PREDICTIONS for the Year 1708.

Wherein the Month, and Day of the Month, are fet down, the Perfons named, and the great Actions and Events of next Year particularly related as they will come to pass.

Written to prevent the People of England from being farther impofed on by vulgar Almanack-Makers.

By ISAAC BICKERSTAFF, Efq;

be

It is faid, that the Author, when he had writ the following Paper, and being at a Lofs what Name to prefix to it; paffing through Long-Acre, obferved a Sign over a Houfe where a Locksmith dwelt, and found the Name Bickerstaff written under it : Which being a Name fomewhat uncommon, he chofe to call himself Ifaac Bickerstaff. This Name was fometime afterward made Ufe of by Sir Ri chard Steele, and Mr. Addifon, in the TATLERS; in which Papers, as well as many of the SPECTATORS, it is well known, that the Author bad a confiderable Part.

H

AVING long confidered the grofs Abuse of Aftrology in thisKingdom; upon debating the Matter with my felf, I could not poffibly lay the Fault upon the Art, but upon thofe grofs Impoftors, who fet up to be the Artists. I know, feveral learn

ed

ed Men have contended, that the whole is a Cheat; that it is abfurd and ridiculous to imagine, the Stars can have any Influence at all upon human Actions, Thoughts, or Inclinations: And whoever hath not bent his Studies that Way, may be excused for thinking fo, when he sees in how wretched a Manner this noble Art is treated, by a few mean illiterate Traders between us and the Stars; who import a yearly Stock of Nonfenfe, Lies, Folly, and Impertinence, which they offer to the World as genuine from the Planets; although they descend from no greater a Height than their own Brains.

I INTEND, in a fhort Time, to publish a large and rational Defence of this Art; and, therefore, shall say no more in its Juftification at present, than that it hath been in all Ages defended by many learned Men; and among the reft, by Socrates himfelf; whom I look upon as undoubtedly the wifeft of uninfpired Mortals: To which if we add, that those who have condemned this Art, although otherwise learned, having been fuch as either did not apply their Studies this Way; or at least did not fucceed in their Applications; their Teftimony will not be of much. Weight to its Difadvantage, fince they are liable to the common Objection of condemning what they did not understand,

Nor am I at all offended, or think it an Injury to the Art, when I fee the common Dealers in it, the Students in Aftrology, the Philomaths, and the reft of that Tribe, treated by wife Men with the utmost Scorn and Contempt: But I rather wonder, when I obferve Gentlemen in the Country, rich enough to ferve the Nation in Parliament, poring in Partrige's Almanack, to find out the Events of the Year at Home and Abroad; not daring to proRofa

pofe a Hunting-Match, until Gadbury, or he, hath fixed the Weather.

I WILL allow either of the Two I have mentioned, or any other of the Fraternity, to be not only Aftrologers, but Conjurers too; if I do not producê an Hundred Inftances in all their Almanacks, to convince any reasonable Man, that they do not fo much as understand Grammar and Syntax; that they are not able to spell any Word out of the ufual Road; nor even in their Prefaces to write common Senfe, or intelligible English. Then, for their Obfervations and Predictions, they are fuch as will equally fuit any Age, or Country in the World. This Month a certain great Perfon will be threatned with Death, or Sickness. This the News-Paper will tell them; for there we find at the End of the Year, that no Month paffes without the Death of fome Perfon of Note; and it would be hard, if it fhould be otherwife, when there are at least two Thousand Perfons of Note in this Kingdom, many of them old; and the Almanack-maker has the Liberty of chufing the ficklieft Seafon of the Year, where he may fix his Prediction. Again, This Month an eminent Clergyman will be preferred; of which there may be fome Hundreds, Half of them with one Foot in the Grave. Then, Such a Planet in fuch a Houfe fhews great Machinations, Plots and Confpiracies, that may in Time be brought to Light: After which, if we hear of any Discovery, the Aftrologer gets the Honour; if not, his Prediction ftill ftands good. And at laft, God preferve King William from all his open and secret Enemies, Amen. When if the King should happen to have died, the Aftrologer plainly foretold it; otherwise,

"

it paffeth but for the pious Ejaculation of a loyal Sub ject: Although it unluckily happened in fome of their Almanacks, that poor King William was prayed for many Months after he was dead; because, it unluckily fell out that he died about the Beginning of the Year.

To mention no more of their impertinent Predictions: What have we to do with their Advertifements about Pills, and Drink for the Venereal Difeafe, or their mutual Quarrels in Verfe and Profe of Whig and Tory? wherewith the Stars have little to do,

HAVING long obferved and lamented these, and a hundred other Abuses of this Art, too tedious to repeat; I refolved to proceed in a new Way; which I doubt not will be to the general Satisfaction of the Kingdom. I can this Year produce but a Specimen of what I defign for the future having employed moft Part of my Time in adjufting and correcting the Calculations I made for fome Years paft; because I would offer nothing to the World of which I am not as fully fatisfied, as that I am now alive. For these two laft 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 its Particulars; and the Lofs of Admiral Shovel; although I was mistaken as to the Day, placing that Accident about thirty fix Hours fooner than it happened; but upon reviewing my Schemes, I quickly found the Cause of that Error. I likewife foretold the Battle at Almanza to the very Day and Hour, with the Lofs on both Sides, and the Confequences thereof. All which I fhewed to fome Friends many Months

before

before they happened; that is, I gave them Papers fealed up, to open at fuch a Time, after which they were at liberty to read them; and there they found my Predictions true in every Article, except one or two, very minute.

As for the few following Predictions I now of fer the World, I forbore to publish them, till I had perused the several Almanacks for the Year we are now entered upon: I found them all in the ufual Strain, and I beg the Reader 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 thefe Predictions; and I will be content that Partrige, and the rest of his Clan, may hoot me for a Cheat and Impoftor, if I fail in any fingle Particular of Moment. I believe any Man, who reads this Paper, will look upon me to be at least a Perfon of as much Honefty and Understanding, as a common Maker of Almanacks. I do not lurk in the Dark; I am not wholly unknown in the World: I have fet my Name at length, to be a Mark of Infamy to Mankind, if they fhall find I deceive them.

7

In one Point I muft defire to be forgiven; that I talk more fparingly of Home-Affairs. As it would be Imprudence to difcover Secrets of State, so it might be dangerous to my Perfon: But in fmaller Matters, and fuch as are not of publick Confequence, I fhall be very free: And the Truth of my Conjectures will as much appear from these as the other. As for the moft fignal Events abroad in France, Flanders, Italy and Spain, I fhall make no Scruple to predict them in plain Terms: Some of them are of Importance, and I hope, I fall fel

dom