THE PROPHECY OF HUMPHREY TINDAL Vicar of Wellenger.
THE time will come as true as the Creede,
Of Priests and Clerkes we shall have no need,
Churches shall fall, it shall be no wonder,
For the Clergy and Laity shall be asunder,
And praying for Founders shall passe away,
And holy Writs shall shew us what to say,
The Churches where Images were wonten to be set,
With lively Letters they shall be writ,
To many mens hearts as heavy as lead,
Both young and old may them read,
But God of his Preheminence, and of his high Throne,
All honor shall be to him alone;
Foxes shall fall, and rights shall appeare,
And thus it shall continue from yeare, to yeare,
But at the last, a wonder to tell,
There shall be stirr'd strife, with many a battle,
For a double danger shall be the cause,
For often changing, and breaking of Lawes,
The other if you reade arights,
The losse of Lords, Kings, and Knights;
For woe worth the time, and woe worth the sorrow,
Mischiefe dates end, it shall be no borrow;
A Maiden in tower shall have in hand,
To rule, and governe this her Island;
Her Lords by righteousnesse rule shall she,
At length of her great Realme discharged shee shall be,
For Barons, and Lords a promise shall make,
Of Gods Holy Word a part to take,
But Prelates in pride their lust to fulfill,
Shall cause thereby, much mischeife, and ill,
Which may sley both Priest, and Clarke,
They never heard such a peece of warke,
For happy shall be be then, which is too trew,
That bids England farewell, and adue,
For sorrowes shal come, both to high, and low,
How one shall trust another none shall know,
For then Ladies with sorrowes shall sing,
Widdowes and Maids their hands shall wring,
Children at their paps, shall die in the streete,
All kind of creatures shall mourne or weepe,
Woe and alas then may be said,
All kinde of pastimes downe shall be laid,
Then Castles, and Townes, and pleasant buildings,
Shall be destroyed, and come to their endings,
For who so be in bed over night,
Next morning shall be prest to fight,
Then great sorrow, hunger, and paine,
To eate dead folkes, they shall be faine,
Woe worth the sinne that this cause shall be
To cause God thus to shew his cruelty,
But a voyce shall come both night and day,
Crying to Heaven to call you away;
But sorrow, and paine for our offences,
With battle, famine, and pestilences,
As a dissolv'd Land brought shall it be,
Who knowes more none but hee,
Then a peace there shall be pretended,
That peace may be dissembled,
That peace may be removed,
That peace will folly be proved,
But now greater sights will appeare,
great Mars omnipotent
will be very diligent,
His bloody brands of steele to whet upon their side,
that we shall them deride.
This Mars with cruell fauction with Nation utter ruine,
that all England scituation, shall be with oppression,
and still reade on their passion.
Flaunders shall rise with France,
with Speare, Sheild, Bill and Lance,
to fight a double dance,
confedered with alliance,
to offer the defiance,
Spaine shall imploy the Britaines to annoy,
the Scots us to destroy,
the Welchmen to annoy,
the Dane to pluck and pull,
And all this resurrection,
shall put to their full section,
to bring thee to destruction,
England take this admonition,
Be wise and change thy condition,
Doubt not but thinke it sure
This storme thou shalt indure,
With heart confesse thee,
And to Heaven adresse thee
For English name shall cleere away
Out of this Land for ever and aye,
When Rome is removed into England,
And every Priest the Popes power shall have in hand,
Betwixt six, and three (as I understand)
The Battle shall be in Britaine Land.
When pride is most prest, and lechery most rife, and Knights and knaves clad both in one clothing the Church awlesse, and the Land lawlesse, by the yeere of Christ to come and gon,
In the Land of Albion shall be much confusion.
Courtiers shall be taxed, and great buffets have [Page 7]with flattering and fearing their Prince they please, and against the Law they shall rove, and cause the Commons to be at great discord.
A dreadfull Dragon with a red rose of great fame,
A bastard in wedlocke borne shall bee
The Crowne to obtaine, shall challenge by name,
Tunc veniet puer vbi nomen ille.
The shortest and longest night, that shall be found in all the whole yeare,
There shall be challenging to fight, great defeace to see and heare;
Penticost night shall be clothed in white in token of lightning,
For to be at Candlemas when torches be light, a new morning for to be,
Afterward carried out of the North, and for to meete at Ravenspurgh,
S. and P. shall stand in Cosfield haven till such time as the keeper of the Crowne
Shall die upon his brothers sword point, then shall all be turn'd upside downe;
Then a Lyon come out of the West, in harnesse to stir them for to cease,
But there shall be no manner of rest, untill twenty hundred steeds run masterlesse away,
A wet Summer before this shall be;
Thus guessed Humphry Tindale Vicar of Wellenger of his prophesy.