the
greater part of the year in which Queen Elizabeth died; and there was
a severe plague in London, whereof died, in 1603 and 1604, more than
68,000 persons; and the year after, or in 1605, the Gunpowder Plot was
nearly being carried into execution.

"The next conjunction happened in the seventh degree of Leo, in 1623.
Within two years after, King James I. died; and there was also a
severe plague in London, which carried off 35,417 persons, in 1625;
and, what was observable, in 1639 there was a great eclipse of the
sun, in ten degrees of Gemini, in opposition to the place of the first
conjunction, in 1603; and exactly when Mars arrived to ten degrees of
Pisces, or in quartile to both places, the Long Parliament began; and
near the same time the Scots and English disagreed; and when Charles
I. applied to the citizens of London, they refused to lend him money
to be employed against them. It is also remarkable that Leo, the sign
where the conjunction happened, was the ascendant in King Charles's
nativity; and how unfortunate he was afterwards till his death, is
pretty well known.

"The next took place in 1643, in the sign of Pisces, which found the
king and his subjects in open arms, and was followed by dreadful civil
wars in England, that terminated in beheading the king."

Whether Lilly did really foresee what he pretended had been revealed
to him, we shall not here affirm or deny, but, there can be no doubt,
many strange circumstances following his predictions went far to
support his claim to the prophetic mantle. Further quotations from the
same work will supply additional matter for reflection:--

"The fourth conjunction in this trigon took place in 1663, in
Sagittarius, again opposite to the ascendant of London. The year after
followed a war with the Dutch, and in 1665 they took our valuable
Hamburgh fleet; and in that year also was the great plague in London,
that carried away 68,586 people. This was followed by the dreadful
fire of London, in 1666, that destroyed 13,200 houses, and consumed
nearly 400 streets.

"The next happened in Leo, in 1682, and was repeated in 1683, when
Lord William Russell was beheaded; and, two years after, Charles II.
died.

"The next was in seven degrees of Aries, the ascendant of England, in
1702. That year King William died, and war commenced with France. In
short, whoever takes his ephemeris in one hand and history in the
other, will have no difficulty in convincing himself o