MY true love and respects to you and your wife, hoping you are both in good health, though I have not heard fro you a long time; which hath made me to fear either you are not well, or that you are removed forth of the City, or you have taken something unkindely from me; that after the writing of so [Page 2] many Letters, I could not hear from you, except my Letters miscarried; but I hope I have taken such a course, that this vvill come to your hand, vvhich if it do, I desire to hear from you; and the rather, because of our a­ged mother, vvho takes it very heavily. I entended to have been in London a Week vvithin May, but upon further consideration, I have procrastinated my journey until toward Midsummer, about vvhich time, if providence per­mit, I entend to be there.

I shall relate to you, a strange Ap­parition that vvas seen near to us, on Wednesday the 11 of this instant, at a place called the Highway-house, be­tween Madely and Whitmore; The Woman to whom it appeared, was [Page 3] and is a Religious Woman, and come of a godly Family, the manner thus: On the said day, the Woman sitting in the door with a little Girl in her arms, she perceived the Sun to shine exceed­ing red, and casting her eys upwards, she beheld a dark body over the sun, about the bignes of a half moon, and in a short space, the said body divided into several parts, seeming numberless to her view, about the bigness of small Pewter dish­es, which came swiftly towards her, and immediatly the Court about the house seemed to be filled vvith armed Hands and Gantlets, vvith swords; glitter­ing and fighting (in their imagination) vvith another as great an Army, and it seemed to their view to be in the ayr above them. At the sight whereof, she [Page 4] was amazed, and being greatly astonished, ran into the house, having lest behinde her a­another little Girle playing forth of the doors, her Maid and she presently betaking themselvs to prayer, and after receiving some encou­ragement, they opened the door, and the Maid boldly stept forth, and took in the child (to her suposition from amongst them) which had no harm: But the numbers so encreased on both parties, that the House became all darkned like night: Then when she had got in her childe, she went to prayer again, verily supposing her end to be near at hard: After which her Maid and she looking forth, be­held infinite of Horse legs and feet trampling, and great Canons and Ordnance on the other side of the House rear'd up together, with their muzzels upward, and Houlsters hanging on them; this continued some space and va­nished. Then she opened the door and went forth, and saw and beheld the likeness of one man onely, standing within the Court near to the more, and immediately there arose a little [...]loud or Vapon [...] (as it were) forth of the [Page 5] moto, from whence issued a Bird about the bigness of a Capon, with wings such as an Angel is usually portraicted with, and a second and third followed and flew near to her and her Maid, ha­ving faces almost like Owls, and some­thing resembling a man, and after they had hovered about a while, they vani­shed in a vapour or Cloud; These birds were of able wish-red, or sanguine co­lour, but the Men, Horse, Swords, and Canons, all like fire.

I had almost forgot one passage, her Maid at first saw nothing, but after she had uttered these words, Mistris it may be the Lord wil not suffer me to behold what you do, she immediatly saw the same! Oh who would not fear and love thee thou King of Saints, how unsear-chable [Page 6] are thy ways, to poorhood­winckt mortals: You may hear this from many, but you may justifie what I write, to be the same relation which was taken by our Minister, and other Gentlemen that went to be inform'd of the truth hereof. The Gentlewoman who was a spectator of this strange ap­parition, is one of Mr. Holts daughters of Oakers Hill. The Lord make us vvise to fore-see vvhat he entends by such his dealings, and enable us to hide our selves vvith him, vvho is the su­pream Commander of all Hosts, both in Heaven and Earth: so prayeth