RIght iust is the Lord in all his iudgments, but yet most mer­ciful to such as doe repent, and turne away from their wic­kednes: and althogh oft times hee bee seuere in his punish­ments, yet dooth hee long for­beare before hee execute his wrath, giuing many war­nings to all finners to repent and leaue off their wicked liuing: and dealing with vs euen as a lo­uing Father doth with his children, first threatning vs for our faultes, and in hope of amendment, for­bearing and suffering vs, to see if we wil take war­ning and leaue off our euill doings. But when hee seeth that by no meanes we will be wonne to dread his iudgements, then he taketh his rod of affliction [Page 8]in hand, and therewith [...]urgeth the obstinate and rebellious: For although the Psalmist saith in one place, That he is verie mercifull, slow to anger, and a­boundant in goodnes: It in an other places he saith. The Lord is righteous and iust, and rewardeth all men according to their deeds: So that his mercie and iustice are of equall quantitie, and as hee sheweth mercy to the humble and contrite, so hee executeth his iudgement vppon the froward and vngodly. And yet notwithstanding, although we see & heare dayly what tokens hee sendeth vs, as fauourable warnings, and what iudgements hee executeth as terrible threatnings: yet wee still goe on carelessely in our former wickednesse, making no more ac­count of all his admonitions, then of a matter no­thing appertinent vnto vs.

It is not longe since hee afflicted vs heere in England. First, with pestilence and mortalitie, and now last by death and famaine, and euen so long as our punishment continued, so long wee in some sort sought vnto him, but now it hath pleased him a­gaine to send vs our former health and plentie, wee in greater aboundance, daily commit more grie­nous sinnes then before, and by how much more the mercie of God is shewed vnto vs, so much the more doe we continually transgresse, neglecting his ser­uice, and giuing our selues to all sinfull lustes and voluptuous pleasures, taking pleasure and delight in all the most detestable and abhominable sinnes that are in the world. Young men and women, in pride and whoredome, and old folkes, in couetous­nesse and gluttonie: But wherefore doe I impute [Page 3]part to young and part to old? For surely although those sinnes bee most rife in these estates, yet both young and old are partakers in them all, and in a great many more, so as I may say that both young and old, great and small, of all ages, and of all con­ditions: are apt to all manner of deadly sinnes and pernicious vices. And although we haue the glori­ous Gospell of Iesus Christ, plentifully preached amongst vs, and many thousands of good, faithful, and painefull Pastours and Ministers, to distri­bute the same amongst vs. Yet there is none of any other Heathen nations, and erronious Religion that are so slacke, in their deuotion as we are, nor so negligent and carelesse in the worship and honor of their false Idols and fained Gods, as we are in dutie and reuerence vnto our true God and hea­uenly father. This is a grieuous case, and of all things most lamentable, that we being by professi­on Christians, and bearing the name of Souldi­ers to so worthie a Captaine as our Sauiour is, should make so smal resistance against our enemies the world, the fleshe and the diuell, as to let them harbour and remaine amongst vs, executing their malice vpon our wretched soules as they doe. Is it not great shame for vs being of so excellent a profes­sion, to take so little regard and care thereof, and to see them of false and famed, damned, and supersti­tious opinions, so careful in maintaining their most wicked heresies? Yes surely it is great shame, and greatly to bee feared, that those ignorant Heathen nations, shal in the day of iudgment rise vp against vs, and condemne vs for the small care and regard that we take of the truth.

[Page 4] And surely I would wish euerie Christian soule to take heede: and haue more regard of the honour of God then before times hee hath had, least hee in his iust iudgements, bring vtter ruine and destruc­tion vpon vs all, as hee hath lately threatned, by these tokens which now I purpose to declare, ad­uising thee whosoeuer thou bee, that either readest or hearest the same, not to esteeme lightly of the matter, but to alter thy mind and leaue off thy wic­kednesse in time, while the Lord will bee found to shew mercie vnto thee. And so briefely to the mat­ter.

Vpon the twentie day of Iuly last past, 1600. A most fearefull iudgement of God, happened in the Cittie of Weersburch by Franckford, where al at one time the Lord sent a mightie Earthquake, and darknesse, with a great and fearefull tempest of Thunder and Lightning, which continued for the space of fiue whole howers in most dreadfull man­ner, so that all the inhabitants of the Citie, thought surely the last iudgement day then to haue beene come, the terrible shaking of the earth, caused the people both small and great to forsake their houses, (and finding no place for succor wherein they durst abide) did runne vp and down the streets, weeping and crying in most dolefull manner. Many Chur­ches and stonewalles, with other buildings, fell dawne by reason of extreame shaking of the earth, and in their fall, killed and maimed a great num­ber of Christian people, the suddainnesse of this fearefull tempest, put the poore inhabitants in such extreame feare, as no man had any minde of any thing in his house, no, the husband neuer remem­bred [Page 5]his wife, nor the wife her husband, but were so exceedingly astonished, that they ran vp & downe the streetes from place to place, like mad or fran­ticke persons.

The Thunder and lightning, was likewise so terrible, as the lightning ceazing vpon the houses, burned an hundred and twentie of them downe to the ground: and by reason of the peoples feare, there was no man that vsed any kind of meanes to hin­der the force of the fire.

The man that had now beene ther, to haue seene the demeanour of these poore fearefull soules, and could without feare and astonishment, haue noted their behauiour: might there haue seene a most liue­ly Map of miserie and misfortune.

During the time of this tempest, another most straunge and dreadfull accident happened in the Cittie. For a man of a most straunge complection, appeared to many people: his hayre on his head see­med to be flames of burning fier, his eyes stood sta­ring in most fearefull and gastly maner: his beard all growne out of order, that by visage hee seemed like a wild man, in his right hand he held a bloudie sword, and in his left hand a rod, from whose bran­ches bloud dropped in aboundance, his looke was sterne and reuengfull, and his words ful of terrour, which were these.

Thus saith the Lord, your sinnes haue mooued me to wrath, and your transgressions haue prouo­ked my displeasure, therefore except you speedily repent and leaue off your wickednesse, I wil vtter­ly [Page 6]destroy you from the face of the earth, and behold this bloudie Sword, that I hold in my right hand, betokeneth dreadfull warre, which the Lord will bring vppon you speedily, except vnfained repen­tance. The rod that I haue in my left hand, signi­fieth the punishment which the Lord wil inflict vp­on you, because you will not bee warned, and for­sake your pride, and such other abhominable sinnes, for as hee hath longe forborne you, still admoni­shing and exhorting you by his Preachers, to re­forme your selues and amend your liues: So now seeing no other meanes will serue, hee purposeth to take his rod of affliction in hand, and to correct your sinnes most seuerely. And seeing mercie will not preuaile, nor you make no account thereof, hee will now execute his iudgementes vppon you. And ha­uing vttered these and such like speeches, hee vani­shed away: at whose departure there was heard such a sorrowfull howling and crying: that the peo­ple more affraid of this wounder then of all the tempest before, were now with feare so mightily astonished, as they rather seemed dead men then li­uing creatures.

Not long after, it pleased God that the tempest ceased, and the weather brake vp. which comforted the Citizens hearts, but yet this ioy was not per­fect with the most part, for there you might see some wayling for the losse of their goods and houses con­sumed with fire, others making woefull lamenta­tions for their husbands and children, searching a­mongst the dead bodies which were burnt and [Page 7]slaine, with the fire and fall of the buildings, heere one crying and wayling of his wounds, gotten in the time of the tempest, there another sorrowing for the losse of his friends, in such pittifull manner, as would haue mooued the most stonie hard, and ab­durate heart to relent, and take compassion: but al in vaine were these lamentations, for that by them no man is able to recouer such losses, wherfore eue­rie one as well as they could, striuing to comfort themselues, made this their chiefest ioy, that it plea­sed God to stay the tempest, and in some measure to appease his wrath.

Some two or three daies after: to shew foorth the great ioye that they receiued by the mercye of God, in sparing them at that time. The Gouernour of the Cittie with some other of his friends, tooke Waggon, entending for their recreation, to ride to the next Cittie called Ausburch, being not farre dis­tant from thence, and as they were in the mid way in a certaine Wood called Rade, where suddainely they heard a great noyse and crie of certaine chil­dren, and looking about could see nothing: vppon that the Gouernour sent the Waggoner to see if he could find the persons, from whome that clamour proceeded, who went and sought all about, but could find no bodie, so when he had sought a great while in vaine, at last he returned againe to the Go­uernour, telling him that hee had sought in euerie place neere thereabouts, but could neither see nor heare any such matter. This aunswere made them greatly to wonder, for still they heard the crie low­der [Page 8]then before: which encreased their desire so much, as the Gouernour bad the Waggoner to driue forwards into the Wood, to see if they could by any meanes know the reason of this clamour: Not long had they ridden before they came to a crosse way, where fower waies met, where they spied three children, two boyes and one gerle. The Gerle had vpon her head a costly Call, made of the newest and stateliest fashion, that is at this present worne, vpon her lower-parts a paire of Breeches, like a man of the newest fashion likwise, both which attires, signified pride, the one in women, the other in men. The Girle approaching neere vnto the Waggon, spake to the Gouernour as followeth.

The extreame pride that raigneth in these daies among Christians, hath so much prouoked the Lords displeasure, that it hath caused him to send vs downe from heauen, to pronounce his iudge­ments against you all, and to tell you that hee hath promised vtterly to roote you out and destroy you, except you speedily repent, and regard the fauour­able and mercifull warnings that hee sendeth you by vs: So hauing vttered such like speeches, shee likewise vanished away in a great flash of Light­ning, and was seene no more.

The next approached one of the Boyes, who was clad in Turkes apparel, who threatned dread­full warre against all Christendome, and that the Turke should according to an auncient Prophecie: come and ouer-runne that Land, and bring his Ar­mie into the Cittie of Culen vppon Rhyne, which is [Page 9]the place from whence the Renish wine commeth: and with sword and fire should destroy all those places in which he entered, and this hee said should fall out the next yeare without faile, except speedie repentance. And that their land should be brought to such extremitie through the want of men, that there should not be left in all the Countrie a man to follow the plough, so as all the countrie should bee desolate and vnfruitfull.

Then came the other Boye, who holdeth in ei­ther of his hands, a peece of their Countrie money called a Reall, and hee said that in certaine time af­ter, the Turke should bee beaten backe againe into Hungarie, and then should bee such plentie, as no man should haue need to borrow of his neighbour, but they should haue Gold and Siluer at will: but there should follow such pestilence & contagion, as the number of the people should be so much demini­shed, that victuals shall bee so plentie, as for three Stiuers (which is in English money some seuen pence halfe penie) a man should buy a bushell of of Wheate, and for halfe so much a bushell of Rie. But a dead mans Coffin should not bee found, al­though a man would giue for the same a Duck at of Gold, so grieuous the plague should be.

When all these speeches were vttered, they made the Gouernour sweare, to publish the effect of their words in all their Dominions, and to all other nations neere adioyning vnto them, which they tooke their oathes to performe. And so they made letters of Credence, sealed with their Seales [Page 10]and sent them from Cittie to Cittie. First to the Palsgraue, then from him to the Duke of Brons­wicke, and so ouer all the land. This Coppie came into England the twelfth day of this present Mo­neth of Nouember. 1600.