Countrey desolate and laid wast the houses and temples overthrown the people lamenting at the sight of their houses being blown down and under them their Goods their Cattel and their Parents slain which occasioned wonderful compassion in the beholders and hearers thereof by this means it pleased God rather to threaten than punish Tuscany for if so great a Tempest had fallen upon any City full of Houses as it fell upon these Oaks and Trees and small Houses one far from another without all doubt the destruction would have been greater then the mind of man could have conceived But it pleased God by that small example to revive in mens minds the memory of his power The same year there perished about Pivel and Naples forty thousand People by an Earthquake Mahomet the Great Turk is beaten from the siege of Belgrade by Hunniades who soon after dyes Ladislaus King of Pâ—land and Alphonsus King of Naples both dye Matchiavil Hist Florence Lib. 6. XXVII In 1460. a most terrible Comet appeared to fight This year King Henry VI. of England is made Prisoner at Northampton The Civil Wars in France begin Charles VII King of France and Adolphus Duke of Holsatia both dye Craâ—ovia a great City in Poland is destroyed â—â—ith Fire and Sword Mahomet II. Emperor of the Tarks after many victories cruelly kills David the Emperor of Trapezund and his two sons the Duke of York is slain at the battle of Wakefield in Yorkshire In 1477 a Blazing Star of the colour of the Star Saturn appeared there ensued a most terrible Plague The Helvetians kill'd seventeen thousand French and Charles Duke of Burgundy The Turks wast Carinthia and the Tartaâ—â— Podâ—lia In 1484 happened a wonderful deep Snow in Germany and fiery darts were seen in the Sky the Sun was likewise much Eclipsed In England three Suns appeared about this time and in Poland there was seen saith my Author an Image of Christ Crucified with a Sword in his hand passing along the Air from West to South for two hours together The English invade Scotland but are repulsed The Venetians make war against the Turks The quarrel continueth in Germany about the Archbishoprick of Mentz A Rebellion was raised in France against the Queen for the Princes death In 1470 Hail of wonderful greatness fell at Rome the stones whereof weighed eight ounces in Germany Hail-stones fell as big as Goose eggs Soon after the Turks take Sabotz in Hungary and wast Germany The King of Sicily with the Venetians fight against them and spovl Leshos and Pergamus XXVIII In the Year 1478 the Sun is darkened without an Eclipse swarms of Grashoppers are seen in Italy A Glorious Star is seen to run along the Firmament Armies are observed fighting in the Air in Switzerland After this the Hungarians defeat the Turks and take Thirty Thousand Captives from them The Spanish Inquisition is first instituted in Castile against the Moâ—s and Jews The Transilvanians overcome the Turks About this time King Charles VIII of France marched into Italy with an Army for the Conquest of the Kingdom of Naples a little before which were many strange Prodigies whereby divers Persons foresaw and foretold that there would be greater changes and more horrible accidents than in many years before had happened in any part of the world For there were seen in the night at Poville in Italy three Suns in the midst of the Firmament and many Clouds about them which sent forth most dreadful Thunders and Lightnings In the Territory of Aretzo were manifestly seen in the Air infinite numbers of armed men upon mighty Horses with a terrible noise of drums and Trumpets The Images of the Saints saith my Author did plainly sweat in many parts of Italy In several places divers Monsters were brought forth both of women and other Creatures with many other things against the order of nature which happened almost all at one time in divers places And whilst the French Army was in the City of Millain there happened an accident of no less wonder than fear which extreamly astonished the Souldiers as if the Heavens by manifest signs had forewarned them of their future calamities For upon St. Peters day the Sun being set and the Air and Firmament clear there fell down from Heaven a Light and a Fire just before the Gate of the Castle where at that time stood many barrels of Powder which were brought out of the Castle to be sent to other Places This Flash of fire seized upon the Powder with an horrible noise by the violence whereof the fair Tower of Marble which was over the Gate on the top of which stood a stately Clock was thrown down and rased from the very Foundation to the top thereof In which fury the Walls and Chambers of the Castle with other buildings adjoyning to the Tower had the same fate Yea in one instant the whole body of the Castle and the whole City of Milain trembled and shook with the fury of the blow which carryed into the Air from several places many great and huge stones which in their fall hurt and slew divers Persons And as in a common calamity a multitude have a share so it fell out here for many who had escaped the fall of the stones were overwhelmed by the ruines of the Walls under which they were smothered and pressed to death with these ruins the Castle green was so overspread and covered that it was very dreadful to behold such a sudden alteration but it was mighty surprizing even to the most couragious to see stones of such an incredible bigness to be thrown with the fury of the fire above five hundred paces from the place This happened at that very hour wherein people of all sorts were walking for their Recreation upon the Castle Green whereby there were slain above five hundred men who belonged to the Castle Guichardines Hist Italy Pag. 785. XXIX In the year 1492 a great Comet is visible in the Heavens Three Suns are seen in Poland another Comet appeared for two Months In Rome the Sky was seen to be on fire for many nights together These were succeeded by great Inundations and Floods in England The English go against the French the Jews are expelled Spain A Rebellion at Gaunt in Flanders The Hungarians enter Mysia and return back with much booty A rot of great Potentates Pope Innocent VIII dyes Alphonsus King of Portugal dyes by a fall from his Horse Frederick Emperor of Germany and Casimer King of Poland both dye A great part of Cracovia is burnt In 1500 a great fiery Dragon and of a monstrous shape is seen in Savoy A Comet of wonderful Magnitude appears for 18 days in Poland an Inundation in Germany Soon after the King of Sweden and the Queen of Bohemia dye The State of Millain rebel and are suddenly subdued again Next year Prince Arthur Son to Henry VIII dyeth and the Wife of King Henry VII of England The Turks take Modone and many other places
3 Moons were seen in one night by the Inhabitants all these Prodigies appeared about the end of the first Carthaginian War In the second War after Hanno was overcome by Scipio a Child of a Month old was heard to cry in the Street Triumphi Triumphi In the Fields near Rome Ships were discerned in the Sky and Men in long White Garments were perceived to march towards each other but never to meet It likewise rained Stones and the Sun and Moon were seen as it were to justle each other and in the day two Moons appeared in the Heavens At Phalascis the Heavens seemed to be rent in sunder and at Capua the Moon seemed to burn and to bend down towards the Earth A Green Palm-Tree in Naples took Fire and burned away to Ashes At Mantua a little Rivulet was turned into blood and at Rome it rained blood An Ox was likewise heard to speak these Words Cave tibi Roma Rome look to thy self Soon after several large tall Ships appeared upon the River of Taracina in Spain The Sun at divers times appeared of a bloody colour many Temples and Houses in Rome were beaten down with Thunderbolts from Heaven some of the Cities Ensigns or Field-Colours were observed to sweat Blood Two Suns appeared in the Heavens at one time It likewise rained Milk and Stones A Comet in the form of a burning Torch was discerned to reach from the East to the West In the Vileterman Fields the Earth rent asunder in such huge and frightful breaches that Trees and whole Houses were swallowed up in it and it rained blood for two whole days together about which time Hannibal received that notable overthrow by Scipio which was the destruction of the famous City of Carthage and the Conquest of that Countrey to the Romans Tit. Liv. Hist II. In the year of the World 3417 when Cyrus overcame Craesus King of the Lydians in Battel a Child of six Months old is said to have distinctly foretold in a Prodigious and wonderful manner That his Kingdom should be lost A Dog and a Serpent spake very plainly and articulately to King Tarquinius of which Sir G. Wharton writes thus When Romes perverse and giddy multitude Dissolved in Tarquin their Great Monarchy To doom the Act unnatural and Rude 'T is said a Serpâ—nt bark'd In the year of the World 3842 at Veios in Italy it rained Oyl extreamly and Wool was also rained out of the Clouds In the year that the Great Mithridates K. of Pontus was born there appeared a huge Comet which at first seemed but small but afterwards spread it self so much that it came as far as the Equinoctial Line so that its extent equalized that Region of the Heavens which we call the Milky Way Another Comeâ— likewise appeared in the first year of his Reign which shined so bright night and day for 70 days together that the whole Heavens seemed all to be on a ligâ—â—t Fire for the Tayl of it covered the fourth part of the Heavens and exceeded the Sun in brightness and also its rising and setting took up the space of four hours Just before the taking of Aristonicus a dangerous Enemy to the Romans news was brought to Rome that the Image of Apollo at Cuma had wept for 4 days together The Southsayers were so astonished at the Prodigy that they had thrown the Image into the Sea had not the old men at Cuma interceded for it but the more expert Astrologers said That thereby the Destruction of Greece was foretold from whence that Image was brought Junius Syllanus going Proconsul into Asia he with his Company saw a spark fall from a Star which increased in Bulk as it came nearer the Earth and being grown to the bigness of the Moon it gave as much light as if it had been a cloudy day and when it drew up towards Heaven again it grew into the fashion of a Lamp When Julius Caesar had crossed the River of Rubicon contrary to the Decree of the Senate the Heavens as foreseeing what miseries were to ensue thereupon rained blood and there happened a horrible Eclipse of the Sun of 10 parts and an half of which Lucan thus speaks The Sun hides When mounted in the midst of Heaven he rides In Clouds his burning Chariot to enfold The World in darkness quite Day to behold No Nation hopes The same day that the Battle between Caesar and Pompey was fought in the Pharsalian Fields the Image of Victory which stood in the Temple of Minerva at Eulide was seen to turn its face toward the Temple-door whereas before it looked to the Altar At Antioch in Syria such great noises and Clamours were heard twice a day about the Walls of the Town that the People affrighted with the supposed approach of the Enemy ran out of the City in their Arms In the Temples of Ptolemais Organs and other Instruments were heard to play of themselves before Julius Caesar was slain in the Senate House and there being a Colony sent to be planted in Capua according to the Julian Law and some Monuments being demolished to lay Foundations for New Houses In the Tomb of Capys who was said to be the Founder of Capua there was found a brazen Table wherein was ingraven in Greek Letters That whensoever the bones of Capys should be uncovered one of the Julian Family should be slain by the hands of his own Party and that his blood should be revenged to the great damage of all Italy At the same time also those Horses which Caesar had consecrated to Mars after his passage over Rubicon did abstain from all kind of Food and were observed to have drops falling from their Eyes after such a manner as if they had shed Tears Also the Bird Regulus having a little branch of Lawrel in her Mouth flew with it into Pompâ—ys Court where she was torn in pieces by divers other Birds that pursued her where also Caesar himself was soon after slain with Twenty three wounds by Brutus Cassius and others Shortly after his Death about the time of the banishment of Antonius and â—â—â—idus an Ox being led out to the Plough uttered these words to his Master Why urge you me to work we shall want no Corn but men And a new Born Child did speak A. B. Vâ—ers Annals Pearson's Vaâ—â—â—â—es III. About the time that our Lord and Saviour was born which was in the year of the World 3849 and the 43 year of the Reign of Augustus Caesar many wonderful and remarkable Prodigies shewed themselves in the Heavens and this more frequently than in former years as Jesphas in his Jewish Antiquities testifies which unusual sights occasioned the Mâ—gi or Wise Men of those times in their Predictions to conclude That 〈◊〉 more than Ordinary Person would arise or appear in the World Which presages some Learned Persons applyed to Augustus Câ—â—sar who then reigned prosperously But the more divinely inspired interpreted them to signifie him who as the Prophet Isaiah saith should
have his Government upon his shoulders Even the Saviour of the whole World for besides what the Evangelists mention as of the Angel appearing to the Shepherds and that Star which directed the wise men of the East to find out the place 〈…〉 As the Earth with a New Sun was blest So th' Heavens with a New Star is drest It is likewise recorded by Paul Horatius and Eutropius Secretaries to Augustus and likewise by Eusebius That at the time that Jesus Christ was born it happened in Rome that in a publick Inn was discovered and broke forth a Fountain of pure Oil which for the space of a whole day continually issued out in great abundance and that at high Noon in a clear and fair day a Circle was seen about the Sun as shining and resplendent as the Sun it self About the same time the Senate and People of Rome offered to Augustus the Title of Lord which he refused and would not accept of unknowingly prognosticating that a greater Lord than he was upon Earth to whom that Title belonged Comestor in his Scholastick History affirms That the same day of the Birth of Christ the Temple in Rome dedicated by the Romans to the Goddess Pax fell to the Earth ruined adding that when it was first built by the Romans they addressed to the Oracle of Apollo to know how long time it should endure who returned answer Even until a Virgin should bring forth a Child which they judged impossible and that therefore their Temple should last Eternally nevertheless at the Virgins bearing a Child even the King of Heaven it fell to the Earth Lucas de Tuy in his Chronicle of Spain writes That he hath found in the Ancient Histories of that Countrey That by Computation of time the same night wherein our Saviour was born there appeared in Spain at mid-night a Cloud which gave so great a Light that it seemed like mid-day I remember also saith my Author I have read in St Jerom That when the Virgin fled with her Son into Egypt all the Idols and Images of the Gods which were there tumbled from their Altars to the Ground And that the Oracles and Answers which these Gods or rather Devils used to give to such questions as were propounded to them then ceased and never answered afterwards Rarities of the Creation p. 84. IV. About the first year after the Birth of Christ there were many Prodigious Births in Germany Armies in the Air were seen at Rome A terrible Eclipse of the Sun and dreadful storms of Hail and Rain Soon after Tiberius obtains a Victory in Germany and subdues the Lombards The Panonians Rebel A very great Famine in Rome Varus is defeated and killeth himself About the Twelfth year there was a great Earthâ—â—ake in Câ—prus which overthrew many Cities Jesus Christ disputes with the Doctors a great and terrible Comet then seen The Light of the Sun was seen apparently to fail The Heavens seemed to burn Fiery beams fell from Heaven Bloody Comets seen in other places The River Tiber overfloweth Rome 13 Cities in Africa destroyed with an Earthquake Noysome Flys come in great Swarms and Companies into Germany The Effects whereof were judged to be that a while after Aâ—â—â—â—s a great Commander was slain by the â—all of an Horse Caligâ—ia that Monster of Mankind was born King Agrippa was slain and Julia Daughter of the Emperor Augustus was starved to Death Caesar dyeth The Brittains are subdued In his 22 year Blood rained in Rome Great Flocks of Graâ—hopâ—er Armies seen fighting in the Air in Rome and Poâ—â—â—d Fiery Torches a blazing Star like a Sword soon after 〈◊〉 Theatre was burned Sejanus chief â—â—â—ourite to the Emperour Tiberius is executed for Aâ—â—â—ition his Son strangled his Daughter first deâ—lowred by the Hangman and then put to Death Drusâ—s the Emperors Son is poysoned The Arabians defeat Hâ—â—od the City of Tâ—â—â—ias is drowned Tiberius turned Tâ—â—ant and commits all mâ—nner of horrid Cruâ—â—ies upon the Romans Natura Prodig p. 43. V. In the Thirty Fourth year of our Blessed Saviours Life he was crucified by the wicked hands of theâ— Jews which produced prodigious Effects that were afterward attested as well by Heathens as Christians at the time of his Death a very great darkness happened in the day time which continued from six a Clock till nine and yet there was no Eclipse of the Sun for it was at a full Moon so that it was miraculous and contrary to the Order of Nature and only by the power of God who deprived the Sun of its light for that space of time And therefore Dennis the Areopagite being that day in Athens and seeing the Sun so darkened and also knowing as a man learned in Astrology and the course of the Hâ—avens that such an Eclipse must needs be contrary to the Rule of Nature spake with a loud voice saying Either the World is at an end or the God of Nature suffers and upon this Account say some Authors the Wise Men of Athens being astonished at this Prodigy they presently caused an Altar to be built to the Vnknown God after which St. Paul coming thither reproved them for it declaring to them that Jesus Christ the Redeemer of the World who had suffered was that Unknown God whereby he Converted many of them to the Christian Faith which doth also demonstrate that the darkness was over the whole Hemisphere since it was seen at Athens and other places far remote from Jerusalem Yea the Moon being then at full and having no light but what she hath from the splendour of the Sun and being then in the Firmament that is under us she came to be violently eclipsed and darkned so that the darkness was universal over all the World because the Moon and Stars can give no light unless they receive it first from the Sun It was likewise very observable and is acknowledged by the famous Historian Plutarch though a Heathen that after the Death of Christ not only the Oracles of Egypt but throughout the World ceased of which he can give no reason being ignorant of Christianity but that there were some Devils or Demons dead However it was very remarkable that Satan should so plainly demonstrate himself to be subdued and overcome immediately after the Death of our Saviour that he could never after give any answers The Words of Plutarch to Emilius the Orator a prudent and humble man concerning this matter of which Eusebius writ to Theodorus as a thing of great note are as followeth That his Father coming one time by Sea toward Italy and coasting by night about an Island not inhabited called Paraxis when all in the ship were silent and at rest they heard a great and fearful voice which came from that Island that called upon Alaman who was Pilot of the Ship and an Egyptian born now though this voice was heard once or twice by Alaman and others yet no man had the Courage to answer till at the third Call he
a King why dost not thou command us to be punished Where be thy valiant Souldiers Let us see them Come thou and they together and chasten us that it may appear whether thou indeed be a King or no Thou standest afar off and when thou speakest thy Feet are ready to run away as if a Dog should set himself against an armed Man and bark at him lolling out his Tongue And upon this he winked upon the Rebels his Companions to seize upon Agrippa which was observed by a spy appointed by the King for that purpose who laying his hand upon his head gave a sign to the King to flee away immediately or else the Seditious would destroy both him and them together Agrippa perceiving this got away with all speed the Rebels pursuing him but in vain for he got into Japho a Town under the Romans where he was in safety from thence he went to Rome and gave an account to Nero both of the sedition and the slighting of his Offering whereupon Nero joyned him with Cassius to command a great Army wherewith they entred Judea and won many walled Towns and rased Japho least it should fall into the hands of the Enemy After this they marched toward Jerusalem designing utterly to destroy the Rebels which Eltaser and other Priests having notice of they issued out against them and found them incamped in the way between Jerusalem and Japho where many of the Jews were slain by the Romans and the residue Cassius and Agrippa put to flight and following the Chase to the Gates of Jerusalem besieged the City three days The Fourth day the Priests and People issued out suddenly and unawares upon the Camp of the Romans and slew five Thousand Footmen and a Thousand Horsemen Cassius perceiving that neither he nor his could escape chose out Forty Thousand of his best Souldiers and placed them between his Camp and the Priests commanding them to stand all the night sounding their Trumpets and making of Fires and not to remove out of their places till the morning that hereby he and Agrippa might escape The Jews hearkning to the sound of the Trumpets and not understanding the meaning did not pursue the Romans but perceiving in the morning they were gone toward Caesarea three days Journey off Eleasar with the People followed and found the Roman baggage strowed in the way that they had thrown away to escape the lighter which they let alone and pursued them to the Gates of Caesarea But Cassius and Agrippa got safe into the Town from whence they went together to Rome and gave an Account of their ill success to Nero who soon after sent Vespasian and his Son Titus to revenge the Romans on the Jews commanding them to rase their walled Cities and destroy whatever they found without sparing either Man Woman Child Infants sucking Babes or Old Folks but to slay all The Jews having Intelligence of this chose out three Captains Josephus the writer of this History Anani and Eleasar his Son to be their Captains Vespasian first invaded Galilee which being the lot that fell to Joseph to defend he departed from Jerusalem thither and built up the Towns that were destroyed repairing the Walls Gates Bars and Pallaces ordaining also Captains over the People to lead and govern them some of Thousands and some of Hundreds c. He instructed the People also in the Feats of War and chusing out Threescore Thousand Footmen and some Horsemen he marched to the Cities of Agrippa that were in Judea because he joyned with the Romans with all the power he could make Joseph therefore first approached Tiara a great City that belonged to Agrippa where his Treasure and Ammunition and all his Jewels were and offered Peace to the Inhabitants upon Condition they would open their Gates and deliver him all the Riches and Treasures of Agrippa which if they would do they should be safe in their Persons and Estates upon these Conditions they opened the Gates and Joseph commanded about Six Hundred Wicked Persons in the Town to be laid in Irons and others who had aided Vespasian to be put to the Sword But the chief Governour of the Town he apprehended alive and carrying him out of the City commanded one of the Souldiers to cut off his hands The Governour then besought Joseph saying I beseech thee my Lord let one of my hands only be cut off and spare the other At which Joseph and his Souldiers laughed him to scorn not judging him a man of courage Joseph then bid them give him his sword in his own hands and to let him cut off which hand he would The Roman Captain took the Sword and cut off his left hand leaving himself the Right and so he was let go who went presently to the Camp of Vespasian declaring what shame was done unto him After this the City of Zippory made a League with Vespasian of which Joseph being certifyed he marched thither with his Army but the Town endured the assault so that Joseph could not prevail against it and therefore besieged it a long while In the mean time Askalon revolted from the Jews to the Romans which was thereupon besieged by some Jews from Jerusalem but Antonius a Roman Captain issuing out one morning before day fell upon the Jewish Camp and before day light had slain above Ten Thousand Jews soon after those of Jerusalem sent Eighteen Thousand Men more to Askalon to bury the bodies of the Jews that that were slain which they did without the least opposition of the Romans who kept themselves within the Town for fear of them Then Joseph gathering all his Forces together assaulted Askelon with his whole Army and won it slaying afterward Anthony and all his People with the Sword so that few or none escaped He likewise burnt all the Villages and Hamlets about the Town and in all other Places which had entred League with the Romans he flew both Jews and Romans and burnt their Houses to the ground This done Joseph returned again to Zippory fought with them and conquered them burning their Cities and Villages and leading their Wives and Children Prisoners to Jerusalem and all the Romans he found there he put them to death Of which Transactions when Vespasian and Titus had an Account they were very much inraged and therefore marching to Acho where K. Agrippa then was with Forty Thousand stout Souldiers they joyned with them being likewise assisted with very great Numbers of Men out of all the Nations round about Jerusalem with this vast Army they went from Acho to Galilee and pitched their Tents in the Mount which Joseph hearing issued out of Zippory with all his Army set upon them and slew a multitude of them Vespasian and Titus studying revenge resolved to surprize Joseph and beset all the passages to that purpose which Joseph understanding left Zippory and went to Tiberias whither Vespasian followed Joseph perceiving them coming fled from thence to Jorpata the biggest City in Galilee closed up
the Gates and there remained with his Army Then Vespasian sent several Noblemen as Embassadors to Joseph who thus addressed themselves to him Vespasian General of the Roman Army sends to know what it will avail you to be thus blockt up in a walled Town he desires rather that you would come forth and treat peaceably with him and enter into a League together for it will be for your benefit to serve Caesar Emperor of Rome whereby you may live and not be destroyed nor any of your People Then Joseph sent Embassadors to Vespasian desiring Truce for a few days to consult with the People about this matter which he agreed to and Joseph sent to the chief Priests and Rulers of Jerusalem and the rest of the People the following Letter Ye shall understand Brethren that Vespasian General of the Romans sent his Ambassadors unto me inquiring what it would avail me to be obstinate against them and not rather to come forth and treat of Peace and to joyn in League together that we may serve the Emperor of the Romans so that we may save our lives and not be destroyed And I beseech ye why will you lose your lives with the lives of your Wives your Sons and your Daughters Why will you all fall together on the sword The Dreadful Apparitious and Presages seen over the City of Ierusalem Page 14 whereby those that shall be left alive among you shall be led Captive out of your Countrey to a People which they never knew and whose Language they understand not and likewise your Countrey shall be made desolate your Sanctuary laid wast so that there shall not be so much as one man to enter into it Never suffer this you that are wise men but rather receive my Counsel and come hither to us that we may consult together what conditions of Peace we shall make for the safety of our Lives rather than be destroyed and that we may enjoy the blessings of our Countrey and live at peace therein for Life and quietness is to be preferred before Death and Banishment But the Inhabitants of Jerusalem with the Priests Elders and Noblemen of Judea and the rest of the People returned this answer to Joseph Take heed to thy self that thou never consent to receive Conditions of peace from the Romans but be strong to fight till such time as thou shalt consume them or till thou and all the People dye in Battel and so shalt thou fight the Battels of the Lord for his people and his Sanctuary and the Cities of our God in the mean season let it be as it will but let not thy power be with them When Joseph heard this Resolution of the People for continuance of the War he was exceeding angry and in great fury fell upon the Roman Army with all his Forces in which skirmish very many of the Jews were slain and from that day forward Vespasian began more fiercely to War upon the Jews He marched thence to Gâ—rara a great City in the higher Galilee which he besieged took and rased to the Ground slaying all the people Men Women and Children Oxen Sheep Camels and Asses leaving nothing alive and then said Now I begin to be revenged for the Romans which the Jews murthered in the Land of Judea From thence be came to Jorpata where Joseph was The first day he incamped about it refreshing his Souldiers with plenty of meat and drink and then furnished every man with Arms The next morning early the Roman Army gave a great shout and beset the City round about on every side Joseph standing upon an high Tower beheld the mighty Army of the Romans and thereupon founding a Trumpet gave a sign to the Battle issuing out with the whole power of the Jews upon the Roman Camp at the foot of the Hill and maintaining the Fight from morning till night at which time it being dark the Jews retreated into the Town and the Romans to their Camp the next day the Fight was renewed and so the third and fourth day wherein many were destroyed on both sides For the Romans advanced confidently and stoutly to the Battel boastingly saying We will quickly vanquish this little Nation as we have subdued all others against whom we have fought and they shall trouble us no more and then shall we be at rest The Jews likewise on the other side encouraged themselves against the Romans saying At this time we will all dye together for the Zeal to the Sanctuary of our God and will never suffer these unclean Persons to pollute it and having once destroyed them we shall be quiet ever after So that what with the Pride of the Romans on the one side and the stiff-necked stubbornness of the Jews on the other much people perished of either Party At this time the Jews who dwelt about Jorpata fled to the Camp of Vespasian and joyned with the Romans and alwaies when Joseph skirmished with Vespasian without the City Vespasian sent a Party to assault the City so that Joseph and his Men fought with Vespasian without the Town and the Jews within defended the Walls against the Romans but those within dayly diminished and the chiefest of Josephs Army were slain except some few with whom Joseph fled and recovered the Town and stopped up the Gates after him But Vespasian having a long time besieged Jorpata he at length espied a Conduit of sweet Water without the Walls which ran into the City the Citizens drinking thereof because it was good this he cut off whereby the Inhabitants were destitute of drink having only Well-water which Joseph perceiving and judging that the Romans would now think they might take them at pleasure since they must dye for Thirst He thereupon took Garments and dipped them in the Well-waters in the Town and hanged them over the Walls in several places to declare they had plenty of Water Then Vespasian commanded a Mount to be raised nigh the Town to plant an Iron Ram wherewith to batter and beat down the Walls which they did so furiously that Joseph perceiving them to shake filled sacks of Chaff and hanged them down by the Walls which by their softness prevented the Force of the Iron Horns of the Ram which Policy Vespasian observing he sent secretly into the Town some Jews as spies who should cut the ropes of the sacks and then slip down the Walls with them thereby to be secured from danger and several other devices were used on each side But Joseph perceiving the War to increase dayly he issued out with his Forces and made a great slaughter in the Camp of the Romans burning the Mount and Engines of War they had left behind them and forcing them to retire from the Walls Vespasian perceiving his men shrink stood up and encouraged them so much with good Words and large Promises of Gold and Silver that they continued the Fight against Joseph till night In the hear of the Battel the Jews wounded Vespasian in the Right
We will do so if you be so disposed but first hear me a few words have not these sinners rebelled against God in thus murdering themselves so shamefully neither could I by any means disswade them nor divert them from their opinion why should we sin so grievously against God and our own souls If thou say how shall we do by reason of the Oath we have sworn Dost thou not know that a wicked Oath is better broken than kept and this is a breach of one of the Ten Commandments which saith expresly Thou shalt not kill Now therefore my Brother if thou wilt be ruled by me thoushalt save both thy own Life and mine For I will not cast Lots neither will I perform the Oath we have sworn as being directly contrary to the Law of God but if thou wilt not I will fight with thee and kill thee and spare my self And herewith Joseph leapt back and drew his Sword in his own defence His Companion knowing Joseph too strong for him stirred neither hand nor foot but said Lo I am content do what thou thinkest good because thou art a man of God and half saved thine own life and mine Then Joseph called out of the Cave to Nicanor offering to come forth with all that were left alive upon security given which Nicanor readily gave in writing after the manner of the Romans and reacht it into the Cave upon a Spear then Joseph and his Companion came forth and Nicanor imbraced him kissed him and wept abundantly with him especially at the Relation of the cruel stubbornness of those self-murdering Jews Then Joseph was brought to Vespasians Army who with Titus his Son received him very kindly and carryed him about with him through the Cities together with King Agrippa then Vespasian marched to Caesarea a great City where he had Intelligence that the Citizens of Paphos spoiled the Islands with their Ships upon which an Ambush was laid without the Town and when the Pyrates were gone abroad to rove Vespasian entred the Town and took it without any great refistance because their Souldiers were absent when the Rovers therefore returned with their Navy and saw the Romans in the City they endeavoured to land but a huge Tempest and mighty storm drove all their Ships which were on the Sea-shore upon the Rocks where many were drowned and those who swam to Land the Romans slew so that hereby above Four Thousand stout Souldiers perished which with those that were slain in the Town amounted to Forty Thousand all Jews Then Vespasian sent his Son Titus who with his Forces won all the walled Towns in Galile saving the Lives of those which yielded and killing such as resisted He restored likewise to Agrippa all the Cities in Gallie which belonged to him except Tâ—aâ—va which he utterly rased slaying all the men who were fit for War and selling their Wives and Children this being the only 〈◊〉 all Galile where Tâ—tus shewed such severity Then Vesâ—aâ—ian went to Gamala a City upon the top 〈…〉 near which was another Town called 〈◊〉 They both belonged to Agrippa who therefore desired Vispasian that he might go and treat with them and thereby prevent the destruction of the place and accordingly the King went peaceably to them and they received him very courteously though they intended Treachery saying Thou art our Lord and King to whom therefore doth all that is of any value or tâ— be desired in all Israel belong but unto thee therefore coâ—â—near unto us and debate the matter with thy Servants Agrippa crediting their words came up close to the Wall and as he listned to those who talked with him one threw a great stone from the Wall which fell just between his shoulders with such violence that it struck him to the ground and broke his back almost and one of his Arms His Servants stept to him and taking him up carryed him to Vâ—sâ—â—sian who seeing him so terribly hurt swore he would never go from thence till he had taken the City which he soon after accomplished killing every man and leaving none alive in like manner as at Tiarva He came then to Nascala which was the only City of defence left throughout all Galilee and hitherto reforted many Cut-Throats and Wicked Persons of the Lond of Judea amongst whom was Jehochanan a mâ—n learned and witty to do mischief and of cunning â—loquence Titus was sent to offer them Peace but 〈◊〉 would not let the Romans speak to the People but told them the next day was the Feast of Weeks or Whitsunday and the third day they should have an answer But the night before the third day Jehochanan and his Accomplices got privately out of the Town and fled toward Jerusalem the next day the People sent word they desired friendship with the Romans and Titus hearing that Jehochanan and his Company were fled that night toward Jerusalem he sent to pursue him and overtook some men women children and impotent Persons and slew them all returning with great spoil Titus having gained all the Cities in Galile Vespasian marched to Mount Tabor which is continually covered with Snow the height thereof being Thirty Furlongs and upon the top is a Plain of Twenty three Furlongs this Mountain he took and the Town which stood thereon But Jehochanan being come to Jerusalem associated himself with a great number of Murtherers and blood-thirsty Villains who came out of all Judea upon pretence to defend the Sanctuary of the Lord and Anani the High Priest received all that came These observing the valour and courage of Jehochanan revolted from Anani and joyned with him and consulting together they resolved to rob all the Rich men of the City and began quarrels with them in this manner when they met any wealthy Person they thus accosted him Art not thou one of those who sent Letters to Vespasian and the Romans to betray the City to them Thus would they examine them before the People and when he would answer God forbid I should do so Then would they bring in periured Villains Limbs of the Devil of their own Company to bear false witness against him that he might be condemned as a Rebel under a pretence of Law Thus dealt they with several Noble men and chief Citizens and their Riches Jewels and Goods the seditious seized for their own use They likewise put the High Priests out of their Office placing ignorant Rusticks in their room These wretched and illegal practices so inraged the honest Citizens that they resolved to joyn themselves together and withstand them by force which they did accordingly and the Fight was very fierce on both sides in the Streets Market-place Temple and the entrance thereof so that all the City was full of dead Bodies and slain men but at length the people prevailed against the Ruffians and forced them to fly into the Temple of the Lord shutting it after them Anani the High Priest perswaded the People not to fight with them there lest they
should pollute it with the blood and dead Carcases of those wicked Persons they therefore besieged the Temple with six Thousand choice Souldiers well armed to keep them from coming forth and Anani sent to Jehochanan offering Conditions of Peace which he refused expecting relief from the Edâ—mites and one night soon after twenty two Thousand of them came against Jerusalem whom with the Priest discoursed from off the Walls and represented their unworthiness in joyning with the Seditious and Murtherers Whilst they were discoursing together there appeared a great dark Cloud after which followed dreadful Lightnings with Fire terrible Thunderclaps and showers of Hail which wonderfully affrighted the People so that they all fled away leaving the defence of the Wall and Anani also alone but Anani took courage and stay'd to observe those horrible signs from Heaven that he might judge what they presaged And he gave his iudgment indeed but not according to Truth for he foretold That the Thunder and Hail with darkness signisied Gods help in hope whereof he perswaded them to defend the Sanctuary of the Lord and to this all the Elders which were with him likewise agreed not foreseeing that all these signs betokened the miseries that should come upon Jeruâ—alem and all Israel Now when those who vvere be â—â—â—ged in the Temple perceived that the Watch at the Gate were fled because of the Tempest and that none in the City durst look out of their Houses for fear of the terrible Apparitions in the sky the darkness being so great that they could not discern each other then came these desperate seditious Fellows out of the Temple without dread to the walls and with saws and other Instruments they cut asunder the Bars and Gates and when the crashing of the Thunder and hail was greatest then they laboured hardest in wresting asunder the Locks and Bolts of the Gates lest they should be heard and when the Thunder-clap was past they left off till it came again Thus they continued till at last they had broken and opened the Gates and let the Edomites into the City who being entred marched about contriving how to destroy all the Citizens of Jerusalem to which end their Confederates in the Temple joyned with them they swearing to each other to be one People and one Army Then they being confederated together slew the same night Eight Thousand Five Hundred of the Israelites all valiant men of War besides a multitude more of the Common people In the morning they laid hands on the rich men haling them before the Judges and the Seventy Elders called the Sanhedrin and among others one Sechariahu a just and vertuous Person and only guilty of being too rich this man the wicked Jehochanan brought before them saying Why do you not condemn those rich Villains who have conspired with the Romans to betray this Holy City into their hands The Priests and Elders knowing the innocency of the man sighed and wept very much which Jehochanan perceiving said What do you begin to weep before you see any Corpse I wish I may never see the face of God if we do not sit in Judgment our selves since matters are thus ordered and you shall be the first we will judge Then the wicked multitude seized on Sechariahu and haling him from the place of Judgment carryed him to the top of an high Tower at the East end of the Town from whence they cast him down headlong into the Vale of Jehosaphat where he dyed The Priests and Judges thereupon were much afraid since Jehochanan had threatned them that unless they condemned every man whom he accused they should all go the same way Jehochanan then apprehended Gorinian a valiant man who had often made great slaughter of the seditious and was well beloved by the Citizens whom this cruel wretch brought forth among the Rabble and villanously killed him throwing his Body to the Beasts of the Field In the mean time Vespasian drew near to Jerusalem having stayd the longer at Caesarea because he understood that the Jews were destroying each other and so would be the more easily conquered which accordingly happened For by the wickedness of Jehochanan an innumerable Company of them were destroyed some were slain with swords others the seditious killed with short daggers which they carryed privately under their Garments wherewith they would suddenly stab innocent men to the heart Jehochanan having subdued the City he sent an Army out of Jerusalem to take the Cities that had made peace with Vespasian which they sacked and rased to the ground and whomsoever they found therein Romans or Jews they slew among others they took the City Gerara beyond Jordan where they remained But the Inhabitants of Jerusalem and likewise of Gerara sent Ambassadors to Vespasian to come and joyn with them against these Seditious Rascals Jehochanan having notice hereof and hearing that Vespasian was marching toward Gerara first slew the chief Governour thereof and then with his Companions fled out of the Town designing to secure themselves in a Wood which Vespasian understanding sent out Poligorus after them who overtook and made a great slaughter of them and in his return near Jordan met with many more going to joyn with the Seditious at Jerusalem whom Poligorus forced back to the River and slew Thirteen Thousand of them the rest leaped into Jordan and were drowned in all to the number of Ninety one Thousand Men Women and Children with much Cattel who were all lost together in the River insomuch that the Waters of Jordan ran over its banks being stopt up with dead Carcases so that the Fields and Plains were overflown yet at length the Force of the Waters carryed the dead Bodies down the River to the Sea of Sodom and all the Banks of Jordan lay full of dead Bodies After this Vespasian went into the Land of Edom where he won two strong Cities and slew Ten Thousand of the People thereof leading away the rest into captivity and at length came to Samaria and took it and then repaired the VValls of all the Towns he had conquered placing Garrisons therein to aid him when he should besiege Jerusalem He then returned to Caesarea and mustered his whole Army in order to prepare for that siege But in the mean time news came from Rome that Nero the Emperour was dead and it was at first reported that while he was hunting Fire came down from Heaven upon him and destroyed him After whom Galba reigned but within one year he was slain by the Noblemen of Rome and Vitellius was made Emperor in his stead he was a Fool but yet a very bloody man and much given to drunkenness so that upon all accounts he was altogether unworthy of the Roman Empire the Roman Nobility who were with Vespasian hearing this were much offended saying Was there never a Nobleman in Rome lest to be placed in the Empire but a drunken Wine-sucker must be chosen Why did they not rather Elect the mighty Prince
Vespasian here with us a wise and valiant Commander who hath conquered many Cities and vanquished divers Warlike Nations How many puissant Kings hath he subdued to the Roman Empire and how hath he enlarged it far and wide And now when the Empire ought to have been bestowed upon Vespasian or some Person of the like merits because no such could be found among them they have bestowed it upon a Fool and a sottish Drunkard wherein they have done very undiscreetly however we are resolved the Empire of Rome shall suddenly have a better Emperor and thereto let God say Amen Hereupon the Princes who were present consulted together and decreed to make Vespasian Emperor and going all together to him they said Thou shalt be our Head for the Empire belongeth to such a one as thy self and thou shalt have Dominion over us But Vespasian refused to take it on him and would not be perswaded to consent thereto however they compelled him placing him in the Throne of Majesty and setting the Crown on his head which he would have taken away and pulled off with his hand because he would not be Emperor upon which the Roman Captains drew their Swords and said Thou shalt be Emperor and Reign over us therefore refuse it not if thou do thou shalt dye upon our swords Vespasian therefore seeing himself constrained being afraid of his Life was content to suffer himself to be proclaimed Emperor then all the Army swore Allegiance to him as he sate upon the Royal Seat as Emperor and King of Kings In the mean time the Civil Wars at Jerusalem increased dayly by reason of Jehochanan that Limb of the Devil who had escaped thither again There was likewise another Cut-Throat Ruffâ—â—n called Schimeon who was discarded from his Command for his Villanys by Anani the Priest After which gathering together a rout of Thieves Rebels and Murderers throughout all Galilee to the number of Twenty Thousand he came towards Jerusalem to vex the Israelites who encountred with him with various success sometimes one Party prevailing and then the other but at length one Jacob a great man among the Edomites joyned with him and helped to subdue his own Countrey with whom being strengthned they approached the Walls of Jerusalem destroying the Corn and Fruits of the Ground Jehochanan having intelligence of his intentions to besiege the Town and being too weak to encounter him he issued out of the City and lay in Ambush for Schimeon at which time it happened that Schimeon's Wife who was fled out of Jerusalem with her Men and Women Servants for fear she should be killed for her Husbands sake passed by the place of Ambushment whom Jehochanan took not a little proud of such a prey and carryed into the City thinking Schimeon would comply upon any Terms to gain his Wife whom he dearly loved This came to Schimeons ear just at the time he had taken many of Jehochanan's men and cut off their hands sending them with such shame to Jerusalem to their Master He likewise sent Embassadors to Jehochanan to return his Wife or upon refusal he threatned him with the utmost Extremity since he was resolved to take the City ere long and to Jehochanans shame would cut off the Hands and Legs of all the Inhabitants Jehochanan being afraid Schimeon having with him Forty Thousand Fighting men he sent him his Wife whereupon he continued without the Town while Jehochanan played the Tyrant within his Souldiers ravishing the Citizens Wives and Daughters and shedding much innocent blood and whoever complained was presently slain so that the Condition of the Israelites was truly miserably for if any went out of the City they were slain by Schimeon and those within were continually murdered by Jehochanan The Citizens being therefore tyred by his Tyranny assembled together and encountred with Jehochanan where a multitude of them were slain and if the Edomites who were fled to Jerusalem from the Tyranny of Schimeon had not come in to their relief the whole People of Jerusalem had been utterly destroyed and slain every Mothers Son by Jehochanan his power was so great Then Anani the High Priest and other Grave Men not being able to suffer the wickedness of Jehochanan any longer resolved to deliver the City to Schimeon hoping he would slay Jehochanan who was at length prevailed with and promised to assist them against the Seditious but being entred with his whole Army he broke his promise and joyned himself with Jehochanan so that these two Rebels reigned in Jerusalem by course one of them one Moneth and the other another yet within two days they quarrelled about Eleasar the Priest whom Schimeon would have slain but Jehochanan defended so that ever after they fought one against the other During these Transactions at Jerusalem Vespasian had sent two Noblemen to Rome to make away the Emperor Vitellius whereby he might come and receive the Imperial Crown there They went therefore and raised an Army wherewith they fell upon Vitellius and slew him though not without much opposition for there were slain that day in Rome eighty Thousand valiant Souldiers Then Vespasian taking half his Army with him left the other part with Titus his Son to besiege Jerusalem but to continue at Alexandria till further order to whom Titus at his departing said I shall do dear Father according to your Commandment for to you it belongeth to command and to me to obey Vespasian took with him Agrippa and Menas his Son with Joseph the Priest for fear they should raise a Rebellion As he approached nigh Rome all the Citizens came forth to meet him and received him with great Joy and mighty shews and Triumphs and soon after he was solemnly crowned Emperor within a few days Vespasian was displeased with King Agrippa upon certain false Informations that he designed some disturbance upon which both he and his Son Munabas were put to Death This happened three years and an half before the destruction of Jerusalem at which time the continual Sacrifice ceased for One Thousand Two Hundred and Ninety days as it is written in the 12 of Daniels Prophecy But Joseph was by the clemency of Vespasian set at Liberty and sent to Titus who was then at Alexandria in Egypt with Letters from his Father and was kindly received by him Titus soon after marched with a mighty Army to Caesarea where he stayd till the Winter was past before he would besiege Jerusalem But in the mean time the quarrels and murders in that City ceased not but Summer and VVinter the VVars continued between Schimeon Jehochanan and Eleasar for God had in Judgment sent a Spirit of Giddiness among the Citizens so that they were divided into three Parts The first and best sort of the People followed Anani the Priest who at that time had stained and suspended his Office of Priesthood Another part followed Seditious Jehochanan and the third were for Schimeon So that in the midst of Jerusalem there was nothing but slaughter and
bloodshed and without the Roman Army made inroads from Caesarea even to the Gates of the City between those three within there were most cruel Battels for the space of four days without breathing or ceasing and every day very many were slain so that the blood of the Jews ran abundantly through the Market-places and Streets even to the Temple of the Lord like a great Flood which had been caused by showers of Rain Then assembled the Priests Elders and many of the People beseeching these their Intestine and Domestick Enemies not to pollute and defile the Temple with their slaughters but they were almost all slain for their pains by the villany of the Seditious together with Anani and Joshua the Priests and Sechariahu the Prophet of the Lord. Then had the continual Sacrifice ceased Thirty six days for even till that time some good men or other in Jerusalem still offered Sacrifice to the Lord But now when the Priests had laid the Sacrifice on the Altar the seditious would run upon them and kill them so that the Priests and the Beasts they would have Sacrificed fell down dead to the ground together and so they likewise destroyed all that came â—hither for Devotions sake so that scarce one was left â—live and the pavement of the Temple being Marâ—le was made so slippery with the blood and fat of â—hose which were slain that no man could go upon it without falling Nay whosoever the seditious overâ—â—ne they set fire on their Houses which fired other great mens Houses nigh the Temple and at last caught hold of the Store-Houses of Corn Wine and Oyl to the number of One Thousand Four Hundred all filled full of Victuals against a time of necessity or the besieging of the Town For when Vespasian was in Galile the Priests and Elders made up the Doors of these Garner-houses and laid in Victuals sufficient for Two Hundred Thousand men for 20 years but now in this one Fight of the Seditious they were all burnt to the ground with all within them which caused a sudden hunger and Famine in Jerusalem At the same time the seditious pulled down all the fair and goodly Buildings that there should be no sign nor Monument of any Noble House left in the City Thus God visited the Citizens of Jerusalem with four dreadful Plagues at once Sword Pestilence Famine and Fire to which this Fifth was added the ruine and destruction of all beautiful and glorious Buildings So that whithersoever a man turned himself there were nothing but desolations pollutions of the Temple and all holy things and uproars without all rest and refuge no help no succour but every corner of Jerusalem was full of howling and yelling weeping and wailing sobbing and sighing of Women and Children Here you might hear the roaring and lamentation of men not quite dead there the mourning and throbbing of the Elders with the woful crys of young Children for bread in short all manner of misery oppressed them so that he was thought happy who dyed before this day and all those were in a woful case who were so unfortunate to see it when Joseph heard all these things at Caesarea he tore his Hair with his hands cast Ashes on his Beard and sitting with great sorrow on the ground he bewailed and made Lamentation over the miserable City of Jerusalem After this in the first year of the Reign of Vespasian Titus his Son mustered his men in the Plain of Caesarea and he found them a vast number so that they seemed almost to cover the Earth he then marched to Samaria and being received by the Citizens with great joy he spared them and did them no harm from thence he went to Ajelona thirty Furlongs from Jerusalem and there pitched his Tents and taking six Hundred Horsemen with him he went to Jerusalem to view the height of the Walls and the strength of the Town but the Jews laid an Ambush and slew sixty of Titus his men and might have slain him likewise but that they designed to take him alive whereby he took an Opportunity to escape The next day Titus brought his whole Army to Jerusalem and it being a little before the Feast of Vnleavened Bread an infinite number of People who came to celebrate it were shut up in the City by which means the City was soon oppressed with a cruel Famine all manner of Food and nourishment being consumed and Oxens Dung was accounted good Meat others fed upon old Leather and horrible dreadful things happened for some Women boyled their own Children and eat them many thinking to save their Lives by flying to the Romans were cut in pieces to search for their Gold and Jewels which they had swallowed to prevent Discovery Two Thousand were miserably destroyed one night upon this Account And on the Feast day which was April 14. Eleasar having seized on the Inner Temple opened the Gate that the People might sacrifice Jehochanan taking this opportunity sent privately many of his party armed with short swords under their Garments who being admitted with the rest of the multitude set upon Eleasar and seized the Inner Temple with the slaughter of many of his party and thus the threefold Faction was again reduced into two that of Jehochanans who were Eight Thousand Four Hundred and the other of Schimeons with whom were Ten Thousand besides Five Thousand Idumeans or Edomites Titus approaching the Walls pitched his Camp about the River Psephina and presently raised a Mount and with a battering Ram first shook and then beat down part of the Wall and May 7. broke into the City The first wall being beaten down and the Jews retiring inward he gained the North quarter of the City even to the Castle of Antonia and the Valley of Cedron On the fifth day after a Tower on the second Wall being shaken and battered down from the North-quarter Titus got the new lower City from which he was repulsed again by the Jews but on the fourth day after he regained it and so addressed himself for the assault of the third Wall May 12. he commanded four Mounts to be raised two at the Castle of Antonia whereby he thought to gain the Temple â—nd two at the Tomb of the High-Priest John 〈…〉 he hoped to win the upper City which 〈…〉 â—â—nished in 17 days Jehochanan by a Mine from Antonia cast down one of the Mounts and burnt it and Schimeon the second day after in a Salley that he made fired 2 of the Mounts opposite to him with the Rams and other Engines of the Romans whom they fell upon in their Camp but Titus relieving them from Antonia forced the Jews into the City again These Mounts being thus demolished Titus in three days time encompassed the City with a Wall of thirty nine Furlongs in Circuit about which he built 13 Castles each 10 Furlongs round so that none could go in or out whereby the Famine raged so cruelly in the City that with it and the Pestilence
multitudes perished so that from April 14 on which day the siege began to the beginning of July following an Account was taken that at one Gate one hundred fifteen Thousand and eight Hundred Carcases of poor people were carryed out who were buried at the common charge besides those privately interred by their Friends a while after it was known by those who fled to the Romans that there were six hundred Thousand carried through all the Gates to be buried and after that there being not enough to bury the Poor they layd them upon great heaps in empty Houses and there locked them up and the manner of burying others was only to throw them over the Walls and fill up the ditches with the dead Bodies In the mean time Schimeon continued his Rapines and Murthers within the City For he put to death Matthias the High Priest upon pretence he would have fled to the Romans though by this mans means Schimeon was first admitted into Jerusalem He slew also three of his Sons and fifteen of the noblest of the people all of them being unheard and uncondemned Yea he raged so cruelly that Judas one of his Captains hating his Tyranny contrived to deliver up a Town to the Romans of which he had the charge but being discovered by Schimeon he and 10 others of the Conspirators were put to death and Jehochanan being necessitated thereto converted to his own and prophane uses the Holy things of the Temple as Vessels of Gold Silver and Money nay he was forced to distribute to his Souldiers the very Oyl and Wine which was dedicated to divine services But Titus fetching Materials from every place and cutting down all the Woods and Trees for 90 Furlongs about he with great labour in 21 days caused four new Mounts to be raised about Antonia which Jehochanan in vain attempted to destroy and then placed a Ram against it by which a breach being made they entred into Antonia July 5. and pursued the flying Jews into the Temple but after a sharp fight the Romans were for some time repulsed July 17. Titus commanded Joseph to exhort the seditious to yield which he did in a large Oration but they obstinately refused therefore on the seventh day after he brought his Mounts nearer and by overturning the Foundations of the Castle Antonia he made an easie ascent into the Temple seizing on the North and West Porches without the Temple part whereof joyning to Antonia was burnt by the Jews and soon after the other part by the Romans the Jews not attempting to quench the Fire that the Porch might be entirely separated from Antonia July 27. the Jews again set fire on the West Porch toward the Bridge that led to the Gallery where many Romans getting up were burnt the Jews flying away on purpose to draw them on The day after the Romans burnt all the North Porch even unto the East Porch August 8. Titus perceiving he prevailed nothing with his battering Ram against the Walls on the Inner Temple nor could undermine the Foundations of the Gates by reason of the greatness and strong cementing of the stones He was forced to do that which out of reverence to the place he had hitherto forborn neither could the Romans by their Ladders get up into the Porches the Jews from above still beating them down therefore at last he commanded the Gates of the Inner Temple to be set on Fire which soon taking the Porches which joyned to them were likewise presently all in a Flame the Jews beholding and wondring thereat their amazement being so great that they neither endeavoured to stop nor quench it so that these Porcheâ— burnt all that day and thenight following And though Titus and some of his Captains intenâ—ed to keep the Temple from firing yet they coulâ— by no means effect it for having appointed a Guard charging them to preserve the Temple and Sanctuâ— Sanctorum the Seditious Jews fell upon them August 10. and slew every man which Titus hearing brought his whole Army thither at which time 〈◊〉 Roman Souldier took a flaming Firebrand and gettinâ— upon his Fellows Shoulders cast the Fire througâ— the Golden VVindow into the Houses and Chamberâ— that were built on the Northside of the Temple and others layd Wood to the Doors of the Sanctum Sanctorum which were covered over with Gold and then setting fire to it after the Gold grew hot and the timbeâ— began to burn the whole Temple was in a flame anâ— the Sanctum Sanctorum was layd open to the view of all 〈◊〉 This happened in the second year of Vespasian and thâ— same day of the Moneth that it was formerly burnt by Nebuchadnezzar The Romans rushing into the Sanctum Sanctorum gave a great shout while it burnt which when Titus heard he hastened to quench the Fire and save the Sanctum Sanctorum but he could not do it because it was on Fire in so many places thereupon Titus commanded them to forbear but they would not hear him for as a vehement Flood of VVaters breaks down and carries away all things before it with such furious violence the Flames rushed through all parts of the Temple Titus then drew his sword blaming the Captains of his own People and killing others The Priests within resisted the Romans stoutly till they were no longer able to lift up their hands Therefore when there was no other safeguard they leapt into the Fire and several other Jews with them and so burnt altogether saying Why should we live any longer now there is no Temple Yet Titus ceased not to strike the People eventill his strength failed and then falling on the Ground he forbore crying out on them any further After the Sanctum Sanctorum was burnt Titus arose and entring thereinto he saw the glory and magnificence thereof for as yet the Fire had not consumed all and then said Now I well perceive that this is no other than the House of God and the dwelling place of the King of Heaven neither was it for nought that the Jews fought so earnestly in defence thereof nor did the Gentiles without good Cause send Gold and Silver to this Temple from the farthest parts of the World for great is the glory thereof and it surpasseth all the Roman and Gentile Temples that ever I saw The God of Heaven who is the God of this House take vengeance of the Seditious whose mischievous and heinous deeds have brought this evil upon them The Seditious who yet remained in Jerusalem seeing the Sanctum Sanctorum to be burnt they set the rest of the Temple on Fire themselves with all the Houses which were filled with Treasure and all sorts of precious Jewels and Victuals also that the Romans should receive no benefit thereby After this the Romans quenched the Fire and set up their Idols and Images in the Temple and after Titus had offered Sacrifice and the Roman Ensigns were set upon the East-gate the Army proclaimed him Emperor and Titus standing on a
Gallery perswaded the Seditious who were fled into the upper City to yield themselves promising them their Lives but they demanded leave to depart with their VVives and Children into the VVilderness which Titus taking in scorn threatned them with utter destruction and commanded all the lower City to be set on Fire with the Pallaces and then assaulted the higher City which was seated upon a steep Rock and having finished his Mounts on Sept. 7. he brought his Engines to the VVals wherein having made a great breach the seditious fled in great fear and amazement and the Romans breaking in destroyed all with Fire and Sword And Titus commanded both the City and Temple to be rased to the Foundation and the ground to be plowed according to the Roman custom sparing only the West part of the VVall with the 3 Towers Hippicon Phaselus and Mariamne which he left as Monuments to Posterity of the strength and magnificence of this once famous City Titus having thus finished this dreadful and difficult VVar the Neighbouring Nations that assisted him would have crowned him Emperor but he refused saying He was unworthy of that Honour for it was not he who was the Author and finisher of that work but that he had only lent his hands to God who had thus shewed his anger against the Jews Then did Titus reward his Souldiers and committing the keeping of Jerusalem to the Tenth Legion he went to Caesarea carrying with him all the Prey spoils and Captives because he could not sail to Italy in the Winter The two seditious Tyrants Jehochanan and Schimeon were taken as they lay hid in the Vaults of Jerusalem of whom Jehochanan was condemned to perpetual Imprisonment and Schimeon was reserved to be carryed a Prisoner to Rome and there led in Triumph In the same Vaults were found Two Thousand Men who either perished with hunger or else killed each other rather than they would yeild themselves to the Romans while Titus continued at Caesarea he celebrated the Birth day of his brother Domitian on December 30. upon which occasion the number of Jewish Prisoners who perished by being forced to fight with wild Beasts that were burned with Fire and that fell by being compelled to fight with each other was above Two Thousand Five Hundred Afterward Titus went to Beritus in Phaenicia where he solemnized the day of his Fathers Coronation with great magnificence at which time likewise multitudes of the Captive Jews perished in like manner as before At last Titus failed to Rome where he was welcomed with a general Joy and together with his Father Vespasian triumphed for the Conquest of Judea In which Triumph the two Captains Jehochanan and Schimeon with seven Hundred other Jews who excelled in beauty and strength were led in Chains of all whom only Schimeon was put to death The Book of the Law of the Jews was carryed also in this Triumph as the last of the spoils which together with the Purple Vail of the Sanctuary were laid up in the Imperial Pallace Soon after Lucius Bassus was sent Lieutenant into Judea who took the strong Castles of Herodian and Machaeron beyond Jordan by assault About this time neither the Sun nor Moon were seen for twelve others say for fifteen days space which some think was foretold by our Saviour in St. Matth. 24.29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the Sun be darkned and the Moon shall not give her Light c. And Caesar writ to Tiberius Maximus the Governour of Judea that he should sell all the Lands of the Jews He likewise imposed a Tribute upon them wherever they dwelt commanding them yearly to bring into the Capitol Two Drachma's which they used formerly to give to the Temple of Jerusalem Bassus being dead Publius Sylva succeeded in the Government of Judea who April 15. won that almost impregnable Castle of Massada which had been seized upon by Eleaser the Nephew of Judas Galileus a Captain of Thieves whereupon all the Thieves in the Castle being about nine hundred with their Wives and Children at the perswasion of Eleasar slew each other having first set Fire to the Castle and burnt all their Goods and Furniture lest they should fall into the hands of the Romans But many of the Thieves which were in Judea fled and came to Alexandria in Egypt where they solicited the Jews to revolt but the Common People by perswasion of their Rulers fell upon them and took six hundred whom they delivered to the Romans to be punished the rest who escaped and fled into other places were also taken when Caesar heard thereof he ordered Lupus the Governour of Alexandria to pull down the Temple of the Jews which was in that City Yet Lupus took away only some Gifts out of it and so shut it up But Paulâ—nus his Successor having taken away all the Gifts and shutting up the doors ordered that no Jews should come thither by which means there was not the least Footsteps of the Jewish Religion left there A certain Jew named Jonathan by Trade a Weaver escaping out of Cyrene about this time raised a Tumult and drew Two Thousand Jews after him into the Wilderness after whom Catulus Governour of Libya Pentapolis sending some Horse and Foot easily overthrew and slew them and Jonathan himself being taken and brought before him he falsly accused the most wealthy of the Jews as the Authors of this Revolt To whose Accusations Catulus willingly hearkning he put three thousand of them to death at once confiscating their Estates to Caesars Treasury He likewise sent Jonathan and some others with him Prisoners to Rome â—o Vespasian where Jonathan accused the honestest of the 〈◊〉 who 〈◊〉 at Rome and Alexandria of designing 〈…〉 among others Joseph who writ the History of the Jews But Vespasian knowing this Accusation not to be legally brought against them he at the request of his Son Titus acquitted them and deservedly punished Jonathan causing him first to be whipt and then burnt alive Catulus through the mercy of the Emperor escaped at that time but not long after he was taken with a noisome and incurable Disease and was exceedingly tortured and tormented in his mind imagining that he saw continually the Ghosts of those whom he had unjustly slain and murdered before his eyes and at last his Guts and Bowels rotting fell out of his body whereby he miserably perished Josephus the Jew and a Commander in this War writes That there perished by the Sword and Famine a Million of People and of the rest of the Jews dispersed all the World over and put to Death divers ways the number of Ninety Thousand and Ninety seven Thousand more were made Captives But of the number that perished out of Jerusalem during the whole seven years War Justus Lipsius hath made this Catalogue out of Josephus At Jerusalem first killed by the command of Florus six hundred and thirty By the Inhabitants of Caesarea in hatred to them and their Relig on twenty
Earthquake and a strange Bird of a notable greatness was seen at Rome also a blazing Star and two Eclipses of the Moon and contrary to Astronomical demonstration she appeared black and bloody Armed men were seen in the Air and many strange and wonderful Voices were heard in the Heavens In 77 another great blazing Star or Comet appeared and three Cities in Cyprus sell to the ground by an Earthquake A little before Nero slew his Mother Agrippina the Sun was strangely darkned as abhorring to behold such a sight and a Woman in Rome brought forth a Serpent In 81 A Terrible Comet appeared The Tomb of Augustus Caesar opened of it self and blood â—aâ—ned in Germany Three Suns were seen at once in Poland and there happened much Lightning and Thunder which consumed many brave buildings An Elm Tree saluted Apollonius Tyaneus and spake to him with an audible voice The Sun is this year Eclipsed and there was a great Earthquake in Naples These Prodigies were judged to portend the following accidents The Emperor Otho killeth himself Dardanus Tyrannizeth in Scotland and was slain by Corbred A very great Pestilence in Rome Most part of England is subdued by Agricola he putteth Karenoth the King to flight and the Scots also Vespasian dyeth of a Flux Haldanus the Sweed is restored to his Kingdom from which he was expelled The Emperor Titus dyeth Lynius a Bishop of Rome Martyred Domitian turns away his Wife and marries the Widow of Titus He sends two Armies against the Goths and they are both routed Philosophers and Mathematicians are Banished out of Rome Brittain is reduced into a single Province and at the Emperors own dispose Cocceius Nerva dyeth Two Saxon Kings rebel against Froto he overcomes them and makes them his Tributaries St. John writes his Epistles Rome and France fall at difference The third Heathen Persecution against the Christians began About the Year 105 in the Beign of Trajan who raised the third Persecution against the Christians October 22. there fell out one of the most terrible Earthquakes that ever was First there arose furious and violent winds which tore up trees by the roots made Birds fall to the Earth uncovered and overthrew many houses Then followed Thunder and Lightning which made the night like noon day then dreadful Thunder-bolts which broke down stately buildings and slew many men The Sea was wonderful tempestuous after which came such violent heat that people not being able to indure it stript themselves and then hid themselves under ground The Sky was so dark and the dust so great that one could not see another so that rushing together many fell down dead Divers Cities were ruined much people perished Several Mountains and Hills sunk and became Plains many Rivers were dryed up Fountains and Springs broke out where never were any before Almost all the houses in Antioch were destroyed Dion Hist VIII From the Year of our Lord 107 to 167 those following Prodigies happened A very great Earthquake in Asia many prodigious fights in the Air as fightings c. observed in Spain An Earthquake in Galatia At Rome Lightning from Heaven consumes the Temples of the Gods An Earthquake at Antioch Great Lightnings strange unusual winds together with horrible noises in the Earth Two great Earthquakes at Nice and two others in Palestine Milk rained at Rome and an Earthquake happened there and Three Hundred and Forty Houses though inviâ—oned with water were destroyed by a great Fire in that City A great Serpent was seen in Arabia and it rained Frogs at Constantinople three Suns likewise appearing and at the same time a Star and a Rainbow A very great Earthquake in Bythinia The waves of the Mediterranean Sea in a Calm elevated themselves to the top of a Mountain far distant from it and cast the foam a great way upon the main Land In this space of time the French and Saxons plant Colonies in Germany The Saracens and Arabians are subdued A Bishop of Jerusalem is Crucified Babylon and Seleucia are taken Nero's house is burnt The Jews rebel in Egypt and kill Two Hundred Thousand Men Ptolomy King of Egypt encounters them slayes Thirty Thousand Jews at once and forced those who survived to eat up their dead Carcases About the same time the Jews slay Two Hundred and Forty Thousand in Cyprus and at last are slain themselves The Chaldeans Brittains Scots and Picts rebel Christians are put to death in Asia Apollodorus is Cain by Hadrians Rollearpus is Martyred Aurelius Caesar seeing a wonderful Fire at Rome causeth the Persecution to cease by an Edict from himself Hermogenes ran out of his wits and dyed The Brittains repine against the Roman oppression and rebel Agricola subdueth them The Fourth Persecution began IX From 167 to 219 were these unusual Accidents A wonderful fire was seen in the Heavens which seemed to pass from East to West Wolves came in flocks near to Rome howling hideously Crosses were seen to sweat with Tears Rain mingled with Fire falls from Heaven at Prema A great and terrible Earthquake and many inundations at Rome Divers strange fires seen in the Air and some to fall from thence Great swarms of Locusts covered the ground and destroyed many Fields and Meadows A great Earthquake in Asia The Stars were seen all the day long at Rome and some apparitions hung streaming down in the very middle of the Air And there fell a wonderful Lightning from Heaven upon the Capitol and the fire increasing burnt the Library and all the houses near it All kinds of Creatures contrary to their natures brought forth prodigious Births this year Flames of Fire descend from Heaven There were seen at Rome three Stars about the Sun very glorious An Eagle alighted on the Image of a Souldier Bees wrought their Combs upon Souldiers Ensigns A sudden fire in the Air toward the North A great lowing and fire in the Earth A Whale comes ashore in the Haven of Augustus A Comet for many dayes together was seen at Rome A wonderful Lightning fell from Heaven upon the Image of Severus and blotted out three Letters of his name These things were judged to portend the ensuing effects The Germans with an Army enter Italy Pertinax is sent against them and beats them back The Senate adjudges Cassius an enemy to the State and he is slain by the Souldiers About this time was great jarring among the Bishops and Churchmen of most Nations concerning Religion Smyrna in Asia is quite destroyed Perennius and his son are executed for Treason Apollonius being accused for a Christian is sentenced and executed Cleander who succeeded Perennius is executed to please the People Two Thousand dye in a day of the Plague at Rome The Emperor Commodus removeth the head from a Colossus or Great Image and putreth one of his own upon it he grows ridiculous and the People taking notice thereof he executeth many of them he is at last strangled by Martia his Concubine In his Reign there appeared in the Sky
divers fearful signs Stars were seen continually in the day time and blazing Comets of a huge length hanging as it were in the midst of the Air All sorts of Creatures contrary to their kinds brought forth monstrous and deformed Births but that which most grievously afflicted the City of Rome and amazed them with the presage was that the Temple of Peace the most stately and dainty Monument in Rome was on a sudden without any Tempest foregoing but only a little Earthquake quite burnt to the ground whether by Lightning or Fire out of the Earth was uncertain That Temple was the richest and strongest of all others and was curiously adorned with gifts of massy Gold and Silver yea all Persons of Quality had there deposited and laid their Principal Treasures but the fire happening in the night made many rich men suddenly poor When the fire had consumed the Temple it burned down also many of the most beautiful buildings in the City continuing its rage for many days together Horodian Imp. History Pertinax is Emperor 87 dayes and then is slain by the Souldiers The King of Scots is slain by a Musician for causing one of his Kindred to be executed Severus goeth against Niger whom he beat three times and then slew him at Antioch Herod besiegeth Byzantium now Constantinople three years together Satrahel coming to rule Scotland kills many of the old Lords of the Kingdom Constantinople is taken by Famine Satrahel is strangled by his Servants The Brittains are beaten by Severus and the head of Albinus is sent to Rome About this time Scotland received the Christian Faith The fifth Persecution began Many fled from Jerusalem into the Wilderness to avoid the Persecution The Romans wast Arabia Strange Heresies broached by Praxeus Severus went into Brittain but never returned thence Fifty Thousand of his Army dye Many of the Scots upon a Rebellion were cruelly massacred X. From 219 to 257 the following signs appeared which were accompanied with remarkable Accidents An Eagle flying takes away the Cap of Diadumenus and he is slain within 14 months after The Brittains rebel and invade the Roman Territories Streams of fire and strange Lightnings are seen at Rome Armed men appear in the Air in Muscovia and Poland the Persians invade Armenia and wast the Roman Territories Alectus is slain in Battel The King of Scots is killed by his Guard the Emperor goeth into Persia and is overcome A Blazing Star is seen at Rome which exteâ—â—â—d it self a very great length and was seen both to burn and blaze many nights together Maximilian comes out of Germany and is slain by his own Souldiers his body is given to be torn and devoured of Dogs The Goths at this time became terrible to the Roman Empire In 241 was an Eclipse of the Sun which saith my Author was so great that it made the day seem as dark as the night Athirco King of Scotland kills himself strange Heresies spread themselves The Persians are vanquished and expelled Syria In 244 the Sun was totally Eclipsed and there was a great Earthquake which caused the Earth to gape so exceedingly that several Cities together with their Inhabitants were swallowed up and destroyed great Thunder is heard in the Earth with terrible darkness and another Earthquake The Goths take Chalcedon and Nice and ruin them both The Plague rageth in the Roman Army The Goths burn the Temple of Ephesus and enter Macedonia and Asia The Thirty Tyrants about this time engrossed and parcelled out the Roman Empire among themselves And the Sarmates subdued and robbed all Austria and Hungaria The Germans passing through France entred Spain to the City of Terragona which they ruined and the Empire was almost utterly destroyed Yea it was not only thus molested by men but the very Heavens and Elements conspired against it to plague it For the Heavens were darkened in such a manner that for many dayes space they never saw the Sun and the Earth opened and discovered great Vaults and Caves out of which there issued great streams of Salt-water and such horrid noises were heard as many dyed for fear The Sea broke its bounds overflowing and drowning many Cities After which there fell out the most woful Pestilence that ever was read or heard of so that in Rome there dyed thereof Five Thousand Persons in one day Imper. Hist Pag. 158. XI In 257 the Sea overwhelmed many Cities in Europe and Afriâ—a This year there were many exceeding great Earthquakes and darkness for many days together spears also were seen in the Element at Rome The Germans and Scythians wast the Empire The French destroy Italy Claudius Censorinus was made Emperor in Italy and slain there Donald usurped the Crown of Scotland and kept the Nobility in fear by threatning to kill their kindred whom he had got into his hands In 300 there was an horrible Earthquake in Tyre which destroyed many buildings and an innumerable Company of People Many Monsters were also born this year Dioclesian the Roman Emperor assumeth the Title of a God and would have Divine Honours given him Many Christians are burnt in a House in Nicodemia The Tenth bloody Persecution began One Hundred and Forty Four Thousand Christians are put to death in Egypt and Seven Hundred Thousand Banished In 314 a Banner with a Cross was seen in the Air and divers Armies fighting A hand was seen in Lateran at Româ— without a body which in the sight of many men writ upon the Wall these words Hodie venenum Ecclesiae infusurus To day is poyson poured into the Church This was interpreted to foretell the extraordinary Indulgence of Constantine the Emperor toward the Christian Bishops and his heaping Estates Riches and Honours upon them whereby they soon after lost their former Piety and Humility He was sirnamed the great and was the first Christian Emperor who publickly countenanced and imbraced the Gospel which he is said to have done on this occasion At the same time that he was saluted Emperor in Brittain Maxentius was chosen at Rome by the Praetorian Souldiers being pensive and sollicitous upon these Distractions he cast his Eyes up toward Heaven where he saw in the Air a lightsome Pillar in the form of a Cross wherein he read these words in Greek In this thou shalt overcome and the next night a vision appeared to him commanding him to bear that figure in his Standard and he should overcome all his enemies this he performed and was accordingly victorious from which time he not only favoured the Christians but became a zealous Professor of the Faith and Gospel Before his time it is observable that few if any at all of the Roman Emperors dyed a natural death they being 40 in all from the time of Julius Caesar though after they generally did Rome was likewise beautified by Constantine and Lamps and Wax Candles were first used in the Church in the day time Arius begins to broach his Heresies and is condemned by the Council of
Alexandria The French aid the Sarmatians against the Romans and in a Battel kill Forty Six Thousand Men. In 323 a Fountain ran with Oyl in Italy there was also a terrible Comet seen for many days together at Rome Constantine overcomes Licinius at Chalcedon Octavian fleeth into Scotland and by the aid of Fincomore recovers Britain Licinius is put to death XII In 340 there was an Earthquake in Aâ—a which overthrew many Cities A Child of six months old prophesies in Rome Constantine the Elâ—â—â—â— is â—ain Constans subdueth the Gauls Athanâ—sius the Bishop is banished In 343 was a great and terrible Eclipse of the Sun and an Earthquake whose force was so great that it overthrew many Cities in the East Hermogenes is slain in a Tumult Constantius persecuted the Clergy Julius entertaineth Athanasius and other banished Catholicks Arius his Hereâ—â—es spread at Antioch The Christians are persecuted in Persia and Constantius is beaten there The Heathen Temples are shut up In 349 was a great Earthquake which overthrew a whole City into the Sea except the Church The City of Dirachium was swallowed up by an Earthquake and Rome was shaken three dayes and nights together with divers Cities in Campania Constantius overcomes the Persians in Battel but his Souldiers being drunk with Wine and Beer as well as with success the Persians came suddenly upon them and make a great slaughter In 362 an Earthquake did very much harm in Persia and the City of Nicodemia was overthrown thereby An Ox is said to have spoken in Italy Constantius makes Peace with the Persians and soon after dyes the Christians are much Persecuted Julian the Apostate being at Constantinople to prepare for the Persian War is slain at Chresiphon The Temple of Apollo Daphneus is burnt In 369 was a great inundation or overflowing of waters in Sicily and a general Earthquake throughout the whole World Romachus defeateth Augusian and the Picts in England He tyrannizeth and the Nobles cut off his head Valence putteth Athanarius to flight In 337 appeared a Comet of wonderful greatness and another general Earthquake in Sicily The Scots and Picts are set at variance by Maximus the Goths turn Arians and wast Thrace Thessaly and Epirus The Emperor Gratian killeth thirty five thousand Germans In 384 there was visible a terrible sign in the Heavens in all parts like unto a fiery Pillar and the River Tiber overflowes her banks again Maximus killeth Gratian treacherously and possesseth Brittain France Spain and Africk The Vaâ—dals and Lumbards quarrel Priscillian is Executed at Trevers by Maximus after an appeal to him from the Council of Bordeux In 392 a new Star is seen in the Heavens which appeared in the form of a sword for forty days together Armed men and Castles were seen in the Heavens in Greece Valentinian is strangled at Vienna Eugenius is made Emperor Honorius wars against Eugenius The King of France is slain in battel the Romans impose a tribute on the French XIII In 399 strange fiery clouds are seen in Constantinople an Earthquake and great hail a Star like a sword is seen at Rome in many places hail-stones fell which were bigger than a stone of eight pound weight A deep Snow great Eclipse of the Sun and other strange Meteors the Goths divide into Factions and consume themselves with Civil War Gildo their King killeth his children is forced to fly and at last is taken and strangled Heathen Temples and Idols are destroyed The Sybyls books are burnt at Rome In 412 the Earth at Vtica in Italy seemed as if it mourned for seven dayes together with a horrible lowing At Rome great flocks of Grashoppers were seen in the Air Arthaulphus warreth with the Vandals The Spaniards Countrey is parted between them and the Swedes Pelagius a Monk in Brittain broacheth his Opinions Heraclian is slain by his own Souldiers In 434 it rained blood in Savoy A Comet of wonderful Magnitude appeared in the Heavens In Sweden a Dragon was seen flying in the Air There was a great Famine in Constantinople Pope Bassus dyeth The French besiege Archillas The Emperors makes peace with the Vandals The Goths break Peace with the Romans The Brittains war with the Scots In 445 were apparitions in the Heavens in England burning Spears were seen at Rome many Earthquakes the Moon Eclipsed A Comet this year appeared ten weeks together Aelius the Roman General is slain Cartigern and Horsa are killed in battel at Aylesford in Kent The Brittains beat the Saxons and drive them into the Isle of Thanet the King of the Goths is slain In 463 happened a great Earthquake in Rome and many parts of Italy with terrible showrs and great storms of hail The Goths wast Illyria Beorgok is slain in Italy by Ricimer The Popes usurpations are opposed by Hillarius a Deacon of Rome In 471 was an Earthquake at Vienna Wolves and other Beasts wander all the year through that City and devour men the Emperors Palace is consumed by fire Ricimer aspireth and being discovered fleeth to Milan he proclaimeth war against the Emperor besiegeth Rome and killeth Arthemius Portugal and Burgundy are wasted by the Goths In 483 Armies of men were seen in the Air in Russia An Earthquake also and two wonderful Blazing Stars appeared a Rainbow likewise seemed to incompass two Suns which were visible at once Giles King of France is slain and Clovis taketh many Cities A Persecution of learned men in Africa Zeno the Emperor gives up himself to riot and cruelty putting many to death In 507 there fell a great and fiery dart from Heaven in Africa and dark spots were observed in the body of the Sun The Emperor gives the Goths money to depart his Dominions Clovis warreth against Alaricus for Religion and Italy is wasted by Clorus with an hundred ships and eight thousand men In 529 happened wonderful Lightning at Antioch and an Earthquake at Constantinople Legible Letters are seen in the Air at Rome it rained blood in the Valleys of Lucern and Piedmont four days together The Persians war against the King of Colchos and the Emperor The Vandals put their General to death the Jews are suppressed the Emperors General Mundus defeateth the Getes who wasted Thrace XIV In 539 a famous Comet appeared in the Royal sign Sagittarius and vast Flocks of Ravens were seen at Rome The Persians take Antioch and wast the Eastern Provinces The Emperor purchaseth his peace People are ordered to pray toward the East in their Churches In 546 the Sea flowed up four miles into Thrace and drowned many people There was a very great Earthquake in Constantinople The Goths soon after setting upon the Romans at the siege of Septa were all slain Totilas the Goth besiegeth Rome and taketh it Belisarius recovereth it In 555 a fiery Lance in the Element appeared from the North to the East The Heavens seemed to open in France and lights shined out for two hours space an Earthquake shook Constantinople for six weeks and the Sun for
the greatest part of the year gave so little light aâ— was only equal to that of the Moon though the Sky was clear and no Clouds or any thing to overshadow it After which there followed a great Famine Earthquakes and much War and bloodshed Narses winneth Liguria and Venice from the French The Romans rout the Persians at Phasido The Jews and Samaritans persecute the Christians and burn their Churches in Caesarea In 570 at York in England the Fountains ran blood Likewise blood fell from the Clouds in Lombardy in Kent a Boy laughed in his Mothers Belly and at London Trees seemed to be on fire This year the Persians begin a war with the Romans The Huns break into Germany and are expelled by the French There was so great a Famine in England that the People assembled together in flocks to throw themselves into the Sea In 590 was a great inundation in Constantinople there was a Comet this year which Blazed a Month together In the River Tyber at Rome was seen a Dragon and many Serpents and the water thereof overflowed the City an infinite company of Grashoppers are seen in Lombardy and many Locusts in France Not long after so great a Plague was in Rome that eight hundred men fell dead in an hour in the time of Procession Antharis is poysoned at Papia The Huns invade Italy and France the Emperor goes against them but was forced to return In 597 a dreadful Comet is seen at Constantinople the Elements seem to burn in Poland a fiery lance is seen in the Heavens at Rome An horrible Earthquake in Palestine A sign in the Heavens like a sword flamed thirty days together A Comet was seen for a month together at Jerusalem Soon after the Sclavi wast Thrace The Brittains and Scots invade the Saxons France and Poland are miserably wasted Brunchild a Daughter of the Royal Blood of France being found guilty of the death of Ten Kings she is tyed by the hair of the head and by the Arms to wild horses and torn to pieces The Romans and Persians differ and the Emperor is defeated in Thrace XV. In 639 was an Earthquake at Antioch and Horsemen were seen in the Air in Muscovia and blood rained at Naples A wonderful storm at Constantinople which spoiled the Fields and Gardens a fiery Dragon was seen in the Air there also After this the Saracens or Turks become Lords of all Mesopotamia Sigebert King of the East-Angles dies Dagobert becomes sole Monarch of France the Pope is imprisoned at Constantinople and afterward banished and starved In 674 appeared so horrible a fire and a Rainbow in the Element that many cryed out the world was at an end this was accompanied with Rain Thunder and Lightning which slew both Men and Beasts in Italy This year the Saracens besieged Constantinople and the sâ—ege continued 7 years till at last thirty thousand of them were slain and their Fleet is fired by Cariniceus who revolted from them Bamba warreth against the French Egbert of Kent dyeth King Lothari is slain with a dart The Goths overcome the Gascoigns In 687 there was a very great Comet at Christmass and several Mocksuns were seen in England the next year it rained blood seven days together through all Brittain In Campania Wheat rained from Heaven also Barly and Pulse in other parts of Italy two Comets of great magnitude were seen this year It rained blood seven days together through all Brittain and the milk cheese and butter turned into blood Soon after happened great controversy in Rome about a new Pope The King of Scots is slain by the Picts The Emperor defeateth the Sclavonians Kenwin the West-Saxon dyeth The French enter into Germany and subdue the Bavarians and Almains Italy began to choose themselves several Dukes this year In 735 a most Prodigious Hail fell in England Fire was seen to flame in the Heavens at Rome About this time Gregory the great being sent to the Emperor at Constantinople about some Ecclesiastical Affairs at his return to Rome the River Tyber swelled to such an immeasurable height that it ran over the Walls of the City and drowned a great part of it breaking into divers great houses and overthrowing many Antient Monuments flowing into the Granaries that belonged to the Church and carried away many thousand measures of Wheat Presently after which inundation there came down the River an innumerable company of Serpents and amongst the rest one so monstrous that it was as big as a great beam all which swimming down the River into the Sea were there choaked and their Carcasses being cast upon the shoar rotted there by the stink whereof the Air was infâ—â—â—ed so that a dreadful Plague followed whereof th◠〈◊〉 many Thousands Yea Arrowes were visibly seen sâ—◠〈◊〉 Heaven and whoever was struck with them dâ—ed immediately and among others Pelagius Bishop of Rome This Judgment so raged in the City that many houses were wholly emptied of their Inhabitants An inundation likewise happened in Constantinowe Oyl raired in Spain a Comet appeared in the fashion of a sword Croâ—â—â— fell from Heaven upon mens Garments An Earthquake in Palestim Fire rained from Heaven in many parts of France The French about this time enter the territories of the Goths and destroy their Caâ—â—â—es A mighty Pestilence in Constantinople for three years which devoured so many that they wanted men to bury their dead Selred the East-Saxon is slain The Emperor beats the Saracens in Cyprus the Huns General slain in Transilvania XVI In 761 in the month of September happened a very great Eclipse of the Sun A Blazing Star was seen in the East for many dayes together This year the King of Scotland invadeth Northumberland and is slain There was a Rebellion in Galloway The Bulgarians invade the Empire Dominico the great Duke is deposed by the Venetians for his Tyranny and his eyes put out About this time the Turks brake forth from the Caspian Sea and there was such an extraordinary cold Winter that the Euxine Sea was frozen thirteen foot thick and men walked on the see for an Hundred Miles into the Sea Yea all the Countreys from Lycia to Danubius and on the other â—â—de as far as to Euphrates were so joined together by the Frost as if they had been all one Continent And at the end of Winter began a very dry Summer so that the Fountains of water were dryed up Some pieces of Ice as big as Mountains fell upon and beat down the Walls of several Cities Stars were seen falling from Heaven so that men thought the end of the world had been come In 778 was another great Eclipse of the Sun Armies of men were seen in the Heavens in France This year it rained blood also Earth and Ashes fell from Heaven at Rome There were Meteors in the Air like unto fiery Serpents which fell in many parts of England Soon after Telerick King of Bulgaria is expelled by his people King Etheldred flyes from England
as they came against the Earl of Flanders In 1064 a little before the coming of the Normans to this Kingdom about the Feast of Easter there was seen for a week together a Blazing Star of an hideous and fearful form which occasioned in mens minds a fore-feeling of some dismal events In 1076 three Suns at once were seen in Naples A fiery Dart ran up and down in the Heavens in Italy women appeared in the Air of admirable shapes which mightily amazed the Beholders The Emperor deposeth the Pope and the Pope him and also excommunicateth him The Turks take Rhodes and Cyprus The Hollanders overcome the Frisons Northumberland in England is wasted In 1086 a great inundation happened in Italy Four Moons were seen at once in France and England Many tame Fowl became perfectly wild In Flanders a fiery Dragon was seen flying in the Air casting flames out of his mouth shortly after followed the burning Plague called Ignis sacer or Holy fire The Saxons defeat the Emperor the Turkish Emperor dyeth King William the Conqueror dyeth Prince Edmund and Ethelred are banished Scotland by Donald their Unkle and dye in England In 1094 a fiery dart was visible in the Heavens which through its violence flew from North to South There was a great Earthquake in England Horrible noises and strange groanings were heard in the Earth about Rome Soon after the King of Poland being envied by his Nobles causeth many of them to be banished Pedro of Spain taketh Osca and killeth thirty thousand Moors The English invade Normandy again Bretislaus gaineth the Kingdom of Bohemia by the aid of the Hungarians The year 1101 was very remarkable for Monsters Syracuse in Sicily is shaken with an Earthquake Three Suns a Sword and Crown are seen in the Air in Germany and likewise a Comet of wonderful bigness after this Conradus the Emperor dyeth in Italy The Russians invade Poland but are expelled by Boleslaus In England the Earl of Shrewsbury warreth against King Henry 1. The Earl of Flanders takes Cambray A League is concluded between the English and Scots In 1106 a great Comet appeareth for fifty dayes together The Emperor Henry 4. dyeth as supposed of grief that his Son had lately rebelled against him About the same time which was when the Christians were ingaged in Palestine in the Holy War for the recovery of Jerusalem three Suns appeared one on each side the true but smaller both in quantity and light a great white circle invironing them and in it a Rainbow of four Colours the Bow being toward the Sun and reaching to the other two Suns and shortly after the Stars of Heaven seemed to ram XX. In 1116 fiery Armies in the Heavens were seen in Germany with many Earthquakes and very great Whirlwinds then Bruges in Flanders was burnt Poland was wasted And the Emperor is Excommunicated by the Pope In 1135 was a very great inundation in Flanders Holland and Freizeland in England was a great Earthquake and Whirlwinds happened in France the light of the Sun appears sensibly to fail and decay Now many people perished in Flanders Judea is miserably wasted by the Saracens Henry I. King of England surfeits of Lampreys and dyes Baldwin de Rivers fortifies Exeter against King Stephen he is taken and banished In 1147 were great Thunders at Rome and an Earthquake in England Several Globes of Fire were seen in the Heavens a multitude of small worms were viâ—â—â—e it rained blood and there were strange Lightnings at Rome Ling Lewâ—s of France about this time invades Syria he 〈◊〉 taken Prisoner by the Greeks but rescued by the â—â—ing of Sicâ—â—y Alâ—â—â—â—sâ—s King of Spain took Lâ—sbon and St. Iren from the Moores the King of Sueden is slain and soon after King Stephen of England dyeth in 1158 a very great Pillar of fire appeared in the Heavens in Germany There was a great Eclipse of the Suâ—â— Two Dragons were seen to fight in the Air in 〈◊〉 This year the Emperor goeth against the Aâ—â—â—â—â—s The Pope submitteth to the Emperor but soon after repents thereof and excommunicateth him The Venetians deny aid to the Greek Emperor against the King of Sicily In 1169 there appeared three Suns and three Moons beside the true ones and also a Comet there happened likewise a very great Earthquake not long after the Sultan of Egypt is flain by Syraconus The English invade Cumberland Malcolm King of Scots dyeth Catania in Sicily is destroyed and nineteen thousand People are swallowed up by an Earthquake The Romans rase the City of Alba. XXI In 1178 there was a wonderful inundation in â—â—gland Two Armies were seen in the Heavens in Italy to fight a fierce battel The Sun was this year greatly Eclipsed At which time the English and Scots quarrel The Spaniards take several places from the Frâ—â—ch Wars were between the French and Flemmings In 1185 was another very great Eclipse of the Sun and likewise a great Earthquake also an Eclipse of the Moon â—â—d Armies were seen in the air in Greece surrounded with fire At this time the Moors were defeated by the Spaniards and their King slain The greatest part of Bruges in Flanders was burnt Baldwin the fifth King of Jerusalem was poysoned by his Mother A rebellion happened in England The Greeks lose 70 sail of Ships by Pyrates In 1198 great stones fall from Heaven there was an Earthquake in the East which overthrew many Cities It rained blood in England Two fiery swords are seen in the Heavens in Spain Soon after the Kings of Castille and Aragon invade Navar The Sultan 〈◊〉 Iconiâ—â—â— is swallowed up by an Earthquake About this time saith A. B Spotâ—wood Adam Bishop of Cathness was barbarously used by some wicked people suborned by the Earl of Cathnes He was assaulted at his own house and his servant with a Monk who did ordinarily attend him were killed the Bishop was by force drawn into his Kitchen and when they had scourged him with Rods they let the Kitchen on fire and burnt him therein King Alexander 2 was at that time upon his Journey toward England and â—having notice of this cruel fact turned back and went in haste to Cathnes where he brought the Offenders and their Partakers to Tryal Four Hundred by publick sentence were executed and all their Male-Children gelt that no succession should spring from such wicked seed and the place where there Genitals were cast is to this day called the Stony-Hill The Earl because he did not help to rescue the Bishop had his Estate forfeited but yet he did not escape divine vengeance being murdered by some of his own Servants who conspired to kill him and to conceal the Fact set the House on fire and burnt his body whereby he was paid home in the same measure he had used to the Bishop A. B. Spotswood History Scotland Pag. 110. XXII In the year 1212 a dreadful Comet appeared for 18 days together Shapes all bloody were seen in the Heavens A Star with a
Cross and an half Moon was visible in Italy Not long after the Spaniards kill Two Hundred Thousand Moors The Pope giveth away England from King John to Prince Philip of France who lands there and striveth for it The Flemish with the English take three hundred sail of Ships from him and burn an hundred more The King of Aragon is slain William King of Scots and soon after King John both dye In 1234 a great Eclipse of the Sun happened and strange sights appeared in the Moon for whereas she usually seems round she now visibly appeared with six squares The Sun was darkned so much that the Stars were seen This year the King of Bulgaria puts out the Emperors eyes Vienna is subjected to the Empire Constantinople is besieged by the Turks but released by the Venetians King Henry III. of England and his Nobles quarrel but are reconciled The King of Poland dyeth In 1243 was a great Comet fearful to behold A Hill of a vast greatness removes it self out of its place A noise like Trumpets is heard in the air in Italy These were followed by a great Plague in Greece and a miserable Famine in Constantinople the King of the Cumans is slain and the Turks take Jerusalem and kill many Prisoners In 1255 a great Comet appeared Strange Lightning fell from Heaven The Sea overflowed in many places in England Dismal and strange noises are heard in the air At this time the Geneveses take Venice and are expelled again The Duke of Lithuania invadeth Prussia five petty Kings are expelled Spain the Venetians take Padua Eâ—â—â—line comes thither and kills twelve thousand Citizens Not long after Henry III. King of England dyes In 1277 there was a very great Rain about the Rhine in Germany the Sky was as bright in Poland at midnight as if it had been noon day Four Suns were seen in Russia and there was an Earthquake in England Now the Turks won all the lesser Asia from the Greeks The Pope is killed by a fall the Emperor slayes fourteen thousand Bohemians King Edward I. of England forceth the Welch to a Peace In 1285 a great Earthquake happened in Italy A Comet of notable greatness was seen this year A great swarm of divers coloured Flyes and mighty floods of waters were in England There was likewise about this time a battel or fight of Dogs in France saith Mr. Camden at a place called Genelon Castle wherein every one killed another being in number about Three Thousand no Dog escaping alive but only one Upon this followed the Invasion of Denmark by the Norwegians Hungaria is ruined by the Cumans the Helvetians war against the Emperor but are subdued The King of Sicily dyes and there was a great battel fought between the English and Scots wherein many of the Scots were slain the Sun the same day appeared as red as blood as long as the fight continued XXIII Launces and Darts of fire were seen in the Heavens in the year 1300 a great Snow fell and a Comet of a wonderful magnitude appeared In Germany Men and Horses were visible in the Air At this time the English beat the Scots The Turks invade the German Empire and commit great mischiess the Pope writes himself Vniversal Lord in Spirituals and Temporals Flanders is invaded and many Nobles are taken Prisoners Andrew King of Hungary dyes In 1310 was an Earthquake in England The Elements seem to burn many days together A Boy was born with four Arms and two Bodies Soon after the Polonians subdue Pomerania The Isle of Rhodes is taken from the Turks Robert Bruce King of Scotland wasteth that Countrey and drives out the English the Earl of Cornwal is banished and the Emperor burneth Brixia In 1322 the Sun in England for six hours together appeared like blood There was a great Earthquake in Germany and two Crosses appeared in the Heavens and a fiery Circle was seen about the Sun At this time the Scots oppose King Edward II. of England and put him to flight The King of Bohemia conquers Silesia and divers places in Lusatia The Emperor is taken in battel and imprisoned 3 years The King of England dyes In 1337 were two Comets seen together one of which continued four Months the other but three Blood rained in Rome wonderful flocks of Crows and Daws were seen in Germany The Lithuanians burn themselves their Wives Children and Goods to avoid taking The French burn Southampton The Scythians wast Thrace and take many Captives the King of Sicily dyeth About this time there happened a fearful Earthquake in the City of Venice which overturned divers Steeples and Palaces and among other dreadful Effects it caused many hundred women to miscarry in Child-birth and a terrible Plague sollowed it which reduced the City to such an height of misery that it was almost depopulated whereupon the Senate made a Decree that as many as would come to dwell at Vâ—â—ice should after they had continued there two years be free Ciâ—â—â—ens In 1341 a terrible Comet with many other apparitions were seen in the Heavens The Emperor Aâ—â—ronious about this time suffered death in an unheard of Tragical manner And the next year saith Mr. Camdâ—n October 11 when the Moon was eleven dayes old there were seen two Moons at Dablin in Ireland the one according to the â—ourse of nature in 〈◊〉 West the other in the East casting but a mean and slender Light In 1348 Divers Mocksuns appeared in the Sky and the Heavens seemed to burn There were several small Beasts rained from the Elements in the Eastern parts of the World There followed a grâ—at Piague in England the English beat the Scots and recover much from them The Poâ—anders â—â—solutely conqâ—er Russia In 1365 armed men were seen in the Heavens in England and fiery â—anceâ— in Italy Grashoppers cover Switzerland like Snow Soon after the Russians who rebelled in Pâ—land were sâ—bdued The King of France is exâ—â—lled his Kingdom The King of Sweden is taken Prssoner in Dattel the Tâ—rks expel the Christians from Adrianople In 1375 a Comet with a beard was seen many nights together in the Heavens Grashoppers eat up all the green things in France Mighty inundations in Germany and a very great Earthquake there After this five thousand Houses were burnt at Gaunt and seventeen other Towns in Flanders drowned the Christians kill twenty thousand Turks in Bosnia by a stratagem The Scots burn Roxborough there were great Calamities in Italy Prince Edward commonly called the Black Prince dyeth and not long after Edward III. King of England The French take the Isle of Wight and burn Rye and Hastings In 1378 a general Plague in a most miserable manner invaded the greatest part of the world It raged most among young Persons and Children In the City of Lubeck only in Germany it swept away ninety thousand persons there dyed of it in several places of bare-footed Fryers one Million two hundred forty four thousand four hundred thirty four The Jews were
from the Venetians and destroy abundance of them together with divers French and Spaniards In 1506 there appeared two Comets the first on April 11. which lasted but five days the second in August following Alexander King of Poland dyes together with the King of Spain and Philip the son of Maximilian the Emperor In 1509 there was a great and terrible Earthquake in Constantinople and the Countreys thereabout by the violence whereof a great part of the Walls of that City with many stately buildings both publick and private were quite overthrown and thirteen thousand People overwhelmed and destroyed therewith The terror thereof was so great that Bajazet the Emperor himself and the People generally forsook their houses and lay abroad in the Fields It continued for a Month together with very little intermission after which ensued a great Plague whereby that City was almost made desolate there dying above an hundred and threescore thousand people Turkish Hist Pag. 476. XXX The next year 1510 there happened a Prodigy which is very strange to relate for in this year saith my Author there fell Twelve Hundred Stones from Heaven some weighing threescore pound others more Nay it is affirmed some of them weighed an Hundred and Twenty Pound which if true serves for a good Argument to prove that some other Stars or Planets may be habitable besides the Earth At this time the Lubeckers wast Denmark King Henry 8. goeth into France and besiegeth Turwiu Bajazet the Great Turk is poysoned The Spaniards take Tripoly and make war in Navar The Lubeckers worst the Danes at Sea the Switzers invade France and do much mischief there In 1512 there appeared a great Comet in Leo Pope Julius 2. and John King of Sweedland dye James 4. King of Scotland is slain at Flodden Field The King of Poland being at war with the Emperor of Muscovia kills forty thousand of his men in a pitcht battle In 1521 three Suns with a Rainbow were seen at Vienna in Germany and suddenly after a great burning Torch was visible in the Heavens which continued a Month A Circle and Cross appears with the Moon and a burning Pillar is seen in Germany Soon after the Venetians aid the Hungarians against the Turks The French lose Millain The English and French quarrel The Emperor invades Picardy in France King Henry 8. writes against the Pope Christian King of Denmark is expelled his Kingdom In 1530 a Blazing Star of wonderful greatness appeared and was visible through all Europe This year four hundred and four Parishes were drowned by a great Inundation of the Sea in Holland with all their People and Cattel the Turks take Buda in Hungary the Great Cardinal Woolsey dyes the English Clergy are fined and pay to the King an Hundred Thousand pound for divers misdemeanours the next year about Fourteen Hundred Houses were overthrown by an Earthquake at Lisbon in Portugal and about six Hundred more so extreamly shattered that they were ready to fall and many of the Churches were thrown to the ground In 1533 a very great Comet was visible in the Heavens this year Pope Clement 7 dyes Alphonsus Duke of Ferrara and the Duke of Millain dye strange factions and seditions are raised about Religion in Hungary A great Plague at Noremburg in Germany In 1538 a fiery Comet appeared in the Sign Pisces with a long tail Charles Duke of Gelderland dyeth This year was made famous for divers things For then the Kingdom of Denmark imbraced the Gospel The Emperor and King of France met together to treat of Peace the Bible was Printed in English at Paris the Overseer of which work was Bishop Bonner The University of Strasburg was erected The Sect of the Antinomians was detected The Duke of Brandenburg imbraced the Augustan Confession The Sea upon the Coasts of the Kingdom of Naples was wholly dry for eight Miles together out of which Fire and Ashes broke forth so abundantly that many places were miserably destroyed thereby This year Alexander Medices who was made by the Pope Duke of Florence was Marryed to Margaret Daughter of the Emperor Charles 5. the Nuptials were celebrated with great Pomp and Military Revels at which time a great part of the body of the Sun was darkened whilst they were at the Feast which much astonished the Guests and the very next year after this Alexander was murthered by his Kinsman Lorenzo Medices who was always very great with him and privy to all his debaucheries Strada Wars Low-Countries XXXI In 1539 a bloody Star and Cross were seen flying in the Air Armed men swords and funerals were visible in the Heavens in Germany there likewise appeared a Blazing Star This year John Duke of Cleve dyeth a great fire happened in Constantinople which burnt the Jayl and consumed seven hundred Prisoners therein John King of Hungary dyes the Irish invade the English and are beaten George Duke of Saxony dyes The People of Gaunt in Flanders mutiny and behead their Magistrates Isabella Empress of Germany dyeth and shortly after Katherine Queen of England is beheaded by King Henry 8. In 1545 a Comet appeared in the West in colour like blood Lodowick Prince Elector dyes Martin Luther dyes and the next year a war in Germany breaks out A bloody French Massacre was now perpetrated King Henry 8. of England and Francis 1. King of France both dye The Earl of Surrey is this year beheaded in England In 1548 November 6 there was a great chasme or opening in the Heavens and in some places fire fell to the Earth and flew up into the Air again This Jasper Crucifiger saw and thereupon much bewailed the great Commotions and Divisions in the Church which he foresaw by this Prodigy and accordingly it came to pass In 1550 it rained Corn from Heaven in Carinthia Three Suns were seen in England an Earthquake and Globes of fire were visible in the Elements Armies of men appeared in the Air in Saxony The Sun seemed to cleave asunder after this followed great troubles in Antwerp and the sweating sickness in England The French make war with the Emperor the Duke of Somerset in England is beheaded the Queen of Sweden dyes the Turkish Pyrates carry six thousand Christians into Captivity out of the Isle of Gaul near Malta The next year a very great multitude of Men and Cattle were drowned by a terrible Tempest the Clouds suddenly dissolving and the waters pouring down with such a stupendious violence that the strong and massy Walls of many Cities with divers Vineyards and fair Houses were destroyed thereby XXXII That may be looked upon as a Prodigy in the highest degree saith Mr. John Gadbury which my worthy friend Captain George Wharton in his Ephemeris for the year 1655 hath transcribed from one Tackius a German Doctor of Physick who likewise takes it out of one Casper That in the year 1554 not far from the City of Harmsted in Transilvania there were observed in fair and legible Characters to be read in
year the strong City of Strignnium in Hungary being besieged by the Turks during the siege there appeared a dreadful fiery Meteor in the Air in fashion much like a Rainbow of a bloody red colour which arising some heigth and continuing for a space of time at length vanished away In 1611 three Suns were seen in the Firmament over Vienna in Germany and three years after the Heavens over the same Town grew so red and soon after so fearfully dark on a sudden that the Inhabitants were much amazed apprehending either the last day was come or that there would follow some horrible effusion of blood In 1616 about the same time which was not many years before Frederick Prince Elector Palatine was chosen King of Bobemia about the midst of October there appeared in the Firmament over the City of Prague a Crown which gave a very great Light and about it Armies of men fighting as if it were who should have it divers Mocksuns were seen in the West of England An Inundation happened in Holland The Shape of an Elephant appeared in the Air in Germany A Lyon was heard as my Author saith to roar in the Air the Venetians at this time make war with Ferdinand of Austria The Hollanders beat the Spaniard in the South Sea The Tartars invade Podolia burning four Cities and four hundred Villages carrying with them thence much booty J. Gad. of Comets XXXVI In 1618 a mighty Blazing Comet appeared in the Heavens it was first seen Novemb. 18. and continued till the Decemb. 16. following taking its compass over most parts of the known world in twenty eight days time and sometimes extending its Blazing Locks forty five degrees in length Towards its Declination December 11 it passed over London and so more Northwards even as far as the Orcades in Scotland What miserable effects of war ruin and devastation followed thereupon over all Europe especially to Germany of which I shall give a more particular account hereafter was obvious to all men There likewise was seen this year in the night over Constantinople a Comet in the form of a crooked sword of a vast bigness at the first appearance it was somewhat whitish but the higher it rose the redder it was even like unto bloud There were also strange sights seen in other places inundations of Rivers and the Ocean Earthquakes monstrous births waters turned into blood unusual and impetuous Winds and Tempests which overthrew several Towers and tore up many Trees by the Roots Pleurs a Town in Rhetia near Switzerland was overwhelmed by an Earthquake a great Hill falling suddenly upon the City and destroyed Fifteen Hundred Persons This year the Emperor Matthias and soon after his Empress together with Anne Q. of England dye J. Gad. of Prodigies XXXVII Mr. Knowls in his Turkish History Page 1348 relates that in the year 1620 there was a strange Apparition or Vision seen by the Turks at Medina where there Prophet Mahomet lyes buried which continued three weeks together and exceedingly terrified the whole Countrey and it was this About September 20 there fell a very great Tempest about midnight attended with dreadful Thunder but when the Clouds were dispersed and the Element clear the People might read in Arabick Characters these words in the Firmament O why will ye believe in Lyes and between two and three a Clock in the Morning there appeared a Woman in white compassed about with the Sun having a cheerful countenance and a Book in her hand and over against her were Armies of Turks Persians Arabians and other Mahometans in battel array ready to fight with her but she keeping her Station only opened the book at the sight whereof the Armies fled away and presently all the Lamps about Mahomets Tomb were put out For as soon as the Vision vanished which was commonly an hour before Sun-rising a murmuring wind was heard unto which they imputed the extinguishing of the Lamps The antient Pilgrims of Mahomets race who after they had visited this place never use to cut their Hair were much amazed because they could not concieve the meaning of this Vision only one of the Dervices or Priests which is a strict Religious Order among the Turks like the Capuchins among the Papists and live in Contemplation stepped up very boldly and made the following Speech to the Company That the World had never but Three true Religions every one of which had a Prophet First God chose the Jews and did wonders for them in Egypt and brought them forth by their Prophet Moses who prescribed them a Law wherein he would have maintained them if they had not been obstinate and rebellious and fallen to Idolatry whereupon he gave them over and scattered them upon the face of the Earth Then presently after God raised a new Prophet who taught the Christian Religion This good man the Jews condemned and Crucified for a Seducer of the People being not moved with the piety of his Life his great miracles nor his Doctrine yet after his death the preaching of a few Fishermen did so move the hearts of men that the Great Monarchs of the world bowed to his very Title and yielded to the commands of his Ministers But it seems they in process of time grew as corrupt as the Jews their Church being disjointed with the Title of Eastern and Western committing Idolatry again by setting up Images with many other idle Ceremonies besides the corruption of their Lives so that God was weary of them too and not only sent divisions among them but forsook them and dispossest them of their chiefest Cities Jerusalem and Constantinople Yet God is still the Governour of the world and himself hath raised up another Prophet and People even our great Mahomet giving way to our Nation so as no doubt we shall be happy for ever if we can serve this God aright and take warning by the fall of others But alas I tremble to speak it we have erred in every point and wilfully broke our first Institutions so that God hath manifested his wrath by evident Signs and Tokens keeping our Prophet from us who prefixed a time to return with all happiness to his People so as there are now forty years past by our account wherefore this strange and fearful vision is a prediction of some great Troubles and Alterations For either the opening of the Book in the womans hand doth foretell our falling off from the first intent of our Law whereat these armed men departed as confounded with the guilt of their own Consciences Or else it signifies some other book wherein we have not yet read and against which no power shall prevail So that I fear our Religion will be proved corrupt and our Prophet an Impostor and then this Christ whom they talk of shall shine like the Sun and set up his Name everlastingly Hitherto the Company was silent but hearing him speak so boldly they were much incensed against him charging him with Blasphemy which their Law makes
a Capital Crime whereupon they presently condemned him and having obtained the Beglerbegs consent and warrant they put him to death The Truth of this Relation was confirmed by Isuf Chaous a converted Turk who came to London about the year 1656 which vision he said did much affect him but he added that the grand Seignior commanded none should speak of it upon pain of death In the year 1625 June 29 there began a most terrible Tempest in Constantinople with such violent and continual Thunder and Lightning that all the City appeared as if it had been on fire at the end whereof fell such a storm of Hail that it brake the Tiles and Glasses so that stones were taken up weighing an hundred and fifty drams the next morning others were weighed that were about 7 or 8 ounces apiece wherewith many were very much wounded and July 3 after there happened another Tempest of Thunder and Lightning which burnt a Woman and a Child and slew much Cattel in the Fields Turkish Hist Pag. 1452. XXXVIII And now I shall relate the Desolations and miseries of Germany with the wonderful signs foregoing as I find them recorded in credible Authors The dreadful Blazing Comet which appeared in 1618 aforementioned seemed to be a fore-runner thereof It was seen often in a clear Sky in the East In Bohemia and Austria it appeared at first with red in other places with a Saturnine pale-red colour for the space of twenty seven dayes and in some places longer And it seemed here to be compleatly effected what has been usually said that never did a Comet appear which was not accompanied with much evil and misery and Claudian the Poet writ thus concerning them Bella canunt ignes subitosque tumult is c. They shew fierce Wars Fire Sword and sâ—dden broyls And by Domestick Plots surprizing Tâ—ils Vncivil Civil Jars and homebred Flames They signifie And Luâ—â—n the Heathen Poet expresses the Prodigâ—es before the Civil Wars of Rome in this manner Superique minaces Prodigâ—â—s Tâ—â—â—as implerant Aethera Pontum c. Tâ—e threatâ—ing Gods 〈…〉 and Earth and Sea with Prodigits Vnâ—â—â— of Starâ— of night adâ—rn the Skies Hâ—aven â—â—ems to flame and through the welkin fire 〈◊〉 â—lyes State changing Comets dire 〈…〉 to us their blood-portending hair Deceitful Lightnings flaâ—h in clearest Air Straâ—ge formed Meteors the thick Air had bred Like faâ—â—lâ—is long like lamps more broadly spread Lightning witâ—out one clap of Thunder brings From 〈…〉 North his winged fires and flings Themâ—gâ—â—â—st our Capitol Small Stars that use Only be night their Lusire to dissuse Now sâ—ine in midst of day c. Such Civil Wars it seems were never without strange Prodigies and no man can be ignorant of the miserable condition of Germany about this time nor think thereof but with a sorrowful heart and as the beginning of their miseries were threatned by this terrible Comet so their continuance was still presignified by many strange things that happened out of the common course of nature which I shall endeavour to declare as followeth In December 1619 the water which runs through Sixto a City in Hungaria where a mighty battle was fought between the Turks and Christians in 1583 was turned into blood and the â—ce therein was likewise blood-red Two years after which Bethlem Gabor routed the whole Army of the Imperialists in or near that place killing above Two Thousand of them in the Field In the same Year and Month Decemb. 19. 1619 at Groningen in Brunswick appeared another great Blazing Star and two Armies one in the East and another in the North fighting in the Heavens till the Northern Army seemed to be slain and defeated Not long after a dreadful battle was fought within a few Leagues of this place betwixt the King of Denmark and the Imperial General Tilly in which the King lost the Field with Four Thousand of his Army who were slain and taken Prisoners And at another place not far off about the same time Five Hundred men were slain and in the City of Munden in the same Dukedom Two Thousand Five Hundred Citizens and Souldiers were miserably slain by the Imperialists In the same year 1619 at Vienna in Austria the water in the ditch appeared like blood for the space of 8 days likewise three Rainbows were visible at once And that very year in the same place and City a bloody fight happened between the Bohemians and the Imperial General Bucquâ—y wherein four thousand five hundred of the Imperialists were slain and about a thousand Bohemians and very many wounded In 1620 it rained blood in Poland so abundantly that the drops fell very fast from the tops of the houses Soon after the Tartars with an Army of Forty Thousand men invaded Poland exercising incredible Cruelty killing in one place above Three Thousand Polanders The same year likewise the Turks with Ninety Thousand men fell into Walstady where they had a bloody encounter with Twelve Thousand Poles led by the great Chancellor of the Kingdom who himself with the whole Polish Army were slain very few or none of them escaping XXXIX In March 1621 two Armies were seen in the Air at Noon-day in Austria fiercely fighting together with great Thundering like Ordnance and Canon and the next year at Lintz in the same Countrey just over that City two Swords were observed standing against each other and two stout Armies fighting a pitcht battle to the great terror of the Inhabitants This City of Lintz was afterward besieged and many times assaulted by the Boors of Ausâ—â—ia but were beaten off with the loss of five hundred men yet being many Thousands they defeated some Imperial forces under the Duke of Hâ—â—â—â—iâ— which was afterward reâ—â—â—â—â— by Count Papâ—â—â—â—im who with an Army of six 〈◊〉 Horse and Foot fell upon them killing 〈…〉 on the place and taking many 〈◊〉 who were afterward executed in the City of 〈◊〉 In 162â— Three Sâ—â—â— and three Rainbows were 〈◊〉 at Prâ—gâ—â— and Hâ—â—dâ—lburg in Germany After 〈…〉 happened near the City of Praâ—â—â— between the 〈◊〉 and the Saxons where 〈◊〉 Hundred â—â—â—â—ts and almost every man else were â—ut 〈…〉 by the Saxâ—â—s before the Gates The â—â—ry of 〈◊〉 was the same year besieged 〈…〉 length taken by the Imperialists with great slaughter of the Inhabitants and another small Town calâ—â—d Wâ—â—kermund about 3 Miles off was at the same time surroâ—â—ly assaulted by the Imperialists wheâ—rin the Garrison making some resistance all the Inhabitants both Men. Women and Children were put to the Sword Some years after the City of Prague was besâ—eged by the Saxons and Swedes who for 3 days briskly fired upon the Town with their Canon and were answered in the same manner with great loss on both sides Nine Thousand Saxons and Swedâ—s beâ—ng slain and the Imperial Garrison within consisting of Fourteen Hundred men Six Hundred of them were slain The same year 1622 in the Countrey of Darmistadt Trees were found whose leaves dropt blood and that
very year many bloody Encounters happened between the Imperialists and Duke Christian of Brunswick in that Countrey but especially one between him and Count Tilly whose Army consisting of Twenty Two Thousand Foot and 140 Troops of Horse fought six hours together till the 〈◊〉 overpowring them with number dispersed them who flying to the Bridge so thronged and wâ—â—ged in one another that a great many were thrust into the River Main wherein there were as many drowned as were killed in the Battle The same year there was an Earthquake in Italy and many Prodigious Lightnings and Rains in France Circles were seen about the Sun and Moon in England At this time the Jesuits and Papists were expelled the Netherlands The Duke of Brunswick lost his Arm in battle There was a great Famine in Mâ—ravia and Silesia The City of Bergen in Norway was almost consumed by fire July 16. 1622 in the Dukedom of Wittenbarg it rained blood on the hands and cloaths of the labouring men and likewise upon Trees stones and other places in the Fields in these parts at the bloody battle of Norlingen many thousands were slain on both sides Commanders and others of all sorts XL. In 1623 in the County of Podibrat in Bohemia a Well for some days was turned into blood At Tursin a Town three or four Miles from Egra in a Citizens house the Table the Walls of the Parlour and the Chairs all sweated blood so that it began to run along the Room Several bloody encounters happened the next and other years in those places Four Thousand Boâ—â—â—ians and Three Hundred Imperialists being there slain five Troops of the Duke of Saxony's Horse were â—illed by the Imperialists few escaping and the Dâ—â—â—â— of Fridland Generalissimo of the Imperialists with 〈◊〉 other â—hief Commanders were soon after killed aâ— Egra This year in divers Towns and Villages near the Râ—ine several bloody signs and tokens were seen and about that time Two Thousand Impâ—â—ialists were there slain by Count Mansfield the wayes by the Rhine being strowed with their dead bodies and the next year in another battle with Count Tilly Five Thousand were slain upon the place about Mayenfield and Mâ—lantz the â—â—â—kâ—â—s and the hands of the Labourers as they were mowing in the Fields were seen to be bloody and soon after the Spaniards exercised great cruelty in those parts the Inhabitants being miserably Massacred without respect to Age Sex or Quality and among other Cruelties it is remarkable that the Spanish and Imperial Army coming from the Rhine passed by the City of Gall where the Papists to secure themselves from being plundered marked their houses with the sign of the Cross but they were the first who felt the effects of their Insolency being wofully pillaged and murdered without distinction Men and Women in Religious Orders being forced out of their Monasteries and an Agent was sent to them from the States of the Province who threw them down from the top of an high Rock and so they were dasht to pieces XLI In December 1624 in Bohemia the Sun for 10 or 12 hours was changed into divers colours at length fiery Beams proceeded from it and for some time seemed to oppose the Sun till all vanished like Smoak in the Air and at last descended with a noise like Rockets Two dayes before two Armies were seen in the Air who continued a great fight and skirmish for some time against each other The following years many bloody skirmishes and sights happened in those Countreys particularly the siege of Frankford upon the Borders of Silesia which the King of Sweden took by storm and Two Thousand Imperialists were killed on the place besides others who were drowned found dead in Cellars Chambers and other places who amounted to near as many more Not far off 300 Swedish Souldiers being over-confident of their valour were put to the Sword by the Croats and 300 Imperialists were killed soon after by the King of Sweden not far from thence with the loss of 600 of his own In May 1624 at Gierslet in the Dukedom of Anâ—ait a strange Prodigy appeared in the Heavens which continued from 6 till 8 a Clock at Night and was observed by the Inhabitants of that Town in this manner First an antient man came out of the Clouds in a red Hungarian habit after him some grave men in the like habit then issued out a Chariot with two Horses of divers colours and then another Chariot with four Armed Horses Soon after an infinite number of People like a swarm of Bees issued out of the Clouds in the same Hungarian habit with hats and great Feathers on their heads After them followed a man on horseback in a great long Robe putting the people before him Next appeared a Comet like an Eagle with his head hanging down A quarter of an hour after came forth another Army consisting of many Horse Foot and Chariots having hoods with broad brims and Feathers In the midst of the Army appeared a man alone drawing a long Red Cross before which he made some Prayers with hands held up These Forces the first Army presently routed and defeated All the rest marching to Asherleben c. at last vanished away in several Red Clouds Not long after Three Thousand of Mansfields men and a Thousand of the Imperialists were slain at this place The day before it rained blood at Weinsham in Bohemia and two Armies appeared in the Sky skirmishing together It likewise rained blood at Friburg in Silesia and two Armies also appeared in the Heavens fighting for a long time together Soon after the Duke of Freidland sending Colonel Pechman with Seven Thousand Horsemen and Dragoons to pursue the Danish and Weinmariâ—h Troops there began a hot skirmish between them where at last most of the Danish Forces were killed and ten Companies of them taken Prisoners and Pechman himself with divers other Officers were slain The same year May 8. a strange Tempest happened at Ratisbone for it being calm and only a small rain two dark Clouds on a sudden met together and instantly a Wind mingled with Fire proceeded from thence which immediately raised a mighty Tempest which tore up Trees by the Roots in a Wood near the City carrying them afar off and thence extending it self to the City in a short time it overturned above Two Hundred Houses in the Town and Suburbs neither was a Chimney left standing the Windows of the Church of the Emerans was much shattered one of the Steeples laid flat on the ground and the other was broke off in the middle Two other Principal Steeples and a Cloyster were likewise blown down This was supposed to be raised by some damned Sorcerer who by the assistance of the Prince of the Air had caused this mischief The Instrument of this desolation was limited both to time place and persons the time was not above a quarter of an hour the Herricane if we may so call it did not foread beyond the City only
renâ—ing up some few Trees and killed 4 men some years after this City of Ratiâ—bone was straightly besieged and assaulted by the Imperial and Bavarian Army consisting of Thirty Thousand Foot and Fifteen Thousand Horse being battered night and day with an Hundred Pieces of Ordnance but were valiantly repulsed by the Swedish Garrison with the slaughter of Four Thousand Imperialists in the last assault they defending the place to admiration the Imperialists confessing they lost Eight Thousand men upon the place and Six Thousand who ran away They made Fifteen Thousand Canon shot upon the Town and cast above Two Thousand Granadoes into it endured Four Hundred Sixty Five Sallies from within the City and at last they surrendred it to the Imperialists upon Honourable Terms XLII In the year 1625 near Troppaw in Silâ—sia a great multitude of little Crows or Jackdaws appeared in the Air who fought as it were in a set Battle and skirmished so eagerly that abundance of them were slain and the Boors gathered some sacks full of dead ones which they brought into the City The year after the Weinmarâ—h Forces killed Four Thousand Imperialists near this Town and a while after in another battle the Saxons killed Five Thousand more of the Imperialists In February the same year in divers places in Silesia were exceeding great Tempests accompanied with Thunder and Lightning At Breslau the spires of two Chief Churches the Foundation of the Statehouse and many other curious buildings were overturned into the Town great Trees and a new strong built Bridge were torn up and driven to divers places so that the next day nothing of them remained At Nissa another City the chief Church was struck with a terrible Thunder-clap and the Steeple thereby battered to the very ground work Not long after at Breslau the Moon appeared bigger than ordinary and four great Ordnance or Canon were visible in the Air to the great terror of the Inhabitants which afterward seemed to be shot off with incessant Thunders and Volleys against each other Soon after the Swedes and Saxons beat the Imperialists near this City Twelve Hundred of them being slain May 3. 1627 a Circle appeared about the Sun at Hâ—mborough and in the edge thereof five other Suns were visible with a Rainbow between them Afterwards two other Suns with another part of a Rainbow were seen one of them extending toward the West the other toward the South at last all vanished in a burning smoak Some Miles from this City soon after the Imperialists â—â—t in pieces 300 Danes and took three Thousand of their Horsemen who stuck in the Moorish places Prisoners Another Conflict likewise happened between Hamborough and Stoâ—d about this time where a Sweedish Regiment of 〈◊〉 and four Companies of Monroes were all killed by Papenheim 19 Colours and some Captains and Officers being taken Prisoners This year a great Beam was visible in the Air in France An Earthquake happened in England Now the Polanders recover many places from the Tartars The Persians beat the Turks The English take the Isle of Rhee and lose it again The Hollander beats the Spaniard in the Indies Jo. Gad. of Prodigis XLIII The year 1628 was full of portentous Prodigies which were seen in many places at Sunderburg in Pomerania the Heavens being open an Army appeared coming from the North in the Van were Muskets and Pioneers after whom followed Canons and Ordnance the Rere was brought up by Horsemen Another Army came forth on the other side against them where began a hot fiery skirmish between them but the victory inclined to the Northern Army at last a Beam with fiery Rayes hovered over the head of the Northern Conqueror which continued thus prodigiously for many hours A great Astronomer of the English Nation gave his Judgment upon the great Conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter July 18. 1623 to this purpose that the effects thereof would be felt in the North and North-East parts of Europe in particular and in general that it would produce Wars Famines Plagues c. over all and the places subject thereunto he nameth that is Italy France Bohemia Silesia and Germany Of Provinces he likewise nameth Prussia Brandenburg Stiria Hassia and Saxony Yea he descendeth to Cities naming Rome Prague Magdenburg Coblentz Ulme Brunswick Ausburg He sayes likewise it will go hard with the Roman Empire Clergy and Jesuits He speaks of a King of a true Religion who should do all this and that much happiness should succeed How this Observation was verified was visible to all For in the year 1630 Gustavus Adolphus King of Sweden having conquered many Towns from the King of Poland both in Prussia and Livonia came with an Army of about Twelve Thousand men out of a Northern Corner of the World and landed first in Pomerania not far from Sunderburg where the aforesaid Prodigy was seen from whence he first beat out the whole Imperial Army and never returned without the Olive Branches of Victory so that it will be judged rather Romance then true History in Ages to come to relate these German Conquests of his For how can it be easily believed that two thirds of Germany should in about two years space be wrested from so puissant an Emperour formidable for his greatness and confident upon the power of his Colleagues and Upholders vast in extent terrible for its Armies and Commanders beyond expectation succesful in all its Enterprizes and which knew no bounds but the Alpes and the Ocean And yet that this Empire with its Forces and Garrisons which held so many Princes at a bay was at last it self constrained to take the Sweedish Yoak which was put upon it by him who entred into it with only Eleven or Twelve Thousand men and performed it all in two years and an half This I say is truly admirable and if he had gone on another year what might he not have performed In this year 1628 March 11. at Bishein a Village near Strasburg a poor woman was delivered of a strange Monster which was two Females whose Bodies were joined together about the middle their hands feet and heads being perfect and whole but there was only seen in them one Heart and one Lungs This Prodigy might presage the great mischiefs dammages depredations and vast impositions which usually accompany the Wars and the unruly Souldiers and fell very severely upon the Inhabitants in and about Strasburg Strange was that Thunder-clap which happened at Brig in Silesia the same year wherein the immediate power of God appeared About Noon May 29 1628 a Thunderbolt fell upon one of the Churches of that Town broke down the door and slew a poor woman in the Porch as she was praying wounding in its passage many other Women and Children After this it went to another Church in the Suburbs where the Minister was reading doing him no more harm but only singing the hair of his head neither were the People hurt thereby who at the same instant fell down flat
with their faces on the ground October 13 the same year a terrible Thunder fell upon the Church at Sagan another Town in Silesia from whence it burst out of a Window attended with such Wind Rain Hail and Tempest that it tore up the Trees by the very Roots blasted the Herbs and Fruit trees and so harrassed the Countrey for a League about that the damage was very considerable After the Thunder and Tempest there appeared just over the Church fiery beams like a sword and a rod the Bells in the Steeple began to sound and ring without the help of man and 3 miles off the Heavens for the space of an hour seemed open and fiery Not long after a terrible fight happened between this Town of Sagan and Sternaw both in Silesia where the Swedes and Saxons killed about two thousand Imperialists and not far thence soon after two thousand more were slain XLIV In 1630 a very miraculous thing happened at Geismar in Hassia two souldiers lying for safety in that Town one of them complained to the other who was in bed with him that he was very cold the other answered he could not believe it in regard that his own body was very hot and wet intreating him to touch and feel his side which when he had done finding his hands exceeding wet and as it were glued and congealed together he suspected something extraordinary and looking on his hands by the light of the Moon he judged them to be bloody whereat being much terrified he called for a Candle and found his fellow souldier very weak and his left side and the sheets of the bed to be bloody and endeavouring to wash off the blood from his side presently more blood issued 〈◊〉 at length after the space of an hour it ceased of it self About three handfuls of blood were taken out of the sheets this with the relation of other circumstances they presented in the morning to their Commander who inquired of him how he had felt himself that Night the souldier answered That he had been extream ill for some time but was afterward restored to his former health The two next years after this Prodigy this goodly Countrey of Hassia was miserably harrassed by several Armies and the Inhabitants were barbarously and inhumanely treated by the Emperors ' Army and if the Prince or his poor subjects did at any time complain and petition for Justice or redress they were only scorned and rejected for their labours so that they were forced to endure quarterings taxpatiens burnings robberies and sacking of their Towns and Villages yea the slaughter of innumerable innocent Subjects of all sorts without being able to obtain any pity or compassion from their enemies The same year 1630 in May the Noremberg Carrier and several Passengers in their journey toward Hamborough passing by the Town of Coburg at night they observed with great admiration a prodigious fire going in and out of the Town and heard a mighty noise like the discharging of Canons Two years after which General Wallestein assaulted this Town with his Souldiers and great Guns but was so stoutly entertained by those within that after the loss of a great many of the Imperialists he was forced though he had besieged it above Twenty Months to break up his siege and depart XLV In May 1631 at Hall in lower Saxony the water was turned into blood and about the middle of this Month this Town was taken by Tilly and afterward retaken from him by their natural Lord and presently again repossessed by Tillies Forces and he himself after the battle of Leipsick made his escape thither that night and had his wounds dressed by the Town Barber Whilst Tilly's Army lay in the Town one of his Chief Officers saw blood prodigiously dropping from the House wherein he lay whereupon he said What Must we bleed will the King of Sweden beat us That 's impossible But it happened otherwise for Hall was not above 7 Dutch Miles distant from the place of battle wherein the Imperial Army was utterly routed and miserably destroyed in the chase and if the King had but had 3 hours more of day-light it was judged that hardly a Thousand of the Enemy had escaped one of their own Relations affirming that there were Fifteen Thousand of the Imperialists slain upon the place and in the pursuit that night and the day following It s said Tilly's couragious heart could not refrain from tears when he perceived such woful destruction among his brave old Souldiers his Army consisting of Forty Four Thousand stout men being usually termed Iâ—vincible The next day the King besieged Hall which was yielded to him and soon after the Castle But a while after Pappenheim and the Imperialists again retook this City exercising all manner of Barbarism upon the Inhabitants This year likewise in the time of the siege of Magdeburg a City Captains Wife dying in Child-bed desired to be ript open which being done they found a Boy almost as big as one of 3 years old who had an head-piece and an Iron Breastplate on his Body great boots of the French fashion and a bag by his side with two things therein like Musket bullets This horrible Prodigy no doubt portended the deplorable destruction of that City which happened May 10. 1631 when a general assault was made upon the Town by the Imperialists the Walls were mounted in an instant the Town entred and the Souldiers fell to killing At the same instant a fire none knew how broke out and it being a very windy day on a sudden all became one mighty Flame the whole Town being in twelve hours time turned to Cinders except some few Fisher-houses six Goodly Churches were burnt the Cathedral by the diligence of the Monks and Souldiers being preserved There were at least Twenty Thousand People killed burnt and smothered beside Six Thousand drowned in the River Elbe Two days after Tilly came into the Town and finding some Hundreds of Women and Children in the great Church he gives them their lives and some bread to maintain them XLVI June 18. 1631 at Asherleben in the lower Saxony toward Evening two strong Armies were observed in the Heavens who prepared themselves to fight one came out of the North and the other out of the South after a long fight the Northern Army obtained the victory This Prodigy was seen two days in a cleer Sky for the space of an hour after the battle a Person in a long Garment appeared two several times shooting with a Bow at the Leader of the Southern Army The very next Month July 8. happened a sharp conflict between this Town and Tangermond where the â—ing of Sweden routed Twenty Companies of the Imperialists and took 14 Ensigns and soon after 1500 more were slain These slaughters Count Tilly resolving to revenge sets forward toward the King with twenty six thousand men and fell upon him in his Trenches but were beaten off with a miserable butchery so that it was judged
his men that it was dangerous to purge it all at once smiled out his anger for the present permitting what he could not amend yet this abuse he afterward reformed by degrees His Army won the day though they lost their King which occasioned one to compose this brief Elegy Vpon this place the Great Gustavus dyed Whilst victory lay bleeding by his side A little before his death being in discourse with his Chaplain Dr. Fabricius he said That he thought God would ere long take him away because the People did so overvalue and deify him At his first coming into Germany having a design upon Stetin and his Army being now upon the shore and his Boats ready on the River to imbark them but the Wind having been contrary for several days before the King observing it kneeling down in the sight of his Souldiers with his hands lifted up to Heaven thus expressed himself O thou most just God thou certainly knowest that I did not at first undertake this Enterprize out of any rashness or ambition but for the glory of thy most Holy Name and the defence of the Truth of thy Gospel here now therefore I call upon thee O God and most humbly beseech thee that with the Air of thy favour and with a prosperous wind thou wouldst be pleased to breath upon this my undertaking for Christ his sake Amen No sooner were his Prayers ended but through Divine Providence the Wind turned about with so full a Gale that the whole Fleet passing up the River Oder in two hours time sailed up Twenty Miles and unexpectedly came to an Anchor within a Mile of Stetin whereby he wonderfully defeated the Designs of the Imperialists who intended within two dayes after to have laid siege to that City had they not been thus miraculously prevented When this King came first to the Crown he resolved to lay siege to Nottenburg Castle which the Muscovite had given his Father for some Assistance which he had afforded him This Castle stood in an Island in the mouth of the most raging and swift River of Nerva his Commanders despairing of taking it and being unwilling their young King should receive a Repulse in his first attempts they laboured to disswade him from the action yet he continued resolute to pursue it and see how Almighty God wrought for him The Besieged Muscovites were stricken with such Thrushes Warts and Blisters in their Throats and Mouths they could neither chew their Meat nor swallow it down whereupon they parlied and yielded up that impregnable Castle to him wherein he found a whole years provision of Victuals besides abundance of Ammunition Not long after this he had a difference with the Dantzickers and they had prepared twenty or thirty stout men of War intending with the first opening of the Spring to have burnt up the Kings Navy in their Harbour but toward the end of Winter when this narrow Swedish Sea was frozen a yard or two deep this young King caused his Boors to cut open the Ice for ten or twelve Miles together which done he came suddenly one night with his Fleet upon the Dantzickers and burnt sunk and took most of their Fleet Also in his Wars with the King of Poland he conquered so many Towns from him in Prussia and Livonia that he inforced him by the mediation of King Charles of England to make peace with him In these wars with the Polanders his Army was never great having for the most part not above Five Thousand Men and yet with them he fought several Battles beat and wearied out two Imperial Armies took in the great and strong City of Elbing with divers others and finally obtained his end upon his Enemies though they were able at the same time to have come upon him with such a number of Horse as had according to humane Reason been sufficient to have carryed him away and five such Armies as his was He was slain in the Battel at Lutzen Nov. 16. 1632. in the 38 year of his Age. XLVIII At Bushein a Village near Friburg in Germany there happened this strange Prodigy there appeared in the Heavens a Twofold Rainbow one white as Snow and the other exceeding black besides another of a fiery colour The next day from eleven till two after Noon another Aspect of a very white colour appeared And about the time at Franestein hard by a Woman having bought some bread and carrying it home when she came to cut it blood issued out from it This Franestein is a pretty Town upon an Hill some sixteen English miles from Dresden it was taken by the Imperialists in the year 1632 by Scalado and meeting with some opposition they in revenge cruelly put all both Souldiers and Inhabitants to the sword And October 4. they assaulted Friburg a handsome Town upon the River Mulda some 10 English miles to the West of Franestein and taking it by storm they likewise miserably destroyed the Inhabitants near this place Count Holcks men who was then Commander of those Imperial Forces taking displeasure against a Minister of excellent Learning in that Countrey they first hewed him all to pieces with their swords and then flung his mangled Limbs to the Dogs to be eaten But the Dogs as if astonished at such savage cruelty would not so much as touch his flesh or lick a drop of his blood whereupon his Friends gathered up his pieces the next day and buried them and one of their own Authors relates That the Crabats shewed themselves ingenious to invent New Torments for the poor Protestants and that it was frequent with them for want of Dogs meat to feed them with humane flesh which if so we may truly say Thatthough the Dogs were the Man-eaters yet certainly the Crabats were the Cannibals XLIX In the month of August 1632. at Kempten in Swabeland a strange Monster was born of a Citizens Wife the head was altogether fat and without ears the hands were stretcht out and appeared all bloody between the flesh and the skin in the left hand there was a Rope the Belly had two wounds as if prickt by a Sword and the left knee seemed as if it had been twice broken a cord being tyed about it This goodly Town of Kempten was held by the Imperialists and after many furious assaults was taken by the Swedes in 1633. The Imperial Commander went to Reitaw where he was beheaded because he had so soon surrendred the Place Many other bloody skirmishes happened about this Town and what miseries that and the Countrey thereabout endured when it was besieged and re-taken by the Imperialists can hardly be exprest It was brought to such extremity of Famine not much inferiour to those dreadful ones of Samaria and Jerusalem recorded in Holy Scripture or of Saguntum in Spain Perusium in Hetruria or Tuscany in Italy mentioned by other Authors Many brave Citizens out of this and the Neighbour Towns were compelled by necessity to bear Arms for a livelihood Horse-flesh was sold at
Pestilence Fire and Destruction raged abroad in the Roman Empire In 1636 December 19. the Spire of Shotten Steeple at Vienna being newly built fell suddenly down and demolished the new built Church This happened about the time of the Coronation of the new King of the Romans at Ratisbone And about the same time a great Blazing Star appeared at Rome for some time and then vanished away suddenly over St. Paul's Church in that City with a great noise and divers Monuments placed in that Church fell down and were utterly defaced Now though it might seem overmuch boldness saith my Author to peep into the Ark of Divine Secrets nor can we conclude any particular consequences from the Accidental fall of this Steeple yet doubtless the Comet though caused by the meeting of secondary and natural Causes did very much presage what happened about that time and soon after For within one Month the Emperor Ferdinand 2. who had been ill at Ratisbone and then removed to Vienna gave up the Ghost some Prodigies likewise happening in other places of the Empire before the meeting of the Electoral Princes at Ratisbone did much dishearten the common people and caused them to despair of any good success by that Treaty One was that at Wells in Austria the Emperors house of Pleasure where he then lodged was suddenly uncovered by a violent Tempest and this was accompanied by two others at Lintz the first was the sudden fall of an Arch of the Bridge made over the River Danubius which the Emperor had no sooner passed over but it tumbled into the River The second was that three carved Eagles placed upon the House of a Burgess of Lintz being broken down by the fury of this Tempest were again raised up into the Air by the same violent blast and shattered three several ways and one of them at last fell upon the House appointed for the Assembly of the Province an other upon the Statehouse and the third upon a publick Conduit or Aqueduct This happened in 1636. and gave occasion to the distracted minds of men to project terrible things from that meeting of the States LIV. And this indeed was a bloody time in the Dukedom of Saxony and there was a general fear that the fury of the War would not be confined to that Countrey which was the more heightned by a strange Prodigy which though it admits of no particular Interpretation was as terrible as portentous In the vear 1637 the Conduit at Iseâ—ach scituate in the midst of the Market-place instead of Water suddenly poured out Blood and so continued for two hours before the Water returned again About which time many bloody skirmishes happened between the Imperial and Swedish Forces few days passing without much bloudshed and the condition of the Dukedom of Saxony was exceeding deplorable caused not only by the Swedes their Enemies but also by their seeming Friends the Imperialists who usually burnt those Places to the Ground where they did not find as much Provision for their Souldiers as they demanded So that the Boors and poor Countrey-men did now long for Peace which they were then so much strangers to desiring that their Swords might be turned into Plow-shares and their Pikes into Shepherds Crooks the Merchant longed for an open Trade and Persons of all Conditions desired an end to these Troubles and Distractions but it seems the miseries of that Countrey were not yet come to the height In the same year 1637 the Water at Weimar was again turned to blood A strange Worm in the shape of a Man with perfect Lineaments and a Golden Crown on his head was found in a Sallad at an Herb-womans shop in Collen which if not Prodigious was yet very dreadful A Woman appeared in a mourning habit in the Church-yard of St. Stephens the Cathedral Church of Vienna June 18. 1637. who with a doleful voice from eleven to twelve a Clock at night yelled out these terrible Words Woe unto you Wo unto you Often repeating them and no other The Bells without any help of men suddenly rung out to the great affrightment of the people who descanted upon these sad Omens doubting that such horrid Consequences would ensue as presented themselves to their several Fancies And indeed not without cause for after this a new time of trouble began the sword raging in the most and best part of Germany and Fire likewise not only by chance but by the Will and Choice of such as used that devouring Element to the dammage of their Enemies and the General Ruin of their Countrey LV. Thus have I with my Author run over the Prodigious Signs and Warnings of Germany with a brief Account of the miserable Events which ensued But having met with a larger Relation of the dreadful Consequences of these amazing Prodigies as they were published by Dr. Vincent a Learned English Physician who was an Eye-witness thereof during the Woful Calamities of that Countrey I do not think it amiss nor any unprofitable digression to relate them in his own Words It is generally concluded and believed that the Burning Beacon or Blazing Star in 1618 was a sad fore-runner of the merciless fury of War which hath reigned and played the Tyrant in Germany ever since the best Astrologers expounding it to be The Sword of Germany I have seen a Prophecy long since in a Book belonging to a Canon of Nimmegen and now in the Library at Zutphen That a time should come when one Frederick should be King and then should the Princes of Germany the Nobility of Bohemia and the People of both be very much oppressed and War should rage beyond the Precedent of former Ages This if ever is now fulfilled in our days and if in such disorder it be possible I will keep this Order in speaking thereof 1. Of the Exactions and Extortions that have been committed 2. The Tortures and Torments which have been exercised 3. The Rapes and Ravishments perpetrated 4. The Robberies and Pillaging 5. The Bloodshed and Murders 6. The Burnings and Destructions committed by the Popish Armies in those Countreys These shall be the Scenes of this first Act Famine and Pestilence shall stand for the other Acts of this direful Tragedy In which as no Action or Passion was simple or single so I cannot rehearse them without sometime intermixing one with the other LVI And first for Extortions and Exactions As no Province or part of Germany can boast of her Freedom from these miseries though some have been more opprest than others So there is no Prince nor State which hath not suffered therein nay no City no Town nor almost no Person whatsoever Every weeks Relation tells us of Hundreds Thousands Millions of Rix-dollars or Gilders imposed exacted and extorted by the Conquerors or Spoylers for the redemption of mens Lives or Liberties Goods or Houses strange and almost impossible to be paid have been the Ransomes taxed upon the Burgers at the taking of some Towns to which end they have
and having his Legs bare a Fox pursued him even amidst the Earls Servants and would not forbear biting of his Legs and heels for extream hunger till they gave him a blow on the neck and so took him alive The eyes of the Fox were sunk in his head his bones stuck out and he was so extream lean that his ribs almost clung together they carryed him alive with them in the Coach and after a few days he dyed Another English Gentleman who came about that time through Germany into England by the by-ways thereby to escape the Souldiers reported that Wolves Foxes and other Wild Beasts lay dead for want of Food and that in some Places men lived only upon Robbery and the spoil of Strangers or of one another so that Thievery was the only Trade then practiced among them LXIII Thus much of this tremendous Judgment of Famine In the last place let Pestilence Sickness and Diseases bring up the Bere of this lamentable Scene of sorrow These Distempers are oft-times the Companions or Effects of War it is very rare for a great Army to stay long in a place and not to leave some Infection behind them Beyond the River Dona after the Swedes departure from thence with their Forces the Plague and several unheard of Diseases swept away a multitude of people the like happened in the Palatinate and Bohemia After Mastricht was taken the Town and Countrey were grievously afflicted with Feavers Fluxes and the Pestilence above all and the same year the Armies of the Duke of Lorrain and the Rhinegrave dyed miserably in the like kind in Alsatia The Army of the Prince of Orange having taken Rhineberg left such infection in Brabant that the Inhabitants the year after were afraid to live in their own Houses About the same time General Holck being sent with six thousand men to invade Saxony he plundered the City of Leipswick and committed as great outrages as Tillies Army had done before but such a Plague overtook both him and his Army that most of his Souldiers dyed like rotten sheep and being infected himself he offered six hundred Rix dollars for a Protestant Minister to instruct and comfort him But both he and his Souldiers had so behaved themselves that no Minister was to be found In the mean time all his Friends and Servants forsook him except his Concubine who stayed with him to the last He had been both Protestant and Papist but revolted from both so that being guilty of his own perfideousness and the execrable Murders and Rapines he had occasioned he dyed utterly despairing of future happiness In the City of Basil above Twenty Thousand dyed of the Plague Their Popish Neighbours of the City of Trent rejoyced at their sufferings as being their Enemies in Religion but their Joy was very short for the Winter following the Pestilence raged dreadfully among them and though that City was not great yet above Three Thousand Persons were buried out of it This Plague was extraordinary virulent and altogether incurable Some dyed raging others were killed with their Carbuncles others were swoln and discoloured as if they had taken poyson and some dyed most strangely spotted If any Souldier were but slightly wounded it presently turned to a malignant Ulcer defying all means of Cure when the Infection got into a Kindred it destroyed Parents Children and most times all of the blood which demonstrates that a divine hand was very conspicuous in this woful visitation though the Food and Air might also much conduce to impoyson the Bodies In the Siege of Hannover above twenty two thousand People were buried of the Sickness and had not it pleased God hereby to diminish their numbers they had yielded the Town for want of Victuals In the same Seige Souldiers who went seemingly well and with their Eye-sight upon the Guard came off again in a few hours struck stark blind even Thirty at a time were thus afflicted but the Disease afterward falling into their Legs most of them recovered About this time almost all Germany felt this punishment in a grievous manner In Swaben Tyrol and all along the Rivers of Rhine and Main the Plague raged furiously The King of Hungary was fain to dissolve his Court and send his Servants away to other Cities for their security The Inhabitants of Memingen Campden and Isnen in Swaben were utterly consumed and none left alive In the Countrey thereabout formerly inhabited by above Thirty Thousand men there were not Four hundred Souls to be found In the Confines of Bavaria the living were not sufficient to bury the dead but Rats and Mice devoured their Carcases to the great horror of Passingers Holland and the Low Countreys smarted very sore likewise The University of Leyden buried Thirty Thousand The Countrey Villages and the Hague were miserably afflicted and also Brussels and Antwerp The Cities of Nimegen Emerick Rees Guelders with other places neer were not only visited therewith whereof the Marquess of Avtona the Spanish General and other Commanders dyed but there happened new contagious Diseases among others strange Fluxes and a Pox hitherto unknown The Emperors Army forraging and dispersing themselves all over the Countrey scattered the Contagion from their Quarters at Hailburn to the Land of Wirtenburg and many places became hereby utterly depopulated But after Gallas his taking in the Towns upon the Rhine such an Infection happened through the stink of the dead unburied bodies that in the Bishoprick of Mentz alone there dyed of this and Famine Twenty Four Thousand People In Saxony Brandenburg Pomerania Mecklenburg c. the Pestilence and other Diseases were so Universal that these and the Sword seemed to contend which should be the greatest destroyers It consumed in Saxony no less than Sixteen Thousand Souls in two Months time Thus as by the print of the foot of Hercules you may guess at his stature so by these few particulars of the miseries of some places we may judge of the lamentable Condition of the whole Countrey where these dreadful Judgments have left such wounds as perhaps posterity for some Generations will see the scars of And so I have done with this particular Relation of the Prodigies and Miseries of Germany for several years and shall now proceed more generally according to my former method LIV. In the year 1638. Six Suns were seen at once in Cornwall and several Apparitions of men in the Heavens preparing to fight with each other Also Navys of Ships were visible in the Sky The Scots at this time make an Insurrection the King goes in Person to appease them they renounce the Bishops and Prelacy and set up Presbytery in Scotland In this year 1638. happened a terrible Earthquake in the Island of St. Michael one of the Agores or Tercera's belonging to the Spaniard in the Atlantick Ocean Westward Upon June 26. 〈◊〉 Island began universaly to quake and tremble 〈◊〉 which continued eight days so that the People leaving the Cities Towns and Castles were forced to 〈◊〉
have sometimes been carried as far as Constantinople though many hundred miles distance and so affrighted them that they have all ran to their Prayers to implore the averting of Divine Wrath The Mountain hath a double top that toward the North ends in a Plain the other toward the South aspires higher which when covered with Clouds prognosticates rain to the Neopolitans In the top there is a large deep hollow in form of an Amphitheater in the midst is a Pit which leads into the Entrails of the Earth the matter thrown up is ruddy light and soft the uttermost brow of the Hill flourishes with Trees and excellent Pasturage the midst is shaded with Chesnut Trees and others bearing divers fruits The lower parts are admirably clothed with Vines which afford the best Greek Wines in the World It hath at divers times made dreadful Eruptions and Devastations which as well as Mount Aetna of which hereafter have been accounted ominous and to portend some woful Calamities to ensue But never any thing appeared so horrible faith my Author as what happened in the Reign of the Emperor Titus eighty years after Christ For then it disgorged such boyling Waves and Flouds of Fire as consumed the Neighbouring Cities And then it was that Pliny the Second that great searcher into Nature and the famous Author of the Natural History and then Admiral of the Roman Navy being desirous to discover the reason thereof was choaked and suffocated in approaching too near to discover so great a mystery of Nature yet not wilfully I suppose though some Authors â—â—sert that he threw himself into it because he could not understand the natural cause of 〈…〉 Condagration At that time there issued 〈◊〉 so great a 〈◊〉 that the very Sun seemed to be 〈◊〉 an 〈◊〉 and likewise huge Stones and such plenty of 〈◊〉 that Rome Africk and Syria were even covered with them and besides Beasts Fish and Foâ—l which were desirâ—â—ed it overwhelmed Herculanâ— and Pumptins two adioyning Cities with Pumiâ—e Stones together with all the People sitting in the Theater There were also heard dismal noises all about the Province and Giants of incredible bigness were seen to stalk up and down the top and edges of the Mountains if the Peoples sanâ—ies were not imposed upon 〈◊〉 their astonishment which extraordinary 〈…〉 was judged either a cause or Presage of a 〈…〉 which reigned in Rome and Italy long 〈…〉 the Roman Historian relates 〈◊〉 the 〈…〉 transported in the Air obsoured and darkned â—â—l Europe and that the Inhabitants 〈…〉 wonderfully affrighted therewith 〈…〉 their Emperor Leo forsook the City and that in memorial of the same they celebrated yearly the 12 of November It likewise burnt in the 6 year of Constantine the Fourth and groaned but ejected no Cinders Platina writes that it flamed in 685 prognosticating the Death of Pope Benedict 2. with the insuing Slaughters Rapines and Deaths of Princes During the Papacy of Benedict 8 and 9. it is said to have done the like and though it hath made divers dreadful devastations yet the fruitful Ashes thrown about did seem to repair the foregoing losses with a quick and marvellous fruitfulness At the foot of the Hill there are divers holes and vents out of which exceeding cold winds do continually issue and which at Padua they let into their Rooms at pleasure to qualifie the heat of Summer In the year 1610 in February Vesuvius began to flame to the great affrightment of the Neapolitans and solemn Prayers and Supplications being ordered they went in Procession with the head of Januarius their Patron and the defender of their City carryed before them whereby the deluded people were perswaded that the destruction which hung over their heads was prevented In 1631 was a new Eruption and again in 1635 was an Earthquake in 〈◊〉 LXVII In the year 1633 likewise the industrious Kircher made a discovery of the Phlegrean or Fiery Plains in the Fields of 〈◊〉 near Naples which being another wonderful Prodigy of Nature may be worth relating Passing by Naples saith he I could not let slip the opportunity of inquiring and looking into those Sulphurous Plains so much celebrated in all Ages Having therefore gone through a Passage under ground called the Grotte arched and made hollow to the Mountain Pausilippus not far from Puteoli between the Jaws of the Mountains a large Plain presents it self to view altogether dreadful and full of horrour in length about Twelve hundred Foot in breadth a Thousand The whole Plain is surrounded with Hills of high and steep Rocks which were formerly very lofty but are since devoured by perpetual Fires In the bottom little hills are seen to burn and flame with a strong smell of Brimstone which is carryed by the Winds through all the Neighbouring Regions even as far as Naples some parts of the Plain have an infinite number of holes and are yellow with a Sulphurish matter the ground when it is touched by those who walk thereon sounds and rattles like a Drum by reason of the hollowness thereof and you may feel as it were not without astonishment boyling waters under your feet and thick fiery fumes to hiss and flow from one place to another with a great crackling noise through the Pipes and Passages under ground which are made by these fiery Exhalations the force of this is very great as you may experience by stopping any of these holes with an heavy stone or the like for then you shall observe the violence of the smoak presently to throw it up and belch it forth again But an huge Laky Ditch in the same plain did wonderfully affect me It is full of boyling waters very frightful for their blackness that one would imagine it were a Kettle or Caldron boyling with Pitch and Rosin It is likewise admirable that the swallowing Gulph casts forth these boyling waters eight or ten foot above a mans height in the fashion of a spire Steeple or Pyramid In the Mountâ—â—ns and Rocks wherewith this Vulcanian Plain is incompassed there are Pasâ—aâ—es like Châ—mneys some whereof breath out a continual Wind with a terrible sound and raâ—ling and also with such strength that if you cast a stone thereinto it is struck back again to your hand with great fury some of these breathing holes dart forth smoak mixt with flames you would here think your self almost in the midst of Hell where all things appear horrid sad and lamentable and you are even struck breâ—â—hless with the stench of Sulphur Bitumen Napthe and other Earths Clays Marls and Minerals We must not here omit Mr. Sandys his Relation of aâ—most memorable Earthquake and burning which happened near the City Puteoli in 1538. with the new formed Mountain For the famous Lake Lucrinus hard by extended formerly to the deadly Sulphurous Lake Avernus supposed the entrance into Hell by ignorant Antiquity where they offered Infernal Sacrifices to Pluto their God of Hell and to the Manes or Ghosts of their deceased Friends who were
there said to have returned answers to what was demanded of them This place is now only a little watry plash choaked up by the horrible and astonishing eruption of a new Mountain whereof as often as I think I am apt to give credit to whatsoever is wonderful For who is there in this place but knows or who elsewhere will believe that a Mountain should arise partly out of a Lake and partly out of the Sea in one day and a night to such a height as to contend in altitude with the highest Mountains adjoyning yet so it was For Sept. 29. 1538. the Countrey hereabout having for several days before been tormented with perpetual Earthquakes that no one house was left intire but all men expected an immediate ruin After the Sea had retired two hundred Paces from the Shoar leaving abundance of Fish and Springs of fresh water rising in the bottom this Mountain visibly ascended about the second hour of the night with an hideous roaring noise horribly vomiting Stones and such store of Cinders as overwhelmed all the buildings thereabout and the healthful Baths of Tripergula celebrated for so many Ages consuming the Vines to Ashes and killing Birds and Beasts The fearful Inhabitants of Puteoli flying away in the dark with their Wives and Children naked defiled crying out and detesting their Calamities Manifold mischiefs had they suffered by the Turks and Barbarians yet none like this which Nature Inflicted This Mountain is to be seen at this day the top whereof is above a mile from the Foundation the stones upon it are so light and pory that they will not sink when thrown into Water when it was newly raised it had a vast number of Vents or Issues some of them smoaking and likewise flaming others disgorging little Rivers of hot water keeping a dreadful rumbling and many miserably perished who ventured to go down into the hollowness above But that hollow on the top is now an Orchard and the Mountain throughout is bereft of its Terrors no more smoak fire or flames issuing any longer therefrom But to return LXVIII A little before the Marquess Hamilton came with the Scotch Army into England two Armies were seen in York hire in the Air discharging and shooting against each other and after a long fight the Army which rose our of the North vanished Likewise about the same time at 〈◊〉 in Northumberland it rained blood which covered the Church and Church-yard In 1642 at the time of the bloody Rebellion in Ireland when the Papists murthered above Two Hundred Thousand Innocent Protestants without the least Provocation these Prodigies happened in that Kingdom as they were deposed upon Gath by divers Persons exâ—mined about the same At Portendown Bridge in the Province of Vâ—â—er the Iriâ—h Inhabitants thereabout were so affrighted with Cryes and Noises made there by some Spirits for Revenge that they were forced to remove their habitations not daring to return thither again Likewise the blood of some of those Innocents who were massacred there remained long upon the Bridge and could not be washed out There appeared also the shapes of Men and Women breast high above Water who did lamentably and scarfully screech and cry out for vengeance against the Iriâ—h who had murthered their Bodies there December 20. 1641. the bloody Rebels having at one time drowned one hundred and fourscore Protestant Men Women and Children in this River by the Bridge about nine days after a Spirit in the shape of a man appeared in that place breast high above the Water with his hands lifted up standing in that posture several times till the latter end of Lent next following and was seen by very many And a Mother of some of those Children who were drowned there going one Evening to the Bridge with some other Women whose Husbands had likewise been drowned upon a sudden there appeared to them a Vision of a Woman naked to the wast in the water with elevated and closed hands her hair hanging down very white her Eyes seeming to wrinkle and her skin as white as snow often repeating the word Revenge Revenge Revenge Further Thirty Women and young Children and Seven men were flung by these barbarous Rebels into the River of Belteâ—â—â—t and when some of them swum for their Lives toward the bank they were knocked on the head with Poles by these merciless Tygers Being dead their Bodies appeared not as usual till about six weeks after at which time one Mulmore O Rely who had commanded them to be murdered coming to the place all the Bodies came floating up to the Dridâ—e Sir Câ—â— Mac Gennis with his Souldiers murthered one Mr. Trugâ— Minister of Newry but shortly after fâ—â—â—â—ng sick upon his death bed he was terribly 〈…〉 seeming always to see the same Mr. Trâ—â—â—â—â— his presence Also Dr. Robert Maxwel Archdeacon of Down testifyed upon his Oath That the Rebels themselves assured him that most of those who were thrown from that Bridge were dayly and nightly seen to walk upon the River sometime singing Psalms sometimes brandishing Swords sometimes skreiking out in a most hideous and fearful manner LXIX In 1642 before the Fight at Edghil three Suns were seen in the North. In 1645. Many other Apparitions were visible in the North with divers Pâ—â—râ—â—â—'s or Mocksuns and an Eclipse of the Sun All England saith Mr. Gadbury was at this time together by the Ears The next year the Scots return home again The English go into Ireland and subdue the Rebels there In the Moneth of May this year it rained Brimstone at Wittenburg in Germany and a great Wood belonging to the Dukedom of Norimburg in that Countrey of eight thousand Acres of Land fell on Fire and was burned to Ashes In January 1648 there was seen a great Fiery Meteor in the Air near Bristol on the Southside of the City for divers nights together of a long form with fiery Beams shooting out East and West which was but a week before the Martyrdom of his late Majesty also the day before his Death a great Whale ran himself ashoar three miles from Doâ—â—er where he dyed He was sixty six foot long a thing rarely seen in this Island this I was informed 〈◊〉 by an Eye-witness saith Mr. Clark I very well remember saith Mr. John Gadbury that in 〈◊〉 year 164â— the very year wherein Charles late King of England was beheaded it was generally I will not say truly reported that he without his head was seen to hover in the Air over Whitehall the place where he suffered for many nights together Nay I have heard some affirm That he was seen sometime with his George upon his Breast in the manner and form as he wore it when he came upon the Scaffold and that sometimes again he was seen to appear in his Watchet Wastcoat only Neither of these sights did I ever see saith he nor can enjoyn any ones faith to believe However if the report were true and I know not what advantage any
such a destruction as is impossible to bedâ—scribed and at present 't is not throughly known what damage it hath done upon the eighth of this Moneth it pleased God not by any extraordinary rains from Heaven to our thinking to open the Mountains like Fountains and to cause the Seaso to swell that in less than four hours it overflowed the Town throughout sixteen foot high which prevented us not only from saving our Goods but also with great hazard of our lives have we escaped yet many lost their Lives with great destruction both of the Houses and Walls For my own part I feared my life for my house trembled under me extreamly so that not only my self but my whole Family had been destroyed had it continued but a small time longer though the Water ebbed not for Twenty four hours Many Iron Mills were destroyed many Thousand Loads of Charcoal were carryed away many bags of Wool spoiled All their Shops with their Goods were much damaged God knows the trouble we underwent and still I am every day in the mud half my height looking after my Goods and am fain to keep many men digging to find them and am looking out for bread to maintain my Family a little Chicken costs us two shillings in Spanish Plate In brief neither Horse Mule Hog nor any other Living Creature that goes upon the ground hath escaped drowning but only such as fled to the tops of the Mountains The destruction and losses of â—his Town are unspeakable the very pavement and ground being carryed away at least Ten Foot deep and the River hath altered its Chanel The first work that we now set upon by command of Authority is to throw away the Fish which the water brought with it which being tainted smells so abominably that we fear it will bring the Plague amongst us but we hope by to morrow night to throw it all into the River and thereby be rid of this stink and our next work must be to cleanse the River LXXII In 1652 There was a great Eclipse of the Sun and Two Eclipses of the Moon A Two handed Sword was seen in the Air in Cheshire and Armies of men encountring each other appeared in the North a Comet was visible in the Signs Gemini and Taurus from December 11 to the 30. This year the English subdued Scotland and beat the Dutch at Sea They beat the French at Sea this year also The English Parliament firnamed the Long are turned out of Doors by their own Army In 1653 Oliver Cromwell a private Gentleman by Birth but then General of the Army assumes the Government of Great Britain by the Title of Lord Protector of England Scotland and Ireland The King of the Romans and the Pope in two years after dye strange and unheard of Alterations in Law and Government here in England new Courts of Justice Council of State Major Generals In 1654 was another Eclipse of the Sun and an Earthquake in the West of England Apparitions are visible in the Air in the North of England A very great Rain falls in Bohemia At this time the English take Jamaica and make War with Spain The English and Swedes unite In 1655. Castles Cities and Towns appear in the Air in England and seem to be besieged the different Actions and Gestures of Men both Commanders and Souldiers being plainly visible This year Cardinal Guisi is made Pope by the Title of Innocent the 10. The Polanders are routed by the Swedes In 1656 An Earthquake happened in Cheshire doing much harm sinking the Ground and rending up many Trees by the Roots to the great damage of the Countrey In November a fiery Dragon was seen in the Air in Scotland This year the English land in Flanders and take Mardike from the Spaniards they become angry thereat and Wars between them grow high The King of Denmark was twice invaded by the King of Sweden There fell such abundance of Rain at Vienna in Germany that the River Danubius swelling above its banks the violence of the Waters broke down all the Bridges and most of their Mills Yea the Water came into their Suburbs called The Jews Suburbs drowning many Persons and carrying away a very great number of Cattel and did so great mischief to the Countrey that the loss was thought inestimable there being sixteen Towns and Villages swept away by the Flood Gadbury de Comet LXXIII In 1658 A great Whale came up to Greenwich near London a thing seldom known before This year Dunkirk was taken by the English Sir Henry Slingsby and Dr. Heuit being condemned by an High Court of Justice as they called it were beheaded at Towerhill and Sept. 3. following which used to be a great day of Triumph in Olivers Court for two great Victories at Dunbar and Worcester was turned into a day of Mourning by the Death of their Protector who dyed about 4 or 5 a Clock that day and Richard Cromwel confidently succeeds him in the Government as if it had been his just due Nay some People in England send such sugred Addresses to him that he believed himself to be what they flatteringly stiled him The King of Sweden loses much this year and dyes In 1659 there was a very great Inundation in Holland which overflowed Thirty Six Thousand Acres of Ground Also a great Eclipse of the Sun in Scorpio November 4. Lofty and strange unwonted Winds In May 1659 the Long Parliament returned and turned out Richard Cromwell but were soon after turned out themselves by Lambert and the Army A Committee of safety is set up The L. General Monk being troubled to behold the Confusions of the English Proceedings marched out of Scotland and after the Committee of Safety was fallen brings in the secluded Members of the Long Parliament who soon after dissolve themselves and call another Parliament who restore His Royal Majesty King Charles 2. to His just Rights and Priviledges whom God preserve with a Long and Happy Reign over us Gadbury of Prodigies LXXIV In 16â—0 Feb. 20. At Dantzick in Poland when the Sun was going down there were seen seven Suns together very distinctly in the Heavens three of them coloured and three white besides the True Sun it self about which was a Circle much like a Rainbow In 1661. Jan. 28. There is a Relation that near Worsup in Nottinghamshire there was an appearance of a gallant Troop of Horse marching which a Justice of Peace having notice of related to a Person of Honour thinking them to be real Men and Horses but upon a strict inquiry it was concluded to be only an Apparition The same Relation says about that time there happened a strange and dreadful storm of Hail at Northampton and fire mingled with the hail in some places and that it did run upon the ground in great sheets of Fire for a considerable way together It fell upon some part of Wellinborough Town in Northamptonshire Upon February 18. this year very early in the morning began a
Elephant before him to break the way through the Woods that the King with his Followers might pass As he fled the Conspirators pursued him but at a great distadce for fear of some exceellent Fowling Pieces which he had with him and so he got safe to the Mountain Gauluda about 15 miles off where many of the Inhabitants thereabout resorted to him But if the Rebel Party had been resolute who were the greater number even almost all the Kingdom this Hill could not have secured him but they might have driven him from thence there being many ways by which they might have ascended The People having thus driven away the old King marched away to the City of Cande and proclaimed the Prince to be King telling us English that what they had done was not rashly but upon good Consideration and advice the King by his evil Government having occasioned it who went about to destroy both them and their Countrey As in detaining Ambassadors hindering of all Trade making Prisoners of all people that come upon his Land and killing his Subjects and their Children not suffering them to enjoy nor to see their Wives And that all this was contrary to reason and as they were informed to the Government of other Countreys The Prince being young and tender and having never been out of the Pallace nor ever seen any but those that attended on his Person was affinghted to see so many coming and bowing down to him and telling him that he was King and his Father was fled into the Mountains neither did he say or act any thing as not owning the business or else not knowing what to say or do This much discouraged the Rebels to see they had no Thanks for their pains and so all things stood till Dâ—â—emo 25. 1664 at which time they intended to march and fall upon the old King But in the mean time the Kings Sister flyes away with the Prince from the City into the Countrey near the King which so amazed the Rebels that the Money Cloth and plunder which they had taken and were going to distribute to strangers to joyn with them they scattered about the Town and fled away Others of their Company seeing the business was overthrown to make amends for their former Fact revolted and fell upon their Consorts killing and taking Prisoners all they could The People were now all up in Arms against each other killing whom they pleased only saying they were Rebels and taking their Goods By this time a great Man had drawn out his Souldiers into the Field and declared for the old King and so went to seize the Rebels that were scattered abroad but understanding they were all fled and no whâ—le Party or Body left to resist him he marched into the City killing all he could catch And so all revolted and came back to the King again whilst he only lay still upon his Mountain The King needed to take no care to seize or execute the Rebels for they themselves out of their zeal to him and to make amends for what was past imprisoned and killed all they met the Plunder being their own This continued 8 of 10 days which the King hearing of commanded to kill no more but only to imprison them till examination which was not so much to save the Innocent as that he might torment the Rebels and make them confess their Confederates for he spared none that seemed guilty and some to this day lye chained in Prison being sequestred of all their Estates and beg for their Living The King could not be insensible but that it was his rigorous Government which occasioned this Rebellion yet amended it not in the least but like Rehoboam added yet more to the Peoples yoke And being thus safely reinstated in his Kingdom again and observing that the Life of his Son gave incouragement to the Rebellion he resolved for the future to prevent it by taking him away and about a year after his Son being sick the Hing takes this Opportunity to dispatch him by pretending to send Physick to him to cure him but was really Poyson which soon made an end of him The People hearing of the death of the Prince according to the Custom of that Countrey when any of the Royal Blood dye came all in General toward the City where he was with black or else very dirty Cloths which is their mourning the men all bare-headed the Women with their hair loose and hanging about their Shoulders to mourn and lament for the Death of their young Prince which the King hearing of sent them word That since it was not his Fortune to live to sit on the Throne after him and Reign over the Land it would be but in vain to mourn and a great trouble and hindrance to the Countrey and their voluntary good will was taken in as good part us the mourning it self and so dismist the Assembly and burned the Princes dead body without Ceremonies or Solemnities but one thing there is that argues him guilty of Imprudence and horrible Ingratitude that most of those who went along with him when he fled of whose Loyalty he had such ample Experience he hath since cut off and that with extream Cruclty too In Feornary two years after there appeared in this Countrey another Comet or Stream in the West with the head of it under the Horizon much like that seen in England in 1680. The sight of this did much daunt both King and People having so lately felt the sad Event of a Blazing Star The King sent men to the highest Mountains in the Land to look if they could perceive the head of it which they could not it being still under the Horizon This continued visible about a Month and by that time was so diminished as not to be seen But there were no remarkable Passages ensued upon it LXXVII About five or six nights after the extinction of the first Comet which was seen in England and in the same Moneth of December another Comet was visible which continued till the middle of January following it was much less than the former seeming about the bigness of an ordinary Trencher Plate about 8 Inches over and had prickly Rays dispersed round about it In April 1665 following a Third Comet was seen much of the Nature and colour of the first only a little more Jovial This year June 3. A great Victory was obtained by His Majesties Fleet under his Royal Highness the Duke of York against the whole Dutch Fleet wherein above Thirty Capital Ships were taken and destroyed and near Eight Thousand men killed and taken Prisoners A great Plague began in London and this year there dyed in all ninety seven thousand three hundred and six whereof of the Plague sixty eight thousand five hundred ninety six In February this year there was a great Tempest accompanied with Thunder Lightning and an Earthquake in divers places at which time the stately Spire of Trinity Church in Coventry fell down and demolished
a great part of the Church killing only one man and in Hampshire a Justice of Peace riding by the way was slain and burnt by Lightning In August 1666 Sir Robert Holmes destroyed above one hundred and fifty Sail of Dutch Ships at the Fly in Holland and burnt the Town of Bandaris upon the Island of Schelling containing at least a Thousand Houses Sept. 2. about one a Clock in the morning a sudden and lamentable Fire broke out in the City of London beginning in a place called Pudding-Lane near New Fish-street which in 4 days time burnt down Thirteen Thousand Two Hundred Houses LXXVIII In 1668 in Autumn a great part of Asia and some parts of Europe were infested with extraordinary Earthquakes The Cities of Constantinople and Adrianople felt its sad Effects but not with that violence and continuance as in other Places In some parts of Persia it continued for above fourscore days Torqueto and Bolio two considerable Cities were by its great violence layd even to the ground and all or most of the Inhabitants buried in the Ruins above six thousand Persons perished in the first of them and above eighteen hundred in the latter And in all the adjacent Cities it raged with extraordinary fury destroying and ruining the Buildings killing many of the People and the rest were forced to quit the Towns and take up their Lodgings in the Fields About the beginning of August 1669 there came two Whales and a Grampas up the River of Thames whereof one of the Whales and the Grampas were killed and the other Whale which was the bigger returned back into the Sea September 4. following saith Mr. Clark news was brought to our Kings Majesty of the Death of the Queâ—n Mother who dyed in France July 31. in the Sixtieth year of her Age. LXXIX In March the beginning of this year 1669 there happened a most dreadful Earthquake and Irruption of Mount Aetâ—a in Sicily of which before I give a particular Account it may not be unproper to describe the Mountain it self as it has been related by divers famous Historians Aetna or Mount Gibello called by Pindar the Celestial Column or Pillar is the highest Mountain in Sicily from whence all the Island may be seen at once and in a clear day the Eye may even reach Africa it rears up its top or Spire Thirty miles into the Sky and may be seen forty or fifty miles at Sea but its compass is sixty others say an hundred miles space it appears Eastward with two shoulders having an eminent head in the middle The lower parts are luxuriously fruitful and the abundance of fat oyly matter which is cast out of it makes the Soyl thereof as well as of the whole Island Incredibly fruitful in the best Wine Oyl Honey Saffron Minerals also of Gold Silver Silks and Allom with variety of excellent and delicious Fruits and abundance of all sorts of Grain so that it was called in old time The Granary of the Roman Empire The middle of the Mountain is woody and shady the upper part rocky steep and almost covered with Snow yet smoaking in the midst like many conjoyned Chimneys and vomiting intermitted flames usually discernable only by night as if heat and cold had left their Contentions and imbraced one another for though it continually â—â—rns with most servent smoak and fire yet round about the top are seen perpetual and most deep â—nows the uppermost top is broken and cragged with unstable Cinders and Pumice stones and cleavs open with a most vast Crater or mouth twelve miles in compass which in a steep descent streightens it self narrower even to the bottom of Hell as it were A most horrible preâ—â—pice it is exceeding formidable with flames and fumes from the very bottom and sides of the Mountain with an horrendous roaring and bellowing not unlike the bursting forth of Thunders so that the very imagination and thoughts of the Fire and Ruins so nigh at hand cannot but at first sight amaze and afright any humane Creature and make him start from it as from the Infernal Gulph of Hell On one side within are most dark and dreadful Dens one whereof is so vast as to be capable to contain Thirty Thousand Men In many places you may see the tracts and paths of huge Torrents of melted matter In the very top Snows and Ashes or Cinders as if they had concluded an Eternal Wedlock are seen to overwhelm all things with a sad and doleful countenance which are very dangerous to unwary Visitors because under them there lye concealed deep holes and devouring Gulphs without bottom or end which have swallowed up very many coming unadvisedly too near without a Guide and by their ruine have left warnings to others not rashly to venture upon these hidden deceits which have cheated mortals of their Lives In the utmost bottom of this Hellish Gulf the Fire is at no time extinguished but always sends forth either boyling heat smoak or flame yet outwardly it begins to grow fierce and terrible only at certain intervalls of time more or less according to the Combustible matter heaped together and by how much longer it hath ceased by so much it bursts forth with greater violence and together with the Flame sends forth huge heaps of Sands and Prodigious Stones of wondrous weight These Fires have broke forth in several Ages of the World to the great terror and destruction of the Inhabitants and all the adjacent Countreys As in the year of the world 2600 when the Posterity of Janus went to seek new Colonies they first entred Sicily where at that time there was so great a burning of the Mountain that the new Planters leaving the Island for fear of Desolation went to seek new habitations in Italy after them followed the Sicaneans who were likewise driven away from these Eastern Parts to the Western by these dreadful Aetnean burnings In the year of the world 3180 and for above four hundred years after this Mountain was all on fire with three huge burnings A little after the Mountain raging anew it is said to have drawn Pythagoras himself into the highest admiration Also in the Reign of Hero at which time Histories deliver that Empedocles an Observer of the Mountain was destroyed In the time of Julius Caesar about fifty years before Christ Diodorus relates That Aetna raged most violently which they said portended the Death of Caesar It is reported to have been so great that the Sea with its fervour and boyling heat burnt even the very Ships even as far as the Vulcanello's All the Fish being destroyed and boyled to death yea within twenty years the Mountain burnt four times In the Reign of Caius Caligula forty nine years after Christ the Mountain raged so that the Emperor at that time in Sicily was so affrighted that he betook himself to safer stations yet they relate that the Emperor Adrian out of the greatness of his mind did ascend the Mountain very far to consider more nearly
such great Miracles In several Ages after it made woful irruptions as from the year 1160 to 1169 all Sicily was shaken with huge Earthquakes and the Mountain Aetna foaming mightily overthrew all the circumjacent places with incredible Desolation with the ruine of the Cathedral Church of Catania about ten miles distant in which Abbot John and his Monks were overwhelmed Many other fearful burnings have happened since that time but none more horrible for its mighty devastations than that in the year 1669 The Right Honourable the Earl of Winchelsea His Majesties late Ambassador at Constantinople in his return from thence visiting Catania was an Eye-witness of this Prodigious Judgment whereof he gave the following Account to His present Majesty King Charles the second as soon as he came to Naples May it please Your Majesty In my Voyage from Malta to this place I touched at the City of Catania in Sicily and was there most kindly Invited by the Bishop to lodge in his Palace which I accepted that so I might be the better able to inform your Majesty of that extraordinary Fire which comes from Mount Gibel 15 miles distant from that City which for its horridness in the aspect for the vast quantity thereof for it is 15 miles in length and 7 in breadth for its monstrous devastation and quick progress may be termed an Inundation of Fire a Flood of Fire Cinders and burning Stones burning with that Rage as to advance into the Sea 600 yards and that to a mile in breadth which I saw and that which did augment my admiration was to see in the Sea this matter like ragged Rocks burning in sour fathom water two fathom higher than the Sea it self some parts liquid and moving and throwing off not without great violence the stones about it which like a crust of a vast bigness and red hot sell into the Sea every moment in some place or other causing a great and horrible noise smoak and hissing in the Sea and thus more and more coming after it making a firm foundation in the Sea it self I stayed there from nine a Clock on Saturday morning to seven next morning and this Mountain of Fire and Stones with Cinders had advanced into the Sea 20 yards at least in several places in the middle of this Fire which burn'd in the Sea it hath formed a passage like to a River with its Banks on each side very steep and craggy and in this Channel moves the greatest quantity of this Fire which is the most liquid with stones of the same composition and Cinders all red hot swimming upon the Fire of a great magnitude From this River of Fire under the great Masse of the Stones which are generally three fathom high all over the Country where it burns and in other places much more there are secret Conduits or Rivulets of this liquid matter which Communicate Fire and heat into all parts more or less and melts the Stones and Cinders by fits in those places where it toucheth them over and over again where it meets with Rocks or Houses of the same matter as many are they melt and go away with the Fire where they find other compositions they turn them to lime or ashes as I am informed The composition of this Fire Stones and Cinders are Sulphur Nitre Quick-silver Sal-Armoniac Lead Iron Brass and all other Mettals It moves not regularly nor constantly down hill in some places it hath made the Valleys Hills and the Hills that were not high are now Valleys When it was night I weat upon two Towers in divers places and could plainly see at 10 miles distance as we judged the Fire to begin to run from the Mountain in a direct line the flame to ascend as high and as big as one of the highest and greatest Steeples in Your Majesties Kingdoms and to throw up great Stones into the Air I could discern the River of Fire to dâ—scend the Mountain of a terrible â—â—ery or red colour and stones of a paler Red to swim thereon and to be some as big as an ordinary Table We could see this fire to move in several other places and all the Country covered with Fire ascending with great Flames in many places smoaking â—â—â—e to a violent furnace of Iron melted making a noiâ—e with the great picces that fell especially those which fell iâ—to the Sea A Cavalier of Malta who lives there and attended me told me that the River was as liquid where it issues out of the Mountain as water and came out like a Torrent with great violence and is five or six fathom deep and as broad and that no stones do sink therein I assure Your Majesty no Pen can express how terrible it is nor can all the Art and Industry of the world quench or divert that which is burning in the Country In 40 days time it hath destroyed the habitations of 27 thousand persons made two Hills of one 1000 paces high a-piece and one is four miles in compass Of 20000 persons which inhabited Catania 3000 did only remain all their Goods are carryed away the Cannons of Brass are removed out of the Castle some great Bells taken down the City-Gates Walled up next the Fire and preparation made all to abandon the City That night which I lay there it rained Ashes all over the City and 〈◊〉 Miles at Sea it troubled my Eyes This Fire in its Progress 〈…〉 â—ith a Lake of Four Miles in compass and iâ— was not only satisâ—â—â—d to fill it up though it was four fathâ—â— deep but hatâ— made 〈◊〉 it a Mountain I send also to Your Sacred Majesty the following Account in Print which the Bishop save me as it is â—â—â—ected one of divers Relations from Caâ—ama Mount 〈…〉 Gibello a Mountain so Renowned throughout the World for its heightand greatness but more for â—hosâ— Prodigious Flames Smoak and Ashes which it hath cast out from the top of it whilst the other parts are continually even in the midst of Sâ—mmer cover'd with Snow has been for many Ages observ'd once or sometimes oftner in the space of above fifteen years to throw up more than ordinary â—lames with much Smoak and Stones and great quantities of Aâ—â—es which though terrible to the Neighbouring Towns and Villages was yet wâ—nt in little time to abate of its fury and prove but seldom more inâ—urious to the Country â—ear it than by communicating largely its ashes which though for the present it did somewhat incommode them they had afterwards a considerable Compensation in the product of their Lands which by this means were rendred more fruitful But on Friday the 18th of March 1669. the Sun was observed before its setting to appear of a pale and dead colour which being contrary to what it ever before appeared to us struck no small terror into the Inhabitants all Objects appearing also of the same colour with a paleness received from that of the Sun The same night happened in this City as well
as the whole Country hereabouts a terrible and unusual Earthquake whose strong and unequal motions joyned with horrible Roarings from Monte Gibello exceedingly frighted the Inhabitants but was so extraordinarily violent in the Country adjacent that the People were forced to abandon their houses and to fly into the Fields to avoid the danger threatned them from the falling of their houses The Village of Nicolosi was of all others the most dreadfully handled by this furious Earthquake the houses and other buildings being shaken all in pieces and buried in their own ruines the poor people who had preserved their lives by a timely flight with such little of their goods as their hasty fears would permit them to carry out with them continued a night or two in the Fields beholding with grief and astonishment the ruine of their habitations but observing that by these violent concussions the Earth began to open in several places and to threaten them with inevitable ruine they fled though with much trouble and amazement to this City These shakings of the Earth being so frequent and violent that the people went reeling and staggering with much difficulty supporting one another from falling insomuch as what with their want of sleep the pains they were forced to take in travelling and the great terrors imprinted on them by what they had seen and suffered they appeared at their arrival in this City as so many distracted people wholly insensible of what they did This dreadful convulsion of the Earth was immediately followed on Monday March 11. about 10 at night by 3 terrible Eruptions much about the same time and a little distance one from the other These said Eruptions were observed to be on the side of Monte Gibello about 2 miles beyond the Mountain called Montpileri from whence with a terrible noise it threw up its flames with much fury and violence about a hundred yards in height its noise not roaring only inwards from the belly of the Mountain as before but violently cracking like peals of Ordnance or thunder from the side of it throwing out vast stones some of them of 300 pound weight which being as it were shot through the air fell several miles distant from the place whilst the whole Air was filled with smoak burning cinders and ashes which fell like a fiery rain upon the Country In the mean time issued from the side of this Prodigious Mountain a vast Torrent of Melted and burning Matter which like an Inundation Drowned as in a Flood of Fire the Countrey on this side of it This Burning River ran down upon the Mountain Montpileri which opposing its direct course it divided it self into two Streams which encompassed the said Mountain one of them taking its way by La Guardia the Convent of St. Anne and Mâ—lpasso the other by the Towns of Monpileri and Falicchi which in few hours were wholly destroyed and lost not so much as any sign of them remaining with several lesser Villages and Farmes and with them the Famous Image of the blessed Lady of the Annunciata which though highly Reverenced throughout the whole Island esteemed the Wonder of Sicily and the whole World and to which the People with much Devotion resorted in Pilgrimage from the remotest parts was also swallowed up and consumed by this dreadful Torrent This Fiery and burning Deluge immediately spread it self to above six mile in breadth seeming to be somewhat of the colour of melted and burning Glass but as it cooles becomes hard and Rocky and every where in its passage leaves Hills and Pyramids of that matter behind it At the same time Monte Gibello from its top raged with dreadful Flames which with its noise and Concussions of the Earth which still continued added not a little to the Terror of the People who ran with Cries and Lamentations about the City and Country expecting nothing but to be swallowed up or consumed by Fire having no other apprehensions but of Death and a General Conflagration The two Torrents of Fire came forward destroying all things in their way and by Wednesday March 13th had on the West-side branched it self into several Streams and overran Campo Rotundo St. Pietro and Mostorbianco with La Potielli and St. Antonino and on the East-part ruin'd the lower part of Mascalucia and Le Placchi taking its way towards this City On Thursday the 14th the Wind came Eastwards on which fell abundance of Rain which abated not the Progress of the Fire which on the East-side had from Mascalucia made its way to St. Giovanni di Galermo the lower part whereof it destroyed and passing on seemed to threaten this City on one side as did that on the West-side the other As the Fire approached the Religious every where appeared with much Devotion carrying in Procession their Reliques especially those of St. Agatha the famous Martyr of Catâ—nia in which they reposed no small confidence followed by great multitudes of People some of them mortifying themselves with Whips and other signs of Penance with great Complaints and Cryes expressing their dreadful expectation of the Events of those Prodigious fiery Inundations Whil'st the People were thus busied in their Devotions and astonisht by their Fears News was brought to the Magistrates of the City that a considerable number of Thieves and Robbers had taken the opportunity of this general Distraction to make a Prey of the already distressed People and that they had murdered several of them for their Goods and that it was to be fear'd that the City of Catania it self might run some danger from the great numbers of them which were about the Country and from thence took their opportunities to get into the Town Whereupon consultation being had for the prevention of farther mischief from them the Commander of the Castle was ordered with a considerable number of Horse and a Party of Spaniards to secure the Country and City against these Robbers who immediately sent out several Parties with his Provost-Marshal with Order to seize on all suspected Persons and such as were not able to give a good account of themselves and for such as were taken in the Fact Robbing to Execute them by Martial-Law without any farther Tryal and accordingly caused three pair of Gallowes to be set up for their speedy Execution one before the Gate Di Aci a second in the Market-place and a third before the Gate Della Decima setting strong Guards upon the Gates of the City and causing all suspected Houses to be searched an Account to be given in of all Lodgers and such Persons to be secured as could any ways fall under a Suspition The poor People out of the Country being by this Prodigious Calamity stript out of all their Estates and reduced to great extremâ—ty fled most of them for refuge and relief to this City with great Lamentations moving the Charity of the Magistrates whho were readily inclined to give them the best assistance they were able and the Citizens moved by their Complaints and
Sufferings freely open'd their Doores filling their Houses with as many of those distressed People as they could possibly receive the Bishop and all persons of Quality and Estate contributing largely for their support till better Order could be taken for the disposing of them The City of Messina also and several other Cities informed of this extraordinary Calamity sent hither large Supplies of Provisions offering their best assistance to this place in case of extremity All the Elements seemed at this time to make War upon us and to conspire together for the punishment of the Inhabitants The Air was continually darkened with Clouds and Smoke agitated by great and violent Winds and oftentimes showred down great Rains insomuch as the Sun from the beginning of these Eruptions very seldom appeared to us and when it did with extraordinary paleness for a little time only and as it were abhorring so dreadful a Spectacle soon hid its face again under a thick Cloud The Sea ran much higher than it was wont to do and by its extraordinary Roaring and in some places over-flowing its Banks added not a little to our consternation The Land every where infested with Thieves insomuch that till by the extraordinary care taken by the Magistrates and Officers severe execution was done upon such as were apprehended in the Fact no person was able to stir abroad without danger of his life whilst the Fire by this prodigious overflowing of the Mountain threatned to take possession of all On Friday the 15th the stream of fiery Matter which destroyed the lower part of St. Giovanni di Galermo divided it self into two parts one of its branches taking its way toward Mosterbianco the other threatning the City of Catania but this last was observed to move with more slowness than before having in 24 hours time scarcely gained 20 paces On the 18th being Monday the Torrents being still seen to draw nearer and nearer to this City the Senate with Monsegnior Cambuchi the Bishop of this place followed by all the Clergy Secular and Regular and an infinite number of people went in a solemn Procession out of this City to Monte de St. Sofia carrying out with greatest Devotion their choicest Relicks and upon an Altar erected in view of the Mountain exposed them where they celebrated Mass and used the Exorcismes accustomed upon such extraordinary occasions all which time the Mountain ceased not as before with excessive roaring to throw up its smoak and flames with extraordinary violence and abundance of great stones which were carried through the Air some of them falling within their view though at ten miles distance from the Eruption the Ashes which proceeded from thence were scattered in great abundance as well on this City as on the Country adjacent every where in the Fields with Cinders and the heat of the said Ashes destroying the Grass which obliged the people to drive away their Cattle to a farther distance which would otherwise have perished for want of food These streams of ruine dayly crept nearer and nearer to this City but by uneven and irregular motions according as it was more or less supplyed from its fountain but on Wednesday the 20th we perceived that that branch of it which seemed most to threaten this City from St. Giovanni di Galermo was wholly extinguisht and the other which bent its course toward Moster-bianco ran but slowly and gave us some hopes that its fury was also near spent but the other Torrent which had before overflown Mosterbianco continued its motion with as much violence as ever being in breadth above a Musquet shot over but in probability could not easily overflow to the Westwards which was defended by its Rocky scituation another branch which ran by Santo Pietro was observed to be much larger than the rest and its stream more quick and active but meeting with some opposition in its way it made some stop only sending out a Rivulet toward the Eastwards about three or four yards wide of its most subtle and active matter which directed its course towards a small Village about a Furlong distant from its main stream another Branch threatned Campo Rotundo but bent its course westwards towards the Farm of Valcorrente where its Fiery body was scattered into several deep and rocky places without any considerable damage About this time we had hopes that the violence of this eruption had been over the Mountain not throwing out its flames with that violence as before and its noise and roaring in a great measure ceased Those who at nearest distance took a view of the Mountain informed that the top of it was fallen in and the Mountain supposed to want near a mile of its former height that the largest of the Mouths from whence these fiery streams were vented was about half a mile in compass but the view of this dreadful Inundation carried so much terror in it as they were not able to express from all these Mouths were vomited Rivers of a thick and fiery substance of stone and metals melted whose depth was various according to the several places it filled in its passage in some places 4 in others 8 12 or 15 yards and upwards its breadth in some places 6 miles in others much more itsflame like that of Brimstone and its motion like that of Quick-silver advancing ordinarily very slowly unless where it was provoked by the addition of a fresh Torrent or some considerable descent Wheresoever it passed it left large heaps of its congealed matter with which it covered and burnt the Earth melting the Walls of Castles and Houses throwing down and consuming all before it nothing being yet found able to resist its force nor any thing able to quench its burning water being observed rather to add to its fury wheresoever it has passed it has left its dreadful marks behind it levelling some hills and raising others so much changing the scituation that not the least trace of any place or Town remains nothing being to be seen but confused heaps of ragged stone which yielding a noisome fume strikes terror and astonishment into all that behold it On Friday the 22 the Mountain again roared with much loudness and threw up from its Mouths a vast quantity of matter which formed two large hills higher and larger than that of Monpileri with a large bank of the same matter to the Eastward sending down a violent stream of its liquid matter towards Malpasso much enlarging the former Current and passing thence to Campo Rotundo and Santo Pietro compleated the ruines of those Towns driving furiouflyi towards Moster bianco the other stream by Santo Giovanni de Galermo being wholly diverted and extinguisht From this time till the 25th the Mountain continued silent but then it burst out again with more force than ever before its noise much louder like Peales of Ordnance and so forcible and lasting as for 24 hours it caused a shaking and trembling in our Buildings the Air so filled with Smoak and Ashes as
darkned the Face of the Sky The Birds and Fowl about this time either through want of Food or illness of Air which was corrupted with the noisome smells arising from these Burnings were observed to lye dead in all places On the 28th the Grand Current was advanced near the City as far as the old Capucins which struck so great a Terror into the People that most of them left the City only some Officers remaining with such persons as were under their command who have secured and sent away the Magazine and all the Artillery from the Castle A Latter Relation from Catania of April 27. gives this further Account The dreadful Inundation from Monte Gibello having destroyed many Castles and Towns with an infinite loss and utter ruine to the Inhabitants arrived lately with a renewed Force at Mostor-bianco which it has wholly ruin'd from thence passing on to Albanelli in four days space destroyed all the Gardens and Vineyards with 63 Thousand Vines On Wednesday April 16. With an Impetuous Fiery Torrent it came towards Sardanello where all the remainder of the Inhabitants of this City were Spectators of it which resembled a River of melted and burning Brass about ten Ells wide running with swiftness to the Arch of Marcus Marcellus a famous Piece of Antiquity and passing under it ruin'd about 6 Ells of it which was the breadth of the Current in that place from thence it ran to Madonna di Monferrato which it wholly destroyed then falling down to Madonna delle Gratie it entred in at one Gate and passed through another without any considerable hurt and running through the Gate Della Decima filled all the Plain Di Schiara Viva where it was above six Ells deep Then taking its way towards the Bulwark on the Sea-side under the Castle of this City it ran by two Ells deep into the Sea in which to the great wonder of all that saw it it has made its Progress a mile in length and as much in breadth and is drawing towards the Gate of the Channel which gives us great Apprehensions least it may that way Invade the City it self Nor is there less danger on the side Del Tindaro where there runs a great Torrent of the same Active matter which draws near and seems to threaten the Walls and is in that place about a mile in breadth having overflowed and destroyed all the Gardens from the Gate Della Decima as far as Medonna delli Amellati The names of the most considerable Towns and places ruined and destroyed by the dreadful Earthquakes and Irruptions were The Town of Nicolosi wholly ruined Padara and Tre Castagne the greatest part destroyed The Towns of La Guardia Malpasso Campo Rotundo Potielli St. Antonino St. Pietro Mosterbianco Montpileri La Anunicata Faliâ—chi Placchi all wholly overflowed consumed and lost in this fiery Inundation with all the Lands belonging to them no foot-steps of them remaining The Towns of Mascalucia and St. Giovanni de Galermo ruined in part The large Gardens and Vineyards of Albanelli overflown and destroyed The famous piece of Antiquity of Marcus Marcellus much ruined Madonna de Monferrato destroyed besides many Castles Farms and other Places which have run the same Fortune whose names we for brevity pass over LXXX West of the Isle of Sicily in the Tuscan Sea within sight of Messina and 150 miles distâ—â— from Mount Aetna are the Aeolian Islands so caned from Aeolus King thereof who first raught the use of the Sail and by observing the Fire and Smoâ—â— which ascended from these Islands for heretofore they all flamed was from thence fabled to be the God of the Winds These were anciently seven but are now eleven Islands of which Liparis is the greatest being ten miles in circuit the Fire went out here about an Age ago So that at this day Strombolo only burns though another called Vulcano smoaks continually It was formerly called Strongile but by corruption Strombolo from the roundness thereof for it seems like an high round Mountain in the Sea out of the top whereo issueth continually a flame like a burning Beacon and exceeding clear so that by night especially it is to be discerned a wonderful way A place so full of horror to the neighbouring Islanders that the more ignorant Papists are made to believe it is the very Jaws of Hell it self The aforenamed Kircher made Observations of this Mountain likewise which he thus relates That on a certain day viewing Strombolo very curiously about threescore miles distant he observed it to be more than ordinarily furious for it appeared wholly overwhelmed with Fire in so great plenty that it seemed to belch out flaming Mountains a most horrendous Spectacle And then saith he I heard a strange kind of dull murmur from the Mountain so far off which seemed to come towards us under the Earth till it reached the subterraneous place where we stood and there uttered such horrible Thundrings within the Earth with such formidable Earthquakes that none of them were able to stand on their Feet After the violence was over getting up again with unspeakable Consternation they beheld the destruction and lamentable subversion of the famous Town of St. Euphemia three miles off which happened at that instant the City being wholly swallowed up for seeking for the Town they found instead thereof what is wonderful to be related nothing but a dark stinking Lake sprung up in its place they could find no men nor Inhabitants Thence passing on their Journey they found nothing else for Two Hundred miles but the Carcases of Cities horrid ruines of Castles Men stragling up and down in the open Fields and through horror and famine pining and withering away LXXXI In April 1669 The Mountain Vesuvius aforementioned cast up more smoak and Ashes than formerly and for several Nights the neighbouring places were much affrighted with the great Flames which issued from it accompanied with unusual noises At the same time they write That the Vice Roy of Sicily having compassion upon the miserable condition of above Thirty Thousand poor People who by their Flight had saved themselves from the Fire of Mount Aetna aforementioned which had destroyed 17 or 18 Towns or Villages and by the dayly approaches to the City of Catania seemed to threaten it with inevitable ruine so that the Inhabitants were leaving the place And that he thereupon sent one of his Officers to take order for the maintenance of those distressed Creatures and disposing of them into places of safety In the same Month 1669 in the night there was a cry made in the Town of Lichfeild in England of Fire Fire and the Bells rang out which frighted many This was occasioned saith Mr. Clark by the sight of a sheet of Fire which hung over that City for the space of half an hour and then disappeared This saith he I had from one that lay in the Town that night Upon July 10. the same year at Weymouth in Dorsetshire between six and nine a
Clock in the morning the Sea was observed to ebb and flow 7 times of which the greater notice was taken because the weather at that time was fair and calm and the Tydes very low the like accident having never been observed there but once before about three years since Upon June 20. this year at Jnspurg in Germany a little after noon there was a very violent Tempest with extraordinary hail rain Thunder and Lightning accompanied with an Earthquake which had such terrible Effects at Schnatz a Town about 3 miles distant from Jnspurg where the Emperor of Germany had some Silver mines that the River which runs through it overflowing drowned all the adjacent Fields driving down and destroying above Thirty Houses endamaging many more and drowning above Two Hundred People In July 1669 came Intelligence from Holstein in Denmark of Prodigious Tempests accompanied with such dreadful Thunder and Lightnings as affrighted the Cattel out of the Fields and drove some Hundreds of them into the Sea wherein they were all drowned From Mecklenburg likewise in Germany they write that there were several Fires kindled by Lightning in divers parts of the Countrey LXXXII In 1672 His Majesty proclaimed War against the States of the Vnited Provinces and May 28. His Royal Highness engaged the whole Dutch Fleet in Southwold Bay and after a sharp dispute of 8 hours the Hollanders retreated in which fight the Noble Earl of Sandwich was unfortunately slain About this time there happened a violent Fire at St. Katherines without the Iron-Gate near the Tower of London which consumed above an Hundred Houses this year the French overrun great part of Holland taking as it is said Thirty Cities and Towns in Thirty days In 1678 an horrid Popish Plot was discovered against His Majesties Person and Government and soon after Sir Edmondbury Godfrey who took the first Examination of Dr. Oats upon the Discovery thereof was murdered by the Papists for which three of them were executed Several Popish Lords were committed to the Tower and December 1679 the Lord Stafford was beheaded at Tower-Hill for High Treason In 1680 May 18. about 2 a Clock in the morning there began a furious storm of Thunder and Lightning in London so extream that the Heavens seemed to be in a flame which was accompanied with very large Hail and extraordinary violent and hasty Showrs of rain which continued for several hours but about 10 a Clock in the morning a strange and unusual darkness overspread the face of Heaven and immediately after there fell such a terrible storm of Hail as the like was hardly ever seen in England before the storm a great murmuring or ratling noise was heard in the Air the Hailstones were so very large that some of them being measured were found to be four Inches others five others six in compass nay it was confidently reported that some were seven eight and nine Inches about it continued not above a quarter of an hour otherwise it might have done much more damage than it did yet abundance of Glass-Windows were shattered to pieces especially of those called Sky-Lights The stones were of different Shapes and Sizes and the Fancies of People likened them to several things they fell with such violence that they cut the Faces of some and the heads and hands of others who were abroad some others ran into the ground in the Fields above an Inch and being taken out were found to be as big as Pullets Eggs and some larger several of them were round others square and flat with very sharp Edges LXXXIII Not long before this in the same year 1680 there fell a mighty tempest of Rain Hail Lightning and Thunder at a Town in Oxfordshire It began about eleven a Clock in the morning the Sky being for a considerable time black and dark when on a sudden there happened a great storm of Hail which by the assistance of an East-wind fell with such violence that the Hail-stones rebounded 3 Foot high from the ground after which followed a fierce showr of Rain which seemed rather to come down in pail-fuls than in the common way and so affrighted the Inhabitants that they ran immediately into the Fields to save their Sheep Lambs and other small Cattel but had much ado to return with their Lives during this dreadful storm the Heavens sent forth such huge and frequent flashes of Fire that notwithstanding that deluge of water which at that instant fell from the Skyes the Lightning took hold of some Houses but was happily quenched without any considerable damage yet several Barns were burnt down with all within them in one of which a man that was thrashing hardly made his escape Among others a youth being overtaken in the storm endeavoured to shelter himself in a Windmil but the ill-natured Miller began to swear and curse at him asking him if he was such a Fool and changling to be afraid of a little Lightning and Thunder the boy had scarce time to answer before he was struck off the stairs and the Miller was forced to go down and take him up half dead but this unkind Miller had hardly recovered the Youth ere he himself was struck down with the Thunder and taken up without any appearance of Life for the present though it is said he afterward recovered LXXXIV There is likewise a Relation of a strange Accident which happened this year 1680 at a Town called Blois in France That about one a Clock in the morning an amazing Tempest of Wind arose with such violence as soon affrighted the most sleepy from their repose and in a short time by its fury beat or blew down all the Body of the Church of St. Soulucas except the Belfry also half the Jesuits Church and two fair houses into the Highstreet the People whereof were glad to run into the arched Cellars to save themselves which they happily did for the ruins fell upon and round about the Arch but the Rubbish being removed they were afterward drawn out alive This Tempest was likewise accompanied with a most prodigious Hail many Thousand stones being found as big as a mans First which without sufficient Authority would seem incredible This unusual Artillery of Heaven broke all the Slates wherewith the Houses are covered and the Glass Windows all over the Town as if they had been beaten in a Mortar without the Town eight whole Parishes with the Fields adjacent were wholly ruined by the Hail in such a terrible manner that it seemed as if no Corn had been sown or Vines planted there There were four other Parishes much indamaged and multitudes of Chimneys beaten down so that the dammages thereby with the breaking of Windows and Tiles was valued to be above Two Hundred Thousand Crowns and the harm in the Vineyards and Cornfeilds invaluable But it pleased God the Protestant Church in that Town was wonderfully preserved though equally exposed to the Weather without a Slate or any glass broken the direful marks of the Tempest
kind of Earthquake the houses in that City being plainly observed to shake The Mountain likewise cast out Ashes in great abundance which were dispersed many miles by the wind and the Sunday after all the Streets of Naples were covered with them as if it had been a deep Snow These Prodigies very much terrified the people and Publick Prayers were made for appeasing the Wrath of Heaven It is added That many great Coals of Fire fell also the dread whereof wrought so much upon the Inhabitants that they removed to other Cities That the terrible Earthquakes have thrown down near Three Thousand Buildings all about the foot of the Mountain and that it roared so loud as to be heard 40 miles distance in a still night It is written from Florence in Italy in the Gazete of Sept. 29. That a few days before there happened one night such a terrible Tempest of Wind Rain Hail and Thunder about 18 miles from that City upon the Mountains of Bologna that for eight miles in length and two in breaâ—lth it swept away all the Branches from the greatest Trees as Oaks Chesnuts and Olives and much more from the smaller Fruit-Trees It destroyed all the Autumn Harvest that was upon the ground and lest not a Vine standing it carryed away all the Roofs and coverings off from the Countrey-mens Houses and some were quite beaten down to the ground and several people killed in their Beds A Church and Steeple were quite ruined and the Bells carryed above a quarter of a mile Many Wild Beasts and Fowl as Deer Hares Foxes Partridges and small Birds were found dead and if it had happened in the day as it did in the night much Cattel and many people must needs have perished for the Hadstones were sound to be from Three to Five Pounds in weight the like not known in these parts and the loss is esteemed the greater because not to be redeemed in seven years time XCI In 1682. Oct. 5. A strange Monster was born at Exeter in Devonshire having two perfect heads one standing right as it should the other being in the right Shoulder with Eyes Nose Ears Mouth and Tongue to each head proper it had but two Arms and Hands and two Legs and Feet all in good and comely shapes they which were at the delivery say that they were two as handosme Faces as ever they saw it was living when born but soon expired only giving one sigh at its departure It was soon buried but after taken up again and exposed to the view of numerous Spectators to the great advantage of the Parents Thus have I briefly run over abundance of Strange Prodigies Apparitions and Accidents which have happened in the Heavens Earth and Sea in several Countreys for near Seventeen Hundred years past but as to the Application of the Effects of divers of them to particular Persons or Places I have barely collected most of them from that noted Astrologer Mr. John Gadbury in his Treatise of Prodigies and his Discourse of the three Comets in 1664 and 1665. Though as an Ingenious Gentleman lately observes there may be much doubt and question whether there be any great certainty in these Predictions since they have been judged sometimes to portend evil as well as good for as he says Though that Comet which some interpreted to presage Luthers preaching against Indulgences and the Reformation which followed bespoke evil it may be to the Popes Kitchen yet it was certainly the dawning of the Blessed Light of the Gospel to the Western Parts of Christendom But however as he adds if the terrorand rareness of these Prodigies do upon any Account whatsoever mind us of our Mortality and prepare us for our end as it hath effected upon some in former Ages or to reflect upon our ownor the publick Crimes which may call down Gods vengeance upon us and to implore his mercy and fo rs bearance toward us it may be very useful and profitable for sure it is this Age has need enough of Repentance and without a Comet we want not abundant Notices and Warnings that if we do not forsake our horrid enormities we cannot long escape the signal vengeance of Heaven But saith he the making use of them thereby to read the destiny of Kings Nations and Governments is Irrational Fantastical and Heathenish unbecoming either a Man or a Christian and therefore instead of any dreadful Presages The Blessing of the Almighty be upon the whole Israel of God Amen I cannot better conclude this Subject than by inserting the following Letter written by a famous Prelate of our Church inferior to no man of this Age either for Piety or Learning wherein he declares his thoughts concerning the Comet in August last 1682 which seems fully to comprize all that can be said by the wisest of Mortals concerning Comets The Letter is as followeth My good Friend It seems your Philomathematici as your Almanack-â—â—â—kers usually 〈◊〉 themselves and Astrologers iâ— London 〈…〉 their Judgment concerning the New 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I shall tell you mine though may be it may signify as little as theirs when they do declare it 1. Then in the General It has been the opinion of 〈…〉 that all Comets portend some 〈…〉 Nations Countreys Cities or particular Persons 〈◊〉 Greeks 〈…〉 All Comets are fore-runners of some Calamities And a Latin Poet and a Pagan â—ould say Nunquam furilibus excanduit ignibus â—â—her 2. But in particular I believe and I think there is good reason for it there are three things concerning Comets which may and other three things which neither are nor certainly can be known For instance 1. Their Motion 2. Their Magnitude 3. Their Altitude whether above or below the Planets may by the Parallax and a good Mathematician be certainly known But then there are other three things which the best Mathematicians neither do nor certainly can know For Instance 1. Their Generation how they are produced and of what matter they are made 2. Their Signification what it is which they do particularly portend and to what Countrey City or Person it relates 3. Their Exit and vanishing how they come to disappear and what becomes of them afterward These things none of your Astrologers and Star-gazers do or by any ground in Nature or Scripture Reason or Revelation can certainly know They may guess and so may you and I and it may be as well as they but 't is only Conjecture not Science they having no ground from which they can certainly conclude their Conjectures to be true Nay I do confidently and truly add and there is evident Reason for it that neither the Pope notwithstanding his Infallibility nor the Devil notwithstanding all his Subtilty can certainly know what any Comet does particularly portend unless it please God who only knows to discover and reveal it to them FINIS The Surprizing Miracles of Art or an Account of the most Magnificent Buildings and Curious Inventions and Rarities in all Ages Part II. HAving related
a multitude of Miracles and Prodigies of Nature I shall now proceed to those of Art The Chineses look upon themselves as the wisest People upon the face of the Earth they use therefore to say That they see with both Eyes and all other Nations but with one only and thereupon they boast though I know not with what Truth and Justice that the most famous Inventions which have been so lately known to us in Europe have been no Strangers to them for many Ages past however I shall relate what are most observable both in these and other Nations It is likewise recorded that Augustus Caesar having several ways adorned and fortifyed the City of Rome putting it into a condition of bravery and security for after times he thereupon gloried That he found Rome of brick and left it of Marble and certainly nothing makes more for the just Glory of a Prince than to leave his Dominions in better State than he found them Yet the vast Expences of some Princes and People had been more truly commendable and their mighty works more really glorious had they therein consulted more of the Publick good and less of their own Ostentation However it may not be unpleasant nor unprofitable to describe them and likewise to relate the most curious Inventions and Rarities in all Ages even to these times which have been more favourable to Learning than the former and wherein Arts have been thereby improved to the height 1. But first concerning Buildings the most famous structure we first read of was immediately after the Universal Deluge or Noah's Flood for Nimrod the Son of Chus the Son of Cham perswaded the People to secure themselves from the like after-claps by building some stupendious Edifice which might resist the fury of a second Deluge This Counsel was generally imbraced Heber only and his Family as the Tradition goes contradicting such an unlawful attempt But the major part prevailing the Tower of Babel began to rear its Head of Majesty Five Thousand One Hundred Forty six Paces from the Ground having its Basis and circumference equal to its height The Passage to go up went winding about the outside and was of an exceeding great breadth there being not only room for Horses Carts and the likemeans of Carriage to meet and turn but lodgings also for Man and Beast And as Verslegan reports Grass and Corn-fields for their nourishment and admirable it is to consider what multitudes of men there were in the World in so short a space there being but eight persons that came out of the Ark and now this Building was carried on by Five Hundred Thousand Men the Foundation of it was nine miles compass But God by the Confusion of Tongues hindred the Proceeding of this Building one not being able to understand what his Fellow called for which Du Bartas wittily describes Bring me quoth one a Trowel quickly quick One brings him up a Hammer hew this brick Another bids and then they cleave a Tree Make fast this Rope and then they let it flee One calls for Planks Another Morter lacks They bring the first a Stone the last an Ax One would have Nails and him a Spade they give Another asks a Saw and gets a Sieve Thus crosly crost they prate and rail in vain What one hath made another spoils again This makes them leave their work and like mad Fools Scatter their Stuff and tumble down their Tools II. We read in several Ancient Histories of The seven Marvels or Wonders of the World The first whereof they reckoned to be The Walls of Babylon This City of Babylon was seated on the Banks of the River Euphrates which ran through the midst of it over which Semiramuis built a strong and stately Bridge of a mile long binding each stone together with clips of Iron fastened with melted Lead and is the ancientest City of the World first built by Nimrod in the place appointed for the raising of the Tower of Babel and by him made the Imperial Seat of the Chaldeaâ— Kings afterward much beautified and inlarged by Semiramis the Wife of Ninus one of his Successors and finally much increased both in bulk and beauty by Nebuchadnezzar for he added a new City to the old which he compassed about with three Walls and made therein three stately Gates and near his Fathers Palace he built another more stately where he raised Stone Works like mountains which he planted with all manner of Trees He made also Pensile Gardens hanging as it were in the Sky borne upon Arches four-square each square containing four hundred foot filled above with Earth wherein grew all sorts of Trees and Plants The Arches were built one upon another even to fifty Cubits high He likewise made Aquâ—â—iucts for watering these Gardens He erected an Image of Gold in the Plain of Dura sixty Cubits high and six broad These stately Buildings puft him up who therefore arrogated to himself the whole Glory of them saying in his Pride Is not this the great Babel that I have built a City of great Fame and State The compass of the Walls were 365 Furlongs or forty six some say threescore miles according to the number of the days of the year in height two hundred Cubits and fifty Cubits in bredth that six Chariots or Carriages might meet on the top they were finished in one year by the hands of Two Hundred Thousand Workmen The City was foursquare and fifteen miles from one corner to another Insomuch that Aristotle saith It ought rather to be called a Countrey than a City adding withal That when the Town was taken it was three days before the furthest parts of the Town had any Intelligence thereof which taking of the Town must be understood of the surprize thereof by the Medes and Persians in the Reign of Beshazzar when Daniel the Prophet interpreted to that King the words Mene Tekel Peres which were miraculously written by a hand upon the Wall as he was banquetting with his Nobility and foretold the very day before it was taken that God had given his Kingdom to the Medes and Perfians All which was accomplished the might following when Darius King of Media and Persia besieging Babylon took it on a sudden with the help of his Nephew Cyrus the Persian in the time of a great Feast when the King Nobility and People contemning their Enemies being over-confident of their own strength minded only their Sports and Pastimes which we read was surprized after this manner The River Euphrates ran quite through the Town round about whose banks the politick Cyrus cut many and deep Channels into which he in a very short time drained and emptied the River conveying his own Forces into the Town all along the dry and yeilding Channel and in a little 〈◊〉 made himself Master of it the Babylonians being 〈◊〉 in Wine and Debauchery In the Reign of 〈◊〉 Semiramis this City revolted from her and 〈…〉 thereof coming to her as she was ordering 〈…〉 she
the Treafury supported with mighty Pillars All the Gates were covered with Plates of Gold and Silver only one was covered with Corinthian Brass which for beauty far excelled the other dazling and surprizing the Eyes of the Spectators In every Gate were two Doors each of them 30 Cubits high and 15 broad and on each side they had seats 30 Cubits long and 40 in height each of them supported with 2 Pillars 12 Cubits thick only the Gate which was covered with Corinthian Brass was 〈◊〉 Cubits high and the Gates 40 more richly adorred than the rest Lastly the Holy of Holies or Sanctum Sanctorum was scituate in the midst of all and had 12 stairs to go up to it the fore-part of it was an hundred Cubits high and as many broad backward it was 40 Cubits on each side it had as it were two shoulders rising up in height 20 Cubits The first Gate was 20 Cubits high and 25 wide and had no doors to shew That Heaven was always open c. All the sore parts were guilded and all within was covered with fine gold The inward part was divided into 2 rooms whereof the first only might be seen which was in height 90 Cubits in length 40 and in breadth 20. Round about the Wall was a golden Vine whereon hung many Grapes in Clusters all of Gold every cluster being about six foot long It had golden Gates 55 Cubits high and 16 broad It had curious hangings of the same length admirably wrought with purple violet and scarlet silk all the Fabrick was so exquisitely and richly wrought that none could possibly imagine any Workmanship it wanted For it was all covered with a massy plate of pure Gold which astonished the Beholders The top was all set with Rods of Gold sharp like Pikes at the ends lest Birds should sit thereon and defile it The stones wherewith it was built were 45 Cubits in length six broad and as many thick Josephus Hist lib. 6. Jerusalem was a principal City in Josua's time when Adonthâ—zek was King who was slain by him yet did the Jebusites hold it almost four hundred years after till David won it though the Inhabitants did so much rely on the place that they boasted their lame and blind men should defend it 2 Sam. 5.6 David having conquered it strengthned it with a Castle and beautified it with many Palaces And after his time Solomon inlarged and further beautified and fortified it extreamly The Pallaces Gates and Walls could not be matched in all the World it had an hundred and fifty thousand Inhabitants besides Women and Children The Trench about it was sixty foot deep cut out of the Rock and 250 foot broad the like scarce ever heard of Not long after Shishak Kin Aegypt took and sackt it and became Master not only of Solomons â—â—â—es but of all K. Davids spoils which he had taken from many Nations 2 Kings 14. It was again plundred and part of the Wall broken down by Joas King of Israel in Amazia's Reign 2 Kings 16. Not long after Ahaz the fifteenth K. of Juda impoverished the Temple to present Tiglathpilnezer with the Treasures thereof and Manasses lost what remained 1 Chron 5. And Nebuchadnezzar laid this glorious City with the Temple Pallaces Walls and Towers thereof even to the Ground 2 Kings 19. It was built again by Nehemiah Chap. 12.34 and again the Temple and City were spoiled by Bugoses Leiutenant to Artaxerxes Then by Ptolomeus the First Then by Antiochus Epiphanes And again by Apollonius his Deputy After which it was taken by Pompey and robbed by Crassus in his Parthian Expedition yet all the losses that the Temple and City sustained were repaired by Herod the Great who inlarged the City new built the Temple and adorned it with many sumptuous Works and left it in a more stately and glorious condition than it was in the days of Solomon Lastly about 40 years after the Death of Christ the sins of the Jews being come to the height it was destroyed by Titus the Roman General who made it so desolate that they which saw it afterward could scarce believe there had ever been such a City in that place only he left the 3 Herodian Towers as well for Lodgings for the Roman Garrisons as to make his Victory more glorious yet afterwards some of the despised Jews began to build and inhabit some part of the City but after 65 years as aforementioned when they began to revolt again Aelius Adrianus the Emperor slew many Thousands of them and overthrew the three Towers of Herod with all the rest not leaving stone upon another as our Saviour had foretold But when his fury was appeased he took one part without the VVall wherein stood Mount Calvery and Christs Sepulcher and made it a capacious City which he called after his own name Aelia Capitolia And in the Gate toward Bethel he caused a Sow to be cut in Marble and set it in the Front to despite the Jews making an Edict That thenceforth none of them should ever enter into that City not dare so much as to behold or look toward it from any high place Yet the Christian Religion flourishing in Palestine it was inhabited by all Nations especially Christians and so it continued five hundred years And in 639 it was taken by the Egyptian Saracens who held it above four hundred years In 1099 it was regained by Godfrey of Bullein who being elected King refused to be crowned with a Crown of Gold since Christ for whom he fought was there crowned with Thorns It continued to him and his Successors for 88 years till in 1197 it was retaken by Saladine King of Aegypt and lastly in 1517. the Turks beat out the Aegyptians and hold it to this day calling it in their Language Cuzumbarec or The Holy City Rawleighs Hist World X. The City of Nineveh as it was more ancient than almost any other City so in greatness it excelled all those that were famous in old time The Plot or ground of it is said to be four hundred and eighty Furlongs The Walls were in height one hundred foot and the breadth of them such that three Chariots might meet on the top of them On the Walls there were Fifteen Hundred Towers each of them Two Hundred Foot high it was called Tetrapolis as being divided as it were into four Cities Nineveh Resena Forum and Cale and was reckoned three days Journey in the time of Jonas the Prophet 11. The Capitol of Rome seated on the Tarpeian Rock seemed to contend with Heaven in height and no doubt but the length and depth were every way answerable The excessive charge that the Emperor Domitian was at in building it Martial after his flattering manner hath wittily described and which may be thus translated So much has Caesar given the Gods above That should be call it in and Creditor prove Though Jove should barter Heaven it self away This mighty debt he never could repay We may partly
give a guess at the Riches and Ornaments of it by this that there was spent only upon its gilding above Twelve Thousand Talents It was all guilded over not the inner roof only but the outward covering which was of brass or Copper and the doors of it were overlay'd with thick Plates of Gold which remained to the Reign of Honorius After the great overthrow of the Romans by the Gauls near the River Allia those that escaped fled to Rome for security filling all the City with trouble and fear but the People not judging themselves safe there got all away out of the Town only a small number of the most resolute put themselves into the Capitol resolving to indure all extremities The rest escaped to the City of Veios where assembling together they chose Furius Camillus whom some time before they had disobliged to be their Dictator but he would not accept of the Dignity unless the Senators in the Capitol gave their Legal consent thereunto This was very difficult because the Gauls had environed it round about with their Troops yet one Pontius undertook this dangerous enterprize and coming to the River Tyber he swom over upon a piece of broad Cork and landing on the other side he went softly that way where he saw no light and therefore supposed there was no watch kept and so climbing up the steep craggy rocks he with much ado got to the top where being espied by the Roman Centinels they assisted him and brought him to the Senators who received his Message and immediately dispatched him with an answer so that he returned back to Camillus the same night Next day one of the Gauls walking about that place chanced to espy the prints and footsteps of a man upon the Rocks and Grass which grew thereon this he discovered to his Fellows who thinking the Romans had now shew'd them the way they took the opportunity of a dark night and ascended the Hill the same way without being discovered either by the Men or the Dogs who both kept guard there but were now all fast asleep But it was the good fortune of the Romans that there were certain Geese dedicated to Juno and kept at the Publick Charge near her Temple they being fearful by nature and easily affrighted by the least noise in the night and being also kept very hungry by reason of the scarcity in the Capitol may be supposed to have slept the more lightly so that perceiving the Enemies with their glittering Armour they flew against them and filled the whole place with a fearful and unusual cry which awakened the Romans who suspecting the matter ran presently to the wall and beat back their Enemies throwing them down headlong by which unusual means the Capitol was saved all the Gauls being forced to hasten off or to leave their dead bodies at the foot of the Hill they had newly climbed In remembrance whereof for a great while after upon one day in the year they carried about in Procession a Dog hanged on a Gallows and a Goose sitting in a little chair of state upon a rich and sumptuous Cushion Camerareus Medit. 12. Suctonius thus describes that house of Nero which Nero himself called Domum Auream The Golden House In the Porch was set a Colossus or Image shaped like himself of one hundred and Twenty foot high The spaciousness of the House was such that it had in it three Galleries each of them a mile long a standing Pool like a Sea beset with buildings in manner of a City Feilds in which were arable grounds Pastures Vineyards and Woods with a various multitude of tame and wild Beasts of all kinds In the other part thereof all things were covered with gold and distinguished with precious stones as Mother of Pearl c. The Supping Rooms were roofed with Ivory planks that were moveable for the casting down of Flowers and had Pipes in them for the sprinkling of Ointments The Roof of the Principal Supping Room was round which like the Heavens wheeled about perpetually day and night This House when he had thus finished and dedicated he so mightily approved of that he said He then began to live like a Man Suetonius Hist Lib. 6. XIII The Amphitheatre begun by Vespasian but finished and dedicated by Titus was most famous the height whereof was such that saith Marcellinus the Eye of man could hardly reach it It was built and reared up saith Cassiodore with Rivers of Treasure poured out It contained only upon the Steps and Degrees sufficient and easie Seats for fourscore and seven Thousand Persons so as the vacant Places besides might well contain Ten or Twenty Thousand more And it is admirable to consider saith the L. Montaign in his Essays what mighty magnificence the Roman Emperors used in their Theaters It was wonderful saith he to cause a great quantity of large Trees all full of green branches to be brought from far and planted in Plots yeilding nothing but dry gravel representing a wild shady Forrest divided in due and seemly proportion And the first day to put into the Theatre a Thousand Estriges a Thousand Stags a Thousand Wild Boars and a Thousand Bucks which were hunted and baited by the common people The next day in the presence of all the People an hundred great Lyons an hundred Leopards and three hundred huge Bears were baited and torn to peices The third day three hundred couple of Gladiators or Fencers combated and murdered one another as in the Reign of the Emperor Probus It was also an exlent sight to see those huge wondrous Amphitheatres all inchased with rich Marble and curiously inriched on the outside with carved statues and all the inside glistering with precious and rare Imbellishments All the sides round about were invironed and replenished from the ground to the very top with three or fourscore ranks of steps and seats all of Marble covered with gallant Cushions where might be conveniently placed an hundred thousand men and all sit at ease The plain groundwork of it where Sports were acted were so ordered by Art as to open asunder with holes and gaps like hollow Caves out of which issued wild Beasts appointed for the Plays After which the whole floor of the Theatre was immediately overflown with a very deep Sea wherein were all manner of strange Fishes and Sea Monsters with a great Navy of Ships ready rigged and provided for a Sea-fight In an Instant all was dry and smooth again and the Fencers entred and fought with each other Lastly to compleat the last Act of one day only the whole floor was forthwith cleansed and strowed over with Vermilion and Storax instead of Gravel and a solemn banquet brought forth enough to entertain that almost infinite number of People they have sometimes caused an huge steep Mountain to arise in the midst of the Amphitheatre all overspread with fruitful and flourishing Trees of all sorts on the top whereof gushed out streams of water as from a Fountain Other
the Heavens the following Letters I. N. R. I. M. D. L. V. I. I. A. R. E. I. N. E. N. D. E. D. I. S. E. S. R. E. I. C. H. S. Nay that Author further affirmeth that at Friburg in Germany the same year on a very fair day Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Iridi insidentem conspectum fuisse Our Lord Jesus Christ was beheld sitting upon a Rainbow as if upon his Tribunal to denounce the Vniversal Judgment In 1558 there was seen a Blazing Star in Spain at first somewhat dim at which time Charles the 5th Emperor and King of Spain sickned but as his disease increased so it grew in bigness at last shooting its fiery streams point blank against the Monastery where he lay in the very hour the Emperor dyed the Comet vanished The same year in the Month of August a Comet in the form of a spit appeared of a pale envious colour denoting a more then ordinary mortality of great Potentates Queen Mary of Hungary and Bohemia and Queen Mary of England both dye Christian the 2. King of Denmark dyes in Prison after 26 years imprisonment Henry 2. King of France is slain by running at Tilt Pope Paul 4. dyes and likewise the Dukes of Venice and Ferrara with fifteen Cardinals besides many other Princes In 1562 an Earthquake happened in Constantinople Clashing of Weapons in the Elements and armed men seen there Much Thunder was heard in England and five Suns seen in Holland After this the English take many Towns in France There was a great Plague in England the Muscovites invade Leiseland and the Danes and Lubeckers Sweden the Polanders beat the Livonians Nine Thousand men were slain at Dreux in Normandy and among them the King of Navar The same year December 19. Mr. John Calvin lying in his bed sick of the Gout it being Sunday and the North Wind having blown strongly for two days together some Friends coming to visit him he said unto them Truly I know not what is the matter but I thought that the last night I heard warlike Drums beating very loud and I could not perswade my self but it was so Let us go to Prayers for surely some great business is at hand And indeed this very day there was a great Battle fought between the Papists and Protestants not far from Paris in France news whereof came to Geneva a few dayes after Clarks Examp. 2 Part Pag. 564. XXXIII In 1568 were many Locusts in France The Heavens seem all on fire in Hungary In England when the true Moon was under the Earth there appears a Moon and a Cross with a refulgent Star at the top thereof Soon after the Third Civil War in France began the King of Sweden is deposed and imprisoned The Prince of Conde is taken and shot to death with a Pistol The Earls of Northumberland and Westmorland rebel against Queen Elizabeth Selymus Emperor of the Turks invadeth Cyprus The Polanders and Danes fight at Sea About this time the Duke of Alva came first into the Low-Countreys and the future calamities of his Government were presaged by a boy born at Leige with two heads four legs and as many hands the terror whereof was increased by a fire happening immediately after in the City of Mechlin by a spark falling amongst Gunpowder which took hold of threescore Barrels and caused such an horrid Thunder and Earthquake that in most of the Cities of Flanders the Men and Houses trembled at the dreadful noise Not long after when the Prince of Orange brought an Army against the Duke in the behalf of the Protestants there were seen in divers places on a clear night two Armies in Battalia brandishing their glittering Pikes as if they were ready for a charge The next year a Comet appears at the setting of the Sun near the Planet Jupiter Then followed a Famine in Austria Sweden Bohemia Bavaria Rustia Lithuania Joachimus 2. Elector of Brandenburg dyes and a little after Four Hundred Thousand People are drowned in Flanders and Holland besides Cattel In 1572 there appeared a Comet or New Star in Cassiopeia which continued Six teen Months Soon after which Charles 9. King of France who was the Author of the bloody Massacre in France dyed of extraordinary bleeding which issued from divers parts of his body cursing and swearing in a most dreadful manner saith Mr. Camden in his History of Queen Elizabeth Sigismund King of Poland likewise dyeth The Duke of Norfolk in England is beheaded A great Rebellion in Ireland XXXIV In 1577 Another Blazing Star of great magnitude appeared Sebastian King of Portugal dyed the next year of two wounds which he received in his head in his expedition for Africa In 1579 a fiery Dragon and great Troops of Ravens flew through the Air in Germany A mighty Tempest happened in Bohemia and an Earthquake in Holland Armies are seen in the Heavens at Antwerp Two armed men are visible in the Air in Gelderland That which followed was the Polanders take Livonia and Polotia from the Moscovite The Popish Clergy are expelled out of the City of Antwerp by the People The Emperor forbids the Protestant Religion at Aken In 1585 a Comet appeared for many weeks together and the next year it rained Locusts in Thracia and Ducks and Geese in Croatia as Leonclavius testifies who was an eye-witness thereof The Locusts fell in such multitudes that they devoured all the Countrey and on the contrary the Geese and Ducks fed and nourished many Cluverius Hist World Soon after Osman Emperor of the Turks and Stephen King of Poland both dye In 1593 there was another terrible Earthquake at Lar in Persia which overthrew Three Thousand Houses crushing to death above Three Thousand Persons in their Ruins yea the Castle though built upon the top of a solid Rock groaned in the like affrighting downfall Herberts Travels In 1598 Feb. 25 which was a little before the Earl of Essex went into Ireland the Sun being almost totally Eclipsed it was so dark for the time that the like had never been seen in the Memory of Man XXXV In the year 1602 there was an Earthquake in England a very great Blazing Star appeared Armies of men were seen in the Air in France and warms of Grashoppers are visible in Germany asster this the Spaniards invade Ireland but are beaten thence The Swedes in vain attempt Livonia The Turks loose Alba Regalis and therein Threescore Thousand men Queen Elizabeth of England dyeth In 1607 another Comet appeared There were great Wars between the Swedes and Danes and Charles Duke of Lorrain dyeth In 1610 fiery Darts and Lances were visible in the Heavens Four Crosses appeared in the Air at once in Spain where likewise happened Thunder and a very great Earthquake Now the Danes war against the Swedes The Persians invade Babylon and kill Twenty Thousand Turks Henry 4. â—â—ing of France is murdered the Polanders overcome the Moscovites and Nine Hundred Thousand Meors are banished out of Spain J. G. This
the Deâ—ks in several places which immediately burst forth into dreadful Flames and with all their diligence could not be quenched so that they were all forced to betake themselves to their Long-boat and happily escaped to another English Ship not far off In the Cazelt it is related That the Letters from Mâ—sâ—o the chief City of Russia of July 25. give an Account That the late Czar or Emperor Alexis who married with a Polish Lady having by her means taken a great Affection to the manners and customes of that Nation and designed to introduce them among his own Subjects the more to civilize them had thereby raised a great hatred in the Boyars or Nobility and other great Men against him who resolved to poyson him and his Queen and accordingly effected it by the means of a Jew He had two Brothers the eldest named John about 20 years old who had the same Mother and was born blind of one Eye the other named Peter about 9 years old who was born of a second Marriage and his Mother the Princess Natalia was living The Emperor being dead in few hours after suffering great Torments The Chancellor of the Kingdom joyning with the Princess Natalia and several Boyers and other great Men proclaimed the young Prince Peter Emperor and at the same time the Princess Sophia Sister to Prince John General Komanski and many others espoused the cause of the Elder Brother and drew the Guards and Souldiers to their side by perswading them that the late Czar was poysoned and that there was a design likewise to destroy them whereupon the said Guards rose and fell upon the Boyers and others who had proclaimed Prince Peter and destroyed a great many of them After which Prince John was proclaimed Emperor but without deposing Prince Peter so that there are now two Emperors who were both Crowned June 24. last past The Emperor Alexis left a young Son of whom it seems no notice was taken he being yet in the Cradle The two Emperors seem hitherto to agree very well and things at present are very calm and quiet there LXXXVIII In 1682. The Gazett of July 31. gives an Account that on the sixth of that Month at Tortorica a Town in Sicily about seven a Clock in the Evening after so great darkness that they could not discern each other four paces asunder there arose a great storm of Rain Lightning and Thunder which lasted 36 hours that about one a Clock next morning great Torrents of Water caused by these Rains fell from the Mountains with so great violence that they carryed with thâ—â—â— Trees of an extraordinary bigness which threw 〈◊〉 the Wall and Houses of the Town they happened to beat against The Waters were so furious that they 〈◊〉 the Church of St. Niâ—â—â—las and the Arch-Deacon of the Town who retired thither perished there with many other Persons There only remained one Abby and about fifty Housâ—s and those so shattered that they fell down soon after about 600 of the Inhabitants were drowned the rest being abroad in the Fieldâ— gathering their Silk fled to the Mountains where they suffered very much for want of Provisions The Goods Trees Stones Sand and other Rubbish which the Waters carryed away were in so great abundance that they made a Bank above the Water two miles in length near the Mouth of the River where the Water before was very deep several other Towns were likewise destroyed by this great Flood It is added that Mount Aeâ—â—â— cast forth such abundance of Water that all the Neighbouring Countrey was drowned They write likewise from Rome of July 4. That after having been two Moneths without Rain it began to Rain on Sunday June 25 at night and that an hour before day there fell a Thunderbolt in the Popes Pallace of St. Peter which ran through several Rooms and broke down the Châ—mny-Peice of the Apartment of Cardinal Cibo LXXXIX In the weekly Memorials published at Lordâ—â— we have the Extract of two Letters sent to the Publisher by Richard Gips Esq from Weltham-Hall in Suffolk dated the 22 and 29 of July 1682 concerning a groâ—ing peice of Wood to this Effect Sir Myself and many hundreds of Ingenious Men have seen at St. Edmundsbury in Suffolk a groning peice of Wood it was of an Elm-Tree sawn in the middle as I conceive and I guess it to be of a very great Age As soon as a hot Iron was put on this Wood it greaned like a dying man so that it might be heard a great way It was very surprizing to me when I heard it for I could not be perswaded to believe any such thing The Wood was very firm on one side of it knotty and crackt in some places nor would it groan when the Iron was put twice in the same place but it would at some little distance from it At the time when the hot Iron was put upon it I layd my hand nigh the Iron and perceived something gather to the Iron before the Wood groaned the groan was no longer than that of a dying Man This Wood was first discovered by a little Girl who playing with the Fire by accident scattered a Coal on this Board which lay very nigh the Fire and it groaned so extraordinarily that it frighted the Child The second Letter was thus Sir since my last to you the Groaning Plank is removed from Bury but being informed of another Groaning Plank I this day went to see it and was much more surprized at it than at the former the groaning being much more audible than the other This peice of Wood was Witch-Elm as the other also was though much less and thinner it was about an Inch or two in thickness a yard and an half in length and 3 Foot broad It was an old and firm peice of Wood as the former Sir if you see any Witch-Elm that is very old you may assure your self that if you burn it with a very hot Iron it will groan extraordinarily I discoursed with a very ingenious Gentleman who thinks it is occasioned by reason of some Glutinoâ—s matter which is included in that sort of Wood so that when the Fire comes it rarifies it and occasions that noise but in regard I could not perceive any Glutinous matter but on the contrary that it was extraordinary dry I could hardly acquiâ—sâ—â— in his Opinion XC In 1682. August 14. Another Comet or Blazing Star was visible in London at nine a Clock at night about North and by West from that City Its head was large much like the Star Venus at the height it was seen several Nights after and having about 30 Degrees of North Latitude it did never set having continued for some time it disappeared Aug. 25. the Gazett informs us from Naples that the Mountain Vesuvius did cast out Fire accompanied with a most terrible and hideous noise which from an hour after Sunset on Saturday till 3 a Clock next morning was so great that it caused a