The Epistle to Cesar

and the Prophets, by means only of the immortal God and good Angels, have received the Spirit of Vaticination by which they foresee things and foretell future events. For nothing is perfect without Him, whose power and goodness is so great to his Creatures, that though they be just men, nevertheless by the likeness of our good Genius to the Angels, this heat and Prophetical power draws near us, as it happens by beams of the sun that cast their influence both on Elementary and non-Elementary bodies. As for us, who are men, we cannot attain by our natural knowledge anything of the secrets of God the Creator. “FOR IT IS NOT FOR US TO KNOW THE TIMES OR THE INSTANCES, ETC.”

Besides, there is, or may come, some persons whom God Almighty will reveal by impressions made upon his understanding some secrets of the future, according to Judicial Astrology, as has happened in former times. A certain power and voluntary faculty possesses them as a flame of fire, so that by His inspiration, they were able to judge of Divine and Human things. For the divine works that are absolutely necessary are performed by God. There are also those who are performed by angels in the middle: and a third sort the poor.

But, my son, I speak to you here too obscurely, due to the occult soothsaying’s that are accepted by the subtle spirit of fire, which sometimes by the agitated understanding considering heavenly bodies most high, as active and vigilant in pronouncing without fear of any shameful loquacity. For all things proceed from the Divine Power of the Eternal God, from whom all goodness flows.

My son, though I have inserted the name of Prophet here, I will not attach so high and sublime a title to myself. HE WHO IS CALLED A PROPHET WAS ONCE CALLED A SEER. Because properly speaking a Prophet, my son, is the one who sees things remote from the natural knowledge of any creature. And in any case, it happens that the Prophet, by means of the perfect light of prophecy, perceive things divine, as human, which he is not able to make, due to that the effects of the intended prediction comprehended from far away. This is because the secrets of God are incomprehensible, the virtuous power from afar contingent off the natural knowledge, the next origin of the free will, making appear the reasons which by them they cannot acquire notice by their cognizance, nor by human beings, omens given not by other intelligence or occult virtues, comprised under the concavity of the Heavens, of the present fact of the complete eternity which comes itself to embrace at all times. Instead it comes from some indivisible eternal being, by Herculean committal agitation, the causes known only by the celestial movements.

And even though certain occult philosophies were not condemned, I have never been persuaded to meddle with them, even though several volumes which were long hidden were presented to me. But doubting what might happen, after I had read them I presented them to Vulcan. As he was devouring them, the flame mixing with the air gave a brilliant clarity, brighter than natural flame, illuminating the house as if it was in a sudden conflagration. So that you are not abused in the search for the perfect transformation, as much lunar and solar, whether of the incorruptible metals under the earth or hidden under the waters, I have reduced them to ashes.

But for the judgment that comes to be perfected by the celestial judgment, this I will reveal to you. It is by this means that one has knowledge of future events, rejecting out of hand all fantastic imaginations which will happen, restricting the feature of places by divine supernatural inspiration, in accordance to the celestial figures, the places and a part of the time by a hidden property through virtue, potency, and divine faculty, in the presence of which the three times are comprehended by eternity, revolution bound to the past, present and future: FOR ALL THINGS ARE NAKED AND OPEN.

In this way, my son, you can easily, notwithstanding your tender brain, understand those things which are to happen, which were prophesied by nocturnal and celestial luminaries, which are natural, and by the mind of prophecy. Not that I am meant to allocate what is not there, the prophetic effect, but by waking inspiration, as a mortal human, with no fewer senses in the Heavens as feet on the earth. I WILL NOT ERR, FAIL OR BE DECEIVED. To follow sin is greater than everyone of this world, subject to all human afflictions. But being surprised by lymphatic belief, and by long calculations, which makes the nocturnal studies have a sweet smell, I have composed Books of prophecies containing each one hundred astronomical prophecies, which I have written with obscurity, and are perpetual prognostications, till the year 3797. This will probably make some withdraw their foreheads in some ways, seeing so long an extension, for below the concavity of the Moon these will take place: And it hearing universal reasons throughout all the earth, my son. If you saw the natural and human age, you will see by diverse climates, literally the Heavens of your nativity, the future adventures occur.

How true it is that only God eternal is the one who knows the eternity of his light, which proceeds from himself. I say quite frankly that those who him his huge magnitude, which is abundant and incomprehensible, wanted to reveal things by long inspiration and melancholy attitude, that for hidden reasons are divinely revealed. In most cases there are two principle reasons, which are comprised in the understanding of those inspired to prophecy. There are those who through the supernatural light who predict by the doctrine of the Heavenly bodies. There are also those who prophecy by divine revelation, which is a certain participation of the divine eternity, by which the Prophet comes to judge of it that its divine mind was given to him by means of God the Creator, and by a natural inspiration. It is to know that what is predicted is true, and of pristine origin. And such light by the thin flame is very efficient and of such attitude just as much as the natural clarity and natural light returns to the Philosophers their assurance that for the principles of the premier reason are attained in the deepest abyss of the highest doctrines.

But in the end, my son, I must not put too much faith in the capacity of your sense. For however I find that writing will undergo such a huge and unparalleled collapse, and I find the world, before the universal conflagration, will undergo so many deluges and great inundations, that there will not be any land that is not once covered by water. For a long time, as except for the enographies and topographies, the whole would be lost.

Also, before and after such inundations, in several countries, rains will be so slight, and there will be so much fire and burning stones falling from heaven, that nothing shall remain unconsumed. And this will happen in brief, before the final conflagration.

Because again the planet Mars is approaching its cycle, at the end of its last period it will begin again. But for several years with some will be in Aquarius, the other in Cancer for longer and more uninterrupted. Now we are in the time of the Moon, the movement in accord with the power of God eternal, and before it has completed it circuit, the Sun will come, and then Saturn.

Because according to celestial signs, the reign of Saturn will be back, the whole being calculated, the world approaches an anaragonik revolution. At this present as I write this, before one hundred seventy seven years three months eleven days by pestilence, long famine and wars, and more by inundations, the world, between now and the predicted term, before and after by several times, will be so diminished and the people so few that they will not find those to take the fields, which will remain fallow for as long as they were plowed. And this is by the visible celestial judgment.

How so that by ambiguous opinions that exceed any natural reasons by Muhammadan dreams, at times God the Creator, by the ministry of his messengers of fire, in the missive flame, comes to offer to our exterior senses reasons of intended (as judged by our opinions) predictions, significantly of the future which owes to the one who demonstrates prophecy. Because the prophecy which is made of the luminous exterior comes to infallibly judge different parties, and for the luminous exterior. How true it is that a party seems to have by the eye of understanding, what are just the lessons of intuitive sense. Reason is excessively evident, and being predicted by an affiliation to the divine, and by means of Angelic minds inspire in the prophetic man, anointed by soothsaying’s coming to illuminate, he that moves the deviant of the fantasy by diverse nocturnal apparitions. By daytime certain prophecies by Astronomic administration, coinciding with the sacred revelations, is nothing less than the exercise of free courage.

Come to this, the hour, to hear, my son, that I find by me revolutions, which are agreeable in joyful inspiration, that the lethal double-edged sword goes up to us supported by plague, by war more horrible that the lifetimes of three generations have not seen it, and famine which will fall on the earth and often go back to it, because heavenly bodies agree with the revolution. I WILL VISIT THEIR SINS WITH A ROD OF IRON AND STRIKE THEM WITH LASHES. For the mercies of God will not be spread a while, my son, before most of my prophecies are fulfilled and come to the time of their accomplishment.

Then by several times during this disaster there will be storms. I WILL TRAMPLE AND BREAK THEM, the Lord will say, AND WILL HAVE NO MERCY. And a thousand other adventures which will happen by water and continuous rains, as I have more fully written in my other prophecies, which are written out at length IN PLAIN PROSE, specifying the places and times, restricting the places, that the people of the future will see. The adventures will infallibly happen, just as we have noted in the others, spoken more clearly, notwithstanding that under a veil of ignorance will the matters be known. BUT WHEN THE TIME COMES FOR THE REMOVAL OF IGNORANCE the matter will be clearer.

Making an end, my son, accept this gift of your father Michael Nostradamus, who hopes to explain to you each prophecy of the quatrains. Praying to the undying God that He will present to you a long life, in good and prosperous happiness.

From Salon the 1st of March, 1555.