If his Excellency ROBERT Earl of ESSEX should take

What this is

The most honorable of the English nation, viz. Essex the Kingdomes General, is here signified by ♂ Lord of ♏, the Sign ascending: his Majesty by the ☉ Lord of the tenth; the forces that were to relieve Reading, or to oppose & hinder his Excellency, by ♀ in ♓, and ☉ in ♉. The Town of Reading by ♒ the Signe of the fourth, the Governour Sir Arthur Aston, reputed an able Souldier, by ♄ Lord of the fourth; their Ammunition and Provision in the Town by ♃ Lord of the fifth, and ♀ locally therein. We have ♂ his Excellencies Significator excellently fortified, labouring under no one misfortune (except being in his Fall) and of how great concernment it is in Warre, to have ♂ the generall Significator of Warre, friendly to the querent, this Figure well manifests; the ☽ separated (a vacuo) and indeed there was little hope it would have been gained in that time it was; she applyed to a ✶ of ♂, being inSignes of long ascensions, the aspect is equivalent to a □; which argued, that his Excellency would have much difficulty, and some fighting, ere he could get it; but because ♂ and the ☽ were in Reception, viz. ♂ in his house, the ☽ in his Termes and Faces, and neer ♂ also placed in the tenth, I judged his Excellency should obtain and take Reading, and get glory and honour thereby. Finding the ☉ his Majestie's Significator in the seventh, in a fixed Signe, I acquainted the querent, his Majesty would oppose what he could, and send Forces to relieve the Town with all vigour and resolution, but I said he should not prevail, for ♂ is better fortified then ☉. I considered ♒ for the Town, and in regard I found not the Sign greatly afflicted, I judged the Town strong, and capable of holding out; when I considered ♀ to be in the fifth, I was confident they wanted not Ammunition. Having throughly considered all particulars, and well weighed that ♄ Lord of the fourth, signifying the Governour, was in his Fall with ☋♀, and that ☿ and ♃ were not farre from ☋♀, and that ♂ did with his □ aspect behold ♄, I said and sent somebody word, the most assured way, and which would certainly occasion the surrender of the Town, was, to set division amongst the principall Officers, and to incense them against their Officer in Chief, and that about eight dayes from the time of the Question, I beleeved his Excellency would be Master of the Town, yet rather by composition then blood, because ☉ and ♂ were separated from their ✶ aspect, and ♂ was in like manner separated from the □ dexter of ♄ from Cardinal Signes; as also, because the application of the ☽ was so directly to the ✶ of the Lord of the ascendant, without any frustration or prohibition. The Town was delivered for the Parliaments use the 27th of April, 1644. three dayes after the time limited by me was expired: But it's observable, the very Monday before, being eight dayes after the Figure set, they began to treat. The truth of this Siege was thus, that his Majesty in person did come, and was worsted and beaten back at Caversham-bridge. That Sir Arthur Aston the Governour, was hurt in the head, as ♄ in ♈ with ☋♀ well denotes: nor did they want Ammunition, as ♀ in the fifth signifies. It was delivered by Colonel Fielding, a very valiant Gentleman, a good Souldier, and of a noble Family, not without jealousie and mistrust of under-hand-dealing in the said Colonel by the King's party; for which he was brought to some trouble, but evaded: And I have since heard some of his Majesties Officers say thus, They did beleeve that Fielding acted nothing but what became a man of honour, and that it was the malice of his Enemies that procured him that trouble, &c. A person of honour demanded this Question, and was well satisfied with what hath been spoken. Had this very Question been of a Law-suit, who should have o-vercome? you must have considered the Lord of the ascendant for the querent or Plaintiffe, and the ascendant it self, together with the ☽ for the Enemy or Defendant, the seventh and his Lord, and Planets therein placed. In our Figure, in regard the ☽ applies to a ✶ of ♂, the querent therefore would have had the victory, by reason of the Verdict given by the Jurors, who ever are signified by the ☽; but because the ☉ is locally in the seventh, opposite to the ascendant, and is Lord of the tenth, viz. of the Judge, there's no doubt but the Judge would have been averse to the Plaintiffe, as his Majesty was to his Excellency and to the Parliament. In this case I should have judged the Defendant a man of good estate, or able to Spend well, because ♀ Lady of the eighth, viz. his second, is in Exaltation; and yet the ☉ and ♂ in ✶, might give strong testimonies that the Judge would labour to compound the matter betwixt both parties; the Dispositor of the ☉ in his Fall, viz. ♄ in ♈ with the ☽, would have shewn great expence of the querent's or Plaintiffs estate and money in this Suit; and that such a man as ♄ would herein be a great Enemy unto him, because ♄ and ♂ are in □: As ♄ is Lord of the third, he may shew an ill Neighbour, or a Brother or Kinsman; but as the third house is the ninth from the seventh, it may argue some pragmatical Priest, or one of the Defendant's Sisters Husbands; wherefore the Plaintiffe must either take such a one off, or else compound his matter, or he must see whether his Enemies Attorney be not Saturnine, then shall he receive prejudice by his extreame rigid following the Cause: If ♄ signifie his Lawyer; the dammage by him, or by some aged man, perhaps the querent's Father or Grandfather, or else some sturdy Clown or ill Tenant, &c. for according to the nature of the Question, you must ever vary the nature of your rules; by exact knowledge whereof, you may attain the perfection of the whole Art. The eight House, and those Questi-ONS properly belonging unto it. Of Death, Dowry, Substance of the Wife, &c.

Correspondences

cast for

17 April 1643