LILLY, WILLIAM, was born May 1, 1602, at Diaeworth, a village of Leicestershire. When eleven years old he was sent to a grammar school at Ashby-de-la-Zouch. His parents being poor, he removed to London in 1620, where he became servant to a mantua-maker. This situation be exchanged in 1624 for one of a less menial character. His new employer was master of the Salters' Company, who being unable to write himself, engaged Lilly to keep his accounts, and to perform domestic duties. In 1627 his master died, whereupon Lilly married tho widow, with whom ho received the sum of 1000/.; but this lady dying within a few years, ho immediately took another wife, and thus augmented his fortune by 500/. In 1632 be began the study of estro logy under one Evans, a clergyman who had been expelled from his curacy for practising numerous frauds under pretence of discovering stolen goods. The fame which Lilly soon acquired for casting Dalin ties and foretelling event/ was such, that he was applied to in 1634 to ascertain, "by the use of the Mosaical or Miner's Rods," whether there was not extensive treasure buried beneath the cloisters of Westminster Abbey. Permission having been obtained frem the dean on condition that he should have his share of whatever might be found, "Lilly and thirty other gentlemen entered the cloisters one night and applied the hazel rods ;" but after they had disinterred a few leaden coffins, a violent storm arose, which so alarmed them that they all took to their heels and ran home. In 1611 he published his first almanac, by the title of Merlinua Anglicus, Junior,' and such was the avidity with which the people received his prognostications, that the whole edition was sold in a few days, notwithstanding the "mutilations the work bad suffered from the licencer of mathematical works." Lilly was subsequently arrested by the commissioners of the excise, on the ground that they had been personally insulted "by having their cloaks pulled on 'Change," and that the Excise-office had been burnt, both which events were attributed to the malicious predictions contained iu his treatise called The Starry Messenger ;' but upon its being proved that these events had happened prior to the publication of the work complained of, he regained his liberty. During the contest between Charles I. and the parliament, Lilly was consulted by the Royalists,
with the king's privity, as to whether the king should sign the propo sitions of the parliament, and he received 20/. for his opinion. At the same time ho was employed by the opposite party to furnish them with "perfect knowledge of the chiefest concerns of France," for which be received 50/. in cash and an annuity of 100/. per annum. The latter he enjoyed only two years. Until the affairs of Charles declined he was a cavalier; but after the year 1645 he engaged heartily in the cause of the parliament, and was one of the close committee to consult upon the king's execution. On the Restoration he declared that although he bad served the parliament out of fear, be had always remained a cavalier in heart; but this time his advances were unheeded.
After burying his second wife and marrying a third, he died of palsy June 9th, 1681, and was buried at Walton-upon-Thames. A tablet was placed over his tomb in the chancel of the church, with a Latin inscription by Elias Ashmole. Previous to his death he had adopted a tailor for his son by the name of Merlin Junior, to whom he bequeathed the impression of his almanac, which had then been printed thirty-six years. "Most of the hieroglyphics," says Mr. Aubrey, "con tained in this work were stolen from old monkish manuscripts. Moor, the almanac-maker, has stolen them from him, and doubtless some future almanac-maker will steal them from Moor." The character of Lilly has been faithfully drawn by Butler under the name of Sidrophel, although some authors have supposed that character to have been intended for Sir Paul Neal. By the facility with which he was enabled to impose upon the ignorance and superstition of all rauks of society, from the highest to the lowest, he succeeded in amassing considerable wealth. He was, to use the epithet of Dr. Nash, "a time-serving rascal," who did not hesitate to resort to any kind of deceit, and even perjury, in order to free himself from a dilemma, or gratify his love of money and renown.
For a list of Lilly's published works the reader is referred to Dr. Thatton's ' Mathematical Dictionary.' (Biog. Brit., folio, voL v, p. 2964; Granger, Biog. list.; Wood, Aar= Oxonienses ; Nash's Notes to Hudibrcts, 4to edition, 1796, vol. iii.)