Oracles of Nostradamus

A GENUINE DATE-STAMPED 1940 1ST EDITION THAT IS NOW 83 YEARS OLD & IN VERY GOOD CONDITION
DISCUSSED: END OF DAYS, PROPHECY, DIVINATION, MAGIC, OCCULTISM, CLAIRVOYANCE, & MUCH MUCH MORE.

Nostradamus, the French astrologer, and physician whose prophecies earned him fame and a loyal following during his lifetime, was born in 1503. In the centuries since his death, people have credited him with accurately predicting pivotal events in history, from the French Revolution to the rise of Germany to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and even the 2020 coronavirus. His book, The Prophecies, was published in 1555 and has since earned him worldwide fame. According to Nostradamus, the world is slated to end in the year 3797.

A medieval prophet of astonishing accuracy, Nostradamus was born in St. Remy in 1503, and he had an excellent reputation as a physician long before he became famous for his prophecies, which shook the civilized world and an enlarged edition was subsequently published in 1588; dedicated to Henry II, King of France. The Oracles of Nostradamus is a reprint of the edition edited by Chas. A. Ward, a noted British scholar and historian. It contains a brief but comprehensive biography and an illuminating chapter on magic and astrology.

Ward is one of the best-known 'Nostradamians'. He is an emphatic believer in the accuracy of the predictions, and he marshals a huge amount of linguistic and historical erudition to make his case. He is also a consummate stylist; his convoluted Victorian prose will leave many readers rubbing their eyes. At times his writing becomes almost (inadvertently) Joycean (for instance, his rhapsody on Napoleon on p. 250).

Ward makes some key points for any prospective interpreter of Nostradamus. First of all, Nostradamus' text is not written entirely in French; certainly it would not serve as a good text to learn modern French. He mixes 16th Century French, Latin, Lang d'Oc (a Provençal dialect of French similar to Catalan), words of his own invention such as anagrams and strange amalgams; as well as (cue the echo chamber) words from the future. I've already pointed out the startling term 'Eussouis' (USA) in my essay on 9/11. Ward notes (see page 130) that Nostradamus uses a slang word, in context, for a component of an improved flintlock ('dog') nearly a century before it was invented. Nostradamus also uses a term for conscription (see p. 248) in a sense not used until about 1800.

Another point that comes up, again and again, is that it is almost impossible to use Nostradamus to actually predict events. The predictions usually only make sense in hindsight. It is far too easy to predict 'there will be earthquakes, floods, famine'. What distinguishes Nostradamus is the accuracy of his 'hits' when viewed in the rearview mirror. In particular, Wards' exposition of Nostradamus' presages of specific events of the french revolution is one of the strongest portions of the book. Nostradamus predicts details of the unfolding events that are far too close to be a coincidence, yet would have made no sense whatsoever when first published. For instance, constant reference to 'a place of tiles' is made (the Tuileries), long before it was constructed.

Lastly, Ward makes interesting speculation about Nostradamus' method. He hypothesizes that Nostradamus viewed and heard the events he described in sequence and wrote prose notes; subsequently, he composed the enigmatic poetry, cut them into separate verses and randomized them (anticipating the surrealist poets, perhaps?). Although Ward only details 15% of Nostradamus' verses, he ties them together into a sequence which makes a great deal of sense.