the Planets Eclipses Conjunctions Comets c. to foretell future Accidents or as one very significantly defines it Astrologia est Doctrina quae ostendit vires Stellarum cognitas Perpetua Experientia et Qualitates Temperamenta et Inclinationes in Elementis et Corporibus Hominum ortas a Luce Motu et Influentiis Stellarum Quibus Qualitatibus Temperamentis et Inclinationibus Respondent suae quaedam Actiones nisi aut Divinitus aut aliis Causis Fortioribus Impediantur Astrology is a sort of Learning which shews the Force and Vertues of the Stars known by perpetual Experience and the Qualities Temperaments and Inclinations arising from the Light Motion and Influencies of the Stars in the Elements and Bodies of men Answerable to which Qualities Temperaments and Inclinations are their Actions unless hindred by Divine power or some other stronger Causes This Art I cannot say is unlawful but I take it to be but Conjectural and by Ignonorant Pretenders much abused strange things have been and frequently are thereby foretold and prove true when a skillful Artist hath the handling of the matter but many times fall out otherwise sometimes from the Ignorance of him that undertakes the Judgment otherwhile from the Influence of some of the fixed Stars which being seldom taken notice of may cross or hinder what may otherwise be signifyed Or 3dly from the want of a sufficient Treasure of Observations by which Judgment ought to be given The same posture of the Heavens having never twice hapen'd alike in every circumstance since the Creation and by that means leaving the World destitute of stable means whereon to build their Judgment since what can be rationally said in that kind must proceed from the Comparing of Events which have happened under such and such Configurations with what are like to be when the same fall out again Or lastly by reason of the care of the party himself who may by his own Industry prevent what from the Influence of the Stars would have been his Destiny for they at most do not Necessitate but Incline and by the Providence and over-ruling Power of God and the Wisdom of Man are sometimes diverted III. A Third sort is a Geomantical or Terrestrial Divination in which from certain voluntary Pricks or Points made by the hand at Adventure certain Figures are raised From the first four of which called Fathers are produced other four called Daughters These Eight bring forth four Grand Children from them come out Two Witnesses from those a Judge and the Judgment upon this sort of Divination is not much unlike that of Astrology But the Foundation of all this seems to be laid upon a false Supposition That the Soul of man knoweth things to come but is hindred by the dulness of the Organs of the Body And therefore in the practice of it a great sedateness of mind is required a freedom from all noise that may disturb it and such like Circumstances Which he that hath a mind to fool a way time may find in Cattan Flood and H. de Pisis But this kind of Divination I take to be idle vain and superstitious as not built upon any stable Foundation of Reason or supported by any thing but Fancy IV. A Fourth sort is by framing certain Figures of Stone or Metal underneath such Constellations and placing them either in some Conspicuous Place or Town or sometimes Under-Ground by which some have pretended to do strange Feats These are called Talismans of which as also the Language of the Stars with an Alphabetical Table and how from That words are framed which shall declare the Event of things to come according to the Nature of the Question Gaffarel a Learned French-man hath largly written in his Book of Vnheard-of Curiosities and such no doubt they will prove to him that spends much time in the study of them V. A Fifth sort if indeed there be any such thing may be by Communication with Angels and Spirits For many have pretended to such a Converse I do not mean by the Black-Art Conjuring Negromancy or having to do with Devils but with good Angels who out of Charity Love and Compassion to their Fellow Creatures are said often to be willing to forewarn them of impending dangers and discover to good men what may be of advantage Thus the Learned Brown in his Religio Medici sticks not to declare his opinion to be That Mankind owes the Invention of many of our excellent and profitable Arts to the Courteous Revelation of Spirits VI. Lastly There is Enthusiasm or Illumination an Enlightning of the whole Soul either from a certain unusual Crasis or an over-poize of Complexion or strength of purer Spirits or else by some unknown supernatural means as the Possession or Inspiration of some Spirit either good or bad Aristotle tells of one Maracus of Siracuse a Poet who never made so good Verses as when he was mad and immediately before that Story hath these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Many because that Heat is near the seat of the mind are taken with sundry Frantick and Enthusiastick Fits from whence they become Sybills Bachides or inspired not from any Disease but a Natural Temperament So that it seems in the sense of Aristotle much of this kind of Illumination proceeds from an Exaltation of the mind by some Ecstatick operation of the Soul and great Examples in all Ages might be produced out of the Observations of Physitians to this purpose some whereof have been meer Cheats to gain Credit to such as should Cure or Exorcise them Others true and natural where some Melancholy Heat or strong Imagination or lastly through Custom and use the persons affected have brought upon themselves such an Habit that fancy prevailing over their Judgment and Understanding they have pretended to Prophesy and sometimes what they have spoken hath proved true Of these several sorts of foretelling as touching the Astrological Predictions or such as are gtounded on that Art we have briefly shewn whence they may pretend to Credit having in themselves a natural ground as Effects are foreseen in their Causes But as touching the Common Abstruse Indications of great Accidents Wars death of particular men Casualties to Cities c. usually stiled Prophecies from what spring to derive them or to what Cause they ought to be attributed is difficult to be determined To deny that any things have been so foretold or that because some pretending thereunto were either Cheats or Hypochondraique That therefore all were so is to give the Lie to the experiences of all Ages and in many of them the very great time between the Predictions and the fulfilling of them doth sufficiently Evince that they came from an higher Cause than a Melancholy Heat For where that is predominant I have ever observed that between the Prophesie and the time alotted for the Accomplishment there is rarely or never more than a score of years sometimes not so many Moneths I. Concerning the Sybils not
dreadful plague or mortal Contagion amongst the Greeks a considerable time before it began to rage Did not Thales Milesius inrich himself by foreseeing a Scarcity of Olives in the Milesian Fields and buying up a great quantity before hand Did not Socrates foretell the death of Crito Sulla the Death of Caligula The Caldeans the Death and Parricide of Aggripina the Empress by her own Son Nero when he should come to be Emperour and yet so possess'd she was with the Devil of Ambition that she cry'd out Occidat modo Imperet I say with all my Heart Let him kill mee provided he may but Raign Alexander the Great was foretold his Fate by Calanits and Indian and that if he Entred Babylon it would prove fatal and he would dye there which came to pass accordingly Caesar had fair notice given him by Spurina to beware of the Ides of March and fell a sacrifice to his own Incredulity or Negligence in not observing that Caution Ascletarion the Mathematician being accused that he had predicted the Death of the Emperour Domitian The Emperor demanded of him whether he had so done or not And confessing that he had Then quoth the Emperor Pray Sir you that are so Skillful in finding out other Peoples Fate tell me what shall be your own To which he answered That he should very shortly be torn to pieces by Doggs Dominitian resolves as he thought utterly to spoil this Prediction and therefore having order'd him forthwith to be put to Death Causes his body to be laid in a very deep ditch and a great heap of Earth to be laid thereon that no Dogs should come near it But mighty Rains happening washt away the new unsetled Earth and Dogs did accordingly tear his Body And soon after Domitian's Death confirmed the residue of his Prediction Rantzovivus a Noble and Learned Dame p. 99. tells us That the Astrologer of the Emperour Frederiek the Second being question'd by him why he paid so much respect to Rodolphus Earl of Haspurgh than but a poor Retainer to the Court Answered Because all thy Sons being Dead and the Emperour at that time had no fewer than 10 alive He and his Posterity shall come to and Enjoy those Kingdomes whieh now your Majesty does possess Which was answered with a punctual Success Rodolphus being Elected King of the Romans by the Germans Anno 1273. And page 97. he Relates That one Master Christian an Astrologer of Prague Admonished Ladislaus Jagello King of Poland by a Priest that belonged to him Anno 1434. That he should beware of Death that year for that many Planets were then Conjoin'd and there would be an Ecclipse of the Moon under the Earth and accordingly the same year he was Lodg'd in his Grave In the same page he gives that Remarkable Instance of the Incomparably Learned Johannes Picus Mirandula having written and Published a very smart Treatise against Astrology several Artists viz. Bellantius of Sena Antonius Sirigatus a Florentine and Angelus de Catastiris a Carmelite That they might demonstrate the Truth of their Art and Convince him of his Mistake positively told him in their publick Writings That he himself should not Escape or Survive the 33d year of his Age by reason of the Direction of the Ascendant in his Nativity to the Body of Mars who flattering himself with a false Conceit As if he could wrangle away Death or elude the Significations of his Stars by Writing against Astrology indeavouring to prove the Art vain his Death concurring exactly which the Time predicted Confirmed the same Art to be true and more actually Confuted all that he had written against it Than if all the World besides had Conspired to Answer him Fulgosius Lib. 8. Ca. 11. Records the wondrous exploits perform'd by Guido Bonatus the Astrologer at Forly in Italy at what time that City was close Besiedg'd For he Elected or fortold a Lucky Day for Guido Earl of Montferrat wherein if he would make a Sally he should rout his Enemies and obtain over them a Compleat Victory but not without receiving a slight wound in the Knee And that the Earl might be more assured of what he so foretold Bonatus would needs march out along with him and carryed Towe and Eggs and other Necessaries for dressing his wound And in the Engagement the Enemy was vanquisht and the Earl wounded punctually in the place foretold Regiomontanus a little before his death at Rome viz. in the year 1475. One hundred and Thirteen yares before it came pointed out the year 1588. as a time of most signal Revolutions and grand Transactions in the world And to the same purpose there was a Prophecy publisht in High Dutch as followeth Tansen funfhundert achtzitchtacht Das ist das iar das ich betracht Geth in dem de weltnixt under Geschicht doth groz merklich wunder Which I have found thus paraphras'd into Latine Post mille expletos a partu Virginis Annos Et post Quingentos rursus ab Orbe datos Octogesimus Octavus mirabilis Annus Ingruet is secum tristia Fata feret Si non hoc Anno totus malus occidet Orbis Si non in Nihilum terra fretumque ruet Cuncta tamen mundi Sursum ibunt atque retrorsum Imperia Luctus undique grandis erit And may bee thus English From Christo Birth count a Thousand Years compleat And add five hundred more with Eighty Eight That year approaching all men will affright With wofull Terrors which on them will light If the whole world to ruin do not run Or into nothing Land and Seas bee done At least most Realms shall Topsy Turvy turn And men on all sides Lamentably mourn Now if wee examine our Chronicles wee shall find most memorable passages in diverse parts of the world to have happend in that year Was it not unusual and strange That Poland this year should have three Kings assuming the Title whilst the Fourth viz. Stephen Battori was yet unburied Namely Sigismund the Swede Maximilian the Emperors Brother and Henry Valois of France Of which three Maximiliam in the begining of this year was taken prisoner his Army Cut in pieces and by means there of many thousands of men women and Children carryed away Captives by the Tartars That Suedeland in the mean tyme was all in a Combustion which Tumults and lost severall strong Places to the Muscovite The Muscovite himself ran madd and lost his witts The King of Denmark Frederick the Second dyed In France there happend The Barricado of Paris The flight of the King from thence The slaughter of the great Duke of Guise and his brother the Cardinal of Lorrain The Death of the Queen Mother The poisoning of the Prince of Condee and the Overthrow which the King of Navarre gave unto Duke Mercoeurs All which gave that Kingdome sufficient Cause to think 88. a year Extraordinary At the same tyme the Duke of Savoy prepared his Army and surprized the French Kings cheif Magazine in Saluze The Sophy of
only the Heathen paid a great veneration to their Verses but the most Eminent Antient Doctors of the Christian Church have made great and good use of them in that kind of way which Logicians call Argumentum ad hominem to Convince their Pagan opposers of the verity of our Religion since they gave so clear a Testimony to the Birth and other Circumstances of the Blessed Jesus long before his Incarnation But whether all or any of them were indued with the Holy Spirit of God I dare not affirm This difference I observe to be between them and the true Prophets that the later were never during their Prophecy deprived of their Witts Senses or Understanding For if at any time they have been surprised with Consternation or Astonishment upon the Appearance of an Angel or the like they have been by the Power of God soon restored to a Temper fit to understand and deliver the Message wherewith they were Intrusted Nay they have generally been further able to Confirm by a Miracle that they were really sent from God when it stood with his Glory to have it so and the distrust of the people required it whereas these Sybils are never reputed to have done any other Miracle save that of truly foretelling things to come 'T is indeed in the 18th of Deutrenomy made the Mark of a Prophet not sent by God if the things foretold come not to pass and this is undoubtedly true But it follows not Convertibly that whatever things foretold come to pass the person foretelling them must needs be sent by God except meant permissively For we know the Oracles of the Heathen Idols gave often true Answers suffered so to do indeed by God but inspired by the Devil And Balaam though he were a Magitan and wicked person yet he foretold several excellent Truths I am not Ignorant That many times as appears from History false Prophecies and Predictions have been promoted by crafty Knaves to deceive credulous Fools and advance their own Designs and many that have vainly trusted in them have been deceived and brought to Destruction by their over-fondness At such time as Brittanicus waited for the great Lot of the Roman Empire by the Encouragement of a vain Astrologer â—e lost both Hopes and Life by the Rigour of a Bloody Tyrant Seneca by a pretty fanâ—y brings in Mercury perswading with the Gods that they would abridge the Life of Claudius if not for any other Cause yet out of very Pity and Compassion to the poor Astrologers who had already been taken with so many Lies about it That Wily Fox Trajanus as Dion tells us by the practise and Assistance of Astrologers convey'd a pannick fear into the Head of Tiberius That Germanicus aspired to the Empire whereas in the mean time he only pusht forwards his own Design Existimans se cum Juvenem sustulisset Facile in Manu Senem Habiturum Concluding it would be easy to get the old man into his Clutches if he could but get rid of the Young One. So Richard Duke of Glocester finding that so long as his Brother George of Clarence stood between him and the Gole he could never win the Prize on which he had fixt his Ambitious Thoughts caused a certain Prophecy to be suggested to the King his elder Brother That G. should one day wear the Crown During the Civil Wars between Caesar and Pompey neither party wanted Prophets which both gave them Encouragement to Proceed and hope to prevail And in like manner in our Domestick Broiles between York and Lancaster The Books of Beasts and Babies were exceeding rife and currant in every Corner of the Realm either Party Applying and Interpreting as they were Affected to the Title Don John de Barbuda a Nobleman of Castilé of greater Courage â—han Judgment being perswaded by the Predictions of an old silly Hermite that without the loss of one mans Life he should recover the Kingdom of Granada from the Moors undertook the Enterprise against the Advice and Perswasions of the King of Castile with no greater force than 1000 Foot and 300 horse who were together with himself all Cut in pieces Remarkable is that Story of Bassianus Cavacala who during his War in Mesopotamia ordered one of his Counsellors at Rome call'd Maternianus to procure a Meeting of all the Prophets Astrologers and Conjurers to discover if any Plot or Designs were in hand against his person or Authority and Maternianus finding by their Universal Verdict that one Macrinus a Colonel who had a charge in the Field at that very instant under rhe Emperour should bereave him of his Life sent Advertisement thereof by the next dispatch which Post happening to arrive at a time when the Emperour was exceeding earnest and attentive at his Sport he commanded this very Macrinus who as Fate would have it was next at hand to break up the Pacquet and inform him of the contents at the time of Councel By this means Macrinus perceiving the drift and his own danger though before never no thought of Disloyalty much less murder of his Prince came into his head finding there was no middle Course to be taken but that either Caracalla before he should receive further Advertisement thereof or to be sure he himself soon after must dye for it made Choice of a desperate Russian that Commanded a Company of foot under him To Stabb his Master as he withdrew from Company to Ease Nature and so strangely solv'd the Credit of the South-Sayers In the time whilst Popery and Monkery bore sway in England There was a great Loobily Image in Wales called Darvel Gathern of which an old Prophecy went That it should burn a Forrest and on that Account was beheld by the Ignorant with much Veneration But the Event was thus At the time of the Dissolution of Abbeys under K. Hen. 8 it was brought up to London and burnt at the Gallows in Smithfield with the Bowels of one Friar Forrest executed for a Traitor Another Prophecy was current in the Abbey of Glassenbury That a Whiting should Swim on the Topp of the Torr thereof which is a steep Hill hard by and the Credulous Countrey People understood it of an Inruption of the Sea which they suspected accordingly But it hapen'd that Abbot Whiting the last of that Character at Glassenbury was hanged thereon for his Recusancy to surrender the Abbey and denying the Kings Supremacy so swimming in Air and not Water and waved with the wind in the place made good the Prophecy though very unexpectedly Did not Anaximander of old foretell the Lacedemonians of a dangerous and greivous Earth-quake imminent advising to prevent the Peril and Terror thereof by forsaking their Houses and avoiding the City to remain till its fury was over in the open Fieldâ— which Earth-quake shortly after burst out in so violent manner That the whole City was utterly ruinated and a great part of the Mountain Tagetus horribly overwhelm'd did not the Prince of Physitians Hippocrates forsee a
the Destruction thereof which was Anno Christi 69. by a term of Days he numbers first 1290 and then 1335 that is in all with the 69 years which were elaps'd from Christ's Birth to the overthrow of the Temple 2694 years From which if we deduct the 1000 years Rev. 20.2 we shall be brought to the year of our Lord 1694. whence we may gather that the seven Vials are to be poured forth at or before that time or their significations to continue no longer 4. The most eminent Mutations from the year 1600 to 1700 may be gathered from the Planetary Conjuctions compared with the Apocalyptical Numbers which point out the years 1622 1625 1636 1642 1683 and 1694. 5. The Comparing of Histories one with another the observation of the Stars and a diligent Inspection into the manners of men do much conduce towards our predicting of the Catastrophe's of humane things 6. Those Philosophers that are more skilfull in Astronomy reckon four Monarchies not according to the Prevalency of Kingdoms but according to the four Coasts of the World The first was of the East being the Assyrians The second Southern that of the Persians and Greeks The third Western of the Romans The fourth of the North which God shall shortly set up in the Norrhern-parts by the Lion of the North to the great Amazement of those who slight the Divine Apocalypse and that Harmony which here we are pointing at 7. The 1000 years mentioned in the Twentieth Chapter of the Revelations shall begin about the year 1694 and end 2694 during which time Satan shall be bound but afterward being let loose for a small time he shall stir up Gog and Magog that is the professed Enemies of the Church against the Saints But shall be suddenly overcome and then our Lord Christ shall come in Glory to put an end to this World Annus Mundi Mirabilis Or A Prediction of the last Ages of the World Aenigmatically delivered in 12 Months representing so many notable Periods or Catastrophe's which shall certainly happen in those times Publisht many Years ago by LILLY JANVARY A shower of Blood shall rain continually for one hours space in a certain Land of Europe That Region or the People thereof shall first come to destruction FEBRVARY All Nations troubled with rumours of Wars every Region preparing Armies and Mustering Men Traffique generally prohibited or obstructed by Land and Sea each Country being inforced to live of their own stock and commodities MARCH The main Sea shall hugely swell with mighty Tempests and Winds so that the Banks being overthrown the Waves shall in many places overflow their accustom'd bounds and cause Universal Innundations One Island shall be quite overflown with the Sea where the double Cross hath Government the sins of the Prince or Rulers thereof being so extream high against the Majesty of God APRIL A terrible Sea-fight such as hath not been before occasioning the water to look more red than the Red Sea the water all turned to Blood England thou wilt have a share in this Fight God of his great goodness make thee victorious After a hard Fight thou shalt overcome MAY. Warr and Bloodshed over all the Earth A certain Nation shall send so many Men to the Warrs that it shall for a time be even desolate of Men so that twelve Women shall be glad of one Man Nay hardly procure one Young-man for them all JVNE In the Eastern parts of the World a whole Nation shall Fight a great Battel in a wrong cause and defend an Evil Man but the vengeance of God will rain down a shower of Fire from the Throne of Heaven and consume that Army wholly with all their Wealth and Treasures even as they lie in their Tents c. JVLY So great a drought so great a want of water will appear that multitudes of People shall dye in many places for meer want of water Souldiers shall not be able for heat to carry their Arms The Earth shall be so dry and so parched with the Suns hot beams that it shall yield no fruit to feed Cattle AVGVST Great Plagues and Mortality will cover the whole Face of the Earth and so destroy Mankind that there will not be sufficient Labourers to get in Harvest or the Fruits of the Earth In this Month such swarms of noysome Fowls and Flies shall come from the East as they shall devour the Corn on the Ground the Fruit on Trees that all shall be barren Men living in those times and in this Month shall have more sorrow and more woes and more famine and distress than was in Jerusalem when Titus besieged it SEPTEMBER The season of this Month will be so unnatural and the Earth so unfit for Tillage that all manner of Cattle will rot on the ground which will breed such store of Flies and Vermin that the Earth will be empoysoned and receive no fruit to encrease OCTOBER A great Famine and Dearth of Corn will over-spread most Nations of Europe so that the Child shall starve at the Mothers Breasts the Mother having no food to nourish her self or Child NOVEMBER One appears suddenly and unexpectedly a great Conquerour the World filled with the Fame of this Man who suddenly like Augustus gives Peace unto the whole Earth DECEMBER All Warrs end Religion truely Preached Universally over the World a General Peace no more Treason or Rebellion Not long after the Trumpet Sounds and Christ appears An Antient Prophecy of Sybella Tiburtina found in the Year 1520. in the Bowels of the Mountain Taurus in Switzerland after a great Inundation of waters which broke down part of that Mountain and left discovered in the Ruins the following words fairly Engraven upon a large Marble Stone in very Old Latin Characters and Stile as follows ORietour sydous in Europa soupra Iberos ad magnam septentrionis Domum cojus Radij orbem terrarum ex improviso illoustrabunt Hoc vero erit tempore desideratissimo quo Mortalis positis Armeis pacem Onanimeis complectantor Certabitor quidem varieis per dioutourni Interregni occasionem studies cui Imperii habenae tradantor Sed vincet tandem aviti sanguinas propago quae eousque Armorumvi progredietor donec fata contraria fatis obstiterint Nam eodem fere tempore hoc demorso Sydere covum quoddam ejous Loumen longe ardentioribus mavortis ignibous exardescens Antepodum finibus occludet Imperium At prius houic Soumittet cervices Gallia Ad ejous genoua Soupplex adnatabit classibus Britannia Italia egre ad ardua Sceptra respirans â—lli languentem portendet dexteram Verum bocce joubar ante diem ingenti mortalium desiderio se divum non bibous condet Quo extincto post deiras sanguinolentas Cometas ignivomasque caeli facies nihil amplious toutum Saloutareue erit Osque animantibous coeli Firmamentum pugnantibusque planetieis contrarieis corsibous labefactabitor concurrent orbibous orbeis Fixae cursu antevertent erratitas aequabunt aequora montes Hec omnia denique