Nostradamus C9 Q16: High country of  SW Europe repels Arab invaders
Copyright: Allan Webber, December 2015, Jan 2023

In verse C9 Q16 strong astronomic pointers arise from partly overlaying anagrams for smallbear (ra l'aſſemble) and asterismal (tira l'aſſem) with the latter term meaning 'of or relating to asterisms or constellations'.

These two terms imply that the date for this quatrain is linked to  the current Pole Star that is in the tail of the Little (or Small) Bear. This star reaches its closest point to the North Pole aroud 2105CE.

It is quite noteworthy that the first line where the above anagrams are found has another partly overlaying anagram for consortia (anco sorti), a term which has similar tones as that for amassable (e L'ambaſſ) which occurs as an anagram at the far left part of the second line.

This dating allows a landscape to be ascribed that fits to the topics in the text. Castel Franco and the Riviera identify points located on the western coastline and northern slopes of Italy. The heights of these two towns above sea level mean the flood events must be well underway; not yet reaching their full height but well enough advanced that it is possible for a great gulf linking the two locations to exist (see last line of this verse's text).

The anagrams in this verse relate to five asterisms which are Altair (Aquila), Alterf (Cancer), Small Bear (Ursa Minor), Plough (Ursa Major) and dragon (Draco) .

Of these the Plough (goulph) is as significant as that for Small Bear because that term relates to part of the Large Bear, a name that is in several pairs in this series. Interestingly the last line can be seen as conveying something like Replenished Dragon guaranteed Plough not let God deniers enter which is pleasingly close to that lines text which says and they will refuse entry to the great gulf.

It is the use of French terms for its critical ciphers that is my basis for pairing C9 Q16 and C2 Q69 in the Astronomy Root series.