LVIII.

French.

Trenché le ventre, naistra avec deux testes, & quattre bras, quel qu’ans entiers vivra, Jour qu’Aquilare celebrera ses festes, _Fossan_, _Thurin_, chef _Ferrare_ fuiera.

English.

Slit in the belly, shall be born with two heads, And four Arms, it shall live some years, The day that _Aquilare_ shall celebrate his Festivals, _Fossan_, _Thurin_, chief _Ferrare_ shall run away.

ANNOT.

In the first Verse the Author speaketh of a Monster that had two heads, and four Arms, and the Belly slit, that is to say, it was a female.

His Son _Cæsar_ in his History of _Provence_, saith, that in the Town of _Senan_ in _Provence_, a Child was born with two heads, and that it was foretold by some that were skilful in Astronomy, by which words I guess he spake of his Father, sith the Astrologers cannot foretel the birth of a particular Monster, and therefore _Nostradamus_ only was able to do it in those days.

He saith in the same place, that it was born in _February_ 1554. and was brought to _Salon_ to be shewed to his Father, and thence was carried to _Claudius_ Earl of _Savoy_ Governour of _Provence_, who commonly had his residence at _Salon_.

He maketh no mention if he had four Arms, nor what Sex it was of, it may be that being in swadling cloths, nobody took notice of the Arms or Sex.

The Author Prophecieth that it should live some years, it may be two or three, and that is was preserved to see, whether in time it should have the use of its Senses, of the Tongue, and understanding of its two Heads, to see whether there were two Souls, or onely one, and to say the Truth. I think that in such an accident both Heads ought to be Baptized, that in case there should be two Souls, both should partake of the blood of Christ, for their Eternal Salvation.

I do not find in the same History how long it lived, it being a thing not much material to History. In the third Verse he marketh, _The day that _Aquilare_ shall celebrate his Festivals_; and in the fourth he saith that _Fossan, Thurin, chief Ferrare shall run away_.

To understand this, one must suppose here that the Town of _Cazal_ is called here the chief of _Ferrare_; because it is the chief City of _Montserrat_, and as _Paradin_ saith, is called _Cazal_ St. _Bas_, a handsom and strong place, honoured with many Nobles and antient Families, as of the Earls of St. _George_ and of _Biandratte_.

Secondly, We must suppose that in the year 1554. the Lord _Figuerol_, Lieutenant to the Governour of _Milan_ did command in that place. Of this _Figuerol_ I find in the Author of the four Volumes of the States and Empires, (when he speaketh of _Spain_) that the House of _Figueroas_ was the root of that of _Aquilar_, which hath several branches, out of which came the Duke of _Feria_, and the Marquess of _Pliego_, so that _Figuerol_ and _Aquilar_ is the same thing.

If it be objected that _Figueroas_ and _Figuerol_ are not the same, _Paradin_ teacheth us, that this _Figuerol_ was bred up amongst the _Genoeses_, and the corrupted _Italian_ of _Genoa_ may have named the Captain _Figuerol_ in stead of _Figueroas_.

Thirdly, We must suppose here that _Cazal_ was taken in the night that is between _Shrove-Tuesday_ and _Ash-Wednesday_, and that from _Shrove-Sunday_ to that day there were great rejoycings, because of a famous Marriage that was made between two persons of quality, where the Lord _Figuerol_ was one of the chief persons invited.

Fourthly, That these rejoycings were the occasion of the taking of _Cazal_; because the Lord _Salvaison_ Governour of _Verrüe_ hearing of this Feast, resolved to be among them, though with a different intention. He had before hand made himself sure of one _Fontarole_, who under pretence to sell fruit, went up and down the Town to spie what was a doing.

Fifthly, The resolution of surprizing _Cazal_ was agreed upon, and the time appointed to be the night between _Shrove-Tuesday_ and _Ash-Wednesday_, when the Governour, Inhabitants and Souldiers should be buried in sleep, weary of debaucheries committed the day before.

Sixthly, This resolution was so happily put into execution, that _Figuerol_ hearing the noise of the _French_ being in Town, came out of his house, having only his night Gown upon him, and a Halbert in his hand, to quiet those whom he only thought to be some drunken persons; but hearing the cry of _France, France_, he presently retired into the Castle, with all those that were come to the Nuptials.

Seventhly, The Marshal of _Brissac_ coming about seven of the Clock in the Morning, caused the Tower of _Cazal_ to be assaulted, which was taken with a considerable loss of the _French_, and after that the Castle which held out 12 days.

All this being supposed, mark what the Author saith in the third Verse.

The day that _Aquilare_ shall celebrate his Festivals, that is, the day that _Figuerol of the house of Aquilare shall celebrate his Festivals_, not only one Festival, but his Festivals, that is of three days.

_Fossen_, _Thurin_, saith the fourth Verse, _Chief Ferrare shall run away_.

_Fossen_, _Thurin_, doth not signifie two Towns, but one onely; for although _Fossen_ and _Thurin_ be two Towns, of which _Fossen_ in the time of the Wars in _Italy_ under _Henry_ II. belonged to the _Spaniard_, and _Thurin_ to the _French_. These two Towns signifie but one, which is that of _Fossen_, to which to distinguish it from _Marseilles_, he giveth the Epithete of _Thurin_, so much as to say, that he speaketh of _Fossen_ a Town of _Piemont_, the chief Town of which is _Thurin_, and not of _Fossen_, which the Author taketh often for _Marseilles_.

Which the Author maketh plain, when he saith in the singular number, that _Fossen, Thurin, chief Ferrare shall run away_, to shew that it is onely one Town of which he speaketh, otherwise if he had intended to speake of two, he would have put it in the plural number, which is more manifest by the History, wherein we learn that _Fossen_ belonged to the _Spaniards_, and _Thurin_ to the _French_, and consequently, being of contrary parties, they could neither follow, nor fly from a Town which belonged to one of them.

If any one should object, that the sense of the fourth Verse is, that the _Chief Ferrare_ shall fly or follow these two Towns, the preceding reason is repugnant to that sense; because a Town that is of one party, cannot be friend to two Towns, one of which is of its party, and the other of the contrary.

The reading of this work shall convince every body, that the Author setteth down sometimes two Towns for one, to distinguish them from others, as he nameth _Paul Mansol_, to distinguish that Town of St. _Paul_, which is three Leagues from the _Rhosne_, over against _Pont_ St. _Esprit_, from that St. _Paul_ which is in _Provence_.

Now that _Fossen_ in _Piemont_ shall run from _Cazal_ the chief City of _Montserrat_, because that being taken by the _French_, _Fossen_ could not expect but perpetual damages from it.

But why? will you say, doth the Author speak rather of _Fossen_, than of other places that held for the _Spaniards_? I answer, because _Fossen_ was the strongest place that the _Spaniards_ had in _Piemont_ and which could not be taken by the _French_, though her neighbour _Saviliane_ was, as we shall shew hereafter.

In the Vulgar impression of this Stanza, there is two faults, one is, that in the first Verse it puts _Aquileya_, which is a Town that is not in _Italy_, truth it is, that there is _Aquilee_ a little above _Venice_, but this hath no correspondency with _Fossen_, _Thurin_, nor the _Chief of Ferrara_.

In the fourth Verse the impression setteth down _shall follow_, which maketh nonsense, and therefore I put _shall run away_, which is a word in _French_ near the other, and maketh a compleat sense, to which agreeth the birth of that Monster in _February_, and the taking of _Cazal_ in the Month of _March_. In that year, _John Statius_ setteth _Shrove-Tuesday_ upon the 16 of _February_, and consequently we must say, that the Town was not taken that year 1554. for the Citadel was taken 12 days after, which should have been the 19 of _February_, and notwithstanding the History marks that it was taken upon the 14 of _March_.

Therefore we must conclude, that it was taken the year following 1555. and to say truth, in that year _Ash-wednesday_ was the 27. of _February_; in that day the Town was taken, and two days after the Tower of _Cazal_; after which the Citadel was besieged the second of _March_, and the first _Saturday_ of Lent, and was taken twelve days after, which was the 14. of _March_, which convinceth me that _Cazal_ was taken in the year 1555. upon the 27. of _February_, and therefore that this Stanza is wholly Prophetical.