Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A08755
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Looke vp and see vvonders A miraculous apparition in the ayre, lately seene in Barke-shire at Bawlkin Greene neere Hatford. April. 9th. 1628.
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Dekker, Thomas, ca. 1572-1632.
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1628
(1628)
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STC 1904; ESTC S101623
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6,335
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24
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Spanish Armadoes For thine enemies that rise agaynst thee shall fall before thy face they shall come out against thee one way and flye before thee seauen wayes His word that speakes this may be taken better than any Kings in the World and therefore hold out both thy hands vnder this Tree of Blessings and catch the golden Apples when so freely they are shaken downe into thy lappe But if thou trample these gifts vnder thy feete and spurnest at Gods Fauours bestowed vppon thee New quiuers of punishments will then be opened and other strange fearefull arrowes be shot at thy bosome Heauen shal be turned to Brasse earth to Iron dust and ashes be giuen for Raine our Wiues shall haue others lye with them our great houses shall haue others dwell in them our Vineyards to bee planted yet we shall neuer taste them Our sheep to bee giuen to our enemies and our sonnes and daughters to be led into Captiuity If therfore with Naaman thou wouldst be cleansed from thy Leaprosie of sinne thou must obey Elisha and wash thy selfe seauen times in Iordan Weepe seauen times a day nay seauen times an houre for offending thy mercifull Father Whosoeuer with Ahazia the King of Samaria falleth sicke and sendeth for recouery to Baal-zebub the God of Ekron and not to the true God indeede he shall not come from his bed but die the Death For wee sinke to the bottome of the waters as the Carpenters axe did in the second of the Kings but though neuer so iron-hearted the voyce of an Elisha the feruency of Prayer and praysing God can fetch vs from the bottome of Hell and by contrition make vs swim on the top of the waters of life Stand therefore at the Gates of Gods mercy still begge still knocke still and knocke hard For Hannab was barren yet being an importunate suiter her petition was heard and signed She was fruitfull and had three Sonnes and Daughters So when we are barren in Repentance in Thanksgiuing in Charity in Patience in Goodnesse let vs vnfeignedly pray to Heauen we shal be fruitfull and these fiue shal bee our Sonnes and Daughters By this meanes our Mara shall change her name to Naomi and our bitternesse be turned into sweetnesse Haue we not great cause then to magnifie him who Crowneth the yeare with plenty and whose steppes drop fatnesse Haue we not reason to tremble at his Threatnings who couereth himselfe with Light as with a Garment and spreadeth the Heauens like a Curtaine who layeth the beames of his Chambers in the Waters and maketh the Clouds his Chariot and walketh vppon the wings of the winde This Almighty Thunderer hath Spirits attending vpon him for his Messengers are flaming fire to runne of his errands If he but lookes vppon the earth in anger it trembles If hee but touch the Mountaynes they smoake and are consumed So that if wee fall not on our knees to doe him reuerence If we open not our lips to glorifie his Name If we fall not flat on the Earth at the sound of his dreadfull voyce woe be to vs we are lost for euer vndone for euer His blessings if we receiue them not with the right hand are to vs as messes of meate set vpon a Graue What then are his chastizements Oâ— they are terrible and not to be indurde Many windowes hath he set open in Heauen to shewe what Artillery hee has lying there and many of our Kings haue trembled when they were shewne vnto them What blazing Starres euen at Noone-dayes in those times hung houering in the Aire How many frightfull Ecclipses both of Sun and Moone What apparitions of battailes How many times haue Armies fought against Armies in the disturbed vpper Regions It is not for man to dispute with God why he has done this so often nor rashly to pronounce judgement vppon any thing it pleaseth God to accomplish now but with feare and trembling casting our eyes vp to Heauen let vs now behold him bending his Fist onely as lately he did to the terrour and affrightment of all the Inhabitants dwelling within a Towne in the County of Barkshire Looke vp therefore now and see a New Wonder THE name of the Towne is Hatford in Barkeshire some eight miles from Oxford Ouer this Towne vpon Wensday being the ninth of this instant Moneth of April 1628. about fiue of the clocke in the afternoone This miraculous prodigious and fearefull handy-worke of God was presented to the astonishable amazement of all the beholders Men Women and children being many in number The weather was warme and without any great shewe of distemperature only the skye waxed by degrees a little gloomy yet not so darkned but that the Sunne still and anon by the power of the brightnesse brake through the thicke clouds and made them giue way to the Maiesty of his beames A gentle gale of wind then blowing from betweene the West and Northwest in an instant was heard first a hideous rumbling in the Ayre and presently after followed a strange and fearefull peale of Thunder running vp and downe these parts of the Countrey but it strake with the loudest violence and more furious tearing of the Ayre about a place called The white Horse hâ—ll than in any other The whole order of this thunder carried a kind of Maiesticall state with it for it maintayned to the affrighted Beholders seeming the fashion of a fought Battaile It beganne thus First for an on-set went on one great Cannon as it were of thunder alone like a warning peece to the rest that were to follow Then a little whileafter was heard a second and so by degrees a third vntill the number of 20. were discharged or there abouts in very good order though in very great terror In some little distance of time after this was audibly heard the sound of a Drum beating a Retreate Amongst all these angry peales shot off from Heauen this begat a wonderful admiration that at the end of the report of euery cracke or Cannon-thundering a hizzing Noyse made way through the Ayre not vnlike the flying of Bullets from the mouthes of great Ordnance And by the iudgement of all the terror-stricken witnesses they were Thunderbolts For one of them was seene by many people to fall at a place called Bawlkin Greene beeing a mile and a halfe from Hatford Which Thunder-bolt was by one Mistris Greene caused to be digged out of the ground she being an eye-witnesse amongst many other of the manner of the falling The forme of the Stone is three-square and picked in the end In colour outwardly blackish some-what like Iron Crusted ouer with that blacknesse about the thicknesse of a shilling Within it is soft of a gray colour mixed with some kind of minerall shining like small peeces of glasse This Stone brake in the fal The whole peece is in weight nineteene pound and a halfe The greater peece that fell off weigheth fiue pound which with other small peeces being put
LOOKE Vp and see Wonders A miraculous Apparition in the Ayre lately seene in Barke-shire at Bawlkin Greene neere Hatford April 9 th 1628. Imprinted at London for Roger Miâ—â—â—â—â— 16â—8 To the Reader AS thou doest Reade so practise to Vnderstand and make vse of thy Labour Let not this Knowledge vanish away like a Dreame but keepe it as a Monument ingrauen in Brasse or Marble This is a strange Chronicle written by a strong hand The best Antiquary in the World hath set it downe for God himselfe puts his owne Name to it A few leaues of his Filling are an ample Volume Euery small Epitome Written by him is a Booke in Folio Here thou shalt finde no great number of Lines but much more Matter comprehended in them then the Words seeme to carry This is but a Picture of a Battaile fought in the Aire A naked Description of a terrible Fight fearefull no doubt to the Standers by but it may be Comfortable to thee if heereby thou getst thy selfe Arm'd to Combate with thy sinnes for questionlesse vppon some such occasions grew this Quarrell which may easily be taken vp if thou and euery one of vs submit our selues confesse wherein wee are faulty and so plead for Attonement Nothing is here presented to thine eyes to fright thee but to fill thee with Ioy that this Storme fell so farre off and not vppon thine owne Head Yet beware for the same Hand holds a Rod to strike euery one that deserues punishment Pray to Heauen to free Thee from it and so wishing thee the strong heart of a true Christian to beare with Patience what thy Selfe shalt feele and to pitty others I bid thee farewell Looke Vp And See Wonders SO Benummed wee are in our Sences that albeit God himselfe Holla in our Eares wee by our wills are loath to heare him His dreadfull Pursiuants of Thunder and Lightning terrifie vs so long as they haue vs in their fingers but beeing off wee dance and sing in the midst of our Follies So blinde are wee in the vnderstanding of Heauenly matters that wee cannot see our way to Goodnesse but runne head-long into the Pathes of our owne euerlasting vndoing Dangers haue not the skill to fright vs Death onely is the Man that can doe good vpon vs And yet though Death knockes at our very Doores nay albeit wee see him sit at our Bed-side yet the hope of Life playes her idle vayne and wanton Musicke vnder our Windowes Into what a miserable Sea of calamities does a man then throw himselfe when in this his earthly Nauigation hee sayles he cares not how nor knowes where to finde a safe Landing-place Wee had neede therefore to make much of vnderstanding wise and skilfull Pilots for the best of vs all is an ignorant Marriner Apt enough we are to run vpon Rockes and quick-sands but an excellent Sea-man is hee that in all weathers can beare vp Sayle and by the vertue of his good Compasse is able to auoyde such mortall Dangers The foure Elements haue beene Preachers to vs yet wee get or at least shew little amendment by the Doctrin they haue Read vnto vs. The Earth once fruitfull hath of late yeares felt the curse of Barrennesse Her wombe hath beene the deuourer of many thousands of her owne Children shee has not playd the part of a Mother but a Step-dame for insteed of strong wines shee hath bin drunke with bloud How hath the other Element of water beene troubled What Monsters hath the Sea brought forth The sonnes of Murder Rapine Fury and Pyracy As for Fire it hath denied of late to warme vs but at vnreasonable rates and extreame hard conditions But what talke I of this earthy nourishment of fire how haue the Fires of Heauen some few yeares past gone beyond their bounds and appeared in the shapes of Comets and Blazing Starres The Aire hath bin infected and millions haue dropd into Graues by sucking in her mortall poyson The Aire is the shop of Thunder and Lightning In that hath of late bin held a Muster of terrible enemies and threatners of Vengeance which the great Generall of the Field who Conducts and Commands all such Armies God Almighty I meane auert from our Kingdome and shoote the arrowes of his indignation some other way vpon the bosomes of those that would confound his Gospell Now albeit that these foure great quarter-masters of the World the foure Elements haue in former times and in this of our owne bin in ciuill Warres one against another and bent their Forces at the Heart of this Kingdome yet how happy are we to eate our bread in Peace and to drinke our wholesome and sweete Waters No Nation beneath the Sunne hath more cause to sing Prayses to God and send vp Thankes to Heauen then ours The Drum beates here but the Battailes are abroad The Barbed Horse tramples not downe our Corne-fieldes The earth is not manurde with mans Bloud as it was in the Warres of the Barons and those of the two Royall contending Families of Yorke and Lancaster Here we presse Souldiers but other Countries beare the burthen of their Armies Heere they kindle their Match but the fire is not giuen till they come into Forraigne Kingdomes This Security yet must not bee suffered to rocke vs fast asleepe and so with Sampson to haue our strength cut from vs by the Strumpet of our carelesnes For albeit our Gates haue no Canons planted agaynst them Nor no scaling-ladders seâ— to the Walls of our Cities yet there are Whole Ambushes of enemies lurking in our priuate Bosomes And those are our sinnes which daily lay traynes of powder to blow vs vp and confound vs. For these there is an Eye open which day and night doth ouer looke our actions and if milde and gentle chidings cannot call vs home let vs thanke our selues and the stubbornnesse of our hearts if wee groane vnder the stripes of correction Let vs turne to God and God will not turne his Face from vs Say thy sinnes were as blacke as Hell yet Repentance shall make them like the Winges of a Doue couer'd as the Kingly Prophet sings with siluer the Wings bearing the colour of yellow Gold Repentance is able to make the soule as white as the snow in Zalmon and Gods mercy like the mountaine of Bashan Repentance is a golden Key which opens Heauen and lookes vp to Gods anger Repentance wins him to smile vpon vs and to say thus If thou still art climing vp this Hill of Repentance Blessed shalt thou be in the City and Blessed in the Field Blessed shall be the fruite of thy Body and the Fruite of thy ground and the fruite of thy Cattle The increase of thy Kine and the Flockes of thy Sheepe Blessed shall be thy Basket and thy Dough Blessed shalt thou bee when thou commest in and blessed also when thou goest out Thy Land-Souldiers O England shall not stand in feare of any Italian Spinâ—laes nor thy Nauy Royall of any