I’m not here to talk about divine prophecies, pagan oracles, or natural predictions, but rather about those prophecies that are memorable and seem to come from mysterious causes. For example, the Pythoness said to Saul, “Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me.” Virgil, inspired by Homer, wrote these lines:
“Here the house of Aeneas shall rule every shore,
And the children of their children, and those yet to be born.”
This was seen as a prophecy about the Roman Empire. Seneca, the tragedian, wrote:
“The years shall come in later times
When Ocean loosens its bonds,
And the great Earth lies open,
New worlds revealed, and Thule no longer the farthest land.”
This has been interpreted as a prediction of America’s discovery.
Take the story of Polycrates’ daughter. She dreamed that Zeus bathed her father and Apollo anointed him. This was fulfilled when her father was crucified in a place where the rain washed his body and the sun made it sweat. Philip of Macedon dreamed he sealed up his wife’s womb. He thought it meant she would remain childless, but his soothsayer explained that people don’t seal empty vessels—she was pregnant.
When a ghost appeared to Brutus in his tent, it told him, “You will see me at Philippi.” Tiberius once said to Galba, “You too, Galba, will taste power,” foreshadowing his future reign. In Vespasian’s time, a prophecy circulated in the East that someone from Judea would rule the world. Tacitus thought this referred to Vespasian, though Christians believe it foretold Jesus Christ.
The night before his death, Domitian dreamed of a golden head growing from his neck. This was taken as a symbol of the prosperous reigns that followed him. Henry VI of England predicted that Henry VII, then a boy, would one day wear the crown for which they fought.
When I was in France, a doctor told me a curious story. The queen mother had her husband’s future read under a false name. The astrologer predicted he’d die in a duel. She laughed, thinking him too grand for duels, but he was killed during a joust when a splinter pierced his helmet.
I recall a prophecy from my childhood during Queen Elizabeth’s reign:
“When hemp is spun, England’s done.”
People believed this referred to monarchs whose initials spelled “HEMPE” (Henry, Edward, Mary, Philip, Elizabeth). But England didn’t fall—it simply changed its name to Britain.
Another prophecy before 1588 said:
“Between the Baugh and the May,
The black fleet of Norway.
When that is come and gone,
England builds houses of lime and stone,
For after wars you shall have none.”
People thought this referred to the Spanish Armada, as the King of Spain’s name was linked to Norway.
Regiomontanus predicted that 1588 would be a “wonderful year,” which seemed true with the arrival of that powerful fleet. Some prophecies, like Cleon’s dream of being eaten by a dragon—interpreted as a sausage maker pestering him—are clearly just jokes.
Many other predictions exist, especially those involving dreams or astrology. But I’ve only listed a few credible ones here. My view is that all these prophecies should be dismissed as false—entertaining for fireside chats, but not worthy of belief. However, while they should not be believed, spreading them can cause harm, which is why there are strict laws to suppress them.
Prophecies gain credibility for three reasons. First, people remember the ones that come true and forget the ones that don’t—just like dreams. Second, what starts as a guess or old tradition often gets treated as prophecy. For instance, Seneca’s verse about new lands was based on logical deductions that Earth had unexplored parts beyond the Atlantic, combined with Plato’s writings about Atlantis. People turned these ideas into predictions.
Lastly, and most importantly, most prophecies are deliberate frauds, invented by clever or idle minds after events have already happened.
Bacon Blueprint 