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This is the first part of the (rather long) twenty-fifth item from Robert Dymond's book: "Things New and Old Concerning the Parish of Widecombe-in-the-Moor and its Neighbourhood" (1876)

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The Widecombe Thunderstorm Part 1 - Text

A quaint and dreadful tale of how,

More than two hundred years ago,

The folks were met for praise and prayer

Within the Church that still stands there ;

When such a direful storm down-broke

With ball of ﬁre and sulphurous smoke

And pitchy darkness, and the sound

Of thunder-peals rebellowing round ;

That many died, and many more

Were scalded, burnt, and wounded sore ;

While hand-in-hand two little ones

Walked safely midst the falling stones.

THE readers of our observations on the Parish Register of Widecombe will have remarked somewhat special references to the Rev. George Lyde, Vicar from 1636 until his death, in 1673. It appears from Walker’s Sufferings of the Clergy, that, during the Common- wealth, Mr Lyde was much harrassed, but never formally sequestered. His descendants retained their connection with the parish till within the last ten years or so, when the estate of Great Cator was sold to F. H. Firth, Esq. , the present resident proprietor. Prince has given the reverend gentleman the distinguished honour of a place in that quaintest and best of county biographical histories—The Worthies of Devon. Now, although Master Lyde was the father of a numerous family, and an excellent pastor, not lacking courage, as will presently appear, nor the ability to hold his own through the troublous times in which his lot was cast, we should hardly expect to find him ranked in the goodly company of Raleigh, and Drake, and Hawkins, of the Grenvilles, the Courtenays, the Fortescues, and other illustrious men whose deeds enrich the annals of their native county. Prince, indeed, confesses that he was induced to class him amongst these brilliant “ Worthies" mainly by way of introduction to an account of the memorable storm of 1638, in which he played a conspicuous part, and which stands forth the chief amongst the historical events of Widecombe. Prince’s narrative of the tempest has served as the basis of those given by later writers on Dartmoor ; but this narrative is itself but a condensed abstract of one furnished in a contemporary tract in The Harleian Miscellany, a collection of scarce and curious documents found in the library of the late Earl of Oxford. This quaint and circumstantial account is so rich in the special characteristics of its age, that, in spite of its length, we prefer to present it to our readers in its original entirety. “What do you know of your ghostly enemy?” asked a teacher (referring to the devil) in a Devonshire school; the unexpected reply being, “ If you please, Ma’am, he lives to Widecombe.” The predilection for the locality in this quarter is again evinced in the legendary story of the origin of the storm, supplied in another page by a valued correspondent. This belief in direct satanic agency in the raising of tempests was by no means confined to the humbler ranks. The Bishop of Exeter (Joseph Hall) traces a. proof of such agency in his allusion to the startling news which spread over the country from Widecombe The author of the Harleian tract was evidently imbued with the same view ; and Prince, learned divine as he was, writing nearly a century after the event, observes that “such dreadful thunders and lightnings don’t arise by chance, or the meer motion of matter, nor ought to be referred to pure natural causes; but are sometime produced by the immediate direction of Almighty God; and he may permit evil spirits, who have undoubtedly a great power in the air, to raise storms and tempests and to scatter abroad thunders and lightnings, to mischief what they can the children of men, whose happiness they have envied ever since they fell from their own.”

The restoration of the Church after the violent convulsion of 1638, is said to have cost about £300, or, allowing for the difference in the value of money, as much as is now needed to repair the more gradual ruin effected by time. The effects of the storm may still be traced in a vertical rent on the north side of the tower

A second and most exact relation of those sad and lamentable accidents which happened in and about the Parish Church of Wydecombe, near the Dartmoors in Devonshire,

ON SUNDAY, THE 21ST or OCTOBER LAST, 1638.

“Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations He hath made in the earth.”—Psal. xlvi., 8.

Imprimatur Thomas Wyke, R. P. Episc, Lond. Cap. Domest. Printed at London by G. M. for R. Harford, and are to be sold at his shop in the Queen’s-head-alley, in Paternoster-Row, at the Gilt Bible, 1638. Quarto, containing thirty-seven pages.

Though this is called properly the second relation of this wonder- ful accident, yet it includes the former verbatim, and adds and explains some passages, either omitted or left obscure, by way of appendix.

As for the veracity of this relation, l am ln no doubt, being so well attested, and licensed to be printed by the Bishop of London’s domestick chaplain, but I could wish that these terrors of the Lord would persuade men to be more afraid of his judgements, and to seek for his mercy and protection, in the time of need, by a just discharge of their respective duties.

To THE READER.

I here present thee with a second relation of that wonderful accident which the printing of the former book hath given occasion of. Having now received a full and perfect relation as is possible to be hoped for, or procured, assuring thee it is not grounded on infor- mation taken up at second-hand; but those persons being now come to London,who were eye-witnesses herein, and the chiefest discoverers of the effects of these terrible accidents. Although thou hadst the truth in part before, yet not the tythe thereof, the full relation whereot thou shalt find here annexed, following after the former relation, supplied in all those particulars, wherein there was any defect before, supposing it better to annex it, than to dissolve and blend it with the former. What thou hadst not before, shall only be supplied now, and no more ; and what thou ﬁndest not here, take to be true as they are expressed there; and although it be larger than our former; yet we desired in penning thereof not to trouble thee with many words, but only the substance of this sad matter, as concisely as we could, and, though the price be more, yet suspend thy censure till thou hast perused it, and then it may be thou wilt give him thanks, who hath been at the pains to add this to the former ; which he would not have done, unless he could tender it upon very good authority, and the testimony of witnesses more than needful. We know fame and report vary exceedingly, not knowing wherein to pitch our belief, for it much diminisheth by ﬂying, according to the apprehension and memory, both of the givers out, and takers up, but take this on his word, Who only wisheth and intendeth thy good.—Amen.

A true Relation of those most strange and lamentable accidents, happening in the Parish Church of Wydecombe, in Devonshire, on Sunday, the 21st of October, 1638.

God’s visible judgements and terrible remonstrances, which every morning are brought to light, coming into our knowledge, should be our observation and admonition, that thereby the inhabitants of the earth may learn righteousness ;* for to let them pass by us as water runs by our doors, unobserved, argues too much regardlessness of God in the way of his judgements ;+ not to suffer them to sink into our affections, and to prove as so many terrible warning pieces, which are shot off from a watch tower to give notice of an enemy's approach, to awaken and affright us, are but a means to harden our hearts against the Lord, and to awaken His justice to punish us yet more. But to hear and fear; ++ and to do wickedly no more, to search our hearts and to amend our ways, is the best use that can be made of any of God’s remarkable terrors manifested amongst us. When God is angry with us, it ought to be our wisdom to meet Him, and to make peace with Him. And where we see legible characters of His power and wrath, to learn to spell out His meaning touching ourselves ; to leave off all busy, malicious, causeless, and un- christianly censuring of others, and to turn in upon ourselves, remembering Vel poenitendum, vel pereundem, “Except we repent we shall likewise perish.”§ Certain it is, that we do in vain expect immunity from God’s judgements by slighting and contemning them, or increasing in our sinnings against Him. If Pharaoh, by the

* Eph. iii. 5.
+ Isaiah xxvi. 9-11.
++ Poena paucorem terror omnium.
§ Luke xiii. 5.

terror of thundering and lightning, was so affrighted that he saith to Moses, “ Intreat the Lord, for it is enough, that there be no more mighty thunderings and hail.”* And if Caligula, out of the fear of thunder, would run under his bed to hide himself, how much more should we Christians learn to fear and tremble before the most mighty God, whose voice only can shake the mountains, and rend the rocks, and divide the flames of ﬁre,+ rends churches, amazeth and strikes dead at his pleasure the sons of men? As the prophet David saith : “He doth whatsoever He pleaseth in heaven and earth : He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth ; so unsearchable is His wisdom and His ways past finding out.” There- fore this should awe and humble our hearts before the Lord, rising up unto more perfection in godliness, doing unto our God more and better service than ever hitherto we have done, reverencing and sanctifying His dreadful Name in our hearts; especially when His judgements break in upon men, even in His own house, mingling their blood with their sacrifices, and in that most terrible manner smiting and wounding and killing, as in this ensuing relation may appear‘; which, for the suddenness and strangeness thereof, and in a manner miraculous, considering the many circumstances, I believe few ages can parallel or produce the like. The Lord teach thee to profit thereby, that it may be as a sermon preached to thee from heaven by the Lord Himself.

Upon Sunday, the 21st October last, in the parish church of Wydecombe, near the Dartmoors, in Devonshire, there fell, in time of Divine service, a strange darkness, increasing more and more, so that the people there assembled could not see to read in any book ; and suddenly, in a fearful and lamentable manner, a mighty thundering was heard, the rattling whereof did answer much like unto the sound and report of many great cannons,and terrible strange lightening therewith, greatly amazing those that heard and saw it, the darkness increasing yet more, so that they could not see one another; the extraordinary lightening came into the church so flaming, that the whole church was presently filled with fire and smoke, the smell whereof was very loathsome, much like unto the scent of brimstone ; some said they saw at first a great fiery ball come in at the window, and pass through the church, which so affrighted the whole congregation, that the

* Exod. ix. 28
+ Psalm xxix.

most part of them fell down into their seats, and some upon their knees, some on their faces, and some one upon another, with a great cry of burning and scalding, they all giving themselves up for dead, supposing the last judgement-day was come, and that they had been in the very flames of hell.

The minister of the parish, Master George Lyde, being in the pulpit, or seat where prayers were read, however he might be much astonished hereat, yet, through Gods mercy, had no harm at all in his body ; but to his much grief and amazement, beheld afterward the lamentable accidents; and although himself was not touched, yet the lightening seized upon his poor wife, fired her ruff, and linnen next to her body, and her clothes, to the burning of many parts of her body in a very pitiful manner. And one Mrs. Ditford, sitting in the pew with the minister’s wife, was also much scalded, but the maid and child sitting at the pew door had no harm. Besides, another woman adventuring to run out of the church, had her clothes set on fire, and was not.only strangely burnt and scorched, but had her flesh torn about her back, almost to the very bones. Another woman had her flesh so torn, and her body so grievously burnt, that she died the same night.

Also, one Master Hill,* a gentleman of good account in the parish, sitting in his seat by the chancel, had his head suddenly smitten against the wall, through the violence whereof he died that night, no other hurt being found about his body; but his son, sitting in the same seat, had no harm.

There was also one man more at the same instant, of whom it is particularly related, who was warrener unto Sir Richard Reynolds,+ his head was cloven, his skull rent into three pieces, and his brains thrown upon the ground, whole, and the hair of his head, through the violence of the blow at ﬁrst given him, did stick fast to the pillar or wall of the church, and in the place a deep bruise into the wall, as if it were shot against with a cannon bullet. Some other persons were then blasted and burnt, and so grievously scalded and wounded, that since that time they have died thereof, and many others not like to recover, notwithstanding all the means that can be procured to help them. Some had their clothes burnt, and their bodies had no hurt ; and some, on the contrary, had their

* Roger Hill, gent., buried 23 October, l638.—Ed.
+ Sir Richd. Reynell of Ford, near Newton Abbot. —Ed.

bodies burnt and their clothes not touched ; and some their stockings and legs burnt and scalded, and their outward buskins not one thread singed. But it pleased God, yet, in the midst of judgement, to remember mercy, sparing some, and not destroying all, yet very many were sorely scalded in divers parts of their bodies; and as all this hurt was done upon the bodies of men and women, so the hurt also that was then done unto the church was remarkable.

There were some seats in the body of the church turned upside down, and yet they which sat therein had little or no hurt ; also a boy, sitting on his seat, had his hat on, and near the one half thereof was cut off, and he had no hurt. And one man, going out at the chancel door, a dog, running out before him, was whirled about towards the door, and fell down stark dead, at sight whereof he stepped back within the door, and God preserved him alive. Also, the church itself was much torn and defaced by the thunder and lightning; and thereby, also, a beam was burst in the midst, and fell down between the minister and clark, and hurt neither ; and a weighty great stone, near the foundation of the church, is torn out and removed, and the steeple itself is much rent, and there, where the church was most rent, there was least harm done to the people, and not any one was hurt either with the wood or stone, but a maid of Manaton, which came thither that afternoon to see some friends, whom Master Frynd, the coroner, by circumstances supposed she was killed by a stone. There were also stones thrown from the tower, and carried about, a great distance from the church, as thick as if a hundred men had been there throwing, and a number of them of such weight and bigness, that the strongest man cannot lift them. Also one pinnacle of the tower was torn down, and broke through into the church.

Moreover, the pillar, against which the pulpit standeth, being but newly whited, is now, by this means, turned black and sulphury. Furthermore, one man that stood in the chancel with his face towards the belfry, observed, as it were, the rising of dust or lime, in the lower end of the church, which suddenly, as with a puff of wind, was whirled up, and cast into his eyes, so that he could not see in twelve hours after, but now his sight is restored and he hath no other hurt. The terrible lightning being past, all the people being in wonderful amaze, so that they spake not one word, by and bye one Master Ralph Rowse, vintner in the town, stood up, saying these words :—“ Neighbours, in the name of God, shall we venture out of the Church ?” To which, Mr. Lyde, answering, said, “It is best to make an end of prayers, for it were better to die here than in another place.” But they looking about them, and seeing the church so terribly rent and torn, durst not proceed in their publick devotions, but went forth of the church. And as all this was done within the church and unto the church, so there were other accidents without the church, whereof I will give you a touch. There was a bowling-alley near unto the church-yard, which was turned up into pits and heaps, in manner almost as if it had been plowed. At the same time also at Brickstone, near Plymouth, there fell such store of hail, and such hailstones, that for quantity, they were judged to be as big as ordinary turkey eggs ; some of them were of ﬁve, some of six, and others of seven ounces weight.

We are also certainly informed, that at the same time, as near as can be guessed, there fell out the like accident unto the Church at Norton in Somersetshire, but as yet we hear of no persons hurt therein; also, it is related by a gentleman who travelled in those parts at that time, he being since come to London, that, when he was, the lightning was so terrible, fiery, and flaming, that they thought their houses, at every flash, were set on fire, insomuch that their horses in the stable were so affrighted that they could not rule them.

----------------

The Addition to the former Relation.

This Church at Wydecombe, being a large and fair church newly trimmed, there belonging to it a very fair steeple or tower, with great and small pinnacles thereon, it being one of the famousest towers in all those western parts ; and there being gathered a great congregation, to the number, as is verily believed, of at least three hundred persons.

Master Lyde, with many persons in the church, did see, presently after the darkness, as it were, a great ball of fire, and most terrible lightning come in at the window, and therewithal the roof of the church, in the lower part against the tower to rend and gape wide open; whereat he was so much amazed, that he fell down into his seat; and unspeakable are the mighty secret wonders which the Lord wrought immediately, of which, because thou hast the general relation before, I will give thee this, as near as can be discovered, in the order and course thereof, which first began in the tower, and thence into the church ; the power of that vehement and terrible blast struck in at the north side of the tower, tearing thro’ a most strong wall into the stairs, which goes up round with stone steps to the top of the leads ; and being gotten in, struck against the other side of the Wall, and finding not way forth there, it rebounded back again, with greater force to that side next the church, and piercing through, right against the higher window of the church, took the greatest part thereof with it, and likewise some of the stones, and frame of the window, and so struck into the church, coming with a mighty power; it struck against the north side wall of the church, as if it were with a great cannon-bullet, or somewhat like thereto, and not going through but exceedingly shaking and battering the wall, it took its course directly up that isle, strait to the pulpit or seat where Master Lyde sat ; and in the way, thence going up, it took all the lime and sand of the Wall, and much grated the stones thereof, and tore off the side desk of the pulpit; and upon the pulpit, on the side thereof, it was left as black and moist as if it had been newly wiped with ink.

Then it goes straight up in the same isle, and struck off all the hinder part of the warrener’s head (the brains fell backward, entire and whole, into the next seat behind him, and two pieces of his skull) and dashed his blood against the wall ; the other piece of his skull fell into the place where he sat, and some of the skin of his head, flesh, and hair, was carried into the chancel, and some of his hair, to the quantity of a handful, stuck fast, as with lime and sand newly tempered, upon one of the bars of the timber-work partition between the church and chancel. And one man, who sat next to the warrener in the same seat, was scalded, and all burnt on that side next the warrener, from the very head to the foot, and no hurt at all on the other side. And, in the second seat behind him, was another struck in a most fearful manner ; for he was so burnt and scalded all over his body, from his forehead downward below his knees, insomuch that he was all over like raw flesh roundabout, and, which is most wonderful, his clothes not once hurt, neither his head nor hair, who, notwithstanding, died not then, but lived in great misery for above a week after.

But to go on in our relation. It is supposed, it having been since by divers judiciously viewed, that here the power or force divided itself two ways ; one part whereof struck out of the windows over their heads, which tore out, and carried away, some great stones out of the wall with the window, and further they could not trace it; but, with the force of the stroke, at going forth, it struck the lime and sand on the wall with many small stones, or grit, so forcibly, that the lime, sand, and grit returned back, like hail shot, to the other side of the wall, where men did sit, and struck into their faces, much disfiguring them, and smote into the wall, and into the timber of the partition, some of which stones could not be picked out until the next day following.

But the other part of the force descended to the bottom of the wall, just before the warrener’s seat, and there pierced in, heaving up all the wall in that place, rending and tearing it from the very ground as high almost as the height of a man; there it broke through into the chancel, and, about the number of eight boys sitting about the rails of the communion-table, it took them up from the seats, and threw them all on heaps within the rails, and not one of them hurt ; and one of them having his hat lying upon the rail, it was cut and burnt half way.

Then it went directly over to the other side of the chancel, and struck Master Hill mortally on his head, so that he died that night; but his son, sitting close by him as one man can sit by another, for the seat would hold but two, had no harm at all, not so much as once sindged. But it struck against the wall so forcibly that it beat in the wall behind him, as if it had been shot against with a cannon- bullet, as it is expressed in the former relation ; but there, not going through, it recoiled back again, coming about the chancel, as it is conceived, and tore out violently one of the great side stones of the chancel-door, against which it smote, cleaving it all to pieces, and there it is supposed it went forth; but some reasons there are to think it did not, for none of the pieces of the side stone were carried out with it, but fell down within the chancel ; besides, the consideration of the mighty, strange and secret workes thereof in the body of the church, for there it had rent and tore, and flung about marvellously.

The seats, where men and women sat, were rent up, and turned upside down, and they that sat in them had no harm ; also, many of those pews and seats rent quite from the bottom, as if there had been no seats there, and those that sat in them, when they came to themselves, found that they were thrown out of their own into other seats, three or four seats higher, and yet had no harm. And, moreover, all the wood, timber, and stones, were torn all to pieces, and violently thrown everyway, to the very walls of the Church roundabout.

One man sitting upon the Church bier, at the lower end, the bier was struck and torn, and he that sat thereon was thrown into one of the pews on the Wall side, a good distance off.

Many also, both men and women, being very much hurt and scalded in divers places of their bodies, and after divers manners, to the number of 50 or 60, among whom, Mrs. Lyde, the minister’s wife, was one who suffered herein, as it is related in the former. And also Mrs. Ditford, her gown, two waistcoats, and linen next her body—burnt clean off, and her back also down to her waist, very grievously burnt and scalded, and so exceedingly afflicted thereby, that she could neither stand nor go without help, being led out of the Church. And one ancient woman was so terribly burnt, and her flesh torn, especially her hand, the flesh was so rotten and perished, that her hand is cut oil that it might not endanger her arm ; and many of those that were then burnt and scalded, have since died thereof.

And, furthermore, all the roof of the church is terribly torn, and a great part thereof broken into the church by great stones that were torn off the tower, and all the other part hangs fearfully, all ragged and torn in divers places ; but the chancel roof had little or no hurt. Moreover, a beam was burst in sunder, which fell down between the minister and clerk, yet hurt neither. Nor was there in all this time any one hurt either by stick or stone, but only one man, who had a little bruise on his back; and, as there was least hurt done where the timber and stone fell most, so, on the contrary, where no timber and stone fell, there was most hurt done. And all this while, after the terrible noise and lightning, not one in the church can remember they either heard or saw anything, being all deadly astonished.

And, when the lightning was past, the people being still in amaze, not one could speak a word to another; but, by and bye, Master Rowse came a little to himself, standing up, and spake as in the former relation ; and speaking to Master Lyde, he also thereupon began to recover himself, and answered as well as he could, trembling, as is expressed before, not knowing of any hurt that was done, either to his wife or any else ; but they, looking about them, saw a very thick mist with smother and smoke and smell, insomuch that they nor any there saw the danger over their heads. But they two going forth together at the chancel door, they saw a dog whirled up some height from the ground, taken up and let down again three times together, and at last fell down stone dead, the lightning being past, neither could they see anything at all near the dog.

Then, presently, the rest of the people scrabled forth the church as well as they could ; the mist and smother went away by degrees, but was not quite gone in half an hour after. And, being come forth, they saw their danger, which before they knew not ; for the tower and church were grievously cracked and shattered, and some of the stones on the church and tower torn off and thrown every way round about, and huge weighty stones split all to pieces, some thrown distant from the church an hundred yards. And one great stone, like a massy rock, was carried off the pinnacle all over the east end of the church, and over the churchyard, and into another close over the hedge; and there it grazed breaking up the ground deeply, and, as it is imagined, it was done by that massy stone, which was carried at least 10 yards beyond, and there bruised the ground very deep, where it lay immoveable.

And, on the other side of the Church there is a bowling-green torn up and spoilt by stones as before, amongst many others there fell therein, one great broad stone, like a table, and in the fall was broken all to pieces, they being struck edgeways into the ground ; also some great stones were sunk so deep on all sides the Church, that some were struck even with the ground, and some lower. Some stones were thrown over Master Rowse’s house, a hundred yards from the Church, and sunk into the earth, not to be seen, but only the hole where the stone went down; and Master Rowse’s house, 0n that side next the Church, was torn up, the covering carried off, and one of the rafters broke into the house.

Then, awhile after, before night, they adventured into the Church to fetch out the dead bodies, some whereof, being brought forth, and laid in the churchyard : there was then present a woman, being until that time much astonished, coming better to herself, upon sight of the dead bodies, remembered that she brought her child to Church with her; they then, going in to seek for it, found her child going hand in hand with another little child, being met coming down one of the isles, and had no hurt, nor seemed to be anything frighted by their countenances; neither were there any children in the Church hurt at all, but the other child’s mother was gone home, never remembering that she had a child, untill it was brought to her.

But as strange a thing as any of these was that concerning Robert Mead the warrener, he being not missed all this while ; immediately, Master Rowse, his dear acquaintance, remembering him and seeing him not, nor none knowing what was become of him, Master Rowse, stepping to the window, looked into the Church where the warrener used to sit, and there saw him sitting in his seat, leaning upon his elbow resting upon the desk, before him ; he supposed him to be asleep, or astonished, not yet come to himself ; he, calling to awake him, wondered he made no answer ; then his love to him caused him to venture into the Church to jog him awake, or to remember him ; to his much grief, he perceived his friend to be a dead man ; for all the hinder part of his head was clean cut off, and gone round about his neck, and the forepart not disfigured, as they supposed, when they drew near him.

The Lord of the Manor of Wydecombe, hearing of this sad accident, sent his man David Barry that night thither to hear what news and to see what hurt was done, but, it being dark, he could see nothing that night, but only hear their relations. But on Monday, the day following, they came to take notice, and view the ruins of the Church, and what accidents had fallen out ; then all this relation was made apparent to him, and, I may safely say, to thousands more of witnesses, that are ready to give testimony to all this relation.

But having seen and observed as much as they could about the church, the tower being locked up, what hurt was done there was as yet unknown. There being then a motion made to open the door to see what hurt, no man was found willing to adventure, much less, ascend up therein, all the people being as yet in a terrible fear, the remembrance of their great hurts and dangers being so fresh in their minds ; for, some being to be buried in the church that afternoon, as namely, Master Hill and Robert Mead, their graves being close by one another, the minister read the burial ‘service to both at once, and when he came to those words “Earth to earth dust to dust ashes to ashes,” the fall thereof, making a sudden sound upon the coffins, made them all in a great fear run out of the church, tumbling over one another, supposing that the church was falling on their heads.

But the said David resolved to venture himself to discover what he could, and, calling for the key to open the door, it was brought by the sexton. Yet they all persuaded him not to venture, for the tower was so crazy, torn, and shattered, that they were all of opinion it might fall, as they might well judge by the outside ; but, he put- ting in the key to open the door, it would not unlock it, but run quite through. Then the sexton, he trying also, could find no lock, and yet the door still fast. Then an iron bar being used to force it off the hinges, it could not be done thereby, till at last he, espying the bolt of the lock shot into the staple, desired them to hold the door up with the bar, that he might put in his arm to put back the lock, and found there all the wood and wards of the lock gone. Then, the door being with much ado forced open, the said David was to go up first, and the sexton to follow him, where he found so much rub- bish and stone tumbled down that he could hardly creep up. He, having his sword by his side, it troubled him ; he put it off, wishing the clark to hold it while he made way ; but as they ascended, there came down the stairs a most loathsome smell beyond expression, as of brimstone, pitch, and sulphur. He, notwithstanding, adventured higher; but the sexton’s stomach and courage being overcome, partly by his fear and also by the smell, he returned back in a great fright, complaining he was poisoned.

A multitude of people being there to observe the discovery, come from divers places thereabouts, to see and hear this spreading ill news, as daily multitudes do resort there for that purpose, they all stood at a distance, waiting what could be found; but they not knowing what was become of him, because the sexton was so frighted none daring to come near to look after him. But he getting (with great difficulty and danger of his life at every step) up to the first storey, there he viewed it, and found no hurt done; but getting with greater difficulty up to the bell-room, he tolled all the bells, to see whether they were sound or no. Then the people much rejoiced, supposing he was well.

Then looking overhead he saw all the joyces and timber under the leads carried away, all rent and torn fearfully, except one beam under the middle, which was bowed down, and a great number of stones lying on the leads, in a very strange and dangerous manner ; but his heart encouraging him to venture yet higher, he attempted the leads, and getting up to the door, he saw a great danger over his head, at sight whereof his heart began to fail him, for the stones were carried clean away, under the inside next the church, and, on the outside, so shaken, that very little upheld them; then espying yet more danger than before, he saw a great stone over his head, as he supposed ready to drop down upon him, that he knew not whether to stay or go down, for the fear of the falling thereof ; then attempting to throw it down, cried as loud as he possibly could, being at the top, to stand clear, for fear of danger; he catching hold on somewhat over his head, hung by his hands, and with his hands touched the weighty stone, which tumbled down the stairs,“ never resting till it came to the bottom ; then all the people at the fall thereof, thought he was killed, but he, presently coming down into the bell-room, tolled the bells again‘, and thereby removed their fear.

Then coming down lower, in one place in the stairs, close by the place where the tower was most rent and shaken, there he espied a thing very strange to him, as if it had been a cannon discharged full of powder, and as if a bullet, withal, struck and shook it, and finding no way out, recoiled back to another side, and there rent out a great part of the tower, with mighty stones ; and but a little above it there was a round patch as broad as a bushel, which looked thick, slimy, and black, and black round about it, to which he put his hand, and felt it soft, and bringing some thereof from the wall, came down the stairs to the people, and showed them that strange compound ; all much wondered thereat, and were affrighted, not knowing what it might be ; it was like slimy powder tempered with water; he smelling thereto, it was so odious even beyond expression and in a far higher degree of loathsomeness, than the scent which was in the church or tower when they first smelt it, it being of the same kind, they supposing that strong smell came from that which did overcome the sexton’s and this searcher’s stomach almost.

Yet all this while he found himself reasonable well, though much offended with smells; and, going home with Master Lyde to supper, he lodged at Master Rouses, and went well to bed, and, an hour after, he felt something come upon him, as he thought, on the outside of his waist and belly, as if it were a cord.‘ twisted about him, two men pulling it with great strength, which griped him in that unspeakable manner, three or four times, so that he thought himself cut in sunder therewith, not having any breath, nor none knowing what to do to him, but after this, taking some rest, he was very well in the morning. All which most sad and lamentable spectacles were done, as it were, in a. moment of time.

This is the sum of those dismal accidents and terrible examples happening in the place aforesaid. And the main drift, in the publication of this great judgement, is for thy humiliation and edification, not only to acquaint thee with the great and mighty works of God’s power and justice, who in a moment can do mighty things to us, and arm the creatures against us at his own pleasure, but also to move pity and compassion in us towards our brethren who were patients therein, not judging them greater sinners than ourselves ; but believing ‘ That except we also repent and sin no more, we shall likewise perish,’ or worse things befal us. Which relation you can difficultly read without sighs, nor understand without tears. l know it is the fashion of too many to question and talk, and make things of this nature but a nine-day’s wonder: but let us not deceive ourselves any longer, but consider, we have been lookers on a great while, and others have been made our examples, and felt the smart at home and abroad, whilst we have gone free ; but we know not how soon our turn and changes may come; these accidents might as well have happened to us as them ; the Lord therefore in great mercy fit us for the worst of times and the best of ends. I end all with that prayer in our Litany commending thee, and this to the blessing of the Almighty.

From lightning and tempest, from plague, pestilence, and famine, from battle and murder, and from sudden death, Good Lord, deliver us.