Astrology’s 300-year-old practical joke

There’s a story John Frawley tells in his book The Real Astrology of an almanac published by one Isaac Bickerstaff in the early 18th century. In this almanac, one of many being written and distributed in England at the time, Bickerstaff discusses “the gross abuse of astrology in this kingdom,” and states that the fault lies not “upon the art, but upon those gross impostors, who set up to be the artists.” To establish, by contrast, his own credibility in the art, he puts forth several predictions of his own for the year 1708, leading with this one:

My first prediction is but a trifle, yet I will mention it… It relates to Partridge the almanack-maker; I have consulted the stars of his nativity by my own rules, and find he will infallibly die upon the 29th of March next, about eleven at night, of a raging fever; therefore I advise him to consider of it, and settle his affairs in time.

The “Partridge” he meant was John Partridge, an astrologer whose own almanacs were widely distributed and consulted – and apparently one of the “gross impostors” Bickerstaff sought to discredit. Bickerstaff goes on to foretell the deaths of other “great persons” – a cardinal, a prince, “an eminent goldsmith in Lombard-Street” – and provides further predictions through September 1708 before concluding,

… let no wise men too hastily condemn this essay, intended for a good design, to cultivate and improve an ancient art, long in disgrace, by having fallen into mean and unskilful hands. A little time will determine whether I have deceived others or myself: and I think it is no very unreasonable request, that men would please to suspend their judgments till then.

His readers didn’t have to wait long. On March 30, 1708, there appeared news of the fulfillment of the first of Bickerstaff’s predictions: Partridge was dead, deceased the previous night, March 29, 1708. An anonymous letter-writer speaks of seeing Partridge on his death-bed, who repents that he had ever allowed Bickerstaff’s prediction of his own death to enter his thoughts and so bring about his demise. Why did you not cast your own chart to confirm it? exclaims his interlocutor in surprise. “Sir, this is no time for jesting,” says poor Partridge. “I have sense enough to know that all pretences of foretelling by astrology are deceits.” Upon which, the astrologer expires, “above five minutes after seven,” reports our anonymous witness, “by which it is clear that Mr. Bickerstaff was mistaken almost four hours in his calculation.”

The only thing is, Partridge wasn’t dead. And Bickerstaff wasn’t the almanac writer’s real name, but Jonathan Swift, the satirist you may know for “A Modest Proposal,” Gulliver’s Travels, and other works. Swift published the phony almanac, the announcement of Partridge’s demise, and an elegy to the astrologer in a carefully plotted prankster’s trifecta, all to discredit both the folly of astrology and the astrologer himself.

What did Swift have against Partridge? Teresa Santoski of the Nashua, New Hampshire Telegraph reports that Partridge’s own 1708 Merlinus Almanac included snide remarks about the Church of England as well as predictions of the deaths of several officials of the church. Supposedly this was motive enough for Swift to launch his attack.

But how could Swift’s campaign work? Partridge was still walking around, was he not? He was, and in fact, his new almanac was published later that year with a note that reports of his death were widely exaggerated; but as Frawley writes in The Real Astrologer,

Bickerstaff rushed into print again, defending his prediction. Amongst other evidence, he pointed out that it was well known that many almanacs continued to appear long after the death of their putative author. Partridge’s attempts to prove himself alive were hindered by a falling out with the Company of Stationers, which refused him a license to publish for the next three years. In intellectual circles, if not on the street, he rapidly became a laughing-stock.

Noting, today, the 300th anniversary of the reputed demise of John Partridge, I can’t help but think we haven’t changed much in three centuries. Anonymous writers of unknown motive can still “rush into print” online, blogging or commenting or trolling their attacks with little fear of identification or retribution. And a few choice words can spread like wildfire, doing irreversible damage to a career or reputation.

Read for yourself the Bickerstaff-Partridge papers at Project Gutenberg.

Read Teresa Santoski’s note about the March 29, 1708 prediction and its aftermath. (Scroll down to “Saturday.”)

The Real Astrology by John Frawley is available at www.johnfrawley.com and through booksellers such as The Astrology Center of America.