same time they strain another part of it beyond the true and real Action it self which may very properly take the Name of Partiality Or by some hot-headed Hearer and Teller of News who having heard the Relation from half a dozen at once remembers scarce any thing from either of them but makes a new Relation of his own something like the other and away he runs with that and tells it to every one he meets for Truth and this you may very well call Confidence c. And do you think this is not ground enough to fill a whole Parish or City with Lies when the Reporters of these things like Atoms fly into every Corner and Part thereof and each man tells what he hath heard or apprehended of the Matter And thus will the Account go till you can speak with the Actors of it themselves or with some Intelligent man that hath had it from them or the true Relation of it by one that saw and observed the whole Now let us consider how many People there are that are willing or desirous to enquire out the Truth of this matter not one in a hundred perhaps not one in a thousand for the generality of People are not inquisitive after Truth but News And when they have heard a Story it serves them to talk of till they hear another and so one Lie drives in and also drives out another and by this Course and Custom the Faculties of the Body are imployed and the things serve to talk of as well as if they were true indeed it sounds as well spends Time as well and the Hearers of it when related stare and admire at it as much as if it was perfectly true and thus the Rattle goes on and they are all very well contented Why just so it is with our Book-wrights exactly in every particular thing I have here mentioned for every one that can talk is not fit to tell a Story or carry a Relation of a Matter nor is every one that can write fit to write things of Science though perhaps he may understand something of it and he that can tell a Story well doth generally embellish his Discourse set it off with a Lie or two or to speak more soft some new emphatick Invention of his own why just so it is with our Writers and Authors of Books in general They throw in something of their own which they think sounds well enough to them and may pass current without Suspicion of being a new Doctrine and this the Reader is obliged to take among the rest without either Why or Wherefore â—ut it would be endless to run into Discourses and Arguments of this Nature and of a Prooemium make a Treatise Besides it is needless to follow this Track any longer for I suppose there are few or none will deny Errors to be delivered in this Method and Order if they do let them repair to any printed Author in every Page of which it is very probable they may find either Errors of the Author or Mistakes of the Printer and in some Pages both for their Safaction For if Authors in all kind of Learning had not been sufficiently fertile in that untoward sort of Product the Learned D. Primrose and Sir Thomas Brown had spent their Time in vain when they made an Enquiry into Vulgar and Common Errors And to that Purpose hear what the latter of them saith pag. 20. Pseudo Epidem But the mortallest Enemy saith he unto Knowledge and that which hath done the greatest Execution upon Truth hath been a peremtory Adhesion unto Authority and more especially establishing of our Belief upon the Dictates of Antiquity For as every Capacity may observe most men of Ages present so superstitiously do look on Ages past that the Authorities of the one do far exceed the Reasons of the other Whose Persons indeed being far removed from our Times their Works which seldom with us pass uncontroll'd either by Contemporaries or by immediate Successors are now become out of the Distance of Envy And the further removed from present Times are concerned to approach the nearer uâ—â—o Truth it self Now hereby methinks we manifestly deluâ—e our selves and widely walk out of the Track of Truth For first men hereby impose a Thraldom on their times which the Ingenuity of no Age should endure or indeed the presumption of any did yet enjoyn Thus Hippocrates about Two thousand Years ago conceived it no injustice either to examin or refute the Doctrines of his Predecessors Galen the like and Aristotle most of any Yet did not any of these conceive themselves infallible or set down their Dictates as Verities irrefragable but when they either deliver their own Inventions or reject other men's Opinions they proceed with Judgment and Ingenuity establishing their Assertions not only with great Solidity but submitting them also to the Correction of future Discovery Lastly While we so devoutly adhere to Antiquity in some things we do not consider we have deserted them in several others For they have indeed not only been imperfect in the Conceit of some things but either ignorant or erroneous in many more They understood not the Motion of the eighth Sphere from West to East and so conceived the Longitude of the Stars invariable They conceived the Torrid Zone unhabitable and so made frustrate the goodliest part of the Earth But we know now 't is very well empeopled and the Habitation thereof esteemed so happy that some have made it the proper Seat of Paradise and been so far from judging it unhabitable that they have made it the first Habitation of all Many of the Ancients deny'd the Antipodes as Austin c. Others That the Earth was round as Lanctantius But the Experience of our enlarged Navigations can now assert them beyond all Dubitation Having thus totally relinquish'd them in some things it may not be presumptuous to examin them in others but surely more unreasonable to adhere to them in all as though they were infallible or could not err in any Thus I say must these Authors be read and thus must we be read our selves for discoursing Matters dubious and many controvertible Truths we cannot without Arrogancy entreat a Credulity or implore any farther Assent than the Probability of our Reasons and Verity of Experiments enduces Hence it is plain there is a Flood of Error in the World and that all Sciences and Learning as well as Astrology have an equal share therein and that the most learned among us have lodged the Cause thereof in our Old Authors whom we so much admire and endeavour to follow by zealous Adoration and Pursuit without Reason And in our own Credulity by which we are so easily and willingly deceived and not only brought thereby into a Custom of believing their Errors but also into such a Zeal as to quarrel and contend to maintain and justifie them as if they were undeniable Truths And if any of their Defenders chance to be furnished
see how miserably they beg the Question and when a Person is dead how they run from one thing to another the Ascendent the Sun Moon to any ill Aspect of a Malesick nay and sometimes of a Benefick too shall serve their turn or the Canda Draconis or the Midheaven it self directed for Death which is very rarely and will quadrate but in some special cases which I fear they do not understand Thus rather than fail to have some Direction or other which contents them they turn the Figure topsy-turvy and remove it from East to West most confidently from any Estimate Time and how can they then miss of something to humour them As very lately an ignorant Reformer of Astrology hath impudently removed the present French King's Ascendent from the middle of Scorpio his confessed Horoscope by all learned men ever since he was born to the middle of Virgo to suit it with a new Crotchet of his own too ridiculous to mention thereby shamefully anticipating the true Birth almost 6 hours in time These things give great Advantages to the Adversaries of this noble Science when they see such discrepancâ— between the Practisers of it and with what pitiful shifts some of them do satisfie themselves taking non causam pro causa and contradicting themselves in every other Nativity for they are not constant to any one Rule And if they please sometimes to kill a man by the Sun under the Earth to the Square of Saturn they will be so kind to let another man escape it and the Ascendent to the Body of Saturn or the Moon no way qualified to be Hileg to the Square of Mars shall kill him when if they understood Ptolomy there is but one principal Giver of Life which is the Hileg and who that is there are Rules to agree upon tho' some skill in chusing him And this must be the standing Principle in all Genitures whatsoever All the rest and running from one Point to another the Ascendent Sun Moon Part of Fortune and what they please when not endowed with Aphetical Qualifications are all nonsense and adulterate Notions not Sterling Astrology and no more the cause of the Death of a man or the length of his Life than as our Kentish Proverb hath it Tenterden Steeple is the Cause of Goodwin 's Sands How many false Genitures are given about and how many are made false by bungling Artists to turn them to their own Lesbian Rules is incredible The voluminous number of Genitures in Junâ—tine in Origanus Garcaeus and others I perfectly believe not a tenth part true and some hundreds published by our modern Authors most took upon trust and will notabide the Touchstone I may say of the Orthodox and Primitive Astrology This hath plung'd many good and able Artists in the Mire whence striving to get out they ran for Refuge to new-invented Fancies and Chimaeras of their own and so fighting with a Phantome broach'd those Heretical Tenets and Opinions which we meet with in their Tracts This makes some despair of fixing the true Art after many years Study and Labour and this makes others turn absolute Recusants and I believe was the only cause made Sixtus ab Heminga turn Apostate For it is true and will be true in all ages what Cardan complained of in his Filii supposititii Nativitates falsae turbaverunt judicia â—mnium Astrologorum And Multae Geniturae vel ludo vel etiam consulto falso circumferuntur But tho' this be a great and incurable Mischief yet with wise and unprejudiced men it hath no more reason to impeach the Genuine Art of Astrology than that Heresies do stain the lustre of Divinity Quacks and Mountebanks blemish the Art of Physick and perhaps kill more than they cure and the corrupt petti-fogging Lawyer disparageth the Profession of the Law If the foundation be false or weak the superstructure must needs fall If the Nativity be false given if no such person was born at that time if the Heavens and Planets were quite otherwise disposed what wonder is it if the Artist shoot wide of the mark and his Judgment agree with nothing either in Life or Death But this Obâ—èr the thing I meant to tax was the mistaken point of the true Hilâ—g so little understood or regarded by some Practicers tho' otherwise learned It hath been as strange as grievous to see the Confusion and Contradiction which hath appeared in publick among several who are Writers and call themselves Authors in this Art with what bitterness they contradict one another and every one sets up their own Whimsies and Fancies and yet pretend to be the only Searchers after Truth and that they only contend for Truth tho' at the same time they do nothing indeed but gratifie their own revengeful Humor in Railing and ill Language Who have been the first aggressâ—rs in this kind let them take it to themselves But besides the Scandal which this hath created to the Aâ—t with learned and disinterested men the errors on both sides hath yet dishonoured it more of which tho I am sure some of themselves are convinced yet they have not the Ingenuity to confess or recant them as publickly as they vented them which if they were all pursuers and enquirers after Truth only as they pretend they would do and lay aside their private Animosities and this they would think no shame or reflection upon themselves if they imitated the learned and ingenious Cardan who confessed he had erred but despising the Pride of Vain-glory for Truth 's sake recanted and declared it to Posterity Ego aliâs erravi feci errare multos sed nostrae sinceritatis seâ—per fuit magis diligere veritatem quà m gloriam vel utilitatem Quod enim alii magno dedecori sibi ascriberent fateri tam ingentem errorem atque diutuâ—num nos pro gloria insigni ducimus calcasse fastum existimationis ob veritatem Behold the Ingenuity and Candor of the most learned man of his age which if I could I would recommend to all who think themselves able to write to imitate and then it would fare well with Astrology and we might hope to see it grow to more and more Perfection and Reputation every age Your Treatise affords many other material things besides the pursuit of the true Hileg in the management of a Nativity worth observing and imitating too which escape many Practicers and are slighted by some who think themselves too old or are too proud to learn and others who are to dull to understand I shall not so much as mention them it not being my business or design and because I have been too prolix already and they are obvious to every intelligent Reader But I am perswaded that all gentile learned and unprejudiced Artists will give you thanks for so ingenious a piece publishâ—d to the worâ—d not out of a disposition to carp at other men's Labours who have deserved very well also by their endeavours but
Rules delivered to us And this very thing this learned Doctor doth also allow and plead for sure my Angry Objector will not say He dcneunceth War against all Astrologers too because he is of the same Judgment and Opinion with me No no! in him it shall be only a Zeal for the Truth But in me because I am a Heretick and this in a double Sence it must be a Quarrel a denouncing of War or any thing else what that peevish man pleaseth he not considering it is every Man's Duty to detect the Errors of his Profession and expose the ridiculous Whims of those who through Ignorance are a Scandal to their Imployment And Cardan says Melius est longè pauca rectè firmiter scire quà m multa Erroribus mixta That it is far better to know a few things in Truth than abundance mixt with Errors And there is no way to come to that Perfection but by enquiring into the Rules Methods and Practice of its Professors and Teachers and to let the World see what manner of Stuff they are bubbl'd to believe It is not every one that can play the Plagiary and methodise a few stolen Rules that is Master of that Mystery concerning which he writes nor is every one an Astrologer that can talk of the Horoscope and Midheaven the Lord of the Geniture Pitted and Smoaky Degrees Arks of Directions Cardinal Signs on Angles c. There is many a one talks of Robin Hood that never shot in his Bow Every Man hath a good Opinion of his own Parts and it is the hard Fate of some to believe themselves more able and capable than they are and so come under Cardan's Reproof when he says Deterius est credere se scire quae nesciat quà m ignorare quae debeat scire That it is worse for a Man to believe he knows what he knows not than to be ignorant of what he ought to know And indeed I am afraid this will prove the Crime of most Authors that have pretended to write and teach Astrology and I wish it had been otherways but am partly sure that most Pretenders besides my self will set their Hands to this Accusation and confess readily That they have been often deceived in their common Practices even by the most approved Rules delivered by the best of our Authors not that I think every Author is without Truth in something or other that he delivers to Postâ—rity but the major part of them especially those who transcribe Tradition have taken things upon Trust and have been more â—ond of large Volumes than much Truth and giving strange Judgments on the Primitive Texts mixing therewith new Notions of their own by which means they have confounded their Readers and rendred their Matter extream intricate And with these Crimes and Abuses I can charge some very eminent Authors at present in great Repute among the more Learned Students in Astrology who you will find mentioned in the following Pages according as there is occasion to use their Names with their Quotations when I come to examin and consider their Principles with my Objections and Reasons to the contrary And also that there are some Authors but little taken notice of that are more worth your Reading and Study too to be Masters of their Notions and Rules than is gâ—nerally believed and allowed by the usual Vogue and common Opinion for it is our hard Fate as well in Sciences as in Common Vulgar Things and Affairs we are too apt to follow the Herd and to believe by Example and Report without so much as examining their Assertions by our own Reason For if this or that Great Man doth â—â— report a thing though absolutely false how many of the meaner sort will hazard a Broken Head in the Justification of it and think themselves extreamly injured if any man refuse to believe what they relate from his Story which every man of Sense knows is too true and too often practised as if an Eminent man could not mistake Another way by which we are deceived and led into Error is our mistaking the Effects of Directions and charging the Cause of this or that Disease or Accident to a Star Ray or Direction that is not at all concern'd therein and to make it more intelligable to you and to let you know what I mean by these Words take an Example or two for your better Information If a Man happen to be seized by a violent Fever you immediately expect to find the Cause lodged in the Direction of the Sun or Mars and therefore if you cannot readily find such a Direction to some of the Hilegiacal Points you conclude the Nativity is false and then make an Alteration in the Ascendent and so jump into an Error when you think you have got Truth by the Hand So on the contrary when you find one seized with a Quartan Ague or such like Cold Chronick Disease you think streight to find a Direction of Saturn or perhaps the Moon in some ill Ray and afflicted by him But this not being found the next thing is an Alteration of the Figure and be sure there is a Cause then and that a very plain one too But all this may prove a Mistake and shew either want of Skill or want of Experience in him that doth it For give me leave to tell you and I assure you I speak nothing but Truth the Sun Moon or Ascendent c. directed to the Body Square or Opposition of Saturn may give a violent Fever of any kind whatsoever either Simple Putrid or Pestilential Continual or Intermitting Quotidian Tertian or Quartan nay the Small Pox too And on the other side Directions of the Sun and Mars may give Quartan Agues long lingering Diseases proceeding from Obstructions and black Choler nay Dropâ—ies and Gout too and other Diseases from that Birth and Original I know this will seem strange to many Practitioners if not to all and I know some will think it an untruth or a Flourish without any ground but I do assure them it is Truth and whosoever doth oppose this Doctrine is not acquainted I am sure with all the Parts of Astrology The third Cause of our Erring and indeed the only one of all is our false Correction of Nativities for in all Nativities where the Mid-Heaven and Ascendent is not true the Directions to those Points must of necessity be false for by how much the Time corrected as they call it differs from the true Time by so much they err more or less in the commencement of those Directions and to tell you the Truth this is the only difficult thing in Astrology to correct well and true and the true way to correct well is to know what Accidents or Diseases may be allowed to every Planet and their Aspects in Direction according to the true Motion of Nature and the real Aspects in every Circle for all fictitious Motion and Aspects in Directions are certainly false and Erroneous I remember
Issue of Life and Death is lodged there without some better Proof than I have yet met with to convince me and to say the Truth the common Astrologers have foisted in so many idle Fooleries that they are never to seek for a Cause let the Case be what it will but especially in Death concerning which the only thing that remains yet undetermined is to know beforehand which of all the Lethiferos Causes shall give Death Whether Revolutions Transits Eclipses Alfrydaries Profections Climacterical Years or any of the other Chimera's that they so often talk of but not a Man of them will venture to predict Death on any one of these Causes no nor on half a dozen of them they believe them so well And now give me Leave not to part with you in the Dark about this matter but shew you how I understand Climacterical Years and from what Cause they derive their Power and by what measure of Years they are to be understood Climacters are not from a Mystery in Numbers as some vainly think but from the Motion of the Moon and therefore sometimes it is the Sixth and sometimes the Seventh Year according as the Moon is swift or slow so that Critical Days in Diseases and Climacterical Years have both the same Foundation only one is a Measure in Days and the other in Years Thus suppose one born the 12th of March at Noon 1694 5. the Moon then is in 00 degrees in Cancer when she comes into 00 degrees in Libra by telling the Days and the pâ—â—ts of a Day if you will be so exact it shews â—ou when the first Climâ—cter is which will be at the Age of 7 Years and almost 5 Months The second will be at almost 14 Years of Age the third at a little above 20 the fourth begins at 27 and 3 Months c. So that the Age of 42 is not a Climacter but 41 nor 63 but 62 is the dangerous time as supposed And yet for all this it signifies nothing at last unless the Hileg at the same time is directed to the Rays of a Violent Star which if so it addeth to the Danger of Death and when the Causes or Arguments on both sides seem to be equal in guiding your Judgment you may consider this as one and that is all the Use I ever make of it And I believe when you have taken as much Pains on the matter as I have done you will not be far different from me in the Conclusion When in a Nativity the Hileg shall be directed to the III Rays of a Malefick Star and that this Direction begins to work in a Climacterical Year it hath the same Effect and Power on the Life of a Man in Health and Vigour in order to a Change for the worse as the Moon hath on a Sick Man when she passeth by the ill Rays of the Sun Saturn Mars on a Critical Day And to say all in a Word Climacterical Years are the same in Nativities that Critical Days are in Decumbitures and as I have already told you they are both from the same Cause the Moon and her Motion And if any one else will be pleased to let us understand them in any other way that is intelligible I am not too old to learn and shall be ready to withdraw this my Judgment when my Reason shall be better Informed But methinks I hear some pert Capriciâ— object and say What! do you allow the Crisis and the Climacter to be both from the same Cause and yet allow the one to kill and the other not Yes that is my Assertion and yet if you will have but Patience to hear I will make that clear also for that is my next thing to insist on Critical Days in acute Diseases are only Time of Judging the good or ill State of the Patient because then both the Disease and Nature exeâ—t their â—ower to the utmost and the Superior carries the Point for the most part especiâ—lly if the same carries it in two successive Cryâ—es if the Patient lives so long but if the Dâ—cumbiture be viâ—leâ—t and the first Crisis so likewise they generally dye about or near the first Crisis and yet this is not caused by the Crisis but by the Fury of the Direction or Directions that give the Disease For if the Direction is not mortal a bad Crisis tho' never so ill â—hall not kill So likewise in Climacterâ—cal Years though it be that of 63. the most celebrated of all yet if no bad Direction concur the Native shall not then dye For if it did or doth certainly kill no man would live beyond that Year which we see daily contradicted Therefore when it doth kill it must be from some other superior Cause assisting it or rather giving it Power as it doth that of Critical Days I could say much more on this subject were it proper here and because I think I have sufficiently spoke to what I promised I shall conclude only advise those that would read more on both these Subjects to have recourse to Origanus pag. 770. de Effectibus Franciscus de Bonattis lib. cap. 14. 16. of his Astrosâ—phia Didac Prit in his Coelestis Philosophia lib. 1. cap. 19. where you may see that he calls them by no other Name than Anni Critici or Critical Years CHAP. XI Of Heliocentrick Aspects and Directions c. AMong all the Fooleries that have been set on foot to puzzle the Cause and make people stare this is not one of the least though it be one of the last and most groundless of all and carries no Reason in it self to make any man that hath the Use of his Senses believe that it any ways concerns us Geocentricks any more than those Aspects c. made or beheld at the Body of Saturn or the Moon And if the Interest of those that promote the Whim have Power to delude Mankind into the belief of it we may shortly expect to hear some mighty Champion asserting the Truth of the Chronocentricks Zeuocentricks Areocentricks and Selenâ—centricks and all of them maintained and justified with Reason and Truth equal to the Heliocentricks and indeed full as useful to help out at a dead lift when nothing else will do as we have seen already in a Nativity where we are told That the Earth was directed to the Heliocentrick Placâ— of Mars He might as well have told us That he saw a man with a Pot-Gun kill an invisible Ox and I should have been as ready to believe the one as the other For if we should allow the Earth to be directed which is real Nonsense will they direct it to a Point or Body not visible from the Earth For we see Mars in 25 degrees of Libra and at the same time they say his Heliocentrick place is where they direct him in that example in 17 degrees of Libra yet no Soul upon the Earth could see him in that degree at that time but he was to be seen
of him That â—he hastened his own Death by Abstinence c. Yet I cannot think that these Directions could any ways cause or further his Death But on the contrary fortifie his Life if Ptolomy is to be believed and therefore there must be some other Cause found than the Quartile of Venus and Mercury by Direction to the Ascendent for his Death Pray observe he tells us himself That at 29 Years old he was seized with a Cough and violent for 7 Months during which time he spit up much sanious purulent Matter and was near Death And he adds That he was cured of it the Year following when the Moon came to the Opposition of Venus and Mercury at 30 Years of Age Venus and Mercury saved him to a Miracle and at 75 Years old they killed him to a Miracle A very pretty kind of Astrology if you can but believe it I do not find that Cardan assigns any Accident for the 44th or 45th Year of his Age when the Suâ— came to the Opposition of Mars and Quartile of the Moon Nor for 53 when the Sun came to the Opposition of Saturn Nor at 39 and 40 when the Sun was directed to the Zodiacal Parallel of Mars all which are violent Directions and do seldom pass over without something worthy the Native's Memory and especially in a Nativity attended with the Violence that this is I dare not venture on the Correction of this Nativity though I am sure it is not exact for Two Reasons The first is Because he hath not given us the estimate Time And the second is He is too great a man to be questioned by me Nor would I have any think that I do in this to Eclipse or Deface the Fame and Learning of this most excellent Man who hath deserved so well of all but what I aim at is nothing more than to justifie the Science from the Abuses and Incoherences that its Adversaries catch at and are so often objected to us by those that know little of the matter The Third Nativity that Morinus brings is his own pag. 397. But the Accidents and Directions brought for its Verification you will find them pag. 648 649 661 662 and 663. He makes 27 degrees of Aries to Ascend and 13 degrees of Capricorn in the Midheaven and the Accidents and Directions that he brings to prove it true are these following Aged 8 Years almost he had a Quartan Ague the Sun then was directed to the Quartile of Saturn Aged 22 Years and 4 Months July 9th 1605. wounded dangerously in a Quarrel about a Woman Ascendent then to the Quartile of Venus Aged 29 and 3 Months Anno 1612. May 30. he fell into a long and dangerous Disease by Heat and Drinking and at the same time there was an Eclipse of the Sun For this he had Jupiter and the Moon directed to the Ascendent and the Ascendent to the 9th degree of Gâ—mini the Place of that Eclipse Aged 30 Years and 2 Months he took his Degree of Doctor in Physick May 9th 1613. For this he gives the Midheaven to the Dodectile of Saturn that is the Semisextile and the former Directions of Jupiter and the Moon to the Horoscope Aged 31 Anno 1614. he was received a Physician in ordinary to the Bishop of Bollâ—ignc then the Sun was directed to the Ascendent Aged 32 Anno 1615. went into Hungary which Journey was attended with great Dangers by Water by Quarrels by Duels and Luxury the Ascendent then to the Square of Saturn without Latitude Aged 33 in April â—616 he was seized with a dangerous malignant Disease the Ascendent to the Quartile of Saturn with Latitude Aged 38 in October 1621. Physician in Ordinary to the Duke of Luxemburg Sun now to a Sextile of Mars sine Latitudine Aged 46 in August 1629. Professor Regius in the Mathematicks he had then the Midheaven to the Body of Mercury Aged 51 March 30th 1634. he publickly demonstrated the Longitude found by which he had great Fame throughout all Europe Midheaven then to the Body of the Sun Aged 59 November 2d 1642. he was seized by a long lingring Fever with strange Evacuations of Choler he had then the Ascendent directed to the Body of Mars Aged 61 1644. he sollicited for the Royal Allowance for the Longitude found He quarrelled with Bullialdus and some others He had now the Midheaven directed to the Body of Saturn Mars to the Opposition of the Sun and Saturn to the Quartile of the Moon Aged 62 1645. April 8th he had an ample Pension and a noble Reward out of the Treasury Mars then was directed to the Opposition of the Sun and Jupiter and the Part of Fortune to the Trine of the Moon without Latitude Aged 73 and 8 Months on November 6th 1656. he dyed of a Fever and no Cause appears for it in his Nativity as I can find He gives us more Accidents which because I think they are not to the purpose are omitted Of all the Arguments and Directions brought to verifie any Scheme and Accidents that I have seen these are indeed the weakest and most improbable especially coming from so great a Man as Mâ—rinus was both for Labour and Learning and therefore I will modestly give you my Thoughts on each of them and leave you to your Opinion and Choice when I have done There are as you see Thirteen of them of which I allow but Two and that is the Sun to the Body of Saturn for his Quartan Ague for one As to the Second I suppose a few Words will serve because there are very few will believe a man should be wounded very dangerously on the Ascendent to the Quartile of Venus as he says he was And yet nothing on the Ascendent to the Square of Mâ—rcâ—â—y and after that to the Square of the Sun If he had said He had been given to Drinking Whoring and Lewdness I might have believed it But as to the Third I think he hath outdone himself there to tell us he was seized with a dangerous Disease when the Sun was Eclipsed and to direct the Ascendent to the â—lace of the Eclipse and Jupiter and the Mâ—â—n to the Ascendent to give this dangerous Diseâ—se As to the first it is impossible it should give a Disease before it was in bâ—ing it self for you cannot believe the Body was brought iâ—to a diseasy Habit in an Houâ—s time as you must if you think that the Cause And for the Second there is no such thing as directing those Two Stars to the Ascendent Nor is there any such thing in directional Motion to bring the Ascendent up to Jupiter and the Moon I know what you have to say for your selves in this Case which is That the degree of the Ascendent comes up to them Why yes that I will â—llow But that is not the Ascendent for when that degree is pâ—st that Point it hath no more Power than the First Second or Third that follow iâ— Hence if the Ascendent
of the Sun in the Zâ—â—â—ack and besides let any one look on that Revolution and â—â—serve its Violence and Danger Anno 1663. the 2d of Auguâ—â— he married for which Mâ—rine gives him the Mâ—dheaven to the Square of Vâ—nus and by this single Accident and Direction hâ— corrects the Figuâ—e anâ— his reason is because Venus is Lady of the Seventh and so is Mâ—â—cury also by his Rule and would have served the turn too had he been in the Place of Venus Certainly the Midheaven to the Square of Mars and Venus would give but an odd â—ort of a Marriage and indeed in my Practice I always hâ—ve observed it rathâ—r gives Lewdness Debauchery and Whoring â—han a regular Marriage but if it should give Wedlâ—ck it must undoâ—â—redly give an ill one which this was not for they lived well togeâ—hâ—r and had many Children But to be short it was the Midâ—â—aven to the Tâ—ine of Mars gave this Marriâ—ge you may say the Trine of Venus if you please for that wâ—nt just before and wrought upon the inclinatiâ—â— and disposition and this of Mars â—â—â—iâ—hed the Work Anno 1566. the 2d of December he was taken with the Loss of his Sâ—â—â—lâ—s and Strength which at last endâ—â— in a Quâ—â—dian â—ever so thâ— Mâ—â—â—â—us says he had Mars Lord of the Asâ—â—ndent directed to the Sun i. e. the Sun Convers to the Body of Mars and Venus a likely â—tory In the last Disease Jupiter was Lord of the Ascendent and now Mars is I perceive his Pitcher hath two Handles and you may take it by which of them you please Mars to the Sun he that can believe this will believe any thing without asking Why or whereâ—ore and after all his Direction of Mars to the Sun â—ell short a year and an half too as you may see by his own words Retardavit igitur per totum annum quo non fuit Revolutio congrua per dimidâ—um sequentis congruae The truth of all is he had at that time and for this Disease the Sun to the Square of Satuâ—n per Arcum Obsenrum in Aries which is natural and probable Anno 1572. He was in great Troubles he suffered in his Estate in Body and Mind and besides he was taken Prisoner and continued so from November the 10th till January the 9th and these things were caused says Morine by Mars Lord of the Twelfth to Mercury Lord of the Eighth and Tenth by Direction Thus you may see what Service the Lords of the Houses do in Morinus's method and his is indeed a very easy way of Practice if it will hold or any man dares trust to it in Predictions He had at this time the Moon directed to the Zodiacal Parallel of Mercury and his Opposition just at the heels of it Anno 1577. May the 3d he was in great Danger of being drowned vi venti incidit in Aquam and this Morinus says was the effect of Saturn to the Opposition of the Sun and this I believe will go down with divers Pretenders to Astrology as a true Natural Cause But in my Opinion the Moon to the Opposition of Mercury and the Ascendent to the Semiquadrate of the Sun are more probable Directions and such as I should depend on before that of his before-mentioned And so I come to give you a Table of the Directions by me alledged with their Arks and Measure of Time corresponding thereunto as followeth ☽ ad 8 ♂ motu con 9 1 9 5 1542 Ascend ad sesquiquad ☽ 10 40 11 3 1544 ☉ ad Corpus ☿ cum Lat. 12 35 13 2 1546 ☉ ad Corpus ☿ sine Lat. 13 53 14 6  ☽ ad Corpus ♄ mo con 17 39 18 7 1551 ☉ ad par ☿ in Zodiaco 20 19 21 8 1555 ☉ ad â–¡ ♃ in arc obscur 21 47 23 3  ☽ ad Cor Leonis 24 32 26 2 1559 ☽ ad par ☉ in Zodi 25 58 27 11  Med. Coeli ad â–³ ♂ 28 27 30 6 1563 ☉ ad â–¡ ♄ in arc obsc 30 15 33 00 1566 ☉ ad par ☿ in Zodia 36 48 39 6 1572 ☽ ad 8 ☿ sine Lat. 40 47 44 1 1577 Ascendens ad semiquad Sol 41 14 44 7 1577 These are the Directions that I judge gave these Accidents and Disorders they are not forced or sham Directions but made by real motion And all that please to take the trouble may work them after me and therefore take notice That the Figure I have wrought them from hath 11 degrees of Virgo on the Tenth whose Right Ascention is 162 41. Hemminga himself makes 23 of Scorpio ascending Morinus gives 22 of that Sign but in my Figure I have but 20 And so I leave it to your Consideration and Labour I am in my Progress now arrived at the Nativity of John Armand du Plessis or Cardinal Richeliâ—u as Morinâ—s sâ—ys it is But concerning this Geniture be the Figure true or false as to the true time of his Birth he hath shewed more Ignorance and Unskilfulness in the things he pretends to in this Science than I have met with in his whole Book before For here he makes the Ascendent to the Opposition of Jupiter kill the Cardinal and the Reason he brings to enforce the belief of it is because Jupiter is in the Eighth House at Birth Why truly he might have told me of the Eighteenth House and as soon I should have believed it If Jupiter had power to kill him now Why did not the Square of Venus kill him when he was young for shâ— is Lady of the Eighth House and hath as good Authority to kill as Jupiter and yet he out-lived that But besides Jupiter cannot kill by any single Direction of his own nor never did yet no! nor never will and I do fairly invite those that are of that Opinion to print half a dozen of carefully-observ'd Nativities for Exâ—mples of such offects as these are That is where the Rays of Jupitâ—â— have killed without any other Assistance as in this case But here is another thing that is as much to the purpose and ought to be as much taken notice of as the former and thâ—t is the Aâ—cendent is not giver of Life but the Sun if this Figure is tâ—ue which I very much doubt for the Sun is within 4 degrâ—es of the Eleventh House and in such a case I am sure the Directions to the Ascendent cannot kill be they never so violent especially where the Hileg is under no malenâ—k Rays by Direction as in this Nativity Now to shew you that hâ— depends solely on this Direction and nothing else observe these Qâ—otations following Page 612. That in that Year the Direction of the Ascendent to the Opposition of Jupiter in the Eighth House was compleated and Jupiter in a Sign where he is unfortunate Page 614. Jupiter also who was unfortunated in the Eighth of the Radix and was the particular Anareta to whose Opposition the Radical Horoscope was directed in the
year 1642. And yet a little after he says That he did predict his death from the Revolution for that Year Page 686. he says Cardinalis Richâ—lius ab acuta Febre superveniente morbo lâ—ngo quo nonâ—um perfecte curâ—tus â—rat tandem moritur diâ— 4 Decemb. 1642. quâ— Horosâ—â—us Radicalis dirigebatur ad oppâ—sit Jâ—â—is in Octrâ—â— This being allow'd I do from hence infer That Mâ—rinus had no fiâ—â— Principles nor Rules but ramâ—led as most of our Pretenders do now-a-days from one thing to another and if any thing could be found that lookt like a mortal direction though contrary to Rule 't was no matter and if the Readers can but believe all is well and the Trick runs currently In the next place let us compare this with some of his other Nativities and see how these Rays of Jupiter are made use of there for like Causes always ought to hâ—ve like Effects or else Rules laid down to know when they shall and whâ—n they shall not produce such things In the Nativity of Charles Câ—ndren the Ascendent to the Square of Jupiter is not observed to have done any thing of Injury to his Health and yet he is by Morine's Rule Lord of the Eighth as being exalted there Nay his Square fell near the Body of the Sun Lord of the Eighth and yet we see he out-liv'd them both In Monsieur Tronson's Nativity Jupiter is in Conjunction with Venus Lady of the Eighth House in the End of Leo and yet the Ascendent to both their Squares could not kill him and yet they fell in Scorpio a violent Sign and they with a violent Star in Leo that is the Lyons Heart and besides the Direction fell at 50 years of Age. In the Nativity of Monsieur de Bonne Jupiter is in Opposition to the Sun and to Venus Lady of the Twelfth and yet the Ascendent to all their Squares could not or else they would not kill him Nay after all this the Ascendent to the Square of Saturn and Mars could not kill him notwithstanding Saturn was Lord of the Eighth and Mars exalted there which by Morine's Rule are both Lords of the Eighth House What think you of this man Was he not fit to be a Mâ—rshal of France that could bid defiance to all these murdering Stars And yet that peevish Churchman Cardinal Richelieu sneakt away upon the Ascendent to a single Opposition of Jupiter But no matter Morinus doth this man's business afterward with the Moon to her own Square notwithstanding it is a Diurnal Nativity and the Sun giver of Life Can you forbear laughing Well but perhaps you will say In all these Jupiter is neither Lord of the Eighth nor in it and therefore doth not come up to the Point To that I answer You may imagine what you please of the matter but I do assure you Jupiter is the same when he is out of the Eighth as when he is in it And he is no more violent when he is Lord of the Eighth than when he is Lord of the Tenth But because I will please you I will come to the Point in your own way In Morinus his own Nativity Jupiter is wholly Lord of the Eighth House and in Conjunction with the Sun in the Twelfth and yet you do not find that Morinus tells us of any Sickness or other Injury he had on the Ascendent to the Squares of them both which plainly shews that he doth not allow the same Directions the same or Adequate Effects but rambles from one thing to another according as it serves his turn In Philippus Bandeyra's Nativity Jupiter modo Morini is Lord of the Eighth and Dispositor of Saturn and Mars and yet he passed the Ascendent to the Square of Jupiter without dying and after that the Squares of Saturn and Mars too for ought we know I am sure by the true Rule he ought to do it Thus you see by comparing one with the other he doth not use a regular Method nor doth he build his Doctrine on any fixt Principle For which reason we cannot rely on this Say so of his That the Ascendent to the Opposition of Jupiter killed this Cardinal And now to sum up all in a word or two I do tell you I am certain the Ascendent to the Opposition of Jupiter did not kill him and my Reason is Because the Sun is giver of Life in that Figure he gives for his Nativity But perhaps this Nativity may fall into hands more capable than my self to Correct and Regulate it and therefore I will give them the time and Planets places I find in Morinus Cardinal Richeliâ—u was born at Paris on the 9th of September S. N. at 34 minutes past 9 manè 1585. and the Planets Places from the Rudolphine Tables R. M. A. C. 230. 58. ♄ 17 56 ♈ â„ž ♀ 3 17 ♌ ♄ 2 47 M. ☿ 0 50 S. ♃ 10 42 ♊ ☿ 25 39 ♠♃ 0 6 M. ☽ 3 45 S. ♂ 1 48 ♠☽ 19 48 ♓ ♂ 0 19 M.  ☉ 16 19 ♠☊ 6 57 ♠♀ 4 7 M.  Lastly if you will have my Opinion in the matter as to the time of this man's Birth I really think he was born above an hour before this time and then he might dye â—n the Ascendent to the Squares of the Sun and Moon Or else an hour later and then the Sun to the mundane Parallel of the Moon and rapt Parallel of Saturn might do it But I dare not venture on a Correction my self unless he had given us the estimate time which I believe was at some distance from this The next Nativity I meet with is Monsieur Lewis Tronson a Privy Councellor to the French King who was born as says Morinus September the 1st hor. 9 min. 19 manè 1576. at Paris And that this is the true Nativity of this man he endeavours to prove by these four Accidents and Directions following Anno 1617. aged 40 and a few months he had two great Places given him at Court that made him Prime Minister of State for this he had the Midheaven directed to the Body of the Sun and by this I suppose the Figure was corrected Anno 1618. February the 19th he was married he had the Sun then to the Sextile of the Moon by Direction Anno 1626. August the 2d he was degraded and turn'd out of all his Places at Court and was not any more restored he had then the Sun to the Square of Mars by Direction Anno 1642. December the 8th this great man dyed of a Quartan Ague and Fever Morinus says It began the year before and was then a Double Tertian which degenerated afterward into a Quartan The Figure followeth from whence these Directions are wrought set to my Division of the Heavens As to that Direction for his Preferment no man can deny it had he made all things else agree with that Correction but to say the Midheaven to the Body of the Sun gave his Preferment and the Ascendent to
Heaven and those immediately concerned in his Honour and Preferment are under the Earth and some of them Cadent But take Cardan's Opinion in this Case Cum Sol Jupiter Luna bene disponuntur cum fixis fuerint fortunatis Directiones ad tempus juventutis bonae terminantur plâ—res Revolutiones fortunatae tunc heros maximus vir evadit Lib de Judi Geniturarum Cap. 26 Cardini Si Sol Jupiter Mars vel Saturnus in trigono igneo fuerit vel in locis sublimibus vel cum fixis nobilibus vel se aspâ—ientes erit natus magni nominis ratione patentiae Et si Sol cum Joâ—â— Mercurio in aereis eodem modo fuerit ratione industriae Seg. 3. Aphâ—ris 135. Cardani VI. Of his Friends and Friendship Enemies and Imprisonment It is most certain that every popular man must naturally contract Friendship and Envy Friends and Enemies and I dare engage that this Native will have a large share in both as all men meet with that have such Positions from Cardinal Signs and Violent Rays and were not Jupiter strong in his Ascendent and the Moon in Trine to the Sun both in Mundo Zodiaco he would feel the Fury of his Enemies more than the Favour of his Friends He will have Enemies and those malicious ones but his Friends and the Friendship he will receive will screen and defend him from the greatest of their Fury and yet his Enemies no small people neither Notwithstanding I think the Square of the Sun and Mars and the Opposition of Sâ—turn to the Sun and Venus will give him Troubles yet they will be in the latter part of his Life and not attended with Imprisonment or Confinement for Jupiter in his Ascendent will defend both his Person and Reputation And it is my Opinion That in all Nativities that have such popular Positions as this Native hath he must have many Friends and also many Enemies and both sorts men of great and eminent Quality but Jupiter in his own House in the Ascendent will give him that obliging Temper that will make his Friends the greater number by far by his fair and genteel Carriage VII Of his Sickness and Diseases Losses Troubles c. In this case the Great Ptolâ—my adviseth us to consider the Two Angles of East and West and whether the Luminaries are there and joyned to either of the Maleficks which in this Scheme you see is not so but on the contrary Jupiter defends the prime Angle and doth irradiate the other with his opposite Rays Nor is there any Malefick in the Sixth House afflicting or afflicted which by our Author is much to be minded in judging Diseases which he distinguisheth from Laesiones or Hurts of the Body I therefore conclude he will not be subject to any fixt perpetual Disease or Infirmity of Body but to such as will return at some Intervals on proper Directions c. and these are Disorders from the Spleen mixt with Nephritick Pains and when grown into years vertiginous disorders of the Head and perhaps the Gout but generally of a healthy Constitution otherways His Troubles are to be considered first in their nature and so we must judge them to proceed from Saturn and Mars who afflicts his Sun the persons by them signified are false and fly Friends and malicious Enemies to hinder his progress in publick Affairs And 2dly as to the time they will happen which may be known by the Directions preceding and those will not appear till the after part of his Life some few fall in the former part of it but they are not considerable if compared with the good Directions that will attend him Lossâ—s and Damage to his Estate may happen divers ways for we find Satura Lord of his Second in Square to Mars and Opposition to Vâ—nus and the Part of Fortune in a perfect â—undane Square to the Mâ—on from the Fifth and Seventh This threatens him with Loss by Play or Gâ—ming and indeed I would advise this Native to shun Gaming of all sorts for it will be destructive to him and his Estate and I dare venture to tell him positively That whatever he plays for he will lose and always be unsuccessful in Pleasures of that kind There seems to be other Losses likely to attend him also signified by Venus afflicted by Mars and Saturn Women will projudice him if he is too intimate and familiar with them but especially Lewd Women because Venus is nearest in Opposition to Saturn Lord of his Second Therefore it will be his great Wisdom to avoid these ruinous Courses and all ill Company or Acquaintance VIII Of his Profâ—ssion and Employment and â—hat he may be inclin'd to I would not have my Reader think by the Title of this Paragraph that I intend to pitch upon a Trade or think he will ever settle to one no he that hath Jupiter in his Ascâ—ndent and Five Planets in Cardinal Signs will employ his Thoughts in things of another nature and quality than a Trade and also endeavour to find business suitable to his humor In this Nativity Mercury is the prime Significator of his Business and Inclination and next Venus and Mars the one Lady of the Tenth and the other her Dispositor And all these we find in Equinoctial and Tropical Sigâ—s and both Venus and Mercury in Conjunction with the Sun in his Exaltation this shews his Employment will be business of Credit and Honour And if we consider the Moon applies to the Trine of Mercury and she in his Terms the Ascendent Saturn Mars and Venus all in the Terms of Mercury from whence I conclude his Employment will be Mercurial belonging to the Pen Accounts or such like bookish Business that he will incline to Secondly As the Sun Mercury and Venus are in Mars's House and the Sun's Exaltation so I judge his Employment will be among those concerned in the Government of a Nation or an Army or the like business of Credit Honour and Publick Affairs perhaps something of a Secretary Publick Minister or Envoy and this the rather because of the Virgins Spike on the Angle of Honour I do not desire to predict the particular thing because Cardan says Cumquâ— hoc scire exquisitè emnino sit impâ—ssibile per genera res erit diduâ—â—rds Seg. 6. Apho. 43. Cardani â—ut I have been the larger on this part as well as some other parts of my Judgment because I am of opinion that this young Gentleman will come to understand this Art himself when he arrives at years of Maturity there being an Aphorism in Cardan that takes place in this case exactly thus Quando Luna in Occidente Jupiter in Oriente in Marâ—is ospectu natus fato Astrologiae credet Aphor. 181. Seg. 5. Card. If he believes it very probable it is he may also study it IX Lastly Of his Death the Cause Kind and Time of it Death you know is the natural Consâ—quence of Life and it
is hard to say whether it is a Blessing or a Punishment to us But be it as it will no man lives that shall not taste of it and therefore as I have begun with his Life in a natural way so I will go on to his Death and the time of it as near as I can According to this Correction we have before us the first Direction that is or can be allowed dangerous to Life is the Moon Giver of Life to the Cusp of the Seventh at 39 years and 7 months old but I am partly certain that cannot kill because the Moon at the same time comes to the Mundane Parallel of Jupiter just after it motu conversâ— and within 9 degrees of his Square so that I cannot allow that to hit him yet he will have some Illness at that time but without eminent Danger But when the Moon comes to the Opposition of the Sun at â—1 years of age almost I do not think he will escape it because it is followed by such a train of Directions after it no less than 10 but the next and immediate Direction that succeeds iâ— is the Square of Mars and from him we must seek the Species of the Disease Mars you see is in Capricorn in Square to the Sun Saturn and Mercury hence I judge his Distemper to be a Fever complicated with disorders of the Reins and Head perhaps Delirious and Nephritick if not a Suppression of Urine totally The Direction toucheth in the end of the year 1737. but the precedingRevolution being no ways violent Saturn being then with Mars in 9 degrees of Gemini and Jupiter in 7 degrees of Pisces I judge it will not affect him till the beginning of the year 1738. about the time of the Ingress or a little after Saturn then being in 19 degrees of Gemini and Mars in the middle of Aquary and when Mars comes to the beginning of Aries or the lâ—tter end of Pisces he will influence the place of Direction at which time it is probable he may feâ—l the Influence of his rugged Stars I have already told you That the Estimate Time was a little after I mane and my Rule generally is That Children are born sooner than the time commonly given and so may this for ought I know for the Direction that I principally rely on in the Correction is but a single one to suit to a single Accident which tho' they seem rational and probable yet I dare not be positive to the truth of the Correction though I believe it to be true But if he should happen to be born at 1 of the Clock or a few minutes before then the Moon will not be Giver of Life but the Ascendent if so the Cause and Time of Death must be sought from the Horoscope and not from the Moon and therefore I will give you the Directions to the Ascendent in a Figure set to that time Ascendens ad ☌ ♃ 7 45 8 6 1695 Ascen in Ascendens ad â–´ ♄ 22 23 24 4 1711 15 â™ Ascendens ad ☌ ♂ 22 33 24 6 1711  Ascendens ad âš¹ ♀ 24 3 26 4 1713  Ascendens ad semiquad ☉ 29 45 32 5 1719  Ascendens ad semiquad ♃ 35 57 39 1 1726  Ascendens ad sesquiquod ♄ 37 3 40 2 1727  Ascendens ad 8 ☽ 40 23 43 8 1730  Ascendens ad semiquad ♂ 51 12 54 10 1741  If the Ascendent is Hileg when it comes to the Body of Mars it will be a severe time for danger to his Life but I do not think he will dye of it because he hath a favourable Revolution no evil secondary Directions and Jupiter on the Place of Direction to a degree and in his radical Horoscope all that year and what is more it is a strong vital Nativity At the Age of 32 years and 5 months the Ascendent comes to the Semiquadrate of the Sun which will give him another dangerous fit of Sickness but not so bad as the other yet both of them attended with danger but I think he may outlive them But at the age of 40 years if the Horoscope is Apheta he will certainly dye without a Miracle from Heaven for according to my Skill in Astrology I can by no means see any ground to judge his Life will be continued beyond that time And to say the truth his Nativity cannot be exactly and truly corrected till the Ascendent comes to the Body of Mars it being the first Direction of consequence to an Angle and no other Directions can correct true either in this or any other Nativity Directions to the Sun and Moon will come near but the Angles exact And so I come to say something to the effects of his Directions in the former Table At the age of 4 years and 3 months he was taken into the particular care of a Gentleman and ever since hath been plentifully and genteely provided for by a Relation and a Person of Quality He had then the Ascendent directed to the Body of Jupiter At the age of almost 8 years he had the Small Pox and at 8 and 10 months he fell down a pair of Stairs for this I allow the Sun to the Opposition of Saturn cum sine Lat. with some other things already mentioned Aged 16 years he hath the Moon to the Sextile of Saturn and to the Trine of the Sun just after on these Directions he will be placed out in the world perhaps sent to the University or otherwise disposed Aged 17 or 18 years the Sun to the Square of Jupiter mundo the Moon to the Sesquiquad of Jupiter mundo and the Part of Fortune to the Parallel of Saturn in mundo his affairs of Life will be uneasy and he hindred in his Preferment according to his Capacity Aged 19 years and 6 months the Moon to the Trine of Venus and Sol ad Tr. Jovis this gives a healthy Constitution all things go easy and pleasant and some Preferment seems to offer it self Aged 20 years and 6 months the Ascendent comes to the Body of Mars this will give a Fit of Sickness and a ruggedness in his Affairs his Friends seem to be but indifferent in his Interest and all things for a short time go but untoward Aged 22 years the Moon comes to the Mundane Parallel of Jupiter and the Part of Fortune to the Trine of Mars he grows vigorous in his Health new Friends appear with Interest and Preferment and perhaps some attempt at Marriage Aged 24 years the Moon to the Parallel of Mars about this time he wâ—ll be subject to a feverish Hâ—bit and a Sâ—rfeit but a fit of illness will happen with a little Trouble or Disappointment in his affairs and I do think he will keep some wild Company under the Influence of this Direction Aged 25 years the Midheaven to the Sextile of Jupiter this Direction will certainly introduce the Native into the Acquâ—intance of new and honourable Friends by
Saturn was then in Opposition to his Ascendent By this you may see that Transits and Eclipses do little or nothing in order to Death or any great mutation in a man's Life without some very considerable Directions and then too they do only assist by their Motion to give or rather shew the Time when a Direction begins to operate But this I lay down as a positive Rule That they never kill per se. Under this Rule I might also bring Great Conjunctions Revolutions Profections Climacterical Years c. all which are made use of to the same End and Purpose as the former are when there are no Directions to be assigned for Death and of each of these a Word or two Great Conjunctions falling on the Angles or on the Sun and Moon in Nativities may give great Troubles and Losses but by no means Death Nay Directions that fall near those Places of the Conjunctions or opposite to them c. shall give more cruel Effects than they do at other times but not Mortal unless they would have been so without the Conjunction had influenced them And in most Nativities where the Conjunction is on the Places of the Luminaries or in Square or Opposition to them or the Angles those People of what Quality soever are generally sufferers in and through that 20 years Revolutions are also vainly thought to have the Power of Death and many men contend earnestly for the Truth thereof Schonâ—r's Imitator tells us in his Doctrine of Nativities page 228. That the Opposition of the Sun and Saturn from the Second and Eighth in a Revolution gives Death and proved true in the Death of Sir John Reynolds And yet in his Câ—â—â—c Genit page 164. he says He dyed on the Ascenâ—ent to the Body of the Moon and Square of the Sun and so sets the Stars together by the Ears who shall have the Honour to kill him I know a man who had lately his Moon in a Revolution in Conjunction with Mars Lord of the Eighth in Opposition to Saturn and all these in Square to his Ascendent Hileg and the Sun in Square to Jupiter Lord of the Fourth And yet this man did not dye in that year nor indeed was he Sick Ay but this was not from the Second and Eighth Houses Say you so That may be something indeed That is a special Reason Ex Grumulo Mâ—ntem facis In a Word There is nothing in Revolutions in order to Death but as they Quadrare with Directions Notwithstanding Morinus doth so strenuously contend for their Power and Force in his Astrol. Gall lib. 23. where he tells us about the Death of Richelieu that to several of his Friends he predicted his Death from that very Revolution of his in 1642. And in several other Places of that Book he lays mighty Weight upon them as the Causes of many and various Accidents And Argol in his Ptolomâ—us parvus labours as much as the former to assert that Doctrine and in his De Diebus Criticis he hath in many Nativities rendred very inconsiderable Reasons for Death besides what he lodged in the Power of Revolutions Nor doth the Authority of Campanella any way sway me to believe what he asserts and concludes ought to be done in the Judgment of Revolutions For though I have an honourable Esteem for Authors and the Truth they hand down to us yet I am not bound to believe all they write because it comes from men of Learning and Credit Nay you will do a substantial Author both Honour and Service in examining his Works before you set your Hand to the Truth of them Profections as they are now stated and understood are nothing else but a confused Motion neither agreeable to Reason nor Nature and no ways probable to have any Power to kill But of this matter see more in my Opus Reformatum page 94. 95. Climacterical Years not only among Astrologers but among all other Learned Men besides have for many Ages had a known Reputation for Danger to Life but especially that of 63 But Origanus tells us of another dangerous one which he calls Climactericus Heroicus and that is the 56th Year and this for no other Reason but because the Ascendent at Birth comes then to the Eighth House But how I cannot tell unless he means by allowing 7 Years to every House and so if you multiply 7 by 8 it gives 56 Which hath no sway at all on my Belief So that now it is grown so commonly known among the Vulgar that there is not a Plowman but can tell you That every seventh Year carries a Face of Danger in it and threatens a Change and Alteration to every one either in Life or Fortune But before we take it for granted let me premise a Word or two and enquire into the Ground and Nature of the thing Whatever the Opinion of Pythagoras was concerning the Mystery of Numbers it doth no ways prevail with me to believe That the Number 7 hath more Power than the Number 6 in order to the Mutations of Human Life and especially Death Nor doth the doubtful urging of this Doctrine by Marsilius Ficinus lib. 2. cap 20. De Vita longa make it any more plain true or probable than it was before Nor do any that have wrote of it give it any other Authority than Probability And when they are put to the Proof of that they run back to their old Authors from whom both they and we derive those known and common Errors with which all Sciences are at present clogged and loaded But if any one is willing to read of it at large the Learned Dr. Brown will furnish them with an account from Authors of all Kinds and Nations by which it will appear it is founded only on Precarious Principles and no Authority in Nature but groundless Supposition bearded Antiquity and an ipsi dicunt and yet it is assigned by J. G. in his Almanack for 1693. That this likewise of it self doth sometimes kill which I utterly deny to be true By this and what we can else derive from all Authors the whole matter depends and proceeds from a superstitious Opinion they have had of the Mystery of Numbers and there have always been some to promote it and because it comes by Accident something near to Truth it hath obtained a Place in the Opinion of divers Credulous men which if they would but examine and consider would neither support nor believe it either in general as it is commonly understood or in particular to this of Death which I am now about to discuss And to say the Truth the Mystery of Numbers is in this Sence nothing else but Pythagorean Whims or Rosicrucian Maggots and Delusions set on foot to undermine Truth and turn those out of the Way that are in Pursuit after it and though I do allow a Harmony in Numbers equal to diverse other things in Nature yet I can by no means be brought to consent and believe that the
believe this Doctrine must be very good-natur'd men not to say worse of them lest it might prejudice their Reputation It is a strange Doctrine to me That the Ascendent to the Square of the Moon should kill in one and not have Power to do something like it in the other And what is more I take Zaga's Nativity to be as strong and vital as Morine's is Thirdly Let us compare it with the Nativity of Mary Queen of Poland pag. 554. where the Ascendent is Hileg and the Moon in Trine with Mars exactly from the Fourth and Twelfth Houses and yet she had the good Fortune to escape with her Life on the Ascendent to the Square of the Moon If this be true there must be some strange partial Power lodged in the Stars that I do not understand that one shall fall and yet half a score escape on the same Direction Though I have a very great Honour for Morinus yet I cannot get over this Point nor can I imagine what answer he would make me If he lays the Stress on the Houses and says the Moon was Lady of the Fourth in Zaga's Why then say I the Moon is in the Fourth in this Queen's Case in Aspect with the Lord of the Eighth which in that Language I take to be equally the same or worse Fourthly Let us compare it with the Nativity of the Duke of Montmorency Though I confess there is some difference in the Case but not in the Consequence for since he allows the Ascendent to the Square of the Moon in Zaga's to kill and that he allows the Midheaven to the Square of Saturn in the Duke's to kill then why should not the Midheaven to the Square of the Moon have done it by the same Rule For the Moon is there absolutely Malefick as being within 6 degrees of the Opposition of Saturn by her Latitude and within 4 degrees of the Quartile of the Sun by her Longitude and in Aquary a violent Sign besides and yet this great man out-liv'd the Mid-heaven to the Square of the Moon and Opposition of the Sun both which came up near together And was Beheaded as Morinus says on the Midheaven to the Quartile of Saturn A very likely Story Now suppose for Argument sake that I should allow that Direction of his to be what he says it is which I do not allow do you think the Midheaven to the Opposition of the Sun and Quartile of the Moon are not more likely to murder a man than the imaginary Quartile of Saturn Nay and to speak in Morine's way too the Sun was Lord of the Eighth a thing he lays great weight on in other the like Cases By these Examples thwarting one the other it appears that Morine's Astrology is not all of a piece for in each of these Cases the Moon hath as good a Title to kill as in that of Zaga-Christi And therefore without Rules of Exception it ought to be allowed in all Therefore I cannot admit this to be the Direction that killed him and by consequence that this is not the true Time of Birth And that which confirms me in my Opinion That this is not the estimate time but one Corrected Sententia Morini because of the odd 10 minutes in time which I dare be certain were not given but imagined to be the true Time seeing he could make no other Direction hit but the Square of the Moon which did require that Alteration In a Word I am positive That the Direction alledged by Morinus for this man's Death did not kill him and therefore the next Query is What did do it I have told you already I do not think this is the estimate Time and also my Reason for it And therefore the Time given I believe was hor. 8. min. 30. P. M. Nay I dare be certain of it had Morinus but given it us it would have proved so And to make his imaginary Direction hit the Time of Death he makes the Time 20 minutes sooner but if he had made it 9 minutes later he had in my Opinion hit the mark much nearer for I say he was born at 39 minutes past 8 at Night and the Right Ascention of the Midheaven to that Time is 29 degrees 14 minutes Ascent Ob. Ascend 20 degrees 14 minutes And the Directions that did kill him were the Ascendent to the Semiquadrate of Mars and that followed within less than 3 degrees with the Ascendent to the Square of the Mâ—on imbuted as Morinus says with the Rays of Saturn The Ark of the First i. e. Ascendent to the Quartile of Mars is 21 degrees 17 minutes The Ark of the Second is 24 degrees 1 minute and this Gentleman dyed April 21 S. N. 1638. aged 23 Years 7 Months and 20 Days which the Ark of the first Direction exactly hits and to me seems most rational If any Gentleman thinks he can shew a more probable Cause of Death than this of mine or that he can justifie Morinus I should be mighty glad to see it either in Publick or Private and assure him I am very willing to be instructed But perhaps some young Capricio may object and say How is it possible that this of yours can be true for Morinus tells us He fell into Sadness and Grief he useth the Word maestitia and how can a Direction of Mars give such Effects as these they being more proper to Saturn My Answer to such Objectors as these will be very short I have already told them That it is seldom that one Planet gives the Time and Disease as you may see Opus Reform pag. 67. and as seldom that a man or woman dyes on a single Direction And for solution in the matter I refer them to the Place quoted to learn the Poiothanatos The Second Nativity mentioned by Morine is that of Cardan pag. 396. and that he brings to prove the Vanity and Folly of the Dividing the Heavens modo aequali But he hath said nothing to the Figure in general or to its Correction in parâ—â—cular why he did not he knew best But since it is fallen in my way I cannot omit to take some notice of those Passages that Cardan hath given us in relation to the Correction mentioned among his Twelve Genitures and of other Passages also in his Life that may be helpful perhaps to a further and more Correct Scheme of this Great man's Nativity who dyed at Rome in the Year 1576. being almost 75 Years of Age and the Directions that they say killed him are the Ascendent to the Square of Venus and Mercury they being in Conjunction in Libra in the Radix As to these Directions in my Method and by the Doctrine of Ptolomy it is impossible they should kill and it is very improbable that there should be any one found to believe it nor do I think Cardan himself did believe it when he was alive notwithstanding his facile occidit in aetate decrepita Nay though we should allow what Thuanus saith