He's just like the People of this Nation. He follows the Swing of the Times.

 

Chapter X.

General prognostications of the disease.

First of all (quoth my author), the House of Heaven is of more force than the sign, and it's very like; and the sign than the planet, and the planet that the fixed star he is with. But Doctor Reason told me the planet was of more force than the sign, because he is nearer to the Earth. 

If the Ascendant and the Luminaries and their lords be afflicted by the malevolent, or by an ill house, or by the Lord of Death (it's no great matter what star it is), and the benevolents lend no aid, 'tis shrewdly to be suspected the sickness drags death at's tail. He a wise physician that can cut the cord. 

If the forenamed significators be well disposed and not afflicted, the fear of death is more than the harm.

A benevolent planet in the Sixth cures the disease without the help of a physician.

A malevolent planet there causes a change in the disease, and usually from better to worse.

An unfortunate in the Seventh shows but a paltry physician, though he be a Collegiate. A fortunate there, the contrary.

A fortunate in the Tenth shows proper physick, whoever gives it. 

A fortunate in the Fourth brings the disease to a good and speedy end (unless he be Lord of the Eighth). Every man must do his office, and as the case may be ordered. Jupiter may kill a man as soon as Saturn. 

Jupiter helps most in cold diseases, Venus in hot.

The bodies of Jupiter and Venus soon cure the sick; their trines and sextiles will not be much behind hand in the business, and to tell you my own opinion without any complements, the quartile and opposition of Jupiter and Venus is better than the sextile and trine of Saturn or Mars in this case, unless they be Lords of the Ascendant (speaking in relation to the Moon in a crisis, or otherwise). And by the time you have been acquainted with Doctor Experience but half so long as I have been, he'll make you believe that what I say is true. 

A malevolent in the Ascendant threatens death, and makes the sick as cross-grained as Bajazet the Turkish Emperor when he was in the iron cage.

 Good stars in bad places afflict the humour they govern. They do the like if they be afflicted with malevolence. Was never any of you that reads these lines abused by honest people?

The conjunction of the Moon and Mercury is as constant as a weathercock; the disposition of Mercury is various according to his position and aspect. With the fortunates, he is better than either.

He's just like the people of this nation. He follows the swing of the times. 

The Moon in conjunction with the Sun upon a critical day always portends mischief, and say I told you of it no aspect is so propitious to the Moon as the trine and sextile of the Sun. Nothing so hateful to the squeamish virgin as his conjunction, quartile and opposition.

If the Moon upon a critical day apply to a malevolent, you'll say that is but a scurvy sign. I am half of your opinion, yet it is good to be wise and that you may be so, see which of them is strongest, the Moon or the malevolent; if the Moon be strongest, she'll make a handsome shift with him; if she be weakest, you know the old proverb, The weakest goes to the wall, and the sick is like to be forced to make use of a winding-sheet instead of a feather bed. 

If the Moon upon a critical day be with the bodies of Sol, Mars or Saturn, and which of them she's withal, be Lord of the Eighth House, away trots life to seek a new habitation, for she's weary of her old house. 

If the Moon on a critical day be strong in her house or exaltation, though aspected to no planet at all; she'll play her part stoutly (for all she is a woman) that she'll restore the sick to his pristine health, if she were not too much afflicted at the Decumbiture.

If the Moon be not at all afflicted at the Decumbiture (as such a thing may be), yet if she be afflicted on the critical day, a good crisis cannot be expected. Sickness keeps his old house, unless death dispossess him. This is general; but he that would go the wisest way to work in judging of diseases must come to particulars. The thing I promised you in this chapter was general prognostications of diseases, which that I may make lucidly appear to you (for you shall not find one of Pharaoh's taskmasters of me to set you to make bricks and give you no straw). Be but pleased seriously to weigh in the balance of reason these particulars.

1. First of all, what diseases every planet of himself distinctly causes.
2, What diseases distinctly are under every several sign of the Zodiac.
3. What particular part and member of the body every planet generally uses.
4. What particular part and member of the body is under the influence of every sign of the Zodiac and house of the heavens in a celestial scheme. 
5. What part of the body every planet particularly rules, according to his transit through each sign. 

Of all these in order, and the same order they are set down. And if I should happen to be a little critical against my author, who can help it?