great countrey where now is the Sea Atlantique and in the Sea Mediterranie a marueilous deale of land is sunke and couered with water yea to the very gulfe of Ambracia which is in Acarnanie which commeth out of Corinth the same hauing one member or legge vpon Gréece and how many countries in Europe Azia and other partes are destroyed by the Sea and originall cause of earthquakes I hope now néedeth not to make particular report off albeit some notorious thinges may be by the sufferance of learned men that readeth touched and somewhat treated off vnder fauour as farre as serueth to my purpose There was an earthquake in the Emperour Tiberius time so wonderfull that it ouerthrewe twelue townes in Asia all in one night and during the warres of Carthage it was reported to the Senate of Rome that within one yéere was seauen and thirtie earthquakes but now behold what followed the very selfe same season Hanniball discomfited the Romans néere the lake of Perouse and yet neither of both the armies which was a most maruell hard nor felt no péece of the earthquakes albeit the earth trembled so often as it was to bee supposed that the whole world would haue sodainly béene ouerwhelmed Thus you see the earth which is the mother of mankind though she séemes sencelesse is mooued by the almightie to tremble and shake when man is toward destruction and commonly no bloudy battayls haue happened but an earthquake or commet went before the one to make man looke vpward to the heauens where he desires to dwell and the other to warne him and plainely shew him he must fall to the earth and ashes from whence all flesh did rise and tooke his originall and surely it is a manifest signe of Gods fauour when that both heauen and earth and all other thinges wee can beholde are occupyed and working away by some misterie to call vs to repentance and make the pilgrime prepare himselfe to be gon from the vaile of miserie and miserable dungeon of disquietnes but now I pray you regard what Plinie sayeth he being but an infidell in respect of a Christian nowe truely sayth he The trembling of the earth neuer is the cause of one euil alone nor all the danger is not onely in the trembling for it alwayes presageth some mishappe and Des aster to come and likewise saith he there was neuer séene earthquake in the citie of Rome but some great mischance fell out suddenly after if an infidell beleeued so and hath set downe his opinion in print for an infallible rule and ground to builde vpon me thinke Christians should confesse without any difficultie that the naturall cause of earthquakes is a supernaturall matter which neither agitations nor exalations can command by their force to mooue so great a masse of earth as an earthquake shaketh though Aristotle and sundry others makes a great argument on the like purpose If all earthquakes commetts in the ayre signes and wonders in the skyes and many other notorious maruells rise on a naturall cause it may be asked who sent the starre to be séene at Christs birth and who caused the whole world to shake at his death if nature by the course of her operation worketh such wonders then belike that fearefull earthquake had happened though Christ had not dyed and at the same houre and instant though Christ had not suffered for man the earthquake would not haue fayled the ordinarie season and working that springs on exalations agitations and such like matter Aristotle for all his superexcellent learning knew no more then pertayned to the iudgement of a man and though all the déepe wise men of the world and the world it selfe were possest with his bookes and arguments it passeth all reason to beleeue that the earth can shake and the whole world trembling without his will and pleasure that made the day and night and knoweth all thinges before they come to passe and is both the mouer and maker of heauen and earth And surely I beléeue that neither all the Diuels in hell nor all the Angels in heauen nor all the coniurers and sorcerers in the world haue no power of themselues to turne vp side downe a little mountaine much lesse haue they power to turne mightie kingdomes into the Seas and make the maine Sea dry land no doubt but the winds waters ayre fire and earth working together haue an excellent force and nature to woorke their effects and bring to passe thinges both marueilous and past mans cunning to compasse but to shewe armies and battayls in the skies commetts in the cloudes force the heauens to rayne bloud compell the heauie molde to remooue and shake the vniuersall world is a diuiner matter to speake off and deserueth in a most high manner to bee handled and more reuerenced regarded and feared when it happeneth For such strange sights are the very messengers that the great iudge sendeth before his comming and the only warnings the world in the latter dayes shall haue before this olde earth shall be consumed and new Ierusalem shall be made nature can not of her selfe make sweete apels sowre sowre apels sweete change and exchange the naturall kind of trées or other fruite as in Lyche was seene a towne of Surrie at the ariuing of king Xerxes in those partes read Aristander and the commentaries of Caius Epidius and they will shew you thinges to be wondred at of trées if it be true that they affirme they say trees did speake which nature denies and reason can not conceiue but trées stones and all other sencelesse thinges God may make speake aswell as he made Balams Asse reprooue his owne maister and the Oxe in Rame cry Roma caue tibi Plinie in his naturals sayth that it was reported of the Romains that in the territorie of Cuma a cittie of Ionie a great and a high tree did sincke so lowe into the earth that nothing but a fewe small sprayes on the very toppe thereof was to be seene but what thinke you followed after marry many mischiefes terrible bloudshedde wicked conspiracies and open dissentions for the ciuill war betweene Pompeie and Iulius Caesar began at that present and ended not God knowes a long while after the Romaines to knowe what the sincking of that tree did signifie did looke in their bookes of deuinations and their they found that this wonder presaged a matter of greate consequence threatned the slaughter of multitudes of men What néedes nowe to search or rehearse prophane histories for the weight and worthinesse of a true argument touching earthquakes wonders in the ayre and warnings of the world that manifestly setteth foorth the myraculous doings and maiestie of the almighty for you néede not to goe any further for a ready resolution of these poyntes but to the holy scripture which plainely declares that in the latter dayes you should see signes in the ayre wonders in the world the starres fall from heauen the Sunne and Moone loose their light and to be
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
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
the Gauls in which battell was slayne fiue thousand knights called noble souldiers and Amylkar the Duke of Penoyes and with him three noble Emperors of the Gaulles were put to the sword with a thirtie and fiue thousand poore Souldiers Ye shall reade in the 4. chapter of the second decaed that as Titus Quincius was going to leauie an armie of noble Souldiers that had beene in Spaine and Affricke one brought him newes that by a thunder or miraculous working of the elements the high way where he should goe was broken and torne in peices and both the temple of Ioue and Hercules were set on fire and at Aretto the ground for the length of a great distance was opened and therein was made a deepe caue to the wonder of a great number of people And at Assnesse there was a calfe séene with two heades and a pigge with foure tayles after which sights prayer and supplications was made to their gods a whole day long without ceasing and yet great warres and troubels began to be set abroch in many kingdoms these wonders going before al these hurly burlies the fourth decaed the 12. chapter in the Consull of Domycius time there was an Oxe that spake and sayd in latine Roma caue tibi after which wordes pronounced the Oxe was diligently kept and so the riuer of Tyber arose and did passe the bound so sarre that it ouerthrewe many houses and edifyses and did very great harme diuers wayes and through the aboundance of rayne that fell or other causes that pleased God a great rocke fell and ouerwhelmed a number of poore people and the flouds were so high by the meane of an outragious tempest that they drowned many viilages about Rome vpon the which strang sight or in a small space after thrée of the greatest Emperors of the world dyed most vnhappily and as some authors makes mention those Princes tooke their leaue all in one yéer Philopomenes Scypion and Hanniball was these thrée great personages Now to write what warres troubels seditions and other calamities hapned in many kingdomes after these terrible tokens and prodigious signes it would weary you with the reading thereof and make you but maruell at the mightie workes of God which assuredly comes to passe in euery place by his appointment to shew his power and happens not by the course of the heauens causes of the earth or naturall operations as many of Aristotels disciples affirme and wilfull schoolemen by reasons would prooue for as God is without beginning so his power is without ending and his diuine workes and iudgements are as matters that wee should not breake our witts about and are so farre beyond our reach that we rather stand amazed at veiwe of them then any way satisfyed in the searching or ceasoning of the cause of their beginnings and though at the first God gaue the Elements a nature past all the compasse of mans base knowledge we neither must trust Aristotle nor leane too much to our weakenes and imaginations for the beginning of his Deitie is as easily knowne as the nature of strange visions and signes in the ayre that onely are directed by his omnipotent power Now come we to Earthquakes In the yéere of the Consulship of Lucius Marcius and Sextus Iulius there befell a case so strange at Modenna that the like yet was neuer heard off as Plinie reports he hath found written in the bookes of Hertusques A maruell that mountains meet and among the Toscane Philosophers Then happened so terrible an earthquake that two mountaines met together and shooke so vehemently the one the other separating themselues as a combate were fought and méeting with such furie and noyse that all the countrey adioyning stoode astonied at the matter and when these two mountaines had done their shaking and at the instant of their first remooue there arose such a fume of flaming fire from the earth that it reached to the heauens the which monstrous battayle of mountaynes and wonderfull earthquake in those parts was séene of many Romaine Knights and Souldiers and an infinite number of trauellers of the world than being in the way called Emylius or via emilia who considering that pittifull tragidie of time and other matters that fell out marueiled much and were sore afrayd for indéede all the granges tenements farmes and houses that were one any of these mountaynes fell in small pieces and little morsels so that both beastes in the fielde and people in their dwellings were all vtterly destroyed and cleane ouerthrowne this marueilous chance fell a yéere before the warres of Sociale that was made against the Marses the which warres brought not much lesse domage to Italie than the warres ciuell by which dissention millions of men were slaine or put to shame and miserie and in the chronicle of Neroes rayne is to be found a very prodigious thing for the last yéere of Neroes raâ—â—ing a great ground of Alyue pertayning to Vertius Marcellus procuror generall to the Emperor Nero was transported from his owne proper place with all his trees and set in the common way betwéene the soyle it stoode on and another mans heritage after which matter the tyrant Nero dyed and a great alteration fell in the Empyre by the trembling of the earth as Homer affirmeth waters did flowe where firme land remayned and the Seas did retyre from their wonted course in another place by which meanes a great countrey was discouered before ouer flowed with water as men might sée towardes the mount Siscelo in the fields and néere the hauen of Larta or Ambracia a plot of ground ten long myles from the borders of the Sea that in times past stood drowned and vndiscouered and at Athens likewise the sea is retyred from the hauen that they call Piree about fiue myles of length and at Epheson the Sea did anciently beate against the temple of Diana but now the Sea is a great way reculed from that temple and if the historie of Herodote be true aunciently the waues of the Sea went ouer the citie of Memphys in Egypt running to the mountaynes of Ethiopie and the plaines of Arabie in like sorte the Sea did beate against Illion called Troy and couered all the whole countrey of Tentertanie and all the other fields wher passeth the riuer Meander these proofes and passages sufficiently sheweth that the tremblings of the earth are as much and more to be feared then the cracking of a rotten house or the fall of a mightie castell that stands on féeble proppes and totters at euery blast of winde Further it is sayde in the Isles of Pithecuses by the vehemencie of an earthquake a great towne did sincke and by another earthquake againe a great lake was made in the same Ilands as yet remayning a wonder to the world read the foure and ninth of Plinie and ye shall sée a number of other matters as myraculous as any yet rehearsed The diuine Plato reports that aunciently there was a mightie and a