Svpernatvrall sights and apparitions, seen in London, June 30, 1644 interpreted with a mathematicall discovrse of the now imminent conjunction of Iupiter and Mars, 26 July, 1644, the effects which either here or in some neere countries from thence may be expected / by Will. Lilly.
The English Civil War, which took place throughout the 17th-century, was a conflict between the king and the parliament. While the kings favored the divine right of kings, which claims that the king's rule is given by a divine authority and divorced from the people, the parliament favored a rule where the king's power was kept in check. This resulted in a series of wars between the two sides. The first civil war, which took place from 1642-46, did not start out in either side's favor. Early battles were inconclusive, though by the end of 1643, the royalists---the king's supporters---appeared to be gaining an edge. However, in 1644, parliament's supporters gained a decisive victory at Marston Moor on July 2nd (Wikipedia). A pamphlet by William Lilly, titled Svpernatvrall sights and apparitions (...), was published near the end of July. His pamphlet uses weather phenomena from June 30, 1644, and astrological phenomena from July 26, 1644, to show that the war will end in Parliament's favor.
Lilly's pamphlet describes the weather of London on the evening of June 30, 1644, and interprets this as a sign of Parliament gaining an edge in the war. He describes flashes of lightning, which are followed by a "long yellowish apparition of somewhat in forme and shape almost like to a Serpent, incurvating a little at each end, in this fashion" which did not move for seven or eight lightning strikes. He also describes "certaine appearance of Stars like fire-balls of a proporā£tionable greatnesse, which with great celerity and quick motion asā£cended sometimes directly up." He claims that these are a message from the Angels, who have chosen to give the people a warning in a language which the common people will understand. According to him, this violent weather represents conflicts in the King's armies, disturbance to the monarchy, and a commotion between people and a greater man (presumably the King).
The bulk of Lilly's pamphlet is an astrological analysis which may be indecipherable to those who, like myself, lack knowledge of astronomy. His analysis focuses on the astrology for July 26, though discusses the movements of the planets throughout July. He cites a conjunction of Jupiter and Mars under the sign of Pisces, the combination of which is a sign of victory. Mars is associated with the god of war, while Jupiter is associated with luck and power (Wikipedia). He also claims that the reason why Parliament had been struggling until recently was because neither Mars or Jupiter "beheld the ascendant." All of this culminates in his claiming: "Oh the unexpected treason, treachery, and unlucky failings that this figure portends to the Kings of Europe, and what infinite sufferers they shall be by meanes of the policies."
So, what really happened? Weather-related phenomena is easy enough to explain. The balls and flashes of lightning were not a message from celestial intelligence. At the time, England was experiencing the Little Ice Age, which meant that there were more tiny ice crystals in the atmosphere than usual (by modern standards). This meant that rare weather phenomena, such as parhelia, were more able to occur (Wikipedia, Hermetic Library). The astrology itself can be presumed to be accurate, though as planetary movements do not dictate human behavior, any interpretation of this should be taken with a grain of salt.
In conclusion, Lilly's pamphlet uses supposed supernatural phenomena to prove that Parliament will triumph in the English Civil War. He uses weather phenomena from a few days before a tide-turning battle as an omen of what's to come. He then uses the astrology of a later date as confirmation of Parliament's victory. He solidifies his conclusions by looking at the movements of celestial bodies in the upcoming months, most notably an eclipse---"Verily I may pronounce some wonderfull things to happen to England, and some other Regions by the harmony of this Conjunction with the Eclipse."