When Nostradamus wrote the original manuscript for the Orus Apollo, he wrote separate
thoughts on separate lines. In other words, he did not use all of the available writing space on a
page. He wrote statements line-by-line. Although the original manuscript does not make it
evident Nostradamus penned any punctuation, this style does imply a period at the end of each
line. Each line begins with a capitalized first word, which is a standard indication of beginning a
new thought. Add this to each line ending with blank paper between it and the end of the page,
and an implication exists that each line is a complete statement, regardless of the absence of
physical punctuation.
I have not been able to find any copies of a printed edition of the Orus Apollo work. I have
found representations of the original (ones generated and posted to a website, but not
photo-copies of an actual printed publication) that shows an addition of punctuation to this
unpunctuated document. I have seen the representations show additions of punctuation,
including practically every type (other than an exclamation point). One form that was
conspicuous in its absence was an ampersand, although the presence of numerous "et" (the
French word "and") were everywhere, both in mid-sentence and beginning statements. All of
this is evidence of possible corruption of the original text.
As far as copies of The Prophecies, I have compared a Vienne 1555 edition, with a Utrech
1557 edition (copy of Lyon edition), a Lyon 1557 edition, and a Lyon 1568 edition. I have found
that the exact same punctuation appears in all (i.e.: commas, periods, colons, semi-colons,
parentheses, etc.), even though none is an exact replica, due to differences in lines printed per
page and characters allowed per line. Each version also made it a point to change font when
Nostradamus would write in Latin, even though each had differences in the two fonts each
publisher used to denote such language change. This consistency shows all subsequent
publishers of other editions adopted the original application of punctuation, keeping everything
true to the original publication. This would then make the original publisher the source of the
printed punctuation; but it does nothing to indicate that the printer was the originator of the
punctuation found in the original publication of The Prophecies.
As to a claim of printer's copyright, as reason to believe Nostradamus did not write any
punctuation on his original manuscript, the same person making that claim later made the claim
that the typesetter probably had no skills as a reader. This is to state that "printer's copyright"
means "publisher's copyright," where the owner of a printing company would have to be literate.
This then implies that the owner of the publishing company would have to stand over his
employee and instruct him where to place punctuation. This would be so because the original
manuscript would be absent of punctuation; and the publisher would not want to place
punctuation on the original manuscript. There would be no way of proving punctuation marks on
the original manuscript were not Nostradamus', should the publisher have added it, so his
copier-typesetter could set the type for the printing.
This argument does not hold the weight of close scrutiny; and while it also may be possible that
the printers added the punctuation that became a fixture in Nostradamus publications, this is a
low probability, at best. It would mean that everything found in the published versions of The
Prophecies is questionable, and, therefore, unworthy of taking anything into consideration as
being penned by Nostradamus.
Considering that Nostradamus did not die until 1566 (eleven years after the first publication), it
would be foolish to think that Nostradamus would not pick up a copy of his new book and read
through it. If the printer had manufactured erroneous punctuation for Nostradamus, the
probability is Nostradamus would have demanded the publisher correct all errors. Considering
that Nostradamus produced The Prophecies in multiple editions (1555 was four [incomplete]
Centuries; 1557 was seven [incomplete]; and 1566-1568 was ten Centuries, with Centurie
Seventh incomplete), he would have made sure the publisher made special efforts to keep any
1555 problems from repeating. Considering that Nostradamus was not protected as royalty,
nor by the Church as in their hierarchy, the demands for explaining a book that made no sense
to the scholars of the day could have been explained by stating, "it is all the publisher's fault."
This is not the case, as none of these considerations are the case; and all of this is ample
enough evidence that the publisher would act like all publishers today and stay away from
liabilities that could lead to troubling times for such a business. Since Nostradamus was
financially supported by grants (rather than independent wealth), so would be a
publisher-printer. To show incompetence could result in severe punishments for those in lesser
positions, who made something only affordable by the upper class impossible to understand.
It makes no sense that the publisher would not print the manuscript exactly as it was written; but
it makes less sense that the publisher would place the specific punctuation into the text, as it
appears in the original publications. A lack of standardized punctuation cannot explain the
illogical use of punctuation. There is no need for a comma to be followed immediately by an
ampersand, especially in only certain instances and not all. There is absolutely no excuse for
around ten periods being used to denote the end of a sentence, for a preface that is 14 printed
pages. The only excuse that carries weight is Nostradamus wrote that specific punctuation for a
specific purpose, whether or not anyone understood that specific placement and use.
This strange use of punctuation is found to be consistently applied in the preface, the quatrains
(all ten Centuries, in two separate original editions), and the explanation letter sent to King Henri
II. It is equally applied in all editions produced by publishing houses in cities other than Lyon.
The use of such strange punctuation placement, even during a time when punctuation was not
accepted as standard, was at least part of the reason the language was nearly impossible to
make sense of. This means Nostradamus approved it for that purpose; and that is a strong
indication of his authorship.
thoughts on separate lines. In other words, he did not use all of the available writing space on a
page. He wrote statements line-by-line. Although the original manuscript does not make it
evident Nostradamus penned any punctuation, this style does imply a period at the end of each
line. Each line begins with a capitalized first word, which is a standard indication of beginning a
new thought. Add this to each line ending with blank paper between it and the end of the page,
and an implication exists that each line is a complete statement, regardless of the absence of
physical punctuation.
I have not been able to find any copies of a printed edition of the Orus Apollo work. I have
found representations of the original (ones generated and posted to a website, but not
photo-copies of an actual printed publication) that shows an addition of punctuation to this
unpunctuated document. I have seen the representations show additions of punctuation,
including practically every type (other than an exclamation point). One form that was
conspicuous in its absence was an ampersand, although the presence of numerous "et" (the
French word "and") were everywhere, both in mid-sentence and beginning statements. All of
this is evidence of possible corruption of the original text.
As far as copies of The Prophecies, I have compared a Vienne 1555 edition, with a Utrech
1557 edition (copy of Lyon edition), a Lyon 1557 edition, and a Lyon 1568 edition. I have found
that the exact same punctuation appears in all (i.e.: commas, periods, colons, semi-colons,
parentheses, etc.), even though none is an exact replica, due to differences in lines printed per
page and characters allowed per line. Each version also made it a point to change font when
Nostradamus would write in Latin, even though each had differences in the two fonts each
publisher used to denote such language change. This consistency shows all subsequent
publishers of other editions adopted the original application of punctuation, keeping everything
true to the original publication. This would then make the original publisher the source of the
printed punctuation; but it does nothing to indicate that the printer was the originator of the
punctuation found in the original publication of The Prophecies.
As to a claim of printer's copyright, as reason to believe Nostradamus did not write any
punctuation on his original manuscript, the same person making that claim later made the claim
that the typesetter probably had no skills as a reader. This is to state that "printer's copyright"
means "publisher's copyright," where the owner of a printing company would have to be literate.
This then implies that the owner of the publishing company would have to stand over his
employee and instruct him where to place punctuation. This would be so because the original
manuscript would be absent of punctuation; and the publisher would not want to place
punctuation on the original manuscript. There would be no way of proving punctuation marks on
the original manuscript were not Nostradamus', should the publisher have added it, so his
copier-typesetter could set the type for the printing.
This argument does not hold the weight of close scrutiny; and while it also may be possible that
the printers added the punctuation that became a fixture in Nostradamus publications, this is a
low probability, at best. It would mean that everything found in the published versions of The
Prophecies is questionable, and, therefore, unworthy of taking anything into consideration as
being penned by Nostradamus.
Considering that Nostradamus did not die until 1566 (eleven years after the first publication), it
would be foolish to think that Nostradamus would not pick up a copy of his new book and read
through it. If the printer had manufactured erroneous punctuation for Nostradamus, the
probability is Nostradamus would have demanded the publisher correct all errors. Considering
that Nostradamus produced The Prophecies in multiple editions (1555 was four [incomplete]
Centuries; 1557 was seven [incomplete]; and 1566-1568 was ten Centuries, with Centurie
Seventh incomplete), he would have made sure the publisher made special efforts to keep any
1555 problems from repeating. Considering that Nostradamus was not protected as royalty,
nor by the Church as in their hierarchy, the demands for explaining a book that made no sense
to the scholars of the day could have been explained by stating, "it is all the publisher's fault."
This is not the case, as none of these considerations are the case; and all of this is ample
enough evidence that the publisher would act like all publishers today and stay away from
liabilities that could lead to troubling times for such a business. Since Nostradamus was
financially supported by grants (rather than independent wealth), so would be a
publisher-printer. To show incompetence could result in severe punishments for those in lesser
positions, who made something only affordable by the upper class impossible to understand.
It makes no sense that the publisher would not print the manuscript exactly as it was written; but
it makes less sense that the publisher would place the specific punctuation into the text, as it
appears in the original publications. A lack of standardized punctuation cannot explain the
illogical use of punctuation. There is no need for a comma to be followed immediately by an
ampersand, especially in only certain instances and not all. There is absolutely no excuse for
around ten periods being used to denote the end of a sentence, for a preface that is 14 printed
pages. The only excuse that carries weight is Nostradamus wrote that specific punctuation for a
specific purpose, whether or not anyone understood that specific placement and use.
This strange use of punctuation is found to be consistently applied in the preface, the quatrains
(all ten Centuries, in two separate original editions), and the explanation letter sent to King Henri
II. It is equally applied in all editions produced by publishing houses in cities other than Lyon.
The use of such strange punctuation placement, even during a time when punctuation was not
accepted as standard, was at least part of the reason the language was nearly impossible to
make sense of. This means Nostradamus approved it for that purpose; and that is a strong
indication of his authorship.
| Apples to Oranges: Les Propheties vs. Orus Apollo |
| All Material Copyright of Robert Tippett with the exception of the obviously stolen stuff Reproduction by Permission Only |
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