Century 8 Quatrain 6
Lighting and brightness are seen at Lyons shining
Malta is taken, suddenly it will be extinguished,
Sardon, Maurice will act deceitfully,
Geneva to London feigning treason towards the cock.
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Clarté fulgure à Lyon apparante
Luysant, print Malte, subit sera estrainte,
Sardon, Mauris traitera deceuante,
Geneue à Londres à Coq trahison fainte.
1. The first part of the quatrain gives us the first person of influence: Maurice Scève.
Maurice influenced George Buchanan, in France, before his conversion to Calvanism. Maurice was a poet of the Enlightenment movement. Maurice was known around Lyons and had many followers. It may be the case that Maurice also influenced Nostradamus. George Buchanan later influenced and taught King James of Scotland & England. King James the 1st later introduced an English translation of the Bible to the populace. The previous action created a violent reaction from the Catholic segment of the population. These reactions created violent plots against the Monarchy.
2. The second part of the quatrain deals with the removal of the "catholic" monarchy by the forces of Oliver Cromwell years later. The death of the Catholic monarchs is hinted earlier as the next monarch was more representative of the protestants. However, what must be pointed out that a form of secularism was introduced through King James the 1st to keep the peace between christian factions. For representation of Catholicism became a minority in the region of Scotland and England. Leaving only Ireland as a bastion of catholic representation.
3. The third part of the quatrain gives us the rise of Guy Fawkes' masks which is popular today as "Sardon". It means Sardonicism or Sardonic smile of expression. This is Nostradamus showing us that his popularity will be misplaced by the act of Maurice Scève. Maurice is the true hero while a violent religious fanatic became the symbol of secular humanism. Maurice Scève is the true secular humanist. His influence goes into even the creation of the English Bible and Nostradamus himself with the usage of quatrains which is a shadow of Maurice's epigrams. Guy Fawkes is the deceitful one mentioned in the quatrain with his Gunpowder Plot which is celebrated on November the 5th.
4. The last part of the quatrain is about the spread of Calvanism from Switzerland into England proper. The previous event may have contributed to many controversies and reactions by the populace: The Throckmorton plot, the Bye plot and the Gunpowder plot.
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