William Lilly was a 17th century English astrologer and occultist. He began studying astrology in 1632 and is still regarded as the principal authority on horary astrology. Lilly was also the author of many books and almanacs. His book “Christian Astrology” remains popular today and was published in 1647. It is comprised of three separate volumes.
Lilly was born in Leicestershire, England in 1602. At seventeen, his education was interrupted when his family fell into bad financial times. Instead of furthering his studies in medicine, he was forced to go to London to work for an elderly couple. It was also during this time that his interest in astrology began. He read all of the books he could read and collect on the subject.
In 1627, after the death of the elderly gentleman and being left a small annuity, Lilly married his widow. She died in 1633, leaving him property valued at about 1,000 pounds. After her death, Lilly practiced astrology and wrote prophetic almanacs. During the mid-1650s his yearly almanacs sold more than 30,000 copies.
Lilly often had problems because of his comments and writings and in 1652 he was imprisoned for his predictions. He also came under censorship of his government. He left London in 1665 because of the Great Plague, but he returned in 1666 to appear before the committee regarding his prediction regarding the Great Fire of London several years before in 1652
In 1670, Lilly began his study of medicine. After getting his license, he treated the poor for free. Even though his health was declining, he continued to publish his almanacs with another’s assistance. Lilly died in 1681.
External links
from wikipedia.org
BIRTH AND DEATH DATA: Lilly was born on May 1, 1602 in Leicestershire, England. (There are other dates given for his birth.) He died on June 9, 1681 in London, England.
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