TWO PSEUDO-SCIENCES 



"O all you Emperors, Kings, Princes, Rulers and 

 Magistrates of Europe, this unaccustomed Apparition 

 is like the Handwriting in Daniel to some of you; it 

 premonisheth you, above all other people, to make 

 your peace with God in time. You shall every one of you 

 smart, and every one of you taste (none excepted) the 

 heavie hand of God, who will strengthen your subjects 

 with invincible courage to suppress your misgovern- 

 ments and Oppressions in Church or Common-wealth ; 

 . . . Those words are general: a word for my own 

 country of England. . . . Look to yourselves; here's 

 some monstrous death towards you. But to whom? 

 wilt thou say. Herein we consider the Signe, Lord 

 thereof, and the House; The Sun signifies in that 

 Royal Signe, great ones ; the House signifies captivity, 

 poison, Treachery : From which is derived thus much, 

 That some very great man, what King, Prince, Duke, 

 or the like, I really affirm I perfectly know not, shall, 

 I say, come to some such untimely end." 6 



Here is shown a typical example of astrological 

 prophecy, which seems to tell something or nothing, ac- 

 cording to the point of view of the reader. According 

 to a believer in astrology, after the execution of Charles 

 I., five years later, this could be made to seem a direct 

 and exact prophecy. For example, he says: "You 

 Kings, Princes, etc., ... it premonisheth you ... to make 

 your peace with God. . . . Look to yourselves; here's 

 some monstrous death towards you. . . . That some 

 very great man, what King, Prince, . . . shall, I say, 

 come to such untimely end." 



But by the doubter the complete prophecy could 

 be shown to be absolutely indefinite, and applicable 



VOL. II. ii 149 



