Catastrophe Magnatum: OR, THE FALL OF monarchy. A Caveat to MAGISTRATES, Deduced from the Eclipse of the sun, March 29. 1652. With a Probable Conjecture of the Determination of the Effects.  
By Nich: Culpeper Gent. Stud. in Astrol. and Phys:  
DAN. 2. 21, 22. He changeth the times and the seasons, he removeth Kings, and setteth up Kings: he giveth wisdom to the Wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: he revealeth the deep and secret things, he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth With him.  
LONDON Printed for T. Vere and Nath: Brooke, in the Old Baily, and at the Angel in Cornhill. 1652.   

To the right worshipful, Sir William Culpeper Knight and Baronet, Nicholas Culpeper wisheth Health, Wealth, and Peace, in this World, and a Crown of Glory in that to come.  
Worthy Sir,  
BEfore I proceed farther, let me crave pardon of your Worship, for these my bold attempts in presuming to Dedicate these my weak Labours to your Worship, to whom distance of place hath now almost made a stranger; but considering that Ingenuity of Spirit that was once in your Father, & flourisheth in you who are the Branch of so Noble a Root, together with the ancient Familiarity that was between your Father and mine, emboldened me after I had converted a few idle hours into Study, and having brought forth to birth what then I conceived, I present it at your worship's feet: I hope there is nothing in it unbeseeming the name of Culpeper; if there be failings in it they are no more than what we are all subject to. The Ingenuity of your Worship, I know to be such, that you will not only pass by my boldness in dedicating it to you, for that Objection our Alliance in blood may take off, 
Sigenus amborum scindit se sanguine ab uno.  Besides, as your ingenuity is Operative, which the Bowels of all your poor Neighbours daily bless God for, which you are commended for, even where you are not known, and is is no small joy to mine (your poor kinsman's) heart, so shall you be eternally rewarded for it another day, blessed is he that remembreth the poor, your Worship knows well enough what follows. I hope your Worship will expect no Flattery in the Epistle, there being none in the book: if you accept the Book, I shall think myself happy, and I am confident those of our blood will hardly degenerate; it was a notable expression of Plato, O Knowledge, how would men love thee, if they did but know thee! for as Health is the conservation of the Body, so is knowledge the conservation of the Soul. Though it hath been near upon fifteen years since I saw your Worship: yet have I often heard of you, both by Master Thomas Culpeper and Master Whitfield, who are both of our kindred, as by many others more, and I hear your virtues increase daily more and more, the Lord increase them till the time of your change come: and though we live in such an Age which calleth Good evil, and evil Good, which takes Vice for virtue and virtue for Vice, which think they strike at the devil and hit God, yet your Worship knows as well as I can tell you, & better too, being no stranger to the writings of Philosophers, what Plato said of virtue and Vice: quoth he, If virtue could take a bodily shape, she would be so beautiful a creature, all men would be in love with her, (of which your Worship is one) also if Vice could take a bodily shape, she would be such an Ugly beast, all men would hate her: for if Drunkards have so many Apish and beastly postures, what would drunkenness itself have if it were Visible? and yet that is but an Attribute of Vice neither.  
I know very well, and my Genius prompts me to it, what an excellent love your Worship bears to Learning, & truly I might make another reason of that for Dedicating these my weak labours to your Worship, as knowing the brightness of your brain will dissipate the clouds of my Ignorance: the truth is, there arose a Question within myself whether I should dedicate it to your Worship or not, but that contest held not long, for I doubted not of your favourable acceptance, for I knew well enough what failed on my part in the performance of the work, or what other imperfections you could find in the book, should be most Nobly censured, and like yourself: then presently I proceeded, and stamped your worship's name upon it, that it may be said, in despite of the proudest carper in the world, it is the Godchild of a peerless Godfather. Sir, one thing more I must entreat you, for I doubt I have been so bold, your worship will think I flatter, and that I know your worship hates, as well as myself; if there happen any thing in the book, which your worship cannot understand, I know you will say as noble-minded Chion did, Let my betters judge of these matters. I must confess the thing is a work of worth if well understood, else your worship had not had it presented to you, your worship knows very well, and far better than I can tell you, that knowledge requires the whole circuit of a man's life, even from the terminus à quo to the terminus ad quem; and the longer a man lives the more he may learn. I am brief, for 'tis brevity your worship delights in, therefore to use many words I account it needless: your worship's friendly acceptance of it shall be such a favour to me as I shall never forget (indeed I have so much the blood of Culpeper in me that I cannot) what such as are altogether unlearned or proudly learned, speak against, I shall take to be a badge of a weak, or stubborn brain, rather than any blemish at all to the work. I know your worship will judge like yourself, to whom I make bold to present this as a memorial of those former favours not unknown to your worship which passed between your Father and mine; Lastly, before I conclude let me entreat one favour of your worship, if I have mistaken in, or robbed you of any of your titles of honour, I beseech you pardon  
Your most humble Servant and Kinsman, Nich: Culpeper. From my Study at London. Spittle-Fields, next door to the Red-Lion.   

Now published.  
Theatrum Chemicum Britanicum, containing several poetical pieces of our famous English Philosophers, who have written the Hermetique Mysteries in their own ancient Language, with Annotations, and several hieroglyphical pieces cut in brass. By Elias Ashmole Esq.  
A most excellent book of Chiromancy, or the art of Divining by the lines and signatures of the Hand, a most accurate piece, lately published by George Wharton Esq.  
Both sold by Nath. Brooke at the Angel in Cornhill.   

A Discourse of the terrible Eclipse of the Sun, March 29, 1652.  

CHAP. I.  
What an Eclipse is.  
AN Eclipse is properly the deficiency of light in a Star, if it be defined in a critical sense: and although any Star upon the ecliptic may suffer an Eclipse, when they are diametrically opposed to the Sun; and although a part of the body of the Sun may be Eclipsed by Venus or Mercury, in an inferior conjunction, when they have no latitude (and for aught I know, it carries signification too, though little heeded) yet if we reason of an Eclipse in a vulgar sense, take the Philosophical description of it thus.  
An Eclipse, is the prohibition of the light either of the Sun or Moon from our eye.  
And as it is necessary, before we reason of an Eclipse, to tell you what an Eclipse is; so it is as necessary, to tell you what the Luminaries Eclipsed are; and to what intent the eternal, and only wise God, placed them in the heavens: and that this may be done methodically, I will tell you 

1. What the Sun is.  
2. What an Eclipse of the Sun is.  
3. What the Moon is.  
4. What an Eclipse of the Moon is.    
First, know this, that the Sun is the light and governor of the world; a creature which gives life, light, and motion to the creation: by moving about his own body upon his Axis, he moves the whole creation: by him is time limited; by him the Planets become Oriental, and Occidental: he hides them, and he gives them their lustre: whatsoever in the creation hath motion (and there are but few things without it, if any) they have it all from the Sun: in a word, he is the primum mobile of the creation; it is he that makes the Trees to spring, and the Birds to sing, and brings forth the fruits of the earth in due season; he quickens and enlivens all things; and every sign is exalted above its fellows, when he is in it: he adds life, and light, and strength, and heat and virtue, to the earth; and therefore his Eclipse is the more dismal to it: he is indeed the life of the creation, perhaps anima mundi: when the Sun leaves a sign, that sign remains like a dead body without a spirit and motion; and other signs avoid that sign, as a living body avoids a dead body: it is the Sun that causeth the motions of wind, inundation of water; the circulation in the creation, is caused by the Sun: it is he that draws the waters out of the sea, and returns them upon the earth, that so it may bring forth fruit in due season, the truth is he is a great and famous Planet, of mighty power, nobility, magnanimity, and command; and yet not like the Commanders of our times; for he loves not money. His corporal Conjunction, infortunates more than the conjunction of any Planet; but his Trine, and Sextile Aspects, fortunate more than the Trines and Sextiles of any Planet: And if you will know the reason why his Conjunction is so unfortunate, he gives to all the Planets their light and motion; and when they are with his body, he takes it away again. Life and death, principalities and powers, vanquishing and victory, are known by the Sun: beware his Eclipse upon his exaltation. As he is in the heavens, so are Magistrates in a Commonwealth: if the one be afflicted, why may not the other? the motion of the Sun is natural; the motion of terrestrial creatures, artificial: when Nature suffers, beware Art. In the body of man, he represents the head, because he is exalted in Aries: mock not, if you find him represent the same in a Nation. All Kings, quatenus Kings, are represented by the Sun; do not admire if they be Eclipsed: the truth of it is, he is Lord Paramount in the creation; and to prove this, I will send you to school, whither Job sent his companions, Job 12. 7, 8. Ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air; and they shall tell thee: or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee; and the fishes of the sea shall declare to thee. To which I might add, The trees themselves will do it; the birds in the spring declare it to the whole Nation, (I wish I could call it a Commonwealth.) The mines in the earth, yea the flint-stones, will tell you what the power of the Sun is; and yet he is Eclipsed: we will not deny the influences of the other Planets together with that Sun; for as the stomach first concocts the meat, and sends, or should send, the chyle well concocted to the Liver; and the Liver having concocted it again, nourisheth the body by the veins, and every vein receives a part of the blood from the Liver, according to its own capacity, even so the Sun administers of his own power, to the rest of the Planets, and to the earth itself: every one receives its part according to its capacity: an appletree bears an Apple; a crabtree but a Crab, because it is capable of no more: a good Plum-tree bears a Plum; and a Sloe-tree, but a slow, because it is capable of no better; So that the nature of the Sun, operates in all natures, according to their capacity. The house of the Sun, is the best and most noble house in all the heavens: his exaltation is the best and most noble exaltation in all the heavens: his triplicity is the best and most regal triplicity in all the heavens. As a wise Ruler should be in the midst of the Gommonwealth, so hath the eternal and only wise God placed the Sun in the midst of the creation, and all the rest of the Planets, like Serving-men, attend him. He hath made Saturn his counsellor, by whose sober advice the violent motions of the other Planets are retarded. He hath made Jupiter his Judge, by whose equal temperature, honesty, and serenity, things should be ordered, I cannot say they are; yet I am of Julius Caesar's opinion.  

Tarpeio, quondam, cons●dit culmine, cornix,  
Est bene, non potuit dicere, dixit, erit.   

On the Tarpeian Steeples top, the Crow  
Cried out, All is not well; but 'twill, I trow.  
And so hope I.   
He hath made Mars his Commander; he is the general of his Army, and he retains that office in this Eclipse; and I have some hopes he will use it well. Venus buys and sells his commodities; and that is her office in the habitable world. Mercury is his accountant, and takes notice what is done, and tells him of it once in two months. The Moon is his Ambassador, and tells frail flesh what he intends to do, and when he will do it: Oh that they would be so wise to hear her!  
And having now told you what the office was, which the great first-bing of all things placed the Sun in the firmament for, 

(Sensibus haec imis, res non est parva repone.   

Afford these lines a place amidst your senses,  
And be not gulled by flattering pretences.)   I come now to show you, what an Eclipse of the Sun is: but before we come to that, take an aphorism or two.  
1. An Eclipse is either total, or partial.  
2. A total Eclipse is, when the whole Star is darkened; a partial Eclipse is, when but part of the Star is darkened.  
3. No Eclipse can happen but at or near one of the Nodes, the Head or tail of the Dragon: if I had been minded to have frighted the multitude with uncouth words, I would have said, Anabibazon, and Catabibazon.  
4. The Sun, seeing he is the Author of light, 〈◊〉 the light of the world proceeds from him, it is imposs 〈…〉 should be darkened really; but only his beams are hindered by the body of the Moon, from some particular place of the earth: nay, it is impossible the Sun should be darkened everywhere in the same hemisphere: it is not universaliter, but secundum quid: for the Moon being made of the same metal the earth is (namely, a lump of dirt rolled up together, and by an All-powerful God hung in the air, the foundations of it fixed upon nothing) the opacous body of the Moon, takes away the light of the Sun from some particular people; whereas, by reason of the different Paralax of the Moon, other Nations in the same hemisphere can behold the body of the Sun, not in the least darkened. From these things thus joined together, take this definition of an Eclipse of the Sun.  
An Eclipse of the Sun, is a taking away both light and virtue of the Sun from a particular people, by the interposition of the body of the Moon.  
And if so, who, but Doctor SELF, and Doctor CONCEIT knowing, as I told you before, wherefore God Created the Sun can deny but that dismal effects must follow the interposition between a Nation and such a real, such an all-friend. A word is enough to a wise man.  
In the third place, I come to tell you wherefore the Moon was created; and though she be but a lump of dirt, she was not created for nothing; had she been so, man had been created for less. She is called in the Scripture, a great light, who, as Jehovah Elohim saith, was made to RULE, as well the Sun: and because she was to rule the night, she cannot be Eclipsed but in the night.  
I wonder in my heart, what the Priests would say, if a man should ask them the question, What rule the Moon hath in the night? Or whether a prohibition of light, be not a prohibition of rule? Or whether a prohibition of rule bring not confusion? Or whether the corruption of one thing, be not the generation of another? Haply my argument may appear to be truth ere long and they may feel it to their cost: when God sets them to rule, and they deprive one another of their power, caveant mortales.  
Well, but what effects was the Moon created for? that is the question, and to that now turn I. She is the lesser Luminary; she is the Governess of the world: she changes all bodies, and causeth vicissitude of times: pray God the effects of this Eclipse turn them to the best.  
Yet this I will say by the rules of natural Philosophy, All things between the terminus a quo, and the terminus ad quem, require order and good method; and according as the method is in the medium, so shall the end prove.  
If the new River-water had been brought from Ware to London in lead, it had come clear; but being brought in earth, it is muddy. I will leave this Nation to pick English out of it.  
The Moon, about which our discourse is, is most appropriated to man; and not only to man, but also to beasts, and birds, and fishes: she carries the virtue of the Sun to the creation, and causes man to change from childhood to youth; from youth, to manhood, from manhood, to Age; from Age, to decrepidness: she helps man to live, she helps man to die: her one light (if you note it) doth the like. A body may gather the whole world is maintained by light: and as various as the light of the Moon is, so various is the life of man. She receives her light from the Sun: she increaseth, she comes to the full, she wanes, and at last returns to the place from whence she came; and so must man.  
The Eclipse of the Moon is no way to be despised, neither is the Eclipse of the Sun by the Moon: for this one judgement I will give you now (although it be out of course) when the Moon is Lady of the Ascendant, and Eclipseth the Sun in the Tenth; Such, as the Magnates for want of better breeding, or more knowledge of God, or humblewort growing in their gardens) call vile, Plebeian, and evil men; such as they could crush to pieces (if they knew but how) will rise up, both against Magistrates, and against their Rulers, and handle them without Mittens, as they have handled them before; kingdoms will be changed, and Beggars will get on horseback; let them have a care how they ride. I hope I have not transgressed.  
The Moon is to the Sun, as an Ambassador is to a Prince: the Sun gives her power and governs her, and supplies her both with light and strength, from the time of the Conjunction to the Opposition: in her Opposition, she is so proud, she thwarts him; then he diminisheth her light, and takes away from her, what she borrowed of him before; just as when a King sends out an Ambassador to some people or Nation, the Ambassador grows proud, and looks upon himself as an absolute King; The King quickly knows how to make him know himself: even so the Sun withdraws his light again, brings her to nothing at all, and bids her look to the rock from whence she was hewn.  
But I pray you now, when the Moon is in her full power, and then Eclipsed, must this Eclipse signify nothing? We will take her signification to be a Queen, the governess of the night, and a governess both over sea and land.  
There remains but one thing more, which is to show you what what an Eclipse of the Moon is; for which, take this definition.  
An Eclipse of the Moon, is a diametrical interposition of the body of the earth, between the Sun and Moon, whereby the light of the Sun, is hindered from the body of the Moon.  
I have done with this Chapter, if you will be pleased but to take notice, that the Moon may be totally obscured in the same hemisphere, because the magnitude of the body of the earth, is greater than the magnitude of the Moon; only take notice, that the farther Eastward people in the same hemisphere live, the sooner to them will the Eclipse appear.   

CHAP. II.  
Of the Attendants of the Eclipse.  
AS great men have many and great attendants, so hath this great Eclipse of the Sun: And as some of the attendants of great men run before them, others follow after; so do the attendants also of this Eclipse: and all must be heeded, in this our present Judgement.  
Before this Eclipse, was the Conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter, in Pisces, Feb. 15. 1642/ 3. which Master Lily so learnedly treated of in his Prophetical Merlin: and to see how the circumferental lines of God's providence fix all in the same centre: Saturn and Jupiter make three Oppositions, within the time of the operation of this present Eclipse: a most strange thing, and not to be contemned. Besides, there is an Eclipse of the Moon March 14. 1651/2 together with the position of the heavens at the sun's ingress into Aries. The Conjunction of Jupiter and Mars in September, 1651. is not to be despised: nor yet the Square of Jupiter and Mars in February, 1651/2.  
As followers of this Eclipse, we have another Eclipse of the Moon in September, 1652. a Conjunction of the Sun and Mars in May, 1652. of the Sun and Saturn in July, 1652. of Saturn and Mars in August, 1652. an Eclipse of the Moon in March, 1653. a Conjunction of Saturn and Mars, 1654. And the real truth is, all the Planets by all aspects, conduce together to further the operation of this Eclipse: therefore the Eclipse must needs be great, not only because so great a part of the Sun is darkened, and that upon the very degree of his exaltation; but also, because of the multitude and formidableness of its attendants; which having now showed you what they are, I shall proceed to show you what they signify, in this Chapter in the general, and afterwards in particular.  
In the general, consider, that Saturn is an old worn-out Planet, weary, and of little estimation in this world: he causeth long and tedious sicknesses, abundance of sadness, and a cartload of doubts and fears: his nature is cold, and dry, and melancholy. And take special notice of this, that when Saturn is Lord of an Eclipse (as he is one of the Lords of this) he governs all the rest of the Planets, but none can govern him: Melancholy is made of all the humours in the body of man, but no humour of melancholy. He is envious, and keeps his anger long, and speaks but few words; but when he speaks, he speaks to purpose. A man of deeep cogitations; he will plot mischief when men are asleep: he hath an admirable memory, and remembers to this day how William the Bastard abused him: he cannot endure to be a slave: he is poor with the poor, fearful with the fearful: he plots mischief against the superiors, with them that plot mischief against them: have a care of him, KINGS and MAGISTRATES of Europe; he will show you what he can do, in the effects of this Eclipse: he is old, and therefore hath large experience, and will give perilous counsel: he moves but slowly, and therefore he doth the more mischief: all the Planets contribute their natures and strength to him; and when he sets on doing mischief, he will do it to purpose: he doth not regard the company of the rest of the Planets, neither do any of the rest of the Planets regard his: he is a barren Planet, and therefore delights not in women: he brings the Pestilence: he is destructive to the fruits of the earth: he receives his light from the Sun, and yet he hates the Sun that gives it him: he partakes with Mercury to do mischief but nothing else: he will be obedient to no Planet; neither will he be servant to any: once more, Look to it Magistrates: he abhors Jupiter, by reason of his benevolence. And pray take notice then, Saturn being Lord of the Eclipse, what the effects of the three Oppositions of Saturn and Jupiter may produce.  
Post nubula Soles. Having considered the nature of Saturn, let us a little consider the nature of Jupiter, that so we may make a firm foundation, to build our following Discourse upon. Oh that men would be so wise us to consider that they would but in this their day, consider the things that belong to their peace, before it be hid from their eyes.  
The effects of this Eclipse will spare none it lights upon, neither will it play or dally with them, but, Torrent-like, sweep them away with a mighty ruin. I hope those that preach so fiercely against astrology, when they feel the effects of this Eclipse, will probably learn wit, when they are beaten to it. And though I quote here the good nature of Jupiter, I do not think the effects of the Eclipse will be good, as the nature of Jupiter shows, because Jupiter hath little or no signification in the Eclipse: but I hope such times may come after, and so people may live in hopes of what benefit they or their children may live to enjoy. I have a reason for this my hope too: for, to believe a thing without a reason, is (in my opinion) foolery, and not faith.  
It was the opinion of M. Lilly, in that masterpiece of his, his PROPHETICAL MERLIN, that in the late Conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter, Saturn was the strongest Planet: I can scarce believe it; neither was it ever my fancy to prefer accidental dignities, before essential. But I shall talk more of this hereafter: only thus much of the Conjunction, which, according to the vulgar course of providence, should have happened in a Kingly sign; by the Almighty providence of God at this time, and but at this time, since the Creation of the world, happened in a Plebeian sign, nay in the weakest sign of the zodiac: but the Scripture must be verified; the Lord will pull down the mighty, and exalt the humble and meek. Enough of this: I come now to the nature of Jupiter.  
Jupiter delights in equality, and so do I: he delights in community and goodness: and the reason why he doth so, is, because he is a Planet temperate, in respect of heat, dryness, coldness, and moisture. He is a just, upright-dealing creature: he will not give All to some, and None at all to the rest. He signifies much good to the people, correction of Laws, single-heartedness, chastity. He will correct men, but he will not undo them, neither destroy them. He abhors the nature of Saturn, and keeps him from doing that mischief which the poor old soul would willingly do. He is very mild, and shows goodness in his forehead, and not covetousness: if he had a thousand a year, he would bestow it all upon the poor: he always speaks truth in his words, and carries himself truly in his actions; and then to be sure he is neither Priest nor Lawyer: You will be confident of it as well as I, if you do but consider he hates covetousness: the truth is, he minds public, and not private good: he is fortunate in all his deeds, by the equality of his temper: the heat of the Summer, and cold of Winter, is temperated by him: the truth of it is, by the salubrious beams of Jupiter, an equality is made in the creation. And now there comes in my head an odd passage of Doctor Gell, in his last Sermon preached before the learned Society of Astrologers; God (said he) set the bounds of the people according to the number of the Angels of God: therefore there ought to be no community. But, by Doctor Gell's leave, who desires a Community? we desire but our own birthrights, and the heavy yoke William the Bastard laid upon us, taken off; and should be glad if we could obtain that: only this I desire of Doctor Gell (whom I honour both for his learning and piety) when God did divide Nations according to the number of the Angels, whether he gave All to some, and None at all to the rest? whether he left any poor in the land unprovided for? whether he made them not All freeholders? and leave him to be answered by his own conscience.  
Thus much for Jupiter: I come now to Mars, and I shall be the more large in him, because he is the chief significator of the effects of this Eclipse.  
This world, as it stands in statu quo, makes a difference between rich and poor men; and when a man hath picked up a great deal of well-concocted earth, I am a better man than thou, quoth he; though perhaps the birth and breeding of the other, be ten times better than this: but as the Grave equals all men, so do Celestial influences: nay I will tell you more than this, Magistrates are grown to such a terrible height of Pride, that this Eclipse will teach them, that the Lord knows the proud afar off. Miserable and sad are the effects of the Eclipse like to be, when the two infortunes are Lords of it; and so they are in this: but what their operation will be, I am now to speak of only in the general; and I will prefix this Scripture in the front of it, Psal. 28. 5. If they regard not the works of the Lord, nor the operations of his hand, he will pull them down, and not build them up. Mars is the chief Lord of the Eclipse; and you shall see what a kind of creature he is: he is a hot and dry, fiery burning Planet; an angry conquering creature, destructive to nature: he is so angry, that he will hear no reason: the Priest with his rhetoric in the Pulpit, cannot move him; neither doth he regard the Lawyer that pleads at the bar: all the Sophistry in Oxford and Cambridge will not be able to qualify his anger in the effects of this Eclipse, but are all like to feel his fury: he lays out all his strength in what he doth, or in what he delighteth to do: his natural disposition is to set people together by the ears: I may say of him, as Virgil said of Allecto, 

Tu potes unanime is armare in praelia fratres,  
Atque odiis versare domos: tu verberatect is,  
Funereasque inferre faces, tibi nomina mille,  
Mille nocendi arts, faecundum concute pect us  
Disjice compositam pacem: sear crimina belli:  
Arma velit, poscatque simul, rapiatque juventus.   

The dearest knots of friendship he unties,  
And utterly subverts whole families  
With dismal funerals, and bitter wrath:  
A thousand names, a thousand arts he hath  
To break sweet peace: by his impetuous charms,  
The Youth desire, and crave, and handle arms.    
Look you here now, what a master the eternal God of heaven and earth hath appointed you over this Eclipse; one that delights in nothing in the world but killing and murdering, setting people together by the ears, quarrelling, folly, and impatience, vehement anger: one that neither fear nor entreaty is able to hold or retard from sowing the seed of sedition and war, when he sets upon it.  
Saturn, I told you before, was another Lord of the Eclipse; and Mars is exalted in the house of Saturn, as though both the malevolents were conjoined to execute the will of God in the destroying effects of this Eclipse. Mars is of that nature, that he will run on, right or wrong, and never regard what the end will be. He causes infirmities and sicknesses, diminution of substance, madness, and revenge, thunder and lightning; and what else can terrific the minds of the giddy-headed multitude.  
But in this Eclipse, because Venus is near him, she will somewhat qualify his malice: I shall show you hereafter how and in what manner; only in this place, what the general disposition of Venus is, that so I may hold to what I promised, only generals.  
Venus is a Planet cold and moist, fortunate, merry, and jocund: I would we of the Commonalty of England had cause so to be: we shall have, we must have; they had as good let us have it at first as at last; the heavens promise it us, and it is in vain for man to domineer.  

Heu, nihil invitis fas quemquam credere divis.   

Th' effects of this Eclipse shall clearly prove  
'Tis vain to strive against the powers above.   
Besides this, by her coldness and moisture, she somewhat tempers the hot and dry disposition of Mars: and if we bring it home to this Eclipse, she orders him, having gotten him in her house, she loves singing, and banqueting, and drinking, and venerial vices, diseases that come therefrom; and therefore in this Eclipse, she hath got a sit companion in her house, cut out for the purpose. Mars and she usually cause whoredom, and sometimes a knock with a French coltstaff: she gives very good words, and is very meek of nature: she will give good words to the poor, because they are cheap, and cost nothing: she is an enemy to Saturn, though she give him an exaltation in her house. I will leave Venus, and come to Mercury.  
Mercury loves all Arts, and hath gotten a special command over all Clerks & Accomptants: and he is of a convertible nature, just like a Priest, I should have said a weathercock: he is masculine with the masculine, and feminine with the feminine: he is a fortune with the fortunes; an infortune with the infortunes: he is a bold spoken fellow, full of tongue; his father was either a Priest or a Lawyer, I know not which: he is a cheerful creature, quick in his actions: he is a devilish liar, a betrayer; as full of deceit as an egg is full of meat: he will promise more by a farthing candle, than he will perform in seven years: he signifies winds; and in this Eclipse, such winds as will rend the stoutest Rocks in Europe in pieces.  
These be the Planets, which (as I shall tell you hereafter) have one way or another signification in this Eclipse; and there can be no more, nor more variety of these significations which I have here delivered.  
I have showed you here their natures in general; I come now to show you their natures in particular: only before this, let me premise this one thing, the Moon hath a very great signification in the effects of this Eclipse; the general signification of which, I gave you in the first Chapter, the particular signification, both of her, and other Planets, you shall have hereafter, when I come to the particular dimension of time, in which the effects of this Eclipse are to Operate.   

CHAP. III.  
Of the Prodromi, or forerunners of the Eclipse.  
THE Prodromi or Forerunners of this Eclipse, because they are very many, and something contrary the one to the other, I will not put them together, for fear they should fall out; but speak of each of them in a part by itself.  

Of the Conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter. PART I.  
Had it not been unavoidable to my present discourse, I would not so much as have mentioned this great and rare Conjunction: rare, because the world never saw the like; great, because rare: and the reason why I would not have mentioned it, is, because Master Lily hath so learnedly Treated of it in his Prophetical Merlin, in which you shall find this speech, not to be despised.  
The first restitution of the fiery Trigon in the Conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter, happened in Enoch's time. The second, at the universal Deluge. The third, in the delivery from the Egyptian Bondage. The fourth, in the Persian Monarchy. The fifth, in the time of Christ, and the Roman Empire. The sixth, in Charles the great. And now the seventh hath a secret mystery of Sabbatism in it, and promiseth some thing of more singular moment to the world than the other. Thus Master Lily very learnedly, and as truly wrote.  
To this give me leave to add one speech of the Jewish rabbis, That as God made the world in six days, and rested the seventh, so the world should enjoy six thousand years of trouble, and one thousand or sabbatical time of rest; as God rested the seventh day, so shall the world have a thousand years of rest, after six thousand of trouble; in which time the kingdoms of the world should become the Kingdoms of our God and of his Christ.  
Neither is this much disconsonant from that of the Apostle, Rom. 8. 19, 21, &c. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from bondage of corruption, into the glorious liberty of the children of God, &c. I do not desire to be accounted a Prophet, nor do I plead revelations for what I write; yet a little time may prove me to be no liar.  
I shall only quote you what a few Authors say of this Conjunction. Campanella saith, That the Conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter, under the fourth triplicity, which is inimical to the first triplicity, the prerogative of Monarchy will be so shaken, that it will never be able to stand upright more (nor perhaps ever did in conditions) dreadful heresies (anglicè excellent truths) will begin to appear and be protected by force of arms: faith is enlarged more by the sword then by miracles: new Religions arise, and set a period to the austerity of the former (as much as if he had said, Knowledge begins to break through the clouds of ignorance) yet will all this be to a good intent, because the Stars only incline, but it is in the use of man's liberty, to use this inclination either to good or bad. Blame me not for being a little copious upon this Conjunction: for without the due consideration of this, it is impossible I should judge rightly of the Eclipse of the Sun: and I must be a little critical against all Authors; I hope Master Lily will pardon, me if I dissent a little from him: if he may freely write his own judgement, why may not I by the same rule? The Conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter (calculated by the Rudolphine Tables) it seems happened in the second house; I shall not be very critical against either the truth of the Rudolphine Tables, nor yet at the ability of Master Matthew Fisk that calculated them; whose noble spirit is returned to God that gave it; neither will I exclaim upon other Authors, as Noel Durret, Argol, and others, all which differ in time (yet not so much in that, as Master Fiske and Sir Christopher Heydon differed in the calculation of that in 1603.) By argols' computation, it should be in the ninth house: Argol might be a little mistaken; and the effects shall prove, before they are half over, that it happened in the tenth, and the figure not much different from that of this Eclipse: I cannot at this time stand to give you my reasons, let experience be judge, Time will tell truth, when I may not. Besides, since the time of this Conjunction, never more never greater phenomena's have been seen in the air: never more Parelii or mock-Suns, or Paraselenes, or mock-Moons, have been seen in England, since John of Gaunt, or William the bastard, then have been seen in one year: not a year hath past our heads, but more than one of them hath appeared; besides other supernatural sights; and rest confident, more yet to come: and if ever God showed any thing in vain, this is the first time that ever he did it.  
To proceed, when the two superiors returned to the watery triplicity, dreadful Wars are stirred up for Religion, or by the Clergy; as many Religions appear in a Nation, as there are hairs upon a man's head; strange Engines are invented for war: the sword, famine, and pestilence afflict the earth.  
If the Conjunction happen in Pisces, as this last did, and not far distant from Aries neither, the Clergy are reformed (pray God they do not reform them all away) new opinions vex the Church, Heresies arise (as the Ranters did now.) The sign is double bodied, and people do all with a double heart; or, as the Hebrew hath it, with a heart and a heart; so that we may truly say by the effects of this Conjunction, as David, Psal. 12. 1. Help, Lord, for the godly man ceaseth, and the faithful fail from among the children of men: they speak vanity every one with his neighbour, with flattering lips, and with a heart and a heart. But the Lord will cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaks proud things. The first we know to be true, the second I expect. However, this is certain; Pisces being the house of a superior Planet, and near at hand to Aries, common people will carry themselves in more than an ordinary Majestical way. If their Taskmasters set them to make brick, and give them no straw, they will rebel: And just in the nick of time when they are in such a humour, cometh this Eclipse of the Sun; which, what it will produce, more anon: as also, three Oppositions of Saturn and Jupiter, which will kindle such a fire in Europe, between the Magistrates, Ministers, and common People, which all the water in the Sea is not able to quench. Besides Albumazar saith, that if the Conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter happen in Scorpio or Pisces, the effects thereof will work but slowly. And that haply may be the reason the effects of this Eclipse appeared in their colours no sooner. But if all the powers of heaven can blow the coals to make them burn, this Eclipse of the Sun will do it: and the bellows will blow the better, because Mars in this Conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter, was in Quartile to the Sun, and now Lord of this Eclipse.  
From these Principles thus considered, let us build a little rational Judgement upon this Conjunction, that so we may have a sure foundation, to erect our Judgement of this Eclipse upon. Men are undone, by rapine and violence of soldiers. The whole Nation of Europe is in a mutiny; and they have as much patience as a nest of Wasps. Thieving, rapine, and injustice, are Lords Paramounts of Seas and Land. The Merchants trading is bad; he scarce knows into what Country to trade; and when he doth, he loseth his ships by Sea. The world is mad, and servants turn masters: and what will the end be?  
Kings and great men are undone: the Priest and Lawyer leaveth prating, and fall to fretting. It is the opinion of Guido Bonatus, upon a Conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter in Pisces, that all the evil that is done (and that is not a little) will be done under pretence of Religion: which how true it hath proved already in England, every one that hath but wit enough to eat an egg, knoweth. Besides, Leovitius quotes a great Conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter to have happened in Pisces, 1524. In the first year of the effects of it, happened great inundations of water; France was absolutely overrun: let them beware now; it's as likely to fall to their share now, as a Pomwater is like an apple. Next year after, the Emperor and the French fall together by the ears; in which unfortunate battle, the poor French King was taken: it was well he scaped so too. The Duke of Saxony payeth his debts to Nature, and sleepeth both day and night to the Resurrection. The Boors in Germany are up in arms; and such a mortal fury possesseth their brains, that within four months' space above an hundred thousand men were slain, and the matter examined after, whether guilty or not guilty. The King of Hungary goeth to war with the Turk; but he never returned home alive to tell how he sped. France, England, Venice, and almost all Europe, was together by the ears. Rome was surprised, sacked, and pillaged, by the Duke of Bourbon; and the Duke himself was slain in the assault. His Holiness Pope Clement the seventh of that name, when neither wit nor holiness would serve his turn, yields himself a prisoner. Holland was quite routed and depopulated: a fair warning to make them a little quieter now; and they would take warning, if God had not an intent to scourge them. A huge Comet, with a terrible tail appeared, such a one as operated in the effects of this great Conjunction.  
Certainly these providential ways of God were made for Priests to learn by, and not to rail at. The Pestilence and the Famine wandered all over Europe. The Bishops of Germany were all together by the ears with the Duke of Saxony. The Helvetians were at Civil war; and what was it about, think you? truly, about that MONSTER called RELIGION. The Turk. falleth into Austria, and besieged Vienna, but did not take it. The Sea devoureth a great part of Holland, Zealand, and Flanders.  
A body would think here were enough to bid the Nations of Europe beware the effects of this Conjunction: and they would do it, did not God hide wisdom from their eyes, that so he may destroy them.  
I shall only quote one Aphorism of Rigel, concerning this Conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter, yet in force, but not in his height, till this present Eclipse: and with it I will conclude this first Part.  
Dreadful streamings are seen in the air; whether in the forms of Comets, or other forms, it matters not. And I pray (to leave my Author a little) when have there been more seen then since the time of this Conjunction? When more Mock-Suns, and more Mock-Moons? Not a year hath past without divers of them, as I told you before; and had not mentioned them twice, had the significations not been prevalent. And if you have not enough, you shall have enough, before this year of 1652 pass over your heads, even such that shall make your hearts ache for fear. And truly, whatever you think, I am of opinion, God shows nothing in vain.  
To proceed: Hot infirmities, acute diseases, wars and dissensions between Kings and their people, and between one King and another. And when Kings are together by the ears with one another, let them remember what AEsop said of the Mouse and the Frog; who whilst they were busy in fight, came a kite and carried them both away. Look to it, Princes of Europe: there will appear upon the wing, within these four years, a kite that will serve you in the same sauce.  
To proceed: An universal evil will overspread Europe, though probably it may be greater in one part then in another. Many signs will be seen in the heavens, beyond the course of nature, either round, or like crosses or pillars; whose effects you may know, if you consider the hour they appear in.  
And thus much for the first Part of this Chapter, namely, the Conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter.   

PART II.  
Considering the Conjunction of Mars and Venus lately past, and that Mars is not only Lord, but also chief disposer of the Eclipse, neither are the effects of that Conjunction overpassed; we shall therefore, in all reason, speak a word or two of that Conjunction.  
In the first place, it signifies hot, dry, and blasting winds, destructive both to corn and fruit-trees: the air is terrible, by, reason of thunder and lightning: pains of the eyes: the eastern nations are together by the ears; 'tis past my wit to part them. Many infirmities will men be incident to: some women play the whores, others die. And if you consider him as he is in this Eclipse, in the eleventh House, Kings and their subjects cannot agree: the subjects have got a sword by the hilt, and care not a halfpenny for a Proclamation. 'Tis not words, but swords, that must end the difference. Friends fall out; and that is an ill time. Many fornications are threa●ned; luxurious living, Sodomy, and all the loose Venereal abuses that can be; and are as frequent as atoms in the sun.   

PART III.  
The Eclipse of the Moon comes next in course to be handled, March 14. 1651/ 2. it happens in the first Face of Libra: according to the opinion of Proclus, it causeth hail, and terrible tempest, many hot winds, and those venomous and pestilential that shall happen in the summer.  
Secondly, consider the Luminary eclipsed is in the eighth House, which, considering it as in an airy sign, threatens many infirmimities, and death; wars, and rumours of wars; diseases, and heat of blood; a terrible change both in Religion and Law; death of ancient people. The sign being human, the effects of it fall most heavily upon men.  
Thirdly, Ptolemy saith, that an Eclipse happening in Equinoctial signs, their accidents happen upon such men as profess holiness, though they have little or none in them: upon such as pervert the Law, and set Injustice in the place of Justice; and know not equity from bribery. Also he saith, that if it happen in the eighth House, it signifies a change of the Law; men will be deceived of their Legacies, and the seeds of the earth will be destroyed. Also, if Jupiter be Lord of the Eclipse, and in Capricorn, Guiffus saith the effects thereof will work most potently in winter. I suppose his meaning is, When the Sun comes to the place where Jupiter was, (and it is a good reason) they will appear in sea-fish, and Ships at sea, and Birds which live at sea: the Laws of Cities will be changed, and so they will in Nations; I hope, for the best.  
Fourthly, Albumazar saith, it causeth the death of Noblemen.  
Fifthly, Guiffus saith, that if the Eclipse of the Moon be in Libra, it threatens death to mortals, putrefaction to herbs and seeds; famine, pestilence, and other sharp sicknesses, proceeding of wind, and heat of blood: schisms amongst the Ecclesiastical persons; terrible tearing winds, destructive to mankind.  
Sixthly, the Cities and Nations subject to the effects of this Eclipse, are such as we shall note you hereafter in the Eclipse of the Sun.   

PART IV.  
As concerning its congruity with the Vernal Ingress of Sol into Aries, or (which is more proper) the Earth into Libra, let this suffice briefly, that it happens in the twelfth House of that Figure, and upon the very Cusp; showing a year full of injuries and straits: servants will slip their necks out of the collar, and turn masters: subjects will rebel; and Kings are in a miserable case, and yet will they be as tyrannical as ever: subjects rise in arms against their Kings: fearful wars, terrible seditions, and dangerous mutinies, appear in the world. Let such as are wise, look to themselves: for 'tis no question but the fools will run on, although they be punished.   

PART. V.  
The Conjunction of Jupiter and Mars in Sagittarius comes next to be considered; touching which, I would have written more, had not the press stayed for me: the truth of it is, the position is but wretched; it happened Sept. 13. 1651. they may set the position that have less to do then I: the first degree of Virgo ascends; the time is 15 ho. 8 min. p.m. what they do in the Conjunction, they must do alone, for there is not one Planet strong enough to lend the least assistance. Saturn and Luna are in their detriments, and in Opposition too, and that is worse, and fills the heads of the vulgar with madness and sadness: Venus and Sol are in their false, and Mercury is with the dragon's tail, a most pitiful position as ever your eyes saw; nay there is another thing in the wind, one or two; the Sun is near the place where the Moon is eclipsed in March: but that which shall bear the bell away is, the Eclipse of the Sun happens upon the very cusp of the ninth house of the Conjunction, and the Conjunction with a hot violent furious malevolent and martial fixed Star, cor Scorpii.  
This premised, we come a little to judgement. The Conjunction of Jupiter and Mars, sets the swordmen and gownsmen together by the ears: this I am confident is so rational, that none but a clergy man, will have the face to deny it. I forbear my judgement here, which shall get the better of it; a very little time will manifest which is sharpest, the priest's wit, or the soldier's sword: only take notice, and then I have done, that the Conjunction happening in the fourth house in a fiery sign, and with a fiery fixed Star, not only consumes the fruits of the earth by heat and dryness, but also consumes whole Cities and Towns by fire and sword: also this happening in a human sign, (for the first ½ of Sagittarius is human)  
There will be much effusion of blood amongst men: the Nations subject to Sagittarius, are never in their elements, but when they are together by the ears: look to it Spain and Hungary, it will touch thee; and let the Turk have a care he lose not Buda either by fire or sword, and say I told him of it. I shall conclude this, after I have quoted the judgement of Haly upon such a Conjunction. When Mars is joined to Jupiter men are in a quarrelling humour, and altogether about Religion, and when they have snarled a while, than they fight: the sword rageth in the earth, sickness and mortality follows it, so that those which scape the sword, may die by the pestilence: beasts of great valour, and various in colour, will appear in the air: the beginning of the year will be very fruitful, but heat and dryness consume the fruits of the earth, before the harvest.  
The King of the Country subject to the influence of the Conjunction, dies: look to it, Spain and Hungary; and let the Bassa of Buda beware of a bowstring, or something else as bad. As for the Quartile of Jupiter and Mars, which happens in Febr. 1651/2. I shall speak nothing, but only refer you to those most excellent, pithy, and most true verses of George Wharton Esquire, upon that month; and they are these: 
Mars lays his knapsack by, and stoutly draws,  
His trusty elbow to prescribe us Laws.  
Jove claims his privilege, and Mars his power;  
Both wrangle hard, and each on other lower,  
At length, Jove yields, and Mars assumes the chair;  
Votes his own person noble, doings fair.   
And thus you see what way is made by other Planets, for the effects of this Eclipse, at what posture the inclinations of the heavens stand; and the disposition of sublunary bodies, is from them like to be found at the time of their operating.    

CHAP. IV.  
A. Calculation of the Eclipse of the Sun, March 29. 1652.  
SO various have the opinions of Authors been, about this Eclipse, and such difference in Tables, such halucination in the parallax of the Moon, that it would set a man's brains in such an ecstasy, that like Hercules, it would bring him to ne plus ultra. The time of the day is not agreed upon, nor yet what part of the body of the Sun will remain enlightened, whether the North, or the South part: nay, Authors vary that have calculated by one and the same Hypothesis.  
And if others may make bold to please themselves, why may not I have the same liberty? Therefore I got my special and loving friend (whom I esteem an able Artist) M. Samuel war, to calculate this Eclipse for me, by the Tables of Bullialdus; together with the position of the heavens at that time, and the Type of the Eclipsed Luminaries.  

An Epilogism of the Eclipse of the SUN, happening on the 28 of March, Anno {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}, 1652. being applied to the Meridian of London;  
   ho. min. Whose Longitude according to Bullialdus, is, 24. 45.  Latitude  51. 32.  
   ho. min. sec. MEan Conjunction at Vranisburg, the 29.   1. 39 45 Difference of Meridian subtract   48. 00 Rests time of the mean Conjunction, Lond. 29.   51. 25 Interval between the mean and true Conjunct. substr..   2. 52. 9 Rests mean time of the true Conjunct. at London, 28.   21. 59 36    p.m. Equation of days add   2. 0 Apparent time of the true Conjunction, 28.   22. 1. 36 Equated anomal. of the Sun, 9 11. 51. 14  Moon, 7 15. 4. 4 The true place of the Luminaries ♈  19 14. 49 The true motion of the moon's Latitude ☉  8. 48. 29 True Latitude Septentrional A.   45. 39 Reduction subtract.   2. 7 The moon's place in the ecliptic ♈  19 12. 42 Hourly motion of the Sun  2. 27  Moon  36. 39 The Moon from the Sun   34. 12 Time of Reduction add   3. 43 Exact time of the true Conjunct. is, March 28.   22. 5. 19 Horizontal Parallax of the Sun  2. 21  Moon  1. 0. 4 The Moon from the Sun   57 43 To which given time the sun's R. A. is   17. 44. 50 Distance from M. C. 1 ho. 54 min. 41. sec.   28. 45. 15 R. A. of M. C.   349. 4. 35 Obl. A. of the Ascend.   79. 4. 35 In the Ascend.   18. 28. 8 ♋ On the Nonagesime   18. 28. 8 ♈ Altitudo Nonagesimi in latitudine Londini   40. 4. 4 Distance of 90 from the Node in consequentia   8. 1. 48 Add Septentrional latitude   41. 37 Altitudo Nonagesimi in orbita Luna   40. 45. 41 Her Horizontal parallax of longitude   37. 7 Distance of the Sun from the 90   46. 41 The moon's parallax in longitude   31 To an hour preceding the Suns R. A.   17. 42. 33 Dist. from M. C. 2 ho. 54 min. 41 sec.   17. 42. 33 R. A. of M. C.   334. 2. 18 Obl. of the Orient   64. 2. 18 There is in the Ascendant  6. 23. 4 ♋  Nonagesime  6. 23. 4 ♈ Altitude of the 90   34. 12. 53 Distance from the Node   4. 3. 6 Meridional latitude subtract   21. 3 Altitude of the 90 in the Moons Orbit   33. 51. 50 Horizontal Parallax longitude   32. 10 Distance of the Sun from the 90.   12. 49. 18 Parallax of the longitude   7. 11 Difference of the Parallaxes found   6. 40 Subtract from the hourly motion of the Moon from the Sun, leaves hourly motion seen   27. 32 By which dividing the former Parallax, gives the interval between the true and visible Conjunction to be subtracted   18 To this interval, the Moons true motion is   39 The visible conjunction, March 28   22. 4. 11 Place of the Sun   19 14. 47 ♈ The Moon   19 14. 8 R. A. of the Sun   17. 44. 47 1 ho. 55 min. 49 sec. distant from M. C.   28. 57 15 R. A. of M. C.   348. 47. 32 Obl. A. As●end.   78. 47. 32 On the Ascendant  18. 15. 1 ♋  90  18. 15. 1 ♈ Altitude 90   39 57 30 Distant 90 from the Node in anteced.   7. 48. 41 Bor. lat. add   40. 31 Altitude of the 90 in the Moons Orbit   40. 38. 1 Horizontal Parallax of longitude   37. 35 Distance of the Sun from the 90   59 46 Parallax longitude   39 Therefore the visible conjunction is truly had.    Distance of the 90 from the vertex   50. 42. 30 Parallax latitude   44. 15 True motion of the moon's latitude   8. 47. 48 Lat. S. A.   45. 35 From which subtract Parallax-latitude   8. 47. 48 Rests latitude seen S. A.   1. 30 S d. of the Sun   16. 22 S d. of the Moon   16. 46 Aggregate of their SS dd.   33. ●8 Parts deficient   31. 38 Digits eclipsed   11. 35. 48 To an hour preceding the visible conjunction,    R. A. M. C.   333. 45. 16 Obl. of the Orient   63. 45. 16 On the Ascendent  6. 8. 21 ♋  90  6. 8. 21 ♈ Altitude of the 90   34. 6. 17 Distance from the Node in anteced.   4. 17. 59 Meridional latitude subtract   32. 20 Altitude of the 90 in the Moons Orbit   33. 33. 57 Horizontal parallax of longitude   31. 54 Distance of the Sun from the 90   13. 3. 59 Parallax longitude   7. 13 The difference of this parallax, and that at the visible conjunction, subtracted from the Moons hourly motion, leaves hourly motion seen   27. 38 Dist. Nonagesimi a vertice   56. 26. 3 Parallax-latitude   48. 5. To an hour following visible conjunction   93. 49. 50 R. A. M. C.   3. 49. 50 Oblique A. of Ascend.    On the Orient  29. 26. 37 ♋  90  29, 26. 37 ♈ Altitude of the 90   45. 26. 24 Distance of the 90 from the Node in conseq.   19 00. 17 Lat. Boreal. add   1. 37. 6 Altitudine Nonagesimi in orbita Lunae   47. 3. 30 Horizontal parallax   42. 15 Distance of the Sun from 90   10. 9 23 Parallax-longitude.   7. 27 Difference hereof to the Parallax at the visible conjunction, subtract from the Moons hourly motion, leaves her hourly motion seen   27. 27 Dist. Nonagesimi a vertice   42. 56. 30 Parallax-latitude   39 20 Line of incidence   33. 6 Time of incidence   1. 11. 52 Time of emersion   1. 12. 29 Total duration   2. 24. 21 Interval between visible conjunction and greatest obscurity subtracted   15 Latitude of the Moon seen, beginning, M.  6. 13  end, S.  9 25 The altitude at the beginning, of ☉ 31. 33. 31  ☽  31. 44. 53 Altitude at the middle, of ☉  39 54. 44  ☽  40. 42. 49 Altitude at the end, of ☉  45. 4. 24  ☽  46. 5. 12 Beginning, March 29. a. m.   8. 52. 4 Greatest obscuration   10. 3. 56 Visible conjunction   10. 4. 11 End   11. 16. 25   


A copy of the constitution of Vrania's countenance taken, to the elliptical Synod of the Luminaries, happening (the 29 of March, at 10 ho. 4. mi. a.m.) in the year of human redemption, 1652. above the Horizon of London, the distance of whose Vertex from the Equator, is 51. 32.    


Gentle Reader,  
Please to take notice, that the Cutter (through neglect) hath not placed the centre of the Moon at the beginning on the line of Incidence, as he should have done. Humanity can but err; therefore, let thy pardon argue the greatness of thy humanity, since the disease is Epidemical.    

I shall here give you some General Aporisms, how to judge of Eclipses.  
1. Consider what Province or City is signified by the sign the Eclipse happens in; and be sure that suffers.  
2. Consider what Kingdoms or Cities are under the sign the Lords of the Eclipse are in; and be sure their diet is served them with the same sauce.  
3. Note the nature of the sign the Eclipse happens in: if it be violent, as this is, the effects of the Eclipse will be the like: if it be movable, they begin betimes: if fiery, they signify War, and diseases of heat: if fixed, the effects, though they work slowly, yet they work surely: if both fiery and fixed, as that will be 1654. they threaten a hectic War.  
4. Take notice of the nature of the sign: if human, men suffer; if bestial, beasts also: and if beasts, then of necessity man, because he takes his nourishment from beasts. And now if I were minded to be critical, what a gallant occasion have I! Suppose the sign be watery? then, quoth my learned Authors, the water is afflicted: and if the water be afflicted, the earth must needs be, because it is nourished by the water: if the earth be afflicted, than beasts, because they are nourished by the earth: beasts, earth, and water, nourish man; and why must not he be afflicted too? Either the sign the Eclipse is in, or the sign the Lords of the Eclipse are in, being hot and dry, cause corruption by heat and dryness: if cold and moist, by coldness and moisture. In this present Eclipse, the sign is hot and dry; Saturn in Cancer, cold and moist: What miracle is it, if it drown a Sea-town, and consume a Land-town by fire?  
5. It is probably apparent, that one and the same Eclipse may cause dryness in one place, and moistness in another, thunder and lightning in a third, earthquakes in a fourth, barrenness in a fifth, and burnings in a sixth; and as many more as God pleases.  
6. Whatsoever evil falls upon Princes and Magistrates, must needs touch the Commonally.  
7. An Eclipse of the Sun falling upon the angle of the Ascendant of any Nativity, kills the native: if it fall within three degrees, it brings such a disease as cannot be clawed off again with speed; especially if the malevolent beheld the eclipsed Luminary at the Genesis, and more probably, if the eclipsed Luminaries be with the dragon's tail, then if he be with the dragon's head.  
8. The dragon's head regards Princes most; the dragon's tail, the Plebeians.  
9 If between the time of the Eclipse, and the effects of the Eclipse, a good direction operate in the Nativity of a private person, he need fear no evil, though the Eclipse threaten him never so sore. The cursed Cow hath but short horns.    

CHAP. V.  
A general judgement of the Effects of this eclipse.  
AND in handling this, I shall give you first the judgement of Authors upon the eclipse. Secondly, former examples of Eclipses of like nature. Thirdly, my own judgement upon it.  
To the first of these, namely, the judgement of Authors, and in the judgement of Authors we have many things to consider: As first of all the house of Heaven, in which the Eclipse happens, which is the tenth house, the house of Kings, Princes, and other potentates, and the house of all such as lord it over their brethren; the Luminaries Eclipsed in the tenth house foreshows death or deposition to Kings, Princes, Magistrates, and such as call and account themselves Ecclesiastical persons; thus Giuffus, and this he confesseth depends upon the will of God, and so it doth; and yet it were wisdom for so many of them as lie under the lash of this eclipse, (which who they be more anon) they have timely admonition, and a woeful experience given them in Isa. 5. 12, 13, 14, 15. and 16 verses, and a joyful promise to them that fear God in the 17. verse. They regard not the works of the Lord, nor consider the operation of his hands; therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge, and their honourable men are famished, and their multitudes are dried up with thirst: Therefore the grave hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure; and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth shall descend into it: And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled: But the Lord of Hosts shall be exalted in judgement, and God that is holy, shall be sanctified in righteousness. Father of mercy look down upon all those Magistrates that fear thy name; thou knowest what man is, thou knowest he is but dust; and what can I say to the Magistracy of this Nation, any more than what Daniel said to Nebuchad nezzar; (pray do not mistake me, I do not liken you to Nebuchad nezzar, nor myself to Daniel: yet this I say, these things were writ for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the world are come) if you will keep your places, you must know that THE HEAVENS DO RULE, Daniel 4. 27: Wherefore, Oh KINGS and MAGISTRATES, let my counsel be acceptable to you; break off your sins by righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, it may be a lengthening of your tranquillity. I am sure it might have been, had that course been taken in time, had your PRIESTS discreetly handled according to the genuine meaning of the holy Ghost, these two Scriptures, this and that I quoted to you in Isaiah, when they thundered out with a terrible voice, Curse ye Meroz, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof, &c. How happy might it have been for this poor Nation; how happy had all the Princes in Europe been, if their lazy Clergy had done the like. But the greatest part of that generation now living in Europe, follow the example of Priests of Bell in the apocrypha; eat and drink of the best, live idly, and deceive their Princes.  
You may remember I left you before at Isaiah 5. the 16. verse, the 17. verse gives comfort to them that fear God, and uprightly serve him; for when the Lord shall have brought to pass what he threatened in the former verses: Then (saith he) shall the lambs feed after their manner, and the wast places of the fat ones shall strangers eat. Indeed, the truth is, a general peace may be expected throughout the Earth, & now blush for shame all you that rail and scold at Astrology, when you see the times of the book of the Scripture and the book of the Creatures, end in a Centre: And thus much for the house afflicted.  
In the second place we come to the Planet afflicted, and the sign he is afflicted in.  
The Planet afflicted is the ☉, what his signification was, I told you in the beginning of the Treatise, but seeing we are long in learning, and very subject to forget such things as threaten evil to us; I will give you a brief epitome of what persons are signified by the ☉, He signifies all Magistrates in general from the Emperor to the petty Constable; the sign afflicted, is ♈, the exaltation of the ☉, and the chiefest sign in the zodiac; we shall tell you by and by what hath ensued upon the Eclipses of the ☉, in ♈ in former ages: ♈ is a sign, Masculine, Diurnal, movable, Cardinal, Equinoctial, Fiery, choleric, Bestial, Domestical, Luxurious, Intemperate, Violent, Oriental.  
The opinion of Giuffus of an eclipse of ☉ in ♈ is this, (I pray God it do not prove too true) It threatens destruction to the fruits of the Earth, kills the fruit in the bud, kills sheep and other cattle; great KINGS, PRINCES, and MAGISTRATES, are either banished or imprisoned or put to death. Princes and their Subjects agree like Cats and Dogs, first they snarl, and then together by the ears; huge Armies, terrible wars, slaughters of men, burning of Towns, Theft, Rapines, Depopulations, Fire, and the sword reign lords paramount in the Nations threatened by this eclipse: Neither shall the women want their share; for, for, such of them as are with child shall be too too subject to miscarry; (let them make use of my DIRECTORY for MIDWIVES to prevent it) both men and women are subject to acute fevers, or other Epidemical diseases; the air is hot, blasting, and burning; barrenness of the Earth and dearth of Corn is threatened to those Nations under ♈, CHANGE of GOVERNMENT, death of KINGS, Magistrates, and rich men, the execution of which my Author confesseth is in the hands of God; the less reason have the Priests to rail at him.  
We leave now Giuffus and come to Proclus; but before I quote the words of Proclus, here is something else to be considered; namely, in what face of ♈ this eclipse is to be found, we vulgarly hold that it is in the latter end of the second face; and we know as well that since the Creation the fixed Stars are almost moved out of the signs they were Created in: now the query lies thus, whether we should take the faces, according to the signs, or the fixed Stars in the signs?  
We will not much contend about the business, ye may take which you please, there is never a barrel better Herring, and in both Proclus shall be my Author: if we take the eclipse to happen according to the vulgar account in the second face of ♂, It makes Kings and Magistrates Goal-birds, and if it do not lay them in prison, it most terribly afflicts them, nothing in the world thrives with them, what ever the matter is; some of them whom God pleases lose their heads, and then they feel the lighte●, others are hanged, and they cannot feel at all, 'tis as wretched a time for Kings as ever the Sun saw.  
But if you will measure the time by the fixed Stars, it happens in the last face of ♓, and that shows Sedition, Cruelty, Fierceness, and Inhumanity of soldiers, soldiers will be in arms against their Governors right or wrong, a sword and a gun are two prevailing arguments: there is none like them to be found in keckermans' logic, nor Ramus Dialects, all the Sophistry in all the Universities in the world will not be able to appease them, Caesar is dead, and cannot appease his soldiers dangerous mutiny; Galesus in Virgil, and Emathion in Ovid were both slain in doing the like Office: when the business comes to pass you'll know what I mean; mean season, let old father Time be witness either of the truth or falsehood of my predictions; and thus much for the Planet Eclipsed, and the sign and place he is Eclipsed in.  
We come now in the third place, to the Lords of the eclipse, of which ♂ will challenge the pre-eminence, and will be angry if we should not give it him, and now I cannot but remember two verses in Lucan, I'll make use but of one verse and a piece of another. 
Quid tantum Gradive paras? Nam mitis inalto,  
Jupiter occasu premitnr—  
What, What! Stout ♂, and must thou needs rule all,  
Poor Jove is set i'th' West, and in his fall.  Take notice ♂ rules the soldiery, even from the Generalissimo to the Snapsack boy; let none of them take exception at this, it belongs to them all as they are a Military body: ♃ signifies all civil Magistrates, Priests and Lawyers: a Boy of 14. years old deserves to be whipped, that cannot pick English out of this.  
We shall show you what the actions of ♂ in the effects of this eclipse will be.  
First, Generally.  
Secondly, Specially.  
First, Generally according to Origanus, he consumes the fruits of the Earth, casually by fire, accidentally by heat and dryness; the air will be hot and dry, and goods of rich men, which they love as dearly as they love their lives, which they have tired their UNLUCKY and commonwealth DESTROYING brains to get, shall be extorted by violence, and consumed by soldiery, all the miseries the sword can bring upon a people, and they are not a few; war, bloodshed, rapine, extortion; when a covetous man sows his corn he knows not who shall reap it, (yet this I'll tell you by and by, the Lord by a special providence may look after them that fear him) the air is hot and dry, pestilential and mortal; all Europe is together by the ears, not only one with another, but also with themselves; Asmodeus the lecherous devil enters into men and women, and draws them to their ruin; Kings and Magistrates are mad, and Subjects are as stubborn.  
Pallida Tisiphone (i. e. ultio cordis) media inter millia saevit.  
— No fear their wrath assuageth,  
Revenge of heart midst many thousand rageth.  
The bodies of men are troubled with choler; Towns and Cities are consumed by fire, and ruined by soldiery, murder, and thievery are as familiar, as butterflies in April: thus for Origanus, and if I have a little commented upon him, blame me not if I have spoke the truth.  
We'll come now to Giuffus: ♂ lord of an Eclipse sets the Nations signified by the Eclipse together by the ears, by reason of the TYRANNY of PRINCES, seditions, tumults of the People; Princes and Magistrates are angry, the people are like mad dogs, they run at every thing they are set at; a thousand reproaches, disdains, and ill words begin the effects; imprisonment is the middle; death and repentance amongst great ones the latter end; the law shall be changed, and the soldier's sword shall be sharper than the scholars wit.  
Secondly, Particularly.  
In the next place, we'll consider the sign ♂ is in: Giuffus, if ♂ be lord of the eclipse, and in ♉: four footed beasts must go to wrack, especially such as are useful to men, imagine oxen and horses: the fruits of the Earth shall be consumed by caterpilars, violent heat destroys the corn, either upon the ground or putrifies it in the barns.  
Also Albumazar saith, if ♂ have North Latitude, he causeth many infirmities, the smallpox, measles, &c. if South Latitude, death of women and cattle; but in this eclipse having no Latitude, for aught I know he may perform them both.  
Messaholah saith, that ♂ having dominion in an eclipse of the ☉ causeth corruption by his heat, diseases of choler, and heat of blood, violence, injury, dissension, tumults, and uproars amongst the people, (look to it France, if thou find not this too true, say I am a liar, and I'll be content to bear the name with patience) also thunder, lightning, tempest scorching dryness, sedition, and privy conspiracy, plague, pestilence, and famine, battle, murder, and sudden death, though the Dull headed college of SORBON pray never so earnestly, Good Lord deliver us. Proclus, an Eclipse of the ☉ in the fiery triplicity, signifies war, great drought, cruel seditions, bitter controversies, mortal sicknesses, dryness and barrenness of the Earth.  
A●steed, if the eclipse of the ☉ be in a fiery sign, and ♂ ruler both of it and the year, signifies great burnings.  
We pass now to the second significator of this Eclipse, which is the ☽, because she is lady of the succeeding Angle ● which Angle ♋ possesses the middle face of it, and the Ascendants of the Eclipse: If the Moon be lady of the eclipse quoth Albumazar, and also lady of the Ascendant, as here she is, the common people, flutter like a Bee in a Tar-Box, and by wranglings and contentions are like to vex the Magistrates to some tune.  
Ptolemy saith, if the Eclipse happen in equinoctial signs, either in or ♈ or ♎ which this is one of them, the effects of it will fall foul upon the Clergy, such of them as make a trade of prating nonsense instead of gospel.  
By the rules of the Ancients, ♄ cannot be brought in as a Lord of this Eclipse; for though he be angule yet is he not stationary; yet shall I have something to say to him by and by. Thus you have the first thing I promised you, namely, what Authors said of the effects of this Eclipse, pass we now to the second:  
Which is, What experience Authors that were dead before we were born, have left upon record of Eclipses of this nature. I shall give you some few from Leovitius, and but few, by reason the Press stays for me.  
Anno 1418. the Sun was eclipsed in Aries 26 degr. in Prague, in Pohemia the Clergy (as forsooth they call themselves) and the Laity (as they please to call others) fell together by the ears, the King of Bohemia died of a palsy, such a fanatical fury possessed the Clergy in Paris, that their saucy actions caused two thousand of them to be knocked on the head in the streets, in one day. Oh that they would once learn to be a little wiser.  
Anno 1419. happened a dismal Eclipse of the Sun in Aries 15. Mars Lord of it in Taurus, as he is in this; Now follows a new Tumult in Bohemia: John Zizka a noble Soul of an ingenious brain, and an excellent soldier, gathers a great Army, he first enjoys Bohemia, routs the Clergy in every battle, unthrones Sigismond the Emperor, and at last dies in his Bed a Conqueror, after the Lord had made him a sufficient scourge to correct the proud insolency of the Clergy.  
The Duke of Brunswick and his Clergy went together by the ears, which war continued Three years: But who gave the Clergy authority to leave their Bible, and take a Sword; no one breathing knows: sure 'twas Mars or the devil, for Jesus Christ, whom they pretend they preach, is the PRINCE of PEACE.  
Anno 1486. happened a dreadful Eclipse of the Sun in Aries 6. which set almost all Europe together by the ears, and who were the authors of such a dissension think you, truly the buffle-headed Clergy; for 'tis almost a miracle to find an evil in a Nation, and they not the Authors of it: the Emperor was that year taken Prisoner by the French, 'tis a strange thing an Eclipse of the Sun seldom happens in Aries, but it plagues the Roman Emperor. Caesar's are but men, neither shall Three years pass over your head, counting the time from the 29. of March, 1652. but they shall find, and yourselves shall see they are no more. Anno 1530. There happened a great Eclipse of the Sun in ♈ 18. ♂ Lord of it near the bull's eye, being a fixed Star of a hot and violent nature, and the effects of this lasted until the spring time 1632. it seems Leovitius followed not Ptolemy's method concerning the time, when the effects of an Eclipse began to operate: In the beginning of the effects of this eclipse, the Bishops persuaded the Emperor to besiege Florence, which famous City, after a long, tedious and starving siege was taken and brought into bondage. Portugal was perplexed eight days together with Earthquakes about the middle of the effects of it: after which terrifying Earthquakes succeeded as terrible a Pestilence. I am almost of an opinion this Eclipse 1652. will shake down that new upstart Monarchy, which revived but in the declining age of the world, like a lightning before death, or the violent struggles of a dying man. About the end of the effects of this Eclipse appeared a Comet, which run through the Grab, the Virgin, and the Bullance, and did a world of mischief; the Helvetians were got together by the ears about Religion; the King of Denmark who had been ten years banished, prepares a Fleet, and makes a faint assay to recover his kingdom, but the poor man was taken at Sea and committed to safe custody; the Emperor's son dies, and the Duke of Saxony marches to his grave; the King of Hungary and Bohemia is proclaimed Emperor, and to war must he go against the Turks before he had learned to handle a sword: but the world shall never say of him now he is dead and rotten that he did nothing, for he besieged a town which lay upon the confines of Germany, and when he saw the town would not yield and he was afraid to storm it, he turned Retrograde. I will not shame him so much, to say he run a way but the man seeing he could not beat his enemies, went to see what he could do against his friends, with fire & sword he wasted the greatest part both of Germany and Austria: at last, when he heard that the Christians had raised a potent army against him, he being something a kin to prince Rupert, loving plundering better than fighting, he and his Army shift every man for themselves, leaving a name of ignomy branded rather then engraven upon his sepulchre, if ever he were thought worthy of any.  
Anno 1540, happened a great eclipse of the sun in Aries 28. a most parching hot and and dry summer followed, insomuch that very deep rivers were fordable, and rivers of a mean bigness were utterly dried up: the very heat of the sun set fire to woods, the King's house in Bohemia was fired none knows how, frequent fires were all over Germany, the King of Hungary who is a branch of the house of Austria died, the Duke of Saxony takes his leave of this world, and turns private man in another, Ferdinand beseiges Buda in Hungary, but instead of taking the town, he lost his army first, and his life afterward by the Turk, the Emperor must needs be in arms forsooth, and whither must he go but to Algiers, but there comes a tempest and stops the man's course, a hundred and thirty ships he lost, himself entered battle both with the danger of the sea and hunger both at a time; at length when no other good was to be done, he gathers up the relics of his forlorn creatures and returns home like a fool as he came forth, and thus much for my second part, namely, what authors of credit have left to posterity concerning the effects of Eclipses of the Sun in Aries, upon which in civility you cannot deny me that small courtesy, as to give my own animadversions.  
First, you see here that the Priests have been the creatures that have made all the scuffle in the world, in the effects of these Eclipses; 'tis their turbulent spirits, and sophistical language that caused so many mournful widows, and woeful fatherless children, so much murder and bloodshed in those parts, where the effects of the Eclipses operated, he that hath but half an eye may see what they have acted in this Nation in these late unhappy wars; it's in vain for them to prate to me, that they never fight, as some of them have said: there is a pretty fable in Aesop, to this purpose; After the winning of a battle, the conquering party took a Trumpeter prisoner, and when they would have executed him, he prayed them for God's sake they would not hang him, for he never fought in all his life; but said they, thou cowardly rascal, with thy Trumpet thou incitest others to fight. I leave the Clergy of this Nation that are guilty of the business, to make the moral themselves; 'tis easily done, Pilate had never condemned Christ, had it not been for the Scribes, Pharisees, and Priests, but was almost forced by them to do it; Pilate knew as well as I that he was guiltless; but being a faint hearted base spirited fellow, and lest he should be thought not to be Caesar's friend, crucified the Lord of Glory: I pray God in these our days, in which the end of the world is coming, fellows of that jackcoat be not near of kin to the frogs men ioned in the Revelations 16. 13, 14. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the Dragon, and out of the mouth of the Beast, and out of the mouth of the false Prophet, for they are the spirits of devils working miraecles, which go forth unto the Kings of the Earth, and of the Whole world, to gather them together to the battle of that great day of God Almighty: look to it Priests, look to it people, the time is a coming, and if you look not to it these lines of mine shall one day leave you without excuse, build not your faith upon tradition; in the latter times it will be a hard matter to discover who is a Saint & who is not, even such times in which if it were possible they would deceive the elect, if they could be deceived; the times will be sharp, they will be short, & for aught I know we are upon the beginings of them, I would fain know of all our Priests, who (unless the Devil) chained Divinity to an University, I hate such creatures, I cannot call them men, that when they have learned a great deal of Sophistry, and know well how to quibble handsomely upon a point, and have read Augustine and Cyprian, and Nazianzene, and Bazil, and a great many other old Fathers, than they say they have gotten the body of Divinity; truly, I have read many of them myself, but could never see Christ with such a pair of spectacles, the Theory of the Gospel I know, 'tis only Jesus Christ and him crucified, and the indwelling of the spirit of God in man, but what the practical part is I am as yet ignorant; my opinion at present is, that 'tis something more plain and simple than the world takes it to be; the main way to judge between a saint and a sinner, is not who performs most duties; for our reformation so much boasted of, consists rather in pulling down, then setting up, & this Eclipse was so placed by the Eternal God to do it, & it will execute the will of God in despite of all the Sophisms of all the Universities in the world: I honour learning while it is in its Sphere: the fire is good while it is in the chimney corner, but put in the thatch, and it spoils all; and so does learning in such men as pretend their natural gifts to come by divine inspiration, learning will make one a man of a beast, but not a saint of a man; and yet the most part of men think that the Gospel rests only in the heads of the learned, and human learning is deified and made a little god-almighty of, as though the Gospel were so chained to human leaning, that it could not be separated: I am none of those that count human learning evil, but know, and by experience find, it is an excellent ornament to a man, it makes a man the more a man; and therefore a saint that hath human learning, is better able to express Christ, than he which is a saint and hath none, because he is more a man, but he is never the fitter nor abler to receive Christ.  
In the second place we find in all these examples, that the Emperors & whole house of Austria hath been much afflicted, let them look to it: now Bohemia will probably be afflicted with intestine wars: the Emperor at his wit's end, his house totters, and 'tis in vain for him to prop it up by Armies, or any thing else, men's lives are but like so many ships sailing to their long homes, which should be towards heaven: 'tis in vain to prop up a ship when it totters, with posts without side, 'tis the ballast within must keep it steady: and let me give this sober advice to the foreign Princes of that ancient Family, 'tis a principle of goodness within you, and not the strength of Armies without you must do you good in these times which so nearly concern you.  
Lastly, let Christian Princes beware of warring with the Turk during the effects of this Eclipse: you have read already how fatal it hath been to you in former ages: the time of his fall is not yet come, although fall he must: neither hath the Eternal ordained any of you to pull down that proud Monarchy.  
I should now come to deliver my own judgement upon the effects of this Eclipse: but here is an Objection seems worth the answering, namely, Why did not the Eclipse of the Sun in Aries 19 1633 work so great effects as you Prognosticate in this. To this I Answer,  
First, the Eclipse was not so great, therefore not so formidable: The greatness of the effects of an Eclipse of the Sun, are drawn from the greatness of the parts of the body of the Sun darkened.  
Secondly, the house of the heavens afflicted by that Eclipse was obscure, therefore so must the effects be, and yet what sad effects it produced is well known throughout all Europe, it being not past our memory.  
Thirdly, ♃ and ♀ were both in the ninth house, and therefore moderated the matter by wisdom, and good counsel.  
Fourthly, the last, though not the least of all my arguments is, matters were not then fit nor ripe for action; so than there is as much difference between that eclipse and this, as there is between fire set among corn when it is green, and when it is dry.  
I come to my last thing propounded, which is my own judgement rationally delivered from the scheme: and in doing of this I shall be as accurate as I can.  
The fixed Stars with which this eclipse happens, are of a Saturnine and mercurial condition (I mean those that are within the zodiac, for I have nothing to say to the rest now) the second paper will show you what their condition is, to that I refer you, as not daring to write in words of length, and not of figures, what I think; when Juvenall was in the same fear he wrote his Satyrs against such as were dead; and considering myself this Nation is full of critics, I will give myself the latitude of all Europe in my Prognostications: the mid-Heaven signifies Kings, Magistrates, &c. the Ascendant the common people; the place of the conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter last past, was in the mid-heaven of this eclipse, perhaps so was the conjunction in the mid-heaven of the figure: the Moon is Lady of the ascendant, and darkens the sun in the 10th. upon the very degree of his exaltation: and if this signify not a Democracy, or to write English, That the Government shall come into the hands of the People, and that throughout Europe, or the most part thereof, before the effects of this Eclipse are over past, I dare be bound to forfeit my Life: and yet this great thing shall not be done easily: Although I speak more of this hereafter, yet a few words spoken here in due season will not be amiss: Saturn perplexes the Ascendant, and if the Ascendant signify the common people, it perplexes them also.  
It's no great miracle if Magistrates be perplexed: that the Vulgar should suffer: when the Lion roars, the beasts tremble. Two years shall not pass before both come to pass. Saturn in the ascendant according to Bally, and there unfortunate, and the old soul is as misfortunate as can be; signifies detriment and impediment to the Body of man, infirmities and sickness of his own nature: the truth on't is, he looks as sour as Verjuice on the common People; and to tell them the plain truth of the business, he is Lord of the seventh, eighth and ninth Houses. Have a care of yourselves gentle Clergy, and be ruled by me, join together and petition the State against his effects, and tell them ITS DAMNABLE, ITS DAMNABLE. See if you and the States are able to withstand his evil influence. I will promise you, the States have patience enough to stay two years to try which is in the truth, you or I. It were a most gallant thing, my Friends of the Clergy, if your outcries and most humble petitions, could withstand the influence of the Stars, which the eternal God, the first Being of all things created them for.  
A word or two to my Brethren of the Commonalty, myself being a Commoner: Good people, I cannot flatter, neither can I persuade myself you will act honestly during the effects of this eclipse. I speak not to those in England, but generally to all those in Europe, horrid Tumults, murders and Mutinies are threatened, cruel massacres; the Commoners are subject to be impudent and insolent against their Magistrates: remember, remember Jerusalem was ruined by its own seditions within it, or else Vespasian had as good have thrown his cap at it. Let us reason a little together in a fair way; I pray tell me, and tell me truly, suppose your Magistrates do not please you, is Mutinies the way to help yourselves? would you take such a courswel at the hands of your servants? would you be glad to be served so? read all Histories and see if you can ever find any good end ensue such preposterous beginnings; you will undo yourselves and beggar your children and families if you take such courses, God will have his work done in his own time, by his own way, of which I am sure Mutiny is none. And yet the more is the pity, they are too too frequent throughout Europe; I pray God England be not too too sensible of them during the effects of this Eclipse, I say no more. I am sure France is peppered with them, and Holland hath its share.  
The square of Saturn to the Luminaries, signifies wrangling and falling out between great and rich men: Kings and Magistrates cannot agree with one another; so it seems the common people shall not have all the fish to fry, Negligence and Tyranny having taken possession of Princes; Envy, hatred and accusations by the people, and something worse sues and pursues them, and like so many evil Spirits haunts their Ghosts, and at last unthrones them, and lays their honour in the dust: And where can come a better place for that counsel of the Holy Ghost, than this: Be wise now therefore O ye Kings, be instructed ye Rulers of the Earth; serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling: kiss the Son lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way: Blessed are all they that trust in him.  
Besides, Saturn being Lord of the Eight, and in the Ascendant, threatens the Earth with diseases of his own nature, which you may read in my Semeiotica, & I doubt feel before the effects of this Eclipse be half over. The truth is, a general pestilence is threatened to Europe, of which England is like sadly to participate, neither shall Holland want its share.  
Lastly, consider that the places subject to the effects of this Eclipse, are England. France. Germany. Swedeland. Poland. Denmark. Silesia. Syria. The holy Land. Palestina. Russia. Ireland. Lorraine. Franconia. Parthia. Persia. Scotland. Granado. Burgundia. Holland. Zealand. Prussia. Numidia. a great part of Africa. Austria and its whole House. Saxony. Hassia, &c.  

Of Towns and Cities.  
Naples. Anconia. Capna. Ferraria. Padua. Florence. Brunswick. Lipzick. Nantz. Cyprus. and most of the Sea-Towns in Asia the less. Mantua. Sena. Tarentum Constantinople. Tunis. Algiers. Venice. Genoa. Milan York. Saint Andrews. Lubeck. Magdeburg Wittemburg. Gorlitz. Franckfort upon the main. Hull. Vienna in Austria. Antwerp. Oxford. Gaunt. Brandenburg. Auspurg. together with many others too tedious here to name, and indeed the Effects will be generally felt over all Europe in one measure or other; so that I may say of Europe concerning the effects of this eclipse, as my friend and countryman Thomas May Esquire, once did of Mauritania, a little before the battle at Thapsus, only a little altering the first verses.  

All Monarchy it quite will overthrow,  
More wrack alas its sad effects will do,  
Then after ages can repair with speed;  
And beasts possess the seats of Nations dead,  
Where feared monarchs once gave laws to Men  
Shall Lions reign, and Tigers make their Den.  
The slimy Serpent all alone shall crawll,  
And wanting men, shall be no plague at all.    
And thus much for this Chapter.   

CHAP. VI.  
Of other great conjunctions and oppositions, Whose influences concur to the compliment of our judgement upon this Eclipse.  
IN handling this, you must not conceive that I intend to handle them all, for if you do, you make a false conception; the Press stays for me, and you'll say it were time (if you knew as much as I) to make haste; I shall therefore handle the greatest and most prevalent of them, and let each stand in a part by itself.  

PART 1.  
The first that presents itself is a ☌ of ☉ and ♂ in ♊ 17. and this happens, upon the 27. of May, 15. h. 33'. p.m. They that please may set the Figure, and they that please not may let it alone, 'tis all a case to me. They mediate the heavens the day before, with the goat a horned beast, and 'tis in the citizen's sign, let them beware of a child got in Capricorn; the star is of the first magnitude of the nature of ♂ and ☿.  
The ☌ of ☉ and ♂ in Gemini; according to Guido signifies impediment that shall fall upon men, by reason of Thunder and Lightning: but my own opinion is the chiefest danger is in the Lightning, and this danger is most like to fall about the Western parts of the World; the Earth hath got a hot and dry disease, being exceedingly distempered for want of water; and that water which doth fall from the skies, it comes in such violent storms that it doth but little good; wars and contentions, thievery (and something worse) which I will not name vexeth the North parts of the World; and diseases coming of heat of blood, imagine the smallpox, Pestilence, &c.  
If I should leave Guido, and come to Haly, he will tell us but little better news; for he saith it signifies strife and contention, fighting and killing.  
Give me leave a little to add my own: London, beware of fire; beware of quarrelling, thou hast got but little by playing such pranks before, thou art likely to get less by such another action: the Pestilence is likely to begin this year, God in mercy doth it to show what he will do the following year: beware Flanders, a curse is coming upon thee; what if God knows 'tis good for thee to suspect the worst, either it will come, or it may come: let Brabant, Corduba in Spain, Nurenburge in Germany, that famous Imperial City, Bruges in Flanders, &c. remember what I tell to London.  
Questionless the effects of this ☌ will bring a change of Government in London, I pray God it be for the best, I have some hopes it will: Oh, that thy Citizens would every morning when first they rise read my monthly observations on May 1652.   

PART 2.  
The second in course is the ☌ of ☉ and ♄ in ♌ 2. with a nebulous fixed star, which bids Saturnine people beware their eyes, and among them myself, it happens July 14. 1652. 19 h. 13'. p.m. the ☽ being at that time in △ to them both from ♈.  
Now begin the effects of the Eclipse to work, and he is a fool in grain that prefers Tradition before Reason, I shall tell you hereafter when Authors say the effects shall begin. Now the Princes of Europe beat their heads to find out which is the readiest way to undo themselves, Ambassadors are rife; but whether Princes consult together to outwit one another, or to secure one another, or the like, there is some question of them both, and is never a barrel better Herring, If presently after this conjunction, you find not a Pestilence and also many uproars in Rome; also Bohemia troubled much with war, the Florentines all in an uproar, and here in England many people troubled with sore eyes, and other diseases of heat of blood; especially a Cephallick disease, called an addle Brain, say I am no Artist; Men shall wonderfully be given to lying and deceiving, they know not what they would have, their thoughts are in a Chaos, and hang together like ropes of sand, their thoughts dance up and down from one thing to another without any order: so that if they would look upon them with the eye of Reason, they begin without order and end without issue: we may say of men's dispositions about this time, as Seneca said of men's lives, They are tossed much, but sail nothing; and truly, this is a very shrewd Disease, the only true cure that I at present know for it, is to observe the vanity of your own dispositions. What a vain thing is it, That a man whose Birth and breeding hath made him but a a Bramble, never to rule over the Trees, should offer to turn Statesman, or except against the government he cannot mend; Thomaso Masianello the Fisherman did so at Naples, to his own destruction, and the City also: Truly, I had not given you so many cautions, had I not been confident, That about this time your Wits be too subject to run a woolgathering to their own destruction.  
Besides Guido saith, That the conjunction of Sol & Saturn in Leo, maketh children disobedient, and act things clean contrary to their Parents will: They say that Gemini is the Ascendant of London; and yet this we find by experience, That Saturn never came into Leo but he punisheth this City; let her Magistrates and Common-councel-men avoid pernicious Counsels and Debates about this time: I am very jealous, if God do not immediately contradict the influence of the Heavens about this time, such a thing, or such a like thing may be; and perhaps something worse, if some be not wiser than some, there be those now living that will have occasion to temember August or September 1652. so long as they have a day to live.   

PART. 3.  
The next that cometh in order is the ☌ of ♄ and ♂ in ♌ 5. August 9 1652. the effects of which I tremble to think of, and willingly would have past them by if I durst; the punishment will be great, and I pray God the desert be not as great; and that I may be methodical in the handling of it, I will bring to your memory,  
First, what hath formerly succeeded such a ☌, and yet within our age.  
Secondly, what Authors say of such a conjunction.  
Thirdly, my own judgement on it.  
To the first of these I shall quote but only one Example, which ushered the late King Charles to the Crown: 1622. in July happened a conjunction of ♄ and ♂ in ♋, which though it be a little out of my road, maketh not a little to my purpose: during the effects of this conjunction, London was afflicted with an Epidemical disease in the belly; the very same disease, which lately puzzled all our pitiful college to find out what it was, and caused by the very same aspect, namely, a ☌ of ♄ and ♂ in ♋. I cannot conceive it can appear a wonder to any real physician, that knoweth upon what foundation the ground of his Art is built; but that so great affliction of Saturn in a moist sign, should mar the attentive faculty in man; but though they had not wit enough to find out the cause of the disease; yet they had wit enough to invent a hideous name for it. viz. the plague in the guts; I had not mentioned this, had it not been to have done a little good to my countrymen; if ever it be their hard hap to be troubled with such a college puzzling disease, 'tis but only strengthening the retentive faculty, and the cure is done, that so you need not puzzle nature to encounter with a virulent disease and preposterous physic at the same time, but enough of this. To proceed,  
Under the effects of this conjunction of ♄ and ♂ Anno 1623. the Sea broke in at Amsterdam, as I have been credibly informed by those that lived there at that time, and now in the very same place it broke in the last time: I would not say this is a strong confirmation of the truth in Astrology, for fear the Priests should rail at it; yet this I say, what is here written is truth, and if that truth which is most demonstrative is most excellent; take this into that number; and now wherefore do you think I have quoted all this, truly to make way for what follows.  
If the effects of the ☌ of ♄ and ♂ in ♋. 1622. jump so exactly with the effects of the ☌ of ♄ and ♂ in ♋. 1650. as they did as near as the men of Benjamin could sling a stone; Why should not the effects of the ☌ of ♄ and ♂ in ♌ 1652: answer as exactly to the ☌ of ♄ and ♂ in ♌ 1624. The summer 1624., was exceeding dry, and was it not so 1651. the summer 1625. was exceeding pestilential, and if the Eternal God do not prevent, the influence of the heavens threatens no less in 1653. let such as question the truth of Astrology consider of this, and indeed for their sakes I quoted it, I am confident many moderate souls are possessed with a PRIEST RIDDEN HUMOUR, that they suppose whatever a Priest prates in a Pulpit must needs be true, and for truth they entertain it without any examination, it is a hundred pities the men of BEREA are dead, and none of their generation living in England, whom the Holy Ghost commends for searching the Scriptures to see whether what the Apostle Paul taught were true or not, but our Ministers Ipse dixit serves the turns of most of their hearers, though their spirits comes as far short of Paul's, as the spirit of a Hare doth from the spirit of a Lion: and thus you have the first thing propounded. viz What hath succeeded such a ☌ in our age, and also the reasons, why I did it.  
Proceed we now to the second: What the opinions of Authors is of such a malevolent ☌ as this is, and I care not greatly if I begin with Haly; the ☌ of ♄ and ♂ causeth impediment to Kings, diseases amongst men, and it happening in a fiery sign, they must needs proceed from heat of blood; men first of all deceive one another, and afterwards fall out and fight (and so let such creatures do, till I part them) men are subject to hot rheums in their eyes, according to Guido; especially their right eyes; fire and sword, and sudden death, and another inconvenience from their genius, their heads are not set fast enough upon their shoulders: besides, the ☌ happening in ♌, a fixed sign, the mischief is like to be durable, ah, and violent too, both the stars being violent, and the sign no less, the malice must needs be much increased, unless Jupiter help, and the poor soul is so weak he cannot. The haste of the Printer, or something else, hinders me from quoting more Authors.  
Come we now to the third thing proposed, and that is my own judgement; and herein I might well say as the Priest did in the Pulpit, I know not where to begin, nor where to end, but I must begin somewhere, or else I shall shame myself, and confound my Auditors; if this do not argue simplicity in me to recite in a book, I am sure it did in the Priest to recite it in a Pulpit; well then, I will let it stand for a jest: and thus I'll begin.  
First, Never yet happened a ☌ in Saturn and Mars in ♌, but it punished London with a Pestilence the next year following, and now they make two ☌ in ♌, one in 1652. another in 1654. what harm is it, if I bid London beware of a Pestilence, in 1653. and 1655. though it should never come to pass, is the City ever the worse? Or the Citizens e'er the poorer; I am confident it hath held true, as may appear by Chronicle, these five hundred years: The merciful God whose tender mercy is over all his works, grant in mercy to his poor and almost undone Nation, that it may take away our Oppressors only, and spare such as mind and intend really the good of the Commonalty: And if I might make an Allegory of one place of Scripture, which though it were really in the letter once verified, it follows not in the least, but it may in a mystical sense be performed once again, it follows not, because God said, Genesis 3.15. I will put enmity between thee and the serpent, and between thy seed and her seed, &c. That all the Enmity between them, should be only between men and serpents, greater enmity than which is not between two creatures, for men though they keep beasts for their profit, and birds for their pleasure, and dormice for their ease, as to make themselves sleep, or the like: yet a man when he meets with an Adder, gives him no quarter, but is sure to die for it; and where 'tis said in the foregoing Scripture: I will put enmity between thee and the woman: and it is quoted in Pliny's Natural History; and I am much mistaken if the same thing be not in Gesner's History of Beasts, that if a serpent be put into a room where there is forty men, and but one woman, the serpent will single out that woman amongst all them men, to do her a mischief: I say doth it follow because this Scripture holds so true in a literal sense, may it not hold as true in a mystical sense, and produce a real war.  
First, in the Microcosm, or body of man, between the spirit of man and his own corruptions, look into yourselves you shall find it as I tell you.  
Secondly, in the habitable world between the saints and the men whose portions is in this world; which Cain and Abel first began: but the contest shall never be ended till the dissolution.  
Thirdly, in the intelligible world between good and bad Angels; for Michael and his Angels shall fight against the Dragon, and the Dragon shall fight and his Angels: but here is our comfort, and the comfort of all saints, our Christ is a Conquering Christ, and is preparing to ride out Conquering and to Conquer, and if this be so, as is apparently true, why may not another Scripture? 1 Kings 19 15, 16, 17. And the Lord said unto him go, and return on thy way to the Wilderness of Damascus, and when thou comest there, anoint Hazael to be King over Syria, and Jehu the son of Nimshy, shalt thou anoint to be King over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah shalt thou anoint to be Prophet in thy room; and it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael, shall Jehu slay, and him that escapeth the swood of Jehu shall Elisha slay, and I care not greatly if I add the next verse; yet have I left me seven thousand in Israel, that have not bowed the knee to Baal; I will not stand much in the interpretation of this Scripture, but leave every one to be his own interpreter: yet this I say, that tyrannical brain who hath escaped the sword in this Nation, may die by the pestilence; and he who escapeth the pestilence, may die by the hand of that Angel who is noted to come, Revelations 14. 6, 7. And I saw an Angel fly in the midst of Heaven having the EVERLASTING GOSPEL to preach to them that dwell on the Earth, and to every Nation, and tongue, and people; saying with a loud voice, fear God and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgement is come, and worship him that made the Heaven and Earth, and the Sea; which Angel I assure you is coming, and will be heard, not in your ears, but in your hearts; I mean the hearts of such as have not bowed THEIR KNEE TO BAAL: And this gives me some hope the Lord will preserve you in this terrible pestilential time 1653. in the mean season make use of Paul's advice which he preached at Lystra: Turn from vanity, and worship the living God which made the Earth and the Sea and all that therein is.  
Secondly, Kings and Magistrates cannot agree with one another, but only in one thing, and that is oppressing the people, and that they are old dogs at, and the poor groan under it, Arise O God and help them!  
Thirdly, the Soldiery cannot agree with one another, let them score their valour on the heads of their enemies in God's name, and not fall out with one another for that is pity.  
Fourthly, many Clergymen and Lawyers are displaced and imprisoned, and some made shorter by the head.  
Fifthly, a new sect of heretics arise, and yet I should admire how worse can be invented then are already, did I not know the devil's invention is very quick in what is nought.  
Sixthly, a woeful mortality is threatened both to man and beast, pestilence amongst men, diseases of the heart and stomach, murrain among cattle, violent hot and blasting East winds.  
Seventhly, I could almost be afraid of some treacherous action, either hatching or acting by those that are in authority in Scotland: I hope our State will have a vigilant eye over them, they have warning of it long enough before hand.  
Eightly, choler perplexes the bodies of men, to which if I add a little discontent, as I may do very well, both distilled through the limbeck of an idle Brain, may bring forth such an untoward chemical preparation, as may produce contempt of Authority, to the great prejudice both of superiors in the Nation, and also in the Nation itself.  
Ninthly, private murders and poisonings are like to be very rife, I desire all men in authority to have a care of themselves, lest some of them be sent to take a supper apud inferos, before they are aware of it; it is a scurvy fashion, I do not like it, and yet to tell you the truth I fear it.  
Tenthly, the Land is not like to bear all the evil influence of this conjunction, the Sea must have his share also; there is like to be old knocking there, our frigates I hope are like to get good prizes, let the Hollander beware how he meddles with us, until such time as he longs to be beaten, I am of opinion that most of the Merchants of Europe will come off losers in the effects of this conjunction.  
11. Religion is much controverted and that by such as know neither what it is, nor what they would have: God grant they make not a Deformation instead of a Reformation, and the common People love the Law and the hangman much alike; neither can they forbear quarrelling even with Magna Charta itself.  
12. France is as full of tumults as an egg is full of meat, odd conceited tumults without either sense or reason: Cardinal Mazarine his brains are like to be knocked out in an uproar or else poisoned: and if the King himself scape, 'tis more than I look for: Many parts in Italy are like to speed no better: you may know what the evil effects of such disordered Tumults are, by the late sufferings of Naples.  
13. English brains are very discontented; neither are they all troubled with one discontent: happy is that man, that finds another man of his own judgement. The soldier stands stoutly to his principles; 'tis pity there is not a School to teach men Patience, such a panic fear possesses the hearts of the Vulgar, and such multitudes of Ghostly thoughts they conjure up, that at last they run away pursued by nothing but by their own fears: The Winter following, men and women will be mighty subject to quartan Agues. And thus much for this Conjunction, and also for this part.   

Part 4.  
COme we now to another Eclipse of the ☽ which happens Sept. 7th. 6h. 2'2. p.m. you may find the scheme set ready to your hand in my Ephemeris for 1652. near scheat a star of the nature of ♄ and ☿ the ☽ Eclipsed in ♓ threatens destruction to Vegetables; as also to Fishes, and other Creatures that live in the water: Corruption of Fountains and Rivers: death of the common people; continual War and Sedition, and Sedition especially in such places as are near the Sea: Look to thyself Holland; if thou wilt not, I cannot help it; much detriment by water is threatened to thee: the Sea will go near to encroach upon such people as have formerly encroached upon it.  
Proclus saith, That the ☽ Eclipsed in the last degrees of ♓ threatens murders and rapines, fighting and quarrelling, both by Sea and Land.  
Also Giussus saith, That when the ascendant of an eclipse is ♈ Kings will prove Tyrants, and when I pray were they otherwise? the Commonalty will be up in arms against their Princes: many murders and battles and combustions will be in the world; death, or deposition of Princes, and 'tis well if they scape so too: men will be troubled with sore eyes, &c.  
Also if the ascendant be in the first face of ♈ as it is here, there will ensue much thunder and lightning, and lofty winds.  
If the luminary Eclisped bee near the Equator, as this is, Look to yourselves Priests; I'll promise your honesty will be called in question.  
Pass we now to the Lords of the eclipse, which are ♃ and ♂, ♃ is placed in the mid-heaven in ♑, where he threatens a change of Government, a change of the Laws and customs of Cities: the Winter will be cold, and much snow: Thus Ptolemy.  
Albumazar saith, It signifies the death of noble men. The next Lord of the eclipse is ♂ posited in the sixth house: What the general signification of ♂ Lord of an eclipse is, you have in my judgement upon the eclipse of the Sun; only we shall have something to say to him here, as considered in the sixth house, and in the Lion. ♂ Lord of the eclipse in ♌ signifies death of fourfooted Beasts; causeth great diseases of heat amongst Men; stirs up heat of air, and makes men as quarrelsome as himself is; he overthrows houses and whole Towns by Fire and Sword: there is but little Water: some fountains are dried up, and the water of others are putrified.  
Also Albumazar saith it signifies Dearth of flesh and bread, especially in the east parts a sickly and mortal year: men die by the Sword, and children by extreme pain in their bellies.  
A change in Religion is a coming, if many Planets in a house increase the signification of a house, as is as true as what is truest, then may much sickness be expected during the effects of this eclipse, so many Planets being in the sixth house: And so much for this part.   

Part 5.  
Of the oppositions of ♄ and ♃.  
You may remember we told you before, that ♄ and ♃ made three oppositions during the effects of this Eclipse, and all three of them from ♌ and ♒; the first happens in the year 1652/3. Febr. 27. 0h. 3'0. p.m. in 6d. of ♌ and ♒.  
The second happens the 10th. of July 1653. 3h. 3'0. p.m. in 3 1'4. of ♌ and ♒.  
And the last happens in January 1653/4. the 17th. day about 8. in the morning, in 24d. of ♌ and ♒, ♄ being with cor, ♌ and ♃ with fomahand, I shall here speak of them all together, and in so doing, first I'll show you what authors have left to posterity upon the like oppositions. Secondly, the judgement of authors upon the effects of them. Thirdly, my own judgement upon them.  
To begin with the first of these, namely, What Authors have left upon Record, to have succeeded such oppositions, Anno 1433. in Sept. there was an ☍ of ♄ and ♃ from ♌ and ♒ 13. ♂ joins with ♄ in November, and opposeth ♃. Anno 1434 ♄ and ♃ make another ☍ in the latter end of ♌ and ♒, about which time appeared a terryfying Comet; and so there may do now too for aught I know, or else other sights in the air as bad.  
Also Anno 1633 there happened a terrible Eclyps of the ☉ in the crab, which showed his influence to some purpose the year following; and now judge whether it be not to some purpose to quote this example, there being such an admirable congruity between those and these oppositions; only the eclipse of the ☉ was in the crab then, and in the ram now, and that an ☍ of ♄ and ♃, ♄ being in ♌, might never be said to come without having one touch at Rome, and to tell you the truth, It was never yet known by man, nor mentioned by Chronicle, that ever the tumbling & tossing of the body of ♄ through the lion happened, but it was a sufficient scourg to London. The Veneitans and Florentines, together with other Italian Princ● made war against his holiness the Pope, Anno 1434. who seeing himself not able to resist, his guts and he ran away, and he was glad at heart he could escape so: A general. Council was held at Bazile, at which his holiness the Bishop of Rome permitted the Bohemians to receive the Sacrament, in both kinds, whereas both before and since, the Priests drink up all the Wine themselves, and leave the poor people ready to choke themselves with the breaden-god.  
When those Princes we told you of before, had routed the Pope out of his holy-chair, like a company of Asses, they go together by the ears with one another; the Emperor dyeth, and Albert, archduke of Austria is made Emperor, but he held it but a small time, Death summoning him to make his appearance in another world.  
Anno 1493. was another opposition of Saturn and Jupiter in ♌ and ♒ an Eclyps' of the ☉ in ♉ then operating. The Roman empire is together by the ears, whole herds of Cattle die of the murrain; The King of Portugal falls off of his Horse and breaks his neck; now the Emperor dies, and that venereal disease (though called the French-Pox) began first in Naples; the King of France is full of trouble, his Army quits the Field; the King of Poland is beaten by the Turk; presently after this, as there doth now, happened an eclipse of the ☉ in ♌, which though it were but small, yet were the effects great, by reason the luminary was infested with the squares both of ♄ and ♂: Good Lord have mercy upon us! what will the effects of this next eclipse in ♌ be, when the eclipse itself is great, and the luminaries besieged by the bodies of ♄ and ♂? The Death of the King of France, and also of many GermanePrinces succeeded in the effects of this. Anno 1552. there happened another ☍ of ♄ and ♃ in ♌ and ♒, an eclipse of the ☉ in ♑ then stoutly operating, Caesar is at wars, the Bishops of Germany are together by the ears, so was the Duke of Saxony and the King of France; I had not mentioned this ☍ had not Edward, the last of that name, King of England, a most hopeful young man changed this life for a better; he had the Virgin in the Horoscope of his Genesis, and the ☉ Eclipsed near the degree ascending, and in the place of ♄: wars followed his death; and Religion mended just as sour Ale doth in Summer. The marquess of Brandenburg must needs go fight with the Duke of Brunswick: one battle he gave him, and was handsomely beaten for his pains: As soon as ever he could get another Army he must have the other bout with him, and was served the same sauce: the year after this great ☍ England was as full of troubles as the Sea is full of water.  
Wyatt Rebelled about the coming in of Philip King of Spain, and many more were clapped up in the Goal, right or wrong, it matters not: Guilford Dudley and his wife Joane, the Duke of Suffolk and his Daughter lost their heads: The Lady Elizabeth was clapped up in Prison; and Mary Rules the Nation more like a Beast than a woman: I must transgress no longer in quoting what is past, but come to what Authors say of the ☍, which is the second thing promised.  
Haly faith, The ☍ of ♄ and ♃ signifies many brawlings and contentions, both between man and man, and between Nation and Nation; sets the Commonalty together by the ears against their Magistrates and Kings. Besides, according to Guido, It signifies that Kings and Magistrates shall be deposed, especially such whose kingdoms are under ♌ and ♒; Cities thereunder shall be consumed by Fire and Sword. Also, besides all this, Albumazar saith, That rich men shall be made equal with the poor.  
De Malé quaesitis vix gaudet tertius Haeres.  
Goods ill got soon scattered be,  
The third Heir ne'er doth them see.  
I come now to the third, which is my own judgement upon the Oppositions, in which I shall be very brief.  
First, They signify consumption of estate; let no thriving time (I mean, no time to grow exceeding rich) be expected by English men yet these four or five years; God hath provided other Fish for them to fry, his determination upon the world is otherwise: Ier. 45. 4, 5. Jehovah saith thus: Behold, that which I have built will I break down; and that which I have planted I will pluck up; even this whole land: And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not: for behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the Lord; but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest. I hope such as fear God, and aim at the liberty of the Subject, shall have baruches promise made good to them; and let them thank God if they scape so too: and if they please to hear me, well and good; if not, I have my reward: God is a bringing to pass a great work in the world, which when you see it come to pass, it will make your hearts ache; and I am persuaded I can give you some reasons why he doth so, for the God of reason doth nothing without reason, and if we cannot see a reason of God's actions, 'tis to be imputed to our blindness; let the Priests prate what they will The Saints are united to the godhead, by the person of our Lord Jesus Christ: Some of the Reasons may probably be these, or if you will not take them for reasons, take them for probable conjectures, 'tis no matter under what notion you take them, so you make good use of them.  
First, one Reason may be to prepare the Saints for such Miseries as he will shortly reveal to them; whilst the Bridegroom stayed the wise Virgins, as well as the foolish, slumbered and slept; and in all probabilities these dreadful times are but to awake them out of that sleep; consider how unfit the best of Saints are to receive those wonderful things which God will shortly reveal to them; if they please I'll draw them up a lookingglass to behold a copy of their Countenances in, as they stand in statu quo, as their Disposition is at present.  
First, they mind riches much, and send their Hearts to meet them before they come; they draw Maps of their own desires, and cut out such a kind of life in their thoughts as pleases them, and by their own thoughts put themselves into another condition than God hath ordained for them; as children, to exercise their housewifery, make clay-pies; and to express their desires make Babies of clouts; neither is there any better way for a man to know his own heart than this, for though a man's condition be not as he would have it, and let the impossibilities or improbabilities be never so great of being what they desire, yet their fancies will discover to them what their inclinations are, they will create a fool's paradise in their own Brains; First what they would be. And secondly, what they would do if they were so; and when they have created such a Paradise, than they walk up and down in it with delight; First, how much money they would have. Secondly, what they would do with it; what preferment they would have, and then how they would carry themselves in it, and though they want the things themselves they desire, yet will they please themselves with the Pictures of them drawn in their thoughts.  
Secondly, I make no question but the Saints are guilty of sins as well as other men, and delight to busy their time in thinking of those things that nothing at all concerns them; they long after curiosities, like Women with child, that many times long for such things as cannot be had: our thoughts are the buds of an immortal nature within us, and aught to be spent about such things as are discovered in the works and word of God, and not to be spent about the idle ideas of our own brains: What a madness were it for a Lady, instead of Pearls and Diamonds, to dress herself up with peacock's feathers; and yet our thoughts, as familiarly as the Sun rises and sets, instead of feeding upon wholesome food, contained in the Book of the Scriptures and the Book of the Creatures, like chameleons, they feed on the air.  
Thirdly, Their thoughts are spent in meditating of what is upon Earth, and not of what is in Heaven; and taking a survey of worldly happiness, which they enjoy, as Haman was taking an inventory of his glory the night before he was hanged, and Nebuchadnezer when he was walking alone and talking to himself like a fool, Is not this great Babel that I have built? even at the very time when he was taken with a Lycanthropia; for as men which desire always to be telling their money, 'tis a sign they are covetous; and women that always delight to be looking their faces in a looking glass, 'tis a sign they are proud: so men that are always minding their earthly happiness, and forget to be thankful to God, shows infinite pride and self flattery in them; therefore they shall have trouble in the flesh that God may call them off from it.  
Fourthly, Take a man that is ambitious, and so 'tis to be feared are some of the best of men, though they cannot yet obtain what they desire, yet will they, feigning themselves to be some great persons, and having erected a throne in their own brains, sit down very quietly in it.  
Fifthly, A man that loves his guts well, and wants money to purchase such food as he desires, will please himself with the delights of what he would have, he will set down within his own brain a bill of fare and what ingredients he will have in it, and please himself with the conceit of it, although he have none of it.  
Sixthly, A man that is revengeful, and wants a sting, he will please himself with his own revengeful thoughts, and take delight to conceit he is plaguing his enemy, though he be twenty miles from him.  
I am confident, if you look into your own conditions, you shall find I have hit the nail on the head in some of these; and than you cannot but see a reason of the troublesomeness of the times, before the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ in power. This is my first reason.  
Secondly, The devil begins to grow a little troublesome, because he hath but a short time to continue, as the Bishops in England were in the height of their pride before they fell, as Monarchy was most tyrannical a little before its Catastrophe: So will the devil also, if you believe the Scripture, Rev. 12. 12. Woe be to the Inhabitants of the earth, and of the sea, for the devil is come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows he hath but a short time.  
3. God may do it to leave the wicked without excuse: They have read, all these things shall come before the great and notable day of the Lord appear, before he pour out his spirit upon all flesh; and if they will neither believe what they read, hear, see, nor feel, I do not know what to say to them; As sure as a club, their consciences cannot plead one inch of excuse.  
4. God may do it, to make the Saints attend more to prayer: When men are most in danger, than they pray heartilyest, and walk closest with God; when they have a little rest, God is quickly out of their minds. And now I think of it, I care not if I incite here a couple of Verses which I heard from a Commander now at present in the Army; 
Our God and soldiers we alike adore,  
Even in the brink of danger, not before.  
After deliverance they are alike requited,  
Our God's forgotten, and our soldiers slighted.   
And to tell you the truth, Experience will tell us, that in that persecution under the late Bishops, the Saints walked more closely with God then now they do; they now walk as carelessly, as if the devil were dead. I shall bring all home to the purpose I quoted it for, and conclude this reason with one place of Scripture; which, when you have read and seriously considered, tell me if prayer may not be a notable help to you in these times of trouble which are so manifestly threatened, and so near at hand, and so nearly concern you; it is Acts 2. 19, 20, 21. And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath: blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The Sun shall be turned into darkness, and the Moon into blood, before that great and not able day of the Lord come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall CALL upon the NAME of the LORD shall be saved.  
5. It may be to call off the hearts of the Saints from the world, that so they may look up to God whether they will or no: when nothing but trouble is to be seen under the Moon, such may the love of God to the Saints be, that he may move them to come to him by arguments of necessity. This is my first axiom.  
2 Magistrates walk in the clouds, neither will what the common people intend, quickly be known. Religion in one place, and execution of justice in another, will be made a couple of dainty cloaks to hide men's knaveries; (i.e. cover ambitious thoughts from the vulgar view;) frigidus latet anguis in herba: have a care you be not deceived that way; nay, have a double care, such as pretend your freedom and liberty, bring you not into a worse bondage. A seasonable warning is given you of it, not only by the book of the Creatures, but also by the book of the Scriptures, Micah 7. 5, 6, 7. Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom: for the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against the mother in law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house: Therefore I will look unto the Lord, I will wait for the God of my salvation: My God will hear me. Here is your disease, here is your cure; the Scripture hath spoke enough, I need speak no more.  
3. We told you before, That a murrain amongst beasts was threatened: and as amongst men in a pestilential time, all that are infected die not, neither is it probable will all the beasts; therefore men eating such corrupted food, taking their nourishment from it, must needs be defiled by its impurity. And if you will give me leave to digress a little, I will not transgress.  
First, Hereby ye see, what a great part of the curse of God for sin was: Happy, yea thrice happy is he to whom God reveals a redress.  
Secondly, By this you may see, if you be not stark blind, which takes a more laudable course to cure a disease, Gailen, who gives the medicine with its impurity; or Paracelsus, who subtracts only the medicinal part, and leaves the impurity, as terra damnata.  
4. Violent storms, and unusual, if not unheard of hail will be a great prejudice unto the earth, especially toward the later end of the Summer 1652, 1653, and it's well if 1654. 'scape.  
5. When the air is thus troubled, the spirits of the air must needs be troubled also; men conceive strange, ridiculous thoughts of the devil, namely, that he is an ugly, uncouth creature, with horns on his head, and cloven feet, with great eyes like sacers: others that have a little more wit, know well enough that he is a spirit; but they think he is tied up fast enough, either in hell, or in some other hole, neither I nor they know where; when the truth is, his residence is in the air; and therefore the Scripture calleth him, The Prince of the power of the air. Therefore I say, the air being disturbed, the spirits of the air must needs be disturbed also; and such unusual sights may appear, as may terrify both your eyes and hearts, if not at the time of the Eclipse, yet within a short time after: Neither shall you see the midst of August 1652 overpast, but the world shall see what I have written is truth.  
6. The Jew begins to take a spleen at Rome, and all the Nations in Europe begin to snarl at her; her final Catastrophe approacheth, but not yet. However, till that time come, continual sicknesses, fires, and tumults; either one of these, or all of these, or something else as bad, will molest her: And if her learned Jesuits cannot tell her the meaning of God from it, what are they good for?  
7. One word or two I will speak concerning the 2d opposition of ♄ and ♃, which happeneth in July 1653; for then, and not quite till then, will the effects of the ☌ of ♄ and ♃, which we wrote of before, appear in their colours, that all the world may see what they are: For as Herostratus set the Temple of Diana at Ephesus on fire, that so he might get himself a name, that he might be talked of after he was dead, so the Jesuits, when no other good can be done, will set all the Princes in Europe that are priestridden, together by the ears, that so they may get themselves a name, though of infamy.  
I had thought to have written concerning an Eclipse of the Moon 1653. on March 3. but for some reasons best known to myself, I shall pass it by here, and speak of it in my Ephemeris for that year.    

CHAP. Ult.  
What the effects of this eclipse are probably like to produce to every particular nation in Europe.  
1. IT being taken for granted, that the effects begin to operate July 1652. the reasons of which I gave you before, and are in full force, power, and vigour throughout the years 1653, and 1654. and decline in the year 1655, you may by this know the time of the sufferings of Europe, an epidemical disease called madness, possesses the brains of the Princes thereof, the FIFTH MONARCHY of the world is coming, and the effects of this Eclipse make way for him: but he is no Scotch man, no nor English; 'tis he before whose coming, The Heathen shall rage, and the people imagine a vain thing; the kings of the earth shall set themselves together against him, &c. Read the second Psalm throughout, and you shall see both what shall antecede his Coronation, and what shall follow it. I cannot but admire at the folly and sottishness of those that prate and scribble of any other Monarchy to succeed amongst the sons of men, when the Scripture speaks exactly, Dan. 2. 44, 45. And in the days of these kings, shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever: Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver and the gold, &c. this is the stone which the builders refused, but God will make the corner stone,: As also that Dan. 7. 26, 27. But the judgement shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume, and to destroy it unto the end, and the kingdom, and dominion, and the greatness of the king doom under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the Saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominion shall serve and obey him; This, this is the MOMARCHY that I expect, if the Lord please to grant me life to see it; yet I expect it not in the effects of this Eclipse, for this Eclipse shall only make way for it. I am of opinion Grebner in his prophecy of his Utopian Monarch, having by art caballistick obtained the two first letters of his name, mistook Charles for CHRIST, well than this is the first, namely a preparative to the fifth Monarchy, and when you see all Europe together by the ears, when you see Kings mad, and their subjects stubborn; In a word, when you see all Europe in an uproar, then think of these things, and know that he that shall come, will come, and will not tarry.  
2. The Germans are as bad together by the ears as they were in the days of that conquering King of Sweden. Bohemia suffers extremely; the truth of it is, I doubt the poor Emperor will be totally routed, and made no Emperor at all.  
3. As for England, I cannot sing a quietus est to them as yet, within a few years I shall; Thou hast but one storm to endure, bear that with patience, I hope thy wars are almost at an end, I would thou couldst keep thy own brains from fanatical furies, and learn to know what belongs to thy peace before it be hid from thine eyes. Thou wilt in the year 1653 be molested with a consuming pestilence, and troubles, with a change of Government at one and the same time, make thy choice wisely, God will have his own Government established in thee, whether thou wilt or no; and tell me one thing, and tell me truly, whether is it fit he should have his will, or thee thine? should he be master, or thee? In making thy choice of thy next Representative, take counsel of God, see what he speaketh to thee (or as it should be translated, in thee;) so will he speak peace to thy soul, that thou mayest not return AGAIN to folly: For assure thyself of this, thou shalt find my words true, as when the Sun is upon the Meridian, thou shalt never be free from plagues, either of war, (or as I rather think) pestilence, or famine, till thou dost submit to such a Government as God intends for thee; the cries of the poor, whom thou dost tyrannically defraud of their bitthrights, are heard in the ears of the Lord God Almighty. Be pleased to read every morning the. 26 chapter of Leviticus.  
4. The Jesuits set all Europe together by the ears, let Padua in Italy beware of August 1653, lest either the sword, earthquake or pestilence, destroy it. Ah poor University! I mourn for thee, so much goodhast thou done to the world in general. Lombardy is quite and clean destroyed, and beasts possess the seats of dead people: The Pope hath got the impudence to outface heaven, to see if his Bulls can out-roar the thunder.  
5. The Turks fall into a part of Italy, which maketh his holiness tremble, but he knoweth how to leave Saint Peter's keys, and take Saint Paul's sword in hand; the truth is, his fear is more than his harm, it's not the Turk shall pull down the Pope, and yet he must fall.  
6. The effects of this Eclipse shall show themselves first of all in their colours in France. Strange massacres, desperate tumults, fire and sword, and whatsoever else is bad, molest that kingdom: and it's his own fault, he carrieth himself as like a tyrant over his subjects as a Pome-water is like an Apple, if about the later end of this year 1652, that poor King is not either knocked on the head, or forced to leave his kingdom, say I am so ignorant, that I know not a Star from a Hop-pole; let him beware of his Bishops and Jesuits, especially the college of Sorbon, for fear they have learned a Scotch trick, to sell him to his adversaries for money.  
7. Let not that Noble and Valiant soul the Prince of Conde, aspire to the kingdom: God hath a determination to blast aspiring brains. If ever that Valiant and Wise Prince come to reign, it shall be, aut nequicquam, aut nequaquam, either not at all, or in vain; ours was the first Monarchy that was brought to an end, and France shall be the next; the heavens have decreed it, and its vain for man to kick against the pricks. Two years shall not pass over thy head, O France, but thy Monarchy shall come to its fatal and final, catastrophe, and leave thy ruined nation in such a pickle, that thy pleasant and fruitful land shall be reduced to such a barrenness, for the wickedness of those that dwell therein, that this present age shall not live to see it recruited.  
8. Thou Famous City of Venice, (and famous mightest thou have continued, hadst thou not harboured so many Rogues and Whores) look to thyself, I fear before the year 1653 be elapfed, the Turk will have possession of thee; it would grieve a man's heart to see the streets run down with blood; I wish I may be found a false Prophet in this, yet whether I be or not, it would do thee no harm to make thy peace with God.  
9 It's almost a wonder I have forgot the Hollander all this while, who shall neither be the last nor the least sufferer in this Eclipse, a body would have thought that nation had been wise, had they not committed themselves to the protection of the King of France; but when France shall be together by the ears, and more blood spilled there then wine pressed, then may the poor Dutch man say, as the Emperor once did, when he trusted to the Pope for some great courtesy, which he thought would make him and his heirs for ever, the Pope plays the man, and dieth (not because he was weary of this wicked world, and made haste to be in another, for he always loved this world with all his heart, else he had never built a tabernacle in it) the Emperor hearing of the Pope's death, now saith he, My cake is dough, I never thought of the Popes dying before: And just in such a pickle will Holland be, when her protecting king is fled for his life: her necessities will be very great, none will succour, nor many pity her.  
Tenthly, The Monasteries of Germany are like to be made no Monasteries during the effects of this Eclipse. Truly, by that time the year 1654. be elapsed, Popery will breathe its last in Germany. God in heaven grant they set up the truth in its stead; that, like other Nations, they do not (with Esop's fish) leap out of the frying pan, into the fire.  
Eleventhly, During the effects of this Eclipse in England, but how soon it will be I know not, either at, or before the beginning of the year 1655, (the wiser my brethren of the communality carry themselves, for aught I know or believe, the sooner it may be effected) the Government will come into the hands of the People, and everlasting peace shall we enjoy, and never more war shall afflict us. And (if we may trust to a piece of Art Caballistick) in August 1655, Rome falleth, and Jesus CHRIST the Prince of Peace may reign amongst us. I'll say no more to them now. I may have occasion to speak to them hereafter.  
Twelfthly, London, beware of a Pestilence 1653; get able Physicians: And though many men tell thee of thy final Catastrophe, and fright thee with Mother Skiptons' prophecy, which, if it come to pass upon thee at all, it will be in the year, One thousand six hundred sixty eight. Labour thou to be one of the Elect of God, and hold up but thy head till the later end of the year One thousand six hundred fifty five, and I am confident, both thy danger and destruction is past.  
I could tell the sad things shall afflict thee in the year One thousand six hundred fifty three. But when Phaeton foretold of a great fire that should burn up the greatest part of Italy, they got the honest soul, and accused him for setting the world on fire, and drowned him in the River Po. And haply, should I tell London the truth, I might be inhumanly dealt withal myself; for this is an age in which 
Obsequium amicus, veritas odium parit.  
'Tis flattery that gets men friends:  
Tell but the truth, all friendship ends.   
I give London leave to make the moral of it; however she dealeth with me, I shall not forsake her in her extremities.  
13. The rest of the Princes of Europe must fall as sure as a club: and next to France, Poland is like to go to pot, if it be not contemporary with it: Denmark and Sweden happily next; (it is sufficient for us to prognosticate exactly their downfall, though we cannot exactly find out the time:) and happily Sweden may come to ruin before Denmark, especially if the Queen light of such a husband as probably she may; let the Child of that valiant Father beware of an unfortunate Match about the beginning of 1653: if not, the ruin of that Kingdom may happen about the beginning of 1654. In the mean season, let Sweden be ruled by me, to have a care of their Witches, of which, I am very jealous, it contains many thousands, who though they cannot probably bring a destruction upon that Monarchy by their witchcrafts, yet they may the more provoke the vengeance of God against it, who hath said, Thou shalt not suffer a Witch to live.  
14. The Florentines are as full of Tumults as a Wood is full of Trees: The Cossaks fall into Christendom with fire and sword, and I doubt upon the Territories of Italy.  
15. The King of Spain is quite and clean routed out of the West-Indies, or else I am mistaken; as he hath formerly there made Slaves of other people, (nay, he would have served the Baboons so too, could they but have spoken,) so in 1654., the Natives of the place shall be rid of this, and find another Master, and yet scarce a better. I remember a notable story in the Egyptian Chronicle, when the Turkish Emperor besieged Grand-Cairo, the Inhabitants of that great and populous City refused to give any assistance to the Mamalukes against the Turk; it is confessed the Mamalukes stood to their tackling like Soldiers, and lost the City by inches, and the Inhabitants got a worse Master, the Turks being more imperious over them then ever the Mamalukes were. I am afeared of the like change to the Inhabitants of the West-Indies, and especially Guiana. But who it shall be, I leave for time to determine.  
16. The Nations of Europe flutter to save their Kings, which never did them good, nor never will; even like a Bird brought up in a Cage, that regardeth not liberty, because it never knew what it was. I remember a pretty story in Aesop's Fables, which I care not greatly if I recite; The Frogs desired a King of Jupiter, neither would they be pleased unless they had one: Jupiter (to satisfy them) threw down a great beam into the water, which after it had astonished them awhile, they began to grow bold with it, and leapt upon it, yea and despised it too, because it was patient: They fall a croaking to Jupiter again, and they must have a stout King that could fight, I marry must they: Jupiter, to satisfy their importunity, sends them the Stork, who stalking about the Pool, as the Frogs came to do obeisance to him, he eat them up. I leave every rational man to make the Moral of it, it is plain enough.  
17. An Earthquake is like much to annoy Italy, the people's Madness and the Jesuits Knavery much more. Italy! Italy! that ancient Nation where the Poets say Saturn once ruled when he turned Leveller and brought up the Golden-Age, I am sorry for thy sufferings, but cannot help them; I would thou wouldst do thyself so much good, as learn a little more Wit.  
18. A Fire threatens Constantinople, so doth dissension, and something worse than either; the great Turk is either slain, or runs away for his life, if a bowstring stops not his journey: you would laugh to see the Tartarian invade Turkey much about the year 1654.: I will promise him if he do about that time, he will go near to carry it. I would to God he would learn to be so wise as the noble Tamerlane, who is never to be mentioned without an epithet of honour.  
19 In the year 1654., England begins to grow quiet, and I am glad of that: she enjoys her desired Liberty, which she hath spent so much blood for: the time is coming, it is but two years to it, or but a little more, not quite three: and presently after Holland begins to be pretty secure, after once she hath learned to look to the Rock from whence she was howen.  
And thus I had best leave off, whilst matters go well.   

Apologus pro Epilogo.  
IF I may make bold to write a short apology in stead of a Conclusion, I desire you to take notice, that in the years 1641, and 1642, the notions included in this book took up a great part of my study, for indeed in those years I was totally studious; but finding some weakness in them, and the times changing as swift as the wind, and swifter too, being not in the posture at that time to receive such influences as now they are, I took the pain lately a little to amend them; I confess the greatest part of my judgements I drew purely from astrology, yet will I not deny, but I made use of a cabal for the perfecting most of them.  
If any affirm it was boldly done of me to adventure upon such a manner of judgement in this Age; I answer, Boldness may be taken in a paradoxical sense, not so much according to the deed done, as according to that conception of the Caviller: For King James held he was a bold man that first adventured to eat a raw Oyster, though we now know there is no boldness in it. A few years will show whether what I have written be true or false; and he that carps at me before he knows that, shows rather his own folly, than my weakness.  
Imagine what I write be every word false, what harm will it do Princes to prepare for the loss of a kingdom, though it never come? Is it not the way to teach them humility? I am sure they are proud enough. Were it not acceptable both before God and man, that they would leave off their TYRANNY? Imagine such sicknesses never come to the Vulgar as I say this Eclipse threatens; will it do them any harm to make their peace with God, though they do not die? But most people send preparation for death before hand, and intend to overtake it on their deathbeds.  
I am not conscious to myself of any grand failings in these predictions, and I am the more confident of the truth of them, because they jump so exactly with the prophecies in Scripture. I know it is the opinion of many in Art, that the coming of Christ to reign (whether in Person, or in Spirit, I will not dispute the story here) cannot be yet these many years, neither probably should it be by rules of Art drawn from judicial astrology: neither am I ignorant that the Cabal holds it out to come sooner: happily the days may be shortened for the Elects sake; yet can I give you divers Characters, or if you will exemplary signs, even from the Scripture itself, of its approaching, Matth. 24 6, 7. You shall hear of wars, and rumours of wars, Nation shall rise against Nation, and Kingdom against Kingdom, and there shall be famine and pestilence, and earthquakes in divers places. ver. 10. They shall betray one another, and hate one another. ver. 11. Many false Prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many. ver. 12. Iniquity shall abound, and the love of many shall wax cold. ver. 24. There shall arise false Christ's, and false Prophets. ver. 32. Learn a Parable of the figtree, when his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, you know the Summer is nigh, even at the door. I shall quote but one Scripture more. 2 Tim. 3. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy; without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, HAVING A FORM OF godliness, but DENYING IT IN THE POWER THEREOF. If these be not testimonies enough the truth of my Predictions approaching, I shall remit myself to the judgement of such as are more judicious; and for a conclusion, I will make no other than what Solomon did in his recantation, Eccl. 12. 13, 14. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter, fear God, and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. And to such as do fear God and keep his Commandments, I shall remain a friend till death,  Nich: Culpeper.