While this impudent cheat is ridiculed for his absurdities, let him
have credit for as lucky a guess as ever blessed the pages even of
"Francis Moore, physician." In his "Astrologicall Predictions for
1648," there occurs the following passage, in which we must needs
allow that he attained to "something like prophetic strain," when we
call to mind that the great Plague of London occurred in 1665, and the
great Fire in the year following:
"In the year 1656 the aphelium of Mars, who is the generall
significator of England, will be in Virgo, which is assuredly the
ascendant of the English Monarchy, but Aries of the kingdom. When this
absis, therefore, of Mars shall appear in Virgo, who shall expect less
than a strange _catastrophe_ of human affairs in the commonwealth,
monarchy, and kingdom of England? There will then, either in or about
these times, or neer that year, _or within ten years, more or less, of
that time_, appear in this kingdom so strange a revolution of fate,
_so grand a catastrophe_, and great mutation unto this monarchy and
government, as never yet appeared; of which, as the times now stand, I
have no liberty or encouragement to deliver any opinion. _Only, it
will be ominous to London, unto her merchants at sea, to her traffique
at land, to her poor, to her rich, to all sorts of people inhabiting
in her or her liberties, BY REASON OF SUNDRY FIRES AND A CONSUMING
PLAGUE."
This is the prediction which, in 1666, led to his being examined by a
Committee of the House of Commons; not, as has been supposed, that he
might "discover by the stars who were the authors of the Fire of
London," but because the precision with which he was thought to have
foretold the event, gave birth to a suspicion that he was already
acquainted with them, and privy to the (supposed) machinations which
had brought about the catastrophe. Curran says, there are two kind of
prophets, those who are really inspired, and those who prophesy events
which they intend themselves to bring about. Upon this occasion, poor
Lilly had the ill-luck to be deemed one of the latter class.
* * * * *