Nostradamus: the Truth Be Told: A Complete History of Europe

Contents

Introduction

Prelude I, Napoleon’s First Campaign

History I, Napoleon’s First Campaign

Prelude II, Napoleon’s Second Campaign

History II, Napoleons Second Campaign and Ultimate Defeat

Prelude to the Reformation of Europe Post Napoleon

History of the Reformation of Europe Post Napoleon

Prelude IV Europe Leading up to and through World War I

History IV Europe Leading up to and through World War I

Prelude Leading up to and through World War II

History V Leading up to and through World War II

Prelude VI to Now

About the Author

Appendix

Bibliography

Nostradamus: The Truth Be Told

A Complete History Of Europe

All Rights Reserved © 2000 by Clarence Gregory

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Translated by Mary Lou Bittner

ISBN: 0-595-09937-8

ISBN: 978-1-4697-5841-1 (ebook)

Printed in the United States of America

This book is dedicated to all those who will search, and all those who have died, for the truth.

Introduction

This is a history book written to commence 200 years after the death of the writer, which in its very conception makes it unique. The fact that it runs another 250 years, or better, accurately and unabated, makes it one of the most incredible pieces of literature ever produced, let alone, interpreted. But what else would you expect from the writer, Nostradamus?

For four hundred years readers and writers have tried to decipher the works of Michael Nostradamus, and in many cases, have been able to score direct hits, via the graphic nature of the quatrains involved. I tend to look at these as accomplishments by the reader more than by the writer due to the impossibility to correlate the prophet’s writings in a sensible manner…or at least till now.

I am just such a reader and could never explain why the interest in Nostradamus and his writings has prevailed over the centuries if by no other reason than these few direct hits. I now feel that the writer has given these, bull’s eyes, to us in hopes that they would be spotted and recorded as they came to pass and thus maintain the hope that the writing was indeed worth study from time to time. I also have other minor opinions on these direct hits that I will discuss later but have no bearing on the case at hand, which is why and how this work came to be.

I have always thought the writings had some sort of validity, but weren’t living up to their potential due to a hidden order, but imagined it as so mathematically complicated, I didn’t trouble myself. I would like to emphasize this point because I considered myself the most unlikely character in the whole world to decipher anything other than confusion.

The antithesis came when my wife had to report to the state capital for grand jury duty, that she promptly was excused from, due to family illness. While on her one day of travel she stopped at a book store and bought a book on the prophet to add to the two or three she knew I already had at home in the library. I had not been an avid reader for the past four years, having graduated from nursing school which cured me for a while. I took to the book and began reading with the relaxed manner I had not enjoyed in a long time. My bliss was short lived.

While reading, old thoughts that hadn’t surfaced for years, began playing across my consciousness. I recalled thinking while reading the last book on the subject that certain quatrains seemed to belong with other quatrains in an era of history, and that it seemed to me that the points in history were not being observed via the book they were in, but rather, where they were located in each of the ten Centuries.

In most books the quatrains are listed by Century number, (in Roman numerals), followed by a slash and the quatrain number. I bring this up in order to show how I believe the quatrains were really written. I started this adventure on the hunch that the correct order to read this marvelous work is I/1, II/1, III/1, IV/1, and so on. This puts the quatrains in proper order and thus flows as if it were, and I truly believe it to be, written in this manner.

In order to test my theory I gathered together, from the few books I had on the subject, every quatrain that I had between I/90 and X/100 amounting to 100 quatrains as a test sample. I was able to find and record 26 of the possible data base and placed them in the proper order as I had thought it to be. The results were intriguing, in that I couldn’t make heads or tails of them as far as interpreting them, but they still looked remarkably like the outline for a novel or chronicle.

I placed them back the way I had read them and waited for my son to come home, whereupon he reported to me that it was a fair outline and might make a good book.

The library proved beneficial right away as I was able to retrieve the quatrains over the net,(in Latin, French and English), for the cost of the printer paper involved.

Twenty-one Dollars provided me with instant gratification and I went home, placed them in a notebook and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I had begun immediately to look at the work in the order I had envisioned it but contented myself to read the original format twice that week. I felt through both readings that I was being made privy to a momentous piece of work, though I was at a loss to explain it and put it down to self delusion.

The following week I decided to put the theory to the test and made copies so that I could cut them up and place them in the new order. This was quite tedious and very low tech but having been fortunate enough to have worked as a printer in the old paste-up style, (prior to computers), I was able to make the best of the task.

In order to best calculate how my theory worked, I decided to try and locate World War II, as it was probably the place in history that I knew the most about. I found what I was looking for in the ten unit groups between those with the suffixes ending 57 to 64 thus giving me a total of 70 quatrains with which to work.

The first thing I found out was that my knowledge of World War II was far short of what I needed, at least if I was going to go into the intricacies and details Nostradamus seemed to expound. I say this very seriously because I would like the reader to know that it wasn’t easy finding the facts that the author brings up, not because they didn’t happen but rather that many of them are mundane facts or obvious truths that historical writers, especially text writers, seldom bring to light. I had to teach myself history over again and then reread the section. This was the process that I repeated over and over through the course of this interpretation.

It’s only natural that any writer should have to do some research in order to create a worthwhile product and I don’t lament the fact that, I too, had to follow this time honored test of one’s endurance in order to produce a work worth the read.

I only bring it up to explain to the reader that I found it necessary to vastly increase my knowledge of history in order to keep up with the writer of the work. I never found it necessary to grasp at straws, invent or exaggerate history itself in order to maintain a better than 69% tagging of the events described and dated by the author. His pre-sight has turned out to be as good, or in some senses better, than the hind-sight of many of today’s writers.

I decided after two weeks part time that I was on the right track and began to work full time on the project. I knew the research would be daunting, but the pay off in the discovery, seemed well worth the time. I assessed what I had in the bank, talked to my wife and quit my job of five years.

I want the reader to know that I never contrived to read Nostradamus in the hopes of writing some commentary on him. I was compelled to write this as I saw it as a Rosetta Stone, if you will.

If the writings played out as a history then there had to be a,(now), which I had already found. My job would be not to predict the future, but rather record the past through the writers eyes.

For those of you who would dare to see the future, and you will receive your warnings, the necessary quatrains will be provided and the rules of engagement made clear.

I would also like to let the reader know that as I paged through Europe’s history with the prophet I had the pleasure of understanding the general,and in many cases the exact, point of his view. This let me enjoy the poetry of history in the Greek epic tradition. His eloquence shone through, and as I, admittedly only know, the French-to-English my dictionary gives me, I’m hardly qualified to critique, but this is, none-the-less a literary work. All it ever really lacked was a plot.

I would hope that as the reader goes through this interpretation, he or she will be able to appreciate the emotion that the writer is able to convey at the most understandable times. When he sees his France in jeopardy he cries and he shares his torment, as any accurate writer would do. This became an intense personal experience for me, to be privileged to read and enjoy The History of Europe as per Michael Nostradamus, as written by the author.

HOW THE BOOK WAS WRITTEN

As I have already stated this is a History Book. It stretches from the time of Napoleon’s rise to power to beyond the present and is very complete. Nostradamus takes time to make sure that his labors are not missed by even the feeble minded as he repeats most messages twice in the form of obtuse and acute observation. He does this by preceding each era by a prelude that basically tells the reader what to expect in the coming era and then gives a more precise observation that combined with the subject matter in the prelude paints a very clear picture.

The history up to the time of the Cold war consists of five eras or chapters, each preceded by a prelude. This takes up most of the quatrains, (618), and leaves us approximately 368 to come to the present,(1/66), and beyond. As I said before, I will not go beyond the point that I consider now as I am not trying to predict the future but rather illuminate what the writer has recorded thus far.

The Preludes and their corresponding chapters are shown on the next page.

Preludes History Dates

1/1 to 1/5 ..1755 to 1798

2/5 to 1/14 1793 to 1799

2/14 to 1/19 1802 to 1809

2/19 to 1/31 1805 to 1812

2/31 to 8/35 1812 to 1903

9/35 to 2/41 1870 to 1920

3/41 to 4/45 1912 to 1918

5/45 to 2/53 1900 to 1922

3/53 to 9/58 1922 to 1945

10/58 to 2/63 1940 to 1953

These five chapters may be attributed to Napoleon’s first and second campaigns, the reformation of Europe post Napoleon, World War I and World War II in that order.

He writes primarily about France, Italy, Napoleon and the church, these accounting for the subject matter of 54% of the 447 quatrains I was able to interpret. While we’re discussing percentages, I’ll take this opportunity to applaud my own efforts in stating that I’ve interpreted 72% of the 618 that I’ve worked. I’m hoping that as the light is shone on this work, those readers who are more knowledgeable than I, in History might be able to contribute their thoughts and bring the work up to 100% interpretation. This I feel is entirely possible.

I would like to list his primary topics from the most talked about to the least so that the reader has an idea what to expect.

opic Occurrences

France 114

Italy 68

Napoleon 67

Church 51

Russia 43

Araby 43

England 47

Spain 36

Germany 31

Austria 31

Antichrist 16

Arch 8

Opinion of the writer 11

Warnings 7

As you can see the first four topics listed account for over half the subject matter of the work and this is to be expected as the man was a Catholic, Frenchman who spent many years in Italy. The remainder of the topics are brought up as needed but its clear they are the minor characters in the scheme of French History. As the reader goes through the work this will be made clearer through the obvious laments that the writer makes for his precious France. He exhibits national pride two hundred years before it was invented.

All this being said I would like to present the reader with a code by which to decipher Nostradamus’ choice of Planetary names and their meanings. Many times, particularly, in the Twentieth Century these are parts of an Astrological dating system and this makes sense. Given the changes in the standard Gregorian Calendar over the Jovian Calendar, this would provide a fool proof method of dating that would last the centuries.

The majority of the time, whoever, the names merely apply to a particular country or complex situation such as war or having to give up the spoils of war as examples of the latter. The following table will assist the reader in interpreting the work as we go through it rather than having to wait for the proper quatrains to have the necessary knowledge, as I was required to do.

PLANET MEANING

Mercury————————The Spoils of war

Venus—————————Ottoman Empire

Mars————————————War

Jupiter—————————Russia

Saturn—————————England

Neptune————————The Sea

Sun——————————-The righteous cause

Moon—————————-Napoleon or The Pop

Full Whiteness————Austria

*Most of these terms are clarified in quatrain # 5/24.

I feel now that the reader has been provided with the necessary data to follow this work and be able to enjoy it as I truly believe it to have been written. It is widely accepted that this work is coded some way, and it is also thoroughly understandable, given that it was written at the height of The Spanish Inquisition. The writer is said to have predicted the day of his own demise and I doubt that he wished to rush the event.

This is the only reference that I will make to the remarkable life of Michael Nostradamus as I am assuming the reader has already read this information. If the reader is unfamiliar with the writer’s life and times the info is available in any encyclopedia. My hope is that the reader would like to press on with the interpretation rather than read old news, and so we begin.

The Quatrains

Before we start I would like to call to the reader’s attention the numbering of the following quatrains. I have omitted the use of Roman numerals for the sake of my typist and because I believe they are unnecessary in their original order. If Nostradamus were to have written them as 1000 quatrains and then placed them in ten books, (one through ten), as they were written, the only way to read them correctly would be in this order. Good luck and understanding to the read.

Interpreters note

Prior to each individual prelude, I feel it necessary to introduce to the reader the happenings in Europe that will be covered in that particular prelude and the history that will follow it.

Please bear in mind, I don’t do this to insult the reader, but rather, to allow the reader the luxury of knowing what to look for. The odds that the reader will know and understand Napoleonic History, for example are slim at best in these days and times.

I will, therefore, provide the reader with a page or two describing the events that will be covered in each history before starting the prelude.

I would also like to mention again that the writer has the habit of describing an event in the prelude and then repeating it in the history.

I believe he does this for two reasons. First, the writer eventually wanted the work to be recognized for what it is. By mentioning events more than once he doubles his chances that it will be seen. Secondly, he seems to add details each time he mentions an event so as to give us a clearer image of the event.

At this time I would like to give credit to the lady responsible for the French to English translations used in this work.

Her name is Mary Lee Bittner and she holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Mercyhurst College, where she majored in French. She attended the Sorbonne in 1962 and has returned to France five times.

Mary also has an Master Equivalency in Education and has taught French for fourteen years. Two of her privileged students happen to have been my own children.

Prelude I, Napoleon’s First Campaign

This section covers a time period from 1755 to 1799. It primarily discusses the French Revolution, which I will try to describe in brief.

Louis XVI wished to increase the wealth and efficiency of the largest nation in Europe at the time. In order to achieve this goal he invited representatives from all over France to openly discuss their differences between both themselves and the throne.

He was warned by the other monarchs of Europe that discussing government with the populace was a dangerous endeavor and their warnings proved to be prophetic.

I believe their feelings were that a despot was a despot. A dead despot was one that blinked before the peasantry.

Predictably, by giving moderate freedom to his people to speak out, he opened the floodgates to revolution. The people blamed Louis XVI for all their troubles and rightfully so, as he was the king. They took the lead provided them from The Americas and determined that they could better rule themselves.

I liken this to a man living in a tent and deciding he would be better off in a house. He then precedes to build the house without the benefit of carpentry experience. Even if the blueprint is provided him, he still can’t understand it and will require several attempts to get it right. At this time blueprints for democratic government were scarce.

The King was dethroned and the misery started. As each faction came to power, only to be overpowered by the next regime, executions preceded at a feverish pace. Indeed, the guillotine needed sharpened daily. In the next four years over 2500 people would meet their demise courtesy of the mistress. In the macabre humor of the day, the guillotine was referred to as the mistress because it seemed, sooner or later she would have every man.

As the Catholic Church was the State Church of France, it was ousted with the Royalists. France was in a state of anarchy, without social or moral guidance.

The infighting continued and it wasn’t long before the French realized they were becoming easy prey to their Royalist neighbors, many of which were ready to come to the aide of their brother monarchist. They felt if they let this happen to Louis, they could be next. They were right, and when Louis XVI was executed along with his wife and son, their worries were redoubled.

Around the time of the first wave of the revolution young lieutenant was arrested. Through the efforts of friends he was able to convince the authorities at the jail that he was no Royalist and that his loyalty was solely to France. He was allowed to go free.

The British had refused to accept any government in France if it were not a Royalist government and blockaded several French ports.

Napoleon, the previously mentioned lieutenant, was lucky enough to be in Toulon when a British fleet, after blockading the port, were about to take the city.

He rounded up the artillery, garrisoned in the town, and using his recently acquired military know-how, routed the British and saved the town. He was noticed by his superiors.

In a further action involving Napoleon, he helped quell a riot in Paris by, again, using artillery. He would be promoted to general for his resourcefulness and start his march to glory.

Italy at this time was a complete mess with the city states competing with each other and robbing the unprotected countryside’s continually. The Church prospered in this environment as it reigned unquestioned, as the only real national institution, and was never threatened internally. The Italians were badly in need of a national government but didn’t know it.

Spain, having lost territory to France in their last dispute was threatening to take back its lost land. Several generals were dispatched at this time by the new government of France to protect the eastern and northern borders of the country. Napoleon was sent to the south to deal with the Spanish and Austrians who, having control of Lombardy, (the northern part of Italy), were also threatening to attack.

He quickly went into Spain with a small contingent of men and negotiated a border that is roughly the same as that which divides the two countries today.

He then set off along the southern coast of France and gathering troops on the way prepared to invade Lombardy. He provisioned his troops lightly for the crossing of the Alps to facilitate surprise and reprovisioned them as he won the first battles in Italy. He proceeded down the coast gaining control of over one half of the peninsula. It was a brilliant campaign and he was promoted to general of Italy.

The young general wasn’t done yet. He organized a navy and taking Malta on the way, by way of a bribe, he proceeded to Egypt. There he organized a successful campaign and proceeded to loot the ancient country of as many treasures as he could safely ship back to France.

It is important to note that one of these treasures turned out to be the Rosetta Stone that did so much for Egyptology. While in Egypt he took a fancy to the wife of one of his officers and had the husband sent back to France on a mission, where upon he took to her bed. In France Josephine was reciprocating by taking on a lover of her own, a member of the Directory by the name of Barrus.

Napoleon got wind of the affair just as the British Navy under the command of Nelson sailed into the area. Realizing that his army was landlocked by the British fleet he hastened his clandestine escape back to France leaving his army to their on devises and demise. He never forgave himself for his abandonment of his troops but France needed him more.

When he returned to France he found that much of the territory gained by him had been returned, via foolish negotiation or corruption.

After being home a short while Napoleon decided he was the one to best lead the consul of government and proceeded to take the helm. He was peaceful for a while and busied himself with government concerns both international and domestic.

It should also be noted that upon his return to France, he had the Pope brought to him and never allowed him to leave the country again. He did this, I believe, to keep order in Italy.

1\1 Estant assis de nuit secrette estude Seul repose sur la selle d’airain Flambe exigue sortant de solitude Fait proferer qui m’est a croire vain.

Being seated at night in the hidden study Alone reposing on the brass stool A slender flame leaps out of the solitude To make me pronounce that which is not in vain.

This quatrain is simple enough and most articles describe this as the method of divination the author prefers to use, but notice that he takes the very first opportunity available to tell the reader this is real and not to be taken lightly. I feel this quatrain alone was intriguing enough to have kept this work intact, long enough to be recognized as something extraordinary, thus extending its shelf life to the present day.

2\1 Vers Aquitaine par insuls Britaniques Et par aux mesmes grandes incursions Pluyes gelees feront terroir iniques Port Selyn fortes fera invasions.

Towards Gascony by English assaults By the same will be made great incursions Rains, frosts will make the ground evil Port Selyn will make strong invasions.

3\1 A pres combat&bataille navale Le grand Neptun a son plus haut beffroy Rouge adversaire de peur deviendra pasle Mettant le grand Ocean en effroy.

After the fight and sea battle The great Neptune at his highest belfry The red adversary will become pale with fear Putting the great Ocean in a fright.

4/1 Cela de reste de sang non espande Venise quiert secours esntre donne apres avoir bien long temps attendu Cite livree au premier cornet sonne.

There will remain some blood not spilt Venice given the help After having long waited for it The city freed at the first sound of the trumpet.

5\1 Avant venus du uyne Celtique Dedans le temple deux parlementeronts Poignart coeurd’un monte au coursier&pique Sans faire bruit le grand enterreront.

Before the coming of the ruin Celtic Inside the temple two will talk together Gripped in heart from a mounted to a spurring charger Without making noise they shall bury the great one.

Quatrains 2/1 to 5/1 start right into the History of Europe by giving us a benchmark from which to start. The Ottoman Empire was actually short lived, as Empires go, and it was present during the life of Nostradamus, although, not yet at its peak. The History starts when this Empire has reached its zenith and England and Russia are forced to take action.

In the war with Russia, from 1768 to 1771, Russia controlled the land around the Ottoman Empire, leaving the British Navy to contain them in the Black Sea. According to the quatrain, this was not yet the case. The shipping of all nations was in peril in The Mediterranean, via Turkish pirates, at the beginning of this history.

The quatrain 4/1 ends with the Venicians coming under the protective rule of Austria and France via the Treaty of Campo Formio, Oct 1797.

Before France’s impending fall from grace, the Pope and Napoleon will vie for control, if not the very life of The Church. The Church will win. Napoleon will be buried on St. Helena with little fanfare.

The writer has established the date where The History starts but now he will go on to tell us why he was compelled to record a history that he would never live to see and never be able to change.

6\1 addendum LEGIS CAUTIO CONTRA INEPTOS CRITICOS Qui legent hos versus mature censunto; Prophanum vulgus&inscium ne attrectato. Omnesque Astrologi Blenni Barbari procul sunto qui aliter faxit is rite sacer esto.

INVOCATION OF THE LAW AGAINST INEPT CRITICS Those who read these verses let them consider with mature mind Let not the profane vulgar and ignorant be attracted All Astrologers fools and Barbarians draw not near He who does otherwise is cursed according to rite.

6\1 Au tour des Monts Pyrenees