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A67806
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The Hartford-shire wonder. Or, Strange news from vvare being an exact and true relation of one Jane Stretton the danghter [sic] of Thomas Stretton, of ware in the county of Hartford, who hath been visited in a strange kind of manner by extraordinary and unusual fits, her abstaining from sustenance for the space of 9 months, being haunted by imps or devils in the form of several creatures here described the parties adjudged of all by whom she was thus tormented and the occasion thereof with many other remarkable things taken from her own mouth and confirmed by many credible witnesses.
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M. Y.
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1669
(1669)
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Wing Y3; ESTC R219637
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5,089
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16
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THE Hartford-shire Wonder OR Strange News from VVARE Being an Exact and true Relation of one Iane Stretton the Daughter of Thomas Stretton of Ware in the County of Hartford who hath been visited in a strange kind of manner by extraordinary and unusual fits her abstaining from sustenance for the space of 9 Months being haunted by Imps or Devils in the form of several Creatures here described the Parties adjudged of all by whom she was thus tormented and the occasion thereof with many other remarkable things taken from her own mouth and confirmed by many credible witnesses Job 1. v. 12. And the Lord said unto Satan behold all that he hath is in thy power onely upon himself put not fotth thy hand LONDON Printed for Iohn Clark at the Bible and Harp in West-Smith-Field near the Hospital Gate 1669. Courteous Reader I Here present thee with a true modern story which deserves to be inserted in a Chronicle rather then a penny Pamphlet being for the strangeness thereof not easily paralel'd and were there not sufficient persons both in Ware and London to justifie the truth thereof might not gain credence though with some of an easie belief but this thing being so well known I shall not insert any more testimonies here for the truth thereof it being a labour as superfluous as he who took on him to praise Hercules whom no man dispraised By this learn not to trust to those who pretend themselves Cunning men Wizards or Astrologers for all knowledge that is not from God is vain wicked and hurtful not onely to them that practice them but also to those who being in trouble think to gain remedy by them and remember that saying in the second of Kings cap. 1. v. 3. Is it not because there is not a God in Israel that ye go to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron Read remember and avoid which is the hearty wish of Thy faithful Moniter M. Y. THE Hartford-shire VVonder OR Strnge news from Ware SOme there be which entitle this the Iron age because of the stubbornness and Iron hearted inhabitants that live therein though I think it may as properly be termed the age of Wonders considering two so eminent wonders which have lately hapned in the same viz. That of the Darby-shire Maid Martha Taylor her fasting from all sustenance for so long a space and this other of one Iane Streator a maid of Ware in Hartford-shire no less strange and wonderful then the other of which I am now about to relate This Iane Stretton was born at Ware in Hartford-shire aforesaid about the year of our Lord 1649. Being the Daughter of one Thomas Stretton a Wheel-right who with his wife are now living in the same Town It so chanced that this Thomas Stretton lost a Bible which he valued as every one should doe the word of God at a high price and being very desirous to have it again it so fortuned that he did light into the company with one of his Neighbors who was such a one as the Country people term a Cunning man Wizard or Fortune-teller such of whom the Lord saith in Deutrinomy Chap. 18. v 10. 11. 12. There shall not be found among you any one that useth devination or an observer of times or an Inchanter or a Witch or a Charmer or a Consulter with familiar spirits or a Wizard or a Negromancer for all that doth these things are an abomination unto the Lord. This person thus qualified was by Streaton desired if his art could reach so far to tell him who it was that had his Bible to which the other answered that he could if he would Stretton as bluntly replying again that then he must be either a Witch or a Devil seeing he could neither write nor read these words struck home and a guilty conscience being wounded will soon ranchor his heart is inflamed with the fire of revenge but for the present he covers it with the ashes of dissimulation he will not vend his malice at present but like the Ram goes backward to return with the greater force love and friendship is written on sand which every puff of wind will blow away but malice and envy is engraven in Marble or Adamant time cannot obliterate or wear it out and that which is worst our Natures are such that one discourtesie shall wash away all the friendship that twenty benefits have implanted in our hearts But Malice sleeps not though it may wink within a moneth after the wife of this Fortune-teller or Cunning-man which you please to terme him comes to Strettons desireing of this his daughter Iane who was newly come out of service a pot of Drink she being ignorant of what had passed betwixt her father and the other willingly does it Innocency dreads no danger the child will play with the Bee for his gaudy coat and mistrusts not his sting soon after she is taken with violent rageing fits which torment her greviously yet no mistrust of the cause of her malady from what was too much afterwards apparent to to be seen the Devil is a sly theif and though he keeps his servants poor yet he indues them with a plentiful stock of malice revenge and dissimulation About a week after the same woman comes again and desires a pin of her by small means great mischeifs may be perpetrated the silly maid mistrusting no mischeif as not intending any bestows one on her when on a sudden her fits waxed far more violent then before her body swells like a bladder puft up with wind ready to burst all her members were distorted and as it were put in the wrack going to the next Meighbours her head being intoxicated by the violency of her fits she falls down against the door and beats it open lying in a deplored spectacle of pitty tormented any one would have thought enough for the satisfaction of the most inveterate malice But her misery ends not here the squib is not run out to the end of the rope where the Devil has an inch given him he will take and ell and as it is said of Rebels that when they draw their sword they must throw away their scabboard so wicked persons think that when they once begin they must make an end their malice is like an inperfect book it hath no Fiâ—ts to it they will willingly loose one eye to put out both of their Neighbors Her fits increased more violently the last time the woeman saw this Maid she sounded away and lay for the time as it were deprived of life after the recovery of this sounding fit her senses being in part recovered yet her body still remained as infirme as before In six months space she neither eat any thing nor avoided any excrements for where the cause is taken away the effect must needs cease But such a wonder as this could not be confined it was strait spread abroad and as we English are like the Athenians desirous to hear of News and to
be ascertained of whrt we hear so the report of this a strange wonder drawes a great concourse of people to the house to the disturbance not only of the maid but also of Thomas Streton himself wherefore to purchase a quietness to himself he removed her to the house of one Iohn Wood a Neighbour of his yet not without such provision but that she had continual attendants both night and day by her Friends and Relations who now at last be gan to distrust that her sickness proceeded from more then an ordinary cause Several days and nights was she thus watched it being a miracle in Nature that a corporall body should continue without the assistance of food when at last to the spectators plain view there appeared the resemblance of Flax and Hair to fall down upon a white sheet that was laid over her bed which they narrowly taking notice of and perceiving her tongue to hang or loll out of her Mouth upon a nearer view found the perfect resemblance of Flax Hair and Thred points to be on the same which being by them removed there presently proceeded from her mouth two flames in resemblance of fire the one of a red colour the other blew and soon after in some short distance of time eleven pins in several crooked forms and shapes some bowed one ways some another The report of these more strange accidents soon flew about not onely all over the Town of Ware but to the adjacent Villages and more remote Towns so that people came in multitudes to see her some out of pitty to help and comfort her others out of curiosity to be ascertain'd of the truth of these relations and some who were diffident of any such thing as Witchcraft or conjurations who being fully satisfied in the truth of what is here set down went home fully convinced of their errours In all this her extream tortures she complained continually of an exceeding pain in her back more then the other parts of her body as if she were continually slashed with a kife or had her flesh cut and mangled and the people about her with setting her up in her bed to give her some ease found a naked knife there no body knowing how or which ways it should come thither Several things were applyed unto her and as it is usual for the Tooth-Ach every one hath a particular Medicine so in that concourse of people there could not but be many advisers sume to this thing and some to that but none that appeared profitable to the Maid who was more violently tortured still then before It now being apparent that her distemper proceeded from the malice of the Devils Instruments on whose body God had permitted them to exercise their envy her tongue lolling out of her mouth in so sad and lamentable a manner as struck an astonishment in all the beholders and to convince them that it was done by Witchcraft and such Diabolical means they could see the Devil or his Imps or what it was we cannot determine but sometimes it was in the shape of a Toad at other times it resembled a Frog and at other times again in the form of a Mouse for as the Devil can transform himself into an Angel of light to deceive people so he can turn himself into any beastly shape to torment them And now that her Distemper was so evidently known and that the Neighbours were informed of the preceeding passages betwixt this Inchanter Fortune-teller cunning-man or what you will term him his Wife and the Maid they adjudged those 2 parties the absolute cause of the Maids perplexity resolved by violence to fetch them before her in the interim she being in a vielent fit some of the some from her mouth was put into the fire there to be burnt the parties that were gone at that time lighting on the vvoman and telling her their resolution to carry her before the maid she made them this ansvver that if they had not come she could not have stayed any longer from her Three several times was this Flax and Hair with the likeness of a Thred point seen upon her before very credible witnesses who are ready to attest the same uptheir Oaths The time that she began to be thus strangely tortured is Michaelmus last was twelve month during which time if we seriously consider every particular we shall hardly find her paralel viz. her extraordinary tortures by swellings somâ—ings and other pains her abstinency from all food for about the space of nine moneths save only some few liquid meats impossible in humane reason to have preserved life her being haunted with Frogs Toads Mice and the like or worse instruments in their likeness the knife found in her bed none knowing by what means it came thither her pains as it vvere answerable to that instrument all which being puttogether and througly considered we may admire that such weak earthly bodies of ours should hever undergoe such unspeakable misery we bâ—ing like glass apt to be broken with the least knock of misery like straw or stuble which the least fire of affliction consumes away a hair being sufficient to choak us a little stopping of our breath to stifle us that if we will make compariâ—ons of instability there is nothing more fit to resemble it then the life of man At present she takes nothing but surrups and such like liquid ingredients being in much pain and misery yet it is hoped by the blessing of God and the endeavours of those under whom she is in cure that at last she may be eased of her misery and let none look aversly upon her in this respect though she can say with the Prophet Behold and consider if any griefs be like unto mine seeing David saith Many are the troubles of the righteous but the Lord delivereth them out of all And when God had permitted Satan to afflict the righteous Iob giving him power over all his substance goods chattels and body yet still there was a reservation only said he thou shalt not touch his life Whom God loveth he chasteneth that having Hell here they may have there heaven hereafter for better it is with poor Lazarus to lye at the doors having the dogs licking our sores then with the rich Glutton to fare deliciously every day and afterwards to be tormented in hell Some are of that belief that stories of witchcraft are but idle Chymeras but we know that no part of Scripture was spoken in vain and one place thereof saith thou shalt not suffer a Witch to live those who are so I wish them grace to repent and get out of their damnable estate and should admonish all persons whatsoever not upon any loss or disaster to go to these South-sayers Wizards or cunning-men for as the Scripture saith in one place Cursed be the Image and the Image maker so I say there can â—o blessing be to those who are either Wizards or go to them for help and Councel For the truth of this Relation I might if there were occasion for it insert the names of several Eminent Persons both in VVare and London who freely offered to attest it but the thing being so near hand and obvious to our eyes I count it needless for who will cry out the Sun shines it being therefore a vain thing to go to prove that which vve suppose none vvill deny desiring thee to accept of my pains herein I take my leave FINIS