A TRƲE RELATION of a fearefull and prodigious Earthquake, &c.
OF the naturall causes of Earth-quakes many Philosophers, both ancient and moderne haue written largely and learnedly: and of those latter Writers, the Paire of most learned Germanes, viz. Bartholomew Keckerman and Iohn Magirus, Keckerman de Terrae motu. Magiri Phys: in my judgement (yea, it is the judgement of the learned) haue written best & most profoundly: and therefore it shall suffice me to write but a word for the better vnderstanding of the common reader, as followeth: In the caues and concauities of the Earth [Page] there is some times conceiued and bred, a vaporous Winde, which searching to breake forth, doubtlesse is the first naturall cause of Earthquakes, &c. But our Saviour Christ (TRVTH it selfe,) in the Gospell, vvhen he speaketh of the Signes before the last judgement Day, and better informing vs than all the Philosophers in the world haue done, Luke 21. He tells vs, Wee shall heare of Warres and Seditions; Nation shall rise against Nation, and Kingdome against Kingdome: and with Famine and Pestilence, and other fearefull things and signes from Heauen, he tells vs plainely wee shall haue great EARTH-QVAKES, and those in diuers places, &c.
Now, that wee that liue in this latter and sinfull Iron-Age of the World may a little awaken and rouse vp our selues from the Cradle of Securitie, wherein wee haue beene long rocked asleepe: hath not God caused the whole Christian World to ring a lowd Peale of Warres and Rumours of Warres? Matth. 24.6. witnesse fertile France, spacious Germanie, the Netherlands, Bohemia, Italy, [Page] Valtolin, Switzerland, Sauoy, and what Countrie, Kingdome, or State witnessing not the same? Yea, and though wee in this facrie Iland, through the admirable blessing and long-suffering of God, haue not the sounding of the Trumpet, and beating vp of the Drum in our eares, further than for ex [...]cise and preparation: and blessed bee God for his Mercie our Peace, and his Lieutenant, our gracious King and Peacemaker. Yet, we are not I say without those Rumours of Warres abroad, and haue a fellow-feeling of our Neighbouring Countries Calamities therein, and wee are alreadie engaged in their just Quarrells, for our owne better securitie and safetie. Amongst other signes and fore-runners of the latter day, I remember our Sauiour tells vs of false Cprists, false Prophets, and Heresies that shall arise, where, without doubt hee includeth, false Professors of CHRIST: And are wee without such? how comes it then to passe, that each Head of the Hydra-headed balefull Beast of Heresies, and [Page] Schisme striueth, of late, so much for superioritie; amongst vs here in this Nation, to goe no further than our owne: Certes, the vgly Head of Papisme hath striven for place; the rotten Head of Arrianisme hath also striven for place, the mis-shapen and ill-lookt Heads of old Pelagianisme & new Arminianisme haue laboured to be reconciled, & Ianus-like, to be joyned together, & so to take place: It is not my purpose to meddle with the small Heads of Schisme, they being easily suppressed: They are those foure Heads before-named, that trouble the Peace of the Church: the two former; they doe openly disclaime the Doctrine of the Church; the two latter, a little more cunningly; they (forsooth) would intrude themselues into our Church, that so they might the better afterwards bring in the whole body of the BEAST her selfe: Tit. 3.11. But leauing these Heads of Heresies to be suppressed, cut off and damned, by GOD, and the King, with the helpe of his Reuerend Orthodox Clergie-men: And not to [Page] enlarge my selfe further in the Introduction to a small Relation, heare and vnderstand as followeth:
About the middest and Centre of this Land, is situated and standeth the ancient Citie of COVENTRIE, a Countie of it selfe, though within the compasse of Warwickshire: And in this Citie, on Munday the twentie seuenth day of March last past, 1626. about one of the clocke after dinner, vnlookt for, and on a sudden, happened this fearefull and prodigious shocke of Earth-quake, to the great amazement, and almost astonishment of the Inhabitants; which was sensiblie felt and obserued throughout the Citie, shrewdly shaking the Houses, making the glasse windowes about the houses, the Pewter and other materialls in the Houses to clatter: the Beds (wherein some lay sicke) to shake vnder them, and all in a most terrible manner; and to make it more strange, fearefull, and prodigious, it yeelded forth at the instant an hideous noise and roaring, [Page] as it were, in the Aire: which noise and roaring was like betwixt the noise of Thunder, and the roaring of the Sea: The Inhabitants and beholders hereof, (especially the better sort) betaking themselues to their best meditations and devotions, and humbly submitting themselues vnder Gods hand and handie-workes: Though, blessed be Almightie God, there was no great hurt done thereby throughout the whole Citie: albeit therin are many goodly Houses and buildings, S. Michaels Trinitie two large and faire Churches about the heart of the Citie, and with those Churches two loftie Pyramidall Spire-steeples of stone-worke, and not farre from them a Crosse of stone also in the Market-place: either of which three Monuments will hardly yeeld inferioritie to any others in the Kingdome.
Now, that this Earth-quake or Prodigie, did not containe it selfe in Coventrie alone, but by credible information, it was also sensibly obserued in diuers other places [Page] of the Countrie, euen as farre as Bristoll: And what this prodigious Accident may portend, in the Counsell of GOD, I must leaue it: But thus much I dare bee bold to say, and pray, GOD grant vs quietnesse vpon the Land, for doubtlesse the Earth was much shaken within.
If any list to bee so censorious, as to make question of the truth of this fearfull Earth-quake, let them repaire vnto the publisher and printer hereof, who hath diuers Letters from sundrie graue, learned, religious, and judicious people, for confirmation thereof: which shall be produced, if need require: And if this late Earth-quake seeme strange or incredible vnto them, I wish them haue recourse vnto that more admirable worke of the Omnipotent, euen in ours and our Fathers remembrance, in Hereford-shire: and recorded by our best Historiographers: when as, In the yeere of Christ Iesus, Speed, in his Geography. pag. 49 1571. Marcley Hill in the East of the shire, [Page] rowzed it selfe out of a dead sleepe, and with a roaring noise remoued from the place where it stood, (for ought wee know, from the Creation, or the Deluge at the least,) and for three dayes together trauailed from her first Site, to the great amazement and feare of the beholders. It began to journey vpon the seuenth day of Februarie, being Saturday, at sixe of the clocke at night, and by seuen in the next morning had gone fourtie Paces, carrying with it Sheepe in their coates, hedge-rowes and Trees; whereof some were ouerturned, and some that stood vpon the Plaine, are firmely growing vpon the Hill, those that were East are turned West; and those in the West, were set in the East: In which remoue, it ouerthrew Kinnaston-Chappell, and turned two Highwayes neere a hundred yardes from their vsuall Paths formerly trod. The ground thus trauelling, was about twentie six Acres, which opening it selfe with Rockes and all, bare the Earth before it, for foure hundred yardes without any stay, leauing that which was Pasturage in the place of Tillage, and the Tillage [Page] ouerspread with Pasturage. Lastly, ouerwhelming the lower parts, mounted to an Hill of twelue fathomes high, and there rested her selfe, after three dayes trauell: Iob 28.9. Isay 40.12. remaining His Marke that so laid his hand vpon this Rocke, whose Power hath poysed the Hills in His Ballance.
But leauing Hereford shire and Marcley Hill, where God hath now placed it, and not to speake of diuers other inferiour Eearth-quakes; which since and before, wee and our Fathers may remember, and our Chronicles make mention of them: And to come more neere to these present times, (though somewhat further from home,) Wee may remember, that about the very time of the Apparition of that most memorable Comet or Blazing-Starre, which appeared in Aarctophylax, Anno 1618. In Italie, a Towne called Pleurs, was by a fearefull and prodigious Earthquake, (the ground opening it selfe,) cleane swallowed vp, Houses, Inhabitants and all: not one [Page] soule in it left aliue, nor so much as any Monument of it remaining to be seene: 1619. Gallobelgieus B. of Londons Sermon at the Crosse. I. Leech his Militarie Sermon. And a while after the subuersion of it, diuers neighboures that repaired thither, would needs attempt to digge into the ground, that they might see what they could finde: Among other things that they found, GOD directed them to a Stone, which when they had taken vp, they saw something written vpon it in Hebrew Letters, as if (like the Tables of Stone that were giuen to MOSES in Mount Sinay) it had beene grauen with Gods owne singer. Miraculous it was: and the writing this; (Read and tremble; Reade and wonder,)
Thus saith the LORD; My Word is like fire, and like an hammer breaking the Rockes: Goe out of Babylon, and euery one looke to the sauing of his owne soule. Let none winke at his sinnes, for the vengeance will come, and all shall be rewarded according to their wickednesse. Immediatly after that most memorable Prodigie, followed the [Page] Death of Great Princes and Potentates; to wit, the Emperour MATTHIAS and Empresse his wife; his two Brethren, Maximilian. Albertus. both Arch-Dukes of Austria; then, Queene ANNE of Great Britaine, his Sacred Maiesties Mother, (of famous Memorie:) then PHILIP the third, King of Spaine, (and since that, King IAMES, of blessed Memorie:) then also began the Broyles and Warres in Bohemia, the Palatinate, and other places, the wofull Consequences whereof wee daily see and heare of; In so much, as that wee haue I say, (as our Sauiour Prophesieth) Warres, Seditions, and almost nothing but Rumours of Warres; Yea, I may further say the RED HORSE of WARRE, hath and doth trample all ouer Christendome, with a fearefull and most lamentable hauocke, embrewing his feet especially in the blood of Saints, the professours of the Gospell: And to passe from Warre: Hath not God caused the BLACK HORSE of PESTILENCE [Page] to play his part more neere vs? yea, euen here amongst vs in and about this famous Citie of London, where hee hath trampled to death since this time twelue-moneth aboue 55000. soules, besides what haue died in other Cities, Townes, and places in this Kingdome: And now for the LEANE and Pale HORSE of FAMINE, although wee must thankfully confesse, that God hath wonderfully restrained him, yet other Countries haue felt and doe feele his weight, with cleanenesse of Teeth and emptinesse of Belly: yea, and wee our selues haue had a fearefull Glympse of Him: and how soone God may permit him further to appeare amongst vs, for our manyfold sinnes, wee know not, but may doubt, and ought to pray against Famine.
To draw to a conclusion; If Warres and Seditions, Pestilences, Famines, and Earth-qvakes, bee speciall Signes and Fore-runners of the last Iudgement, as our Sauiour CHRIST hath prophesied they are: [Page] and certes, Heauen and Earth shall passe, Matth. 24.35. but his words shall not passe: It behoueth vs, except we will be wilfully blinde and stupid, to take the Premisses into consideration, and not slightly to passe by without observation, and good vse making of this Earthquake; such, being I say (once againe) one of our blessed Saviours Signes of his comming to judgement. And however, hee in his wisedome haue concealed that Yeere, day, and houre; that hee will come, (though some too to pragmatically and petulantly haue gone about to define the Yeere, to bee nigh at hand:) yet it much behoueth vs to meditate thereon; and prepare therefore, that so wee may take all these fore-runners to be so many fore-warners of vs particularly to turne to God by a true Conversion: whereupon will ensue all other Graces needfull for Salvation: And the rather wee ought to take all Gods judgements to bee warnings vnto vs of the last Day; because, [Page] be it whensoever it shall please God, every particular mans death is vnto him as the day of Iudgement; for as wee die, so shall wee rise: Now, what is more certeine than Death? and what more vncertaine than the day of Death? and it being so, what manner of men ought wee to bee? Good Lord, therefore giue vs grace to turne vnto thee by true Repentance, that so we may say ingenuously, and heartily wish, Thy will be done; And, Come Lord Iesu, Come quickly.
HALLELVIAH DEO VNITRINO GLORIA. Amen.