6S7 



ASTROLOGY. 



ASTROLOGY. 



G38 



and Mars. To the first of these we are to attribute the dissolute man- 

 ners of the native." " Here is unquestionably a favourable trine of the 

 Sun and Saturn ; but no great good can result from it, because the Sun 

 is-lord of the twelfth house, posited in the tenth, and out of all his 

 essential dignities : at the same time that Saturn is lord of the sixth, 

 located therein, and both the significators are under the dominion of 

 the et-ll yenii, vitiating the mind and affections of the native." "At 

 the time the unhappy native was prompted to commit this barbarous 

 act, the Moon came to an opposition of Mars by direct direction, while 

 she occupied the cusp of the seventh house, which represents the 

 unfortunate woman." " The Sun I find to be giver of life, posited in 

 the tenth house, the house of justice ; Mercury, lord of the ascendant, 

 being in Gemini, an airy #i;/n, and the Moon likewise in an airy sign, 

 show the manner of the native's death, that he would die suspended in 

 the air ; while the opposition of four planets in the radix, and the 

 mundane quartile of the Sun and Mars from the tenth, the house of 

 justice, show the quality of it namely, that it should be in due course 

 of law, by the hands of the common hangman, and not by suicide." 

 " I brought up the direction of death with great nicety and precision, 

 and found he would be plunged into eternity when the Sun came to 

 the anaretical point of the midheaven, and met the noxious beams of 

 the Moon and Mars in opposition, which thus constituted is ever 

 productive of a violent death." 



We now give the following opinion upon a case of a projected marriage, 

 in which the lady, suspecting an attachment elsewhere on the part of 

 her intended husband, inquires whether it will ever take place. The 

 position of the heavens is supposed to be laid down at the moment of 

 asking the question. 



" The Sun is signifieator of the lady ; and Saturn, lord of the seventh 

 house, is significator of the gentleman. It must also be observed, that 

 in this, and all questions relative to matrimony, Mars and the Sun are 

 the natural significators of a woman's marriage ; and Venus and the 

 Moon are those of a man's. Now Saturn, the gentleman's significator, 

 is remarkably well posited in the fifth house, and has Venus within his 

 orb, applying to him by conjunction ; which is a very powerful indi- 

 cation that his affections are sincere and honourable, and that his 

 mind is fully bent to the marriage state. The Sun, likewise, being in 

 a sextile aspect with Mars, the lady's significator of marriage, plainly 

 her inclination to matrimony to be strongly fixed, and her 

 affections to be perfectly sincere. 



" The next thing to be considered is, whether there be any frustration 

 or impediting aspect between these significators, and I find the Moon 

 and Venus, the gentleman's significators of marriage, are applying to a 

 quartile aspect with each other. This is an evident proof that the 

 marriage is prolonged by the interference of some other woman of this 

 gentleman's intimate acquaintance, because the aspect ia made in a 

 feminine sign ; but as the Moon, in separating from Venus, applies to 

 a perfect trine with Mars, the querent's principal significator of mar- 

 riage, and also to a Bextile of the Sun, her natural significator in the 

 figure, it totally removes the evil effects of the malefic aspect, and 

 leaves the path free and unobstructed to the gates of Hymen. This 

 opinion is greatly strengthened by considering the mode in which their 

 uignificators are severally disposed. Saturn disposes of the Sun, who 

 is posited in the terms of Venus ; and Venus, Saturn, and the Moon, 

 are all disposed of by the benevolent planet Jupiter, who is himself 

 disposed of by Mars, the principal significator of this lady's marriage, 

 nnd who thus triumphs over every obstacle to the celebration of their 

 nuptials. I therefore could not hesitate in declaring to the lady, in the 

 fullest and most satisfactory terms, that the gentleman who courted 

 her had a sincere and tender regard for her ; and that, though some 

 circumstances might have happened rather unfavourable to her wishes, 

 yet she might rest perfectly assured that he was the man allotted to be 

 her husband. 



" Apparently well satisfied with these declarations, she proceeded to 

 inquire in what length of time this desirable circumstance might come 

 I, To gratify her wishes in this particular, I referred again to 

 ure where the Moon wants upwards of eleven degrees of forming 

 a perfect sextile aspect with the Sun, the lord of the ascendant, and 

 the same to Mars, her significator of marriage, and, therefore, by con- 

 verting the degrees into time by the rule heretofore given, I fixed her 

 marriage at about the end of three months, assuring her it could not 

 exceed that time." 



On looking at the examples we have chosen, we see that they refer 

 to matters which are proverbially under the control of destiny. We 

 therefore take another, which has more connection with the common 

 affairs of life. It consists of directions for dealing in the smaller sorts 

 of cattle, such as sheep, hogs, &c., and will fully explain the risk of 

 such specula' 



" If the lord of the sixth and the lord of the second are in con- 

 junction, in a good house of heaven, the querent may thrive by them 

 (that is, small cattle) ; or if they be in sextile or trine, the same. The 

 lonl of the sixth, casting a friendly aspect to the part of Fortune, or 

 being in good configuration with the depositor thereof, denotes much 

 good to the querent by dealing in small cattle ; but if, on the contrary, 

 the lord of the sixth be unfortunate, and ill evil aspect with the lord 

 of the ascendant or second, or cast malignant rays to either of their 

 cusp*, the querent will lose by dealing in small cattle. If the lord of 

 the sixth be in quartile, or in opposition to the dispositor of the part of 



AKTS AND SCI. DIV. VOL. I. 



Fortune, or the Moon, the querent cannot thrive by dealing in small 

 cattle. The same if the lord of the sixth be afflicted either by Saturn, 

 Mars, or the Dragon's Tail ; or be found either retrograde, combust, 

 cadent, or peregrine. The Dragon's Tail and Mars show much loss 

 therein by knaves and thieves, and ill bargains, &c. ; and Saturn denotes 

 much damage by the rot or murrain." 



That the ancient system of astrology contained the most contra- 

 dictory assertions may be made evident in very few words. The 

 position of the heavens at the time of birth settled every man's 

 character of body and mind, the various fortunes he would meet with, 

 and his relative positions with regard to friends and enemies. Thus, 

 every one who was born at or very near the same time as Alexander 

 the Great, in the same country, would have a right to expect a some- 

 what similar career ; and twin brothers could never fail to have the 

 same horoscope, and therefore the same success in life ; and though 

 the subject of a particular horoscope should travel over the whole 

 world, and thereby come under the influence of positions of the 

 heavens which never could have occurred at his birthplace, yet these 

 would be always ready to tell him (when properly looked at) whether 

 the present moment was favourable or unfavourable to any pursuit he 

 had in view. To take a case that might have occurred : suppose two 

 men had engaged to throw dice against each other for their whole for- 

 tunes, and that each went the night before to consult different astrolo- 

 gers in the same town. To them it would not be necessary to tell 

 their names or exhibit their horoscopes ; the present position of the 

 heavens would be sufficient for pointing out a favourable hour, and if 

 both astrologers worked by the same rules, as they ought to do, they 

 would both arrive at the same result; that is, the same would be 

 recommended to both inquirers, though one of them must certainly 

 lose. 



The astrologers never made any allowance for the precession of the 

 equinoxes. Thus, though the constellation Aries is now in the sign 

 Taurus, and the influences of its stars ought to have moved with them, 

 we find that the astronomical Aries, or the first thirty degrees of the 

 ecliptic, is used for the constellation. Under the circumstances, this is 

 of little consequence ; but such a practice would be fatal to astronomy. 



That observed facts did stubbornly refuse to fulfil the predictions of 

 the planets need hardly be told. In the 15th century, Stocffler fore- 

 told a universal deluge which should take place in 1524, in consequence 

 of three planets being then in conjunction with a watery sign. All 

 Europe was hi consternation; and those who could find the means 

 built boats in readiness. Voltaire mentions a doctor of Toulouse who 

 made an ark for himself and his friends. Such a circumstance shows 

 the hold which astrology had xipon men's minds, from which, had it 

 been true, it never could have been forced ; for although a new truth, 

 even when capable of easy verification, is introduced with difficulty, it 

 is altogether absurd to suppose that a science, the correctness of which 

 was of every-day experience, should drop and become exploded, not for 

 wont of cultivators, but of believers. The former we have, perhaps, 

 even now, and a few of the latter, though only among the most 

 ignorant of the community. The art is at present under the ban of 

 the law, in order that designing persons may have at least one 

 access stopped to the pockets of the credulous. By the Statute of the 

 1st of James I., c. 12, sorcery of all species was prohibited, though it 

 does not appear certain that this term included astrology ; but by the 

 Vagrant Act, 5 Geo. IV., c. 8, sec. 4, all " persons pretending to tell 

 fortunes, or using any subtle craft, means, or device, by palmistry or 

 otherwise, to deceive and impose upon any of his Majesty's subjects," 

 are rogues and vagabonds that is, punishable by any magistrate, with 

 three months' imprisonment and hard labour. 



The history of judicial astrology, at least up to the middle of the 

 15th century, is very nearly that of astronomy, since the latter branch 

 of the science, except among the Greeks, was mostly cultivated for 

 the sake of the former. Hence to it, as to alchemy, we owe many 

 really useful discoveries. It is a singular fact, that the first lunar 

 tables which were constructed on the Newtonian theory were intended 

 to be subservient to the calculation of nativities ; there is no question 

 that the necessity which the astrologer lay under, of being ready, at 

 any moment, to lay down the positions of the heavenly bodies, pro- 

 duced great numbers of useful tables and observations ; and the Greek 

 works which have been preserved by the Arabs were valued principally 

 for the use to which their mathematics could be turned in astrology. 

 The origin of the science is beyond the reach of history, nor is it much 

 worth while to collect all that is known on this point. It certainly 

 came into Europe from the East, where it is mentioned in the earliest 

 records of every nation. The Chinese are said to have placed it on the 

 same footing with agriculture and medicine : the Chaldeans cultivated 

 it sedulously, and the invention is attributed to them by Suidas (cited 

 by Montucla, iv. 372). The Hindoos have long regulated the most 

 important actions of their lives by the stars (see introduction to the 

 ' Lilliwati ') ; but Mr. Colebrooke has shown (' Hindoo Algebra,' 

 preface, p. 80) that several of their -fundamental terms are not 

 Sanscrit, from which he apparently leads us to conclude that he 

 thinks the science neither ancient nor indigenous in India. Among 

 the Egyptians it was of great antiquity ; but it is not mentioned in the 

 books of Moses, unless included in magic or sorcery, which is most 

 probable. 



The books of Isaiah and Jeremiah allude directly to astrology in 



