: wee doo wander and give us mindes mollified and made soft, that at his woorkes we may fear and bee astonished. The occasion that I have wrote this warning, which I would to God I had the grace to followe), was a wonder lately wrought in Norfolke, and so lately wrought, that the terrour of the same is at this instant freshe in memorie. A spectacle, no doubt, of God's judgement, which, as the fire of our iniquities hath kindled, so by none other meanes then by the teares of repentance, it may be quenched. The order of the thing, as I received the same, I have committed to paper, for the present viewe and perusing of those that are disposed. It is grounded uppon trueth, and therefore not only worthie the writing and publishing, but also the hearing and considering." "THE REPORTE OF A STRAUNGE AND WONDERFUL SPECTACLE." "SUNDAY, being the fourthe of this August, in ye yeer of our Lord 1577, to the amazing and singular astonishment of the present beholders, and absent hearers, at a certain towne called BONGAY, not past tenne miles from the citie of NORWICHE, there fell from Heaven an exceeding great and terrible tempeste sode in and violent, between nine of the clock in the morning, and tenne of the day aforesaid. This tempest took beginning with a rain, which fel with a wonderful force, with no lesse violence than abundance which made the storme so muche the more extrem and terrible. This tempest was not simply of rain, but also of lightning, and thunder, the flashing of the one wherof was so rare and vehement, and the roaring noise of the other so forceable and violent, that it made not only people perplexed in minde and at their wits end, but ministered such strange and unaccustomed cause of feare to be conceived, that dumb creatures with ye horrour of that which fortuned, were exceedingly disquieted, and senselesse things void of all life and feeling shook and trembled. Therr werr assembled at the same season, to hear divine service and common prayer, according to order, in the Parish Churche of the said towne of BONGAY, the people thereabouts inhabiting, who were witnesses of the straungenesse, the carenesse, and sodenesse of the storme, consisting of raine violently falling, fearful flashes of lightning, and terrible cracks of thunder, which came with such unwonted force and power, that to the perceiving of the people, at the time and in the place above named, assembled, the Church did as it were quake and stagger, which struck into the harts of those that were present, such a sore and sodain feare, that they were in a manner robbed of their right wits. Immediately herrupon, there appeared in a most horrible similitude and likenesse to the congregation, then and there present, A DOG as they might discerne it, of a BLACK COLOUR; at the sight wherof, together with the fearful flashes of fire then were seene, moved such admiration in the minds of the assemblie, that they thought doomes day was alread'y come. This BLACK DOG, or the Divel in such a likenesse (God hee knoweth all who worketh all) runing all along down the body of the Church with great swiftnesse, and incredible haste, among the people, in a visible forme and shape, passed between two persons, as they were kneeling upon their knees, and occupied in prayer as it seemed, wrung the necks of them bothe at one instant clene backward, insomuche that even in a moment where they kneeled they stra'gely dyed. This is a wonderful example of God's wrath, no doubt to terrifie us, that we might feare him for his justice, or putting back our footsteps from the pathes of sinne, to love him for his mercy. To our matter again. There was at ye same time another WUNDER Wrought: for the same BLACK DOG, still continuing and remaining in one and the self-same shape, passing by an other man of the congregation in the Church, gave him such a gripe in the back, that therewith all he was presently drawen togither and shrunk up, as it were a piece of lether scorched in a hot fire; or at the mouth of a purse or bag, drawen togither with a string, the man, albeit he was in so straunge a taking, dyed not, but as it is thought is yet alive; whiche thing is mervelous in the eyes of men, and offereth muche matter of amasing the minde. Moreover, and beside this, the Clark of the said Church being occupied in cleansing of the gutter of the Church, with a violent clap of thunder was smitten downe, and beside his fall had no further harme: unto whom beeing all amased this straunge shape, whereof we have before spoken, appeared, howbeit he escaped without daunger; which might peradventure seem to sound against trueth, and to be a thing incredible; but, let us leave thus or thus to judge, and cry out with the Prophet, O Domine, &c., O Lord, how wonderful art thou in thy woorks. At the time that these things in this order happened, the Rector, or Curate of the Church, beeing partaker of the peoples perplexitie, seeing what was seen, and done, comforted the people, and exhorted them to prayer, whose counsell, in such extreme distresse they followed, and prayed to God as they were assembled togither. Now for the verifying of this report (which to so'e will seem absurd, although the sensibleness of the thing itself confirmeth it to be a truth,) as testimonies and witnesses of the force which rested in this straunge-shaped thing, there are remaining in the stones of the Church, and likewise in the Church dore which are mervelously re'ten and torne, ye marks as it were of his clawes or talans. Beside, that all the wires, the wheeles, and other things belonging to the clock, were wrung in sunder and broken in peces. And (which I should have tolde you in the beginning of this report, if I had regarded the observing of order) at the time that this tempest lasted, and while these stormes endured, ye whole church was so darkned, yea with such a palpable darknesse, that one persone could not perceive another, neither yet might discern any light at all though it were lesser the least, but onely when ye great flashing of fire and lightning appeared. These things are not lightly with silence to be over passed, but precisely and throughly to be considered. On the self same day, in like manner, into the parish church of another Towne called BLIBERG, not above seven miles distant from Bongay above said, the like THING entred, in the same shape and similitude, where, placing himself upon a main balke or beam, whereon some ye Rood did stand, sodainly he gave a swinge downe through ye church, and there also, as before, slew two men and a lad and burned the hand of another person that was there among the rest of the companie, of whom divers were blasted. This mischief thus wrought, he flew with wonderful force to no little feare of the assembly, out of the church in a hideous and hellish darkness. These things are reported to be true, yea, by the mouthes of them that were eye witnesses of the same, and therefore with so much the more boldnesse verifie whatsoevr is reported. Let us pray unto God, as it is the dutie of christians, to woork all things to the best, to turne our flintie harts into fleshlie harts that we may feele the fire of God's mercy, and flee from the scourge of his justice. A NECESSARY PRAYER.-O God, which hast promised to be a shield to such as flee to thee for succoure in their necessities, and wth thy wings to over shadow they that they feele not the schorching heat of afflictions and miseries: wee beseeche thee, that although wee, through the infinite and unmeasurable sinnes whiche we commit, provide thee to smite us with the iron rod of thy wrath and judgement; yet that it would please thee to remember that we are but fraile flesh, subjec to sinne, and too prone to offend; that it would please thee to cast thy gratious countenance uppon us, and to stretch out thy silvered sceptre of peace unto us, that beeing restored into thy favoure, from which our offeces have separated us, we may shroud ourselves under the shield of thy safe-garde agaist all maner of annoyances, whatsoever, through Christ our Jesus onely Saviour and |