William Lilly's History of His Life and Times: From the Year 1602 to 1681

by William Lilly

William Lilly (1602-1681), was a famed English astrologer and occultist during his time. He began to dabble in astrology, reading all the books on the subject he could fall in with, and occasionally trying his hand at unravelling mysteries by means of his art. The years 1642 and 1643 were devoted to a careful revision of all his previous reading, and in particular, having lighted on Valentine Naibod's Commentary on Alcabitius, he "seriously studied him and found him to be the profoundest author he ever met with. His most comprehensive book was published in 1647 and was entitled Christian Astrology. It is so large that it came in three separate volumes in modern times, and it remains popular even today and has never gone totally out-of-print. Lilly caused much controversy in 1666 for allegedly predicting the Great Fire of London some 14 years before it happened. For this reason many people believed that he might have started the fire, but there is no evidence to support these claims. He was tried for the offence in Parliament but was found to be innocent.

Genres: Astrology, History, Nonfiction

116 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

William Tyler Lilly

Reviews

[Jon Adler · Rating 3 out of 5]

a fascinating read. i haven’t read Lilly’s classic *Christian Astrology*, so this was my first introduction to his writing. for someone writing over 300 years ago, his humor translates quite well. comforting to know their is a long tradition of mischievous astrologers. in particular, reading about how he would make copies of his almanacs and remove certain passages just to tell Parliament that he never made certain predictions was… ridiculous.

the annotations and other historical context included in this edition were indispensable. while i learned the basic facts of the Oliver Cromwell / English Civil War situation when i was in high school, it was radically different to read a firsthand account of someone so enmired in the business of Parliament and the various kings. the original english can be a bit obtuse, but no more so than reading a Shakespeare play.

Lilly had an amazing life. this is probably the earliest autobiography i’ve read, and i was struck over and over again by how similar his life was to contemporary life. not in terms of technology, of course, but in terms of the kind of issues he was dealing with: multiple marriages, getting sued, fighting smear campaigns by various enemies, taxes, and an uneasy political climate.

obviously a super niche pick, but if you’re interested in hearing what Lilly had to say about his life, highly recommend.

[Charissa Weaks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this primary source amazing. Written by astrologer William Lilly in the 17th century for his friend Elias Ashmole--yes, that Ashmole, and printed in 1715. It's an autobiography, and not as difficult to read as many of the other 17C documents I've come across. A great insight into the 17C life of a young man and the different paths one could take in that time, as well as a first-hand look into an astrologer's experiences. Highly recommend this for anyone researching the time or the man. The digitized/scanned archived copy through the Library of Congress was easier to read than the Kindle version they offer for download.

[Simão Cortês · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lilly's autobiography is a fascinating piece. He was probably the most respected astrologer of his time in England, and this book just tells the stories of his many adventures and misadventures as an astrologer during the British civil war. The best part of the book are some hidden remarks about astrology and magic that serve as a window to a completely hidden side of Lilly, that of a pious adept of the magical arts who regards astrology as the higher mysteries.

[lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

William Lilly his life history

Gives clear description of the way 15th & 16th century sudoscientist looked at life and politics in English history, I enjoyed the book very much. Others may not share my opinion. In the same type of booksl enjoyed Samuel Peppyss Diarys. Steve Routh