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.

AST year was published a paper

of preIfaac Bickerstaff, 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 '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 feventh's reign. I have found it in an old edition of Merlin'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 subjoin 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 underfonde,
From Towne of Stoffe to fattyn Londe,
An hardie Chyftan, woe the Morne
To Fraunce that ever he was born.
Then fball the Fybe beweyle his Boffe;
Nor ball grin Berrys make up the Loffe.
Yonge Symnele fhall 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 Ingloude 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 feventeen, 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 first 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 fignal accident, which perhaps hath not fallen out for feveral hundred years before, and is the reason why fome 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 ftuff ufed 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 fhall 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, fhall 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 shall be no more, and yet no man fhall be forry for it. And indeed, properly fpeaking, England is now no more, for the whole island is one kingdom under the name of Britain.

Geryon fhall, &c. This prediction, though fomewhat obfcure, is wonderfully adapt. Geryon is faid to have been a king of Spain, whom Hercules new. It was a fiction of the poets, that he had three heads, which the author fays he fhall have again: that is, Spain shall 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 Austrian family, fhall foon make thole 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 reft may

P

* Queen Anne.

be

be in due time and I think I have not forced the words by my explication into any other fenfe, than what they will naturally bear. If this be granted, I am fure it must be also allowed, that the author (whoever he were) was a perfon of extraordinary fagacity; and that aftrology brought to fuch perfection as this is by no means an art to be defpifed, whatever Mr. Bickerfaff, or other merry gentlemen are pleafed to think. As to the tradition of these 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 transcribed them, was printed 170 years ago, as appears by the title-page. For the fatisfaction of any gentleman, who may be either doubtful of the truth, or curious to be informed; I shall give order to have the very book fent to the prin ter of this paper, with directions to let any body fee it that pleases, because I believe it is pretty scarce.