Nostradamus: The End of the Millennium, 1992-2000

by V. J. Hewitt & P. Lorie; Bloomsbury Press, 1991; $49.95

Reviewed by Bernard Howard

The arcane writings of Nostradamus have been a happy hunting ground for crackpots for many years. This is the latest, but not the last book on the meaning of it all.

These authors have applied numerology to uncover the "true" meaning of the mysterious verses, and, if their claims are true, we see that the "powers" of this great seer were even greater than had been thought. He could foresee events not only four centuries ahead in time, but on the other side of the world from his native France, in lands unknown to his contemporaries.

According to the Hewitt & Lorie interpretation, Australian Aborigines and New Zealand Maori will have their land rights disputes settled during this decade. The writings also indicate just where the Maori will be granted a tract of land of their own (a tribal reservation?) on about 7 August, 1996. The numbers suggest that this land lies around 45°S latitude, 170°E longitude. Do the present inhabitants of Ranfurly, Wedderburn and Naseby know about this?

Furthermore, Nostradamus is said by his "translators" to describe the Maori as "pacifiques," not only because of their home in the Pacific Ocean, but because also they have a peaceable nature, by contrast with the warlike Australian Aborigines...

Typist's note: The spell checker in Word Perfect doesn't do a double-take on "Nostradamus" — things are getting ridiculous when his name starts counting as a common word!