CHIMERICAL SCIENCES. 389 



fore, and drawing them from their obfcurity, we 

 only mean to fhow their futilty, and to mark 

 thofe rocks againft which the human mind, with- 

 out the afiiftance of a pilot, might eafily run. 



VI. For the attaining of thefe lupernatural 

 qualifications, there are dill exifting in the world 

 the remains of, 



(i.) Aftrology: a conjectural fcience which 

 teaches to judge of the effects and influences of" 

 the ftars ; and to predict future events by the 

 fituation of the planets and their different afpects. 

 It is divided into natural aflrology, or meteoro- 

 logy, which is confined to the foretelling of na- 

 tural effects, as the winds, rain, hail and fnow, 

 frofts and tempefls. In this confifts one branch 

 of the art of our almanack makers, and by 

 merely confronting thefe predictions in the calen- 

 dar, with the weather each day produces, every 

 man of lenfe will fee what regard is to be paid 

 to this part of aftrology. The other part, which 

 is called judicial aftrology, is ftill far more il- 

 lufive and ram than the former : and having. 

 been at firft the wonderful art of vifionaries, it 

 afterwards became that of impoftors ; a very 

 common fate with all thofe chimerical fciences, 

 of which we (hall here fpeak. This art pre- 

 tends to teach the method of predicting all forts 

 of events that (hall happen upon the earth, as 

 well fuch as relate to the public, as to private 

 perfons , and that by the fame inipection of the 

 the ftars and planets, and their different con del- 



lations. 



