From Sibly to Simmonite (19th century Astrology DVD)

From Sibly to Simmonite:

Source texts of the 19th century English astrological revival,
1784-1854

This DVD focuses on the texts and journals of the revival in astrological publishing in the 19th century after a period of general neglect and decline in the 18th. This revival was led from England in the 1780s, and all but one of the texts on this DVD are British in origin (the exception being the work of Bowron, which was published in the United States of America). The texts on this DVD span the 70-year period from 1784 to 1854 inclusive, and include nearly all the important English-language astrological sources from that period, with the exception of almanacs and a small number of rare journals and books that have proved altogether elusive during the period of Graves’ collecting.^[1]

A full bibliographical checklist of the works included on the DVD, in chronological order, follows. This order is reflected in the numerical order given to the file names. Numbered references to ‘Gardner’ as with the first DVD above before.

• Sibly, Ebeneezer ‘A Complete Illustration of the Celestial Science of Astrology’ Printed for Green & Co., London, 1788; 1784; 1790; 1788. Gardner 1167 and 1169.^[2]
• Heydon, C., jun., Astro-philo. (pseud.), assisted by a person of great professional abilities ‘The New Astrology; or, the Art of Predicting and Foretelling Future Events, by the Aspects, Positions, and Influences, of the Heavenly Bodies; Founded on Scriptures, Experience, and Reason; the whole being the result of many years’ intense study and labour; now first made familiar and easy to any person of ordinary talents’ The Second Edition, with large additions, improvements, and an appendix – Printed for G. Kearsley, No. 46, Fleet-Street; T. Lovewell, Stationer, No. 158, St. John-Street; T. Wagstaffe, Brick-Lane, Spitalfields; and W. Battersby and Son, facing Artillery-Lane, Bishopsgate-Street Without, 1786. Gardner 572
• De Titis, Placido, tr. Anonymous, ed. Sibly, Manoah ‘Astronomy and Elementary Philosophy’ W. Justins, Blackfriars (printed by), 1789. Gardner 1229
• De Titis, Placido, tr. Anonymous, ed.Sibly, Manoah ‘A Collection of Thirty Remarkable Nativities’ W. Justins, Blackfriars (printed by), 1789. Gardner 1228
• [Sibly, Manoah] ‘Supplement to Placidus de Titus, Containing the Nativity of that Wonderful Phaenomenon, Oliver Cromwell, Calculated Methodically, according to the Placidian Canons, by the ingenious Mr. John Partridge, M. D., to which is Prefixed Primum Mobile, or a Complete Set of Astronomical Tables, for the Exact Calculation and Direction of Nativities’ W. Justins, Blackfriars (printed by), 1790. Gardner 1230
• Heydon, C., Astrophilo. (pseud.) ‘The Wisdom of Solomon in Miniature, Being a New Doctrine of Nativities, Reduced to Accuracy and Certainty; Or, the Art of Determining Future Events by the Only True Method, the Radical Figure at Birth’ Printed for A. Hamilton, No. 18, near Gray’s-Inn-Gate, Holborn, 1792.^[3] Gardner 571
• [Lemoine, Henry, ed.] ‘The Astrologer’s Magazine and Philosophical Miscellany’ New Series Vol. 1 – W. Locke, London, 1794.^[4] Gardner 959 (part of)
• Sibly, Ebeneezer ‘A Key to Physic and the Occult Sciences, Opening to Mental View the System and Order of the Interior and Exterior Heavens; the Analogy Betwixt Angels, and Spirits of Men; and the Sympathy between Celestial and Terrestrial Bodies’ Printed for the Author, and sold by Champante and Whitrow, Jewry-Street, Aldgate, and at the British Directory-Office, Ave-Maria Lane, London, undated (but COPAC suggests 1794 or 1795). Gardner 1168
• Worsdale, John ‘Genethliacal Astrology. Comprehending an Enquiry into, and Defence of the Celestial Science: the Rectification of Nativities, by the Trutine of Hermes; with Proofs of the Verity of Elementary Influx and Sydereal Affection, Exemplified in a Variety of Genitures, Investigated Agreeably to the System of Ptolemy. To which is added, an Appendix, Containing Remarks on the Nativity of a Gentleman Now Living, Shewing the Different Influences of the Planets Between a Natural and a Violent Death. A Judgment on the Figure of Heaven at the Sun’s Ingress into Aries, 1798. With other Curious, Interesting, and Important Speculations’ 2nd Edition – Printed and sold for the Author by Messrs. Ridge Newark; Sold also by Messrs. Robinson, Paternoster-Row, London; Drury, Lincoln; Hurst, Grantham; Thornill, Sleaford; and all other Booksellers, 1798.^[5] Gardner 1321
• Barrett, [Rev. John] ‘An Enquiry into the Origin of the Constellations that Compose the Zodiac’ R. E. Mercier & Co., Dublin, 1800. Gardner 95
• White, Thomas ‘The Beauties of Occult Science Investigated, or the Celestial Intelligencer’ Anne Davis / J. S. Dickson, London, 1811. Gardner 1300
• Swift, P. J. ‘Destiny of Europe: the Nativity of Napoleone Bonaparte, Emperor of France’ Whitfield and Swift, undated (but 1812). Not in Gardner
• De Titis, Didacus Placidus, tr. Anonymous, ed. Cooper, John ‘Primum Mobile, with Theses to the Theory, and Canons for Practice; wherein is demonstrated, from Astronomical and Philosophical Principles, the Nature and Extent of Celestial Influx upon the Mental Faculties and Corporeal Affections of Man; containing the Most Rational and Best Approved Modes of Direction, both in Zodiac and Mundo: exemplified in Thirty Remarkable Nativities of the Most Eminent Men in Europe, According to the Principles of the Author, laid down in his “Celestial Philosophy”’ Davis and Dickson, No. 17, St. Martin’s le Grand, Newgate Street, Cheapside, London, undated (but 1814). Gardner 1227
• Wilson, James, Esq. Philomath ‘A Complete Dictionary of Astrology in which Every Technical and Abstruse Term Belonging to the Science is Minutely and Correctly Explained, and the Various Systems and Opinions of the Most Approved Authors Carefully Collected and Accurately Defined. Comprising The only rational Method of calculating Nativities, according to the Placidian System; The whole Art of bringing up Directions, both Primary and Secondary. The Judgment of Revolutions, Progressions, Ingresses, Transits, and Lunations Embolismic or Quadrate. The Doctrine of Horary Questions complete. Divested of their Extravagance, Contradictions, and Absurdities. The whole Illustrated and Explained by Familiar Examples and Diagrams’ Printed for William Hughes, Islington Green, and sold by Sherwood, Neely, and Jones, Paternoster-Row, and by All Other Booksellers, 1819. Gardner 1311
• Wilson, James, Esq., Philomath ‘A New and Complete Set of Astrological Tables, for Finding the Declination, Right Ascension, Ascensional Difference, & Crepusculine Arcs, with a Table of Ascensional Differences Suited to the Polar Elevation of London, 51 º32’ North, for finding the Semiarcs and Oblique Ascension for that Latitude, and a New Table of Houses, for the Same Latitude, Calculated by Oblique Ascension for the Purpose of Erecting Figures, Where the East and West Angles are Corrected Confmably to the Present Ecliptical Difference. The whole adapted to the Ecliptical Obliquity of 23º 28’, and requisite for bringing up Directions, by computing the Oblique Ascension or Descension, Semiarcs, Horary Time, &c. of Any Point in the Heavens’ Printed for William Hughes, Islington Green, and sold by Sherwood, Neely, and Jones, Paternoster-Row, and by all other Booksellers, London, 1820. Gardner 1310
• Ptolemy, tr. Ashmand, J. M. ‘Ptolemy’s Tetrabiblos, or Quadripartite: being Four Books of the Influence of the Stars. Newly Translated from the Greek Paraphrase of Proclus. With a Preface, Explanatory Notes, and an Appendix, containing Extracts from the Almagest of Ptolemy, and the whole of his Centiloquy; together with a short Notice of Mr. Ranger’s Zodiacal Planisphere, and an Explanatory Plate’ Printed and Published by Davis and Dickson, Dealers In Scientific Books, No. 17, St. Martin’s-le-Grand, Newgate Street, London, 1822.^[6] Gardner 1051
• Mackey, Sampson Arnold ‘The Mythological Astronomy of the Ancients Demonstrated, by Restoring to their Fables & Symbols their Original Meanings’ Second Edition – Printed by R. Walker, near the Duke’s Palace, Norwich, 1824 (pp. 96; 23), bound with ‘A Reply, Intended to be Made to the Various Disputatnts, on an Essay on Chronology, which was read at The Philosophical Society of Norwich; Containing Astronomical Proofs that the Sun Stood Still and Hasted Note to Go Down for the Space of a Day, and that the Shadows on the Sun-Dials Went Backwards 10 Degrees’ Printed by R. Walker, near the Duke’s Palace, Norwich (pp. 36), bound with ‘Urania’s Key to the Revelation; or the Analyzation of the Writings of the Jews, As Far As They Are Found to Have Any Connexion with the Science of Astronomy’ – Printed and Published by John Brooks, 421 Oxford Street, London, 1833 (pp. 30), bound with ‘A Companion to the Mythological Astronomy, & c.’ (with two separate title-pages bearing different subtitles) – Printed by R. Walker, and Published by the Author, Prince’s Street; and in London by his Grand-Daughter E. Bluring, 32, Granby Place, New Cut, Lambeth, 1824 (pp. 106), bound with ‘Man’s Best Friend; or the Evils of Pious Frauds’ – Printed for the Author by R. Walker, near the Duke’s Palace, Norwich, 1826 (pp. 82), bound with ‘A New Theory of the Earth, and of Planetary Motion; In Which is Demonstrated that the Sun is Vicegerent of His Own System’ Printed for the Author, Prince’s Street, by R. Walker, near the Duke’s Palace, Norwich, 1825 (pp. 88), bound with “The Two Zodiacs of Tentyra, and the Zodiac of Thebes, Explained” – No Publisher Stated, May 1832 (consisting internally of two separate works paginated together with pp. 32: ‘More Pious Frauds on the Antiquity of the Two Zodiacs of Tentyra’ – Prince’s Street, Norwich, 1831; and ‘The Zodiac of Thebes; which is proved to contain the position of the Ecliptic 40,000 Years Back’ – no separate publication information); bound with ‘A Lecture on Astronomy, Adjusted to its Dependent Science Geology; in which is shewn the plain and simple cause of the Vast Abundance of Water in the Southern Hemisphere, Given at 91, Dean Street, Soho, Dec. 20, 1832, In Consequence of Having Seen an Essay on the Astronomical and Physical Causes of Geological Changes, by Sir Richard Phillips, Edited by W. D. Saull, Aldersgate Street, May, 1832’ – London, 1832 (pp. 12), bound with ‘The Original Design of the Ancient Zodiacal and Extra-Zodiacal Constellations, Arranged on the Present Globes; which by their attitudes and positions prove the place of the summer Solstice to have been in the middle of the Goat; and the autumnal equinox in the Ram; to which is added an account of the Battle between Vicramaditya and Salavahana which arose from a Combination of the Precession and Nutation of the Earth’s Axis; Also Further Remarks on the long Zodiac of Tantyra; shewing that the unequal division of the Zodiac is a consequence of the Perihelion point in the autumnal Ram’ – Walker, Printer, Back of the Inns, Norwich, 1834 (pp. 24); bound with ‘Remarks on the Cabinet Cyclopaedia and the Geological Globe, Relative to the Polar Motion’ – No Publisher or Date Stated (pp. 12). Gardner 748, 750, 758, 749, 752, 751, 756, 757, 759, 760, respectively
• Members of the Mercurii, the ‘The Astrologer of the Nineteenth Century, or Compendium of Astrology, Geomancy, and Occult Philosophy’ (Stated) 6th Edition – William Charlton Wright, 1825.^[7] Gardner 951
• Members of the Mercurii, the ‘The Astrologer of the Nineteenth Century, or Master-Key to Futurity’ (Stated) 7th edition, Supervised and Corrected, with Numerous Additions, by Merlinus Anglicus Junior, Gent – Knight and Lacey, 1825.^[8] Gardner 1074
•  Anonymous, ed. ‘The Spirit of Partridge; or, the Astrologer’s Pocket Companion, and General Magazine’ Davis & Dickson, Mathematical Booksellers, London, 1825. Comprises No. 1 August 5th 1824 – No. 17 January 15th 1825, with astronomical tables bound in towards end. Gardner 918
• Raphael ‘A Manual of Astrology, or the Book of the Stars, Being the Art of Foretelling Future Events, By the Influence of the Heavenly Bodies, In a manner unattempted by any former Author and divested of the Superstitions of the Dark Ages’ C. S. Arnold, Tavistock Street, Covent Garden, London, 1828. Gardner 1075
• Worsdale, John, Astronomer ‘Celestial Philosophy, or Genethliacal Astronomy, Containing the Only True Method of Calculating Nativities, Made Plain and Easy’ Messrs. Longman, & Co., 47 Paternoster Row, London, undated (but 1828). Gardner 1323
• Oxley, Thomas ‘The Celestial Planispheres, or Astronomical Charts‘ Davis and Dickson / Blackwood / Robinsons / Grapel, 1830. Gardner 890
• Stella, Rupertus [pseud.] ‘The Astrologian’s Guide in Horary Astrology’ Simpkin & Marshall, 1832.^[9] Gardner 1192
• Zadkiel ‘The Grammar of Astrology, Containing All Things Necessary for Calculating a Nativity, by Common Arithmetic’ Sherwood, Gilbert and Piper, 1833. Gardner 1329 (part)
• Zadkiel, ed. ‘The Horoscope: a Weekly Miscellany of Astrology’ Willmer and Smith, 1834.^[10] Gardner 966
• Raphael ‘The Familiar Astrologer; An Easy Guide to Fate, Destiny, & Foreknowledge, as well as to the Secret and Wonderful Properties of Nature’ Printed for John Bennett, Three-Tun Passage, Ivy Lane, Paternoster Row, London, 1835. Gardner 1077
• Zuriel [pseud. for Wheeler, J.] ‘A Series of Lectures on the Science of Celestial Philosophy, or the Language of the Stars, Part I, containing the Fundamental Principles’ Sherwood, Gilbert and Piper, Paternoster Row, London, 1835. Gardner 1299
• Shemaya, Ebn [pseud. for Parkes, David] ‘The Star: A Complete System of Theoretical and Practical Astrology’ S. Cornish & Co., for the author, 1839. Gardner 904
• Zadkiel, ed. ‘The Horoscope’ No Publisher stated, undated (but 1841: presumed an early compilation of 1841 original serial in four monthly and four weekly mostly monthly parts, as issued; complete in 242 pp.). Gardner 967
• Zadkiel ‘Zadkiel’s Legacy, Containing a Full and Particular Judgment on the Great Conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter on the 26th of January, 1842’ Sherwood and Co., London, 1842. Gardner 1330
• Simmonite, William Joseph ‘The Astro-Philosopher and Meteorologist’, Simpkin, Marshall, & Co., undated (advertisements suggest c. 1847). Gardner 1177
• Simmonite, William Joseph ‘The Celestial Philosopher: or, the Complete Arcana of Astral Philosophy, being Genethliology Simplified, or the Doctrine of Nativities’, Simpkin, Marshall, & Co., undated (advertisements suggest c. 1849 printing of this work originally published 1847). Gardner 1173
• Simmonite, William Joseph ‘Mathematical and Astronomical Tables, for the use of Students of Astro Mathematics, for the Practical Astronomers, Astrologers, and Astro-Meteorologists; with an Introduction, Containing an Explanation and Use of the Tables’, Simpkin, Marshall, & Co., undated (but COPAC suggests 1847). Gardner 1174
• Oxley, Thomas ‘The Gem of the Astral Sciences’ Simpkin, Marshall & Co., 1848. Gardner 892
• [Cross, W. S.] ‘Reasons for Belief in Judicial Astrology; Comprising Some Advice to Students, and Remarks on the Dangerous Character of Popish Priestcraft: Also, a word or two upon astrological books and directions, in an appendix’ Effingham Wilson, Publisher, Royal Exchange, London, 1849. Gardner 241
• Zadkiel ‘A Grammar of Astrology’ Third edition, Enlarged – James Cornish, Middle Row, Holborn, 1849.^[11] Gardner 1329 (part)
• Bowron, John S. ‘Observations on Planetary and Celestial Influences in the Production of Epidemics and on the Nature and Treatment of Diseases’ John S. Taylor, New York, 1850. Not in Gardner
• Simmonite, Dr. W. J. ‘The Prognostic Astronomer, or Horary Astrology: Containing an Improved Method of Solving the Thousand Inquiries Relative to Futurity’ Israel Holdsworth, Central Market, Leeds, 1851.^[12]
• Lilly, William, and Zadkiel ‘An Introduction to Astrology’ – from the first combined edition of H. G. Bohn, 1852 (believed unaltered from the 1835 edition except for the introduction). Gardner 1331 (part)
• Zadkiel ‘Tables for Use in Calculating Nativities’ – from the first combined edition of H. G. Bohn, 1852 (believed first published separately some years earlier, but I have not been able to obtain a copy thus). Gardner 1331 (part)
• Simmonite, W. J., Dr. ‘Prognostications on Revolutions; or, Solar Figures’ Simpkin, Marshall, and Co., London / Israel Holdsworth, Central Market, Leeds, undated but known to be 1854. Gardner 1179

Some publications from 1854 itself were carried over to the eventual sequel to this DVD, ‘From Cooke to Pearce’ (see separate page).

 

[1] Prophetic almanacs and sources of peripheral interest to astrology, such as Raphael’s ‘The Royal Book of Fate’, ‘Raphael’s Witch’ and ‘Raphael’s Sanctuary of the Astral Art’, which are essentially divinatory games, have been set aside for a future collection or collections. Likewise a small number of foreign-language sources from the period in question.

[2] Note that Gardner lists the same work twice under its variant titles, but confusedly gives the earlier title to a later printing of 1817 and the later title to an earlier one of 1790.

[3] [NB: Four leaves missing from Graves’ antiquarian original had to be retyped from other sources; the retyped sections have been inserted at the appropriate place in the text.]

[4] [Note: one leaf was missing from Graves’ antiquarian original and had to be retyped from a scan kindly supplied for a fee by the Warburg Institute in London. The retyped leaf has been inserted at the appropriate place in the text.]

[5] [Note: a small number of minor pages were missing from Graves’ antiquarian original and had to be retyped from other sources; the retyped pages have been inserted at the appropriate places in the text].

[6] This copy with a large fold-out 19^th century manuscript table of conversion of degrees longitude to right ascension, and two unidentified 19^th century manuscript natal figures, one with additional speculum data, laid in.

[7] Internally consists of a complete set of the periodical ‘The Straggling Astrologer’ with its original pagination and invididual issue dates included. Lacks pp. 319-20. Unfortunately, Graves was unable to gain access to source material that might have allowed him to replace these missing pages in typing.

[8] (This more common work bears almost no resemblance to the original journal, lacking any of its date and issue structure, and is essentially a rambling compendium of material, some but not all taken from the original journal, but is graced by some fine colour illustrations).

[9] [Note: inserted after the title page is a side-by-side comparison of the frontispieces from two different original copies, worth noting for the marked differences which show that they were coloured by hand, with some variation though essentially according to a fixed recipe]

[10] Complete in 19 weekly parts.

[11] Substantially enlarged and significantly edited and altered from the first edition; please compare the two files closely for revealing insights into Morrison’s development of the text

[12] The true first edition, predating the undated one published by Simpkin, Marshall & Co. in London, given as Gardner 1178

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