Dr. Mead's Account of the Great Solar Eclipfe 1715. to affift in the expulfion of a Popish tyrant), died. *9 degrees 45 minutes eclipfed; Wooburn, in Bedfordshire, burnt. Three days after the eclipfe, Henry Boyle, lord prefident of the council, died. 1715, Friday, April 22, happened the most remarkable eclipfe that had been feen in Great Britain for near 500 years. It began in London about 7 minutes after eight in the morning, and ended about 21 minutes after ten; the darkness was fo great for a few minutes, that Mercury and feveral of the fixed itars were vifible§. Dr. Halley and Mr. Whifton acquired great reputation by their exact calculations of the time and manner of it; Dr. Mead informs us that the total obfcuration lasted here at London three minutes and twenty three feconds: many fick people found themfelves confiderably worfe during the time; which circumftance people generally wondered at, but for which he could eafily account; for though the Sun at the beginning of the eclipfe was very bright, and the fky remarkable ferene, when the eclipfe became total, the air was fo uncommonly cold and moift, that it måde him fhiver. It is further faid that the cattle ftood transfixed in the fields like ftatues, and that the birds went to rooft in the morning about ten-Shortly after, Bolingbroke, Oxford, Strafford, and the Duke of Ormond, were impeached. In the month of July, feveral Lords and others were fecured, the Habeas Corpus act was fufpended during fix months; the Earl of Mar, the Marquis of Huntley, and others, erected the Pretender's ftandard; September 6, in Scotland, and the following winter, was distinguished by a remarkably fevere froft. Monday, May 11, 1724, Sun 11 Wednesday May 2, 1733, Sun 9 degrees 20 minutes eclipied. Though the minifter of this country had been difappointed in his project of ex ifing wines and tobacco, the government was very unpopular, in confequence of that unconftitutional attempt, which the father of the prefent minifter justly called-" a wicked attempt upon the conftitution." In the month of Auguft a formidable Ruffian army entered Poland, by whom Stanislaus, King of that unfortunate nation, was compelled to fly to Dantzick; the elector of Saxony was chofen, and proclaimed King in October; in the mean time, an alliance was formed between France, Spain, and Sardinia, to make war upon the Emperor, from whom they took feveral places before the end of the year.. It is ufually understood that fo many hours, and proportionable parts of an hour as an eclipfe of the Sur lafts, fo many years its effects are in operation for the effects of an eclipfe of the Moon allow for each hour of its duration one month. Saturn was in Virgo retrograde, Jupiter Taurus, Mars in Libra retrograde, YOL. III. Friday, February 18, 1737, Sun 9 degrees 45 minutes eclipled; Dr. Wake, Archbishop of Canterbury, the Earl of Orkney, one of the fix. teen peers of Scotland, Lord Chan cellor Talbot, the Earl of Ashburnham, Earl of Anglefea, Earl of Leicefter, the grand Duke of Tufcany, the celebrated Mrs. Elizabeth Row, and Queen Carolina, all died in a few months after. In the month of September a declaration from the Lord Chamberlain's office appeared in the London Gazette, that "no person whatever going to pay their court to the Prince or Princess of Wales, fhould be admitted into his Majesty's prefence!" Early in the following year both houles of Parliament addreffed the crown at the inftance of the British merchants, refpecting the injuries and cruelties fuftained by the unju depredations of the Spaniards, with whom in July 1739 we were at war; the Sun being in the mean time viz. 4 degrees 8 minutes eclipfed Friday August 4, 1738, and July 24, 1739, 2 degrees, 10 minutes. *B 1743 IO* Lofs of the Ville de Paris. 1748, Thursday July 14, at 34 minutes palt 10 o'clock in the morning, the Sun was 10 digits eclipfed; in the northern parts of Scotland it was nearly total. great earthquakes felt at Iflambad in the Eaft-Indies; in the month of November an earthquake alarmed all the inhabitants of Oxford, Gloucester-, fhire, Berkshire, and Wiltshire; the Custom-houfe at Lisbon, and great quantity of merchandize, was destroyed by fire. The prefent amiable but unfortunate King of Poland, was elected and crowned, while the government of this country were heroically employed in the profecution by infor mation of Kearsley and other book. fellers. August 2, a convention was figned between the minitters of Great Britain, France, and the States General. October 1, Admiral Knowles with fix fhips of the line engaged a Spanish fleet of feven fail near the Havannah; the Spaniards were fuppofed to have loft 1,000 men. About this time a great quantity of locufts were difcovered in London, and the parts adjacent. The April 23, 1781, a folar eclipfe hap Prime Vizier was depofed in Conftan- pened, but flightly visible to us in Entinople, after 4,000 perfons lott their gland, but in the Weft Indies the eclipfe lives in tumultuous affemblies. October was central, where the fpectators were 25, the definitive treaty of peace arriv- entertained with a beautiful annulus, ed in London, called the Peace of Aix or ring of lightencompaffing the Moon's la Chapelle. In December the British dark body on every lide. The 17th troops arrived from Flanders, after a day of October following, there was a very formy paffage; thortly after central and total eclipfe of the Sun, murders and robberies were fo fre. vifible to part of the Indian ocean, quent in London and Westminster, that and the interior parts of Africa, which the Lords of the treasury offered 1ool. eclipfe happening in the airy triplicity, reward for each detection. During was followed by thofe terrible storms the month of October, Admiral Bof-and tempelts, that almost desolated the cawen and the French had been en gaged, with much mutual lofs, in the Eatt Indies. April 1, 1764, Sun eclipfed 11 degrees, 12 minutes, 55 feconds, at half paft 10 o'clock in the morning; at Newcastle the planet Venus was very vifible, but none of the other ftars could be feen. A great drought in Jamaica; great damage fuftained by nigh tides at Bofton, in Lincolnshire: from the 2nd to the 19th of April Have they not, under the form of attornies and excifemen, been increafing ever fince? West India islands, funk the Ville de Paris, many other fhips of the line, and a great number of merchant-men. A history of the most remarkable Lunar Eclipfes, and their effects, I shall tranfmit to you for infertion in a future Number, with my aftrological conjectures on the probable effects of that total eclipfe which happens next February; it being now time that I fhould proceed to give an ASTROLOGICAL JUDGMENT ON THE SUN Celeftial and immortal Powers! LEARNED men in all ages have, as I have already obferved, confidered that eclipfes of the luminaries are forerunners of great mutations; and the greater the defect of light, the more important are its effects to the inhabi. tants of thofe regions, to which it is vifible, more efpecially to thofe countries and cities, under the fign in which the luminaries come in contact; but whether eclipses are figns or caufes of mundane alterations, is not fo clearly agreed, as it is with relpect to the inconfiderable effects to be expected from thofe eclipfes which are invifible, it being antiently laid down as a certain rule, In illis Regionibus nil nocent ubi non videntur. Agreeably to the directions of the ableft masters of this fcience, we have erected a figure for the middle time of the approaching eclipfe of the Sun, when 13 degrees of Scorpio is on the eaftern horizon, and 29 degrees of Leo is on the medium cæli: the planet Jupiter is peregrine in the terms of Mercury in the afcendant, and in quartile to the planet Herschel, who is located on the cusp of the tenth; Saturn is retrograde, and peregrine in the defcending quarter of heaven, and also in the terms of Mercury, who is ftrong, though retrograde in Virgo, his own houfe, or domal dignities; Mars, lord of the afcendant, in the regal, fixed fiery fign Leo, approaching the fquare of Saturn, denotes wars, contenti ons .B 2 and 12* Countries and Cities affected by the Eclipfe. and difcords, which may fuffer fome abatement in confequence of the Sun and Moon being applying to the trine of Saturn, and the fextile of Jupiter. Confider (fays the immortal Pto. lemy) in an eclipse the stars-in afpect one with another, and not the planets only, but the fixed ftars alfo, the conftellations, together with the figns, and from thence frame your judgment; and Hermes fays, When fignificators, of either good or evil, fhall be ftationary and angular, it fhall be durable; but if cadent or retrograde, more mutable. Both the north and fouth Balance are near the degree afcending: they are both ftars of the fecond magnitude; the first of the nature of Saturn and Venus, the latter of Jupiter and Mars. Saturn is applying to the conjunction of the ftar in the left foot of Andromeda, and the bright ftar in the jaw of the Whale; both ftars of the fecond magnitude, and the former of the nature of Venus, the latter of his own. This eclipfe falls in the fecond face of Virgo, within five degrees of the ftar of the first magnitude in the tail of the Lion, of the nature of Saturn, Venus, and Mercury. Under the fouthern and earthy fign Virgo, is Greece, Jerufalem, Rhodes, Bafil, part of the Rhine, lower Silefia, the fouthweft of France, the cities of Lyons, Paris, and I bouloufe, and (fome authors fay) the town of Reading, in England. Under Taurus, which is afflicted by the malevolent prefence of Saturn, is Ireland, Poland, Perfia, Franconia, Ruffia, Switzerland, Loraine; the cities of Parma, Nantz, and Liepfig. I was lately aftonished at your correfpondent W. E. applying that Epithet, with an air of farcafm, to the great master of the a t, to the rince of Aftrologers! His works have produced immortal fruit, for the ufe of all fucceeding artifts, and shall not the righteous be held in "everlasting remem brance ?" Under Leo, which is afflicted by the turbulent and fiery rays of Mars, is Italy, Bohemia, the Alps, Turky, Prague, Bristol, and Rome. Many of thete places will be afflicted with drought and famine, or pefti lence, and immoderate showers, and mortal feditions; to the hufbandmen it denotes great impoverishment by armed plunderers, to the people in general, many tribulations with fevere and painful difeafes of the head and throat; not only corn and fruit, but provifions in general, may be expected to be scarce and dear. Spain and Hungary are fignified by Sagittary; Portugal, Sicily, and Normandy, Alexandria, Rheims, Wormes and Ratisbon by Pifces; as Jupiter, the lord of thefe figns, is out of all effential dignities, those cities and countries may be expected to share the baleful effects of this pofition of the celestial wanderers. The eclipfe falls within 5 degrees of the afcendant, and within 2 degrees of the 10th houfe of dignity; in the nativity of the Prince of Wales, and the fecond face (i. e. the fecond degrees) of Virgo, defcribes a perfon of good ftature, of an oval comely visage, brown complexion, fometimes very pale and white, pleafing countenance and converfation; as that face of Virgo culminating gives no durable honour. The person and condition of the Queen of France is very aptly defcribed; if the true time of her birth could be obtained we might pofitively fay whether fhe will be doomed to death, or to deliverance; the latter I truft will be her destiny, because of the Sun, her fignificator's friendly application to Saturn and Jupiter, and of his progreffion towards Libra, the horofcope of Auftria; at all events fomething may be expected to be decided in tome important af She was born at Viena, September 2, 1755; married at Paris May 16, 1770; her mother the Empreis Queen died Novèmber 29, 1780. Retreat of the Germans predicted. fairs, that have been kept for a while in fufpence,as because for afterMercury, who is the ruler of the eclipfe, and the difpofitor of the Sun &c.t be. comes direct; which he does about the middle of the fecond week of September. The latter end of that, to the middle of the following week, we may expect rain, thunder, or very turbulent weather: about that time, the Germans will find it impoffible for the prefent to penetrate farther into France; for, fir, in the month of Sep. tember, I am very confident that the progrefs of the German defpots will be arrested, THEY WILL RETREAT, not indeed in the very diftreffed and dispirited way in which the Pruffians ignominiously retired last year, but I am certain that the ftars will again fight against them. The pofition of Mars, in this scheme of the eclipfe, inclines me to think that there will be many fhipwrecks, burnings, and robberies by fea, and fome contentions about religion; when that planet was, laft April, approaching the conjunction of Saturn, the Duke of York was preparing to join the Roman Catholic armies; now that he is approaching by a quartile afpect to Saturn, may we not expect fomne violent contention between the partners, in this horrible enterprize? from. which, when the Germans begin to retire, I fear the British will be zeal ous to pursue. Say, to what end your impious arms engage! For crimes like thefe, not all your Realms fuffice, Were all thofe realms the guilty victors prize." Mercury, who (before he quits Virgo, will have been 66 days in that fign) is fo much fronger than the Sun, he being elevated above it, and the difpofitor of the Moon, the fignificatrix of the common peo ple, there is not any doubt that Royalty will Auguft 14, 1793. be totally abolished in France. ASTROLOGUSL. THE PHILOSOPHICAL JESTER. NUMBER II. A SERVANT to an English papift was obliged to keep the eves of all the Saints days by fatting, which he faith fully, though with reluctance, obferved The firit of November, being the feaft of All Saints, he was determined to obferve the eve of that day very Strictly, hoping that now, they all came at once, he should not be forced to faft any more, for his falting did not fo much proceed from religion as compuifion-Thirty days after, came the feast of St. Andrew's, on the eve of which he was ordered to fall again, which our ferving man would by no means confent to; alledging, he had fafted for all the Saints together, and St. Andrew being one of them, he was not to faft for him any more To this, they told him that St. Andrew had always a day to himself, which must be obferved-That cannot be, answered he; if St. Andrew is a Saint, he must come in with the reft! This fellow was one of the fix fafters defcribed by the poet Experience, out of obfervation fays, Then thus they are diftinguifh'd every one: ON |