Now follows the third Monarchical Prophecy.
As for what concerns the third Prophecy which I.H.S. doth also make mention of, (& will have it) to concern a certain Writer, whose name is Jacob Behmen, who exercised the Shooe-makers Craft, and published many Theological and also Chymical things, which John Beth doth again Print: As far as I know by his writings, he was an honest Man, but I do not know what he understood in Alchimy; but however this is evident, that he never exercised or practised Chymical Operations, and that his Chymical writings are most difficult to be understood, but his Theological writings are read by many. My opinion concerning the business is this, that this same I. H. S. was minded to quarrel with me, that so there being a brawling bred between us he might make his Books the more saleable. I have therefore thus plainly answered him, but if he proceed on in contrarying and opposing me, I shall be constrained Nolens Volens to meet with him another kind of way, for I am even wearied and glutted with contention. If he will needs brawl and scold let him do it with those that have no work to do, such as he himself & his associates are, who have no Family to rule and look after, I can for my own part bestow my time better than in those contentions, which bring no profit, but only to the Bookseller, whose Books before they are known sell well.
But to conclude, I will in a few words open the ill affected mind of J. H. S. to the Candid Reader. When I had lookt into his Treatise, and perceived that he had ranked me amongst the Sophisters, I showed to some of my faithful Friends, the Letters which he had written unto me, that so I might hear their Judgment concerning them; verily, there was not one amongst them all, but wondered at the wicked mind and falseness of this Man: Yea, one of them did afterwards inform him by his Letters, what way I had purposed to take, viz. again to wipe off that undeserved Title he had put upon me, and to defend my self against such Monstrous Impiety; To which he received from the said J. H. S. an Answer, which he likewise shewed me, wherein (’mongst other things) he pretends, that the cause of his hatred [against me] was, because I had in some places written so very clearly of the Universal Medicine: Yea, and he farther adds, that it is no such great despising one, or Contempt to call one a Sophister; for Geber was accounted for a Sophister, and yet was he a King. And that if I wrote against him, he would do the same against me, and endamage not only me, but my Children too; which Epistle is yet kept safe. Now let any Honest Man consider whether this be a Human, or Diabolical action.
Some, when they heard this, perswaded me to pass over all in silence, and that there would come of it such another brawling business as was with Farnner, whose Exhortation I yielded to, that I would not so much as once answer him, how great Lies soever he told, but rather purposed by referring all till the next Spring, to get me Friends by the benefit of my very eminent Inventions (God willing) which should not only intercede, or stand up for me, but also for my Children too, after my Decease: I doubt not, but that there maybe some principal persons found, which are capable of overturning such Inhuman Perverseness.
These few things was I constrained to add (in a Parenthesis) for the defence of my Writings, thereby to paint out the deceitfulness of Men, and to discover what is to be opinionated concerning such turn-coated Foxes: The which I entreat the Reader not to take in evil part, but to accept of the Secrets laid open in this Treatise, as a Reward for his pains in reading this Apology.
Now follows the Most Potent Lion, and Monarch of the North; to whom none in the World may be compared, nor did ever any excel him in Glory and Power, or shall be like unto him.
But before I begin to write any thing of that Omnipotent Monarch, I have thought it profitable to add here in this place, for the better knowledge of the same, Paracelsus his Prophesie, as I met with it, whereby any one that is skill’d in nature, may sufficiently see, that Paracelsus did not mean a King, but the great Philosophical Mistery, and would point that out unto us: His Words therefore are as follows.