The Whole Revelation of John in Two Treatises, Prophecies
HEREAFTER FOLLOWETH CERTAINE NOTABLE PROPHECIES agreable to our purpoſe, extract out of the books of Sibylla, whoſe authorities neither being ſo authentik, that hitherto vve could cite any of them in matters of ſcriptures, neither ſo prophane that altogether we could omit them: We hauehave therefore thought very meet, ſeuerally and apart to inſert the ſame here, after the end of this worke of holy ſcripture, becauſe of the famous antiquitie, approued veritie, and harmonicall conſentment thereof with the ſcriptures of God, and ſpecially with the 18. Chapter of this holy Revelation.
OVT OF THE SECOND BOOK OF the Oracles of Sibylla, beginning at this part according to Caſtalio his Latine tranſlation. — hominum tum deni que ſaeclum. Exiſtet decimum, quando qui ſydera fecit, &c. Faithfullie engliſhed this way.
THere ſhal of men the tenth age then ariſe,
When God who did the heauens high deuiſe,
At whoſe preſence, the earth doth quake and mooue,
OfApoc 17.9. & 23. Prop. Imagerie extinguiſh ſhall the louelove:
And ſhall of Rome raiſed on herApoc. 18.17. hilles ſeuen,
The people ſhake. Then beis the ſtrength downe dreuen
Of her riches, whillApoc. 17.16, & 18.8.9. Vulcane in his ire
Oft ſhall on her ſend furious flames of fire.
a Herby ſhe noteth the inſeparable Idolatrie of Rome in ſo much as Rome and hir Idolatrie, ſhal ſtand together …d fall together.
a Of theſe ſeuen hilles of Rome, read Apoc. 17.9. and our 23. Propoſition.
c Here, agreeable with the Revelation, doth ſhe forewarne the finall deſtruction of Rome, to be by fire, vſing here poeticallie the name of Vulcan… expreſlie, for mocking duplicate page duplicate page of them and their Idol Gods, for ſhe in all her books acknowledgeth onelyonly the true God.
OVT OF THE FIFT BOOK AT THIS PART. De coelo veniet ſydus magnum in mare magnum, &c.
From heauen there fell a great (a) ſtar in the (b) ſie,Apo. 8.8.
And burnt it vp although both great and hie:
So beis burnt vp,Apo. 18. &c, propo. 23 and ſhall no longer ſtand,
Thou (c) Babylon of Italie the land:
Who murthereth Saints and many faithfull Iow,Apo. 17.6 & 18.24. Apoc. 11.3.
Temples tread downe that did the trueth avow,
Yet thou O miſchant ſuffer ſhall great paine,
As thou deſerueſt deſert ſhall thou remaine:Apoc. 17.16. & …18. &c.
Remaine ſhall thou deſert for euer more,
Thy natiue ſoile henceforth thou ſhalt abhore:
For thou in (d) poyſon hath delighted thee,
Mother of whoredome and adulterie:Apoc. 17.5.
And bougerie gainſt nature nuriſhing,Apoc. 18.7.
A towne of eaſe in filth moſt fluriſhing:
Wicked, vniuſt, vnworthy to be named,
Ah towne of Latins vtterly defamed:
As (e) Widowe wood,Iſay. 47.7.8.9. and Viper venomous,
VponUpon thy banks thou ſhalt ſit dolorous:
And (f) Tiber flood for thee his ſpouſe ſhall mourne,
Thy mind is mad,Apoc. 17.6. & 18.24. Iſa 47.7.8.6 &c. Apoc. 18.7 thy hart for blood doth burne:
Thou doeſt misknowe Gods mind and might, for why
OnelyOnly I am (ſaieſt thou) and who but I?
Eternall God,Iſa. 47 &c. Apoc. 18. &c. now wrack ſhall the and thyne,
In al the earth ſhall not reſt but ruyne
A monument or yet a mark of thee,
Which thou hadſt when God gaue proſperitie:
Thou miſchant nowe fit ſoliter alone,
Hurld ſyne to hell with many grieuous grone:Apoc. 19.20.
Where thou ſhalt bide burning both bone and lyre,
Into that lake of furious flaming fyre.
a This great ſtar, Apoc. 8.8. is called a mountain of fire, & is there proued to mean, the multitude of fierce & firy people that began alredy the firſt deſtruction of Rome.
b The ſea is both proued, Apoc. 8.8. note d thereof, to meane Italie, as alſo here ſubſequently doth followe.
c How this Babylon is Rome, we hauehave proued Prop. 23. and conſequentlie, muſt be of the land of Italie, as here both maruelouſlie & plainly this Propheteſſe affirmeth.
d How much the people of Rome, and all Italie, are inclined to poiſoning and priuie murthers, all men knowes, in ſo much as vulgarlie we cal poiſon, an Italian poſſet.
e Becauſe as teſtifieth both Eſay 47.7. & Revel. 18.7. that ſhe is a Queene and Lady, fornicating with many vowers, and thinketh her ſelfe no widowe, therefore at once ſay they there, as Sibylla doth here, ſhe ſhal be made a widow and deſolate of all her vowers.
f This is the floud that goeth through the towne of Rome, bearing the name of Tiber to this day.
OVT OF THE SAME FIFT BOOK AT THIS PART Italia infoelix deſerta infleta manebis, &c.
O Curſed and vnhappie Italie,
Vnmeind or mournd for, barren ſhalt thou be:
To ground as greene, as wildernes vnwrought,Apoc. 18.2
To woods wild and buſhes beis thou brought.
And thereafter ſairh ſhee
Stay and reſtraineye (a) mother murtherers,
Your hands and hearts, O filthie furtherers
(…) To bougrie, like beaſts abuſing boyes,
Who women (e) chaſte with villanie annoyes:Apoc, 17.5
And maketh whores by your perſwaſion,
Ouercomd by ſubtill ſo…iſtation:
In thee the Sonne doth with his mother mell,
The daughter wife doth with her Father dwell,
And Kings their (d) mouthes polluted hath in thee,
In thee is found with beaſts bougerie:
Sit dolorous down deplore thy paine with pitie,Apoc. 18. &c.
Thou lecherous ſeat ſuppreſt, and ſinfull citie:
a Becauſe that Nero, who was Emperour of Rome, murthered his mother, therfore here Sibylla ſtileth the whol Romanes after him, Mother murtherers.
b Who could more viuely deſcribe by preſent hiſtory, the filthie vices of Rome, than here Sibylla doeth by her maruelous prophecie, for proofe whereof, reade their owne hiſtories.
c To wit, chaſt Lucretia, whome Sextus T. Aruns ſonne to Tarq. Sup. the king of Rome, deforced filthily againſt her wil.
d In mouing of Kings & Emperours to make oaths of maintenance, ſeruice and obedience to her, euen againſt God and his trueth.
OVT OF THE VII. BOOK AT THIS PART. Roma ferox animi, poſt fracta Macedonis arma, &c.
ROme fierce in mind, whē (a) Grecians are down driuen,
Shall ſtellifie thy ſelf vp to the heauen.
But when thou thinkſt thee in thy higheſt hight,
God ſhall tread downe thy ſturdie ſtrength and might:Apoc. 18.7.8
Then ſhall I ſay when thou art dongen downe,
Sometime on hie reſounded thy renowne:
The (b) ſecond time, O Rome againe to thee,
Hereafter yet I will ſpeak ſecondle.
a Alexander King of Macedonia, Monarche of … world being dead, & the monarchie of the Grecian … ing ended, then vpſtart the Romans, and become monarch of the whole earth, and thereafter by the Pope they vſurped alſo the power of heauen.
b For the greater emphaſis ſhe doubles the worde (ſecondly) meaning thereby, of a firſt and of a ſeconde deſtruction of Rome, according to the which, ſhe here pronounceth a firſt, and hereafter a ſecond prophecie.
OVT OF THE VIII. BOOK AT THIS VERSE. Par tibi de coelo ſublimis vertice Roma, &c.
O Rome vpraiſed now with thy toppis hie,
The like ruine from heauen ſhall fall on thee:
Plaine beis thou made, down ſhall thy toppes turne,Apoc. 18.21
And flaming fire all whollie ſhall thee burne:Apoc. 17.16. & 18 8.9.
Far ſhalt thou ſlit into an vncouth land,
Thy riches ſhall be reft out of thine hand:
In thy wall ſteds ſhall Wolues and toddes convene,Apoc. 18.17. Apoc. 18.2. Ier. 50 39.
Waſt ſhall thou be, as thou had neuer bene:
Where then ſhall be thy Oracles deuyne,
What golden gods ſhall keepe or ſaue thee ſyne:Iſay 47.11.13.
What God I ſay of copper or of ſtone,
Where then ſhall be the conſultation
Of thy Senate? What helps thy noble race,
Of Saturne, Ioue or Rhea in this cace:
Whoſe ſenſles ſoules and Idoles thou before,
Religiouſlie did worſhip and adore:
Of whoſe greene graues, vnhappie Crete avants,
Their figures dead vp doeſt thou ſet like Sants:
Then followeth immediatly of the Pope.
When rung in thee hath (a) fifteen Emperours,
Of all the world that hath bene conquerours:
Then comes a King (b) a manifold crowne to beare,
…oſe name ſhall be to (c) PONTI very neare.
… wicked (d) foote the world ſhall viſitate,
Great gifts and goods then ſhall he impetrate:
Huge heapes of golde he ſhall hauehave into treaſure,
With ſiluer hid, and money without meaſure:
(e) Diſcouered thinges he ſhall looſe and remit,
of (f) Magick art, well ſhall he knowe and wit
The myſteries and ſecreet ſorcerie,
The mightie God he makes (g) a babe to be:
Dan. 7.25. Apoc. … 11.2 2. Theſ. 2.9.10.And downe he ſhall tread all true worſhippin,
And at cheif heades of errours firſt begin
His myſteries to al he ſhall expone,
Then comes the time of mourning and of mone:
For in a (h) roape his ending ſhall he make,
The potent people, and the towne ſhall wrack:
Thus ſhall they ſay, we knew and hoped ay,
Sometime on vsus ſhould come this bitter day:
The Fathers ould, and babes ſhal mourne for thee,
Beholding then thy dolorous deſtinee:
On Tiber banke lamenting ſore thy caſe,
Sadde ſhall they ſit, with many loud alaſe.
a Hauing before in the beginning of the fift booke, amongſt other Emperours deſcribed the fiftenth Emperour Adrianus, with many of the ſame tokens wherewith here the Antichriſt is deſcribed, Sibylla here ſheweth, that this wicked Antichriſt ſhall come after fifteen Emperors, expreſly therby to put difference betwixt him and Adrianus, and not meaning thereby, that immediately after the fifteenth Emperour, came the wicked Antichriſt.
b Adrianus Emperour was before deſcribed with a ſiluer crown, and to be a good man, but where here ſhee deſcribes this wicked man to weare a many fold crowne called in Greeke foreign, ſhe thereby expreſſeth and points out the Pope moſt liuely, who euer ſince Conſtantine the Emperours daies, beareth a threefold crown, as the gift contained in the Decret. diſt. 96. proports.
c Where ſhe deſcribes Adrianus Emperour, ſhee ſaith not that his name is neere vntounto Pontus, which is to ſay, neere to the Sea, but plainly ſaith ſhee, hee ſhall hauehave the name of the Sea: for where Adrianus was borne, the ſea there is called the Adriatick or Adriane Sea, but here ſaith ſhee, this wicked man ſhall hauehave a name neere to Ponti, meaning thereby plainly of the Pope, who is ſtyled Romanus Pontifex, or Summus Pontifex.
d With his wicked foot doth he viſit the world, both in treading downe Kinges and Princes vnderunder his feete, as he did to Frederick Barbaroſſa & Henrie the Emperours: as alſo in ſetting vp his foot to be viſite, ſeene and kiſſed, as a relique and publick ſpectacle to the whole world.
e Euen ſinnes diſcouered by auricular confeſsion ſhal he preſume to looſe and remit.
f Hereof read Platina the Popes own ſecretarie, together with other true hiſtories, who make mention of 22. Necromantick Popes, & of eight Atheiſts, beſide others of horrible natures.
g By repreſenting God by ſtones, and carued ſtockes of bony Baby Ieſus, and ſuch like Idoles to the poore people to play them with, & many other vanities, where by he mocketh God, and would make God to ſeme as an ignorant barne.
h This is vnperformed as yet, and ſeemes to meane of the laſt Pope, who ſhal make ſuch a tragical end, his people, ſeate and towne being vtterly wracked.
And ſhortly after followeth
Lament ſhall you and mourne, laying aſide,
Thy (a) purpleweede, imperiall robes of pride:
And into ſackcloth ſitting ſorrowfull,
Repeat ſhalt thou thy plaintes pitifull:
O royall Rome, thou bragging Prince but Peere,
Of Latine land the onelyonly daughter deere:
… ride but pompe ruyned ſhall remaine:Apoc, 18.19
Thou (b) once trode downe ſhalt neuer riſe againe:Apoc. 18.14.…1
For gone ſhall be the glore of that armie,
That beareth the (c) Eagles in their enſeignie:
To whence then ſhall thy forces foreward fair,
What land with armes ſhall help thee any mair:
Yea, none now bound is to thy ſeruitude,
O miſhant, &c.
a How both Popes and Emperours of Rome, hauehave their robe royall of purple and skarlet, reade the Decret. diſt. 96. as is ſaid in the note g Apoc. 17.
b Shee ſpeaketh not here of the wrackes that Rome ſuſtained in times paſt, by the Gotthes and Vandales, for all theſe wrackes were repared: but here ſhee ſpeakes of that great wrack; that is yet to come, which neuer ſhalbe repaired, as is teſtified Apoc. 18.14.21.22.23.
c The Romane Emperours bears the double diſplaied Eagle in their badge.
And hereafter followeth.
Then endes the world, then comes the latter light,
Then God ſhall come to iudge his folk aright:
But firſt ſhall fall on Rome but reſiſtance,
Apoc, 14.8.14.Of Gods wrath the wofull vengeance
A wofull life a bloudie time ſhalbe,
Apoc. 17.6. & 18 24.Oh, people rude, Oh land of crueltie:
Thou litle lookſt, nor doth regard aright,
How poore and bare thou firſt came in the light:
That to the like againe you ſhould returne,
And laſt before a dreidfull iudge ſhould murne
IN ſummar concluſion, if thou O Rome alledges thy ſelf reformed, and to beleeue true Chriſtianiſme, then beleeue Saint Iohn the Diſciple, whome Chriſt loued, publickly here in this Reuelatiō proclaiming thy wrack, but if thou remaine Ethnick in thy priuate thoughts, beleeuing the old Oracles of the Sibylls reuerently keeped ſometime in thy Capitoll: then doth here this Sibyll proclaime alſo thy wrack. Repent therefore alwaies, in this thy latter breath, as thou loueſt thine aeternall ſaluation, Amen.
FINIS.
End of the text · John Napier, The Whole Revelation of John in Two Treatises (1593)