Vaticinia seu praedictiones illustrium virorum... Vaticini overo predittioni d' huomini illustri

the Castagna Chestnut family, since here one understands the content within the husk by using the figure of metonymy the substitution of the name of an attribute for that of the thing meant. And even more so because the two letters with the Cross indicate the Archiepiscopal dignity; and the R says "Rossanese," where he Pope Urban VII was once the Pastor of that Church.

Those letters that are read in this square have seemed obscure to many who wished to accommodate them to Pope Gregory XIV, who was of the Sfondrati family. However, the Wheel will not seem false if we remember how long the vacancy lasted before his election, and we shall say: "Sfondrati shall be adored after a long dispute" original: "Sfondatus post longam litem adorabitur".

Finally, we have Innocent IX, predicted with the letters C and S, which signify him from the time he was called the Cardinal of San Quattro. The sign which extends outward from the letter S has the appearance of a segolo a pruning hook or small sickle, an instrument used for cutting; nor is it far, in being curved, from the figure of the palm with which the martyrs of Christ are usually depicted. With this, it seems to me that the meaning of this letter is narrowed, hinting that he is of those Saints who died by the cutting off of the head. Or truly, it means to say those saints are not of every order, but only of those who hold the palm of martyrdom which they have gloriously suffered.

Here one should read the explanation of Clement VIII, as it is read in the Wheel of the Blessed Iudochus.

ANNOTATION.

This Wheel was brought from Rome in past years, and it was in the hands of very principal personages as a truthful and singular thing, already made by a very famous and learned person. It was published by a gentleman from Friuli and citizen of Udine, a very curious and diligent investigator of such hidden things, who affirmed, along with others, that it had been seen during the creation of Pius IV and in the other following elections, and as is seen, it was manifestly known to be true.