The arraignment of slander periury blasphemy, and other malicious sinnes shewing sundry examples of Gods iudgements against the ofenders. As well by the testimony of the Scriptures, and of the fathers of the primatiue church as likewise out of the reportes of Sir Edward Dier, Sir Edward Cooke, and other famous lawiers of this kingdome. Published by Sir William Vaughan knight.

LINEAMENT. XIII.

1 The Authours gratulation for his late fortunate deliuerance.

2 His description of the Lightning tragedy, the third day of Ianu∣arie, 1608. at what time God tooke away his wife.

3 His description of other Crosses at the very same time.

4 How God fore-shewed by mysteryes the said crosses before they hapned vnto the Authour: wherein his censure of Dreames is inter∣laced.

5 His description of his miraculous escape out of the Sea, wherein he fell by force of a cruell tempest on a Christmas day. 1602.

GOD forbid that I should charge all * 1.1 my Countreymen with the branded marke of blasphemie: for there be many good men which neuer knee∣led vnto Baal, which neuer worship∣ped the spirit of Detraction, all ready viua voce, as the Prouerbe saith, with both hands to hold vp the roofe of my opinion. They alledge simply and charitably that this great Accident vpon my wife and house came from God, as a faire warning for mee and them to prepare our selues for his heauenly king∣dome: which charitable conceit, I cannot cancell with obliuion or ingratitude, but rather confirme the same with an applauding Alleluiah. The Lord gaue, * 1.2 the Lord taketh away: blessed be the name of the Lord. No man aliue this day stands more indebted then my selfe for matters of life, vnto the Author of life. Da∣niel was wonderfully deliuered from the Lions clawes; Ananias, Azarias and Misael from the fierie for∣nace; Ionas in the Whales belly, from the stormy sea; and Paul with his Pilots, Marriners and Companions from perishing in the Mediterranean seas: but what am I vile wretched sinner, whom thou hast saued as strangely from fire and water? O glorious God, is it because thy prouident maiestie hath predestinated me

to some worthy seruice tending to thy glory. O boun∣tifull Lord, of vnsearchable wisedome, graunt that my faith may be signed with the seale of thy mercy. Let my spirit become regenerated and renued, as the Pot∣ters vessell, markt to an honest purpose. Whatsoeuer I am, whether tolerably toward or vntoward, tolerably cleane or vncleane, I wholy submit my selfe at the feet of thy mercy, altogether depending on thy Sonnes merits, from whence I will not depart, though I were sure with Asahel to be slaine by Abner, and as Iob protested, if thou wouldest kill me, yet will I trust in thee.

On the third of Ianuarie 1608. about the third houre of the night, or thereabouts, as I lay solitarie * 1.3 vpon my bed, what with torment of a sodaine tooth∣ache, and what with an extraordinary pensiuenes of minde, presaging (as afterwards ehanced) some fu∣ture euils; and also somewhat terrified with the great lightning, which then flashed most extreamely: Be∣hold, a forcible lightning in forme of a fiery pillar, extinguished the Candle-light burning before mee, and with that, as it were in the twinckling of an eye, strikes me with a most violent blast, that I ve∣rily thought my braines had been dasht out, and that I was at deathes doore. To confirme this imaginati∣on of mine, in the selfe same instant it thundered in such impetuous and extreame manner, that the earth moued (as sithence appeared in sundry other partes of this Realme) my house shooke, in so much that I am perswaded no canon no basilisco, nor any other artillery could make the like terrible report. With this fearefull volee together with the former light∣ning

flash, I fell into a kinde of traunce or confused thought, and (as Saint Paul speakes of his assumption into paradise: if it be lawful for me so to say) whether I were in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell, God knoweth; but I verily supposed to haue * 1.4 seene in spirit the warning-peece shot off for this worlds dissolution, or finall alteration against the ge∣nerall day of doome. Within halfe a quarter of an houre or thereabouts (as I coniecture) I returned to my selfe, and to my troubled senses at the loud cry, which two of my houshould, then being newly a∣waked out of their senselesse traunce raysed, in seeing my wife falne on the ground and dead among them. At this noise which they made, changing my thoughts, I made full account, that my house had beene throwne downe with the thunder clap or earthquake, & there∣fore astonished as I was, to saue my life, (being as I imagined, in that great ieopardy,) I rose vp, and hast∣ned me downe into the lower roome or kitchin, where I had heard the cry. By the way, her daughter, being one of the two, whose cry I had heard in my chamber, met me, and told me that her mother was sodainely stricken dead. At my comming thither into the kit∣chin, I found my wife quite depriued of life, in a blackish sweat, strongly sauouring of brimstone, which the Poets call, sacrum Sulphur, holy Sulphur, yet notwithstanding, least it might be a faint or swowne, I called for help to my seruants to haue her body bent forewards: but at the first, none directly vnderstood me, excepting the two aboue-named, vntil afterwards vpon our vehement lamentations and cries, the other

three (for there were in all, fiue, two men and three maides, besides my wife, in that roome,) beganne by little and little to come vnto themselues, hauing been all in one instant throwne downe to the ground as dead with the lightning and thunder. Two of these three last, at my first call and comming downe, reui∣ued: but the other, being a seruing-man of mine, lay longer in the trance. All of them stood as deafe and distracted, not able for their liues a long while to lift vp her dead body. Some of them could neyther heare nor vnderstand what I spake, nor what I would haue them doe: their braines were so confusedly shaken in their heads, that they could not for a long time an∣swere me in reason. When this fatall blow was giuen, my wife sate on a stoole, ouer-seeing her maydes mel∣ting of tallow. And for this purpose, the Seruing-man of whom I spake before, stood by her with a candle in his hand. The Kettle of tallow lay very neere vnto her. Aboue the place where shee sate, iust aboue her head, hung Bacon in the roofe of the house. All which being naturall nutriments of lightnings, by reason of their vnctuous substances, encreased the vertue thereof, and doubtlesse by the predestinate will of our heauenly Father, occasioned this foreible dampe, and perhaps augmented the earthquake. Her body was en∣tire and whole without diminution of any part, sauing a little of her hayre, which was rent or snatched off with the attyres of her head, & her fillet, which were likewise somewhat burnt, and also sauoured of brim∣stone. In like manner her stomacher, her whale-bone bodies, and her smocke neere about her heart, where

there was a small marke somwhat black, were burnt, rent, and torne with the heauenly flame. Perhaps her corpulence (she being very grosse) caused her thus to be singled and selected out from among the rest of the company. But leauing that Philosophicall opinion alone to the vnsearchable knowledge of God, without whose prouidence one haire cannot fall from our heads, I will proceede further in declaring the tragicall euents which we found the next morning inflicted by the lightning, thunder and earthquake.

The next morning (for all that night wee durst not bouge from the same roome, so greatly had feare * 1.5 seazed on vs) wee saw all the tiles fallen for the most part from the house, and some dispersed in heapes vpon the house. Wee found the chimney top of the chamber where I lay, quite cast downe: part of the waightier stones tumbled through the chimney downe into my chamber, yea, and round about the bed where I lay at the time of this fatal blast, to the great astonish∣ment of al that saw it: and surely it is miraculous how I escaped aliue, vnhurt, or vnscorcht in this terrible time of horror. Two glasse-windowes were also burnt with the lightning, whereof the one was a window by my beds feete: the other on the loft right aboue my chamber, and aboue my bed. Besides, three other glasse∣windowes were battred and bruised with the thunder or earthquake. Aboue a dozen breaches or rents were found pierced through the wals of the house, being al∣most foure foote thicke, and as strongly built, as could be of lime and stone. Also one of the beames was som∣what remoued from the place. And that which seemes

as strange, a fat Cow amidst many other Kine in the stable, was culled out and killed, or rather stifled with the Lightning: which induceth me (as I said before) to thinke, that this dampe tooke strength and power according to the nature therof, from such fat, liquide, and oylie substances or bodies. This opinion her selfe verified vnto me about a fortnight before shee dyed, when she caused all the candles in her house to be done out, for feare least the lightning, which at that time was somewhat fearefull, should encrease and receiue force from the candle light. Yet with this limita∣tion doe I attribute such matter of vnctuositie and vertue to lightnings from these inferiour bodies, that God who workes by measure, number, and waight, sends these or such like kinds of fate vpon vs to admo∣nish vs not to make reckoning of this world, as of a perpetuall Paradise, nor to sleepe ouer-long in the vo∣luptuous bosome of carelesse negligence.

Neyther ought I (seeing I haue gone so farre) to * 1.6 conceale another wonder, to wit, that she fore-tolde in her life time, as well to diuers others, as to my selfe the shortnesse of her life in this world: for this was an vsuall speach of hers sundry times within the same quarter of the yeare that she dyed: I know very well (quoth she) I cannot liue till the first of March. Another time, being (as I remember) not aboue three weekes before her death, descending downe from her chamber, where then she had beene at prayers, shee came smiling vnto me with these words: Husband, I bring you good tidings, you shall be rid of me, and you shall haue another wife: for I am fully

assured, that I shall dye very shortly, and that be∣fore the first of March. And I thanke God, I am prepared; let him send when hee will. Which words of hers being by me accepted in iest; shee replyed, as if shee had seene a vision, or felt some extraordinary motion in her spirit: you thinke I speake in iest, but marke the end.

Neyther did the Lord (I speake it to his glory) send this glorious alarme vnto mee without an impli∣cite or mysticall premonition, for about two Mo∣neths before, or thereabouts (as farre as I remember) in a dreame I saw the very like accident. Mee thought I was at a Knight my brothers house, and there lying vpon my bed, I imagined to haue seene and heard vpon the sodaine in the night time a most terrible light∣ning and thunder, in such wise, that I made full account the whole house had beene burnt or cast downe, and therefore to saue my life, with much adoe I hastned out of doores, where I supposed to haue beheld the inner part of the house terribly flaming with fire, and present∣ly after I might see one conueying out of doores a Chest; whereupon I bewailed, that a blacke Truncke of mine, stored with money was left behind, consumed with the flame. This dreame I related to my said Brother, being at my house about three weekes before the acci∣dent, & wished him in my brotherly loue to looke som∣what more warily to his house, least night fires might endanger him, by reason of the height of his house (the same not inferiour for height to any house which I haue seene) and likewise by reason of the partitions being timber-worke Neuerthelesse for all this, I aduise not the Reader to embrace this dreame of mine for an infalli∣ble president, because that dreames sort our commonly according to the diet, temperate, or intemperate, sparing,

or gluttonous, which men vse. And yet I beleeue, God seldome vseth to inflict any notable accident vpon a charitable Christian, that mortifies his body with com∣petent fasting, and moderates his soule with contempla∣tion of heauenly mysteries, vvithout some secret pro∣drome, or fore-running glimpse of his powerfull pur∣pose. Nor doe I aduise my Reader to surmise, that I conceiue ouer credulously or superstitiously of Morph••∣us or Phobetor, the Poeticall Gods of dreames, as ne∣cessarie causes of notorious effects. For my sentence is none otherwise of dreames, then of Comets, and Eclip∣ses, vvhich likewise are not the causes of remarkable e∣uents; but onely such signes and tokens are as smoake at the top of a chimney, or as an Iuie bush, put forth at a vintrie, the one prognosticating fire within, the other the sale of wine.

Thus it pleased the glorious Lord of lightnings, to extend his miraculous mercy towards me, and perhaps * 1.7 to leaue me (as a firebrand taken out of the burning, or as Ezechiels signe) for a testimonie of his lightning glory * 1.8 to hardned hearts. This is the second miracle, where∣by as a virbius or Rediuiu••s, I acknowledge my selfe twise restored from death to life, within the compasse of seauen yeares, euen about the selfe same season of the yeare, when our Sauiour Christ became flesh for the sal∣uation of flesh. The first time of my deliuerance vvas vpon a Christmas day, 1602. This latter time on the third of Ianuarie, 1608. and both vpon a Tuesday. In Fraunce betwixt Tremblado and Marena, a passage of two leagues ouer, it was my chance, on a Christmas day to be stricken into the surging Sea vvith the boistrous force of a cruell tempest, where I had no sooner falne, and cried to the Lord for helpe but sodainely beyond all expectation I found an Oare betweene my hands to defend, or rather deferre my life. And to this houre I cannot deuise where-hence the said Oare should chance

vnto me. In this dolefull sort I floated almost a quar∣ter of an houre very often tossed and ouerturned with the furious rowling of the stormie waues: vntill it plea∣sed God at length of his exceeding bounty in that rough tempestuous weather, when the proudest ship became humbled as the weakest reed, to direct the course of that small Barke from whence I fell, towards mee, and to guide the Marriners hands (as a man would say against winde and weather, against Oares and Sailes) for the haling me vp in a manner dead and ready to forsake the Oare. So that I may boldly say, that I haue beene mi∣raculously preserued both from fire and water.

Sic coniurati veniunt ad classica venti. * 1.9 So windes coniur'd descended to our sailes.

And if it were lawfull for me to apply those Meeters in the Psalter destinated to our Sauiour Christs resurre∣ction, I would sound out with ioyfull cheere:

Thus from aboue the Lord sent downe to fetch me from belowe: * 1.10 And pluck•• me out of waters great, which would me ouerflowe.

I would also with Ionas the Prophet, exhibite my sub∣missiue petition vnto the Lord my Sauiour: Thou didst * 1.11 cast me downe into the deepe, into the midst of the sea, and the floods compassed me about: all thy billowes and waues passed ouer mec. And I said, I am cast away out of thy sight, yet will I looke againe towards thine holy Temple. Here, I could lay downe how his omnipotent Maiestie respected me in all my trauailes both by land and wa∣ter. Twise I passed the Pyrenaean Mountaines betwixt Fraunce and Spaine, and that in the dead of Winter. Twise I trauailed ouer the Alpes, I escaped the Banditi in Italy, robberies in Hungary, and in other forraine Countries. All which deliuerances

Per varios casus, per to•• discrimina r••rum. * 1.12

Through diuers straights, through dangers infinite.

Ordinarie and extraordinarie I ascribe to no other destenie or fortune, then to the great Redeemer of the * 1.13 world, the mighite Lord, strong, mercifull, gracious, slow to anger, aboundant in goodnesse and truth, reseruing mercie for thousands, forgiuing iniquitie, transgression, and sinne. From whom I confesse this last lightning Tragedie to be sent, as a preparatiue for me and others. In like manner I confesse, it was profitable for my soules health, that God after this dreadfull fashion, rouzed me vp out of my Tent of securitie. For indeed I liued almost as care∣lesse, as Sardanapalus, bewitched with worldly ease; but now I thanke my gracious Lord, mine eyes begin to o∣pen, my soule begins to see her faults. God giue mee grace to perseuer in this acknowledgement, and to a∣scribe the glorie vnto him alone.

Notes

• * 1.1

  1
• * 1.2

  Iob 1.
• * 1.3

  2
• * 1.4

  2 Corinth. 12.
• * 1.5

  3
• * 1.6

  4
• * 1.7

  5.
• * 1.8

  Am••s 4.
• * 1.9

  Claudian. deter∣tio Consulatu Honorij.
• * 1.10

  Psalm. 18.
• * 1.11

  Iona. 3.
• * 1.12

  Virg. Aenaeid. 1.
• * 1.13

  Exod. 24.