[Excerpts]

To the Readers health.

Sitting Gentlemen upon Dover cliffs, to acquaint myself with the art of navigation, and know the course of the tides, as the Dansk crows gather on the sands against a storm: so there appeared on the Downs such a flock of knaves, that by astrological conjectures I began to gather, that this year would prove intemperate by an extreme heat in Summer, insomuch that the stones in Cheapside should be so hot, that diverse persons should fear to go from Paul's to the Counter in the Poultry: whereupon I betook me to my Ephemerides, and erecting a figure, have found strange accidents to fall out this year, Mercury being Lord and predominate in the house of Fortune, that many fools shall have full coffers, and wise men walk up and down with empty purses: that if Jupiter were not joined with him in a favourable aspect, the butchers of East-cheap should do little or nothing all Lent but make pricks.
Seeing therefore the wonders that are like to fall out this present year, I have for the benefit of my countrymen taken in hand to make this prognostication, discoursing briefly of the eclipses both of sun and moon, with their dangerous effects like to follow, which if God prevent not: many poor men are like to fast on Sundays for want of food, and such as have no shoes to go barefoot, if certain devout Cobblers prove not the more courteous: but yet Astrology is not so certain, but it may fail: and therefore diverse hostesses shall chalk more this year than their guests will wipe out: so that I conclude, whatsoever is said by art. Sapiens dominabitur astris.
Your friend and student in Astrology. Adam Fouleweather.



Of the Eclipses that shall happen this present year, to the great and fearful terrifying of the beholders.
If we may credit the authentical censures of Albumazar and Ptolemy, about the motions of celestial bodies, whose influence doth exitate and procure continual mutability in the lower region: we shall find that the Moon this year shall be eclipsed, which shall happen in one of the twelve months, and some of the four quarters of the year, whose points as they shall be totally darkened, so the effects shall be wondrous and strange. For Cancer being the sole house of the Moon, doth presage that this year fruits shall be greatly eaten with caterpillars, as brokers, farmers, and flatterers, which feeding on the sweat of other men's brows, shall greatly hinder the beauty of the spring, and disparage the growth of all hot herbs, unless some northerly wind of God's vengeance clear the trees of such caterpillars, with a hot plague and the pestilence.

But Cancer being a watery sign and chief governor of floods and streams, it foresheweth that fishmongers if they be not well looked to, shall go down as far as Gravesend in wherries, and forestall the market, to the great prejudice of the poor, that all Lent ground their fare on the benefit of salt fish and red herring. Besides it signifieth, that brewers shall make havoc of Thames water, and put more liquor then they were accustomed amongst their malt: to the overthrow of certain crazed ale knights, whose morning draughts of strong beer is a great stay to their stomachs: a lamentable case if it be not looked into and prevented by some speedy supplication to the worshipful order of alecunners. But in this we have great hope that because the effects cannot surprise the cause, diverse tapsters shall trust out more then they can get in: and although they fill their pots but half full: yet for want of true dealing dye in the brewers' debt.

Thus much for the watery sign of Cancer, and because this eclipse is little visible in our horizon, I pass it over with this proviso to all seafaring men, to carry more shirts then one with them a ship board, lest to their great labour they spend many hours in murdering their vermin on the hatches.
 

The Eclipse of the Sun.
The Eclipse of the Sun according to Proclus opinion, is like to produce many hot and pestilent infirmities, especially amongst summoners and pettyfoggers, whose faces being combust with many fiery inflammations, shall shew the dearth that by their devout drinking is like to ensue of barley, if violent death take not away such consuming malt-worms. Diverse are like to be troubled with such hot rheums in their heads, that their hair shall fall off: and such hot agues shall reign this year, with strange fevers and calamities, that if the Sun were not placed in a cold sign, Rhenish wine would rise to ten pence a quart before the latter end of August. But diverse good planets being retrograde, foretelleth that lemons this year shall be plenty, insomuch that many shall use them to bedward, for the qualifying of their hot and inflamed stomachs.

And Mars being placed near the Sun, sheweth that there shall be a great death among people, old women that can live no longer shall die for age: and young men that have usurers to their father, shall this year have great cause to laugh, for the Devil hath made a decree, that after they are once in hell, they shall never rise again to trouble their executors. Beside that by all conjectural arguments the influence of Mars shall be so violent, that diverse soldiers in parts beyond the seas, shall fall out for want of their pay, and here in our meridional clime, great quarrels shall be raised between man and man, especially in cases of law: gentry shall go checkmate with Justice, and coin out-countenance oft times equity: the poor sitting on pennyless bench, shall sell their coats to strive for a straw, & lawyers laugh such fools to scorn as cannot keep their crowns in their purses.

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But here by the way gentle Reader, note that this Eclipse sheweth, that this year shall be some strange births of children produced in some monstrous form, to the grief of the parents, and fearful spectacle of the beholders: but because the Eclipse chanceth southerly, it is little to be feared that the effects shall fall in England: yet somewhat it is to bee doubted, that diverse children shall be born, that when they come to age shall not know their own fathers: Others shall have their fingers of the nature of lime twigs, to get most part of their living with five and a reach: some shall be born with feet like unto hares, that they shall run so swift, that they shall never tarry with master, but trudge from post to pillar, till they take up beggars' bush for their lodging: Others shall have noses like swine, that there shall not be a feast within a mile, but they shall smell it out. But especially it is to be doubted, that diverse women this year shall bee borne with two tongues, to the terrible grief of such as shall marry them,  uttering in their fury such rough-cast eloquence, that knave and slave shall be but holy-day words to their husbands.

And whereas this fearful Eclipse doth continue but an hour and a half, it signifieth that this year women's loves to their husbands shall be very short, some so momentary, that it shall scarce continue from the church door to the wedding house: and that hens, capons, geese, & other pullen shall little haunt poor men's tables, but fly away with spits in their bellies to fat churls' houses, that pamper themselves up with delicates & dainties. And although very few other effects are to be prognosticated, yet let me give this caveat to my countrymen, as a clause to this wonderful Eclipse. Let such as have clothes enough, keep themselves warm from taking of colds and I would wish rich men all this winter to sit by a good fire, and hardly to go to bed without a cup of sack, and that so qualified with sugar, that they prove not rheumatic: let them feed daintily and take ease enough, and no doubt according to the judgment of Albumazar, they are like to live as long as they can, and not to de one hour before their time.
Thus much for this strange Eclipse of the Sun.


Of the second Eclipse of the moon, which is like to fall out when it chanceth either before the 31. of December or else not at all, this present year, 1591.
The second Eclipse of the Moon shall be but little seen in England, whereupon the effects shall be nothing prejudicial to our clime: yet as the body of the moon is never obscure in part or in whole, but some dangerous events do follow: so I mean to set down briefly what is to be looked for in these western parts of the world.

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Marty, France is like to have a great dearth of honest men, if the King prevail not against these mutinous rebels of the League, and Papists in diverse places to be plenty, if God or the King rout them not out with a sharp overthrow. But this hope we have against that rascal rabble of those shavelings, that there was found in an old book this prophecy spoken about Jerusalem long since by a Jew: The tree that God hath not planted shall be pulled up by the roots. Some curious astronomers of late days that are more prophetical than judicial, affirme that Martin the kill-hog for his devout drinking (by the Pope canonized a Saint) shall rise again in the apparel of a Minister, and tickle some of the baser sort with such fond humors in their brains, that diverse self-conceited fools shall become his disciples, & grounding their witless opinion on an heretical foundation, shall seek to ruinate authority, and pervert all good orders established in the Church, to the great prejudice of unity and religion, tituling themselves by the names of Martinistes as the Donatistes grew from Donatus.

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The weather and season will be so cold that diverse for fear of the frost shall sit all day at tables and cards, while their poor wives & families fast at home for their follies.

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Here Saturn retrograde in Gemini shews that there shall this Winter fall such great fogs and mists, that diverse rich men shall loose their purses by the highway side, and poor men bee so weather beaten by the craft of usurers, that they shall beg their bread by the extremity of such extortion.

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Being also greatly to be feared, that through extreme cold poor men shall die at rich men's doors: pity shall bee exiled, good works trussed over the sea with Jack a Lent and hospitality banished as a sign of popish religion: and were it not that some moist showers shall moderate the hardness of the frost, charity should for want of house roam, lie & freeze to death in the streets.

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Diverse great storms are this year to be feared, especially in houses where the wives wear the breeches, with such loud winds, that the women shall scold their husbands quite out of doors, whereupon is like to fall great hailstones as big as joined stools, that some shall have their heads broken, and all through the froward disposition of Venus. But Mars comes in and plays the man, who being placed in Gemini, that governs the arms and shoulders, presageth that sundry tall fellows shall take heart at grass, who being armed with good cudgels, shall so lambeak these stubborn housewives, that the wind shall turn into another quarter, and so the weather ware more calm and quiet.

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Out of the old stock of heresy, this spring it is to be feared, will bloom new schismatical opinions and strange sects, as Brownists, Barrowists, & such balductum devises to the great hindrance of the unity of the Church & confusion of the true faith, if the learned doctor Sir T. Tiburn be not tasked to confute such upstart companions, with his plain & dunstable philosophy.

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