William Lilly's History of his Life and Times: From the Year 1602 to 1681 - Softcover

Lilly, William

Softcover

ISBN 10: 194371004X ISBN 13: 9781943710041

Publisher: Rubedo Press, 2015

Synopsis

Perhaps the last great astrologer, William Lilly (1602–1681) rose from modest countryside beginnings to the center of the London political scene during the height of the English Civil War. His astrological predictions were distributed in annual almanacs on the streets of London, and he earned the reputation of England’s cherished astrologer. His crowning achievement, Christian Astrology, still serves as the standard textbook of traditional horary and natal astrology.

In his later years, Lilly wrote his autobiography and passed it on to his dear friend and confidant, Elias Ashmole. The autobiography was published posthumously as the contents could be damaging to Lilly’s reputation given the volatility of mid-seventeeth century England’s political landscape. The volume is colored with peripheral stories of crystal-gazing, dowsing with Mosaical rods and the summoning of spirits and fairy queens. Today’s students will find the read most illuminating, uncovering with exquisite detail the nature of the astrological scene in Lilly’s day, how Lilly came to be acquainted with those in political power, and the sly humor with which he recounts the various highlights of his active London life.

This 300 year anniversary edition of Lilly’s History of His Life and Times has been introduced and annotated by Wade Caves to facilitate easy understanding, and is of interest to both historians and astrologers alike, and is sure to be a steady guide for those embarking on a study of the life of England’s greatest astrologer.

About this title

Review

"The present work is a newly annotated edition of the autobiography of a seventeenth-century astrologer: not just any seventeenth-century astrologer of moderate renown, but singularly the most influential astrologer to have written in English at any point in history. For both within his time and in the modern era, William Lilly (1602-1681) stands without peer. His extraordinary degree of influence can be seen in three key respects: his composition of astrological texts in English, the enduring popularity of his work, and his unparalleled access to the highest levels of power in British society." -From the Foreword by Philip Graves "Inspired and written partly at the request of Lilly's patron, Elias Ashmole, this autobiography of early modern England's most famous astrologer is more than a personal account-it is a record of the days and ways of the various sorts of magical practitioners he encountered across the seventeenth century, and provides a unique insight into astrology and magic at a time of political, social, and intellectual revolution." -Alexander Cummins, PhD, author of The Starry Rubric: Seventeenth-Century English Astrology and Magic

About this edition

• Publisher: Rubedo Press
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 194371004X
• ISBN 13: 9781943710041
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 252
• Editor: Ashmole Elias, Caves Wade