Witch, Warlock, and Magician Part 12

'Yes, that I am,' he answered.

The stanza relating to Lilly ran as follows:

'From th' oracles of the Sibyls so silly, The curst predictions of William Lilly, And Dr. Sibbald's Shoe-Lane Philly, Good Lord, deliver me.'

After much conference with Hugh Peters, and some private discourse betwixt the two 'not to be divulged,' they parted, and Master Lilly returned to London.

In 1647 he published 'The World's Catastrophe,' 'The Prophecies of Ambrose Merlin' (both of which were translated by Elias Ashmole), and 'Trithemius of the Government of the World, by the Presiding Angels'--all three tracts in one volume.

Notwithstanding his services to the Parliamentary cause, Lilly secretly retained a strong attachment towards Charles I., and he was consulted by Mrs. Whorwood, a lady who enjoyed the royal confidence, as to the best place for the concealment of the King, when he escaped from Hampton Court. After the usual sham of 'erecting a figure' had been gone through, Lilly advised that a safe asylum might be found in Ess.e.x, about twenty miles from London. 'She liked my judgment very well,' he says, and being herself of sharp judgment, remembered a place in Ess.e.x about that distance, where was an excellent house, and all conveniences for his reception. But, either guided by an irresistible destiny, or misled by Ashburnham, whose good faith has been sometimes doubted, he went away in the night-time westward, and surrendered himself to Colonel Hammond, in the Isle of Wight.

With another unfortunate episode in the King's later career, Lilly was also connected. During the King's confinement at Carisbrooke the Kentishmen, in considerable numbers, rose in arms, and joined with Lord Goring; at the same time many of the best ships revolted, and a movement on behalf of the King was begun among the citizens of London.

'His Majesty then laid his design to escape out of prison by sawing the iron bar of his chamber window; a small ship was provided, and anch.o.r.ed not far from the Castle, to bring him into Suss.e.x; horses were provided ready to carry him through Suss.e.x into Kent, so that he might be at the head of the army in Kent, and from thence to march immediately to London, where thousands then would have armed for him.' Lilly was brought acquainted with the plot, and employed a locksmith in Bow Lane to make a saw for cutting asunder the iron bar, and also procured a supply of aqua fortis. But, as everybody knows, the King was unable to force his body through the narrow cas.e.m.e.nt, even after the removal of the bar, and the plot failed.

When the Parliament sent Commissioners into the Island to negotiate with Charles the terms of a concordat, of whom Lord Saye was one, Lady Whorwood again sought Lilly's a.s.sistance and advice. After perusing his 'figure,' he told her the Commissioners would arrive in the Island on such a date; elected a day and hour when the King would receive the Commissioners and their propositions; and as soon as these were read, advised the King to sign them, and in all haste to accompany the Commissioners to London. The army being then far removed from the capital, and the citizens stoutly enraged against the Parliamentary leaders, Charles promised he would do so. But, unfortunately, he allowed Lord Saye to dissuade him from signing the propositions, on the a.s.surance that he had a powerful party both in the House of Lords and the House of Commons, who would see that he obtained more favourable conditions. Thus was lost almost his last chance of retaining his crown, and baffling the designs of his enemies.

Whilst the King, in his last days, was at Windsor Castle, on one occasion, when he was taking the air upon the leads, he looked through Captain Wharton's 'Almanack.' 'My book,' saith he, 'speaks well as to the weather.' A Master William Allen, who was standing by, inquired, 'What saith his antagonist, Mr. Lilly?' 'I do not care for Lilly,'

remarked his Majesty, 'he has always been against me,' infusing some bitterness into his expressions. 'Sir,' observed Allen, 'the man is an honest man, and writes but what his art informs him.' 'I believe it,'

said his Majesty, 'and that Lilly understands astrology as well as any man in Europe.'

In 1648 the Council of State acknowledged Lilly's services with a grant of 50, and a pension of 100 a year, which, however, he received for two years only.

In the following January, while the King lay at St. James's House, Lilly began his observations, he tells us, in the following oracular fashion:

'I am serious, I beg and expect justice; either fear or shame begins to question offenders.

'The lofty cedars begin to divine a thundering hurricane is at hand; G.o.d elevates man contemptible.

'Our demiG.o.ds are sensible, we begin to dislike their actions very much in London; more in the country.

'Blessed be G.o.d, who encourages His servants, makes them valiant, and of undaunted spirit to go on with His decrees: upon a sudden, great expectations arise, and men generally believe a quiet and calm time draws nigh.'

Our garrulous and egotistical conjurer, who seems really to have believed that he exercised a considerable influence upon the course of events, though his position was no more important than that of the fly upon the wheel, evidently wished to connect these commonplaces with the execution of Charles I.:

'In Christmas holidays,' he writes, 'the Lord Gray of Groby, and Hugh Peters, sent for me to Somerset House, with directions to bring them two of my almanacks. I did so. Peters and he read January's observations. "If we are not fools and knaves," saith he, "we shall do justice." Then they whispered. _I understood not their meaning until his Majesty _was beheaded_._ They applied what I wrote of justice to be understood of his Majesty, _which was contrary to my intention_; for Jupiter, the first day of January, became direct; and Libra is a sign signifying justice. I implored for justice generally upon such as had cheated in their places, being treasurers and such-like officers.

I had not then heard the least intimation of bringing the King unto trial, and yet the first day thereof I was casually there, it being upon a Sat.u.r.day. For going to Westminster every Sat.u.r.day in the afternoon, in these times, at Whitehall I casually met Peters. "Come, Lilly, wilt thou go hear the King tried?" "When?" said I. "Now--just now; go with me." I did so, and was permitted by the guard of soldiers to pa.s.s up to the King's Bench. Within one quarter of an hour came the judges; presently his Majesty, who spoke excellently well, and majestically, without impediment in the least when he spoke. I saw the silver top of his staff unexpectedly fall to the ground, which was took up by Mr. Rushworth; and then I heard Bradshaw, the judge, say to his Majesty: "Sir, instead of answering the Court, you interrogate their power, which becomes not one in your condition." These words pierced my heart and soul, to hear a subject thus audaciously to reprehend his Sovereign, who ever and anon replied with great magnanimity and prudence.'

Lilly tells us that during the siege of Colchester he and his fellow-astrologer, Booker, were sent for, to encourage the soldiers by their vaticinations, and in this they succeeded, as they a.s.sured them the town would soon be surrendered--which was actually the case. Our prophet, however, if he could have obtained leave to enter the town, would have carried all his sympathies, and all his knowledge of the condition of affairs in the Parliament's army, to Sir Charles Lucas, the Royalist Governor. He had a narrow escape with his life during his sojourn in the camp of the besiegers. A couple of guns had been placed so as to command St. Mary's Church, and had done great injury to it.

One afternoon he was standing in the redoubt and talking with the cannoneer, when the latter cried out for everybody to look to himself, as he could see through his gla.s.s that there was a piece in the Castle loaded and directed against his work, and ready to be discharged.

Lilly ran in hot haste under an old ash-tree, and immediately the cannon-shot came hissing over their heads. 'No danger now,' said the gunner, 'but begone, for there are five more loading!' And so it was.

Two hours later those cannon were fired, and unluckily killed the cannoneer who had given Lilly a timely warning.

The practice of astrology must have been exceedingly lucrative, for Lilly is known to have acquired a considerable fortune. In 1651 he expended 1,030 in the purchase of fee-farm rents, equal in value to 120 per annum. And in the following year he bought his house at Hersham, with some lands and buildings, for 950. In the same year he published his 'Annus Tenebrosus,' a t.i.tle which he chose _not_ 'because of the great obscurity of the solar eclipse,' but in allusion to 'those underhand and clandestine counsels held in England by the soldiery, of which he would never, except _in generals_, give information to any Parliament man.' Unfortunately, Lilly's knowledge was always embodied 'in generals,' and the misty vagueness of his vaticinations renders it impossible for the reader to pin them down to any definite meaning. You may apply them to all events--or to none.

Their elastic indications of things good and evil may be made to suit the events of the nineteenth century almost as well as those of the seventeenth.

Many characters Mr. William Lilly must be owned to have represented with great success. But that all-essential one--if we desire to secure the confidence of our contemporaries, and the respect of posterity--of _an honest man_, I fear he was never able to personate successfully.

Of the craft and cunning he could at times display he records a striking ill.u.s.tration--evidently with entire satisfaction to himself, and apparently never suspecting that it might not be so favourably regarded by others, and especially by those plain, commonplace people who make no pretensions to hermetic learning or occult knowledge, but have certain unsophisticated ideas as to the laws of morality and fair dealing.

In his 1651 'Almanack' he a.s.serted that the Parliament stood upon tottering foundations, and that the soldiery and commonalty would combine against it--a conclusion at which every intelligent onlooker must by that time have arrived, without 'erecting a figure' or consulting the starry heavens.

This previous attempt at forecasting the future 'lay for a whole week,' says its author, 'in the Parliament House, much criticised by the Presbyterians; one disliking this sentence, another that, and others disliking the whole. In the end a motion was made that it should be examined by a Committee of the House, with instructions to report concerning its errors.

'A messenger attached me by a warrant from that Committee. I had private notice ere the messenger came, and hasted unto Mr. Speaker Lenthall, ever my friend. He was exceeding glad to see me, told me what was done, called for "Anglicus," marked the pa.s.sages which tormented the Presbyterians so highly. I presently sent for Mr.

Warren, the printer, an a.s.sured cavalier, obliterated what was most offensive, put in other more significant words, and desired only to have six amended against next morning, which very honestly he brought me. I told him my design was to deny the book found fault with, to own only the six books. I told him I doubted he would be examined. "Hang them!" said he; "they are all rogues. I'll swear myself to the devil ere they shall have an advantage against you, by my oath."

'The day after, I appeared before the Committee. At first they showed me the true "Anglicus," and asked if I wrote and printed it.'

Lilly, after pretending to inspect it, denied all knowledge of it, a.s.serting that it must have been written with a view to do him injury by some malicious Presbyterian, at the same time producing the six amended copies, to the great surprise and perplexity of the Committee.

The majority, however, were inclined to send him to prison, and some had proposed Newgate, others the Gate House, when one Brown, of Suss.e.x, who had been influenced to favour Lilly, remarked that neither to Newgate nor the Gate House were the Parliament accustomed to send their prisoners, and suggested that the most convenient and legitimate course would be for the Sergeant-at-Arms to take this Mr. Lilly into custody.

'Mr. Strickland, who had for many years been the Parliament's amba.s.sador or agent in Holland, when he saw how they inclined, spoke thus:

'"I came purposely into the Committee this day to see the man who is so famous in those parts where I have so long continued. I a.s.sure you his name is famous over all Europe. I come to do him justice. A book is produced by us, and said to be his; he denies it; we have not proved it, yet will commit him. Truly this is great injustice. It is likely he will write next year, and acquaint the whole world with our injustice, and so well he may. It is my opinion, first to prove the book to be his ere he be committed."

'Another old friend of mine spoke thus:

'"You do not know the many services this man hath done for the Parliament these many years, or how many times, in our greatest distresses, on applying unto him, he hath refreshed our languishing expectations; he never failed us of comfort in our most unhappy distresses. I a.s.sure you his writings have kept up the spirits both of the soldiery, the honest people of this nation, and many of us Parliament men; and at last, for a slip of his pen (if it were his), to be thus violent against him, I must tell you, I fear the consequence urged out of the book will prove effectually true. It is my counsel to admonish him hereafter to be more wary, and for the present to dismiss him."

'Notwithstanding anything that was spoken on my behalf, I was ordered to stand committed to the Sergeant-at-Arms. The messenger attached my person said I was his prisoner. As he was carrying me away, he was called to bring me again. Oliver Cromwell, Lieutenant-General of the army, having never seen me, caused me to be produced again, when he steadfastly beheld me for a good s.p.a.ce, and then I went with the messenger; but instantly a young clerk of that Committee asks the messenger what he did with me. Where is the warrant? Until that is signed you cannot seize Mr. Lilly, or shall [not]. Will you have an action of false imprisonment against you? So I escaped that night, but next day stayed the warrant. That night Oliver Cromwell went to Mr.

R----, my friend, and said: "What, never a man to take Lilly's cause in hand but yourself? None to take his part but you? He shall not be long there." Hugh Peters spoke much in my behalf to the Committee, but they were resolved to lodge me in the Sergeant's custody. One Millington, a drunken member, was much my enemy, and so was Cawley and Chichester, a deformed fellow, unto whom I had done several courtesies.

'First thirteen days I was a prisoner, and though every day of the Committee's sitting I had a pet.i.tion to deliver, yet so many churlish Presbyterians still appeared I could not get it accepted. The last day of the thirteen, Mr. Joseph Ash was made chairman, unto whom my cause being related, he took my pet.i.tion, and said I should be bailed in despite of them all, but desired I would procure as many friends as I could to be there. Sir Arthur Haselrig and Major Galloway, a person of excellent parts, appeared for me, and many more of my old friends came in. After two whole hours' arguing of my cause by Sir Arthur and Major Galloway, and other friends, the matter came to this point: I should be bailed, and a Committee nominated to examine the printer. The order of the Committee being brought afterwards to him who should be Chairman, he sent me word, do what I would, he would see all the knaves hanged, or he would examine the printer. This is the truth of the story.'

Lilly's biographer, however anxious he may be to imitate biographers generally, and whitewash his hero, feels that in this episode of his life the great seer fell miserably below the heroic standard, and was guilty of pusillanimous as well as unveracious and dishonourable conduct. Yet Lilly is evidently unaware of the unfavourable light in which he has shown himself, and ambles along in an easy and well-satisfied mood, as if to the sound of universal applause.

On February 26, 1654, Lilly lost his second wife, and I regret to say he seems to have borne the loss with astonishing equanimity. On April 20 Cromwell expelled from the House our astrologer's great enemies, the Parliament men, and thereby won his most cordial applause. He breaks out, indeed, into a burst of devotional praise--Gloria Patri--as if for some special and never-to-be-forgotten mercy. A German physician, then resident in London, sent to him the following epigram:

_Strophe Alcaica: Generoso Domino Gulielmo Lillio Astrologo, de dissoluto super Parliamento:_

'Quod calculasti Sydere praevio, Miles peregit numine conscio; Gentis videmus nunc Senatum Marti togaque gravi leviatum.'

His widower's weeds, if he ever wore them, he soon discarded, marrying his third wife in October, eight months after the decease of his second. This, his latest partner and helpmate, was signified in his nativity, he says, by _Jupiter in Libra_, which seems to have been a great comfort to him, and perhaps to his wife also. 'Jupiter in Libra'

sounds as well, indeed, as 'that blessed word, Mesopotamia.'

In reference to the restoration of Charles II., in 1660, Lilly unearths an old prophecy attributed to Ambrose Merlin, and written, he says, 990 years before.

'He calls King James the Lion of Righteousness, and saith, when he died, or was dead, there would reign a n.o.ble White King; this was Charles I. The prophet discovers all his troubles, his flying up and down, his imprisonment, his death, and calls him Aquila. What concerns Charles II. is,' says Lilly, 'the subject of our discourse; in the Latin copy it is thus:

'_Deinde ab Austro veniet c.u.m Sole super ligneos equos, et super spumantem inundationem maris, Pullus Aquilae navigans in Britanniam._

'_Et applicans statim tunc altam domum Aquilae sitiens, et cito aliam sitiet._

'_Deinde Pullus Aquilae nidificabit in summa rupe totius Britanniae: nec juvenis occidet, nec ad senem vivet._'

This, in an old copy, is Englished thus:

'After then shall come through the south with the sun, on horse of tree, and upon all waves of the sea, the Chicken of the Eagle, sailing into Britain, and arriving anon to the house of the Eagle, he shall show fellowship to these beasts.