'Being in bed one morning,' (says he) 'I was desirous to know whether I
should ever be a Lord, Earl, or Knight, &c. whereupon I set a figure;
and thereupon my judgment:' by which he concluded, that within two years
time he should be a Lord or great man: 'But,' says he, 'before the two
years were expired, the Doctors put me in Newgate, and nothing came.'
Not long after, he was desirous to know the same things concerning his
honour or greatship. Another figure was set, and that promised him to be
a great Lord within one year. But he sets down, that in that year he had
no preferment at all; only 'I became acquainted with a merchant's wife,
by whom I got well.' There is another figure concerning one Sir ----
Ayre his going into Turkey, whether it would be a good voyage or not:
the Doctor repeats all his astrological reasons and musters them
together, and then gave his judgment it would be a fortunate voyage. But
under this figure he concludes, 'this proved not so, for he was taken
prisoner by pirates ere he arrived in Turkey, and lost all.' He set
several questions to know if he should attain the philosophers' stone,
and the figures, according to his straining, did seem to signify as
much; and then he tuggs upon the aspects and configurations, and elected
a fit time to begin his operation; but, by and by, in conclusion, he
adds, 'so the work went very forward; but upon the [symbol: aspect
"squares"] of [symbol: aspect "conjunctions"] the setting-glass broke,
and I lost all my pains:' he sets down five or six such judgments, but
still complains all came to nothing, upon the malignant aspects of
[symbol: Saturn] and [symbol: Mars].
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