PREDICTIONS Of the Sudden and Total Destruction of The Turkish Empire, AND Religion of Mahomet: According to the Opinions of the Lord Tycho Brahe of Denmark, and many Others of the Best Astronomers of this Later Age; Collected and Humbly Dedicated to all Christendom by a Lover of Christianity.  
THE present War of the Turks upon the Christian Empire of Germany, and indeed upon all the Eastern part of Christendom, (Russia only excepted) Begun without any pretence of a just Cause, or other Provocation, than mere Conquest, sufficiently demonstrates that the Ambition of that Empire (if it were possible) aims at nothing else then to bring the whole Earth under its Slavery, Bondage and Vassalage, which she might soon Acquire, could she make herself Mystriss of the Remaining part of Europe, of which She hath already Gained so great a Share, as may be Compared not Inferiout to either of the Mighty Empires of Germany or France, and Naturally much more Pleasant and Fertile then Either. The Sweets as she Gathers thence, tempt Her upon the Reduction of the Whole; And the frequent Distractions and Wars which Happen amongst Christian Princes and States, do point out to her own Greatness, an Opportunity of being much Greater, by the weak and distracted Condition Christendom is almost continually in, and consequently not able to withstand any of Her (though never so unjust) Demands; Last Years Attempt upon the Imperial Christian City of Vienna, may sufficiently convince any Man, that the Attaque of the Turks upon that place, (if God Almighty had not wonderfully preserved and defended it) would have brought inevitable destruction and desolation upon the whole Empire of Germany. And it is hard to judge in Humane Prudence how they could possibly have been forced to quit such a Conquest, where the Treasure they would have made Themselves Masters of in the Enterprise, might sufficiently, without any domestic Tax, enabled them to carry on the War against, and (totally to subdue) the greatest Part of Christendom.  
But Almighty God, which putteth Bounds to the Sea, and saith, Hitherto shal● thou Go, and no further; Also Boundeth and Changeth Empires and Kingdoms, and setteth up Emperors and Kings, as seemeth good to Himself, of which the Histories of all Past Ages do furnish us with plenty of Instances.  
The Jews were always of Opinion, That every Person and Place hath a certain Guardian-Angel set over it. And many Doctors of the Christian-Church seem to Agree with them in that Particular, upon the Warrant they have from the Holy Prophet, Dan. 10.11. Where mention is made of an Angel-Governour over Persia, and over Greece; Rulers and Potentates, or, as our English Translation hath it, Principalities and Powers; And the Learned in all Ages have Observed, That God hash Set Intervals and Periods of Times to all Empires and Governments in the World; Amongst which Periods the 500 and 700. are Accounted the most Fatal, as you may see in Bodin. Lib. 4. cap. 2 The Natural Reasons of which is, for that in the said Spaces of Time there Elapseth so many Generations of Men, which abateth off, and more and more declineth from the Simplicity, Strength and Fortitude, whereby Kingdoms are Acquired Preserved and Propagated.  
It is also Observed, That no extraordinary Change has ever happened, but, has been Attended with, or fore-boded by strange Comets or Apparitions in the Heavens, as God's Monitors pointing to us the Judgements threatened.  
A Comet Appeared in the Year 603. about a Year before the pretended Prophet Mahomet's Birth; And another Comet Appeared in the Shape of a Fiery Sword at Noon day, and continued the space of one whole Month at his Death, Rendering it no less prodigious than the Course of his Life, or the Success that has since Attended his Religion and Empire to this very day, of which see Jos phus Bell. Jud lib, 7. cap. 12.  
That God hath Appointed fatal Bounds and Limits of Time to Empires (none will deny) so hath he the like Bounds and Limits to other particular Places; And when any Change of an Empire is imminent, he commonly Raiseth up some Great Heroes, whom he useth as Organs to Punish or Amend Them, yet first revealeth such future Changes, by certain Signs and Prodigies, as St. Augustin lib. de urb. excid. Tom. 9 Speaks of a Great Comet that Appeared about the Year 396 over Constantinople, according to the Revelation first made thereof to a Soldier, and by him to a Bishop; who thereupon exhorted the People to Repentance, etc. He hath these very words, Volens siquidens Deus terrere Civitatem. & terrendo emendare, terrendo convertere, terrendo mundare, terrendo mutare servo suo fideli viro ut dicitur Militaris, etc.— God being pleased to terrify the City, by terrifying to convert it, by terrifying to cleanse it, by terrifying to change it, he Revealed (as is reported) to a Soldier his faithful Servant. And a little further, Noct is initio tenebrantes, etc. In the Beginning of the Night, whilst Darkness Covered the Earth, there Appeared a Fiery cloud in the East, (at first but a little one); Afterwards by degrees, as it Approached the City, it so increased, till being mighty big it Hovered terribly over all the City, there was seen a horrible Flame which descended from it, neither was there a Sulphurous Smell wanting, all the People fled to Church, the Place contained not the Multitude, every O●e wrested Baptism from whom he could the Sacrament was Exposed not only in the Church, but also through the Houses, Lanes and Streets, to Avoid the present as well as future wrath of God. Thus far St. Augustine. What strange Revolutions have since befell that City, all ●hristendom and the greatest part of the Intelligible World can sufficiently Witness. And to the purpose intended by this Paper, which is to show by the many strange Comets which have Appeared of late Years, not only in Sight of the same Constantinople, but even of all Christendom, as Forerunners of the Great Alterations and Changes which shall Happen and particularly on the Turkish Empire, whose Grand fatal Year is Proclaimed by the Heavens to be so near at Hand, as has been long since Observed by Learned Men, by the Cause of the Sun's Eccentricity, described of Copernicus, (cap. 20. lib. 3. Revol.) By a Motion of a little Circle, having the Eccentrick of its Centre in its Circumference; Georgius Johannis Rhetius called this Circle, The Wheel of Fortune; By whose Revolutions, saith he, the Monarchies of the World received their Commencements and Changes, for like as the Roman Empire obtained its highest dignity when the Eccentricity was greatest, so the same Decreased is very much Impaired, and almost at the brink of Destruction; But the Turkish Empire began in the first Quadrant with the Law of Mahomet, and hath been most swiftly Augmented proportionably, according to the Motion thereof; being at this day wherein the Eccentricity is at the least in a flourishing estate, but shall henceforward be diminished until the other Quadrant, and alike swiftly (God so pleasing) Hasten to destruction:  
According to Tycho and Others of the Best Astronomers, the Eccentricity is already notably increased, (viz.) unto Part 2. 9′. or thereabouts. Lausburgius makes it Part 2 6′ 21″. Insomuch (says the same Author) That if the Christians would henceforth lay aside their Ambition and Avarice, and Live at Peace among themselves, the God of Nature Presents them with an Age, wherein they may totally Overthrow and lay Waste the Empire of the Turks, and put a speedy Period to the Law of their Prophet Mahomet.  
Cardan. Seg. 1. Aph. 37. Permutationes Absidum Regna, & Regiones, & Religiones mutant. Changes of the Absids Altar Kingdoms, Regions and Religions.  
Whence a Learned Author observes, That from the Change of Satur's Absis into Cancer Mahomet had his Growth, and by the Change thereof into Capricorn (the Sign opposite thereunto) receives he Detriment, and at length a final Destruction.  
As Mr. Ashmole in his accurate Translation of Spinoeus, tells us, That Mahomet's Destruction initiated Anno 1630. And this he deduces from the Change of Satur's Absis, out of Sagitary into Capricorn (according to the Prutenick Tables) But by the Pololiaque Tables (the best extant). It enters not Capricorn till the beginning of the Year 1728. After which Time the Heavens have decreed that, and several other Causes which will Occur to extirpate Mahomet and his Law, which God in his infinite Mercy, (to Bleeding Christendom) in his due time bring to pass.  
The Wonderful Providence of God can never be sufficiently admired in all his Ways, and particularly to permit the Growth of the insulting Turks, (as a just punishment to his Chosen People), so swell to such a Magnitude, (rather than grow) too big a Body for any Legs possibly to be found sufficient to support its Weight, that of its own unweldiness it may, like a distempered Body, Pine, Waste, Consume, Decay and Moulter to as mere a Nothing, as it was before the Birth of their Grand Impostor.  
And whereas such a Mighty Empire that hath shaken the Remotest Regions of the Earth, cannot reasonably be supposed to be dissolved into Atoms, in a Moment's Space of Time; And the Fatal Year of that Monarchy Appearing by the said Learned Authority to be Anno 1728. Which is but 44 Years from this present time to come. The present happy Union that now is Established between His Imperial Majesty of Germany, the Crown of Poland, and Senate of Venice, together with the Inclinations the Sophy of Persia and the Czaars of Moscovy, who seem to declare to come into the said Union. Besides, the present Consternation the Turkish Empire is in, what a Fever and Ague is Fixed in the Blood, Body and Heart of that Empire, Occasioned upon the Blessed Success of the Christian Arms, that an Insulting Empire, who but a few Months passed Threatened Destruction to the Remotest Parts of the Earth, now feels a Mortal Distemper in its own Bowels, (by a brave Diversion of the Christian Cessacks and Morelaques) and is Reduced to Consult of means to defend itself against its weakest Christian Neighbours, which being but indifferently considered, who can doubt but this present time, is an A a or a Praeludium to the Fatal Year Anno 1728. And that the present Illustrious and Renowned King of Poland, with the many Princes of the Holy Empire, and Others joined with him, are the Heroes that God has Raised to Subdue, Altar and Amend the Eastern Empire of Europe, which so long has Groaned under the cruel Bonds 〈◊〉 Turkish Slavery, Vassalage and Subjection; What a blessed state would Christendom be Reduced to in an instant, if it would lay aside Domestic Wars, Quarrels and Pretensions of Strife; What an Opportunity presents itself (of Immortal Honour and Renown) to such as have Youth, Strength, Fortune and ●ourage, to List themselves in the Noble Roll of such brave Heroes in the best of Causes that ever Sword was drawn in, and in which the Valiant and Heroic Lords, Lansdown and Tass and many other British Subjects, have made so brave an Essay. What a happy Day would it be, that there was no other Emulation among Christians than a Vying who should do the bravest Act against their Common Enemy? If the Heavens have decreed it, it is not the Taking of a Luxemberg, or the Assaulting of a Genoa, or the Sending of a Fleet into the Baltic, can divert the unalterable Fate that Attends a sinking Empire, upon the Period and Brink of utter Destruction. The 500 and 700 Years fatal Periods of Time, mentioned before, may be sufficient to Caution such as Confederate with, or otherwise Assist an Empire under such a Destiny, that such do but Fight against Heaven; And that you may plainly understand the whole Course of the Heavens, are by D●vine Providence at this Juncture on the Christian side, whose Celestial Influences join with and strengthen the Events of the said fatal Periods; To discover which I Refer you to the General History of the Turkish Empire, and you will find their Monarchy was first Settled and Founded in Asia, under the Denomination of a Kingdom, in the Year of Our Lord Christ 1030 by Tangrolipyx, (and in the Reign of Constantius Monomachus the Christian Emperor) of which a Man may very reasonably suppose, that the same Tangrolipyx, or his Predecessors, were some Years in preparing a Foundation, on which so great a Structure as an Imperial Monarchy was to be Raised on; And if you Add the 44 Years yet to come, when the Change of Saturn's Absis out of Sagitary into Capricorn, will Happen, as I have said with 654 (at this present,) so many Years sin●e Tangrolipix to 1030 in which Year Tangrolipix first settled his Empire, it makes up Complete 1728. and wants only two Years of the Grand fatal Period mentioned, by which it may be Observed, That there is not wanting a double Destiny to secare and strengthen all Accidents, that Naturally and properly Occur to the laying Waste that Tyrannical Government, which for so many years has Oppressed so great a Part of the Earth; What surer and more lasting Monument can a Man Raise to himself, than to be an Instrument in so Glorious a Cause, whose daily Success will be continually Celebrated with Te Deum's through the Universe, and all Ages to come for ever rejoice of their so mighty Deliverance; To effect which, let all good Men continually pray for the uniting and strengthening of the Christian Arms, which whenever it shall please God to bring to pass, will certainly be the Time that will Confirm these Predictions.  
FINIS.   

London, Printed; And Sold by Walter Davis in Amen-Corner. 1684.