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Profonde argille blanche nourrir rochier,
Qui d’un abysme istra lacticineuse,
En vain troubles ne l’oseront toucher
Ignorans estre au fond terre argilleuse.
I do not think that Nostradamus’s 16th century medical knowledge would give him much expertise in the geological field. That said, he does seem to try to describe what he sees and tries to understand what he saw. It is possible that Nostradamus saw a particular type of iron ore. Iron ores vary in color, though I have not heard of a while colored iron ore. Standard white colored ores are manganese and nickel. However, it is possible that he was describing a genuine white clay.
The quatrain is self-descriptive. I will leave it to the knowledge of the reader to figure out.
Ce qui vivra & n’ayant aucun sens,
Viendra leser à mort son artifice :
Autun, Chalon, Langres & les deux Sens,
La Gresle & Glace fera grand malefice.
We have Doctor Theophilus de Garenciéres to thank for the interpretation of this one. Like Nostradamus, he was a Doctor de Physique. In our days we would call him a medical doctor. Therefore, this is something he would have some authority in. In his own writing from “The True Prophecies or Prognostications of Nostradamus” he wrote (sic): “This is a great Riddle, which was never found out till now; and had I not been born in the Countrey where the History did happen, it might have been unknown to this day, and buried in oblivion.”
In 1613, there lived in one of the two towns of Sens, a lady named Columba Chatry. For twenty eight years, she claimed to be with child. She had all the signs of it, and after having gone through the normal time of pregnancy, was starting to give birth, when for some reason it stopped. For the rest of her life, she was complaining of pain, which she described as a hard swelling and gripping.
After her death, her husband engaged some physicians to do an autopsy. As they cut open the enlarged belly, they found a petrified embryo, perfectly formed and partially petrified. It’s wrist was broken as the corpse was taken out of the dead mother (a device will wrong it).
Dr. Garenciéres declares that in that same year as the autopsy, the towns listed in line 3 suffered much damage and turmoil due to hail and ice. He asserts that at the time of his writing there were still people alive who could testify to the truth of this last claim. In my opinion, the damage must have been severe for people to remember the storms.
Au mois troisiesme se leuant le soleil,
Sanglier liepard au champ mars pour côbatre,
Liepard laisse au ceil extende son oeil,
Un aigle aurour du soleil voyt s’esbatre.
This is one of the most stunningly accurate quatrains Nostradamus ever wrote. Every detail is correct, though the quatrain does lend itself to false interpretations. Nevertheless, once the details are understood, the quatrain reads like an open book. It could only have got more impressive if Nostradamus had put an actual date, like he did in Quatrain 49 of this century.
Napoléon gave the names that Nostradamus would use in this quatrain. The English Wellington was the leopard, mainly because Napoléon considered the heraldic lions on the British coat of arms to be leopards. The boar was Blücher, Napoléon called him this because he was relentless in his opposition to Napoléon. The eagle is, of course, Napoléon and the French. Waterloo was the one battle where all three met.
Even the time was correctly specified; the third month of Napoléon’s last reign. To understand this, it must be noted that Napoléon officially regained his throne on the 20th of March in the year 1815. The first month was the time between March 20th to April 19th, the second month was April 20th to May 19th. The third and critical month was May 20th to June 19th. The battle of Waterloo occurred on the 18th of June, two days before the fourth month of his reign would begin.
Wellington arrived at Waterloo before Napoléon did and set up his order of battle based on the land and his reports. When Napoléon came, though outnumbered, Wellington was ready. Arround noontime, Napoléon attacked from the south. This meant that to Wellington’s eyes, he would see the imperial standards (an eagle) flapping under the sun. But this is not the moment of the quatrain, it does not describe the battle itself.
The battle was stressful and battered both sides. Towards what we now know to have been the end of the battle, Wellington, exhausted by the strain, was actually debating whether to retreat after night fell. Around 5:00 in the afternoon a cloud of dust was seen off to the north east. Napoléon thought it was his general Grouchy. Unfortunately for the emperor, it was Blücher, the Prussian boar, who arrived to assist Wellington in battle. The French broke and retreated towards France, which was towards the southwest. The sun was now lower in the sky, some of the banners of the Imperial Eagle would be flying in the sun to Wellington’s weary eyes. This was the moment described by Nostradamus. Napoléon’s days were over.
A cité neuvue pensif pour condemner,
L’oisel de proye au ceil fe vient offrit,
Apres victorie a captifs pardonner,
Cremôe & Mârone grâds maux aura souffert.
The new city is normally either a city in the Americas or it is the city of Geneva or Naples, Genoa because it is a relatively new city, Naples because its name means New City. The bird of prey would have to be the leader of a nation that takes for its symbol a bird of prey, like a hawk or, more commonly, an eagle. Multiple nations have taken the eagle as their symbol: Russia, Germany, Austria, Spain, the United States and, during the empire, France. Cremona and Mantua are both in northern Italy.
The closest I can come to explaining this seemed to have happened during the early days of the Napoléonic Wars. At this time, the Directory was in power. Napoléon was in Italy and he laid siege to Mantua. But as far as I know, he did not do anything to Cremona. Of course, it could be that Cremona and Mantua here represent northern Italy, which would make sense. What supports this interpretation is that Napoléon was reputed to have dealt generously with the defeated, his standard would become the eagle, and the quatrain agrees with his campaign in Northern Italy. The only problem is the new city. Geneva is in Switzerland and Naples is in southern Italy, so, unless there is another new city in northern Italy, this has to refer to the future.
Perdu, trouve, caché de long siecle,
Sera pasteur demi deus honore,
Ains que la lune acheve son grand cycle
Par autres veux sera deshonoré.
The discovery by Louis Pasteur that microbes thrived in the air and their importance in infections lead doctors to over-react and start using antibiotics and chemicals to deal with even minor illnesses. Nostradamus, the doctor of physique, would definitely be interested in such a monumental discovery that would have ramifications for centuries.
However, note that Nostradamus indicates that Pasteur is honored as a demi-god. A demi-god was a mythical being of great power and intellect. Not as strong or as knowledgeable as a true god, a demi-god was still superior to even the most powerful and intelligent of humans. Their very utterances and deeds were objects of worship and considered to be of great import, more important than what even the best of humans could do. Nostradamus indicates that Pasteur is honored as a demi-god, a being whose discoveries were considered to be more than merely human. This has certain consequences that the medical community has deliberately fallen into.
The consequence here is that the medical community abandoned and forgot the ancient homeopathic methods where the doctor encourages the patient into healthy living. Antibiotics was considered to be the new medical king, there was nothing they could not solve. Common people bought into the dream of antibiotics, demanding their use even in the instance of a common cold. People started to live slothful, lazy lives, convinced that antibiotics would cure them of any and all problems.
Nowadays, with the news that antibiotics are failing, some doctors are completely discrediting the discoveries of Pasteur, returning to homeopathic type practices. As for the cycle of the Moon, well, in Century 3 Quatrain 97, if I am accurate on the last line, indicates that we were still in the lunar cycle as of the beginning of the 21st century.
I strongly suspect that Nostradamus, the physician, condemns both approaches taken in isolation. Neither just one or just the other by itself is sufficient. Instead, both are vital. Homeopathic for the general life, the antibiotics for specific cases when necessary. But then, this is just me, a pragmatic individual, saying this.
Le grand du fouldre tumbe d’heure diurne,
Mal & predict par porteur postulaire,
Suivant presaige tumbe d’heure nocturne,
Conflit Reims, Londres, Etrusque pestifere.
This seems pretty straightforward though a bit of understanding is necessary. The thunderbolt is the symbol of Zeus, the leader of the Greek Gods. The great one of the thunderbolt would have to be one who has what is known as a jovial disposition. Most likely, this refers to a king or leader who has a jovial and friendly personality. This fall is an evil that is predicted by someone well known. The same prediction also predicts that the someone will fall in a dark hour. The hour is both daytime and nighttime, only one of which can be literal, the other must be metaphorical. The last line indicates great conflict going on in France (Reims) and England (London), as well as an Etruscan (Northern Italian) plague which can be literal or metaphorical for a war that is brewing or active.
This refers to the death of Henri IV. He had premonitions about his death. The queen’s astrologer had told him that his death was approaching and to remain inside on the 14th of May, in order to avoid a possible death. Henri was gloomy all day, until a guard mentioned that it might do him some good to get out into the air. Upon that advice, Henri donned his breastplate (left open due to the heat) and boarded his carriage with a few friends. He was assassinated by Françoise Ravaillac, a fanatic trained by the Jesuits and Franciscans, creating a dark hour in France. True to the last line, there was conflict in France due to the assassination, London due to the problems between James I and Parliament, and in northern Italy due to Spanish warlike pretentions. In none of the cases did war actually break out.
Dessoubz de chaine Guien du ciel frappe,
Non loing de la est cache le tresor :
Qui par longs siecles avoit este grappé,
Trouvé mourra: l’oeil crevé de ressort.
The only place knowable is Guienne, which is in France. I cannot however figure out the rest of it. Almost assuredly, this refers to the future.
La tour de Bouq gaindra fuste Barbare,
Un temps long temps apres barque hesperique :
Bestail, gens meubles tousdeux ferót grâs tare
Taurus & Libra quelle mortelle picquel.
Note on Translation: Hesperia is from Virgil’s Aenied. It is, according to Virgil, the ancient Greek name for Italy.
The Tower of Bouq is literally a play on words. It hast two meanings, both of which apply. The first refers to the fortress of Belgium. The Bocq River is a small river in the Namur province of Belgium. The Tower of Bouq therefore refers to the fortress of Belgium. Belgium will fear the Barbarian (German) forces, then it will fear the forces of the West. The third line refers to the tremendous damage that occurred. But the second reference to the Tiower of Bouq is equally true. Tobruk was a fortress easily seized by the British during the Second World War, then for a long time afraid of the only real strength Italy had – her fleet.
The fourth line definitely places the quatrain in the Second World War: the conflict between Taurus and Libra. In the 96th quatrain of the fourth century, Nostradamus clearly put Britain as the Kingdom of the Balance. Libra, the scales of balance, refers therefore to Britain. And Adolf Hitler was born a Taurus. During the Second World War, Hitler was the German government. France, so involved in the First World War, was reduced to being a bystander or minor participant for most of the Second. So the quatrain is literally talking about the furious struggle between the British nation and the man called Hitler.
This is what literally happened. Belgium, allied to the west, is afraid of German plans, resolutely stood by and proclaimed neutrality, hoping in vain to prevent the attack that had occurred twenty five years prior. It was a hope in vain. The Germans struck and, after a furious fight, Belgium was defeated. Then, after Italy (Hesperia) joined the war, Britain captured and fortified Tobruk, which then had a mortal and justified fear of the Italian fleet.
Quand le poisson terrestre & aquatique
Par force vague au grauier sera mis,
Sa forme estrange suave & horrifique,
Par mer aux murs bien rost les ennemis.
The first three lines refer to an aquatic tank, known as D. D. Tanks; they were specifically designed for this battle. Instead of being transported on huge transport ships, they swam on the sea, emerging on the beaches fully armed and ready to fight. While a great many floundered and sank during the crossing of the channel due to the rough weather, a great number got to the beaches and were quite effective in the three British beachheads – Gold, Juno and Sword.
The last line refers to the actual armada that sailed from the assembly point near the Isle of Wight to the Atlantic Wall, a series of obstacles starting on the coast of France and extending slightly inland.
La nef estrange par le tourment marin
Aboudera pres de port incogneu,
Nonoblant fignes de rameau palmeria
Apres mort, pille: bon avis tard venu.
The palm branch seems to be a sign of a flag. Just what the ship is or why it is going into the harbor is unknown to me. But of course, we have to know just what flag it is. It is unknown to me; most likely this refers to the future.
The only question is, does the ship cause the ransacking of the port, or does the port entice the ship in and then ransack it? From the quatrain, I cannot tell.