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 ...

These for Mr. John Merrifield, at the Hand and Pen near Dock-head in Horslydown, Southwark.

Good Mr. Merrifield,

YOurs of the third Instant I received, wherein you have invited me to a View of what I had (long since) willingly passed over in silence. I was never good at quarrelling in my more active and pregnant years, and now, my long acquaintance with the accustomed Scandals of Invidious

Persons, hath made Contests even hateful to me. Not but that my Sence of things is as quick and distinguishing as ever, but my Reason being bet∣ter informed, I can with patience suffer an Ass causelesly to kick at me, rather than transform my self into his Fellow Ass, and fall a kicking for company.

Your Guess at the Author of Apollo Anglicanus, 1683. is not only happy, but true, viz. that it is not R. Sanders, but H. Coley, and therefore it had been better dated from Baldwins Gardens, than from Ouston in Leicestershire; for if Cambden may be credited, there is no such place in all that County, and consequently no such man as R. San∣ders (honestly) to be found to own himself the Author of that simple scan∣dalous Almanack.

As for H. Coley (the rightful Dad of that mishapen Brat) if after the several Civilities I have afforded him, in using him courteously, when at any time he came unto me for Instruction, and answering sundry of his Letters for his information in Art; I say, if after these, and my many Friendships to him, he, in requital, revile me, I cannot help that. It was in my power to teach him something of Astrology, but he hath another Master which instructs him to be Ungrateful, and tutors him to Calumniate his Benefactors. For the good Opinion the Man hath of himself, and his own (supposed) Abilities, I wonder nothing at it; that being a peculiar Vertue, and only to be found among the Sins of In∣gratitude.

The Man, as you well observed, hath boldly attacked us both, and Me in particular, he hath been Pickeering at a dozen years together; but why he should make You to share in the Scandals of his scurrilous Pen, I understand not, nor yet do I justy know wherefore he is so impu∣pudent and daring with Me, from the Benefit of whose Labours he hath eaten his Bread many years; and the very Books he now quarrels at (I mean the two Ephemerides, which you take notice of) are the Foun∣dation of his daily Dole and Drinking.

But now, Sir, since you have by your obliging Letter rouzed me up to a Consideration of the Malice of this impertinent Fellow (which I had so long overlooked, and designed ever so to have done; but for this your Notice of these his continued Scomma's and Scurrilities) I shall here in∣form you, as briefly and as fully as I can, of the ground of this envious Mans Prejudice to Me (for every Action hath either a real or pretended Reason from which it derives) which is this, [and let him say the contrary if he can or dare.] viz.—When he was upon publishing his Clavis Astrolo∣giae (as he calls it) he very confidently sent to me to give him an Enco∣mium thereunto, without letting me see what he had written, that I

might know what I had to commend; which begat in Me a desire to peruse his said Clavis, the better to enable Me to serve him. This was so reasona∣ble that he could not deny it, and accordingly he sent me (by an ingenious Apothecary, and Neighbour of mine) several of his Printed Sheets, which when once I had viewed, I found my forward Author to have taken much out of my Doctrine of Nativities to furnish his said Clavis withal, and never so much as mentioned from whom, or whence he had it. And not content to play the ungrateful Plagiary thus with me; he also had stolen my Title too, and affixed it to the second part of his said Clavis, calling it Genethlialogia.

Seeing my self thus unworthily abused, I did deny to give him an En∣comium, unless he would new Print his said Title.—This (Sir) is the real Ground and Foundation of this Mans many years Quarrels against me, and nothing else that I know of.

The Answer which you have made to his present Cavils in the English Apollo 1683. is enough, if not too much; I am sure, more than your causeless Adversary can justly reply to, without confessing his Error. And to deal sincerely with you, I did not esteem him worthy of either your Notice or Animadversion. Non Obstante, the great Flattery with which his Friend J. Kendal hath blown him up, even to a degree near bursting; he being of himself, naturally, like the Toad in the Fable, aiming to swell into an Ox.

And since my Hand is entred upon this unpleasant Subject let me not tire your Patience, I pray you, if I observe further to you, a Pact or Confederacy between this Kendal and Coley, to scratch and claw each other, as if they had both come out of some loathsome Lazaretto, full of the Itch and Scurvy. Mr. Coley is made the Hannibal of A∣strology; but Mr. Kendal (in modesty) refuses to be the Phormio (for∣sooth! for fear of being a Fool) yet he reads Lectures aloud in his admired Hannibal's Praise. Mr. Coley on the other side (following the Adage of Mulus Mulum Scabit) no∣tably reveres Mr. Kendal for his great Parts; particularly for his new Discovery of the Measure of time in Nativities, the ground whereof, he acknowledgeth to have ta∣ken from Mr. Coley's Clavis; and in the strength of this Discovery of our new Colum∣bus, the Almagest and Quadripartite are made (between them) to Bow and do Ho∣mage to the ones 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and the others Clavis. The Fam'd Sir C. Heydon, and excellent Valentine Naybode, are both voted useless, and allowed only to have been Good in their time, but now, like an old Almanack, out of Date. Thus these Sons of Impudence and Folly have boldly taken upon them not only to bespatter those Artists to whom they are beholding, of this present Age; but cast Dirt also in the Faces of those Anti∣quated Luminaries of Elder times; in comparison of whom, these Scloli are scarce worthy to be accounted so much as Nebulose Stars.

Further, were it proper for a Letter, I would demand of this Coley, in case he be so great an Artist, as Mr. Kendal pretends him to be (1.) Where he finds Cardan saying, Nemo particularia predicit? as he hath more then once affixed upon him in Print, Car∣dan

being the most particular in his judgment of any real Astrologer whatever. (2.) Out of what Astrological Author it is, that he undertakes to Teach and Tutor Princes, as in his Apollo Anglicanus 1682. saying—It is the best Policy for Princes to fortifie them∣selves with the Love of their People. And further, That (in that year 1682.) many Dissembling Political Stratagems among great ones, to keep up their Prerogatives, &c.—The Epistle to Oates's Narrative may indeed (but neither Prolemy, Haly or Bo∣natus) teach such like Astrology; but no more of this in this place. (3.) Wherefore doth he take such Pains in his (Foolish) Merlyn of this year, to scratch and claw Hol∣wel, taking him roughly by the Hair and Ears with one Hand, and gently leading him, for fear of falling, with the other. (4.) What Authority He hath (and from whom he de∣rives it) to sit and Censure whom he pleases, Voting what is, and what is not fit to be Printed upon the great Triple Conjunction of ♄. and ♃. in ♌. thereby prejudging not only my promised Pains upon that noble Subject, but anothers designed Endeavours also as useless; Mr. Lilly and Mr. Edlin (he says) having done enough upon the like already. And I believe they have so indeed, for his Understanding, and too much for Mine, or any other Honest Mans. There being plain Treason to be found in one of them, and nearly the same in the other. Behold the Authors that this our triumphant Hanaibal trades in!

I might have noted many more ridiculous, vain and trifling things that this Coley is guilty of, and render you an Account of the many slovenly Artifices which he hath made use of (besides what you complain of in your Letter) to vilify and scandalize me; but these things cannot easily be brought into a Letter, wherefore, I presume, you will not now expect it from me. Sir, to conclude (for 'tis time new to release you) I return you my thanks for the justice you have done both to me and your self also, in retorting those brutish and ungrateful Reproaches (brought against my thirty years Ephemerides (in the latter whereof, you were eminently assisting to me) upon the Head of the malicious Author of them: And perceiving its your design to print this Letter of mine, together with your own to me, as an Appendix to your ingenious Carastasis Mundi, I leave it wholly to you to do therein what you please; the matters here mentioned being most punctually and religiously true. So wishing you success in all your worthy and Lawful Attempts for the Promotion of Art, and detection of Cheats and Impostors, I remain, (SIR)

Yours and Astrologies Servant, JOHN GADBURY.

♃ March 6 1683/4 Brick-Court, by the Deans-yard, West∣minster.