Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 45.djvu/706

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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY.

SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY ASTROLOGY.

A CURIOUS book is preserved in the National Library of France, the title of which in English would be New Works of Sieur de Conac, Astrologer, Mathematician, Doctor, and Fortune-teller, Advocate of his Majesty. Treating of the Nativity of Men, their Inclination, and what will happen to them through Life. Paris, 1636. But little else is known concerning this Sieur de Conac, except that he wrote a similar book about women. This sage predicts that "the man who is born on Sunday, which is the house of the sun, will be inclined to many callings, offices, and estates, fond of serving the great, and will acquire means according to his quality. If he is noble, he will converse with kings, princes, marquises, barons, and grand lords, and will increase his lordship in quality and make his house illustrious with more grandeur than belongs to it, and his subjects will serve him faithfully; and he will acquire great fame, be subject to headache, toothache, and quartan fever, will be in danger of fire, will travel much, will be lucky in buying horses, and loved by women, and will be married several times; he will not get much from his father, he will be in danger of the plague, and, according to the course of Nature, will live sixty-three years; he will be passionate and sanguine, a little brown and a little red in complexion, and liberal. He will travel much in foreign countries, his secrets will be kept, he will be preserved from his companions and servants, and will make his living by many trades.

"The man born on Monday will have office and authority over the people, will be versed in geometry, arithmetic, and geography. If he is noble, he will receive the rank of king or prince, and will be ambassador, nuncio, or legate; if he is a mechanic, he will be silversmith or goldsmith; if he is in the Church, he will be vicar-general, treasurer, or at least canon; if he is a sailor, he will be captain or master of the ship, pilot or corsair; will be also of phlegmatic nature, subject to catarrhs, will have cross-eyes and toothache, flux, colic, and spleen, swelling of the legs and other parts of the body, and will be hurt in his weak spots. He will be fortunate on the sea, in mills and fisheries, messages, printing offices, most so in agriculture, will be in danger of poison, he will love widows, and will live seventy years. He will be fond of things that come from the water, and will be sculptor, founder, tiller, messenger, or master of fountain and fishes, and will be of fantastic humor.

"The man who is born on Tuesday, his star being Mars, will be hardy, arrogant, threatening everybody, wrathful, a man of good cheer, prompt to attack and ready to meet attack with fire-