to say that the sun at your royal birth promised you the whole world
and its sovereignty, I believe can only be the saying of someone
who wishes to please and flatter you with such a prophecy--which
is in no wise possible or practicable, for many reasons. The first
is that the very power which according to your Grandeur's statement
is to give you that dominion is unable to do it, since the sun is,
just like the sky, the earth and everything else created, the work
of our true God and therefore it can neither promise nor fulfil such
a promise. The sun has no more life or power than what God gave it,
and this does not go to the extent of taking or giving away kingdoms,
which can only be done by God himself. It is to this great God and
Lord that thanks are due for all our life and power; and it is He who
has such power, and not the sun or anything else which, as already
stated, is an object created by Him. From the above-stated truth it
must be inferred that it was flattery and nothing practicable that
those learned men said. In this prophecy they have shown themselves
to be in the wrong; because, even if no other obstacles were to be
encountered, it would be impossible to fulfil the prophecy when it is
considered what a long time it would require to do so, and how short
our life is, especially so when the greater part of it is past. After
this obstacle a greater one arises, and that is that, even if so many
and powerful kings as the world holds were to be subjugated, my king
would suffice to overthrow all these prophecies. And because it is
right that I do so, and in order that your Grandeur be not deceived
by what is nothing else than the false flattery of ignorant people,
I acquaint you with the fact that my king's power is such, and the
kingdoms and countries under his royal and Christian rule are so many,
that his power and greatness is beyond compare with that of many
kings and lords, though they be most powerful, each by himself. His
dominions here are but a corner, and my king's possessions cannot