Visiones Melisch

Visiones nocturnae Stephani Melisch Pragensis, civis Lesnensis in Polonia, quas super eam civitatem et Regnum Poloniae regemque Sveciae et Franciae et alios (anno 1655, 1656, 1657, 1658) habuit. Cum subjunctis annotationibus, quid de singulis evidenter impletum sit, aut implendum restet

The nocturnal visions of Štěpán Meliš of Prague, a citizen of Leszno in Poland, relating to that town, the Kingdom of Poland, the Kings of Sweden, France and elsewhere (in the years 1655, 1656, 1657, 1658). With notes appended on what follows from the visions, and on what they contained

Origin of the work:
  1659 Amsterdam

Editions:
  1659 place not given

Contents:

Comenius’ translation of Meliš’s prophecies into Latin, amended and with additional material.

Štěpán Meliš was a simple tailor, son of the wealthy Prague burgher Jan Kašpar Meliš who, after the Battle of White Mountain, settled as an exile at Leszno. Comenius was a witness to several of his visions while in Leszno. After the destruction of the town in 1656 Meliš moved temporarily to Wrocław, from whence he sent his further visions to Comenius in Amsterdam, before finally returning to the re-established Leszno.

Meliš’s visions contain strange signs and natural disasters (earthquakes, fiery floods, rains of blood); in his visions he sees Comenius as a great priest, and predicts the fame of the latter’s works after his death. He speaks of the unification of the nations in evangelism, and forecasts the humiliation of those who stand opposed, Roman and the Habsburg empire. The western and northern nations will join with the eastern and shatter the Papal crown.

Unlike the aggressive Drabík (Mikuláš Drabík), who vehemently pressed Comenius to publicise his prophecies, Meliš was not overly concerned with publicity.

For further study, see also:

J. V. Novák & J. Hendrich, Jan Amos Komenský, jeho život a spisy. Prague 1932, pp595-597

Jan Kumpera, Jan Amos Komenský, poutník na rozhraní věků. Prague & Ostrava 1992, pp312-313