William Lilly's History of His Life and Times, from the Year 1602 to 1681

In an age when astrology was indistinguishable from astronomy and the boundaries between science and magic remained porous, William Lilly rose from a nowhere village to become the most famous astrologer in England. This memoir, written in his final years, chronicles his unlikely journey from humble beginnings in the village of Diseworth to the center of national events during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration. He records not only his predictions and the controversies they stirred, but the texture of daily life in a world where celestial movements shaped decisions in court and countryside alike. The candor is disarming: Lilly admits his mistakes, names his rivals, and reflects on what his art did and did not achieve. For historians of early modern England, this is indispensable. For anyone curious about the strange, liminal space where Renaissance magic met emerging science, it is endlessly fascinating.