Merlin (7th century)

a

"There will come a German Anti-Pope. Italy and Ger

many will be sorely troubled. A French King will restore the true Pope."

b

After destruction of England by seven kings there "shall come a dreadful dead man, and with him a Royal Great Monarch of the best blood in the world and he shall set England on the right way and put out all heresies. He shall be the last King over England.

lfWhen the tail of Virgo shall enter Leo, and Scorpio shall ascend the back of Sagittarius, the northern kingdoms shall be wasted by reapers; the southern principalities shall end in lust; and the powers of the Island Monarchies shall be harnessed.

"Cruel wars shall be scattered by the wind-whose beginning were by a staff; their growth and continuance by bastards- and gulled by a revengeful hail.

"The sun itself shall play on the tinterell, clad with a vermillion coat, and the moon with dun-buskins (brown-symbol of tragedy) shall amble to the fain

"Those on whom these things shall come, for grief and sorrow shall pine away. A prince of royal stock shall come forth, crowned from the northern parts-to his own people unexpected, but desired by foreigners-who, because he shall bear a 'rampant lion' shall therefore be called a Lion. He shall advance his conquering armies against his enemies and by woeful successes shall harass the territories of neighbor Princes. He shall exceed Alexander the Great in virtue and Cyrus in success. He shall cross the sea and be saluted Emperor by many kings. A certain ancient city he shall lay level with the ground.

"In the meanwhile a powerful Prince out of the East shall provoke him to battle. Against whom the Lion shall march with all his forces and pitching his camp on this side (west) of the Euphrates, shall await him. If the Prince shall come over the river the Lion shall be overcome; but he (Lion) shall cross the river with his army and give his enemy a bloody defeat and be master of all the East.

"Whilst these things are happening, divers petty kings from India shall break into Syria with mighty armies. Provided for battle, they shall wait for the Lion about the Valley of Jehosaphat, where they shall, by him, be all wholly cut off. Not long afterwards the Lion himself will die in eminent piety, after having established the Kingdom of the Fugitives ('transfugarum'- Jews?) .