John Gadbury
John Gadbury ( born January 1, 1627 Wheatley, Oxfordshire, † end of March 1704 in London ) was an English astrologer.
Life and work
John Gadbury was the illegitimate son of the farmer William Gadbury from Worminghall and Frances, daughter of member of Parliament and wealthy nobleman from Oxfordshire, Sir John Curzon of Waterperry, the Roman Catholic faith was and his daughter disinherited because of this socially unacceptable relationship.
Gadbury grew up in poverty and was given at the age of around 14 years to Thomas Niclas, a tailor in Oxford, in the doctrine. Maybe it could have later led to a reconciliation with the wealthy grandfather, the Gadbury more extensive training allows. Evidence are not preserved; Gadbury himself later stated that he had studied at Oxford physics and astrology.
1644 Gadbury left Oxford to London to become a pupil of William Lilly, who was called at that time the " British Merlin " and was considered the leading astrologer of England. With him Gadbury learned besides the basics of astrology and divination, the calculation of ephemeris parameters and almanac production.
About 1648 he married for the first time; from the marriage was in 1651 a son, John, forth, which was only a year old. His wife died before 1681; 1687 Gadbury was a second marriage, which was childless.
Subsequently, he joined various religious groups, the Presbyterians, the Independents and 1648, the Quaker sect of Ranters Abiezer Coppe, from 1651 he parted again. Politically, he was first trailer of the Levellers. In 1652 he returned may return to Oxfordshire to meet not only his grandfather, but to also include a study of astrology under Nicolas Fiske. In 1655 he published his first annual ephemeris and in 1656 his emendation of Hartgil 's Astronomical Tables ( "Improvement of Hartgils astronomical tables ") that Lilly knew with a preface. In the same year his two-volume coelestis Legatus published, or the Celestial Ambassadour, astronomically Predicting the grand Catastrophe did is probable to befall the most of the kingdoms and countries of Europe and in 1658 Genethlialogia, or the Doctrine of Nativities and The Doctrine of Horary Questions, Astrologically handled ( provided with its created by T. Cross portrait ).
Under Oliver Cromwell's reign, changed Gadburys political beliefs. He was a royalist, turned to the political rights under the Tories and converted to the Catholic faith. This led to tensions with Lily, who was standing on the part of parliamentarians. It came to a rift; Gadburys 1661 published horoscope collection now carried the imprimatur and a foreword by the court astrologers and rival George Wharton, Gadbury what Lily called in Scripture as " Oliver's agents ". Between the former friends and close colleagues a deep dispute, they fought out publicly in their writings relaxing. 1674 Lilly described those individuals who - like Gadbury - born under the Scorpio Ascendant, as criminal and fraudulent, whereupon Gadbury responded with a sharp defense statement to "Grandpa Lilly". Lilly now, on his part under the pseudonym Bentivolio Philo - Huff - Lash with A just reward for unreasonable service or, An Answer to JG 's late Hectorisme for Scorpio, & c. London 1675, in which he called Gadbury as "dangerous Don Quixote".
Even with his student John Partridge came Gadbury in enmity, while a few, Elias Ashmole and John Aubrey, known among them as his followers. Partridge was a member of the Whigs and Protestant, while Gadbury as his grandfather was now the Roman Catholic faith. In addition, Gadbury hung in his astrological work on the court Regiomontanus house system, while Partridge had redeveloped the Placidus house system.
On November 2, 1679 Gadbury was arrested and falsely accused of involvement in the Popish plot, of which he was acquitted in 1681 and received compensation for detention. In June 1690 he was a conspiracy against William III. Suspected and again spent a few weeks in detention, without leading to the process or he was sentenced ( Orange ).
The time of death Gadburys is not clearly preserved. Contemporary documents speak of the end of March or merely mention that he was buried on March 28, 1704 in St. Margaret 's Church, Westminster.