Biography and Memoir

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

Enriched Edition. An Astrologer's Memoir of Civil War, Plague, and Restoration EnglandBy William Lilly

Listen with Sir Michael Caine™ and 1,000+ voices

Try for $0.00 Get for $1.99

Length4h 3m

About this audiobook

William Lilly's *History of His Life and Times, from the Year 1602 to 1681* is both an autobiography and a revealing social document of seventeenth-century England. Written in a plain, vigorous, and frequently anecdotal style, it traces Lilly's childhood, education, marriages, professional advancement, and celebrated practice as an astrologer, while recording the political and religious convulsions of the Civil War, Interregnum, and Restoration. Its pages move between personal recollection, astrological interpretation, medical observation, and eyewitness testimony, creating a distinctive hybrid of memoir, popular history, and occult intellectual culture. The work is especially valuable for the way it presents astrology not as an isolated superstition but as a language through which contemporaries interpreted providence, public events, illness, and character. Lilly (1602–1681) rose from modest origins to become the most famous English practitioner of judicial astrology. His career brought him into contact with politicians, clergymen, physicians, patrons, and ordinary clients, and his prophecies made him a controversial public figure during periods of extraordinary instability. These circumstances shaped a book concerned not merely with self-fashioning, but with defending his reputation, explaining his methods, and preserving the experiential knowledge of a rapidly changing world. His narrative also illuminates the enduring interaction between learned traditions and popular belief. This volume is recommended to readers interested in astrology, early modern science, autobiography, and the cultural history of the English Revolution. It will reward scholars seeking firsthand evidence of seventeenth-century mentalities, as well as general readers attracted to vivid historical personalities and richly textured memoir. Lilly's confident, sometimes defensive voice makes the book an unusually immediate encounter with an age in which celestial interpretation, politics, religion, and everyday life remained deeply entangled. This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience. - A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes. - The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists. - A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing. - A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings. - Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life. - Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance. - Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.

Magic Supernatural Political Intrigue Prophecy Identity Coming of Age Folklore Memory