After having diligently considered the course of the planets, made observations upon the malignant Influences of the stars, and passed a whole night in contemplation of the Comet which appeared in the heavens in the close of the evening, and of that which appeared in the morning before break of day.
And having considered by the Rules of Astrology, That the Evening Comet entering into Capricorn, and going out by the Scorpions tail, which extends it self 800 Leagues, threatens a General Plague, Terrible Earthquakes, and Prodigious Thunders, by which several towns in Christendom will be swallowed up and laid in ashes.
The Comet which appears in the morning, having Cancer reversed underneath it, visibly declares that the Angel Abiron, Punisher of the Sins of the World hath a Sword drawn for the destruction of a Maritime Prince, who hath drawn on himself the just Anger of God, but that the Presence of the Sun which hides this Angry and Fiery Comet from our Sight, assures us, that the Religious valor of the Knights of Malta, encouraged by the extraordinary zeal of our Holy Father the Pope, will appease the God of mercy and bounty, and that their armies will be so victorious over the Turks, that their success shall amaze all the world.
The approaching Summer shall be dry and long, that the greatest rivers shall be dried up, and the ground so hot, that the beasts, serpents and other animals, shall be forced to come out of their dens and holes;
And Men shall be afflicted with burning feavers, Swellings and bloody fluxes.
The Ram ascending towards Libra shows us, That the last year in the Month of August, the Mart is entered into the Barr before Gri Riere after shows, that in April of this present year the Sovereign abbess of Franconia shall be delivered of a Son, which shall neither be of Cap nor Ville, but of Mart and of Rig, who shall be an Astrologer in our Duchy of Parma, and shall one day be acknowledged Prince of Franconia.
The 22 July Mars following at the Heels of Sagittarius with his Dart, we may expect so general a Hail, that it will be very prejudicial to all grain that is not gotten in; And Bacchus will be so afflicted, that he exhorts his good Children not idly to empty all the Vessels this year.
In fine, Heaven is so angry, and the whole World so laden with sins, disorders and abominations, that Nature her self shall be ready to Expire, and the Earth hold as it were but by a thread.
Vices, as Ambition, Jealousy, Envy, Impiety, and Irreligion of all Nations in general, and every Man in particular have drawn down the just Anger of God upon us.
Europe will fall quickly; I know no Estate whose ruin we may not fear. This Age perhaps shall be the last of all Empires, and (may be) we shall hear. That the Universe is at its End.
All Mountains shall be brought low, the Alps shall be thunder stricken, the Pyrenees beaten down and leveled. The Sins of Men are grown so great, and their disorders so monstrous and prodigious, that we may well expect to see this last Moment, if we Repent not, and mortify our selves; which only can avert the severity of these terrible Judgments of God.
God through his Love to us doth show,
By the Stars what he intends to do;
That thereby knowing his Intent,
We may of our ill Works Repent.
From what I have read about this era in time, this is just a little snapshot on that time's way of thinking.
With the reformation in full swing and tensions rising between Catholics and protestants many of the learned people believed it was the end times and saw signs of it everywhere in their daily lives. That the world would end at any moment. I haven't found much modern literature touching on this except some research papers by Håkan Håkansson at Lund's university.
Tycho the Apocalyptic: History, Prophecy and the Meaning of Natural Phenomena
Seeing the Word : John Dee and Renaissance Occultism
These expand a bit more on their apocalyptic way of thinking.
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