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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
reason_n	great_a	part_n	world_n	4,106	5	4.3735	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A63430	A true and perfect narrative of the great and dreadful damages susteyned in several parts of England, by the late extraordinary snovvs whereby above twenty families of poor people, men, women, and children, were distressed, and some destroyed at Langsdale, in the bishoprick of Durham: the snow from the hills covering the tops of their houses, that they could not get out: having burnt all their goods to keep them warm. As also of a family in Somerset-shire neer Bath, so beset with the snow, that they were forced to live three days on nothing but grains. And several persons, and great quantities of cattle and sheep lost in Northumberland, Darbyshire, Glocestershire, Shropshire, Lincolnshire, Isle of Ely, and other places. Faithfully extracted from letters lately sent form persons of good credit and quality in all those parts.		1674 (1674)	Wing T2531A; ESTC R218009	3,334	8

A True and Perfect NARRATIVE OF THE Great and Dreadful Damages Susteyned in Several Parts of England by the Late Extraordinary SNOWS Whereby above Twenty Families of Poor People Men Women and Children were Distressed and some Destroyed at Langsdale in the Bishoprick of Durham The Snow from the Hills covering the Tops of their Houses that they could not get out having burnt all their Goods to keep them warm As also of a Family in Somerset-shire neer Bath so beset with the Snow that they were forced to live Three Days on nothing but Grains And several Persons and Great Quantities of Cattle and Sheep lost in Northumberland Darbyshire Glocestershire Shropshire Lincolnshire Isle of Ely and other places Faithfully Extracted from Letters lately sent from Persons of Good Credit and Quality in all those parts Printed for P. Brooksby in VVest-Smith's field THE Wonderful SNOW BY a Letter Dated the 7th of March instant sent to an eminent Shop-keeper in Thames-street from a Chapman of his living at _____ in the Bishoprick of Durham we are ascertained of a most sad accident occasioned there by the late excessive Snows which is since confirmed by several other Posts from those parts to have hapned as follows In a place called Langsdale scituated towards the North of the Bishoprick of Durham lying between two hills the valley being very long but exceeding narrow so that it was above a hundred paces over there stood several small Houses or Cottages inhabited by Shepherds and other poor people their dwellings being only made of Loam-walls one story and thatcht over head Here the Snow which began earlyer and was far more violent and excessive in those parts than in these Southern Counties came so furiously driven down the Hills by North-East Winds that the poor people could hardly stir abroad it was grown so deep on a sudden insomuch that some of them began to apprehend danger and thought to have got away over the hills to some place of more security but this wholesom advise which might have preserved their lives was slighted by others more bold who alledged that it could not Snow always and that no question but it would be over in short time and indeed as if their unhappy Fates had over-ruled the Weather to flatter them to their ruine after the first two or three days which had covered the ground generally four or five foot deep but in drift at some places it lay at least ten or tw●lve foot high The heavens seemed more clear as if they should have been troubled with no mote but behold on the third day of March being Shrove-Tuesday it fell a snowing again with greater violence the weather being excessive cold and the wind continuing high as before all that day and night so that the whole Valley was filled with Snow and almost level'd with the tops of the Hills the houses were Covered over and not to be seen the miserable people when they had slept long and waited tediously for the aproach of day at last get up and think to look abroad but this they endeavour in vain for they find themselves buried alive in Snow and though they used their best skil and greatest strength could by no means get out They that had any wood or fireing made use of it hoping by that means to melt themselves out a way but found not that so effectual as Hannibal's Project famous in History when he eat a passage for his Army through those vast Mountains of the Alps with Vinegar for having thus to no purpose wearied themselves and wasted their Fuel Cold Hunger Darkness Horrour and Dispair begin all at once to seize their hearts their poverty for the most part was such as did not allow them to keep much store of Provision in their houses before-hand and the weather had been so bad for above a Fortnight before that they could not conveniently either work to earn or go abroad to buy Victuals so that their Stock was soon exhausted and after having made shift as long as possibly they could were at last reduced to the worst of Humane evils a necessity of starving for want of food There needs no Rhetorick to set forth the miserable condition of these poor souls which of it self was so deplorable that it cannot in the bare Relation but affect the hearts and draw Carnation-tears from the eyes of each Compassionate Reader The dismalness of living in continual darkness as in a Grave The Extremity of the Frost the Lamentations of half distracted Women and cries of dying Children for Bread whilst they to whom they make their moans are starving themselves may easily present the imaginations with spectacle of Horrour Let it suffice to say That cold and want at last brought welcome death to rid them of their Torments where paying a shoar of Tears as a Just Tribute to the Tyranny of their sad fate let us leave them and now look abroad and inquire how they 'r found The Neighbouring People whom better Situation of their dwellings preserved from such Calamity Seeing Langsdale Valley so overwhelmed with an Inundation of Snow and touch'd with a generous Commiseration of the poor Inhabitants whom they had all the reason of the world to conclude lost or in a desperate condition assemble in great numbers and with mighty toil in clearing a passage at last get to these Cottagers the greater part of whom they found destroyed as aforesaid whereof some lay dead with raw meat in their mouths having no fire left to dress it 〈◊〉 others that had a better stock of fireing made shift to keep themselves alive by eating Cats-flesh Dogs or whatever they could get and these they charitably removed thence and made provision for them This Story as it is most sad in it self so is it most true and certain and we wish we were not so unhappy as to be able almost to parrallel it by another miscrable Accident in the West occasioned by the very same means as we have it in a Letter from an Ingenious Gentleman of Bath Thus The Snow was so great in those parts that a poor man living with his Wife and a great charge of Children on a Common about 10 m. from Bath at a great distance from Neighbours were almost shut up in the like manner The good man however made a salley out and endeavoured with his Gun to shoot Birds or what he could meet with for the sustenance of his wanting Family but found so little booty that still they were almost ready to starve Insomuch that for several days they lived upon nothing but a few Grains till a Gentlemans man riding that way chanced to see some of the biggest children greedily feeding on these miserable dainties the sight whereof affected the good natured fellows heart so far that he made further inquiry and being soon convinced of their sad necessitous condition when he came home acquainted his Lady who being of an excellent charitable disposition immediately ordered him to carry them as much good wholsome victuals as he could we need not relate with what Joy they receiv'd this blessing which yet alas how fate befools the hopes of silly mortals occasioned their deaths who perhaps might have made shift with their Grains to have supported their lives for being so near famishing they fell so geedily on this unexpected Cheer that they opprest nature so fatally that the same night the Woman and five of her Children Expired To these unhappy relations we might add diverse others no less true and certain as that of a Baker and his Bride at Twexsbury in Gloctershire who riding out the very next day after they were married to visit some friends about ten miles were both destroyed grim death treading on Hymens heels and their Nuptial delights child with a cold eternal sleep in sheets of Snow wherein they were afterwards found dead embraceing each other Of a Minister lost horse and all by the same means in Darbyshire three poor women destroyed as they endeavored to go to a Market in Shropshire two Carryers servants stiffled by the Snow in Lincolnshire and a Post-boy frozen to death in it neer Morpeth in Northumberland What shall we say of great quantities of Cattel kil'd in Rumney Marsh whole flocks of Sheep perished in Huntingtonshire great mischiefs done in the Fenns and Isle of Ely In brief this Superabundant Snow was no less General then prejudicial and there is scarce a County in England but may bring in several Indictments against it for damages susteyned to a considerable value not to speak of the mischiefs occasioned by great Floods when melted by the Thaw Nor is it only England has been a sufferer our Forraign Letters give us an Account that other Nations have at the same time been sharers in miseries of the like kind Perticularly in Germany the Snow has not been only great but in a sort Prodigious Letters from Vienna of the ●6th of February S. N. informing That thereabouts there had been great quantities of Worms and Cobwebs falling in the Snow of which abundance also were observed in Inspr●ike in the County of Tyrol of which great notice had been taken by several Curious Enquirers after such strange Accidents Though it seems often to have been seen before For so saith the Ingenious Johannes Heidfeildius in Sua Sphing● Philosophicâ Alicubi in ipfis nivibus nascuntur vermiculi Tinea This we are sure of that we could never more properly than of late repeat that of the Poet Ecce ruit densum tacitarum vellus Aquarum A Feather'd Rain came in abundance down And with dry Inundations did us Drown FINIS