EARLY ALMANACS

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 145, 16 December 1924, Page 2

EARLY ALMANACS

IN GREAT DEMAND OUR CREDULOUS ANCESTORS PREDICTIONS^!? ASTROLOGERS, *>f ' -'-, Although not common until towards tlio close of the fifteenth century, almanacs had been published beforo 'that time. There were In these strange, books matters of interest to both tile learned and the ignorant, for all classes in thpse days respected the theories .of planetary influence, and it was to the planets that the pages of the, early almanacs were almost entirely , devoted, r Demand was large for. almanacs/ and during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries there were no more popular publications in all Europe 'Always more or less direful, the predictions ot ihe astrologers who prepared the books were received with considerable seriousness by the-readers, who would tremble with fear at the prospects of drowning during floods, pestilence durine eternal darkness, death by the released iires of hell, or thei-uin of the world by earthquakes and earth tremors., As sales increased, writes CD. Ross'Smith in the Melbourne "Argus," so the scope of She almanao widened, and it was not nnusml to find political predictions-caY culated to effect an issue—amid a collectioni of astrological and scientific fioiires' Alchemy- and the almost universal-Inter-est m the occult sciences created greater and, greater demand for predictions—and the demand was satisfied. And the predictions were often, correct. Nostradamus became famous for his forecast of the death of Henry tho Second of France and nis tame was considerably magnified .■when he predicted the fire of London ■ There is little doubt that the "Kalendarmm. Movum ' of Regiomontanus, published during three successive-years about" .1476, m Hungary, was the forerunner of all printed almanacs. Although its pages were devoted mainly to astronomical calculations relating to eclipses and tho positions.of the planets in the heavems, it met with a ready sale at 10 crowns m England, as well'as on the Continent. Rabelais was responsible for the publication of almanacs at Lyons in 1533, again m 1535, and-on several later occasions. In i ranee, the prognostications of <he .astrologers had such an unsettling effect upon the minds of the reader that Henry the. Third was obliged to prohibit , the publication df predictions other than those relating to the planets. This prohibition was/^endorsed by. Louis the Thirteenth in 1628, but an even greater precaution was taken at that .tinie, for every book had to be approved by the B ls hop of the. diocese, in which it wis produced before permission to uublish was granted. ' . In ; England, however, the publishers were more conservative, and the books contained little or no.reference to matkA IL Site ' lb bein? due to this probably that no proclamations against them-were ever issued." But they were ever under the watchful eye of the church, and were always perused by either the Archbishop of Canterbury or \£l- ?°P of London before publication. When James the First ascended to the throne of England he granted a monopoly for the publication of almanacs to the universities and.a company of stationers, out,, on receipt, of an annuity of £200' trom the company, the universities agreed to relinquish their lights under the monopoly. Again the dcope of the books was widened, and the agricultural and medical sciences were referred to frequently. But astrology was still the mam subject, and prognostications'were made with unfailing regularity. „. Less fortunate -than the- French, the English astrologers were seldom correct ■in. their forecasts, and their poor attempts, to foretell great happenings were often ridiculed by satirists. Evidently intending to,protect himself from ridicule, Gabriel. Frehde, in an . almanack published during 1589 wrote :—■.-..

Ihou hast my guess st daily leather Here present in thy \icwe. My credif shall not lie thereon Xhi(t every word is true; Yet some to please I thought it best To shewe my myude among the rest. To this he append*, i! God say« Queen Elizabeth."

Typical of many others, an Engliih almanack published during 1569 has as

its. title: •■'.'. An Almanack and Prognostications for the yere of our Lorde God. 1569, servying for all Europe j wherein is shewed the nature of the Pianettes and Mutation of the Ayer, verie necessarie for all Merchantes, Marineres, Students, and Travellers, bothe by sea and landej calculated, and gathered by Joachim Hubnghe, Doctour of Physicke and As tronomie of Middelborrbwe in Sealand;whereunto is annexed a profitable rule to knowe' the Ebbes and Huddes' for Manneres; also their courses, soundyings, markes, and daun^ers, all along the coaste of Englande and Normandie: also all the principal Faires and Martes, where and when they be bolden; mete for all those that use the i,rade thereof Imprinted at London by-Jhon Kyngston for Wm. Pickeryng.". Marked on the calendar are the.." dayes good to sett and sowe, to take medicines, to lett bloude, to cut hears, and fortunate and unfortunate dayes," while the "phases of the moone and direction of wi£d at times of quartering," are all recorded. Di Joachim Hulbnghe announced for £ f t mill, it:Terie pestiferous Lord«'/H h! T dlsfeases < which- the Lorde doth sende among-us onely for |ynne, eS cept, w. e speedlyly repente." In the Courses and markes for Marmeres he instructs that, "You shancome downe the Thames from'; London Foie and there shal ye anker; because ye shal knowe how to anker, cleare of rt,-ypw markes be Priklewell steeple shut m by e the woode that stands on the north shore by the water sid., an d so t k y ° afu er elere- If ye te bouhde to the northwarde your course liethfrom the saide place to the sheure, north-east and south-west, Mid upon' tHetaTde1 sheure stands a beacon; and so tak, heede of, the black taylethat tyeth on the north fi ide of that course, and come heedTf?rt thf n 5 °1' 4 faddm '• also take' eZt VI f *?; gge that **b °n the 110 ;ilanettes He writes that, ".Jupiter is the best planetfc in heaven, most irendlye. to manne ; he maintaines Life, governs the Sanguine, signifyes great menne of estate and the Clergy, signifyer of substaunce, of ages, youth, of maistieras; he is the planett 6i wisedome; Understandynge, and use thynges: of manne he rules the lightes, stomacke;, lett care, anne, and bellie." Of thY planet Mars, he records, " Mars is hot and^dne, and the crowe that he beareth sheweth ( that, as>a Raven dothe love'ded flesh and1 carren, right so dothe Mars love to slea.menne, he maketh all.cursed parverse ,vworks in• aU nativities; also'he holdeth iron, delygyng. in' bloudshed, all thynges don by fier—shortning of journies, and the gathering together of captames. ' . ~

Isaac Disraelj observes that "Astrology flourished in the time of the Civil Wans J.he royalists and the rebels had their astrologers as -well at their soldiers; and XJiave-no-doubt that the predictions of ' the former had a great influence over Jhe latter. He also writes that "Itis ■ curious to observe the shifts to which" astrologers are put when their predictions are not verified.. It was thus great winds were predicted, by a famous adept, about the year 1586. No nnusaal jstorms, however, happened. Bodin, to save the reputation of th» artf, applied it as a figur. to eorne revolutions in the State; and of which there were instances enough at that moment " ° _ In ■■" The Anatomy of Melancholy " i\ is related that astrologers have sufferec .voluntary death in order to verify thei predictions. .■-■->- ■■•''-■ >. .