or Night by the preceding Table.

 

 

You must understand that as there are seven dayes of the Week, viz. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday; so there are seven Planets, viz. Saturne, Jupiter, Mars, Sol, Venus, Mercury, Luna: We appropriate to each day of the Week a severall Planet; as to Sunday, Sun; to Monday, Moon; to Thursday, Mars; to Wednesday, Mercury; to Thursday, Jupiter; to Friday, Venus; to Saturday, Saturn: and the first hour of every day we assigne to that Planet assigned for the day, beginning at Sun-rise ever, the second houre we give to the next Planet, the third hour to the third Planet from him; as if upon any Sunday I would know what Planet governeth the first, second, third, fourth, fift, sixt hour of that day, I say Sun governeth the first, Venus the second, Mercury the third, Moon the fourth, Saturn the fift, Jupiter the sixt, &c. and so in order successively during that day and night subsequent: and if you account in order, you shall find by this continuall account, that Moon fals to rule the first hour upon Monday, Saturn the second, Jupiter the third, Mars the fourth, &c.

 

 

It is very true, some of the Ancients have Winter and Summer, made the day and night to consist of equall hours, I mean every hour to consist of sixty minutes equally; but Astrologians doe not so, but follow this method, viz. according to the motion of the Sun both Summer and Winter, so doe they vary their hours in length or shortnesse; for all that space of time which is contained from Sun rise to Sun-set, they divide into twelve equall parts, whereof the one halfe containes the hours before Noon, the rest the hours after Noon; so also, what space of time is from Sun-set untill Sun-rise againe the next day after, is equally divided into 12 parts; whereof every 12^th part containes the space or time of one hour Astrologicall; and we doe ever begin to number from Sun-rise, and continue untill the next Sun­rise, with that Planet who is assigned to the day, and so

all manner of QUESTIONS.

 

 

numbering successively in order untill the next day; so that your Astrologicall hours are called unequall hours, as all the yeer long consisting of more or lesse then 60 minutes for the space of one hour, unlesse it be the day of the Sun his entrance into Aries or Libra, at what time an Astrologicall hour is just 60 minutes and no more.

 

 

Use of the Table.

 

Be the Sun in Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, and you would know the Planetary hour of the day, first and second Pages serve your turne.

 

If you would know the Planetary hour of any day, the Sun being in Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, the third and fourth Pages will serve you.

 

If you would know the Planetary hour of the night or after Sun-­set, whilest the Sun is in Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Leo, Virgo, then you must be directed by the fift and sixt Pages of this Table.

 

If you would know the Planetary hour od the night, the Sun being in Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, the seventh and eight Pages will satisfie you.

 

 

An Example.

 

If you would know when the Sun riseth, being in the third, fourth or fift of Aries, see to the first Column of the first Page, and there you find, Place of the Sun, under it, S.D. viz, Signes, Degrees, under these two letters, Aries 0, then under 0 3. on the right hand, 5 54. over it H.M. viz. Houres and Minutes; so that it tels you, the Sun being in three deg. of Aries, riseth at 54 minutes after 5. proceed in the same line, and you see the Planetary houre; as, admit I would know at halfe an houre after nine in the morning, upon Monday the 15. of March 1646, the Sun at noon that day being in 4.. degr. 47.min. of Aries, which wanting so few min. of 5.degr. I enter with five whole degr. under the Signe Aries, and in the fourth line of the first Column I find 6. for the whole Table of Signes goes by the continuall addition of three, and if I had entred with four or five degrees of Sun in Aries, I might have taken either three or six, and it

The Resolution of

 

 

had bred little difference. But to the purpose, over against 6. on the right hand, I find, as aforesaid, 5 47. for the time of Sun-rising, then 6 47. then in order 7 5. then 8 54. then 9 56, my hour was 9 30. so then I begin and say, the Moon being the Planet of the day, beginneth to rule at 47.min. after 5. and governeth until 47.min. after 6. then Saturn ruleth the 2nd hour of the day, untill 51.min. after 7. then Jupiter ruleth the 3rd hour, viz. till 54.min. after 8. then Mars the fourth hour, until 56.min. after 9. which is the hour sought for, I say Mars ruleth at that hour; and so you must doe either day or night: And you must remember, that as you see onely in the first Column Aries, Taurus, Gemini, so in the ninth Column of the said page, Virgo, Leo, and Cancer, so when you enter with the place of the Sun in Virgo, Leo or Cancer, you must enter upward contrary to the former side; for the Sun being in 15. of Taurus, riseth at the same moment of time as he doth being in the 15. of Leo: or when in the 15. of Virgo, as when in the 15. of Aries. The length of the Planetary hour is thus known, let the Sun be in the 6th degree of Aries, he riseth then, as you may see, at 47.min. after 5.

 

In the third Column you find 6 47. which if you subtract from the next number on the right hand in the same line, viz.

 

7 51. 7 51 rests one hour and four minutes for

6 47 the length of the houre that day,

 

and so as your day-hour is more then 60 minutes, so much the nocturnall hour must want of 60 min. and this is a generall rule.

 

The above named 15. of March 1646, the Sun being in 4 47. of Aries, I would know what Planet reignes at 20 min. past 5. in the afternoon; I enter the first Column of the second Page, under the title of the Sun, in the fourth line under Aries I find 6. and accept of that without errour, because the place of Sun is 4 47. of Aries, and so is neerer 6. then 4. over against 6. on the right hand, I find 1 2. then 2 4.. then 3 6. then 4 9. then 5 11. then 6 13. these tels me, the first Planetary hour after noon ends at 1 2. that is, two min. after one, the second at two min. after two, the third at six min. after three, the fourth at nine min. after four, the fift at eleven min. after five, the sixt at thirteen min. after 6.. now my hour enquired after was 20 mm. past 5. which fals to be the last hour of the

all manner of QUESTIONS.

 

 

day; and if you look over the head of 6 13. you may see the number 12 viz, it’s the twelft hour of the day; now if you begin in the morning at Sun-rise, accounting Moon the first, and so proceed,

 

MOON SATURN JUPITER MARS SUN VENUS MERCURY

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

 

MOON SATURN JUPITER MARS SUN

8 9 10 11 12

 

You shall find, that Sun begins his rule at eleven min. past five, and ends at thirteen min. past six. I need not be more copious in a thing so plaine and obvious to the eye; I shall onely propound one example more, viz..:

the said 15 of March 11 deg. 10 min. after noon, I would know what Planet rules; the Sun being in 4 47 of Aries, I now enter the fifth Page of the Table, I look to the 6. of Aries, against it on the right hand I find 6 13. then 7 11. then 8 9. then 9 7. then 10 4. then 11 2. then 12 0.

 

My hour is ten min. after 11, in the seventh Column you have 11 2.. my hour is included in the next; so then I conclude my hour is the last hour before mid-night, and consequently the 6th hour after Sun-set, but the 18th hour of the day, and being accounted as we formerly instructed, you shall find it the hour of Mars. Either in giving Physick, or performing many naturall conclusions, without exact knowledge of the Astrologicall planetary hour, no worthy work can be done, with it wonders, either in collecting Hearbs, framing Sigils, Images, Lamens, &c.

 

So now by the blessing of Almighty God, without whose providence we can performe no worthy act, I have produced to an end the second part of my intended Work, and could have willingly acquainted untill a further opportunity had been offered: but such is the desire and importunity of severall wel-affected to this study, that beyond my first intentions I againe adventure upon the succeding Traciate of NATIVITIES, wherein the pitifull and mercifull God of all the faithfull, whole brightnesse shines in our fraile understandings, assist me, that I may performe this Work with judgment and understanding, for the good of all honest­hearted English, my most beloved Country-men. Assist me 0 glorious God, for my Task is difficult, and thy servant is of little understanding! few, nay none at all are the helps I expect from any man living (having hitherto had no assistance)

The Resolution of

 

 

but what thy pleasure is, But the universall Anima Mundi, to infuse into my obscure intellective part, that will I candidly deliver without deceit or fraud and as my former two Parts have had neither the Head, Hand or Heart or assistance of any man, so neither now will I beg or begin to distrust that Providence, whereby I have waded through the former Treatise, but will like a valiant Champion enter the fields of Defiance, against all the world of Detractors, and performe what my present weaknesse is able, &c. not doubting but there wil some arise in all Ages, who will either amend my failings, or defend my sayings so farre as they may with modesty.

 

June 11. 1647.

WILLIAM LILLY

 

 

APPENDIX A

 

Lilly’s hand-drawn charts are often difficult to read. Using data provided by Anthony Louis in his excellent book, Horary Astrology Plain & Simple, I have redrawn the charts in a modern astrology program. All charts use the Regiomontanus house system.

 

There will be slight differences between the original charts, and the modern ones. Our modern day ephemeredes are more accurate than those Lilly had available to him.

 

Each chart is titled according to the page number on which the original, hand-drawn chart appears. The chart “Lilly 473” is followed by an adjusted chart that moves the moon into Capricorn, as in Lilly’s original.

 

 

The final chart—Lilly’s natal chart--is not from Christian Astrology.