Selected quad for the lemma: woman_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
woman_n	child_n	conceive_v	womb_n	1,568	5	9.6606	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12308	A certaine relation of the hog-faced gentlewoman called Mistris Tannakin Skinker, who was borne at Wirkham a neuter towne betweene the Emperour and the Hollander, scituate on the river Rhyne Who was bewitched in her mothers wombe in the yeare 1618. and hath lived ever since unknowne in this kind to any, but her parents and a few other neighbours. And can never recover her true shape, tell she be married, &c. Also relating the cause, as it is since conceived, how her mother came so bewitched.		1640 (1640)	STC 22627; ESTC S117439	10,388	18

yeere Monsters have been borne within these few yeeres in Virginia New England and other Colonies of our own Plantation of which it is now too long to insist And the like prodigious is now that a Gentleman of quality within these moneth died who being opened in his heart was found a worme in the forme of a Serpent which stretched out was found to be sixteene inches long But if we shall be any way jealous of the trruth of reverent Antiquity let us but looke backe upon our selves I will give unto you a few instances for many not to speake of those which have preposterously come into the world with their Feet forward and born with Teeth in their head as Richard the Third of that name King of England and others Twin Children have beene borne amongst us with two heads and bodies from the Gird lested upward and but two legs and feet to support them both and when one of them dyed the other survived but not many houres after A Scotch childe about two yeeres since was to bee seen in Barthlomew Faire a Girle about the age of seven yeeres who was so hairy hands armes face and body that you would have thought Orson to have bin her Father and some she Beare her mother yet had she her speech sences and all other deportments of a child of her age who had bin well educated and instructed But to leave all digression and come to the purpose now in hand I will onely remember unto you a very handsome young man late if not now in Towne whose picture hath bin publickely set out to the common view and himselfe to bee seene for money who from one of his sides hath a twin brother growing which was borne with him and living still though having sence and feeling yet destitute of reason and understanding whence me thinkes a disputable question might arise whether as they have distinct lives so they are possessed of two soules or have but one imparted betwixt them both but of this let the Philosophers or rather the Divines argue and Define being I must ingeniously confesse an Argument much above my element This prodigious birth though it was knowne to some few yet was it not made popular spoken of by all which the Father and mother for their owne reputations and credits were very carefull to maintaine so that it was never seene by any being an infant bare-fac'd but vaild and covered and so brought up in a private Chamber both fed and taught by the Parents onely and her deformity scarce knowne to any of the Servants and as the daughter grew in stature so the Father also increased with wealth so that he was accounted to be one of the richest men in all that Country Now how she came to be borne with such deformity there be divers and sundry conjectures but if we may Judge the cause by the effect and of the preceedent by the subsequent most probable it is that it came by Witchcraft And that there be such we have manifest proofe for in Skedam in Holland there is scarce a man or woman but they are either Magi or Sagae that is men or women witches but for the last wee neede no further witnesse then that of the Lancashiere witches some few yeares since of which I make no doubt but this whole City hath taken especiall notice of c. Now whether Witches have power to effascinate an inant in the wombe of the mother may be a question of which after some illustrations by knowne examples without any tedious Deviation I hope to gaine the Reader ample satisfaction History tells us that the Witch Circe the daughter of Sol and the Nimphe Persae who dwelt not farre from Caietu a City of Campania by her sorcerous Spells and Incantations changed divers of Vlisses his companions into Swine if she had such power over the whole no wonder then if a Witch in these dayes by the helpe of her Father the Divell cannot disguise the face which is but a part It hath beene knowne also in our knowne Country when a Gentlewoman of good discent and quality hath brought an infant into the World with a live Snake wrapt about the necke and body in memory of which that Noble Family in the emblazon of their Armes give the Snake ever unto this day which accident is quite against nature and therefore can be conferr'd upon nothing but Diabolicall Sorcery and Witchcraft I could tell you of the like prodigious things done by Medea Micale Erecto Magun Dipsas Aeriphala Locusta Guthurna Canidia Neopolitana Sagana Vera Folia and infinite others but though I study brevity give mee leave to give thee this short Character Their power is by the permission of the higher powers and instigated by the malice of the Divells to transhape men into beasts make barren fields blast Corne unfructify Trees parch and wither Grasse and Hearbes bring scabs and diseases upon men and murraine and rot upon Heards and Flockes effascinate the eyes weaken the hands benumbe the feete c. Now to prove that this Child was bewitched in the wombe there be these pregnant reasons following It is credibly reported that this Burgers wife having conceived an old woman suspected for a Witch came to begge of her an Almes but she being at the busied about some necessary affaires gave her a short and neglectfull answer at which she went away muttering to her selfe the Divells pater noster and was heard to say As the Mother is Hoggish so Swinish shall be the Child shee goeth withall which is a great probability that the infants deformity came by the malitious Spells and divelish murmurations of this wicked woman who after for the like or worse practises both upon men women and children whom shee had bewitched unto death being brought within the compasse of the Law and after to suffer at the stake amongst many other things confessed as much as I have before related yet either out of her perverse obstinacy would not or else the Divell forsaking her in extreamity as he doth all his other servants in her deficiency of power could not uncharme her yet by this means that which was before kept so private was now publickly discovered to the World insomuch that much confluence of people came to see the progedy which wearied the Father and cast a blush upon the cheekes of the good woman the mother some desirous to heare her speake whose language was onely the Dutch Hoggish Houghs and the Piggs French Owee Owee for other words she was not able to utter which bred in some pitty in others laughter according to their severall dispositions Others were importunate to see her feede then milke and the like was brought unto her in a silver Trough to which she stooped and eate just as a Swine doth in his swilling Tub which the more mirth it bred in the Spectators increased in the Parents the more melancholy insomuch that he bethought himselfe to finde out some meanes if it were

A certaine Relation of the Hog-faced Gentlewoman called Mistris Tannakin Skinker who was borne at Wirkham a Neuter Towne betweene the Emperour and the Hollander scituate on the river Rhyne Who was bewitched in her mothers wombe in the yeare 1618. and hath lived ever since unknowne in this kind to any but her Parents and a few other neighbours And can never recover her true shape tell she be married c. Also relating the cause as it is since conceived how her mother came so bewitched Ouch God save you sweet mistris London Printed by I. O. and are to be sold by F. Grove at his shop on Snow-hil neare St. Sepulchers Church 1640. A certaine Relation of the Hogs-face Gentlewoman called Tannakin Skinker who was borne at Wirkham a neuter Towne betweene the Emperour and the Hollander PRodigies have bin in many or the most times and prodigious births almost in all ages For the first the best Authors affirme that when the Tarquins were banisht Rome a Serpent was heard to barke and a Dogge to speake and that in the second punick Warre an Oxe pronounced these words Cave tibi Roma Three Suns were seene at once when Spurius Posthumus and Quintus Nimutius were Consulls and three Moones when Curius Dometius and Lucius Aneus bore the like Authority Milke and blood Wooll and peeces of Flesh have dropt from the Clouds upon the earth in severall showers burning Shields have bin seene in the ayre shattering fire from the setting of the Sun to the breake of day with a noise of the clashing of armour and the sound of Trumpets and other Military instruments c. And in the Mutinensian Fields two great Mountaines removed the one towards the other and fought a terrible combate fire and smoake being seeing to issue from either in whose meeting all the neighbour and adjacent Villages were not onely shaken but utterly demolisht and all the Animals both men and beasts within many furlongs of that prodigious conflict were exeminated and slaine Infinite almost are the Histories of the like presidents which for brevities sake I omit let therefore these few suffice for many I come now to prodigious Births of which this woman now in agitation is the sole Argument and that it may appeare the more probable to any that shall call the truth thereof in question I shall intreate such but to looke backe into the Histories of the times past Herodatus and divers Authors have left recorded that when Xerxes first prepared his Invincible Army to invade Greece a Mare instead of a Colt brought forth an Hare which was a presage of his flight and base defeate In the yeare of Grace one thousand foure hundred fifty sixe Calixtus the third then being Pope a Cow brought forth a Calfe with two heads and bodies incorporate in one and in the Isle of Cous in Greece an Ewe of the flocke of one Nicippus an Heardsman eaned a Lion which was as a prediction that he should attaine to the Soveraignty thereof which accordingly hapned neither neede wee much to question these when our owne Native soyle and these our Moderne times have produc'd the like brutish monsters publickly to be seene in all parts of the City and Suburbes c. But I come now to humane Births beginning with those forraigne and ending with the domesticke about the beginning of the Marsick Warre one Alcippe a woman of especiall note at the time of her childing was delivered of an Elephant and another whose name is not left unto us of a Serpent In Thessaly one was brought to bed of an infant which had the shape of an Hypocentaure and expired the same day that it received breath And in the yeare that Haniball beseiged and utterly subverted Sagunthus a woman of the same City brought forth a Son which was no sooner borne but voluntarily and of its owne accord crept backe into the mothers wombe Albertus Magnus writes of a woman in Germany who brought into the world from her owne body fifty sonnes five at a birth but not any of them lived to be three quarters of a yeere old And Avicen telleth us of another who was delivered of two and twenty abortive Children at severall times of all which not one of them breathe one vitall Aire I fall now immediatly upon the party before propounded In a place in Holland called Wirkham being a neuter Towne as lying betwixt Holland and those parts belonging to the Empire on the River Rhine lived on Ioachim Skinker whose wife name was Parnel a man of good revenue but of a great estate in money and cattle these two having very lovingly lived together without any issue to succeed them in their goods and inheritance it being no small griefe unto them that either strangers or some of their owne ungrateful Kindred should after death enjoy those meanes for which they had so laboriously travail'd when they were in their greatest despaire it hapned thus she found her selfe conceived with childe which was a greater joy and comfort to her and her husband But whether they were unthankful for such an unexpected blessing or what other thing was the cause I am not able to determine but so it hapned that in the yeere 1618 she was safely delivered of a Daughter all the limbes and lineaments of her body well featur'd and proportioned only her face which is the ornament and beauty of all the rest had the Nose of a Hog or Swine which was not only a stain and blemish but a deformed uglinesse making all the rest lothsome contemptible and odious to all that lookt upon her in her infancie If the joy of the parents was great in the hope of a Childe how much greater may wee conjecture their sorrowes were to be the parents of such a monster but considering with themselves what Heavens would have they had not power to hinder and studying as farre as in them lay to conceale their shame they so farre mediated with the Mid wife and the other women that were present at the delivery that they should keepe it as close and secret as it was possible to doe and they called the name of it Tannakin which is as much in English as Anne or Hann●h This prodigle Ravisius Textor also remembreth us of a female Monster called Marin who from the navill upward had the effigies of a faire and beautifull woman but from thence downward had the true shape of a well proportioned Mare with foure feet a taile and every limbe and member corresponding to an Equinall figure who lived an hundred 23 yeeres In the Bishopricke of Colen a woman some thinke a Witches Curse some otherwise brought forth into the World at one birth one hundred threescore and five children all which though they were of wondrous small stature yet they were borne with life and christned and a monument remaynes for them to this day her prayer or curse being that shee might have as many children at one birth as there were dayes in the