Shadows Cast Before: An Anthology of Prophecies and PresentimentsI cannot give the reason if it, but all history, both ancient and modern, attests the fact, that no great misfortune happens either to a town or a province which has not been foretold by some one possessed of the power of prophecy... -Macchiavelli, quoted here This wonderfully odd little book arranges, dictionary style, a compendium of names both greatly famous and less well known about whom prognostications were made, or who themselves made predictions that did indeed come to pass. From foreseeing military triumph or disaster to anticipating their own untimely deaths, the list of historic personages who saw the future or had it foreseen for them is astonishing: Alexander the Great . Saint Augustine . Lord Francis Bacon . Charles I Cicero . Benjamin Disraeli . George III . Joan of Arc . Julius Caesar Abraham Lincoln . Mozart . Plutarch . Seneca . Cardinal Wolsey and many more Also available from Cosimo Classics: The Alchemy of Happiness and Jewish Legends of the Middle Ages, both translated by Claud Field. CLAUD FIELD is also author of Mystics and Saints of Islam, Heroes of Missionary Enterprise, and Persian Literature. |
Contents
Section 21 | 124 |
Section 22 | 128 |
Section 23 | 146 |
Section 24 | 147 |
Section 25 | 152 |
Section 26 | 169 |
Section 27 | 173 |
Section 28 | 174 |
Section 9 | 44 |
Section 10 | 65 |
Section 11 | 90 |
Section 12 | 91 |
Section 13 | 100 |
Section 14 | 101 |
Section 15 | 103 |
Section 16 | 105 |
Section 17 | 109 |
Section 18 | 113 |
Section 19 | 118 |
Section 20 | 121 |
Section 29 | 185 |
Section 30 | 187 |
Section 31 | 189 |
Section 32 | 193 |
Section 33 | 195 |
Section 34 | 196 |
Section 35 | 197 |
Section 36 | 207 |
Section 37 | 216 |
Section 38 | 220 |
Section 39 | 224 |
Common terms and phrases
afterwards Al Biruni Allanton Alloa Tower answered apparition appeared arrived asked awoke Bombay Brahan Castle Brahmin called captain Castle Cazotte chamber Church clergyman Countess Daylesford dead death died door dream Duke Earl England event exclaimed fate father fear fell foretold France fulfilled funeral garden gentleman hand happened heard honour horses hour house of Hohenzollern husband immediately King Lady Beresford Lady Betty Lady Hester Stanhope laughed length looked Lord Tyrone Mackenzie Madame de Staël Madame Lenormand merchant mind month morning Mount Etna Mozart Napoleon never night pass person Piero de Medici possessed prediction present priest prophecy prophetic Queen Rajah received remarkable replied sahib Scorrier Seaforth sent servant Sir Martin soon spot stood stranger struck suddenly Surat Tacitus tell thou thought tion told took voice Warlock widow wife Williams woman
Popular passages
Page 18 - I, John Brown, am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away but with blood.