Lilly on a Gentleman born in 1585

Recently, astrologer Tanja Ristovky retyped William Lilly’s analysis of the chart of a gentleman born in 1585 and posted it on her website. Lilly gives a brief delineation of the houses of the natal chart and then examines some important primary directions during the native’s life. He explains that he asked the man for some “accidents” in order to rectify the chart. Then, having adjusted the birth time accordingly, Lilly sent the man a detailed report. Lilly’s chart contains some inaccuracies which may be typos or simply due to imprecise values in his ephemeris.

Here is a close approximation to the chart which Lilly used for his client.

This is a close approximation to the rectified chart of a gentleman which Lilly published in England’s Prophetical Merline in 1644. The positions of the planets differ slightly from those used by Lilly with the exception of Mercury, which Lilly’s chart has at 10 Cancer (possibly a typo by the printer or by Lilly himself). Lilly’s chart has the MC at 27 Gemini and the Asc and 27 Virgo 22′.

It is definitely worth reading Lilly’s lengthy original text, posted on Tanja Ristovky’s site. Here I would like to present just a brief summary. Lilly begins with a delineation of the non-malefic houses 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10 and 11. In doing so, he comments on the gentleman’s stature, personality, worldly estate, kindred, parents, inheritance, sex life, potential for children, possible illnesses, prospects for marriage, travel, career matters and friendships.

Lilly makes a somewhat odd comment when discussing children. He notes that the man never married but that with natal Venus in Leo in the 11th house square the Moon in Taurus in the 8th, the gentleman is sexually potent and would have had ready access to attractive women to “experiment upon” (Lilly’s words) yet with “Saturn in the 8th, few would have lived.”

Lilly next proceeds to look at this gentleman’s primary directions at length, using the Regiomontanus circle of position method rather than the Ptolemaic method of proportional semi-arc.

Noting that Mars is close to the Ascendant, Lilly says that early in life this gentleman must have been subject to childhood illnesses, such as measles. By primary motion, Mars would have crossed the eastern horizon when this man was 3 to 4 years old. The client confirms the he had measles as a young child but does not recall the exact age.

Next Lilly notices that the South Lunar Node in Taurus in the 8th house will conjoin the position of the natal Moon by primary motion in about 8 degrees in the bestial sign of Taurus the Bull. Doing the math, he notes that by Regiomontanus circles of position, the primary direction will perfect in 1596. Lilly delineates this direction as suggesting a sudden accident in which the native was harmed on the head, arms, neck or shoulders, perhaps involving a violent four-footed beast, or a fall. He then states that the sextile from Asc-ruler Mercury to this direction would have been protective, perhaps signifying the helpful intervention of a mechanic. The client confirms that in 1596 a cartwheel almost fell on him but the wheelwright (Mercury) saved the day. Modern calculations show the South Node to Moon direction perfected on 15 Nov 1596, and the Mercury sextile South Node direction perfected on 11 December 1596.

Lilly continues that at age 16 the client must have come to London to work as a servant because by primary direction Mercury arrived at the upper meridian at that time, with the MC in the terms of Saturn (servile work). Here Lilly is in error because he mistakenly believed that Mercury was at 10 Cancer, when in reality it was at 20 Cancer in the nativity. The Right Ascension of natal Mercury is 111d 36m, and the R.A. of the natal MC (modern chart) is 85d 55m, so that the difference between them is 25d 41m, which would correspond to about age 26 rather than age 16. Later Lilly reports that age 26 was a turbulent and unquiet year with aspersions cast on the native’s reputation. Perhaps this misfortune is related to directed Mercury at the MC in the terms of Saturn, activating the natal Mercury-Saturn square, with Saturn conjunct the 8th Regiomontanus cusp.

Because Lilly used the incorrect position of Mercury, he would not have noticed the direction of the natal sextile of Jupiter (cast into 4 Leo) being carried to Asc-ruler Mercury in the 10th by primary motion and perfecting in October of 1600 (in the modern chart), which would have been in 1601 in Lilly’s chart with an MC at 27 Gemini). Most likely natal Jupiter in the 9th aspecting Asc-ruler in the 10th indicated this client’s move to London at age 16, especially since Jupiter occupies the 9th of travel and rules the 4th of home and the 7th of relocation.

Lilly continues with his comments about Mercury, stating that in the year 1605 the Ascendant meets with the square aspect of Mercury by primary direction. In reality, Mercury cast its square to 20 Libra and not to 10 Libra, as Lilly mistakenly believed, so that this Mercury square to horizon direction does not perfect in reality until 1619 when the native is 35 years old.

To rectify the chart, Lilly checked several accidents reported by the native, but he relied most heavily on his having attained a good office at age 41. Lilly writes: “In July 1626, being complete 41 years of age, the Sun was directed to a Trine of the Moon, and the Medium Coeli to a Sextile of Jupiter near the cusp of the 11th House. Now he had a good office. By this accident I rectified the whole Nativity.”

In the modern chart, the Moon lies at 2 Taurus 54′ and its trine at 2 Virgo 54′. In Lilly’s original chart the Moon lies at 2 Taurus 06′ — there is almost a degree of difference. In the Solar Fire chart the trine of the Moon arrives at the position of the Sun on 21 December 1626. In addition, the Sextile of Jupiter in the modern chart lies at 4 Leo 01′ near the 11th cusp and by primary motion arrives at the MC on 12 April 1626. Because Lilly’s planetary positions differ from those calculated by modern computer, his timing is a bit different but in the same ballpark. Both these primary directions perfect within orb of the native turning 41 years old.

The article from the 1644 edition of England’s Prophetical Merlin continues in this manner, showing how Lilly delineated the natal chart and used primary directions to forecast events over the course of the native’s lifetime. Despite Lilly’s errors and miscalculations, the text gives us insight into how Lilly worked with his clients’ charts.