me in one article; but it is after the modest manner, that becomes a philofopher; as pace tanti viri dixerim: and page 55. he feems to lay the error upon the printer (as indeed it ought) and fays, vel forfan error typographi, cum alioquin Bickerftafius vir doctiffimus, &c.

IF Mr Partridge had followed thefe examples in the controverfy between us, he might have fpared me the trouble of justifying myself in fo public a manner. I believe no man is readier to own his errors than I, or more thankful to thofe, who will please to inform him of them. But it seems this gentleman, inftead of encouraging the progrefs of his own art, is pleased to look upon all attempts of that kind as an invafion of his province. He hath been indeed fo wife to make no objection against the truth of my predictions, except in one fingle point relating to himself: and to demonftrate how much men are blinded by their own partiality, I do folemnly affure the reader, that he is the only perfon from whom I ever heard that objection offered; which confideration alone, I think, will take off all its weight.

WITH my utmost endavours I have not been able to trace above two objections ever made against the truth of my last year's prophecies: the first was of a Frenchman, who was pleased to publish to the world, that the Cardi nal de Noailles was fill alive, notwithstanding the pretended prophecy of monfieur Biquerstaffe: but how far a Frenchman, a papift, and an enemy, is to be believed in his own cause against an English proteftant, who is true to the government, I fhall leave to the candid and impar tial reader.

THE other objection is the unhappy occafion of this difcourfe, and relates to an article in my predictions, which foretold the death of Mr Partridge to happen on March 29. 1708. This he is pleafed to contradict absolutely in the almanack he hath published for the present year, and in that ungentlemanly manner (pardon the expreffion) as I have above related. In that work he very roundly afferts, that he is not only now alive, but was likewife alive upon that very 29th of March, when I had foretold he should die. This is the fubject of the prefent controverfy between us; which I defign to handle with all brevity, perfpicuity, and calmness; in this difpute, I VOL. II.

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am

am fenfible the eyes not only of England, but of all Europe, will be upon us; and the learned in every country will, I doubt not, take part on that fide, where they find moft appearance of reafon and truth.

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WITHOUT entering into criticisms of chronology about the hour of his death, I fhall only prove that Mr Partridge is not alive. And my firft argument is thus: above a thousand gentlemen having bought his almanacks for this year, merely to find what he faid against me; at every line they read, they would lift their eyes, and cry out, betwixt rage and laughter, they were fure no man alive ever writ fuch damned fluff as this. Neither did I ever hear that opinion difputed: fo that Mr Partridge lies under a dilemma, either of disowning his almanack, or allowing himself to be no man alive. But now if an uninformed carcafe walks ftill about, and is pleased to call itself Partridge, Mr Bickerstaff does not think himself any way anfwerable for that. Neither had the said carcafe any right to beat the poor boy, who happened to pass by it in the street, crying, A full and true account of Dr Partridge's death, &c.

SECONDLY, Mr Partridge pretends to tell fortunes, and recover ftolen goods; which all the parish fays, he must do by converfing with the devil and other evil fpirits and no wife man will ever allow, he could converfe perfonally with either, till after he was dead.

THIRDLY, I will plainly prove him to be dead out of his own almanack for this year, and from the very passage which he produceth to make us think him alive. He there fays, He is not only now alive, but was alfo alive upon that very 29th of March, which I foretold he should die on by this he declares his opinion, that a man may be alive now, who was not alive a twelvemonth ago. And indeed, there lies the fophiftry of his argument. He dares not affert, he was alive ever fince that 29th of March, but that he is now alive, and was so on that day : I grant the latter; for he did not die till night, as appears by the printed account of his death, in a letter to a lord: and whether he be fince revived, I leave the world to judge. This indeed is perfect cavilling, and I am a hamed to dwell any longer upon it.

FOURTHLY, I will appeal to Mr Partridge himself,

whether

whether it be probable I could have been so indifcreet, to begin my predictions with the only falfhood, that ever was pretended to be in them; and this in an affair at home, where I had fo many opportunities to be exact; and must have given fuch advantages against me to a person of Mr Partridge's wit and learning, who, if he could poffibly have raised one fingle objection more against the truth of my prophecies, would hardly have spared me.

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AND here I must take occafion to reprove the abovementioned writer of the relation of Mr Partridge's death, in a letter to a lord; who was pleafed to tax me with a miftake of four whole hours in my calculation of that e vent. I must confefs, this cenfure pronounced with air of certainty, in a matter that fo nearly concerned me, and by a grave judicious author, moved me not a little. But tho' I was at that time out of town, yet feveral of my friends, whofe curiofity had led them to be exactly informed (for as to my own part, having no doubt at all in the matter, I never once thought of it) affured me, I computed to fomething under half an hour; which (I fpeak my private opinion) is an error of no very great magnitude, that men fhould raife a clamour about it. I fhall only fay, it would not be amiss, if that author would henceforth be more tender of other mens reputation as well as his own. It is well there were no more mistakes of that kind; if there had, I prefume he would have told me of them with as little ceremony.

THERE is one objection against Mr Partridge's death, which I have fometimes met with, tho' indeed very flightly offered, that he still continues to write almanacks. But this is no more than what is common to all of that profeffion: Gadbury, poor Robin, Dove, Wing, and feveral others, do yearly publish their almanacks, tho feveral of them have been dead fince before the revolution. Now the natural reafon of this I take to be, that whereas it is the privilege of other authors to live after their deaths; almanack-makers are alone excluded, because their differtations treating only upon the minutes as they pafs, become ufelefs as thofe go off. In confideration of which, time, whofe regifters they are, gives them a leafe in reverfion, to continue their works after their death.

I fhould not have given the public or myself the trouble of this vindication, if my name had not been made afe of by feveral perfons, to whom I never lent it; one of which, a few days ago, was pleased to father on me a new fet of predictions. But I think these are things too ferious to be trifled with. It grieved me to the heart, when I faw my labours, which had coft me fo much thought and watching, bawled about by common hawkers, which I only intended for the weighty confideration of the graveft perfons. This prejudiced the world fo much at first, that several of my friends had the afsurance to ask me, whether I were in jeft? to which I only anfwered coldly, that the event would fhew. But it is the talent of our age and nation, to turn things of the greateft importance into ridicule. When the end of the year had verified all my predictions, out comes Mr Partridge's almanack, difputing the point of his death; fo that I am employed, like the general who was forced to kill his enemies twice over, whom a necromancer had raised to life. If Mr Partridge hath practifed the fame experiment upon himself, and be again alive, long may he continue fo; that doth not in the least contradict my veracity: but I think I have clearly proved, by invincible demonflration, that he died at fartheft within half an hour of the time I foretold, and not four hours fooner, as the above mentioned author, in his letter to a lord, hath maliciously fuggested, with defign to blast my credit by charging me with fo grofs a mistake.

A

A famous PREDICTION of MERLIN,

the British Wizard*,

Written above a thoufand years ago, and relating to the year 1709.

With explanatory notes, by T. N. Philomath.

Written in the year 1709.

AST year was published a paper of predictions, pretended to be written by one Ifaac Bickerftaff Efq; but the true defign of it was to ridicule the art of aftrology, and expofe its profeffors as ignorant or impoftors. Against this imputation, Dr Partridge hath learnedly vindicated himself in his almanack for that year.

Dr. Swift in his preface to this piece would infinuate, that what he publishes to the world is a tranflation of Merlin's prophecy two hundred years old. The main defign of the Doctor in this prediction, if he was really in earnest (which I verily believe he was not, as I am perfuaded that he only writ this prophecy in order to vex the whigs, and to fret that ungrateful miniftry which had forgotten the obligations he had conferred upon them) was, to encourage Q. Anne to a fecond marriage, in order that her Majefty might repair, if poffible, that infinite lofs he had fuftained by the death of the Duke of Glocefter, who, by all accounts, was one of the finest princes that ever was born in England, and accordingly was univerfally regreted by the whole nation, the fanatical party and all their black adherents only excepted. This appears from the 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th lines of the prophecy.

And, without difpute, as in England there were many thoufands, who were defirous to fee a, prince defcended from a Queen whom they loved with fuch ardour and affection; fo, in the wildness of their imagination, they endeavoured to perfuade her Majefty, at the age of about forty five, to marry a fecond