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Leibnitz thus addreffes to me his third letter: Illufriffimo Bickerstaffio aftrologie inftauratori, &c. Monfieur le Clerk, quoting my predictions in a treatise he published laft year, is pleafed to fay, ita nuper. rime Bickerstaffius, magnum illud Angliæ fidus. Another great profeffor, writing of me, has these words: Bickerfaffius, nobilis Anglus, aftrologorum bujufce fæculi facile princeps. Signior Maggliabecchi, the Great Duke's famous library keeper, spends almost his whole letter in compliments and praises. It is true, the renowned profeffor of astronomy at Utrecht, feems to differ from me in one article; but it is after the modeft 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 typogra phi, cum alioquin Bickerstaffius vir doctiffimus, &c.

If Mr Partridge had followed these examples in the controverfy between us, he might have spared me the trouble of juftifying 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 feems this gentleman, inftead of encouraging the progrefs of his own art, is pleafed 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 single point relating to himfelf: 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 utmoft endeavours I have not been able to trace above two objections ever made against the truth of my last year's prophecies: the firft was of a Frenchman, who was pleafed to pu-blish to the world, that “the Cardinal de Noailles

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was still alive, notwithstanding the pretended prophecy of monfieur Biquerftaffe:" 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 impartial reader.

The other objection is the unhappy occafion of this discourse, and relates to an article in my predictions, which foretold the death of Mr. Partridge to happen on March 29, 1708. That he is pleased to contradict abfolutely in the almanack he hath published for the prefent 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 fhould die." This is the subject of the prefent controverfy between us; which I defign to handle with all brevity, perfpicuity, and calmness; in this difpute, I 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 most appearance of reafon and truth.

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 up their eyes, and cry out, betwixt rage and laughter," they were fure no man alive ever writ fuch damned ftuff as this." Neither did I ever hear that opinion difputed: fo that Mr. Partridge. lies under a dilemma, either of difowning his almanack, or allowing himself to be no man alive. But now if an uninformed carcase walks ftill about, and is pleafed to call itself Partridge, Mr. Bickerstaff does not think himself any way answerable for that.

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Neither had the faid carcafe any right to beat the poor boy, who happened to pafs 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 ftollen goods; which all the parish says, 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 paffage, 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 fhould 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 fo 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 afhamed to dwell any longer upon it.

Fourthly, I will appeal to Mr. Partridge himself, whether it be probable I could have been so indifcreet, to begin my predictions with the only falfehood, that ever was pretended to be in them; and this is in an affair at home, where I had fo many 0portunities 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 fpared me.

And here I muft take occafion to reprove the abovementioned writer of the relation of Mr. Par

tridge's

tridge's death, in a letter to a lord; who was pleafed to tax me with a mistake of four whole hours in my calculation of that event. I must confess, this cenfure pronounced with an air of certainty, in a matter that fo nearly concerned me, and by a grave judicious author, moved me not a little. But though I was at that time out of town, yet several 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 raise a clamour about it. I fhall only fay, it would not be amifs, if that author would henceforth be more tender of other men's reputations 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, though indeed very flightly offered, that he ftill 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, though 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 registers. they are, gives them a leafe in reverfion, to continue their works after their death.

I should not have given the public or myself the trouble of this vindication, if my name had not been made ufe of by feveral perfons, to whom I never lent it; one of which, a few days ago, was

pleafed

pleafed 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 feveral of my friends had the affurance 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 greatest importance into ridicule. When the end of the year had v rified all my predictions, out comes Mr. Partridge's almanack, difputing the point of his death; fo that I am em. ployed, 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 himfelt, and he again alive, long he continue fo; that doth not in the least contradict my veracity: but I think I have clearly proved, by invincible demonftration, that he died at fartheft within half an hour of the time I foretold, and not four hours fooner as the abovementioned author, in his letter to a lord, hath maliciously fuggefted, with defign to blaft my credit, by charging me with fo grofs a miftake.

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