Every woman her own midwife, or, A Compleat cabinet opened for child-bearing women furnished with directions to prevent miscarriages during the time of breeding, and other casualties which usually attend women in child-bed : to which is annexed cures for all sorts of diseases incident to the bodies of men, women and children.

CHAP. III. Warnings of the Plague to come.

AVicen, a noble Physitian saith, that when wee see the natu∣rall course of the ayre, and seasons of the year to be alte∣red, as when the spring time is cold, clowdy, and dry, the har∣vest time stormy, and tempestuous, the mornings and evenings to be very cold, and at noon extream hot, these do foreshew the Plague to come. Also when we see fiery impressions in the firmament, especially in the end of summer, as comets and such like, and that in the beginning of harvest we see great store of little frogs, red toades, and myse on the earth aboun∣ding extraordinarily: or when in summer we see great store of toades creeping on the earth having long tailes, of an ashy color on their backs, and their bellies spotted and of divers co∣lours, and when we see great store of gnats swiming on the wa∣ters, or flying in great companies together, or when our trees and hearbs do abound with Caterpillars, Spiders, Moaths &c. which devoure the leaves on the trees and hearbs on the earth, it sheweth the ayre to be corrupt, and the Plague shortly after to follow. Also by the beasts of the field we may perceive it (especially sheep) which will go mourning with their heads hanging down towards the ground, and divers of them dying without any manifest cause known unto us. Also when we see young Children flock themselves together in companies, and then will faine some one of their company to be dead amongs them, and so will solemnize the buriall in a mournfull sort, this is a token which hath been well observed in our age to foreshew great mortality at hand. Also when we see rivers of water to overflow without any manifest cause, or suddenly vanish away and become dry: And when clear well-springs do suddenly become foule and troubled. Also when the small-Pox doth generally abound both in young and old people, all these do foreshew the Plague to come.