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book_n	age_n	time_n	write_v	2,053	5	5.4074	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A35248	The surprizing miracles of nature and art in two parts : containing I. The miracles of nature, or the strange signs and prodigious aspects and appearances in the heavens, the earth, and the waters for many hundred years past ... II. The miracles of art, describing the most magnificent buildings and other curious inventions in all ages ... : beautified with divers sculptures of many curiosities therein / by R.B., author of the Hist. of the wars of England, Remarks of London, Wonderful prodigies, Admirable curiosities in England, and Extraordinary adventures of several famous men.	R. B., 1632?-1725?	1683 (1683)	Wing C7349; ESTC R11001	165,303	248

In December 1664 In Iannuary 1664 5 In April 1663 In August 1682. In December 1680 The Five Blazing Stars seen in England since the year 1663. Page 154.160.182.18 London Printed for Nath Crouch 〈◊〉 THE SURPRIZING MIRACLES OF Nature and Art In TWO PARTS Containing I The Miracles of Nature or the Strange Signs and Prodigious Aspects and Appearances in the Heavens the Earth and the Waters for many Hundred years past with an Account of the most famous Gomets and other Prodigies since the Birth of our Blessed Saviour and the dreadful Effects of many of them Also a particular Description of the five Blazing Stars seen in England within Eighteen years last past and abundance of other unaccountable Accidents and Productions of all kinds till 1682. II. The Miracles of Art describing the most Magnificent Buildings and other Curious Inventions in all Ages as Solomons Temple The Seven Wonders of the World and many more Excellent Structures and Rarities throughout the whole Earth Beautified with divers Sculptures of many Curiosities therein By R. B. Author of the Hist of the Wars of England Remarks of London Wonderful Prodigies Admirable Curiosities in England and Extraordinary Adventures of several famous Men. London Printed for Nath. Crouch at the Bell next Kemp's Coffee-House in Exchange-Alley over against the Royal Exchange in Cornhil 1683. To the READER THere is no Person of any Age or Vnderstanding but must needs acknowledge that the last Forty Years has been as it were an Age of Prodigies and Wonders in these three Kingdoms so that it may be no former time can parallel so many strange Transactations as have happened in so little space and therefore as an Ingenious Person says A Book of Prodigies is fit In times Prodigious to be writ And another Learned Author says The wise Creator of Heaven and Earth is wont when the measure of our wickedness comes to the height rather to inflict upon us Temporal than Eternal punishments and to use for our Amendment the Occasion of these Natural Effects thereby to affright us from the Terrour of those sights to a Repentance and dutiful respect of him And if we consult History we shall find that there hath never been any notable Apparition or Prodigy seen in the Heavens but it hath been attended in the sequel with more than Ordinary Changes or Troubles here on Earth Neither is there any one except he hath no Religion who is not affrighted at Lightning the clashing noise of Thunder or an horrible Comet For God speaks to men not only with the Tongues of men by Prophets Apostles and Teachers but sometimes also by the Elements and other Extraordinary signs in the Heavens Earth or Sea Vpon these Considerations this small Collection of the most remarkable Prodigies since the Creation cannot surely be unseasonable or ungrateful but may by the Blessing of Heaven cause some Profligate Persons to forsake their evil ways and thereby divert the just Judgments of the Almighty from being poured down upon this wicked and adulterous Generation Here are also added many wonders of Art in the Magnificent Structures and Curious Inventions of all Ages and it is very apparent that notwithstanding our high Conceits of the knowledge of this last Age yet we are obliged to our Ancestors for many if not most of our present useful and Profitable Arts and Sciences R. B. The Surprizing Miracles of Nature in the Heavens Earth and Waters STrange and Wonderful have been the Miraculous Productions of Nature in all Ages or rather of the God of Nature and Divine Providence St. Auflin that Famous and Reverend Father of the Church defineth Miracles to be those things which happen beyond the Expectation or thought of the Beholder and begets in him a Miraculous Contemplation yea oftentimes horrour and amazement whereof there are two kinds True and False the false Miracles are such as are not really as they seem to be but meerly acted by the Power of Nature although obscure and hid The True are performed by the Power of God above and beyond all the Faculties of created Nature partly to procure Admiration and partly to confirm the Faith of Men such were the bringing back of the shadow Ten Degrees in the Dial of Ahaz for Hezekiah A Virgin to conceive with Child and yet remain a Virgin To draw water out of a hard Rock To cause the Sea to divide asunder The Sun to stand still To cause Manna to fall from Heaven To turn Water into Wine and many of the like kind recorded in the Holy Scriptures And these were formerly used for the Confirming of the Faith both of Jews and Christians but are not now necessary since the Writings of the Prophets Evangelists and Apostles are so generally preached unto all Yet hath not the Almighty left himself without Witness nor mankind without warnings of approaching Judgments and Desolations by Prodigious Signs and Wonderful Appearances in all times of the World thereby if possible to deter them from their Evil Practices and to induce them to repentance and Reformation of which the very Heathens were sensible for we may find in the Roman Histories that there never happened any Remarkable Prodigy but the People of every Sex Age and Quality flockt and ran to their Temples and Altars making Prayers and offering Sacrifices to their Gods for appeasing and pacifying their incensed Wrath which may condemn the neglect and Contempt that is in those who pretend to own the true Christian Religion and may teach us to repair to the true God and implore his mercy and forbearance of pouring his Wrath upon us In order whereunto it cannot surely be unseasonable nor unprofitable to Collect out of very approved Authors the most Remarkable Prodigies or Miracles that have appeared cither in the Heavens Earth or Waters for some Thousands of years in this Kingdom and many other parts of the World with the Tremendous Consequences that have succeeded divers of them as to Wars Fires Famines and other dreadful Calamities in several Nations upon some of which the Famous Dubartas thus Ingeniously Comments page 14. Here in the night appears a flaming Spire There a fierce Dragon folded all in Fire Here a bright Comet there a fiery Stream Here Flying Lances there a burning Beam Here seems a Horned Goat inviron'd round With fiery flakes about the Air to bound There with long bloody Hair a Blazing-Star Threatens the World with Famine Plague and War To Princes Death to Kingdoms many Crosses To all Estates Inevitable Losses To Herdsmen Rot To Ploughmen hapless seasons To Saylers storms To Cities Civil Treasons I shall therefore proceed to give an Account of the most Famous and surprizing Signs and Wonders which I find recorded in History I. In the time of the Carthaginian War a River in Italy was observed for near the space of a day to run perfect Blood no accident that might cause it being perceived by any In Hetruria the Heavens were seen to burn In the City of Arimini

of its depth the Overseers of the work being desirous to find the bottom tyed a long Rope to one of the Labourers and let him down into it being come to the bottom there was water therein up to his Ankles and searching every part of that hollow place he found it to be foursquare as far as he could conjecture by feeling then returning toward the Mouth of it he happened upon a little Pillar not much higher than the water and laying his hand on it found a book thereon wrapt up in a piece of thin clean Linnen which taking up he gave notice by shaking the rope to be drawn forth which done he shewed them the book which struck them with admiration because it seemed very fresh and untoucht though found in so dark and obscure an hole The Book being unfolded and opened surprized not only the Jews but the Graecians for they found in the entrance thereof these words written in Capital Letters IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD AND THE WORD WAS WITH GOD AND THE WORD WAS GOD And to speak truly saith the Historian that Scripture did plainly and manifestly contain the whole Gospel which the Divine Tongue of the Virgin Disciple St. John had declared This together with the other Miracles which at that time were proclaimed from Heaven did demonstrate that not any word of our Lord should fall to the ground which had foretold the utter desolation both of the Temple and City of Jerusalem Eusebius Eccles Hist lib 3. Thus severely were the Judgments of Heaven executed upon the Jews which did not yet end here but continued to their posterity For in 434. The Jews in the Isle of Creet were deluded by the Devil affirming himself to be Moses who led the Israelites through the Red Sea and perswaded those poor Creatures That he was sent from God to lead them through the Sea to their own Countrey the holy Land This these poor Creatures soon believed and disposing of all their Goods to others according to his perswasion they followed this seducer who had spent a whole year in going from one City to another he then led them with their Wives and Children to the top of a steep Rock that hung over the Sea when they were come hither this Mock Mises commanded them to wrap their heads in their upper Garments and so to throw themselves from the Rock into the Sea assuring them of a safe Passage they readily obeyed him and in that manner a great many of them perished in the Waves and more would have followed had it not pleased God that some Christian Fishermen were there at that instant who took up many of them as they were flooting upon the waters and ready to perish These afterward returning to the rest of the Jews told them how they had been cheated and deceived and how narrowly they had escaped whereupon they being upon good reason all very much inraged sought far and near for this seducer to put him to death but when he could not possibly be found any where they thereupon fully concluded That it was the Devil himself the old man slayer who had appeared to them in humane shape and divers of the Jews being moved by this Calamity became Christians Eusebius Hist In the Reign of Trajan the Jews rebelled in Egypt and Cyrene where they slew many Greeks and Romans and did eat their flesh and girded themselves with their Guts imbrued themselves with their blood and cloathed themselves with their skins Many they sawed in sunder from the Crowns downward others they cast to wild Beasts so that they destroyed Two Hundred Thousand of them and likewise Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand by the same abhorred Cruelty in Egypt and Cyprus whereupon Trajan sent an Army against them under Martius Turbo who destroyed many Thousands of them and fearing lest the Jews in Mesopotamia should break out into the like outrages he commanded Lucius Quietus utterly to destroy and root them out of that Countrey which he performed so effectually that the Emperor to recompence his service made him President of Judea Dion Hist Adrian the Emperour rebuilt the City of Jerusalem though not in the same place for he changed the scituation thereof somewhat Westward and called the name thereof Aelia according to his own name To despight the Christians he built a Temple over our Saviours Grave with the Images of Jupiter and Venus another at Bethlem to Adonis the Gallant of Venus and to inrage the Jews who abominate Swinesflesh he set up the Picture of a Swine over the Gates of the City who storming at the prophanation of their Land broke out into open Rebellion but were subdued by Julius Severus the Emperors Lieutenant an experienced Captain who by reason of their multitudes would not try it out in a set Battel but proceeding more warily and taking his opportunity he by degrees took 50 of their fortifyed Castles rased nine hundred and fourscore of their best Towns and slew five hundred and eighty thousand of their men besides an innumerable multitude who perished by Famine Sickness and Fire so that almost all Judea was left destitute With them likewise was slain one Benchoahab their Counterfeit M●ssias for so he termed himself that is The Son of a Star usurping that Prophecy out of Jacob a star shall arise Though he proved but a fading Comet whose blazing portended the ruine of that Nation The Captives by order from Adrian were transported into Spain and the Holy Land was laid wast which parted with her people and fruitfulness both together Indeed Pilgrims here and there find Parcels of rich ground in Palestine which God may seem to have left that men may tast the former sweetness of the Land before it was scourged for the Peoples sins and that they may guess the goodness of the cloth by the fineness of the shreds But it is barren for the generality the streams of Milk wherewith it once flowed are now drawn dry and the whole face of the Land looketh sad not so much for want of dressing as because the Almighty God hath frowned on it Adrian aforementioned banished Five Hundred Thousand Jews into Spain whence they were again banished by Ferdinando and Isabella in 1492 at which time there were driven out of Spain One Hundred and Twenty Thousand Families From thence they passed into Tuseany and the Popes Dominions but were again banished by Pope Paul 4. and Pius 5. But it would be endless to shew what miseries they have endured in all Nations ever since their Predecessors committed that great and grievous sin of Crucifying the Lord of life and Glory and thus much of the Jews as we find them mentioned by Josephus Eusebius Mr. Clark and other Ancient and Modern Authors I shall now proceed in the series of the History of Comets and other Prodigies according to the Order of time which this digression hath somewhat diverted VII In the 70 year after the Birth of our Saviour th●●● was a great