Nostradamus

Oracles of Nostradamus: The Preface of Michael Nostradamu...

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This is a prefatory epistle by the 16th-century French prophet Nostradamus, addressed to his infant son César, written as an introduction to his famous book of prophecies (*Les Prophéties*, 1555). The text is a scholarly 1891 English translation and commentary by Charles A. Ward. Nostradamus explains why he has chosen to write his prophecies in deliberately obscure, "dark and abstruse" language rather than plainly: he fears that clear predictions about the downfall of kingdoms, religions, and rulers would be condemned by those in power who would find such forecasts offensive. He describes his prophetic method as a blend of judicial astrology, divine inspiration, and "nocturnal studies," explicitly distinguishing it from forbidden magic while invoking biblical and Latin authorities to legitimize his gift. A notably distinctive claim is his assertion that his quatrains cover events from his own time through the year 3797—a span he presents without apology as divinely sanctioned. The epistle is theologically careful throughout, repeatedly deflecting accusations of sorcery by subordinating his visions to God's will, while simultaneously asserting their genuine predictive accuracy.

Oracles of Nostradamus: The Preface of Michael Nostradamu...

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