On the 20th Cardinal Portocarero will die of a dyfentery, with great fufpicion of poifon; but the report of his intention to revolt to King Charles will prove falfe.

JULY. The 6th of this month a certain general will, by a glorious action, recover the reputation he loft by

former misfortunes.

On the 12th a great commander will die a prisoner in the hands of his enemies.

On the 14th a fhameful discovery will be made of a French Jefuit, giving poifon to a great foreign general; and when he is put to the torture, he will make wonderful difcoveries.

In fhort this will prove a month of great action, if I might have liberty to relate the particulars.

AT home, the death of an old famous fenator will happen on the 15th at his country-house, worn with age and diseases.

BUT that which will make this month memorable to all pofterity, is the death of the French King, Lewis the fourteenth, after a week's ficknefs at Marli, which will happen on the 29th, about fix o'clock in the evening. It feems to be an effect of the gout in his ftomach, followed by a flux. And in three days after Monfieur Chamillard will follow his mafter, dying fuddenly of an apoplexy.

In this month likewife an ambaffador will die in London; but I cannot affign the day.

AUGUST. The affairs of France will feem to fuffer no change for a while under the Duke of Burgundy's adminiftration ; but the genius that animated the whole ma chine being gone, will be the caufe of mighty turns and revolutions in the following year. The new King makes yet little change either in the army or the miniftry; but the libels against his grand-father, that fly about his very court, give him uneasiness.

I fee an exprefs in mighty hafte, with joy and wonder in his looks, arriving by break of day on the 26th of this month, having travelled in three days a prodigious journey by land and fea. In the evening I hear bells and guns, and fee the blazing of a thoufand bonefires.

A young admiral of noble birth does likewife this month gain immortal honour by a great atchievement. THE affairs of Poland are this month entirely fettled

Auguftus

Auguftas refigns his pretenfions, which he had again taken up for fome time: Stanislaus is peaceably poffeffed of the throne; and the King of Sweden declares for the Emperor.

I cannot omit one particular accident here at home; that near the end of this month much mischief will be done at Bartholomew fair by the fall of a booth.

SEPTEMBER. This month begins with a very surprising fit of frofty weather, which will last near twelve days.

THE Pope having long languished last month, the fwellings in his legs breaking, and the flesh mortifying, will die on the 11th inftant; and in three weeks time, after a mighty conteft, be fucceeded by a Cardinal of the imperial faction, but a native of Tuscany, who is now about fixty one years old.

THE French army acts now wholly on the defenfive, ftrongly fortified in their trenches; and the young French King fends overtures for a treaty of peace by the Duke of Mantua; which, because it is a matter of state, that concerns us here at home, I shall speak no farther of.

I fhall add but one prediction more, and that in mystical terms, which shall be included in a verse out of Virgil, Alter erit jam Tethys, et altera quæ vehat Argo

Delectos heroas.

UPON the 25th day of this month, the fulfilling of this prediction will be manifeft to every body.

THIS is the fartheft I have proceeded in my calculations for the present year. I do not pretend, that these are all the great events which will happen in this period, but that thofe I have fet down will infallibly come to pass. It will perhaps still be objected, why I have not fspoke more particularly of affairs at home, or of the fuccefs of our armies abroad, which I might, and could very largely have done; but thofe in power have wifely discouraged men from meddling in public concerns, and I was refolved by no means to give the leaft offence. This I will venture to fay, that it will be a glorious campaign for the allies, wherein the English forces both by fea and land, will have their full fhare of honour: that her Majefty Queen Anne will continue in health and prosperity: and that no ill accident will arrive to any in the chief ministry.

As

As to the particular events I have mentioned, the readers may judge by the fulfilling of them, whether I am on the level with common aftrologers; who, with an old paultry cant, and a few pothooks for planets, to amuse the vulgar, have, in my opinion, too long been fuffered to abuse the world; but an honest physician ought not to be defpifed, because there are such things as mountebanks. I hope I have fome fhare of reputation, which I would not willingly forfeit for a frolic or humour: and I believe no gentleman, who reads this paper, will look upon it to be of the fame caft or mould with the common fcribbles that are every day hawked about. My fortune hath placed me above the little regard of writing for a few pence, which I neither value or want: therefore let not wife men too hastily condemn this effay, intended for a good defign, to cultivate and improve an ancient art, long in difgrace by having fallen into mean unfkilful hands. A little time will determine whether I have deceived others or myself and I think it is no very unreasonable request, that men would please to fufpend their judgments till then. I was once of the opinion with those who despise all predictions from the ftars, till in the year 1686, a man of quality fhewed me, written in his Album that the most learned astronomer, Captain Halley, assured him, he would never believe any thing of the stars influence, if there were not a great revolution in England in the year 1688. Since that time I began to have other thoughts, and after eighteen years diligent ftudy and application, I think I have no reason to repent of my pains. I shall detain the reader no longer, than to let him know, that the account I defign to give of next year's events, fhall take in the principal affairs that happen in Europe; and if I be denied the liberty of offering it to my own country, I fhall appeal to the learned world, by publishing it in Latin, and giving order to have it printed in Holland.

THE

* Album, is the name of a paper book, in which it was ufual for a man's friends to write down a fentence with their names to keep them in his remembrance. It is still common in fome of the foreign unverfities,

Hawkef.

THE

ACCOMPLISHMENT

OF THE

First of Mr BICKERSTAFF'S PREDICTIONS;

Being an Account of the DEATH of Mr PARTRIDGE, the ALMANACK-MAKER, upon the 29th instant †.

In a Letter to a Perfon of Honour.

[Written in the year 1708.]

MY LORD,

IN

N obedience to your Lordship's commands, as well as to fatisfy my own curiofity, I have for fome days paft inquired constantly after Partridge the almanack-maker, of whom it was foretold in Mr Bickerstaff's predictions, published about a month ago, that he should die the 29th instant about eleven at night of a raging fever. I had fome fort of knowledge of him when I was employed in the revenue, because he used every year to present me with his almanack, as he did other gentlemen, upon the score of fome little gratuity we gave him. I faw him accidentally once or twice about ten days before he died, and obferved he began very much to droop and languish, tho' I hear his friends did not seem to apprehend him in any danger. About two or three days ago he grew ill, was confined first to his chamber, and in a few hours after to his bed, where Dr. Cafe and Mrs. Kirleus were sent for to vifit and to prescribe to him. Upon this intelligence I fent thrice every day one fervant or other to inquire after his health; and yesterday, about four in the afternoon, word was brought me, that he was past hopes: upon which I prevailed with myself to go and fee VOL. II. Dd him,

See an elegy on the fuppofed death of Partridge, in vol. vi. p. 84. and the epitaph, p. 87.

Two famous quacks at that time.

him, partly out of commiferation, and I confefs, partly out of curiofity. He knew me very well, feemed furprized at my condefcenfion, and made me compliments upon it, as well as he could in the condition he was. The people about him faid, he had been for fome time delirious; but when I faw him, he had his understanding as well as ever I knew, and fpoke ftrong and hearty, without any feeming uneafinefs or constraint. After I had told him how forry I was to fee him in those melancholy circumstances, and said some other civilities, suitable to the occafion, I defired him to tell me freely and ingenuously, whether the predictions Mr Bickerstaff had published relating to his death, had not too much affected and worked on his imagination. He confeffed he had often had it in his head, but never with much apprehenfion, till about a fortnight before; fince which time it had the perpetual poffeffion of his mind and thoughts, and he did verily believe was the true natural caufe of his present diftemper for, faid he, I am thoroughly perfuaded, and I think I have very good reasons, that Mr Bickerstaff spoke altogether by guess, and knew no more what will happen this year, than I did myfelf. I told him his đîfcourfe furprized me; and I would be glad, he were in a ftate of health to be able to tell me what reafon he had to be convinced of Mr Bickerftaff's ignorance. He replied, I am a poor ignorant fellow, bred to a mean trade, yet I have fenfe enough to know, that all pretences of foretelling by aftrology are deceits, for this manifeft reafon, becaufe the wife and the learned, who can only judge whether there be any truth in this science, do all unanimously agree to laugh at and despise it, and none but the poor ignorant vulgar give it any credit, and that only upon the word of fuch filly wretches as I and my fellows, who can hardly write or read. I then afked him, why he had not calculated his own nativity, to fee whether it agreed with Bickerftaff's prediction? at which he fhook his head, and said, oh! Sir, this is no time for jefting, but for repenting thofe fooleries, as I do now from the very bottom of my heart. By what I can gather from you, faid I, the observations and predictions you printed with your almanacks, were mere impofitions on the people. He replied, if it were

otherwife,