MAster Frankling, a man of great worth, almost a thousand pound a year, fell into a wonder∣full melancholie and distraction for seven yeares, his eyes closed up, his mouth closed up, his hands closed up, so that he was like a dead corps, and al∣most famished, he was with Master Nappier that famous Physician about a yeere and a halfe, but could not prevaile with him: some two yeares af∣ter he returned unto his own house, he fell into a strange humour of eating, and drinking wine and strong ale, and it is almost uncredible to report how much he did devour in a day and night: but this putting strength into him, he grew very out∣ragious, and fell a burning, and fighting, and great∣ly endangered the killing of his servants, and the burning of his house; and then my brother Master Gery that maried Master Frankl•ngs sister, entreated me to go unto him: I told him my opinion was as it was before, that he must be removed from that house, and have some others placed about him that would follow other directions; my brother was desirous still to have me go to see him, so with his importunity I went▪ and took with me Master Iones, a grave Preacher, and one that had taken great pains with him: we found him in a great chamber the glasse windows broken down, and one chaire, another afterwards was brought, we sate down, my intention being at this time onely to observe his carriage, he was in a slight suit, hard∣ly worth five shillings, like Irish trouses, without a band, the haire of his head on both sides being Page  76 rubbed off, and standing with his back to a great fire, and looking so terribly, that he would have terrified a man that was not acquainted with furi∣ous obiects: so having spent some halfe an hour in observing of him, Master Iones very respectively rose up and put off his hat, and made his Apologie to Master Franklin because he did not come to see him, for he went to Thurly: but he slighted him, and would make him no answer. Then I spake to him, and said, Master Francklin you are much be∣holding to Master Iones for his great care of you, but he sweld up, and said unto me, Sirrah how dare you speak thus unto me? And I saw it was now time for me to get me out of my chaire, and because he should see that I was not daunted at his speeches, I drew neerer, and said, Who are you that I must not speak unto you? And thereupon he suddenly darted off the hearth, and with his fil∣thie nailes raked over my face, and tore my ruffe; so I was so ingaged that I must win the horse, or lose the saddle; but it pleased God to give me such strength, that (closing with him) I threw him down, and gat his hand and swaked it to the boards, and called for a knife to pare his nailes, but he would then have set upon my face with his teeth; I was fain then to loose one of my hands, and take him by the throat, and with all my strength thrattle him, but he made a hideous noise, and cryed to his brothers to help him, so one of them came and took me off, and then I washed my face; for I had not lost so much blood in any fray since I was at the siege of Ostend: Afterwards he would be friends with me, for he knew that I did Page  77 it as a Souldier of Ostend: A while after there was a meeting of divers Iustices of Peace and other gentlemen and there he was delivered unto me as by vertue of a commission out of the Court of wards, and so we removed him to another place and set other attendants about him and gave other directions: and so after a short time he rode abroad a hunting and coursing, and grew into great jolli∣ty, and married my Ladie Charnockes daughter, a brave and vertuous young gentlewoman, by whom he had one daughter and is lately dead.

And another beautifull young woman one Wapooles daughter of Southoe neer Huntington and one Master Beadles Son falling in love with her and intending to marry her, but after his father per∣ceived it he would not give his consent, because her father was not able to give a portion accord∣ing to his estate, whereupon she fell into great dis∣contentment and fell distracted, and wandering from her fathers house in the depth of winter, and in great floudes, towards evening she came to my house, and being in the porch, made a strange kinde of noise: I went to see her, and she was wet and moiled as though she had been dragged thorow a river, I fear'd at first she had coundterfeited and thought of sending her to the constable, but after∣ward I had more pitty on her and caused her to be brought to the fire, and got some warme drinkes and a warme lodging, and so with in some few dayes, it pleased God she was so well amended, that she was able to declare unto me where her fa∣ther dwelt, and related unto me this pittyfull story Page  78 of her love: after she was able to doe some busi∣nesse I sent to her father to fetch her home, he was glad when he heard she was living, for they did thinke she had been drowned in the great floods; when her father came we had been at prayers, and I was reading a chapter: when her father came in the young woman looked upon him very earnestly, but would neither speak nor do any reverence un∣to him, I used many perswasions to her, but could not prevaile, I sent out her father into another roome, but it would not be: then I called for pin∣sers and opened her mouth, and dealt very roughly with her, as though I would have plucked out her teeth, but it would not be: then I took a Bible and bad her read the first commandment, and then she fell a reading and into a passion of weeping, and afterward spake to her father, her father intreated me that she might stay with me a while longer, and so she did, and returned to her father, and so went up to London where she had two Vncles rich men.

A Joiner and his wife being much perplexed in minde: came over to me, it pleased God in short time to send them comfort: some yeare after their maid fell into great terror of minde, she sat up late to attend her dames child and there would appear unto her a Spirit (as she tearme) it like a cat, and would dance about her: I tould her it might be it was a cat, she said it spake to her, I asked her what it said to her, she said, come follow me, then she would cry out, and her master rose and went to prayer with her, but the maid was so troubled that Page  79 she was almost at her wits end, and her hands and her face so swelled that they glisterd, it pleased God within few dayes to send her comfort and she returned to her master, and I never heard that she was terrified with the cat since.

One Charitie of the same Towne fell into great terror of minde, her husband brought her over to my house and made great moan for her, I enquired if she was not fierce and dangerous, he tould me no; but only trouble of minde: I lodged her that night with one of me servauts, in the night she fell into a fit, and set upon the maide, and almost bit of one of her fingers; the next day I sent her to Saint Needes with a servant of mine called godly Iohn, a strong man, who went with her to Saint Needes to have her let blood; but as they returned she leapt into a pond, and godly Iohn had much a a do to get her out; but it pleased God she grew well and came to Lady Luke to give her thankes: my Lady Luke had entreated my care of mad Bell that came from London, but I tould my Lady, that we had been with Charitie.

A great Lady falling into great melancholie, and distracted, and having attempted divers waies to make her selfe away, the devill did put one strange temptation upon her, as they related to me: she had caused her maid that did attend upon her to bring up good store of wood, and laid it un∣der her bed, and watched a time when her maid was gone down, and locked the doore, and made a great fire, and then unclothed her to her naked Page  80 body, and kneeled down neere the flame, and was very earnest in her devotions; the fire being great, made a great smoke, which some perceiving, came to the doore, and brake it open, and demanded what she meant to do with her selfe; she answered she made triall of her selfe how she could indure the flames of fire if persecution should come for the profession of the Gospel: her husband left her with me some moneth, and then it pleased God she went away much amended, and comforted. A temptation accompanied with a zeale for the Gospel is hardly to be resisted. The Virgins in the Primitive Church, rather then they would be dishonoured and deflowred by the heathen, would murder themselves; it was their sin, though a zeal, but not according to knowledge.

Mistris Clements, that married the Bishop of Co∣ventry and Lichfield, fell into a dangerous melan∣choly, and burning feaver, and terrour of consci∣ence, and grew very weak, and past all hope of life; the Bishop and her husband sent for me to come over to her, if ever I would see her alive, for they were perswaded if any man could do her good, I was the man: it was a long journey, and I was loath to go upon such hopelesse tearms; well, I went and found her very weak, and almost fa∣mished, for her throat was so furred with heat, that we could hardly get a spoonfull of broth down; I saw that it was grown to that desperate state, her Physicians having left her, I caused a bath to be made of milke and coole herbs, and be∣ing in a goodly large roome, in the Castell caused Page  81 them to make a good fire, and take her out of her bed, and put her into the bath, and bathe her head and her stomack well, and after some few dayes, using this meanes; it pleased God to blesse it so, that she could take down her broth, and in a short time came into the Chappell to make her prayers unto God, and to give him thanks; but I told them though she had recovered her health, yet this did not cure her minde: and therefore within some few moneths after, the Bishop and his Lady sent her husband with her to my house in her Ladies charet, and left her with me; and so within halfe a yeere it pleased God to send her much comfort, and now she is very chearfull and comfortable.

Iohn Crawly of Luton a Yeomans onely son of good worth, and Judge Crawly's kinsman, upon some unkinde speeches which his father gave him, fell into great melancholie, and attempted to dround himselfe, but help came in before he was drouned, and then he strove to famish himselfe, he was sent unto Chesford in a Cart, and then to my house to keep him from famishing; I took a strange course in feeding him, and do the more willingly declare the manner thereof, that other Physicians may do the like in case of such extre∣mity. I prepared a wheele-barrow, a homely en∣gin, yet very vsefull for this purpose, for the shafts gave good advantage of the binding of his legges and his armes and putting some hay in the bottom of it, and so his head might leane backward, and we stand about him, then gagged his mouth to keep it open, and fower or five with napkins and Page  82 towells as though we were going to dresse a Hog, made them ply his mouth with pouring in milke or posset drinke which he would as freely cast up againe into our faces and moile us pitifully; but which did the deed, I poured milk into his nostrils and that falling, more backward upon the gollet of his throat, and that passed downe, and so fed him divers daies and kept him from famishing, and then to make him speak I caused a great fire to be made and bound his armes, behinde him, and a spit thorow his armes and held him down to the fire a basting stick and butter to bast him and made him beleeve we would roste him but he endured a great deale of heat, but it came not to blistering, and my sonne said unto me, father let us but roste his head to night for the disease lies in his head, so at the last he spake, and then we took him from the fire, and that night he took his rest well, and in the morning spake to my wife and asked for his break∣fast, and kneeled downe to his prayers and read his chapter, and went to the church and behaved him∣selfe so orderly that I never saw any in such a des∣perate estate to mend so much in a short time, and so returned unto his father, and is a more active man and of better discourse then ever he was.

Margaret Russell a Yeomans daughter of good worth a young woman and very beautifull, fell in∣to a great mellancholy, and attempting to make her selfe away she was in love with a Baker and the Brownistes had tamperd, with her fell likewise into a humonr to famish her selfe, with whom I took the like course to feed her; she was a woman of that Page  83 strength and nimblenesse of her ioynts as I seldome are met with the like, she was very resolute to famish her self so I was carefull to break the points of the knives: but, Except the Lord keepeth the citie the watch∣man watcheth but in vain. For our harvest cart co∣ming home and many of our neighbours with the same we went to prayer and song a Psalme as our u∣sall custome was, they fell unto such chear as it plea∣sed God to blesse us withall, and the table being being furnish't, Margaret Russell sat downe at the ta∣ble end upon a threshold near the store house, and he that attended her being set at the table, and making merry with our neighbours, my wife and I being in another roome with some other young women: Alice Pentlow, my wives servant, having been at the market, and put on her ho∣ly day girdle and knife that had a sharpe point, she went into the store house to cut some victuals, and brought a piece of pastie in her hand Margaret Russell made an haighing, and held out her hand as though she would have the pasty but when she was within her reach she snatch at her knife, and Alice made a pittifull scritch and cryed out Marget, Mar∣get, and held the knife in her hand as fast as she could but the other being to strong for her stabd her self twice into the throat so I run into the hall and wrencht the knife out of her hand, and one of them was directly upon the throat, as if one had stickt a pig, and bled grievously and we expected hir death presently: and therefore kneeld down and prayed unto God for her, and did earnestly entreat her to cry unto God for mercy; but she seemed not to regard it, but rather forc'd her selfe to make it bleed Page  84 more I wished them to bring her to the hall door and give her ayre, and there we kneeld about her at last I bid on bring me a mallow stalk and search the wound, and found it slip along by her winde pipe and so used some meanes to staunch the bleed∣ing and heald the wound: within few dayes she went home with her father, and after grew into great bravery: and I heare is lately richly married, and that her father gave her two hundred pound, the Lord give her grace to repent of her sinnes, and praise him for this mercifull preservation.