Catastasis mundi, or, The true state, vigor, and growing greatness of Christendom, under the influences of the last triple conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter in Leo, the late comet, &c. together with the true genitures of Mahomet the imposter, the Grand Seignior, the German Emperour, the French monarch : proving thence that the Turks will be defeated in all their attempts against Christendom, &c., notwithstanding Mr. Holwel's menaces to the contrary in his Catastrophe mundi, and his appendix thereunto : also the said Holwel's monstrous falshoods and errours discovered, retorted, and confuted, and himself remitted to the Turks, to comfort them now after their losses before Vienna / by John Merrifield ...

CHAP. VIII.

Treating of, and Confuting most of Mr. Holwels Judgments on the State of the years from 1683. unto the year 1700. mentioned in his Catastrophe Mundi.

MR. Holwel in his Catastrophe Mundi, speaking of the Con∣junction of Saturn and Jupiter, saith, according to natural causes, Persons signified by the Sun should be afflicted in Person with Horror and Amazement, and shall be in danger of their Lives, Honour and Estate, and be forced to fly for Safeguard; for by bad advice, they shall attempt to do that which they shall never attain to, by which means, they shall bring themselves and

Fame to destruction for ever; and therefore he adviseth Persons to beware, that have ten or eleven Degrees of Leo ascending.

And in his judgment of the year 1683. he saith, that a very great Person of Europe that hath Leo ascending, will be afflicted and flung into a great many Troubles, with the death of some of his Children, Loss of Honour and esteem in the World. Sure Mr. Holwel hath forgotten that he himself hath Leo ascending, that he judgeth so hard of persons born under it; but I could wish that he had named what great Persons of Europe he meaneth, that we might have observed the Event; but I shall here (as I have already) shew them, that great Persons born under Leo, shall not by the effect of this Conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter in Leo, receive Detri∣ment or Loss, either of Honour or Estate; but on the contrary, they shall gain both Riches and Honour, by the effects of this Conjunction, though Mr. Holwel gained the displeasure of the Honourable E. A. Esquire, to whom he confidently dedicated his Book; although he never knew him, which nonsensical Stuff he disliking, made the Epistle Dedicatory to be taken out again; this was done when Saturn transited Leo, Mr. Holwels Ascendant, as also Saturn did, when the said Book was written.

Neither do I judge of the death of any Prince in Europe, that hath about thirteen degrees of Virgo ascending, though it be said in Catastrophe Mundi, if there be a Prince in Europe, that hath about thirteen degrees of Virgo ascending, he should in the year 1684. return to the ground from whence he was taken; for I find no such matter by the Rules of Astrology, as may sig∣nifie the death of any such Prince; but I pray for all Christian Princes, and particularly for such as have Virgo or Leo ascending on their Horoscope.

And whereas Mr. Holwel saith in his judgment of the year 1698. that Saturn, in opposition to the place of the Conjunction 1682. and Jupiter in square thereto, threatens Italy with no less than Confusion, and utter Subversion of the triple Crown; and although it may not be fully compleated in this year, yet, saith he, this year sets a great say to it, and in the following year its full destruction. And that then the power of France shall be brought low, and many thousands of his Subjects destroyed, through the pride of an insulting King, and envy of the Roman Clergy. But if this Opposition and Square be the cause of all this, why had not Rome been destroyed in the year 1639. when Sa∣turn

was in opposition to the place of the Conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter in Leo, which was in the year 1623. I have searched into History, and found that there was War at that time between the Swedes and the Germans, and between the French and the Ita∣lians, but not any thing to the Destruction of any Nation or People, yet many eminent Persons died about that time, some in War, and some in Peace, and many strange Accidents hapned; and I suppose, near the like may happen now; but little or no∣thing of what Mr. Holwel writes in all his judgment on his seve∣ral years will prove true, there being no grounds in Astrology for them, but what his own fantastical Pate hath imagined, to raise himself a Fame in the World, by predicting Lyes, and to deceive the World by Delusions; for I will appeal to all Artists what Rules there are in Astrology, whereby to predict (as Mr Holwel hath) that in the Eastern part of the World, a whole Army should be destroyed with fire from Heaven, with their Wealth and Treasure: or that there should be War and Plagues over the face of the whole Earth, and that there should be so many men destroyed that there should not be men enough left to get in Har∣vest, as he predicteth in his judgment of the year 1699. therefore I aver all that he speaks of that year and the next, to be absolutely false, nonsensical and erroneous; in the next year (with which he concludeth his Book) he saith, that Rome is now destroyed, and Peters Seat thrown down, and the Conversion of the Turks and Jews soon follows, and Religion (but what Religion he knows not) truly preached universally over all the World, sure this must not be Astrology, but Prophecy; and if Prophecy, then Mahometal, and if Mahometal, then lying like Baal's Pro∣phets, and so deserving the reward that they received from Elijah.