Some people seem to believe the prophetic age passed with the Apostles. Here is a prophecy written 500 years ago by a woman. Read and see if you can suggest how she could have improved it if she had written it this month. Before reading it, please undertake to transport yourself back across five centuries and live when there were no steamships, no steam railways, no sewing machines, no cook stoves, no radios, no automobiles, no flying machines, no submarines, and none of the many other inventions so common today.

Now, you back there, sitting alone in your quaint old fashioned dwelling, READ this poem AND SEE if you do not think she had a real vision of the future happenings of the world.

Mother Shipton was born in Norfolk England and died in Clifton, Yorkshire, 1449. Thus you see she died 43 years before Columbus discovered America. - J.H. Phillips, Ashdown AR.

A carriage without horse will go,
disaster fill the world with woe.
In London, Primrose Hill shall be
in center hold a bishops sea.

{Motorcars and Trains and their accidents}

Around the world men's thoughts will fly,
quick as the twinkling of an eye.
And water shall great wonders do,
How strange, and yet it shall come true.

{Telephone, Radio, Television & Internet}

Through towering hills proud men shall ride,
no horse or ass move by his side.
Beneath the water, men shall walk,
shall ride, shall sleep, shall even talk.

{Tall buildings and Submarines}

And in the air men shall be seen,
In white and black and even green.
A great man, shall come and go
for prophecy declares it so.

{Aircrafts}

In water, iron then shall float
as easy as a wooden boat.
Gold shall be seen in stream and stone,
In land that is yet unknown.

{Ships made of iron and steel and probable description of America and its wealth}

And England shall admit a Jew,
Do you think this strange, but it is true.
The Jew that once was led in scorn,
shall of a Christian then be born.

{Help in creation of Israel by the British}

A house of glass shall come to pass,
In England. But alas, alas,
a war will follow with the work
where dwells the pagan and the turk.

{Probably the war with Arabs as described by Nostradamus}

These states will lock in fiercest strife,
and seek to take each other's life.
When north shall thus divide the south
an eagle build in lion's mouth
then tax and blood and cruel war
shall come to every humble door.

{Probably describes a war between the Northern & Southern countries as above, describing joint US & British forces}

Three times shall lovely sunny France
be led to play a bloody dance.
Before the people shall be free
three tyrant rulers shall she see.

{The different French Republics}

Three rulers in succession be
each springs from different dynasty.
Then when the fiercest strife is done.
England and France shall be as one.

{Second World War - England & France as allies}

The British olive shall next then twine,
in marriage with a German vine.
Men walk beneath and over streams
fulfilled shall be their wondrous dreams.

{Post Second World War scenario}

For in those wondrous far off days,
the women shall adopt a craze
to dress like men, and trousers wear
and to cut off their locks of hair.
They'll ride astride with brazen brow,
as witches do on broomsticks now.

{Craze in Women to dress like men and wearing trousers and cutting of locks of hair and adopting various hairstyles and riding Bikes and cars (Nice description :-) )}

And roaring monsters with men atop,
does seem to eat the verdent crop.
And men shall fly as birds do now,
and give away the horse and plow.

(Crop harvesting machines & tractors, air travel}

They'll be a sign for all to see
be sure that it will certain be.
Then love shall die and marriage cease
and nations wane as babes decrease.

{Failure of marriages & divorce and decrease in population (in Europe)}

And wives shall fondle cats and dogs
and men live much the same as hogs.

{Anyone seen the "Animal Planet"?. About men living as hogs ... well... female perspective I guess ;-)}

***On the Outer Wrappings of the Scrolls***

I know I go, I know I'm free,
I know that this will come to be,
Secreted this, for this will be
found by later dynasty.

{Describes how her prophecies written on scrolls will be discovered at a later date after her death}

A dairy maid, a bonnie lass,
shall kick this tome as she does pass
And five generations she shall breed
before one male child does learn to read.

{For five generations these scrolls will be held by a family of a girl and then the fifth generation male child will learn to read and understand it}

This is then held year by year,
till an iron monster trembling fear,
eats parchment, words and quill and ink,
and mankind is given time to think.

{Nice description of a printing press, which "eats" papers, "words" and ink. With the burden of manual writing of books removed, man can devote more time to thinking.}

And only when this comes to be
will mankind read this prophecy.
But one man sweets anothers bain
so I shall not have burned in vein.

{After the invention of printing press her prophecies will be printed and man will read this.}

***Found on a Scroll in Another Jar***

The signs will be there for all to read;
when man shall do most heinous deed
man will ruin kinder lives;
by taking them as to their wives.
And murder foul and brutal deed:
when man will only think of greed.
and man shall walk as if asleep;
he does not look - he may not peep
And iron men the tail shall do;
and iron cart and carriage too.

{The greed of modern man}

The king shall false promise make;
and talk just for talking's sake.
And nations plan horrific war;
the like as never seen before.
and taxes rise and lively down;
and nations wear perpetual frown.

{False promises by politicians, wars between nations, increase in taxes and perpetual tension among nations}

Yet greater sign there be to see;
as man nears latter century.
three sleeping mountains gather breath,
and spew out mud, ice and death.
an earthquake swallow town and town;
in lands as yet to me unknown
And Christian one fights Christian two
and nations sigh, yet nothing do.
And yellow men great power gain;
from mighty bear with whom they've lain.

{Volcanoes, earthquakes(in unknown land-Americas?) destroying town after town, fighting between nations; Speaks of a probable China (yellow)-Russia (bear) alliance against probably the west} 

These mightly tyrants will fail to do,
they fail to split the world in two.
But from their acts a danger bred;
an ague, leaving many dead.

{Failure of this alliance, indication of war leaving many dead}

And physics find no remedy;
for this is worse than lepresy.
Oh many signs for all to see;
the truth of this true prophecy.

{No remedy in science ... for all is in human minds}

***The Last Prophecy***

In nineteen hundred and twenty-six
build houses light of straw and sticks.
For then shall mighty wars be planned
and fire and swords shall sweep the land.

{Mistimed prophecy for World War I or prophecy for WW-II? }

When pictures seem alive with movements free,
when boats like fishes swim beneath the sea.
When men like birds shall scour the sky.
Then half the world, deep drenched in blood shall die.

{Television !!! ;  Submarine; Aircrafts and then death through War}

{---All of the following are prophecies on our future--}

For those who live the century through
in fear and trembling this shall do.
Flee to the mountains and the dens
to bog and forest and wild fens.

{After 20th century is over, people will live in fear and flee to mountains, dens & forests for refuge}

For storms will rage and oceans roar
when Gabriel stands on sea and shore,
and as he blows his wondrous horn
old worlds die and new be born.

{the Biblical Revelations - destruction of this civilization and creation of a new one - the so called "end of the world"}

A fiery dragon will cross the sky
six times before the earth shall die.
Mankind will tremble and frightened be
for the six heralds in this prophecy.

{Appearance of a comet and probable collision with earth as indicated in Bible & by Nostradamus}

For seven days and seven nights
man will watch this awesome sight.
The tides will rise beyond their ken.
To bite away the shores and then
the mountains will begin to roar
and earthquakes split the plain to shore.

{After comet strikes in the oceans, huge tidal waves will strike followed by awakening of volcanoes and earthquakes}

And flooding waters rushing in,
will flood the lands with such a din
that mankind cowers in muddy fen
and snarls about his fellow men.

{Tidal waves and wars continue}

He bares his teeth and fights and kills
and secrets food in secret hill
and ugly in his fear, he lies
to kill marauders, thieves and spies.

{Continuation of wars in spite of disasters}

Man flees in terror from the floods
and kills, and rapes and lies in blood
and spilling blood by mankind's hand
will stain and bitter many lands.

{Continuation of the World War}

And when the dragon's tail is gone
man forgets and smiles and carries on.
To apply himself - too late, too late
for mankind has earned deserved fate.

{War will cease, peace will return but man's fate is already sealed}

His masked smile, his false grandeur,
will serve the gods their anger stir
and they will send the dragon back
to light the sky -- his tail will crack.
Upon the earth and rend the earth
and man shall flee, king, lord and serf.

{When peace has returned and man is complacent, suddenly an even greater disaster - probably the same described by Nostradamus in X.74 happens - Is this the famous 3 Days Of Darkness of the Judgement day?}

But slowly they are routed out
to seek diminishing water spout
and men will die of thirst before
the oceans rise to mount to the shore.
And lands will crack and rend anew
do you think it strange, it will come true.

{More earthquakes, floods and death}

And in some far -- off distant land
some men -- oh such a tiny band
will have to leave their solid mount
and span the earth, those few to count.

{Survivors coming out from their hiding places - the Biblical phrase "dead will come out of their graves"}

Who survives this (unreadable) and then
begin the human race again.
But not on land already there,
but on ocean beds, stark, dry and bare.

{Survivors start a new civilization, not on lands which are poisoned due to war and nuclear radiation but on lands rising out of sea after the great tribulation}

Not every soul on earth will die,
as the dragon's tail goes sweeping by,
not every land on earth will sink,
but these will wallow in stench and stink,
of rotting bodies of beast and man,
of vegetation crisped on land.

{The existing lands will be littered with bodies of human and animals and burned vegetation, although all humans will not die during the "Judgement day"}

But the land that rises from the sea
will be dry and clean and soft and free.
Of mankinds dirt and therefore be,
the source of man's new dynasty.
and those that live will ever fear
the dragon's tail for many year
but time erases memory
You think it strange. but it will be.

{Land rising from the sea will be clean and free of all these and this is where the new civilizations will be started. Slowly the memory of the disasters will fade away as time passes and fear will subside.}

And before the race is built anew,
a silver serpent comes to view
and spew out men of like unknown
to mingle with the earth now grown
cold from its heat and these men can
enlighten the minds of future man
to intermingle and show them how
to live and love and thus endow.
the children with the second sight.
a natural thing so that they might
grow graceful, humble and when they do
the golden age will start anew.

{Probably hints at arrival of aliens in their space ships who will enlighten the men starting the new civilization. Children will be gifted with special (mental) powers which is a naturally occurring phenomenon. Then the golden age of man will begin again.}

The dragon's tail is but a sign
for mankind's fall and man's decline.
and before this prophecy is done
I shall be burned at the stake, at l
My body singed and my soul set free
You think I utter blasphemy
you're wrong. These things have come to me  this prophecy will come to be.