GODS VVARNING TO HIS people of ENGLAND BY THE GREAT OVERFLOWING OF THE Waters or Floudes lately hapned in South-wales and many other places VVherein is declared the great losses and wonderfull damages that hapned thereby by the drowning of many Townes and Villages to the vtter vndooing of many thousandes of people At London printed for W. Barley and Io. Bayly and are to be solde in Gratious street 1607. Gods Warning to his people of England MANY are the dombe warninges of Distruction which the Almighty God hath lately scourged this our Kingdome with And many more are the threatning Tokens of his heauy wrath extended toward vs All which in bleeding hearts may inforce vs to put on the true garment of Repentance and like vnto the Niniuits vnfainedly solicite the swéet mercies of our most louing God Therefore let vs now call to remembrance the late grieuous and most lamentable Plague of Pestilence wherein the wrath of God tooke from vs so many thousandes of our friendes kindred and acquaintance let vs also call to remembraunce the most wicked and pretended malice of the late Papisticall Conspiracie of Traytors that with powder practised the suâ—uerâ—on of this beautifull Kingdome And lastly let vs fix our eyes vpon theise late swellinges of the outragious Waters which of late now hapned in diuers partes of this Realme together with the ouerflowing of the Seas in diuers and sundry places thereof whose fruitfull valeys being now ouerwhelmed and drowned with those most vnfortunate and vnseasonable salt waters doe fore-shew great Barrennes and Famin to ensue after it vnlesse the Almightie God of his great infinit mercy and goodnesse doe preuent it But now oh England be not ouercome with thine own folly Be not blinded with the ouermuch securitie of the selfe neyther sinke thou thy selfe in thine owne sinne For since the generall dissolution of the whole World by Water in the time of Noy neuer the like Invndation or watry punishment then hapned now here related to the great griefe of all Christian hearers as by this sequell it shall heare appeare Vpon Tuesday beeing the 20. of Ianuary last past 1607. in diuers places aswell in the Westerne partes of England as also in diuers other places of the this Realme there hapned such an ouerflowing of Waters such a violent swelling of the Seas and such forcible breaches made into the firme Land namely into the bosomes of these countries following That is to say in the Counties of Glocester Sommerset together with the Counties of Munmoth Glamorgan Carmaâ—then and diuers and sundry other places of South-wales the like neuer in the memory of man hath euer bin seene or heard of The suddaine terror whereof strooke such an amazed feare into the hearts of all the inhabitantes of those partes that euery one prepared himselfe ready to entertaine the last Period of his liues Destruction Déeming it altogether to be a second deluge or an vniuersall punishment by Water For vpon the Tuesday beeing the 20. of Ianuary last as aforesaid about nine of the clocke in the Morning the Sunne being most fairely and brightly spred many of the Inhabitantes of those Countreys before mentioned prepared themselues to their affayres some to one busines some to an other euery man according to his calling As the Plowmen setting foorth their cattle to their labours the Shepheardes féeding of their flockes the Farmers ouer-séeing of their grounds and looking to their Cattle féeding therein and so euery onâ— imploid in his busines as occasion required Then they might sée and perceiue a far of as it were in the Element huge and mighty Hilles of water tumbling one ouer another in such sort as if the greatest mountaynes in the world had ouerwhelmed the lowe Valeyes or Marshy grounds Sometimes it so dazeled the eyes of many of the Spectators that they immagined it had bin some fogge or miste comming with great swiftnes towardes them and with such a smoke as if Mountaines were all on fire and to the view of some it seemed as if Myllions of thousands of Arrowes had bin shot foorth all at one time which came in such swiftnesse as it was verily thought that the Fowles of the Ayre could scarse fly so fast such was the threatning furyes thereof But assoone as the people of those Countries perceiued that it was the violence of the Waters of the raging Seas and that they began to exceede the compasse of their accustomed boundes and making so furiously towardes them happy were they that could make the best and most spéed away many of them leauing all their goods and substance to the mercylesse Waters béeing glad to escape away with life themselues But so violent and swift were the outragious waues that pursued one an other with such vehemencie and the waters multiplying so much in so short a time that in lesse then fiue houres space most part of those cuntreys and especially the places which lay lowe were all ouerflowen and many hundreds of people both men women and children were then quite deuoured by these outragious Waters such was the furie of the Waues of the Seas the one of them dryuing the other forwardes with such force and swiftnes that it is almost incredible for any to beleeue the same except such as tasted of the smart thereof and and such as beheld the same with their eyes Nay more the Farmers Husbandmen and Shepheards might beholde their goodly flockes of Sheepe swimming vpon the Waters dead which could by no meanes be recouered Many Gentlemen Yeamen and others had great losses of cattle as Oxen Kine Bullockes Horses Colts Sheepe Swine Nay not so much as their poultry about their houses but all were ouerwhelmed and drownd by these merciles Waters Many men that were rich in the morning when they rose out of their beds were made poore before noone the same day such are the Iudgements of the Almightie God who is the geuer of all good thinges who can and will dispose of them agayne at all times according to his good will and pleasure whensoeuer it shall séeme best vnto him Many others likewise had their habitations or dwelling houses all carryed away in a short time and had not a place left them so much as to shrowde themselues in Moreouer many that had great store of Corne and Grayne in their Barnes and Garners in the morning had not within fiue houres space afterwardes so much as one Grayne to make them bread withall Neither had they so much left as a locke of Hay or Straw to fede their cattell which were left Such was the great misery they susteyned by the fury of this watry Element from which like good Lord I beséech him of his infinite mercy and goodnes to deliuer vs all The names of some of the Townes and Villages which suffered great harmes and losses hereby were these Viz. Bristoll and Aust this Aust is a village or town some 8 miles distant from Bristoll vpon the Seauerne side where all people are Ferryed
ouer that come out of Wales into those partes of Gloucester and Sommersett-shire All the countries along on both the sides of the Riuer of Seauerne from Gloucester to Bristoll which is about some 20. miles was all ouerflowne in some places 6. miles ouer in some places more in some lesse Moreouer all or the most parte of the Bridges betwéene Gloucester and Bristoll were all forcibly carted away with the Waters besides many goodly buildings there abouts much defaced and many of them carryed quite away besides many other great losses of al kinde of Corne and Grayne and cattle that were then lost At Aust many passengers that are Ferryed ouer there now are faine to be guided by guides all along the Causies where the water still remayneth for the space of 3 or 4 myles or else they wil be in great daunger of Drowning the Water lyeth as yet so déepe there Many dead Carkasses both there and in many other places of the country are dayly found floating vpon the Waters and as yet cannot be knowne who they are or what number of persons are drowned by reason of the same Waters which as yet in many places remaine very déepe so great was the spoyle that thiefe mercilesse Elementes there wrought and made In Bristoll was much harme done by the ouerflowing of the Waters but not so much as in other places many Cellars and Ware-houses where great store of Marchandize was in as Wine Salt hope Spices and other such like Ware were all spoyled And the people of the Towne were inforced to be carried in Boates vp and downe the said Cittie about their busines in the Fayre time there Vpon the other side of the Riuer of Seauerne towardes a Towne called Chepstow vpon the lower groundes was much harme done by the vyolence of the Water There was in Chepstow a woman drown'd in her bed and also a Gyrle by the like misfortune Also all along the same coastes do to Gold-clyft Matherne Callicot-Moores Redrift Newport Cardiffe Cowbridge Swansey Laugherne Llanstephan and diuers other places of Glamorgan-shire Munmoth-shire Carmarthen-shire and Cardigan-shire many great harmes were there done and the Waters raged so furiously and with such great vehemencie that it is supposed that in those partes there cannot be so fewe persons drowned as 500. both Men Women and Children besides the losse of aboundance of all kinde of Corne and Graine together with their Hay and other prouision which they had made for their Cattle Moreouer there were in the places afore mentioned many thousandes of Cattle which were feeding in the lowe Valeyes drown'd and ouerwhelmed with the violence of the furious Waters as Oxen Kine young Beastes Horses Sheeps Swine and such like the number is deemed infinit yea and not so much as Turkies Hens Geese Duckes and other Poultry about their houses could once escape away the Waues of the Sea so ouerwhelmed them And that which is more straunge There are not now found onely floating vpon the waters still remaining the dead Carkasses of many men women and children But also an aboundance of all kinde of wilde Beastes as Foxes Hares Conyes Rats Moules and such like some of them swimming one vpon an others backe thinking to haue saued themselues thereby but all was in vaine such was the force of the waters that ouer-pressed them In a place in Munmoth-shire there was a maide went to milke her Kine in the morning but before she had fully ended her busines the vehemencie of the waters increased and so suddenly enuironed her about that she could not escape thence but was enforced to make shift vp to the top of an high Banke to saue her selfe which she did with much adoe where she was constrained to abide all that day and night vntill 8 of the clocke in the next morning in great distresse what with the coldnes of the ayre and waters and what with other Accidents that there hapned vnto her she had bin like there to haue perished had not the Almightie God of his infinit mercy and goodnes preserued her from such great perills and daungers which were likely there to ensue vnto her But there placing her selfe for saueguard of her life as aforesaid hauing none other refuge to fly vnto the Waters in such violent sort had so pursued her that there was but a small distance of ground left vncouered with Waters for her to abide vpon There she remayned most pittyfully lamenting the great daunger of life that she was then in expecting euery minute of an houre to be ouerwhelmed with those mercylesse Waters But the Almighty God who is the Creator of all good things when he thought méete sent his holy Angell to commaund the Waters to cease their fury and to returne into their accustomed bounds againe wherby according to his most blessed will and pleasure she was then preserued In the meane space during the continuance of her abode there diuers of her friends practised all the means they could to recouer her but could not the Waters were of such a déepenes about her and Boates they had none in all those partes to succour her such was their want in this distresse that many perished through the want thereof There was a Gentleman of worth dwelling néere vnto the place where she was who caused a goodly Gelding to be sadled and set a man vpon the backe of him thinking to haue fetcht her away but such were the déepenes of the waters that he durst not aduenture the same retyred At last some of his friends deuised a deuise and tyed two broad troughes the one to the other such as in those countreys they vse to salt Bacon in and put therin two lustie strong men who with long Powles stirring these troughes as if they had bin Boates made great shift to come to her and so by this meanes through Gods good helpe she was then saued But now gentle Reader marke what befell at this time of the strangenes of other creatures whom the Waters had violently oppressed for the two men which tooke vpon them to fetch away the Maide from the top of the Banke can truely witnesse the same as well as her selfe to be true for they beheld the same with their Eyes The Hill or Banke where the Maide abode all that space was all so couered ouer with wilde Beastes and Vormin that came thither to séeke for succour that she had much adoe to saue her selfe from taking of hurt by them and much a-doe she had to kéepe them from créeping vpon and about her she was not so much in daunger of the Water on the one side as she was troubled with these Vermin on the other side The Beastes and Vermin that were there were these Viz Dogs Cats Moules Foxes Hares Conyes yea and not so much as Mice and Rats but were there in abundance and that which is more straunge The one of them neuer once offred to annoy the other although they were deadly enemies by Nature the one to
another Yet in this daunger of life they not once offred to expresse their naturall enuie But in a gentle sort they fréely inioyed the libertie of life which in mine opinion was a most wonderfull worke in Nature But now let vs leaue this matter touching this Maide besides the other accidentes before rehearsed and let vs returne againe to these watry miseries The counties of Glamorgan Carmarthen and Cardigan and many other places in South-wales haue likewise borne the heauy burden of Gods wrath herein And many were the liues of them that were lost through this watery Destruction Many there were which fled into the tops of high trées and there were inforced to abide some thrée daies some more and some lesse without any victuals at all there suffring much colde besides many other calamities and some of them in such sort that through ouermuch hunger and colde some of them fell downe againe out of the Trées and so were like to perish for want of succour Other some sate in the tops of high Trées as aforesaid beholding their wiues children and seruants swimming remediles of all succour in the Waters Other some sitting in the tops of Trees might beholde their houses ouerflowne with the Waters some their houses caryed quite away and no signe or token left there of them Many of them might sée as they stood vpon the tops of high Hilles their Cattle perish and could not tell how to succour them and their Barnes with all their store of Corne and Graine quite consumed which was no small griefe vnto them Many people and Cattle in diuers places of those Cuntreys might haue béene saued in time if that the cuntreys had beene any thing like furnished with botes or other prouision fit for such a sudden Accident as this was which as God himselfe knoweth was little expected of them to haue fallen so suddenly vpon them But séeing the cuntreys were so vnfurnished with Boates much harme was done to the vtter vndooing of many thousandes Some fled into the tops of Churches and Stéeples to saue themselues from whence they might beholde themselues depriued aswell of all their substance as also of al their ioys which they had before receiued in their wiues and Children Also whole Reekes of Pease Beanes Oates and other graine were seene a far of to float vpon the Water too and fro in the Countreys as if they had bin ships vpon the Seas The Foundations of many Churches and houses were in a manner decayed and some caryed quite away as in Cardiffe in the county of Glamorgan there was a great part of the Church next the Water side eaten downe with the Water many houses and Gardens there which were neere the water side were all ouerflowen and much harme done Diuers other Churches lie hidden in the Waters and some of them the tops are to be seene and other some nothing at all to be séene but the very tops of the Steeples and of some of them nothing at all neyther steeple nor nothing else Also many schooles of young schollers in many places of those cuntreys stood in great perplexitie some of them aduenturing home to their parents were drowned by the way Other some staying behinde in in Churches did climbe vp to the tops of Steeples where they were very néere starved to death for want of seede and fire many by the help of boards and plankes of Wood swam to dry land and so were preserued from vntimely Death Many had Boates brought them some 10 miles some 15 some 20. where there was neuer seene any Boates before Thus God suffred many of them to escape his yrefull wrath in hope of their amendment of life Some men that were riding on the high wayes were ouertaken with these mercilesse Waters and were drowned And againe many haue bin most strangely preserued As for example there was in the Countie of Glamorgan a man both blind and bedriden and one which had not bin able to stand vpon his legs in ten yeares before he had his poore cottage broken downe by the force of the Waters and himselfe Bed and all caryed into the open fields where being readie to sinke and at the point to séeke a resting place two fathoms déepe vnder the Waters his hand by chaunce catcht holde of the Ratter of an house swimming by the fiercenesse of the Windes then blowing Easternely he was driuen safely to the Land and so escaped Also in an other place there was a man Child of the age of 5. or 6. yeares which was kept swimming for the space of two houres aboue the Waters by reason that his long Coates lay spread vpon the tops of the waters and beeing at last at the very poynt to sinke there came by chaunce by floating vpon the tops of the Waters a fat Weather that was dead very full of Wooll The poore distressed Child perceiuing this good meanes of recouerie caught fast hold on the Wethers Wool and likewise with the winde he was driuen to dry land and so saued There was also in the County of Carmarthen a young Woman who had foure small Children and not one of them able to helpe it selfe And the Mother then seeing the furyes of the Waters to be so violent to ceaze vpon her threatning the Destruction of her selfe and her small Children and as a Womans wit is euer ready in extreamities she tooke along Trough wherein she was wont to make her bread in and therein placed her selfe and her foure Children And so putting themselues to the mercies of the Waters they were all by that meanes driuen to the dry land and by Gods good prouidence thereby they were all saued Many more there were that through the handy-workes of God were preserued from this violent death of Drowning some on the backes of dead Cattle some vpon Woodden plankes Some by clyming of Trées Some by remaining in the tops of high Stéeples and Churches other some by making of speede away with swift horses and some by the meanes of Boates sent out by their friendes to succour them but there were not so many so straungely saued but there were as many in number as straungely drown'd The lowe Marshes and Feany groundes néere Barstable in the Countie of Deuon were ouerflowne so farre out and in such outragious sort that the cuntrey all along to Bridge-water was greatly distressed thereby and much hurt there done it is a most pitiful fight to beholde what numbers of fat Oxen were there Drowned what flockes of Shéepe what heardes of Kin◠haue there bin lost and Drowned in these outragious Waters there is little now remaining there to be séene but huge Waters like to the maine Ocean The tops of Churches and Stéeples like to the tops of Rockes in the Sea Great Réekes of fodder for cattle are floating like Ships vpon the Waters and dead Beastes swimming thereon Now past feeding on the same through the rigour of this Element of Water The tops of Trées a man may beholde remayning aboue the Waters Vppon whete Braunches multitudes of all kinde of Turkies Hens and other such like Poultry were faine to fly vp into the Trées to saue their liues where many of them perished to death for want of reliefe not béeing able to fly to dry land for succour by reason of their weakenes This mercylesse Water breaking into the bosome of the firme Land hath proued a fearefull punishment as well to all other liuing Creatures as also to all Mankinde Which if it had not binne for the mercyfull promise of God at the last dissolution of the World by Water by the signe of the Rainebowe which is still shewed vs wee might haue verily beleeued this time had bin the very houre of Christ his comming From which Element of VVater extended towardes vs in this fearefull manner good Lord deliuer vs all Amen FINIS By William Iones of Vske Gent.