Histrionic Downs

Nostradamus: Man or Mouse?

Much has been written about this sixteenth century prophet and healer, but as far as I know, nobody has claimed that he was, in fact, a mouse!

And nor will I.

Nostradamus was born in Provence at noon on the 14th December 1503, and again a week after that. This could be due to the instigation of the Gregorian Calendar in 1582, but as this is sixteen years after Nostradamus's death, this is not likely.

Nom de Plume

His parents named him Michel de Nostredame, but he adopted the latinized version of his surname as a nom de plume when writing his Prophecies. This is a relief, because if he had been named after his grandfather, (who changed his name from Gassonet to Nostredame in 1455 when he converted to Catholicism) he would have been called Gassonetus, which sounds like an eating disorder.

Graves, Plagues, and Manual Trades

Nostradamus was a very intelligent lad, but didn't have much luck with his education. His intellect became apparent while he was still very young and so his education was given over to his maternal great-grandfather, Jean de St. Remy. As the old man was dead by the time Nostradamus was one years old, this could lend credence to Nostradamus's early schooling being conducted through his mystical powers of clairvoyance. It is more likely, though, to be apocryphal (or at least rather erroneous). At fifteen, Nostradamus attended the University of Avignon, but he didn't have much luck here, either, as it was closed after one year due to an outbreak of the plague. At twenty-six, he tried once again to get an education at the University of Montpellier, but was stymied because he had been a wandering apothecary during the intervening years. Such manual trades were expressly forbidden by the University.

Man for all Seasons

During the sixty-two years of his life, he was many things to many people: To Henriette and Anne he was husband, to his eight children he was father, to Jules-César Scaliger he was a long-term guest, to Catherine de Médicis he was Counselor and Physician-in-Ordinary to the King, and to the Craponne Canal he was a one-thirteenth shareholder.

Quatrains, Nostrums and Wanderlust

Although he was not a rodent, there are certainly similarities between him and Nostradormouse. Nostradamus wrote his prophecies in quatrains; Nostradormouse says his prophecies in quatrains. Nostradamus was an apothecary, not a qualified doctor, and often had some trouble in explaining his unorthodox remedies and treatments; Nostradormouse has to rely on instinct and trust in his inner voice to create his nostrums, and is treated with suspicion by his patients. Nostradamus often travelled the countryside for long periods of time, researching and learning his craft; Nostradormouse also suffers from this wanderlust in that he knows his destiny is out there somewhere, waiting to be fulfilled...

Legacy

Nostradamus died on 2nd July 1566. His secretary found him, as Nostradamus had predicted, trouvé tout mort pres du lit et du banc. He left behind him a will, 3,444 crowns, a wife and six children, a thousand prophecies, many almanacs, at least two books on medical science, and an unemployed secretary.

And Nostradormouse? Well, his story is just beginning...

Chris Tinniswood