The Bickerstaff-Partridge Papers | Page 3

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Jonathan Swift, et al. The Bickerstaff-Partridge Papers, etc. Annus
Mirabilis
PREDICTIONS FOR THE YEAR 1708

Wherein the month, and day of the month are set down, the persons
named, and the great actions and events of next year particularly related,
as will come to pass.
Written to prevent the people of England from being farther imposed
on by vulgar almanack-makers.
By Isaac Bickerstaff, Esq.
I have long consider'd the gross abuse of astrology in this kingdom, and
upon debating the matter with myself, I could not possibly lay the fault
upon the art, but upon those gross impostors, who set up to be the
artists. I know several learned men have contended that the whole is a
cheat; that it is absurd and ridiculous to imagine, the stars can have any
influence at all upon human actions, thoughts, or inclinations: And
whoever has not bent his studies that way, may be excused for thinking
so, when he sees in how wretched a manner that noble art is treated by
a few mean illiterate traders between us and the stars; who import a
yearly stock of nonsense, lyes, folly, and impertinence, which they
offer to the world as genuine from the planets, tho' they descend from
no greater a height than their own brains.
I intend in a short time to publish a large and rational defence of this art,
and therefore shall say no more in its justification at present, than that it

hath been in all ages defended by many learned men, and among the
rest by Socrates himself, whom I look upon as undoubtedly the wisest
of uninspir'd mortals: To which if we add, that those who have
condemned this art, though otherwise learned, having been such as
either did not apply their studies this way, or at least did not succeed in
their applications; their testimony will not be of much weight to its
disadvantage, since they are liable to the common objection of
condemning what they did not understand.
Nor am I at all offended, or think it an injury to the art, when I see the
common dealers in it, the students in astrology, the philomaths, and the
rest of that tribe, treated by wise men with the utmost scorn and
contempt; but rather wonder, when I observe gentlemen in the country,
rich enough to serve the nation in parliament, poring in Partridge's
almanack, to find out the events of the year at home and abroad; not
daring to propose a hunting-match, till Gadbury or he have fixed the
weather.
I will allow either of the two I have mentioned, or any other of the
fraternity, to be not only astrologers, but conjurers too, if I do not
produce a hundred instances in all their almanacks, to convince any
reasonable man, that they do not so much as understand common
grammar and syntax; that they are not able to spell any word out of the
usual road, nor even in their prefaces write common sense or
intelligible English. Then for their observations and predictions, they
are such as will equally suit any age or country in the world. "This
month a certain great person will be threatened with death or sickness."
This the news-papers will tell them; for there we find at the end of the
year, that no month passes without the death of some person of note;
and it would be hard if it should be otherwise, when there are at least
two thousand persons of not in this kingdom, many of them old, and
the almanack-maker has the liberty of chusing the sickliest season of
the year where he may fix his prediction. Again, "This month an
eminent clergyman will be preferr'd;" of which there may be some
hundreds half of them with one foot in the grave. Then "such a planet
in such a house shews great machinations, plots and conspiracies, that
may in time be brought to light:" After which, if we hear of any
discovery, the astrologer gets the honour; if not, his prediction still
stands good. And at last, "God preserve King William from all his open

and secret enemies, Amen." When if the King should happen to