,,william ,,lilly',s  ,,history  ,,of   
,,his  ,,life ,,and ,,times1  ,,from    
,,the ,,year #afjb ,,to #afha4          
99       99       99       99       99  
,written by ,himself1  ,,in ,,the       
,,sixty-,,sixth ,,year ,,of ,,his ,,age1
 ,,to ,,his ,,worthy ,,friend1  ,,elias 
,,ashmole1 ,,esq4         99       99   
99       99       99  ,,published ,,from
 ,,the ,,original ,,ms4  ,,london1      
#agae4         99       99       99     
99       99  ,,london3  ,,re-,,printed  
,,for ,,charles ,,baldwyn1  ,,newgate   
,,street4         99       99       99  
99       99  ,m4,,dccc4,,xxii4          
,,maurice1 ,,printer1                   
,,penchurch-,,street4     ,,list ,,of   
,,plates4  ,william ,lilly1 7from       
,marshall's ,print7  ,ditto 7from the   
,picture7  ,dr4 ,simon ,forman      #cd 
,john ,booker      #fh  ,charles the    
,second      #ie  ,charles the ,first   
#ajg  ,hugh ,peters      #acd  ,speaker 
,lenthall      #aei  ,oliver ,cromwell  
#age  ,dr4 ,john ,dee      #bbc  ,edward

 ,kelly      #bbf  ,napier of           
,merchiston      #bcf                   
,,advertisement4  ,,prefixed ,,to ,,the 
,,lives ,,of ,,elias ,,ashmole          
,,william ,,lilly4  ,in #a vol4 #hvo4   
#aggb4   ,although we cannot1 with      
justice1 compare ,elias ,ashmole to that
 excellent ,antiquary ,john ,leland1 or 
,william ,lilly to the learned and      
indefatigable ,thomas ,hearne2 yet ,i   
think we may fairly rank them with such 
writers as honest ,anthony ,wood1 whose 
,diary greatly resembles that of his    
cotemporary1 and intimate friend1 ,elias
 ,ashmole4  ,some anecdotes1 connected  
with affairs of state2 many particulars 
relating to illustrious persons1 and    
antient and noble families2 several     
occurrences in which the ,public is     
interested1 and other matters of a more 
private nature1 can only be found in    
works of this kind4 ,history cannot     
stoop to the meanness of examining the  
materials of which ,memoirs are         
generally composed4  ,and yet the       

pleasure and benefit resulting from such
 books are manifest to every reader4  ,i
 hope the admirers of the very laborious
 ,thomas ,hearne will pardon me1 if ,i  
should venture to give it as my opinion1
 and with much deference to their       
judgment1 that ,william ,lilly's ,life  
and ,death of ,charles the first        
contains more useful matter of          
instruction1 as well as more splendid   
and striking occurrences1 than are to be
 found in several of those monkish      
volumes published by that learned       
,oxonian4  ,lilly affords us many       
curious particulars relating to the life
 of that unfortunate ,prince1 which are 
no where else to be found4 ,in          
delineating the character of ,charles1  
he seems dispassionate and impartial1   
and indeed it agrees perfectly with the 
general portraiture of him1 as it is    
drawn by our most authentic historians4 
,the ,history of ,lilly's ,life and     
,times is certainly one of the most     
entertaining narratives in our language4

 ,with respect to the science he        
professed of calculating nativities1    
casting figures1 the prediction of      
events1 and other appendages of         
astrology1 he would fain make us think  
that he was a very solemn and serious   
believer4 ,indeed1 such is the manner of
 telling his story1 that sometimes the  
reader may possibly be induced to       
suppose ,lilly rather an enthusiast than
 an impostor4 ,he relates many anecdotes
 of the pretenders to foretell events1  
raise spirits1 and other impostures1    
with such seeming candor1 and with such 
an artless simplicity of style1 that we 
are almost persuaded to take his word   
when he protests such an inviolable     
respect to truth and sincerity4  ,the   
powerful genius of ,shakespeare could   
carry him triumphantly through subjects 
the most unpromising1 and fables the    
most improbable3 we therefore cannot    
wonder at the success of such of his    
plays1 where the magic of witches and   
the incantation of spirits are          

described1 or where the power of fairies
 is introduced2 when such was the       
credulity of the times respecting these 
imaginary beings1 and when that belief  
was made a science of1 and kept alive by
 artful and superstitious1 knavish1 and 
enthusiastic teachers2 what ,lilly      
relates of these people1 considered only
 as matter of fact1 is surely very      
curious4  ,to conclude2 ,i know no      
record but this where we can find so    
just and so entertaining a ,history of  
,doctor ,dee1 ,doctor ,forman1 ,booker1 
,winder1 ,kelly1 ,evans1 7,lilly's      
,master17 the famous ,william ,poole1   
and ,captain ,bubb ,fiske1 ,sarah       
,shelborne1 and many others4  ,to these 
we may add1 the uncommon effects of the 
,crystal1 the appearance of ,queen      
,mabb1 and other strange and miraculous 
operations1 which owe their origin to   
folly1 curiosity1 superstition1 bigotry1
 and imposture4     ,,the  ,,life  ,,of 
,,william ,,lilly1  ,,student ,,in      
,,astrology4      ,wrote by himself in  

the #ffth ,year of his ,age1 at         
,hersham1 in the     ,parish of         
,walton-upon-,thames1 in the ,county of 
,surry4 ,propria     ,manu4   ,i#a was  
born in the county of ,leicester1 in an 
obscure town1 in the north-west borders 
thereof1 called ,diseworth1 seven miles 
south of the town of ,derby1 one mile   
from ,castle-,donnington1 a town of     
great rudeness1 wherein it is not       
remembered that any of the farmers      
thereof did ever educate any of their   
sons to learning1 only my grandfather   
sent his younger son to ,cambridge1     
whose name was ,robert ,lilly1 and died 
,vicar of ,cambden in ,gloucestershire1 
about #afdj4      ,footnote #a3 ,william
 ,lilly was a prominent1 and1 in the    
opinion     of many of his              
cotemporaries1 a very important         
personage in the     most eventful      
period of ,english history4 ,he was a   
principal     actor in the farcical     
scenes which diversified the bloody     
tragedy of civil war2 and while the     

,king and the ,parliament were          
striving for mastery in the field1 he   
was deciding their     destinies in the 
closet4 ,the weak and the credulous of  
both     parties1 who sought to be      
instructed in 'destiny's dark           
counsels1' flocked to consult the 'wily 
,archimage1' who1 with     exemplary    
impartiality1 meted out victory and good
 fortune to     his clients1 according  
to the extent of their faith1 and the   
weight of their purses4 ,a few profane  
,cavaliers might make his     name the  
burthen of their malignant rhymes--a few
 of the more     scrupulous among the   
,saints might keep aloof in sanctified  
abhorrence of the ',stygian             
sophister'--but the great majority of   
the people lent a willing and           
reverential ear to his prophecies       
and prognostications4 ,nothing was too  
high or too low--too     mighty or too  
insignificant1 for the grasp of his     
genius4 ,the     stars1 his informants1 
were as communicative on the most       

trivial     as on the most important    
subjects4 ,if a scheme was set on foot  
to rescue the king1 or to retrieve a    
stray trinket--to restore     the royal 
authority1 or to make a frail damsel an 
honest     woman--to cure the nation of 
anarchy1 or a lap-dog of a surfeit1     
,william ,lilly was the oracle to be    
consulted4 ,his almanacks     were      
spelled over in the tavern and quoted in
 the senate2 they     nerved the arm of 
the soldier1 and rounded the periods of 
the     orator4 ,the fashionable beauty1
 dashing along in her calash from       
,st4 ,james's or the ,mall1 and the     
prim1 starched dame1 from               
,watling-street or ,bucklersbury1 with a
 staid foot-boy1 in a     plush jerkin1 
plodding behind her--the reigning toast 
among 'the     men of wit about town1'  
and the leading groaner in a tabernacle 
concert--glided alternately into the    
study of the trusty wizard1     and     
poured into his attentive ear strange   
tales of love1 or     trade1 or treason4

 ,the ,roundhead stalked in at one door1
 whilst     the ,cavalier was hurried   
out at the other4      ,the ,confessions
 of a man so variously consulted and    
trusted1     if written with the candour
 of a ,cardan or a ,rousseau1 would     
indeed be invaluable4 ,the ,memoirs of  
,william ,lilly1 though     deficient in
 this essential ingredient1 yet contain 
a variety of     curious and interesting
 anecdotes of himself and his           
cotemporaries1 which1 where the vanity  
of the writer1 or the     truth of his  
art1 is not concerned1 may be received  
with     implicit credence4      ,the   
simplicity and apparent candour of his  
narrative might     induce a hasty      
reader of this book to believe him a    
well-meaning     but somewhat silly     
personage1 the dupe of his own          
speculations--the deceiver of himself as
 well as of others4 ,but     an         
attentive examination of the events of  
his life1 even as     recorded by       
himself1 will not warrant so favourable 

an     interpretation4 ,his systematic  
and successful attention to his     own 
interest--his dexterity in keeping on   
'the windy side of the     law'--his    
perfect political pliability--and his   
presence of mind     and fertility of   
resources when entangled in             
difficulties--indicate an accomplished  
impostor1 not a crazy     enthusiast4   
,it is very possible and probable1 that1
 at the     outset of his career1 he was
 a real believer in the truth and       
lawfulness of his art1 and that he      
afterwards felt no     inclination to   
part with so pleasant and so profitable 
a     delusion3 like his patron1        
,cromwell1 whose early fanaticism       
subsided into hypocrisy1 he carefully   
retained his folly as a     cloak for   
his knavery4 ,of his success in         
deception1 the present     narrative    
exhibits abundant proofs4 ,the number of
 his dupes was     not confined to the  
vulgar and illiterate1 but included     
individuals of real worth and learning1 

of hostile parties and     sects1 who   
courted his acquaintance and respected  
his     predictions4 ,his proceedings   
were deemed of sufficient     importance
 to be twice made the subject of a      
parliamentary     inquiry2 and even     
after the ,restoration--when a little   
more     scepticism1 if not more wisdom1
 might have been expected--we     find  
him examined by a ,committee of the     
,house of ,commons1     respecting his  
fore-knowledge of the great fire of     
,london4 ,we     know not whether it    
'should more move our anger or our      
mirth1'     to see an assemblage of     
,british ,senators--the cotemporaries of
     ,hampden and ,falkland--of ,milton 
and ,clarendon--in an age which         
roused into action so many and such     
mighty energies--gravely     engaged in 
ascertaining the causes of a great      
national calamity1     from the         
prescience of a knavish fortuneteller1  
and puzzling     their wisdoms to       
interpret the symbolical flames1 which  

blazed     in the mis-shapen wood-cuts  
of his oracular publications4      ,as a
 set-off against these honours may be   
mentioned1 the     virulent and         
unceasing attacks of almost all the     
party     scribblers of the day2 but    
their abuse he shared in common with    
men1 whose talents and virtues have     
outlived the malice of their            
cotemporaries1 and        ',whose       
honours with increase of ages grow1     
,as streams roll down1 enlarging as they
 flow4'      ,retrospective ,review1    
,vol4 ii4 p4 #ea4  ,the town of         
,diseworth did formerly belong long unto
 the ,lord ,seagrave1 for there is one  
record in the hands of my cousin        
,melborn ,williamson1 which mentions one
 acre of land abutting north upon the   
gates of the ,lord ,seagrave2 and there 
is one close1 called ,hall-close1       
wherein the ruins of some ancient       
buildings appear1 and particularly where
 the dove-house stood2 and there is also
 the ruins of decayed fish-ponds and    

other outhouses4 ,this town came at     
length to be the inheritance of         
,margaret1 ,countess of ,richmond1      
mother of ,henry ,,vii4 which ,margaret 
gave this town and lordship of          
,diseworth unto ,christ's ,college in   
,cambridge1 the ,master and ,fellows    
whereof have ever since1 and at present1
 enjoy and possess it4  ,in the church  
of this town there is but one monument1 
and that is a white marble stone1 now   
almost broken to pieces1 which was      
placed there by ,robert ,lilly1 my      
grandfather1 in memory of ,jane his     
wife1 the daughter of ,mr4 ,poole of    
,dalby1 in the same county1 a family now
 quite extinguished4 ,my grandmother's  
brother was ,mr4 ,henry ,poole1 one of  
the ,knights of ,rhodes1 or ,templars1  
who being a soldier at ,rhodes at the   
taking thereof by ,solyman the          
,magnificent1 and escaping with his     
life1 came afterwards to ,england1 and  
married the ,lady ,parron or ,perham1 of
 ,oxfordshire1 and was called1 during   

his life1 ,sir ,henry ,poole4 ,william  
,poole the ,astrologer knew him very    
well1 and remembers him to have been a  
very tall person1 and reputed of great  
strength in his younger years4  ,the    
impropriation of this town of ,diseworth
 was formerly the inheritance of three  
sisters1 whereof two became votaries2   
one in the nunnery of ,langly in the    
parish of ,diseworth1 valued at the     
suppression1 ,i mean the whole nunnery1 
at thirty-two pounds per annum1 and this
 sister's part is yet enjoyed by the    
family of the ,grayes1 who now1 and for 
some years past1 have the enjoyment and 
possession of all the lands formerly    
belonging to the nunnery in the parish  
of ,diseworth1 and are at present of the
 yearly value of three hundred and fifty
 pounds per annum4 ,one of the sisters  
gave her part of the great tithes unto a
 religious house in ,bredon upon the    
,hill2 and1 as the inhabitants report1  
became a religious person afterwards4   
,the third sister married1 and her part 

of the tithes in succeeding ages became 
the ,earl of ,huntingdon's1 who not many
 years since sold it to one of his      
servants4  ,the donation of the vicarage
 is in the gift of the ,grayes of       
,langley1 unto whom they pay yearly1 7,i
 mean unto the ,vicar7 as ,i am         
informed1 six pounds per annum4 ,very   
lately some charitable citizens have    
purchased one-third portion of the      
tithes1 and given it for a maintenance  
of a preaching minister1 and it is now  
of the value of about fifty pounds per  
annum4  ,there have been two hermitages 
in this parish2 the last hermit was well
 remembered by one ,thomas ,cooke1 a    
very ancient inhabitant1 who in my      
younger years acquainted me therewith4  
,this town of ,diseworth is divided into
 three parishes2 one part belongs under 
,locington1 in which part standeth my   
father's house1 over-against the west   
end of the steeple1 in which ,i was     
born3 some other farms are in the parish
 of ,bredon1 the rest in the parish of  

,diseworth4  ,in this town1 but in the  
parish of ,lockington1 was ,i born1 the 
first day of ,may #afjb4  ,my father's  
name was ,william ,lilly1 son of        
,robert1 the son of ,robert1 the son of 
,rowland1 c4 ,my mother was ,alice1 the 
daughter of ,edward ,barham1 of         
,fiskerton ,mills1 in ,nottinghamshire1 
two miles from ,newark upon ,trent3 this
 ,edward ,barham was born in ,norwich1  
and well remembered the rebellion of    
,kett the ,tanner1 in the days of       
,edward ,,vi4  ,our family have         
continued many ages in this town as     
yeomen2 besides the farm my father and  
his ancestors lived in1 both my father  
and grandfather had much free land1 and 
many houses in the town1 not belonging  
to the college1 as the farm wherein they
 were all born doth1 and is now at this 
present of the value of forty pounds per
 annum1 and in possession of my         
brother's son2 but the freehold land and
 houses1 formerly purchased by my       
ancestors1 were all sold by my          

grandfather and father2 so that now our 
family depend wholly upon a college     
lease4 ,of my infancy ,i can speak      
little1 only ,i do remember that in the 
fourth year of my age ,i had the        
measles4  ,i was1 during my minority1   
put to learn at such schools1 and of    
such masters1 as the rudeness of the    
place and country afforded2 my mother   
intending ,i should be a scholar from my
 infancy1 seeing my father's            
back-slidings in the world1 and no hopes
 by plain husbandry to recruit a decayed
 estate2 therefore upon ,trinity        
,tuesday1 #afac1 my father had me to    
,ashby de la ,zouch1 to be instructed by
 one ,mr4 ,john ,brinsley2 one1 in those
 times1 of great abilities for          
instruction of youth in the ,latin and  
,greek tongues2 he was very severe in   
his life and conversation1 and did breed
 up many scholars for the universities3 
in religion he was a strict ,puritan1   
not conformable wholly to the ceremonies
 of the ,church of ,england4 ,in this   

town of ,ashby de la ,zouch1 for many   
years together1 ,mr4 ,arthur ,hildersham
 exercised his ministry at my being     
there2 and all the while ,i continued at
 ,ashby1 he was silenced4 ,this is that 
famous ,hildersham1 who left behind him 
a commentary on the fifty-first psalm2  
as also many sermons upon the fourth of 
,john1 both which are printed2 he was an
 excellent textuary1 of exemplary life1 
pleasant in discourse1 a strong enemy to
 the ,brownists1 and dissented not from 
the ,church of ,england in any article  
of faith1 but only about wearing the    
surplice1 baptizing with the cross1 and 
kneeling at the sacrament2 most of the  
people in town were directed by his     
judgement1 and so continued1 and yet do 
continue presbyterianly affected2 for   
when the ,lord of ,loughborough in      
#afdb1 #afdc1 #afdd1 and #afde1 had his 
garrison in that town1 if by chance at  
any time any troops of horse had lodged 
within the town1 though they came late  
at night to their quarters2 yet would   

one or other of the town presently give 
,sir ,john ,gell of ,derby notice1 so   
that ere next morning most of his       
,majesty's troops were seized in their  
lodgings1 which moved the ,lord of      
,loughborough merrily to say1 there was 
not a fart let in ,ashby1 but it was    
presently carried to ,derby4  ,the      
several authors ,i there learned were   
these1 viz4 ,sententiae ,pueriles1      
,cato1 ,corderius1 ,a,esop's ,fables1   
,tully's ,offices1 ,ovid de ,tristibus2 
lastly1 ,virgil1 then ,horace2 as also  
,camden's ,greek ,grammar1 ,theognis and
 ,homer's ,iliads3 ,i was only entered  
into ,udall's ,hebrew ,grammar2 he never
 taught logick1 but often would say it  
was fit to be learned in the            
universities4  ,in the fourteenth year  
of my age1 by a fellow scholar of       
swarth1 black complexion1 ,i had like to
 have my right eye beaten out as we were
 at play2 the same year1 about          
,michaelmas1 ,i got a surfeit1 and      
thereupon a fever1 by eating beech-nuts4

  ,in the sixteenth year of my age ,i   
was exceedingly troubled in my dreams   
concerning my salvation and damnation1  
and also concerning the safety and      
destruction of the souls of my father   
and mother2 in the nights ,i frequently 
wept1 prayed and mourned1 for fear my   
sins might offend ,god4  ,in the        
seventeenth year of my age my mother    
died4  ,in the eighteenth year of my age
 my master ,brinsley was enforced from  
keeping school1 being persecuted by the 
,bishop's officers2 he came to ,london1 
and then lectured in ,london1 where he  
afterwards died4 ,in this year1 by      
reason of my father's poverty1 ,i was   
also enforced to leave school1 and so   
came to my father's house1 where ,i     
lived in much penury for one year1 and  
taught school one quarter of a year1    
until ,god's providence provided better 
for me4  ,for the two last years of my  
being at school1 ,i was of the highest  
form in the school1 and chiefest of that
 form2 ,i could then speak ,latin as    

well as ,english2 could make extempore  
verses upon any theme2 all kinds of     
verses1 hexameter1 pentameter1          
phaleuciacks1 iambicks1 sapphicks1 c4 so
 that if any scholars from remote       
schools came to dispute1 ,i was         
ringleader to dispute with them2 ,i     
could cap verses1 c4 ,if any minister   
came to examine us1 ,i was brought forth
 against him1 nor would ,i argue with   
him unless in the ,latin tongue1 which  
,i found few of them could well speak   
without breaking ,priscian's head2      
which1 if once they did1 ,i would       
complain to my master1 ,non bene        
intelligit linguam ,latinam1 nec prorsus
 loquitur4 ,in the derivation of words1 
,i found most of them defective1 nor    
indeed were any of them good            
grammarians3 all and every of those     
scholars who were of my form and        
standing1 went to ,cambridge and proved 
excellent divines1 only poor ,i1        
,william ,lilly1 was not so happy2      
fortune then frowning upon father's     

present condition1 he not in any        
capacity to maintain me at the          
university4   ,,of ,,the ,,manner ,,how 
,i ,,came ,,unto ,,london4   ,worthy    
sir1 ,i take much delight to recount    
unto you1 even all and every            
circumstance of my life1 whether good1  
moderate1 or evil2 ,deo gloria4  ,my    
father had one ,samuel ,smatty for his  
,attorney1 unto whom ,i went sundry     
times with letters1 who perceiving ,i   
was a scholar1 and that ,i lived        
miserably in the country1 losing my     
time1 nor any ways likely to do better1 
if ,i continued there2 pitying my       
condition1 he sent word for me to come  
and speak with him1 and told me that he 
had lately been at ,london1 where there 
was a gentleman wanted a youth1 to      
attend him and his wife1 who could      
write1 c4  ,i acquainted my father with 
it1 who was very willing to be rid of   
me1 for ,i could not work1 drive the    
plough1 or endure any country labour2 my
 father oft would say1 ,i was good for  

nothing4  ,i had only twenty shillings1 
and no more1 to buy me a new suit1 hose1
 doublet1 c4 my doublet was fustian3 ,i 
repaired to ,mr4 ,smatty1 when ,i was   
accoutred1 for a letter to my master1   
which he gave me4  ,upon ,monday1 ,april
 #c1 #afbj1 ,i departed from ,diseworth1
 and came to ,leicester3 but ,i must    
acquaint you1 that before ,i came away  
,i visited my friends1 amongst whom ,i  
had given me about ten shillings1 which 
was a great comfort unto me4 ,on        
,tuesday1 ,april the #dth1 ,i took leave
 of my father1 then in ,leicester gaol  
for debt1 and came along with ,bradshaw 
the carrier1 the same person with whom  
many of the ,duke of ,buckingham's      
kindred had come up with4 ,hark how the 
waggons crack with their rich lading6   
,it was a very stormy week1 cold and    
uncomfortable3 ,i footed it all along2  
we could not reach ,london until        
,palm-,sunday1 the #ith of ,april1 about
 half an hour after three in the        
afternoon1 at which time we entered     

,smithfield4 ,when ,i had gratified the 
carrier and his servants1 ,i had seven  
shillings and sixpence left1 and no     
more2 one suit of cloaths upon my back1 
two shirts1 three bands1 one pair of    
shoes1 and as many stockings4 ,upon the 
delivery of my letter my master         
entertained me1 and next day bought me a
 new cloak1 of which you may imagine    
7good ,esquire7 whether ,i was not proud
 of2 besides1 ,i saw and eat good white 
bread1 contrary to our diet in          
,leicestershire4 ,my master's name was  
,gilbert ,wright1 born at ,market       
,bosworth in ,leicestershire2 my        
mistress was born at ,ashby de la       
,zouch1 in the same county1 and in the  
town where ,i had gone to school4 ,this 
,gilbert ,wright could neither write nor
 read3 he lived upon his annual rents1  
was of no calling or profession2 he had 
for many years been servant to the ,lady
 ,pawlet in ,hertfordshire2 and when    
,serjeant ,puckering was made ,lord     
keeper1 he made him keeper of his       

lodgings at ,whitehall4 ,when ,sir      
,thomas ,egerton was made ,lord         
,chancellor1 he entertained him in the  
same place2 and when he married a widow 
in ,newgate ,market1 the ,lord          
,chancellor recommended him to the      
company of ,salters1 ,london1 to admit  
him into their company1 and so they did1
 and my master in #afbd1 was master of  
that company2 he was a man of excellent 
natural parts1 and would speak publickly
 upon any occasion very rationally and  
to the purpose4 ,i write this1 that the 
world may know he was no taylor1 or     
myself of that or any other calling or  
profession3 my work was to go before my 
master to church2 to attend my master   
when he went abroad2 to make clean his  
shoes2 sweep the street2 help to drive  
bucks when he washed2 fetch water in a  
tub from the ,thames3 ,i have helped to 
carry eighteen tubs of water in one     
morning2 weed the garden2 all manner of 
drudgeries ,i willingly performed2      
scrape trenchers1 c4 ,if ,i had any     

profession1 it was of this nature3 ,i   
should never have denied being a taylor1
 had ,i been one2 for there is no       
calling so base1 which by ,god's mercy  
may not afford a livelihood2 and had not
 my master entertained me1 ,i would have
 been of a very mean profession ere ,i  
would have returned into the country    
again2 so here ends the actions of      
eighteen years of my life4  ,my master  
married his second wife for her estate2 
she was competently rich2 she married   
him for considerations he performed not1
 7nocturnal society7 so that they lived 
very uncomfortably2 she was about       
seventy years of age1 he sixty-six or   
more2 yet never was any woman more      
jealous of a husband than she2 insomuch1
 that whensoever he went into ,london1  
she was confident of his going to women2
 by those means my life was the more    
uncomfortable1 it being very difficult  
to please two such opposite natures3    
however1 as to the things of this world 
,i had enough1 and endured their        

discontents with much sereneness4 ,my   
mistress was very curious to know of    
such as were then called cunning or wise
 men1 whether she should bury her       
husband8 ,she frequently visited such   
persons1 and this occasion begot in me a
 little desire to learn something that  
way1 but wanting money to buy books1 ,i 
laid aside these motions1 and           
endeavoured to please both master and   
mistress4   ,,of ,,my ,,mistress',s     
,,death1 ,,and ,,occasion ,,thereof ,,by
 ,,means ,,of ,a ,,cancer ,,in ,,her    
,,breast4   ,in #afbb she complained of 
a pain in her left breast1 whereon there
 appeared at first a hard knob no bigger
 than a small pea2 it increased in a    
little time very much1 was very hard1   
and sometimes would look very red2 she  
took advice of surgeons1 had oils1      
sear-cloths1 plates of lead1 and what   
not3 in #afbc it grew very big1 and     
spread all over her breast2 then for    
many weeks poultices were applied to it1
 which in continuance of time broke the 

skin1 and then abundance of watery thin 
stuff came from it1 but nothing else2 at
 length the matter came to suppuration1 
but never any great store issued forth2 
it was exceeding noisome and painful2   
from the beginning of it until she died1
 she would permit no surgeon to dress it
 but only myself2 ,i applied every thing
 unto it1 and her pains were so great   
the winter before she died1 that ,i have
 been called out of my bed two or three 
times in one night to dress it and      
change plaisters4 ,in #afbd by degrees1 
with scissars1 ,i cut all the whole     
breast away1 ,i mean the sinews1 nerves1
 c4 ,in one fortnight1 or little more1  
it appeared1 as it were1 mere flesh1 all
 raw1 so that she could scarce endure   
any unguent to be applied4  ,i remember 
there was a great cleft through the     
middle of the breast1 which when that   
fully appeared she died1 which was in   
,september #afbd2 my master being then  
in the country1 his kindred in ,london  
would willingly have had mourning for   

her2 but by advice of an especial friend
 of his ,i contradicted them2 nor would 
,i permit them to look into any chest or
 trunk in the house4 ,she was decently  
buried1 and so fond of me in the time of
 her sickness1 she would never permit me
 out of her chamber1 gave me five pounds
 in old gold1 and sent me unto a private
 trunk of her's at a friend's house1    
where she had one hundred pounds in     
gold2 she bid me bring it away and take 
it1 but when ,i opened the trunk ,i     
found nothing therein2 for a kinsman of 
hers had been there a few days before1  
and carried all away3 she was in a great
 passion at my relating thereof1 because
 she could not gratify my pains in all  
her sickness1 advised me to help myself1
 when she was gone1 out of my master's  
goods1 which ,i never did4  ,courteous  
,esquire1 be not weary of reading       
hereof1 or what followeth4  ,when my    
mistress died1 she had under her        
arm-hole a small scarlet bag full of    
many things1 which1 one that was there  

delivered unto me4 ,there was in this   
bag several sigils1 some of ,jupiter in 
,trine1 others of the nature of ,venus1 
some of iron1 and one of gold1 of pure  
angel-gold1 of the bigness of a         
thirty-three shilling piece of ,king    
,james's coin4 ,in the circumference on 
one side was engraven1 ,vicit ,leo de   
tribu ,judae ,tetragrammaton symbol3    
cross1 within the middle there was      
engraven a holy lamb4 ,in the other     
circumference there was ,amraphel and   
three symbol3 cross4 ,in the middle1    
,sanctus ,petrus1 ,alpha and ,omega4    
,the occasion of framing this sigil was 
thus2 her former husband travelling into
 ,sussex1 happened to lodge in an inn1  
and to lie in a chamber thereof2        
wherein1 not many months before1 a      
country grazier had lain1 and in the    
night cut his own throat2 after this    
night's lodging1 he was perpetually1 and
 for many years1 followed by a spirit1  
which vocally and articulately provoked 
him to cut his throat3 he was used      

frequently to say1 ',i defy thee1 ,i    
defy thee1' and to spit at the spirit2  
this spirit followed him many years1 he 
not making any body acquainted with it2 
at last he grew melancholy and          
discontented2 which being carefully     
observed by his wife1 she many times    
hearing him pronounce1 ',i defy thee1'  
c4 she desired him to acquaint her with 
the cause of his distemper1 which he    
then did4 ,away she went to ,dr4 ,simon 
,forman1 who lived then in ,lambeth1 and
 acquaints him with it2 who having      
framed this sigil1 and hanged it about  
his neck1 he wearing it continually     
until he died1 was never more molested  
by the spirit3 ,i sold the sigil for    
thirty-two shillings1 but transcribed   
the words verbatim as ,i have related4  
,sir1 you shall now have a story of this
 ,simon ,forman1 as his widow1 whom ,i  
well knew1 related it unto me4 ,but     
before ,i relate his death1 ,i shall    
acquaint you something of the man1 as ,i
 have gathered them from some           

manuscripts of his own writing4   ,,of  
,,dr4 ,,simon ,,forman   ,he was a      
chandler's son in the city of           
,westminster4 ,he travelled into        
,holland for a month1 in #aehj1         
purposely to be instructed in astrology1
 and other more occult sciences2 as also
 in physick1 taking his degree of       
,doctor beyond seas3 being sufficiently 
furnished and instructed with what he   
desired1 he returned into ,england1     
towards the latter end of the reign of  
,queen ,elizabeth1 and flourished until 
that year of ,king ,james1 wherein the  
,countess of ,essex1 the ,earl of       
,somerset1 and ,sir ,thomas ,overbury's 
matters were questioned4 ,he lived in   
,lambeth1 with a very good report of the
 neighbourhood1 especially of the poor1 
unto whom he was very charitable4 ,he   
was a person that in horary questions   
7especially thefts7 was very judicious  
and fortunate2 so also in sicknesses1   
which indeed was his master-piece4 ,in  
resolving questions about marriage he   

had good success3 in other questions    
very moderate4 ,he was a person of      
indefatigable pains4 ,i have seen       
sometimes half one sheet of paper wrote 
of his judgment upon one question2 in   
writing whereof he used much tautology1 
as you may see yourself1 7most excellent
 ,esquire7 if you read a great book of  
,dr4 ,flood's1 which you have1 who had  
all that book from the manuscripts of   
,forman2 for ,i have seen the same word 
for word in an ,english manuscript      
formerly belonging to ,doctor           
,willoughby of ,gloucestershire4 ,had   
,forman lived to have methodized his own
 papers1 ,i doubt not but he would have 
advanced the ,jatro-mathematical part   
thereof very completely2 for he was very
 observant1 and kept notes of the       
success of his judgments1 as in many of 
his figures ,i have observed4 ,i very   
well remember to have read1 in one of   
his manuscripts1 what followeth4        
',being in bed one morning1' 7says he7  
',i was desirous to know whether ,i     

should ever be a ,lord1 ,earl1 or       
,knight1 c4 whereupon ,i set a figure2  
and thereupon my judgment3' by which he 
concluded1 that within two years time he
 should be a ,lord or great man3 ',but1'
 says he1 'before the two years were    
expired1 the ,doctors put me in         
,newgate1 and nothing came4' ,not long  
after1 he was desirous to know the same 
things concerning his honour or         
greatship4 ,another figure was set1 and 
that promised him to be a great ,lord   
within one year4 ,but he sets down1 that
 in that year he had no preferment at   
all2 only ',i became acquainted with a  
merchant's wife1 by whom ,i got well4'  
,there is another figure concerning one 
,sir ---- ,ayre his going into ,turkey1 
whether it would be a good voyage or    
not3 the ,doctor repeats all his        
astrological reasons and musters them   
together1 and then gave his judgment it 
would be a fortunate voyage4 ,but under 
this figure he concludes1 'this proved  
not so1 for he was taken prisoner by    

pirates ere he arrived in ,turkey1 and  
lost all4' ,he set several questions to 
know if he should attain the            
philosophers' stone1 and the figures1   
according to his straining1 did seem to 
signify as much2 and then he tuggs upon 
the aspects and configurations1 and     
elected a fit time to begin his         
operation2 but1 by and by1 in           
conclusion1 he adds1 'so the work went  
very forward2 but upon the symbol3      
aspect squares of symbol3 aspect        
conjunctions the setting-glass broke1   
and ,i lost all my pains3' he sets down 
five or six such judgments1 but still   
complains all came to nothing1 upon the 
malignant aspects of symbol3 ,saturn and
 symbol3 ,mars4 ,although some of his   
astrological judgments did fail1 more   
particularly those concerning himself1  
he being no way capable of such         
preferment as he ambitiously desired2   
yet ,i shall repeat some other of his   
judgments1 which did not fail1 being    
performed by conference with spirits4   

,my mistress went once unto him1 to know
 when her husband1 then in ,cumberland1 
would return1 he having promised to be  
at home near the time of the question2  
after some consideration1 he told her to
 this effect3 ',margery1' for so her    
name was1 'thy husband will not be at   
home these eighteen days2 his kindred   
have vexed him1 and he is come away from
 them in much anger3 he is now in       
,carlisle1 and hath but three-pence in  
his purse4' ,and when he came home he   
confessed all to be true1 and that upon 
leaving his kindred he had but          
three-pence in his purse4 ,i shall      
relate one story more1 and then his     
death4  ,one ,coleman1 clerk to ,sir    
,thomas ,beaumont of ,leicestershire1   
having had some liberal favours both    
from his lady and her daughters1 bragged
 of it1 c4 ,the ,knight brought him into
 the star-chamber1 had his servant      
sentenced to be pilloried1 whipped1 and 
afterwards1 during life1 to be          
imprisoned4 ,the sentence was executed  

in ,london1 and was to be in            
,leicestershire3 two keepers were to    
convey ,coleman from the ,fleet to      
,leicester4 ,my mistress taking         
consideration of ,coleman1 and the      
miseries he was to suffer1 went         
presently to ,forman1 acquainted him    
therewith2 who1 after consideration1    
swore ,coleman had lain both with mother
 and daughters2 and besides said1 that  
the old ,lady being afflicted with fits 
of the mother1 called him into her      
chamber to hold down the fits with his  
hands2 and that he holding his hands    
about the breast1 she cried ',lower1    
lower1' and put his hands below her     
belly2 and then--,he also told my       
mistress in what posture he lay with the
 young ladies1 c4 and said1 'they intend
 in ,leicester to whip him to death2 but
 ,i assure thee1 ,margery1 he shall     
never come there2 yet they set forward  
to-morrow1' says he2 and so his two     
keepers did1 ,coleman's legs being      
locked with an iron chain under the     

horse's belly4 ,in this nature they     
travelled the first and second day2 on  
the third day the two keepers1 seeing   
their prisoner's civility the two       
preceding days1 did not lock his chain  
under the horse's belly as formerly1 but
 locked it only to one side4 ,in this   
posture they rode some miles beyond     
,northampton1 when on a sudden1 one of  
the keepers had a necessity to untruss1 
and so the other and ,coleman stood     
still2 by and by the other keeper       
desired ,coleman to hold his horse1 for 
he had occasion also3 ,coleman          
immediately took one of their swords1   
and ran through two of the horses1      
killing them stark dead2 gets upon the  
other1 with one of their swords2        
',farewell1 gentlemen1' quoth he1 'tell 
my master ,i have no mind to be whipped 
in ,leicestershire1' and so went his    
way4 ,the two keepers in all haste went 
to a gentleman's house near at hand1    
complaining of their misfortune1 and    
desired of him to pursue their prisoner1

 which he with much civility granted2   
but ere the horses could be got ready1  
the mistress of the house came down1 and
 enquiring what the matter was1 went to 
the stable1 and commanded the horses to 
be unsaddled1 with this sharp           
speech--',let the ,lady ,beaumont and   
her daughters live honestly1 none of my 
horses shall go forth upon this         
occasion4'  ,i could relate many such   
stories of his performances2 as also    
what he wrote in a book left behind him1
 viz4 ',this ,i made the devil write    
with his own hand in ,lambeth ,fields   
#aeif1 in ,june or ,july1 as ,i now     
remember4' ,he professed to his wife    
there would be much trouble about ,carr 
and the ,countess of ,essex1 who        
frequently resorted unto him1 and from  
whose company he would sometimes lock   
himself in his study a whole day4 ,now  
we come to his death1 which happened as 
follows3 the ,sunday night before he    
died1 his wife and he being at supper in
 their garden-house1 she being pleasant1

 told him1 that she had been informed he
 could resolve1 whether man or wife     
should die first2 ',whether shall ,i'   
7quoth she7 'bury you or no8' ',oh      
,trunco1' for so he called her1 'thou   
wilt bury me1 but thou wilt much repent 
it4' ',yea1 but how long first8' ',i    
shall die1' said he1 'ere ,thursday     
night4' ,monday came1 all was well4     
,tuesday came1 he not sick4 ,wednesday  
came1 and still he was well2 with which 
his impertinent wife did much twit him  
in his teeth4 ,thursday came1 and dinner
 was ended1 he very well3 he went down  
to the water-side1 and took a pair of   
oars to go to some buildings he was in  
hand with in ,puddle-dock4 ,being in the
 middle of the ,thames1 he presently    
fell down1 only saying1 ',an impost1 an 
impost1' and so died4 ,a most sad storm 
of wind immediately following4 ,he died 
worth one thousand two hundred pounds1  
and left only one son called ,clement4  
,all his rarities1 secret manuscripts1  
of what quality soever1 ,dr4 ,napper of 

,lindford in ,buckinghamshire had1 who  
had been a long time his scholar2 and of
 whom ,forman was used to say he would  
be a dunce3 yet in continuance of time  
he proved a singular astrologer and     
physician4 ,sir ,richard now living1 ,i 
believe1 has all those rarities in      
possession1 which were ,forman's1 being 
kinsman and heir unto ,dr4 ,napper4     
7,his son ,thomas ,napper1 ,esq42 most  
generously gave most of these           
manuscripts to ,elias ,ashmole1 ,esq427 
,i hope you will pardon this digression4
  ,after my mistress was dead1 ,i lived 
most comfortably1 my master having a    
great affection for me4  ,the year #afbe
 now comes on1 and the plague exceeding 
violent1 ,i will relate what ,i observed
 the spring before it broke forth4      
,against our corner house every night   
there would come down1 about five or six
 of the clock1 sometime one hundred or  
more boys1 some playing1 others as if in
 serious discourse1 and just as it grew 
dark would all be gone home2 many       

succeeding years there was no such1 or  
any concourse1 usually no more than four
 or five in a company3 ,in the spring of
 #afbe1 the boys and youths of several  
parishes in like number appeared again1 
which ,i beholding1 called ,thomas      
,sanders1 my landlord1 and told him1    
that the youth and young boys of several
 parishes did in that nature assemble   
and play1 in the beginning of the year  
#afbe4 ',god bless us1' quoth ,i1 'from 
a plague this year2' but then there     
succeeded one1 and the greatest that    
ever was in ,london4 ,in #afbe1 the     
visitation encreasing1 and my master    
having a great charge of money and      
plate1 some of his own1 some other      
men's1 left me and a fellow-servant to  
keep the house1 and himself in ,june    
went into ,leicestershire4 ,he was in   
that year feoffee collector for twelve  
poor alms-people living in              
,clement-,dane's ,church-,yard2 whose   
pensions ,i in his absence paid weekly1 
to his and the parish's great           

satisfaction4 ,my master was no sooner  
gone down1 but ,i bought a bass-viol1   
and got a master to instruct me2 the    
intervals of time ,i spent in bowling in
 ,lincoln's-,inn-,fields1 with ,wat the 
cobler1 ,dick the blacksmith1 and such  
like companions3 ,we have sometimes been
 at our work at six in the morning1 and 
so continued till three or four in the  
afternoon1 many times without bread or  
drink all that while4 ,sometimes ,i went
 to church and heard funeral sermons1 of
 which there was then great plenty4 ,at 
other times ,i went early to ,st4       
,antholine's in ,london1 where there was
 every morning a sermon4 ,the most able 
people of the whole city and suburbs    
were out of town2 if any remained1 it   
were such as were engaged by            
parish-officers to remain2 no habit of a
 gentleman or woman continued2 the      
woeful calamity of that year was        
grievous1 people dying in the open      
fields and in open streets4 ,at last1 in
 ,august1 the bills of mortality so     

encreased1 that very few people had     
thoughts of surviving the contagion3 the
 ,sunday before the great bill came     
forth1 which was of five thousand and   
odd hundreds1 there was appointed a     
sacrament at ,clement ,dane's2 during   
the destributing whereof ,i do very well
 remember we sang thirteen parts of the 
one hundred and nineteenth ,psalm4 ,one 
,jacob1 our minister 7for we had three  
that day1 the communion was so great7   
fell sick as he was giving the          
sacrament1 went home1 and was buried of 
the plague the ,thursday following1 ,mr4
 ,james1 another of the ministers1 fell 
sick ere he had quite finished1 had the 
plague1 and was thirteen weeks ere he   
recovered4 ,mr4 ,whitacre1 the last of  
the three1 escaped not only then1 but   
all the contagion following1 without any
 sickness at all2 though he officiated  
at every funeral1 and buried all manner 
of people1 whether they died of the     
plague or not4 ,he was given to drink1  
seldom could preach more than one       

quarter of an hour at a time1 c4 ,in    
,november my master came home4 ,my      
fellow-servant's and my diet came weekly
 to six shillings and sixpence1         
sometimes to seven shillings1 so cheap  
was diet at that time4  ,in ,february of
 that year1 my master married again 7one
 who after his death became my wife47   
,in the same year he settled upon me1   
during my life1 twenty pounds per annum1
 which ,i have enjoyed ever since1 even 
to the writing hereof4  ,may #bb1 #afbg1
 my master died at the corner house in  
the ,strand1 where ,i also lived so     
long4 ,he died intestate2 my mistress   
relinquishing the administration1 it    
came to his elder brother1 who assigned 
the estate over to me for payment of my 
master's debts2 which being paid1 ,i    
faithfully returned the remaining part  
unto his administrator2 nor had one     
penny of the estate more than twenty    
pounds per annum1 which was allowed me  
by contract1 to undertake the payment of
 my master's debts4   ,,of ,,my         

,,marriage ,,the ,,first ,,time4   ,my  
mistress1 who had been twice married to 
old men1 was now resolved to be couzened
 no more2 she was of a brown ruddy      
complexion1 corpulent1 of but mean      
stature1 plain1 no education1 yet a very
 provident person1 and of good          
condition3 she had many suitors1 old    
men1 whom she declined2 some gentlemen  
of decayed fortunes1 whom she liked not1
 for she was covetous and sparing3 by my
 fellow-servant she was observed        
frequently to say1 she cared not if she 
married a man that would love her1 so   
that he had never a penny2 and would    
ordinarily talk of me when she was in   
bed3 this servant gave me encouragement 
to give the onset3 ,i was much perplexed
 hereat1 for should ,i attempt her1 and 
be slighted1 she would never care for me
 afterwards2 but again1 ,i considered   
that if ,i should attempt and fail1 she 
would never speak of it2 or would any   
believe ,i durst be so audacious as to  
propound such a question1 the           

disproportion of years and fortune being
 so great betwixt us3 however1 all her  
talk was of husbands1 and in my presence
 saying one day after dinner1 she       
respected not wealth1 but desired an    
honest man2 ,i made answer1 ,i thought  
,i could fit her with such a husband2   
she asked me1 where8 ,i made no more    
ado1 but presently saluted her1 and told
 her myself was the man3 she replied1 ,i
 was too young2 ,i said nay2 what ,i had
 not in wealth1 ,i would supply in love2
 and saluted her frequently1 which she  
accepted lovingly2 and next day at      
dinner made me sit down at dinner with  
my hat on my head1 and said1 she        
intended to make me her husband2 for    
which ,i gave her many salutes1 c4  ,i  
was very careful to keep all things     
secret1 for ,i well knew1 if she should 
take counsel of any friend1 my hopes    
would be frustrated1 therefore ,i       
suddenly procured her consent to marry1 
unto which she assented2 so that upon   
the eighth day of ,september1 #afbg1 at 

,st4 ,george's church in ,southwark1 ,i 
was married unto her1 and for two whole 
years we kept it secret4 ,when it was   
divulged1 and some people blamed her for
 it1 she constantly replied1 that she   
had no kindred2 if ,i proved kind1 and a
 good husband1 she would make me a man2 
if ,i proved otherwise1 she only undid  
herself4 ,in the third and fourth years 
after our marriage1 we had strong suits 
of law with her first husband's kindred1
 but overthrew them in the end4 ,during 
all the time of her life1 which was     
until ,october1 #afcc1 we lived very    
lovingly1 ,i frequenting no company at  
all2 my exercises were sometimes        
angling1 in which ,i ever delighted3 my 
companions1 two aged men4 ,i then       
frequented lectures1 two or three in a  
week2 ,i heard ,mr4 ,sute in            
,lombard-,street1 ,mr4 ,gouge of        
,black-,fryars1 ,dr4 ,micklethwait of   
the ,temple1 ,dr4 ,oldsworth1 with      
others1 the most learned men of these   
times1 and leaned in judgment to        

,puritanism4 ,in ,october1 #afbg1 ,i was
 made free of the ,salters' company in  
,london4   ,,how ,i ,,came ,,to ,,study 
,,astrology4   ,it happened on one      
,sunday1 #afcb1 as myself and a ,justice
 of ,peace's clerk were1 before service1
 discoursing of many things1 he chanced 
to say1 that such a person was a great  
scholar1 nay1 so learned1 that his could
 make an ,almanack1 which to me then was
 strange3 one speech begot another1     
till1 at last1 he said1 he could bring  
me acquainted with one ,evans in        
,gunpowder-,alley1 who had formerly     
lived in ,staffordshire1 that was an    
excellent wise man1 and studied the     
,black ,art4 ,the same week after we    
went to see ,mr4 ,evans4 ,when we came  
to his house1 he1 having been drunk the 
night before1 was upon his bed1 if it be
 lawful to call that a bed whereon he   
then lay2 he roused up himself1 and1    
after some compliments1 he was content  
to instruct me in astrology2 ,i attended
 his best opportunities for seven or    

eight weeks1 in which time ,i could set 
a figure perfectly3 books he had not    
any1 except ,haly de judiciis ,astrorum1
 and ,orriganus's ,ephemerides2 so that 
as often as ,i entered his house1 ,i    
thought ,i was in the wilderness4 ,now  
something of the man3 he was by birth a 
,welshman1 a ,master of ,arts1 and in   
sacred orders2 he had formerly had a    
cure of souls in ,staffordshire1 but now
 was come to try his fortunes at        
,london1 being in a manner enforced to  
fly for some offences very scandalous1  
committed by him in these parts1 where  
he had lately lived2 for he gave        
judgment upon things lost1 the only     
shame of astrology3 he was the most     
saturnine person my eyes ever beheld1   
either before ,i practised or since2 of 
a middle stature2 broad forehead1       
beetle-browed1 thick shoulders1 flat    
nosed1 full lips1 down-looked1 black    
curling stiff hair1 splay-footed2 to    
give him his right1 he had the most     
piercing judgment naturally upon a      

figure of theft1 and many other         
questions1 that ,i ever met withal2 yet 
for money he would willingly give       
contrary judgments1 was much addicted to
 debauchery1 and then very abusive and  
quarrelsome1 seldom without a black eye1
 or one mischief of other3 this is the  
same ,evans who made so many antimornal 
cups1 upon the sale whereof he          
principally subsisted2 he understood    
,latin very well1 the ,greek tongue not 
at all3 he had some arts above1 and     
beyond astrology1 for he was well versed
 in the nature of spirits1 and had many 
times used the circular way of          
invocating1 as in the time of our       
familiarity he told me4 ,two of his     
actions ,i will relate1 as to me        
delivered4 ,there was in ,staffordshire 
a young gentlewoman that had1 for her   
preferment1 married an aged rich person1
 who was desirous to purchase some lands
 for his wife's maintenance2 but this   
young gentlewoman1 his wife1 was desired
 to buy the land in the name of a       

gentleman1 her very dear friend1 but for
 her use3 after the aged man was dead1  
the widow could by no means procure the 
deed of purchase from her friend2       
whereupon she applies herself to ,evans1
 who1 for a sum of money1 promises to   
have her deed safely delivered into her 
own hands2 the sum was forty pounds4    
,evans applies himself to the invocation
 of the angel ,salmon1 of the nature of 
,mars1 reads his ,litany in the         
,common-,prayer-,book every day1 at     
select hours1 wears his surplice1 lives 
orderly all that time2 at the           
fortnight's end ,salmon appeared1 and   
having received his commands what to do1
 in a small time returns with the very  
deed desired1 lays it down gently upon a
 table where a white cloth was spread1  
and then1 being dismissed1 vanished4    
,the deed was1 by the gentleman who     
formerly kept it1 placed among many     
other of his evidences in a large wooden
 chest1 and in a chamber at one end of  
the house2 but upon ,salmon's2 removing 

and bringing away the deed1 all that bay
 of building was quite blown down1 and  
all his own proper evidences torn all to
 pieces4 ,the second story followeth4   
,some time before ,i became acquainted  
with him1 he then living in the         
,minories1 was desired by the ,lord     
,bothwell and ,sir ,kenelm ,digby to    
show them a spirit4 ,he promised so to  
do3 the time came1 and they were all in 
the body of the circle1 when lo1 upon a 
sudden1 after some time of invocation1  
,evans was taken from out the room1 and 
carried into the field near ,battersea  
,causeway1 close to the ,thames4 ,next  
morning a countryman going by to his    
labour1 and espying a man in black      
cloaths1 came unto him and awaked him1  
and asked him how he came there8 ,evans 
by this understood his condition1       
enquired where he was1 how far from     
,london1 and in what parish he was2     
which when he understood1 he told the   
labourer he had been late at ,battersea 
the night before1 and by chance was left

 there by his friends4 ,sir ,kenelm     
,digby and the ,lord ,bothwell went home
 without any harm1 and came next day to 
hear what was become of him2 just as    
they1 in the afternoon1 came into the   
house1 a messenger came from ,evans to  
his wife1 to come to him at ,battersea4 
,i enquired upon what account the spirit
 carried him away3 who said1 he had not1
 at the time of invocation1 made any    
suffumigation1 at which the spirits were
 vexed4 ,it happened1 that after ,i     
discerned what astrology was1 ,i went   
weekly into ,little ,britain1 and bought
 many books of astrology1 not           
acquainting ,evans therewith4 ,mr4 ,a4  
,bedwell1 ,minister of                  
,tottenham-,high-,cross near ,london1   
who had been many years chaplain to ,sir
 ,henry ,wotton1 whilst he was          
,ambassador at ,venice1 and assisted    
,pietro ,soave ,polano1 in composing and
 writing the ,council of ,trent1 was    
lately dead2 and his library being sold 
into ,little ,britain1 ,i bought amongst

 them my choicest books of astrology4   
,the occasion of our falling out was    
thus3 a woman demanded the resolution of
 a question1 which when he had done1 she
 went her way2 ,i standing by all the   
while1 and observing the figure1 asked  
him why he gave the judgment he did1    
since the signification shewed quite the
 contrary1 and gave him my reasons2     
which when he had pondered1 he called me
 boy1 and must he be contradicted by    
such a novice6 ,but when his heat was   
over1 he said1 had he not so judged to  
please the woman1 she would have given  
him nothing1 and he had a wife and      
family to provide for2 upon this we     
never came together after4 ,being now   
very meanly introduced1 ,i applied      
myself to study those books ,i had      
obtained1 many times twelve1 or fifteen1
 or eighteen hours day and night2 ,i was
 curious to discover1 whether there was 
any verity in the art or not4 ,astrology
 in this time1 viz4 in #afcc1 was very  
rare in ,london1 few professing it that 

understood any thing thereof4 ,let it   
not repent you 7,o noble ,esquire7 if   
now ,i make a short digression of such  
persons as then professed astrology1    
that posterity may understand in what   
condition ,i found it1 and in whose     
hands that little that remained was     
lodged4  ,there lived then in           
,houndsditch one ,alexander ,hart1 who  
had been a soldier formerly1 a comely   
old man1 of good aspect2 he professed   
questionary astrology1 and a little of  
physick2 his greatest skill was to elect
 young gentlemen fit times to play at   
dice1 that they might win or get money4 
,i went unto him for resolutions for    
three questions at several times1 and he
 erred in every one4 ,to speak soberly  
of him1 he was but a cheat1 as appeared 
suddenly after2 for a rustical fellow of
 the city1 desirous of knowledge1       
contracted with ,hart to assist for a   
conference with a spirit1 and paid him  
twenty pounds of thirty pounds the      
contract4 ,at last1 after many delays1  

and no spirit appearing1 or money       
returned1 the young man indicts him for 
a cheat at the ,old ,bailey in ,london2 
the ,jury found the bill1 and at the    
hearing of the cause this jest happened3
 some of the bench enquired what ,hart  
did8 ',he sat like an ,alderman in his  
gown1' quoth the fellow2 at which the   
court fell into a great laughter1 most  
of the court being ,aldermen4 ,he was to
 have been set upon the pillory for this
 cheat2 but ,john ,taylour1 the ,water  
,poet1 being his great friend1 got the  
,lord ,chief ,justice ,richardson to    
bail him1 ere he stood upon the pillory1
 and so ,hart fled presently into       
,holland1 where he ended his days4 ,it  
was my fortune1 upon the sale of his    
books in #afcd1 to buy ,argoll's ,primum
 ,mobile for fourteen shillings1 which  
,i only wanted4  ,in ,lambeth ,marsh at 
the same time lived one ,captain ,bubb1 
who resolved horary questions           
astrologically2 a proper handsome man1  
well spoken1 but withal covetous1 and of

 no honesty1 as will appear by this     
story1 for which he stood upon the      
pillory4 ,a certain butcher was robbed1 
going to a fair1 of forty pounds2 he    
goes to ,bubb1 who for ten pounds in    
hand paid1 would help him to the thief2 
appoints the butcher such a night       
precisely1 to watch at such a place1 and
 the thief should come thither2         
commanded him by any means to stop him2 
the butcher attends according to        
direction4 ,about twelve in the night   
there comes one riding very fiercely    
upon a full gallop1 whom the butcher    
knocks down1 and seized both upon man   
and horse3 the butcher brings the man   
and horse to the next town1 but then the
 person whom the butcher attacked was   
,john the servant of ,dr4 ,bubb2 for    
which the ,captain was indicted and     
suffered upon the pillory1 and          
afterwards ended his days in great      
disgrace4  ,there was also one ,jeffry  
,neve1 at this time a student in physic 
and astrology2 he had formerly been a   

merchant in ,yarmouth1 and ,mayor of the
 town1 but failing in estate1 went into 
the ,low-,countries1 and at ,franecker  
took the degree1 of doctor in ,physick2 
he had some little smattering in        
astrology2 could resolve a question of  
theft1 or love-question1 something of   
sickness2 a very grave person1 laborious
 and honest1 of tall stature and comely 
feature2 he died of late years1 almost  
in the very street near ,tower-,hill3 he
 had a design of printing two hundred   
verified questions1 and desired my      
approbation ere they went to press2 that
 ,i first would see them1 and then give 
testimony4 ,when ,i had perused the     
first forty1 ,i corrected thirty of     
them1 would read over no more3 ,i showed
 him how erroneous they were1 desired   
his emendation of the rest1 which he    
performed not4 ,these were afterwards1  
in ,r4 ,saunders's custody1 bought by   
him either of his son or of a           
stationer4#b      ,footnote #b3 ,but    
first offered to be sold to me for      

twenty     shillings4 ,when ,mr4        
,saunders died ,i bought them of his son
 for     less4 ,e4 ,a----4  ,there was  
then ,william ,poole1 a nibbler at      
astrology1 sometimes a gardener1 an     
apparitor1 a drawer of linen2 as quoifs1
 handkerchiefs2 a plaisterer and a      
bricklayer2 he would brag many times he 
had been of seventeen professions2 was  
very good company for drolling1 as you  
yourself very well remember 7most       
honoured ,sir72#c he pretended to       
poetry2 and that posterity may have a   
taste of it1 you shall have here        
inserted two verses of his own making2  
the occasion of making them was thus4   
,one ,sir ,thomas ,jay1 a ,justice of   
the ,peace in ,rosemary-,lane1 issued   
out his warrant for the apprehension of 
,poole1 upon a pretended suggestion1    
that he was in company with some lewd   
people in a tavern1 where a silver cup  
was lost1 ,anglice stolen4 ,poole1      
hearing of the warrant1 packs up his    
little trunk of books1 being all his    

library1 and runs to ,westminster2 but  
hearing some months after that the      
,justice was dead and buried1 he came   
and enquired where the grave was2 and   
after the discharge of his belly upon   
the grave1 left these two verses upon   
it1 which he swore he made himself4     
,here lieth buried ,sir ,thomas ,jay1   
,knight1   ,who being dead1 ,i upon his 
grave did shite4      ,footnote #c3     
,december #ag1 this ,william ,poole was 
married to     ,alice ,how1 at ,st4     
,george's ,church in ,southwark4 ,mr4   
,lilly gave     her to him4  ,he died   
about #afea1 or #afeb1 at ,st4 ,mary    
,overy's in ,southwark2 and this was    
part of his last will4  ',item2 ,i give 
to ,dr4 ,ardee all my books1 and one    
manuscript of my own1 worth one hundred 
of ,lilly's ,introduction4'  ',item2 ,if
 ,dr4 ,ardee give my wife any thing that
 is mine1 ,i wish the devil may fetch   
him body and soul4' ,the ,doctor1       
terrified with this curse1 gave me all  
the books and his goods which ,i        

presently gave to his widow4---,interdum
 seria jocis4  ,now also lived this ,dr4
 ,ardee1 but his true name was ,richard 
,delahay1 formerly an ,attorney2 he     
studied astrology and physick1 being in 
necessity1 and forced from ,derbyshire1 
where he had lived1 by the old ,countess
 of ,shrewsbury2 he was of moderate     
judgment1 both in astrology and physick4
 ,he had formerly been well acquainted  
with ,charles ,sledd1#d an apothecary1  
who used the crystal1 and had a very    
perfect sight4 ,this ,dr4 ,ardee hath   
many times affirmed unto me1 7esto      
fides7 that an angel1 one time1 appeared
 unto him1 and offered him a lease of   
his life for one thousand years2 he died
 about the age of fourscore years2 left 
his widow1 who married into ,kent1#e    
worth two or three thousand pounds1 and 
,william ,poole's estate came to four or
 five pounds4      ,footnote #d3 ,of    
this ,charles ,sledd1 there is mention  
made in ,dr4     ,dee's book of his     
discourse with spirits1 set forth by    

,dr4     ,casaubon4      ,footnote #e3  
,to one ,moreland4  ,in the years #afcb 
and #afcc1 ,john ,booker became famous  
for a prediction of his upon a solar    
eclipse in the #aith degree of ,aries   
#affc1 taken out of ,leovitius de magnis
 conjunctionibus1 viz4 ,oh ,reges et    
,principes c4 ,both the ,king of        
,bohemia1 and ,gustavus ,king of        
,sweden1 dying during the effects of    
that eclipse4  ,john ,booker was born in
 ,manchester1 of good parentage1 in the 
year #afja2 was in his youth well       
instructed in the ,latin tongue1 which  
he understood very well4 ,he seemed from
 his infancy to be designed for         
astrology2 for from the time he had any 
understanding1 he would be always poring
 on1 and studying almanacks4 ,he came to
 ,london at fitting years1 and served an
 apprenticeship to an haberdasher in    
,laurence-,lane1 ,london2 but either    
wanting stock to setup1 or disliking the
 calling1 he left his trade1 and taught 
to write at ,hadley in ,middlesex       

several scholars in that school3 he     
wrote singularly well both ,secretary   
and ,roman4 ,in process of time he      
served ,sir ,christopher ,clethero1     
,knight1 ,alderman of ,london1 as his   
clerk1 being a city ,justice of ,peace3 
he also was clerk to ,sir ,hugh         
,hammersley1 ,alderman of ,london1 both 
which he served with great credit and   
estimation2 and by that means became not
 only well known1 but as well respected 
of the most eminent citizens of ,london1
 even to his dying day4  ,he was an     
excellent proficient in astrology1 whose
 excellent verses upon the twelve       
months1 framed according to the         
configurations of each month1 being     
blessed with success according to his   
predictions1 procured him much          
reputation all over ,england3 he was a  
very honest man1 abhorred any deceit in 
the art he studied2 had a curious fancy 
in judging of thefts1 and as successful 
in resolving love-questions3 he was no  
mean proficient in astronomy2 he        

understood much of physick2 was a great 
admirer of the antimonial cup2 not      
unlearned in chymistry1 which he loved  
well1 but did not practise4 ,he was     
inclined to a diabetes2 and in the last 
three years of his life was afflicted   
with a dysentery1 which at last consumed
 him to nothing3 he died of good fame in
 #affg4 ,since his decease ,i have seen 
one nativity of his performance exactly 
directed1 and judged with as much       
learning as from astrology can be       
expected4  ,his library of books came   
short of the world's approbation1 and   
were by his widow sold to ,elias        
,ashmole1 ,esq4 who most generously gave
 her#f far more money than they were    
worth2 but out of his respects unto the 
deceased and his memory1 he most        
willingly paid her the money4 ,he left  
behind him two sons and two daughters4  
,he left in writing very little but his 
annual prognostications4 ,he began first
 to write about the year #afcj2 he wrote
 ,bellum ,hibernicale1 in the time of   

the long parliament1 a very sober and   
judicious book3 the epistle thereunto ,i
 gave him4 ,he wrote lately a small     
treatise of ,easter-,day1 a very learned
 thing1 wherein he shewed much learning 
and reading4 ,to say no more of him1 he 
lived an honest man1 his fame not       
questioned at his death4      ,footnote 
#f3 ,they cost me one hundred and forty 
pounds4  ,in this year #afcc1 ,i became 
acquainted with ,nicholas ,fiske1       
licentiate in physick1 who was born in  
,suffolk1 near ,framingham#g ,castle1 of
 very good parentage1 who educated him  
at country schools1 until he was fit for
 the university2 but he went not to the 
academy1 studying at home both astrology
 and physick1 which he afterwards       
practised in ,colchester2 and there was 
well acquainted with ,dr4 ,gilbert1 who 
wrote ,de ,magnete4 ,he came afterwards 
unto ,london1 and exercised his faculty 
in several places thereof4 7,for in his 
youth he would never stay long in one   
house47 ,in #afcc he was sent for out of

 ,suffolk by ,dr4 ,winston of ,gresham  
,college1 to instruct the ,lord         
,treasurer ,weston's son in arithmetick1
 astronomy upon the globes1 and their   
uses4 ,he was a person very studious1   
laborious1 of good apprehension1 and had
 by his own industry obtained both in   
astrology1 physick1 arithmetick1        
astronomy1 geometry and algebra1        
singular judgment3 he would in astrology
 resolve horary questions very soundly2 
but was ever diffident of his own       
abilities3 he was exquisitely skilful in
 the art of directions upon nativities1 
and had a good genius in performing     
judgment thereupon1 but very unhappy he 
was1 that he had no genius in teaching  
his scholars1 for he never perfected    
any3 his own son ,matthew hath often    
told me1 that where his father did teach
 any scholars in his time1 they would   
principally learn of him2 he had        
,scorpio ascending1 and was secretly    
envious to those he thought had more    
parts than himself2 however1 ,i must be 

ingenuous1 and do affirm1 that by       
frequent conversation with him1 ,i came 
to know which were the best authors1 and
 much to enlarge my judgment1 especially
 in the art of directions3 he visited me
 most days once after ,i became         
acquainted with him1 and would          
communicate his most doubtful questions 
unto me1 and accept of my judgment      
therein rather than his own3 he         
singularly well judged and directed ,sir
 ,robert ,holborn's nativity1 but       
desired me to adjudge the first house1  
seventh and tenth thereof1 which ,i did1
 and which nativity 7since ,sir ,robert 
gave it me7 came to your hands1 and     
remains in your library2 oh learned     
,esquire6 he died about the             
seventy-eighth year of his age1 poor4   
,footnote #g3 ,there is no such place in
 ,suffolk1 it being     mistaken for    
,framlingham in that county4  ,in this  
year also ,william ,bredon1 parson or   
vicar of ,thornton in ,buckinghamshire1 
was living1 a profound divine1 but      

absolutely the most polite person for   
nativities in that age1 strictly        
adhering to ,ptolemy1 which he well     
understood2 he had a hand in composing  
,sir ,christopher ,heydon's ,defence of 
,judicial ,astrology1 being that time   
his chaplain2 he was so given over to   
tobacco and drink1 that when he had no  
tobacco1 he would cut the bell-ropes and
 smoke them4  ,i come now to continue   
the story of my own life1 but thought it
 not inconvenient to commit unto memory 
something concerning those persons who  
practised when first ,i became a student
 in astrology2 ,i have wrote nothing    
concerning any of them1 which ,i myself 
do not either know1 or believe to be    
true4  ,in ,october #afcc my first wife 
died1 and left me whatever was hers3 it 
was considerable1 very near to the value
 of one thousand pounds4  ,one whole    
year and more ,i continued a widower1   
and followed my studies very hard2      
during which time a scholar pawned unto 
me1 for forty shillings1 ,ars           

,notoria1#h a large volume wrote in     
parchment1 with the names of those      
angels1 and their pictures1 which are   
thought and believed by wise men1 to    
teach and instruct in all the several   
liberal sciences1 and is attained by    
observing elected times1 and those      
prayers appropriated unto the several   
angels4      ,footnote #h3 ,among ,dr4  
,napier's ,,mss4 ,i had an ,ars         
,notoria1     written by ,s4 ,forman in 
large vellum4  ,i do ingenuously        
acknowledge1 ,i used those prayers      
according to the form and direction     
prescribed for some weeks1 using the    
word astrologia for astronomia2 but of  
this no more3 that ,ars ,notoria1       
inserted in the latter end of ,cornelius
 ,agrippa signifieth nothing2 many of   
the prayers being not the same1 nor is  
the direction to these prayers any thing
 considerable4  ,in the year #afcd1 ,i  
taught ,sir ,george ,peckham1 ,knight1  
astrology1 that part which concerns     
sickness1 wherein he so profited1 that  

in two or three months he would give a  
very true discovery of any disease1 only
 by his figures4 ,he practised in       
,nottingham1 but unfortunately died in  
#afce1 at ,st4 ,winifred's ,well in     
,wales2 in which well he continued so   
long mumbling his ,pater ,nosters and   
,sancta ,winifrida ora pro me1 that the 
cold struck into his body2 and1 after   
his coming forth of that well1 never    
spoke more4  ,in this year #afcd1 ,i    
purchased the moiety of thirteen houses 
in the ,strand for five hundred and     
thirty pounds4  ,in ,november1 the #ahth
 day1 ,i was again the second time      
married1 and had five hundred pounds    
portion with that wife2 she was of the  
nature of ,mars4  ,two accidents        
happened to me in that year something   
memorable4  ,davy ,ramsey1 his          
,majesty's clock-maker1 had been        
informed1 that there was a great        
quantity of treasure buried in the      
cloyster of ,westminster-,abbey2 he     
acquaints ,dean ,williams therewith1 who

 was also then ,bishop of ,lincoln2 the 
,dean gave him liberty to search after  
it1 with this proviso1 that if any was  
discovered1 his church should have a    
share of it4 ,davy ,ramsey finds out one
 ,john ,scott1#i who pretended the use  
of the ,mosaical rods1 to assist him    
herein3 ,i was desired to join with him1
 unto which ,i consented4 ,one winter's 
night1 ,davy ,ramsey1 with several      
gentlemen1 myself1 and ,scott1 entered  
the cloysters2 we played the hazel-rod  
round about the cloyster2 upon the      
west-side of the cloysters the rods     
turned one over another1 an argument    
that the treasure was there4 ,the       
labourers digged at least six foot deep1
 and then we met with a coffin2 but in  
regard it was not heavy1 we did not     
open1 which we afterwards much repented4
 ,from the cloysters we went into the   
,abbey church1 where1 upon a sudden1    
7there being no wind when we began7 so  
fierce1 so high1 so blustering and loud 
a wind did rise1 that we verily believed

 the west-end of the church would have  
fallen upon us2 our rods would not move 
at all2 the candles and torches1 all but
 one1 were extinguished1 or burned very 
dimly4#aj ,john ,scott1 my partner1 was 
amazed1 looked pale1 knew not what to   
think or do1 until ,i gave directions   
and command to dismiss the daemons2     
which when done1 all was quiet again1   
and each man returned unto his lodging  
late1 about twelve o'clock at night2 ,i 
could never since be induced to join    
with any in such-like actions4          
,footnote #i3 ,this ,scott lived in     
,pudding-,lane1 and had some time       
been a page 7or such like7 to the ,lord 
,norris4      ,footnote #aj3 ,davy      
,ramsey brought an half quartern sack to
 put     the treasure in4  ,the true    
miscarriage of the business1 was by     
reason of so many people being present  
at the operation2 for there was about   
thirty1 some laughing1 others deriding  
us2 so that if we had not dismissed the 
daemons1 ,i believe most part of the    

,abbey church had been blown down2      
secrecy and intelligent operators1 with 
a strong confidence and knowledge of    
what they are doing1 are best for this  
work4  ,in #afcd1 or #afce1 a ,lady     
living in ,greenwich1 who had tried all 
the known artists in ,london1 but to no 
purpose1 came weeping and lamenting her 
condition1 which was this3 she had      
permitted a young ,lord to have the use 
of her body1 till she was with child by 
him2 after which time he could not or   
would not endure her sight1 but         
commanded his lacquies and servants to  
keep his doors fast shut1 lest she      
should get into his chamber2 or if they 
chanced to see her near his lodging1 to 
drive her away1 which they several times
 had done4 ,her desire unto me was to   
assist her to see him1 and then she     
should be content2 whereupon ,i ordered1
 such a day1 such an hour of that day1  
to try her fortune once more4 ,she      
obeyed2 and when she came to the ,king's
 ,bench1 where the ,lord there was      

imprisoned1 the outward door stood wide 
open3 none speaking a word unto her1 she
 went up stairs1 no body molesting her2 
she found the ,lord's chamber door wide 
open3 he in bed1 not a servant to be    
heard or seen1 so she was pleased4      
,three days after she came to acquaint  
me with her success1 and then drew out  
of her pocket a paper full of ratsbane1 
which1 had she not had admission unto   
him that day ,i appointed1 she would in 
a pint of white wine have drank at the  
stair's foot where the ,lord lodged4    
,the like misfortune befell her after   
that2 when the ,lord was out of prison3 
then ,i ordered her such a day to go and
 see a play at ,salisbury-,court2 which 
she did1 and within one quarter of an   
hour the ,lord came into the same box   
wherein she was4 ,but ,i grew weary of  
such employments1 and since have burned 
my books which instructed these         
curiosities3 for after that ,i became   
melancholy1 very much afflicted with the
 hypochondriack1 growing lean and spare1

 and every day worse2 so that in the    
year #afce my infirmity continuing1 and 
my acquaintance increasing1 ,i resolved 
to live in the country1 and in ,march   
and ,april #afcf removed my goods unto  
,hersham1 where ,i now live2 and in ,may
 my person1 where ,i continued until    
#afda1 no notice being taken who1 or    
what ,i was4  ,in the years #afcg and   
#afch1 ,i had great lawsuits both in the
 ,exchequer and ,chancery1 about a lease
 ,i had of the annual value of eighty   
pounds3 ,i got the victory4  ,in the    
year #afdj ,i instructed ,john          
,humphreys1 master of that art1 in the  
study of astrology3 upon this occasion1 
being at ,london1 by accident in        
,fleet-,street1 ,i met ,dr4 ,percival   
,willoughby of ,derby2 we were of old   
acquaintance1 and he but by great chance
 lately come to town1 we went to the    
,mitre-,tavern in ,fleet-,street1 where 
,i sent for old ,will ,poole the        
astrologer1 living then in ,ram-,alley3 
being come to us1 the ,doctor produced a

 bill1 set forth by a master of arts in 
,cambridge1 intimating his abilities for
 resolving of all manner of questions   
astrologically4 ,the bill was shewed1   
and ,i wondering at it ,poole made      
answer1 he knew the man1 and that he was
 a silly fool2 ',i1' quoth he1 'can do  
more than he2 he sees me every day1 he  
will be here by and by2' and indeed he  
came into our room presently3 ,poole    
had1 just as we came to him1 set a      
figure1 and then shewed it me1 desiring 
my judgement2 which ,i refused1 but     
desired the master of arts to judge     
first2 he denied1 so ,i gave mine1 to   
the very great liking of ,humphreys1 who
 presently enquired1 if ,i would teach  
him1 and for what8 ,i told him ,i was   
willing to teach1 but would have one    
hundred pounds4 ,i heard ,poole1 whilst 
,i was judging the figure1 whisper      
in-,humphrey's ear1 and swear ,i was the
 best in ,england4 ,staying three or    
four days in town1 at last we contracted
 for forty pounds1 for ,i could never be

 quiet from his solicitations2 he       
invited me to supper1 and before ,i had 
shewed him any thing1 paid me           
thirty-five pounds4 ,as we were at      
supper a client came to speak with him1 
and so up into his closet he went with  
his client2 ,i called him in before he  
set his figure1 or resolved the         
question1 and instantly acquainted him  
how he should discover the moles or     
marks of his client3 he set his figure1 
and presently discovers four moles the  
querent had2 and was so overjoyed       
therewith1 that he came tumbling down   
the stairs1 crying1 ',four by ,g----1   
four by ,g----1 ,i will not take one    
hundred pounds for this one rule4' ,in  
six weeks time1 and tarrying with him   
three days in a week1 he became a most  
judicious person4  ,this ,humphreys was 
a laborious person1 vain-glorious1      
loquacious1 fool-hardy1 desirous of all 
secrets which he knew not1 insomuch that
 he would have given me two hundred     
pounds to have instructed him in some   

curiosities he was persuaded ,i had     
knowledge of1 but1 ,artis est celare    
artem1 especially to those who live not 
in the fear of ,god1 or can be masters  
of their own counsels3 he was in person 
and condition such another as that      
monster of ingratitude my quondam       
taylor1 ,john ,gadbury4 ,after my       
refusal of teaching him1 what he was not
 capable of1 we grew strange1 though ,i 
afforded him many civilities whenever he
 required it2 for after the siege of    
,colchester he wrote a book against me1 
called ,anti ,merlinus-,anglicus1       
married a second wife1 his first living 
in ,cambridgeshire1 then practised      
physick by a contrary name1 having      
intentions to practise in ,ireland2 he  
went to ,bristol1 but there             
understanding the parliament's forces   
had reduced that kingdom1 he came back  
to ,london1 but durst not abide therein2
 but turning from his second wife1 who  
also had another husband1 he went to    
sea1 with intention for ,barbadoes1 but 

died by the way in his voyage4 ,i had   
never seen ,john ,booker at that time2  
and telling him one day ,i had a desire 
to see him1 but first1 ere ,i would     
speak with him1 ,i would fit myself with
 my old rules1 and rub up my astrology2 
for at that time 7and this was #afdj7 ,i
 thought ,john ,booker the greatest and 
most complete astrologer in the world4  
,my scholar ,humphreys presently made   
answer1 ',tutor1 you need not pump for  
any of your former knowledge1 ,john     
,booker is no such pumper2 we met1'     
saith he1 'the other day1 and ,i was too
 hard for him myself1 upon judgment of  
three or four questions4' ,if all the   
transactions happening unto that my     
scholar were in one volume1 they would  
transcend either ,guzman1 ,don ,quixote1
 ,lazarillo de ,tormes1 or any other of 
the like nature ,i ever did see4        
,having now in part recovered my health1
 being weary of the country1 and        
perceiving there was money to be got in 
,london1 and thinking myself to be as   

sufficiently enabled in astrology as any
 ,i could meet with1 ,i made it my      
business to repair thither2 and so in   
,september #afda ,i did2 where1 in the  
years #afdb and #afdc1 ,i had great     
leisure to better my former knowledge3  
,i then read over all my books of       
astrology1 over and over2 had very      
little or no practice at all3 and       
whereas formerly ,i could never endure  
to read ,valentine ,naibod's ,commentary
 upon ,alcabitius1 now having seriously 
studied him1 ,i found him to be the     
profoundest author ,i ever met with2 him
 ,i traversed over day and night1 from  
whom ,i must acknowledge to have        
advanced my judgment and knowledge unto 
that height ,i soon after arrived at1 or
 unto3 a most rational author1 and the  
sharpest expositor of ,ptolemy that hath
 yet appeared4 ,to exercise my genius1  
,i began to collect notes1 and thought  
of writing some little thing upon the   
symbol3 aspect conjunction of symbol3   
,saturn and symbol3 ,jupiter then       

approaching3 ,i had not wrote above one 
sheet1 and that very meanly1 but ,james 
,lord ,galloway came to see me2 and1 by 
chance1 casting his eyes upon that rude 
collection1 he read it over1 and so     
approved of it1 yea1 so encouraged me to
 proceed farther1 that then1 and after  
that time1 ,i spent most of my time in  
composing thereof1 and bringing it1 in  
the end1 into that method wherein it was
 printed #afdd4 ,i do seriously now     
profess1 ,i had not the assistance of   
any person living1 in the writing or    
composing thereof4 ,mr4 ,fiske sent me a
 small manuscript1 which had been ,sir  
,christopher ,heydon's1 who had wrote   
something of the conjunction of symbol3 
,saturn and symbol3 ,jupiter1 #afjc2 out
 of which1 to bring my method in order1 
,i transcribed1 in the beginning1 five  
or six lines1 and not any more1 though  
that graceless fellow ,gadbury wrote the
 contrary3 but1 ,semel et semper nebulo 
et mendax4 ,i did formerly write one    
treatise1 in the year #afci1 upon the   

eclipse of the sun1 in the eleventh     
degree of ,gemini1 ,may #bb1 #afci2 it  
consisted of six sheets of paper4 ,but  
that manuscript ,i gave unto my most    
munificent patron and ever bountiful    
friend1 ,william ,pennington1 of        
,muncaster in ,cumberland1 ,esq41 a wise
 and excellently learned person2 who1   
from the year #afcd1 even till he died1 
continued unto me the most grateful     
person ,i ever was acquainted with4 ,i  
became acquainted with him by means of  
,davy ,ramsey4  ,oh6 most noble         
,esquire1 let me now beg your pardon1 if
 ,i digress for some small time1 in     
commemorating his bounty unto me1 and my
 requital of his friendship1 by         
performing many things successfully for 
his advantage4  ,in #afci he was made   
captain1 and served his ,majesty in his 
then wars against the ,scots2 during    
which time a farmer's daughter being    
delivered of a bastard1 and hearing1 by 
report1 that he was slain1 fathered the 
child upon him4 ,shortly after he       

returned1 most woefully vexed to be thus
 abused1 when absent4 ,the woman was    
countenanced by some gentlemen of       
,cumberland1 in this her villany against
 him2 so that1 notwithstanding he had   
warrants to attach her body1 he could   
never discover her3 but yet1 hunting her
 from one place to another1 her friends 
thought it most convenient to send her  
to ,london1 where she might be in most  
safety4 ,she came up to the city1 and   
immediately ,i had notice thereof1 and  
the care of that matter was left unto   
me4 ,i procured the ,lord ,chief        
,justice ,bramston's warrant1 and had it
 lying dormant by me4 ,she had not been 
in the city above one fortnight1 but    
that ,i1 going casually to the clerk of 
the assizes' office for ,cumberland1 saw
 there an handsome woman2 and hearing of
 her speak the northern tone1 ,i        
concluded she was the party ,i did so   
want4 ,i rounded the clerk in his ear1  
and told him ,i would give him five     
shillings to hold the woman in chat till

 ,i came again1 for ,i had a writing    
concerned her4 ,i hasted for my warrant1
 and a constable1 and returned into the 
office1 seized her person before the    
clerk of the assizes1 who was very angry
 with me3 it was then sessions at       
,old-,bayley1 and neither ,judge nor    
,justice to be found4 ,at night we      
carried her before the ,recorder1       
,gardner4 ,it being ,saturday at night1 
she1 having no bail1 was sent to        
,bridewell1 where she remained till     
,monday4 ,on ,monday morning1 at the    
,old-,bayley1 she produced bail2 but ,i 
desiring of the ,recorder some time to  
enquire after the bail1 whether they    
were sufficient1 returned presently1 and
 told him one of the bail was a prisoner
 in ,ludgate1 the other a very poor man4
 ,at which he was so vexed1 that he sent
 her to ,newgate1 where she lay all that
 week1 until she could please me with   
good sureties2 which then she did1 and  
so was bound over to appear at the next 
assizes in ,cumberland2 which she did1  

and was there sentenced to be whipped1  
and imprisoned one whole year4  ,this   
action infinitely pleased ,mr4          
,pennington1 who thought ,i could do    
wonders2 and ,i was most thankfully     
requited for it4 ,all the while of this 
scandalous business1 do what he could1  
he could not discover what persons they 
were that supported her2 but the woman's
 father coming to town1 ,i became       
acquainted with him1 by the name of ,mr4
 ,sute1 merchant2 invited him to a      
dinner2 got ,george ,farmer with me2    
when we so plied him with wine1 he could
 neither see or feel4 ,i paid the       
reckoning1 twenty-two shillings4 ,but   
next morning the poor man had never a   
writing or letter in his pocket4 ,i sent
 them down to my friend1 who thereby    
discovered the plots of several         
gentlemen in the business2 after which1 
,mr4 ,sute returned to his old name     
again4  ,mr4 ,pennington was a true     
royalist1 whom ,charles the ,second made
 one of his ,commissioners of ,array for

 ,cumberland4 ,having directions from me
 continually how matters did and would  
go betwixt the ,king and ,parliament1 he
 acted warily1 and did but sign one only
 warrant of that nature1 and then gave  
over4 ,when the times of sequestrations 
came1 one ,john ,musgrave1 the most bold
 and impudent fellow1 and most active of
 all the north of ,england1 and most    
malicious against my friend1 had got    
this warrant under ,mr4 ,pennington's   
hand into his custody2 which affrighted 
my friend1 and so it might1 for it was  
cause enough of sequestration1 and would
 have done it4 ,musgrave intending      
himself great matters out of his estate1
 ,i was made acquainted herewith4       
,musgrave being in ,london1 by much ado1
 ,i got acquainted with him1 pretending 
myself a bitter enemy against           
,pennington1 whereat he very heartily   
rejoiced2 and so we appointed one night 
to meet at the ,five ,bells1 to compare 
notes2 for ,i pretended much4 ,we did   
meet1 and he very suddenly produced upon

 the table all his papers1 and withal1  
the warrant of array unto which my      
friend had set his hand2 which when ,i  
saw1 ',i marry1' said ,i1 'this is his  
hand ,i will swear2 now have at all     
come1 the other cup1 this warrant shall 
pay for all4' ,i observed where the     
warrant lay upon the table1 and1 after  
some time took occasion ignorantly to   
let the candle fall out1 which whilst he
 went to light again at the fire1 ,i    
made sure of the warrant1 and put it    
into my boot2 he never missing it of    
eight or ten days2 about which time1 ,i 
believe1 it was above half way towards  
,cumberland1 for ,i instantly sent it by
 the post1 with this friendly caveat1   
',sin no more4' ,musgrave durst not     
challenge me in those times1 and so the 
business was ended very satisfactory to 
his friend1 and no less to myself4  ,he 
was1 besides1 extremely abused by one   
,isaac ,antrobus1 parson of ,egremond1 a
 most evil liver1 bold1 and very rich2  
at last he procured a minister of that  

country1 in hope of the parsonage1 to   
article against him in ,london1 before  
the committee of plundered ministers4 ,i
 was once more invited to solicit       
against ,antrobus1 which ,i did upon    
three or more articles4  ,i4 ,that      
,antrobus baptized a cock1 and called   
him ,peter4  ,,ii4 ,he had knowledge of 
such a woman and of her daughter1 viz4  
of both their bodies1 in as large a     
manner as ever of his own wife4  ,,iii4 
,being drunk1 a woman took a cord and   
tied it about his privy members unto a  
manger in a stable4  ,,iv4 ,being a     
continual drunkard4  ,v4 ,he never      
preached1 c4         99       99        
99       99       99  ,antrobus was now 
become a great champion for the         
,parliament2 but1 at the day of hearing1
 ,i had procured abundance of my friends
 to be there2 for the godly1 as they    
termed themselves1 sided with him2 the  
present ,master of the ,rolls was       
,chairman that day1 ,sir ,harbottle     
,grimston4  ,who1 hearing the foulness  

of the cause1 was very much ashamed     
thereof4 ,i remember ,antrobus1 being   
there1 pleaded he was in his natural    
condition when he acted so ungraciously4
  ',what condition were you in1' said   
the ,chairman1 'when you lay with mother
 and daughter8'  ',there is no proof of 
that1' saith he4  ',none but your own   
confession1' said the ,chairman1 'nor   
could any tell so well4'  ',i am not    
given to drunkenness1' quoth he4 ',he   
was so drunk within this fortnight1'    
quoth ,i1 'he reeled from one side of   
the street to the other2 here is the    
witness to prove it3' who1 presently1   
before the committee1 being sworn1 made 
it good1 and named the place and street 
where he was drunk4 ,so he was adjudged 
scandalous1 and outed of his benefice1  
and our minister had the parsonage4     
,you cannot imagine how much the routing
 of this drunken parson pleased ,mr4    
,pennington1 who paid all charges       
munificently and thankfully4  ,but now  
follows the last and greatest kindness  

,i ever did him4 ,notwithstanding the   
committee for sequestrations in         
,cumberland were his very good friends1 
yet the sub-sequestrators1 of their own 
heads1 and without order1 and by        
strength of arms1 secured his irons1 his
 wood1 and so much of his personal      
estate as was valued at seven thousand  
pounds4 ,now had ,i complaint upon      
complaint3 would ,i suffer my old friend
 to be thus abused8 it was in my power  
to free him from these villains4  ,i    
hereupon advised what was best to do1   
and was counselled to get ,mr4 ,speaker 
,lenthall's letter to the               
sub-sequestrators1 and command them to  
be obedient to the committee of the     
county4  ,whereupon1 ,i framed a letter 
myself1 unto the sub-sequestrators      
directed1 and with it1 myself and ,mr4  
,laurence ,maydwell 7whom yourself well 
knew7 went to ,mr4 ,speaker1 unto whom  
we sufficiently related the stubbornness
 of the officers of ,cumberland2 their  
disobedience to the committee2 and then 

shewed him the letter1 which when he had
 read over1 he most courteously signed1 
adding withal1 that if they proceeded   
further in sequestring ,mr4 ,pennington1
 he would command a ,serjeant at ,arms  
to bring them up to answer their        
contempts3 ,i immediately posted that   
letter to my friend1 which when the     
absurd fellows received1 they delivered 
him possession of his goods again2 and1 
for my pains1 when he came to ,london1  
gave me one hundred pounds2 he died in  
#afeb1 of a violent fever4 ,i did       
carefully1 in #afdb and #afdc1 take     
notice of every grand action which      
happened betwixt ,king and ,parliament1 
and did first then incline to believe1  
that as all sublunary affairs did depend
 upon superior causes1 so there was a   
possibility of discovering them by the  
configurations of the superior bodies2  
in which way making some essays in those
 two years1 ,i found encouragement to   
proceed further1 which ,i did2 ,i       
perused the writings of the ancients1   

but therein they were silent1 or gave no
 satisfaction2 at last1 ,i framed unto  
myself that method1 which then and since
 ,i follow1 which1 ,i hope1 in time may 
be more perfected by a more penetrating 
person than myself4  ,in #afdc1 ,i      
became familiarly known to ,sir         
,bulstrode ,whitlocke1 a member of the  
,house of ,commons2 he being sick1 his  
urine was brought unto me by ,mrs4      
,lisle1#aa wife to ,john ,lisle1        
afterwards one of the keepers of the    
,great ,seal2 having set my figure1 ,i  
returned answer1 the sick for that time 
would recover1 but by means of a surfeit
 would dangerously relapse within one   
month2 which he did1 by eating of trouts
 at ,mr4 ,sand's house1 near            
,leatherhead in ,surrey4 ,then ,i went  
daily to visit him1 ,dr4 ,prideau       
despairing of his life2 but ,i said     
there was no danger thereof1 and that he
 would be sufficiently well in five or  
six weeks2 and so he was4      ,footnote
 #aa3 ,she was afterwards beheaded at   

,winchester1 for     harbouring one     
,nelthrop1 a rebel in the ,duke of      
,monmouth's army     #afhe4 ,she had    
made herself remarkable1 by saying at   
the     martyrdom of ,king ,charles ,i1 
#afdh1 'that her blood leaped within    
her to see the tyrant fall2' for this1  
when she fell into the     state trap1  
she neither did nor could expect favour 
from any of     that martyr's family4   
,in #afdd1 ,i published ,merlinus       
,anglicus ,junior about ,april4 ,i had  
given one day the copy thereof unto the 
then ,mr4 ,whitlocke1 who by accident   
was reading thereof in the ,house of    
,commons3 ere the ,speaker took the     
chair1 one looked upon it1 and so did   
many1 and got copies thereof2 which when
 ,i heard1 ,i applied myself to ,john   
,booker to license it1 for then he was  
licenser of all mathematical books2 ,i  
had1 to my knowledge1 never seen him    
before2 he wondered at the book1 made   
many impertinent obliterations1 framed  
many objections1 swore it was not       

possible to distinguish betwixt ,king   
and ,parliament2 at last licensed it    
according to his own fancy2 ,i delivered
 it unto the printer1 who being an arch 
,presbyterian1 had five of the ministry 
to inspect it1 who could make nothing of
 it1 but said it might be printed1 for  
in that ,i meddled not with their       
,dagon4 ,the first impression was sold  
in less than one week2 when ,i presented
 some to the members of ,parliament1 ,i 
complained of ,john ,booker the         
licenser1 who had defaced my book2 they 
gave me order forthwith to reprint it as
 ,i would1 and let them know if any     
durst resist me in the reprinting1 or   
adding what ,i thought fit2 so the      
second time it came forth as ,i would   
have it4  ,i must confess1 ,i now found 
my scholar ,humphreys's words to be true
 concerning ,john ,booker1 whom at that 
time ,i found but moderately versed in  
astrology2 nor could he take the circles
 of position of the planets1 until in   
that year ,i instructed him4 ,after my  

,introduction in #afdg became publick1  
he amended beyond measure1 by study     
partly1 and partly upon emulation to    
keep up his fame and reputation2 so that
 since #afdg1 ,i have seen some         
nativities by him very judiciously      
performed4 ,when the printer presented  
him with an ,introduction of mine1 as   
soon as they were forth of the press2   
',i wish1' saith he1 'there was never   
another but this in ,england1           
conditionally ,i gave one hundred pounds
 for this4' ,after that time we were    
very great friends to his dying day4    
,in ,june1 #afdd1 ,i published          
,supernatural ,sight2 and1 indeed1 if ,i
 could have procured the dull stationer 
to have been at charges to have cut the 
icon or form of that prodigious         
apparition1 as ,i had drawn it forth1 it
 would have given great satisfaction2   
however1 the astrological judgment      
thereupon had its full event in every   
particular4  ,that year also ,i         
published the ,white ,king's ,prophecy1 

of which there were sold in three days  
eighteen hundred1 so that it was oft    
reprinted3 ,i then made no commentary   
upon it4  ,in that year ,i printed the  
,prophetical ,merlin1 and had eight     
pounds for the copy4  ,i had then no    
farther intention to trouble the press  
any more1 but ,sir ,richard ,napper     
having received one of ,captain         
,wharton's ,almanacks for #afde1 under  
the name ,naworth1 he came unto me3     
',now1 ,lilly1 you are met withal1 see  
here what ,naworth writes4' ,the words  
were1 he called me 'an impudent         
senseless fellow1 and by name ,william  
,lilly4'  ,before that time1 ,i was more
 ,cavalier than ,roundhead1 and so taken
 notice of2 but after that ,i engaged   
body and soul in the cause of           
,parliament1 but still with much        
affection to his ,majesty's person and  
unto monarchy1 which ,i ever loved and  
approved beyond any government          
whatsoever2 and you will find in this   
story many passages of civility which ,i

 did1 and endeavoured to do1 with the   
hazard of my life1 for his ,majesty3 but
 ,god had ordered all his affairs and   
counsels to have no successes2 as in the
 sequel will appear4  ,to vindicate my  
reputation1 and to cry quittance with   
,naworth1 against whom ,i was highly    
incensed1 to work ,i went again for     
,anglicus1 #afde2 which as soon as      
finished ,i got to the press1 thinking  
every day one month till it was publick3
 ,i therein made use of the ,king's     
nativity1 and finding that his ascendant
 was approaching to the quadrature of   
,mars1 about ,june1 #afde1 ,i gave this 
unlucky judgment2 ',if now we fight1 a  
victory stealeth upon us2' and so it did
 in ,june1 #afde1 at ,naseby1 the most  
fatal overthrow he ever had4  ,in this  
year1 #afde1 ,i published a treatise    
called the ,starry ,messenger1 with an  
interpretation of three suns seen in    
,london1 #bith ,may1 #afdd1 being       
,charles the ,second's birthday3 in that
 book ,i also put forth an astrological 

judgment concerning the effects of a    
solar eclipse1 visible the #aath of     
,august1 #afde4 ,two days before its    
publishing1 my antagonist1 ,captain     
,wharton1 having given his astronomical 
judgment upon his ,majesty's present    
march from ,oxford2 therein again fell  
foul against me and ,john ,booker3 ,sir 
,samuel ,luke1 ,governor of             
,newportpagnel1 had the thing came to   
his garrison from ,oxford1 which        
presently was presented unto my view4 ,i
 had but twelve hours1 or thereabout1 to
 answer it1 which ,i did with such      
success as is incredible2 and the       
printer printed both the ,march and my  
answer unto it1 and produced it to      
sight1 with my ,starry ,messenger1 which
 came forth and was made publick the    
very day of the ,parliament's great     
victory obtained against his ,majesty in
 person at ,naseby1 under the conduct of
 the ,lord ,thomas ,fairfax4  ,that book
 no sooner appeared1 but within fourteen
 days complaint was made to the         

committee of examinations1 ,miles       
,corbet then being ,chairman1 my mortal 
enemy1 he who after was hanged1 drawn1  
and quartered1 for being one of the     
,king's ,judges2 he grants his warrant1 
and a messenger to the ,serjeant at     
,arms seizeth my person4 ,as ,i was     
going to ,westminster with the          
messenger1 ,i met ,sir ,philip          
,stapleton1 ,sir ,christopher ,wray1    
,mr4 ,denzil ,hollis1 ,mr4 ,robert      
,reynolds1 who1 by great fortune1 had   
the ,starry ,messenger sheet by sheet   
from me as it came from the press4 ,they
 presently fell a smiling at me2 ',miles
 ,corbet1 ,lilly1 will punish thee      
soundly2 but fear nothing1 we will dine1
 and make haste to be at the committee  
time enough to do the business2' and so 
they most honourably performed2 for     
they1 as soon as they came1 sat down1   
and put ,mr4 ,reynolds purposely into   
the chair1 and ,i was called in2 but    
,corbet being not there1 they bid me    
withdraw until he came2 which when he   

did1 ,i was commanded to appear1 and    
,corbet desired to give the cause of my 
being in restraint1 and of the          
committee's order4 ,mr4 ,reynolds was   
purposely put into the chair1 and       
continued till my business was over4    
,corbet produced my ,anglicus of #afde1 
and said there were many scandalous     
passages therein against the            
,commissioners of ,excise in ,london4   
,he produced one passage1 which being   
openly read by himself1 the whole       
committee adjudged it to signify the    
errors of sub-officers1 but had no      
relation to the ,commissioners          
themselves1 which ,i affirmatively      
maintained to be the true meaning as the
 committee declared4  ,then ,corbet     
found out another dangerous place1 as he
 thought1 and the words were thus in the
 printed book--',in the name of the     
,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,ghost1 will   
not the ,excise pay the soldiers8'      
,corbet very ignorantly read1 'will not 
the ,eclipse pay soldiers8' at which the

 ,committee fell heartily to laugh at   
him1 and so he became silent4  ,there   
was a great many ,parliament men there2 
the chamber was full4 ',have you any    
more against ,mr4 ,lilly8' cried the    
chairman4  ',yes1' saith the ,sollicitor
 for the ,excise1 'since his ,starry    
,messenger came forth we had our house  
burnt1 and the ,commissioners pulled by 
their cloaks in the ,exchange4' ',pray1 
sir1 when was this1' asked old ,sir     
,robert ,pye1 'that the house was burnt1
 and the ,aldermen abused8' ',it was in 
such a week1' saith he4 ',mr4 ,lilly1   
when came the book forth8' ',the very   
day of ,naseby fight1' answered ,mr4    
,reynolds1 'nor needs he be ashamed of  
writing it3 ,i had it daily as it came  
forth of the press3 it was then found   
the house to be burnt1 and the ,aldermen
 abused1 twelve days before the ,starry 
,messenger came forth4' ',what a lying  
fellow art thou1' saith ,sir ,robert    
,pye1 'to abuse us so6' ,this he spoke  
to the ,sollicitor4 ,then stood up one  

,bassell1 a merchant3 he inveighed      
bitterly against me1 being a            
,presbyterian1 and would have had my    
books burnt4 ',you smell more of a      
citizen than a scholar1' replied ,mr4   
,francis ,drake4 ,i was ordered to      
withdraw1 and by and by was called in1  
and acquainted the committee did        
discharge me4 ,but ,i cried with a loud 
voice1 ',i was under a messenger2'      
whereupon the committee ordered him or  
the ,serjeant at ,arms not to take any  
fees2 ,mr4 ,reynolds saying1 ',literate 
men never pay any fees4'  ,but within   
one week after1 ,i was likely to have   
had worse success1 but that the         
before-named gentlemen stoutly          
befriended me4 ,in my ,epistle of the   
,starry ,messenger1 ,i had been a little
 too plain with the committee of        
,leicestershire2 who thereof made       
complaint unto ,sir ,arthur ,hazelrigg1 
,knight for that county2 he was a       
furious person1 and made a motion in the
 ,house of ,commons against me1 and the 

business was committed to that          
committee1 whereof ,baron ,rigby was    
chairman4 ,a day was assigned to hear   
the matter2 in the morning whereof1 as  
,i passed by ,mr4 ,pullen's shop in ,st4
 ,paul's ,church-yard1 ,pullen bad ',god
 be with you1' and named me by name4    
,mr4 ,selden being there1 and hearing my
 name1 gave direction to call me unto   
him1 where he acquaints me with         
,hazelrigg's humour and malice towards  
me1 called for the ,starry ,messenger1  
and having read over the words          
mentioning that committee1 he asked me  
how ,i would answer them8 ,i related    
what ,i would have said1 but he         
contradicted me1 and acquainted me what 
to say1 and how to answer4 ,in the      
afternoon ,i went to appear1 but there  
was no committee set1 or would sit2 for 
both ,mr4 ,reynolds and ,sir ,philip    
,stapleton1 and my other friends1 had   
fully acquainted ,baron ,rigby with the 
business1 and desired him not to call   
upon me until they appeared2 for the    

matter and charge intended against me   
was very frivolous1 and only presented  
by a cholerick person to please a       
company of clowns1 meaning the committee
 of ,leicester4 ,baron ,rigby said1 if  
it were so he would not meddle with the 
matter1 but exceedingly desired to see  
me4 ,not long after he met ,sir ,arthur1
 and acquainting him what friends       
appeared for me1 said1 ',i will then    
prosecute him no further4'  ,all the    
ancient astrologers of ,england were    
much startled and confounded at my      
manner of writing1 especially old ,mr4  
,william ,hodges1 who lived near        
,wolverhampton in ,staffordshire1 and   
many others who understood astrology    
competently well1 as they thought4      
,hodges swore ,i did more by astrology  
than he could by the crystal1 and use   
thereof1 which indeed he understood as  
perfectly as any one in ,england4 ,he   
was a great royalist1 but could never   
hit any thing right for that party1     
though he much desired it3 he resolved  

questions astrologically2 nativities he 
meddled not with2 in things of other    
nature1 which required more curiosity1  
he repaired to the crystal3 his angels  
were ,raphael1 ,gabriel1 and ,uriel3 his
 life answered not in holiness and      
sanctity to what it should1 having to   
deal with those holy angels4 ,being     
contemporary with me1 ,i shall relate   
what my partner ,john ,scott1 the same  
,scott as is before-mentioned1 affirmed 
of him4 ,john ,scott was a little       
skilful in surgery and physick1 so was  
,will ,hodges1 and had formerly been a  
school-master4 ,scott having some       
occasions into ,staffordshire1 addressed
 himself for a month or six weeks to    
,hodges1 assisted him to dress his      
patients1 let blood1 c4 ,being to return
 to ,london1 he desired ,hodges to shew 
him the person and feature of the woman 
he should marry4 ,hodges carries him    
into a field not far from his house1    
pulls out his crystal1 bids ,scott set  
his foot to his1 and1 after a while1    

wishes him to inspect the crystal1 and  
observe what he saw there4 ',i see1'    
saith ,scott1 'a ruddy complexioned     
wench in a red waistcoat1 drawing a can 
of beer4' ',she must be your wife1' said
 ,hodges4 ',you are mistaken1 ,sir1'    
said ,scott4 ',i am1 so soon as ,i come 
to ,london1 to marry a tall gentlewoman 
in the ,old ,bailey4' ',you must marry  
the red waistcoat1' said ,hodges4 ,scott
 leaves the country1 comes up to        
,london1 finds his gentlewoman married3 
two years after going into ,dover1 in   
his return1 he refreshed himself at an  
inn in ,canterbury1 and as he came into 
the hall1 or first room thereof1 he     
mistook the room1 and went into the     
buttery1 where he espied a maid1        
described by ,hodges1 as before said1   
drawing a can of beer1 c4 ,he then more 
narrowly viewing her person and habit1  
found her1 in all parts1 to be the same 
,hodges had described2 after which he   
became a suitor unto her1 and was       
married unto her2 which woman ,i have   

often seen4 ,this ,scott related unto me
 several times1 being a very honest     
person1 and made great conscience of    
what he spoke4 ,another story of him is 
as followeth1 which ,i had related from 
a person which well knew the truth of   
it4  ,a neighbour gentleman of ,hodges  
lost his horse2 who having ,hodges's    
advice for recovery of him1 did again   
obtain him4 ,some years after1 in a     
frolick1 he thought to abuse him1       
acquainting a neighbour therewith1 viz41
 that he had formerly lost a horse1 went
 to ,hodges1 recovered him again1 but   
saith it was by chance2 ,i might have   
had him without going unto him3 ',come1 
let's go1 ,i will now put a trick upon  
him2 ,i will leave some boy or other at 
the town's-end with my horse1 and then  
go to ,hodges and enquire for him4' ,he 
did so1 gave his horse to a youth1 with 
orders to walk him till he returned4    
,away he goes with his friend1 salutes  
,mr4 ,hodges1 thanks him for his former 
courtesy1 and now desires the like1     

having lost a horse very lately4        
,hodges1 after some time of pausing1    
said2 ',sir1 your horse is lost1 and    
never to be recovered4' ',i thought what
 skill you had1' replies the gallant1   
'my horse is walking in a lane at the   
town's-end4' ,with that ,hodges swore   
7as he was too much given unto that     
vice7 'your horse is gone1 and you will 
never have him again4' ,the gentleman   
departed in great derision of ,hodges1  
and went where he left his horse3 when  
he came there1 he found the boy fast    
asleep upon the ground1 the horse gone1 
the boy's arm in the bridle4  ,he       
returns again to ,hodges1 desiring his  
aid1 being sorry for his former abuse4  
,old ,will swore like a devil1 'be gone1
 be gone2 go look for your horse4' ,this
 business ended not so2 for the         
malicious man brought ,hodges into the  
star-chamber1 bound him over to the     
assizes1 put ,hodges to great expences3 
but1 by means of the ,lord ,dudley1 if  
,i remember aright1 or some other person

 thereabouts1 he overcame the gentleman1
 and was acquitted4  ,besides this1 a   
gentlewoman of my acquaintance1 and of  
credit1 in ,leicestershire1 having lost 
a pillion-cloth1 a very new one1 went to
 desire his judgment4 ,he ordered her   
such a day to attend at ,mountsorrel in 
,leicestershire1 and about twelve       
o'clock she should see her pillion-cloth
 upon a horse1 and a woman upon it4 ,my 
friend attended the hour and place2 it  
being told1 she must needs warm herself 
well1 and then enquired if any          
passengers had lately gone by the inn8  
,unto whom answer was made1 there passed
 by whilst she was at the fire1 about   
half an hour before1 a man1 and a woman 
behind him1 on horse-back4 ,inquiring of
 what colour the pillion-cloth was of2  
it was answered1 directly of the colour 
my friend's was3 they pursued1 but too  
late4  ,in those times1 there lived one 
,william ,marsh in ,dunstable1 a man of 
godly life and upright conversation1 a  
,recusant4 ,by astrology he resolved    

thievish questions with great success2  
that was his utmost sole practice4 ,he  
was many times in trouble2 but by ,dr4  
,napper's interest with the ,earl of    
,bolingbroke1 ,lord ,wentworth1 after   
,earl of ,cleveland1 he still continued 
his practice1 the said ,earl not        
permitting any ,justice of ,peace to vex
 him4  ,this man had only two books1    
,guido and ,haly bound together2 he had 
so mumbled and tumbled the leaves of    
both1 that half one side of every leaf  
was torn even to the middle4 ,i was     
familiar with him for many years3 he    
died about #afdg4  ,a word or two of    
,dr4 ,napper1 who lived at ,great       
,lindford in ,buckinghamshire1 was      
parson1 and had the advowson thereof4   
,he descended of worshipful parents1 and
 this you must believe2 for when ,dr4   
,napper's brother1 ,sir ,robert ,napper1
 a ,turkey merchant1 was to be made a   
,baronet in ,king ,james's reign1 there 
was some dispute whether he could prove 
himself a gentleman for three or more   

descents4 ',by my saul1' saith ,king    
,james1 ',i will certify for ,napper1   
that he is of above three hundred years 
standing in his family1 all of them1 by 
my saul1 gentlemen1' c4 ,however1 their 
family came into ,england in ,king      
,henry the ,eighth's time4 ,the parson  
was ,master of ,arts2 but whether       
doctorated by degree or courtesy1       
because of his profession1 ,i know not4 
,miscarrying one day in the pulpit1 he  
never after used it1 but all his        
life-time kept in his house some        
excellent scholar or other to officiate 
for him1 with allowance of a good       
salary3 he out-went ,forman in physick  
and holiness of life2 cured the         
falling-sickness perfectly by           
constellated rings1 some diseases by    
amulets1 c4  ,a maid was much afflicted 
with the falling sickness1 whose parents
 applied themselves unto him for cure3  
he framed her a constellated ring1 upon 
wearing whereof1 she recovered          
perfectly4 ,her parents acquainted some 

scrupulous divines with the cure of     
their daughter3 ',the cure is done by   
inchantment1' say they4 ',cast away the 
ring1 it's diabolical2 ,god cannot bless
 you1 if you do not cast the ring away4'
 ,the ring was cast into the well1      
whereupon the maid became epileptical as
 formerly1 and endured much misery for a
 long time4 ,at last her parents        
cleansed the well1 and recovered the    
ring again2 the maid wore it1 and her   
fits took her no more4 ,in this         
condition she was one year or two2 which
 the ,puritan ministers there adjoining 
hearing1 never left off1 till they      
procured her parents to cast the ring   
quite away2 which done1 the fits        
returned in such violence1 that they    
were enforced to apply to the ,doctor   
again1 relating at large the whole      
story1 humbly imploring his once more   
assistance2 but he could not be procured
 to do any thing1 only said1 those who  
despised ,god's mercies1 were not       
capable or worthy of enjoying them4  ,i 

was with him in #afcb1 or #afcc1 upon   
occasion4 ,he had me up into his        
library1 being excellently furnished    
with very choice books3 there he prayed 
almost one hour2 he invocated several   
angels in his prayer1 viz4#ab ,michael1 
,gabriel1 ,raphael1 ,uriel1 c4 ,we      
parted4      ,footnote #ab3 ,the collect
 read on ,michaelmas-day1 seems to allow
     of praying to angels4 ,at some     
times1 upon great occasions1 he     had 
conference with ,michael1 but very      
rarely4  ,he instructed many ministers  
in astrology1 would lend them whole     
cloak-bags of books2 protected them from
 harm and violence1 by means of his     
power with the ,earl of ,bolingbroke4#ac
 ,he would confess my master ,evans knew
 more than himself in some things3 and  
some time before he died1 he got his    
cousin ,sir ,richard to set a figure to 
see when he should die4 ,being brought  
him2 ',well1' he said1 'the old man will
 live this winter1 but in the spring he 
will die2 welcome ,lord ,jesus1 thy will

 be done4' ,he had many enemies3 ,cotta1
 ,doctor of physick in ,northampton1    
wrote a sharp book of witchcraft1       
wherein1 obliquely1 he bitterly         
inveighed against the ,doctor4          
,footnote #ac3 ,lord ,wentworth1 after  
,earl of ,cleveland4  ,in #afdf1 ,i     
printed a collection of ,prophecies1    
with the explanation and verification of
 ,aquila1 or the ,white ,king's         
,prophecy2 as also the nativities of    
,bishop ,laud and ,thomas ,earl of      
,strafford1 and a most learned speech by
 him intended to have been spoke upon   
the scaffold4 ,in this year #afdf1 after
 a great consideration1 and many        
importunities1 ,i began to fix upon     
thoughts of an ,introduction unto       
,astrology1 which was very much wanting1
 and as earnestly longed for by many    
persons of quality4 ,something also much
 occasioned and hastened the impression1
 viz4 the malevolent barking of         
,presbyterian ministers in their weekly 
sermons1 reviling the professors        

thereof1 and myself particularly by     
name4  ,secondly1 ,i thought it a duty  
incumbent upon me1 to satisfy the whole 
kingdom of the lawfulness thereof1 by   
framing a plain and easy method for any 
person but of indifferent capacity to   
learn the art1 and instruct himself     
therein1 without any other master than  
my ,introduction2 by which means1 when  
many understood it1 ,i should have more 
partners and assistants to contradict   
all and every antagonist4  ,thirdly1 ,i 
found it best as unto point of time1    
because many of the soldiers were wholly
 for it1 and many of the ,independant   
party2 and ,i had abundance of worthy   
men in the ,house of ,commons1 my       
assured friends1 no lovers of           
,presbytery1 which then were in great   
esteem1 and able to protect the art2 for
 should the ,presbyterian party have    
prevailed1 as they thought of nothing   
less than to be ,lords of all1 ,i knew  
well they would have silenced my pen    
annually1 and committed the             

,introduction unto everlasting silence4 
,fourthly1 ,i had something of          
conscience touched my spirit1 and much  
elevated my conceptions1 believing ,god 
had not bestowed those abilities upon   
me1 to bury them under a bushel2 for    
though my education was very mean1 yet1 
by my continual industry1 and ,god's    
great mercy1 ,i found myself capable to 
go forward with the work1 and to commit 
the issue thereof unto ,divine          
,providence4  ,i had a hard task in hand
 to begin the first part hereof1 and    
much labour ,i underwent to methodize it
 as it is4  ,i ingenuously confess unto 
you 7,arts' great ,mecaenas1 noble      
,esquire ,ashmole17 no mortal man had   
any share in the composition or ordering
 of the first part thereof1 but my only 
self4 ,you are a person of great        
reading1 yet ,i well know you never     
found the least trace thereof in any    
author yet extant4  ,in composing1      
contriving1 ordering1 and framing       
thereof 7viz4 the first part7 a great   

part of that year was spent4 ,i again   
perused all1 or most1 authors ,i had1   
sometimes adding1 at other times        
diminishing1 until at last ,i thought it
 worthy of the press4 ,when ,i came to  
frame the second part thereof1 having   
formerly collected out of many          
manuscripts1 and exchanged rules with   
the most able professors ,i had         
acquaintance with1 in transcribing those
 papers for impression1 ,i found1 upon a
 strict inquisition1 those rules were1  
for the most part1 defective2 so that   
once more ,i had now a difficult labour 
to correct their deficiency1 to new     
rectify them according to art2 and      
lastly1 considering the multiplicity of 
daily questions propounded unto me1 it  
was as hard a labour as might be to     
transcribe the papers themselves with my
 own hand4 ,the desire ,i had to benefit
 posterity and my country1 at last      
overcame all difficulties2 so that what 
,i could not do in one year1 ,i         
perfected early the next year1 #afdg2   

and then in that year1 viz4 #afdg1 ,i   
finished the third book of#ad           
nativities1#ae during the composing     
whereof1 for seven whole weeks1 ,i was  
shut up of the plague1 burying in that  
time two maid-servants thereof2 yet     
towards ,november that year1 the        
,introduction1 called by the name of    
,christian ,astrology1 was made publick4
 ,there being1 in those times1 some     
smart difference between the army and   
the ,parliament1 the head-quarters of   
the army were at ,windsor1 whither ,i   
was carried with a coach and four       
horses1 and ,john ,booker with me4 ,we  
were welcome thither1 and feasted in a  
garden where ,general ,fairfax lodged4  
,we were brought to the ,general1 who   
bid us kindly welcome to ,windsor2 and1 
in effect1 said thus much3              
,footnote #ad3 ,the name of the person  
whose nativity is directed     and      
judged1 is ,mr4 ,thompson1 whose father 
had been some time an     inn-keeper at 
the ,white-,hart in ,newark4            

,footnote #ae3 ,i devised the forms and 
fashions of the several     schemes4    
,e4,a4  ',that ,god had blessed the army
 with many signal victories1 and yet    
their work was not finished4 ,he hoped  
,god would go along with them until his 
work was done4 ,they sought not         
themselves1 but the welfare and         
tranquillity of the good people1 and    
whole nation2 and1 for that end1 were   
resolved to sacrifice both their lives  
and their own fortunes4 ,as for the art 
we studied1 he hoped it was lawful and  
agreeable to ,god's word3 he understood 
it not2 but doubted not but we both     
feared ,god2 and therefore had a good   
opinion of us both4' ,unto his speech ,i
 presently made this reply3  ',my ,lord1
 ,i am glad to see you here at this     
time4  ',certainly1 both the people of  
,god1 and all others of this nation1 are
 very sensible of ,god's mercy1 love1   
and favour unto them1 in directing the  
,parliament to nominate and elect you   
,general of their armies1 a person so   

religious1 so valiant4  ',the several   
unexpected victories obtained under your
 ,excellency's conduct1 will eternize   
the same unto all posterity4  ',we are  
confident of ,god's going along with you
 and your army1 until the great work for
 which he ordained you both1 is fully   
perfected2 which we hope will be the    
conquering and subversion of your's and 
the ,parliament's enemies1 and then a   
quiet settlement and firm peace over all
 the nation1 unto ,god's glory1 and full
 satisfaction of tender consciences4    
',sir1 as for ourselves1 we trust in    
,god2 and1 as ,christians1 believe in   
him4 ,we do not study any art but what  
is lawful1 and consonant to the         
scriptures1 fathers1 and antiquity2     
which we humbly desire you to believe1' 
c4  ,this ended1 we departed1 and went  
to visit ,mr4 ,peters the minister1 who 
lodged in the castle1 whom we found     
reading an idle pamphlet come from      
,london that morning4 ',lilly1 thou art 
herein1' says he4 ',are not you there   

also8' ,i replied4 ',yes1 that ,i am1'  
quoth he4--,the words concerning me were
 these3    ,from th' oracles of the     
,sibyls so silly1   ,the curst          
predictions of ,william ,lilly1   ,and  
,dr4 ,sybbald's ,shoe-lane ,philly1     
,good ,lord1 deliver me4  ,after much   
conference with ,hugh ,peters1 and some 
private discourse betwixt us two1 not to
 be divulged1 we parted1 and so came    
back to ,london4  ,king ,charles the    
,first1 in the year #afdf1 ,april #bg1  
went unto the ,scots1 then in this      
nation4 ,many desired my judgment1 in   
time of his absence1 to discover the way
 he might be taken3 which ,i would never
 be drawn unto1 or give any direction   
concerning his person4  ,there were many
 lewd ,mercuries printed both in ,london
 and ,oxford1 wherein ,i was            
sufficiently abused1 in this year1      
#afdf4 ,i had then my ascendant ad      
symbol3 ,gemini symbol3 aspect          
conjunction1 and symbol3 ,moon ad       
propriun4 ,the ,presbyterians were1 in  

their pulpits1 as merciless as the      
,cavaliers in their pamphlets4  ,about  
this time1 the most famous mathematician
 of all ,europe1#af ,mr4 ,william       
,oughtred1 parson of ,aldbury in ,surry1
 was in danger of sequestration by the  
,committee of or for plundered          
ministers2 7,ambo-dexters they were27   
several inconsiderable articles were    
deposed and sworn against him1 material 
enough to have sequestered him1 but     
that1 upon his day of hearing1 ,i       
applied myself to ,sir ,bolstrode       
,whitlock1 and all my own old friends1  
who in such numbers appeared in his     
behalf1 that though the chairman and    
many other ,presbyterian members were   
stiff against him1 yet he was cleared by
 the major number4 ,the truth is1 he had
 a considerable parsonage1 and that only
 was enough to sequester any moderate   
judgment3 he was also well known to     
affect his ,majesty4 ,in these times    
many worthy ministers lost their livings
 or benefices1 for not complying with   

the ,three-penny ,directory4 ,had you   
seen 7,o noble ,esquire7 what pitiful   
ideots were prefered into sequestrated  
church-benefices1 you would have been   
grieved in your soul2 but when they came
 before the classis of divines1 could   
those simpletons but only say1 they were
 converted by hearing such a sermon1    
such a lecture1 of that godly man ,hugh 
,peters1 ,stephen ,marshall1 or any of  
that gang1 he was presently admitted4   
,footnote #af3 ,this gentleman ,i was   
very well acquainted with1     having   
lived at the house over-against his1 at 
,aldbury in     ,surrey1 three or four  
years4 ,e4,a4  ,in #afdg1 ,i published  
the ,world's ,catastrophe1 the          
,prophecies of ,ambrose ,merlin1 with   
the ,key wherewith to unlock those      
obstruse ,prophecies2 also ,trithemius  
of the ,government of the ,world by the 
presiding ,angels2 these came forth all 
in one book4  ,the two first were       
exquisitely translated by yourself1     
7most learned ,sir7 as ,i do ingenuously

 acknowledge in my ,epistle unto the    
,reader1 with a true character of the   
worth and admirable parts1 unto which ,i
 refer any that do desire to read you   
perfectly delineated4 ,i was once       
resolved to have continued ,trithemius  
for some succeeding years1 but          
multiplicity of employment impeded me4  
,the study required1 in that kind of    
learning1 must be sedentary1 of great   
reading1 sound judgment1 which no man   
can accomplish except he wholly retire1 
use prayer1 and accompany himself with  
angelical consorts4  ,his ,majesty      
,charles the ,first1 having entrusted   
the ,scots with his person1 was1 for    
money1 delivered into the hands of the  
,english ,parliament1 and1 by several   
removals1 was had to ,hampton-,court1   
about ,july or ,august #afdg2 for he was
 there1 and at that time when my house  
was visited with the plague4 ,he was    
desirous to escape from the soldiery1   
and to obscure himself for some time    
near ,london1 the citizens whereof began

 now to be unruly1 and alienated in     
affection from the ,parliament1         
inclining wholly to his ,majesty1 and   
very averse to the army4 ,his ,majesty  
was well informed of all this1 and      
thought to make good use hereof2        
besides1 the army and ,parliament were  
at some odds1 who should be masters4    
,upon the ,king's intention to escape1  
and with his consent1 ,madam ,whorewood 
7whom you knew very well1 worthy        
,esquire7 came to receive my judgment1  
viz4 ,in what quarter of this nation he 
might be most safe1 and not to be       
discovered until himself pleased4  ,when
 she came to my door1 ,i told her ,i    
would not let her come into my house for
 ,i buried a maid-servant of the plague 
very lately4 ',i fear not the plague1   
but the pox1' quoth she2 so up we went4 
,after erection of my figure1 ,i told   
her about twenty miles 7or thereabouts7 
from ,london1 and in ,essex1 ,i was     
certain he might continue undiscovered4 
,she liked my judgment very well2 and1  

being herself of a sharp judgment1      
remembered a place in ,essex about that 
distance1 where was an excellent house1 
and all conveniences for his reception4 
,away she went1 early next morning1 unto
 ,hampton-,court1 to acquaint his       
,majesty2 but see the misfortune3 ,he1  
either guided by his own approaching    
hard fate1 or misguided by              
,ashburnham1#ag went away in the        
night-time westward1 and surrendered    
himself to ,hammond1 in the ,isle of    
,wight4      ,footnote #ag3 ,this       
,ashburnham was turned out of the ,house
 of     ,commons the #c;d of ,november1 
#affg1 for taking a bribe of five       
hundred pounds of the merchants4 ,i was 
informed hereof #bfth     ,november1    
#affg4  ,whilst his ,majesty was at     
,hampton-,court ,alderman ,adams sent   
his ,majesty one thousand pounds in     
gold1 five hundred whereof he gave      
,madam ,whorewood4 ,i believe ,i had    
twenty pieces of that very gold for my  
share4  ,i have something more to write 

of ,charles the ,first's misfortunes1   
wherein ,i was concerned2 the matter    
happened in #afdh1 but ,i thought good  
to insert it here1 having after this no 
more occasion to mention him4  ,his     
,majesty being in ,carisbrook-,castle in
 the ,isle of ,wight1 the ,kentish men1 
in great numbers1 rose in arms1 and     
joined with the ,lord ,goring2 a        
considerable number of the best ships   
revolted from the ,parliament2 the      
citizens of ,london were forward to rise
 against the ,parliament2 his ,majesty  
laid his design to escape out of prison1
 by sawing the iron bars of his chamber 
window2 a small ship was provided1 and  
anchored not far from the castle to     
bring him into ,sussex2 horses were     
provided ready to carry him through     
,sussex into ,kent1 so that he might be 
at the head of the army in ,kent1 and   
from thence to march immediately to     
,london1 where thousands then would have
 armed for him4 ,the ,lady ,whorewood   
came to me1 acquaints me herewith4 ,i   

got ,g4 ,farmer 7who was a most         
ingenious lock-smith1 and dwelt in      
,bowlane7 to make a saw to cut the iron 
bars in sunder1 ,i mean to saw them1 and
 aqua fortis besides4 ,his ,majesty in a
 small time did his work2 the bars gave 
liberty for him to go out2 he was out   
with his body till he came to his       
breast2 but then his heart failing1 he  
proceeded no farther3 when this was     
discovered1 as soon after it was1 he was
 narrowly looked after1 and no          
opportunity after that could be devised 
to enlarge him4 ,about ,september the   
,parliament sent their ,commissioners   
with propositions unto him into the     
,isle of ,wight1 the ,lord ,william ,sea
 being one2 the ,lady ,whorewood comes  
again unto me from him or by his        
consent1 to be directed3 ,after perusal 
of my figure1 ,i told her the           
,commissioners would be there such a    
day2 ,i elected a day and hour when to  
receive the ,commissioners and          
propositions2 and as soon as the        

propositions were read1 to sign them1   
and make haste with all speed to come up
 with the ,commissioners to ,london4    
,the army being then far distant from   
,london1 and the city enraged stoutly   
against them1 he promised he would do   
so4 ,that night the ,commissioners came1
 and old ,sea and his ,majesty had      
private conference till one in the      
morning3 the ,king acquaints ,sea with  
his intention1 who clearly dissuaded him
 from signing the propositions1 telling 
him they were not fit for him to sign2  
that he had many friends in the ,house  
of ,lords1 and some in the ,house of    
,commons2 that he would procure more1   
and then they would frame more easy     
propositions4 ,this flattery of this    
unfortunate ,lord occasioned his        
,majesty to wave the advice ,i and some 
others that wished his prosperity had   
given1 in expectation of that which     
afterwards could never be gained4 ,the  
army having some notice hereof from one 
of the ,commissioners1 who had an eye   

upon old ,sea1 hasted unto ,london1 and 
made the citizens very quiet2 and       
besides1 the ,parliament and army kept a
 better correspondency afterwards with  
each other4  ,whilst the ,king was at   
,windsor-,castle1 once walking upon the 
leads there1 he looked upon ,captain    
,wharton's ,almanack3 ',my book1' saith 
he1 'speaks well as to the weather3'    
,one ,william ,allen standing by2       
'what1' saith he1 'saith his antagonist1
 ,mr4 ,lilly8' ',i do not care for      
,lilly1' said his ,majesty1 'he hath    
been always against me1' and became a   
little bitter in his expressions4       
',sir1' saith ,allen1 'the man is an    
honest man1 and writes but what his art 
informs him4' ',i believe it1' said his 
,majesty1 'and that ,lilly understands  
astrology as well as any man in         
,europe4' ,exit ,rex ,carolus4  ,in     
#afdh ,i published a ,treatise of the   
,three ,suns1 seen the winter preceding2
 as also an ,astrological ,judgment upon
 a ,conjunction of ,saturn and ,mars #bh

 ,june1 in #aa degrees #h minutes of    
,gemini4  ,i commend unto your perusal  
that book and the ,prophetical ,merlin1 
which1 seriously considered1 7,oh worthy
 ,esquire7 will more instruct your      
judgement 7,de generalibus              
contingentibus ,mundi7 than all the     
authors you yet ever met with4  ,in this
 year1 for very great considerations1   
the ,council of ,state gave me in money 
fifty pounds1 and a pension of one      
hundred pounds per ,annum1 which for two
 years ,i received1 but no more3 upon   
some discontents ,i after would not or  
did require it4 ,the cause moving them  
was this2 they could get no intelligence
 out of ,france1 although they had      
several agents there for that purpose4  
,i had formerly acquaintance with a     
secular priest1 at this time confessor  
to one of the ,secretaries2 unto him ,i 
wrote1 and by that means had perfect    
knowledge of the chiefest concernments  
of ,france1 at which they admired2 but  
,i never yet1 until this day1 revealed  

the name of the person4  ,one occasion  
why ,i deserted that employment was1    
because ,scott1 who had eight hundred   
pounds per ,annum for intelligence1     
would not contribute any occasion to    
gratify my friend3 ,and another thing   
was1 ,i received some affront from      
,gualter ,frost their ,secretary1 one   
that was a principal minister belonging 
to the ,council of ,state4 ,scott was   
ever my enemy1 the other knave died of a
 gangrene in his arm suddenly after4    
,in #afdh and #afdi1 that ,i might      
encourage young students in astrology1  
,i publickly read over the first part of
 my ,introduction1 wherein there are    
many things contained1 not easily to be 
understood4  ,and now we are entered    
into the year #afdi3 his ,majesty being 
at ,st4 ,james's ,house1 in ,january of 
that year1 ,i begun its observations    
thus3  ',i am serious1 ,i beg and expect
 justice2 either fear or shame begins to
 question offenders4  ',the lofty cedars
 begin to divine a thundering hurricane 

is at hand2 ,god elevates men           
contemptible4  ',our demigods are       
sensible we begin to dislike their      
actions very much in ,london1 more in   
the country4  ',blessed be ,god1 who    
encourages his servants1 makes them     
valiant1 and of undaunted spirits1 to go
 on with his decrees3 upon a sudden1    
great expectations arise1 and men       
generally believe a quiet and calm time 
draws nigh4'  ,in ,christmas holidays1  
the ,lord ,gray of ,grooby and ,hugh    
,peters sent for me to ,somerset-,house1
 with directions to bring them two of my
 ,almanacks4--,i did so2 ,peters and he 
read ,january's ,observations4  ',if we 
are not fools and knaves1' saith he1 'we
 shall do justice3' then they whispered4
 ,i understood not their meaning till   
his ,majesty was beheaded4 ,they applied
 what ,i wrote of justice1 to be        
understood of his ,majesty1 which was   
contrary to my intention2 for ,jupiter1 
the first day of ,january1 became       
direct2 and ,libra is a sign signifying 

,justice2 ,i implored for justice       
generally upon such as had cheated in   
their places1 being treasurers1 and such
 like officers4 ,i had not then heard   
the least intimation of bringing the    
,king unto trial1 and yet the first day 
thereof ,i was casually there1 it being 
upon a ,saturday2 for going to          
,westminster every ,saturday in the     
afternoon1 in these times1 at           
,white-hall ,i casually met ,peters2    
',come1 ,lilly1 wilt thou go hear the   
,king tried8' ',when8' said ,i4 ',now1  
just now2 go with me4' ,i did so1 and   
was permitted by the guard of soldiers  
to pass up to the ,king's-,bench4       
,within one quarter of an hour came the 
,judges1 presently his ,majesty1 who    
spoke excellently well1 and             
majestically1 without impediment in the 
least when he spoke4 ,i saw the silver  
top of his staff unexpectedly fall to   
the ground1 which was took up by ,mr4   
,rushworth3 and then ,i heard ,bradshaw 
the ,judge say to his ,majesty1  ',sir1 

instead of answering the court1 you     
interrogate their power1 which becomes  
not one in your condition'--  ,these    
words pierced my heart and soul1 to hear
 a subject thus audaciously to reprehend
 his ,sovereign1 who ever and anon      
replied with great magnanimity and      
prudence4  ,after that his ,majesty was 
beheaded1 the ,parliament for some years
 effected nothing either for the publick
 peace or tranquillity of the nation1 or
 settling religion as they had formerly 
promised4 ,the interval of time betwixt 
his ,majesty's death and ,oliver        
,cromwel's displacing them1 was wholly  
consumed in voting for themselves1 and  
bringing their own relations to be      
members of ,parliament1 thinking to make
 a trade thereof4  ,the week1 or three  
or four days before his ,majesty's      
beheading1 one ,major ,sydenham1 who had
 commands in ,scotland1 came to take his
 leave of me1 and told me the ,king was 
to be put to death1 which ,i was not    
willing to believe1 and said1 ',i could 

not be persuaded the ,parliament could  
find any ,englishman so barbarous1 that 
would do that foul action4' ',rather1'  
saith he1 'than they should want such a 
man1 these arms of mine should do it4'  
,he went presently after into ,scotland1
 and upon the first engagement against  
them1 was slain1 and his body miserably 
cut and mangled4  ,in #afea ,i published
 ,monarchy or no ,monarchy1 and in the  
latter end thereof some hieroglyphics of
 my own1 composed1 at spare time1 by the
 occult learning1 many of those types   
having representations of what should   
from thence succeed in ,england1 and    
have since had verification4  ,i had not
 that learning from books1 or any       
manuscript ,i ever yet met withal1 it is
 reduced from a cabal lodging in        
astrology1 but so mysterious and        
difficult to be attained1 that ,i have  
not yet been acquainted with any who had
 that knowledge4 ,i will say no more    
thereof1 but that the asterisms and     
signs and constellations give greatest  

light thereunto4  ,during ,bradshaw's   
being ,president of the ,council of     
,state1 it was my happiness to procure  
,captain ,wharton his liberty1 which    
when ,bradshaw understood1 said1 ',i    
will be an enemy to ,lilly1 if ever he  
come before me4' ,sir ,bolstrode        
,whitlock broke the ice first of all on 
behalf of ,captain ,wharton3 after him  
the ,committee1 unto whom his offence   
had been committed1 spoke for him1 and  
said he might well be bailed or         
enlarged3 ,i had spoken to the          
,committee the morning of his delivery1 
who thereupon were so civil unto him1   
especially ,sir ,william ,ermin of      
,lincolnshire1 who at first wondered ,i 
appeared not against him2 but upon my   
humble request1 my long continued       
antagonist was enlarged and had his     
liberty4  ,in #afea ,i purchased one    
hundred and ten pounds per ,annum in    
fee-farm rents for one thousand and     
thirty pounds4 ,i paid all in ready     
money2 but when his ,majesty ,king      

,charles the ,second1 #affj1 was        
restored1 ,i lost it all again1 and it  
returned to the right owner2 the loss   
thereof never afflicted me1 for ,i have 
ever reduced my mind according to my    
fortune4 ,i was drawn in by several     
persons to make that simple purchase4   
,the year ,i bought it1 ,i had my       
ascendant directed into a ,trine of     
,jupiter first1 and in the same year    
into the ,cauda ,draconis--my fortune   
into a quadrant of ,mercury4 ,when      
,colchester was besieged1 ,john ,booker 
and myself were sent for1 where we      
encouraged the soldiers1 assuring them  
the town would very shortly be          
surrendered1 as indeed it was3 ,i would 
willingly have obtained leave to enter  
the town1 to have informed ,sir ,charles
 ,lucas1 whom ,i well knew1 with the    
condition of affairs as they then stood1
 he being deluded by false intelligence3
 at that time my scholar ,humphreys was 
therein1 who many times deluded the     
,governor with expectation of relief2   

but failing very many times with his    
lies1 at last he had the bastinado1 was 
put in prison1 and inforced to become a 
soldier2 and well it was he escaped     
so4--,during my being there1 the steeple
 of ,st4 ,mary's ,church was much       
battered by two cannons purposely       
placed3 ,i was there one day about three
 of the clock in the afternoon1 talking 
with the cannoneer1 when presently he   
desired us to look to ourselves1 for he 
perceived by his perspective glass there
 was a piece charged in the castle      
against his work1 and ready to be       
discharged4 ,i ran for haste under an   
old ash-tree1 and immediately the       
cannon-bullet came hissing quite over   
us4 ',no danger now1' saith the gunner1 
'but begone1 for there are five more    
charging1' which was true2 for two hours
 after those cannons were discharged1   
and unluckily killed our cannoneer and  
matross4 ,i came the next morning and   
saw the blood of the two poor men lie   
upon the planks3 we were well           

entertained at the head-quarters1 and   
after two whole days abiding there1 came
 for ,london4  ,but we prosecute our    
story again1 and say that in the year   
#afeb ,i purchased my house and some    
lands in ,hersham1 in the parish of     
,walton upon ,thames1 in the county of  
,surrey1 where ,i now live2 intending by
 the blessing of ,god1 when ,i found it 
convenient1 to retire into the country1 
there to end my days in peace and       
tranquillity2 for in ,london my practice
 was such1 ,i had none or very little   
time afforded me to serve ,god1 who had 
been so gracious unto me4 ,the purchase 
of the house and lands1 and buildings1  
stood me in nine hundred and fifty      
pounds sterling1 which ,i have very much
 augmented4  ,the ,parliament now grows 
odious unto all good men1 the members   
whereof became insufferable in their    
pride1 covetousness1 self-ends1         
laziness1 minding nothing but how to    
enrich themselves4 ,much heart-burning  
now arose betwixt the ,presbyterian and 

,independant1 the latter siding with the
 army1 betwixt whose two judgments there
 was no medium4 ,now came up1 or first  
appeared1 that monstrous people called  
,ranters3 and many other novel opinions1
 in themselves heretical and scandalous1
 were countenanced by members of        
,parliament1 many whereof were of the   
same judgment4 ,justice was neglected1  
vice countenanced1 and all care of the  
common good laid aside4 ,every judgment 
almost groaned under the heavy burthen  
they then suffered2 the army neglected2 
the city of ,london scorned2 the        
ministry1 especially those who were     
orthodox and serious1 honest or         
virtuous1 had no countenance2 my soul   
began to loath the very name of a       
,parliament1 or ,parliament-men4 ,there 
yet remained in the ,house very able1   
judicious1 and worthy patriots2 but     
they1 by their silence1 only served     
themselves3 all was carried on by a     
rabble of dunces1 who being the greater 
number1 voted what seemed best to their 

non-intelligent fancies4  ,in this year 
,i published ,annas ,tenebrosus1 which  
book ,i did not so entitle1 because of  
the great obscurity of the solar        
eclipse1 by so many prattled of to no   
purpose1 but because of those underhand 
and clandestine counsels held in        
,england by the soldiery1 of which ,i   
would never1 but in generals1 give any  
knowledge unto any ,parliament man4 ,i  
had wrote publickly in #afej1 that the  
,parliament should not continue1 but a  
new government should arise1 c4  ,in my 
next year's ,anglicus1 upon rational    
grounds in astrology1 ,i was so bold as 
to aver therein1 that the ,parliament   
stood upon a tottering foundation1 and  
that the commonalty and soldiery would  
join together against them4  ,my        
,anglicus was for a whole week every day
 in the ,parliament ,house1 peeped into 
by the ,presbyterians1 one disliking    
this sentence1 another finds another    
fault1 others misliked the whole2 so in 
the end a motion was made1 that         

,anglicus should be inspected by the    
,committee for plundered ministers2     
which being done1 they were to return   
them to the ,house1 viz4 report its     
errors4  ,a messenger attached me by a  
warrant from that ,committee2 ,i had    
private notice ere the messenger came1  
and hasted unto ,mr4 ,speaker ,lenthall1
 ever my friend4 ,he was exceeding glad 
to see me1 told me what was done2 called
 for ,anglicus1 marked the passages     
which tormented the ,presbyterians so   
highly4 ,i presently sent for ,mr4      
,warren the printer1 an assured         
,cavalier1 obliterated what was most    
offensive1 put in other more significant
 words1 and desired only to have six    
amended against next morning1 which very
 honestly he brought me4 ,i told him my 
design was to deny the book found fault 
with1 to own only the six books4 ,i told
 him1 ,i doubted he would be examined4  
',hang them1' said he1 'they are all    
rogues4 ,i'll swear myself to the devil 
ere they shall have an advantage against

 you by my oath4'  ,the day after1 ,i   
appeared before the ,committee1 being   
thirty-six in number that day2 whereas  
it was observed1 at other times1 it was 
very difficult to get five of them      
together4 ,at first they shewed me the  
true ,anglicus1 and asked if ,i wrote   
and printed it4 ,i took the book and    
inspected it very heedfully2 and when ,i
 had done so1 said thus3  ',this is none
 of my book1 some malicious             
,presbyterian hath wrote it1 who are my 
mortal enemies2 ,i disown it4' ,the     
,committee looked upon one another like 
distracted men1 not imagining what ,i   
presently did2 for ,i presently pulled  
out of my pocket six books1 and said1   
',these ,i own1 the others are          
counterfeits1 published purposely to    
ruin me4' ,the ,committee were now more 
vexed than before3 not one word was     
spoke a good while2 at last1 many of    
them1 or the greatest number of them1   
were of opinion to imprison me4 ,some   
were for ,newgate1 others for the       

,gate-,house2 but then one ,brown of    
,sussex1 called the ,presbyterian       
beadle1 whom the ,company of ,stationers
 had bribed to be my friend1 by giving  
him a new ,book of ,martyrs2 he1 ,i say1
 preached unto the ,committee this      
doctrine1 that neither ,newgate or the  
,gate-,house were prisons unto which at 
any time the ,parliament sent their     
prisoners3 it was most convenient for   
the ,serjeant at ,arms to take me in    
custody4  ,mr4 ,strickland1 who had for 
many years been the ,parliament's       
,ambassador or ,agent in ,holland1 when 
he saw how they inclined1 spoke thus3   
',i came purposely into the ,committee  
this day to see the man who is so famous
 in those parts where ,i have so long   
continued3 ,i assure you his name is    
famous all over ,europe3 ,i come to do  
him justice4 ,a book is produced by us1 
and said to be his2 he denies it2 we    
have not proved it1 yet will commit him4
 ,truly this is great injustice4 ,it is 
likely he will write next year1 and     

acquaint the whole world with our       
injustice2 and so well he may4 ,it is my
 opinion1 first to prove the book to be 
his1 ere he be committed4'  ,another old
 friend of mine1 ,mr4 ,r4 spoke thus3   
',you do not know the many services this
 man hath done for the ,parliament these
 many years1 or how many times1 in our  
greatest distresses1 we applying unto   
him1 he hath refreshed our languishing  
expectations2 he never failed us of     
comfort in our most unhappy distresses4 
,i assure you his writings have kept up 
the spirits both of the soldiery1 the   
honest people of this nation1 and many  
of us ,parliament men2 and now at last1 
for a slip of his pen 7if it were his7  
to be thus violent against him3 ,i must 
tell you1 ,i fear the consequence urged 
out of the book will prove effectually  
true4 ,it is my counsel1 to admonish him
 hereafter to be more wary1 and for the 
present to dismiss him4'                
,notwithstanding any thing that was     
spoken on my behalf1 ,i was ordered to  

stand committed to the ,serjeant at     
,arms4 ,the messenger attached my       
person1 said ,i was his prisoner4 ,as he
 was carrying me away1 he was called to 
bring me again4 ,oliver ,cromwell1      
,lieutenant-,general of the army1 having
 never seen me1 caused me to be produced
 again1 where he stedfastly beheld me   
for a good space1 and then ,i went with 
the messenger2 but instantly a young    
clerk of that ,committee asks the       
messenger what he did with me1 where's  
the warrant8 until that is signed you   
cannot seize ,mr4 ,lilly1 or shall4     
,will you have an action of false       
imprisonment against you8 ,so ,i escaped
 that night1 but next day obeyed the    
warrant4 ,that night ,oliver ,cromwell  
went to ,mr4 ,r4 my friend1 and said1   
',what never a man to take ,lilly's     
cause in hand but yourself8 ,none to    
take his part but you8 ,he shall not be 
long there4' ,hugh ,peters spoke much in
 my behalf to the ,committee2 but they  
were resolved to lodge me in the        

,serjeant's custody4 ,one ,millington1 a
 drunken member1 was much my enemy2 and 
so was ,cawley and ,chichester1 a       
deformed fellow1 unto whom ,i had done  
several courtesies4  ,first thirteen    
days ,i was a prisoner2 and though every
 day of the ,committee's sitting ,i had 
a petition to deliver1 yet so many      
churlish ,presbyterians still appeared1 
,i could not get it accepted4 ,the last 
day of the thirteen1 ,mr4 ,joseph ,ash  
was made ,chairman1 unto whom my cause  
being related1 he took my petition1 and 
said ,i should be bailed in despite of  
them all1 but desired ,i would procure  
as many friends as ,i could to be there4
 ,sir ,arthur ,hazelrigg1 and ,major    
,salloway1 a person of excellent parts1 
appeared for me1 and many now of my old 
friends came in4 ,after two whole hours 
arguing of my cause by ,sir ,arthur and 
,major ,salloway1 and other friends1 the
 matter came to this point2 ,i should be
 bailed1 and a ,committee nominated to  
examine the printer4 ,the order of the  

,committee being brought afterwards to  
him who should be ,chairman1 he sent me 
word1 do what ,i would1 he would see all
 the knaves hanged1 ere he would examine
 the printer4 ,this is the truth of the 
story4  ,the #afth of ,february #afee1  
my second wife died2 for whose death ,i 
shed no tears4 ,i had five hundred      
pounds with her as a portion1 but she   
and her poor relations spent me one     
thousand pounds4 ,gloria ,patri1        
,filio1  ,spiritui ,sancto3 sicut erat  
in principio  nunc1  semper1  in saecula
 saeculorum3 for the #bjth of ,april    
#afee1 these enemies of mine1 viz4      
,parliament men1 were turned out of     
doors by ,oliver ,cromwell4 ,a ,german  
doctor of physick being then in ,london1
 sent me this paper3  ,strophe ,alcaica3
 ,generoso ,domino ,gulielmo ,lillio    
,astrologo1 de dissoluto nuper          
,parliamento4    ,quod calculasti       
,sydere praevio1   ,miles peregit numine
 conscio2   ,gentis videmus nunc        
,senatum   ,marte togaque gravi levatum4

  ,in the time of my imprisonment1 ,mr4 
,rushworth came to visit me1 and told   
me1 the army would do as much as ,i had 
predicted unto the ,parliament4  ,in    
,october #afed1 ,i married the third    
wife1 who is signified in my nativity by
 ,jupiter in ,libra2 and she is so      
totally in her conditions1 to my great  
comfort4  ,in #afee1 ,i was indicted at 
,hicks's-,hall by a half-witted young   
woman4 ,three several sessions she was  
neglected1 and the ,jury cast forth her 
bill2 but the fourth time1 they found it
 against me3 ,i put in bail to traverse 
the indictment4 ,the cause of the       
indictment was1 for that ,i had given   
judgment upon stolen goods1 and received
 two shillings and six-pence4--,and this
 was said to be contrary unto an ,act in
 ,king ,james's time made4  ,this mad   
woman was put upon this action against  
me by two ministers1 who had framed for 
her a very ingenious speech1 which she  
could speak without book1 as she did the
 day of hearing the traverse4 ,she      

produced one woman1 who told the court1 
a son of her's was run from her2 that   
being in much affliction of mind for her
 loss1 she repaired unto me to know what
 was become of him2 that ,i told her he 
was gone for the ,barbadoes1 and she    
would hear of him within thirteen days2 
which1 she said1 she did4  ,a second    
woman made oath1 that her husband being 
wanting two years1 she repaired to me   
for advice3 that ,i told her he was in  
,ireland1 and would be at home such a   
time2 and1 said she1 he did come home   
accordingly4  ,i owned the taking of    
half a crown for my judgment of the     
theft2 but said1 ,i gave no other       
judgment1 but that the goods would not  
be recovered1 being that was all which  
was required of me3 the party1 before   
that1 having been with several          
astrologers1 some affirming she should  
have her goods again1 others gave       
contrary judgment1 which made her come  
unto me for a final resolution4  ,at    
last my enemy began her before-made     

speech1 and1 without the least          
stumbling1 pronounced it before the     
court2 which ended1 she had some queries
 put unto her1 and then ,i spoke for    
myself1 and produced my own             
,introduction into court1 saying1 that  
,i had some years before emitted that   
book for the benefit of this and other  
nations2 that it was allowed by         
authority1 and had found good acceptance
 in both universities2 that the study of
 astrology was lawful1 and not          
contradicted by any scripture2 that ,i  
neither had1 or ever did1 use any       
charms1 sorceries1 or inchantments      
related in the bill of indictment1 c4   
,she then related1 that she had been    
several times with me1 and that         
afterwards she could not rest a-nights1 
but was troubled with bears1 lions1 and 
tygers1 c4 ,my counsel was the ,recorder
 ,green1 who after he had answered all  
objections1 concluded astrology was a   
lawful art4  ',mistress1' said he1 'what
 colour was those beasts that you were  

so terrified with8'  ',i never saw any1'
 said she4  ',how do you then know they 
were lions1 tygers1 or bears8' replied  
he4--',this is an idle person1 only fit 
for ,bedlam4' ,the ,jury who went not   
from the bar1 brought in1 ,no true      
,bill4  ,there were many ,presbyterian  
,justices much for her1 and especially  
one ,roberts1 a busy fellow for the     
,parliament1 who after his ,majesty came
 in1 had like to have lost life and     
fortune4  ,i had procured ,justice      
,hooker to be there1 who was the oracle 
of all the ,justices of ,peace in       
,middlesex4  ,there was nothing         
memorable after that happened unto me1  
until #afej1 and the month of ,october1 
at what time ,captain ,owen ,cox brought
 me over from his ,majesty of ,sweden1 a
 gold chain and medal1 worth about fifty
 pounds2 the cause whereof was1 that in 
the year #afeg and #afeh1 ,i had made   
honourable mention of him3 the ,anglicus
 of #afeh being translated into the     
language spoke at ,hamburgh1 printed and

 cried about the streets1 as it is in   
,london4  ,the occasion of my writing so
 honourably of his ,majesty of ,sweden  
was this3 ,sir ,bolstrode ,whitlock1    
,knight1 upon the very time of ,oliver's
 being made ,protector1 having made very
 noble articles betwixt ,christina then 
,queen of ,sweden1 and the ,english     
nation1 was in his being at ,stockholm  
visited frequently by ,charles          
,gustavus1 unto whom ,christina resigned
 during his abode1 and used with all    
manner of civility by him1 insomuch as  
some other ,ambassadors took it ill1    
that they had not so much respect or    
equal3 unto which he would reply1 he    
would be kind where himself did find    
just cause of merit unto any4 ,he were a
 great lover of our nation2 but there   
were some other causes also moving my   
pen to be so liberal1 viz4 ,the great   
hopes ,i had of his prevailing1 and of  
taking ,copenhagen and ,elsinore1 which1
 if he had lived1 was hoped he might    
have accomplished2 and had assuredly    

done1 if ,oliver the ,protector had not 
so untimely died ere our fleet of ships 
returned2 for ,oliver sent the fleet on 
purpose to fight the ,dutch2 but dying1 
and the ,parliament being restored1 ,sir
 ,henry ,vane1 who afterwards was       
beheaded1 had order from the ,council of
 ,state to give order to the fleet what 
to do now ,oliver was dead1 and         
themselves restored4 ,vane1 out of      
state-policy1 gave the ,earl of         
,sandwich direction not to fight the    
,dutch4 ,captain ,symons1 who carried   
those letters1 swore unto me1 had he    
known the letters he carried had        
contained any such prohibition1 he would
 have sunk both ship and letters4       
,oliver said1 when the fleet was to go  
forth1 ',that if ,god blessed his       
,majesty of ,sweden with ,copenhagen1   
the ,english were to have ,elsinore as  
their share2 which if once ,i have1'    
saith ,oliver1 'the ,english shall have 
the whole trade of the ,baltick ,sea3 ,i
 will make the ,dutch find another      

passage1 except they will pay such      
customs as ,i shall impose4'            
,considering the advantages this would  
have been to our ,english1 who can blame
 my pen for being liberal1 thereby to   
have encouraged our famous and noble    
seamen1 or for writing so honourably of 
the ,swedish nation1 who had most       
courteously treated my best of friends1 
,sir ,bolstrode ,whitlock1 and by whose 
means1 had the design taken effect1 the 
,english nation had been made happy with
 the most beneficial concern of all     
,christendom4 ,i shall conclude about   
,oliver the then ,protector1 with whom  
obliquely ,i had transactions by his    
son-in-law1 ,mr4 ,cleypool2 and to speak
 truly of him1 he sent one that waited  
upon him in his chamber1 once in two or 
three days1 to hear how it fared with me
 in my sessions business2 but ,i never  
had of him1 directly or indirectly1     
either pension1 or any the least sum of 
money1 or any gratuity during his whole 
,protectorship2 this ,i protest to be   

true1 by the name and in the name of the
 most holy ,god4  ,in #afec1 before the 
dissolution of the ,parliament1 and that
 ere they had chosen any for their      
,ambassador into ,sweden1 ,mr4 ,cleypool
 came unto me1 demanding of me whom ,i  
thought fittest to send upon that       
embassy into ,sweden3 ,i nominated ,sir 
,b4 ,whitlock1 who was chosen1 and two  
or three days after ,mr4 ,cleypool came 
again3 ',i hope1 ,mr4 ,lilly1 my father 
hath now pleased you3 ,your friend ,sir 
,b4 ,whitlock is to go for ,sweden4'    
,but since ,i have mentioned ,oliver    
,cromwell1 ,i will relate something of  
him1 which perhaps no other pen can1 or 
will mention4 ,he was born of generous  
parents in ,huntingdonshire1 educated   
some time at the university of          
,cambridge3 in his youth was wholly     
given to debauchery1 quarrelling1       
drinking1 c4 quid non2 having by those  
means wasted his patrimony1 he was      
enforced to bethink himself of leaving  
,england1 and go to ,new-,england3 he   

had hired a passage in a ship1 but ere  
she launched out for her voyage1 a      
kinsman dieth1 leaving him a            
considerable fortune2 upon which he     
returns1 pays his debts1 became affected
 to religion2 is elected in #afdj a     
member of ,parliament1 in #afdb made a  
,captain of horse under ,sir ,philip    
,stapleton1 fought at ,edge-,hill2 after
 he was made a ,colonel1 then           
,lieutenant-,general to the ,earl of    
,manchester1 who was one of the three   
,generals to fight the ,earl of         
,newcastle and ,prince ,rupert at ,york3
 ,ferdinando ,lord ,fairfax1 and ,earl  
,leven the ,scot1 were the other two for
 the ,parliament3 the last two thinking 
all had been lost at ,marston-,moor     
fight1 ,fairfax went into ,cawood       
,castle1 giving all for lost3 at twelve 
at night there came word of the         
,parliament's victory2 ,fairfax being   
then laid down upon a bed1 there was not
 a candle in the castle1 nor any fire3  
up riseth ,lord ,fairfax1 procures after

 some time1 paper1 ink1 and candle1     
writes to ,hull1 and other garrisons of 
the ,parliament's1 of the success1 and  
then slept4  ,leven the ,scot asked the 
way to ,tweed3 the honour of that day's 
fight was given to ,manchester1 ,sir    
,thomas ,fairfax's brigade of horse1 and
 ,oliver ,cromwell's iron sides2 for    
,cromwell's horse1 in those times1      
usually wore head-pieces1 back and      
breast-plates of iron4 ,after this      
victory ,cromwell became gracious with  
the ,house of ,commons1 especially the  
,zealots1 or ,presbyterians1 with whom  
at that time he especially joined2 the  
name ,independent1 at that time1 viz4   
#afdd1 being not so much spoken of4     
,there was some animosity at or before  
the fight1 betwixt the ,earl of         
,newcastle and ,prince ,rupert2 for     
,newcastle being ,general of his        
,majesty's forces in the ,north1 a      
person of valour1 and well esteemed in  
those parts1 took it not well to have a 
competitor in his concernments2 for if  

the victory should fall on his          
,majesty's side1 ,prince ,rupert's      
forces would attribute it unto their own
 ,general1 viz4 ,rupert1 and give him   
the glory thereof3 but that it happened1
 ,prince ,rupert1 in that day's fight1  
engaged the ,parliament's forces too    
soon1 and before the ,earl of ,newcastle
 could well come out of ,york with his  
army2 by reason whereof1 though ,rupert 
had absolutely routed the ,scots and the
 ,lord ,fairfax's forces2 yet ere timely
 assistance could second his army1 ,sir 
,thomas ,fairfax and ,cromwell had put  
him to flight1 and not long after all   
,newcastle's army4 ,a most memorable    
action happened on that day4 ,there was 
one entire regiment of foot belonging to
 ,newcastle1 called the ,lambs1 because 
they were all new cloathed in white     
woollen cloth1 two or three days before 
the fight4 ,this sole regiment1 after   
the day was lost1 having got into a     
small parcel of ground ditched in1 and  
not of easy access of horse1 would take 

no quarter2 and by mere valour1 for one 
whole hour1 kept the troops of horse    
from entering amongst them at near push 
of pike3 when the horse did enter1 they 
would have no quarter1 but fought it out
 till there was not thirty of them      
living2 those whose hap it was to be    
beaten down upon the ground as the      
troopers came near them1 though they    
could not rise for their wounds1 yet    
were so desperate as to get either a    
pike or sword1 or piece of them1 and to 
gore the troopers' horses as they came  
over them1 or passed by them4 ,captain  
,camby1 then a trooper under ,cromwell1 
and an actor1 who was the third or      
fourth man that entered amongst them1   
protested1 he never in all the fights he
 was in1 met with such resolute brave   
fellows1 or whom he pitied so much1 and 
said1 'he saved two or three against    
their wills4'  ,after the fight1        
,manchester marched slowly southward1 c4
 but at last came with his army to      
,newbury fight2 which ended1 he came for

 ,london1 and there he accuseth         
,cromwell1 being his ,lieutenant1 to the
 ,parliament1 of disobedience1 and not  
obeying his orders4  ,the ,house of     
,commons acquaint ,cromwell herewith1   
and charge him1 as he would answer it   
before ,god1 that the day following he  
should give them a full account of      
,manchester's proceedings1 and the cause
 and occasion of their difference1 and  
of the reasons why ,manchester did not  
timely move westward for the relief of  
,essex1 then in the west1 who was       
absolutely routed1 inforced to fly1 all 
his foot taken1 and all his ordnance and
 train of artillery1 only the horse     
escaping4 ,cromwell the next day gave   
this account to ,mr4 ,speaker in the    
,house of ,commons--by way of           
recrimination4  ,that after ,god had    
given them a successful victory at      
,marston over the ,king's forces1 and   
that they had well refreshed their army1
 ,manchester1 by their order1 did move  
southward1 but with such slowness1 that 

sometimes he would not march for three  
days together2 sometimes he would lie   
still one day1 then two days2 whereupon 
he said1 considering the ,earl of ,essex
 was in the west1 with what success he  
then knew not1 he moved ,manchester     
several times to quicken his march to   
the west1 for relief of ,essex1 if he   
were beaten1 or to divert the ,king's   
forces from following of ,essex2 but he 
said ,manchester still refused to make  
any haste2 and that one day he said1    
',if any man but yourself1 ,lieutenant1 
should so frequently trouble me1 ,i     
would call him before a ,council of     
,war4 ,we have beaten the ,king's forces
 in the north2 if we should do so in the
 west1 his ,majesty is then undone3 he  
hath many sons living2 if any of them   
come to the ,crown1 as they well may1   
they will never forget us4' ,this ,major
 ,hammond1 a man of honour1 will justify
 as well as myself4 ,after which he     
marched not at all1 until he had order  
from the ,committee to hasten westward1 

by reason of ,essex's being lost in     
,cornwall1 which then he did2 and at    
,newbury fight1 it is true1 ,i refused  
to obey his directions and order3 for   
this it was2 his ,majesty's horse being 
betwixt four and five thousand in a     
large common1 in good order1 he commands
 me1 ,mr4 ,speaker1 to charge them2 we  
having no way to come at them but       
through a narrow lane1 where not above  
three horse could march abreast2 whereby
 had ,i followed his order1 we had been 
all cut off ere we could have got into  
any order4 ,mr4 ,speaker1 7and then he  
wept2 which he could do toties quoties7 
,i1 considering that all the visible    
army you then had1 was by this counsel  
in danger to be lost1 refused thus to   
endanger the main strength1 which now   
most of all consisted of those horse    
under my command1 c4--,this his         
recrimination was well accepted by the  
,house of ,commons1 who thereupon1 and  
from that time1 thought there was none  
of the ,house of ,lords very fit to be  

entrusted with their future armies1 but 
had then thoughts of making a commoner  
their ,general2 which afterwards they   
did1 and elected ,sir ,thomas ,fairfax  
their ,general1 and ,cromwell           
,lieutenant-,general2 but it was next   
spring first4 ,upon ,essex's being lost 
in ,cornwall1 ,i heard ,serjeant        
,maynard say1 ',if now the ,king haste  
to ,london we are undone1 having no army
 to resist him4'  ,his ,majesty had many
 misfortunes ever attending him1 during 
his abode at ,oxford2 some by reason of 
that great animosity betwixt ,prince    
,rupert and the ,lord ,digby1 each      
endeavouring to cross one another2 but  
the worst of all was by treachery of    
several officers under his command1 and 
in his service2 for the ,parliament had 
in continual pay one ,colonel of the    
,king's ,council of ,war2 one           
,lieutenant-,colonel2 one ,captain2 one 
,ensign2 one or two ,serjeants2 several 
,corporals1 who had constant pay1 and   
duly paid them every month1 according to

 the capacity of their officers and     
places1 and yet none of these knew any  
thing of each other's being so employed4
 ,there were several well-wishers unto  
the ,parliament in ,oxford1 where each  
left his letter1 putting it in at the   
hole of a glass-window1 as he made water
 in the street4 ,what was put in at the 
window in any of those houses1 was the  
same day conveyed two miles off by some 
in the habit of town-gardeners1 to the  
side of a ditch1 where one or more were 
ever ready to give the intelligence to  
the next ,parliament garrison3 ,i was   
then familiar with all the spies that   
constantly went in and out to ,oxford4  
,but once more to my own actions4 ,i    
had1 in #afeb and #afec and #afed1 much 
contention with ,mr4 ,gatacre of        
,rotherhithe1 a man endued with all kind
 of learning1 and the ablest man of the 
whole synod of divines in the ,oriental 
tongues4  ,the synod had concluded to   
make an exposition upon the bible2 some 
undertook one book1 some another4       

,gatacre fell upon ,jeremy4 ,upon making
 his exposition on the #b;d verse of the
 #ajth chapter1  ',learn not the way of 
the heathen1 and be not dismayed at the 
signs of heaven1 for the heathen are    
dismayed at them4'  ,in his ,annotations
 thereupon1 he makes a scandalous       
exposition2 and in express terms1 hints 
at me1 repeating verbatim1 ten or twelve
 times1 an ,epistle of mine in one of my
 former ,anglicus4  ,the substance of my
 ,epistle was1 that ,i did conceive the 
good angels of ,god did first reveal    
astrology unto mankind1 c4 but he in his
 ,annotations calls me blind buzzard1 c4
  ,having now liberty of the press1 and 
hearing the old man was very cholerick1 
,i thought fit to raise it up--and only 
wrote--,i referred my discourse then in 
hand to the discussion and judgment of  
sober persons1 but not unto ,thomas     
,wiseacre1 for ,senes bis pueri3 ,these 
very words begot the writing of         
forty-two sheets against myself and     
astrology4 ,the next year ,i quibbled   

again in three or four lines against    
him1 then he printed twenty-two sheets  
against me4 ,i was persuaded by ,dr4    
,gauden1 late ,bishop of ,exeter1 to let
 him alone2 but in my next year's       
,anglicus1 in ,august observations1 ,i  
wrote1 ,hac in tumba jacet ,presbyter   
,nebulo1 in which very month he died4   
,several divines applied themselves unto
 me1 desiring me to forbear any further 
vexing of ,mr4 ,gatacre2 but all of them
 did as much condemn him of             
indiscretion1 that in so sober a piece  
of work as that was1 viz4 in an         
,annotation upon a sacred text of       
scripture to particularize me and in    
that dirty language3 they pitied him1   
that he had not better considered with  
himself ere he published it4  ,dean     
,owen of ,christ's-,church in ,oxford1  
also in his sermons had sharp invectives
 against me and astrology2 ,i cried     
quittance with him1 by urging ,abbot    
,panormitan's judgment of astrology     
contrary to ,owen's1 and concluded1 ',an

 ,abbot was an ace above a ,dean4'  ,one
 ,mr4 ,nye of the assembly of divines1 a
 ,jesuitical ,presbyterian1 bleated     
forth his judgment publickly against me 
and astrology3 to be quit with him1 ,i  
urged ,causinus the ,jesuit's           
approbation of astrology1 and concluded1
 ,sic canibus catulos1 c4  ,in some time
 after the ,dutch ,ambassador being     
offended with some things in ,anglicus1 
presented a memorial to the ,council of 
,state1 that ,merlinus ,anglicus might  
be considered1 and the abuses against   
their nation examined2 but his paper was
 not accepted of1 or ,i any way         
molested4  ,in ,oliver's ,protectorship1
 ,i wrote freely and satyrical enough3  
he was now become ,independant1 and all 
the soldiery my friends2 for when he was
 in ,scotland1 the day of one of their  
fights1 a soldier stood with ,anglicus  
in his hand2 and as the several troops  
passed by him1 ',lo1 hear what ,lilly   
saith2 you are in this month promised   
victory1 fight it out1 brave boys2' and 

then read that month's prediction4  ,i  
had long before predicted the downfall  
of ,presbytery1 as you 7most honoured   
,sir7 in the figure thereof1 in my      
,introduction1 may observe2 and it was  
upon this occasion4 ,sir ,thomas        
,middleton of ,chark ,castle1 enemy to  
,presbytery1 seeing they much prevailed1
 being a member of the ,house1 seriously
 demanded my judgment1 if ,presbytery   
should prevail1 or not1 in ,england8    
,the figure printed in my ,introduction1
 will best give you an account1 long    
before it happened1 of the sinking and  
failing of ,presbytery2 so will the     
second page of my ,hieroglyphicks4      
,those men1 to be serious1 would preach 
well2 but they were more lordly than    
,bishops1 and usually1 in their         
parishes1 more tyrannical than the      
,great ,turk4         99       99       
99       99       99   ,,of ,,the ,,year
 #affj2 ,,the ,,actions ,,whereof1 ,,as 
,,they ,,were ,,remarkable ,,in         
,,england1 ,,so ,,were ,,they ,,no      

,,less ,,memorable ,,as ,,to ,,my       
,,particular ,,fortune ,,and ,,person4  
,upon the ,lord ,general ,monk's        
returning from ,scotland with his army  
into ,england1 suddenly after his coming
 to ,london1 ,richard ,cromwell1 the    
then ,protector's1 authority was laid   
aside1 and the old ,parliament restored2
 the ,council of ,state sat as formerly4
 ,the first act they put the ,general   
upon was1 to take down the city gates   
and portcullisses1 an act which1 the    
,general said1 was fitter for a         
,janizary to do than for a ,general2 yet
 he effected the commands received1 and 
then lodged in the city with his army4  
,the citizens took this pulling down of 
their gates so heinously1 that one night
 the ruder sort of them procured all the
 rumps of beef1 and other baggage1 and  
publickly burnt them in the streets1 in 
derision of the then ,parliament1       
calling them that now sat1 ,the ,rump4  
,this hurly-burly was managed as well by
 the ,general's soldiers as the         

citizens4 ,the ,king's health was       
publickly drank all over the city1 to   
the confusion of the ,parliament4 ,the  
matter continued until midnight1 or     
longer4 ,the ,council of ,state1 sitting
 at ,white-,hall1 had hereof no         
knowledge1 until ,sir ,martin ,noell1 a 
discreet citizen1 came about nine at    
night1 and then first informed them     
thereof4 ,the ,council could not believe
 it1 until they had sent some ministers 
of their own1 who affirmed the verity   
thereof4 ,they were at a stand1 and     
could not resolve what to do2 at last   
,nevil ,smith came1 being one of them1  
and publickly protested there was but   
one way to regain their authority1 and  
to be revenged of this affront1 and to  
overthrow the ,lord ,general ,monk1 whom
 they now perceived intended otherways  
than he had pretended2 his council was1 
to take away ,monk's commission1 and to 
give a present commission to            
,major-,general ,lambert to be their    
,general2 which counsel of his1 if they 

would take and put it speedily in       
execution1 would put an end unto all the
 present mischiefs4 ,the ,council in    
general did all very well approve ,nevil
 ,smith's judgment2 but presently up    
starts ,sir ,arthur ,hazellrigg1 and    
makes a sharp invective against         
,lambert1 and concluded1 he would rather
 perish under the ,king of ,scot's      
power1 than that ,lambert should ever   
any more have command under the         
,parliament4  ,the ,lord ,general       
suddenly after brings in the long       
excluded ,members to sit in ,parliament1
 being persons of great judgment1 and   
formerly enforced from sitting therein  
by the soldiery1 and connivance of those
 who stiled themselves the godly part of
 the ,parliament4 ,these honourable     
patriots presently voted his ,majesty's 
coming into ,england1 and so he did in  
,may #affj4 ,but because ,charles the   
,second1 now 7#affg7 ,king of ,england1 
,son of ,charles the ,first1 grandchild 
to ,james the ,first1 ,king of ,great   

,britany1 was so miraculously restored1 
and so many hundreds of years since     
prophesied of by ,ambrose ,merlin1 it   
will not be impertinent to mention the  
prophecies themselves1 the rather       
because we have seen their verification4
   ,,ambrose ,,merlin',s ,,prophecy     
,,wrote ,,about #iij ,,years ,,since4   
,he calls ,king ,james1 ,the ,lion of   
,righteousness2 and saith1 when he died1
 or was dead1 there would reign a noble 
,white ,king2 this was ,charles the     
,first4 ,the prophet discovers all his  
troubles1 his flying up and down1 his   
imprisonment1 his death2 and calls him  
,aquila4 ,what concerns ,charles the    
,second1 is the subject of our          
discourse3 in the ,latin copy it is     
thus3  ,deinde ab ,austro veniet cum    
,sole super ligneos equos1  super       
spumantem inundationem maris1 ,pullus   
,aquilae navigans in ,britanniam4  ,et  
applicans statim tunc altam domum       
,aquilae sitiens1  cito aliam sitiet4   
,deinde ,pullus ,aquilae nidificabit in 

summa rupe totius ,britanniae3 nec      
juvenis occidet1 nec ad senem vivet4    
,this1 in an old copy1 is ,englished    
thus3  ',after then1 shall come through 
the south with the sun1 on horse of     
tree1 and upon all waves of the sea1 the
 ,chicken of the ,eagle1 sailing into   
,britain1 and arriving anon to the house
 of the ,eagle1 he shall shew fellowship
 to them beasts4  ',after1 the ,chicken 
of the ,eagle shall nestle in the       
highest rock of all ,britain3 nay1 he   
shall nought be slain young2 nay1 he    
nought come old4'  ,another ,latin copy 
renders the last verse thus3  ,deinde   
pullus ,aquilae nidificabit in summo    
rupium1 nec juvenis occidetur1 nec ad   
senium perveniet4 ,there is after this1 
percificato regno omnes occidet2 which  
is intended of those persons put to     
death1 that sat as ,judges upon his     
father's death4   ,,the ,,verification4 
,his ,majesty being in the              
,low-,countries when the ,lord ,general 
had restored the secluded ,members1 the 

,parliament sent part of the ,royal     
,navy to bring him for ,england1 which  
they did in ,may #affj4 ,holland is     
,east from ,england1 so he came with the
 sun2 but he landed at ,dover1 a port in
 the south part of ,england4            
,wooden-horses1 are the ,english ships4 
,tunc nidificabit in summo rupium4  ,the
 ,lord ,general1 and most of the gentry 
in ,england1 met him in ,kent1 and      
brought him unto ,london1 then to       
,white-hall4  ,here1 by the highest     
,rooch1 7some write ,rock17 is intended 
,london1 being the metropolis of all    
,england4  ,since which time1 unto this 
very day ,i write this story1 he hath   
reigned in ,england1 and long may he do 
hereafter4 #ajth ,december1 #affg4  ,had
 ,i leisure1 ,i might verify the whole  
preceding part concerning ,king         
,charles4 ,much of the verification     
thereof is mentioned in my ,collection  
of ,prophecies1 printed #afde4 ,but his 
,majesty being then alive1 ,i forbore   
much of that subject1 not willing to    

give offence4 ,i dedicated that book    
unto him2 and1 in the conclusion        
thereof1 ,i advised his return unto     
,parliament1 with these words1 ,fac hoc 
vives4  ,there was also a ,prophecy     
printed #aehh1 in ,greek characters1    
exactly decyphering the long troubles   
the ,english nation had from #afda until
 #affj2 and then it ended thus3  ',and  
after that shall come a dreadful dead   
man1 and with him a ,royal ,g4' it is   
,gamma in the ,greek1 intending ,c4 in  
the ,latin1 being the third letter in   
the alphabet1 'of the best blood in the 
world1 and he shall have the ,crown1 and
 shall set ,england on the right way1   
and put out all heresies4'  ,monkery    
being extinguished above eighty or      
ninety years1 and the ,lord ,general's  
name being ,monk1 is the ,dead ,man4    
,the ,royal ,g4 or ,c4 is ,charles the  
,second1 who1 for his extraction1 may be
 said to be of the best blood in the    
world4  ,these two prophecies were not  
given vocally by the angels1 but by     

inspection of the crystal in types and  
figures1 or by apparition the circular  
way1 where1 at some distance1 the angels
 appear1 representing by forms1 shapes1 
and creatures1 what is demanded4 ,it is 
very rare1 yea1 even in our days1 for   
any operator or master to have the      
angels speak articulately2 when they do 
speak1 it is like the ,irish1 much in   
the throat4  ,what further concerns his 
,majesty1 will more fully be evident    
about #afgb or #afgd1 or1 at farthest1  
in #afgf4 ,and now unto my own actions  
in #affj4  ,in the first place1 my      
fee-farm rents1 being of the yearly     
value of one hundred and twenty pounds1 
were all lost by his ,majesty's coming  
to his restoration3 but ,i do say truly1
 the loss thereof did never trouble me1 
or did ,i repine thereat4  ,in ,june of 
that year1 a new ,parliament was called1
 whereunto ,i was unwillingly invited by
 two messengers of the ,serjeant at     
,arms4 ,the matter whereupon ,i was     
taken into custody was1 to examine me   

concerning the person who cut off the   
,king's head1 viz4 the late ,king's4    
,sir ,daniel ,harvey1 of ,surry1 got the
 business moved against me in great     
displeasure1 because1 at the election of
 new knights for ,surrey1 ,i procured   
the whole town of ,walton to stand1 and 
give their voices for ,sir ,richard     
,onslow4 ,the ,committee to examine me1 
were ,mr4 ,prinn1 one ,colonel ,king1   
and ,mr4 ,richard ,weston of            
,gray's-,inn4  ,god's providence        
appeared very much for me that day1 for 
walking in ,westminster-,hall1 ,mr4     
,richard ,pennington1 son to my old     
friend ,mr4 ,william ,pennington1 met   
me1 and enquiring the cause of my being 
there1 said no more1 but walked up and  
down the hall1 and related my kindness  
to his father unto very many ,parliament
 men of ,cheshire and ,lancashire1      
,yorkshire1 ,cumberland1 and those      
northern countries1 who numerously came 
up into the ,speaker's chamber1 and bade
 me be of good comfort3 at last he meets

 ,mr4 ,weston1 one of the three unto    
whom my matter was referred for         
examination1 who told ,mr4 ,pennington1 
that he came purposely to punish me2 and
 would be bitter against me2 but hearing
 it related1 viz4 my singular kindness  
and preservation of old ,mr4            
,pennington's estate to the value of six
 or seven thousand pounds1 ',i will do  
him all the good ,i can1' says he4 ',i  
thought he had never done any good2 let 
me see him1 and let him stand behind me 
where ,i sit3' ,i did so4 ,at my first  
appearance1 many of the young members   
affronted me highly1 and demanded       
several scurrilous questions4 ,mr4      
,weston held a paper before his mouth2  
bade me answer nobody but ,mr4 ,prinn2  
,i obeyed his command1 and saved myself 
much trouble thereby2 and when ,mr4     
,prinn put any difficult or doubtful    
query unto me1 ,mr4 ,weston prompted me 
with a fit answer4 ,at last1 after      
almost one hour's tugging1 ,i desired to
 be fully heard what ,i could say as to 

the person who cut ,charles the ,first's
 head off4 ,liberty being given me to   
speak1 ,i related what follows1 viz4    
,that the next ,sunday but one after    
,charles the ,first was beheaded1       
,robert ,spavin1 ,secretary unto        
,lieutenant-,general ,cromwell at that  
time1 invited himself to dine with me1  
and brought ,anthony ,peirson1 and      
several others1 along with him to       
dinner3 that their principal discourse  
all dinner-time was only1 who it was    
that beheaded the ,king2 one said it was
 the common hangman2 another1 ,hugh     
,peters2 others also were nominated1 but
 none concluded4 ,robert ,spavin1 so    
soon as dinner was done1 took me by the 
hand1 and carried me to the south       
window3 saith he1 ',these are all       
mistaken1 they have not named the man   
that did the fact3 it was               
,lieutenant-,colonel ,,joice2 ,i was in 
the room when he fitted himself for the 
work1 stood behind him when he did it2  
when done1 went in again with him3 there

 is no man knows this but my master1    
viz4 ,cromwell1 ,commissary ,ireton1 and
 myself4' ',doth not ,mr4 ,rushworth    
know it8' said ,i4 ',no1 he doth not    
know it1' saith ,spavin4 ,the same thing
 ,spavin since had often related unto me
 when we were alone4 ,mr4 ,prinn did1   
with much civility1 make a report hereof
 in the ,house2 yet ,norfolk the        
,serjeant1 after my discharge1 kept me  
two days longer in arrest1 purposely to 
get money of me4 ,he had six pounds1 and
 his ,messenger forty shillings2 and yet
 ,i was attached but upon ,sunday1      
examined on ,tuesday1 and then          
discharged1 though the covetous         
,serjeant detained me until ,thursday4  
,by means of a friend1 ,i cried         
quittance with ,norfolk1 which friend   
was to pay him his salary at that time1 
and abated ,norfolk three pounds1 which 
we spent every penny at one dinner1     
without inviting the wretched ,serjeant3
 but in the latter end of the year1 when
 the ,king's ,judges were arraigned at  

the ,old-,bailey1 ,norfolk warned me to 
attend1 believing ,i could give         
information concerning ,hugh ,peters4   
,at the sessions ,i attended during its 
continuance1 but was never called or    
examined4 ,there ,i heard ,harrison1    
,scott1 ,clement1 ,peters1 ,hacker1     
,scroop1 and others of the ,king's      
,judges1 and ,cook the ,sollicitor1 who 
excellently defended himself2 ,i say1 ,i
 did hear what they could say for       
themselves1 and after heard the sentence
 of condemnation pronounced against them
 by the incomparably modest and learned 
,judge ,bridgman1 now ,lord ,keeper of  
the ,great ,seal of ,england4  ,one     
would think my troubles for that year   
had been ended2 but in ,january #affb1  
one ,everard1 a ,justice of ,peace in   
,westminster1 ere ,i was stirring1 sent 
a ,serjeant and thirty four musqueteers 
for me to ,white-,hall3 he had twice    
that night seized about sixty persons1  
supposed fanaticks1 very despicable     
persons1 many whereof were aged1 some   

were water-bearers1 and had been        
,parliament-soldiers2 others1 of        
ordinary callings3 all these were       
guarded unto ,white-,hall1 into a large 
room1 until day-light1 and then         
committed to the ,gate-,house2 ,i was   
had into the guard-room1 which ,i       
thought to be hell2 some therein were   
sleeping1 others swearing1 others       
smoaking tobacco4 ,in the chimney of the
 room ,i believe there was two bushels  
of broken tobacco-pipes1 almost half one
 load of ashes4 ,everard1 about nine in 
the morning1 comes1 writes my mittimus  
for the ,gate-,house1 then shews it me3 
,i must be contented4 ,i desired no     
other courtesy1 but that ,i might be    
privately carried unto the ,gate-,house 
by two soldiers2 that was denied4 ,among
 the miserable crew of people1 with a   
whole company of soldiers1 ,i marched to
 prison1 and there for three hours was  
in the open air upon the ground1 where  
the common house of office came down4   
,after three hours1 ,i was advanced from

 this stinking place up the stairs1     
where there was on one side a company of
 rude swearing persons2 on the other    
side many ,quakers1 who lovingly        
entertained me4 ,as soon as ,i was      
fixed1 ,i wrote to my old friend ,sir   
,edward ,walker1 ,garter ,king at ,arms1
 who presently went to ,mr4 ,secretary  
,nicholas1 and acquainted him with my   
condition4 ,he ordered ,sir ,edward to  
write to ,everard to release me1 unless 
he had any particular information       
against me1 which he had not4 ,he       
further said1 it was not his ,majesty's 
pleasure that any of his subjects should
 be thus had to prison without good     
cause shewed before4 ,upon receipt of   
,sir ,edward's letter1 ,everard         
discharged me1 ,i taking the oaths of   
allegiance and supremacy4 ,this day's   
work cost me thirty-seven shillings4    
,afterwards ,everard stood to be        
,burgess for ,westminster2 sent me to   
procure him voices4 ,i returned answer1 
that of all men living he deserved no   

courtesy from me1 nor should have any4  
,in this year #affj1 ,i sued out my     
pardon under the ,broad ,seal of        
,england1 being so advised by good      
counsel1 because there should be no     
obstruction2 ,i passed as ,william      
,lilly1 ,citizen and ,salter of ,london2
 it cost me thirteen pounds six         
shillings and eight pence4  ,there      
happened a verification of an           
astrological judgment of mine in this   
year1 #affj1 which1 because it was      
predicted sixteen years before it came  
to pass1 and the year expressly         
nominated1 ,i thought fit to mention4   
,in page #aaa of my ,prophetical        
,merlin1 upon three sextile ,aspects of 
,saturn and ,jupiter1 made in #afei and 
#affj1 ,i wrote thus--  ',this their    
friendly salutation comforts us in      
,england1 every man now possesses his   
own vineyard2 our young youth grow up   
unto man's estate1 and our old men live 
their full years2 our nobles and        
gentlemen root again2 our yeomanry1 many

 years disconsolated1 now take pleasure 
in their husbandry4 ,the merchant sends 
out ships1 and hath prosperous returns2 
the mechanick hath quick trading3 here  
is almost a new world2 new laws1 new    
,lords4 ,now my country of ,england     
shall shed no more tears1 but rejoice   
with1 and in the many blessings ,god    
gives or affords her annually4'  ,and in
 the same book1 page #aah1 over-against 
the year #affj1 you shall find1 ,a bonny
 ,scot acts his part4  ,the long        
,parliament would give ,charles the     
,second no other title than ,king of    
,scots4  ,i also wrote to ,sir ,edward  
,walker1 ,kt4 ,garter ,king at ,arms in 
#afei1 he then being in ,holland--  ,tu1
 ,dominusque vester videbitis ,angliam1 
infra duos annos4--,for in #affb1 his   
moon came by direction to the body of   
the sun4  ,but he came in upon the      
ascendant directed unto the trine of    
,sol and antiscion of ,jupiter4  ,and   
happy it was for the nation he did come 
in1 and long and prosperously may he    

reign amongst us4  ,in #affc and #affd1 
,i had along and tedious law-suit in    
,chancery1 ,m4,c4 coming to quartile of 
,saturn2 and the occasion of that suit1 
was concerning houses2 and my enemy1    
though aged1 had no beard1 was really   
saturnine4 ,we came unto a hearing ,feb4
 #affd1 before the ,master of the       
,rolls1 ,sir ,harbottle ,grimston1 where
 ,i had the victory1 but no costs given 
me4  ,my adversary1 not satisfied with  
that judgment1 petitioned that most just
 and honourable man1 the ,lord          
,chancellor ,hyde1 for a re-hearing his 
cause before him4  ,it was granted1 and 
the #acth ,june1 #affd1 my ,m4,c4 then  
directed to quartile of ,venus and ,sol4
 ,his ,lordship most judiciously heard  
it with much attention1 and when my     
adversary's counsel had urged those     
depositions which they had against me1  
his ,lordship stood up1 and said1       
',here is not one word against ,mr4     
,lilly4'--  ,i replied1 ',my ,lord1 ,i  
hope ,i shall have costs4'  ',very good 

reason1' saith he2 and so ,i had3 and1  
at my departure out of court1 put off   
his hat1 and bid ',god be with you4'    
,this is the month of ,dec4 #affg1      
wherein1 by misfortune1 he is much      
traduced and highly persecuted by his   
enemies3 is also retired1 however not in
 the least questioned for any indirect  
judgment as ,chancellor1 in the         
,chancery2 but in other things he hath  
been very foul1 as in the articles drawn
 up by the ,parliament against him1 it  
appears4 ,which articles ,i presume you 
have not seen1 otherwise you would have 
been of another mind1 ,a ,w for there   
was never any person sat in that place1 
who executed justice with more          
uprightness1 or judgment1 or quickness  
for dispatch1 than this very noble      
,lord4 ,god1 ,i hope1 in mercy will     
preserve his person from his enemies1   
and in good time restore him unto all   
his honours again3 from my soul ,i wish 
it1 and hope ,i shall live to see it4   
,amen3 ,fiat oh tu ,deus justitiae4  ,in

 #affc and #affd1 ,i was made           
churchwarden of ,walton upon ,thames1   
settling as well as ,i could the affairs
 of that distracted parish1 upon my own 
charges2 and upon my leaving the place1 
forgave them seven pounds odd money due 
unto me4  ,in #affd1 ,i had another     
law-suit with ,captain ,colborn1 ,lord  
of the manor of ,esher1 concerning the  
rights of the parish of ,walton4 ,he had
 newly purchased that manor1 and having 
one hundred and fifty acres of ground1  
formerly park and wood ground lying in  
our parish1 conceived1 he had right of  
common in our parish of ,walton3        
thereupon1 he puts three hundred sheep  
upon the common2 part whereof ,i        
impounded3 he replevins them1 and gave  
me a declaration4 ,i answered it4 ,the  
trial was to be at the ,assizes at      
,kingston in ,april #affd4 ,when the day
 of trial came1 he had not one witness  
in his cause1 ,i had many2 whereupon    
upon conference1 and by mediation1 he   
gave me eleven pounds for my charges    

sustained in that suit1 whereof ,i      
returned him back again fifty shillings3
 forty shillings for himself1 and ten   
shillings for the poor of the parish he 
lived in4  ,this ,i did at my own cost  
and charges1 not one parishioner joining
 with me4 ,i had now ,m4,c4 under       
quartile of ,venus and ,sol--both in my 
second1 ergo1 ,i got money by this      
thing1 or suit4 ,sir ,bolstrode         
,whitlock gave me counsel4  ,now ,i come
 unto the year #affe1 wherein that      
horrible and devouring plague so        
extreamly raged in the city of ,london4 
#bgth of ,june #affe1 ,i retired into   
the country to my wife and family1 where
 since ,i have wholly continued1 and so 
intend by permission of ,god4 ,i had1   
before ,i came away1 very many people of
 the poorer sort frequented my lodging1 
many whereof were so civil1 as when they
 brought waters1 viz4 urines1 from      
infected people1 they would stand       
purposely at a distance4 ,i ordered     
those infected1 and not like to die1    

cordials1 and caused them to sweat1     
whereby many recovered4 ,my landlord of 
the house was afraid of those poor      
people1 ,i nothing at all4 ,he was      
desirous ,i should be gone4 ,he had four
 children3 ,i took them with me into the
 country and provided for them4 ,six    
weeks after ,i departed1 he1 his wife1  
and man-servant died of the plague4  ,in
 ,monarchy or no ,monarchy1 printed     
#afea1 ,i had framed an ,hieroglyphick1 
which you may see in page the #gth1     
representing a great sickness and       
mortality2 wherein you may see the      
representation of people in their       
winding-sheets1 persons digging graves  
and sepultures1 coffins1 c4 ,all this   
was performed by the more secret ,key of
 ,astrology1 or ,prophetical ,astrology4
  ,in #afff1 happened that miraculous   
conflagration in the city of ,london1   
whereby in four days1 the most part     
thereof was consumed by fire4 ,in my    
,monarchy or no ,monarchy1 the next side
 after the coffins and pickaxes1 there  

is a representation of a great city all 
in flames of fire4 ,the memorial whereof
 some ,parliament men remembering1      
thought fit to send for me before that  
,committee which then did sit1 for      
examination of the causes of the fire2  
and whether there was no treachery or   
design in the business1 his ,majesty    
being then in war both with the ,french 
and ,dutch4 ,the summons to appear      
before that ,committee was as followeth4
      ',monday1 #bb;d ,october1 #afff4  
',at the ,committee appointed to enquire
 after the causes of the     late fires3
      ',,ordered1      ',that ,mr4      
,lilly do attend this ,committee on     
,friday next1 being     the #beth of    
,october1 #afff1 at two of the clock in 
the afternoon1     in the ,speaker's    
chamber2 to answer such questions as    
shall be     then and there asked him4  
',,robert ,,brooke4'  ,by accident ,i   
was then in ,london1 when the summons   
came unto me4 ,i was timorous of        
,committees1 being ever by some of them 

calumniated1 upbraided1 scorned1 and    
derided4 ,however ,i must and did       
appear2 and let me never forget that    
great affection and care yourself 7,oh  
most excellent and learned ,esquire     
,ashmole7 shewed unto me at that time4  
,first1 your affection in going along   
with me all that day2 secondly1 your    
great pains and care1 in speaking unto  
many worthy ,members of that ,committee 
your acquaintance1 that they should     
befriend me1 and not permit me to be    
affronted1 or have any disgraceful      
language cast upon me4 ,i must seriously
 acknowledge the persuasions so         
prevailed with those generous souls1    
that ,i conceive there was never more   
civility used unto any than unto myself2
 and you know1 there were no small      
number of ,parliament men appeared1 when
 they heard ,i was to be there4  ,sir   
,robert ,brooke spoke to this purpose3  
',mr4 ,lilly1 ,this ,committee thought  
fit to summon you to appear before them 
this day1 to know1 if you can say any   

thing as to the cause of the late fire1 
or whether there might be any design    
therein4 ,you are called the rather     
hither1 because in a book of your's1    
long since printed1 you hinted some such
 thing by one of your hieroglyphics4'   
,unto which ,i replied1  ',may it please
 your ,honours1  ',after the beheading  
of the late ,king1 considering that in  
the three subsequent years the          
,parliament acted nothing which         
concerned the settlement of the nation  
in peace2 and seeing the generality of  
people dissatisfied1 the citizens of    
,london discontented1 the soldiery prone
 to mutiny1 ,i was desirous1 according  
to the best knowledge ,god had given me1
 to make enquiry by the art ,i studied1 
what might from that time happen unto   
the ,parliament and nation in general4  
,at last1 having satisfied myself as    
well as ,i could1 and perfected my      
judgment therein1 ,i thought it most    
convenient to signify my intentions and 
conceptions thereof1 in ,forms1 ,shapes1

 ,types1 ,hieroglyphicks1 c4 without any
 commentary1 that so my judgment might  
be concealed from the vulgar1 and made  
manifest only unto the wise4 ,i herein  
imitating the examples of many wise     
philosophers who had done the like4'    
',sir ,robert1' saith one1 ',lilly is   
yet sub vestibulo4'  ,i proceeded       
further4 ,said ,i1 ',having found1 ,sir1
 that the city of ,london should be     
sadly afflicted with a great plague1 and
 not long after with an exorbitant fire1
 ,i framed these two hieroglyphics as   
represented in the book1 which in effect
 have proved very true4'  ',did you     
foresee the year8' said one4  ',i did   
not1' said ,i1 'or was desirous3 of that
 ,i made no scrutiny4' ,i proceeded--   
',now1 ,sir1 whether there was any      
design of burning the city1 or any      
employed to that purpose1 ,i must deal  
ingenuously with you1 that since the    
fire1 ,i have taken much pains in the   
search thereof1 but cannot or could not 
give myself any the least satisfaction  

therein4 ,i conclude1 that it was the   
only finger of ,god2 but what           
instruments he used thereunto1 ,i am    
ignorant4'  ,the ,committee seemed well 
pleased with what ,i spoke1 and         
dismissed me with great civility4       
,since which time no memorable action   
hath happened unto me1 my retirement    
impeding all concourse unto me4  ,i have
 many things more to communicate1 which 
,i shall do1 as they offer themselves to
 memory4  ,in anno #afcd1 and #afce1 ,i 
had much familiarity with ,john         
,hegenius1 ,doctor of ,physick1 a       
,dutchman1 an excellent scholar and an  
able physician1 not meanly versed in    
astrology4 ,unto him1 for his great     
civility1 ,i communicated the art of    
framing ,sigils1 ,lamens1 c4 and the use
 of the ,mosaical ,rods3--and we did    
create several ,sigils to very good     
purpose4 ,i gave him1 the true key      
thereof1 viz4 instructed him of their   
forms1 characters1 words1 and last of   
all1 how to give them vivification1 and 

what number or numbers were appropriated
 to every planet3 ,cum multis aliis in  
libris veterum latentibus2 aut perspicue
 non intellectis4  ,i was well          
acquainted with the ,speculator of ,john
 a ,windor1 a scrivener1 sometimes      
living in ,newbury4 ,this ,windor was   
club-fisted1 wrote with a pen betwixt   
both his hands4 ,i have seen many bonds 
and bills wrote by him4 ,he was much    
given to debauchery1 so that at some    
times the ,daemons would not appear to  
the ,speculator2 he would then          
suffumigate3 sometimes1 to vex the      
spirits1 he would curse them1 fumigate  
with contraries4 ,upon his examination  
before ,sir ,henry ,wallop1 ,kt4 which  
,i have seen1 he said1 he once visited  
,dr4 ,dee in ,mortlack2 and out of a    
book that lay in the window1 he copied  
out that call which he used1 when he    
invocated--  ,it was that--which near   
the beginning of it hath these words1   
,per virtutem illorum qui invocant nomen
 tuum1   ,hermeli--mitte nobis tres     

,angelos1 c4  ,windor had many good     
parts1 but was a most lewd person3 ,my  
master ,wright knew him well1 and having
 dealing in those parts1 made use of him
 as a scrivener4  ,oliver ,withers1     
servant to ,sir ,h4 ,wallop1 brought up 
,john a ,windor's examination unto      
,london1 purposely for me to peruse4    
,this ,withers was ,mr4 ,fiske's scholar
 three years more or less1 to learn     
astrology of him2 but being never the   
wiser1 ,fiske brought him unto me3 by   
shewing him but how to judge one figure1
 his eyes were opened3 ,he made the     
,epistle before ,dr4 ,neve's book1 now  
in ,mr4 ,sander's hands1 was very       
learned in the ,latin1 ,greek1 and      
,hebrew tongues4  ,having mentioned ,dr4
 ,john ,dee1 ,i hold it not impertinent 
to speak something of him2 but more     
especially of ,edward ,kelly's          
,speculator4  ,dr4 ,dee himself was a   
,cambro ,briton1 educated in the        
university of ,oxford1 there took his   
degree of ,doctor2 afterwards for many  

years in search of the profounder       
studies1 travelled into foreign parts3  
to be serious1 he was ,queen            
,elizabeth's intelligencer1 and had a   
salary for his maintenance from the     
,secretaries of ,state4 ,he was a ready 
witted man1 quick of apprehension1 very 
learned1 and of great judgment in the   
,latin and ,greek tongues4 ,he was a    
very great investigator of the more     
secret ,hermetical learning1 a perfect  
astronomer1 a curious astrologer1 a     
serious geometrician2 to speak truth1 he
 was excellent in all kinds of learning4
  ,with all this1 he was the most       
ambitious person living1 and most       
desirous of fame and renown1 and was    
never so well pleased as when he heard  
himself stiled ,most ,excellent4  ,he   
was studious in chymistry1 and attained 
to good perfection therein2 but his     
servant1 or rather companion1 ,kelly1   
out-went him1 viz4 about the ,elixir or 
,philosopher's ,stone2 which neither    
,kelly or ,dee attained by their own    

labour and industry4 ,it was in this    
manner ,kelly obtained it1 as ,i had it 
related from an ancient minister1 who   
knew the certainty thereof from an old  
,english merchant1 resident in ,germany1
 at what time both ,kelly and ,dee were 
there4  ,dee and ,kelly being in the    
confines of the ,emperor's dominions1 in
 a city where resided many ,english     
merchants1 with whom they had much      
familiarity1 there happened an old      
,friar to come to ,dr4 ,dee's lodging4  
,knocking at the door1 ,dee peeped down 
the stairs4 ',kelly1' says he1 'tell the
 old man ,i am not at home4' ,kelly did 
so4 ,the ,friar said1 ',i will take     
another time to wait on him4' ,some few 
days after1 he came again4 ,dee ordered 
,kelly1 if it were the same person1 to  
deny him again4 ,he did so2 at which the
 ,friar was very angry4 ',tell thy      
master ,i came to speak with him and to 
do him good1 because he is a great      
scholar and famous2 but now tell him1 he
 put forth a book1 and dedicated it to  

the ,emperor3 it is called ,monas       
,hierogliphicas4 ,he understands it not4
 ,i wrote it myself1 ,i came to instruct
 him therein1 and in some other more    
profound things4 ,do thou1 ,kelly1 come 
along with me1 ,i will make thee more   
famous than thy master ,dee4'  ,kelly   
was very apprehensive of what the ,friar
 delivered1 and thereupon suddenly      
retired from ,dee1 and wholly applied   
unto the ,friar2 and of him either had  
the ,elixir ready made1 or the perfect  
method of its preparation and making4   
,the poor ,friar lived a very short time
 after3 whether he died a natural death1
 or was otherwise poisoned or made away 
by ,kelly1 the merchant1 who related    
this1 did not certainly know4  ,how     
,kelly died afterwards at ,prague1 you  
well know3 he was born at ,worcester1   
had been an apothecary4 ,not above      
thirty years since he had a sister lived
 in ,worcester1 who had some gold made  
by her brother's projection4  ,dr4 ,dee 
died at ,mortlack in ,surrey1 very poor1

 enforced many times to sell some book  
or other to buy his dinner with1 as ,dr4
 ,napier of ,linford1 in                
,buckinghamshire1 oft related1 who knew 
him very well4  ,i have read over his   
book of ,conference with ,spirits1 and  
thereby perceive many weaknesses in the 
manage of that way of ,mosaical         
learning3 but ,i conceive1 the reason   
why he had not more plain resolutions1  
and more to the purpose1 was1 because   
,kelly was very vicious1 unto whom the  
angels were not obedient1 or willingly  
did declare the questions propounded2   
but ,i could give other reasons1 but    
those are not for paper4  ,i was very   
familiar with one ,sarah ,skelhorn1 who 
had been ,speculatrix unto one ,arthur  
,gauntlet about ,gray's-,inn-,lane1 a   
very lewd fellow1 professing physick4   
,this ,sarah had a perfect sight1 and   
indeed the best eyes for that purpose ,i
 ever yet did see4 ,gauntlet's books1   
after he was dead1 were sold1 after ,i  
had perused them1 to my scholar         

,humphreys3 there were rare notions in  
them4 ,this ,sarah lived a long time1   
even until her death1 with one ,mrs4    
,stockman in the ,isle of ,purbeck1 and 
died about sixteen years since4 ,her    
mistress one time being desirous to     
accompany her mother1 the ,lady         
,beconsfield1 unto ,london1 who lived   
twelve miles from her habitation1 caused
 ,sarah to inspect her crystal1 to see  
if she1 viz4 her mother1 was gone1 yea  
or not3 the angels appeared1 and shewed 
her mother opening a trunk1 and taking  
out a red waistcoat1 whereby she        
perceived she was not gone4 ,next day   
she went to her mother's1 and there1 as 
she entered the chamber1 she was opening
 a trunk1 and had a red waistcoat in her
 hand4 ,sarah told me oft1 the angels   
would for some years follow her1 and    
appear in every room of the house1 until
 she was weary of them4  ,this ,sarah   
,skelhorn1 her call unto the crystal    
began1  ',oh ye good angels1 only and   
only1' c4  ,ellen ,evans1 daughter of my

 tutor ,evans1 her call unto the crystal
 was this3  ',o ,micol1 ,o tu ,micol1   
regina pigmeorum veni1 c4'  ,since ,i   
have related of the ,queen of ,fairies1 
,i shall acquaint you1 that it is not   
for every one1 or every person1 that    
these angelical creatures will appear   
unto1 though they may say over the call1
 over and over1 or indeed is it given to
 very many persons to endure their      
glorious aspects2 even very many have   
failed just at that present when they   
are ready to manifest themselves2 even  
persons otherwise of undaunted spirits  
and firm resolution1 are herewith       
astonished1 and tremble2 as it happened 
not many years since with us4 ,a very   
sober discreet person1 of virtuous life 
and conversation1 was beyond measure    
desirous to see something in this       
nature4 ,he went with a friend into my  
,hurst ,wood3 the ,queen of ,fairies was
 invocated1 a gentle murmuring wind came
 first2 after that1 amongst the hedges1 
a smart whirlwind2 by and by a strong   

blast of wind blew upon the face of the 
friend1--and the ,queen appearing in a  
most illustrious glory1 ',no more1 ,i   
beseech you1' 7quoth the friend37 ',my  
heart fails2 ,i am not able to endure   
longer4' ,nor was he3 his black curling 
hair rose up1 and ,i believe a bullrush 
would have beat him to the ground3 he   
was soundly laughed at1 c4  ,sir ,robert
 ,holborn1 ,knight1 brought once unto me
 ,gladwell#ah of ,suffolk1 who had      
formerly had sight and conference with  
,uriel and ,raphael1 but lost them both 
by carelessness2 so that neither of them
 both would but rarely appear1 and then 
presently be gone1 resolving nothing4   
,he would have given me two hundred     
pounds to have assisted him for their   
recovery1 but ,i am no such man4--,those
 glorious creatures1 if well commanded1 
and well observed1 do teach the master  
any thing he desires2 ,amant secreta1   
fugiunt aperta4 ,the ,fairies love the  
southern side of hills1 mountains1      
groves4--,neatness and cleanliness in   

apparel1 a strict diet1 and upright     
life1 fervent prayers unto ,god1 conduce
 much to the assistance of those who are
 curious these ways4      ,footnote #ah3
 ,mr4 ,gilbert ,wakering gave him his   
berril when he     died2 it was of the  
largeness of a good big orange1 set in  
silver1 with a cross on the top1 and    
another on the handle2 and     round    
about engraved the names of these       
angels1 ,raphael1     ,gabriel1 ,uriel4 
,it hath been my happiness to meet with 
many rarities in my time unexpectedly4  
,i had a sister lived in the ,minories1 
in that very house where formerly had   
lived one ,evans1 not my tutor1 but     
another far exceeding him in astrology1 
and all other occult learning1          
questioned for his life about #afab4 ,i 
am sure it was when the present ,earl of
 ,manchester's father was ,lord ,chief  
,justice of ,england4 ,he was found     
guilty by a peevish ,jury3 but          
petitioning ,king ,james by a ,greek    
petition1 as indeed he was an excellent 

,grecian2 ',by my saul1' said ,king     
,james1 'this man shall not die2 ,i     
think he is a better ,grecian than any  
of my ,bishops3' so his life was spared1
 c4 ,my sister's master when new        
modelling the house1 broke up a window1 
under which were ,evans's secret        
manuscripts1#ai and two moulds in brass2
 one of a man1 the other of a woman4 ,i 
bought the moulds and book for five     
shillings2 the secrets were wrote in an 
imperfect ,greek character2 but after ,i
 found the vowels1 all the rest were    
presently clear enough4      ,footnote  
#ai3 ,from these manuscripts he gained  
his first     knowledge4  ,you see1 most
 worthy ,sir1 ,i write freely2 it is out
 of the sincerity of my affection1 many 
things wrote by me having been more fit 
for a sepulture than a book3 ,but1  ,quo
 major est virorum praestantium1 tui    
similium inopia2 eo mihi charior est1   
esse debet  amicitia tua3 quam quidem   
omnibus officiis1  studiis1 quae a summa
 benevolentia possunt1 perpetuo colam3  

,however1 who study the curiosities     
before-named1 if they are not very well 
versed in astrology1 they shall rarely  
attain their desired ends4 ,there was1  
in the late times of troubles1 one      
,mortlack1 who pretended unto           
,speculations1 had a crystal1 a call of 
,queen ,mab1 one of the ,queen of       
,fairies2 he deluded many thereby3 at   
last ,i was brought into his company2 he
 was desired to make invocation1 he did 
so2 nothing appeared1 or would3 three or
 four times in my company he was put    
upon to do the work1 but could not2 at  
last he said he could do nothing as long
 as ,i was in presence4 ,i at last      
shewed him his error1 but left him as ,i
 found him1 a pretending ignoramus4  ,i 
may seem to some to write incredibilia2 
be it so1 but knowing unto whom1 and for
 whose only sake1 ,i do write them1 ,i  
am much comforted therewith1 well       
knowing you are the most knowing man in 
these curiosities of any now living in  
,england2 and therefore it is my hope1  

these will be a present well-becoming   
you to accept4  ,praeclara omnia quam   
difficilia sint1 his praesertim         
temporibus4 7,celeberrime ,armiger17 non
 te fugit2 and therefore ,i will        
acquaint you with one memorable story   
related unto me by ,mr4 ,john ,marr1 an 
excellent mathematican and geometrician1
 whom ,i conceive you remember3 he was  
servant to ,king ,james and ,charles the
 ,first4  ,at first1 when the ,lord     
,napier1 or ,marchiston1 made publick   
his ,logarithms1 ,mr4 ,briggs1 then     
reader of the astronomy lecture at      
,gresham-,college in ,london1 was so    
surprized with admiration of them1 that 
he could have no quietness in himself1  
until he had seen that noble person the 
,lord ,marchiston1 whose only invention 
they were3 he acquaints ,john ,marr     
herewith1 who went into ,scotland before
 ,mr4 ,briggs1 purposely to be there    
when these two so learned persons should
 meet4 ,mr4 ,briggs appoints a certain  
day when to meet at ,edinburgh3 but     

failing thereof1 the ,lord ,napier was  
doubtful he would not come4 ,it happened
 one day as ,john ,marr and the ,lord   
,napier were speaking of ,mr4 ,briggs2  
',ah1 ,john1' saith ,marchiston1 ',mr4  
,briggs will not now come3' at the very 
instant one knocks at the gate2 ,john   
,marr hasted down1 and it proved ,mr4   
,briggs1 to his great contentment4 ,he  
brings ,mr4 ,briggs up into my ,lord's  
chamber1 where almost one quarter of an 
hour was spent1 each beholding the other
 almost with admiration1 before one word
 was spoke3 at last ,mr4 ,briggs began4 
',my ,lord1 ,i have undertaken this long
 journey purposely to see your person1  
and to know by what engine of wit or    
ingenuity you came first to think of    
this most excellent help unto astronomy1
 viz4 the ,logarithms2 but1 my ,lord1   
being by you found out1 ,i wonder no    
body else found it out before1 when1 now
 known1 it is so easy4' ,he was nobly   
entertained by the ,lord ,napier1 and   
every summer after that1 during the     

,lord's being alive1 this venerable man1
 ,mr4 ,briggs1 went purposely into      
,scotland to visit him2 ,tempora nunc   
mutantur4  ,these two persons were      
worthy men in their time2 and yet the   
one1 viz4 ,lord ,marchiston1 was a great
 lover of astrology1 but ,briggs the    
most satirical man against it that hath 
been known3 but the reason hereof ,i    
conceive was1 that ,briggs was a severe 
,presbyterian1 and wholly conversant    
with persons of that judgment2 whereas  
the ,lord ,marchiston was a general     
scholar1 and deeply read in all divine  
and human histories3 it is the same     
,marchiston who made that most serious  
and learned exposition upon the         
,revelation of ,st4 ,john2 which is the 
best that ever yet appeared in the      
world4         99       99       99     
99       99  ,thus far proceeded ,mr4   
,william ,lilly in setting down the     
account of his life1 with some other    
things of note4 ,now shall be added     
something more which afterwards happened

 during his retirement at his house at  
,hersham1 until his death4  ,he left    
,london in the year #affe1 7as he hath  
before noted7 and betook himself to the 
study of physick2 in which1 having      
arrived at a competent degree of        
knowledge1 assisted by diligent         
observation and practice1 he desired his
 old friend1 ,mr4 ,ashmole1 to obtain of
 his ,grace ,dr4 ,sheldon1 then ,lord   
,archbishop of ,canterbury1 a license   
for the practice of physick2 which upon 
application to his ,grace1 and producing
 a testimonial 7,october #h1 #afgj17    
under the hands of two physicians of the
 college in ,london1 on ,mr4 ,lilly's   
behalf1 he most readily granted1 in the 
manner following1 viz4  ',,gilbertus    
providentia divina ,cantuariensis       
,archiepiscopus totius ,angliae ,primas 
,metropolitanus1 dilecto nobis in       
,christo ,,gulielmo ,,lilly in          
,medicinis ,professori1 salutem1        
gratiam1  benedictionem4 ,cum ex fide   
digna relatione acceperimus ,te in arte 

sive facultate ,medicinae per non       
modicum tempus versatum fuisse1         
multisque de salute  sanitate corporis  
vere desperatis 7,deo ,omnipotente      
adjuvante7 subvenisse1 eosque sanasse1  
nec non in arte predicta multorum       
peritorum laudabili testimonio pro      
experientia1 fidelitate1 diligentia     
industria tuis circa curas quas         
susceperis peragendas in hujusmodi ,arte
 ,medicinae merito commendatum esse1 ad 
practicandum igitur  exercendum dictam  
,artem ,medicinae in1  per totam        
,provinciam nostram ,cant' 7,civitate   
,lond'  circuitu septem milliarum eidem 
prox' adjacen' tantummodo exceptis7 ex  
causis praedictis  aliis nos in hac per 
te juste moventibus1 praestito primitus 
per te juramento de agnoscendo ,regiam  
suprema potestatem in causis            
ecclesiasticis  temporalibus ac de      
renunciando1 refutando1  recusando omni1
  omnimodae jurisdictioni potestati1    
authoritati  superioritati foraneis     
juxta vim formam  effectum statui       

,parliamenti hujus inclyti ,regni       
,angliae in ea parte editi  provisi     
quantum nobis per statuta hujus ,regni  
,angliae liceat  non aliter neque alio  
modo te admittimus  approbamus1 tibique 
,licentiam  ,facultatem nostras in hac  
parte1 tenore praesentium quamdiu te    
bene  laudabiliter gesseris benigne     
concedimus  elargimur4 ,in cujus rei    
testimonium sigillum 7quo in hac parte  
utimur7 praesentibus apponi fecimus4    
,dat4 undecimo die mensis ,octobris1    
,anno ,domini #afgj4 ,nostraeque        
translationis ,anno ,octavo4  ,sigillum 
,radulph4 ,snowe         ,,et           
,registrarii4     ,edm4 ,sherman        
,s4 ,rich4 ,lloyd1 ,sur4  ',vicarii in  
,spiritualibus ,generalis per           
,provinciam ,cantuariensem4'   ,hereupon
 he began to practise more openly1 and  
with good success2 and every ,saturday  
rode to ,kingston1 where the poorer sort
 flocked to him from several parts1 and 
received much benefit by his advice and 
prescriptions1 which he gave them       

freely1 and without money4 ,from those  
that were more able1 he now and then    
received a shilling1 and sometimes an   
half crown1 if they offered it to him1  
otherwise he demanded nothing2 and1 in  
truth1 his charity towards poor people  
was very great1 no less than the care   
and pains he took in considering and    
weighing their particular cases1 and    
applying proper remedies to their       
infirmities1 which gained him           
extraordinary credit and estimation4    
,he was of a strong constitution1 and   
continued generally in good health1 till
 the #afth of ,august #afgd1 when a     
violent humour discovered itself in red 
spots all over his body1 with little    
pushes in his head4 ,this1 in the winter
 7#ah ,december7 following1 was seconded
 by a distemper whereof he fell sick1   
and was let blood in the left foot1 a   
little above the ancle4  ,the #bjth of  
,december following1 a humour descended 
from his head to his left side1 from    
eight o'clock at night till the next    

morning2 and then staying a while in the
 calf of his leg1 at length descended   
towards his toes1 the anguish whereof   
put him into a fever4 ,this humour fixed
 in two places on the top of his left   
foot 7one in that where he was let blood
 two days before7 which 7upon           
application of pledgets7 growing ripe1  
they were 7#bh ,dec47 lanced by ,mr4    
,agar of ,kingston1 his apothecary 7and 
no less a skilful ,surgeon37 after which
 he began to be at ease1 his fever      
abated1 and within five months the cure 
was perfected4  ,the #gth of ,november  
#afge1 he was taken with a violent fit  
of vomiting for some hours1 to which a  
fever succeeded1 that continued four    
months3 this brought his body exceeding 
low1 together with a dimness in his     
eyes1 which after occasioned him to make
 use of ,mr4 ,henry ,coley1 as his      
amanuensis1 to transcribe 7from his     
dictates7 his astrological judgments for
 the year #afgg2 but the monthly        
observations for that year1 were written

 with his own hand some time before1    
though by this time he was grown very   
dim-sighted4 ,his judgments and         
observations for the succeeding years1  
till his death1 7so also for the year   
#afhb17 were all composed by his        
directions1 ,mr4 ,coley coming to       
,hersham the beginning of every summer1 
and stayed there1 till1 by conference   
with him1 he had dispatched them for the
 press2 to whom1 at these opportunities1
 he communicated his way of judgment1   
and other astrological arcanas4  ,in the
 beginning of the year #afha1 he had a  
flux1 which weakened him much1 yet after
 some time his strength encreased2 but  
now his sight was wholly taken from him1
 not having any glimmering as formerly4 
,he had dwelt many years at ,hersham1   
where his charity and kindness to his   
poor neighbours was always great and    
hearty2 and the #cjth of ,may #afha1    
towards the evening1 a dead palsy began 
to seize his left side4 ,the second of  
,june1 towards evening1 he took his bed1

 and then his tongue began to falter4   
,the next day he became very dull and   
heavy3 sometimes his senses began to    
fail him4 ,henceforward he took little  
or nothing1 for his larinx swelled1 and 
that impeded his swallowing4  ,the      
fourth of ,june1 ,mr4 ,ashmole went to  
visit him1 and found he knew him1 but   
spake little1 and some of that scarce   
intelligible2 for the palsy began now to
 seize upon his tongue4  ,the eighth of 
,june he lay in a great agony1 insomuch 
that the sweat followed drop after drop1
 which he bore with wonderful courage   
and patience 7as indeed he did all his  
sickness7 without complaint2 and about  
three o'clock the next morning1 he died1
 without any shew of trouble or pangs4  
,immediately before his breath went from
 him1 he sneezed three times4  ,he had  
often1 in his life-time1 desired ,mr4   
,ashmole to take care of his funeral1   
and now his widow desired the same3     
whereupon ,mr4 ,ashmole obtained leave  
from ,sir ,mathew ,andrews 7who had the 

parsonage of ,walton7 to bury him in the
 chancel of that church4  ,the #ajth of 
,june1 his corse was brought thither1   
and received by the minister 7in his    
surplice7 at the ,litch ,gates1 who1    
passing before the body into the church1
 read the first part of the ,office for 
the ,burial of the ,dead4 ,in the       
reading desk he said all the evening    
service1 and after performed the rest of
 the office 7as established by law7 in  
the chancel1 at the interment1 which was
 about eight o'clock in the evening1 on 
the left side of the communion table1   
,mr4 ,ashmole assisting at the laying   
him in his grave2 whereupon afterwards  
7#i ,july #afha7 he placed a fair black 
marble stone1 7which cost him six pounds
 four shillings and six-pence7 with this
 inscription following3      ,ne        
,oblivione conteretur ,urna             
,,gulielmi ,,lillii      ,,astrologi    
,,peritissimi1      ,,qui ,,fatis       
,,cessit      ,quinto ,idus ,junii ,anno
 ,christi ,juliano      ,m ,,dc ,,lxxxi4

      ,hoc ,illi posuit amoris          
,monumentum      ,,elias ,,ashmole1     
,,armiger4  ,shortly after his death1   
,mr4 ,ashmole bought his library of     
books of ,mrs4 ,ruth ,lilly1 7his widow 
and executrix7 for fifty pounds3 he oft 
times1 in his life-time1 expressed1 that
 if ,mr4 ,ashmole would give that sum1  
he should have them4         99       99
       99       99       99  ,the       
following ,epitaphs 7,latin and         
,english7 were made by ,george          
,smalridge1 then a scholar at           
,westminster1 after ,student of         
,christ-,church in ,oxford4    ,in      
,mortem ,viri ,doctissimi ,domini       
,,gulielmi   ,,lilly1 ,astrologi1 nuper 
defuncti4    ,occidit atque suis        
annalibus addidit atram     ,astrologus1
 qua non tristior ulla1 diem   ,pone    
triumphales1 lugubris ,luna1 quadrigas2 
,sol maestum picea nube reconde caput4  
,illum1 qui ,phoebi scripsit1 ,phoebesq2
 labores     ,eclipsin docuit ,stella   
maligna pati4   ,invidia ,astrorum      

cecidit1 qui ,sidera rexit     ,tanta   
erat in notas scandere cura domos4      
,quod vidit1 visum cupiit1 potiturq2    
cupito     ,coelo1  ,sidereo fulget in  
orbe decus4   ,scilicet hoc nobis       
praedixit ab ane ,cometa1     ,et fati  
emicuit nuncia ,stella tui   ,fallentem 
vidi faciem gemuiq2 videndo     ,illa   
fuit vati mortis imago suo1   ,civilis  
timuere alii primordia belli            
,jejunam metuit plebs stupefata faniem  
,non tantos tulerat bellumve famesve    
dolores3     ,auspiciis essent haec     
relevanda tuis4   ,in cautam subitus    
plebem nunc opprimat ensis1     ,securos
 fati mors violenta trahat4   ,nemo est 
qui videat moneatq2 avertere fatum1     
,ars jacet in ,domini funera mersa sui  
,solus naturae reservare arcana solebat1
     ,solus  ambigui solvere jura poti4 
,lustrasti erantes bene fina mente      
,planeta     ,conspectum latuit stellata
 nulla tuum   ,defessos oculos pensarunt
 lumina mentis     ,firesias oculis1    
mentibus ,argus eras4   ,cernere1       

,firesia1 poteras ventura1 sed1 ,arge1  
,in fatum haud poteras sat vigil esse   
tuum   ,sed vivit nomen semper cum sole 
vigebit1     ,immemor ,astrologi non    
erit ulla dies   ,saecla canent laudes1 
quas si percurrere cones1     ,arte opus
 est1 ,stellas qua numerare soles       
,haereat hoc carmen cinerum custodibus  
urnis1     ,hospes quod spargens marmora
 rore legat4   ,hic situs est1 dignus   
nunquam cecidisse ,propheta2            
,fatorum interpres fata inopina subit4  
,versari aethereo dum vixit in orbe     
solebat3     ,nunc humilem jactat ,terra
 superba virum4   ,sed ,coelum metitur  
adhuc resupinus in urnae     ,vertitur  
in solitos palpebra clausa polos4       
,huic busto invigilant solenni lampade  
,musaae     ,perpetuo nubes imbre       
sepulchra rigant4   ,ille oculis movit  
distantia ,sidera nostris1     ,illam   
amota oculis traxit ad astra ,deus4  ,an
 ,,elegy upon the ,death of ,,william   
,,lilly1 the ,astrologer4    ,our       
,prophet's gone2 no longer may our ears 

,be charm'd with musick of th'          
harmonious spheres4   ,let sun and moon 
withdraw1 leave gloomy night   ,to shew 
their ,,nuncio',s fate1 who gave more   
light   ,to th' erring world1 than all  
the feeble rays   ,of sun or moon2      
taught us to know those days   ,bright  
,,titan makes2 follow'd the hasty sun   
,through all his circuits2 knew th'     
unconstant moon1   ,and more unconstant 
ebbings of the flood2   ,and what is    
most uncertain1 th' factious brood1     
,flowing in civil broils3 by the heavens
 could date   ,the flux and reflux of   
our dubious state4   ,he saw the eclipse
 of sun1 and change of moon   ,he saw1  
but seeing would not shun his own3      
,eclips'd he was1 that he might shine   
more bright1   ,and only chang'd to give
 a fuller light4   ,he having view'd the
 sky1 and glorious train   ,of gilded   
stars1 scorn'd longer to remain   ,in   
earthly prisons3 could he a village     
love1   ,whom the twelve houses waited  
for above8   ,the grateful stars a      

heavenly mansion gave   ,t' his heavenly
 soul1 nor could he live a slave   ,to  
mortal passions1 whose immortal mind1   
,whilst here on earth1 was not to earth 
confin'd4   ,he must be gone1 the stars 
had so decreed2   ,as he of them1 so    
they of him1 had need4   ,this message  
'twas the blazing comet brought2   ,i   
saw the pale-fac'd star1 and seeing     
thought   7,for we could guess1 but only
 ,,lilly knew7   ,it did some glorious  
hero's fall foreshew3   ,a hero's       
fall'n1 whose death1 more than a war1   
,or fire1 deserv'd a comet3 th'         
obsequious star   ,could do no less than
 his sad fate unfold1   ,who had their  
risings1 and their settings told4       
,some thought a plague1 and some a      
famine near2   ,some wars from ,france1 
some fires at home did fear3   ,nor did 
they fear too much3 scarce kinder fate1 
,but plague of plagues befell th'       
unhappy state   ,when ,,lilly died4 ,now
 swords may safely come   ,from ,france 
or ,rome1 fanaticks plot at home4   ,now

 an unseen1 and unexpected hand1   ,by  
guidance of ill stars1 may hurt our     
land2   ,unsafe1 because secure1 there's
 none to show   ,how ,england may avert 
the fatal blow4   ,he's dead1 whose     
death the weeping clouds deplore1   ,i  
wish we did not owe to him that show'r  
,which long expected was1 and might have
 still   ,expected been1 had not our    
nation's ill   ,drawn from the heavens a
 sympathetic tear3   ,england hath cause
 a second drought to fear4   ,we have no
 second ,,lilly1 who may die1   ,and by 
his death may make the heavens cry4     
,then let your annals1 ,coley1 want this
 day1   ,think every year leap-year2 or 
if't must stay1   ,cloath it in black2  
let a sad note stand by1   ,and         
stigmatize it to posterity4  ,here      
follows the ,copy of an ,indictment     
filed against ,mr4 ,lilly1 for which see
 page #afg of his ,life4  ,the jurors   
for the ,lord ,protector of the         
commonwealth of ,england1 ,scotland1 and
 ,ireland1 c4 upon their oaths do       

present1 that ,william ,lilly1 late of  
the ,parish of ,st4 ,clements ,danes1 in
 the ,county of ,middlesex1 ,gent4 not  
having the fear of ,god before his eyes1
 but being moved and seduced by the     
instigation of the devil1 the #ajth day 
of ,july1 in the ,year of our ,lord1    
#afed1 at the ,parish aforesaid1 in the 
,county aforesaid1 wickedly1 unlawfully1
 and deceitfully1 did take upon him1 the
 said ,william ,lilly1 by inchantment1  
charm1 and sorcery1 to tell and declare 
to one ,anne ,east1 the wife of         
,alexander ,east1 where ten waistcoats1 
of the value of five pounds1 of the     
goods and chattels of the said          
,alexander ,east1 then lately before    
lost and stolen from the said ,alexander
 ,east1 should be found and become2 and 
two shilling and sixpence in monies     
numbred1 of the monies of the said      
,alexander1 from the said ,anne ,east1  
then and and there unlawfully and       
deceitfully1 he1 the said ,william      
,lilly1 did take1 receive1 and had1 to  

tell and declare to her the said ,anne1 
where the said goods1 so lost and stolen
 as aforesaid1 should be found and      
become3 ,and also that he1 the said     
,william ,lilly1 on the said tenth day  
of ,july1 in the ,year of our ,lord1    
#afed1 and divers other days and times1 
as well before as afterwards1 at the    
said ,parish aforesaid1 in the ,county  
aforesaid1 unlawfully and deceitfully   
did take upon him1 the said ,william    
,lilly1 by inchantment1 charm1 and      
sorcery1 to tell and declare to divers  
other persons1 to the said jurors1 yet  
unknown1 where divers goods1 chattels1  
and things of the said persons yet      
unknown1 there lately before lost and   
stolen from the said persons yet        
unknown1 should be found and become2 and
 divers sums of monies of the said      
persons yet unknown1 then and there     
unlawfully and deceitfully1 he the said 
,william ,lilly did take1 receive1 and  
had1 to tell and declare to the said    
persons yet unknown1 where their goods1 

chattels1 and things1 so lost and       
stolen1 as aforesaid1 should be found   
and become1 in contempt of the laws of  
,england1 to the great damage and deceit
 of the said ,alexander and ,anne1 and  
of the said other persons yet unknown1  
to the evil and pernicious example of   
all others in the like case offending1  
against the form of the statute in this 
case made and provided1 and against the 
publick peace1 c4      ,anne ,east1     
,emme ,spencer1     ,jane ,gold1        
,katherme ,roberts1     ,susannah       
,hulinge4     ,butler's ,character of   
,,william ,,lilly4         99       99  
99       99       99    ,a cunning      
man#bj1 hight ,,sidrophel4   ,that deals
 in destiny's dark counsels1   ,and sage
 opinions of the moon sells2   ,to whom 
all people1 far and near1   ,on deep    
importances repair2   ,when brass and   
pewter hap to stray1   ,and linen slinks
 out of the way3      ,footnote #bj3 ,a 
cunning man1 hight ,sidrophel4 ',william
 ,lilly1     the famous astrologer of   

those times1 who in his yearly          
almanacks foretold victories for the    
parliament with as much     certainty as
 the ,preachers did in their sermons2   
and all or most     part of what is     
ascribed to him by the ,poet1 the reader
 will     find verified in his ,letter1 
7if we may believe it7 wrote by         
himself to ,elias ,ashmole1 ,esq4' ,for 
further curious information             
respecting ,william ,lilly1 the reader  
may consult ,dr4 ,grey's     ,notes to  
,hudibras1 vol4 ii4 page #afc1 c4       
,edition #ahai1 in #c     vols1 #hvo4   
,when geese and pullen are seduc'd1     
,and sows of sucking pigs are chous'd3  
,when cattle feel indisposition1   ,and 
need th' opinion of physician2   ,when  
murrain reigns in hogs or sheep1   ,and 
chickens languish of the pip2   ,when   
yeast and outward means do fail1   ,and 
have no power to work on ale2   ,when   
butter does refuse to come1   ,and love 
proves cross and humoursome2   ,to him  
with questions and with urine1   ,they  

for discov'ry flock1 or curing4         
99       99       99       99       99  
,he had been long t'wards mathematics1  
,opticks1 philosophy1 and staticks1     
,magick1 horoscopy1 astrology1   ,and   
was old dog at physiology3   ,but1 as a 
dog that turns the spit1   ,bestirs     
himself1 and plies his feet   ,to climb 
the wheel1 but all in vain1   ,his own  
weight brings him down again2   ,and    
still he's in the self-same place1      
,where at his setting out he was3   ,so1
 in the circle of the arts1   ,did he   
advance his nat'ral parts3   ,till      
falling back still1 for retreat1   ,he  
fell to juggle1 cant1 and cheat3   ,for 
as those fowls that live in water   ,are
 never wet1 he did but smatter3         
,whate'er he labour'd to appear1   ,his 
understanding still was clear1   ,yet   
none a deeper knowledge boasted1        
,since old ,hodge ,bacon1 and ,bob      
,grosted1         99       99       99  
99       99    ,do not our great        
,reformers use   ,this ,,sidrophel to   

forebode news8   ,to write of victories 
next year1   ,and castles taken yet     
i'th' air8   ,of battles fought at sea1 
and ships   ,sunk1 two years hence1 the 
last eclipse8   ,a total o'er throw     
giv'n the ,,king   ,in ,cornwall1 horse 
and foot1 next spring8   ,and has not he
 point-blank foretold   ,whatso'er the  
,close ,committee would8   ,made ,mars  
and ,saturn for the cause1   ,the ,moon 
for fundamental laws2   ,the ,ram1 the  
,bull1 the ,goat1 declare   ,against the
 ,book of ,common ,prayer2   ,the       
,scorpion take the ,protestation1   ,and
 ,bear engage for ,reformation2   ,made 
all the royal stars recant1   ,compound1
 and take the covenant4   ,,the ,,end4  
99       99       99       99       99  
,,maurice1 ,,printer1 ,,fenchurch       
,,street4