robber knights and barons, who were to be put down by a strong emperor,
as happened under Charles IV. who died in 1378,—he comes to the
accession of the Hohenzollerns, and describes the first prince of that
family as rising to distinction by holding two castles or Burgen. The
Emperor Sigismund sold Brandenburg to Frederick, Burggraf of Nuremberg,
of the house of Hohenzollern. He belonged to the lower nobility, but now
became more important by the possession of two castles—those of
Nuremberg and Brandenburg. These examples are sufficient to give an idea
of that part of Brother Herrmann’s prophecy, concerning events which
preceded the printing of it in 1723, and in which he describes
_seriatim_, without giving the names, and very briefly, but in striking
language, the fate and character of the successive Margraves, Electors,
and Kings, till he comes to Frederick William I., who died in 1740,
seventeen years after the prophecy was printed, and whose character and
death he describes. Then follows Frederick the Great, whose career, with
its vicissitudes, is indicated with tolerable clearness. One line is
curious,
84. “Flantibus hinc Austris, vitam vult credere claustris.”
“When the south wind blows, he trusts his life to the cloisters.”
In fact, Frederick, when hard pressed by the Austrians, was once
compelled to conceal himself in a monastery.
_Auster_ signifies south wind, but is probably here used for Austria.
After his successor, Frederick William II., whom the good monk truly
describes as vicious, sensual, and oppressive, but not warlike, comes
this line—
89. “Natus florebit; quod non sperasset habebit.”
“The son shall flourish; he shall possess what he did not hope for.”
The application of this to the late king, Frederick William III., is
obvious. Under him, Prussia, after having been reduced to the lowest ebb
by Napoleon, became, unexpectedly, far more powerful than it had ever
been.
90. “Sed populus tristis flebit temporibus istis.
92. “Et princeps nescit quod nova potentia crescit.”
“But the sad people shall mourn in these times;
“And the King knows not that a new power is arising.”
These lines also apply well to Frederick William III.
93. “Tandem sceptra gerit, qui ultimus stemmatis erit.”
“At length he bears the sceptres, who shall be the last of his race.”
Now this is very remarkable. In line 49, he had said—
49. “Hoc ad undenum durabit stemma venenum.”
“This poison[2] shall last to the eleventh generation.”
The present king, Frederick William IV., is the eleventh from Joachim
III., the first Protestant prince of Brandenburg, in reference to whom
the above line is written. But why did the writer (even supposing the
prophecy not to have existed earlier than 1723, when it was printed)
stop at this point? We shall see that other prophecies coincide with
this one in predicting that the present will be the last King of
Prussia.
Then comes the remarkable line—
95. “Et pastor gregem recipit, Germania regem.”
“And the shepherd receives his flock, Germany a king.”
The worthy curate of Dortmund explains this as pointing out the
submission of Europe to the Pope, and of Germany to one sovereign.
Brother Herrmann goes on to predict peaceful times, and the restoration
of Chorin and Lehnin to their pristine splendour.
We have omitted many curious lines, but the reader will probably feel
satisfied that the brief and obscure vaticinations of Brother Herrmann
are worthy of notice, especially that part of them relating to the last
hundred and twenty years, bearing in mind that they were printed in
1723.
The next prophet mentioned by our author is Joseph von Görres, who died
in January 1848—that is, before the last revolution in France, which
shook the thrones of Europe. On his deathbed he lamented the misfortunes
about to come on Poland, described Hungary as appearing to him one huge
field of carnage, and wept over the approaching downfall of the European
monarchies. The events of February and March 1848, the insurrection in
Posen, the devastations committed by the Prussians in suppressing it,
and the war in Hungary, would appear to be the events to which he
referred. But he was a man deeply read in history, and there are some of
those prophetic hints which may possibly have occurred to him as
reflections on probable events, and have assumed a certain degree of
vividness in his mind.
We now come to a peasant prophet, namely Jaspers, a Westphalian
shepherd, of Deininghausen, near the ancestral seat of the Lord of
Bodelschwing. He was a simple-minded pious man. In 1830, soon after
which time he died, he publicly predicted as follows:—
“A great road (said he) will be carried through our country, from west
to east, which will pass through the forests of Bodelschwing. On this
road, carriages will run _without horses_, and cause a dreadful noise.
At the commencement of this work, a great scarcity will here prevail;
pigs will become very dear, and a new religion will arise, in which
wickedness will be regarded as prudence and politeness. Before this
road is quite completed, a frightful war will break out.”
These words, to the astonishment of the natives, have nearly all been
fulfilled. The railway from Cologne to Minden has, since his death, been
carried through the very district he mentioned in 1830, before the first
English railway had been opened, and when the primitive shepherds of
Westphalia were little likely to know anything about railways. The
scarcity took place at the time specified; and his remark as to a new
religion is supposed to apply to a deterioration of manners among the
simple natives, consequent on the opening up of their district. A
personal friend of Jaspers collected the following sayings, which the
author, after minute inquiry on the spot, considers as genuine.
1. “Before the great road is _quite finished_, a dreadful war will
break out.”
The railway has for a year or two been in operation; but, up to the end
of 1849, as we saw by advertisements, the second line of rails was not
laid down. It is probably still only in progress. Now in 1848 and 1849,
we have seen war in Schleswig-Holstein, Hungary, Italy, Posen, and
Baden.
2. “A small northern power will be conqueror.”
Probably the Danish war, and the success of Denmark, is here meant.
3. “After this another war will break out—not a religious war among
Christians, but between those who believe in Christ and those who do
not believe.”
Here we must remember that the simple and ignorant peasants of
Westphalia have strong religious feelings and prejudices, and are apt,
like some nearer home, to apply the term Infidel somewhat rashly.
Possibly Russia and the Greek church may be here alluded to.
4. “This war comes from the East. I dread the East.
5. “This war will break out very suddenly. In the evening they will
cry ‘Peace, peace!’ and yet peace is not; and in the morning the enemy
will be at the door. Yet it shall soon pass, and he who knows of a
good hiding-place, for a a few days only, is secure.”
The probability of a war, in which Russia shall take an active share,
cannot escape any observer of the signs of the times; and, with the aid
of railways, which were not known at the date of Jaspers’ death, the
sudden outbreak is quite possible, even in Westphalia.
6. “The defeated enemy will have to fly in extreme haste. Let the
people cast cart and wheels into the water, otherwise the flying foe
will take all carriages with them.
7. “Before this war, a general faithlessness will prevail. Men will
give out vice for virtue and honour, deceit for politeness.
8. “In the year in which the great war shall break out, there shall be
so fine a spring, that in April the cows will be feeding in the
meadows on luxuriant grass. In the same year, wheat may be harvested,
(in his district,) but not oats.” (This appears to be likely to apply
to 1850.—W. G.)
He seems here to hint that the harvest of oats will be interrupted by
the war; if so, the war occurs in autumn.
9. “The great battle will be fought _at the birch-tree_, between Unna,
Hamm, and Werl. The people of half the world will there be opposed to
each other. God will terrify the enemy by a dreadful storm. Of the
_Russians_, but few shall return home to tell of their defeat. Jaspers
described this battle as terrific.”
We shall by and by hear more of this birch-tree.
10. “The war will be over in 1850, and in 1852 all will be again in
order.
11. “The Poles are at first put down; but they will, along with other
nations, fight against their oppressors, and at last obtain a king of
their own.
12. “France will be divided internally into three parts.”
It is curious to notice, that at present, although the state of matters
in 1830 was very different, there are three parties in France, all of
them powerful: namely, the Buonapartists, (with at least a part of the
Orleanists,) and the moderate as well as the _pro tempore_ Republicans,
headed by Louis Napoleon; the party of the old Bourbons and the priests,
led by Falloux and the old nobility, such as Larochejaquelein and
Montalembert; and lastly the Red Republicans, Socialists, and
Communists. These three parties hold each other in check, and no one of
them can at this moment do much.
13. “Spain will not join in the war. But the Spaniards shall come
after it is over, and take possession of the churches.
14. “Austria will be fortunate, provided she do not wait too long.
15. “The papal chair will be vacant for a time.
16. “The nobility is much depressed, but in 1852 again rises to some
extent.
17. “When asked as to the future of Prussia, he maintained an
obstinate silence, saying only that King Frederick William IV. would
be the last.”
This agrees with Brother Herrmann, as formerly stated. A man named
Pottgiesser, in Dortmund, long since dead, drew up a genealogical tree
of the royal house, in which he says of the present king—to whom he
gives no successor—“He disappears.”
18. “There will be one religion. On the Rhine stands a church which
all people shall aid in building. From thence, after the war, shall
proceed the rule of faith. All sects shall be united; only the Jews
shall retain their old obstinacy.”
The dome at Cologne is obviously alluded to. We shall see, hereafter,
that Cologne is expected to become the seat of ecclesiastical rule by
other prophets.
19. “In our district priests shall become so rare, that, after the
war, people will have to walk seven leagues in order to attend divine
service.
20. “Our country will be so much depopulated, that women will have to
cultivate the soil; and seven girls shall fight for a pair of
inexpressibles.
21. “The house of Ikern shall be set on fire by shells.
22. “The soldiers shall march to battle (or to war) first, then
return, decked with the cherry blossoms. And only after that shall the
great war break out.”
In spring 1848, troops marched to Baden, at the time of the first
insurrection there, in which war General von Gagern was killed; and they
returned home decked with cherry blossoms.
23. “Germany shall have one king, and then shall come happy times.
24. “He spoke also of an approaching religious change, and warned his
children, when that time should come, to go to Mengede.”
When jeered on his prophetic powers, Jaspers often said—
“When I have long been in the grave, you will then often remember what
I have said.”
There is a prophet in Dortmund, who, among other curious things, said,
in 1840, “When the Prussian soldiers shall be dressed like those who
crucified our Lord, then war shall break out with great violence.” It is
worthy of notice that, since that time, the whole Prussian army, with
the exception of the Hussars, have been armed with helmets of Roman
form. Their new Waffenrock, or military coat, is also a short plain
surtout, buttoned to the throat, and probably not unlike a Roman tunic.
The predictions of Jaspers are curious—first, on account of their
minuteness; secondly, because they specify dates yet future. We shall
see that they coincide, in many of the chief points, with other popular
prophecies.
The next prophet is Spielbähn, a Rhenish peasant. “Spielbähn” signifies,
in the dialect of his countrymen, “the fiddler;” and this name was given
to him on account of his skill as a rustic performer on the violin. He
was employed as messenger and servant in the convents of Siegburg and
Heisterbach. His predictions have been published by Schrattenholz, and
widely circulated; but, as we could not procure this work, we can only
give such extracts as our author has selected.
Spielbähn died in 1783 in Cologne. He is said to have been rather
addicted to the wine-flask, and to have occasionally indulged in
predictions of doubtful authenticity, possibly from interested motives.
But he is thought, in the main, to have uttered what he really believed
to be true predictions, and he gave them out as visions. He predicted
the imprisonment of the Archbishop of Cologne, which took place a few
years ago, with many less interesting local occurrences, which our
author passes over. Speaking of the present time, (1848–50,) and of what
should follow, he said—
1. “In that time it will be hardly possible to distinguish the peasant
from the noble.”
In Rhenish Prussia, where the Code Napoleon prevails, there is hardly a
trace of the splendour of the old aristocracy to be found. The nobles of
old family who remain have lost all exclusive privileges, and are poor.
2. “Courtly manners and worldly vanity will reach to a height hitherto
unequalled. Yea, things will go so far, that men will no longer thank
God for their daily bread.
3. “Human intellect will do wonders, (or miracles,) and on this
account men will more and more forget God. They will mock at God,
thinking themselves omnipotent, because of the carriages, which shall
run through the whole world, (or everywhere,) without being drawn by
animals.
4. “And because courtly vices, sensuality, and sumptuousness of
apparel, are then so great, God will punish the world. A poison shall
fall on the fields, and a great famine shall afflict the country.”
In Nos. 3 and 4, railways and the potato blight seem meant.
5. “When a bridge shall be thrown across the Rhine at Mondorf, then it
will be advisable to cross, as soon as possible, to the opposite
shore. But it will only be necessary to remain there so long as a man
will take to consume a 7 lb. loaf of bread; after which (that is, in
less than a week,) it will be time to return.”
This coincides with Jaspers’ prediction of the shortness of the last
great struggle.
6. “Thousands shall conceal themselves in a meadow among the seven
mountains, (opposite Bonn.)
7. “I see the destruction of the heretics, with dreadful punishments;
of those who dared to think their puny minds could penetrate the
councils of God. But the long-suffering of God is at an end, and a
limit is put to their wickedness.”
The worthy curate dwells with peculiar satisfaction on this prediction.
8. “Observe well, thou land of Berg! Thy reigning family, which
proceeds from a Margraviate, shall suddenly fall from its high
station, and become less than the smallest Margraviate.”
The grand-duchy of Berg, on the Lower Rhine, of which Düsseldorf is the
chief town, was given by Napoleon to Murat, and was afterwards part of
the kingdom of Westphalia, but, since the peace, has formed part of
Prussia, the royal family of which, as we have seen, descends from the
Margraves of Brandenburg; but in 1783 all this was as yet in the womb of
time. See also Jaspers, No. 17, and Brother Herrmann, verse 93.
9. “The false prophets (heretic clergy?) shall be killed with wife and
child.
10. “The holy city of Cologne shall then see a fearful battle. Many,
of foreign nations, shall here be killed, and men and women shall
fight for their faith. And it will be impossible to avert from
Cologne, up to that time spared by war, all the cruel extremities of
war. Men will then wade in blood to the ankles.
11. “But at last a foreign king shall arise, and gain the victory for
the good cause. The survivors of the defeated enemy fly to the
_birch-tree_; and here shall the last battle be fought for the good
cause.”
See Nos. 9 and 33 of Jaspers’ sayings, as to the birch-tree and the
German king; also verse 95 of Brother Herrmann.
12. “The foreign armies have brought the ‘black death’ into the land.
What the sword spares the pestilence shall devour. Berg shall be
depopulated, and the fields without owners; so that one may plough
from the river Sieg up to the hills without being (Scoticè)
challenged. Those who have hid themselves among the hills shall again
cultivate the land.”
See No. 20 of Jaspers’ predictions.
13. “About this time France will be divided internally.”
See Jaspers, No. 12.
14. “The German Empire shall choose a peasant for Emperor. He shall
govern Germany a year and a day.”
The Archduke John, late regent of the empire, had long lived, banished
from court, as a Styrian peasant, adopting the costume and manners of
the peasantry. He also married a peasant girl. His regency lasted little
more than a year, and, indeed, after the year had expired, he only
returned to Frankfort in order to resign his power to the present
commission.
15. “But he who after him shall wear the imperial crown, he will be
the man for whom the world has long looked with hope. He shall be
called Roman Emperor, and shall give peace to the world. He shall
restore Siegburg and Heisterbach, (two convents, above mentioned.)
16. “Then shall there be no more Jews in Germany, and the heretics
shall beat their own breasts.
17. “And after that shall be a good happy time. The praise of God
shall dwell on earth; and there shall be no war, except beyond the
seas. Then shall the fugitive brethren return, and dwell in their
homes in peace for ever and ever.
“Men should heed well what I have said, for much evil may be averted
by prayer; and although people jeer me, saying I am a simple fiddler,
yet the time will come when they shall find my words true.”
See Jaspers’ predictions, Nos. 18 and 23. Brother Herrman, also, in
verses 96–100, prophesies happy times, and the restoration of the
convents of Chorin and Lehnin.
The next seer is Anton (Anthony), called the Youth of Elsen, a village
near Paderborn, in Westphalia. He had the gift of the “second
sight”—that is, he saw visions—and has a great reputation in that
country as a true seer. His predictions were first collected by Dr
Kutscheit, from whose work the author extracts as follows. The date is
not given by our curate.
1. “When the convent of Abdinghof is occupied by soldiers, armed with
long poles, to which little flags are attached, and when these troops
leave the convent, then is the time near.”
At this time (1849) Prussian lancers occupy the convent, which has been
converted into a barrack. This was not the case when the prediction was
made.
2. “From Neuhaus, houses may be seen on the Bock, (Buck,) and a
village is founded between Paderborn and Elsen. Then is the time
near.”
The Bock is a wooded eminence near Paderborn, where an inn was built. To
obtain a fine view from the inn, the wood was lately cut through, and
thus the buildings have become visible from Neuhaus. The village or
_dorf_ is a newly-founded country house, or rather farm-house, with its
appurtenances—_Scoticè_, a town.
3. “When people see, in the Roman field, houses with large windows;
when a broad road is made through that field, which shall not be
finished till the good times come, then shall come heavy times.”
In the Roman field, on the high road to Erwitte, the Thuringian Railway
was begun in 1847, and a terminus, the buildings of which have very
large windows, has been laid down on the spot. The works have been, from
the necessity of the times, suspended for the present. See Jaspers, No.
1, and Spielbähn, No. 3.
4. “When barley is sown on the Bock, then is the time close at hand.
Then shall the enemy be in the land, and kill and devastate
everything. Men will have to go seven leagues to find an acquaintance.
The town of Paderborn shall have eight heavy days, during which the
enemy lies there. On the last day, the enemy shall give up the town to
plunder. But let every man carry his most valuable property from the
ground floor to the garret; for the enemy will not have time, even to
untie his shoestrings, so near will succour be.”
In the summer of 1848, the first attempt was made to grow barley on the
Bock, a cold, high-lying district.
5. “The enemy will try to bombard the town from the Liboriberg, (a
hill close to Paderborn); but only one ball (or shell) shall hit, and
set on fire a house in the Kampe. The fire, however, shall soon be
extinguished.
6. “The French shall come as friends. French cavalry with shining
breastplates (cuirassiers) shall ride in at the Westergate, and tie
their horses to the trees in the Cathedral close. At the Giersthor,
(another gate) soldiers with gray uniforms, faced with light blue,
shall come in. But they will only look into the town, and then
immediately withdraw. On the Bock stands a great army, with double
insignia, (or marks—possibly the two cockades, Imperial German and
Prussian, now worn by the Prussians,) whose muskets are piled in
heaps.
7. “The enemy shall fly towards Salzkotten, and towards the heath. In
both places a great battle shall be fought, so that people shall wade
in blood to the ankles. The pursuers from the town must take care not
to cross the Alme bridge; for not one of those who cross it shall
return alive.
8. “The victorious prince shall enter, in solemn procession, the
castle of Neuhaus, which shall be repaired (for the occasion?)
accompanied by many people with green boughs in their hats. On the
Johannes Bridge, before Neuhaus, there shall be such a crowd that a
child shall be crushed to death. While this goes on a great assembly
shall be held in and before the Rathhaus (Town House.) They shall
hurry (or drag) a man down from the Rathhaus, and hang him on a
lamp-post before it.
9. “When all these things shall have come to pass, then shall there be
a good time in the land. The convent (of Abdinghof) shall be restored;
and it will be better to be a swineherd here, in our land, than a
noble yonder in Prussia (proper).”
Next comes an old traditionary prophecy concerning Münster.
“Woe to thee, Münster! Woe to you, priests, doctors, and lawyers! How
shall it be with you in the days of sorrow?
“For three days they shall go up and down thy streets. Three times
shall the city be taken and lost.
“Let every man keep in the garret; thus shall he be safe. A dreadful
fire shall break out in and destroy Ueberwasser, so that it may be
seen from the cathedral place to the castle.
“The enemy shall be beaten, and shall fly through Kinderhaus so fast
that they leave their cannon on the street. All this shall happen in
the same year in which an illustrious person dies in the castle.
“The conquering prince shall make his entry through the Servatii-Thor,
(a gate).”
Part of this prophecy has been spread over the district of Münster for
sixty years; part of it comes from the tailor at Kinderhaus, who also
prophesied much to Blucher. He was one of the seers, or, as they are
called in that country, “Spoikenkikers.” “Spoikenkikers,” in high
German, signifies ghost or spirit; “Spoikenkikers” is our Scotch word
“Keeker,”—in high German, “Spoikenkikers.”
The next is an old prophecy concerning Osnabrück.
“Osnabrück shall suffer much for fourteen days, and see a bloody
contest in her streets.
“Even the service of the Greek Church shall be performed in the
churches of Osnabrück.”
This is quite possible, should Russians enter Westphalia. See Jaspers,
No. 9.
“A violent contest shall arise between Catholics and Protestants. All
the churches shall be again taken possession of by the Catholics.
“A priest, in the act of carrying the most Holy (the Host) into the
Lutheran Church, shall be killed by a ball at the church door.”
The three preceding prophecies are very remarkable, from the minute
details which they contain, and which seem to indicate that the seers
described _what they saw_ in visions or in dreams. Of course, most of
these visions, referring to events yet future, cannot be at present
verified. But the signs given by Anton, to know when the time
approaches, have come to pass.
The following traditionary prophecy about Cologne, was found by Magister
Heinrich von Judden, pastor of the small church of St Martin, in the
convent of the brethren of the Holy Virgin of Carmel, (in Cologne?):—
“O happy Cologne! when thou art well paved, thou shalt perish in thine
own blood. O, Cologne! thou shalt perish like Sodom and Gomorrha; thy
streets shall flow with blood, and thy relics shall be taken away. Woe
to thee, Cologne! because strangers suck thy breasts and the breasts
of thy poor,—of thy poor, who therefore languish in poverty and
misery.”
Old tradition concerning Coblenz:—