Confidence Dismounted; OR THE Astronomers Knavery ANATOMISED.  
By WILLIAM BROMMERTON A Wellwisher to the Commonweal.   woodcut 
LONDON Printed for to undeceive the People, April 5. 1652.   

Confidence Dismounted.  
Friends,  
HAving taken into my serious consideration, that solar Eclipse, which on the 29th. of March last, we did perceive, I thought good to demonstrate unto you, the folly, or rather knavery of our insipid Astrologers, and non-sensicall Almanac-makers, who in their book Entitled Black Monday, spoke of such an Eclipse that it would be so dark, that one man should scarce see another; but I think in the darkest night a man may spy such Astrologick knaves as they are, among a thousand: who by their knavery have cozened the whole Nation: and were not our prudent Governors more merciful than they are honest, some of them might be forced to crave an alms in Moor fields again, or else be deprived of all that money which they have cheated the Commonweal of, and then be carried to Tyburn and hanged at the State's charge.  
Though the Task be infinite hard, to contain such great beasts in so little paper, yet for the world's satisfaction, or rather admonition, that they never give credit to such false knaves any more, I will delineate to life the proportion of some of their writings.  
The chief and primary error, on which many others hang, concerns the Sun's Eclipse, which (they said) would be so great, that this age could not parallel it, which we find to be as false as the Devil their father, or as Envy or Emulation their Mother, but to pass over this; pray Mr. Culpepper where was the thunder and Lightning on the twelfth day of March last, as for your part, you like an unskilful Musician, have made a discord by not keeping true Time; You have screwed your pegs too high I'll assure you, Can you stay no longer, but must you show all your folly, or rather Knavery at once? so that now you are become like Ciciphus his stone, which no sooner up hill but down it tumbles again, so thou hast no sooner got thy plush jacket upon thy back, but it must turn to rags, and thou must follow thine own Trade again.  
You know it is the custom of Lovers, after the breach of their League and amity, to send back those gratuities which formerly passed betwixt them, as tokens of their natural affections; So I believe Mr. Culpeppers plush jacket must go off again, and truly in my judgement, a whip, and a Jack of Apes his coat, were fit for him, he hath got himself a s●tten cap, and a Periwig forsooth, but my opinion is, that a white cap and a halter would become him better.  
I'll assure you, if I could find no better than these sort of men to converse with, and to spend my time withal, I would turn Momus, and for ever hate the society of men; I have seen an Italian Comedy, consisting of a Lover, a Woman, a Zany or Fool, and a Devil, and to it I may fashion the world, for that is the Stage, the people the Actors, each degree have their Zany and their Devil, now if the Zany will steal his Master's Apparel, and make between Vice and Virtue no difference, blame not the discretion of the Master, if it devise new fashions till either the foolish Zany be tried, or the Devil for his pride fetch him away, this you may apply at your pleasure.  
You may observe them often to quote a great deal of Scripture, because they would seem Saints, but I fear God hath little to do with them, or ever will have, but to punish them for their sins; The Devil could do as much as they, for his own advantage, as appeareth in his tempting of our Saviour: how many places of Scripture did he then quote? but let them take heed to themselves, lest God taking notice of their sin, doth where his sword, and bend his bow, and destroy them from off the earth.  
If my paper were made of the skins of croaking Toads, or speckled Adders, my Ink of the blood of Scorpions, my pen plucked from the Screech Owls wing, they were but fit instruments to write concerning such pick-pockets, and Newgate birds, for they are more venomous, more poisonous, more ominous than the worst of these; Might I be their Judge, there should not one man of them be left in this Commonweal; they have swum long enough in the golden floods of prosperity, now it is high time there should be an ebb, and their ship run on ground, their names have flourished long enough, it is now high time to have their names grow odious, grievous, and abominable in the ears of all, as doubtless it will, seeing deceit is so predominant in their hearts.  
Their pretensions are, that their judgements are balanced with prudent advice; I, that is a sign indeed by their true prediction; come, come, I see they are a pack of Knaves well met together, Grantham-cheates, never a barrel of better herring of them; Fowl shame take them all, is this their study with a pox to them, to fill the ears of the people with lies, and to make a mountain of a Mole hill; for the future let them talk what they will, we will believe them when we list, I see they are Rebels to all Authority, Rebels against the Law of man, Rebels against the Law of God, who strive to be honoured as Gods on earth, but the Devil shall honour or believe them again for me, for I think he is the fittest companion for them.  
Oh! it grieves me to think upon that simple deluded multitude, that so run after this sect of Knaves (for so I may justly term them) some ask whether they shall be rich and some one question, and some another, and these same cunning Knaves will always tell them a good fortune, that they may draw their money from them the more liberally: let me entreat you now never to meddle with them more for if they will cheat a whole Nation, as it is apparent they will, certainly they will cheat one particular man.  
Oh friends, friends, it is a sad thing when we run after the creature, and forsake our Creator, and desire them to reveal unto us the hidden mysteries of God: Oh it is a hideous sin, this was saul's sin, who when God had obscured the light of his countenance from him, presently goes to a Witch, and desires her to raise him up Samuel, but he received a sad answer; so it will be with us, if we like Saul run after this wicked sect of men, to desire them to resolve us in questions of that nature; No, no, this is not the way to have any affliction removed but rather increased, but if thou art afflicted pray, for prayer doth please God, if it be framed after a right manner: therefore he that desires to be heard, let him pray wisely, that is, that he pray for those things that serve for the glory of God, and not for maintenance of his lust.  
But to conclude as I began, that great Eclipse which these Astrologicke fools spoke of, I dare boldly affirm, had not they proclaimed it to be such a horrid one, there had not one man in this City so much as taken notice of any Eclipse at all.  
Mr. Lily and the rest of you, let me advise you to furnish yourselves with horn books, and learn your A.B.C. again. I am  
A Wellwisher to the Commonweal, WILLIAM BROMMERTON. London this fifth of April 1652.  
FINIS.