William Lilly

William Lilly ( born May 11, 1602 Diseworth, Leicestershire, † June 9, 1681 ) was an English astrologer.

Life

Lilly was the son of a free peasant who gave him a good education, so that Lilly spoke Latin fluently. However, a university education was denied to him after his father had gone into debt. In 1620, Lilly therefore took up a position as a house servant in London. When his wealthy employer died in 1627, he hit his widow before marriage, after which she entered, despite the age difference. With her death six years later he inherited a large sum, which made him financially independent. He studied astrology with which he had come in contact in 1632. From 1642 he published regularly almanacs, in which he made some spectacular predictions. In this period the publication of his major work falls Christian Astrology ( 1647). He played an important role in the English Civil War, in which he sided with the parliamentarians. This brought him but also considerable hostilities that led to repeated arrests. Through his friendship with high profile celebrities such as Elias Ashmole he came but always free quickly.

Lilly created a stir because he supposedly predicted the Great Fire of London ( 1666), about 14 years before it happened. For this reason, many people believed that he had set the fire. But he could plausibly explain to the court how he had then come to this statement. For this reason, he was also acquitted by the Parliament.

Works

• Christian Astrology, Book 1 and Book 2, Chiron Verlag, Tübingen, 2007, ISBN 978-3-89997-144-6
• Christian Astrology, Book 3, Chiron Verlag, Tübingen, 2008, ISBN 978-3-89997-166-8