95 Or find by Necromantick Art, Part; To win, and wear her, and her Fortune, 105 (As thou haft prov'd) yet 'tis profane, Quoth Ralph, Not far from hence doth dwell A cunning Man, hight Sidrophel, Swearing, than Curfing: For when Teague was punifh'd Twelvepence for an Oath, he afk'd what he should pay for a Curfe? They faid Six-pence. He then threw down Six-pence, and cursed the Committee. . 106. A cunning Man, hight Sidrophel.] William Lilly, the famous Aftrologer of thofe Times, who in his yearly Almanacks foretold Victories for the Parliament with as much Certainty, as the Preachers did in their Sermons; and all, or moft Part of what is afcribed to him either by Ralpho or the Poet, the Reader will find verify'd in his Letter (if we may believe it) wrote by himfelf to Elias Afbmore, Efq; and printed a few Years ago for E. Curl, J. Pemberton, and W. Taylor, Bookfellers in London. In this Letter or Hiftory of his own Life, we find an Account of feveral of his Predictions, (fuch as happened to hit right, not fuch as fail'd) and what Encouragement he had from the Parliament, and others. But when he found that the Authority of Parliament began to fink, and the Power of the Army to increafe, he was as ready to predict against the Parliament, as before he was for it; tho' he began to do fo almost too foon for his own Security: For he tells us (p. 69.) that in the Year 1650, he wrote, "That the Parliament (mean*ing the Rump) food upon a tottering Foundation, and that "the Commonalty and Soldiery would join against them." For this he was taken up by a Meffenger, carried before a Committee of Parliament, and fhew'd the Words of his Almanack: But having Notice before-hand of what was intended against him, he had got that Leaf new printed, and thofe obnoxious Words left out. So he denied the Almanack to be his, and pull'd half a Dozen A 4 out That deals in Deftiny's dark Counfels, And fage Opinions of the Moon fells To whom all People, far and near, 110 On deep Importances repair; When Brass and Pewter hap to ftray, And Sows of fucking Pigs are chows'd; 115 When Cattle feel Indifpofition, out of his Pocket, which were without that Paffage, and faid, this was a fpurious Impreffion, in which fome Enemies had put in those Words, in order to ruin him: (Life, p. 70.) In which he was feconded by a Friend in the Committee, who enlarged upon the great Services he had done the Parliament: (Life, p. 71.) Notwithstanding which he was kept a Prifoner in the Messenger's Hand near a Fortnight, and then releas'd. What he had faid of the Rump was at the Initance of fome of Cromavell's Party: He lived to the Year 1681, being then near eighty Years of Age, and publifh'd predicting Almanacks to his Death. He was fucceeded by Henry Coley (a Taylor by Trade) his Amanuenfis, (fee Life, p. 109.) And after him came John Partridge, who, fomething more than thirty Years ago, was fo expos'd and ridicul'd, for his Predictions, by Ifaac Bickerfiaff, Efq; (fee Tatler, N° 1, 39, 118, 124, 216.) I know of no one fince, that has publish'd prophetic Almanacks, (Dr. B.) See a remarkable Account of Lilly in Mr. Hearne's Life of Mr. Anthony Wood, p. 505, 506, 507. .111,112. When Brass and Pewter hap to ftray,-And Linnen flinks out of the Way.] Sir John Birkenhead banters Lilly upon this Head; [Paul's Church-yard, cent. 1. claff. 1. f. 12.] " Pancirolla Medela, a Way to find Things loft by W. Lilly; with a Clavis to his Book, or the Art of his Art by Mrs. Mary Frith." This was an old Pretence, made mention of by Wierus, (De Præftigiis Dæmonum, lib. 6. cap. 2.) Plcrique infuper magi Pytho nis fpiritu inflati, artem divinandi profitentur, & res perditas quis fuffuratus fuerit, aut ubi ex reconditæ fint, & alia abdita, vel etiam ancipitia fe manifeftare poffe jactant. And Mr. Scot mentions fome of the Charms made Ufe of to find out a Thief. (Dif covery of Witchcraft, book 12. chap. 17. p. 260, 261, 262.) · But the most whimsical is the Charm of Sir John, or the Pricft, to difcover the Perfons who stole the Miller's Eels; in which the Prieft was a Party concern'd. He And need th' Opinion of Phyfician; He went into the Pulpit, and with his Surplefs on his Back, and his Stole about his Neck, he pronounced these Words: (fee book 12, p. 265.) 7 All you that have ftolen the Miller's Eels, Laudate Dominum de Cælis, And all they [We] that have consented thereto, Benedicamus Domino. . 121. When Butter does refuse to come. e.] "When a Country "Wench (fays Mr. Selden, Table-Talk, p. 120.) cannot get her Butter to come, she says, the Witch is in the Churn." This is banter'd by Mr. Cotton (Virgile Travestie, book 4. p. 117.) She call'd to wash, and do you think The Water turn'd as black as Ink: And that by Chance being cherming Day, Her Cream moft ftrangely turn'd to Whey. This Dido faw, but would by no Means Tell her own Sifter of the Omens. Mr. Scot (fee Discovery of Witchcraft, book 12.) obferves farther, "That when the Country People fee that Butter cometh not, "then get they out of the fufpected Witches House a little Butter, "whereof must be made three Balls in the Name of the Holy "Trinity; and fo if they be put into the Churn, the Butter will "presently come, and the Witchcraft will ceafe-but if you put little Sugar and Soap into the Cherme among the Cream, the "Butter will never come." a See Spectator No 117. Mr. Webster (fee Display of Witchcraft, book 12. chap. 21. p. 281.) affigns natural Causes for it's not coming, with the Methods to make it come. . 122, 123. And Love proves cross and humour fome,-To him with Queftions, and with Urine.] This is hinted at by Sir Robert Howard, (Committee-Man, A&t 1. p. 19.) Ruth tells Arabella the Heiress, (whom 125 Quoth Hudibras, This Sidrophet I've heard of, and fhou'd like it well; If thou canst prove the Saints have Freedom To go to Sorc'rers when they need 'em. Says Ralpho, there's no Doubt of that; 130 Thofe Principles I quoted late, Prove that the Godly may alledge For any thing their Priviledge: And to the Dev'l himself may go, 7 If they have Motives thereunto. (whom Mr. Day the Committe-Man had got into his Custody) “That Mr. and Mrs. Day had fent to Lilly, and his Learning being "built upon what People would have him to fay, he has told for certain, that Abel their Son must have a rich Heiress, and that "must be you." 66 And Lilly confeffes, (Hiftory of his Life and Times, P. 95) "That many People of the poorer Sort frequented his Lodging, many whereof were fo civil, that when they brought Waters, "viz. Urines from infected People, (in 1665) they would ftand 66 at a Distance. 66 . 127, 128. If thou canft prove the Saints have Freedom,-To go to Sorc'rers, when they need 'em.] See Don Quixote's Scruple in this Respect, vol. 3. chap. 25. This Question is argued in a Book, intitled, De Veneficis. per Lambertum Danæum, Anno 1574. cap. 6. Utrum liceat homini Chriftiano fortiariorum operâ & auxilio, in morbo aliifque rebus uti! Who determines, p. 120, in the Negative. Quamobrem hoc fit tandem conclufum & effectum ex fuperioribus, neque debere, neque opportere fortiariorum operâ uti, nifi & ipfi in eorum numero effe velimus. Conftantine the Great seems to be more favourable in his Opinion in the following Law: Nullis vero criminationibus implicanda funt remedia humanis quæfita corporibus, aut in agreftibus locis innocenter adhibita fuffragia, ne maturis vindemiis metuerentur imbres, aut ventis, grandinifque lapidatione quaterentur: Quibus non cujufquam falus & æftimatio læderetur: Sed quorum proficerent actus, ne Divina munera, & labores hominum fternerentur. Cod. Juftinian. Lib. 9 Tit. 18. S. 4. Sir John Birkenhead (Paul's Church-yard, cent. 2. claff. 9. fect. 179.) puts this Query, "Whether the Reformers of this 135 For as there is a War between The Devil and them, it is no Sin, Hang'd threescore of 'em in one Shire? "Time may fafely trade in Magic? Because Luther and Dr. Fau ftus taught both in the fame Town." And Lilly, when he and Booker had an Audience of Sir Thomas Fairfax, obferved, "That he hoped the Art was lawful, and "agreeable to God's Word." (Life, p. 57. and General Hiftorical Dictionary, vol. 7. p. 83. See Spectator, N° 46.); .139,140. Has not this prefent Parliament-A Ledger to the Devil fent?] Ledger Ambassadors were not more ancient than the Year 1500, as Mr. Anftis observes from Grotius, (Register of the Garter, part 1. p. 394-) . 143, 144. And has not he within a Year-Hang'd threescore of 'em in one Shire ?] Hopkins, the noted Witch-finder for the affociated Counties, hang'd threefcore fufpected Witches in one Year in the County of Suffolk. See Dr. Hutchinfon's Hiftorical Effay on Witchcraft, p. 37, 38. Dr. Meric Cafaubon, in his Preface to Dr. Dee's Book of Spirits, obferves; That nine hundred Men and Women fuffer'd in Lorain for Witchcraft in the Compafs of a few Years: And Ludovicus Paramo, that the Inquifition, within the Space of one hundred and fifty Years, has burnt thirty thoufand Witches. Baker's Hiftory of the Inquifition, p. 186. But our Enthufiafts much exceeded both. Mr. Ady says, that in Scotland fome thoufands were burnt in thofe Times. (Dr. Hutchinfon, p. 38.) I have fomewhere feen an Account of betwixt three and four thousand that fuffer'd in the King's Dominions, from the Year 1640, to the King's Restoration. See a remarkable Incident of this Kind, in Bretagne, a Province of France. Turkish Spy, vol. 4. book 4. letter 9. |