THE LAST PROPHECY By Mother Shipton (1488-1561) "In nineteen hundred and twenty-six build houses light of straw and sticks. For then shall mighty wars be planned
and fire and swords shall sweep the land. When pictures seem alive with movements free, when boats like fishes swim beneath the sea. When men like birds shall scour the sky. Then half the world, deep drenched in blood shall die. For those who live the century through in fear and trembling this shall do. Flee to the mountains and the dens to bog and forest and wild fens. For storms will rage and oceans roar when Gabriel stands on sea and shore, and as he blows his wondrous horn old worlds die and new be born. A fiery dragon will cross the sky six times before the earth shall die. Mankind will tremble and frightened be for the six heralds in this prophecy. For seven days and seven nights man will watch this awesome sight. The tides will rise beyond their ken. To bite away the shores and then the mountains will begin to roar and earthquakes split the plain to shore. And flooding waters rushing in, will flood the lands with such a din that mankind cowers in muddy fen and snarls about his fellow men. He bares his teeth and fights and kills and secrets food in secret hill and ugly in his fear, he lies to kill marauders, thieves and spies. Man flees in terror from the floods and kills, and rapes and lies in blood and spilling blood by mankind's hand will stain and bitter many lands. And when the dragon's tail is gone man forgets and smiles and carries on. To apply himself - too late, too late for mankind has earned deserved fate. His masked smile, his false grandeur, will serve the gods their anger stir and they will send the dragon back to light the sky - his tail will crack. Upon the earth and rend the earth and man shall flee, king, lord and serf. But slowly they are routed out to seek diminishing water spout and men will die of thirst before the oceans rise to mount to the shore. And lands will crack and rend anew do you think it strange, it will come true. And in some far - off distant land some men - oh such a tiny band will have to leave their solid mount and span the earth, those few to count. Who survives this (unreadable) and then begin the human race again. But not on land already there, but on ocean beds, stark, dry and bare. Not every soul on earth will die, as the dragon's tail goes sweeping by, not every land on earth will sink, but these will wallow in stench and stink, of rotting bodies of beast and man, of vegetation crisped on land. But the land that rises from the sea will be dry and clean and soft and free. Of mankinds dirt and therefore be, the source of man's new dynasty. and those that live will ever fear the dragon's tail for many year but time erases memory You think it strange. but it will be. And before the race is built anew, a silver serpent comes to view and spew out men of like unknown to mingle with the earth now grown cold from its heat and these men can enlighten the minds of future man to intermingle and show them how to live and love and thus endow. the children with the second sight. a natural thing so that they might grow graceful, humble and when they do the golden age will start anew. The dragon's tail is but a sign for mankind's fall and man's decline. and before this prophecy is done I shall be burned at the stake, at l My body cinged and my soul set free You think I utter blastphemy your wrong. These things have come to me this prophecy will come to be." THE LAST PROPHECY By Mother Shipton (1488-1561) (who was burnt at the stake)
