says he, "she is brought sadly down; she has had a swelling, and it is broke, and I hope she will recover, but I fear the child will die; but it is the Lord!" Here he stopt, and wept very much. "Well, honest friend," said I, "thou hast a sure comforter, if thou hast brought thyself to be resigned to the will of God; he is dealing with us all in judgment." called him; "Hark thee, friend," said I, "come hither, for I believe thou art in health, that I may venture thee;" so I pulled out my hand, which was in my pocket before. "Here," 5 says I, "go and call thy Rachel once more, and give her a little more comfort from me. God will never forsake a family that trusts in him as thou dost;" so I gave him four other shillings, and bid him go lay them on the stone, and call his wife. 10 I have not words to express the poor man's thankfulness, neither could he express it himself but by tears running down his face. He called his wife, and told her God had moved the "Oh, sir," says he, "it is infinite mercy if any of us are spared; and who am I to repine!" "Say'st thou so," said I, "and how much less is my faith than thine?" And here my heart smote me, suggesting how much better this poor man's foundation was, on which he 15 heart of a stranger, upon hearing their condistayed in the danger, than mine; that he had nowhere to fly; that he had a family to bind him to attendance, which I had not; and mine was mere presumption, his a true dependance, tion, to give them all that money, and a great deal more such as that he said to her. The woman, too, made signs of the like thankfulness, as well to heaven as to me, and joyfully and a courage resting on God; and yet, that 20 picked it up; and I parted with no money all he used all possible caution for his safety. I turned a little way from the man, while these thoughts engaged me; for, indeed, I could no more refrain from tears than he. that year that I thought better bestowed. Jonathan Swift 1667-1745 MEDITATION UPON A BROOMSTICK (1704) At length, after some further talk, the poor 25 woman opened the door, and called, "Robert, Robert;" he answered and bid her stay a few moments, and he would come; so he ran down the common stairs to his boat, and fetched up a sack in which was the provisions he had 30 brought from the ships; and when he returned, he hallooed again; then he went to the great stone which he showed me, and emptied the sack, and laid all out, everything by themselves, and then retired; and his wife came 35 with a little boy to fetch them away; and he called, and said such a captain had sent such a thing, and such a captain such a thing, and at the end adds, "God has sent it all, give thanks to Him." When the poor woman had 40 every dirty wench, condemned to do her drud taken up all, she was so weak she could not carry it at once in, though the weight was not much neither; so she left the biscuit, which was in a little bag, and left a little boy to watch it, till she came again. "Well, but," says I to him, "did you leave her four shillings, too, which you said was your week's pay?" "Yes, yes,' says he, "you shall hear her This single stick, which you now behold ingloriously lying in that neglected corner, I once knew in a flourishing state in a forest; it was full of sap, full of leaves, and full of boughs; but now, in vain does the busy art of man pretend to vie with nature, by tying that withered bundle of twigs to its sapless trunk; it is now, at best, but the reverse of what it was, a tree turned upside down, the branches on the earth, and the root in the air; it is now, handled by gery, and by a capricious kind of fate, destined to make other things clean, and be nasty itself; at length, worn to the stumps in the service of the maids, it is either thrown out of doors, 45 or condemned to the last use, of kindling a fire. When I beheld this, I sighed, and said within myself, Surely mortal Man is a Broomstick! Nature sent him into the world strong and lusty, in a thriving condition, wearing his own own it." So he calls again, "Rachel, Rachel," 50 hair on his head, the proper branches of this which, it seems was her name, "did you take up the money?" "Yes," said she. "How much was it?" said he. "Four shillings and a groat," said she. "Well, well," says he, "the Lord keep you all;" and so he turned to go away. As I could not refrain from contributing tears to this man's story, so neither could I refrain my charity for his assistance; so I 55 reasoning vegetable, until the axe of intemperance has lopped off his green boughs, and left him a withered trunk; he then flies to art, and puts on a perriwig, valuing himself upon an unnatural bundle of hairs (all covered with powder) that never grew on his head; but now, should this our broomstick pretend to enter the scene, proud of those birchen spoils it never bore, and all covered with dust, though the sweepings of the finest lady's chamber, we should be apt to ridicule and despise its vanity. Partial judges that we are of our own excellencies, and other men's defaults! But a broomstick, perhaps you will say, is an emblem of a tree standing on its head; and pray what is a man but a topsy-turvey creature, his animal faculties perpetually mounted on his rational, his head where his heels should that way may be excused for thinking so, when he sees in how wretched a manner that noble art is treated by a few mean, illiterate traders between us and the stars, who import a yearly 5 stock of nonsense, lies, folly, and impertinence, which they offer to the world as genuine from the planets, though they descend from no greater a height than their own brains. I intend in a short time to publish a large be, grovelling on the earth! And yet, with all 10 and rational defence of this art, and therefore his faults, he sets up to be a universal reformer and corrector of abuses, a remover of grievances, rakes into every slut's corner of nature, bringing hidden corruptions to the light, and shall say no more in its justification at present than that it has been in all ages defended by many learned men, and among the rest by Socrates himself, whom I look upon as undoubt raises a mighty dust where there was none 15 edly the wisest of uninspired mortals; to which if we add that those who have condemned this art, though otherwise learned, having been such as either did not apply their studies this way, or at least did not succeed in their ap before; sharing deeply all the while in the very same pollutions he pretends to sweep away: his last days are spent in slavery to women, and generally the least deserving; till worn to the stumps, like his brother besom, he is either 20 plications, their testimony will not be of much kicked out of doors, or made use of to kindle flames for others to warm themselves by. PREDICTIONS FOR THE YEAR 1708: Written to Prevent The People Of England By ISAAK BICKERSTAFF, Esq.1 weight to its disadvantage, since they are liable to the common objection of condemning what they did not understand. Nor am I at all offended, or do I think it 25 an injury to the art, when I see the common dealers in it, the students in astrology, the Philomaths, and the rest of that tribe, treated by wise men with the utmost scorn and contempt, but rather wonder, when I observe 30 gentlemen in the country, rich enough to serve the nation in Parliament, poring in Partridge's Almanacs to find out the events of the year at home and abroad, not daring to propose a hunting-match till Gadbury' or he have fixed 35 the weather. I will allow either of the two I have mentioned, or any other of the fraternity, to be not only astrologers, but conjurers too, if I do not produce a hundred instances in all their I have considered the gross abuse of astrology in this kingdom, and upon debating the matter with myself, I could not possibly lay the fault upon the art, but upon those gross impostors who set up to be the artists. I know several 40 almanacs to convince any reasonable man learned men have contended that the whole is a cheat; that it is absurd and ridiculous to imagine the stars can have any influence at all upon human actions, thoughts, or inclinations; and whoever has not bent his studies 45 1 When Swift wrote these predictions the belief in fortune-tellers and astrologers was very general, and numbers of impostors took advantage of the popular credulity. Not content with the patronage of those who consulted them personally, some of these astrologers published their "predictions" in almanacs, which were 50 bought by people of the poorer classes, or circulated outside of London. Swift's attention having been attracted by one of these prophetic almanacs (the Merlinus Literatus for 1707, published by John Partridge), he wrote his Predictions, humorously exposing the folly of the preva lent superstition, as well as holding up poor Partridge to ridicule. After writing his Predictions, Swift, casting about for a pseudonym, happened to see the name Bickerstaff on a locksmith's sign. The name appealed to him, and he made his prophecies as Isaak Bickerstaff, Esq. The success of Swift's pamphlet made the name of Bickerstaff familiar to the world of London, and Steele, taking advantage of its popularity, assumed it when he began the publication of The Tatler in 1709. that they do not so much as understand common grammar and syntax; that they are not able to spell any word out of the usual road, nor, even in their prefaces to write common sense or intelligible English. Then for their observations and predictions, they are such as will equally suit any age or country in the world. "This month a certain great person will be threatened with death or sickness." This the newspapers will tell them; for there we find at the end of the year that no month passes without the death of some person of 2 Lovers of learning, philosophers. "Doctor" John Partridge (1644-1715), now remembered chiefly through Swift's satires, abandoned his occupation of cobbler to become an astrologer and almanac-maker. Swift ridiculed Partridge in a series of papers (of which the above is one), besides writing a Grub Street Elegy on the Supposed Death of Partridge. John Gadbury, an almanac-maker and fortune-teller of the latter 17th century. An almanac bearing his name was published for some years after his death. they happened—that is, I gave them papers sealed up, to open at such a time, after which they were at liberty to read them; and there they found my predictions true in every ar5 ticle, except one or two very minute. As for the few following predictions I now offer the world, I forbore to publish them till I had perused the several almanacs for the year we are now entered upon. I found them will compare their manner with mine. And here I make bold to tell the world that I lay the whole credit of my art upon the truth of these predictions; and I will be content that note; and it would be hard if it should be otherwise, when there are at least two thousand persons of note in this kingdom, many of them old, and the almanac-maker has the liberty of choosing the sickliest season of the year where he may fix his prediction. Again, "This month an eminent clergyman will be preferred;" of which there may be many hundreds, half of them with one foot in the grave. Then "Such a planet in such a house shows great machina- 10 all in the usual strain, and I beg the reader tions, plots, and conspiracies, that may in time be brought to light;" after which, if we hear of any discovery, the astrologer gets the honour; if not, his predictions still stand good. And at last, "God preserve King William from 15 Partridge, and the rest of his clan, may hoot all his open and secret enemies, Amen;" when if the King should happen to have died, the astrologer plainly foretold it; otherwise it passes but for the pious ejaculation of a loyal subject; though it unluckily happened in 20 some of their almanacs that poor King William was prayed for many months after he was dead, because it fell out that he died about the beginning of the year. To mention no more of their impertinent 25 predictions, what have we to do with their advertisements about "pills and drinks for disease," or their mutual quarrels in verse and prose of Whig and Tory, wherewith the stars have little to do? me for a cheat and impostor if I fail in any single particular of moment. I believe any man who reads this paper will look upon me to be at least a person of as much honesty and understanding as a common maker of almanacs. I do not lurk in the dark; I am not wholly unknown in the world; I have set my name at length, to be a mark of infamy to mankind, if they shall find I deceive them. In one thing I must desire to be forgiven, that I talk more sparingly of home affairs; as it will be imprudence to discover secrets of State, so it might be dangerous to my person; but in smaller matters, and such as are not 30 of public consequence, I shall be very free; and the truth of my conjectures will as much appear from these as the other. As for the most signal events abroad, in France, Flanders, Italy, and Spain, I shall make no scruple to predict them in plain terms: some of them are of importance, and I hope I shall seldom mistake the day they will happen; therefore I think good to inform the reader that I shall all along make use of the Old Style observed in England, which I desire he will compare with that of the newspapers at the time they relate the actions I mention. Having long observed and lamented these, and a hundred other abuses of this art, too tedious to repeat, I resolved to proceed in a new way, which I doubt not will be to the general satisfaction of the kingdom. I can this 35 year produce but a specimen of what I design for the future, having employed most part of my time in adjusting and correcting the calculations I made for some years past, because I would offer nothing to the world of 40 which I am not as fully satisfied as that I am now alive. For these two last years I have not failed in above one or two particulars, and those of no very great moment. I exactly foretold the miscarriage at Toulon, with all 45 who think well enough of the true art of asits particulars, and the loss of Admiral Shovel, though I was mistaken as to the day, placing that article about thirty-six hours sooner than it happened; but upon reviewing my schemes, I quickly found the cause of that error. I 50 the events will follow exactly as I predict them. likewise foretold the Battle of Almanza® to the very day and hour, with the loss on both sides, and the consequences thereof, all which I showed to some friends many months before 5 Sir Cloudesley Shovel, a gallant English admiral. He was ship-wrecked and drowned off the Scilly Islands in 1707, after an unsuccessful expedition against Toulon. A victory of the French and Spanish over the British and their allies, April 25, 1707, in the "War of the Spanish Succession." 5 I must add one word more. I know it has been the opinion of several learned persons, trology, that the stars do only incline, and not force the actions or wills of men; and therefore, however I may proceed by right rules, yet I cannot in prudence so confidently assure I hope I have maturely considered this objection, which in some cases is of no little weight. For example: a man may, by the influence of an overruling planet, be disposed or 55 inclined to lust, rage, or avarice, and yet by the force of reason overcome that evil influence; and this was the case of Socrates: but as The New Style (or new system of chronology) was not adopted in England until 1751. the great events of the world usually depend upon numbers of men, it cannot be expected they should all unite to cross their inclinations for pursuing a general design wherein they unanimously agree. Besides, the influence of the stars reaches to many actions and events which are not any way in the power of reason, as sickness, death, and what we commonly call accidents, with many more, needless to repeat. no very busy month in Europe, but very signal for the death of the Dauphin, which will happen on the 7th, after a short fit of sickness, and grievous torments with the 5 strangury. He dies less lamented by the Court than the kingdom. . . . 10 But now it is time to proceed to my predictions, which I have begun to calculate from the time that the sun enters into Aries; and this I take to be properly the beginning of the natural year. I pursue them to the time 15 that he enters Libra, or somewhat more, which is the busy period of the year. The remainder I have not yet adjusted, upon account of several impediments needless here to mention; besides, I must remind the reader again 20 that this is but a specimen of what I design in succeeding years to treat more at large, if I may have liberty and encouragement. My first prediction is but a trifle, yet I will I shall add but one prediction more, and that in mystical terms, which shall be included in a verse out of Virgil 'Aller erit jam Tethys, et altera quæ vehat Argo Delectos Heroas."8 Upon the 25th day of this month, the fulfilling of this prediction will be manifest to everybody. This is the furthest I have proceeded in my calculations for the present year. I do not pretend that these are all the great events which will happen in this period, but that those I have set down will infallibly come to pass. It will perhaps still be objected why I have not spoke more particularly of affairs at home, or of the success of our armies abroad, which I might, and could very largely have done; mention it, to show how ignorant those sottish 25 but those in power have wisely discouraged pretenders to astrology are in their own concerns. It relates to Partridge, the almanacmaker. I have consulted the star of his nativity by my own rules, and find he will infallibly die upon the 29th of March next, about 30 cleven at night, of a raging fever; therefore I advise him to consider of it, and settle his affairs in time. The month of April will be observable for the death of many great persons. On the 4th 35 will die the Cardinal de Noailles, Archbishop of Paris; on the 11th, the young Prince of Asturias, son to the Duke of Anjou; on the 14th, a great peer of this realm will die at his men from meddling in public concerns, and I was resolved by no means to give the least offence. This I will venture to say, that it will be a glorious campaign for the Allies, wherein the English forces, both by sea and land, will have their full share of honour; that Her Majesty Queen Anne will continue in health and prosperity; and that no ill accident will arrive to any in the chief Ministry. As to the particular events I have mentioned, the reader may judge by the fulfilling of them, whether I am on the level with common astrologers, who, with an old paltry cant, and a few pothooks for planets, to amuse the country house; on the 19th, an old layman of 40 vulgar, have, in my opinion, too long been great fame for learning; and on the 23rd, an eminent goldsmith in Lombard Street. I could mention others, both at home and abroad, if I did not consider such events of very little use or instruction to the reader, 45 or to the world. As to public affairs: On the 7th of this month there will be an insurrection in Dauphiné, occasioned by the oppressions of the people, which will not be quieted in some months. On the 15th will be a violent storm on the south-east coast of France, which will destroy many of their ships, and some in the very harbour. suffered to abuse the world; but an honest physician ought not to be despised because there are such things as mountebanks. I hope I have some share of reputation, which I would not willingly forfeit for a frolic or humour, and I believe no gentleman who reads this paper will look upon it to be of the same cast or mould with the common scribbles that are every day hawked about. My fortune has 50 placed me above the little regard of writing for a few pence, which I neither value nor want; therefore, let not wise men too hastily condemn this essay, intended for a good design, to cultivate and improve an ancient art, long skilful hands. A little time will determine whether I have deceived others or myself; and The 19th will be famous for the revolt of a 55 in disgrace, by having fallen into mean, unwhole province or kingdom, excepting one city, by which the affairs of a certain prince in the Alliance will take a better face. May, against common conjectures, will be 8 Then there will be another Tethys and another Argo which shall carry chosen heroes. Ecl. iv.. 34. I think it is no very unreasonable request that men would please to suspend their judgments till then. I was once of the opinion with those who despise all predictions from the stars, till the year 1686 a man of quality showed me, written in his album, that the most learned astronomer, Captain Halley,' assured him, he would never believe anything of the stars' influence if there were not a great revolution in England in the year 1688. Since that time 10 could in the condition he was. I began to have other thoughts, and after eighteen years' diligent study and application, I think I have no reason to repent of my pains. I shall detain the reader no longer than to let him know that the account I design to give 15 of next year's events shall take in the principal affairs that happened in Europe; and if I be denied the liberty of offering it to my own country, I shall appeal to the learned world, by publishing it in Latin, and giving order to 20 dictions Mr. Bickerstaff had published relating have it printed in Holland. sent thrice every day one servant or other to inquire after his health, and yesterday, about four in the afternoon, word was brought me "that he was past hopes;" upon which, I 5 prevailed with myself to go and see him, partly out of commiseration, and I confess, partly out of curiosity. He knew me very well, seemed surprised at my condescension, and made me compliments upon it as well as he The people THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF THE Being an Account of the Death of Mr. Partridge In a Letter to a Person of Honour, Written in the Year 1708 My Lord,-In obedience to your lordship's commands, as well as to satisfy my own curiosity, I have for some days past inquired con about him said he had been for some time delirious; but when I saw him, he had his understanding as well as ever I knew, and spoke strong and hearty, without any seeming uneasiness or constraint. After I had told him how sorry I was to see him in those melancholy circumstances, and said some other civilities suitable to the occasion, I desired him to tell me freely and ingenuously, whether the pre to his death had not too much affected and worked on his imagination. He confessed he had often had it in his head, but never with much apprehension, till about a fortnight be25 fore; since which time it had the perpetual possession of his mind and thoughts, and he did verily believe was the true natural cause of his present distemper: "For," said he, "I am thoroughly persuaded, and I think I have 30 very good reasons, that Mr. Bickerstaff spoke altogether by guess, and knew no more what will happen this year than I did myself." I told him his discourse surprised me, and I would be glad he were in a state of health stantly after Partridge the almanac-maker, 35 to be able to tell me what reason he had to be convinced of Mr. Bickerstaff's ignorance. He replied, "I am a poor, ignorant fellow, bred to a mean trade, yet I have sense enough to know that all pretences of foretelling by astrology are deceits, for this manifest reason, because the wise and the learned, who can only judge whether there be any truth in this science, do all unanimously agree to laugh at and despise it; and none but the poor ignorant vulgar give it any credit, and that only upon the word of such silly wretches as I and my fellows, who can hardly write or read." I then asked him why he had not calculated his own nativity, to see whether it agreed with Bicker of whom it was foretold in Mr. Bickerstaff's Predictions, published about a month ago, that he should die the 29th instant, about eleven at night, of a raging fever. I had some sort of knowledge of him when I was employed 40 in the Revenue, because he used every year to present me with his almanac, as he did other gentlemen, upon the score of some little gratuity we gave him. I saw him accidentally once or twice about ten days before he died, 45 and observed he began very much to droop and languish, though I hear his friends did not seem to apprehend him in any danger. About two or three days ago he grew ill, was confined first to his chamber, and in a few 50 staff's prediction, at which he shook his head hours after to his bed, where Dr. Case1 and Mrs. Kirleus were sent for, to visit and to prescribe to him. Upon this intelligence I and said, “Oh, sir, this is no time for jesting, but for repenting those fooleries, as I do now from the very bottom of my heart." "By what I can gather from you," said I, "the ob Edmund Halley (1656–1742), a celebrated astronomer, fellow of the Royal Society and friend of Sir Isaac New- 55 servations and predictions you printed with ton. His prediction of the return of a certain comet (now known as "Halley's comet ") in 1758, was exactly fulfilled. 1 A famous astrologer and quack practitioner of Queen Anne's time. The widow of a son of Dr. Thomas Kirleus, a London physician. your almanacs were mere impositions on the people." He replied, "If it were otherwise, I should have the less to answer for. We have a common form for all those things; as to fore |