was born at East Sheen, in Surrey, on the 18th January, 1644, and died in London, 24th June, 1715; how he made medicine for two kings and one queen, _Carolo scilicet Secundo, Willielmo Tertio, Reginæque Mariæ_; and how the Dutch University of Leyden conferred on him the diploma _Medicinæ Doctor_. Partridge seems to have given his MS. of the "Conjunction of Saturn and Mars" to Elias Ashmole, who presented it in 1682, with other curiosities, to the University of Oxford, where it may still be seen in the Ashmolean Museum.[121] [121] Elias Ashmole appears to have been given to astrology and alchemy; see his "Way to Bliss," a work on the Philosopher's stone, published 1658. Partridge is alluded to in Pope's "Rape of the Lock," where the poet speaks of Belinda's "wavy curl," which has been stolen and placed among the stars-- "This Partridge soon shall view in cloudless skies, When next he looks through Galileo's eyes; And hence the egregious wizard shall foredoom The fate of Louis and the fall of Rome." "What sacrifices," says the author of "The Book of Days," "would many a sage or poet have made to be connected through all time with Pope and the charming Belinda! Yet here, in this case, we find the almanac-making shoemaker enjoying a companionship and a celebrity for qualities which, morally, have no virtue or endurance in them, but quite the reverse." Swift, whose satire stung many an abuse to death, made endless fun of Partridge and his absurd prophecies based on astrology. In 1708 Swift published a burlesque almanac containing "predictions for the year," etc., etc., the first of which was about Partridge himself. Fancy the astrologer's feelings when he read the following awful announcement:--"I have consulted the star of his nativity by my own rules, and find he will infallibly die on the 29th of March next of a raging fever; therefore I advise him to consider it and settle his affairs in time!" After the 29th of March was past, Partridge positively took the trouble to inform the public that he was _not_ dead! This he did in his almanac for 1709. Whereupon the cruel Dean took the matter up again and tried to show Partridge his error. He was dead, argues Swift, if he did but know it; but then there is no accounting for some men's ignorance! He says, "I have in another place and in a paper by itself sufficiently convinced this man that he is dead; and if he has any shame, I don't doubt but that by this time he owns it to all his acquaintance."[122] Not content with this, Swift wrote an "Elegy on the supposed Death of Partridge, the Almanac-maker," and wound up the _painful_ business by writing his epitaph too. [122] _The Tatler_, April 11, 1709. Steele and Congreve assisted in the joke. Congreve pretended to take the side of Partridge by defending him against the charge of "sneaking about without paying his funeral expenses!" See Timb's "Anecdote Biog." vol. i. pp. 24 and 154.