IN Henry the eighths time the King having made Car­dinall Wolsey Bishop of York, and he purposing to come and live in the North; Mother Shipton hearing of it replyed and said, he must see York, but never come to it. King Henry and the Cardinall heard tell of her saying, and were very angry, and sent three Lords down to see if shee would stand to her words; viz. Lord Duke, Lord Percy, and Lord Darcy, So they and their Men came down dis­guised from London to Dring Houses neer York. And left there their Men, and came to York themselves to one Master Beasleys House in Conistreet in York late at night, and knocked at his dore and asked if Master Beasley was within? who were answered, he was, and they reque­sted to speake with him, who forthwith came unto them, and they whispering in his eare, tould him he must go with them to Shipton Wives House, which accordingly he did, and knocking at her Doore, she said, come in Master Bea­sley, and those three Honourable Lords with you; upon which words Master Beasley would have put the Lords in first, and shee said, no Master Beasley come you in, you know the House and they do not; then said they one to another, this is a strange thing, that she should know us and never saw us: So they came in, and there was a faire fire prepa­red, Master Beasley saying, with your leave Mother Shipton, well come, quoth she, so said all the Lords in order; and she said, welcome my Lord Duke, welcome my Lord Percy, and welcome my Lord Darcy; sit you here my Lord Duke, sit you here my Lord Percy, and sit you here my Lord Darcy, [Page]and you M. Beasley sit here, for you are as one of the House, and when they all were set down, she bad her maid fetch some Ale, and goe to the Crbbert and bring short Cakes, (for she had prepared them before hand) and she did so, and they all did eat and drink-thereof, and were very merry; then said my Lord Duke, Mother Shipton, if you knew what we were come about, you would not make us thus welcome? and she said, my Lord Duke the Messenger must neither be hea­ded, nor hanged; but Mother Shipton, said the Duke, my Lord Cardinall saies you must be burned, for saying, he might see York, but never come into it: and when he coms to York, he purposeth to effect the same, and she answered him she did say so, and that he should see anon whether she might be burned or no then she took a kercher which she had on her head, that had a yard of cloath in it, and spread it on her knee, and her head was as white as Wooll, and cast it up­on the fire and let it lye thereon a great while, which not burning, she took her staffe and turned it over, and it would not burn: then tooke shee it out of the fire and shaked it, and put it on her head againe. Then my Lord Duke asked her what she meant by that? and she gave him answer and said, if this had burned I might have bin burnt, but because it doth not, I must not. Then said my Lord Duke, Mother Shipton, I understand you are a Woman of knowledge and judgement, tell me, what shall be the event of me? she an­swered him, my Lord, the time shall come when you will be in as low an estate and case as I am in, and in as mean an of­fice, and that is both a mean one and a low one. Then requi­red Lord Percy of her, what should become of him? my Lord (said she) shooe your horse in the quick, and you will do well enough, but if you do not, your body will be buried in Cruse-Church after you be beheaded on the Pavement in York, and your head will be stolne into France, and they laught, and said, that will be a great hop betwixt the head and the body. Then said my Lord Darcy (Mother Shipton) [Page]what must I do? who answered him, you my Lord who is go­ing for warfare, God speed you well, you have made a great Gun, shoot it off in time, for it will come to passe, that you wil pyne many, but kill few: so they dranke and gave her mony and thanks, and returned to M. Beaslyes house, and the next mor­ning posted to the Court, and declared their conference with her, which severall passages came to be incident to the severall parties. Presently afterwards the Lord Cardinall came to Cawood Castle neer York, and resided there three dayes and three nights, upon the third day the Crosse upon the top of the Castle fell downe, and sore hurt the Steward upon his head, Lord Cardinall being told thereof, replyed, I fear and doubt a [...]reater crosse than this will follow. In the afternoon the Car­ [...]inall went up to the top of the Castle, and many Knights with him: and when he was at the top upon the Leads wal­ [...]ing, he demanded of them where York stood, and they shew­ed it to him? and he demanded how many miles it was thither? [...]nd they told him seven miles, then, said he, that will be soone [...]idden, not past two houres work, I will go thither because yon­der Witch said, I might see York but never come thither, and vowed he would burne not onely her, but also three Priests which were at Table with her, if when he came there they lacked their vestments. The Priests hearing tell thereof were sore affrighted, but she encouraged them, saying, content your selves, for if need require, you shall have twenty vestments, but his purpose will be altered. The night following, after supper, the Lord Cardinall fearing some evill towards him to ap­proach, charged his house-hould and all his Officers, that no manner of person should that night more be suffered to come in, but immediately after the charge was passed, came Lord Percy and knocked at the Gates, importuning the Porter to let him in, who answered him, none could that night come in, for the Cardinall had charged him to suffer none to come in more then was in the house. Then Lord Percy changed his voice, pretending to be a neer kinsman and favourite to the [Page] Cardinall, and must needs speak with him, so that the Porter let him in: and when the Cardinall saw Lord Percy, he cryed out, mercy Lord Percy I am no Traytor, if not said Lord Percy, yet must you with speed go with me to London, but before he came thither, for all the haste by the way, he ended his life, and against Mother Shipton his threats were past. Then Mo­ther Shipton, after the Cardinall had poysoned himselfe by the way, sent to M. Beasley and said to him, M. Beasley the Cardi­nall builded a goodly closet in the Minster for him to sit in, with pillers of Silver and Gold, with Pearles and rich stones enamelled, go and pull down one or two of them, and present them to King Henry, which accordingly he did, and was made in recompence thereof, an officer to the King, and the rest the King caused to be taken down.

Shortly after, Mistris Beasley in her Husbands absence, and when he was at the Court, being desirous to hear the event of future times, seeing her former presages came to passe, and what good successe her hu [...]band had in following her councel, asked her, saying, Mother Shipton tell me something that is yet to come, then she said, Mistris Beasly, it shall come to passe, that Ouzebridge and Trinity Church shall meet, for the Bridge shall fall, and they shall build it againe on the day, and it shall fall on the night, untill the highest stone of Trinity Church be made the lowest stone of Ouzebridge.

After this you shall have a yeare of pennury and hunger, death without any dread, and dearth without any need.

The first comming of the King into York shall be at Bowdon Bar, which shall be privately, the next time when he comes to be knowne, he will come through Holgate Towne, and not through Holgate Lane, and when his head shall be at London Bridge, his taile shall be at Edenbrough.

And it will come to passe that water will run over Ouzebridge (and laughing said) every Cuckold will have an Oke tree at his [...]re, and that there should be a Winde-Mill upon one of the Towers in York, and that day men and women will weare great Bands and Hats like scuttles; and after that, rayles. And when there is a Lord Mayor on the back side of the Minster in York, let him take heed of a stab with a knife.

Also there will be two Knights that will fall out in the Castle yard at York, which never will be kind again while they live.

Two Judges shall go twice in and out at Walme-gate-bar,

For a hill and a dale will be worth eight Oxen and a Plough, and ten pound in Mony worth ten pound Per Annum in Land.

And when it coms it will last three years before it cease.

After this the enemy shall advance to London, then (said she) weladay for London, for destruction will come upon it for ever­more. After that, there will be a great battel, and they will be pa­cified for a while, but afterwards will return to Stockton-Moore neer York, where will be a sore battell; then will the Raven sit up­on the Crosse, and suck as much of the Nobilities blood as the Comminalties; and then there will come thither a Woman with one eye, and tread over many a Man in blood to the knee, until she come to a Man leaning upon a rest, and shall say unto him, who [Page]art thou? and he shall say, I am the King of the Scots, she shall wish him to [...]o to her House, and he will go: and there will be three Knights in her [...]ouse, and all of them will stay three dayes and three nights with her, [...]nd one shall not know of another. Soone after shall England be won and lost twice of a day; they will cry in the forenoone, England is lost, and in the afternoone, It is won, for Clubs and clouted shooes will get the day. There will be against these times a Lord Mayor of York chosen out of course: and three Knights one not knowing of another shall be in Peter-gate in Yorke; and a Lad borne in Pontetract with three thumbs shall hould these three Knights Horses untill the battell be won. Then will all the Noble blood of England be gone, except one; and he will be carried to Sheriffe Huttons Castle on Horse-back, and there will dye; Then will they make an Earle in the Field, hanging their Horses on a Thorne, and ruing the time that they were borne, to see so much blood shed: Then will they come to York and set upon it, and it will keep them out three daies and three nights: and a penny loafe within the Bar will be at halfe a Crown, and without the Bar at a Penny, and harder to get with them without, then within, for the scarcity of mony. Then will the Enemy sweare, if so they will not let them in, they will blow up the Wals and the Towne, and they will be let in; and there will go to Cruse-Church three Knights or Earles, and there shall but one come out againe; and he will make Proclamation through the City, That whosoever will take away Houses, Manners, Towers or Bowers, to come and possesse them for one and twenty yeares: then for evermore in England there shall be no more warefare; then shall York be as London.

Then shall it be, that one Woman shall say to another, come Mother I saw a Man to day, which will be joy to a Woman to see, for for one Man there will be a thousand Women, then will there be a White Harvest, and Corne gotten in all with Women. Then shall an Old Man sit on Saint James Kirk hill weeping his fill, And King or queen shall there be none. But Lords to Rule this Realm alone. When these things are come to passe a ship shal come floting on Thames, untill it come against London, then shall the Master therof begin to weep, and his Men shall say, Master, why weep you and we have had so good a Voy­age? for that will he say, I have seen here the goodliest City in the World, and now I feare there is none to give us drink for our Money.

After Nevill with the Childs voice be fled out of England, he shall kill the Great Turk when this Child is in Yorke you shall have a Lord Mayor dwelling at the grate head neer the pavement, he shall be forst to fly out at his back dore to save his life; and the two Sheriffs of York that shall be then, shall be both one Sir-Nam?