dge, almanac-makers did not have any astrological skills; their predictions were conjured from their imagination in order to make a living that was more substantial than "mending Old Shoes" (Swift 435).
Throughout the two essays, Swift employed a variety of satirical methods to achieve his purpose of exposing the sins of the almanac-makers and the folly of their believers. By writing in the style of a rival almanac-maker of Partridge and other quack almanac-makers, Swift enhanced the credibility and the satirical effect of his work. Many of Bickerstaff's satirical techniques described in Richmond Bond's The Tatler (164-166), can be seen in the two essays.
The use of incongruity can be seen in Bickerstaff's prediction of the death of a "famous Buffoon of the Play-House" by a "ridiculous death," which is placed amidst predictions of great and celebrated statesmen, thus undermining the distinguished po
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