Strange and wonderful news of the birth of a monstrous child with two heads, and three arms which was lately born at Attenree, in the county of Meath, in Ireland.

Strange and Wonderful News Of the BIRTH of a Monstrous CHILD With Two HEADS, and Three ARMS, Which was lately Born at ATTENREE, in the County of MEATH, IN IRELAND.

Dublin, Ianuary the 31^th. 1684/5.

SIR,

YOU may remember I made you a promise, That as soon as I had a sight of that Monstrous Birth mentioned in a former Letter, I would send you a particular Re∣lation of it: And yesterday it being exposed next door to me, I accordingly took time to view every part of it, and made my particular observations on every point needful to be remembred. It hath two Heads upon two well-proportion'd Necks: the Heads of the bigness of any Child of a quarter or half a year old; fair and large, well-proportion'd and comly Faces, with Hair upon each of the Heads; not the least defect (as I could perceive) either in Eyes, Noses, Ears, or Mouths. The Shoulders are as large as a Child of two or three years of age, proportion'd to bear two Heads. I had a long Pipe that I was smoaking in, which I laid across between the Shoulders, and found it to be seven Inches by measure and better in

breadth on the back, from one Shoulder to the other. Be∣tween the two Necks (which stand at a proportionable di∣stance) there grows out an Arm, with an Hand, with all its Fingers and Nails, ascending upright between the two Heads, and is a full hands breadth (if not more) higher than the Heads. The upper-part of the Body is very thick, but downwards is much smaller, and it hath two Arms and two Legs as in other Bodies, duly plac'd, but they are but slender, and somewhat longer (in my apprehension) than the usual length. They have all the Fingers and Toes as others have, with Nails upon them. It hath the Privy-parts of a Male-Child, but by the Relation they appear to have been two di∣stinct Conceptions; for there was two Hearts found in that single Trunk, and so of other inwards; and I perceived there was a difference in the size of the Heads, and the two Faces did seem to me, the one to be Male, and the other Female.

And thus I have given you as exact an account as I could bear away of this Prodigious Birth. It was born about ten days since at a place called Attenree, in the Barony of Kelly, in the County of Meath; the Parents but poor people, the Father a holder of the Plough, and the Mother a young Woman, this being her first Child. When I saw the bigness of the Heads and breadth of the Shoulders, I could not but stand and ad∣mire how it was possible for a Woman to bring it forth, and live; for the Mother is still living, though very weak, but the Child was Still-born.

A Gentlewoman told me, That a Friend of hers, a Surgeon, not long since was employed to open a Child that was born with two Heads. But of a different nature to this.

We are all in peace at home and abroad, and our Weather very open, having had some Rain, but not very cold. This is all at present, but that I am

Your affectionate Servant, E. B.