Inserted between the seventh and the eighth Centurie, this epistle is essentially divided into twelve blocks of information (subdivised in sections, alinea being the french term used to decscribe the separations into different parts, thus I chose to use the term "section" here), which carry on the following aspects of the prophetic message :

1. Formal dedication of the second book of the Prophecies.
2. Explanatory commentaries on the prophetic work.
3. First biblical chronology.
4. Precisions on his prophecies.
5. Precursors of the first Antichrist.
6. Advent of the first Antichrist.
7. Second biblical chronology.
8. First event fixed by this chronology.
9. Consequences generated by this event.
10. Advent of the second Antichrist.
11. Advent of the third Antichrist.
12. Conclusions.

section 1: Dedicatory allegory.

section 2: Greatness of the man.

section 3: Deep gratitude of the author for his privileged vision.

section 4: Remembrance that he wants to leave to the future generations.

section 5: Importance of this dedication and its positioning in the work.

section 6: Humility of the author before the smallness of his offering.

section 7: Will to take as his witness this great monarch (to come?).

section 8: Indulgence asked for the imperfection of his style.

section 9: Definition of the geographical borders of the work.

section 10: Manifest will to express himself in an obscure language.

section 11: Dating of this second volume and temporal indications granted for its understanding.

section 12: The advent: first step of thegreat religious persecution to come.

section 13: Most of the temporal data expressed in relation to the common era.

section 14: Necessity to compile times having preceded Christ.

section 15: His divinatory technique:

- gift transmitted by his forebears,
- the judicial astrology,
- rest and meditation,
- the tripod of bronze.

section 17: Prodigies: questioning on the need whether to determine their reason.

section 18: The future: more auspicious haven for his prophecies.

section 19: Affirmation of his desire to by no mean be cause of any damage to the Church

section 20: From Adam to Noah - 1242 years.

section 21: From Noah to Abraham - 1080 years.

section 22: From Abraham to Moïse - 515 or 516 years.

section 23: From Moïse to David - 570 years.

section 24: From David to Christ - 1350 years.

section 25: Allusion to the chronology of Eusèbe.

section 26: From Christ in the beginning of the era of the Hegira - 621 years.

section 27: The science of the heavenly bodies and the basis of data calculation.

section 28: Singleness of sense of each of quatrains.

section 29: Reference to Joël, one of the 1002 prophets of the humanity.

section 30: The Holy Ghost, at the very base of the inspired Revelation.

section 31: His indignity to deserve the title of prophet.

section 32: The goals aimed by the epistle: to speak of the distresses to occur in the church and within the great terrestrial empires.

section 33: A lady a long time sterile gives birth to two children.

section 34: Her spouse's concubine: the three sons and the daughter born from this union.

section 35: The division between the three brothers and their eventual alliance ominous to Europe.

section 36: The youngest of the three brothers:

section 38: The second of the three brothers:

- his alliance with Italy,
- his intervention in the Pyrenees,
- the third world war,
- his refusal to be consecrated king.

section 40: The father of the second of them:

- his animosity towards the church,
- numerous sect advent,
- numerous nations touched by this vogue,
- the eventual repentance demonstrated.

section 41: The Asian religions find many adepts in Europe.

section 42: The power of weapons: new symbol of the world order.

section 43: The sterile lady (section 33):

- welcomed in the East of Europe,
- the war led in the Adriatic,
- the invasion of Germany,
- the Latins at the heart of the conflict.

section 44: The war of the Asian Antichrist led at the time against the papacy and Italy.

section 45: The solar eclipse marking this character's arrival.

section 46: Earthquakes and the general anarchy preceding this eclipse.

section 47: The new Babylon and an indication (i.e. from the ex-USSR) the 73 years seven months of the length of its state Communism (1917-1991).

section 48: The so long awaited liberator: a descendant of the sterile lady of sections 33 and 43.

section 49: The peace brought back by this one.

section 50: Capture of this Antichrist.

section 51: The general agitation brought by this peace.

section 52 The church of Rome returns to the traditional values.

Note: Paragraphs 53 to 71 constitute a return on the great events announced summarily in paragraphs 44 to 52.

section 53. The generalized corruption at the heart of the matter.

section 54: The centralizing of the military powers then implemented.

section 55: The great terror inspired by these governments.

section 56: New mention of the liberator announced in section 48.

section 57: A great head of state betrayed by his peers.

section 58: The Church of Rome becomes source of scandals.

section 59: The three religious sects having become implanted in Europe and in Africa.

section 60: The governments been born from the third world conflict.

section 61: The great persecutions experienced against the Church.

section 62: A big epidemy strikes 60% of the population world.

section 63: Big depredations at sea, from the Mediterranean to the Turkish straits.

section 64: Armed aggression against Spain.

section 65: Invasion of the state of Israel.

section 66: The destruction of Palestine and the Occident comes to the rescue.

section 67: The city of Jerusalem becomes a place of pasture.

section 68: The Antichrist crushed by the united forces from the North and from the West.

section 69: The defeated Orient threatened in its very identity.

section 70: The three general at the head of the forces of the North.

section 71: Emergence of two great leaders in these Nordic regions.

section 72: Sources consulted to finalize this new calendar of times

section 73: The goal of this chronology: to allow the dating of the events underlined by quatrains.

section 74: From the Creation to Noah - 1506 years.

section 75: From Noah to the deluge - 600 years.

section 76: Length of the deluge - one year and two months.

section 77: From the end of the deluge to Abraham - 295 years.

section 78: From Abraham to Isaac - 100 years.

section 79: From Isaac to Jacob - 60 years.

section 80: From Jacob to the arrival of the Hebrews in Egypt - 130 years.

section 81: From the arrival of the Hebrews in Egypt to the exodus - 430 years.

section 82: From the exodus to the construction of the Temple - 480 years.

section 83: From the edification of the Temple to Christ - 490 years.

section 84: Total of the time thus passed - 4173 years and 8 months.

section 85: Futility of a time compilation after Christ by reason of the numerous types of calendars.

section 86: Planetary positions in order to establish the starting point of the period.

section 87. Feature unique to that specific year.

section 88: Conjunctions and other simultaneous phenomena.

section 89: The end of the troubled period established at the year 1792.

section 90: Recovery of Italy and political instability that would result.

section 91: Venice eventually reaches the head of a vast empire.

section 92: Supremacy in Mediterranea of this news then power.

section 93: Commotion provoked in countries bathed by the Adriatic sea.

section 94: The great power of this AC character, and the actions undertaken by him against the Vatican.

section 95: His main opponent, born in Lyons, and ally of the monarch of paragraphs 91 and 93.

section 96: This liberator associated with the Ancient Ogmios. A great deluge strikes the planet during the course of this catastrophic war (Fourth World conflict).

section 97: Fall of this second Antichrist. Universal peace and renewal of the church of Rome.

section 98: The times of this Antichrist foreseen for the end of the seventh millennium (toward years 2900 of the common era).

Note: paragraphs 99 and 100 constitute a brief interlude before the continuationof the main facts concerning this second Antichrist.

section 99: Brief return on the dedication to Caesar.

section 100: The epistle and its content more about prophetic events that of this first text in prose.

Note: As it was with the first Antichrist, Nostradamus divided his intervention in two parts, the second complementarizes the first. Paragraphs 101 to 107 thus pursue with the course of events of the reign of this second Antichrist.

section 101: Alliance of kings of the North with the Orientals and persecutions experienced during a period of 11 years. A monarch of the North merges from these.

section 102: Then comes a Southern ally with his persecution of a duration of three year exercised against the ecclesiastics.

section 103: A monarch praised for having ordered the massacres.

section 104: The streams reddened by the spilled blood.

section 105: A big epidemy and an atrocious famine strike humanity.

section 106: The third monarch of the North (section 101) intervenes to free the oppressed.

section 107: His vain tentative to restore the church of Rome and the massive destruction of the Holy Books that would result.

section 108: His identification with the prince of Hells.

section 109: His reign of a length of 25 years and his domination as much over the Christians as over the Moslems.

section 110: Sinister flying objects seen in the sky.

section 111: The divine intervention in order to strike down Satan and the universal peace imposed.

section 112: Satan thrown in the abyss for 1000 years and the rebirth of God's church.

section 113: The sacred character of the heavenly bodies and the author's firm will not to succumb to the temptation of saying more about it.

section 114: Nostradamus puts a term to his prophecies.

section 115: Last homages to this future monarch (very hypothetical: possibly one born from the divine intervention in section 111).

section 116: The author's submissiveness before the grandeur of the personnage (ndt: ergo has to be Henri II)

section 117: Dating of the epistle - 27 June 1558.

section 118: Place of origin of the great prophecy of all times ~ Salon of Provence.

NOTE: This transcription of the epistle and the numbering data to paragraphs emanate from the edition of Pierre Rigaud (Lyons, 1566?) as well as of Anatole Le Pelletier works himself. Variants found come in brackets, for their part, of the Benoist Rigaud (Lyons, 1568) edition reproduced also by this exegetost of the XIXe century.

1. A L'INVICTISSIME, TRES-PUISSANT ET TRES-CHRESTIEN HENRY ROY DE FRANCE SECOND: MICHEL NOSTRADAMUS.TRES-HUMBLE, ET TRES-OBEYSSANT SERUITEUR ET SUBJECT, VICTOIRE ET FÉLICITÉ. ,

TO THE VERY INVINCIBLE, VERY POWERFUL AND VERY CHRISTIAN HENRI, KING OF FRANCE SECOND: MICHEL NOSTRADAMUS, VERY HUMBLE AND VERY OBEDIENT SERVANT AND SUBJECT, VICTORY AND HAPPINESS.

NOTE: Even though some posterior editions to the XVIth century encourage the expression " Henry Second King of France " rather than " Henry King of France Second " the last form should have precedence since the qualifier " second " justifies itself very well by its Latin form "secundus", that means " auspicious " or " favorable ".
 

For this sovereign vision that I had, oh very Christian and very victorious monarch, since my face, for a long time obsessed, presented itself before the divinity of your immeasurable majesty, I have perpetually been dazzled some, stopping honoring and to venerate this day worthily where first I presented myself before it, as to an unique so human majesty.

NOTE: By this entrance in matter, Nostradamus tells us to have met, per person interposed, this character to that he wished to dedicate this second volume of his work. Several thought about Henri II, contemporary of the author. Others concluded that such could not be the case, since he didn't deserve such a praise and that all astrologers of the royal palace - of which Nostradamus - had announced his end already. As for this king's sons - François II, Charles IX and Henri III - all were considered transitional monarchs, rather intended to seal the fate of the dynasty of the Valois. On the other hand, we know that Nostradamus vowed a particular cult to Jeanne III of Albret, to whom he autographed his French translation of the Oracles of Horapollon notably. We know as well that he met her young son in 1564 and that he foretold that he was going to occupy the throne of France one day to establish in this function of the eldest branch of Bourbons. But Nostradamus probably thought about one of his descendants when he contemplated this future monarch of the universe, as let it to us to hear, of the remainder, good number of quatrains. [Or so thought Dufresne, however, he says well, farther, that he " could have dated all quatrain if "his majesty" had allowed him to do so, which leaves little doubt as for the temporal existence at this time of the ruler in question. NoT]

However, looking for some opportunity by which I could show you my gratitude, if it had been in my power to make further acquaintance with your most serene majesty.

The following conclusion by Dufresne has been reduced on purpose given the preceeding NoT) NOTE: By this prediction relating to the advent of Henri IV in part, Nostradamus wanted to probably put the first historic pole of his prophetic work and to inssure the perenity of his writings.

However, seing that it was me impossible to declare it openly, joined to my unique desire to see darkness suddenly vanishing and to be transported before the sovereign look of the first monarch of the universe,

(Idem as above) NOTE: In 1558, the future Henri IV was not more than five years old, which justifies the fact that the magus could not communicate him what reserved to his blood line the pages of history of the future.

So that I hesitated a long time before taking the liberty to dedicate these three Centuries to you, completing thus the one thousand quatrains

NOTE: in addition to underline the fact that his work should include one thousand quatrains, Nostradamus grants us here a sizeable indication by making us understand that it is essentially constituted of two distinct sections, each of them preceded by a text in prose.

and, after having thought maturely, of a daring audacity, I decided to dedicate them to you, being in this unashamed, as relates it the most grave author Plutarque in his life in Lycurgue that, seeing the generous offerings that one presented in his time to immortal gods temples, wasn't hardly suprised that some didn't dare present themselves  there moreanymore to bestow gifts by reason of the smallness of their offerings.

NOTE: Plutarque (50-125 B.C.) is a priest to the temple of Delphes during a few twenty years. He wrote a work on Lycurgue (390-324 B.C.) where were evoked his years at the service of the government of Athens.

In spite of this, seeing your so human majesty, I appeared before you, not as to kings of Persia by which one was prohibited from presenting oneself, even less to approach oneself of them.

NOTE:Contrary to their Greek counterpart, monarchs of Persia reigned by divine right, so that it was strictly prohibited from presenting oneself before them without the intermediary of priests of the temple. Jamblique speaks of this characteristic while relating the legend of Ismenias that did, in order not to commit a sacrilege, let his ring fall on the floor, then bent to pick it up, accomplishing so the act of worship required by the tradition.

But, to a very prudent, to a very wise prince, I dedicated my nocturnal calculations and prophetic writtings, composed rather by natural instinct, wherein poetic fury, rather than rule of poetry takes precedence,

NOTE: By apologizing of the weakness of his style, Michel of Nostredame probably wanted to deny his detractors any critiques on the form at the expense of the substance.

and the most (of the quatrains) composed and harmonized to the astronomical chronology, correspond to years, months and weeks of regions, places of most of the cities and towns of Europe, includng North Africa and a part of Asia, as well as regions located under the same latitudes, and written by virtue of a natural power:

NOTE: Nostradamus is anxious to specify that his prophecies only concern the northern hemisphere of the planet, and that, by reason of the fact that his observations of the canopy of heaven only bore on its boreal part.

will reply someone that would very have need to blow his nose, that the rhyme is as easy that the understanding of the sense is difficult. And it is the reason for which, oh very human monarch, most the prophetic quatrains are so scabrous that one would not be able to assign them a sense nor even to interpret even a single one,

NOTE: It'S proper to point out here that several critical minds had already risen against the magus of Salon, of which Scaliger and Videl that had given out strong reserves about his intellectual integrity.

however wanting to leave down in writting what will occur during years to come in towns, cities and regions, even for what is of the years 1585 and 1606, starting from this very day, that is March 14, 1557,

NOTE: The periods 1557-1585 and 1557-1606 correspond respectively to 28 and 49 years, two numbers that have the particularity to be divisible by 7. More meaningful in its nature, the second probably refers to the climateric years or years of crisis of the Ancients and drives us into the very heart of mathematical divination. In this respect, Bouché-Leclercq (Histoire de la divination dans l'Antiquité, 1.1) writes: "Astrology drags after itself a whole serie of divinatory methods that it generated, either transformed, either encouraged. The mathematical divination, that uses "calculations, numbers, elementary quantities and names", is not of those that replicate the most faithfully the astrological processes; but, as astrologers carried the name of mathematicians a long time, it is good to bring closer methods confounded by the usual language under the same denomination... Numbers that appear to have served as basis to calculations of the mathematicians, those to which they assigned a mysterious strength, are 3, 7 and 9... It was less easy to scan the measure the length so variable of an ordinary life. Mathematicians could not forego astrology to measure in advance the sum of life given to every individual, but they believed they were themselves in position to fix for human life an average framework and a likely pace. It was necessary to first choose the number or numbers following which would be ordered the climateres (?). No one could quite agree on this point. However the division in septenary periods is the one that unites the more of suffrages. Therefore, years corresponding to 7 and multiples of 7 were considered like " climatériques "... Others, who relied on the special efficiency of squares, wanted but only one year of crisis, the forty-ninth, obtained by raising 7 to the square...

and very much beyond, until the advent that will occur in the beginning of the seventh millennium, according to my astronomical calculations and according to the extent of my knowledge, where adversaries of Christ and his Church will begin to pullulate in greater numbers,

NOTE: Michel Dufresne already established in the second epilogue of his previous work (p. 328-329) that this seventh millennium would have started in the year 1908 of our era and that this one would have marked the entrance of the humanity in what Nostradamus qualifies of "advent of the common".

the whole has been composed and calculated in days and hours of the majority (conventional system) and the most exactly that it was possible for me to do, and this, in absolute freedom of judgment,

NOTE: As we already discovered, Nostradamus uses our calendar of the common era when he judges it appropriate in order to isolate a very precise year in the progression of the events evoked. To testify of these periods, he prefers to refer to Adam's era however, as conceived by him, as well as by this notion of cycles (length of 354 years) of heavenly bodies of our solar system.

calculating nearly as much for the events to come then for those of the past, including the present and also those that, in the course of time, and in all the regions, everyone will admit as having occured, all exactly as it was written, and not mingling in anything that is non-essential, so how much so that one could says: " There is no truth entirely fixed with regard to the future ".

NOTE: Admiting the contigency of the events of the future was a demonstration of great wisdom for Nostradamus, because it was especially essential for one not to oppose the thought of Thomas of Aquin on the subject.

It is very true, Sire, that I didn't think to be capable to forecast the future from this single natural instinct transmitted by my ancesters, but tuning this instinct with my calculations and making the emptiness in my soul, in my mind and in my heart, by rest and tranquillity, the whole reconciled and foretold, of which a part on the tripod of bronze.

NOTE: Natural predispositions, balanced regime of life, quietness and rests, seem to be for him preliminaries in order to juggle with the absolute. Also, like the priestesses of Apollon, Nostradamus would have used the ancient tripod of bronze to accomplish a part of his wonders.

How many that assign to me as much what is mine as what isn't, yet only God is eternal, he who is the investigator of the devout, just and merciful hearts, is the true judge, whom I pray to defend me from the calumny of the mean people.

NOTE: Nostradamus foresaw for good reasons that some would assign him words that were never his, and that on occasion, some would use his name to  flare up their own ideas, through to the manipulation of his texts.

who would want to slanderously try to know why all your forefathers, kings of France, were able to heal the scrofula, why other nations could have healede snakes bites, why others inherited a certain instinct carrying them toward the divinatory art, and lots of other cases that would be too long to enumerate here

NOTE: For Nostradamus, the gift of prophecy would be assigned naturally to certain individuals, and it would not be of all necessity to know the reasons for this. By comparing it to the gift of healing that some could have inherited, he probably wants to bring us to think that some phenomena can occur without it being necessary to deepen the reason for it.

Despite those for whom the meanness of the demon is not very well known, after my terrestrial extinction, my writings will be better discerned that during the course of my life;

NOTE: By affirming that his detractors would have an erroneous vision of his work because of the intervention of the forces of evil, Nostradamus wants to make us understand that the apprehension vis-a-vis his writings could only originate from those (forces). On the other hand, by betting on a more charitable understanding from future generations, it seems that he showed a bit too much enthusiasm.

however, if in my calculation of the time I would fail it couldn't be according to the will of anyone. Please it be to Her more than Imperial Majesty to forgive me, protesting before God and His saints that I didn't want to put anything in writing, in this epistle, that could be in opposition with the true Catholic faith, including my calculations of the star movement, juxtaposed to my own knowledge,

NOTE: For the magus, stars proceed God and would not know how to lean towards a mistake. If some did slip through in his work. they would only be the result of inattention slips.

because spaces of time occupied by those that preceded us are such, and I trust the most illuminated judgment here, that the first man, Adam, preceded Noah of about 1242 years, not compiling times according to the chronology of Gentile, as established by Varron, but rather according to Holy Scriptures and according to my humble knowledge of science of the heavenly bodies.

NOTE: Varron (Marcus Terentius Varro, 116-27 B.C.) is at the origin of the creation of the first public library of Rome. He was also one of the most famous characters of his time and made publish a noteworthy work titled Of antiques. For their part, the old texts located Noah's birth in the years 1056 (Hebrew text), 1662 (version of the Septuagint) or 707
(version Samaritaine) of Adam's era. Nostradamus, him, gives us, the year 1243, which places that comfortably between the canonical versions of the Hebrew text and the Septuagint.

After Noah, of him and of the universal deluge, came Abraham, 1080 years later, which was, according to several, the greatest astrologer and the initiator of the first Chaldean alphabet:

NOTE: Nostradamus establishes at 2322 the number of years passed between Adam's birth and Abraham's, which slightly exceeds the chronology of the Hebrew text that rather brings us to the year 1946 of that era.

then came Moïse, around 515 or 516 years later,

NOTE: The Hebrew text rather gives 264 years between the birth of Abraham and that of Moïse.

and, between the time of David and Moïse, passed some 570 years approximatively.

NOTE: David reigned in fact from 1010 to 970 before Christ and he was 30 years old when he went up on the throne. He therefore would have been born in 1040 before the beginning of the common era.

Then, between the time of David and the time of our Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ, born of the unique Virgin, passed, according to certain chronographs, 1350 years:

NOTE: Lastly, by adding the 1350 years between David's birth and that of Christ, Nostradamus manages to estimate to 4758 or 4759 years the period passed between Adam and Jesus, which proves out to be compliant enough with the thought of the Church, that makes it vary between 4000 and 5200 years.

one will be able to object that this chronology is erroneous because it differs from the one of Eusebe.

NOTE: Eusèbe of Césarée (265-340 A.D.) establishes the foundations of an ancient chronology ending in the year 323 of our era and he composed an ecclesiastical History defining the first centuries of the Christendom. This chronology essentially grants the following poles: deluge: year 2242 of the Creation; Abraham: 3259; Exodus: 3689; construction of the Temple: 4169; its ruin: 4611; beginning of the Christian era: 5200.

And, between the time of the Redemption and the awful seduction of Saracens, passed 621 years approximatively;

NOTE: The era of the Hegira of disciples of Mahomet has for starting point July 16, 622, day of the flight of the prophet out of The Mecca.

from there, one can thus easily compile what times passed, even though my calculations don't prove to be valid for the totality of nations, because the whole has been calculated, at the same time, by the course of heavenly bodies, and by association of inspirations transmitted at certain hours of solitude, just at the moment when the spirit of my forebears could manifest itself.

NOTE: Nostradamus evokes the hereditary transmission of certain data relating to the definition of the times past.

But the injury that time could bring about, oh most serene monarch, requires that such secret events be only revealed under a veiled form, which won't have but only one sense and that an unique significance, without having added in it any ambiguous or equivocal calculations:

NOTE: In order that each of quatrains has only one sense, it is essential that all include an incontestable temporal indication. However, the only way to arrive to that for him, besides individual dating, would have been to grant a value to their order of release in the work. Or else every event is unique.

but rather under a veiled form, by natural inspiration, and by approaching a sentence of one of the 1002 prophets that were born since the creation of the world, of which Joël, badly located in the chronology and who says: " I will spread my spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy".

NOTE: In it, he would have imitated the style of the 1002 prophets that preceded him since the creation of the world. As for his pretension on Joël's times that the tradition locates at the IVth century before Christ, it is good to note that Joël was the one that introduced the notion of Holy Spirit as a divine entity which consequently paved the way to the messianic era.

But such prophecy originated from the manifestation of the Holy spirit, that was the sovereign and eternal power, common to that of the Heaven; it is why several of them predicted great and marvelous events:

NOTE: It is proper to recall that the Holy spirit, third entity of the Trinity for the Christendom, was recognized in the Faith only after Christ's mission on earth.

Me, right here, I don't attribute myself such a title, God forbid, I confess that all comes from God and render him grace, honor and eternal praise for it, without having introduced in it any of this divination that comes from a spell, but rather it was from God and Nature, and most accompanied by the  movement ot the celestial course,

NOTE: Contrary to popular belief, Spinoza (1632-1677) was not the initiator of this great philosophy since already, in the XVIth century, some admitted that God and Nature confounded themselves into one single and same entity, at the same time essence and existence.

so much so that, seeing as in an ardent mirror, as in an obsessed vision, the great sad, stupendous and catastrophic events that approach via their main craftsmen. First, of God's temples, secondly of those that are terrestrial, to approach such decadence and thousand other calamities that in the course of the time one will see occur:

NOTE: According to the order of things, the church of Rome would be touched the first thus by the big distresses to come, followed-up in it by the big empires and their foundations.

because God will look at the long sterility of the great lady that, after, will conceive two main children:

NOTE: Taken from the Latin "domina" that means mistress in the sense of high rank woman, the word " dame " seems to have been used here to speak of a nation or a family (the one of Bourbons of France, for example) that stayed sterile a long time, then give birth to two children called to distinguish themselves.

but, at her decline, the one that won't be added by the foolhardiness of old age, collapsing in the 18th, unable to pass the 36th, who will leave three males and one female, and will have two, the one (of the children) that didn't have any from the same father;

NOTE: Then the spouse would abandon his wife and would contract another union that would give him, this time, four children, of which three sons and a girl, who would generate two children thereafter been born of different fathers. Finally, we are told that the second wife would be fragile health and that she would die before having reached her 36th birthday.

of the three brothers will be such divergences, then united and tuned, that the three and four parts of Europe will tremble:

NOTE: Divided from the start in their ideas, these three brothers would end up getting along, but to the great detriment of the major part of Europe that would feel this union atrociously.

by youngest in age will be the sustained and enlarged the Christian monarchy: sects elevated and lowered suddenly. Arabs driven back, kingdoms unified, new laws promulgated:

NOTE: Of the youngest of these three brothers, Nostradamus tells us that he would sustain then would consolidate the strength of the church of Rome then, that he would possibly take it out on the religious sects, that he would force the Moslem army to retreat, that he would contribute
to the reunion of several kingdoms, and in short that he would be at the origin of new laws designed to govern them;

of the other children, the eldest will occupy the crowned furious lions that hold their paws over audacious weapons:

NOTE: Of the eldest, he tells us that he would reign over a people associated by its flag to the crowned lions with furious look and paws well camped.

The second will advance so far, accompanied by the Latin, that will be made the second way, trembling and furious, descending the Jovis mount to go up the Pyrenees, which won't come back to the ancient monarchy, and will be made the third human blood pouring out, won't be Mars (March?) a long time in Lent.

NOTE: For his part, the second male child would impose himself in Italy and in Spain. We are also told that he would participate in the third great armed conflict of the planet. Finally, by the expression "Lent in March", one knows that "to fall like March in fast" means to say "to necessarily arrive", which leads us believe that this conflict would occur inevitably.

And the daughter will be dedicated to the conservation of the Christian church, her husband falling prey to the polytheistic sect of the new infidels; she will have two children: one legitimate, the other illegitimate by decree of the Catholic church.

NOTE: Lastly, of the daughter, he writes that she would dedicate herself to the church of Rome, but that the child who would be born of herunion with the second spouse would be declared illegitimate by the Vatican.

And the other one whom, to her great confusion and late repentance, will want her ruined; so will be the three regions by extreme difference of alliances, namely Italy, Germany and Spain, that will generate various sects by the forces of weapons, abandoning the 50th and the 52nd degree of latitude,

NOTE: For his part, the legitimate child would first himself take it out on the Vatican, but would come to repent this action. At the same moment, various sects would have appeared in Italy, in Germany and in Spain by the faith in weapons, especially within regions situated between the 50th and 52nd degrees of latitude, which would then become inhospitable.

and all will make tribute to religions from faraway to the regions of Europe and the North, at 48 degrees of latitude, of which the first, by vain apprehension, will tremble; then the western, southern and oriental regions will in turn fear;

NOTE: Except for the protected Nordic regions, all would suffer from the influence of ideas emanating from faraway countries, starting with a country situated at 48 degree of North latitude. Then this wave of influence would surge westward, southbound and in short eastward.

such will be their strength, that whatever won't be complied in concord will be imposed by weapons. Of nature will be equal, but greatly different by faith.

NOTE: And such would become their might that the power of weapons would serve to impose what would not be accepted willingly henceforth,

After this, the sterile Lady, of greater power than the second, will be welcomed by two peoples, by the first contested by the one that had power over all, by the second and by the third that will spread its domination over Eastern Europe up to the already defeated Hungary, and by marine sail will pursue her conquests to the Trinacrie of the Adriatic by the Mirmidons (Mermnades of the Lydie), and the defeated Germanic, and then will the sect of Barbarians will be greatly afflicted and will be pursued by the Latin.

NOTE: Then the sterile lady of the section 33, more powerful than the mother of the aforementioned children, would impose herself in a country somewhat hostile to the first world power, then to a second where she would spread her power toward East Europe, in Hungary among other countries. Finally, she would pursue her activities in the Adriatic, dragging the fall of Germany and the collapse of the Moslem then pushed back into Italy.

Then, the Antichrist's big Empire will begin in central and western Asia and his innumerable troops will descend, so much and so much that the Holy spirit coming from the 48th degree (of latitude) will retire and will give up room to the Antichrist's abomination, leading his war against the monarch that will be (also) Christ's great Priest, and against his Church, and his reign that will occur in auspicious and useful time,

NOTE: Since Attila reigned on Huns between 434 and 453 of the common era and since the original tribes of Mongolia undertook the conquest of West Europe (region of the Danube) and of the actual Middle East, and since the name Zerses can comfortably be associated to that of Xerxès, which is the name of two kings of Persia (presently Iran), it is essential to conclude that this Antichrist would indeed originate from Asia. Nostradamus also mentions the fact that the Holy Spirit would then have elected domicile in a region situated at the 48th degree North of latitude (to see section 41), but that this privileged territory would not be able to do anything against the power of the aggressor. Finally, he tells us that this first Antichrist would especially take it out against the church of Rome, then under the rule of a character that would be at the same time sovereign pontiff and temporal monarch.

and before then will occur a solar eclipse, more dark and blackest than that which has ever occured since the creation of the world until the death and passion of Christ and from then until this very day,

NOTE: As precursor indication of this Antichrist's arrival, Nostradamus speaks of a solar eclipse bringing a blackness approaching the one that would have prevailed before the creation and at Christ's death. However, the tradition tells us that this eclipse, of a duration of some three hours, would have occurred just as the Moon, in its 14th day, was at the opposite of the Sun. An eclipse of the Sun by the Moon being impossible in these conditions, one would have thus witnessed the eclipse of the Sun by either another object or by an exceptional cloudy layer.

and in October some big disruption will occur, of such a magnitude that one will believe that the Earth lost its natural movement to be plunged indefinitely into obscurity; precursors signs will come in the spring and extreme changes will follow, overthrow of reigns and great earthquakes,

NOTE: Pursuing on this idea, Nostradamus specify that the phenomenon described in the previous section would occur during the spring of a year for which the month of October would be fatal by reason of a cataclysm, that would make us believe of an important variation of the movement of translation of our planet. Furthermore, he tells us that this disruption would bring with it its share of earthquakes and uprisings of peoples confronted by adversity.

with expansion of the New Babylon, miserable daughter enlarged by the abomination of the first holocaust, which will have only resisted 73 years and 7 months then;

NOTE: in addition of the important geographical and chronological indications given, one discovers here that the words " daughter ", woman " or " lady " used elsewhere in the epistle can refer to cities or countries. Besides, as underlined by Ionescus, these 73 years and 7 months could correspond to the disposed of period well between the Russian Revolution of October 1917 and the fall of the soviet empire, in 1991. Thus, this new " Babylon " whose growth was the remainder provided by World War I, would pass by the Communist doctrine in which Nostradamus would have seen the first preliminary big tribulation sign.

then, will come out of the stem the one that had stayed a long time sterile, coming from the 50th degree (of latitude), and that will renew the whole of the Christian church.

NOTE: By this new reference to the sterile lady which was discussed at paragraphs 33 and 43, Nostradamus pursues his journey in time to tell us that one of her descendants would dedicate himself to the church of Rome and its renewal, after the reign of this first antechrist.

And will be made a great peace, union and concord between the children of the stray minds and that will have been separated by various reigns,

NOTE: The emphasized peace probably relates to the wars that were announced at alinea 40. One discovers also that these would last, for at least the span of a generation, since the author speaks us of the children of those termed of " stray " (" remote ", " distraught "?) foreheads.

and will be made such peace that the incitor and promoter of the armed conflict, born from the division of the men of the Church, will stay bound into deepest of the abyss, and the kingdom of the fanatic, that will simulate the wise, will be united.

NOTE: Harmony between peoples, extended peace and punishment of the guilty constitute some normal consequences to any extended war period. But they take here a particular sense, since even the most fanatic of nations would marshal themselves to the new law.

And regions, cities, cities, kingdoms and provinces that will have quit the first ways to free themselves, will surrender, even more captive, and will be secretly deprived of their liberty and their perfect faith will be lost, and will begin to hit in the left part to come back to the right,

NOTE: And, as for all phenomenon of mass, those that, in the first place, would have deviated their traditional way would find themselves again isolated from the others and would then know great periods of frustration and hesitation (wavering?),

and putting back the holiness, shattered for a long time, in agreement with the first texts, that after the big dog, will come out the greatest mastiff that will destroy all, even that which previously had been made; will be straightened temples as in the early times and will be restored the clerk to his prime state,

NOTE: If one follows the statement from Nostradamus, this return to the traditional values would first manifest itself at the very foundations of the structures of the church before spreading to supporters. What one discovers on the other hand, is that the Vatican would have placed then on his throne the most stern and most fundamentalist of his cardinals. To this last consideration, one will remember that the quatrain 2,41 uses the expression " thick mastin " to speak of Pius V, wild defender of the Faith.

and will begin the great prostitution, dissolute living and the commission of one thousand forfeits,

NOTE: And since power corrupts, the strength of the sovereign pontiff and princes of his Church would soon result into generalized abuses.

54. Et estant proche d'vne autre désolation, par lors qu'elle sera à sa plus haute & sublime dignité se dresseront de potentats & mains militaires & luy feront (seront) ostez les deux glaiues, & ne luy demeurera que les enseignes,

And, being close to another desolation, whereas he will have reached his higher summit, potentates and chiefs of army will stand up to remove him from the two swords, only leaving him with the flags,

NOTE: Then, the supremacy of weapons, forgotten for one time, would take over to remove the clergymen all their means of actionso as to leave them, eventually, with merely some of the great symbols of their authority.

that, by the natural inclination, people opting to walk upright and not wanting to take any risk by opting for security, will want to stimulate

NOTE: Faced with these successive changes, peoples of the globe would then opt for the relative security of the statu quo, preferring to wait that the real winner supplants all his rival.

until wil be born, of a branch of the one that was a long time sterile, the one that will deliver the people of the universe of its voluntary servitude, while putting himself under to the protection of Mars, despoiling Jupiter of honors deserved and of its dignity, for (the benefit of) the free city constituted and located in a new very tiny Mesopotamia,

NOTE: By this other reference to the sterile lady of the section 33, the author brings precisions on this big liberator to come, valiant to weapons and by no means fearing to oppose the wills of Rome (Jupiter). One also discovers that would emanate from a free city qualified of new Mesopotamia, destined to commemorate the first cradle of the humanity.

And will be the chief and governor isolated of his setting and brought in high place, not knowing anything of the conspiracy, with the second Thrasybule, that had plotted all this for a long time:
 

NOTE: Thrasybule was an army general who lived 445 to 388 before Christ. He was proscribed by the government of Athens, but came back at the head of exiles like him later, in order to shut down the power in place and restore democracy.

Then abominations and rubishes will be demonstrated shamefully in the total confusion; will cease toward the end of his reign, and the doors of the church will close themselves to God, and several will apostatize the true faith,

NOTE: Then would follow a big confusion giving raise to insane acts on behalf of populations of the globe.

and of the three sects the second, by its disciples, will be taken in decadence. The first will be annihilated everywhere in Europe and in the greatest part of Africa by the third, conducted by weak minds, insane in spite of their elevated rank, that will take to lust.

NOTE: At the basis of this new collective release would again be found the teachings of three sects, of which one alone would arrive to survive by reason of supports received on behalf of powerful characters.

The plebs (common people) will rise in block, will hunt those that supported the legislators, and it will seem that the erosion of kingdoms by the Oriental will have resulted of the fact that God the Creator will have delivered Satan of the infernal jails to bring Dog and Doham, which will make such great harm to Churches that the reds and the whites, deprived of means of action, won't legislate anymore, and their might will be taken off them.

NOTE: By this intervention, Nostradamus tells us of the territorial expansion of some countries of Orient, and of the revolts occurring inside the threatened countries. He also allude to power of evil, that are Gog and Magog, that will take it out on the church of Rome. Finally, by this ultimate reference to the white and reds, he probably wants to recall the eternal struggle having always opposed the legitimate authority against its rebels.

Then, will be made more of persecutions to Churches then ever had been.

NOTE: Then it will be the beginnings of the biggest religious persecutions ever undertaken.

And, in the meantime, will appear such a great epidemy that of the three parts of the world, more that two will perish. So much so that one won't know anymore to whom belongs the fields and houses, and herbs will grow in streets of cities higher than knee high:

NOTE: More than 60% of the population of the globe would perish afterwards, from the devastations of a deadly epidemic then, to such an extent that the notion individual or collective property would disappear from the preoccupations of the survivor struck by these events.

And to the clergy will be made total desolation, and the war people will usurp what will have returned of the city of the Sun of Malta, and of the Stechadeses islands, and will be opened the big chain of the harbor that takes its name from the marine bœuf (Bosporus).
 

NOTE: Recently subjected to an international control, straits of the Bosporus and the Dardanelles always constituted the commercial and strategic hinge between the Orient and the Occident. Napoléon had even said that these two places were worth an empire to he who would control them one day.

And will be made new incursion by the sea harbors, wanting to deliver the Castulum sault (waterfalls) from the first Moslem recapture,
 

NOTE: Since it is about the reconquest of the Castulum sault by the Moslems, one needs to understand that there would have been a previous conquest. However, as that location probably is about the Spanish citadel of San Fernande (Castillon Figuieres), that is also mentioned in the quatrain 8,48 as well, one could think that Nostradamus saw here the reconquest of these territories by the ancient Moorish.

And won't be at all their assaults vain, and the place where previously Abraham's was dwelling will be attacked by people who will have in reverence the Jovialistes. And this city of Achem will be surrounded and will be attacked of all parts by a multitude of soldiers.

NOTE: By referring to the city where Abraham first established his place of residence, Nostradamus probably points to Sichem in Palestine, since it was the first of the kingdom of the Hebrews before Jerusalem became its capital. On the other hand, by speaking of the one of Achem, he  may be designating the fortress of Samarie erected by Achab when this one was king of Israel between 874 and 853 before Christ. Finally, his allusion to the Jovialisteses would point to Rome of which the ancient cult of Jupiter is well known.

Will be lessened of their naval strengths by the Occidentals. And, to this reign, will be made great desolation, and the biggest cities will be deserted, and those that will enter in them will be submitted to God's vengeance and anger.

NOTE: The magus speaks of the landing of a liberation force in Palestinian territory by the West, and the near-destruction that would result.

And will stay a long time in desolation, the sepulcher of such a great universal reverence in the eyes of the heavens, of the Sun and the Moon. And will be converted the sacred place, in places of pasture for big and small animals, and will be adapted to profane uses.

NOTE: While becoming places of pasture for house pets, the holy Places in the aftermath would regain the peace that normally follows the great devastations thereater. One must conclude that temples that once made the pride of Jerusalem would be swept by the fury of troops having resurged on the territory. In this respect, it is useful to refer to the quatrain 8,96, which also speaks us of the destruction of the state of Israel.

Oh what awful tribulation will the pregnant woman share then : and the great part of the troops of the chief of Orient will be defeated then, killed, dejected, put in discomfiture by the Northerns, the Westerns and the children of his numerous wives jailed, and will be accomplished the prophecy of the royal prophet then: " In order that he could hear the groaning of prisoners, so that he would deliver the sons of deads ".

NOTE: Then, troops coming from Orient would be crushed by those of the North and the west, then delivering peoples kept in captivity.  The reference to the misfortunes that will then hit pregnant women reminds us one of the great temporal indications given in the apocalypse of Jean of Patmos.

What great oppression will be exercised then against princes and against leaders of kingdoms, even of those of the sea and those of Orient, and their languages confounded by their peoples: the language of the Latin and Arabs, by confused communication;
 

NOTE: When Nostradamus uses the adjectival " Punic ", he generally refers to confusion to the large sense, by allusion to the city of Carthage and its most famous representative, Annibal. In fact, he tells us here that humanity would know the phenomenon all over again that once resulted from the uncontrolled proliferation of languages that marked the last days of the construction of the tower of Babel.

and will all these kings of Orient be hunted, dejected, wiped out, not at all by armies of kings of the North and to the approach of our century, but by the slant of three united personages, secretly looking for death, and sly by ambushes of one another, and will last, the triumvirate's renewal, seven years, the fame of such sect will know its expansion in all the universe, and the saint's sacrifice and immaculate host will be sustained:

NOTE: One thus discovers that the Orientals would be expelled from Occident by the united powers of three nations, that would eventually impose their domination for a period of seven years. One must also conclude that this union would have the Christendom as the hyphen, since the church of Rome would be assisted thereafter in its divine mission.

and the two Lords of the North will then be victorious over the Orientals, and will be made of them such a great noise and such a war clamor that all the Orient will tremble of fear before these brothers of the North, yet of different blood.

NOTE: One discovers here that the armies of the North would share the honors of the victory and would attain fame and renown.

And it is why, Lord, that in this speech I write in a veiled fashion these predictions, although they will accomplish themselves by the calculation of the times to come, that is not at all, or else very little,
compliant with the one already presented, which, so much by the means of the astronomy then by that of the other texts of the Sacred Scriptures, cannot, in any way, fail to happen,

NOTE: (*this, and the next line, is obviously rather, or, at most, as well, about the veiled sense of the sentences, and of the infallability of the occurence of the events, of his discourse in this letter).

so much that, if I wanted it, I could date each of quatrains: but the thing would not be pleasant to all; or to specify their sense, but it would be necessary that your Majesty first gave me the whole authorization, in order not to give to my slanderers the opportunity to tear me apart.

NOTE: *See above note.

However, counting the years since the creation of the world until Noah's birth, passed 1506 years,

NOTE: Nostradamus introduces here his second biblical time chronology, different of the first (paragraphs 20 to 27), established from ancient texts considered as valid (likely reference to the version of the Septuagint and the Samaritan) as those used to support the first It is therefore on the basis of this new chronology that Nostradamus would have established the whole of his prophecies, but he would not have wanted to give precisions further to avoid the reproaches of the future generation. Starts this new biblical chronology that establishes the time that passed between the Creation and Noah's advent to 1506 years, contrary to the first chronology that granted to this same period some 1242 years. While adding the time passed between the two events, Nostradamus comes closer thus to the text of the Septuagint; on the other hand, he moves away of the thought of Scaliger that counted 1056 years.

and, from Noah's birth to the perfect building of the ark, shortly before the universal deluge, passed 600 years (whether days were solar, lunar or of ten months); I stick strictly here to the sacred Scriptures that establish that they were solar. And after these six (six hundred) years, Noah entered in the ark to be saved of the deluge:

NOTE: Nostradamus respects the three sacred text versions that establish Noah's age to 600 years when he entered in the ark. It is said indeed: " He was six hundred years old when took place the deluge, a flooding of the earth... (Gen. VII,6)

and then it was the universal deluge on earth, that lasted one year and two months.

NOTE: The biblical writings report that Noah entered in the ark the 17th day of the second month (Hebrew text) or the 27th day, according to the Septuagint. One also says that in the year 601 of Noah's life, the first day of the first month, Noah saw that the earth was dry but he waited for God to give him the order to come out of the ark, which he accomplished on the 27th day of the second month. He would have thus stayed in the ark for a complete year and 11 days.

And, from the end of the deluge to Abraham's birth, passed 295 years.

NOTE: While granting here a period of 295 years between the end of the deluge and Abraham's birth, Nostradamus starts thus to establish to the year 2402 (and 2 months) the moment of this one in relation to Adam in comparison with the 2323 years data by the first chronology (paragraphs 20 to 27). For the same poles, the second would be thus superior of 79 years and 2 months at first. For his/her/its part, Joseph Scaliger appraised him later (end of the XVIe century) to 2023 years.

And, from Abraham's birth to the Isaac's, passed 100 years.

NOTE: Genesis says indeed: " Abraham was hundred years old at the birth of Isaac " (Gen. XXI,5).

And, from Isaac until Jacob, 60 years,
 

NOTE: The same text says: " The time when she had to give birth arrived, and lo, there were two twin in her breast. The one that went out first was redheaded, all over, like a coat of hair, and they called him Esaü; then came out his brother, holding in his hand the heel of Esaü, and they named him Jacob. Isaac was aged of 0sixty years old when they were born " (Gen. XXV, 24-26).

then, of Jacob's birth to his arrival in Egypt, passed 130 years.

NOTE: " Joseph brought in Jacob, his father, and presented him to Pharaoh. Jacob bless edPharaoh; and Pharaoh told Jacob: " What is the number of days of the years of your life "? Jacob answered to Pharaoh: The days of years of my pilgrimage are one hundred thirty years... (Gen. XLVII, 7-9).

And, from Jacob's arrival in Egypt to the exodus, passed 430 years.

NOTE: " The stay of the children of Israel in Egypt was of four hundred and thirty years. And at the end of four hundred thirty years, that same day, all the armies of Yahweh left the country of Egypt " (Exodus XII, 40-41).

And, of the exit from Egypt to the edification of the temple of Salomon, in the fourth year of his reign, passed 480 years.

NOTE:  " In the hundred and eighty fourth year after the exit of children of Israel from the country of Egypt, the fourth year of the reign of Salomon over Israel, which is the month of ziv, that is the second month, he built the house of Yahweh " (1st book of Kings, VI,1).

And, from the edification of the temple until Jesus Christ, according to the sacred historians compilation, passed 490 years.

NOTE: Since Salomon reigned on Israel for 40 years (970-931 B.C.), it couldn't be about the first temple. However, one discovers that Jerusalem and its temple were destroyed in 587 before Christ by the armies of Nabuchodonosor II, and that the house of Yahweh could not be raised from its ashes but starting counting from 538, year when Cyrus II the Great allowed its reconstruction. Joseph Scaliger grants to this same period a length of 1015 years, which proves to be distinctly more compliant with reality.

And so, by this compilation that I made, supported by the sacred texts, were approximatively 4173 years and eight months, more or less:

NOTE: When one proceeds with the sum of the different poles, one first arrives at a sum of 4092 years and 2 months for the number of years passed between Adam and Christ. For the same compilation, Nostradamus tells us he has arrived to 4173 years and 8 months. One must therefore conclude that the 4173 years and 8 months would address the time passed between the first day of Genesis and Christ, contrary to the 4092 years and 2 calculated months from Adam.

And, since Christ, the plurality of religions forces me not to go any further, and having calculated and dated the present prophecies, the whole granted to the chain of events that contains its revelation, the whole by the science of stars and according to my natural instinct,

NOTE: The main nations of the world having then elaborated their own calendar, Nostradamus therefore refused to go farther in this investigation of the time passed.

and after a certain time, and inside this one, just as Saturn will be between April 7 and August 25, Jupiter, fromJune 14 to October 7. Mars, from April 17 to June 22, Venus, from April 9 to May 22, and Mercury from February 3 to the 24 of the same month.
 

NOTE By not indicating the constellations being in background, Nostradamus at this moment probably wanted to bring us to consider the following section as constiting the continuation of this temporal sum. We will come back, a bit later, on the correspondence of this
astronomical event with our calendar.

And, after June 1st, until the 24th of the same month, and of September 25th until October 16th, Saturn in Capricorn, Jupiter in Aquarius, March in Scorpion, Venus in Pisces, Mercury, in one month, in Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces, the Moon in Aquarius, the head of the Dragon in Balance: the tail in the opposite sign

NOTE: Ecept for the precisions relating to the previous paragraph, Nostradamus demonstrates here a remarkable knowledge of the science of the stars while speaking us of the Dragon, this constellation circumpolaire of the boreal hemisphere that is between the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper and of which the head, represented by the Eltanin star, correlates to the position 18 hours, and the tail to about 15 hours 30 minutes in right ascension, while the one of the Balance (Libra) runs between 15 hours 30 and 14 hours 50. In order taht the head of the Dragon finds itself at the opposite, it is necessarythat Nostradamus opted for a imaginary line passing by the polar star to the detriment of the shortest line leading directly to the constellation.

following a conjunction of Jupiter to Mercury with an aspect in squareness (quadrature) of Mars to Mercury, and the head of the Dragon joined to a conjunction of the Sun and Jupiter, the year will be pacific, without any eclipse, none,

NOTE: Pursuing in the same vein, he speaks then of a stellar and global alignment between the main star of the Dragon, the Sun and lastly the planet Jupiter.

and will be the beginning, from this year on, of the greatest persecution of the Christian church, one as noone ever knew any in Africa, and this one will last until the year 1792 of that that one will believe to be a new era:

NOTE: Begun during the year marked by the astronomical configuration described to paragraphs 86 to 88, this big persecution would have ended in 1792, at one moment discerned by some as the beginning of a new era.

after which, the Roman people will begin to stand up and dissipate the darkness, receiving somewhat of its old brightness, no without some great division and continual changes.

NOTE: Then Italy would begin little by little to regain its glory of yesteryears, but this slow ascent would not occur without shocks since some important dissensions would not fail to occur.

After which, Venice will raise, in great strength and poiwer, its wings very high to compete with the power of ancient Rome. And, in these time, great sails of Byzance accompanied by those of the Piedmont, by the support and the support of the power of the North, will give obstacle for the two Crete, faith won't be sustained to them.

NOTE: Then Italy would finally rise to show its strength besides Turks and a Nordic people not identified. At the same moment, the island of Crete would be divided on the line of conduct to adopt before the new ambition of the peninsula.

Archs erected by the ancient warriors will accompany the waves of the ocean,

NOTE:At the image of antique tradition, conquests would be marked by the edification of triumph archs, to this difference that one would celebrate, this time, victories obtained at sea,

The Adriatic sea will be the theater of a big discord, what will have been united will be separated, will resemble to a house that was before and remains a great city, including the Pempotam, the Mesopotamia of Europe, at 45 and other ones at 41,42, and 37 (or 47).
 

NOTE: Then the empire lately erected will collapse, bringing in its fall the power of the North underlined to the section 91, as well as Italy and a good number of European countries located between the 41st and 47th degrees of North latitude. And the abandonment of the big cities of the fallen empire seems to show through as an ineluctable conclusion of the dissensions that had opposed old partners on the question of the Adriatic.

And, in this time and in these regions, the infernal power will raise against the church of Jesus Christ the power of the adversaries of its law, that will be the second Antichrist, which will persecute the church and its true Priests, with the powerful temporal monarch support that will be, by ignorance, seduced by languages that will cut more readily that any sword in the hands of the insane.

NOTE: Then will rise, in these same places, the second Antichrist that, thanks to the support of the great powers, will take it out all over again against the church of Rome. Besides, this character would have the particularity to possess the gift to seduce by his words, even those
that would be ill interpreted by the insane that would follow him in his course. Additionnally, this second antéchrist speaks indirectly of the first (corresponding to the communist revolution of october), that would thus correspond to the one that would be marked under the seal of the year 1792, as we saw previously.

The aforesaid reign of the Antichrist will only last until the end of the one been born close to age and the other, in the city of Lyon, accompanied by the elected of the family of Modena, by Ferrare, sustained by the Piedmontese of the Adriatic, and of the vicinities of the great Trinacrie:

NOTE: By the mention of the " Trinacrie " name, the author probably makes reference to Sicily and its three headlands (tria acria). Of this fact, it would be question of the decay of this second Antichrist under the conjugated efforts of France (Lyons) and of Italy (Modena, Ferrare, the Piedmont and Sicily).

Then, will pass the Jovis mount, the French Hercules, accompanied of such a big multitude that, from very far, the great law of the empire will be in view, and then, a short time after, will be spilled to profusion the blood of innocents by the mean ones, a bit parvenu; then, by big deluges, the memory of things contained in such instruments will undergo an immeasurable loss, even the letters, from the side of those of the North,

NOTE: Will then walk on Rome this new French Hercules, accompanied by innumerable armies, intended to put a term to the reign of this second Antichrist. It will follow however big massacres ordered by the enemy in discomfiture, then a great natural cataclysm will come to top the whole mess, hitting the big power of the North of which we talked about in the previous paragraphs. It seems that Nostradamus had a privileged vision of things, since his last intervention let us glimpse at the possible destruction of important computer data banks constituting the sum of knowledge accumulated by the humanity then.

by the divine will and, once again, will be bound Satan. And will occur an universal peace between men, and will be delivered the church of Christ of all tribulation, even though debauchees will want to mingle the gall with the honey and with their pestilential seduction:
 

NOTE: By name " Azotains " or " Azoarains ", Nostradamus possibly refers to the Latin asotus to either speak of debauched or voluptuous individuals taking it out on the Vatican, in spite of the intervening lull in the world after the dark events lived under the reign of this second Antichrist.

and it will be near of the seventh millennium, never again Christ's sanctuary will be trampled down their feet by infidels who will come from the North, the world approaching of a some big conflagration even though, according to calculations done in the course of my prophecies, the time goes much farther

NOTE: Wars, as well as the big peace tyhat is to follow them, should see the day in vicinities of the seventh millennium established according to the chronology data to paragraphs 74 to 84. However, as this one would have started in 1908, it is necessary to believe that what the
magus tells us of this second Antichrist, he could be at our doors already in 2001. Besides, while telling us that his prophecies go farther in the time, Nostradamus indicates at less that the humanity should know at least an eighth millennium, which, one must confess, is nevertheless quite reassuring. :-)

In the epistle that, these past years, I dedicated to my son, Caesar of Nostredame, I have quite openly declared some points without omen.

NOTE: Two essential facts stems from this short assertion: first, the letter to Caesar precedes in the time the epistle to Henry Second; second, this first dedication would contain elements that weren't meant themselves to be prophetic.

But here, oh Sire, are understood several great and marvelous events which will witness those that will come after.

NOTE: On the other hand, the epistle would have been written in order to announce some precise facts of the future.

And during this calculated period by means of the heavenly bodies, agreeing with the sacred Scripturess, the persecution against ministers of the church will take its origin in the power of North Kings, allied with those of Orient. And this persecution will last eleven years, a bit less; then will fall the main monarch of the North;

NOTE: After the period of lull having followed to the second Antichrist would occur immediately the third, more terrifying again that the precedent. Nostradamus notes specifically of him the surprising alliance that would occur then between Orientals and peoples of the North.

these eleven years past, will comne his southern ally, that will persecute even more, during three years, the people of the church by the seduction of the apostasy, of one that will hold absolute power over the militant church, and the saints disciples of God, faithful to His law, and all degree of the clergy will be greatly persecuted and grief-stricken, so much so that the blood of the real ecclesiastical will flow in profusion,

NOTE: After the fall of this monarch of the North, would then rise a reigning character over a southern country in relation to the first, and this last one would undertake a new persecution, of a three year length, directed in part controlled against ministers of the church of Rome, becasue of the support received from the recalcitrant Catholics agaisnt the regime in place.

and one of the horrible temporal monarches will be praised by his subjects becasue he will have spilled the ecclesiastical innocent blood, more than one would know to possess wine so much.

NOTE: And this persecution will degenerate in a massacre so great taht the blood of clergymen will flow more abundantly than the wine of their barrels.

And this King will commit incredible forfeits towards the church; human blood will flow in streets and in temples, as water by an impetuous rain, and the nearest streams will redden of blood and by other naval war will redden the sea, and the account given back of a king to another will be this one: " The sea has been reddened by the spilled blood in the naval battles.

NOTE:  Additionally, the naval war driven at the same moment will take such a size that oceans will redden with the blood of fighters.

Then, in the same year and during the following one, will follow the most horrible epidemy, and the biggest by reason of the famine preceeding, and biggest tribulations ever occurred since the foundation of the Christian churches, and for all Latin regions, staying, by vestiges, in some of regions of Spain.

NOTE: At the time of this big effusion of blood will occur also a terrible famine, followed-up shortly after by a devastating pestilence making its devastations especially in Spain.

Then the third king of the North hearing the complaint of the people of his greater title, will raise such a big army and will pass by straits of his forefathers and ancestors and will put back the greater part back in its original state,

NOTE: Then the third monarch of the North will pass  to action while driving his armies by the straits of the Bosporus and the Dardanelles, to take it out against the southern king having sowed violence within nations of Christendom.

and the great vicar of the cape will be put back in his former state: but isolated and abandoned then, and will be the Saint of Saints destroyed by the paganism and the Old and the New Testament will be searched for and burnt,

NOTE: Then, the pope will be put back on his throne, but the state of abandonment of the Vatican and the decreased Roman curie will soon vanquish his will opening so the way to the ancient paganism. Finally, the sacred Scriptures will be thrown to the fire, in manner of demonstration against the torments just then endured.

and after the Antichrist, the infernal prince will come;

NOTE: And after this third Antichrist taht came from the southern part of the northern hemisphere of the planet, will come Satan in person.

again, for the last time, will tremble all kingdoms of the Christendom, and also of infidels, during 25 years, and more painful wars and battles will take place, and cities, towns, castles, and all other buildings will be burnt, abandoned, destroyed, with big effusion of blood, from virgins, married women and widows raped, nursed children will be crushed and broken against walls of cities, and so many pains will be commited by means of Satan, the infernal prince, that nearly the whole world will be vanquished and abandonned:

NOTE: Will follow twenty-five murderous years of war that will hit the whole of the countries of Christendom all over again, and almost provoking a quasi-total destruction on their passage. Additionnally, women and children won't be saved by massacres, and the major part of peoples of the Earth will be abandoned to their fate then.

and before these events, some unusual birds will shout then in air, huy huy, after some time will disappear.

NOTE: Then will be seen in the sky of strange objects came to contemplate the great hecatomb.

And after this long period will have passed, will be renewed another reign of Saturn and golden century; God the Creator, hearing his people's tribulation, will say: " Satan will be put and will be bound in the abyss of abysses, in the deep pit ": and will begin then between God and men an universal peace,

NOTE: A long time after, will occur at last the golden age so much coveted by the humanity, when the war will give way to peace and during the course of which the forces of evil will stay chained.

and will stay bound during approximatively 1000 years, & the clergy will find its omnipotence, and will take back its ministry (and then will be unchained...!?)

NOTE:  And this period of peace will get settled to home for a period of about one thousand years, during which the church will bloom all over again.

All these things are adapted exactly to the divine characters and the visible stars, i.e. Saturn, Jupiter and Mars, and others in conjunction, as one could have seen it more amply in some quatrains. I could have done more and could have joined these quatrains one to the other.

NOTE: By this ultimate allegation on virtues of the judicial astrology, Nostradamus adds that he could have revealed his and our future precisely with the planet locations calculation adapted to secrets of some ancient scriptures. According to his say, he would even have been able to join all the quatrains of the Centuries to describe in a single trait all the history of the world to come.

But seeing, oh most serene monarch, that censorship could cause me difficulties, I withdrew my quill from the paper in order to dedicate myself to my nocturnal rest:

NOTE: And he would not have made him by reason of the censorship that would not have failed to exercise itself against his writings. Then, as with the Creator, he instead took a rest once the work was finished.

I would have mopre to say, oh most powerful of all Kings, a lot of admirable things and that will arrive certainly: shortly; but I am not able to don't want to contain them all in this epistle. However, in order to understand some facts, that are horrible blows of destiny, one needs to brush against some: although your majesty, your humanity in consideration to all and your piety towards the gods are so great that you appear to be the only one worthy to bear the very august name of very Christian King, to whom, must be submitted the sovereign authority of all the Faith.

NOTE: In manner of conclusion, Nostradamus brings back the reader to his quatrains which, according to that that he tells us of them, speak of events closer to his immediate readers. He takes the opportunity to dedicate his works all over again to this great monarch (Henri II or else-) of the universe destined to see humanity reblossom after the apocalyptic times (i.e. IF only then will he/we understand and see all that will have happened).

But only, I ask you, oh very lenient king, by this unique and prudent humanity that you hold, to rather hear the wish of my heart, and the sovereign worry that I have to obey your most serene majesty, since my eyes have posed themselves on your sparkling splendor, that the enormity of my work doesn't reach nor require.

NOTE: And it would be to obey him (ergo Henri II - whatever he couldn't grasp and, indeed, hence also the future of humanity that, it, could grasp all that- unless Henri II could grasp all that by some unique way... ndt) in all that he would not have wanted to announce, more in clear, his prophetic message.

Of Salon, this 27th day of June 1558.

Made by Michel of Nostredame, of Salon-of-Provence.