OUr Merlin Salutes us thus . At the New ☽ there were no material Rays nor Positions , and therefore he judges , that things are preparing for some . Here we have a high strain of Art , even to Cracking : For that New ☽ was accompanied with as many Rays , as any New ☽ ever was , if he mean Planetary Rays . If he mean other Rays , he should have told us what . But the Man mentions Rays or Positions . If by Positions he mean the Planets Places , they are for number the same , as in any other Lunation . Seven Planets must always have seven Places . If he mean by Positions or Rays , the Planets Aspecting each other , &c. he forces us to a Smile ; for that New ☽ shews us 1. The ☉ ☽ ☿ to be all in ✶ ♄ . ( 2. ) A ✶ ♂ ♃ ( 3. ) ♂ ☿ in △ . ( 4. ) A ✶ ♃ ☿ . And yet this Sublicium Caput , complains for want of Rays or Positions : Whereas in this Sense , very few New ☽ 's afford so great variety of Rays or Positions . So that his Complaint being False , his Judgments must be Idle .

The Man talks of a Popish Plot . We will tell you upon what Planetary Authority , when he tells us . 't is wonder he did not make one , as well as Predict it . He hath been well known to many Plot-makers , viz. Tongue , Mansel , Hunt , &c. But here 's the Mischief on 't , Partridge can't Ride ! as 't was Sworn against him in the History of the Rye-House Conspiracy . But leaving this , he tells us of a Town taken by Surprize . Of which Town so Taken , none ever hear'd . This therefore must pass for one of his Airy Castles . — He assures us , that ♄ Stationary on the — Ascendant , and in □ of his M. C. gives him loss of Honor , Treachery , &c. — I will not contrast it with him , whether loss of Honor , &c. be a Gift ? Tho Gain is commonly opposed to Loss ; yet were I as the Native he mentions , I would desire ♄ if he have no other Favours to bestow , to keep them to himself . But , what if ♄ hath not given such Loss of Honor , &c. as this Man talks of ? And is not within 4 Deg . of the Horoscope he mentions , and near 3 times 4 distant from a □ to the M. C ? Why then our Blustring Anglo-Battavian is Mistaken , and we are never the Wiser .

Here our Man of Art tells us — The great congress of the Planets in ♓ 6 of the 7 , [ not minding ♄ to be in ♏ and ♂ in ♊ ] shew great Meetings an Association . &c. with a repetition of the Lyes about ♄ 's Transit in the last Month . But there was no such Meeting , nor no Association at all , as he idly conceited of . The rest of this Month's Presages are such nonsensical ridiculous stuff , that I cannot make any fit Company for my Understanding , and therefore leave them for his own use .

Now our Merlin breaths forth mighty things , and tells us — That the ♂ ♃ ☿ in ♓ is of eminent Service to the Affairs of Britain . And why so ? Because Britain is under ♈ Ergo a ♂ ♃ ☿ in ♓ must Befriend them . I have heard of a Chirurgeon that pretended to Cure the Gout in the great Toe , by laying a Plaister to the Nose : Bet saith our Seer , the □ ♂ ☿ doth give the Undoing of a Merchant or Banker , &c. [ A Pox of its Courtesie , may the Merchant or Banker cry ] and the ☍ ♄ ♀ gives danger of Death to a Great Lady . And the ☍ ☉ ♄ gives danger of Death by reason of the Gout , to some great and eminent Man , &c. Pray who of any Sense , would say , Thank ye for such Gifts ? To the Merchant or Banker ready Cash had been better ; to the Great Lady , a Coach and Six ; to the Great Man , Claret and Good Company had been Presents more Welcome . But for such kind of Gifts as this Man makes the Planets to deal among Mortals , none are obliged to them . To be serious , in what Author doth our Merlin meet such a Term of Art , as for the Planets to Give ? Astrologers tell us , that Planets may Presage , or Produce , &c. But for to Give , is no Astrological Phrase ; nor have the Planets any Hands given them for any such Purpose .

To Expostulate a little with our liberal Merlin , Why should the ☍ ♄ ♀ give Death to a Great Lady ? It falls in Friendly terms ; and which of them doth signifie the Great Lady ? If ♀ she is strong and preserves Life . If ♄ he 's Peregrine , and cannot signifie a Great Lady . Surely he Dream't of some Sybil of the Kitchin , who upon the loss of her Corydon might grow Crop sick upon that ☍ ♄ ♀ for such a one might pass with him for a Lady Great , or a Great Lady ; to use one of Sir Roger's Tropes to him , his Conversation reaching but very little higher . And why should an ☍ ♄ ☉ , Give danger of Death by the Gout ? Since like the former , it is made from saluriferous parts of Heaven . But I put too great a Price upon an Ass's-head , when I expect Reason thence to issue .

In May he tells us what no Man could ever do , without his Inspired Genius , viz. That Ireland is Impoverished and Ruin'd by the Ruinous Courses it hath long lain under . A notable Prediction ! He saw that Kingdom labouring under the Burthen of War , and pretends from the Stars to Predict its Ruin . But his Phrase of Ruinous Courses , is somewhat obscure ; and I would fain be informed , what Ruinous Courses he means , this being another Ignote term of Art , like that of the Planets Giving . Sure he can't mean Physical Courses , for such well-directed , Cure , and not Destroy . Nor yet , Courses after an Hare or Buck , Hunting being a great advantage to Human Life . But , be they what Courses he please , I am sure he paums Course English and Art upon us .

And see now how he goes about to requite us . ☿ By Position in the Figure . ( What Figure Sir ? You have named none : ) hath particular Signification of the Affairs of France and Ireland ; and the Tyrant is ill and out of Order ; partly with Melancholy and Vexing , &c. This ☿ is a notable Spark when he sets on it , and can as easily constrain our Merlin to utter Lyes , as compel the Tyrant to Vex , &c. But since he mentions no Figure , let us ( in imitation of Capt . Bessus , suppose a Sword . ) Suppose one . I then desire to know , how he would place ☿ herein to signifie the Affairs of France and Ireland ? For ☿ at the New ☽ is in ♊ and so most of the Month ; tho some days hereof in ♉ or ♋ . And what have these Signs to do with France or Ireland ? Why , if you would know the truth , his Merlin would not Sell without such kind of Fictitious stuff , there being in all Countries more Geese than Swans , viz. More Fools to admire a Hair-brain'd Fellow , than Wise Men that will be at the pains to Correct him .

Here our Sapiens Octavus tells us , — That a Soldier for his Merit , receives considerable Honor and Preferment , but he thinks he does not keep it without some Blemish by ill report ; and it is well if he doth not deserve it too . But , who ever heard of any such Soldier ? — He goes on , the △ ☉ ♄ gives Life to some old Gentleman . The Favour is not much , if the Prediction had been true . Had it been to a young Gentleman , and had continued it to him till he had been Old , it might have merited Thanks . This Merlin tells us also , that △ gives some Embassy . I have often read , of ☿ 's being a Messenger to the Gods , but never ♄ : It seems nimble ☿ is abdicated that Office , and Gouty ♄ turn'd Currier in his room .

Our Merlin after his wonted rate of Truth , tells us , This Lunation falls in ♋ the Ascendent of Holland and Scotland , and the two Lights are in direct Parallel Mundane with ♃ . But this Month exhibits no such thing ; for the Lunation , viz. the New ☽ falls not in ♋ but ♌ and the Luminaries then are in no Mundane Parallel with ♃ but in Platick △ of him . He further says , — The △ ☉ ♃ gives Honor to the Law and its Professors . But then nothing of that kind happen'd , it being the Dead Vacation time . He proceeds , — ♃ Stationary , Advanceth the Interest of England . What must ♃ 's going backward signifie the Nation 's going forward ? He also says , — We may expect Foreign Ambassadors . But then none came . Last Month , he sent ♄ on his Errand : Now Commissonates ♃ his Envoy . And is not this a fit Fellow to Divine , and Steer the Fate of Nations , that understands nothing truly either of the Stars or Mythology ?

In August Monsieur Merlin tells us , — That ☿ seems Employed to the purpose , as if there were somthing of great and eminent Weight in hand , that requires Intelligence , &c. It is very considerable because he 's not only Angular , but in ♋ a Tropical Sign , in the Angle of War and Contention . Now , would you not expect some great Matter , from this Canting Harrangue ; but to ease your Longing , ☿ is so far from being in ♋ in that Month , that he enters ♌ the first day thereof , as his own Almanack proves against him . And , had he not said that ☿ 's □ to ♄ is not very Welcome , &c. He had been a very ☿ himself , and had not spoke one true word of his Brother ☿ ; but no matter for Truth or Art , he can make his Book without them .

The Man Accosts us here in his wonted way of Veracity , thus , At the last New ☽ the first application of the ☽ was to the ☌ ♂ and ☍ ♃ and they two the only Angular Stars at that time . But there 's scarce one Syllable of Truth in all this , for the ☽ then defluxed from her ☌ ☉ to a ✶ ♄ and reached not the ☌ ♂ until the next day at Midnight . Nor is ♂ Angular in that Lunation , if he mean locally and virtually so ; and other Angularity is of no force . But ♀ is Angular , which our Liberate Merlin could not see . He that makes a Lye the Basis of his Judgments , is not likely to befriend us with Truth in his Predicting Futurities . But thus doth J. P. Ergo , &c.

Our mendacious Seer , as if he were prime Favourite to the Father of Lyes , begins October with such a swindger , as would make a Modest Man Blush to read , viz. Here are no less than five violent Lunations that do successively follow one another , and most of them in ♎ , a Cardinal Sign . If the Man mean by Lunations , as other Astrologers , the ☌ ☍ and □ 's of ☉ and ☽ , there are but 4 such in the whole Month ; and but one of them happens , while the ☉ is in ♎ , and that is the Full ☽ Neither are those Lunations so Violent as he falsely depaints them ; for at the latter □ of ☉ ☽ which happens the 14th . day , ( not made in ♎ but from ♏ and ♌ ) the ☽ is in △ ♃ , not a Violent , but a Vital and Preserving Aspect . Moreover , there is not one martial mutual Aspect in the whole Month , to irritate any violent Effects .

He marches on , telling us , — There 's a ☌ ☉ ♂ , but October affords us no such {αβγδ} , tho September indeed did . But this being a venial slip , we 'll Pardon him .

The last Month's Mendacities , meet with fit and suitable Company in this : For he tells us , The Configurations of the Month , enclines to Peace . And yet in the same Breath , assures us , The ☌ ☉ ♄ , the ☌ ☉ ☿ , the ☌ ♂ ☿ , &c. Shew Councils divided , &c. And the ☌ ♄ ♂ will much advance those bad wretched Effects before spoken of . [ I omit their mention , as being both Idle and Wicked . ] I wish he could make out his bad wretched Effects to be agreeable to Art and Sense : Every Artist knows , that where ♂ commands the Jury , the Verdict seldom goes against him . It behoves him therefore to make it appear , how his bad wretched Effects are made good . And if he please , from his great skill in Anglicisms , let him acquaint us when he ever knew any Good wretched Effects ? I am sure this wretched Fellow torments his Readers with very wretched English , and more wretched Art.

He wretchedly begins December thus , — The many and various Aspects of the last Month , will mightily sway the Publick and Private Affairs of this : But above all , the ☌ ♂ ♄ in 23 of that Traiterous Sign ♏ . Significat Bellum & effusionem Sanguinis , ac multitudinem febrium . [ You are to observe , that he is Damning a Great Man that doth not please him . ] And it is pleasant enough to observe how a ☌ of Anger and Ignorance prevail in him . For this very Text he Quotes from Haly , treating de generalibus Accidentibus Mundi , and wisely applies it to a Genethlical purpose . Let us Examin it a little , How can War and Blood shed be the Portion of a Single Person , as such ? And this to proceed from a ☌ of two of the Superiors , which evermore relate to Kingdoms , Nations , &c. And what need of a multitude of Fevers , When one alone is sufficient to destroy the Life of the greatest Mortal Breathing ? This is such Astrology as the Ancients never dreamt of . Well may he slight the Sager Documents of our Pristine Astrologers , when he shall dare to advance such Trash as this .

But the confident Man goes on thus , — There is now great News discours'd of from the Territories of France . A wonderful Prediction ! I dare lay him Two to one , that it will be so every Month of the Year , and let the Exchange be Judge . But he proceeds , — There seems to be some Petticoat Ambassador employed in the Work too . Pray Sir , what reason have you in your Art for all this ? And how long have Petticoat Ambassadors been in request ? And make us to under stand ( if you please ) to what Gender an Ambassador doth belong , when join'd with the Petticoat ? If ever Ignorance should be Honour'd with the Lawrel , let our black-thumb'd Merlin have the Chair .

And so having briefly ran over the Barbarities , Falshoods , Nonsense and Contradictions in his Monthly Judgments , I come to give you