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A Selection of Biographical Sketches by Ruth Baker
Dr. Ardee, whose real name was Richard Delahay, was born on the 31st December 1574 at Derby. His nativity was drawn up by William Lilly. Dr. Ardee had been an attorney, but had also studied astrology and medicine. Lilly tells us that "he was of moderate judgment, both in astrology and physic." He was acquainted with Charles Sled, a spy who worked for Sir Francis Walsingham in denouncing Catholic priests. Lilly tells us that Sled (who was also an apothecary) "used the crystal and had very perfect sight" – a very useful adjunct to a spy it would seem! De. Ardee told Lilly that an angel once appeared to him offering him a thousand-year lease of life. As Dr. Ardee died at about eighty years old, we must assume that he declined the offer. On his death he left his widow two or three thousand pounds – a tidy sum in those days. Dr. Ardee must have been of a somewhat nervous disposition, because when he inherited the astrologer William Poole's library, he was so frightened of a curse attached to the legacy which threatened that the devil would fetch him body and soul should he give the books to his (Poole's) widow, that he passed them to William Lilly. Lilly, obviously being of a tougher nature gave them to Poole's widow. Ashmole writes in his diary that he and William Lilly paid a visit to Dr. Ardee at his house in the Minories in June 1650.
Elias Ashmole was born on the 23rd May 1617, just a few doors away from the birthplace of Samuel Johnson. His father was a saddler and although his other was of good descent it was expected that Elias would follow his father's trade. However, having shown himself to be a bright boy, possessing no little musical talent, he was taken in by a relation on his mother's side, James Paget, and continued his studies in London. Here he received legal training as well as continuing his musical studies. His interests were wide-ranging and at various times he studied astronomy, astrology, alchemy, mathematics, philosophy, magic, heraldry and botany. He also wrote poetry. In March 1638 he married his first wife, Eleanor Manwaring – well born but from an impecunious family. The marriage was apparently happy even though Eleanor was fourteen years his senior. William Lilly describes her appearance in flattering terms, writing that she was "loving to her husband and a civil person to all". Unfortunately Eleanor died in 1641 – she was pregnant at the time. Thanks to a very advantageous second marriage to a widow almost twenty years his senior, Ashmole was able to pursue all his leisure interests. Astrology had become of major importance. His diaries are full of various horary questions of every type. Mercury was in the first house, the strongest planet in his natal chart and he often represented himself by that name. Ashmole was fond of using planetary glyphs to represent the people he knew, and he often wrote in cipher. He used Saturn as a symbol for his second wife, Lady Manwaring. This marriage does not appear to have been a happy one. Ashmole was Lady Manwaring's fourth husband. Lilly describes her as "a lady very handsome … accidentally very much Saturnine", but says that Ashmole "hath not received so much content in this marriage as he might have if the stars had been more favourably disposed". Lady Manwaring died on the 1st April 1668. Strangely, Ashmole does not record having attended her funeral. In November 1668 Ashmole married his thrid wife, Elizabeth Dugdale. By the time Ashmole met William Lilly in 1646, he had begun to study astrology very seriously indeed. He was a committed Royalist and one of his great friends was Lilly's rival, the astrologer George Wharton, later to become Sir George Wharton. Lilly of course was at this time a staunch Parliamentarian, and the political differences between the two men initially led to some mutual suspicion. Yet, although the friendship was slow to develop, Lilly and Ashmole became devoted and lifelong friends, preserving a mutual affection and admiration which showed itself in many ways. When Christian Astrology was published in 1647, Ashmole write a poem in praise of the work, and later, Lilly dedicated his autobiography "to his worthy friend, Elias Ashmole". When Lilly was summoned to appear before a parliamentary committee regarding his prediction of the Great Fire of 1666, Ashmole defended his friend vigorously, thus earning Lilly's lifelong gratitude. The Ashmoles and the Lillys seem to have made a happy foursome. The Ashmoles often stayed at Hersham with Lilly and his wife Ruth. Lilly always referred affectionately to Elizabeth Ashmole as "my Gallant" – later Ashmole was to give the same title to Ruth. When Elizabeth stayed at Hersham without Elias, Lilly kept his friend informed by letter of the happy domestic atmosphere. "My Gallant beats me constantly at Noddy (a card game rather like cribbage) though I am the better Gamester – you would laugh to see her choller when my wife tutors me at play." Gifts were regularly exchanged between the two families. Gifts from Lilly to Ashmole included grapes, asparagus, cabbages. sprats, oatmeal, eggs, cheese, butter, etc. Gifts from Ashmole included oysters, a length of calico for Ruth, four swarms of bees, and so on. William Lilly suffered a stroke on the 25th May 1681 and had lost his eyesight. Ashmole went to see his friend in June and found him in a very poor state. When he died, Ashmole, at Lilly's prior request, assisted at the funeral and had a black marble stone erected in memory of his friend. He also bought Lilly's library of books from Ruth for the sum of £50 – apparently carrying out Lilly's wishes. Ashmole's health began to deteriorate round about 1686. Apart from the gout which had been troubling him for some time, he also began to experience other symptoms. He died at home on the 18th or 19th of May 1692 and was buried in St. Marys Church, Lambeth.
John Booker, born in Manchester in 1601, was a year younger than William Lilly and was destined to become renowned for his astrological skills as Lilly himself. Lilly tells us that from an early age he was "well instructed in the Latin tongue" and that "he seemed from his infancy to be designed for astrology". Lilly also tells us that he was always poring over almanacs. Later, of course, like Lilly, he become known for the regular production and distribution of his won astrological almanacs. Before taking up astrology as a profession however, John Booker worked as a haberdasher's apprentice in Laurence Lane, London. He then became a writing master in Hadley, Middlesex keeping the position until he took up astrology seriously and began to write on the subject. It was during the following year that he started publishing his almanacs. Booker soon built up a large astrological practice in London, which he pursued for over thirty years, averaging roughly a thousand cases a year from 1648 to 1655. Many rich and famous people came to consult him and he received great admiration for having successfully predicted the deaths of the Elector of Palatine and Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden. This, of course, was the era of the Civil War and Booker, who was a Roundhead partisan, was consulted by many notable people including Oliver Cromwell's son-in-law, John Claypole. Much of Booker's practice, of course, consisted of answering horary questions on such subjects as health, theft, love affairs, inheritance, property, etc. One client asked why he had lost £800 in only four years and whether anyone had spoilt his credit by malice. The same client even asked when his father was going to die and who would inherit his estate. Elias Ashmole (who was to become a great friend) once asked him "Whether my wife shall have her health in the house I am about to take near Boswell Court". It was in December 1646 that Booker first became acquainted with Ashmole, and Samuel Pepys in his famous diary gives a lively description of a convivial evening spent in the company of friends, Lilly and Ashmole being among their number. Pepys records that "Booker told me a great many fooleries which may be done with nativities". One wonders what they were! Unfortunately, and strangely for a man who was to be appointed as Parliamentary Licenser of Mathematical books and almanacs, Booker was earlier imprisoned in 1634 by the High Commission on a charge of printing unlicensed almanacs! Like most of the astrologers of his day, he became embroiled in quarrels an disputes, but Lilly tells us that "he was a very honest man, abhorred any deceit in the art he studied". However, Booker's appointment s Licenser caused something of a blip early in his relationship with Lilly who had to apply to him for a license to publish his Merlinus Anglicus in 1644. For some reason (maybe a tinge of jealousy?) Booker made several alterations and deletions in the copy, much to Lilly's indignation – "impertinent obliterations" as he called them. However Merlinus Anglicus was such a success, the first impression being sold in only one week, that Lilly was later given permission to publish it in its original form. This incident however, did not preclude a lifelong friendship between the two men. Later in Booker's life, health problems developed and Lilly tells us that "he was inclined to a diabetes" and that during the last three years of his life he was afflicted with dysentery. After his death in 1667 leaving two sons and two daughters, Booker's widow sold his library of books to Elias Ashmole, who paid her far more than they were worth. Ever generous to his friends, Ashmole also paid for the headstone.
William Bredon was a Vicar of Thornton in Buckinghamshire. According to Lilly, he was also a very good astrologer, especially at nativities which he delineated according to Ptolemy. Bredon held the post of chaplain to Sir Christopher Heydon and had a hand in his composition Defence of Judicial Astrology. Apparently he had rather a fancy for tobacco and drink, to the extent that when his supply ran out he would cut the bell ropes and smoke them instead. Such was his liking for astrology that he would sometimes set figures in church so that he could tell enquiring parishioners what had become of their lost or stolen horses or cattle. However, it seems that at least he drew the line at practising astrology on Sundays. Among his predictions was one tht the younger Richard Napier would marry in 1629. When William's two daughters died within a month of each other, he went to Richard Napier to discuss the astrological reasons for the tragedy which had befallen him.
Captain Bubb was a horary astrologer who lived in Lambeth. Although he was apparently a well-spoken and handsome man, according to William Lilly he was possessed of a covetous and dishonest nature. Lilly tells the story of how a butcher who had been robbed of £40, going to Captain Bubb who said that if he were to be given £10 it would help him to catch the thief. He then told the butcher that on a certain night he was to watch in a certain place when the thief would come to him here and that he should stop him. At midnight someone came rising along at full gallop, whereby the butcher knocked him down and seized both man and horse. Unfortunately it wasn't a thief but a servant of Captain Bubb. The Captain was indicted, suffered upon the pillory and ended his days in disgrace. Bubb seemed to find various ways of raising money with an associate (Ripton) and tried to claim £35 for expenses for restoring money owed to one of their clients.
Lilly was introduced to his first astrology tutor, John Evans, in 1632 by a Justice of the Peace. Evans, who had formerly lived in Staffordshire, was at that time residing in Gunpowder Alley in London. Apparently, when the two men called on him, Evans was in a drunken stupor. After rousing himself however he agreed to give Lilly some tuition. It took Lilly just seven or eight weeks to master the intricacies of setting up a figure even though, at that time, John Evans apparently possessed only two astrology books, one by Haly and Origanus's Ephemerides. Evans was a Welshman by birth, a Master of Arts and apparently had taken Holy Orders. It seems that he had been forced to quit Staffordshire because of some scandal. Lilly describes him as saturnine and "of middle stature, broad forehead, beetle browed, thick shoulders, flat nosed, full lips, downlooked, black curling stiff hair, splay footed". His only redeeming feature it seems was a "piercing judgment on theft and other questions". Some years ago, someone kindly sent me a copy of a drawing entitled "The Ill-favoured Astrologer of Wales" and it has to be said that Lilly's description is not an exaggeration. John Evans was an abusive and quarrelsome character, often to be seen with a black eye. He was also no mean magician. Evans' main source of income seems to have been derived from the sale of antimonial cups. He also practised magic. We have no reason to believe that Lilly doubted Evans' apparent powers of raising spirits from the dead, or conjuring angles, because he tells the tale of Evans successfully calling you the angle Saloman, who obliged by stealing the deeds of some land on behalf of a widow lady who was being defrauded. Lilly tells how the angel carefully laid the deeds down upon the table spread with a white cloth before vanishing completely upon the word of command. Lilly also recounts an episode which occurred before he became acquainted with Evans, when Evans was asked by Lord Bothwell and Sir Kenelm Digby to show them a spirit. Evans duly invoked an angel who carried him away before their very eyes, later depositing him in a field near Battersea Causeway. On hearing this tale, Lilly asked why the spirit should have carried Evans away. Evans replied that at the time of the invocation, he had not made any incense offering. This had bee a cause of annoyance to the spirits!! Whilst Lilly was studying with Evans, he bought many astrological books for study without telling his volatile tutor. Eventually, he became thoroughly disillusioned with Evans and fell out with him. One of the reasons was because of a disagreement over a horary question. (How many modern astrologers have fallen out over horary questions?) In Lilly's case it seems that whilst watching Evans judging a chart, he, Lilly, came to the very opposite conclusion. On questioning Evans on his judgement, Evans, true to form, lost his temper, saying that he would not be corrected by a novice. When his temper had died down, he admitted forming his judgement with the intention of pleasing his client because had she not had the answer she sought, she would have paid him nothing. In justification for this, Evans pleaded that he had a wife and family to support. Thus ended Lilly's study with John Evans. He then applied himself to his own books, sometimes working between twelve and eighteen hours of the night or day to perfect his art.
Nicholas Fiske was born in Suffolk round about 1575. His parents were not poor and he received a good education, later studying astrology and medicine. For a time he practised in Colchester, Essex, by then moved to London. Fiske was a man of many and varied talents. As well as astrology and medicine he studied astronomy, geometry and algebra to such a degree that he was appointed to teach these subjects to no less than the Lord Treasurer's son. Nicholas, who was friendly with Elias Ashmole and John Booker, met William Lilly in 1633. At this time he was said to be well skilled in answering horary questions and in directing nativities. In spite of this, Lilly wrote that "he had no genius in teaching his scholars for he never perfected any". He also tells of one of Fiske's scholars who had been learning astrology from him for three years. Apparently, because of the poor scholar "being never the wiser", Fiske brought him to Lilly who said that "by shewing him how to judge a figure his eyes were opened". Fiske was a frequent visitor to Lilly's home and would often consult him about difficult horary questions. Being a very modest man, he was more inclined to accept Lilly's judgement than his own. Yet according to John Gadbury, Fiske was paid £100 for judging the nativity of Sir Robert Holborn – a princely sum indeed in those days and more so because Fiske apparently asked Lilly to judge the first, seventh and tenth houses. John Booker used to be paid about two shillings and sixpence. At the time when William Lilly was collecting notes for writing on an approaching conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn. Fiske sent him a small manuscript which had belonged to Sir Christopher Heydon who had written on the similar conjunction of 1603. When Lilly published his Prophetical Merlin in 1644 John Booker accused him of plagiarism, yet Lilly said that he only made use of five or six lines of the work. According to Lilly, Fiske died circa 1653 at the age of 78, although John Gadbury, who was his pupil, siad that "his honoured friend and tutor died 84 years old".
William Marsh of Dunstable was a papist. Lilly was familiar with him for many years and tells us that he was a man of godly life and upright conversation, also that he was good at resolving horary questions about theft. He must have been a fairly popular man, because although he was often in trouble, he was able to continue his astrological practice through the timely intervention of friends. He used only two books for has astrological work, those of Guido Bonatus and Haly. The two books were bound together and both were so well thumbed that the leaves were torn as far as the centre. John Aubrey writes the Marsh was a good astrologer, but that he once confessed to a friend of Elias Ashmole that astrology was but the countenance and the he did his business by the help of the blessed spirits. Apparently only men of great goodness could be acquainted with the spirits. Marsh was once named as being amongst those who were accused of being the head of the whole college of witches. At the time Ashmole's friend was with him, he was said to be a hundred years old. He died in 1647.
Richard Napier (Lilly refers to him as Dr. Napper) was born in 1559 and was Rector of Great Lindford in Buckinghamshire. His portrait by an anonymous painter shows him as a man with a long thin face and dour expression. Lilly tells us that Napier had been a pupil of Simon Forman by whom he was given the affectionate nickname of "Sandy". Forman's affection for his pupil, who later became his lifelong friend is shown not only by the frequent exchange of letters and gifts between the two men, by the the fact that Forman on his death bequeathed to Napier possessions which included rarities and secret manuscripts. As well as his clerical duties, Richard Napier practised astrology for over forty years until his death in 1634. According to Lilly he was "a singular astrologer and physician" and that he instructed other members of the Church in astrology and would lend them "while cloak-bags of books". Many people including patients and parishioners came to Napier with various horary questions. He was once asked who would win the cup at Stanford races. Another client wanted to know whether a servant's child was his. His interest in horary astrology is shown by the fact that when his patients came for advice on their illnesses Napier would treat them as horary queries. As a man of his time, his case books contain examples of people how believed that they were haunted by spirits, including many cases of suspected witchcraft. H would then often make astrological sigils. Elias Ashmole told John Aubrey that a woman who had been given a spell to cure an ague was reprimanded by Dr. Napier on the grounds of seeking help from the devil. He told her to burn the spell. Unfortunately when she had duly done this the illness returned and she then asked her doctor for a repeat spell which apparently immediately released her. When Dr. Napier heard of this he was somewhat annoyed and apparently frightened her so much that she once again confined the spell to the fire. When the illness returned yet again, she asked the doctor for another, but he refused saying that she had slighted the power and goodness of the blessed spirits – whereupon she died! Aubrey writes that Napier was abstinent, innocent and pious, spending a couple of hours each day in family prayer. When patients sought his advice he was in the habit of falling to his knees and praying about it – it is said that he died whilst praying upon his knees. It seems that he conversed with the angle Raphael who would give him the answers he sought. Eventually his knees became hoary due to frequent prayer. Aubrey tells us that most of the money he made through medicine went to the poor.
According to John Aubrey, William Oughtred was born on the 5th March 1574 and died in 1660, the year of the Restoration. Lilly describes Oughtred as "the most famous mathematician of all Europe". The son of a schoolmaster, from whom he learnt mathematics, Oughtred held the post of pastor at Albury, Surrey, for fifty years. A man of wide and varied interests, he studied chemistry, Latin, Greek and astrology as well as having an interest in alchemy. He is credited with the introduction of the "times" sign [x] as a multiplication symbol as well as writing a summary of algebra and arithmetic. Aubrey describes him as a small man with black hair and eyes who was "given to drawing diagrams in the dust". Among his pupils were Seth Ward and Jonas Moore. Seth Ward actually lodged with him for six months. Oughtred must have been a very generous man, because not only did he not charge Seth Ward any rent, neither did he charge his pupils for their lessons. Such is the attraction of opposites that Oughtred married a lady who was somewhat on the mean side to say the least. Aubrey notes in his diary that "she would not let him burn a candle after supper". Presumably they sat in darkness unless his friends generously lit a candle for him. He had nine sons and four daughters but apparently could not make scholars out of any of the sons. Because of his interest in astrology and alchemy, many people regarded Oughtred as a conjurer – apparently he had no objection to this. An acquaintance once said that Oughtred confessed to him that he was not satisfied how it came about that one might foretell by the stars, by that he had found by experience that predictions came true. He once noted "an army of horse seen in the sky at Blackheath in 1643". Many people believed at that time that such happenings were omens sent by God. When he died in the year of the accession of Charles II his friend, Ralph Greatorex said that he "conceived that he died with joy for the restoration of the monarchy".
The astrologer William Poole was a man of many professions – he boasted of having seventeen. Lilly described him as "a nibbler at astrology, sometimes a gardener, an apparitor, a drawer of line; as quoifs, handkerchiefs, a plaisterer and a bricklayer". Also he rather fancied himself as a poet. Poole once had a warrant out for his arrest on the grounds that he was once in some company of dubious repute in a tavern from which a silver cup disappeared. Poole immediately removed himself and all his books to Westminster. Later, on hearing that the judge had died, he returned home, and on learning the whereabouts of the grave, defecated on it and wrote that he had done so in verse. William Poole died in 1651 or 1652 in Southwark. In his will he bequeathed his books and one of his own manuscripts to Dr. Ardee. Unfortunately the bequest was accompanied by a command in the form of a curse, that he must not give his (Poole's) wife any books or possessions. Poor Dr. Ardee was so terrified by the curse that he passed on the things to Lilly who in his turn gave them to Poole's widow!! Lilly writes in his autobiography that Poole's estate amounted to only four or five pounds. Another link with Poole was that Lilly apparently gave away his wife at his wedding which took place at St. Georges Church, Southwark.
Select Bibliography Elias Ashmole Autobiographical
and Historical Notes etc. Ed. C.H. Josten, Clarendon Press, 1966 (c) Copyright Ruth Baker, 2005. All rights reserved.
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Amended 1 November 2005
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