olice. His
confessions of doings in that kind are candid enough, and we must say of
his 'History of his Life and Times' that it is, on the whole, a simple,
truthful statement of facts; not an apology for a life at all; for he
seldom attempts to excuse or justify his actions, but leaves a plain
record with the reader for good or evil.

A man, it is sometimes said, is to be judged by the company he keeps,
and we will therefore say a few words of this astrologer's friends. Of
men like William Pennington, of Muncaster, in Cumberland, 'of good
family and estate,' introduced to Lilly by David Ramsay, the king's
clockmaker, in 1634, who are otherwise unknown to us, we will say
nothing. But the reader surely knows something of Hugh Peters, the
Puritan preacher--who could do other things as well as preach: with him
Lilly had 'much conference and some private discourses,' and once in the
Christmas holidays, a time of leisure, Peters and the Lord Gray of Groby
invited him to Somerset House, and requested him to bring two of his
almanacs. At another time Peters took Lilly along with him into
Westminster Hall 'to hear the king tried.' But the most influential
friend, perhaps, was Sir Bulstrode Whitlocke, a man well known to
readers of English history as very prominent in the time of the
Commonwealth and Protectorate. He was high steward of Oxford, member of
the council of state, one of the keepers of the great seal, a man very
learned in the law, who made long discourses to Oliver Cromwell on the
matter of the kingship, and on other matters. He went to Sweden as
Cromwell's ambassador, and was one of the great men of that time, or one
of the considerable men. Sir Bulstrode, according to Ashmole, was
Lilly's patron; and indeed the great man did befriend him long, and help
him out of difficulties. The acquaintance began in this wise: Sir
Bulstrode being sick, Mrs. Lisle, 'wife to John Lisle,' afterward one of
the keepers of the great seal, came to Lilly, bringing a specimen of the
sick man. Whereupon the astrologer, having inspected the specimen, 'set
a figure,' and said, 'the sick for that time would recover, but by means
of a surfeit would dangerously relapse within one month; which he did,
by eating of trouts at Mr. Sands' house in Surrey.' Therefore, as there
could no longer be any doubt of Lilly's skill, he, at the time of Sir
Bulstrode's second sickness, was called to him daily; and though the
family physician said 'there was no