Strange nevves out of Kent of a monstrous and misshapen child, borne in Olde Sandwitch, vpon the 10. of Iulie, last, the like (for strangenes) hath neuer beene seene.

Strange nevves out of Kent of a monstrous and misshapen child, borne in Olde Sandwitch, vpon the 10. of Iulie, last, the like (for strangenes) hath neuer beene seene.

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Title page

❧STRAVNGE NEWES OVT OF KENT. OF A Monstrous and misshapen Childe, borne in Olde Sandwitch, vpon the 30. of Iulie last, 1609. the like (for strangenes) hath neuer bene seene, knowne, nor heard of.

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❧STRAVNGE NEWES OVT OF KENT. OF A Monstrous and misshapen Childe, borne in Olde Sandwitch, vpon the 30. of Iulie last, 1609. the like (for strangenes) hath neuer bene seene, knowne, nor heard of.

GOds wonders, (deare Countreymen of England) daylie shewed amongst vs, as well Celestiall as earthly, may, if any grace be within vs, procure a continuall feare and trembling, and the abortiue and prodigious byrths from time to time, which many of vs haue bene eye witnesses of, may sufficiently summon vs from sinne, and speedily awaken vs from our dreames of securitie, wherein wee lye carelesly sleeping.

[Page] God we see is highly offended with vs, in that hee thus changeth the secret workings of nature, as he lately shewed, in the strange birth of a monstrous childe brought into the World, at Sandwitch in Kent, the strange shape and vnnatural proportion thereof, not onely raised much feare, fright, and wonder, to the inhabitants of that Countrey there dwelling, which behelde it, but also the reports (now most trulie) certified, by men of credite and substantiall reputation, may giue sufficient cause of terror and amazement to all people, the whole Kingdome ouer, and beeing rightly considered of by iudiciall censurers, and men of vnderstanding, it may without all doubt, put each degree and estate in mind, & cōsideration of the heauy wrath of our angrie God, not onely by this his iudgement here expressed, but diuers other waies threatned against vs, for our sinnes & transgressions, therefore good Countrymen, and you whose Christianlike mindes will relent at the relation hereof: good Countrymen, I say, let mee intreat you, that both your eyes, and eares, may bee gentle witnesses to the truth of this strange wonder in nature, and that your hearts and mindes may be bent to a repentant vnderstanding, for the discourse here following, is both strange, true, fearefull, [Page] and full of much wonder, and because there shall be (no doubt) made of the veritie thereof, I haue here placed downe the names of such personages of credite, now dwelling in London, that were eye-witnesses thereof, and personably saw the same, to their great hearts griefe and sorrow, which I hope, will be sufficient to approoue the truth.

¶The names of such Witnesses that saw this Monstrous Child, now dwelling in London.

1. M. Bills, at the signe of the Shippe in Thames streete.

2. M. Dickson, a Cooper, in Thames streete, neere to Saint Dunstons church.

3. M. Smith, a victualer, in long-Southwark.

4. Richard Rawson, Waterman, dwelling in East-Smithfield.

5. Ales Smith, dwelling in Byshops-gate-streete.

6. Amie Ratcliffe, of Shore-ditch, with diuers others, whose inward griefes there taken, is yet fearcely worne away, and cannot well (for the strangenesse thereof,) be forgotten, and this is the onely truth.

[Page] It is not vnknown to most part of the kingdome, that Sandwitch is one of the principall townes in Kent, bordering vpon the Sea, rich, and populous, and well stored with substantiall and welthy inhabitants, nere vnto which towne now standeth a very olde house, (being the dwelling place of one Goodwife Wattes, whose husbād is a shepheard) which house is the onely remnant of an other towne, which time hath ruinated & worne away, nowe called by the name of old Sandwitch, in which house, being some quarter of a mile from Sandwitch, wherein as I said before, dwelleth one Goodwife Watts, a very honest poore old womā, wel-beloued of the country, and of an honest conuersation amongst her neighbours, one that takes great paines for her liuing, and most willing to keepe her credit vpright.

Upon the thirty of Iuly last past, 1609. being satterday, there came vnto this old pore womans house, a certaine wandring yong woman, as it seemd great with child, handsome, and decently apparelled, and being not well able to trauell further, by reason of her great belly, euen ready to be deliuered, desired succour of this kind-harted old woman Mother Watts, and that she would graunt her some help and comfort in this her extremitie, [Page] and with weeping teares running downe her cheeks, requested for Gods sake, that some Christian-like charitie might be shewed her, & houseroome for that night offorded her for womanhood sake, otherwise her selfe, and the babe within her body were like to perish. This request of hers seemed so reasonable, and the regard of her bigge belly, drew such pittie and womanly nature from this good old woman Mother Watts, that she not onely granted her houseroome and lodging for that night, but also sucker, helpe and furtherance, (if it so stould happen) at the painefull hower of her deliuerie: to be short, this bigge belly wandring yong woman hauing thus by her humble intreaties obtained lodging, where the very first night of her lying there, fel into a most strange labor, where her wombe was tormented with such greeuous paine, that it much affrighted the old woman Mother Watts, and in her minde strook such a fear, that she immediatly called in her neighbours, being women all of a willing forwardnes in such a busines: but through the inward laboring of the womans bodie, not any of them all knew how to shift in such a dangerous case, wherefore amazedly they looked one of another, til such time as one goodwife Hatch, the yōger, was sent for, [Page] being a Midwife of a milde nature, and of good experience, who at her comming thither, so cunningly shewed her skill, that with the helping hand of God, this distressed yong woman was speedily deliuered, for which diligēt paines she gaue her vii. shillings, but her wombe yeelded forth into the world a kind of creature, but no childe rightly shapt, for it was most strange & dreadful to behold, and droue the Midwife goodwife Hatch and the rest of the company into a great fright, euen readie all to sinke downe dead to the ground with feare, whether it were for the sinnes of the Parents, or that God would haue his Iustice, in the estranging of nature for our sinnes here shewen, let the wiser sort imagine: but surely this vnknowne woman yeelded from her wombe such an abbortiue and prodigious fruit, that this ages memorie cannot call to mind the like: for it had no head, nor any signe or proportion thereof, there onely appeared as it were two faces, the one visibly to be seene, directly placed in the breast, where it had a nose, and a mouth, and two holes for two eyes, but no eyes, all which seemed vgly, and most horrible to be seene, and much offenciue to humane nature to be lookt vpon, the other face was not perfectly to be seene, but retained a proportion [Page] of flesh in a great round lump, like vnto a face quite disfigured, and this was all of that which could be discerned. The face, mouth, eyes, nose, and breast, being thus framed together like a deformed peece of flesh, resembled no proportion of nature, but seemd as it were a caios of cōfusion, a mixture of things without any discription, from the breast downeward to the bowels it was smooth and straight, all the other parts of the body retained a most strange deformitie, for the armes grew out at the toppe of the shoulders, hauing neither ioynt nor elbow, but round and fleshy, at the end of which armes, grew two hands, with fifteene fingers, the one hand had eight, the other seauen, of a contrarie shape, not like to the naturall fingers of new borne children: also it had foureteene toes, of each foote seauen, beeing as it were like vnto geese or ducks feete. The wast and middle as I said before, was straight and without ioynts, but the lower parts were al in a lump of flesh, like vnto a lambs paunch, or such li [...]e loathsome thing to be seene, and withall the legges so short, that they seemed to haue no proportion. This miracle in nature, or rather Gods wonder, thus brought into the worlde, quite disfigured from humaine creation, as by the picture is rightly [Page] deciphered, wrought such an amazement in the beholders hearts, that for a time, they were strucken almost sencelesse: the Roome also where this childe lay, smelled so earthly (for it was dead borne) that not anie of them all could hardly endure the sent thereof.

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[Page] Among other remembrances, this is to be obserued for a thing of strangenesse, that the woman her selfe cōfessed, that this monster, a little time before her deliuery, moued in her belly, not like vnto other naturall children, but as shee had beene possessed with an euill spirit, which put her to extreame torments.

Not many hours passed, before the reports of this strange byrth was bruited abroade, and the eares of the inhabitants there-about dwelling, so filled with the newes thereof, that they came in multitudes to behold it, in such aboundance that it was wonderfull.

But now againe to our purpose. On Sunday beeing the last of Iulie, this new deliuered woman, in reason seeming to bee weake and sicklie, lying in her bed, desired the olde woman her hostis, Mother Wattes (within whose house shee lay) to goe into the towne, & to buy such necessaries as was needefull for a weake woman in child-bed to haue, giuing her money for the same purpose, the which mother Wats most willingly did: But now marke what in tht meane time hapned, & let all women in such a case cōsider what might be done, & how strongly nature in this newe deliuered woman preuailed, for before Mother Wats could returne from Sandwitch, [Page] which was in lesse time then two houres, she had got vp out of her bed, put on all her cloathes, and was gone from the house, leauing behinde her eight shillings, lying vppon the Table, the child being dead, layde by it, with an intent that the money should pay for the burial of the same, all which at mother Wats her returne, beeing found in this order, seemed to bee an accident most strange, wherevpon she immediatly called in her neighbors, where (making knowne vnto them all these aforesaid proceedings) with a generall consent, they certified the same vnto the Magistrates, who vpon good consideration, togither, with the aduice of a reuerend and learned Minister, of Saint Clements church in Sandwitch, one M. Simons, who verie charitably gaue it buryall, & withall, giuing many godly admonitions to the people, concerning this most strāge birth: from such like terrible examples of Gods wrath, sweet Iesus bee mercifull vnto vs, for such like domb warnings of our owne ouerthrowes as this is, if wee be not graceles, may lead vs out of the pathway of perdition, & guide vs aright into the true way of happines.

Some other things concerning this wonder is to be considered of, the one is, that there was one of the Sergiants Wiues of [Page] Sandwitch, that by the sight, and corrupted smell proceeding from the child, receiued such a conceit, that to this day she is not scarce well, but sickly, and much decayed in health: likewise, in the time of this womans continuing in Mother Watses house, it could not be knowne by any meanes what she was, from whence she came, nor whither she was going, nor as yet it is not knowne for a truth to what place she is trauelled, but for a certaintie she was proued to be a wanderer, & supposed to be ones daughter in the Ile of Tennet, but of what life and conuersation she hath bene, and is of, none can iustly say as yet, but surely the birth of her wombe hath bredde much cause of feare.

God in his other creatures, shewes the like examples, onely to put vs in mind of repentance, both by birds, beasts, foules, and fishes, as there hath bene diuers straunge birds, and foules sent into the world with the likenes of great ruffes about their necks some with periwigs, chaines, and such like.

The Sea in like manner yeeldes forth her monsters in sundrie likenesses and deformed shapes. London had lately a feareful patterne of the same, by a huge deformed fish, that would groane and roare contrary to his kind, which by many people was seene [Page] at the Swanne within Newgate.

There be many I know that remembers the late groning tree neere Burndwood in Essex, ye sinking of ye groūd in Sussex, with a number such other like wonders wrought by the hand of God for our amendments, yet carelesly we still run astray, regarding nothing at all these larum-bels sent from our gentle redeemer.

And if we doe consider thereof aright, we are to make our prayers to God daily, that in mercie he would looke vpon vs, and not in this manner make a deformitie of nature, examples of his heauie indignation, threatned against vs: from such and all other the like, God in his sweet mercie deliuer vs all: Amen.

FINIS.

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STRANGE NEWES out of Kent, of a Monstrous and misshapen Child, borne in Olde Sandwitch, vpon the 30. of Iulie last, the like (for strangenes) hath neuer beene seene.

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Imprinted at London by T. C. for W. Barley, and are to be sold at his shop in Gratious-streete. 1609.

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Title statement

Strange nevves out of Kent of a monstrous and misshapen child, borne in Olde Sandwitch, vpon the 10. of Iulie, last, the like (for strangenes) hath neuer beene seene.

Edition statement

1609

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Text Creation Partnership,

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Date

2004-05 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1).

ID [DLPS]

A04800

ID [STC]

STC 14934

ID [STC]

ESTC S120015

ID [EEBO-CITATION]

99855219

ID [PROQUEST]

99855219

ID [VID]

20699

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(EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A04800)

Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 20699)

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Source

— Strange nevves out of Kent of a monstrous and misshapen child, borne in Olde Sandwitch, vpon the 10. of Iulie, last, the like (for strangenes) hath neuer beene seene.,

Extent

[16] p. : ill.

By T. C[reede] for W. Barley, and are to be sold at his shop in Gratious-street,. Imprinted at London :: 1609.. (Printer's name from STC.) (Leaf A1 woodcut repeated on title page.) (Signatures: A-B⁴.) (Reproduction of the original in the British Library.)

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