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

In this first‑person memoir, a 17th‑century English astrologer recounts his journey from a modest village in Leicestershire to the heart of the nation’s most turbulent decades. Written at the age of sixty‑six, the narrative blends personal reflection with a vivid record of the political and social upheavals that shaped England between 1602 and 1681. Readers are invited to follow his observations on everything from university life to the courts of Charles I and the rise of Cromwell.

The work is rich with colorful anecdotes about the era’s leading figures—kings, generals, and fellow occult scholars—presented with a candid, almost journalistic tone. Alongside the drama of civil war and royal intrigue, the author describes the practiced arts of casting horoscopes, conjuring spirits, and the widespread superstitions that guided daily decisions. His straightforward style makes the strange world of early‑modern astrology feel both accessible and intriguingly human.