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Preface light and the thin flame are altogether efficacious, and are of heavenly origin no less than natural light. And it is the latter which renders philosophers so sure of themselves that by means of the principles of the first cause they have penetrated to the innermost cores of the loftiest of doctrines. But an end to this, my son, for I must not stray too far from the future capacity of your senses. if

24, I find that letters will suffer a very great and incomparable loss. I find also that before the universal conflagration the world will be deluged by many floods to such heights that there will remain scarcely any land not covered by water, and this will last for so long that everything will perish except the earth itself and the races which inhabit it. Furthermore, before and after these inundations, in many countries the rains will have been so slight, and there will have fallen from the sky such a great abundance of fire, and of burning stones, that nothing will remain unconsumed. And this will occur a short time before the final conflagration.

95. For although the planet Mars will finish its cycle, at the end of its last period, it will start again. Some will assemble in Aquarius for several years, others in Cancer for an even longer time. Now, by means of the supreme power of eternal God, we are led by the Moon; before she has completed her entire circuit, the Sun will come and then Saturn. For accord- ing to the signs in the heavens, the reign of Saturn will return; so that, all told, the world is drawing near an anaragonic revolution.

26. From this moment, before 177 years, 3 months and 11 days have passed, by pestilence, long famine, wars and, most of all, by floods, the world will be so diminished, with so few remaining, that no one will be found willing to work the fields, which will remain wild for as long a period as they had been tilled.

27. This is according to the visible judgment of the stars, for although we are now in the seventh millenary, which finishes all, we are approach- ing the eighth, wherein is located the firmament of the eighth sphere. This is in the latitudinary dimension, whence the great eternal God will come to complete the revolution, and the heavenly bodies will return to their sources, and the upper motion will render the earth stable and fixed for us, not deviating from age to age, unless He wills it otherwise.

28. By ambiguous opinions beyond all natural reason, by Mahometan dreams and even sometimes through the flaming missives brought by the angels of fire of God the Creator, there come before exterior senses, even our eyes, predictions of future events or things significant to a future hap- pening.