THere have been divers Strange and Wonderful Relations lately Published either with License or Allowance, of some Prodigious Accidents; and among the rest, not long since, there was an Account, That at a Town in Oxfordshire, there fell such a Tempest of Rain, Hail, Lightning, and Thun­der, the like hath been seldom or never heard of in England: It began about Eleven a Clock in the Morning, the Sky being for a considerable time very Black and Dark; when on a sud­den there fell in great abundance an incredible Storm of Hail, which, by the assistance of a strong East-wind, came down with [Page 4] that fierceness, that the Hailstones rebounded Three foot high from the Ground; after which followed a terrible shower of Rain, which seemed rather to fail by Pailfuls, and Dishfuls, than in the common way; which so affrighted the Inhabitants, that they went out immediately into the Fields to save their Sheep, Lambs, and other small Cattel, but they had much ado to return with the preservation of their own Lives.

BUT alas, This was but the Prologue or beginning of their succeeding sorrow, for during this dreadful Storm of Hail and Rain, the Heavens sent forth such huge and frequent flashes of Fire, that notwithstanding that deluge of VVater, which at that instant was falling from the Skyes, the Lightning took hold of some Houses, but was happily quenched without doing any considerable dammage; but several Barns, notwithstanding the utmost diligence of the Inhabitants, were burnt down to the Ground, and all contained in them consumed to Ashes; and one of them was burnt with so much violence and fury, that a Man who was Thrashing therein, had much ado to make his escape, before the Barn was utterly ruined and destroyed;

And among the rest a Youth being overtaken in the Storm, endeavoured to shelter himself in a Windmil, but the illnatured Miller began to Swear and Curse at him; asking him, If he was such a Fool and Changling, to be afraid of a little Lightning and Thunder; the Boy had scarce time to Answer before he was struck off the Stairs, & the Miller was forced to go down, & take him up half dead; But this unkind Miller had hardly recovered the Youth, e're he himself was struck down with the Thunder, and taken up without any appearance of life for the present, though it is said he afterward recovered.

There is likewise another Relation, That at a Town called Blois in France, about one a Clock in the Morning, an a­mazeing Tempest of Wind began with such violence, as soon affrighted the most sleepy from their repose; and in a short time by its fury, beat, or blew down all the Body of the Church of Saint Soulucas, except the Belfry, and likewise half of the Jesuits Church, and Two fair Houses into the Highstreet, the People whereof were glad to run into their Arched Cellars to save themselves, which they happily did, though the Ruines fell [Page 5] upon, and round about the Arch, but the Rubbish being remo­ved, they were afterward drawn out alive.

This Tempest was accompanied with a most prodigious Hail, many Thousand Stones being found as big as a Mans Fist, a thing so wonderful to relate, that had there not been sufficient Eyewitnesses, it would seem incredible; This unusual Artillery of Heaven, did break all the Slates wherewith the Houses are covered, and the Glass Windows all over the Town as if they had been beaten in a Mortar. Without the Town there were Eight whole Parishes utterly ruined by the Hail in such a ter­rible manner, that it seemed as if no Corn had been sown, or Vines planted there; so strangely were all things batte­red down, and laid in a confused desolation; There were like­wise Four other Parishes much endamaged, and Multitudes of Chimnies beaten down; so that the dammage by that, and the breaking of Windows and Tiles, was valued to be about Two Hundred Thousand Crowns, and the harm abroad in Cornfields and Vineyards was invaluable.

But in the midst of Judgment Gods Mercy is justly to be Ad­mired, for the Protestant Church in that Town was in a wonder­ful manner preserved, though it stood as much exposed to the Weather as any Building in the Town; and though all round it the direful marks of the Tempest were sadly Visible, yet this Church remained entire; without so much as a Slate or any Glass broken, which was generally taken notice of as a most re­markable Protection of Providence.

Another thing was that it pleased God neither Man; Wo­man or Child were kill'd in this dreadful Desolation, one Im­mediate Reason whereof was, that it happened at such a time of Night, when all People were in their Houses, whereas had they been stirring abroad, tis very probable much mischief had befallen them.

There likewise happened a strange Accident upon a Ship Ri­ding at Sea, which being Attacqued by a Tempest of Rain, Hail, Wind, Thunder, and Lightning, was in very great danger of being cast away; but on a sudden there brake so dreadful a Clap of Thunder into the Ship, that they all Imagined their Guns had Accidentally been Fired: and in a Moment their Main Mast [Page 6] was Split assunder from bottom to top as you would peel a Rush, the Maintop Mast was shivered into small pieces, and the Pendent at the head of it was burned to Ashes; it came with such Violence that it beat down fourteen Men which were upon Deck, and had like to have hurl'd them into Sea; and those that were between Decks were likewise thrown down; one of these poor men had the ill fortune to be hurt by it; Five of them lay for Dead a considerable time having no Symptoms of Life, for there could not the least Breath or Pulse be perceived in them, their Eyes and Teeth were Imovable, and yet they had no visi­ble Wound, Bruise or Hurt about them, but they stunk so ex­treamly of Sulphur or Brimstone, that it was hardly to be en­dured; they continued in this condition about half an Hour, but at last by Rubbing and Forcing open their Mouths, and powr­ing some Cordials down they were Recovered; but seemed much crazed in their Senses, At the same time there were six others miserably Burned, their Flesh being Scorched and yet their Garments not Consumed; nor so much as Singed as far as could be perceived, their Skin was much discoloured, and look't as if Burnt by a Coal.

And upon Tuesday the eighteenth of this instant May, there hapned a very strange and prodigious Storm in and about London, of which we shall endea­vour to give a brief and true Account.

About two a Clock in the Morning there began a furious Storm of Thunder and Lightning so extream, the Heavens seem'd to be in a flame, which was ac­companied with very large Hail, and extraordinary violent and hasty Showrs of Rain: This continued for several Hours, but about Ten a Clock in the Morn­ing a strange and unusual darkness overspread the Face of Heaven, and immediately after that fell such a terrible storm of Hail, as the like was hardly if e­ver seen in England; the Hailstones were so very great, that some of them being measured were found to be four inches, others five, others six in Compass [Page 7] nay it is confidently reported that some were seven, eight and nine Inches about, this storm bred a strang consternation in the Inhabitants, but it pleased God, that it continued not above a quarter of an hour, o­therwise it might have done much greater damage than it did; yet abundance of glass windows were broken and shatered to pieces, especially those called Sky Lights, which are so frequent since the Rebuilding the City: The Stones were of different shapes and si­zes, and the Fancies of the People have likned them to divers things; they fell with such violence that they cut the Faces of some, and the heads and hands of others who were abroad; some others ran into the ground in the fields above an Inch, and being taken out, they were found to be as big as Pullets Eggs, and some larger; several of them were round, others square and flat with very sharp Edges: The loss sus­tained by this terrible Storm is not yet to be reckoned up, especially if it fell with such Fury in the Corn­fields, as it did in the City; of which we much doubt we shall have a sad and unwelcome Account.