TWO PSEUDO-SCIENCES 



no influence in his "scientific" reading of the stars. 

 Wharton's predictions are much less verbose than 

 Lilly's, much more explicit, and, incidentally, much 

 more incorrect in this particular instance. " The Moon 

 Lady of the 12," he wrote, "and moving betwixt the 

 8 degree, 34 min., and 21 degree, 26 min. of Aquarius, 

 gives us to understand that His Majesty shall receive 

 much contentment by certain Messages brought him 

 from foreign parts; and that he shall receive some 

 sudden and unexpected supply of ... by the means 

 of some that assimilate the condition of his Enemies: 

 And withal this comfort; that His Majesty shall be 

 exceeding successful in Besieging Towns, Castles, or 

 Forts, and in persuing the enemy. 



"Mars his Sextile to the Sun, Lord of the Ascendant 

 (which happeneth the 18 day of May) will encourage 

 our Soldiers to advance with much alacrity and cheer- 

 fulness of spirit ; to show themselves gallant in the most 

 dangerous attempt. . . . And now to sum up all: It is 

 most apparent to every impartial and ingenuous judg- 

 ment; That although His Majesty cannot expect to 

 be secured from every trivial disaster that may befall 

 his army, either by the too much Presumption, Igno- 

 rance, or Negligence of some particular Persons (which 

 is frequently incident and unavoidable in the best of 

 Armies) , yet the several positions of the Heavens duly 

 considered and compared among themselves, as well 

 in the prefixed Scheme as at the Quarterly Ingresses, 

 do generally render His Majesty and his whole Army 

 unexpectedly victorious and successful in all his de- 

 signs; Believe it (London), thy Miseries approach, 

 they are like to be many, great, and grievous, and not 



