LILLY Lash't vvith his ovvn ROD. OR, AN EPIGRAM On the Quaint Skill of that Arch Temporizing ASTROLOGER M
R. WILLIAM LILLY.
Collected out of his ALMANACKS, from
[...]647, to this present year, 1660.
SOund forth A
Trumpet, that the world may hear,
The
Great skill of this
Fam'd Astrologer.
He that
foresees all things in
Church and
State,
By help oth'
Chrystal, And his
Book of Fate.
He that makes use of
Direful Negromancie,
To
terrifie the
tim'rous yielding
Phancie,
He that doth use whole
Nations to Trepan,
With the bare Names of
Angel-Guardian,
The
Sybils Oracles, and
Theurgie,
With's Little knowledge had of Ptolome!
All forts attend! whilst briefly I relate,
The
Dirty jugling of this Son of Fate.
The
Cunning used, by this
Albumazer,
That of your
common Cheats surpasseth far.
They
Contra-Legem, th' Country
quack about,
And deal their
dirty-skill, at
small rate out,
To
Gull the Sillyer sort; this
Artizan,
Proclaims
himself a
sixed conjuring man;
And
Pride in him so monstrously prevails,
To be the
States Belwether he Assails.
And then so furiously to work he goes,
He forfeits ail the
honest Art he knowes,
For the
base Lucre of
two hundred pound
A Year.
Lilly had such a Sallary from White-Hall by the means of one Frost
a Secritary to the Council of State, as I have heard him acknowledge.
(But changes still, as th' wheel turns round)And that
all Pe
[...]sons to him may repaire
Two Dyals Point us forth this Blazing Star:
That if the
Lord of Gypsies men would see,
In th' Strand there dwels, the May-pole, Stocks, and Hee!
Take some
Specimina of his
rare skill;
(And chide me for't, if I report him ill)
In
forty seaven, the
Scots most Prudent were
(Or he a
filthy lyar did appear!)
Nay he Confided in
their Nobles; And
Their Ministry Procla'm the worth oth' Land.
And in his
forty eight years fine Epistle,
In
their behalf, did confidently Bristle!
Pronouncing
them most honest; And
men Guided
By a
Good Covenant. [From which they backslided.]
They did return, delivered our Towns,
[For which they Jugled from us, many pounds!]
Eut yet in
forty nine, he Rails aloud
Calling
them Pil-f
[...]ing Scots; Peevish and
Proud;
Traytors, and
Enemies; A
Graceless crew,
Of
Villaines; worse then any
Turk or
Jew.
And in his
Merlin fifty one they are
Egyptian Scots; Pseud-Presbyters that dare
Do any thing,
against this Power, for which
(Deservedly) they were Rid of their Itch.
And is there any Deliars Wizzard can,
In Temporising, match this cunning-man?
At this Rate with the
Parliament he deals.
Telling the world, that
they our Breaches heal;
That
they're by God appointed for to scourge
The
Norman Race: and
all that else dare urge
But ought
against them. Tells
them their power shall stand,
Maugre the Acts of all by Sea and Land,
But when
(in Fifty-two) he plainly saw,
Unto what side, the
Army gan to draw,
Oh! now (says he)
Great Parliament your Power
Is but short-liv'd; And I expect (each hour)
Your timely Dissolution! In
Fifty-three,
Basely abuses them; Threatning, that
he
(With others)
each Member thereof will call to
Account; And so, (in wrath) Devines their wo.
In
Fifty-four he
them unthankful styles:
Most terrible; [Forgetting's former Wyles.]
A Private ended crew; Intemperate;
Not fitting for to sway so great a State.
They'r Drowsie, Slothful, But yet are become,
As cunning Taylers! [His PROFESSION!]
Lilly was a Tayler before pretended Astrologie and Apprentice to Pawlin
in the Strand.
And thus you see, A Parliaments no more
With this Cretensis, then each Country Boare.
Further! Let's note the
Signal flattery
He Publish'd in his
senselesse Monarchy;
Swearing
no King in England, more shall Reign.
Yet when
th' Proaector gan to Rule; Amain
He Pipes—That
Happy Monarchy's so good
A Government; (If truely understood)
None better was: Vowing't a Gallant thing
To England, if
th' Protector were a King.
I might here note
this Quacks abusing
Spain;
And's currying favor with that
Prince again.
Of's
Ambedextrous dealing with the State
Of
Sweden, (Denmark,) at his
flattering Rate.
How with the
wheel of time, he turns about
And
powres his spurious piosn'ous Oracles out,
Unto
Astrologies, and
Artists shame!
But Quaks are Quaks though pras'd ith' mouth of Fame.
Hence,
Baser Gypses! here is one that can
Out do
ye all, in flattering any man,
Hence, with the
dull stock of your
footstool Cares;
Heer's one
out-cheats-ye, by the
height oth' Stars
Hence with your
common small Beer single Fee,
Heer's one
pulls Kingdoms for the
Golden Fleece.
Be gone you
Rosie-Crucians, that pretend,
All things to know; Heer's one your skill can Mend.
Fly, Fly, you
Fairy Elves, that use to Prye
Into the
Closets of
Men's secresie,
Your skill is stale; Heer's one that may compare
With
Lucifer's great self, [both head and hair!]
Avant
Great Faustus, Bacon, Lamb; and Let
Th'
Imposters Bayes on
Lillyes head be set
That
Lawrell (surely) will befit
him best,
Because
he bears AMERLIN for
his Crest.
Let all the
Muses joyn, LILLY, to sing
Of
Parasites the onely lawful King.
For hee's most fit to be a Prince of slaves,
That in himself contains ten thousand KNAVES.
Printed in the year, 1660.