by a fall from his horfe. I have not been able to difcover whether he will then die or not.

On the 11th, will begin a moft important fiege, which the eyes of all Europe will be upon: I cannot be more particular for in relating affairs that fo nearly concern the confederates, and confequently this kingdom, I am forced to confine myself, for several reafons very obvious to the reader.

On the 15th, news will arrive of a very furprizing event, than which nothing could be more unexpected,

On the 19th, three noble ladies of this kingdom will, against all expectation, prove with child, to the great joy of their husbands,

On the 23d, a famous buffoon of the play-house will die a ridiculous death, fuitable to his vocation.

June. This month will be diftinguifhed at home, by the utter difperfing of those ridiculous deluded enthusiasts, commonly called the Prophets; occafioned chiefly by feeing the time come, when many of their prophecies should be fulfilled, and then finding themfelves deceived by con. trary events. It is indeed to be admired, how any de. ceiver can be fo weak to fortel things near at hand, when a very few months muft of neceffity discover the imposture to all the world; in this point lefs prudent than common almanack-makers, who are fo wife to wander in generals, and talk dubiously, and leave to the reader the bufinefs of interpreting.

On the Ift of this month, a French general will be killed by a random shot of a cannon-ball.

On the 6th, a fire will break out in the fuburbs of Paris, which will deftroy above a thousand houses; and feems to be the foreboding of what will happen, to the furprize of all Europe, about the end of the following month.

On the roth, a great battle will be fought, which will begin at four of the clock in the afternoon, and laft till nine at night with great obftinacy, but no very decifive event. I fhall not name the place, for the reafons aforefaid; but the commanders on each left-wing will be kill ed I fee bonfires, and hear the noife of guns for a victory.

On the 14th, there will be a falfe report of the French king's death.

On

On the 20th, cardinal Portocarero will die of a dyfentery, with great fufpicion of poison; but the report of his intention to revolt to king Charles will prove false.

July. The 6th of this month, a certain general will, by a glorious action, recover the reputation he lost by former misfortunes.

On the 12th, a great commander will die a prisoner in the hands of his enemies.

On the 14th, a fhameful discovery will be made, of a French jefuit giving poifon to a great foreign general; and when he is put to the torture, he will make wonderful difcoveries.

In fhort, this will prove a month of great action, if I might have liberty to relate the particulars.

At home, the death of an old famous fenator will happen, on the 15th, at his country-house, worn with age and difeafes.

But that which will make this month memorable to all pofterity, is the death of the French king, Lewis the fourteenth, after a week's fickness at Marli, which will happen on the 29th, about fix o'clock in the evening. It feems to be an effect of the gout in his ftomach, followed by a flux. And in three days after, monfieur Chamil lard will follow his master, dying fuddenly of an apoplexy. In this month likewife an Ambaffador will die in London; but I cannot affign the day.

Auguft. The affairs of France will feem to fuffer no change for a while under the Duke of Burgundy's admi nistration; but the genius that animated the whole ma chine being gone, will be the caule of mighty turns and revolutions in the following year. The new king makes yet little change either in the army or the miniftry; but the libels against his grand-father, that fly about his very court, give him uneasiness.

I fee an exprefs in mighty hafte, with joy and wonder in his looks, arriving by break of day on the 26th of this month, having travelled in three days a prodigious journey by land and fea. In the evening I hear bells and guns, and fee the blazing of a thousand bonfires.

A young admiral of noble birth does likewife this month gain immortal honour by a great atchievement. The affairs of Poland are this month entirely fettled:

Auguftus

Auguftus refigns his pretenfions, which he had again taken up for fome time: Staniflaus is peaceably poffeffed of the throne; and the king of Sweden declares for the Emperor.

I cannot omit one particular accident here at home; that, near the end of this month, much mischief will be done at Bartholomew fair, by the fall of a booth.

September. This month begins with a very furprizing fit of frofty weather, which will laft near twelve days.

The Pope having long languished laft month, the fwel. lings in his legs breaking, and the flesh mortifying, will die on the 11th inftant and in three weeks time, after a mighty contest, be fucceeded by a cardinal of the imperial faction, but a native of Tuscany, who is now about fixty one years old.

The French army acts now wholly on the defenfive, ftrongly fortified in their trenches; and the young French king fends overtures for a treaty of peace by the duke of Mantua; which, because it is a matter of ftate that concerns us here at home, I shall speak no farther of.

I shall add but one prediction more, and that in mystical terms, which fhall be included in a verse out of Virgil. Alter erit jam Tethys, et altera quæ vebat Argo Delectos heroas.

Upon the 25th day of this month, the fulfilling of this prediction will be manifeft to every body.

This is the farthest I have proceeded in my calculations for the prefent year. I do not pretend that thefe are all the great events which will happen in this period, but that those I have fet down will infallibly come to pass. It will perhaps ftill be objected, why I have not fpoke more particularly of affairs at home, or of the fuccefs of our armies abroad, which I might, and could very largely have done; but thofe in power have wifely difcouraged men from meddling in public concerns, and I was refolved by no means to give the leaft offence. This I will venture to fay, that it will be a glorious campaign for the Allies, wherein the English forces, both by fea and land, will have their full fhare of honour: that her majefty Queen ANNE will continue in health and prosperity; and that no ill accident will arrive to any in the chief miniftry.

As

As to the particular events I have mentioned, the readers may judge by the fulfilling of them, whether I am on the level with common astrologers; who, with an old paultry cant, and a few pot-hooks for planets, to amuse the vulgar, have, in my opinion, too long been fuffered to abule the world: but an honeft physician ought not to be despised, because there are fuch 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 fame caft or mould with the common fcribblers that are every day hawked about. My fortune hath placed me above the little regard of writing for a few pence, which I neither value or want: therefore let not wife men too hastily condemn this effay, intended for a good defign, to cultivate and improve an ancient art, long in difgrace by having fallen into mean unskilful hands. A little time will determine, whether I have deceived others or myself: and I think it is no very unreasonable re. queft, that men would please to fufpend their judgments till then. I was once of the opinion with those who defpife all predictions from the stars, till in the year 1686, a man of quality fhewed me, written in his Album *, that the most learned aftronomer, captain Halley, affured him, he would never believe any thing of the stars influence, if there was not a great revolution in England in the year 1688. Since that time I began to have other thoughts, and after eighteen years diligent ftudy and ap plication, I think I have no reason to repent of iny pains. I fhall detain the reader no longer, than to let him know, that the account I defign to give of next year's events, fhall take in the principal affairs that happen in Europe; and if I be denied the liberty of offering it to my own country, I fhall appeal to the learned world, by publishing it in Latin, and giving order to have it printed in Holland.

† Album, is the name of a paper-book, in which it was usual for a man's friends to write down a fentence with their names, to keep them in his remembrance. It is ftill common in fome of the fo

t

reign universities.

Hawkef.

The

The ACCOMPLISHMENT of the firft of Mr. BICKERSTAFF'S PREDICTIONS;

Being an ACCOUNT of the DEATH of Mr PARTRIDGE, the ALMANACK-MAKER, upon the 29th inftant *.

In a letter to a person of honour.

MY LORD,

IN

Written in the year 17c8.

N obedience to your Lordship's commands, as well as to fatisfy my own curiofity, I have for fome days paft enquired conftantly after Partridge, the almanackmaker, of whom it was foretold in Mr. Bickerstaff's pre. dictions, published about a month ago, that he should die the 29th inftant about eleven at night, of a raging fever. I had fome fort of knowledge of him, when I was employ. ed in the revenue, because he used every year to prefent me with his alınanack, as he did other gentlemen, upon the score of fome little gratuity we gave him. I faw him accidentally once or twice about ten days before he died, and obferved he began very much to droop and languish; though I hear, his friends did not feem to apprehend lim in any danger. About two or three days ago he grew ill, was confined first to his chamber, and in a few hours after to his bed, where Dr. Cafe and Mrs. Kirleus † were fent for to vifit, and prefcribe to him. Upon this intelligence I fent thrice every day one fervant or other to enquire after his health; and yesterday, about four in the afternoon, word was brought me, that he was paft hopes upon which I prevailed with myfelf to go and fee

* See an elegy on the fuppofed death of Partridge, in vol. 6. p. 84. and the epitaph, p. 87,

Two famous quacks at that time. VOL. IV.

Dd

bim