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KOI.OOY. 



The science which, under the name of astrology, or *om* term of 

 quintal meaning, found universal belief among all the nation* of 

 antiiuity mptibe Greek*, and al*o prevailed through the whole 

 world of UM middle a*w, u bated upon the suppotion that the 

 heavenly bodie* are the instruments by which the Cmtor regulates the 

 coune of events in this world, giving UMOI different power* according 

 to their different position*, Thi* is the description of the more 

 learned Mtrotagen; for we need hardly my, tht the ignorant have 

 made the Kara theniaelw. the agenU, ju* a* the image of the Deity 

 ha. generally come in time to be regarded by the rulgar ai the Deity 

 hhnealf Looking at the more credible deaeriptioo, it might be philo- 

 sophkal for a newly created being, in poaseesion of rational power*, to 

 rMpmH hi* opinion on such a point till he had observed facto enough 

 to aataa or deny the connection asserted to exist between the place* of 



the pUneU and hi* own fortunes. That there U nothing repugnant to 

 human nature in the beat* of astrology ia sufficiently proved by the 

 number of great mind* which hare been led by it, when properly pre- 

 pared by education ; and the preaent age must recollect that the argu- 

 ment* which are now held conclusive against astrology get their 

 I m^lli in the mind* of moat people from no other circumstance than 

 that which formerly was the prop of considerations which were held 

 equally decisive in favour of it, namely, the bias of education. The 

 real argument* against astrology are, first, that it is self -contradictory ; 

 secondly, that its prediction* are not borne out by facto. To see the 

 first of these, we moat describe the Inkling principle* of the art 



In the following globes, the circle projected horizontally represent* 

 the horiaon, the double circle the meridian, and the other four 

 circles are drawn at equal distance* from the meridian and hori/ou. 

 through the north and south potato of the Utter, thus dividing the whole 



Sralk 



heavens, visible and invisible, into twelve equal parts. These circles are 

 supposed to remain immoveable, while the diurnal revolution of the 

 globe takes place under them. The twelve divisions ore called the twelve 

 kwuet of heaven, and are numbered in the ordrr in hii-li they would 

 rise, if the circles accompanied the diurnal revolution. Every heavenly 

 body pi suns through the twelve houses in twenty-four hours, but is not 

 always in the same house with the same stars, except at the equator. 

 For it is evident that, in order to have two bodies always in the same 

 house, the revolution must take place round the north and south poles of 

 the heavens, which poles are in the horizon only to a spectator on the 

 equator itself. The principal point attended to in each house is the 

 part of the zodiac which occupies it ; and the place of any planet in the 

 house is the distance of the body from the cusp, or boundary circle, 

 measured on the zodiac. The following fanciful method of represent- 

 ing the twelve houses was in universal use, and the readers of almanacs 

 must be familiar with it 



If 



Yin. 



The twelve triangle* represent the twelve house* of heaven, as 

 narked by the Roman numerals. The time is April 16, 1784, at 

 half peat six in the morning. On the boundary of each house is 

 written the part of the ecliptic which is to be found on it For 

 instance, on the cosp of the twelfth house that is jurt rising is the 

 point at the ecliptic which is in 4' 14' of Gemini. The boundary 

 between the ninth and tenth houses is in 1* Aquarius. The whole 

 sign of Scorpio is in the sixth bourn, the boundaries of which arc 

 therefore in Libra and Sagittarius. The planets are placed in their 



proper positions in the booses; thus Mercury ( $ ) appears to be in the 

 twelfth house, at 22 4' from the boundary of the eleventh and 



But, on all the preceding points, it must be observed that great 

 authorities differ very much. From among the obscurity and con- 

 fusion which prevail in old treatises, we are able to collect this much, 

 that some of them draw the boundary line* of the houses in such a 

 way a* to out the ecliptic into twelve equal parts, instead of the prime 

 vertical, a* we have done ; other* draw the boundaries through the 

 poles, instead of the north and south point* of the horizon. The 

 future destinies of mankind are rendered very uncertain by such 

 diversity of opinion ; but this we have found, that the followers of 

 each system complain just as much of the rest, as if they had some 

 reason to show for their own. For instance, Peletarius, or IVUetier, 

 who introduced algebra into France, and wrote on the horoscope in 

 1563, expresses himself thus : "Some cut the' horizon into equal part*, 

 some a vertical circle, some the equator, some the ecliptic, some a 

 parallel : whence it is not wonderful that a difficult art should be 

 involved in fresh obscurity ; for who can possibly see a living likene** 

 in a mirror which is put out of shape in so many ways f " His own 

 system is the equal division of the zodiac ; and his argument for it, 

 independently of old authorities, is the incongruity of letting the pole* 

 of the ecliptic have nothing to do with a matter which so nearly 

 concerns the zodiac. Mininteque nmrmif, sodian not pab toe 

 inutilrt in to ntgoiio quod zodiaco mojcime jirnprium at. The placing of 

 the signs in the equator he treats as a dream, and seem* perfectly 

 satisfied with the preceding reason. 



The houses have different powers. The strongest of all is the first, 

 which contains the part of the heaven about to rise : this is called the 

 attendant ; and the point of the ecliptic which is just rising is called the 

 horateope. The next house in power is the tenth, which is coming on the 

 meridian, &c. The first is the house of life ; the second, of riches ; the 

 third, of brethren ; the fourth, of parent* ; the fifth, of children ; the 

 sixth, of health ; the seventh, of marriage ; the eighth, of death ; the 

 ninth, of religion ; the tenth, of dignities ; the eleventh, of friends ; 

 the twelfth, of enemies. Each house has one of the heavenly bodies a* 

 its lord, who is stronger in his own house than in any other, as U but 

 fit ; and of two planets equally strong in other respects, he who is in 

 the strongest house is the stronger. Now conceive all plants, animals, 

 minerals, countries, &c., parcelled out under the different planet*, 

 which exercise their influence in abundance of different ways, accord- 

 ing to the houses they may happen to be in for the time, and their 

 positions relatively to each other the result will be as good an idea of 

 the mysteries of astrology as it is worth any body's while to obtain. 



We shall now give some examples of the application of the science ; 

 and this we do principally, because in the mystical announcements 

 which issue from our press, the darkness of the hints which are given 

 throw a poetical gloom over the subject This no doubt is interesting, 

 and is not sporting too much with the credulity of the age, or with the 

 chance of detection ; but it is a foul libel on the powers of astrology. 

 Thus, in 1815, instead of announcing some such prediction a* the 

 following " Mars in the house of death portends, we are afraid, some 

 new disasters by war or other cause ; a personage will strive against 

 the new order of things ; but, if we mistake not, the conjunction of 

 Luna and Saturn in the twelfth house bodes him no good," instead, 

 we say, of such an unsatisfactory prophecy, a real believer in astrology, 

 such as it was before it fell from its high estate, might have traced 

 Napoleon from Elba to Waterloo, have calculated the very moment of 

 the advance of the Prussians, and described the sword-knot of the 

 captain of the Bellerophon. Thus we have the story of a Jew, in the 

 time of the Caliph Al Uansur, who was able to detect, by means of the 

 heavenly bodies, that certain words just written upon a paper, which 

 he was not allowed to see, were the names of a plant and an animal. 

 But lest any one should imagine that perhaps the later astrologers have 

 given up the attainment of information so minute, and have confined 

 themselves to such general indications as those of our almanacs, which, 

 as they mean nothing, may as reasonably be drawn from the stars as 

 elsewhere, we take the following instances from a work published in 

 1817, which we will not name, and which we would willingly suppose 

 to have been written in irony, if it were not that its size (2 vols. 4to, 

 with tables) and style are both evidences either of real belief or inten- 

 tional attempt to deceive. 



A man was born June 24, 1758, at eight minutes after ten in the 

 morning, committed a murder, and was by many supposed to be 

 insane. Pending his trial, an astrologer was requested to point out by 

 the stars whether this defence would be established or not The 

 nativity was cast ; that is, the position of the heaven* at the aforesaid 

 time was hud down, and the nativity having been rectified (a process 

 amounting to giving the prophet a power of making almost any change 

 he pleases), the result was as follow* : 



" Mercury being lord of the ascendant, irradiated by a malefic quar- 

 tile aspect of the planet Mars, and afflicted by an opposition with 

 Jupiter, declares that the native shall be involved in an abyss of 

 trouble* and affliction*, even to the hazard of his life." " The quartilr 

 of Mercury and Mars, particularly when Mercury is constitute <1 piin- 

 cipal signifioator, hath implication of high crimes and misdemeanors." 

 " Upon a further inspection of the figure, we find a baneful .|n.n-t il 

 aspect of Mar* and Jupiter, with a mischievous opposition of Saturn 



