I only intended for the weighty confideration of the gravest perfons. This prejudiced the world fo much at first, that feveral of my friends had the affurance to ask me, whether I were in jeft? to which I only anfwered coldly, that the event would fhew. But it is the talent of our age and nation to turn things of the greatest importance into ridicule. When the end of the year had verified all my predictions, out comes Mr. Partridge's almanac, difputing the point of his death; fo that I am employed, like the general who was forced to kill his enemies twice over, whom a necromancer had raised to life. If Mr. Partridge hath practifed the fame experiment upon himfelf, and be again alive, long may he continue fo; that doth not in the leaft contradict my veracity but I think I have clearly prov ed, by invincible demonftration, that he died at fartheft within half an hour of the time I foretold, and not four hours fooner, as the abovementioned author, in his letter to a lord, hath maliciously fuggefted, with defign to blast my credit by charging me with fo grofs a mistake.

A FA

A

FAMOUS PREDICTION

OF

MERLIN,

The British Wizard.

Written above a Thousand Years ago, and relating to the Year 1709.

With explanatory Notes, by T. N. Philomath.

LAST year was publifhed a paper of pre

dictions, pretended to be written by one Ifaac Bickerftaff, efq; but the true defign of it was to difcourage the art of aftrology, and expofe its profeffors as ignorant or impoftors. Against this imputation Dr. Partridge hath learnedly vindicated himself in his almanac for that year.

For a farther vindication of this famous art, I have thought fit to present 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 feventh's reign. I have found it in an old edition of Merkin's prophecies, imprinted

at

at London by John Hawkins in the year 1530, page 39. I fet it down word for word in the old orthography, and shall take leave to fubjoin a few explanatory notes :

Seven and Ten addyd to Nine,
Of Fraunce her Woe this is the Sygne,
Tamy's Rivere twyns y-frozen,
Walke fans wetyng Shoes ne Hozen.
Then comyth foorthe, Ich underflonde,
From Towne of Stoffe to fattyn Londe,
An hardie Chyftan, woe the Morne
To Fraunce that ever he was born.
Then fhall the Fyfhe beweyle his Boffe;
Nor fball grin Berrys make up the Loffe.
Yonge Symnele fball again miscarrye :
And Norways Pryd again fhall marrey.
And from the Tree where Blofums feele,
Ripe Fruit fhall come, and all is wele,
Reaums fhall daunce Honde in Honde,
And it fhall be merrye in old Inglonde,
Then old Inglonde shall be no more,
And no Man fhall be forie therefore,
Geryon fhall have three Hedes agayne,
Till Hapfburge makyth them but twayne.

Explanatory Notes.

Seven and Ten. This line defcribes the year when these 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 underflood of the natural year, which begins. the firft of January.

Tamy's

Tamys Rivere twys, &c. The river Thames frozen twice in one year, fo as men to walk on it, is a very signal accident, which perhaps hath not fallen out for feveral hundred years before, and is the reason why some astrologers have thought, that this prophecy could never be fulfilled, because they imagined fuch a thing would never happen in our climate.

From Town of Stoffe, &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 predictions.

Then fhall the Fyfbe, &c. By the fifb, is understood the dauphin of France, as their kings eldeft fons are called: it is here faid, he thall lament the lofs of the duke of Burgundy, called the Boffe, which is an old english word for bump-fhoulder, or crook-back, as that duke is known to be; and the prophecy feems to mean, that he fhould be overcome or flain. By the green berrys, in the next line, is meant the young duke of Berry, the dauphin's third fon, who fhall not have valour or fortune enough to fupply the lofs of his eldest brother.

Yonge Symnele, &c. By Symnele is meant the pretended prince of Wales, who, if he offers to attempt any thing against England, shall mifcarry as he did before. Lambert Symnele is the name of a young man, noted in our hif

tories for perfonating the fon (as I remember) of Edward the fourth.

*

And Norway's Pryd, &c. I cannot guess who is meant by Norway's pride, perhaps the reader may, as well as the fenfe 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 shall 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. Geyon 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 verified; for, befides the king of Portugal, which is properly part of Spain, there are now two rivals for Spain, Charles and Philip: but Charles, being defcended from the count of Hapfburgh, founder of the Aufirian family, fhall foon make thofe heads but two by overturning Philip, and driving him out of Spain.

Some of thefe predictions are already fulfilled, and it is highly probable the rest may

P

• Queen Anne.

be