686 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY ASTROLOGY. 



A CURIOUS book is preserved in the National Library of 

 France, the title of which in English would be New Works 

 of Sieur de Conac, Astrologer, Mathematician, Doctor, and For- 

 tune-teller, Advocate of his Majesty. Treating of the Nativity 

 of Men, their Inclination, and what will happen to them through 

 Life. Paris, 1636. But little else is known concerning this Sieur 

 de Conac, except that he wrote a similar book about women. 

 This sage predicts that "the man who is born on Sunday, which 

 is the house of the sun, will be inclined to many callings, offices, 

 and estates, fond of serving the great, and will acquire means 

 according to his quality. If he is noble, he will converse with 

 kings, princes, marquises, barons, and grand lords, and will in- 

 crease his lordship in quality and make his house illustrious with 

 more grandeur than belongs to it, and his subjects will serve him 

 faithfully ; and he will acquire great fame, be subject to head- 

 ache, toothache, and quartan fever, will be in danger of fire, will 

 travel much, will be lucky in buying horses, and loved by women, 

 and will be married several times ; he will not get much from his 

 father, he will be in danger of the plague, and, according to the 

 course of Nature, will live sixty-three years ; he will be passion- 

 ate and sanguine, a little brown and a little red in complexion, 

 and liberal. He will travel much in foreign countries, his secrets 

 will be kept, he will be preserved from his companions and serv- 

 ants, and will make his living by many trades. 



" The man born on Monday will have office and authority over 

 the people, will be versed in geometry, arithmetic, and geography. 

 If he is noble, he will receive the rank of king or prince, and will 

 be ambassador, nuncio, or legate ; if he is a mechanic, he will be 

 silversmith or goldsmith ; if he is in the Church, he will be vicar- 

 general, treasurer, or at least canon ; if he is a sailor, he will be 

 captain or master of the ship, pilot or corsair; will be also of 

 phlegmatic nature, subject to catarrhs, will have cross-eyes and 

 toothache, flux, colic, and spleen, swelling of the legs and other 

 parts of the body, and will be hurt in his weak spots. He will be 

 fortunate on the sea, in mills and fisheries, messages, printing 

 offices, most so in agriculture, will be in danger of poison, he will 

 love widows, and will live seventy years. He will be fond of 

 things that come from the water, and will be sculptor, founder, 

 tiller, messenger, or master of fountain and fishes, and will be of 

 fantastic humor. 



" The man who is born on Tuesday, his star being Mars, will 

 be hardy, arrogant, threatening everybody, wrathful, a man of 

 good cheer, prompt to attack and ready to meet attack with fire- 



