The Essential Nostradamus

317 Pages·2006·2.68 MB·English

by  Richard Smoley

The Essential Nostradamus
a
Richard Smoley
ALSO BY
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to The Da Vinci Code
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Hidden Wisdom: A Guide to the Western Inner Traditions
(with Jay Kinney)

The
Essential

Nostradamus

literal translation,

historical commentary, and biography

by Richard Smoley
by Richard Smoley
a
Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin
a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
New York
JEREMY P. TARCHER/PENGUIN
Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York, 10014, USA • Penguin Group

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South Africa • Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices:

80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

Copyright © 2006 by Richard Smoley

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed

in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate

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author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Smoley, Richard, date.

The essential Nostradamus: literal translation, historical commentary,

and biography/Richard Smoley.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN: 1-4406-4628-7
1. Nostradamus, 1503–1566. 2. Prophecies (Occultism) I. Nostradamus, 1503–1566. Prophéties.

English & French. II. Title.

BF1815.N8S66 2006 2005052880

133.3'092—dc22

[B]

Book design by Marysarah Quinn
Frontispiece painting dated 1846, oil on canvas,

Réunion des Musées Nationaux/Art Resource, NY

While the author has made every effort to provide accurate telephone numbers and Internet addresses at

the time of publication, neither the publisher nor the author assumes any responsibility for errors, or for

changes that occur after publication. Further, the publisher does not have any control

over and does not assume any responsibility for author or

third-party websites or their content.
contents
a
acknowledgments ix

introduction 1

A Prophet’s Life 9

Map of Europe in 1560 40

Historical Note 41

The Prophecies 47

A Note on the Translation 49

CENTURY I 51

CENTURY II 77

CENTURY III 98

CENTURY IV 115

CENTURY V 134

CENTURY VI 157

CENTURY VII 181

CENTURY VIII 187

CENTURY IX 211

CENTURY X 231

Nostradamus and the Uses of Prophecy 255

notes 279

suggestions for further reading 283

selected bibliography 285

index 289

about the translator 307
acknowledgments
While there are many people whose insights
have helped me navigate the turbulent waters
of mysticism and prophecy over the years,
there are two who most deserve my thanks
specifically in the creation of this project.
Mitch Horowitz, my editor at Tarcher/
Penguin, deserves the credit for conceiving
this book and suggesting it to me back in
December 2003. Without his guidance and
suggestions, this book would not exist. In
addition, I would like to thank my agent,
Katherine Boyle, for her help and support in
negotiating the waters of contracts and rights,
as well as Mark Birkey for his excellent work in
copyediting, and David Fuller for his map.
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The Essential Nostradamus
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