This is a letter by Vincent Seve, a grandson of Nostradamus, to Henry IV, king of France. In it he claims that he has come by more prophecies by Nostradamus.

Ayant (il y a quelques années) recouvert certaines Propheties ou Pronostications faictes par feu Michel Nostradamus, des mains d'un nommé Henry Nostradamus neveu dudit Michel, qu'il me donna avant mourir, & par moy tenues en secret jusques à pre- sent, & veu qu'elles traictoient des affaires de vostre Estat, & par- ticulierement de vostre personne, & de vos successeurs, recogneu que j'ay la verité de plusieurs sixains advenus de point en point, comme vous pourrez voir, SIRE, si vostre Majesté y ouvre tant soit peu ses yeux, & y trouveront des choses dignes d'admiration, j'ay pris la hardiesse (moy indigne) de vous les presenter transcrits en ce petit Livret, non moins digne & admirable que les autres deux Livres qu'il fit, dont le dernier finit en l'an mil cinq cens nonante sept, traictant de ce qui adviendra en ce siecle, non si obscurement comme il avoit fait les premiers; mais par aenigmes, & les choses si specifiées & claires, qu'on peut seurement juger de quelque chose estant advenue. Desireux que vostre Majesté en eust la cognoissance premier que nul autre, m'acquittant par ce moyen de mon devoir comme l'un de vos tres-obeyssant & fidele subject, qu'il vous plaira aggre'er, SIRE, consideré que ce m'estoit le plus grand bien qui me s&cced;auroit jamais arriver, esperant avec l'ayde du tout Puissant me ressentir de vostre debonnaire clemence, comme vostre bonté a accoustumé faire, obligeant par tel moyen, non le corps d'un vostre fidele subject jà destine' à vostre service, SIRE, mais bien l'âme qui continuera de prier pour la santé & prosperité de vostre digne Majesté, & des dependans d'icelle, comme celuy qui vous est & sera à jamais,

SIRE,

Vostre tres-humble, tres-obeyssant & fidele serviteur & subject, De vostre ville de Beaucaire en Languedoc.

SEVE.

SIRE,

Having received ( several years ago ) certain Prophecies or Prognostications made by the late Michel Nostradamus, from the hands of one named Henry Nostradamus, nephew of the said Michel, before his death, I have held them in secret up to now. But since they concern the affairs of your State, and particularly of your person, and of your successors, and since the truth of several sixains has already been borne out exactly, as you can see, Sire, if Your Majesty will deign to glance at them, finding there some things worthy of admiration, I have taken the liberty ( unworthy as I am ) to present them to you, transcribed in this little Book, no less worthy and admirable than the other two books that he wrote, of which the last one expired in the year 1597, treating of that which will happenm in this century, not as obscurely as he had done in the first ones; but by enigmas, and the things so specified and clear that one can safely judge when something has happened. Desiring that Your Majesty have ocgnizance of them before any other, acquitting myself by this means of my duty as one of your very obedient and faithful subjects . . .

Your humble, very obedient and faithful servant and subject. From your town of Beaucaire in Languedoc.

SEVE.

There a several points that make the credibility of the sixains questionable. First there is no mention of a Henry Nostradamus anywhere else. Second the style of the sixains is very different from that in the centuries and the presages. Nontheless it seems unlikely that Seve made the sixains himself and then dared to present them to the King.

The real origin of the Sixains may be a question for always.

Back to the index.