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. VIII.

1 How God sendes thunder and lightening eyther for his glory, for mens triall, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 for their punishment.

2 Examples asw••ll moderne as auncient of forcible thunders and lightening.

IN all ages it pleased God to manifest his ••aiesticall power of thunder and lighte∣nings among mortall men eyther for his glory, or for monition sake, or for their punishment. At Mount Sina•• to shew the Israe•••••••• is glorious strength and Maiestie, he ap∣peared with exceeding loud Trumpets, with terrible thun∣ders and lightnings, which the Prophet Dauid thus expres∣sed: The Lord thundred out of heauen, and the most High gaue out his voyce, hailestones and coales of fi••e. Another time to trie Iobs faith, and to make the Diuell a lyar in

impeaching his innocence and integritie, God caused his heauenly fire to descend, and to consume his seruants and flockes of sheepe. Likewise for the conuersion of the Is∣raelites at the prayers of Elias he sent fire from heauen to consume the sacrifice. The like did he againe at the praier of the said Elias send downe to destroy Ahaz••as men. And this very weapon of lightning and sulphureous fire vsed he against Sodome and Gomorrhe.

Alladius an ancient King of the Latines (who reigned before Romulus) had his Palace set on fire with light∣ning from heauen, and perished himselfe therein.

A king of Clide was strickē with a thunderbolt frō heauē.

A maide of Rome trauelling to Apulis was killed with lightning (no harme outwardly appearing in her bodie) and at the same instant her garments were also shaken off without any rent, & her horse also killed, & his bridle and girthes shaken off without any breach.

It is reported of King Mithridates, when he was a very infant lying in his cradle, that the lightning caught the swadling cloathes, and set them on fire, but neuer touched or hurt his body, saue only there remained a litle marke of the fire vpon his forehead, againe when he was growne, it chanced that the lightning pierced into the bedchamber where he was asleepe; and for his owne person it was not so much as singed therewith, but it bla∣sted a quiuer of arrowes that hung at his bed side, went through it, and burnt the arrowes within.

There was at Rome a souldier, who keeping the Cen∣tinell vpon one of the temples of the Citie chanced to haue a flash of lightning to fall very neere vnto him, which did him no hurt at all in his bodie, but only burnt the ••atchet of his shoes: and about the same time, where∣as there were certaine small boxes and cruets of siluer within wooden cases, the siluer within was found all melted vnto a masse in the bottome, and the wood not iniured at all, but continued entire and found.

Many haue died by reason of thunder or lightning with∣out any marke or stroke, wound, scorch, or burning seene vpon them, whose life & soule for very feare hath flowed out of their bodies, like a bird out of a cage.

Olimpius an Arrian Bishop had his bodie sodainly burnt with lightning at Carthage: which iudgement of God fel vpon him, as many thought, for blaspheming the bles∣sed Trinitie.

One Prester the sonne of Hyppomenes for blaspheming God was striken with a thunder, and perished.

Anastasius the Emperour in the yeare of Christ 499. being addicted to Magicke and the Manichean heresie, did perse cute such Christians as reproued his finnes and wickednesse. But at the last lightning came fearefully a∣bout his house called Tholotum, he crept from chamber to chamber to seeke where he might be safest: but no∣thing would preuaile. The flashes in the end ouertooke him, and he perished miserably.

Hatto the Bishop of Mentz, when in the yeare of Christ 918, by the instigation of Conrade the Emperour, he en∣deuoured to murder Henry Duke of Saxony, was sodainly slaine with a stroke of lightning. In the yere of our Lord 653. at Frisazium a towne of Saxony a great nūber both of houses and people were destroyed by lightnings.

It is writtē, that the mother of Hierom Fracastorius (who afterwards became one of the most learned and famous Phisitians of Christendome) hauing the said Hierome in her armes then an infant, was her selfe killed with light∣ning. But her child was not hurt at all.

In the yeare of our Lord 15••4. the Citie of Claraual∣la in France, being stricken with lightning about noone daies did so fiercely burne, that in three houres space their towne, castles, & Churches were vtterly consumed.

In the yeare of our Lord 1551. an honest Citizen of Crentzburge standing by his table, and a dog lying by his feete, were both of them sodainly slaine by a light∣ning:

yet a young child, which stood hard by his Father, was preserued safe.

It is not long since Paules proudsteeple ouercrowing all the spires in England felt the blowes of diuine iu∣stice with her sister Babell; the one by lightning, the o∣ther by confusion.

One Wyman a Citizen of Glocester, as many there yet liuing can testifie, about fortie yeares past, hauing a son called Arthur Wyman at the Vniuersitie in Oxford, very earnestly required another sonne of his, one William Wy∣man to carry some prouision of victuals vpō a Whitson∣day to his said sonne in Oxford. This younger sonne, af∣ter many excuses, was at the last forced vpon that high day nolens volens to go forwards on his iourny to Oxford. But by the way in a thicket of wood he was found strickē dead with lightning: yet his body in outward appearance was without any marke. The mare whereon he rode was also smitted dead, and sauored very strong of brimstone. And the meat which he caried, as Kid, Lamb, &c. were so corrupted with blackish sent, and stunke so ill fauou∣redly, that no man could abide the smell thereof.

Mistresse Lowbell a Gentlewoman of Colchester yet liuing, about two and twentie yeares ago or there a∣bouts was sodainly stricken downe with lightning, and so scorched and singed in her bodie with the sulphureous slame, that she could hardly be cured within a quarter of a yeare after.

About the said time at a place called Croes-Askurne in the Countie of Carmarthen, vpon the day of a Gentle∣mans marriage, as they were making merry there, a very strange accident hapned. There came a thunderbolt, and pierced quite through the said house, and also a cer∣taine womans head-tires were rent and torne from her head with a blast of lightning at that instant, without any other harme.

Likewise about that time a whole houshold at a place

called Talley in the said Countie, were burnt with wild∣fire. There perished at that time by report fiue or sixe little children in the said house. Whereby it appeares, that the innocent is sometimes smitten with such strange ends aswell as nocents.

There was a fearefull lightning on the seuenteenth day of Nouember 1606. which in very short time burnt vp the steeple of Bleachingley in Surrey, and in the same melted into infinite fragments a good ring of Belles. Which accident, because it was so lately done, I will re∣hearse the same more at large, according to the discourse of one Simon Harward, who wrote thereof com∣pendiously and learnedly. When I came (quoth he) to visite the towne of Bleachingley, I found their cause to be equall (if not worse) then the rumour or report, which was before published: I found that by the lightning (which came with the terible thunder on Munday being the seuenteenth of this instant Nouember, about ten of the clocke in the night) the spire steeple of the said Blea∣chingley, hauing beene lately new couered to the great charges of the parish, in three houres space was vtterly consumed with fire. The steeple was about twelue fade me high aboue the battlements of the square stone worke: but it was a steeple spreading downeward very large in circumference. The same worke which bare it (being also about twelue fadome high) is a long square of one and twentie feete one side, and eighteene feete the other side. It is thought by good workemen, that two hundred loades of timber will not suffice for the erecting of such a steeple, as that stoneworke did late∣ly beare.

I found also the belles (being before a sweete ring, and so large, that the Tenor waighed twentie hundred waight) partly melted into such fragments, and partly burnt into such cinders, or intermingled with such huge heapes of cinders, as it will neuer heereaf∣ter

serue to the former vses thereof.

This lightning did not onely this harme in Surrey, but also it afflicted Sussex, and diuers other places about the very same time. It was very strange when it fired Blea∣chingley steeple, it entred also into the house of one Stephen L••gsford of Buckstead in Sussex almost twen∣miles from Bleachingley, and melting the lead of his glasse windowes, did with great violence breake through, and rent in sunder a strong bricke chimney.

What shall I write of mine owne tragicall euents v∣pon the third of Ianuary 1608. which are nothing infe∣riour to any of the accidents here recited? But because I intend to set the same out more distinctly by it selfe, I will suspend the story only during the space of an houres reading from my Readers view. About the same time there happened in Dors••tshire at Winburne Minster a ve∣ry strang accident. About foure a clocke in the after∣noone, as they were at Euensong, the steeple spire being strongly built of lime, stone, and sand, and beset with yron barres, was sodainly stricken downe with thunder and lightning, the leads were rent and torne, yea and which was most miraculous, the singing mens bookes were torne in their hands, and the seates before their fa∣ces likewise rent and broken. And this the glorious God hath done, because the mouthes of the wicked may be stopped, who iniuriously detract from his prouidence in imputing my misfortunes onely singled out aboue all o∣thers; as though the same miraculous Mouer, which moued these heauenly creatures of his against me, did not also extend his power in the like degree vpon others in this Realme. Howsoeuer, welcome be his Angell vn∣to me, whether he brings me tidings of peace, or of tri∣bulation.

Notes

• 1
• Exod. cap. 19. Psal. 18. Iob. cap. 1. 1. Reg. cap. 18.
• 1. Reg. cap. 1. Genes. cap. 19.
• Dionys. Haliea. lib. 1. Anti. 2.
• D••odor. Sicu. lib. 4.
• Eutropius.
• Plutar. lib. 1. Sympos. quaest 6.
• Plutar. Sympos. lib. 4. quaeston. 3
• Jbid.
• Paulus Diaconus
• Sabelli.
• Zonar. tom. 2. Annal.
• Gar••••us in me∣t••orolog.