TERRIFYING ALMANACS

Manawatu Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 3247, 18 January 1926, Page 2

TERRIFYING ALMANACS

UNFULFILLED I'ROPHEOIES. THE DREAD OF THE PEOPLE Nowadays we are not much exercised by the prognostications of our almanac maker*. But this kind of curious information was eagerly sought after and carefully studied a few centuries ago, and sometime* the people were greatly perturbed by a startling prediction. In 1524 serious Hoods were foretold, and many people were so alarmed that they hurried away from London to the i-urrounding districts to escape drowning, says "T.P.'s Weekly.” The prior of St. Bartholomew’s in Smlthfleld, built a house at Harrqw-on-the-Hlll, and even took a supply of boats. Thames Falls To Rise. The disaster should have occurred on February 1, and anxious crowds were early astir that morning to watch the rising of the Thames. But nothing happened, and after waiting another day the runaways returned to '.heir homes. It might have gone hard with the phophets had they not excused themselves by saying that “in th c computation they had miscounted in their number an hundred yeeres." In 1524 half the inhabitants of England werq much alarmed because “fearful results” were foretold from the conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter. The conjunction took place and the only happening was that the false phophet fell into disrepute. In fact, so persistent were the astrologers and others in predicting future events that Henry 111. of Prance decreed that no political prophecies were to be inserted in almanacs. Naturally such publications afforded ample scope for the satirist and the humorist. Thus, in 1611 Barry ridiculed the man who could foretell the fate of others for fees: Yet never knows himself shall die a beggar. Or.be hanged tip for pilfering tablecloths. 'v. j‘"‘ j Shirts and smoks, banged out to dry on hedges. The compilers could only guess at the weather and other events, so occasionally they were right, but more frequently wrong. Thus Lawrence Sterne remarks: ”1 have observed this 26th March, .1759, a rainy day, notr withstanding the almanac of Liege.” Famous Almanacs. This publication was a Continental rival to the Celebrated work of Francis Moore, and a great favourite with the Illiterate. Symbols were employed therein to show the dates for doing certain things. A pair of scissors indicated the proper time for cutting the hair, a pill-bOx the planet moat propitious? for taking pills, a lancet for bloodletting, and so on. Henc e Antonio; in Fletcher’s "Chances remarks: All physicians And penny almanacV allow the opening. Of veins this month . Signs, too, wore used on the “clog” almanac—a wooden cube with three months on eacii side—which served our forefathers In olden times. The old prophetic Moore’s almanac was a very popular production, and rose to a circulation of about half a million under the editorship of Henry Andrews, who died in 1820.