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Of all the sciences, true or false, which have always attracted the attention of the world, there is not one whose real or presumed principles are less known, in the present age, than those of astrology. It is commonly believed that the entire doctrine of this science has been completely overturned; and, lately, people seem to have been content with simply knowing the importance of his name. Such contented ignorance, even in people sufficiently informed in other respects, is the most extraordinary, as astrology has played a more conspicuous part throughout the history of the world, even up to relatively recent days. In the East, where it first arose, in a period of very remote antiquity, and came to subjugate the intellect of Europe, it still dominates today. In Europe, and in every part of the world where learning had "impressed the human soil", astrology reigned supreme until the mid-seventeenth century. He entered the councils of princes, guided the politics of nations and governed the daily actions of individuals. All this is attested by the records of every nation that has a history, and by none more fully than by those of England.