TIME was when the Curious World had her eyes alway turn­ed towards the Banks of Nile, and the torrid sands of sunburnt Africa, in continual expectation of some new and uncouth shapes to be still produced by that Monster-teeming Mother.

But now, as if that vast Continent of Prodigies were contracted into the later small Teutonick engine, It is strange to see how greedie Mortals eye the labouring Press, and with gaping mouths attend its delivery; as ready to swallow and devour what ever it brings forth; and what is more prepo­sterous, the more Elephantine or Garagantuane the brats dimensions seem, whatere it be above the truth so much the easilier it goes down and is di­gest [...]d by that Monster devouring Monster, the ma­ [...] [...].

[Page 2] To satisfy which insatiable Appetite of our News mongers and their Athenians, Heaven and the Ele­ments seem peculiarly to have consented. This be­ing an Age, and this year especially a year of won­ders, and if not every where prodigious, yet in no part not remarkable in some eminent example of Providence or other: not to speak now of Wars and Battels, or Christians unnaturally weltring in Chri­stian goar, now in most part of Europe; what pro­digious Inundations. Snow and Cold have molested our Climate, what losses by Sea, what mischiefs by Land have in several parts afflicted us? but above all, what strange Excess of Fury & Madness has of late exercis'd its rage on our peoples minds? what unpa­ralleld and desperate Roberies, Cruelties and Cheats have happened? what Diabolical transports of de­spair, and Self-Murther, has of late in all parts, in more than Prodigious frequency, seized poor Mor­tals? In a word, have we not been daily alarmed with an infinite variety of unwonted Accidents, that God seems resolv'd to chastise our delight in false and Romantick news, to glut us with the more serious strangeness of equally sad and wonderful truths? Yes, surely Providence hath given us true subject enough for our discourse, without either careening the Ocean, or ransacking old wives mo­num [...]nt for amusing figments When we our [Page 3] selves being become so many Prodigies of Sin and Profaness, when our days are such, that Vice, that formerly shunned the light, now walks unmas­ked, and with open face dares plead for the palm, where it was wont to deprecate punishment. We cannot wonder if Nature and its Author combine against us, & expose our Enormities by monstrous and irregular accidents in the Mac [...]ocosme as a [...]e the lively H [...]eroglyphicks of them; nay, we can expect no less than the Meteors and Elements should be armed to chastize our violences done to nature, and even the instruments of our Life, Ple [...]sure, and Re­creation b [...]b [...]d and forestalled by unseen and unex­pected surprizes to revenge our Hypocrisy. This is certainly, what as in general we deserve, so in re­allity we all might look for, and therefore, however we may see these things as we think pass by us, and light on others, as perhaps some may be apt to col­lect from the deplorable example lately arrived, yet are not so partially to apply them, as to think those persons were e [...]e the worse for being the ex­amples of Gods judgments, or that those things happened to th [...]m on [...]y, meerly for their sin, th [...]t we should therefore conceit our selves the more righteous, or spared for our g [...]odness; but l [...]t u [...] rather consid [...]r that o [...]r sins were equ [...]lly, or perhap [...] more industriously leve [...]led at, in such ex [...]mples [Page 4] than those of the suffering, and therefore giving you first in charge and caution that Evangeli­cal rule, that you should never think persons falling under any disasters to be the greater sinners, but that when all are Sinners, some are made examples to their own health, and admonishment to the li­ving, which admonishment if we take not, we shall all likewise perish; upon this Christian stipulation, I say, that what shall be related to the living, may be to their benefit, made use of without any uncha­ritable reflections on the dead; who perhaps may be more Innocent than the surviving hearers of the sad catastrophe: I shall give you a punctual account of a most true and unparalleld Disaster which hap­pened at Goring Lock going to Stately; on Monday the 6th of this instant July 1674▪ about 7 a clock at night, where about 50 or 60 persons of Men, Women and Children, with one Mare crossing the water together in a boat from Oxfordshire to Bark-shire, by the watermens imprudently rowing too neer the shore of the Lock, they were by the force of the water drawn down the Lock, where their boat being presently overwhelmed they were all turned into the Pool, except fourteen or fifteen (who had been all then at the feast at Goring) were all unfortunately drowned, & to shew how vain all humane aid is when Destiny interposes; this hap­pened [Page 5] in the view of hundreds of people, then met at the same Feast, near this fatal Lock, who found the excercise of their pastime disturbed and their Jollity dashed by this mournful Disaster, of which they were helpless, but I hope not fruitless Spe­ctators.

The persons drowned, and since taken up, are not yet all known who they were, nor whence they came the Boatman John Waklin and his brother Escaped by Swimming; William Bushnel of Hagburn, whose the Mare was, was taken up alive, he having n [...]er 8 hours time by Providence of the Almighty allowed him longer to prepare for death then approaching, deceased, his Mare drowned that carried him and E. Dew, by hold­ing on the Mane to the place where they were taken up. The same Edward Dew yet alive, relates that he ha­pened to look to the Bottom of the Lock Pool with his eys open saw many that were drowning sprawling at the bot­tom like Frogs. Goodman Morecock of Stately, and his wife were Drowned, but their Son in Law Francis Higgs escaped with the loss of his wife (the said Tho­mas Morecocks daughter,) a Woman with Child, and a Child in her Armes, both then drown [...]d. Widdow Bell carrying a rich pack of Wares, was drowned, Goodman Wheeler of Mayseldom was Drowned his wife mira­culously I scaped by catching hold of a mans Leg that g [...]t on the bottom of the overwhelmed boat, Thomas [Page 6] Smith of Compton and 3 mo [...]e of the same Town with Adam Belinger of Chilton, and one King, a Butcher of Standford, and his wife, were all likewise drowned. And on Thursday the 9th, was 12 more taken up, whose names are not yet known, and it is supposed there are yet more at the botton of the Pool not yet discovered.

Readers,
You have here though a strange and very sad relati­on, yet very true, I dare assure you; but because there are dayly such sad stories, as since the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah the like was never heard of it will (I know) be very difficult to perswade many that what is related is tru [...], especially such as live in remo [...]e pla­ces, who see not the sad relations which London affords or other great citys or towns where much people inhabite. What may we beleieve, but that the great day is neer, and if we diligently search the Scriptures we shall find these the lat [...]er times of which our Saviour gave us the signs.