IT hath been ever the Opinion of Rational and Understanding Men, that COMETS are the unfortunate Tokens, which God sets up in the Firmament at once to warn and [...] Men, when nothing else will do it. Who knows not, th [...] when such unusual Lights appear in Heaven, there have eve [...] followe [...] in a verry short time after, great and bloody Wars, Plagues, Dearths, and other Publick Calamities, which have swept away infinite numbers of Men, or where their Lives have been given them for a Prey, have invol­ved them in the danger of being Rob'd, Plunder'd, and having their Houses and Goods consumed by Fire, &c. So true is that of the Poet,

We will give you an Account of some COMETS, and some unhappy Consequences, out of Ancient, and Modern Histories, and then come to discourse of that before us.

In the year XXIX, before Christ's Nativity, appeared a COMET, the Effects of which were soon seen, not only in a very bloody War, wherein Augustus the Emperor overcame An­thony King of Egypt, and all Egypt became subject to his power, but in a very dreadful Earth­quake, which shake [...] all Judaea, and kill'd many thousands.

In the First year of our Saviours Nativity, together with a very great Eclipse of the Moon, was seen a very dreadful Comet, which burnt like a Torch for three dayes; and shortly after fol­low'd King Herod's barbarous Murther of the Infants of Bethlehem: nor did the bloody King spare his own Son, whom, together with other Jews, he caused inhumanely to be Butcher'd.

In the year 71. after Christ, there appeared a Comet in the shape of a Fiery Sword, which stood over Jerusalem, and was seen for a whole year together, and proved the fatal presage of the overthrow and destruction of Jerusalem, and the Jewish Commonwealth.

In the year 78. appeared another Comet of a very terrible Aspect, for it look'd like a sharp Arrow, and its Effect was, a very great Pestilence, which invaded Rome, and raging two years to­gether, consumed vast multitudes of Men, Women, and Children.

In the year 323. a Comet foretold the Inundation of the Arrian Heresie.

In the year 454. was seen a Comet, which burnt like Fire for 21 dayes, and was possibly a pre­sage either of the savage C [...]uelty, or Death of Attila, who burnt and destroyed all Countries he came into, and call'd himself The Scourge of God.

AC. 539. or as others 538. appeared a Comet for 15 dayes together, upon which there hap­pen'd these following accidents. The King of the Goths was Conquered and taken Prisoner by Belarius the Roman General, and his eyes put out by Justinian the Emperor. Cosroes with a vast Army invades Italy, and his Army is ruin'd by the Plague. At the same time there happen'd a very great Earthquake at Constantinople, which lasted ten dayes, and kill'd vast numbers of Men.

A. C. 729. in January, two Comets appear'd, one before the Suns rising, the other after hi [...] going down, whereupon Leo the Emperor met with very great Troubles in his Government, and the Lombards made great havock in Italy, and besieged Rome.

A. C. 745. A Comet seemed to be the Forerunner of a dreadful Pestilence, which in the City of Constantinople alone swept away above 300000 Men.

A. C. 828. Men took notice of a Comet, the Effects of which were very dreadful, viz. tem­pestuous, unusual Winds, which destroy'd abundance of Men and Houses, and Towns, and Villages, both in France and Germany.

A. C. 831. A Comet was seen, which was attended with a great Famine and Dearth, insomuch that in many places Parents murther'd their own Children, and did eat them.

A C. 838. A Comet appeared, and lasted 25 days, and was the Forerunner of another great Famine, and of the great difference among the Sons of Ludovicus Pius, which ended in a very dreadful War, wherein above 100000 Men were kill'd.

A. C. 841. A Comet presaged the fatal War, which happen'd shortly after, between Lotha­rius and his Brethren.

A. C. 869. Appeared one, and immediately after, all Germany felt very great Earthquakes, as also a great Famine, and a very bloody War, which was thought would have proved the utter Extirpation of the Inhabitants.

A. C. 876. the 20th of June, appeared a very dreadful one in Saxony, whereupon in July following happen'd such incredible Floods of Water, as did infinite mischief both in Saxony and Thuringia, and particularly the Town of Aschenbrun, by a sudden and violent Rise of Waters was carried away with Houses, Men, Beasts, Trees, and Church; and all this in one Night, insomuch that next day no Man could tell, that ever there had been a Town there.

A. C. 905. in March, appear'd another, and immediately upon't, the Hungarians fell into Ger­many, plunder'd it, destroy'd and wasted it everywhere. In Italy also there happen'd very great Calamities, and Ludovicus King of the Lombards chased Berengarius, pretending to the Empire, but was on a sudden overcome again by Berengarius, and at Ditrichs-Bern had his eyes put out.

A. C. 1005. Appeared another Comet very terrible, which presaged the violent Plague and Famine following very shortly after, in which more Men were kill'd than remained alive, and which overspread almost the whole habitable World; and within a little while after happen'd the Holy War, which lasted 88 years, and consumed an infinite number of Men; not to mention the mighty Troubles which arose in the Church about this time about the Election of Popes.

A. C. 1165. Appeared another, and presently after, there happen'd the great Earthquakes in Syria and Sicily, which destroy'd a great number of Cities and Towns. A very bloody War also ensued between the Poles and Prussians, and betwixt Duke Henry the Lion and Marquess Albert surnamed the Bear, about the Countrey of Saxony, wherein Henry was put to flight, and which occasion'd a great quarrel betwixt Welphus Duke of Bavaria, and Paltsgrave Hugo, who had the Counts of Zollern for his Auxiliaries. They destroy'd many Towns and Countries, till at last Duke Wolf besieged Tubingen, which Siege the Paltsgrave came to raise, and therefore occa­sion'd a bloody Fight, in which the Duke was forced to flie, who yet within a very short time af­ter, having got the Bohemians to be on his side, destroyed Bavaria and Suabia, and all Germany, to the very Lake of Geneva. About this time the Emperor found trouble enough in Italy from his Adversary, and was forced to go to Rome, which City very much opposed him, but was in a short time Conquer'd by the Emperor, who kill'd above 12000 men, and made himself Master of the City.

A. C. 121 [...]. The 18 of May, another Comet appeared, which was a Forerunner of the bloody Invasion of Europe by the Tartars.

A. C. 1264. in August appeared another, which lasted three Months, and foretold the sad Fate of the Famous and Noble City of Acon which by a terrible Earthquake perish'd, and was totally destroy'd.

A. C. 1312, 1314, and 1362. Divers Comets were then seen, which had this Effect, that a great Mortality of Men and Cattle, and Famine, and other sad Disasters, follow'd upon't, and especially A.C. 1314. the Comet which was seen, appear'd with a very long Tail towards North-west, and for a whole year together it rain'd, which occasion'd a very great Pestilence, and a very cruel Famine, insomuch that Men could not contain themselves from feeding on dead Carcasses, and Parents from eating their own Children.

A.C. 1403. April the first, in the Evening, at North-east appear'd a Comet, whose Tail cast it self towards the North, and immediately thereupon happen'd a great War between Sweden and Denmark; and about December following, such Floods of Water rose, that many Towns, Villages, Men and Cattle were drown'd.

A.C. 1472. A Comet was seen with a very long train stretching it self towards the East, and continuing above Eighty days, and causing, besides other miseries and disasters, a very dreadful Pestilence, and a very dry Summer, and such vast numbers of flying Locusts in Hungary, Poland, Silesia, Mahren, &c. that the people could not see the Sun, they flew so thick together.

A.C. 1475. appear'd another, which look'd pale, and sometimes of a blewish dark colour; whereupon there follow'd the great dearth of Corn, and a very bloudy War among three Kings, Casimir King of Poland, Ʋladislaus King of Bohemia, and Matthias King of Hungary; who wasted and destroyed Silesia, Mahren, Bohemia, and the neigbouring Countreys. And the effects of this Comet were also felt by Victoriosus Duke of Burgundy and Lorrain, who that very year, besides the loss of 17000 Burgundians in a Fight, lost his own life also.

A. C. 1527. appeared a very unusual Comet, and which cannot be parallel'd by any other, seen all Europe over, full of fire, and of a very great length, in whose Circle was seen a bended Arm, with a Sword, in a threatning posture; and about the point of the Sword appeared three Stars, with Tails, as if they were three Comets; and round about those Stars, Spears, and bloody Swords, and Faces of several Men with long Beards, lasting an hour and a quarter, a sight so astonishing, that many that saw it fell sick upon't, and died. The Effects were seen shortly after, for the Turks fell into Hungary, besieged Vienna, and a great deal of blood was shed. This very year, the City of Rome was taken by the Duke of Burbo [...], and great Insolencies were committed by the Soldiers.

A.C. 1531. appeared another Comet, seen in Germany, Italy, France, and in the neighbour­ing Countreys; a fore-runner of that bloody Helvetian War, in which the Towns of Zurick, Zug, Ʋri, Ʋnderwalden, and Lucern were engaged.

And much more mischief did that Comet portend, which was seen in Hungary, in the year 1541. which at last changed it self into the shape of a Dragon before whose mouth was seen the Figure of a Mans Head, and at his Tail a bloody Flame, and the Dragon turning his mouth to­wards Austria. That very year the Germans and Hungarians were totally routed and beaten. And presently after this disaster hapned a great Plague, which swept away many thousands.

A. C. 1572. and 1577. the two Comets then appearing, portended the ensuing War between Spain, and England and Holland; not to mention the broils and miseries which Germany then groaned under. And what need we speak of Comets which appeared in Ages past, when the great Comet that was seen in the year 1618. is yet fresh in many Mens memories? A Comet which lasted thirty days, and presaged a War of thirty years; which accordingly hapned, and proved a scourge, whereof the marks are to be seen yet at this day. This War was seconded by a very cruel Plague, which consumed those whom the Enemy had left alive; and it's hard to say whether more died by the Sword, or by the Pestilence.

One would have thought, when the German Peace was made in the year 1648. that God had then done with the tokens of his anger; but alas! in the year 1653. appeared another Glass of Gods indignation in Heaven, a Comet which presaged troubles and destruction to Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Muscovy, &c. in which Wars, abundance of Christian blood was shed.

And in the year 1661, in the Eagle in the Firmament there appeared another Comet, which sufficiently hinted to us, that the Roman Eagle was to grapple again with the Enemy of Christen­dom; a passage so universally known, that I need not enlarge upon it.

What the two Comets in the year 1664 and 1665 foretold, the Wars which ensued there­upon can sufficiently witness. Ask Holland, Brabant, Westphalia, Collen, Lubeck, the Palatinate, Alsatia, Brandenburg, Pomerania, Macklenburg, Bremen, Schonen, England, and other Countreys, and they'l soon tell you what the consequences of these Comets were. They'l relate to you with tears and sighs, what miseries they have felt. Go to the North and East Sea, they'll show you thousands of Carkasses, which owe their fall to the poisonous influences of these marks of Heavens anger. They'll let you see the Places of their Battels, the Bones of their kill'd men, and the Monuments of those persons, who have been swept away with these inundations; and on their Tomb-stones you may find these words engraven, In this place, Death in one Fight hath torn away so many thou­sands out of t [...] La [...]d of the living, whose bones are her [...] interr'd. Consider the Element of the Fire, and let it be r [...]membred, what hurt, what mischief it hath done within these few years: How many Cities and Towns of late have been buried in ashes by this merciless Element. Nor hath the Water ceas'd to offer violence to Men of late years; for we have had news from several places, and with amazement we have heard, what Flouds have hapned up and down, to the ruine and destruction of Men and Countreys. And the Winds have been for some years so violent, that one would have thought they threatned ruine to all the Vessels that plough'd the Sea, and to all the Towers and Steeples which adorn'd the nobler Buildings. Witness the Hurricanes in the year 1674. whereof Holland hath felt the smart.

What the two great double-tail'd Comets, which were seen the 10 of November, 1675. in Alsatia and Swisserland portended, let the Inhabitants of those Countreys spea [...] ▪ where you might see nothing but murther, and fire, and ruine, caused by the French Army. Let a Man ask the famous Towns, Haguenaw, Cronweisenburg, Deuxponts, Cassel, Newenburg, St. Wendel, and many hundred Villages in that Neighbourhood, and they'll acquaint you with the sad disasters, that within these few months have befaln them. The Cities and Towns which a little while ago were full of people, are now nothing but heaps of stone, and Wildernesses, and the Inhabitants Beggars and Alms-folk, that must beg a piece of bread from door to door. Insomuch that it may now be truly said,

From what we have said it sufficiently appears, that Comets are no useless things. God grant, that the Comet which hath lately been seen, may bring us better news. It appear'd, and was seen on the 16th day of April at Hamburg; and, as those that took an exact view of it, tell us, it was very fiery, and cast its beams towards the East. Afterwards, when the Heavens were clear, and without Clouds, it appeared perpendicular, and standing bolt upright. It rose at North-East in the morning, about two of the Clock, and had its scituation betwixt the left foot of Andromeda, and the Triangle in the Firmament. Its Tail hath been observed to be of an unequal length, having appeared sometimes longer, sometimes shorter; but its ordinary length was about three quarters of a yard.

What the Learned will judge of it, will be seen ere long by their Writings. To sp [...] spiri­tually of it, let every man that hath either seen or heard of it, or read of it, lay his hand upon his breast, and think with himself, That God hath sent this Comet for his sins, and threatens destruction to him: Let him search and examine his Conscience, and confess his sins, and repent, by mending his life; and without doubt this will be the best interpretation of the Comet.