THELIFEOFMichael Nostradamus,Physitian in Ordinary toHENRYthe II. andCHARLESthe IX. Kings ofFrance.
Michael Nostradamus, the most renowned and famous Astrologer, that hath been these many Ages, was born in St.Remy, a Town ofProvence, in the year 1503. upon aThursday, the 14th ofDecember, about noon. His father wasJames Nostradamus, a Notary of the said Town, his Mother wasRenataof St.Remy, whose Grandfathers by the Fathers and Mothers side, were men very skilfull, in Mathematick and Physick, one having been Physitian toRenatus, King ofJerusalem, andSicily, and Earl ofProvence, and the other Physition toJohn, Duke ofCalabria, Son to the saidRenatus, whence cometh that our Author saith in his Commentaries, that he hath received from hand to hand the Knowledge of Mathematicks, from his ancient Progenitors. After the death of his great Grandfather by the Mothers side, who first gave him a slight tincture, and made him in love with the Mathematicks, he was sent to School toAvignon. After that he went to MountPelier, to study Philosophy and Physick, till a great Plague coming, he was compelled to go toNarbonne,Thoulouse, andBourdeaux, where he first began to practise, being then about 22 years of age. Having lived four years in those parts, he went back again toMonpelier, to get his degrees, which he did with a great deal of applause. Going toThoulouse, he past throughAgen, whereJulius Cæsar Scaligerstayed him, with whom he was very familiar and intimately acquainted, though they fell out afterward; there he took to wife a very honourable Gentlewoman, by whom he had two Children, a Son and a Daughter, all which being dead, and seeing himself alone, he resolved to retire himself intoProvencehis Native Countrey. After he had gone toMarseille, he went toAix, where the Parliament ofProvencesitteth, and was there kept three years at the City Charges; because of the violent Plague that raged then in the year 1546. as you may read in the Lord ofLaunay’s Book, called the Theater of the World, who describeth that Plague according to the informations our Author gave him. Thence he went toSalon de Craux, a City distant fromAixone dayes Journey, and in the middle way betweenAvignonandMarseille; there he Married his second WifeAnna Ponce Genelle, by whom he had three Sons and one Daughter, the eldest wasMichael Nostradamus, who hath written some pieces of Astrology, Printed atParisin the year 1563.
The second wasCæsar Nostradamus, who hath deserved to be numbred among theFrenchHistorians, by reason of the great Volume he hath written ofProvence.
The third was a Capuchine Frier.Cæsardid insert in his History the propagation of that Order inProvence. The fourth was a Daughter.
Nostradamushaving found by experience that the perfect knowledge of Physick dependeth from that of Astrology, he addicted himself to it, and as this Science wanteth no allurement, and that besides his Genius he had a peculiar disposition and inclination to it; he made such a progress in it, that he hath deserved the Title of the most illustrious one inFrance, insomuch that making some Almanacks for recreation sake, he did so admirably hit the conjuncture of events, that he was sought for far and near.
This success was the cause of an extraordinary diminution of his fame; for the Printers and Booksellers seeing his fame, did print and vent abundance of false Almanacks under his name for lucre sake, whence it came that his reputation suffered by it, and was the cause that the LordPavillonwrote against him, and that the PoetJodelemade this bitter Distichon.
Nostra damuscum falsa damus, nam fallere nostrum est,Et cum falsa damus, nil nisiNostra damus.
Nostra damuscum falsa damus, nam fallere nostrum est,Et cum falsa damus, nil nisiNostra damus.
Nostra damuscum falsa damus, nam fallere nostrum est,Et cum falsa damus, nil nisiNostra damus.
Nostra damuscum falsa damus, nam fallere nostrum est,
Et cum falsa damus, nil nisiNostra damus.
To which may be answered.
Nostra damuscum verba damus quæNostradamusdat,Nam quæcunque dedit nil nisi vera dedit.
Nostra damuscum verba damus quæNostradamusdat,Nam quæcunque dedit nil nisi vera dedit.
Nostra damuscum verba damus quæNostradamusdat,Nam quæcunque dedit nil nisi vera dedit.
Nostra damuscum verba damus quæNostradamusdat,
Nam quæcunque dedit nil nisi vera dedit.
Or thus
Vera damus cum verba damus quæNostradamusdat,Sed cumNostra damus, nil nisi falsa damus.
Vera damus cum verba damus quæNostradamusdat,Sed cumNostra damus, nil nisi falsa damus.
Vera damus cum verba damus quæNostradamusdat,Sed cumNostra damus, nil nisi falsa damus.
Vera damus cum verba damus quæNostradamusdat,
Sed cumNostra damus, nil nisi falsa damus.
Nevertheless the Beams of Truth did shine through the Clouds of Calumny; for he was singularly esteemed of by the Grandees, QueenKatharineofMedicis, who had a natural inclination to know future things.
AndHenrythe II. King ofFrance, who sent for him to come to the Court in the year 1556. and having had private conference with him about things of great concernment, sent him honourably back again with many gifts. He went fromSalonto the Court upon the 14 ofJulyin the year 1555. and came toParisupon the 15 ofAugust. As soon as he was come to Town, the Lord Constable ofMontmorencywent to see him at his Inn, and presented him to the King, who received him with much satisfaction, and commanded that his lodging should be at the Palace of the Cardinal ofBourbonArchbishop ofSens.
There he was taken with the Gout for ten or twelve days, after which his Majesty sent him one hundred Crowns in Gold in a Velvet Purse, and the Queen as much. Their Majesties desired him to go toBloisto see the Princes their Children, and to tell them his opinion of them. It is certain that he did not tell them what he thought, considering the Tragical end of those three Princes,viz.Francisthe II.Charlesthe IX. andHenrythe III.
Having been so much honoured at Court, he went back again toSalon, where he made an end of his last Centuries, two years after he dedicated them to the KingHenrythe II. in the year 1557. and in his Luminary Epistle discovereth unto him the future events that shall happen from the Birth ofLewisthe XIV. now Reigning, till the coming of Antichrist.
While he was atSalonhe received there the Duke ofSavoy, and the LadyMargaretofFrance, Sister toHenrythe II. who was to Marry the said Duke according to the treaty of the general Peace made atCambresis, both entertained him very familiarly, and honoured him often with their presence. The Duke came inOctoberand the Lady inDecember.
WhenCharlesthe IX. went a progress through his Kingdom, he came intoProvence, and did fail not to go toSalonto visit our Author, who in the name of the Town went to salute him, and make a Speech, this was in the year 1564. the 17 ofNovember.
The extraordinary satisfaction that the King and the Queen Mother received from him was such, that being both atLion, they sent for him again, and the King gave him 200 Crowns in Gold, and the Queen almost as much, with the quality of Physician in Ordinary to the King, with the Salaries and profits thereunto appertaining. Being come back toSalonhe lived about 16 Months longer, and died upon the 2 ofJuly1566. in his Climacterical year of 63. having all his senses about him: His Disease was a Gout at first, which turned into a Dropsie; the time of his death it seemeth was known to him; for a friend of his witnesseth, that at the end ofJunein the said year he had writen with his own hand upon the Ephemerides ofJohn Staviusthese Latine words,Hic prope mors est; that is, near here is my death, and the day before his death that friend of his having waited on him till very late took his leave, saying, I shall see you again to morrow morning, you shall not see me alive when the Sun riseth, which proved true. He died aRomanCatholick, having received all his Sacraments, and was solemnly buried in the Church of theFranciscanFriers atSalon, on the left hand of the Church door, where his Widow erected him a Marble Table fastened in the Wall with this Epitaph, with his Figure to the Life, and his Arms above it.
The Inscription of hisEPITAPHis in imitation of that ofTitus Livius, and is thus.D. M.Ossa clarissimiMichaelis Nostradami, unius omnium pene mortalium digni, cujus Divino calamo totius Orbis ex astrorum influxu futuri eventus conscriberentur. Vixit annosLXII.mensesVI.diesX.Obiit. SalonæCIↃ IↃLXVI.Anna Pontia Gemella, conjugi optimo.V. E.Which may be rendred thus:Here lies the Bones of the most famousNostradamus, one who among Men hath deserved by the opinion of all, to set down in writting with a Quill almost Divine, the future Events of all the Universe, caused by the Cœlestial influences; he lived 62. years 6. Months and 10. days, he died atSalon, in the year 1566.O Posterity do not grudge at his rest.Anna Pontia Gemellawisheth to her most loving Husband the true Happiness.
The Inscription of hisEPITAPHis in imitation of that ofTitus Livius, and is thus.
D. M.
Ossa clarissimiMichaelis Nostradami, unius omnium pene mortalium digni, cujus Divino calamo totius Orbis ex astrorum influxu futuri eventus conscriberentur. Vixit annosLXII.mensesVI.diesX.Obiit. SalonæCIↃ IↃLXVI.Anna Pontia Gemella, conjugi optimo.V. E.
Which may be rendred thus:
Here lies the Bones of the most famousNostradamus, one who among Men hath deserved by the opinion of all, to set down in writting with a Quill almost Divine, the future Events of all the Universe, caused by the Cœlestial influences; he lived 62. years 6. Months and 10. days, he died atSalon, in the year 1566.
O Posterity do not grudge at his rest.
O Posterity do not grudge at his rest.
O Posterity do not grudge at his rest.
O Posterity do not grudge at his rest.
Anna Pontia Gemellawisheth to her most loving Husband the true Happiness.
He had a Brother namedJohn Nostradamus, famous for several Works that he hath written, the Catalogue of which is in the Book of Mr.du Maine de la Croix, Intitled, theLibrary.
As for our Author, he hath left several Works, among which is a Book of Receits, for the preservation of health, Printed atPoitiers, in the year 1556.
Another concerning the means of beautifying the Face and the Body, that was Printed atAntwerpbyPlantinin the year 1557. which he Dedicated to his BrotherJohn Nostradamus, an Attorney at the Parliament ofAix.
Besides this, he Translated from Latine into French theParaphases of Galen, upon the Exhortation ofMenedotus, which was Printed atLyonbyAntony du Rhosne, in the year 1557.
But before we conclude, it will not be amiss to give some recreation to the Reader, by relating a merry passage that happened toNostradamusbeing inLorrain, for being in the Castle ofFaim, belonging to the Lord ofFlorinville, and having in cure the Mother of the said Lord; it chanced one day that they both walking in the Yard, there was two little Piggs, one white, and the other black, whereupon the Lord enquired ofNostradamusin jest, what should become of these two Piggs? he answered presently, we shall eat the black, and the Wolf shall eat the white.
The LordFlorinvilleintending to make him a Lyar, did secretly command the Cook to dress the white for Supper; the Cook then killed the white, drest it, and spitted it ready to be rosted when it should be time; In the mean time having some business out of the Kitchin, a young tame Wolf came in, and eat up the Buttocks of the white Pig, that was ready to be rosted; the Cook coming in the mean time, and fearing least his Master should be angry, took the black one, killed it, and drest it, and offered it at Supper. Then the Lord thinking he had got the Victory, not knowing what was befallen, said toNostradamus, well Sir, we are eating now the white Pigg, and the Wolf shall not touch it. I do not believe it (saidNostradamus) it is the black one that is upon the Table. Presently the Cook was sent for, who confessed the accident, the relation of which was as pleasing to them as any meat.
In the same Castle ofFaim, he told many that in a little Hill that was near the Castle, there was a Treasure hidden, which should never be found, if it were sought with design, but that it should be discovered when the Hill should be digged for some other intent. There is a great probability in this prediction, for there was an ancient Temple built upon it, and when they dig there, many times several Antiquities are found. AllFrancetelleth several Histories foretold by the Author, but I am unwilling to write any thing without good warrant. His Stanza’s are sufficient to prove the extraordinary Talent he had in foretelling future things.