A

Famous Prediction

OF

MERLIN,

THE

British Wizard.

Written above a Thousand Years ago, and re lating to this prefent Year, 1709.

With Explanatary Notes. By T. N. Philomath.

L

AST Year was publish'd a Paper of Predictions pretended to be written by one Ifaac Bickerstaff, Efq; but the true Defign of it was to ridicule the Art of Aftrology, and expofe its Profeffors as Ignorant or Impoftors. Against this Imputation, Dr. ParBridge hath vindicated himself in his Almanack for the prefent Year.

For

FOR a farther Vindication of this famous Art, I have thought fit to prefent the World with the following Prophecy. The Original is faid to be of the famous Merlin, who lived about a Thousand Years ago: And the following Tranflation is Two Hundred Years old; for it feems to be written near the End of Henry the Seventh's Reign. And I found it in an Old Eddition of Merlin's Prophecies; imprinted at London by Joban. Haukyns, in the Year 1530, Page 39. I fet it down Word for Word in the Old Orthography, and fhall take leave to fubjoyn a few Explanatory Notes.

EVEN and Ten addyd to Nyne,

Of Fraunce hir woe thys is the fygne,
Tamys rivere twys y frozen,

Walke fans wetynge Shoes ne hozen...
Then comyth foorthe, Ich understonde,
From Toune of Stoffe to fattyn Londe,
An herdie Chiftan, woe the morne
•To Fraunce, that evere he was borne.
Then fhall the Fyfhe beweyle his Boffe;
Nor fhall grin Berrys make up the Loffe.
Yonge Symnele fhall again mifcarrye:
And Norways pryd again fhall marrey.
And from the Tree where Blofums fele,
Ripe Fruit, fhall come, and all is wele.
Reaums fhall daunce honde in honde,
And it fhall be merye in olde Inglonde.
Then old Inglonde fhall be no more,
And no Man fhall be forie therefore."
Geryon fhall have three Hedes
sagayne,
Till Hapsburge maketh them but twayne.

ΚΟΥ

EXPLANATORY NOTES.

Seven and Ten. THIS Line describes the Year when thefe Events fhall happen. Seven and Ten makes Seventeen, which I Explain Seventeen Hundred; and this Number added to Nine, makes the Year we are now in: For it must be understood of the Natural Year, which begins the First of January.

Tamys Rivere twys, &c. THE River Thames frozen twice in one. Year, fo as Men to walk on it, is a very fignal Accident; which perhaps hath not fallen out for feveral Hundred Years before, and is the Reafon, why fome Aftrologers have thought that this Prophecy could never be fulfilled, because they imagined fuch a thing would never happen in our Climate.

From Toune of Steffe, &c. This is a plain Defignation of the Duke of Marlborough; One kind of Stuff used to fatten Land is called Marle, and every body knows that Borough is a Name for a Town; and this way of Expreffion is after the ufual dark manner of Old Aftrological Predicti

ons.

Then fhall the Fyfhe, &c. By the Fifb is underftood the Dolphin of France, as their Kings Eldeft Sons are called: 'Tis here faid, he fhall lament the Lofs of the Duke of Burgundy, called the Boffe, which is an old English Word for Hump Shoulder, or Crook-Back, as that Duke is known to be; and the Prophecy feems to mean, that he fhall be overcome or flain. By the Green Berrys in the next Line, is meant, the young Duke of Berry, the Dauphin's Third Son, who fhall not have Valour or Fortune enough to fupply the Lofs of his Eldeft Brother.

Young

Young Symnele, &c. By Symnele is meant the Pretended Prince of Wales, who, if he offers to attempt any thing against England, fhall miscarry, as he did before. Lambert Symnele is the Name of a Young Man noted in our Hiftories for Perfonating the Son (as I remember) of Edward the Fourth.

And Norways Pryd, &c. I cannot guess who is meant by Norway's Pride, perhaps the Reader may, as well as the Senfe of the two following Lines.

Reaums fhall, &c. Reaums, or, as the Word is now, Realms, is the old Name for Kingdoms: And this is a very plain Prediction of our happy Union, with the Felicities that fhall attend it. It is added, That Old England fhall be no more, and yet no Man fhall be forry for it. And indeed, properly fpeaking, England is now no more, for the whole Ifland is one Kingdom under the Name of Britain.

Geryon fall, &c. THIS Prediction, though fomewhat obfcure, is wonderfully adapt. Geryon is faid to have been a King of Spain, whom Hercules flew. It was a Fiction of the Poets, that he had Three Heads, which the Author fays he fhall have again. That is, Spain fhall have Three Kings; which is now wonderfully verifi'd: For befides the King of Portugal, which properly is part of Spain, there are now Two Rivals for Spain; Charles and Philip. But Charles, being defcended from the Count of Hapsburgh, Founder of the Auftrian Family, fhall foon make thofe Heads but Two; by Overcoming Philip, and driving him our of Spain.

SOME of thefe Predictions are already fulfilled; and it is highly probable the reft may be

3

in due Time: And, I think, I have not forced the Words by my Explication into any other Senfe than what they will naturally bear. If this be granted, I am fure it must be also allow'd, that the Author, whoever he were, was a Perfon of Extraordinary Sagacity: And that Aftrology brought to fuch a Perfection as this, is by no means an Art to be defpis'd; whatever Mr. Bickerstaff, or other Merry Gentlemen are pleased to think. As to the Tradition of thefe Lines, having been writ in the Original by Merlin; I confefs, I lay not much Weight upon it: But it is enough to juftify their Authority, that the Book from whence I have tranfcrib'd them, was printed 170 Years ago, as. appears by the Title Page. For the Satisfaction of any Gentleman, who may be either Doubtful of the Truth, or Curious to be inform'd; I fhall give order to have the very Book fent to the Printer of this Paper, with Directions to let any Body fee it that pleafes; because, I believe it is pretty fcarce.