll p name o f Go d and will giv e him se lf o ut t o b e Hi s n me s s e ge r. n f ar w s w ar h H s r c e o s e b e . 3 . Thi p i li ill y t e Bibl e o s e as t he arm o ft h e m c as s n a will p Al ighty , h ti i g c o rru a e pt g . H e w b e a o ne -arme d man t hi e rs . b u s s o d 4 ill , l i ou num e r w o s e mo o l b e Go d with t b , h tt wi l with m h n us re s e e t e e o s o f e . , will bl l gi h ll Fo r a o n s ac e he w o r b c unnn and 5. l g p ill w k y i g c r me and h is s e s w n e s t he w o e e ar and i , pi ill i f t h l th , h e will make him s elf mas te r o f t he s ec re t s o f t he

mighty . H av e eo o ans in hi s a who 6. e will h th l gi p y will c ert ify and de mons trate t h at his mis s io n is from o n h h ig . The Ant ic h rist ofTo - day 4 9

war urns him th e o rt un 7 . A will f i h with ppo ity for h ma no t b e t h th rowing o fft e s k . It will e war th at he w w a e a a ns a renc so v e re n b ut ano e r ill g g i t F h ig , th c h b e e as rec o n e d b s mar ha whi will ily g iz y thi k , t t w na o r n all t he o r d b e nv o v e d in ithi f t ight w l will i l it . n 8 . w s e t all C r s a eo e s b t he e ars as It ill h i ti p pl y , well as all t he Mo hamme dans and o the r nat io ns far m Inall t he our uar e rs ft h r arm re o te . f q t o e wo ld ie s w m ill u s ter. ’ F o r t h n e w O n me n m nds and in . e a s e s 9 g l ill p i , t he third we e k th ey will c o me t o see that it i s Anti c r s and a e w all b e made s av e s h do h i t , th t th y ill l if t ey no t o v e r ro s e - e o e n ran th w thi h ll b g tt ty t . n r n wn man ns H 1 c s b e o b s . e 0 . A ti h i t will k y y ig a o v e all ut t o the s ord r es s mo n s will b p w p i t , k , m n r n an l m n H n o e c h d e d o d e . e sho o w , il , will w H o n rd a a n o rc inhi . e s e e a s pity will w p w , bl zi g t h and e t he ar ar ans o fold b ut the name o f h , lik b b i , r hi Ch i s t will b e o n s lip s . His dec e u o rds b e e ho s o ft he 1 1 . itf l w will lik t e C r s ans b ut hi s ac s re s e mb e t ho s e o fNe ro h i ti , t will l n h m n r r r e an e a d t e R o a pe s ec uto s . Th e e will b eagl in hi s c o a o f arms as e re i s a so in at o fhis t , th l th eu enan t he o e r w c ed e m e ro r li t t , th i k p . n n 1 2 . B ut s a e r i s a C r s a a d he die thi l tt h i ti , will oft he c urs e o fPop e B ene dic t who will b e elec te d at nnn h n r t he be gi i g o ft e re ign o fA tic h i s t . r e s and m n n n n o 1 3 . P i t s o k s will o lo ge r b e s e e t he ar c o nfes s io ns and t o absolv e t he c o mb atants ; p artlybec aus e fo r the fi rs t time p rie s ts and mo nk s will e e r e ow-c e ns ar e c ause o e fight lik th i f ll itiz , p tly b P p Be ne d c av n c urs ed nic r s b e ro i t h i g A t h i t , it will p c laimed that t ho s e who fight agains t him are in a 50 B ro t h e r J o h anne s

s a e o f rac e a nd e die o s ra t o e av e n t t g , if th y g t ight h a t h e mar r do s ty s . 1 The u a ro c a ms e se h n s 4 . B ll th t p l i th t i g will p ro duc e a g re at s ens atio n; it will re -e nkindle t he c o ura e o f t he a n- e ar e d and w c aus e t he g f i t h t , it ill de a o ft he mo narc a e d w n c r s th h lli ith A ti h i t . 1 e o re n c r s i o v e r r wnm re m n 5 . B f A ti h i t s th o o e will hav e t o b e kille d th anw e re e v e r c o ntaine d withinth e m n dom s w av t n n walls o fR o e . All ki g ill h e o u ite i t he as fo r t he c o c t he e0 ard and t he w e t k , k , l p , hit e agl e wo uld ne v e r g e t t he b e tte r o ft he blac k e agle if t he p ray e rs and v o ws o fall mankind did not c o me t o e r s u o r th i pp t . 1 6 Ne v e r w man nd av e had t o ac h . ill ki h f e s uc a dan e r b ec aus e t he r um o f n c r s wo u d b e g , t i ph A ti h i t l a ft he s r o f v who has a e n inhim th t o pi it e il t k fle s h . 1 F o r has e e ns a d a we n c e nur e s a e r 7 . it b i th t t ty t i ft t he nc arna o n o ft he o rd t he e as in hi s urn I ti W , B t t w be c o me nc arna e and w re a e n t he e ar h ill i t , ill th t t with as many h o rro rs as t he Div ine Inc arnatio n has ro s n b ught ble s i g s . Here the first instalment of the prophecy stopped , and a paragraph was added to explain n with quite u necessary insistence , that the pre diction could not hav e been meant to apply to 1 8 0- 1 the war 7 , but that its many indications n v were o ly erified in the later war . After which the reader was told re are e o e who re ec all r B Th e p pl j t p o ph ec ie s . ut who c an fail t o b e mo v e d b y t he agreeme nt in s o ’ many p rec i s e de tails and at th re e hundre d years inte rv al b e twe e nt he p re dic tio ns ofB ro the r J ohanne s and the ev e nts go ing o n aro und us ? The Bat t le o ft he Be ast s 5 1 The p roph ec y o f B ro th e r J o h anne s doe s no t e nd e re c o n a ns a e rr b e s ec o nd ar b ut s as h , it t i t i l p t ; thi l t p ro mi s e s an e ra o f pe ac e and o f light fo r F ranc e and all t he w o r d and b e o re s e ra i s re ac e d a l , f thi h v e ng e anc e s o frightful th at it e v e n goe s bey o nd ’ d r me n s tho ught s o r e s i e s . This article attracted an amount of attention which must have been highly gratifying both to the contributor himself and to the editor of the in Figaro . Accordingly a week later another s t alme nt was launched , consisting , like its pre v decessor , of exactly se enteen paragraphs and with a curious completeness and unity of its own , as if the prophet three centuries before had foreseen that his vaticinations were going to be s a publi hed in the form of short newsp per articles . ma We y call this second part , though this is P l n . é ada not the title given it by M , by the name of TH E B ATTLE OF TH E B EA S T S o me whe re ab ou t he e ar 2 00 0 n r 1 8 . S t y A tic h is t will s ta nd rev e ale d ; his armie s will e x c e ed in numb e r n n m n h r anythi g th at c a b e i agi e d . T e e will b e C r s ans amon s his orde s and he re b e h i ti g t h , t will M o hamme dan and pagan s o ldie rs amo ng t he n r f h m de fe de s o t e La b . 1 F r t h r t h 9 . o e fi s t time e Lamb will b e e ntire ly red int he w o e o ft he C r s an o r d he re w no t , h l h i ti w l t ill b e a s n e s o ha not b e red and t he eav ens i gl p t t t will ; h , t he e ar t he at e r and e v en t he air b e re d th , w , will , f r o fl o b l o d will ow int he sph e re o ft he four eleme nts at t he s ame me ti . 52 Brot he r J ohanne s

The ac e a e th ro s e 2 0 . bl k gl will w it lf upo n t he c oc c w o s e man o fit s ea e rs b ut k , whi h ill l y f th , will r r wo u s trike h e o ic ally with it s s pu . It ld s oo n b e exhaus ted we re it no t fo r th e help o f the leo pard n i a d t s c laws . 2 1 Th a e a w c h m r m h . e c e c o e o t e bl k gl , hi will f and o f u e r s ur r s e t he c oc k ro m ano e r l L th , will p i f th s de and nv ade o ne - a o fthe and o ft he c oc i , will i h lf l k . Th e a e wh m r m h 2 2 . e e c c o e o t e whit gl , i h will f no r s e t u o n th e ac e a e and t he o e r th , will p bl k gl th e a e and nv ade t he and oft he n c hr s rom gl , will i l A ti i t f t r o ne e nd t o he o the . 2 The ac e a e find s e c om e e d t o le t 3 . bl k gl will it lf p ll t he c oc o inorde r t o ht the e e a e and t he k g fig whit gl , c oc k will purs ue t he blac k eagle into t he land o f t h h Antic h ris t t o h elp e w ite eagle . The a e s a e d n the nw b r n in 2 4 . b ttl w g u til ill e t ifli g c ompariso nt o those th at will take plac e int he land o f u e r ec aus e t he s e v e n an e s at t he same L th , b g l will time p our fire fro m the i r c e ns e rs o nt he impious land ma e a e n ro m t he o c a se w c h means (i g t k f Ap lyp ) , hi that t he Lamb will o rde r t he e x te rminatio n o f t he

rac e o fAntic h ri s t . e n t he e as s e e s ha he i s o s he 2 5. Wh B t t t l t will m r i o rda ned a fo r m nh bec o e fu io us . It s i th t o t s t o e e r t he b e a o ft he h e e a e t he c a s o ft he g th k w it gl , l w eo ard and t he s rs o f t he c oc mus e ar his l p , pu k t t V a s it l . v e rs b e o rde d o v er mas s e s o f de ad 2 6. Ri will f b o d e s h c inso me ac e s c han e t he c o urs e i , w i h pl will g n n m n n n o ft he a e rs . rea o e e e e ra s a d w t O ly g t bl , g l , r nc e s w re c e v e ur a fo r t o t he c arna e c aus e d p i ill i b i l , g b y fi re arms will b e added t he h e ap s and h e ap s o f who e r s b am ne and a ue th o s e p i h y f i pl g . The P unishme nt o fAnt ic h rist 53

n r w as k fo r eac e a a n and a n 2 . c s 7 A ti h i t ill p g i gai , b ut t he s ev e nan e s who rec e de t he ree anma s g l p th i l , de e nders o f t he am av e dec are d a v c o r f L b , h l th t i t y s h all o nly b e ac c o rde d upo nc o nditio nth at Antic h ri s t n - o n hr flo r. b e c rus e d e s ra a e s o h , lik t w t hi g

E r f t h us c e o f t h amb t he 2 8 . ec u o s o e e x t j ti L , th re e animals c anno t s to p fighting as lo ng as Anti d n him c h ris t has a s oldie r le ft t o e fe d . 2 The reas o nwh t he s ene nc e o ft he am i s so 9 . y t L b ruthle s s i s th at Antic h ri s t has c laime d t o b e a C r s anand t o b e ac n inH i s Name s o a he h i ti ti g , th t if did no t p e ris h t h e fruit o ft he re de mptio n would b e o s and t he a e s o f e wou d re v ai a a ns t he l t , g t H ll l p l g i t

Sav io ur. b e se e n a s c o m a wh 0 . c 3 It will th t thi b t , i h will b e ou o ut e re n c hr s o r e s hi s arm s f ght wh A ti i t f g , n Th r anm n i s no umanc o e s . e e e a s de e de rs h t t th i l , f ’ o f t he amb e e rm na e n c r s s as t L , will xt i t A ti h i t l army ; b ut t he battlefi eld will bec o me as a fune ral re ar e r an t he rea e s o f c e s and t he py , l g th g t t iti , c o rp s e s will h av e c h anged the v e ry feature s o ft he lands c ape th ro ugh t he ridges o fmo unds with whic h ov e re d it will b e c . n n 1 . c r s w o se his c ro n a d w die 3 A ti h i t ill l w , ill a andoned an ns an Hi Em r w v b d i e . s pi e ill b e di ide d u n o we n -t wo a e s b ut no ne av e e e r p i t t ty St t , will h ith a s ro n o d an arm w o r s s o f ar. t gh l , y hip Th ’ 2 . e e e a e b c ae s o rde r 3 whit gl , y Mi h l , will dr v e t he C re sc e n ro m E uro e w e re no ne b ut i t f p , h n Ch ri s tia s will re main; h e will ins tal hims elf in C o ns an no e t ti pl .

3 3 . Th e nane ra o fpe ac e and p ro s pe rity will b e gin for all t he unv e rs e and e re b e no more war i , th will , E ” 54 B ro t h er Joh annes e ac h natio nbe ing gov e rned ac c o rding t o it s wis h and n liv i g inj us tic e . e re w b e no mo re u e rans o r 34 . Th ill L th m Th am w re n and t he s s o f c s a c s . e S hi ti L b ill ig , bli n a e who e sc a n human rac e will b egi . H ppy th y pi g fro m t he p e rils o fthi s p ro digio us time c antas te o fit s ru w c w b e t he re n o fthe o r and f it , hi h ill ig H ly Spi it t he s anc t ific at io n o f uman o n t o b e aec om h ity , ly h f n r plishe d afte r t e de feat o A tic h is t . It c anbe h ardly necessary to point out th at by n L the Cock France is i dicated , by the eopard n n a R and E gla d , by the White E gle ussia , by the Black Eagle and the other Eagle Germany and Austria . On reading this document it seems almost incredible that it can ev er have been considered i n any other light than th at of a hoax or a u n ma v ai s e plai s anteri e . But many perso s regard it seriously , and among them not only simple hearted nuns and pious women who would c o n s ider a forgery in these matters as little better a a th n a s crilege , but also enthusiasts of a much more robust mentality . Its fictitious character , a to my thinking , c nnot for a moment be in s doubt , though it is po sible that in the first in s tance it may hav e bee n fabricated to deride rather than to mislead .

To begin with , it lacks any sort of reliable v n authentication . We ha e nothi g more than ’ P la an M . é d s assurance that he found it among ’ his a e ea l f ther s pap rs after the d th of the atter ,

56 B ro t h er Jo h anne s

and v es hypocrite , he has ast armi under his ”

. D control , whose motto is God with us uring his time a Pope shal l be elected called Benedict . In the univ ersal war that breaks out and em braces both East and West , no mercy shall be shown to priests and nuns , and numbers of priests , for the first time in history , shall take v part as combatants ( . Even Mohammedans and pagans shall be found in the ranks of those opposing Antichrist (v . The war also will be fought in the ai r as well as on land and sea an v ab o (v . C it be concei ed that to this s lut e ly unknown monk of the seventeenth century the Almighty should hav e giv en such marvellous prophetic insight as is not to be paralleled in all the recorded history of the canonized saints ? I would confidently challenge the production of o ne a well ttested example , either of saint , mystic , or seer which in any way rivals the foreknow ledge displayed by Brother Johannes . We know what the scriptural prophecies are like , and we may easily acqu aint ourselves with the langu age of the authentic prophetical writings of saints like St . Hildegard , St . Bridget , or St . Catherine of Siena . In this matter one of the very col lections against which we are protesting lays down quite soberly the following canon as a means of distinguishing genuine prophecies from the Spurious :

nu ne ro ec e s av e a r r G e i p ph i h p o phe tic fo m . Th e y are se t forth inmarv e llo us image s indark mys te rio us The P e rsonalit y ofSar Péladan 57 wo rds ; they o ften bring toge th e r to tally dis s imilar e v en s nv e r oc c as ona th e o rde r o f me e t , i t i lly ti ; whil e r au o rs o v e r owe re d w t he e ne ra m re s th i th , p ith g l i p n m o e a e ra e d an ua s io n o fthe i r v is io s e pl y x gg t l g ge . F o r ins tanc e t he b lo o d will mount e v e n t o t he ’ r rom e s e e u ar e s we s e e h o rs es b idle s . F th p c li iti B t th at a c e rtainobs c urity attac h e s t o p roph ec ie s . u s v er ua e s e a s h e r d v ne o r n as thi y q lity b p k t i i i igi , h e reby they s e em t o bear a c e rt ainc o nfo rmity t o the r r f In na ure and s o r a s o o th e wo k s o Go d . t hi t y l God c o nc eals Hims elf in o rde r th at th o s e o nly who H im n fin ‘ s e ek i faith may d Him . v Moreover , the gra est suspicion is thrown

upon the document under discussion , owing to

the fact that at its first appearance in print , a F i aro which occurred , as lready stated , in the g l ot h 1 1 1 of September and 7th , 9 4 , it was intro duc e d to the world by that extraordinary genius , M e hinP ladan i n . os é s a J p , whose talent u deni ble , but who may be described as a medley of R ichard Wagner , Cagliostro , and Madame v Bla atsky rolled into one . Here is the account ’ of him in C urinier s Di c ti onnaire nati onal des ’ em a s Cont por in .

P ELADAN O S EP H IN c a e d le S ar t h e , J ll ee r nov elist art -c r c and drama c au o r b o rn S ) , h iti ti th , n 2 0 Th n at o s c o e r 1 8 . e s o o fa re o us Ly O t b , 59 ligi ’ w r e r he h as de v o e d mse t o a s e o f e ra it , t hi lf tyl lit

1 ’ B e k i rc h P ro he t ens timmen mi t Erklci run en aderb orn y , p g , P , 1 8 49 . P 7 1 V ol . v 1 1 0 . , p . 5, 9 5 1 i n ade n ere as f r n a M . Adr e e w o ma e rs edi or oft he P l , p , y y t ' a r i i eu e f s h a S ern ine e l g s o Lyo n . T ere was ls o an Adrien Péladan ts the b ro er of ose hin , fi , th J p . 58 B ro t he r Jo hanne s

ure c i s art m s c and ar e ro c e t whi h p ly y ti p tly ti , whil t he title s he has be s towe d up onhim s elf o fMage and e e r s e rv e t o d rec a e n on t o hi s o wn e rs o na S i t tt ti p lity , j us t as hi s wis h t o s e em diffe re nt f ro m t he re s t o ft he wo rld i s made c le ar t o all b y his ec c entric itie s o f m n m ‘ a ne r and c o s tu e .

In the same notice , after a long list of his v no els , plays , and other works , we are told that P ladan R M . é founded the Order of the osy b e Cross , Cross of the Temple , of which ” - appointed himself Grand Master . No doubt the Seer identifies himself with the cause of

Catholicity , or at any rate Christianity , but his creed seems to be one peculiar to himself in which Occultism plays a larger part than rev e ’ it lation . On the other hand , is quite true that ’ P l dan . é a s as M father was , stated , a collector of prophecies , particularly in the Catholic and L egitimist interest , and that he published in 1 8 7 1 a book entitled Le nouv eau Li b er mira ” b ili s ou toutes les ro héti es aut henti ues s ur , p p q les t em s res ents p p , with some other collections of the same kind . 1 l M . P é adan i t a e ars o ve s t o a t re imse in on rob e s , pp , l t i h lf l g o r o ri ena as i o nand ex ure w i e his or rai s are e v ide n t l f h t t , h l p t t tly d e signed t o prod uc e the e ffe c t o fa B l av atsky-like i ntensity o f i n All t he re s o ur es o f o o ra av e e xpre s s o . c ph t g phy h e b eninv oked to e m asiz e t he di a ed u i s w ic s ee m t o read i no the ph l t p p l , h h t soul and p ene trate t he future . 1 e re i s a s ec ime nofone ofhi s u erance s w i c for fe ar H p tt , h h , ’ of mi sine r re a io n c o unt rans a ed : L o c c ult e es t t p t t , I py l t ’ l e sprit meme de la re ligion e t la re ligi on es t le c orps meme de ’ ’ l n i s r l l o c c ulte . L oc c u te es t la ete se c o o t le m e e a c , t ” y t i l e ur e d mi e P l n re io n es t e m le m s er se na s . é ada l g y t y , ’ t o i ue L Oc c ul te Ca h l q . AnA c c o mmo dat ing Edit o r 59 n a a . T ken as a whole , the expla tions which M P éladanhas offered concerning the prophecy of Brother Johannes have only served to throw n more suspicion upon the docume t itself . When it first appeared in the F ig aro he let it be unders tood that he himself had translated it ’ from the Latin (j ai trouv é it la traduire e t a ’ air i r La l éc l c ) . ter he declared that he had done no more than to eliminate a few verbal redun ’ ’ danc i e s (j e n ai fai t que s errer un peu l expres an a Certain it is , in y c se , that not a phrase now surviv es which suggests a Latin n l n a . P da . é a origi l On the other hand , M tells us that out of consideration for republican sus c ep t ib ilit ie s he omitted sundry references to the a ff gre t monarch , the o spring of the lilies to whom in the text the final defeat of Antichrist is a ttributed , also that he bitterly regretted not hav ing struck out all mention of the pres ent ” re i e u a a l i o d o l t . . Pope , the g p p of St Malachy But it is just by this free -and-easy attitude towards an historical document that the editor all forfeits our confidence . Either the name of

Pope Benedict was in the copy left by M . P ladan ére n t é was o . , p , or it If it was not , his n son , by inserti g it in the text without warning an has a of y kind , committed a liter ry fraud is a a n which bsolutely unp rdo able . On the other n a n n f ha d , if the n me of the prese t po ti f stood 1 S e e t he Fi aro Se emb e r 2 6t h 1 1 and t he ro ec i n g , pt , 9 4 , p ph y fl i ” e a e orm ub s ed at t he Lib rai ri e M od erne R ue du l t f p l h , 5 , n-d - i ari o e od s . P t L , P 60 B ro t h e r J o h anne s n v . P élada re ealed in a document copied by M , ere 1 8 0 p , before his death in 9 , the fact is mar n vello s beyond example , and to suppress such a circumstance in editing the document would be to deprive the prophecy of its supreme ’ P éladans authentication . As the whole of M . commentary shows , his mind is fixed , not upon

a i . e . what is true , but upon wh t is expedient , , what will best help to enkindle the fury of his n r countryme against the German invade . This attitude alone would let us clearly see what we have to expect from him . P éladan Again , M . i“nforms his readers that what he has published is only a section (une tranc he) of a long prophecy which extends with occasional breaks from the sixteenth to the twen ” t ieth . century Surely , if he were really serious , the Seer could not be so lacking in perception as to be blind to the prodigious interest of all this . E v en were the document no older than 1 8 90 such a forecast of fighting in the air , theologians n - manifestos , combatant priests , a ewly elected

Pope named Benedict , etc . , would make it , as already pointed out , the most wonderful pro v a phec y e er he rd of . But supposing it to date 1 600 v n from , the re elation becomes stupe dous . There would not be a word of this marv ellous text which we could spare . We should want to hav e it all before us in facsimile i n order that from t he measure of its fulfilment in the past we might learn how far we might rely with safety ’ The S e e r s Rhap so dy 61 upon its exhilarating promise of victory in the future .

But it is absurd to labour the point . M . P éladan allures , in spite of his fantastic , is much i s too shrewd a man to be blind to all thi s . It probable enough that he found among hi s father ’s papers some rather lurid predictioncon cerning Antichrist and a great battle in which the cock and the leopard all played their parts . There were hundreds of such documents c i rc ulat — i ng in the seventeenth century e xtracts from — one or two will be given later o n and since then the number has continually been added to . From ‘ the evidence of a certain Madame Faust it i s clear enough that more than twenty years ago M P éladanwas accustomed to deliver some such Prophecy of the Twentieth Century as a recitation . A seer has to justify his seership . France dreamed of the rec anc he long before 1 8 0 L 9 , and an identification of the utheran v monarch with Antichrist , a figurati e description of an awful conflict among the beasts ending with the v ictory of France and the Lamb would have bee n readily welcomed by most of the P lad n audiences which M . é a had to address . No doubt he at that time acquired the habit there was no particular reason why he should — not o f adapting the details of his weird pro phet ic rhapsody to the hopes and sympathies of

1 S the Oc c ult Re vi ew ec e mb er 1 1 1 nd i ee . 1 a ht , D , 9 4, p , L g ,

nd 1 2 th . 8 and er th a . Dec e mb s , pp 5 7 594 “ 62 Bro t he r J o hanne s

1 his hearers . Naturally enough the cris s of last n September revived the idea in his mi d , and , lo we have a hastily elaborated recension‘ of the n old Antichrist prophecy , adjusted to moder con dit io ns F i aro . , appearing in the columns of the g There is not a scrap of ev idence forthcoming to show that any one of the really significant

s e . . feature of the present document , g , the name a of the Pope , the priests as combat nts , the con in a a test the air , etc . , is older th n the decl ration

1 1 . of war in August , 9 4 Be it noted also in

a v . 1 passing , propos of the contest in the air ( 9) that the enumeration of the four elements i n v olv es a blunder of which no sev enteenth century

v . author could possibly ha e been guilty I hold , then , that the significant part of the prediction is of the same alloy as the prophecy of Orv al and a n other similar fabrications . The found tio docu v n ment may be relati ely a cient , but even this has very probably been modified in transmission in accordance with the ideas of those who copied it or edited it . For this reason I do not think that we can attach the slightest importance to the statements of those who vaguely assert that they

1 n o fc are s ne i The s ig s le s s s n t he adaptation are unmi s t ak Fro m v i t i ain a h i ina r ab e . s t e or o e if he l . 7 pl th t g l p ph t , ideni e d Ani c ri s wi an Ge rm an m ero r idenifie d him t fi t h t th y E p , t wi Wi i am ; o n Wi i am I c ou d av e made war o n a th ll I ” ly ll l h

n. ainv d F nc s ov e re i A . 1 2 e c are a h n re h g g l s th t t e ew Po pe i s t o b e e e c ed at t he b e innin o fthe re i n o fAni c ri s b ut Wi i am l t g g g t h t , ll n s uc c e eded t o the ro e i n 1 8 8 8 . F ur er h a , t e da e b ou II ” th th t t v 1 8 i u th e ye ar 2 000 ( . ) s tterly i rrec onc i lab l e with e ithe r i ia W lli am I or Wi ll m II .

64 Brot h e r J o h anne s ‘ establishe d by evidence . It only remains to gi v e an illustration of the type of predictions v which found favour in the se enteenth century . Both as an example of the tendency to father these extravagant inventions on famous ec c les i ast ic s fi ura , and to provide an instance of the g

tive use of beasts in political allegory , I may

quote an extravagant prophecy , published in the L year of the great fire of ondon , under the name

of St . Thomas Becket , the martyred Archbishop n of Canterbury . It ru s as follows

The ranc e s a re ma n in t he e e r art Lily (F ) h ll i b tt p , and s a e ner n o t he and o ft he o n o and h ll t i t l Li (H ll ) , e an n hi s as s s anc e c t he e as s o fhis th y w ti g i t , whi h b t o wn kingdom s h all te ar with the ir te e th and s hall and in t he e d amo n t he h rns o fhi n m s t fi l g t o s ki gdo . At le ngth s h all t he S o no fM an(England) c ome with a reat arm as s n t he wa e rs c arr n w d g y , p i g t , yi g il e as s inhi s arms o s e n dom i s in t h e and o f b t , wh ki g l o o and e are d b he o r h E t e o d . T e a e w l , f y wh l w l gl (G e rmany) s hall c ome o ut o fthe E as t with hi s wing s s re ad u o n t he s un w a re a - mu ude o fhi s p p , ith g t ltit h h n In ar pe ople t o t e h elp o ft e So n o fM a . th at y e c am s s a b e o rn rea ear s al b e inth e o r d p h ll t , g t f h l w l , and ins o me p art o ft he land o ft he Lio ns h all war b e amon s man n s and e re s al b e a o o d o f g t y ki g , th h l fl The s ha o s hi s ro wnw c th e blo o d . Lily ll l e c ith whi h S no fM an s a e r wn An f r o w o h ll b c o ed . d o fo ur foll ing y e ars shall th e re b e many battle s amo ng s t 1 n ic u ar Th End th See i ar e o e K ai s er a b ro c ure b M r . p t l f , h y S ir e the edi or o ft he Oc c ult R i e Th c e m Ra e v w . e e b e r lph h l y , t D numb er o fthis j ournal had a l ab e l posted o n i t : ANTI CHRI S I‘ ‘ AND THE KAI SER THE ROP HECY P RO V E GENUI NE BY THE , D , ” P E0 1T0 R . Allego ric al Be ast s 65

hr s ar o f t he wo r d s ha b e de s ro C i tians . P t l ll t yed ; t he Head o ft he World (Pope o r Turk) s h all b e t o t he Th no fM an and t he E a e s a rev a ear . e So th gl h ll p il , and th e n th e re s hall b e p e ac e ov e r t he whole fac e o f e n s a t h e S o n o f M an rec e v e a t he e art h . Th h ll i o nde r u s n and s ha o no t he and o f w f l ig , ll g i t l ‘ p romis e .

v Extra agant though this may be , it is interest ' n t i g o“note that ev en in a native English pam phlet the land of the Lion is used to designate n not Engla d but the Netherlands or Flanders , while the animals blazoned on the shield of the King of England are describe d as wild ’ beasts . French heralds , indeed , have always called them leopards , and they are so designated ’ in French armorials to this day . It will be understood , therefore , that no objection can be ’ P éladans raised against M . prophecy on the ground of its identifying England with the L e eopard , France with the Cock , or G rmany ’ n a . with the E gle My contentio only is that ,

1 The r o he c i es o homas B e c ke t l a te ound in an P p f T , ly f an i en M anus ri a t Abin on D r Ailsw or th n c t c t t b . ondo p g y L , B o t h ra e in o ere n wo rdin a nd h 1 666. th e th r c h t g t e 1 nte rpre t a i ns i nb rac e s e n h ri i na am t o k t b l o g t o t e o g l p phlet. 1 We are to ld in the Nouv' e au L ar ous s e ( 1 9 02 ) t he heraldic eo ard i s a io n w i c ins e ad ofb e in ram ant i s as s ant p , g p , p , l l h h t ” and the e ad o fw i c ac es t he s e c a o r and s imi ar t he h h h f p t t , l ly autho ritativ e D i c ti onnai re arc héo l ogi que e t e xpli c a tif de la ’ e du Blas on b n i s S c i nc e C om e A. O K e ll de s c rib e s t he , y t y , E gl h ro a arms wi w ic we are all ami i ar as de ueule s a troi s y l th h h f l g , ’

o ards d or u es ree eo ards o r . lé p (g l , th l p ) 1 The ro ec i e s c i rc u a ed in t he s i x ee n c e nur under p ph , l t t th t y t he name s of o ann Li ec ht e nbe r er and o ann C ario ni s are J h g J h , u o fsimi ar o i i c a a e ori e s under the di s ui se o fb eas s f ll l p l t l ll g g t , ” 66 B rot h e r J oh anne s hav ing taken an ancient prediction about Anti s so chri t from no one knows where , he has modi fie d it and changed its character as to make it say whatev er seemed to him desirable . As a final illustration of the v ogue of this kind of allegory among the prophets and prophecy mongers of the sev enteenth century the following a n a L pass ge , which I tra sl te from its atin original , may also be cited . Curiously enou gh it comes to us throu gh a certain Johannes (Johannes W o lfius L ) , a utheran , who made a prodigious n and collectio of oracles and portents , who published them in two folio v olumes printed in

1 600 . the year The prophecy itself , however , 1 professes to hav e been written in 498 . The E a e s ha and b his s ha b e o v e r gl ll fly , y flight ll hrownt he o n who re nat e rus a em fo r s ev e n t Li , will ig J l At e n h r nc f e rman n y e ars . l gth t e p i e s o G y will c o spi re to ge th e r and t he c hie f me no fBo h emia s hall b e r An t he e o ar w v o r him h n us e d . u e c h d L p d ill de . T a n s a ar s e o ft he s o c o ft he e as e rn E a e ki g h ll i t k t gl , and th e re will c o me t he o ffs pring o ft he E agle and w u d it s ne s int he o us e o ft he o n and it ill b il t h Li , will b e de s u e o fall ru o r nour s me n rom it s a h r tit t f it i h t f f t e . And a king s h all b e c ho se n t o wh om i s not p aid t he n r ue t a n H a r n n ho ou d o . e s e a d ru n ki g h ll ig , li g mightily s h all hold s w ay and will s t re tc h his branc he s h rm m o ft h e ar h Inhi t o t e utte o s t li it s e t . s time t he S ov e re ign Po ntiff shall b e made p ris o ne r and the

We read ere o fb ac e a es and oun a e s e t c . e o de n th l k gl y g gl , g l n and w i e i ons c oc s wo ve s x i i e i o s o es s e t c . But l h t l , k , l , f , l l , I hav e not hit upo n any whic h b e ars a true rese mb l anc e i n ! s n t h dis osures f B ro ne s ub sta c e o t e c l o the r J ohan . Blac k M agic 67

c e r s a b e unde red fo r he c o rru t he a . l gy h ll pl , t y p t f ith Alas fo r t he e v il liv e s o ft he c le rgy The incoherence of these predictions belongs n n na a d . to the origi l , is probably inte tional n W o lfius n Joha nes quotes them , as he does ma y n n v n others , with a disti ct co tro ersial a imus against the Church of Rome . P ladan a n v . é In t ki g lea e of M , the exploiter of this Brother Johannes prophecy , it is worth — while to notice that he stands charged amongst a n others by the l te . K . Huysma s , the author of — J En R oute with engaging in the practice of ’ n an black magic i a serious d malignant form . I do not propose to discuss here the unpleasant sub ” e c t n j of Sata ism , but whether the hideous rites ascribed to the cult are real , or only a imaginary , the atmosphere cre ted by these sur roundings unquestionably leav es a certain moral stigma attaching to all who allow their names to be prominently associated with it .

1 o annes Wo lfius Le c ti onum M e mo rabi lium e t R ec ondi J h , tarum Centenar V n a v o ii X I Lav i e l i . 2 2 . ( g , . , p 7 1 See o ann B i J r c aud K . u smans e t l e S a tani sm e , y , H y

ari s 1 1 . u s mans wri es : 11 e s t i ndi sc u ab e ue de P , 9 3 H y t t l q ! Guai a e t e ad e n ra i u n u i i nn t P l p t q e t q ot d e eme nt la magie noi re . - Br ic aud . 0 and nd c . 2 a 8 . , p 5 , f. pp 9 37 CHAPTE R IV

ARM AGEDD ON AND TH E END OF W AR AR DLY any feature is of such common occurrence in the pro phe c ies of all countries and all periods as the prediction of some

great conflict of the nations , n n ff which ge erally e ds , after terrible su erings , n n in the final triumph of religio a d justice . These ideas were no doubt largely inspired by the traditional interpretation of Armage d in x v i 1 6 don the Apocalypse ( . ) as the scene of the ultimate contest between the powers of good and evil . As to the rightfulness of that interpretation this is not the place to inquire , but it permeated all Christian literature and it gav e birth to a number of what may be - s called folk tale , supposing the word tale to mean simply a thing told and to be capable of referring to the future as well as to the past . There is in particular a whole group of these

- folk tales which come from Germany and which , ff while assuming a good many di erent forms , centre in an incident commonly known as the ” Battle of the Birch Tree di e S c hlac ht am r u Bi kenb a m . The prophecy is in any case an 68 The B at t le o ft h e Birc h Tre e 69

n - v interesti g piece of folk lore , and I may gi e it a s c s a here in wh t is perhap its most authenti h pe , as it was translated more than sixty years ago ’ az ine in B lac kwo od s M ag .

m w n h o r o s A time s h all c o e h e t e w ld s h all b e g dle s . The p e ople will s t riv e t o b e inde pe nde nt o fking and ma s ra e su ec s w b e una u t o e r r nc e s . gi t t , bj t ill f ithf l th i p i It will th e n c o me t o a g e ne ral insurrec tio n when r a ns s an o n a a ns a e r fath e s h all fight ag i t o n d s g i t f th . I n th at time me n s h all t ry t o pe rv e rt t he artic le s o f r Th e Ca o t he faith and s h all int od uc e new b oo k s . th lic re o n s a b e ard re s se d and me n w t r ligi h ll h p , ill y w nnn t o M e n ha ov e a and ith c u i g abo lis h it . s ll l pl y n l n a m Bu e n j e s t a d ple as ure o fa l ki ds at th t ti e . t th s a n t e o n e o re a c an e c c urs it h ll o b l g b f h g o . A r On n s d a frightful war will b eak o ut . o e i e s h ll s and us s a e de n and t he o e no r o n t R i , Sw , wh l th , t he o e r ranc e a n a and t he ho e th F , Sp i , It ly , w l w r h r n a s o uth unde r a p o e ful p rinc e . T is p i c e s h ll H w r w o w c ome fro m the s o uth . e e a s a hite c at ith b u ns all t h wa w n H e has a ro s s o n his tto e y do . c b re as r de s a re o rs e w c he mo un s ro m t , i g y h , hi h t f hi h i n H s e s de b ec aus e e s ame o f o e oo . e l ft i , l f t w r n i s hi s e v e r fo r h e ac e . re a s e ill b i g p G t ity , will ut wn ll an -m n r r H w l p do a d c e us ic a d ic h atti e . e il ‘ r m rnn h m h e a o i g Mas s int e c hurc h o fB re e n. F rom B re me n h e ride s t o t he H aar (an e minenc e ne ar e r rom e nc e he o o s w his s - as s W l) , f th l k ith py gl tow ards t he c ountry o ft he Birc h -tree and ob se rv e s m N h r t he e ne y . ext e ide s p as t H o ltum (a v illag e At um and ne ar W e rl) . H o lt s t s a c ruc ifix be twe e n t wo lime -tree s ; be fo re thi s h e kne e ls and p rays with

1 Some c o i es a are n r ead he wi sa les en M ass p pp tly , ll y ( ) . 7 0 The End ofW ar

r rm r m m he nhe a i o uts t e tc h e d a s fo s o e ti e . T le ds h s s o d e rs c ad in w e n o th e b a e and a e r a l i , l hit , i t ttl , ft n r ma n v o r o blo ody c o te s t he e i s ic t i us . The c hie f slaughte r will take plac e at a bro o k r w t a W o e ! w o e ! t whic h runs f o m e s t o e s t . o n rnin e a Th v c o r ou B udb e rg and S o de th o s d y s . e i t i s le ade r s h all as s e mble t he p e ople afte r t he battl e and ‘ in h r h arangue the m t e c hu c h .

So runs the best- known v ersion of di e S c hlac ht am B irkenb aum , and it is perhaps a little curious that the district which tradition has assigned for the battle - field of this momentous contest is pointed to by military authorities as the scene of the last despe rate stru ggle between

Germany and a Western invader . So at any B rate , says Commander riant , in his preface v to a cle er forecast of the war now raging , which was published by M . de Civrieux a couple ’ of years back . The district of Westphalia marked out by the mention of such places as a Werl , Holtum , Bremen , Budberg , etc . , is bout forty miles east of the great Krupp ordinance a at works at Essen . Still more remark ble first sight is the fact that the conqueror is to be a man clothed in a white coat with buttons all the way down , who mounts his horse on the wrong

1 nm a un The o riginal Ge rma y b e fo d inDe s Buc h der Wahr n en e ns ur - und We i s s a u R e b . 2 2 2 o r a ain in g g ( g g, pp 3 , g B arne fri ed S e her b i c k e in di Zukun t R e nsb ur C . . W e e , l f ( g g, - Th ii . 60 . e ab ov e ns a i n i a en ro t . ra o s m p , pp 59 t l t t k f ’ i 1 M a a ne M a 8 0 . Blac kw o od s 68 . g z , y, 5 , p 5 1 ’ La Fin de l Em i r e a l e mande—la B a tai le da Cham de s p l l p.

Bouleaux ar M . de Ci vrie ux aris 1 1 2 . , p , P , 9

7 2 The End ofW ar In 1 8 30 not ev en the first English railway had 1 8 8 been opened , but before 4 a railway had been constructed in the part of Westphalia spoken of . was There also about this time a great scarcity , and the bringing of workmen into the country led to a deterioration of morals among the peasantry which might hav e beendescribed as a v new religion . All this sounds ery promising , ’ but what follows of Jaspers prophesyings , though v aguely echoing the Birkenbaum pre n dictions , is sadly disappointi g when compared 1 8 0- with the actual history of the years 5 70 .

1 e or t he re a ro ad i u n dre ad . B f e g t s q ite fi ish ed a ful war re a ut will b k o . m n 2 s a o rt h rn r h n e r r . . A ll e p owe will b e t e c o qu o r s an r war r t no . e o e e a o u t a 3 Aft thi th will b k , re o us war amo n C r s ans b ut e e en ho se ligi g h i ti , b tw t wh v i r n wh o belie e n Ch i s t a d th o s e o do not be liev e . The w ar c o me s rom t he E as t d r a t h 4 . f ; I e d e E as t .

h w r r a t v r n I . n h 5 T e a will b e k ou e y s udde ly . t e ev e nn e w s a e ac e e ac e ! and et eac e i g th y ill y P , p y p i s not ; and int he mo rning t he e ne my will be at t he r Y t h o n s nd h who n do o . e s a s o as a e o s a it ll p , k w ood d n - ac e e v e nfo r o n a few da s b e g hi i g pl , ly y , will s ec ure . 6 The de e a e d e ne m hav e t o ine m . f t y will fly xtre e a e Le t t he e o e c as c ar and w ee s no h h s t . p pl t t h l i t t e wa e r o he r s e t he n fo e w a e all v eh c e s t , t wi flyi g ill t k i l m with t h e . No disturbance of this kind has certa inly ’ taken place in Westphalia from Jaspers day t o W e st ph alianFolk P re dic t i ons 7 3 the present ; while on the other hand it must be plain that the circumstances described in no way correspond with anything possible in the a war now raging . Prophecies th t have missed the mark are almost as uninteresting as a ten - , year old Bradshaw and if I quote any further, details it is only to indicate how little trust c an be placed in the precisely similar details which s are found in other prophecies . Thus Jasper declares :

The re a a e w b e o u ht at t he rc - re e 9 . g t b ttl ill f g Bi h t n nna H mm n r The eo e o f b e ee U a a d e . tw , , W l p pl half t he wo rld will th e re s t and arrayed agains t e ac h o e r Go d e rr th e enem b a dre ad u th . will t ify y y f l , r t h uss ans ut fe w s a r rn o m s to m. Of e R i b h ll e tu h e t o tell o fth e ir de fe at . Th war r 1 0 n 2 l 1 0 . e b e ov e in 8 a d in 1 8 al will 5 , 5 ‘ a nin r e r will b e gai o d . 1 1 The o e s are at rs do n ut h . P l fi t put w ; b t ey w a o n w th o e r na ons a a ns t he r ill , l g i th ti , fight g i t i r r and at a a n a n o pp e s s o s l s t obt i ki g o fthe ir own. 1 2 ranc e b e d v d d n e rna n re . F will i i e i t lly i to th e ar s p t . 1 a n n t n in t h war . o o e b ut the 3 Sp i will j i , Sp aniard s s hall c o me afte r it is o v e r and take p os s e s s o n o fth e c urc he s i h .

1 . us r a w b e o r una e ro v ded s he do not 4 A t i ill f t t , p i n wait t oo lo g . ’ 1 Th a ha r . e a c e v a an r m 5 p p l i will b c t fo a ti e .

1 The ar ic i n Bla kw t le c o od from whic h I b orro w thi s t rans a ionwas rined inM a 1 8 0 and had rob ab b ee nwri e n l t p t y, 5 , p ly tt

1 ’ Bla kwo d s M a a ine - M a 1 8 . c o 0 8 . g z , y , 5 , pp 5 3 4 The End ofWar 74.

Somewhat more desultory , but even more terrific , are such oracles as the following , ex tracted from old Westphalian traditions in 1 8 49 by Thomas Be yki rc h Alas ! o nc e h appy Co lo gne ! wh en tho u art well av r in n w p ed th ou s h alt p e i s h thi e o n blo o d . 0 C o logne ! Th ou s h alt p e ris h like S od om and m r am a fl Go o rrha ; thy s t e s h ll ow with blo o d and thy r e n w W t e n e c s s a b a e a a . o e o e Co o e ! li h ll t k y th , l g b e c aus e s tra—nge rs s uc k t hy bre as t s and t he breasts o fthy p oo r o fthy p o o r who th e re fo re languis h in n ‘ des titution a d mis ery .

Or , again W o e ! wo e ! Wh e re Rhine and Mo se lle me e t a battle s h all b e fo ught agains t Turk s and B as c hki rs (Rus s ians ?) s o blo ody that the Rhine s h all b e dyed ’ r f r n -fiv ue e d o tw e ty e leag s .

Such predictions as these , however , were no doubt found unsatisfactory for many reasons . It was necessary to bring them up to date and to adapt them to present circumstances if they were to find any general acceptance . We have , ro c e I think , a characteristic example of this p dure in a document published by the M atin on

2 rd 1 1 . August 3 , 9 4 It was then described as ” The famous Prophecy of Mayence , and was t 1 8 s ated to date from 54 , but no indication was given of any book printed in 1 854 in which it 1 This i s s aid t o have b ee n found by He inri c h von J uddon i i us ou oft h C arme i ina re l g o h se e l tes . 1 r t ns tim en k ood l . . S Be ki rc h P o he e m and Blac w c . ee y , p , , p A bogus P ro phe c y o fM aye nc e 7 5

c o uld be found , and we may venture to remain sceptical about this fact until more particulars

are furnished . As is the case with so many other n a bogus predictio s , the prophecy cl ims credit for itself on the ground that its earlier forecasts had n already bee fulfilled with startling exactitude . In the particular instance of this Mayence docu ment v erses 5- 7 prov ide a m arv ellous account of the central incidents of the Franco—Prussian

War .

Na o eo n at rs de s s n his adv e rs ar 5. p l III fi t pi i g y , Will fly v e ry s o o n towards t he Ch e sne -P opule ux near edan e re he d s a e ar nev er t o a e ar ( S ) , wh will i pp pp a a n g i . 6 In e f h e r r s s an f he re nc . s o t e o c e c e o t pit h i i t F h , a num e r o f s o d e rs ue e ow and ac b l i , bl , y ll , bl k , will r a e ms e v s v e r a rea r f ranc e sp e d th l e o g t pa t o F . s ac e an o rrai ne r s d rom 7 . Al d L will b e w e te f n r n Fra c e fo a time a d a h alf .

Certainly if this prophecy of Mayence was 1 8 really in circulation in 54 , its accuracy as regards these earlier events is v ery astonishing

indeed . The extraordinary thing is that though it had been already famous i n 1 8 54 and had i n 1 8 0 a s been so marvellously verified 7 , it m ke no - appearance in any of the elaborate collection s of similar materials such as the Voi x P rophet i ues Le Grand P a e et le Grand R oi q and p , the editors of which in 1 8 7 1 and 1 8 72 scoured heav en and earth in the intervals between their succes sive editions to add new documents to their 7 6 The End ofWar

s . s a c a tore It seem , then , pr cti lly certain that , like so many others , the prophecy of Mayence n n n is a fake , but it is i teresti g to ote how in the n n v c a v nine co cludi g erses , whi h presum bly ha e war reference to the now raging , the materials available i n the old Battle of the Birch Tree saga hav e been turned to account . I quote the translation published in The R efere e (Augu s t a 3oth , which , like many other newsp pers , professed to treat the document quite seriously .

1 C ura e a t u s ou t h re n o ft he dar 0 . o s e g , f i hf l l , ig k v m ll i m s s h ado w s hall no t h a e ti e t o exe c ute a t s s c he e . 1 h m fme rc a r ac e s r nc e 1 t e e o o . . But ti y pp h A p i f h n ni in ur m d o t e atio s y o i s t . m n f a v n t h t h i a 1 2 . is t he a o s a o e se e It l ti , wi , v nc e he s ha c oun hi s e ne r r s e s b his i ibl , ll t t p i y v r ic to ie s . 1 H dr v u t h ne m o f ranc e he . e s a e o t e e 3 h ll i y F , s a marc t o v c o r o n v c o r un t he d a o f h ll h i t y i t y , til y d v ne us c e i i j ti . 1 a d a h s c mman v en nd o f 4 . Th t y e h all o d s e ki s s oldie rs ag ains t th ree t o t he quarte r o f B o uleaux w n H am r nd ad r rn b e e e e a e o . t , W l , P b W n 1 . oe t o e e e o e o ft he No r h th s ev e 5 th , p pl t , y th ne ra o s a ans w e r f r all c r m s W o t g e ti n h ll o thy i e . e o e e e o e o ft he E as o u s a s re ad a ar t he th , p pl t , th h lt p f r o f afll i t io n n nn n c es c a oc e b o o d N v r a i d i t l . e e s h ll an arm b e s e e n s uc h y .

1 r da s t h un a r 6. Th ee y e s s h ll i se upward s o n t he h e ads o fth e c o mbatant s with out be ing s ee nth ro ugh t he c ud fs m e lo s o o k . 1 en the c o mmande r a t v r 7 . Th s h ll ge t he ic to y ; H ermannofL e hnin 7 7 t wo o fhis e nem e s s a b e ann a ed t he rema nde r i h ll ihil t , i o wards t he e x re me E as o ft he th re e s hall fly t t t . 1 8 am t he s e c o nd o ft he name s a b e he . t Willi , , h ll H a av e no o e r las t King o fP rus s i a . e s h ll h th s uc c e s s o rs s av e a n o f o and a n o f anov e r Ki g P l , Ki g H , ax n and a King o fS o y . The sev en kinds of soldiers appear to be n n R us s 1ans an v n E glish , Fre ch , , Belgi s , S“er ia s , Austrians , and Hungarians . By the people of the North Prussia is plainly indicated , by the people of the East Austria . It is pre s umab ly the Tsar who figures as the man of v sal ation , but it would be futile to speculate about the details . The point of chief interest is the fact that such

Westphalian townships as Ham , Werl , and s Paderborn are mentioned , and that the tran a b oule au lator , being pparently unaware that - has n means a birch tree , turned it i to a proper v name (v . The last erse also apparently betrays adaptation from some older source . Prussia as a separate monarchy is of little i n t e re t n s o w . The famous prophecy of Hermann L n n of eh in which , while professi g to be the work a a of a medi eval monk , was probably f bricated 1 60 a o about 9 , long g said

Tand em s e t ra r t r c e i ui s t e mmati s ultimus c i t . p g , q At le ngth he s way s t he s c e pt re who will b e t he r las t o fhis ac e . But this should properly apply to Frederick ’ and s William IV , the defenders of Hermann 7 8 The End -ofW ar prophecy explain it by saying that Frederick

William IV . was really the last king of Prussia ,

for his brother William I , who succeeded him , became Emperor of Germany . By his change of title , they contend , the kingdom of Prussia was virtually extinguished . U nquestionably the interpreters of the pro het s p , whether modern or ancient , are driven to hard shifts , and I may state here in concluding that part of our investigation which bears t specially on the grea war , that of all the utter anc es which I have examined concerning the results of the contest only two hav e seemed to suggest even a vague possibility that the pro phet possessed intuitions which transcended the n limitations of ordinary prudent co jecture .

Moreover , the first of these , when traced to its i a . s sources , loses all its veris militude Still it has an interest of its o wn and recalls some of the n c features of certai familiar psychi phenomena , it may be recounted here . The narrator is a K o rz e niec ki D n certain Father , a Polish omi ican , v who , it appears , had a great de otion to the Jesuit martyr Blessed Andrew Bobola , put to death by the Cossacks with most terrible tortures in 1 63 7 .

The incorrupt body of Blessed Andrew , it should a be noted , p ssed , on the suppression of the S D ociety of Jesus , into the keeping of the omi ni n c a s . One night in the year 1 8 1 9 Father K o rz e niec ki , overwhelmed by the tribulations of v a i n his belo ed Poland , was eng ged prayer to

8 0 The End ofWar

Of and this , I am afraid , fers an only too satis n o f R factory expla ation the fact that ussians ,

Turks , Frenchmen , and English are named first among the motley armies that were seen in com

bat on the plains of Pinsk . The second prophecy is of more importance for the reason th at it is not entirely explained by the circum s tances under which it was de v a ! li ered , and that it still , al s retains a certain v intrinsic probability . It is , moreo er , a pre

diction to which , so far as I am aware , no

attention has yet been directed . It occurs in a little English Life of a Carmelite nun known as r Sister Mary of Jesus C uc ifie d . This Life was privately printed by the late Lady Herbert of Le a 1 8 8 @nd in 7, the preface was written in the ‘ r arch of that yga . It would be no libel upon the undoubted servi c es rendered by Lady Herbert to Catholic religious literature to say that she no t a was lways a conspicuously accurate writer . v s Ne ertheless , this sketch professe on its title page to be taken from v arious documents pre served inthe Carmelite monasteries of Pau and ” and n Bethlehem , it certai ly shows a consider u - able dependence o pre exis ting materials . It

is conceivable , of course , that the author may not have reproduced the data s o furnished with entire fidelity , but if she altered them , there seems no assignable reason why she should

1 A S ke t c h o the i e o Si s te r M ar o e sus Cruc i ed b f L f f y fJ fi , y ad Her r London rined for the au r b e h o 1 88 . L y t , , p t t , 7 A Carm e lit e E c st at i c a 8 1

make the good Carmelite say what she does

. g make her say The eneral . expectation of Catholics at that time did not runin the direction actually followed , but rather the other way . The n was whole te dency to anticipate , not to retard , the triumph of the Church . However , let me first set before the reader the two passages which v n n ha e a beari g on our present subject , o ly premising that Sister Mary of Jesus C ruc ifie d ( 1 8 46-78 ) seems to have been a mystic whose religious experiences were altogether startling and abnormal . If we may believe her confessor - and her fellow religious , she not only had con stant ecstasies , but she was for several years marked with the stigmata in her hands , feet , o n and side , from which last wound every Friday v the blood flowed freely . On se eral occasions she was seen suspended , like St . Joseph a

Cupertino , high above the ground , while for é many months together , like the Blessed Cur ’ d Ars n a and umerous other saints , she is s id to have been beaten and tormented by the devil

with extraordinary ferocity . With regard , how v us e er , to her prophecies , which alone concern

here , the two following passages had better be transcribed exactly as they stand in Lady Herbert ’s sketch

One da h e in an e c s as s he s aw a ar e y , w il t y , l g r inw c h w e r man On h r n c hu c h hi e y altars . t e p i c ipal o ne was a e au u ro s e h a de c ous e r um b tif l wit li i p f e . This she was made t o unde rs tand re prese nted Pius 8 2 The End o fW ar

X ns he s aw t wo n s e n e r t he c urc I . Th e ki g t h h with n r t h r ut e a ed On en t o de s o e o s e b . e i t t t y , th y f il , o we v e r mo re b o d an t he re s r e d t o c ut h , l th t , t i “it d own b ut in v a n and h e s a d t o ms e In , i ; i hi lf n me m d t o e a se and a o e r e ar. e s e e e th y A littl ti l p , th en s he again s aw t he ro s e attac ke d b y t he t wo n s and o ne o f em suc c e eded in ru s n and ki g , th b i i g it n ff me f t he av s But a e rwards te ari g o s o o le e . ft it r se ro n e r and mo re au u an e o r o up s t g be tif l th b f e . E as a e are t o he r and sa d : Our re s e n St . li pp d i p t r i a n e r hi s a m n H oly F ath e s a s i t . Aft m h ll c o e a oth e r like no o th e r ; he s h all s uffe r muc h f ro m t he hands fhi n m e s The rd H o a e r s a b t he o s e e i . thi ly F th h ll e ra c The our —a as a as e re i s and a S e phi . f th l l th s h ll b e no c ro s s like t he o ne he will c arry ! But t he Churc h will begin t o triumph unde r t he rule o fthi s o a he r and a e r hi s de a h c om e e H ly F t , ft t pl t ly .

Now such manifestations , supposing them to be something more than the mere illusions of a disordered brain , may be assumed to take their ’ colouring from the mystic s prev ious beliefs and

. I habits of thought There may sometimes , hold , be a real intuition of a spiritual truth , even though the setting be fantastic , ridiculous , or c . ontrary to ascertained fact Joan of Arc , for v example , may ha e been the percipient of per fe c t ly authentic v oices though they came to her through a St . Catherine whom she conceived of according to a legend which modern historical criticism has now exploded . The fact that St . Elias ’ connection with the Carmelites must be considered more than problematical would not The Fo urt h P art o fM e n 8 3 necessarily discredit all the communications of a revel ation attributed by a Carmelite nun to his intervention . But the second passage in this account of ’ Si s ter M ary s rev elations has a more direct bear i ng on our present subject . After previously s peaking of a vision of a dark cloud by which in 1 868 the mystic was forewarned of the Franco s R Prus ian War and the occupation of ome , the writer continues Late r o n she s e e me d t o h av e h ad a s till wide r n h re a n she s aw the ac ins ight i to t e futu . Ag i bl k c oud v e r c b ut c ov e r n no t o n ranc e b ut l , y thi k , i g ly F , n e re e re ear u ar t he wh o le o fEu rop e . Th e th w f f l w s c o nv uls ing ev e ry p art o f E urop e ; and whe n they we re o v e r o n t he our h ar o f me n rema ned , ly f t p t i ; h r ha all e r s d in t he s ru e a t e e s t d p i he t ggl . At th t ” me s he s a d t he r e s s b e few innum e r ti , i , p i t will b , fo r th e y will h av e d ie d fo r t he Faith o r inde fe nc e o f r n r he re w b e s o rro and m urnn the i c o u t y . T ill w o i g ’ ev e rywh e re till God s ange r i s Putting these two forecasts together we are left to infer that according to the prophetic intuitions v of this strangely fa oured mystic , the terrible time of war , thus foretold , was to coincide with o nt ific at e the p of the fourth pope of her vision , to wit Benedict XV ; for clearly this season of calamity must precede the triumph and peace of the Church which is to begin before the end of his reign , and such an awful visitation as we 1 A S ke t c h o the i e o Si s ter M ar o es us Cruc i e d b f L f f y fJ fi , y nd d ndon . a 6 a H erb er o . L y t (L , pp 34 3 84 The End ofWar are now experiencing would v ery well explain ! a ! and b the words , Alas al s there is shall p ” no cross like the one that he will carry . No exact indication is giv en of the date of v a s these re el tion , but Sister Mary of Jesus Cruci fie d s 1 8 8 n died in Augu t , 7 , six mo ths , that is Leo to say , after the election of XII I and five years before the dream of a great Christian monarchy was shattered for most French Le git i mists by the death of the Comte de Chambord . I lay stress on this because if the quotations just given accurately represent the predictions made by Sister Mary , she was not echoing the ideas prevalent among the French religious with whom she lived . As we have already learned from several of the prophecies previously dis n cussed , the whole purport of such publicatio s as the Voi x P rophéti ques and countless others was to encourage the belief that ev en before the death of Pius IX the Church should see the a e v dawn of a happier g . Necessarily this iew Le o was modified after the accession of XII I , but the idea of a comparativ ely early restoration ! s still persisted . It i recorded of Palma , the ' s ti mati s e e a a g of Ori , ne r Brindisi , that shortly before her death s he expressed herself in term s which one of the ecclesiastical magnates of the D r neighbourhood“thus reported to . Imbert Gourbeyre She was at one with the other

1 - L ti m ati a i on ari s v o i mb e r Gourb e re a S l . I t y , g z t (P , , PP 568 s D e fe c t iv e E v id e nc e 8 5 mystics in declaring positiv ely th at Pope Leo XII I would not see the triumph of the Church

a s . but , she dded , his successor would witnes it ’ Still more noteworthy is Si s ter Mary s prev ision “ n that fearful war“s should c o vuls e ev ery part of Europe ” until only the fourth part of men n ” of the male population) remai ed , and it is certainly curious that she should have foreseen a s a gre t dearth of priest , “owing in part to the fact that m any h ad died in defence of their was country There , so far as I know , no reason in 1 8 78 to suppose that a time would ev er come when the c le rgy would h av e to take part in battle as combatants . v s av a n Ne erthele s , the attempt I h e been m ki g to find something which can be put forward as n a ge uine prophecy of these latter times , at once encounters a serious set-back from the fact that in the much fuller and more offi ci al Life of Sister C ruc ifie d Mary of Jesus , published in the prediction of univers al war and the destruction ‘ f n n art s o me s o . of three p , apparently find place v v i s Moreo er , the ision of the Popes quite f L di ferently narrated , though in the larger ife , ’ L v as in ady Herbert s sketch , the re elation is c ommunicated to Sister Mary throu gh the pro v nA phet St . Elias , and the date of the isio ugust , 1 8 i a n 6 s . L 7 , pparently the same In the lo ger ife

1 V M ari e ru i . s ra o i e de S oeur de esus C c é ar le R . J fi , p P E t t - P ari s V i c or Lec o ffre x v iii 08 s ee e s ec i a . ( , t , pp . 4 ; p lly p 1 9 7 , G 8 6 The End ofWar

e nothing is said of the fourth Pop , the c a present Holy Father . On the ontr ry , the phrase there i s and s hall be no cros s like the ’ one he sh all carry (in the French i l ny aura ’ pas de c ro i x c omme c e lle qu i l aura) is applied

i . e . Le o to the successor of Pius IX , , Pope ‘ XI II . D ffi v espite these di culties , the gra ity of which

I should be sorry to underrate , I am not altogether conv inced that the version followed by Lady

i s . Herbert without authority To begin with , Lady Herbert must hav e had some text before v her , and she can ha e had no possible object in altering it to suit a much more distant future .

Secondly , she was in relation with contem o raries p of the ecstatica probably now dead , and we know for certain that an English priest as well as an E nglish nun who had at one time been nov ice mistress to Si s ter Mary were among these special sources of information . Thirdly , a e Es t rat e I think it quite as likely th t P re , the L author of the French ife , or those who edited 1 1 0 v it after his death in 9 , would ha e felt them selves justified i n expurgating or adapting the texts before them (es pecially in cases where s as there might be ome conflict of evidence) , that a v L dy Herbert herself would ha e done so . It a might easily have happened , for ex mple , that the idea of priests laying down their lives as

1 V d oe ur M ari e de esus ru i S C c . i e e é ar lo R . st ra o J fi , p P E t

ari s . 2 . (P ) , p 3 4

8 8 The End o fWar rather unusual incident in Carmelite history in the following terms :

Yo u no w d e ar a e r a av e us s e n o ff k , F th , th t I h j t t th re e o f my d e ar c hildre n t o t he Indian mi s s io ns w t h R v o e r ar E a o fP au and fiv e o f ith e e . M th M y li s he r d au e rs amo n s w o m is m s a n c d ght , g t h y i tly hil r ifi he a and Sis te r Ma y o fJ e s us C ruc e d . My rt n s o u are w m de ar c dre . s e r E as m l ith y hil Si t li , y r s i s o ne o f t he re e t he o e r t wo are I i h lily , th ; th r r o f t he n and s e r ar Sis t e Ma y A g e ls Si t M y o f St . e o e a o u av e o d o ur o o d and J o s ph . I h p th t y h t l y g rev e re nd bro the r ab out Si s te r M ary o fJe s us C ruc i fi m n o r h i f r wa e d Yo u a ow do s e e . S e s a a . y f ly y now and th e re is no dange r o f i t s do ing he r any av o P a w c r n n h arm . I h e be en t u ith my hild e a d h av e s e e n and he ard many mo re inte re s ting p art ic u r r w v e an r ne n la s abo ut he . I ill gi you o th e li s t e epe d in t he bl o o d whic h flowe d f ro m h e r s tigm ata and ‘ i r r m rac Sh h r whic h s t o p e fo m i le s . e as fo e to ld s ad t n s fo r s o me o fo ur s e rs who av e s a e d b ut hi g Si t h il , re in t h an fGo d the y a e h ds o .

a This letter , written few days after the party n ms n e set sail , co fir the explicit stateme t of P re Es t rat e that Sister Mary had foretold that of the n n n v v ni e sisters who we t , three would e er li e to n n n e w a . a s see the fou d tio In point of f ct , Sister Stephanie and Eup h ras ie died in the R e d Sea

1 Th e ri es in ue s i o n b e i e v ed im s e w e n in t he as p t q t l h lf , h l t s a e o f c o ns um i o n t o av e b e e n mi rac u o us and i ns an t g pt , h l ly t t h i ina t ane ous ly c ured b y o ne o fthes e line n c loths . If e or g l e e r was i nFre nc t he p rase w i c i s t o p e r o rm mi rac es l tt h h h h ”f l m a re re s e n ui doi o ére r de s mi rac e s w ic i s no t y p t q t p l , h h quite t he s ame thing. The Language o fP roph e c y 8 9 and Mother Eli as died at Calicut before reaching n t he her intended desti ation . If we may trust accuracy of the same French Life s ev eral other predictions of the ecstatica concerning domestic ev ents and the future of indiv idu als were fulfilled i n an ev en more remarkable way . s Finally , we hall do well to remember that the langu age of prophecy is nearly always figurativ e i s and grandiose . If He who the Truth and the Light could describe the repo“se of His sac red body in the tomb as lasting three days and

s . ar a three night (Matt xii . we e cert inly n ot con s trained to attach an absol“utely literal interpretation to such phrases as the fourth part of men or the triumph of the Church . as Admitting , we may do , the bare possibility that the words attributed to the Carmelite ecstatica may hav e been inspired by some true n s intuition of the future , we can ot afely infer more than that the conclusion of this terrible war may witnes s a rev i v al of religious faith and a period of comparativ e peace for the Church in her unending struggle against principalities and powers . CHAPTE R V

D1V 1NERs AND S O O'I‘H SAYERS

N rs t 1 1 and August 3 , 9 4 , con sequently quite at the beginning n of the prese t war , the following n h T m s letter appeared i T e i e . If we may judge by the number of allusions to it which one has come across since , the forecast contained therein must have attracted a good deal of attention .

THE FFE T O F A P ROP H CY E C E .

S I R —In t he s mme r o f 1 8 c anc ed t o b e , u 99 I h s itting with t he p re s ent Ge rmanS ec re tary fo r Fo re ign ffa rs H e rr v o n a o e n a ec re ar o f t h e A i , J g w (th S t y e rman E m as s in om on the a c o n o ft he G b y R e) , b l y E m t h f r n In as s e a a o Ca a e o t he Ca o . b y , P l zz f lli , pit l t he c o urs e o fc onv e rs atio nH e rr v onJago w exp re s s ed the belie f that no gene ral E urop ean war was likely t c ur e r t h n f 1 1 H av e as his o oc b fo e e e d o 9 3 . e g re ason t he influe nc e o f a p rophec y made t o t he ’ a s er s and a h e r r nc e am o f rus s a at K i g r f t , P i Willi P i , n a n in 1 8 . r c e am o f rus s a who M i z , 49 P i Willi P i , was p ro c laime d Ge rman Empe ro r at Ve rs aille s on an ar 1 8 th 1 8 1 was in 1 8 wande r n inc o ni t o J u y , 7 , 49 i g g int he ne rov nc e s a e nded on b ana de-de Rhi P i , tt ly y i H e had nc urred rea n ar hi c amp . i g t u p opul ity b y s 9 0

92 Div ine rs and S o o t h saye rs th e figure s 1 8 8 8 and re p e ating t he s ame o p e ration

obtaine d t he re s ult 1 9 1 3 r n r n n r The s to y s o o s p e ad i P ru s s ia C ou t c irc les . P rinc e William be c ame G e rman Emp e ro r in 1 8 7 1 n Th e e ffec ft h u me n and died i 1 8 8 8 . t o e do ble fulfil t ’ o ft he p roph ec y upo nt he p re s e nt Ge rman Emp e ro r s m nd was re a and as m e e r e nc e s o s i g t , , y xp i h w , it ente re d into t he c alc ui at io n o fP rus s iandiplomati s ts n 1 8 M a w n e as lo g ago as 9 9 . y e ot hav e h re a p s yc h o lo gic al c lue t o t he f ailure o f t he Ge rman Emp e ro r t o us e hi s influe nc e fo r pe ac e during t he d o ma c ne o a o ns o f as monh —I am Si r ipl ti g ti ti l t t , , o urs , y V I DI .

Although the year 1 9 1 3 is undoubtedly past beyond recall , the lovers of mystery are loth to allow s o promi s ing an example of what they call cabbalistic div ination to fizzle out like an 1 1 n exploded squib . The year 9 3 , they co tend , may still be regarded as fatal because it was ’ the l ast year of the Kaiser s unch allenged suprem acy . It does not seem to occur to them that by this lax interpretation they are multiply i n c n g the mathematical ha ce by three , for if the empire had been ov erthrown i n 1 9 1 2 the same interpreters would undoubtedly have urged that was v the prophecy erified , on the ground that V ariant s o ft he S t o ry 9 3 the year 1 9 1 3 stood firs t i n the new order of

s . a v as a thing In point of f ct , e en an historic l a i n s c s incident , the story bounds uspi iou

a . s v fe tures To begin with , it is told in e eral

ff n s . di ere t way For example , a French brochure , ’ P redi c ti ons s ur la F in d e l Allema ne g , which a i s followed by Mr . W . M . Fullerton in book ‘ e n s P ro b lems o P o wer s r ce tly publi hed , f , refer to it as the prediction of Fi e ns b e rg F ie ns it v a a n berg being , seems , a ill ge ne r Bade where n v n the incident occurred . Accordi g to this ersio n R . s a certai Countess , who was upposed to be s gifted with second sight , had been a ked by s William , then Prince of Pru sia , what she could n e tell him about his future destiny . In a swer t h Countess simply took him through the little series of addition s ums which has just been a given . On the other hand , ccording to Mr . 2 R v n . L . F awson , a Paris aria t declares that the prophet liv ed in England and was a thought a s n re der by profes io , but as the future Emperor v s a 1 8 8 and 1 8 i ited Engl nd in 4 , not in 49 , the n n ame dment seems emi ently improbable . An ’ other account states that the Emperor William I consulted a clairvoyante when he was a young a 1 2 man s far back as 8 9 . She bade him add up the digits ( 1 8 2 9 + 1 + 8 + 1 8 49) and told him

1 Fu e r n r o b ems w r L ndon 2 o o o e o no e . . 2 8 ll t , P l fP ( , p , t 1 w n F a s o H ow t h W r w n . . R e a ill e d ondo n L . , (L , p i wri e a s e e r v 46. Th s t r l o r f s t o a ersi on in the Neue M e ta h i nds c hau anua 1 s s c he Ru r 1 2 . p y , J y , 9 1 Feb rua 2 t h 1 1 See i h r 2 . L g t, y 4 , 9 9 4 Div iners and S o o t h saye rs

a 1 8 his life would be ttempted in 49 , and the rest

as . before In any case , we may assert with confidence that neither the gipsy woman , nor R 1 8 i n the Countess . , nor anyone else in 49 , v ented this very innocent arithmetical device for n at guessi g the future . The method is abun dant l 1 8 2 y illustrated in a book published i“n 4 , u e en P h lo ue Am s m ts i lo i s . . called g q , by G P ” P hilomneste , of which there were also earlier editions . In this little work the following as remarkable example is given , not connected with any story of successful div ination but simply as an arithmetical curiosity Robespierre fell and the Reign of Terror 1 ended in 794 , adding the sum of these digits to the date we get : which is the year of the fall of Napoleon . Again pursuing the same process a stage further , we obtain which saw the fall of Charles X and with him of the Bourbon dynasty . Thus

1 8 1 5 1 8 30 (B attle of Waterloo) (Expulsion of the Bourbo ns)

9 6 Div ine rs and S o o t h saye rs

’ assigned in Hartl and s Chro no logi c al Di c ti onary n an 1 8 i s a . is J uary , 53 , but this simply blu der A hundred different authorities could be quoted to show that the second Empire began in the n v av precedi g year . Moreo er , we h e only to select our facts a little differently and it is easy v aid an to pro e , this time without the of y n n a annus atali s erro eous chro ology , th t the f for L a n v n 1 8 6 not ouis N poleo ought to ha e bee 9 , n n i n a 1 8 0 . v 7 The re olutio , which e ded N poleon n R was being elected Preside t of the epublic , in n 1 8 8 a d e t 1 . 1 8 48 . Add to 4 we g 869 1 8 2 was Again , he became Emperor in 5 , he born 1 8 08 e 1 8 2 6 in , Eug nie was born in , and they

were married in 1 8 53 . From all these we obtain 1 8 6 the date 9 , as the following figures show

Emperor 1 852 1 852 1 8 52 1 1 1 8 8 8 Empress Marne d 0 Born 2 5 3

1 8 69 1 869 1 869

s n s o v Thi agreeme t is curious , but not ery

a a . n rem rk ble A really surprising coi cidence , v v howe er , is re ealed when we apply the same s L treatment to the ca e of ouis Philippe , the immediate predecessor of Napoleon as ruler of n i Fra ce . Lou s Philippe became king in 1 8 30 ; was 1 1 8 2 he born in 773 , his queen was born in 7 , wa and he s married in 1 809 . Now this gives us Cabbalist ic C o inc ide nc e s 97 Dat e of Accession : 1 830 1 830 1 6“ 1 Dat 3 Dat 8 e of 7 3328 e of t marrl a e bir h birt h g o 2 9

1 848 1 848 1 848

n s a 1 8 8 was i n a Stra ge to y , 4 , fact , the d te of ’ n L a . ouis Philippe s dow f ll But , in spite of a s n n imilar una imity of the prog ostics , it was in 1 8 0 and 1 8 6 v 7 , not in 9 , that the o erthrow of n Napoleo actually came to pass . o ne The fact is , that when takes the trouble to n s v look i to it , the mystery admit of a ery simple

explanation . The sum of the digits of any modern date must i nany c ase lie between 9 and n n 2 1 a d 2 . 7 , most commo ly between 5 5 Now aninterv al of from 1 5 to 2 5 years i s the sort of period in which momentou s political changes ’ come about , and if one selects one s starting point judiciously it is not difficult to hit upon n n coi cidences . Take , for example , the electio n s of Pope Le o XI II i 1 8 78 . Add the e digits together and you hav e n and s um for the electio of his successor , the of the digits of this last date ( 1 90 2 + 1 would prepare us for the coming of another new 1 1 L . a e o Pope in 9 4 As a matter of f ct , Pope XI I I was inconsiderate enough to upset our n 1 0 s in 1 02 calculatio by dying in 9 3 in tead of 9 , but the forecast might hav e beenclaimed by any 9 8 Div iners and S oo t hsaye rs

he aspirant to seership as a very near thing, and might plead in extenuation of this slight mis o f carriage his previsions , that in any case Pope Pius X must hav e been fated to die in 1 9 1 4 because the most con s picuous epoch inhis career 1 8 was 93 , in which year he was both created

Cardinal and named Patriarch of Venice , and

the year of his death . It was suggested abov e that to secure success ful div ination upon these lines it is essential to ’ a n choose one s st rti g point judiciously . For Z example , any embryo adkiel who chanced to notice that the date of the acces sion of the um

i . e 1 L s . fortunate oui XVI , , 774 , contained a premonition of the time of his execution upon the scaffold ( 1 774 + would be careful not to proclaim this fact baldly in such a way that it seemed a mere isolated coincidence . He would probably invent a picturesque setting for hi s prognostic and develop it as far as s po sible ; something , for example , in this style .

1 60 It was the year 7 , at the crisis of the struggle between the Encyclopédistes and the n Jesuits . The E cyclopédistes stood for the new s godless philo ophy of Voltaire , and the Jesuits , a so soon to be expelled from Fr nce , represented and anc i en r m clericali s m the égi e . To an aged

Jesuit , filled with sadness at the political out a ouv ernante look , there c me the g of the little L so n D u a so Prince ouis , of the a phin and gr nd n

1 o o Div ine rs and S o o t h saye rs

v c 1 8 1 we could ha e ome out at the year 5, the Battle of Waterloo ; but the Battle of Leipzig in 1 8 1 s v was a e nd 3 doe ery well , and it re lly the of n i n n a a a . s a c the N poleonic usurp tio Thi , y se , is a more impressiv e presentment of the facts n n and than the statement of a single coi cide ce , it is all due to the prudent selection of 1 760 as n - Yo 1 a a starti g point . u take 760 bec use the 1 digits happen to bring you to the 774 , which a v you want , and no other ye r would ser e The s a has same principle , if I mi t ke not , guided the choice of the year 1 8 49 for the s tarting-point of n n the Kaiser Wilhelm prog ostic . Nothi g momentous happened to the Prince of Prus s ia n not i 1 8 49 . He did come to the throne in that n ne w n s um o f year , or attai any dig ity , but the 1 8 a the digits of 49 , when added to the d te itself , 1 8 1 1 8 1 happens to yield 7 ; 7 , similarly treated , 1 8 8 8 conducts you to , which is really the only n 1 8 8 8 coi cidence in the series ; , with its digits v n a n us added , comes ery e r to landi g in the great European cataclysm no w going o naround s s n us , but , as usual , poil the sequence by bei g s just a year or two out , in thi case a year or two too early . It may be worth while to add that some arith metical prognostic of the kind here discuss ed ’ seems to h av e beencurrent i n Germany as early 1 8 8 2 i s s ix s a as , that to say , year before the de th ’ of Kaiser Wilhelm I . But Miss Max Wall s s Li ht 2 2 nd letter on the ubject to g (August , AnArit hme t ic al P ro gnost ic 1 0 1 1 9 1 4) does not leav e a very clear impression of the nature of the prophecy which was then in n an as circulatio . I n y c e no one has so far produced any reliable evidence to show that the prediction had beenheard of before the period of n - s n the Fra co Pru s ia War . It is plain thenth at no reliance can be placed v n on this method of arithmetical di i ation . The instances i n whi c h it seems occasionally to be v erified are mere coincidences . Neither can such n coincide ces be regarded as at all extraordinary , s eeing that the mathem atical chance against their occurrence cannot ordinarily be rated higher

20 1 . than at about to Moreover , it will hardly be di s puted th at the whole process is puerile and arbitrary in the highest degree . Perhaps this last aspect of the matter may best be emphasized re u i d ur u by a sort of d c t o a a b s d m . Here is an arithmetical computation made in one of those s v s n prophecy book pre iou ly spoke of , in which L pious egitimists , after the close of the Franco s n S Prus ia war , ought confirmation for the belief they profes sed in the speedy triumph of Henri

V and Pius IX . Could anything be more pathetic than the state of mind which finds comfort in s uch reasoning as the following The Ve ne rable Anna Maria Taigi p re dic ted that Pius I X w o uld re ign twe nty-se v en ye ars and about s ix m o n s and a he ou d c ons e ue ne t l die in th , th t w l q y t h 2 8 t h ear o fhis o nt ific at e e y p . A v e ry c urio us c abb alis tic c alc ulation le ad s us t o H 1 0 2 Div ine rs and S o o t h saye rs

a rs t he s na ur t t h e s ame re sult . T k e fi t ig t e o f he o a e r P i us P a a nonus us I X o e and H ly F th p (Pi P p ) , r f a se c o ndly hi s mo tto in t he p o phe c y o St . M lac hy r e r uc e a e a a n a a e s nc e t he C ux d C . M k L ti lph b t ( i w o rds whic h we are no w c o nc e rne d with are Latin n m r re ar 2 r a o rds and u e . e e e e s s ou w ) b it Th 3 l tt , y no w s nc e i and o n c o unt as o ne e e r and k , i j ly l tt , s m ar u and v and h e re i s no . ena c o un s i il ly , t w Th t 1 b 2 c and s o o n un we et t o he n , , 3 , til g T ma e o r rs r a a e t he s na ure P ius v e s k y u fi t t i l ; t k ig t . gi a 2 no nus 8 Add e b a s y o u 62 ; P pa 3 ; 7 . th s e c a b li tic ally and you h av e Tre at t he n h m w rux v e 61 de r mo tto i t e s a e ay . C gi s 9 ; c uc e nc e m r ad e s e o e h e r c a a s c a n 48 . O o e d th t g t bb li ti lly a d yo u h av e A J ewi s h c abbali s t would at onc e draw t he infe re nc e t hat P ius P apa no nus i s ide ntic al with t he p e rs onage de s ignated b y Cr ux d e Cruc e s nc e the o e d t he s ame , i y b th yi l ‘ n m r u b e .

é Chab aut The worthy Abb y , who is the author s v of thi mar ellous rigmarole , proceeds to push his conclusions even further ; but we will be content to note that after these dev elopments he

1 L e t tre s s ur les prophé ti es m odernes e t Conc o rdanc e dc i n i le s P red t o ar s . 1 t out es c i s . (P , p 55 This dev i c e ofattac hing a numeri c al v al ue t o th e l etters o f ur a ab e i s no t e ni re un n wnin n and e u o lph t t ly k o E gl . L t me q ote n i u n r T r i t he fo llo wi g ll s tr atio f om he P inc ples ofS c i enc e of n . ev s rd ed . . 2 6. H e iv e s i t an x W. S o as e am e o fa J , 3 , p 3 g pl c uri ous c oinc ide nc e The F re nc h Chamb er o fDeputie s i n 1 8 30 c o nsi sted of402 me mb e rs o fw om 2 2 1 orme d t he ar c a e d La ue ue de , h f p ty ll q ’ R ob e s i e rre w i e t he remainder 1 8 1 innumbe r were nam ed p , h l , , n ’ ’ Le s ho nnét es ge s . If we give t o e ac h l ette r a numeric a l v al ue c orre spondi ng t o i t s pl ac e in t he alphab et i t wi ll b e found that the s um ofthe v alue s oft he le tte rs in e ac h name exac tly f h ar indi c ates the numb e r o t e p ty .

1 04 Div ine rs and S o o t hsaye rs ffi wards . It is su cient to remind the reader that i n 1 8 1 8 8 Pope Pius IX died not 73 but in 7 , still v a irtu lly a prisoner , that to this day the temporal authority of the Holy See does not extend n a a beyo d the precincts of the V tic n , and that the Comte de Chambord (Henri V) ended in 1 8 8 3 a life which had almos t entirely been spent in v exile from his nati e land . Quite apart from any pretence of the quasi s c ie nt ific manipulation of numbers there exists v at all times a literature of di ination , the extent of which i s realized by few who hav e not per n s o nally made acquainta ce with it . For the one ’ or two publications like Old Moore s Almanack Z ’ and adkiel s Almanack , of which the names are a a f mili r to the general reader , there are scores of others inev ery European language which equally profess to un v eil the future and which are in v ari ably more or les s identified with the jargon n of astrology and horoscopy . Beyo d a few pas s ing words I hav e no intentionof attempting s to deal with the subject here , but it seem worth v while to point out , howe er briefly , that the true cause of the fav our shown to these bogus pro p hec ie s lies in the disposition of the uncritical mind to count only the successes and persistently n n to ignore the failures . As Baco says i his s o n M e n a es ay the subject , m rke when they n n n ” a d v . hit , e er marke whe they misse The tendency is by no means confined to persons of s a conspicuou ly religious temperament . Quite Zadkie l 1 o 5 recently the strong impres s ion made upon an acqu aintance of a v ery opposite habit of mind n n v the i car ation , I should ha e judged of robust — scepti c i s m b y the v aticinations of the celebrated Z d Mr . adkiel concerning the present war , induce me to make an in v estigation both of this and of some copies of the Almanack published u nder “ ” n a . the n me of Old Moore The i quiry , I n confess , when not confi ed to one issue but extending over several years , proved distinctly interesting as a rev elation of the methods followed by the compilers of this class of pub li at i n c o s . But let me quote first the prognostics which had excited the alarm of my usually n incredulous friend . In connectio with the total eclipse of the s un which took place on August 2 1 5 t 1 1 Z n , 9 4 , adkiel nine mo ths before had remarked J unc t inus av e rre d th at a g re at e c lip s e o ft he s un in Le o re s i nifie s t he mo o n o farm e s de a o f p g ti i , th ” a n d an e r o fwar and c arc o f ra n In s . ki g , g , ity i c o unt rie s and c itie s rule d b y t he s ignLe o s uc h ev e nt s o u d b e m o s e t o a e ac e—in ranc e a w l t lik ly t k pl F , It ly , m n m t h c o u a a o e e c . As t e e c s e a s Si ily , R i , R , lip f ll ino pp o s itio nt o t he plac e o ft he mo o n at t he bi rth o f t he n o f a hi s a e s s o u d as far as Ki g It ly , M j ty h l p o s s ib le av o id w ar and s afe guard hi s h e alth this year and fo r t he ne x t wo e ars t y . It i s s ingular that this g re at ec lips e falls in t he e ac ac e o f ars in t he s umme r o s c The x t pl M s l ti e . rule rs o f P rus s i a and Aus t ria s h o uld ac c ept t he warnn i g als o . 1 0 6 Div iners and S oot h saye rs

’ Taken thus far , the seer s forecast might easily impress the casual reader as ev incing a somewhat uncanny insight into future events . But it goes OI!

e rs ur ars i s o n t wo d e re e s as At St . P e t b g M ly g p t t he mid- e av e n and e nus i s int he e n ous e s o h , V t th h , th at t he influe nc e s are well balanc e d as t o p eac e and s r e and ac c ord n e re i s ro und for o e t at t if , i gly th g h p h Europe will b e sp ared a g re at war and that t he g reat na o ns no t all b e e na ed t o ursue h e ti , if , will bl p t ir e ac e u o c c u a ons p f l p ti .

Here we have , of course , an obvious inclina a tion to hedge , but even with this qu lification it is quite intelligible that anyone who did not Z know Mr . adkiel and his ways should credit him with a rather remarkable hit . It is only when we come to look at the previous issues , and note that the complications of the Eastern question and the growing armaments of Ger many have induced our astrologers to pe rsist year after year in prophesying war that we n appreciate how little it all amou ts to . Thus for the politically peaceful autumn of 1 9 1 1 Zadkiel issued the warning :

r r - v n M a s flame s fi e c e ly c lo s e t o t he mid h ea e . This s hould b e a s e rious warning t o our Gov e rnme nt t o s t rength en army and nav y and t o k eep a s h arp eye on t he No rth S e a and t he E as t o fE urop e and Th anc n r s n Egypt . e ie t aph o i m relati g t o s uc h a c on ura i on nd c a e s uarre s d s c o rd s and fig t i i t q l , i , ” o bloods h e d . Sh uld pe ac e in E urop e and A s ia b e a s ec ure d he n e re i s a r s a o c a h ppily , t th i k th t p liti l

1 0 8 Div ine rs and S o o t h saye rs

1 1 S notice that for the same year , 9 4, ide by side with the relatively well - founded caution against war v s , we ha e such wild hots as the following 1 1 Our re a o ns t us s a a e ar u us . A g t , 9 4 l ti wi h R i pp n I i o ha t he re a ene d t o b e s trai e d . t s t o b e h pe d t t th t ' av r d o wards t he c o s e o f rupture may b e e t e . T l n n In t he month th e re may againb e troub le i B e gal . and around D e lhi t he Vic eroy s h ould b e we ll arde d gu .

Or , again r 1 f t h mo n e e m e 1 . o ut th e t h o e S p t b , 9 4 Ab 7 th th e re are indic at ions of female influenc e be ing adv e rs e t o ar amenar ro c e e d n s and i s P li t y p i g , it h s u ra s w e c o me o s re e ro s p o ss ible that t e ff gi ts ill b b t p u . Similarly in 1 9 1 3 Zadkiel announced This s e ems t o p re s ignify that t he Libe ral Gov e rn me nt will bec ome v e ry unp op ular and mee t with a s e ed o v e r ro p y th w . — There c an be little doubt and a comparison of the is s ues for successi v e years strongly deepens — the impression that the prophetic utterances of Z and adkiel Old Moore are carefully calculated , in accordance with what seems to be the balance

a s . of prob bilities , to score as many hits as pos ible — An immense number of S hots are made th at many of them are mutually inc onsistent matters little—and it is hoped that a fair proportion of these will go near enough to the mark to be claimed as successes . This multiplication of predictions is in many of thes e books reduced to a system by making the prognostics three times J udic io us H e dging 1 0 9

—firs t in over in the calendar itself , then a s general ummary of the prophetic outlook , and lastly by separately calculating the horoscope of a all prominent political personages . In e ch of these div i s ions new forecasts are introduced and they are often quite divergent from each other in

a . tone , sometimes absolutely irreconcil ble On n n the other ha d , nearly all stateme ts are quali v fie d and safeguarded . We are not told positi ely is that a war will take place , but that peace seriously menaced ; we are not informed that the

Emperor of Austria , for example , will die , but that he ought to take care of his health . If any calamity of the kind hinted at actually occurs the prophet claims a success and duly adv erti s es it ’ in next year s i s sue If nothing h appens the catastrophe is supposed to hav e been p rov iden t ially averted and the prediction attracts no —at further attention any rate , it is not counted v as a failure . E en when successes are proclaimed with an immense flourish of trumpets those readers who will take the trouble to compare the ev ents as they actu ally occur with the wording of the forecast will almost inv ariably find that the data calculated to mislead are far in excess

. a of the details that are verified For ex mple , in the Antares Almanac for 1 9 1 3 an announcement a was made concerning the K iser , which has been much quoted as a most wonderful example

of astrological divination . The whole passage runs as follows 1 1 0 Div ine rs and S o ot h say ers

TH E G ERM N EM P ER O R W I I M 11 A LL A . ’ The Kai s e r s s tar c o urs e s in 1 9 1 3 and 1 9 1 4 are r m na t o hi e a nd bro o ding . Th ey a e a e c e b o th s h lth a

o r une s b ut c e t o hi s o r une s . uc as e c s f t , hi fly f t S h p t as e s e w we e ar m e him t o d ec are war th ill , f , i p l l e e r a a ns En and o r ranc e in 1 1 o r 1 1 ith g i t gl F 9 3 9 4 , and th e s e as pe c ts th re aten him with h eav y mo ney r r r w a nd hi m ar o s s . D s as e e e o e e s l i t , th f , ill tt ilit y n r t h ar w n a a nst O e ra o s . e e s s b e p ti V ily , t ill fighti g g i t he G e rman E mp e ro r as the y fo ught agains t Si s e ra o fo ld b ut i s e s e c a o nt he s ea a d s as e r w , it p i lly th t i t ill v e r a him W e av e no e s a on in re d c n o t ke . h h it ti p i ti g t he de s ruc o n o ft he w o e o ft he e rman e e t ti h l G fl t if , as we e x e c e rman e n a e s e rs e in war t p t , G y g g h lf wi h ’ England ; fo r o ur King s s tar c ours e s are p ropitio us ’ and nd c a e s uc c e s s s th e a s e r s nd c a e i i t , whil t K i i i t unm a e d as r W e re ard 1 1 and 1 1 as itig t d is te . g 9 3 9 4 ’ th e mo s t c ritic al and pe rilous years o ft he Kais e r s n r r e o fo r his e a a d o une s . e a e lif , b th h lth f t Th y e ars no t o n o f a re s s v e o rt une b ut o f t he y ly gg i f , ma o f r n lic e fo tu e .

Now to begin with , the prophet , we notice ,

gives himself a margin of two years . This seems

to me a generous allowance , when , after all , in

predicting war , he was only echoing the confident n - a ticipations of two thirds of our journalists . Then he certainly implies that by the end of 1 1 v a 9 4 catastrophe will ha e overt ken the Kaiser ,

that his fleet will have been annihilated , or that ,

in any case , disaster at sea will be the outstand i ng feature of any hostilities which are set on

foot . Nothing is said of the conquest of

1 1 2 Div ine rs and S o o t h saye rs there are a thousand reasons why any soothsayer who is conscious of possessing the power to foresee the result S hould exercise that gift . There are equally a thou s and reasons which would prompt him or her to hav e the prediction put o n and record , in the clearest terms with the a s un strictest form litie , while yet that result is are n known . But though there i numerable v n prophecies made and e en pri ted , it is still pos sible for serious students of psychic pheno mena to debate whether all history can S how a S ingle reliable instance of the prevision of an unguessable future event , especially , as said n v v a . abo e , e ent of public interest The palmist Madame de Thebes has the reputation of having foretold the terrible con fla rat io n a a é in g at the B zar de la Ch rit which ’ the D uchesse d Ale nco n and so many other v great ladies lost their li es . U nfortunately no adequate ev idence establishes the genuineness of the prediction . If the claim were indisputable , it would be greatly to the pecuniary interest of e v n Mme . de Th bes to put the e ide ce for the o n prophecy permanently record . Most of our palmists and div iners do not di s dain to receiv e ‘ money for the exercise of their peculiar faculty .

1 I am not i nt he l east di sputing t he po wer po s se ss ed b y many rs o ns o f unve i in t he as se c re i s o n e n i fli pe l g p t t h t ry a d p re s t d n c o m e n c ult i es o fthos e (o fte pl te s tra gers) who c o me t o c o nsult

m Of a i more an o ne e x ana io n ma b e fe red . the . th t g ft th pl t y o f But t he que stio nnow b e fore us c o nc erns only the kno wledge of h u ure t e f t . M adame de Theb e s 1 1 3 It is curious that they should be content to receiv e guineas and half- guineas for regulating v f the lo e a fairs of quite obscure people , when an assured knowledge of the approach of war , the v spread of re olution , and the death of monarchs a and statesmen , would m ke such gifted persons the v ery kings of the Stock Exchange if they directed their energies to a more remunerativ e

field of industry . What financier was it who said that he did not ask to know the future v twel e months ahead , but that if any lady could always tell him what was going to happen the d ay after to-morrow he would be delighted t o offer her a retaining fee of fifty thousand a year for her exclusiv e services ? s Con equently when the same Mme . de Thebes chimes in with the Antares prophet and tells us with much eloquence and entrain all kinds of ’ gruesome things about the Kaiser s horoscope ,

I confess she leaves me unmoved . Here is a Almanac k de M e de specimen culled from the m . Theb es for 1 9 1 3 Ge rmany menac e s Europ e in ge ne ral and F ranc e in r u ar e n t he war rea s ut h pa tic l . Wh b k o s e will av e w ed b ut a e r ere b e no o n e r h ill it , ft it th will l g H n r o r r s an m n n h o e o e n u s do a o . av e s a d h z ll P i i ti I i , and re e at hat t he da s o f t he Em e ro r are I p , t y p numb e red and a e r him all b e c an ed in , ft will h g erman —I s a hi s da s o fre n do not s a his G y y y ig , I y day s o flife . In the Almanac for 1 9 1 4 she continues in t he 1 1 4 Div ine rs and S o o t h say e rs s ame strain , but it would serve no good purpose to quote further . I do not deny that curious coincidences a a occasion lly t ke place . Even when we have eliminated the myst ific at i o ns caused by the sup ple me nt ary m atter imported at a much later date into the original Centuries of Nostradamus , it must s eem a rather astonishing fact that two of the most tragic incidents of the history of England in the seventeenth century S hould have been announced in Paris nearly a hundred years ‘ n v before they happe ed . Whate er the obscurities of the context , obscurities that are met with in every quatrain attributed to Nostradamus , the words S enat de Londres mettront a mort leur R oi can admit of but one interpretation . But it may be interesting to quote the whole quatrain , together with an early English translation

and e t B ruc ele s marc e ron c o nre nv e rs G h t t A , S e nat de Lo ndre s me ttro nt amo rt le ur Ro i ; ’ Le s el e t v inluy s eront al e nv e rs our e ux av o r lo r n e n e arro P i eg e d s y . —Cent I X ( . ,

’ rus s e s and he nt? ains n e r o rc e s r n B l G g t A tw p f b i g , ’ And Lo ndo ns S e nate put t o death th e ir King ;

1 ’ l nc k ws t ro em i n i K i o h s e ssay Di e ci lt es ten Ausgab en der P rophéti es de s Nos tradamus h as c are fully e xamined i nto t he da e s and c onens oft he e ar ed i t t t ly ti ons . It i s s uffi c i ent for my n e n pre se t purpos t o ote that all t he prophec i e s o fs pec ial i nte re s t t o n is r ade rs are to e und in ri i E gl h e b fo p nt i n ed ti o ns e arlie r

an 1 60 . M o s o f e m are muc o der for Mic e Nos ra th 5 t th h l , h l t m s f died in 1 6 da u himse l 5 6.

1 1 6 Div ine rs and S o ot h say e rs bably comes nearer to the truth than anything that was ev er said of him by his admirers No s tra damus c um fals a d amus nam fallere no s trum e st m ‘ Et c um a sa damus nil ns no s ra da us . f l , i i t As for the other more famous predictions of v public occurrences , they ha e for the most part been deliberate fabrications concocted after the - v . e ent Such , for example , is the well known prophetic v ision of the horrors of the French R Caz ot t e evolution , attributed to , the author of e oureux Le Di ab l am . No one now seriously ’ doubts that the whole was a hoax or jeu d espri t a of which L Harpe was the true author . On ' Db llin e r the other hand , g is satisfied of the truth

of the statement that , thirteen years before the R outbreak of the evolution , a celebrated

preacher , Beauregard , declared from the pulpit of Notre Dame The em e s o fGo d b e unde re d and de s ro ed t pl will pl t y , H is e s v a s a o s e d H is name b as emed H is f ti l b li h , l ph , Y a at h ar se rv c e ro s c r ed . e e ? a s e e ? i p ib , wh I Wh t I In ac e o f mns in ra se o fGo d o ud and ro pl hy p i , l p ane s o n s w b e s un e re and th e e athe n f g ill g h , h go dde s s Ve nus he rs elf will dare h e re t o take t he ac e o ft he v n God t o s e t e rse o n t he a ar pl li i g , h lf lt ’ v e t he o ma fhe r r w r and t o rec i h ge o t ue o s hippe rs .

1 Th e e i ram w i c urns o n a un for Nos rad amus p g , p , h h t ” t n w e ive our o wn u me ans in a i i s i e unrans a ab e . L t g , q t t l t l means i era we ive o ur o wn w en we iv e o u ie s It l t lly g h g y l , nd en w i v for lying i s o ur trade a wh e g e yo u li es we give yo u no thing b ut our o wn. 1 n r ro he c i e s and the r o he ti i ri t 6 DOlli e c S . 1 . g , P p P p p , p M o t h e r Shipt o n 1 1 7 But this Dollinger justly considers not to exceed the limits of natural prev ision in a man thoroughly well acquainted with the moral corruption and blasphemou s spirit of the times . Of faked modern predictions an example of a quite different purport may be quoted from a booklet whi c h a few years ago professed to “ ” record the prophecies of Mother Shipton . s n Mother Shipton her elf , accordi g to Sir Sidney ‘ Le e a a , is probably mythic l personage , but she is supposed to h av e foretold all kinds of historical a n events , and mo gst other things that Cardinal s Y Wolsey , though Archbi hop of ork , should never v isit his cathedral city . She was also said to have predicted the Civ il Wars and the Fire of a v 1 London . But olume printed in 8 72 went still further and attributed to her the following

NCIENT P RED I TION A C .

’ Enti t le d by popular t radi ti on M o t he r S hipt o n s P r o hec ub li s h ed in 1 8 r e ub li s hed n1 61 i . p y p 44 , p 4

Carr a e s w ou o rs e s s a o i g ith t h h ll g , And ac c de n s fill t h e w o r d w woe i t l ith . round th e wo r d o u s S a A l th ght h ll fly, In t he w n n o fan e e t i kli g y . The wo r d u s de do wn s a b e l p i h ll , And o d b e o und at t he r r g l f o o t o ft e e . Th ro ugh hills m an s h all ride And no arm b e at hi s S de h i . Unde r a e r me n s a wa w t h ll lk , a r de s a s e e s a a Sh ll i , h ll l p , h ll t lk . 1 i c t Nat B r . o i o . S . . v D f g , . 1 1 8 Div ine rs and S o ot h saye rs

In the air me n s a b e s e e n h ll , n r e n Inwh e in ac i e . it , bl k , g I ro nint he wate r s hall float n oat As e as ily as a woode b . Gold S h all b e fo und and s h own ’ I n a n w no t n wn na la d th t s o k o . Fi re and wate r s h all wonde rs do E n a dm fo ngla d at las t s h ll a it a e . The wo rld t o an e nd Sh all c o me ‘ n - In e ighte en hundre d a d e ighty one .

ffi S As the language alone would su ce to how , the

. a s whole was a modern fake , and a Mr Ch rle Hindley subsequently admitted that he had fabri t c a ed it . I will conclude with a reference to the one S ingle instance I have ev er come across in which an event which could be called an ev ent of public interest seems to have been really foretold before

a . it came to p ss It is quoted , with what appear Annales des S c i enc es to be exact references , in the ’ P s c hi ues y q , thou gh the prophecy after all does

not amount to very much . 1 0 At the beginning of June , 9 5, a certain n T v . ho rlak r 0 u . Scandi a ian merchant , a Mr

Johnson , had a vision of the death by an accident of the reigning King Frederick VI II D a was v of enm rk , and it in some way con eyed 1 to him that this would take place in 9 1 2 . He n v da . narrated the ision ext y to a friend , a Mr

1 Se e No t es and ue ri es ec emb er th 1 8 2 0 a so Q , D 7 , 7 , p . 45 ; l

A ri 2 6th 1 8 . p l , 73 1 nnale de s c i enc e s s hi ue s - A s S c Au ust 1 1 2 . 2 0 1 . P y q , g , 9 , pp 5

CHAPTE R VI

E - A E P P A A TH S O C LL D RO HECY OF S T. M L CHY

N the course of the preceding chapters reference has many times been made to certain mottoes attached to the Popes of v these latter times . Almost e ery reader is aware that the phrase c rux de c ruc e (cross from a cross) is identified with Pius lum en in c aelo i n v s IX , that (light the hea en ) Le o and belongs to XI II , that Pius X re his present Holiness , Benedict XV , are s p ec t i v e ly characterized as igni s ardens (burning re li de o ula a fire) and gi o p p t (religion laid waste) . Mottoes such as these and such as those also des which await the two next Popes , to wit , fi intrepida (undaunted faith) and pas tor ang eli c us

(the angelic shepherd) , can cause no misgiving

- in the mind of the simple hearted believ er . He v and likes to think them di inely bestowed , he knows of no special reason why they should be na a pronounced i ppropri te . Tradition seems to v be in their fa our , and they are so commonly taken for granted that the plain man is prompted a flaw to conclude th t if there was any , so to speak , in their original title to rank as prophetic

1 2 0 o nt o St e rnar 1 1 Unkn w . B d 2 n utterances , the flaw has bee made good by subsequent ratification or by what canonists e n would call a s anati o inradi c . This is o doubt a v ery natural attitude of mind and a belief in n itself quite harmless . No e the less , it is certainly and illogical , the perverse use which has been made of these mottoes to bolster up predictions of quite a different order renders it desirable that the fraudulent and ignoble origin of this pre tended prophecy S hould be more generally n ‘ u derstood than it is . The oracular utterances of which we S peak form part of a long series of similar mottoes which i s supposed to hav e been deli v ered in the s a pirit of prophecy by St . Mal chy , an Irish n Cistercian mo k , who became Archbishop of

Armagh . St . Malachy lived in the twelfth and century , was the friend of St . Bernard , who wrote a short life of him . The great found“er of Clairvaux informs us v ery casually that the gift of prophecy was not denied to the saintly ’ e Archbishop , but with the exc ption of this brief 1 As an i llus trati on oft he v ogue whi c h sti ll attac he s to the M al ac hy prophec y attention may b e c alled t o t he t wo b ooks ub i s ed o n t he s ubj e c b a Frenc rie s t he Ab b é o se p l h t y h p t , J ph The r o f e e a r b M ait re . fi s es La ro h ti e d s es a tt i u e t th , P p é P p é a M ala h e a i s 1 1 i d na n 8 a es . on S . c i r 0 c o s 8 0 The s ec , P , 9 , t p g , ’ L es a e s t la a aut r r a P p e P p é d ap es la P ropheti e at t i buée S . M a hi ac e ari s 1 02 c onai ns 8 a es . Nee d ess t o add l , P , 9 , t 77 p g l that the Ab bé M aitre i s an ardent c hampi ono fthe authe ntic ity o fth e ro p phec y . 1 Si b e ne adv ert imus auc a i s a uae di c a s un non ro p t q t t, p he ti a de ui t illi nonre ve lati o nonulti o im i orum non ra i a p f , , p , g t s ani t at um non mut at i o me nti um non deni ue mort uorum , q sus c i t at io i M a ac hi te a c a . ( V t l , p P c of t a ac 1 2 2 roph e y S . M l hy remark no word has ev er been produced from any mediaeval author making reference to the prophecies with which his name is now con ‘ It nected . was not until four centuries and a half later that the world first heard of his col 1 lection of mottoes for future Popes . In 595 D o m n Arnold Wio , a Benedictine monk , origin o fD ally ouai , published in Venice a book called Li num Vi tae Ornamenta m e t D e c us Ec c les iw g , , dealing mainly with the glories of the Bene n dic t i e . Order His work was comprehensive , and included the Cistercians as well as Bene t in dic es proper . He had consequently occasion n to me tion St . Malachy , the Cistercian Arch o f bishop Armagh , and at the end of his short notice of the saint he remarks

rn rd r s s t f . d Th re e epis tle s o St B e a a d e ed t o S . r an v iz 1 1 6 an a ac a e s e t . d M l hy till xt ( , 3 3 , 3 , Malac hy himse lf i s re p o rted t o hav e be e nt he author o fsome e rac a e s none o f c h hav e s een littl t t t , whi I u t o t he re s en me e c e t a c e r a n ro hec p p t ti , x p t i p p y n n o fhis c o c e rn t he ov e re n o n fs . h s as i g S ig P ti f T i , i s s o r and has ne v e r e e n r ne d i s ns e d it h t b p i t , i rte e re s ee n a man eo e hav e as e d fo r h , i g th t y p pl k it .

1 mid in ha ined u a S B e rnard in hi i e Sc s o o t t . s . h l p t th t L f J ’ o fSt M a ac re e rs t o t he Arc b i s o s i o f ro e c i n . l hy f h h p g ft p ph y o ne or t wo o er as s a es b ut o n t he o er and i t i s c er ain th p g , th h t B erna d ims e did no t b i ev e in a on uc c s si on that S t . r h lf el l g s e o f u ure o es for he a wa s re ac ed and mainaine d a f t P p , l y p h t th t a n n n ud a h t he e nd oft he world was ne r . We c a o ly c o c l e th t e ’ S t M a ac s o n i s o f 1 1 1 a a mo o s . kne w nothing o f . l hy l g l t p p l tt e Se e Sc hmidlinin F es tgab e H einri c h Finke ge widme t (Mii nste r - . 1 61 . W . i . , pp 7

e c o fSt M a ac 1 2 4 Proph y . l hy

n er r t a ti o n a t tr Suppos ed prophe c y of Name of I t p e i i a ni a c orre s ondin b ut e d t o C c c o us . M lac h . S t . y p g e P op . m m t he o wn (3 0) P i ous inte r es c as Nic hol as I V H e c a e fro t - As o o s i n (a magpi e amo ngs t ( 1 2 8 8 1 2 9 2 ) o f c li r E c o l i

i P i c e num . daint es ) . (3 1 ) Ex e re m o c e ls us C e l e stine V H e was fo rme rly c alled 1 ex a ed rom t he e e r de M o rrone ( lt f P t ,

and was a e rmi . des ert) . h t name (3 2) Ex unda rarum B o ni fac e V I I I H i s Chri sti an b e ne d i c t i o ne 1 2 w as B e ne dic and he ( 9 4 t , ‘ (from t he b ened i c h ad wav es for his

a farms . ti o no ft he wav e s) . c o t o (33) Conc i ona t or P a tar B ene di c t X I H e was c all ed B rother 2 eus 1 0 Ni c o as and b e ( 3 3 h l , (t he preac her o f l o nged t o t h e Orde r

o f reac ers . P atara) . P h (34) De fes s i s aqui tani c i s Cl e me nt V H e was a nativ e of ro m t he A uit a 1 0 A ui aine and had (f q ( 3 5 q t , ni n s s e s ses for hi s c o a o f a fes e ) . f t m s ar .

D e s a t ore os s e o o n XX A F renc man t he so n (35) J h II h , ro m t he b on o r 1 1 6 o f a s oe ma e r (f y ( 3 h k , o s s e o u s s h o e who s e family name 1

wa O ss a . make r) . s Foolish and trivial as the commentary may sound , there is no room for doubt that these interpretations and no others were intended by the author of the prophecy . The most ardent defenders of its authenticity hav e never suggested

1 ’ Ci ac c onius iner re a i o n su os in i t t o b e hi s wou d t p t t , pp g , l hardly b e inte lligib l e t o any o ne b ut an Italian. H e appare ntly wi she s t o c onv ey that c e ls us in t he p ro phe c y was s ugges te d b y t he word e s o w i c i s a s no n m in a i an fo r m oro o r g l , h h y y It l , - m or one a mu b e rr r e e . mus b e re me mb ered a in t he , l y t It t th t ‘ a i an ro nunc i a i o n wi a s o and a s o c h for c t he It l p t , th ft g ft , words gels o and c e l s o re s e mb le e ac h othe r mo re c lo s e ly than i they wo uld do in Engl sh . 1 n e e as sume s a i r ade r wi n w t The i te rpr t r th t h s e s ll k o that S . Ni c o as was a na iv e o f a ara and mi re adi be c a ed h l t P t , ght ly ll

at are us t he P at are an. p , 1 i s i s unrue s ee . 1 . Th t , p 47 Papal Arms I 2 5

a f and n anything substanti lly dif erent , o ce the fact is grasped that the mottoes are deriv ed s n s sometime from the armorial beari gs , ome a s times from the cardin litial title , sometime from s an a the Chri ti or f mily name , and sometimes

from the place of origin of the Pope , or from a

O AR O ARMS O F P OP E HO NORI U V S SE M F R . S I UP P D S O GREG Y X . ” ” i Ex ro sa eonina. V r anguineus . l

combination of two or more of these elements , a sort of law will be found to run through the i n whole . Certainly , the identifications are the aggregate so striking as far to transcend the n eiv possibilities of mere coincidence . It is c o c able that the motto anguinus (sic) air (the ser

pentine man) , assigned to Gregory X , might by Pro e c fSt a ac 1 2 6 ph y o . M l hy mere accident have corresponded with the fact that the Pontiff in question bore a snake in his ‘ v coat of arms , or it might ha e happened by — d e res su chance that Clemen—t IV drac o p s (the dragon overthrown) displayed an eagle on his shield treading under foot a prostrate dragon but it is surely impossible that any lucky guess could S how a score (or rather several score) of

such hits , or could exactly fit the case of two

Popes related to each other , as were the two

Bo r i as Callist us . g , III and Alexander VI I think I am right in saying that these two Popes are the only two in the list who blazoned a bull ’ upon their escutcheon . In Malachy s list a bull

is also twice mentioned , viz . , in the case of just allist I II these two Popes . In the shield of C us

there are no quarterings , but the quadruped is P anv inio represented in with its head down , and

with tufts of grass at its feet . The motto assigned lli t b os as c ens to Ca s us by St . Malachy is p (the

bull grazing) . In the case of Alexander the bull only appears in P anv ini o in the dexter half of

the shield without any indication of grass . The motto of Alexander VI in the same prophecy is B os Alb anus in P ortu (an Alban bull in a a harbour) , which is expl ined when we remember

1 e se are t he arms assi ned him b P anvini o b ut i t i s Th g y , i a prac ti c ally c e rta n that they re quite inc o rrec t . Gre go ry did

n t o the i sc o ni o f M i an. S r B arb i e do not b e l o g V t l ee Mg . r

M ont ault (Euv res vo l . i ii . . 66 and Wo odward c c es i as , , , p 3 , , E l

ti c al eraldr . 1 . H y, p 59 1 i s a ai ni s wro n as we s a s ee a er ou iv e n b Th g g, h ll l t , th gh g x h P anvinio and those who c opy im .

t a ac 1 2 8 Pro ph e c y o S . M l hy enforced by the high authority of Father Pape b ro e c h an ah d a the Boll dist , especi lly by Father M e ne st ri e r n , a other distinguished Jesuit , who ‘ dev oted a S pecial essay to the subject . The i “arguments of these writers are in themselv es conclusiv e . No person of sound judgment who will take the trouble to peruse the detailed analysis of the prophecies given by the l ast named writer can hesitate for a moment in his

verdict as to their spuriousness . He points out in the first place that there is absolutely no trace to be found of any such oracles before the ’ a i n appe rance of W o s book . Not only do we find no mention of them among the writings of ’

. y aev St Malach s contemporaries , but no medi al no manuscript is known to contain them , author n v s cites them , though many i terested themsel e and t he in such subjects , Wion , who published n n s a not document with its i terpretatio , ys a word as to whence or under what Circumstances he had ’ a M e ne s t rie r obtained it . Secondly , F ther lays stress upon the appearance in such a list of eight S n Antipopes , usually without any ign to disti

1 L est I should s ee m t o imply that th e Soc i ety ofJ es us as a b o d was arra ed a ains the au e ni c i o f e s e ro e c i es y y g t th t ty th p ph , nio n a t h Lu v I may me t th t e x E angeli c a o f Fathe r H e nry

En el rav e S . . oo t he o e r s ide and h ad rob ab more t o g g , J , t k th , p ly inin o u ar ed n f h do with ob ta g p p l c r e c e o r t e motto e s than any

o er wo r o f a a e . Fa er C orne i us a a ide in his th k th t g th l L p , c omme nar o n t he A oc a se a so s e ems t o ac e u c on t y p lyp , l pl f ll edi c i n fide nc e i n t he pr t o . 1 Ci ac c o ni us o r hi s ne e w were rea res ons ib e for If , ph , lly p l the i ner re a io ns i t i s mos s i ni fic an a not a word i s s aid t p t t , t g t th t ft he ro e c i n t he wor s o f i s i s o ri an o fth o es o p ph y k th h t e P p . The M ot t o e s M e aningle ss 1 2 9

guish them from the genuine Popes . The true U Pope , rban VI , is , on the contrary , designated by the words de inferno prce gnant e (out of the

womb of hell) , while the Antipope is described rux a os t o li c a as c p (the cross of the Apostles) . No doubt it might be said that the prophet looks only to the historic fact that rightly or wrongly such men did figure before the eyes of their contemporaries as Vicars of Christ ; and if we a were de ling with a case of clairvoyance , or second sight , the plea might be accepted . But then these are supposed to be facts communicated to the saint by divine rev elation presumably for n s ome useful e d . What possible end of e dific a tion or utility can be served by a series of quibbling enigmas in which s uch a Pontiff as

Innocent XI , a man conspicuous for his personal b e llua ins atia bili s in sanctity , is described as ( e satiable monster) , in which another Pop is identified with the motto , to follow the received , n s us in c ri bro readi g , of (a sow in a and in which the learned and exemplary Benedict XIV figures as animal rurale (a country beast) ? But the most conclusiv e argument against the n n genuine ess of the prophecy , as was poi ted out by its earliest critics , lies in the striking contrast between the success and uniformity of the earlier

1 am e m ed t o hin a t he ro er re adin ma av' i s I t pt t k th t p p g y b e . Th e arms o ft he C riv e i as i c ure d b P anv inio s o w a b ird ll , p t y , h an e a e ? a v e iev e now o fno e v ide nc e a the ( gl ) b o the s . I k th t fami as the i ner re ers s a e ever had a so w in e ir c oa o f ly, t p t t t , th t arms . P fS a ac ro ph e c y o t . M l hy interpretations and the failure and wide diversity of the later ones . The document was first given 1 to the world in 59 5, and down to this epoch the mottoes without an exception ‘ fit their subjects

- accurately . That they are far fetched , ridiculous , s and purposele s is not disputed , but , as already t remarked , they follow some sor of system . After that d ate their interpretation becomes practically hopeless , and there is hardly a proportion of one in six in which any semblance of probability attaches to the explanations suggested . If the ot motto can be g to fit the subject at all , it is only by adopting a system of interpretation which is entirely without a parallel in the earlier l ’ part of the ist . Down to the end of the sixteenth century t here i s not one s ingle ins tanc e inwhi c h ’ t he ev ents ofany P ope s reign are alluded t o in hi s m o tto This motto refers in ev ery case exclu s iv ely to circumstances connected with the Cardinal previously to his election to the Papacy — n for insta ce , to his coat of arms , his family or birthplace , his episcopal sees , or title as a his C rdinal , Christian name (never , be it noted ,

1 I b e li eve that the S light diffi c ulti es whic h o c c ur in the c ase o f o ne o r t wo ma b e s a i s ac o ri ac c oune d for b t he , y t f t ly t y i mi s rin s o r mi s readin i h i pos s b l e p t gs n t e c opy pr nted b y Wi o n. 1 ro e s s o r arnac has b ee n the fi rs in t o la s ress P f H k t , I th k , y t u on i s i n t he Ze i ts c hri t ur K i rc he n e s c hi c ht e v o l iii p th f f g , . , 2 1 p . 3 . 1 er a s t he rumentum o c c idum of o e M arc e us p f fl , P h P p ll II w ic s ee ms t o re e r t o t he s or nes s o fhi s re i n mi be h h f h t g , ght c o ns idere d an ex c e i o n b ut as s a s o w it is inan case pt , , I h ll h , y anexc epti onwhich proves the rule .

o f a ac 1 32 P ro ph e c y St . M l hy

it P o nt ific at e French Empire , but again is the ’ which is in question , not the Pope s antecedents rux de c ruc e before his election . C would stand well enough for the cross laid upon the S houlders v of Pius IX by the white cross of Sa oy , but once more the cross is one which came to him only after , and long after , he had taken up the gov ernment of the Church .

On the other hand , in the prophecies of the last three centuries an heraldic interpretation hardly ever presents itself . In the mottoes of the sev enty-four Popes before 1 590 there are twenty-eight plain references to different coats of ‘ arms , and this in spite of the fact that the arms of many of the earlier Popes were not 1 known . Since 59 5 there have been only three mottoes which c an with any sort of probability ’ a be explained by the Popes rmorial bearings . One of these instances is that of a pontiffof quite lumenin003 10 modern times . The , a delightfully r vague description , is usually inte preted of the comet which appears with the fieurs - de - lys and - L the cypress tree in the shield of eo XI II . Twice before in his earlier mottoes the prophet had

referred to some heavenly body , and on each

si dus . occasion called it Why on this occasion , v if he really meant a star , he should ha e chosen

so much more ambiguous a word , does not

1 ’ L Ab bé M ai re La ro hetie de s a es ans . t , P p P p (P , pp 1 -2 2 0 c ons ide rs a ere are i r -o ne a usions t o a a 94 , th t th th ty ll p p l s d in i s s a e ri c o ats o farm ur g th me p od . A K e epe r ofM o unt ains 1 3 3

n - v appear . Of the twe ty eight Popes who ha e n n 1 0 no an 3 1 79 1 v 59 , reig ed si ce less th 31 1. ha e a S ingle star or a group o fstars di s played more or n less cons picuou s ly i their coats of arms . To each o ne of thes e the motto lume n in c ac lo a would hav e applied quite s well as to Le o XIII . a n Ag i , there is the motto which falls to the lot c us o i um of Alexander VI I ; to s m nt . H is arms a a v are three hills with a st r bo e them , and it may be admitted that the interpretationi s to this extent satisfactory . But the coincidence is far v from a mar ellou s one . A glance at the armorial bearings of the Roman Cardinals at any period will s how quite a large proportion of shields in which a group of the con v entional mountain peaks looking like thimbles are conspicuously

displayed . Out of the last thirty Popes , moun tains appear in the arms of fiv e . The probability against s uch a phrase as mo ntium c us t os fitting any indiv idual Pope would therefore be about n o e . six to But it is really much less , for if the Pontiff i nquesti on had held such a cardinaliti al a n i n M nt i s . a o b us . title St M rti i , St Stephani in n li C oe o . t Mo te , or St Petri in Mon e Aureo , the prophecy would as suredly be claimed as a n nc n striki g insta e of succes sful div i ation . What n v is more , the prediction would be co sidered eri fie d c a h ad n had n if su h Pope bee born , or bee n s bred , or had bee Bi hop in any one of the fifty Italian town s hips whose name begins with L Monte , or had been egate in Montenegro , or x t a ac 1 34 P roph e c y o fS . M l hy

v i n v had li ed the Alps or the Apennines , or e en h ad been known to take his daily constitutional n A o ne a nn o the F incio . s for the rem i i g motto which the ch ampions of the prophecy profess to a n s a expl i heraldically , I can only y that the attempt is itself a hopeless confession of weak nes s . On the ground that the coat of arms of Innocent XI exhibits a lion and sometimes an n ffi eagle , it is maintai ed that there is su cient ju s tification for the motto assigned to him of b ellua ins ati a bi li s w - insatiable beast Surely it is unnecessary to argue the subject an further . If the prophecy were inspired pre f o . diction St Malachy in the twelfth century , it is inexplicable why the mottoes should be easily and verifiable , systematic , largely heraldic , down to the date when the prophecies were first n printed , and then should sudde ly change their character completely . On the supposition , how v it y a 1 0 e er , that is a forger of about the ye r 59 , a this is ex ctly what we should expect to find .

Of all the later mottoes , the nearest approach to a hit seems to be that which is assigned to b de alnei s Etruri ce . i s Gregory XVI , There a place known as B agno (Balneum) in Tuscany

Etruria) . It is true that Gregory was not 1 Ac c o rdin t o Wo od ward the c orrec b az on o fthe arms of g , t l nnoc e n X I Ode s c a c i i s v ai r o n a c i e u es a io n I t ( l h ) , h f g l l assan ar en i s c i e ab ai s sé unde r ano e r oft he e m i re p t g t , th h f th p The markings of t he fur v air hav e c uri ous ly b een u n in am s r u i h S te t r ed to l p o c ps n many oft e c opi es . ee No s nd uer e s h s eries v l v i 8 2 v i a 6t o . . an l i . 1 i d vo . 8 Q , , , p , , p 9 ;

t h seri e s v ol . v i . 2 0 . 7 , , p 5

1 P ro e c ofSt a ac 36 ph y . M l hy

was v that he a nati e of Florence , a town which takes its name from flowers , and the bees which appear in his coat of arms are particularly fond n ” of lilies a d roses . The rest are little better . It must not be supposed that these considera tions in any way exhaust the arguments which might be urged against the genuineness of the

- s o called prophecy . I reserv e for later treatment one or two points which seem to me practically v conclusi e . But it will be best before going further to offer some explanation regarding the probable origin of the list of mottoes printed by

Wion . And , be it remarked in passing , we ’ cannot too often remind ourselves that W io ns text is the ultimate and only source of every v modern copy . There is not e en a single one of the mottoes which has been found existing separately and profes sing to derive from some c n other do ume t prior to , or independent of , the u ae Lign m Vi t . a If the prophecy of St . Mal chy has met with av as much f our as it has done , despite all the ns refutatio of which it has been the object , the a n f ct , I thi k , is largely due to the feeling latent in a v many minds , th t it would not ha e been s at an pos ible or , y rate , worth while to fabricate a n such a list . The toler bly mi ute acquaintance which it supposes with Papal history and heraldry are such that it is diffi cult to believe that n — we n a perso so gifted are speaki g , it must be 1 0— remembered , of the year 59 would condescend ’ Panv ini o s P ope - B o ok 1 37

no t to this kind of fraud . This objection would be without its weight if it were not that we are a a able to point to one , or more accur tely spe king , to two definite works which offered ready to n hand all the information the forger wa ted . A careful examin ation and minute comparison of these books with the firs t sev enty mottoes at t ri a a a n buted to St . M l chy will render it cle r beyo d the pos sibility of doubt that the author of the prophecy worked with these books open before him . Without a single exception these volumes v v explain the origin of every detail , e ery tri iality to be met with in the So -called prophecy down to the time of Paul IV The few interv ening 1 0 years before 59 needed no research , they would v v ha e been fresh in the memory of e ery one . S I peak of two works , but they were in reality but n a S a . one , and they had but ingle uthor O ofrio P anv i nio a R had , a f mous oman antiquary , col le c t e d v , at the direct su ggestion of the So ereign n f a a a Po ti f , a mass of historical m teri l to elucid te h ad the History of the Popes by Platina . He compiled lists of the Cardinals created in each P o nt ific at e n a , with drawi gs of their armori l bearings and brief s ummaries of the li v es of ' those who were elected to occupy the ch air of

St . Peter . Somehow or other the m anuscript of these supplementary collections pass ed out of ’ P anv inio s keeping and apparently fell into the hands of a printer of Venice , who forthwith had v and all the arms engra ed , published the book in P e of t a ac 1 38 roph c y S . M l hy 1 557 as a handsome folio v olume embellished with animmens e number of blo cks representing n the s hields of Popes and C ardi als . The author o t was a g wind of this when it too l te , and bitterly complaining that the work had gone to press from a rough unfinished copy abounding i n s n n a n error , he himself superi te ded issue of a a re the text of the s me work , for the most p rt and a written consider bly modified , which like s aw wise the light at Venice in the same year , 1 On 557 . account of the extreme haste with which the author ’s own edition had to be pro duc ed a la v th t it might not g behind its ri al , it was found impossible to prepare blocks with the armorial bearings . This edition therefore appeared in quarto form and without illustra C a a a tions , but the text l imed to be in m ny w ys an a more accurate th th t of the folio copy , which na was exter lly more sumptuous . Here then in thes e two works we find all the material u s ed in

a a a . f bric ting the prophecies of St . Mal chy I reproduce here a specimen taken from the folio copy to illustrate the nature of the information which the forger had ready to hand as he com a n piled his motto for e ch Po tiff . Of the three shields which stand at the head the centre one is that of the Pope (Boniface VIII) ; the other two are those of the two earliest Cardinals of hi s n P anv ini n creatio . o knew nothi g of the armorial n bearings of the second , and accordi g to his custom drew the shield but left it blank .

P fSt a ac 1 4 0 roph e c y o . M l hy

Popes by Platina . The detailed account of each P o nt ific at e and was to be found there , it was a useless to repeat it . The fabric tor of the pro p hec ies was content to use this Epi tome of P anv i nio in its double form to the exclusion of v n ac e erythi g else . It pl ed before him the arms and of the Pope , where they were , known , a few a his na c na f cts about pare t ge , birthpla e , cardi l t i l r a i a . o s titles , etc One two scrap extr cted from this summary were wov en together in a n ki d of oracular jargon , and behold the pro h n ec . p y complete In the case of Bo iface VII I , the notice of whom is here reproduced , the forger has picked out the fact that his Christian av name was Benedict , and that a w y bend was and the sole charge upon his shield , from this has v v n Ex he e ol ed the motto already me tioned , a ndarum b ene di c ti one n , from the be ediction of n w a the wav es . The reader will o re dily see why it is th at the prophecies downto the close of the sixteenth c entury contain no allu s ion to the ’ v n n n no t e e ts of a y Pope s reig . They were n s introduced i to the mottoes , for the imple reasonthat they were entirely pas sed o v er in the book from which the fabricator of the mottoes n v was worki g . I ha e spoken of a possible ex n c e pt io which prov es the rule . It is in the case of Pope Marcellus I I , whose premature death ’ ’ after a few weeks p o nt ific at e is said by W io ns interpreter (Ciac c o nius to be alluded to in the

Frumentum o c c i dum . fl, motto drooping corn M arc ellus II 1 4 1 n His arms , says the interpreter , co sisted of a stag and corn ; it was dro oping corn becau s e he liv ed only a short time in the Papacy . Now as n P anv ini o n it so happe s , in his otice of a n M rcellus I I , who was his intimate perso al n a s a his a frie d , dep rt r ther from usual pr ctice , and n his ac c o unt a co cludes s by sort of little ’ panegyric deploring the Pope s untimely death . Whilst he strov e (says P anv inio) to reform the n Church of God , he sa k to earth like the flower of the morning (tanquam fios matutina s e r c i di t) . Is it unreasonable to suppose that this phrase taken with the wheat ears of the coat of frumentum flo c c i dum arms suggested the of the prophecy ?‘ ‘ But here a champion of the Malachy prophecy will possibly raise an objection . Granted , he ma sa P anv i nio a y y , that supplies the m terials from which a forger mig ht hav e fabricated the v n first se e ty mottoes , this is after all no proof a a th t the mottoes had ctually no other origin . n t a v Why could o St . M lachy ha e known before hand by revelation the facts which P anv inio in his day acquired through a process of historica l research P

1 Altho ugh t he arms as e ngrav ed i n t he fo lio P anv inio undo ub e d y s o w e ars ofc o rn i t s eems rob ab e a t he rue t l h , p l th t t b az n d e u T a i a i l o shoul b b ul r she s . he f m ly n me C erv ni c ome s rom c erv o a s a in a in r N w in xli w c e v us . o P S . . 1 e f ( t g) , L t hav e Quemadmo dum des ider at c erv us ad fo nt es aq uar um (As t he ar ane a e r t h u ain fwa e i s s u es s h t p t th ft e fo nt s o t r) . Th gg t b u rus es not ears o f c o rn. Se e Woodward c cl es i as ti c al l h , , E

H erald r . 1 6. y, p 3 o e fSt a ac 1 4 2 Pr ph c y o . M l hy To this objection it would be possible to return ' v n s a ery lo g reply , but I cannot per uade myself th at an exhausti v e demonstration is needed . In s a i n sum the answer amounts to thi , th t it is concei v able that God could hav e re v ealed the future to one of H is mediaeval saints in the exact form in which the facts would afterwards be a n known to renaissa ce scholar , with all that ’ a n schol r s blu ders , misapprehensions , and idio n ra i Let sy c s es . us treat the matter as concisely fiv as possible under these e heads . n n ’ 1 P a v i io s . . book is a very peculiar one As it was written to supplement Platina ’s Lives of ante the Popes , it concerns itself only with the c e dents a of the prelates elected to the p pacy , and gi v es no account of the history of each nifi at e v o t c . p Now , as we ha e seen , the same char ac te ris t ic marks the mottoes assigned to the first sev enty Popes in the Malachy list . They all an as find their expl ation , their interpreters v o nt ific at e admit , not in the e ents of each p , but in thos e antecedent details furnished by Pan ’ i ni e v o . . , g , the Pope s family name , or coat of arms , or cardinalitial title , or birthplace , or n I a n origi . S it not little extraordi ary that if a St . Mal chy , in the twelfth century , beheld a v s ision of the Pope to come , he should see and ’ a o ne describe , not wh t each did as Christ s n as n Vicar , but o ly the title he held cardi al , or his arms or birthplace or family connections ? ha a n a 2 . It s alw ys bee objected ag inst the

1 Pro ec ofSt M a ac 44 ph y . l hy ch aracter he was called the composed . So 1 again , Nicholas V ( 447 , not the Antipope) , n L D e mo di c itate who was bor in una , is styled n lunec v ma . , whate er that y be supposed to sig ify The expression is only explained when we find that P anv inio describes him in the folio edition u re nti b us . 1 1 ort s mo di c i s a (p 3 ) as p , born of - a middle class p rents . an t 4 . It seems unlikely thing tha if God had a n really made known to St . M lachy , an Irishma v v who li ed much in France , certain distincti e ch aracteristics which would serve to identify the S h future heads of His Church , He hould ave indicated them by phrases only comprehensible to those who hav e a knowledge of Italian . ’ Alexander I I I S motto is ex ans ere c us to de

(from a guardian goose) , but we can only inter t n — P anv inio pre this whe we learn from , of v — a his course , but the fact is ery doubtful th t a na a ne f mily me was P p aro . If o happens to a a e ro i n a n ans know th t p p It lia me a gosling , n n n n o t . the con ectio is plai , but otherwise Similarly the mottoes take for granted the ’ reader s knowledge that Caraffa i s deri v ed from c ara e e de a e ls o and moro f or f (Paul IV) , th t g a - s n both me n mulberry tree (Cele ti e V) , that alb er o C ac c ianimic i g means inn (Pius II) , that means putting your enemies to flight (Eugenius a IV) , that Piccolomini me ns small man (Pius

I II) , and so forth . ifli ult a d c The y is serious one , for to take some P re c o c i o us H e raldry 1 45 what broader ground , if there is anything which may be regarded as a general principle i nall such v a v re elations , it is th t the subjecti e element is

nev er eliminated . In Holy Scripture itself the prophets S how th at their thought is coloured by n a and the co ditions of their d ily life , they express themselv es according to the fashion and know a ledge o ftheir contempor ries . Now the pseudo me z al not as a djg monk , but as a post Whatever may be a said of the ntiquity of the science of heraldry , it is unquestionable that its developments in the early twelfth century were of the rudest and ‘ R most primitiv e kind . The oman of 450 years

later , on the contrary , was forced to be some o f a thing a her ld , for over almost every building upon which his eye rested he might distinguish the coat of arms of the Pontiff or the Prince h a was who d erected it . It natural enough for n s n n an idler , who fou d him elf co fro ted at every s n - turn with lilie , and mountai s , and oak trees , a ff such as ppear in the shields of the Ponti , to amuse his fancy with mottoes like M ontium

1 The l ate M arqui s ofBute writes The e arli e st unques ti o n ab l e e xampl e o fhe raldry i nt he wo rld i s state d b y Pl anc hé t o b e the c ase o f i i Coun o fF anders o n a s e a of1 1 6 ; and Ph l p I , t l , l 4 ' it i s there fo re rather stagge ring t o find apparent allusi o ns o fthe n h h i i ki nd applying no t o ly t o t e Pope w o was re gnng at that wh died in 1 ime b ut t o o ne o 1 . M oreo v e r i t i s c e r ai n t , 44 t ly m re r ab e anno a S M a a wh d d in o ob t t . c o e 1 1 8 had p l th th t l hy, i 4 , ” nev er e ard ofan s uc in as era dr inhi s ife —Dublin h y h th g h l y l .

Revi ew Oc ob e r 1 8 8 . 80 . , t , 5, p 3 P o fSt a ac 1 46 ro ph e c y . M l hy ‘ Cus t os F ruc tus ov i s uv abit E s c ula n har , j j , p p maoum Li lium et R os a H ac inthus M e di , , y ’ c orum as M e no c h ius , etc No wonder that , s us i n S i a o re was tell his , there a superstition among the ignorant popul ace that the arms of ev ery Pope u ntil the end of the world were to be fou nd carv ed somewhere upon the bronze doors ’ s and an of St . Peter , could be detected by y o ne , if only he had the patience to puzzle them

out . But how should such thoughts come to a ’ far-o ffIrish monk i n the destitution of the first beginnings of Clairvaux ? To the late Lord Bute the mottoes seemed self-condemned by the

a . p ganism of their language They look , he n said , like indications of a mi d so blinded by the heathenism of the later Renai s sance as not to perceiv e their extraordinary incongruity with

1 ’ v i w t h rn t he The ac o rn wi aid . o e s ru as e ac o ll J f t , i was t h mo o o f u i us de a fruit o fhi s sac red tree . Th s e tt J l II ( ll re Th mi nam e mean o ak - ree and he b o re an R o v e . e a ) f ly t t , - r s o ak tre e with golden ac orns fo r hi s a m . 1 Th ac inthus s ood for t he F arne s e i i e i n P aul III . e hy t l l s e di oru am r hi i hi s c o at o farms as ab o v e . M c m c e f om s t tl e

C o smas and ami an. o rd B u e i nhi s v a uab e e s sa o fSS . D L t , l l y t M a ac ub lin R v i w O o n t he ro ec o f S . e e c ob er P ph y l hy (D , t , s e es here anallus i o nt o t he rare p re c i ous sto ne c all e d th e nk i n a and i s a t re ers t o a er di c inc ure . j ac inth (p . th th t f h l t t 1 I am no t urging that t he motto es c annot po s sib ly be due t o me re b e c aus e ma ee m ex rav a an Some M a ac e s . St . l hy ly th y y t g t oft he mi rac e s a rib u ed t o i s s ain are t o us e t he ras e o f l tt t th t , ph nd d de id d b i arre T win t he Ab b é V ac a ar c e . he o o for , ly z f ll g, i v id v r v n i instanc e : V e nit mul er gra a e t e e gra i s . I d c at se n u e e s r t inere ar um am ui d c ontra omne s at rm l g e p t j q n ec im me ns ib us e t dieb us v igint i C omp as sus M a ac i as s uper nov o e t l” h i naudi o inc ommodo o ra e t mu i e r ari . M al ac hi te i tae t t l p t ( V , n 47

1 8 P ro e c ofSt a ac 4 ph y . M l hy

’ a Ec le i as i al H eraldr Woodw rd s c s t c y . It will be ffi n n su cie t to c o sider one example here . Accord i ng to ps eudo - M alachy the motto belonging to Pope Clement IV ( 1 2 65-69) was drac o depres sus — — the dragon crushed and this is at once ex pl ained when we look at the coat of arms pro ’ v ide d t h e P anv inio s for Pope in folio edition , which shows a dragon underneath an eagle which is squeezing it in its talons . But later authorities lend no countenance to this idea . ’ n IV s Accordi g to Woodward , Pope Clement : r si x eurs -d e- li s az ure in rle O , fl o arms were Or an ea le di s while his family shield was , g ‘ a e d s a le o n a ordure ules e n z ant l b b t b e s . p y , g n unfo r In either case there was no drago , and t unat ely it was upon this feature alone that t he

- motto of pseudo M alachy was based . And now before we turn to speak briefly of the possible occasion of the fabrication of these n a mottoes , it will be well to remi d the re der of o ne or two points to which prominenc e has been v n D llin r an gi e by O ge d others . Although no a v n a word w s e er spoke of St . M lachy as a seer who concerned him s elf with the succes s ion to a a the papacy , the famous Abbot Jo chim of Flor 1 1 2 - 1 2 02 was s (c . 3 ) accredited with a imilar rac ula n a series of o . He was eve on this ccount ar n a a r u called p excelle ce p pali s ta or pap la i s . s un The mottoes (it must be confe sed . quite 1 1 . M r v r e ers e d ard . a n S om t Woo w C . . e r d G re , p 59 f E ( o nd u ri e s v v nd e rald in N t es a e 6th series ol . i . 8 1 a H ) Q , , , p ,

i . M i s s Buc i b v ol . v i 8 . k , , p 4 9 Pre v alenc e ofPapal Orac les 1 49 warrantably) a ttributed to his authorship were not so concise as those fathered on St . Malachy , n n and they were much more denu ciatory in to e , but they had a wonderful vogue from the early s p art of the fourteenth century onwards . Thu they were followed by a crowd of imitations to which such n ames were attached as Anselm Bishop of Marsi c o (probably an altogether n o do c h us P alme rius fictitious perso age) , J , the n n idius P o lo us a d s . Friar n , other In nearly Db llin e r all these collections , as g points out , the

v i z . same feature is observed , , that the early a v mottoes , having been composed fter the e ent , fit their subjects at leas t s o far that they are easily identifiable , while the later , which were — really fabricated at a venture a mere guess at wh at might be expected lose themselves more i n an n and more me ingless , uni telligible phrases and R n ememberi g , then , the prevalence of this — Species of composition all of it counterfeit and S much of it , as the printed editions how , still enjoying popular fav our at the end of the S ix t e e nt h and fo r — we century . long afterwards are led to ask wh at was the prob able ori gin of the s e t s a particular of mottoe scribed to St . Malachy . Two su ggestions in particular hav e beenoffered n a . c has to expl i them The first , whi h been ’ v a nn n ad oc ted by Herma Wei garten , lays the

1 o in e r r o h e c i e s and t h r e r e o h ti c S i i t . 1 D ll g , P p P p p , p 3 . 1 he o o i s h t d c e S u i n n r e t e . T l g e u d K i ti ken pp . 555 s q f a ac 1 50 P ro ph ec y o St . M l hy fabrication at the door of the monk who first

Do m . published them , Arnold Wion The Ger man professor points out that Wion giv es absolutely no account of the document , or of n v how it came i to his hands , and that it has ne er been shown to exist in any other Copy than that n’ W io s . which appeared in book Further , we ’ may note that this book prov es the author s intimate acquaintance with the two separate n editio s , the Quarto and the Folio , of the E i tome P anv i ni o as p of , from which , has been

S . a hown above , the list attributed to St Mal chy has almost certainly been fabricated . I may add one other item on the same side , which seems n to hav e escaped the notice of Wei garten . The only point in which I hav e observed that ’ Mal achy s list contradicts the data supplied by P anv ini o is in the case of Pope Clement VI . P anv ini o n , in both editio s , calls him Bishop of — — Arles epi s c opus Arelat ens i s as also d oes ’ C i ac c o nius i s ex , but Malachy s motto for him ” ro s a Attre a en i b t s from the ros e of Arras . in P anv i nio Now , this departure from , the - P anv i nio pseudo Malachy is right and is wrong . h ad Clement VI been Bishop of Arras , not of

Arles . It becomes a little suspicious then , when we find Wion in another place in the same book correcting P anv inio from his own pe rsonal knowledge Thi s P Op e [he s ay s o f Cle me nt VI! i s de s c ribed b y P anv inio inhis Epit o me in4to as Arc hbishop o f

P e c ofSt a ac 1 52 ro ph y . M l hy with special reference to the theory of Wein n’ garten . He points out that the aim of W io s book was confessedly the glorification of the unsc ru u Benedictine Order . A man who was p lous enough to fabricate a document like the

- s o . called prophecy of St Malachy , would certainly not hav e hes itated to gi v e special pro mine nc e n in the text to the Be edictine Popes , and to call attention to the fact that they had n bee Benedictines . Now , in this prophecy , althou gh the Dominican Popes are noted as D n ominicans , nothi g shows the least Bene n dic t i e . a bias Again , if Wion had fabric ted the list he would surely hav e made it accurate up v n to date , and ha e supplied interpretatio s down to the time at which the list was printed and n v . gi e to the world . But this is not the case The n U i terpretations stop with rban VI I , who died 1 Li nu itw in 590 . The g m V of Wion appeared 1 a in 59 5, and in the interv l three Popes had — succeeded Gregory XIV , Innocent IX , Clement n VI I I , no e of whom can be said in any way to

fit their mottoes . A forger would certainly have na ma ged better . Professor H arnack accordingly reverts to the n a M e ne t rie r o . s theory su ggested lo g g by F , the firs t critic who s ati s factorily demoli s hed the pro he c ies - a ac and p of pseudo M l hy , since then n lI n n e dors ed by DO i ge r . He co s iders that the ion had its origin during the long s e de which preceded the election of Gregory Th e o ry o fH arnac k 1 5 3

1 0 and a was v s XIV in 59 , th t it de i ed in the n n a na i terest of the se ior of the College of C rdi ls , na S imo nc e lli v Cardi l , Bishop of Or ieto , who was plainly designated by the motto as signed — Ex anti uit at e ur b i s to the Pope next in order q , v a v Or ieto being etymologic lly , as e ery man of an n av Ur b s y little educatio would h e known , I n v etus . , the old city support of this theory , Profes s or Harnack appeals strongly and forcibly v in to the fact pointed out abo e , that the whole long list of mottoes up to that date the de s ig nations are entirely deriv ed from circumstances n e h e e i n of the life of each Po tiff pr v i ous t o i s l c t o . ’ n S It was the forger s object , he thi ks , to how that the prophecies were always taken from n ‘ something which belonged to him as C ardi al . Let v me point out , howe er , that this argument , c o nv i nc specious as it may appear , is not wholly n i g . The fact that the mottoe s were elaborated P anv i nio s ffi n out of , u cie tly explains why they are confined wholly to the circumstances of each ’ hi P n n s . a v i io Pope s life before election , as n a a already explai ed , s id nothing about the actu l ’ s an and Papacy , but only of the Pope tecedents , the forger who used P anv inio naturally confined

himself to what he found in the book before him . 1 GOrre s wri in inthe Ze i ts c hri t w is s ns c ha tl he ol o i . e . e , t g ff f T g -62 n Di an e i o i 1 0 . o e b c e r e e un de s hl . ( 9 3 , pp 553 ) g l h P ph z g M a ac i as c one nd s a t he o r e r o f t he mo o es w as a l h , t th t f g y tt o i i c a mo v e c arried o ut in 1 0 a ime w e n ar ee in p l t l 59 , t h p ty f l g w n t he S ani s and F n a i n b e t e e p h re c h f c t o s i n t he C o nc l ave ran v n er i . The ar ume s o wev e r w ic are adduc ed in y h gh g t , h , h h s u o r o f i s v ie w see m t o me ui e unc onv inin pp t th q t c g. f t a ac 1 54 P ro ph e c y o S . M l hy

Without further discussion , then , I may con tent mys elf with indicating my o wn conclusion th at the fabrication of the prophecy had nothing c v 1 0 to do with the con la e of 59 , but must be as signed to the three or four last years of the n n n a life of Sixtu s V . There c a be o ques tio th t S imo nc e lli in 1 0 an im o s , 59 , was absolutely p n av n ff sible ca didate . We h e a umber of di erent accounts of the famous concl av e whic h finally s in i n re ulted the election of Gregory XIV , but no one of these that I hav e S een is there the slightes t allusion to S imo nc e lli as a possible

occup ant of the Papal Chair . What motive could a man hav e for fabricating so elaborate a s av n n prophecy , which he mu t h e k ow with absolute c ertainty would be falsified i n a few ’ n i an e . s we ks time Agai , there no mention of y n S imo nc e lli party who supported the i terests of , no hint of any ruse by which a prophec y was ‘ a n n brought into pl y to i fluence the v oti g . The whole struggle lay between the Spanis h faction and the party identified with the policy of Sixtus hi n n s a . v V , led by ephew , Cardi l Montalto E en S imo nc e lli two or three years earlier , when was

1 A c o ns iderab le numb e r o f R el atio ns o f t he e v e nts o f i c o nc av e are t o b e o und am n s h ft he B i i s th s l f o g t t e M SS . o r t h M o s of e s e are re e i i o n f h un i M us e um . t th p t t s o t e ac c o t g v e n in re des Co nc av e s u t he Hi s t oi l b t no t all . The n the re i s t he narra iv e o f G e rmo nius ri n e d in t he M onume nta H i s t ori ce t , p t nd t he i ari f a tri ce a o o t he M as e r o f C e re mo ni es Al e oni . P , D t , N ot o ne o f e se s a s a wo rd o fSimo nc e lli as a os s ib e o e th y p l P p , muc h l es s s peaks o f any p rophec y b e ing us ed t o adv anc e hi s d ur c andi at e .

f t a ac 1 56 Proph ec y o S . M l hy

S n and reign , or a series of hort reig s , would indicate two or three among existing Cardinals a as likely to succeed in course of time , perh ps even picking out a few distinguished young a s men , not yet Cardin l , whom he thought likely to be raised to the purple and to bec ome Pope v s ome day . This is in fact what I belie e to n h av e h appened in the prese t case . The list was a a a a 1 8 a perh ps f bric ted bout 5 5 , shortly fter the ac s i o and t h e — I ces n of Sixtus V , forger am inclined to guess that C i ac c o ni us himself may ’ hav e fabricated it as a hoax and jeu d espri t set down the following mottoes as indicating a likely s eries of Pontiffs among the me nhe knew thenliv ing in R ome

rs n i Mo tto P e o s des gnat e d . C a a na o r r a nd v D e R o re Coeli s e s o o . . t g ( p h p M i) nt ui t ur i S imo nc e lli aure o Ex a i t a e b s . q . (L ) rm ne n t nC r n P ia c i v i t as inb e llo e a o e a d a . . B ll i ( th i l) n r r a ac o c e . C ux R o mulea . S t i B aro nius no t e nCard na Und os us v r . . ( th i l) P i a c i v i tas in b e llo seems to me to designate B e llarmine a s and v wa in mo t marked ob ious y , looking always to the principles o n which the P i a c iv itas early prophecies were formed . The was n a — s n a s a Mo tepulci no the hri e of int , the birthpl ace of a saintly Pontiff whose memory was n a was still gree (Pope M rcellus I I , who ’ — Bell armine s uncle) a nd its elf almost prov erbial v for the good li es of its citizens . Crux R omulea would fit no one s o well as a Baro ni us 1 57 member of the Roman family of Santa Croce . a ana c was n at Cardin l S t Cro e , who looked upo ’ the beginning of Sixtus V s reign as a most able

v i n 1 8 8 . i s s s man , died , howe er , 5 It just po ible his was n v n in that a nephew of , who the li i g R ma av a ome , y h e been reg rded by the compiler as a da and likely to be made Cardin l some y , ‘ finally Pope .

A A I A R s ndos v i RMS OF C RD N L BA ONw . U us r

Undosus v ir B aro nius , again , was , whose arms are depicted abov e The pens and cross were presumably added when he became Car n v di al . The wa es in the family arms beneath v nudosa s as would ha e suggested the , just the 1 n he R a ua i o del a av al ata d S re o ri o I I I t C c e N . G XII gg gl l . g n b F . Alb e rt ori o amo t he s i nori c a ori oni or y , g g p g ” eo us l dre s sed and wearin s wo rds i s named M arc e o g y g , ll Sanac ro e t c . 1 8 Pro e c ofSt a ac 5 ph y . M l hy arms of Boniface VII I suggested the motto ex undarum b ene di c i one t . When als o we remember that v aro n or b aron ans man v i r as n is the Sp i h for ( ) , it is e y to u der stand how a Spaniard like Ci ac c o nius might hav e thought th at B aro ni us would be excellently indicated by the phrase Und os us v i r . Of cours e the point which i n all thi s discus sion most needs to be insisted o n i s the fact that the mottoes of p s eudo - Malachy must necessarily a be treated s one document . It is imposs ible to reject the first sev enty as a barefaced imposture n a and to co sider the thirty or forty th t remain , v or any part of them , as di inely inspired . The difference betweenthe two sets is th at t he forger in passing from the region of the known to the n a nd future and unk o“wn , deals more more , as DOllin e r s n s nn g say , in meani gle s u i telligible n ” phrases and commo places . It may be worth while to copy here the whole of the remaining Crux de c ruc e n s list from , ide tified with Piu n ’ . S W io ns IX , down to the end I imply pri t ’ text with Lord Bute s transl ation

r c Th r r m a 1 C rux e c u e . e c o s s o c ro s . 1 0 . d f s m n in oe l in t h k 1 0 2 . u e c o . e s L A light y . de n urnn fir ns ar s . e 1 0 3 . I g i B i g . n 1 0 e o de o ulat a . o as c s m unde re d 4 . R ligi p p M ti i pl o r re o n a d w a ( ligi l i s te) . n re da a undaun e . d 1 0 de s . 5. Fi i t pi F ith t n l An an e i us . e c e d 6. a o r a c s e r 1 0 P s t g g li h ph . n e rd an a r as o r e t au a . e d s a o . 1 0 7 . P t t A Sh ph il m o we r f o e r 8 o o ru . o s . 1 0 . Fl s fl A fl fl w

t a ac 1 60 P rophe c y ofS . M l hy

urnn fire s a b e t he rs n o e who (B i g ) h ll fi t A tip p , will b e unlawfully e le c ted in Opp o s ition t o Lume n in — Cce lo (Light int he h e av e n) t he le gitimate s uc c e s so r h n e s de s s o me re d c o ns o f t e p re se t P o p e . B i p i ti anno unc n th e d e o rab e e v e n man o e r u and i g pl l t , y p w f l influe ntial p e rs o ns in E uro pe are at p re s ent ag ree d and de te rmined t o us e all the i r e ffo rts t o e le c t an Antip op e in o rde r t o p ro duc e a sc hi s m int he Churc h and t o h av e a man who will fav our the ir impious ‘ de s igns agains t t he C ath o lic religion. é On the other hand , the Abb Joseph Maitre , who in two huge v olumes has con s tituted him self the champion o f the authenticity of the s i ni s Malachy prophecy , hold that the motto g ardens may either symbolize the zeal and a ff ch rity of the Ponti to be elected , or may de pict the v iolence of the sufferings and trials he is a wa r to endure , perh ps from a terrible , perhaps nfla rat i n from a general c o g o or cataclysm in the ’

n . L Ab b é moral or physical Agai , M Cha b auty inclines to the v iew that the Pope de s ig mated by Igui s ard ens must be destined to set on foot and carry to completion the con v ersion a of the entire world , so th t under him we shall see the realization of the promise of one fold ’ and . one shepherd I infer this , adds the Abbé not to quote other pro ofs from the v text , I ha e come to cast fire upon the earth n a a . and , wh t will I but th t it be ki dled The

1 The Chri s ti an rum e t ondon 1 8 T p (L , 75) , p 1 ’ M ai re Les a e s e t la P a anté d a res la ro h ti e at tri t , P p p p P p é

b uée a S t M alac hi e ari s . . . (P , p 737 M alac hy imp rov e d upo n 1 61 same critic concludes t hat religi o depopulata ‘ - represents an anti Pope . Could we ask for better proof of the futility of s such prophecies , for all purpose of instruction v e dific at io n s v nc or e en , than thi di erge e of opinion among the most thoroughgoing de fenders o fthe Pope- mottoes L astly , I may draw attention , if only for the n s a v n sake of complete es , to de elopme t of the Malachy oracles to which publicity has been n a gi v e of recent ye rs . Here the names of the n and ext few Popes profess to be disclosed , the statement has been made th at the text was n n n pri ted i 1 8 99 . This assertio it is out of my

v . power to erify If it were true , it would be a a s n remarkable f ct , for the Pope corre po ding to I arden gni s s is correctly designated as Piu s X . But ev en if the prophet was s ucces s ful in his v a his first enture , he has come s dly to grief in n a n reli i o second interpretatio , as he ssig s to g ’ de ula a pop t the name of Paul VI . After that we c an feel little interes t i n learning from him th at and n Pius XI Gregory XVI I come ext in order , and that the former of these after a glorious v n a ictory will become Ki g of It ly .

1 . A. Ch ab aut e t tres s ur le s r o h ti e s m ode rnes 2 nd E y, L P p é ( d is 2 1 - e ar . 2 0 . P , pp 9 1 C Nic oulaud N o t radamus s e r o h ti s ari 1 1 c s s e s . . , , P p é , P , 9 4 Ni c ulaud u f r M . c o q ote s o r the s e fac ts L a R e v ue I nt e na ti onal e de o i t r e e u u s S c s s e c t s A s t h 1 1 . 2 1 é é , g t s , 9 3 , p 74 . CHAPTE R VI I

TH E FATE OF ENG LAN D AN D THE COM ING OF ANTIC HRI ST P R OPOSE to conclude these somewhat desultory Ch apters by spe aking briefly of the two subjects in which prophets and soothsayers since mediaev al times hav e

found their principal inspiration , to wit the destiny of their own nativ e land and the near approach of the end of the world . To discuss these themes in any great detail does not seem needful ; for here , more than any v where else , all erification being indefinitely av a n and n n remote , extr ga ce i cohere ce are parti c ularly likely to prev ail . But it would argue a certain incompleteness in this surv ey of modern prophetic books , if these topics which are apt to occupy so much space in their pages were v passed o er entirely without comment .

For the past history of national prophecies , c an n a v as they have been called , I o ly d ise the ’ reader to consult the third chapter of DOllinge r S essay . The subject is too extensive to admit of my summarizing it here . Neither will space allow us to busy ourselv es with foreign countries

1 62

1 64 The Fat e ofEngland Nostradamus regarding London in the se ven tee nt h century , and , indeed , there are many others , hardly less curious , which might have been cited from the same source . But I will content myself now with reproducing o ne other v a quatrain which , in iew of the f ct that it was printed a good twenty years before the defeat of S an the p ish Armada , must certainly be counted a an a remark ble utter ce . The words of Nostra damus are these

’ Le g rand E mpi re s e ra par l Angle t e rre ‘ Le P e m o t am de s ans us de ro s c e ns p pl t i , G rande s c o pie s pas s e r par me r e t te rre L n n’ n n Le s us it ai s e ns e ront pas c o te s . A sev enteenth century E nglish v ersion translated it thus

En and o fEm re S a b e on t he s e a gl pi h ll l g t , o re an re e und r e ars o n nu n rea M th th h e d y c ti i g g t . L arge fo rc e s th e nc e s h all p as s th ro ugh lands and s eas To t he d s u e o ft h o r u u e i q i t e P t g e s . Is this to be understood as a prophecy of the maritime dominion of England Portu gal certainly was the great nav al power in the East

Indies at the time when this was written , and it was the Portuguese rather th an the Spaniards n an that E gland was destined to suppl t . At the same time it is v ery doubtful whether we hav e anything more here than a masterpiece of

1 A d re ad u rid w w i f l hyb o rd h c h s ee ms t o b e deri v ed fro m 1rd» t e n = u po s all po we r f l . 1 n r Ce tu 11 1 00 . y, , Rul e B rit annia Fore sh ado we d 1 65 D elphic ambiguity . Sea power , after all , is not n . v had n directly me tioned Moreo er , if it cha ced n n n and that Fra ce had co quered Engla d , by ’ means of that conquest (par l Angleterre) had acquired an overseas empire , the prognostic would hav e seemed to be ev en more strikingly an n n fulfilled th it is o w . U doubtedly the un ’ riv alled success of No s t radamus s oracles is due to the fact that avoiding all orderly arrangement re either chronological or topographical , and fraining almost entirely from categoric state v ments , it is impossible e er to say that a parti c ular n prog ostic has missed its mark , while amongst the multitude of political occurrences v c o inc i aguely outlined , some quite startling de nc es are sure to be observ ed in the course of I n . v years other words , Nostradamus pro ides an ingenious system of divination in which the misses can nev er be recorded and only the hits come to the surface . For the reputation of the would -b e prophet such conditions are naturally ideal . ’ Except for the implied limitation of En gland s 00 maritime dominion to 3 years , this prognostic n v of Nostradamus is disti ctly fa ourable . Other ' foreign prophecies regarding the destiny of n Britai are not so encouraging . For example , e Nec t o u had the P re , who been a Jesuit and Prov incial of Aquitaine before the suppression of the Society , was supposed to have made many remarkable prophecies towards the close of the M 1 66 The Fat e ofEngland n eighteenth century . Some of these , referri g to n v a v in a i di idu ls , are said to ha e been fulfilled n most surprisi g way . In dealing with public ev ents he does no t seem to hav e been so success an ful ; at y rate , fulfilment has so far been are delayed . Thus we told that he predicted a v v n second re olution in his nati e cou try , adding that Dur n s rev o u o n wh c w v e r e b e i g thi l ti , i h ill y lik ly ene ra and no t c o n ne d t o ranc e ar s w b e g l fi F , P i ill de s troye d s o c o mple tely th at tw e nty y e ars afte rw ards a e rs w a n o v e r it s ru ns e r c dre n f th , lki g i with th i hil , h dr n w n r a T t e c hil e ill i qui e wh at plac e th t was . o w o m e w answ e r : c d s was h th y ill My hil , thi fo rme rly a g re at c ity whic h God has de s t roye d o n ac c o unt o fit s

v n It may be , howe er , that the appoi ted hour v e Ne c t o u has not yet arri ed , for the P re went o n As when the fig- tree begins to S prout and v S n produces lea es , it is a certain ig that the n n an a n summer is near , so whe E gl d sh ll begi in n to wane power , the destructio of Paris will ” n at be ear hand . a n En n ha in n s s b e as a S . a d s he r r Thi h ll ig gl ll , tu , e x p e rie nc e a mo re f rightful rev olutio n th an that o f n a o n n F ra c e . It s h ll c ti ue S O lo ng as t o giv e time t o ranc e t o re c o v e r he r s re n and e ns he w he F t gth , th ill lp ’ En an t o re urnt o rde r an gl d t o d pe ac e . The R ev olution which is to be the downfall of ’ England s greatness has long been a rather 1 i x ro h i es t h u . l ii . 2 o t c d v o . . V P p é q , s , , p 39 1 b . 2 I . , p 49 .

1 68 The Fat e o fEngland Je la v o is re mo nte r ; Un ro i du as s e p , Lui s e ra do nn é , uand c e ux ui o nt usur Q , q p é ‘ S e ro nt dét rOnéS .

Still more alarming were the calamities which o u do n En Mlle . C é predicted as threatening g ’ land s n aval supremacy Quant au j ubilé o ur c e e e ne il au r e r P tt R i f t p i , Le s n a s v on c an e r A gl i t h g , L nd e ur e ro n t e s e s I e s l s t O é . v l rr d c ar J e ois a gue e é l ée . e r fl m e e v o s u o t t e d c J i l é i é , J e la v o is s ubme rgée ; ’ Il ne n v a as re s e r p t . If anyone were disposed to take these oracles at all seriously , he might find consolation in the a o u do n f ct that while Mlle . C é declared that a v ast European conflict would break out in the She n immediate future , also predicted that Fra ce n would hav e to support the struggle alo e . R ussia , on which her hopes had been built , would not stir a finger to help her .

Ce q ue v ous av e z rev e ’ Il n au as c om e r y f t p pt .

1 ’ L Ec ho da M e rv eilleux eb ruar xs t 1 8 n land wi , F y , 9 7 E g ll n ed s ee h er dis m m b e c ha g ; I e b e red ; a family whi c h reigned and w i h as ee n a ned b e o re c b ai s e e i t res o red . A f h h tt t , I t in o fa ormer d nas wi b e iv e n t o h e r w e n g g , ose who k f y ty ll ” h th ed e ir o we r wi e de n us urp th p ll b thro ed . Bart h ol ome w H olz hause r 1 69 n Also that Paris would be burnt to the grou d ,

and that without delay . Le fe u v a y pas s e r ‘ n rd r Et c ela s a s ta e . Despite these gloomy forebodings there have been not a few among those who believ ed them selves prophetically inspired who have written n concerning E gland with great sympathy . The most famous of these was the mystic Bartholomew Holzhauser in the time of the early

Stuarts . n This ve erable servant of God , who was born of humble parents i n 1 61 3 no t far from Au gs o f n burg , was the founder an I stitute of Secular v Priests , which met with considerable fa our in

his nativ e country . He was a man of remark and a able piety , was held by m ny of his contemporaries to be possessed of extraordinary

prophetic gifts . Certain visions of his were written down by him and collected into one manuscript v olume towards the beginning of the

1 66. year 4 In these , it appears , he asserted that n n E gland would fall i to extreme misery , that n n and the Ki g would be slai , that afterwards the Kingdom of England would returnto the ancient

1 ’ L Ec ho du M e rv ei l eux u 1 s t 1 8 As for t he ub i e e l , J ly , 9 7 J l , we m us t pray fo r t he poo r Q uee n; a c hange i s t o c o me o v er n a Th d E gl nd . e I n i e s will b e take n fro m the m ; I s e e war dec ared s e e i fle m i wi ; e r e e d c i a ed ; s ee i t s un ; no ng l I ” th t t I k th ll b e e of i t . C M ar ui s de Gui r M lle Co uéd on es t e lle l ft f. q y , . ins i r e de i eu ? ari s 1 8 —a ue s io n w ic th e au or p é D (P , 99) q t h h th n a swers in t he affi rmativ e ! 1 7 0 The Fat e o fEngland

R a v oman faith , and the English chie e more for the Church than on their first conv ersion to n Christianity . Amo g the friends of Holzhauser L rand was a Jesuit , Father yp , who after his death described how he had met him during one v of his isits to Ingolstadt , and as a report had been for some time current that Charles I of n Engla d , who was then still living , was likely L rand to become a Catholic , Father yp asked the mystic how this could be reconciled with his prophecy about England . On this Holz“hauser replied in a very confident manner : King

Charles of England is neither now a Catholic , nor will he ever become a Catholic . The ” “ a L rand v event , s ys Father yp , pro ed the a ln truth of his words . At the s me time he formed me that he knew from God that the Swede would nev er hav e a footing in the German a R Empire , and th t the hine would return to its ” a t ncien master . ’ As to Bartholomew s prophecies in general ,

Father Lyp rand expresses himself with caution . ” “ v n O n I ha e always bee of pi ion , he wrote , that n an and he we t to work without y guile , that his n atural parts were inadequate to their fabrica tion but although I hold it as probable enough , nay , as extremely probable , that Holzhauser had receiv ed from God the gift of v prophecy , yet I would not enture to assert that he always rightly u nderstood the prophecies communicated to him ; for it is agreed among

1 7 2 The Fat e ofEngland

was d fi c u he c ou d b e h e d ac with . It with if lty l l b k ‘ ro fro m thi s p j ec t . Perh aps the most remarkable passage in his v isions bearing o n England is the following s o od in t he e ar 1 6 b t he Danu e v n I t y 35 y b , gi i g a m s t o t he ans e d and offe r n u ra e rs fo r t he l b i h , i g p p y ard t h no r an t he e s o e ear . s o o d o s e d wh l th I t t w th w t , and my he art p oure d it s elf o ut inmany lame ntations e o re Go d s a n : H ow o n w t he adv e rs ar b f , yi g l g ill y o d s n do m in o nda e w c s w mme w h l thi ki g b g , hi h i th ith t he o od o fmar rs s e d b a ac c urs e d wo man bl ty , pill y th t e e e as S he w s e d t o re n in t he C urc o f J z b l , i h ig h h G o d ? And I h e ard at t h e s ame time that the lawful s ac rific e would b e inte rmitted fo r o ne hundre d and twe nty ye ars ; and o nt he o th e r s ide o ft he s e a I s aw mme ns e ands and how e o e s and o n ue s i l , p pl t g th ro n ed o e e r and how t he and was nward g t g th , l i ly a n b arm e s as b an e ar ua e The ro s e . h k y i , y thq k p di i o us mu ude s aw d v de d and e e d t he g ltit I i i , I b h l n nd n int he m s And wa o d me All s a d . s ki g t i g i t it t l , n h n re s s w t he and t e i s as w e re s o d . t ith ki g , ki g , it , l And o ward s t h e w e s t he e av ens w e re o e ned t t h p , and t he and remb ed as anear ua e and t he l t l with thq k , na o ns e re S a e n and e rro r c ame o v e r t he w o e ti w h k , t h l kingdom ; and it was told me : Ont he king d epe n d e th t he s alv ation o ft he p e ople ! And it s e e me d t o me as if h e re fuse d ; and I h eard : If t he king n nw h m ” n h o t e e b e s e n. A d t e eav ens will , th ill itt h a a n o e ne d o ard s t he w e s a ar e e r a g i p t w t ; l g , fi y b ll n flw c ame d ow e ob ue an s m h n And d o e t e . , liq , t ki g no w hi s n dom re s e d in e ac e and t he and was ki g t p , l um na ill i t e d . 1 . C arus Bartho l o m azus o haus er ; e b ens e s c hi c hte . L l , H lz L g , p Int e rmi ssionoft he M ass 1 7 3

And 10 s aw a s s a n o nt he s e a and arr v e I hip ili g , i in o r and r e ous and o me n who e re in p t , ight h ly , w t he S ande d and e e ant o re ac the o s e hip , l , th y b g p h G p l e ro s e re in h e r n in th o s e c ountrie s . Th y p p d t i u de r taking ; and th at l and re turned t o p e ac e and t o t he ‘ r s anc t ific at iono fJ e s us Ch is t . That the Holy Sacrifice should be intermitted 1 2 0 for years does not seem to me , as it appar ently seemed to the writer of the article in the Dub lin R ev i ew re , from which I quote it , a m l n n arkab . o e y happy hit In quite true se se , f n that of actual fact , the o feri g up of the Mass n n was . never i terrupted in E gland If , on the n other ha d , we take account of the period of the n S a legal prohibition , the pe al t tutes which n ff n rendered the sayi g of Mass a criminal o e ce , were in force for within a few years of two cen t ri ha u e s . Neither s the landing of holy men — in England b y which we are no doubt meant to understand the clergy of France exiled at the R v n e olution , together with the you ger religious R e de m Orders , such as the Passionists and the p — t o ristS brou ght us perceptibly nearer the con n f versio o the nation as a whole . But amid the enthusiasm of the Oxford mov ement and the restoration of the Catholic hierarchy , there must hav e beenmany to whom the returnof England to the faith seemed very near . It was this expectation which no doubt led some amongst them to attach a new meaning to the prophecy

1 n n t he ub i e i e . ra s a ed i n R v w Se emb er 1 8 0 . 1 T l t D l , pt , 5 , p 33 1 74 The Fat e ofEngland

. c of St Edward the Confessor . That monar h a few hours before he passed away was super v naturally visited , as he belie ed , by two holy

monks whom he had known in his youth . v Appearing to him in a ision , they denounced the griev ous corruptions of the Church and t a and n n S te , war ed him that on this accou t God n had laid a curse upon the realm of Engla d . i The K ng , after vainly enquiring whether this n sentence could in any way be averted , fi ally asked how long the curse should last . To which they replied In th at d ay wh en a gree n tree s h all b e c ut away ro m t h e m d s o fit s run e n s a b e c arr e d f i t t k , wh it h ll i awa fo r t he s ac e o f ree ur o n s rom it s ro o y p th f l g f t , wh e nwith out t he h elp o fm anit s h all j o inits elf again t o it s trunk and s h all againput fo rth leav e s and bear — f ruit in it s s e as o n the n fi rs t s h all b e t he time wh e n ‘ t he w oe s o fEn nd a gla S h ll c o me t o ane nd . Contemporary ev idence makes it practically

- certain that St . Edward on his death bed did narrate some such v ision to those who stood round ; and in the twelfth century Englishmen commonly interpreted the prophecy as fore shadowing the restoration o fthe old Saxon line by the marriage of Henry I with Eadgyt h or a a a n M tild , fter continuity had bee broken for three generations by the intrusion of the and usurpers Harold , William the Conqueror , a R Willi m ufus . But the enthusiasts of the 1 ree man No rman Con s t v ue ol iii 1 1 . F , q , . , p .

1 7 6 The c oming ofAnt i c h rist mo nl as As c ens ion o I s aiah y known the f , which r n D . Charles considers can be a alysed into three n more primitive compo ents , one of them being what he calls the Testament of Hezekiah , and n as dati g, he believes , from the actual time of the Apostles between 8 8 and 1 00 Whatev er v iew we may hold of the genesis of As c ens i on the , the passage concerning the near approach of the end of the world is of remarkable n n i terest . Here an A tichrist is introduced , though he is not called by that name , who is really Satan incarnate , clothed in the likeness of ” the Emperor Nero , the slayer of his mother , n was i to whose hands also the Apostle St . Peter ’ v liar deli ered . The name Be the Belial of 2 v i 1 Cor . . 5) is used S imply as a personal name

- for Satan Antichrist . The prominence here giv en to the Emperor Nero as a sort of type of Antichrist is in full accord with the most probable interpretation of the v erse of the Apoc“alypse co ncerning the number of the beast . He that hath under a n st ndi g let him count the number o fthe beast . For it is the number of a man and the number of him is six hu ndred and S ixty and S ix (Apoc . n . RO C ABSAR xiii Now the words NE , writte a n in Aram ic , co tain letters , the numerical v 666and v alues of which amount to , what is e en 1 Pro fe s so r B urkitt in hi s Sc hwe i c h l ec ture o n j ewi s h and

r n. Ch i s ti an A o c a s e s . ro e s s a ains is di s se c i o p lyp , p 45, p t t g t th t 1 s e m a at i s v er e ar da au had not e t It e s th t th y ly te S t . P l y c ommonly c ome t o b e c o unted amo ng t he twe lv e Apostle s . N e ro o r B e llar 1 77 more significant , another spelling of the same 61 6 words would yield the total , which happens to be a variant reading found in some early manuscripts of the Apocalypse . It is also cer tain from such early Christian documents as the Epistle of Barnabas that considerable attention was paid to the numerical equivalent of the letters of proper names . Also it may be noticed that the whole extract from the As c ens i on o f I s ai ah is very similar in spirit to the Go g and

Magog pass age in the Apocalypse (xx . 7 B eliar while the duration of the rule of is , no n 2 D a . . . 1 1 . doubt , su ggested by vii 5, and xii

And no w H e e a and o sab m s on he s e are z ki h J , y , t h a f he m n ft h r d e r i s t e d y s o t c o ple tio o e wo l . Aft it c o ns umma ed B e liar t he re a ru e r t he n o f s t , , g t l , ki g thi o r d w de s c e nd who a h ru e d s nc e c ame w l , ill , h t l it i it n o e n e a he w de sc e nd ro m his firmame nt i t b i g ; y , ill f int he e ne s s o fa man a aw e s s n t he s a e r o f lik , l l ki g , l y his mo e r who ims e e rs ec u e t he an th , h lf will p t pl t whic h t he twe lv e Apo s tle s o f t he B elov e d h av e h ne i S r an d . e e t e e v e o . e t e e b pl t Of tw l , ( . P t ) will de v r d n hi an s ru e r in t h o rm o f li e e i to s h ds . Thi l e f a n c o me and he re w c o me w him all th t ki g will , t ill ith t he owe rs o f h s wo r d and e w hear e nuno p t i l , th y ill k t him in all a h r An at his o r t he s un th t e des i e s . d w d will ris e at night and he will make t he moo nt o app e ar a t h r An all a h ha e re d h t e s ixth h ou . d th t e th d s i e w o in t he w r H e w do and s e a e t h ill d o ld . ill p k lik e e ov ed and he w s a : am Go d and b e o re me B l ill y I , f ” e re has ee n n ne An all t he e o in h th b o . d p ple t e o r d w e eve in him and h s ac ri c e t o w l ill b li , t ey will fi 1 7 8 The c o ming o fAnt i c h ri st him and e w s e rv e him s a n : s i s Go d th y ill , yi g Thi , ” And t he re a e r and b e s ide him th e re i s no o the r . g t n numb e r o f th o s e who s h all h av e be e as s o c iated n to ge th e r in o rde r t o re c e iv e t he Be lov e d he will tur hi An e re w b e t he o w e r o f as ide a fte r m . d th ill p m rac e s in e v e r c and re o n and he s et u i l y ity gi , will p And he s a his image be fo re him in e v e ry c ity . h ll n be ar s way th re e y e ars and s ev e nmo nth s a d twe nty And man e e v e rs and s a ns av n se v e n day s . y b li i t h i g s e en H im fo r w o m e e re h O in who w as h th y w p g , c ruc e d e s us t he o rd C r s and o se a s o who ifi , J L h i t , th l — we re b elie v e rs in H im o fth e se a fe w in th o s e day s H i s e rv an flr w b e e as s s e e e e o m ill l ft t , whil th y f de s e r t o de s e r awa n t h e c o m n o ft he e o v e d t t , iti g i g B l . And afte r o ne th o us and th re e hund re d and thi rty -t w o days t he L o rd will c o me with H is ang els and with t he arm e s o ft he o o ne s ro m t he s ev e n e av e n and i h ly f th h , H e w d ra B e liar n o e e nna and a so hi s arm e s ill g i t G h l i . And H e will giv e re s t t o t he g o dly wh o m H e s h all find int he b o dy inthis wo rld and t o all who b e c aus e ‘ o f e r a av e xe c ra e d B e liar an hi n th i f ith h e t d s ki g s . Passing from Apostolic times to the early s find a Middle Age , we that the appro ch of the e nd of the world was still anabsorbing topic of ’ n v interest , thou gh men s ideas now ce tred ery largely upon the anticipated peaceful reign of a - world ruling earthly monarch , who was to re n duce all Christe dom to harmony , and the contumacious hav ing been prev iously ext e rmin v n ated , to con ert Jews , Turks , and Paga s to the a an ccept ce of the law of the Gospel . It was

1 C ar es T As c e s i on o ai h - n I s a . 2 he . h l , f , pp 4 34

1 8 0 The c o ming ofAnt ic h rist and h e will lay do wnhis s c e pt re and hi s c rownupon t he o un f v s w h M t o Oli e s . Thi ill b e t e e nd and c o ns ummatio no ft he E mpi re o fR o me and o fCh ri s te n m An t he am r m do . d s e doc to s add that i me diate ly a e rward s ac c o rd n t o th e e o re -men o ne d e ft , i g b f ti t xt ‘ o ft he s a h n r m o e u t e c s c o e . Ap tl P l , A ti h i t will It was natural that with the anticipation of this all-conquering and most religious monarch there S hould in time come to be associated the con c e t io n p of a Saintly Pope , who would be the

ideal of rulers in the spiritual order , as the great king of Frankish race was destined to be the

ideal of temporal sovereigns . Whether the was Abbot Joachim , of Flora , really the author ” t v An e lic us of this a tracti e vision of a Papa g , v as was afterwards commonly belie ed , seems

more than doubtful , but the dream undoubtedly ’ belongs to the century of Joachim s death . In the O us Terti um p , addressed by the famous English R Franciscan , oger Bacon , to Pope Clement IV 1 2 6 in 7 , occurs the following passage F o r o r e ars as has ee n ro e s e d and f ty y p t it b p ph i , man in v s o ns av e s ee n t he s ame a e re w y i i h , th t th ill b e o ne o e in e s e our da s his t em o ri b us who P p th y ( p ) , will purge t he c ano nlaw and t he Churc h o fGo d o f t he u b b e s and t he nav e r o ft he aw e rs and a q i l k y l y , th t j ustic e will b e do ne univ e rs ally with o ut c o nte ntious n And o n ac c un o ft he o ne s s t h e u a o . o litig ti t h li , p rightne s s and t he j us tic e o fthi s P ope it will c o me t o pas s th at t he G ree k s will re turn t o t he obedie nc e o f

1 — S ac k ur Si b llini s c he ex te und orsc hun en s eudo , y T F g P

Me th odius e t c . H a e . 1 1 0 . , ( ll , p Friar Ro ge r B ac o n 1 8 I

t he omanC urc and a in re a ar t he art ars R h h , th t g t p t T n ar n will b e c o nv e rted t o t he faith a d the S ac e s will b e d es t roye d ; and s o t h e re s h all b e o ne fold and o ne ” s e e rd t o uo e t he wo rd c t he ro e had h ph , q t whi h p ph t h r And o ne who s aw e se n s ringing in is e a s . th thi g in re v elatio n s aid and s till maintains th at he himse lf will s ee all the se marv els c ome t o pas s in his own ‘ life time . Roger Bacon had also clearly heard that the reformation of the Church was to be aecom plis he d by a great Pope and a great King n and working in co junction , that the end of the 2 world was probably near at hand ; still he does

not himself assert this . Great preachers like St . Vincent Ferrer and Savonarola in t he fifteenth century were much more explicit in their pro n n m nt o u c e e s . St . Vincent in particular for several years together preached throu ghout

France and Spain , as a matter , not of opinion , n but of certain knowledge , that the comi g of

Antichrist was imminent . Being denounced on this account to Benedict XI II the Pope of his obedience (it was during the period of the great

schism) St . Vincent justified himself to the f in Ponti f in a long and reasoned statement , which he declared that the time of Antichrist n and v and the end of the world will be soo , ery s a c i t o et oon , and in exceeding short sp ce (

F . R o eri Ba n e c o O era I nedi ta, ed . . S . B rew r (Ro s g , p J ll

Se ri es . 86 ) , p .

I b - . , pp . 403 4 . 1 8 2 The c oming ofAnt ic h rist

d b rev i ter b ene c i t o et v al e ) . He added that he was himself conv inced that Antichrist had already n and bee born some time before , he justifies this belief by certain miraculous experiences of o wn as his , well as by the testimony of others and by the ev idence of the demons whom he had n n n questio ed whe exorcisi g possessed persons . To use his o wnwords F ro m all th e s e fac t s th e re h as b ee n fo rmed inmy m nd an o no n and a ro ab e e e o u no t i pi i p b l b li f , th gh s uc as c an ro c a m fo r ab s o u e c e r a n a h I p l i l t t i ty , th t Antic h ri s t has already be e n bo rn th e s e nine y e ars B ut as fo r t he o nv c o nw av a re a p as t . c i ti hic h I h e l dy 1 s a e d t o wit a s oo n u e s o o nand v e r s o r t t , , th t , q it y h tly , t he time o fAntic h ris t and t he e nd o ft he wo rld will b e u o nus ro c a m e v e r w e re w c e r a n and p , I p l i it y h ith t i ty w o u m s v n t he o rd w o r n w me and ith t i gi i g , L ki g ith ” 2 c n rm n t h w r t h n a o w o fi i g e o d b y e s ig s th t f llo . n in Further , St . Vince t both said his sermons and told the Pope th at he (Vincent) himself was n n in x i the a gel spoke of the Apocalypse ( v . 6 who was sent to proclaim with a great voice Fear God and giv e Him glory for the hour of ” H is judgment is come . He stated also th at when he announced that

1 H e h ad rev i o us wri e n uar a c o nc us io e s t uod p ly tt , Q t l q e mpus Ant i c hr i s t i e t fini s mundi er unt c i o e t b e ne c i o e t t ” t t

i t F F . d b re v e r . . a s O P Va e e . No t es e t o c um e nts de l g , , D ’ l H i s t oi re d e t Vinc ent F e rri a S . i er r s . 2 2 0 . (P , p 3 Fa s No t e n e s e t o c ume ts . 2 2 . g , D , p 3 3 F a s n ri r v i é i s t oi re de S t i c ent F er e aris o l . g , H . V (P , ,

. 1 2 c i s e pp 3 q .

1 8 4 The c o ming o fAnt ic h rist

1 authenticity of these letters , the Saint wrote to his correspondent in such terms as these Go d Almighty will exalt a v e ry p o o r man o f t he h Em r r ns an ne o no f H e ena o o d o ft e e o C o s . bl p t ti , St l , and o ft he s e e d o f e n who s a o nhis re as e ar P pi , h ll b t w t he s ignwhic h you h av e s e e nat t he be ginning o fthi s le tte r Th ro ugh t he p owe r o ft he Mo s t High he n h ran h e re s and infidels s a c o n o u d t e s t e h c . h ll f ty t , ti , H e w a e r a rand arm and t he an e s s a ill g th g y, g l h ll ’ n m fight fo r th e m ; th ey s h all kill all G o d s e e ie s . O m o rd ! a man s a b e o ne o f o ur o s e r y L th t h ll y p t ity , b e c aus e yo u c o me from th e blo od o fPe pin Or again in another of the letters

M Y E X CE ENT ORD —Le t our s ou re o c e ! for LL L , y l j i hi s D iv ine M aje s ty manife s ts th rough you s uc h w o nd e r u s ns and re a m rac e s ac c ord n t o f l ig g t i l , i g ’ w a b od s w av e o e n and a a n r e n h t I , y G ill , h ft g i w itt n On o f r o r a a d fo re told t o you. e y o u p s te ity s h ll ac hiev e gre ate r de e ds and wo rk g reate r wo nde rs th an o r r a man w e a re a s nne r in y u lo d s hip . Th t ill b g t i hi s au h b e drawn and ou b ut e . e s a y th , lik St P l h ll nv r H a t h r a n f c o e te d t o Go d . e s h ll b e e g e t fo u de r o ne w r r r f r n r l h a e ligi o us o de di fe e t f o m a l t e o th e rs . H n m 1 e s a d v de o re e c as s e s na e : . h ll i i it i t th l , ly n ar s 2 . o ar r e s s o o us Milit y k ight ; S lit y p i t ; 3 . M s t pi a e rs s s a b t he as re o us rde r in h o spit ll . Thi h ll e l t ligi o t he C urc and w do mo re o o d for our o h h , it ill g h ly n ll o r re ligio th an a o th e r religio us ins titute s . By f c e o farm s he s a a e o s s e s s o no fa re a n d m h ll t k p i g t ki g o . H e s a de s ro t he s ec o f a o me e x r a e all h ll t y t M h t , ti p t

1 The e ers are ri ned i nS ani s b M o no a the i s ori o l tt p t p h y t y , h t ’ ra e r o fthe M i nims as ana e ndix t o hi s Caromed General g ph , pp de la Ord d l os nim o r en e M i s M ad id 1 61 . , , 9 St ranc s o fP ao o . F i l 1 8 5

ran s and e re e H e s a r n h ty t h s i s . h ll b i g t e wo rld t o a o m f r w o n h ly ode o life . Th e e ill b e e fo ld and o ne e r H a n n h n e d . e s re u t e e d o f me On Sh ph h ll ig til ti . t he w o e e ar e re s a b e o n we v e n s o ne h l th th h ll ly t l ki g , m r r an n o e n m e e o d o e e . c e en s a b e p , p p Ri h g tl h ll v r fw ut all s a n s M a e s u C r e e b . s s b e ra s e y , i t y J h i t p i d and e s s ed fo r he has v o uc s a e d t o ran t o m e a bl ; h f g t , o o r unwo r s nne r t he s r o f ro e c no t in p thy i , pi it p ph y ,

‘ an ob s c ure wa as t o H i s o e r se rv an s b ut has y th t , e nab led me t o white and t o s p e ak in a mo s t c le ar m nne r a .

That these letters were authentic I cannot for a

moment believe , but they were accepted by

Montoya and by such scholars as Morales , L and Cornelius a apide , a number of others , and they therefore reflect not unfairly the tone of mind which inthe seventeenth century prev ailed among religious people ev en with some pretence

to learning . It is not surprising, then , to find as that such a mystic Holzhauser , when inter re t in e s p g the Apocalyps , speak with confidence of the long-hoped-for epoch of universal reconciliation . Like most of the prophets who committed themselv es in any detail to a picture of the last a e g of the world , Holzhauser calls up a wonder ful vision of the peace and happiness that will prev ail before the coming of Antichrist . This belief may be traced back to the P apa Ang e li c us of Abbot Joachim or Bacon , and in nearly all these prognostics the ecclesiastical and civil 1 8 6 The c o ming ofAnt i c h rist powers are represented as acting in perfect n c ac cord . Thus the Germa mysti writes — The s ixth pe riod o ft he Churc h t he s t at us c o ns o la — ti o ni s be gins with t he H o ly P o p e and t he P o we rful Em ro r and e rm na e s w t h b r o f n c r s e e . p , t i t ith i th A ti h i t s w b e an a e o f s o ac e w e re n G o d w Thi ill g l , h i ill c o ns ole H i s Churc h afte r t he many mo rt ific at i ons and n h ha n ur in h e r o F o r ll afflc s s e d e d e t d . a i tio d e fifth p i nati ons wi ll b e b ro ug ht t o t he uni ty oft he t rue Cat ho li c fai t h . A type o fthis pe rio d was t he s ix th age o fth e o ld o r d ro m t he d e v e ranc e o ft he s rae e s o ut o f w l , f li I lit t he a o ns c a v and t he re b u ld n o f t he B byl i h p ti ity , i i g c and o f t he e m e o f e rus a e m do wn t o t he ity t pl J l , f r As G o dd n d H i e o c o ming o Ch is t . d gla e e s p ple b y t he rebuilding o ft he te mple and o ft he h o ly c ity ; as all kingdo m s and natio ns w e re s ub j ec te d t o t h e R o man Em re and C aes ar u us us t h e m o s o we r u and p i A g t , t p f l e c e e n m o narc a e r v an u s n all hi s e ne m e s x ll t h , ft q i hi g i , g av e fo r fifty-s ix y e ars p e ac e t o t he w o rld : s o will G od o ur o ut u o nH i s C urc a w t ne s s e d int he p p h h , th t i e r n u fflo n h s dan o d o b ut a c t e mo ab un fifth p i ght i ti , t t t c ons olatio ns . Bu th is h appy age will b e us h e re d in h n r m n unde r t e followi g c i c u s ta c e s . Wh e n all is de s o late d with war ; wh e nt he Ch urc h and t he p rie s t s mus t p ay taxe s ; wh e n C atho lic s are o pp re s s ed b y h e re tic s and th e ir faithle s s fe llo w -re ligio nis t s ; wh e n ‘ mo narc h s are murde re d ; subj e c t s o pp re s s e d ; wh e n ric h e s are e x ti rp ate d ; wh en e v e rything c o nc urs t o r n a ou t he e s a s me n o fre u c s e n b i g b t t bli h t p bli , th will t he hand o f the Almighty p ro duc e a marv ellous c an e ac c o rd n t o uman no ons s e e m n im h g , i g h ti i gly F po s s ible . o r that s tro ng monarc h (wh o se name i s

1 8 8 The c oming ofAnt i c h rist n many centuries , the immediate comi g of Anti

christ is not yet to be feared , for most assuredly that age of grace which is to precede his adv ent ff is still far o . At the same time among the multitude of a v writers , both ncient and modern , who ha e n treated of A tichrist and the end of the world , v v the greatest di ersity of iew prevails , not only with regard to the time of the second coming of the Son of man , but also with regard to the character and order of those occurrences which are to herald His approach . The quaint legend v re pre alent in the later Middle Ages , which counted the whole history of Antichrist from his n porte tous birth to his destruction at Jerusalem , together with the marvellous preaching of Enoch and Elias (identified with the two witnesse s of Apoc . xi . 3 is not now , of course , accepted with the same unquestioning faith as formerly ; but the belief in a personal Antichrist seems still to be general amongst those who incline to a n ‘ co servative interpretation of Holy Scripture . The late Cardinal Newman pointed out long ago in his essay on The Patristical Idea of Anti ” o f Trac ts or t he christ , published as one the f Ti m es 1 8 8 v in 3 , that it“was the uni ersal tradition of the early Church that Antichrist is one in — dividual man , not a power not a mere ethical

1 The Ab b é A. C aufard for e xam e ub i s e d s ev e ra h f , pl , p l h l b oo s i n 1 8 a nd 1 8 de a in wi t he c omin o fAnic ri s k 93 9 4 l g th g t h t , t he b es no wn o fw i c er a s i s La Rév la ti o n de 5 e an t k h h p h p é . j ’ e t l e ro c hain rand r e ne de l E li s e ari s 1 n h 8 . O t e o er p g g g , P , 94 th The Diana Vaugh anMyt h 1 8 9 spirit or a political system , not a dynasty or suc cessionof rulers and in reprinting this essay 1 8 2 in 7 , he added nothing to indicate that his v iews on this matter had undergone any change .

The question cannot be discussed here , but it

may be noted that , as in the days of St . Vincent

Ferrer , so of recent years the belief in the near s al coming of a per on Antichrist has led , especially ext rav a at times of religious unrest , to many gances of superstition and credulity . It will be remembered that the most objectionable features of the D iana Vaughan myth were cunningly dev ised by Le o Taxil to trade on this common n expectatio of pious Catholics . But even among those who regard the Apocalypse as an n e tirely prophetic document , there still remains the widest divergence of view with regard to its chronology , and it may be noted that a learned D n P ére a o omi ican , Gallois , writing some years g l R ev ue B i b li ue in the q , not only argues in favour

of a modified Millenarianism , but supposes that this thousand years of peace in the Church is to ’ follow , not to precede , the period of Antichrist s

dominion . In all this confusion and conflict of opinion the only thing upon which we can lay

and ma no e a n C o o e . , y J . R a on who a er t wo h I t th t l l L tt , , ft re v i o us a o c a i c wor s ub i s ed in 1 1 2 a b oo c a ed p p lypt k , p l h 9 k ll The A o c al se o S t o hn w i . c i s dedi c a ed t o C ardina p yp f j , h h t l Bo urne de rec a e s t he ide a o f an an ro omor h ic Ani , p t th p p t re mar in a Ani c ri s i s a mo v emen not a k g th t t h t t, 2 2 (p . 5 1 - Se e t he R ev ue Bi b i ue 1 8 . 8 0 and 06 l q , 9 3 , pp 3 4 43 5 PP 357 74 1 9 0 The c o ming ofAnt ic h rist stress with any sense of security is that utter n a ce of our Saviour , the very language of which conveys so marked an emphasis : B ut of that day or hour no man knoweth , neither the angels in heaven , nor the Son , but (only) the

Father (Mark xiii .

TH E END .

A IT RES S LI MITE P RINTERS ETCHW O RTH G R EN C Y P . D D , , L

B Y A L I C E M E Y N E L L

3 . net COLLE CTED POETRY. 5 . i a or rai in Compl ete in one v olum e . W th P t t

o o rav ure a er OHN S. SA R GEN T R . A. Ph t g ft J , - r m eri a 1 6mo rin e d onm ou d m ade a e . P t l p p I p l , The limi t ed handmade b ound in b uc ram i . k , g lt paper edi ti oni s exhaust ed. n The l as t v ers e ofthat p erfe c tly he av e ly ’ e er rom a Gir t o H er Own Old A e t he L tt f l g , ’ ’ w o e of San oren o s Mo er and t he end of h l L z th , ’ ne 3 ai s are t he nes i n s t he son To D , g t y fi t”th I r er e - 011 N hav e yet se en or felt inmode n v s . J

Rus e .

r e 1 s ne . THE SHEPHERDE SS and Othe P o ms . . t a r rai One of t he H ound of With P o t t .

en Seri ra ered in a onv el um . H eav es . W pp J p l

net . 3 . COLLECTED E SSAYS. 5 ’ e n one ume rom t he Au or s Coll e c t d i to v ol f —th fiv e prev i ously pub lished b ooks ofE ssays TH E RH Y HM OF I CO OUR OF T L FE , THE L I F TH E SP I RI OF P AC TH E L E , T L E , ’ CHI DR N C R S R UNAWAY—w i c L E , E E h h r Uni form i t he CO C D a e out ofprint . w th LLE TE n e on mou d-m ade P O R Y ab ov e . ri d ET , P t l

r eri al 1 6mo b ound inb uc ram i . a e . m p p I p , k , g lt n ar e handmade There i s also an Edi ti on o l g a er limi t ed t o 2 0 numbered c o i es bound i n p p , 5 p , blue M i challet boards ri c e ros . 6d. net o whi c h , p , f l a few c opi es still remai nunso d. ’ r e nell a ers are i e s ermons M s . M s y p p l ttl , er n Let no one unins ruct ed b em ideal s mo s . t y th

a e ri at t h e i e e are not re ac hment s . t k f ght t tl , th y p They l e av e a s ense ofstill ed singing int he mi nd

l The ri in i s im id ini t s de s . they fil . w t g l p pth I c an fanc y M atthew Arnold lighting on suc h ess a s s a in wi re reshmen Sh e c an y , y g th f t, write ! It does not s eem t o me t oo b old t o ima ine Car e is enin wi ou t he we ari ul g lyl l t g, th t f ’ es ure t o hi s Wi e s re adin oft he s ame earin g t , f g , h g em t o t he end and i v in his c omm en at th , g g t, Th ’ — EO R E MER E ITH . woman thinks . G G D

H A N N W . BURNS O ES 2 8 O RC R ST. AT , D , LO DO , TH E H OU ND OF H EAV EN SERI ES

his s eri es is uniform and eac B oo l et c os s T , h k t r e nd 1 s net in a on e um a a . net . v w 3 in J p ll pp r, 3

im v e v e c a f st l t c hed wi ri b b on. l p l t l , th H UN H A N THE O D OF E V E .

B F RAN CI S TH OM P S N . i a or rai y O W th P t t . HE SH H R SS AND H T EP E DE OT E R POEMS.

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EASTE R POEMS. An Anthology o f P o ems b y RI CHARD CRAS AW G ORG RB RT N RY H , E E HE E , HE VAUG AN F A R FAB R F AT R H , THE E , HE CASWALL F AT R TAB B RAN CI S , HE , F OM P SON KA HARIN TTNAN AL TH , T E , i r nt i i e c e e F R D N OT S . W o s af r Dfi rer E E th F p t .

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