A mirrour or looking-glasse both for saints and sinners held forth in about two thousand examples wherein is presented as Gods wonderful mercies to the one, so his severe judgments against the other collected out of the most classique authors both ancient and modern with some late examples observed by my self : whereunto are added the wonders of nature and the rare ... / by Sa. Clark ...

CHAP. LVI. Strange Examples of Deafe, and Dumb Persons.

WE have (saith Camerarius) in Noremberg a young [ 1] man, and a young maid, both born of one fa∣ther, and mother, and of a good house, who though they be deafe, and dumb, yet have they a singular quick con∣ceit: they can both of them reade very well, write, cipher, and cast an account: they are quick, and cun∣ning at Cards, Dice, and all games: The maid is ex∣cellent at Sempstry, Tapestry, Embrodery, &c. And by the motion of a mans lips, they know his mean∣ing.

Platerus mentions one deafe, and dumb born, yet [ 2] could expresse his minde in a table-book, and could understand what others wrote therein. He hearing O••colampadius preaching by the motions of his lips, and gesture understood many things.

One Gennet Lowes a Scottish woman dwelling in [ 3] Edenburg, being deafe, and dumb by nature, could un∣derstand any one in her house, meerly by the moving of their lips: so that by their motions alone without a voice, she could exactly know their meaning.

Master Crisp, brother to Sir Nicholas Crisp, his dex∣terity [ 4] in knowing the meaning of men by the motions of their lips is very well known to Merchants upon the Exchange, and is yet fresh in every ones memory. At the time when Sir Alexander Carey was beheaded at Tower-hill, this Master Crisp (having been deafe long before) pressed to stand neer to the Scaffold,

whereupon Master Hurst, an officer in the train-bands that kept the guard spake to him to forbear, who not hearing him, continued to labour to get a convenient place, till Master Hurst being told by some who he was, suffered him to place himself right against the front of the Scaffold, and when Sir Alexander turned himself to speak to the people, Master▪ Crisp fixed his eyes upon his lips, during all the time of his speech, which he so perfectly understood, and carried away, that relating it to his friends, they much wondred at the way of his perception.

There was a Nobleman in Spaine, the younger bro∣ther [ 5] of the Constable of Castile, born so deafe that he could not hear a gun shot off by his eare, and conse∣quently dumb: yet the lovlinesse of his face, and ex∣ceeding vivacity of his eyes, the comlinesse of his person, and the whole composure of his body, were pregnant signes of a well tempered minde: Physicians and Chyrurgions had long imployed their skill to help him, but all in vaine: At last a certain Priest under∣took to teach him to understand others when they spake, and to speak himselfe that others might under∣stand him: This attempt was at first laughed at: but after some yeares with great paines he taught this young Lord to speak as distinctly as any man, and to understand so perfectly what others said, that he could understandingly converse all day with them. Prince Charles when he was wooing the Infanta of Spaine, saw him, and oft made trial of him, not only with English words, but making some Welchmen in his traine to speak words of their language, all which he perfectly repeated, only for want of his hearing, his tone was rather vehement, and shrill, then pleasing. This many were witnesses of.

Pausanias reports that one Balthus a dumb man, [ 6]

wandring in a desert, met with a Lion, and was struck with such exceeding fear, and trepidation that there∣upon the strings of his tongue were loosed, and he spake ever after.