Abstract
For more than a decade William Lilly, the parliamentary astrologer and interpreter of ancient prophecies, persuaded Englishmen that God smiled upon their revolution despite the evidence of apparitions, portents, and prodigies to the contrary. Charles I was the evil White King, and everything would work out for the best when the Chicken of the Eagle put things right. As late as 1657, Thomas Pugh’s mammoth collection of ancient prophecies continued to underscore the fact that the ancient texts supported the revolution.
“Charles will shine in the sun over all the earth, to answer the expectation of all the nations and fulfill the promise of our Lord, Jesus.”
—The Mystery of Prophecies Revealed (1660)
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Notes
For the details of Wharton’s life, see Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1937-) 20:1313–15. Also, Harry Rusche, “Merlini Anglici: Astrology and Propaganda from 1641 to 1651,” English Historical Revue 80 (1965): 322ff. Wharton’s writings have been collected in The Works of George Wharton, ed. John Gadbury (London, 1683).
Concerning Paul Grebner, see Keith Thomas, Religion and the Decline of Magic (London: Weidenfeld and Nicholson, 1971); and Harry Rusche, “Prophecies and Propaganda, 1641 to 1651,” English Historical Revue 84 (1969): 765ff.
For details of Coppe’s life, see Dictionary of National Biography 4:1115. For an analysis of his views, see Jerome Friedman, Blasphemy, Immorality and Anarchy: The Ranters and the English Revolution (Athens, OH: Ohio University Press, 1987), pp. 75–95.
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© 1993 Jerome Friedman
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Friedman, J. (1993). More Ancient Prophecies. In: The Battle of the Frog’s and Fairford’s Flies. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-10052-8_11
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-10052-8_11
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