ANIMADVERSIONS UPON Mr. John Gadbury's ALMANAC, OR DIARY FOR The Year of our Lord 1682.  
BY THOMAS DANGERFIELD.  
And Printed for the Author.  
Published by Langley Curtis, at the Sign of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey, in Goat-Court on Ludgate Hill. 1682.   

MEeting with Mr. John Gadbury's Almanac, or Diary, for the year 1682. Printed for the Company of Stationers (with more consideration of Gain than Loyalty) I could not but take notice of his scandalous Reflections, by them Printed, and by him, according to the Old Papistical Method of Lying, thrown upon myself: Of which I take not so much regard under my private Circumstances, as under that public Circumstance of being the King's Evidence against him the said Gadbury, and several of his Fellow-Conspirators against the Life of His Majesty, and the Peace of the Kingdom; I say Conspirators; for what I then swore, I am ready still to maintain and justify. The Company of Stationers, when they saw Mr. Gadbury's famous Lines, might have been so kind to have consulted me, before they Printed such scandalous Aspersions upon my Evidence, and the Discoveries I made. But since they have made them public, Gadbury shall not think to wipe off so easily the Stains and Blurs of his denied Compliances with Treason, by calling me Buffoon, and Scoundrel. But it is so natural for an ginger to Lie, that I am in very great hopes that the World will give no more credit to him than is his due; which is in verity none at all. 'Tis a strange thing to me, that He who, when he was accused by myself before the King and Council, and was then asked this Question by the King (viz.) If he had consulted his Stars, to know whether he should be sent to Newgate or to the Gatehouse, and could tell no more what Answer to make, than a Horse: Or that He who can tell not so much as a common Shepherd, when 'twill Rain, when 'twill Snow, when 'twill Hail; and has made such a silly Conjecture of the present Raging Storms, by crying, Somewhat Windy at the beginning, should be so impudent, as to prognosticate the Changes and Alterations of Supreme Councils, and National Governments, and bring the Planets and Stars to vouch his paltry Impositions upon the People. For this reason it was that the Chaldeans and Mathematicians, (for by those names the Fortune-tellers, and Scheme-Erectors of those Times, commonly assumed to themselves) were several times expelled Italy; particularly in the Time of Tiberius, who ordered one Thrasyllus by name, for his Lying, to be thrown into the Sea. Secondly, in the time of Claudius, at what time one of their Ringleaders, called Pituanius, was cast headlong from the Tarpeian Rock into Tybur. And then again in the Time of Vespasian; certainly the Chaldean, Gadbury, cannot pretend to any more Art than they did; and how he a Professor of an Impostor, infamous, we find as well to Heathenism as Christianity, should now aspire to spit in the face of Truth, I cannot easily understand, unless it be that he is an utter Enemy to that which he never did, or could write in his Life. Surely he forgot to consult the Stars, whether I would answer him or not; for if he had, he would never have had the Impudence to deny what he does. And now Mr. John Gadbury to the point, in the management of which I shall address myself to your Chaldeanship, in the common terms of You and I, for brevity's sake; and you shall have the honour to have your You put into Dominical Letters, because You are an Almanac-maker, and signally black is the Dominican Colour.  
You say that meeting with the Earl of Castlemaines' Manifesto, and in p. 96. your Name mentioned as subpenaed to testify at his Lordship's Trial, with this mark, That You never had any discourse with Dangerfield about his Lordship, as the said Dangerfield pretended, And being demanded by many of your particular Friends, and others, whether the thing his Lordship said there were true. You did and do aver it for a truth, and as true as truth itself. And also You farther aver, that You never had discourse with Dangerfield, either about his Lordship, or concerning any matter or Person else, as having never seen him but twice in your life before he appeared against You at the Council, and then but transiently neither.  
As to his Lordship's reflection upon your assertion, there is little or no heed to be given to it. For 'tis well known of what credit his Lordship's writings are in reference to the Popish Plot, to which, the World well knows how zealous a W●ll Wisher he was, by his discreet management of the St. Omers Evidence. Now as to your avowment and farther avowment, You shall hear what I swore, and then set it be brought to Trial when You please, viz.  
That You and I, upon or about the 2d of September 1679. entering into discourse, I perceived your countenance to change, when looking very angrily on me, You told me, that You wondered I would offer to displease the Lords in the Tower, and especially the Lord Ca 〈…〉 emaine, (than out upon Bail & who designed to advance me in the World, and help me to make my Fortune. To which I replied, that I was not a little surprised to hear such words from You, and asked You, if You knew the ground of th●ir displeasure. You then replied, yes, yes, You did; and then ●alling into a great passion, said, 'twas because I would not kill the King; said You to me, I admire at your Ingratitude, that when you could not propose to yourself any possible way of getting out of Prison, etc. you should offer to refuse it. Nay said You to me, I might have done it with all the ease in the World, for no manner of hurt could have befallen me. Why said I, would not Death unavoidably have been the Consequence of it? No said You, for before I was released out of the King's Bench, You had an exact account from Mrs. Cellier of the Year, Month, Week, Day, and Hour I was born in. And the Countess of Powis ordered You to calculate my Nativity. And it is so clear, said You to me, that you are by all adjudged, the Person allotted for that hold and daring enterprise.  
Now I appeal first, to your own conscience, if you have any, and then to all the World, whether this were not an absolute discourse between You and I, about the Lord Castlemaine. For it is all most sacredly true, notwithstanding all your confidence to deny it. But here lies the knack of the business, You mean that I never had any discourse with You about the Lord Castlemaine in the Year 1641. or in the year 1681. had you said so, there You had hit the nail o' the head: but alas, I did not swear to any of those Years, but only to the Year 1679. and that I'll stand by to the last. And therefore neither You nor the Lord Castlemaint must think to Shame the world with impertinent Manifesto's and Averments, to which there is no more credit to be given, than to your own observations upon the weather: 'tis only two Papists in a bad cause vouching one for another, like two Horse-stealers in Smithfield. For my part, I was certainly and entirely upon a conscientious discovery of the Truth, and before those Persons who were not to be ●lamm'd, or imposed upon, neither did I make, or offer at the least, Capitulation for my life, till the King, after full satisfaction given concerning the truth of my discovery, out of his Majesty's great clemency and wisdom, gave that 〈◊〉 order for a pardon for me, in whose power my Life was, whether I spoke truth or no: and which I had most assuredly forfeited, had they found me as●rologizing like yourself, Mr. Gadbury.  
But You go on, and avow that You never had any discourse with me concerning any matter▪ or person, as having never seen me but twice in your life, etc.  
This is another most notorious falsehood: and this I must tell ye, in all your three capacities; as a Tailor, a Quack, and a Figure Caster. For You saw me once when I came to give you notice of the meeting between the Lord Peterborough, and Sir Robert Payton, and three times within the space of six weeks before that: once upon a Tuesday in the evening, which was about the 23d of Septemb. 1679. at what time I called for Dame Cellier, whom I left at your House while I went she knows where, once at your own House, by your own appointment, which was about the 27th day of Septemb. and in the afternoon about three of the clock, where we discoursed about Sir Denzell Hollis, etc. and after that in some short time, at Mrs. Cellier's House in Arundel Street, and all this I will prove to your face, by several Witnesses, which perhaps you may in good time hear more of, for all your pardon. Then let me put You in mind of that extraordinary rainy day, when You came to Mrs. Cellier's House, and told her You were just come from the Tower, that You had dined with the Lord Powis, and had brought her a note from the Lord Arundel, to go to a certain place mentioned in the said note, to receive a Sum of Mony. And further to rub up your memory, for to use your own Words, I find it very much bruised of late, You know I gave you two Books, entitled, Traitors Transformed into Martyrs, which I told you were wrote by one Dormer, upon the Execution of the five Jesuits. What weather is it now friend John? Here are no less than eight times, which are six more than twice, and if You consider the Circumstances, more than transiently to boot.  
So than that You were privy to the design intended by the Papists against the King's Life, and had made yourself an equal Conspirator with them, and did discourse with me concerning the Lord Castlemaine is undeniably true. Now for further satisfaction, I shall refer the Reader to your own Evidence at Mrs. Celliers Trial, where You swear, that she desired you to consult your Art, to know how long the King would live, (His Majesty being then sick at Windsor) and that she asked You something about me: and being asked by the Court what that something was? You replied, to get me out of Prison. Then being again asked by the Court, if You did nothing for Cellier at that time when she so earnestly importuned You to consult your Art about the King's Life, You replied, You did a Scheme then, but since You found it to be for me, but You knew not for what it was when you did it. Then being asked if You could apply one Scheme to any body? You replied, When Mrs. Cellier came to You, she gave You the time of a Persons Nativity, and You set the figure of Heaven to that time, to know whether he were a Person fit to be trusted to get in money, her Husband being a French Merchant.  
Now what were the remarks of the Court upon these shuffling, cutting, equivocating answers of yours? Why, truly that You talked as like a Papist as could be— That You made all the company laugh, etc. And passed many Sarcasmes upon your baffling discourse, which showed how much they were dissatisfied with the bruises of your memory.  
But to come more particularly to the point, You confess that Dame Cellier did desire You to consult your Art, how long the King would live. Which being so confessed, all the world will believe that Mrs. Cellier would not have importuned You about a business of such a dangerous consequence, had she not had a more than an ordinary Conjuring confidence in You. Whence I infer, that being so intimately, if I may not say desperately engaged with Mrs. Cellier, You could not choose but have seen me more than twice transiently.  
Next You confess you did a Scheme which afterwards you found to be for me, to know whether I were fit to be trusted or no, to get in old debts. A very probable story this! This French Merchant, Husband to Mrs. Cellier, had been broke for many years before, and was as poor as a Rat, till his industrious Wife found the way to the Plot; and yet will any man of Reason believe that two or three hundred pounds should be raised and disbursed to procure my liberty, for no other end or purpose, than to gather in the debts of a Bankrupt that was some hundreds of pounds worse than nothing? and more than this, I defy any Man, Woman, or Child in the world to say to my face that ever I demanded a shilling from them as a Debt to Mrs. Cellier, or any Person entrusted for him, Ah, friend John, friend John, these are mere flams, and stories badly contrived, and worse put together; surely you never consulted the Stars about this? But lay your discourse and mine together. That I had displeased the Lords in the Tower, and why? your expostulating with me about ingratitude, and for what reason? Your securing me from danger, by the countenance of the Stars, and upon what account; and than it will appear why Mrs. Cellier was so kind a solcitress for me; who they were, that had been so liberal, and why? Then it will appear that you did erect a Scheme for me, and that your business was of a higher nature than to trouble the seven Planets, and the Dragon's Tail about such a silly Question, as whether I were fit to be trusted to gather in the sweep of a Banckrupt's Estate, who as such, seldom or never have any thing they can call their own. Then it will appear, or at least be vehemently suspected that you did do a Scheme for the King. For Mrs. Cellier was a Woman that would not be flamed, and that you know well enough, Mr. John; she understood Men, and would not keep a correspondency of ten or twelve years with a Conjurer for nothing. Then, that I may touch you to the Quick, compare her letter to me, (after I was committed by the King and Council) for you must allow her the honour of the first invention) viz. I have said you were taken into my House to get in desperate debts, etc. It cannot worst you. And your answer, That you did the Scheme to know whether I was a Person fit to be trusted to get in desperate debts, and then it will appear your answer was a shame, because the invention from which it was borrowed was the same, a mere contrivance and forgery to obscure the Truth, The two Questions arise thus; Mrs. Cellier, why did Dangerfield lodge at your House? Answer. To get in my Husband's desperate Debts. Mr. Gadbury, why did you erect a Scheme for Dangerfield? Answer. To know whether he might be trusted to get in those desperate debts.  
Now then, Mrs. Celliers excuse for me being a most devilish lie; it follows that Mr. John Gadburies' answer must be of the same stamp, as coming out of the same Mint. And so the excuse failing the charge remains more clear than before.  
Now then, since it is so plain, that You did draw a Scheme of Insurance for me, to Kill the King, and proffered me all the spangled Host of Heaven for Bail, if there be any person that will believe that You never did discourse with me about the Popish Lords in the Tower, that I never discoursed with You about the Lord Castlemaine; and in short, that You, being one Confederate, never saw me your Brother-Confederate, but twice transiently in your life; that man is no rational Creature, till he have sucked his reason from the Pope's Toe. Now how You came to play these pranks, and scape the Tridentine Figure, as You call it, is past my Astrology to tell, unless it were that the Stars had given You their Minion, better security than You could impose by their warrant, upon my belief.  
But now I think on't, I have one Question more to ask You, very pertinent to the matter in hand: For if we had never seen one another, and that You had not been very instrumental in the Cause wherein You found me engaged, to what purpose was the two hundred and ten pounds given You, and that was collected for You immediately after You were discharged out of the Gatehouse. I know your wish will be (as it was, when the same Question was put to You by another hand) viz. That You may go to Hell immediately, if ever you saw or told one penny of it, or ever heard of any such thing: That is, You wish You may go to Hell immediately, that is, to Hell in the Palace Yard, if ever You saw it with the Observators Eyes, if ever You told one penny of it, with your Thimble and Bodkin; or if ever You heard of any such thing, with Cowzers' Ears. But notwithstanding all this, 'tis true enough, You had this money, and it was given you for your sufferings and fidelity to the Catholic Cause, and you had as good confess, or else your neighbour M. G. will maintain and prove it to your face. Now that in all your Travels and painful Visits which you made to earn this money, that you should never see me but Twice, and that transiently; is a thing so much without the Verge of Belief, that you might as well have sworn me invisible. And that both you and the Lord Castlemaine must do, before all the Averments, Avows, and Manifesto's in the world will do any good, unless it be to the Company of Stationers, and they—  
To draw a little more from your own mouth, I will apply one Plaster more to your bruised memory; For being asked when you knew the Scheme was for Dangerfield? you answered, never before you came to the King and Council, for said you, he went by the name of Willoughby before. Now how far that before reached backward, you must give the thinking part of the world leave to judge, by what has gone before. And thus we have discovered the Spring that moves this whole frame of Astrological equivocation: and thus you have cut more work out to batch up against next Year. For this Year you have only avowed that you never saw Dangerfield but twice transiently: that you never discoursed with Dangerfield, about the Lord Castlemaine and the Lords in the Tower.  
Next Year You must write an other short Epistle to the Candid Reader, and m●ke the same strenuous avow in reference to Willoughby, Come, come, friend John, these devices will never do your work; I perceive you understand Proverbs; soft and fairly goes far: He that Damns himself but once a Year, I'll warrant him shall go soon enough to the Devil. I commend your Providence; you thought one full mouth▪ d, Cannon-bore equivocation would last twelve months, and so reserved Willoughby for the next Year. But the worst on't is, the Lord Castlemaine must alter his Manifesto too: a cursed trouble, but that we find, he has a good quick hand at his Pen.  
Having made your avow 's you come to ask Questions, and demand, upon what account I made myself so familiar with you, and swore you into the knowledge of the Honourable Lords in the Tower, whose faces you never yet saw that you knew of. His conscience, if he hath any, can best inform him.  
This 'tis to be casting the Figures of other Men's consciences, and not mind your own. For look ye now— I must yet mind ye once more of the Rainy Day before mentioned, when you your individual self said, you came from the Lords in the Tower; That you dined with the Lord Powis, and brought a Note from the Lord Arundel. Did the Lord Powis sit at Table Alamode du Dumb-show? mute and vizarded? If you will not believe yourself, can you expect that other People should believe ye? 'Tis a likely story that you could dine with a man and not see his face. In the next place I am to put you in mind, that upon your examination before the King and Council, you confessed, That you had cast the Lord Powis' Nativity. For which I refer you to the Council Minutes taken upon Sunday, Novemb. 2. 1679. Which being true, it is most rational to believe that you were admitted to the Lord Powis' Table, either in acknowledgement of what you had done, or in order to what you were to do. For Lords are curious, and not understanding your Astrological snatches, cannot but have a natural desire to understand the exposition of your marks and signs, and the reason o● things: And it cannot be imagined but the curiosity of the rest of the Lords must bring them all in a hurry to hear great news from the Heavens, were it for no other reason, but out of a Compliment, either to congratulate the happiness, or condole the misfortune of their fellow sufferer. Now is it likely that you would hazard yourself upon such dangerous erterprises, without knowing the faces and feeling the Purses too of those that employed ye? Then again the Persons for whom the Schemes were erected, and the juncture of time, plainly demonstrate the concatenation of the Causes of these solicitous inquiries. The King's life was sought, but hearing he was sick, a Scheme must be erected to know whether he would outlive the distemper or put them to farther trouble. Then Mine in the nick of time, for encouragement to proceed, in case of His Majesty's Recovery. Then the Lord Powis', to make a discovery of the issue of the business by his good or bad Fortune. Now that the Popish Lords in the Tower should be unacquainted with their Delphian Oracle, especially you yourself confessing you had dined with one, received a note from another, and telling me that the Lords in the Tower were displeased with me, and that you knew the reason of it, is a thing never to be controverted.  
There is one thing more which I cannot pass by, and that is, that you call yourself a Protestant. It was a thing which the Court would not believe, nor can any unbsassed person in the world have any reason to believe it, by that which follows.  
The Court demanded of you, if you knew of any attempt to change the Government. To which you answered, you knew of no Plot, unless it were a Plot to bring Sir Robert Payton over to the King's Interest. That Plot you had some concern in.  
But why a Plot to bring over Sir Robert Payton to the King's Interest you'll say, because Sir R. P, was a great stickler against the Duke of Yorks Interest, and took great pains to incense the People against it. Now to show how like a Protestant you managed this design, 'tis well known that you procured a meeting between the Lord Peterborough, and Sir Robert Payton at your own house, and this under pretence of a long continued Friendship, and there they met so often, that at length Sir Robert Payton, was persuaded to wait upon the Duke, and did kiss his Hand, and was from that time forthwith taken into favour. And this you call a Plot to bring over Sir R. P. your great Friend to the King's Interest, by getting of him received into the Duke's favour only. What said the Court to this? Not a tittle. For they understood better things than to believe you spoke a word of Truth. Well knowing, that the King's Interest is altogether Protestant, the Peace and Quiet of the Religion and Government in Church and State, as it is now by Law Established: the Interest of the Duke of another nature, as having been declared a Romish Catholic. So that it was Sir Robert Paytons' loss, that out of your seeming Protestant Friendship, you betrayed him to your own Romish Catholic party; whose Interest is so Diametrically contrary to the Interest of His Majesty, and to the Genius and Interest of the whole Nation. For which kindness would Sir R. P. but take upon him the so much abused Character of the Kings most Loyal Evidence, I am of opinion, I might see you translated from your habitation in Brick Court to another place. And now whether He that professes himself a Protestant, and acted so like a cordial Papist, can be believed, to be what he only says he is, I leave to all the Candid-Readers in the world to judge.  
As for your praying for the King, 'tis to be looked upon as a mere piece of convenient and time serving flattery, a pretence to cover the malignity of your black Soul. Were it real, it were highly to be commended; but as it is not, there are many that pray for the King with their lips, yet curse him in their hearts. As for all your hating, and abhorrings of this and that, while you pray for the King, you curse his Loyal and best Subjects under the names of Juggling Nonconformists, Papists in Masquerade, and Narrative Writers, and all this, merely because they obviated your Hellish Designs. And indeed he that will betray his friend, can never be true to his King. And this is demonstrable by your Plot to bring over Sir Robert Payton to the King's Interest. For if that were your design, why did you not do it? if you did it out of affection to the Popish Interest, you were a Traitor to your Friend, unfaithful to your Prince, and consequently an absolute Papist, however you may pretend yourself to be a Protestant. So that your Honouring Monarchy signifies nothing. For England was Monarchical in time of Popery as well as now, and under that Circumstance you expected it would ere now have been so again. Your professing yourself to be a Member of the Church of England, signifies as little. For in the Ages of Peterpences, we know the Church of England was then Established by Law, and that no question, is the Establishment you mean, and as you have confirmed by your own practices.  
As for your Astrological Observations, they are not worth the leanest louse that ever suffered under the violence of your needle. you speak irreverently of the very Stars you get your Bread by. Say you in your Observations upon January, The angry Stars do belch out enmity faster than the Planets can breathe forth Unity▪ A strange and unseemly accusation of the Stars; as if you were indebted to the Planets for rent, and therefore thought to pay your Landlords with good words, you speak scandalously of the Justice of the Nation in these words; When is there hopes of Unity? When we shall hate Violence, Fraud and Perjury. As if they who by their Oaths and Testimonies had brought the Conspirators against His Majesty to condign punishment, had done it by Fraud and Perjury, and that nothing but Castlemaines' Compendiums, and Manifesto's were to be believed. Every page of your Observations breathes forth nothing but malice against the King's best Witnesses, advancement of Popery, disturbance of the Government, and the raising of fears and jealousies between the Prince and his People. What have you to do with the Councils at Whitehall, or the Councils in Scotland, but only to amuse the unthinking, and most giddy People of the multitude? For most certainly you knew no more than Cowzers dead Broom. Tell the Country Gentlewoman when she shall sow her Pease, and set her Sweet Marjerome: tell the City Haberdasher of small wares, when Bristol and Exeter Fairs will be, and tell him how far it is between London and St. David's: This is your business Friend John. Can any Man of reason abstain from loud laughter to hear you apply your nonsense to State Affairs? as for example, in your Observations upon the Sun's ingress into Aries. What shall I say? Can Saturn the great enemy of nature bode any good this Year to Mankind? Is he not in the 7th angle, and the house of his Enemy too? What if he be? there let him stay, who cares a rush? But when he shall be Lord of any revolution, and in Leo having Northern Latitude, he renders the designs and projects of many men frustrate. What stuff is this? And yet the intent of it is mischievous, to keep the minds of men addicted to folly, and superstitious imaginations in suspense. And that this is the design at which you drive is plain, by your quoting a silly Prophecy of that Popish Wizard Nostredamus, in derision of your enemy Geneva.  
In short such Figure-Casters as you, are not fit to be suffered under a Protestant Government, nor indeed understand. For as your Art is fallacious, and consequently impious, so when those fallacies and impieties are used to a seditious end, they are the more to be abominated. None but the Superstitious believe ye, and never any that did believe ye, but perished through their folly. A sort of People, saith Tacitus, Treacherous to Princes, deceivers of them that believe them, and therefore always prohibited from our City. And therefore it is a shame that they are so publicly tolerated to hang out their amusing signs in This, and to give our their bills about the Streets, to inveigle, and many times undo wanton and inquisitive Youth.  
After all this I admire what unlucky Star influenced you to make this unfortunate vindication, and to provoke me to collect these Truths in my own defence, to encounter your lies and equivocations. For certainly Men are not to live in this world, that will hear themselves abused, and taxed of Villainies, and Perjuries, by those that are the Criminals themselves. If you have your pardon, thank God and the King for it, but in my opinion 'tis a breach of that Grace, to side anew with those that seek all they can to stifle the Plot, and vindicate their Conspiracies, to the disparagement, and high dishonour of the King's Justice. Friend John, when you become honest, I shall be glad to be yours,  
Thomas Dangerfield.