A ſtrange and wonderful PROPHESIE OF Mr. Douglas a Scotchman; written by his own Hand, and ſent to their young King, full of wonder and admiration: wherein he foretels the great things that ſhall befall his Perſon, this preſent year 651. VVith a great Battel to be fought on the 15. of May next, between the Engliſh and the Scots, the event and ſucceſs thereof 20. Lords to b•beheaded and 20000 Horſe and foot totally vanquiſhed and ſubdued, and what man happen upon the obtaining this great Victory. Alſo the Scots Kings Dream, the ſame night, after he was crowned, concerning England, Scotland, and Ireland, and by himſelf interpreted, and delivered to the Lord of his privie Councel; VVith the ſtrange Apparation that appeared to him in the ſaid Dream, and the Lord Ogleby his Speech touching the ſame.
Signed by James Douglas, the Authour of theſe prophetical Obſervations, and Licenſed according to Order.
LONDON, Printed by J.C. 1651.
SCotland being the Seat of VVarre, on which all Europe (at this preſent) have fixt a moſt ſtedfaſt and vigilent eye; and conſidering that there are many things of great concernment and pertinency, that have not as yet been preſented to publick view: I ſhall therefore endeavour to repreſent thee with a moſt faithful and infallible Narrative in relation thereunto, and the firſt thing that I inſiſt upon ſhall be, the ſtrange and wonderful Propheſie of a dumb Scot, living in the Town of Sterling, aged about 50. and written with his own hand, which followeth in theſe words, viz.
For the beginning of the moneth of May, 165 1. a great battel ſhall be fought between the Engliſh and the Scots, and that for the ſpace of 10 hours, the Victory ſhall ſeem both dublous and doubtful; but at laſt it ſhall fall to the Engliſh, and their heads ſhall be crowned with the Trophies thereof; inſomuch, that above 20000 Scots ſhall be totally ſubdued, their Lieut. Gen. and many other Officers of note, taken and killed; and their King himſelf enforced to a poor Cottage in the North Iſlands with a ſmall party, where ſhall come an old woman with an Axe, and ſhall ſay to him, what art thou? and he ſhall anſwer and ſay, with tears trick•ing upon his cheeks, I am the King of Scots: Then ſhall ſhe make this reply, make haſte and be gone for thy enemies are near at hand, and betake thy ſelf to the Iſlands of Orkney, where a ſtrong Band of men ſhall unite together for thy ſafegard and ſecurity: This being done, he ſhall them attempt to take the field again, which ſhall prove more fatal then the former; inſomuch, that treachery, either by Sword or Bullet, threatens to take him off, and above 20. Noblemen ſhall looſe their heads. Then ſhall the Engliſh ſummon Sterling Caſtle; and towards the latter end of June, it ſhall be ſurrendred: After this St. Johnſtons ſhall yield, and many other formidable Caſtles in the North; but the Quarrel diſputable till Auguſt, at which time an agreement ſhall be made, and the whole Confines of Scotland, become ſubject and obedient to the Parl. of England; the Scotch King ſhall end his days in the field, and none of that race or Family for the future, ſhall annoy either England, Scotland, or Ireland.
And further, this dumb Prophet verifies at what time this great Battel ſhall be fought, which verſes with great Art, he incloſed in a paper, and ſent to the King, a Copy whereof followetn.
Theſe lines were written by the Authour, and his name with this furth repoſition prefixed.
The young King had no ſooner peruſed theſe deſpicable lines, but he waxed exceeding wroth, giving ſtrict charge and Command, that he ſhould forthwith be committed to ſafe Cuſtody; and accordingly he was with great rigour ſent to Sterling Caſtle, where he now remains cloſe priſoner; but by the help of ſome friends, promiſing Pen, Ink, and Paper, wrote this enſuing Declaration.
God the abſolute Soveraign Lord and King of all things in Heaven and Earth, the original Fountain and cauſe of all cauſes, who is circumſcribed, governed, and limitted by no Rules, but doth all things merely and only by his Soveraign will and unlimited good pleaſure, who made the world, and all things therein, for his own glory, and who by his own will and pleaſure gave man (his mere Creature) the ſoveraignty (under himſelf) over all the reſt of his Creatures, and endued him with a rational ſoul or underſtanding, and thereby created him after his own Image, and by his Soveraign and abſolute creating power, made a female or woman, called Eve, which two, and the earthly original Fountain, as begetters, and bringers forth of all and every particular and individual man, and woman, that ever breathed in the world ſinck, who are and were by nature all alike in power, dignity, Authority, and Majeſty, none of them having any Authority, Dominion, or Magiſterial Power, one over or above another, but by inſtituon or Donation, that is to ſay, by mutual agreement or conſent given, derived or aſſumed by mutual conſent and agreement, for the good, benefit, and comfort each of other, and not for the miſchief, hurt, or damage of any, it being unnatural, irrational, ſinful, wicked, and unjuſt for any man or men whatſoever, to part with ſo much of their power, as ſhall inable a Prince to deſtroy and undo them therewith.
4And unnatural, irrational, ſinful, wicked, unjuſt, diveliſh, and tyranical; it is for a Prince to appropriate and aſſume unto himſelf, a Power, Authority and jurisdiction to unite, govern, or raign over any ſort of men in the world, without their free conſent; and he that doth it, does thereby as much as in him lies, endeavour to appropriate and aſſume unto himſelf the Office and Soveraignty of GOD, who alone doth, and is to rule by his will and pleaſure. And wickedneſs [in the higheſt] it is for any King to raign and govern by his Prerogative, will and pleaſure; although his late Father Charles the firſt, would needs maintain this erroneous maxime, That Kingdoms are Kings own, and that they may do with them what they will; as if Kingdoms were for them, and not they for their Kingdoms: Therefore again, I ſay, that their ways are wicked, unjuſt, and tyranical; and as it is a great wickedneſs for any ſort of men o•ſuffer them ſo to do, ſo it is a great ſin and preſumption of all Gods Saints, if they do not uſe all poſſible means for the caſting off the yoke of uſurpation and tyranny.
Since the writing of this Declaration, the prophetical Scot having received advertiſement, that the King was crowned, deſired to ſpeak with his Keeper, who coming to him, took him by the hand, uttering theſe words.
I Underſtond that your good Stuart is crowned, and that he intends to cauſe a great Army forthwith, to march againſt the Engliſh Saints; but I tell thee, he hath had ſuch a Dream, in relation to them, that his Majeſtical ſpirits are not a little danted; and withall, take notice, that when he marcheth over Sterling-Bridge, to give them battel, the tame and domeſtigne fowls, as Hens, Geeſe, Peacocks, and the like, ſhall all vaniſh, and fly to the Mountains, and become exceeding5 wild; but after the fight is over, they ſhall all of them return again to their reſpective places, where formerly they were bred up. The Goaler hearing this, reproved him, and ſwore by his ſoul he was a mad man; and ſo lockt the doors and departed; but within two days after, he came to him again, having heard what the dream was, and asked him, whether he could expound the Kings Dream, which he formerly told him of; he anſwered yes: well, pray let me hear it then, quoth the Goaler; why, ſaid Prophet Douglas, the ſame night following that he was crowned, falling into a ſlumber, he dreamed, that he ſhould never wear the Crown of England, and Ireland, &c.
VVith that the Goaler ſhooke his head and departed, and acquainted the Governour with the miraculous things, revealed by the Prophet; inſomuch, that the ſaid Governour ſeemed to be very well ſatisfied therewith, and ordered him fire and other Proviſions, which before he was reſtrained of; but it is with as much ſecreſie that may be.
The Dream before hinted at is ſaid to be thus. That on the ſecond of Jan. in the morning, many of the Nobles of Scotland, went to give the King a viſit, and coming into his Bed-chamber, according to their uſual Cuſtome, ſaid, Good morrow my Liege for all day; but finding him to be ſomewhat ſad, the Lord Ogleby asked him the reaſon and cauſe of his melancholy humour; who replyed, That he was much troubled the laſt night, and that in a ſlumber he fell into a Dream, at which inſtance, he eſpyed a poor Spider, with one Crown, as it were hanging over its head, tranſcending and working her ſelf lower and lower by a Cobweb-thread, and at laſt he eſpyed two other Crowns at the end of the thread; and the Spider endeavouring to work her ſelf down to them, imediately fell and loſt all; upon which, awaking, he began to meditate and commune with himſelf, what had been ſuggeſted to him, by apparation in a Dream; and upon ſerious cogitancy thereupon, theſe thoughts poſſeſſed him, That upon the adventuring one Crown, to gain two, he was very doubtful he ſhould hazard the loſſe of three, &c.
6But the Lord Ogleby put it off with a laughter, ſaying, that Dreams were but fables, &c.
The Scot is now more full of prophetical Predictions, then Martial actions; for another of their gude Lairds hath foretold, the dread and terrour that ſhall befall them this year, 16•5. by the Engliſh; and moreover, he doth further affirm, That the Son of the Eagle, ſhall in this enſuing year, have his wings ſo cloſe cut, by an Engliſh Rampart, that he ſhall be wholly ſubdued and utterly diſcomfited, and deprived of all earthly bliſs and happineſs, and that after three Battels fought for the faith, the Land ſhall be quite over-run and conquered, and then there ſhall be a firm and univerſal peace, throughout three Nations of Scotland, England, and Ireland.
(EEBO-TCP ; phase 2, no. A81680)
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