hollowed be Thy kingdome come done be thy will As well on earth as ti 's in heauen still Giue vs this day our daily bread With which our bodies and soules are fedde Forgiue vs our trespasse euery way As we forgiue them that seeke our decay And lead vs not into temptation But for Christs sake our onely saluation Deliuer vs from euils all That makes vs from thy fauour fall For kingdom glory and al is thine For euer and euer by powr diuine The Creede I Beleeue in God the Father of all might Made heauen and earth sent darkenes and light And in Iesus Christ his sonne and our Lord Conceiued by the holy Ghost as scriptures doe record Of the virgine Mary this babe was borne To redeeme man that else had beene forlorne Suffred vnder Ponce Pilate crucified and layd in graue Descended into hell the elect soules to saue Rose the third day such hope I haue Was seene aliue here ascended into heauen than Sits on Gods right hand a mediatour for man From thence shall he come to iudge both quicke and dead Amyd the cloudes to shew his great Godhead I beleeue in the infinite holy Ghost The Catholike Church that honors God most The communion of Saintes the forgiuenes of sinnes The resurrection of the body where gladnes begins And in the life euerlasting I trust To rise at the last day with Iob out of dust The ten Commandements GOd spake these words the Lord thy God I am That brought thee home when thou from Egypt came I set thee free from bondage euery way Because thou shalt my holy will obay Thou shalt not haue any other Gods but me Thou shalt not serue strange Gods in any degree Vnto thy selfe no grauen image make Like any thing that is in heauen aboue Nor earth belowe thy pleasure so to take Nor vnderneath the earth my wrath to mooue Nor worship them by any kind of meane For I thy God loues people pure and cleane Thou shalt not bowe downe to any image wrought Thy onely Lord a iealous God he is That plagues the sinnes of people vaine and nought Yea to the third and fourth generation note well this I visite the Sonnes and Fathers of them all That doe hate me or to idolatry fall And mercies shewes to thousands when I will That loues me and keepes my commandements still Thou shalt not take thy great Gods name in vaine He gilty is that will mine honour staine The sabboth day looke that thou keepe in feare Sixe dayes thou hast to worke to trudge and toyle The seuenth is the Sabboth euery where Than thou shalt not thy hands with labour foyle Thou and thy sonne thy daughter mayd and man That serueth thee shall doe no labour than Thy cattell and the stranger in thy gate Shall doe no worke that day early nor late For in sixe dayes thy Lord that all hath blest Made heauen and earth and in the seuenth did rest Thou shalt honour thy father and mother well That long aliue on earth safe thou maist dwell Thou shalt not kill for bloud craues bloud or vengeance still Thou shalt not breake true wedlockes band no way That knot and staffe is an honourable stay Thou shalt not steale for theeues robe Prince and common weale Thou shalt not beare false witnes in any sorte For that may take from iustice good report Thou shalt not wish thy neighbors house nor wife His man seruant nor mayden for thy life His Oxe his Asse nor nothing that is his Liue with thine owne as the Lords pleasure is Verses fitte for euery one to knowe and confesse TO bed I goe from you God knowes when I shall rise Nights darknes bids the day adue till morning glads the skies The bed presents the graue in shrowding sheetes we lie The flattring boulster that we haue is stuft to please the eye The blankets are greene grasse that growes when we are gone The pillowes with sun beames do passe for pilgrimes to looke on The couerlet is care that clothes vs whilst we liue The bed staues gentill scourges are that doth vs warnings giue The bedstocke and the tycke and all belongs to bed Is but vaine pleasures that we like to please a wanton head Sleepe is of death the shape to shewe mans substance small As earth doth for the body gape so death will haue vs all Then liue as thou shouldst die when God shall please to stricke The graue wherein our bodies lie and bed are both alike But sure when sences sleepe from labour toyle and paine The soule for feare doe wayle and weepe till man awake againe Death waites so hard at hand when soundest sleepe we haue That all our state doth doubtfull stand till body be in graue Man shortens his owne dayes and so doth weare and wast By wilfull steps and wicked wayes that cuts of life in hast Sleepe is a steppe to death and time that weares full fast Life waites no longer on the breath then bloud and health doth last When candell waxeth dimme or neere the socket drawes Mans goodly glistring glory trimme declines by kindly cause Then aged syres like me small tarrying haue you heere When faulters shall examind be they buy their folly deere In bed that brings no rest those strange euents we find When roling vp and downe the brest sad thoughts lodes heauy mind The bed breedes dreames and toyes that idell fancie brings More vaine than rash are earthly ioyes that hinders heauenly things The soundest sleepe of all in Abrahams bosome is Heere ioy is mixt with bitter gall and there gall turnes to blisse To bed goe in these bounds as babes in cloutes are layd To rise with Christ when trumpet sounds who hath our ransome paid FINIS
short and vse the pearcing and weighty words of the Gospell we are told of warres earthquakes desolation faintnes of faith and warned if God did not shorten those dayes for the chosens sake the very elect might be dissaued and but a fewe should be saued so many opinions and errours would arise and iniquitie would be so great that it would striue for the victorie and faith would waxe so cold that God and all goodnes should in a maner be forgotten wherefore the maker of heauen and earth reuiues our dead memories with earthquakes and wonders not engendered and produced by naturall causes because that omnipotent Lord doth what he listeth both in the elements and earth compelling them to worke his will as their courses be set by the infallible order and ordinance of his maiestie that doth with his owne workmanship what séemeth best in his sight Now I pray you vnder patience and fauour demaunded shall the little starre lately séene in Iuly last be forgotten as vnfitte to be reckoned or noted for the smalenesse of it among the wonders of the ayre indeede the incredulitie of the world and hardnes of stonie hearted men beléeues as little as they may eyther of the forewarnings of God or diuine preachings of good men who daily in swéetest maner openeth the scriptures vnto vs and shewes familiar examples out of the old Testament and the new that might mooue millions to repentance and frame a fraternall conuersion among the people but thousandes growe so stubborne and stifnecked that they neither will stoupe to consider what is spoken nor bend their mindes to the amendment of life but runs all on head without looking backe into errours and vaine imaginations thinking that wonder or that worthy matter will blowe ouer and stands in feare of nothing no scarce of a terrible blast of thunder that often teares men beastes and trées in pieces and striketh down flat to the ground high towres and stately buildings All these strange accidents rehearsed and ten thousand times as many more fearefull matters if they might be set downe as a spectacle to our sight can neuer change nor alter the common course of our dissolute maners and incredulous mindes A wonder lastes but nine dayes a signe in the ayre is but wondred at an earthquake is called but a common custome of many causes a blazing starre makes people but babble a while a mounster in beast or man brings no great maruels a sommer winter like is but wayed as wicked world pleaseth an vnnaturall wett out of season is named but a foule weather a tempest or blustring stormes is quickly quieted with a calme a dearth of graine and all sustentation of man tries but our patience and seldome brings repentance and the plague of the sworde warre and pestilence is sodainly forgotten so carelesse is our life and so full of incredulitie are our hartes wherefore neither excellent men in a pulpit true writers of good bookes setting out of auncient histories nor shewing of fearefull examples séemes to doe no good neither to the benifite of the body nor blessednesse of the soule Than of necessitie all must be committed to Gods grace and goodnesse whose mercies must vphold vs or else the wonders of the ayre the trembling of the earth and the incredulitie of the world will increase the wrath of the almightie and bring a badde world to confusion Warnings to the world IN the forenoone doctor Rogers being in a matter to the rebuke of some disorders hee sawe sodainly fall a great darkenesse ouer all the Church a cracke of thunder following the darkenes whereby all the people were not onely amazed but likewise stricken downe in a great terrour and trembling and at their fall were marked vnder their clothes with bloudy signes and shewes of Gods wrath most wonderfull to behold because their garments were kept whole and sound at which season and feare some seemed dead and fell so sicke on the sodaine that long after they recouered not yet the preacher not a whit stricken nor none of his folkes hurt notwithstanding as doctor Rogers told me many of the people at that instant present were stricken downe but howsoeuer thinges fell out by Gods visitation and sufferance the mightie maiestie of the Lord was myraculously séene and vnderstoode in this fearefull action The bishop yet most stoutely preached in the after noone when no such wonders were to be noted at that instant but incredulous people cares for no wonders for the like of this was at Bongie a parish church in Northfolke I saw it my selfe and beheld the clocke house belfrie and walls torne in pieces euen as a mans hand had bin thrust through a great péece of warme waxe and another church neighbour to this at the very same season was visited with some signe of Gods displeasure for in some one of them or both were sundry people slaine other churches since that time as Norwich of late and Born in Huntington shire haue witnessed to the world that Gods anger on churches hath often beene marueilously séen which may make many men wonder at the strangnesse thereof namely for that in churches and places of prayer God permits and openly suffers his people to perish and chiefely when they are at seruice where men ought rather to be mindfull of their offences and frailtie of life then beare in breast any motion that may purchase Gods displeasure But some doe iudg and that a great number the vilest sorte that honours no vertue makes or would make the house of prayer a denne of théeues and so foorth as Christ himselfe found fault withall Solomon and no other was ordayned to build the Temple of the Lord and when it was finished Sollomons owne wordes and prayer in that Temple is a most diuine note and wonder to looke vpon honour and admyre wel well I dare say no more but God is marueilous angrie at some matters or men pertayning to the Church when in that holy house he sendeth such myracles and sendeth such warnings I referre the iudgement thereof to graue Fathers and Diuine preachers So bringing to an ende the small matter of this booke that hath treated of Wonders and signes in the ayre Trembling and shaking of the earth and warnings from God sent before the iudgement day which mightie matters because they passe my reach to iudge off and the common skill of men to discusse and deside I leaue vnto the almightie that daily workes wonders sendes warnings shewes myracles and neuer rests from making men knowe his dutie towardes the admiring of him and his workes which the more men write off thinke on or dispute in the more farther they run headlong to heapes of errours follies and vnpardonable offences wherefore auoyding ouer much boldnes and presumption of entering too farre in these causes I conclude and commit all to his mercies FINIS The Lords prayer and creede in verse with the ten Commandements OVr Father which art in persons three Thy mighty name most
THE VVONDERS OF THE AYRE THE TREMBLING OF THE EARTH And the warnings of the world before the Iudgement day VVritten by Thomas Churchyard Esquire seruant to the Queenes Maiestie Imprinted at London by Thomas Dawson 1602. To the right woorshipfull M. D. Sezar master of the requests master of S. Katherns and iudge of the Admiraltie Thomas Churchyard wisheth great worship wisedome and wealth with the fauour of Prince and good people ioyned to such a vertuous life as alwayes waites for heauenly faelicity WHen the light of my life and candell of earthly comfort was almost burnd out good M. Doctor Seazar it was Gods will I should addresse my selfe and suite to our sacred Soueraigne the mighty Caesar of our world who often times poured oyle into my wasting lamp and finding in wants a worthy maister of requests that would not suffer my dimme candell blaze to be blowne out so for my benifit you brake with her Maiestie and brought from her gratious goodnesse the little I liue vpon and am likely to die withall which kind curtesie of yours voyd of all taking of money drew my affection and hart in a manner out of my bowels and my inward spirits to be so farre in your dept that I searched the best of my inuentions to the bottom the shallownes whereof was so great that I found but little of contentment fit to present you withal Than I bethought me of a translation out of Plinie 30. yeres agoe set downe in prose by me Of the wonders of the ayre Trembling of the earth and warnings of the world desirous euery day to publish in print that simple translation of mine but long sicknesse held my good wil so far backe that weake body saw no season to serue my hope In the mean while a great learned doctor called doctor Holland most learnedly with great payne translated all Plinies workes I hearing thereof reioyced much because his torch would blaze so cleere that the blindest sight in the world should thereby see where the sweete kirnell lay when the hard shelled nut was crackt and opened so cunningly So taking his gallant booke as a witnes of my labors though I neuer read one line of his translation I boldly set foorth this worke of mine hoping that you and the wise of the world will accept and iudge as my paines and study may merit in that trust and confidence I present the patronage of these paynes to your consideration and approued wisedome confessing that neuer worke went from me with a greater good will nor lesse flattery God so knowes who increase in you grace and goodnes with worldly worship what your owne hart desires Yours in all that he may at commandment Thomas Churchyard The generall Epistle to the Readers COme gazing world whose restles mind wold see read each thing And mark what wonders wit may find that in this booke I bring Note now howe nature is beguild and God the nature takes Of euery wonder vnder Sunne and thereof triumple makes Come searching heads that finely shifts the grosest bran from flowre Who knows through suttel sleights of world no more thā naturs pour And marke what maruels mighty God with maiestie doth shoe Our simple age and carelesse time where lewde like learned goe Come you that liues like Epicures and likes no world but this And thinks when your bad life is gone there is no other blisse And note another kind of cause that can constraine vs all In prostrate maner humble wise with face on floure to fall Come proudest peacoks in your plumes with ruffling painted robes Come you that lookes when starres will fall staers on goodly globes And veiw how starrs and planets falls and earthly causes too If God when nature is at worst strange things himselfe will doo Come stubborne men that will not stoupe at fearfull signes and shoes Nor care for trembling of the earth which wonders comes and goes By course of nature as some say but therein make a pause Though kind commands amasse of things there is a greater cause That moues the earth shakes the world wel worldlings come see What wonders God hath wrought for men that wise and thankful be And see what warnings God hath sent to those he meanes to stricke Preserues the good wher fauour leads plagues wher growes mislike You stout stifnecked people proud that stands on reasons ground Come heere how farre past reasons earth in learned eares doth sound Make faith a proofe of your hard harts and so let nature guide And you shall see who shootes aright and when your shafts are wide If natures law and reasons rules might run with right away No place were left for God that rules to rule and beare the swaie O wily wits and babling tonges yeeld vp your reasons lore And folllow our great captaines steps that marcheth still before Who leaues them lagging far behind that lookes not after grace And in their owne opinions dwell with bold and shamelesse face Come all the flocke of new found sects that swarmes to much this day And you shall see what glory great Gods goodnes doth bewray Come Deitists and Athists all bring brabling bookes and wordes That you in bitter sorte let fall sometime with iests and bords And see his mighty workes aboue that rules all at his will Who makes earth ayre and waters moue to make men muse on still Come cunning brains whose quick conceits are ripe and in their prime Come read strange things that wonders are bestow therein some time Come souldiers that loues sword fire mark what wars God makes With kings and kingdomes in his ire when he the quarrell takes Come see the fall of mighty men that many battayls won Yet dropt downe headlong now and then as fatall chances run Come you that thinke you sit so fast you can ne slip nor slide And thinke by gesse of wonders past what you may iudge this tide Come hither high aspiring mind that hopes the cloudes to clime And by these warnings heere you find reforme your selues in time Come you that please I say no more my verses so I ende And craue that you with patience read that I with paines haue pend THE Wonders of the ayre The trembling of the earth And the warnings of the world before the iudgement day IN the dangerous dayes and sorrowfull season of Repentance when people ought rather to fal to praier then disputations and the manifest workes of the almightie commands the consciences of men to leaue of friuolous arguments and not to meddle too much with the height or deepe misteries that passeth common capacitie and the reach of weake iudgements It is most necessarie towardes the honouring of God and edifying of good men that preachers should pronounce meekenesse and mercy and writers should perswade probable matter that may drawe busie witts from curious questions and quiet the wauering mindes of those that are carryed away with euerie light wind and wordes full of vanitie
And though I seeme but slenderly learned hauing a good deuotion to doe well bestowe some small talent to Gods great glory I trust those labours shall purchase as good acceptation as the large volumes that are stuffed with darke sentences and pollished with racked reasons but woe is mee that am destitute of knowledge voyde of cunning and vtterly vnfurnished of eloquence that nowe haue thrust my selfe into alaborinth and heere am taking in hand to run a further course then my wonted custome heretofore hath familiarly bin acquainted withall notwithstanding the best is to be hoped if I happe to stumble that the path is plaine I walke in and I presume not to goe farre in mine owne opinion but will be ledde by the grauest authours of truth and most venerable diuines and Philosophers whose words and learning I will alleadge and with whom the Readers must striue and wrastle if they meane to struggle with any peece of the auncient Fathers reports and philosophie And for that in many an infinite number of causes both depending on natures reason and earthly operations Wonders are to be talked off and Earthquakes to be seene I will expresse as well as I may diuers thinges as they were done many hundred yeares agoe and so set foorth such wonderfull matters that happened in those dayes that the people at this present shall make a maruell off and yet therein behold no other thing but the mightie worke of the Lord and maiestie of our maker that is séene shining in his workemanship and gloryed in his creatures First and formost is meant by this discourse to begin at the Wonders of the ayre and alterations of the heauens which waxeth old as a garment and so to come downe orderly to the Trembling of the earth and shaking of the world declared onely in this little treatise to make the ignorant beleeue and acknowledge that there is no other worker of wonders neither heere nor aboue though many thinges are talked off but the power of God and blessed hand of the Lord who was neuer idle but from the beginning of the world hath alwayes bin occupyed either in one place or another by a wonderfull maner both in the heauens and earth to call his children to repentance and to shew himselfe a mercifull Father but there are some stubborne boyes and I feare too great a number of the kind and complexion of king Pharaoh whose heart was indurate and who forgat correction as soone as the rod was taken from his shoulders and plagues from his people now if such complexions and corrupt natures for want of good looking too haue or would infect the sound body and soule of those that are easily tempted and drawne to beléeue little that is true and trust much that is false and full of fayre semblances To these and to none other for the preseruation of their good beliefe and purging of peruerse incredulitie these present paynes are presented partly to shew in what partes these manifold wonders did fall and plainely to explaine what followed immediatly after among those nations where such wonders happened It is found in the Annales that in the yeare when Marcus Acilius and Caius Porcius were Consuls of Rome there was openly to bee seene that from the inferiour region of the ayre did fall in manner of rayne both bloud and milke which as some affirme albeit it was a strange thing to behold befell many times before some great alteration of the people and republicke likewise in the yeere when Lucius Volumnius and Seruius Sulpicius were Consuls of the same city it did rayne perfit flesh the most part whereof was consumed and eaten by the birdes of the ayre and yet the rest that did fall and remayne on the earth did not corrupt of a long season The very yéere before that Marcus Crassus or Rasilicata with his whole armie which were Italian souldiers of the countrey Lucania was ouerthrowne by the Parthes a strong nation that the Romans made warre vpon It rayned iron in the maner of a spunge in the selfe same land where the Souldiers were leuied whereupon their wise men and greate clarkes by their Deuinations declared that the wounds and sores of the heauens were to be feared and that some sort of people were in danger to receiue great hurt from the skies and angry Planets In the yéere that Lucius Paulus and Marcellus were Consuls it did raine wol like spunges about the towne of Carissan or Carino and the next yéere following Titus Annius Milo a great personage was slaine in battell néere the aforesayd towne of Carissan you shall finde in the register of Senats that the same yéere that Milo was slayne in it rayned bricke stones as Milo was pleading a matter in the senate house all which wonders spoken off wayed together perswades no little argument of the warnings and myraculous maner of the elements that foresheweth great matters to come and presageth many things worthy memorie It is sayd and truely to be prooued that before and after the wars that the Zelanders had with the Danes of Denmarke There was to be hard in the ayre oftentimes a certaine sound and clickening of harnesse and the sounde of many trumpets at that present instant was hard in the skyes In the yéere of the third Consulship of Marius the people of Ameria or Amelia and Todi or Tuderdani in the townes of the Dutchie of Spoleto did behold two great armies of men in the skies the one power comming from the leuant and the other from the occident and those that came from the occidentall were put to flight and chased by the other partie after both the armies had a long while béene in combate and there fell out great thinges in the necke of this wonder yea the selfe sam like matter happened in the ayre at Ramberg the yeere 1534. and at Wisenburg the yeere of our Lord 1530. On which strange veiw fell out bloudy wars in Iermanie and other partes both fearefull in proofe and pittifull to beholde The Greeke authors as Plinie sayeth doe affirme that the second yeere of the 78. Olympiade Anaxagoras Calzomenien presaged by his great knowledge and told the proper day and houre when a mightie and monstrous great stone should fall from the heauens which came to passe in the open and playne day in the countrey of Thrace which is along the floud Aegos and in the time of this stone as bigge as a tumbrell fell from the skyes a great commett was seene in the cloudes and this commett endured blazing a long season as did of late a blazing starre when the Queenes Maiestie lay at Windsore not long before the king of Portugall and all his armie a sorrowfull tayle to tel was ouerthrowne in Barbarie by the hard aduenture of fortune and force of the king of Fesse Then was another little stone that Anagoras spoke off long before it fell from the heauens that nowe remaines in the village of Abydo which superstitious people holde in