Varieties: or, A surveigh of rare and excellent matters necessary and delectable for all sorts of persons. Wherein the principall heads of diverse sciences are illustrated, rare secrets of naturall things unfoulded, &c. Digested into five bookes, whose severall chapters with their contents are to be seene in the table after the epistle dedicatory. By David Person, of Loghlands in Scotland, Gentleman.

SECT. 6.

A continuation of other Prodigies; with a conclution of this Treatise.

ABout the end of the Goths and Vandals wars against the Romanes, there were seene in the ayre, Armies flaming as all on fire; from which there rained drops of blood: and thereafter followed extraordinary overflowing and deboar∣ding of Rivers,* 1.1 but chiefly of Tyber; which of all other Rivers is observed to deboard both most ex∣cessively and most often; and these ever goe before some evill to happen to the City: But of all her deluges, none more memorable than that which happened under the Pontificy of Pelagius, which overswelled the walles of the City, destroyed all the Corne in the lower Countries, and procured such a famine and Pestilence, that thereby many thousands perished, amongst whom the Pope him∣selfe, after whom Gregory, the most worthy Pope of that name succeeded.

In the time of Sabianus successor to him,* 1.2 a terri∣ble and Portentuous blazing starre was seene; and the sea cast up many Monsters with visages like men.* 1.3

These, and many the like were seene before the dayes of Bonifacius the third, in whose time the Romane Church obtained of Phocas then Empe∣rour, the title of Mother and supreame Church;

for till then the Greeke Church claimed the supe∣riority.

In the dayes of Adrian the second Pope of that name,* 1.4 it rained blood three dayes. A little before the death of Sergius (the first Pope that began to change his Proper-name) terrible fiery torches and fleakes were seene in the ayre, with great noyse and thundring.

In the Pontificy of Iohn the eleaventh, sonne to Sergius, a fountaine in Genoa ranne blood in great aboundance.

About the time that Iohn the twelfth was for his flagitiousnesse and abomination deposed by the Emperour Otho,* 1.5 a great stone fell from heaven: In Naples likewise within this hundreth yeares there fell a brownish coloured one of an extraordinary bignesse. In France likewise upon a S^t. Iohns day there fell a great peece of Ice,* 1.6 in a showre of raine, many feete long.

In the yeare of our Lord 1012. when Ierusalem was taken by Anmrath the great Turke, there were terrible earthquakes, and fiery impressions seene over all the firmament, and the Moone appeared bloody.

But to recount all Prodigies and Miracles which in latter ages have appeared in severall Countries; and to set downe the severall Reasons that are gi∣ven for them,* 1.7 with the events observed to ensue af∣ter every of them, would take up a greater Volume than I intend this whole booke to be; therefore I will here put an end to this discourse.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The deboar∣ding of Tyber ominous to Rome.
• * 1.2

  A blazing starre.
• * 1.3

  The sea cast out monsters.
• * 1.4

  It rained blood three dayes.
• * 1.5

  A huge stone fell from heaven.
• * 1.6

  A great piece of Ice fell in Rome.
• * 1.7

  Conclusion▪