I Have not received one Line from thee, since thy list going to London: But Cousin Elizabeth Birdsey told me of thy dangerous Sickness, for which I am much troubled, but shall be glad to hear of thy perfect Recovery to Health again. God grant that all Afflictions we meet with in this vale of Tears or Transitory Life, may be a means to draw us nearer himself, who only can help, support, and strengthen our Infirmities. I hope these Lines will find thee better Recovered.

I was desired by our Neighbour Jeremiah Leech, (whose kind Love is herein re­membred to thee) to send thee a Copy of the Relation of that remarkable Accident, which by the disposing hand of God, happened with us at Alvandley the 19th of June last past, to the great damage of our Corn, Houses, Cattle, Meadowing and Fruits, which was occasioned by the Wind and Prodigious Hail, which may appear by the following Relation, which be the said J. Leech is very desirous may be com­mitted to the Press, that all might have a true accompt of it, and desired me, to re­quest thee to do it, that for time to come it may be known and kept in mind how the Lord hath dealt with us in his Judgments in this kind, which were wonderfully mixt with Mercy to us, in preserving our Lives, when much Cattel hardly escaped, being bruised, and hurt, and cut, till blood ran down them, as appears by the Rela­tion following, which is a true Account how it was; I being an Eye-witness, and had a share of it. So with mine, and Brothers kind Love to thee, wishing thy good health, and to hear from thee, I rest

The Copy as it was Directed to Sir John Arderne, take as followeth.

WE your distressed Tenants in Alvandley, do Certifie unto you, how it hath pleased Almighty God to shew his great Power, in that terrible storm of Thunder, Lightning, Rain, great Wind and Hail, that lighted on us, your Worships distressed Tennants in Alvandley the 19th of June 1687. But we are not able to express the terribleness of it in full, being too apt to forget, like Pharoah of Old; but seeing it hath left such memorable Monu­ments of the destructiveness of it, all the beholders have stood amazed at it, fetching Tears from the Eyes of the Tender-hearted, many having come far to see it; and said, if it had been attested to them upon Oath how destructive it was, they could not have believed it had been so, till they came to see it.

May it please you, That after great Lightning, Thunder and Rain, there arose a great terrible Wind, which brought with it the great Hail in abun­dance, which at the first dash broke all our Glass Windows that were on the South-West sides of our Houses, the Wind at that instant coming from thence upon us; and issued a flashing Fire, that accompanied with great Thunder, the Hail came with great vioience, and had sharp Ends and Edges like broken Ice, Cutting, Smiting, and driving down all tops of Trees and young Plants, and cut the Backs of our Kine, till Blood issued therefrom, and bruised the Elders and Paps, and wonderfully affrighted them, that they ran as if they had been Mad, leaping out of their Pastures, some into Pits and were almost drowned; some people that were out of Doors were ill beaten and bruised ere they could get to shelter themselves, that to our knowledge their flesh was as black as pots, and scarce able to go. Although praised be God, he in his infinite Mercy spa­red both Man and Beast alive, which is no small wonder, for it killed flying Fowl, both Crows and Pyes, and other Fowl. Several of our Buildings were Shattered and Battered by it; and the Roofs of both Thatch and Slate torn and uncovered: some Walls both Timber and Stone driven down; the Windmill was blown and driven down; nay, which is most remarkable, it broke strong sound Trees of a great substance off in the middle, and blew down very many [Page 3]fruit Trees, and destroyed all the Fruits, the which were abundance before the Storm was; and did so cut and bruise all sorts of Fruit Trees and other Trees, that we think they will hardly get recovery, the Hail-stones being many of them sharp, that they slit the Bark of Trees as if done with a Knife: if any Apple be left, it seems as if it were cut with a Knife. All our Gardens, Plants, and Flowers are destroyed but what were within Ground; our Hedges and Quicksets are pill'd, so as the Leaf and Bark is not left.

But we may say this is little in Comparison of the loss of our Corn in every sort of Grain, which was Smitten very terrible, viz. Wheat, Rye, Barly, Oates, Pease, Beans, French-Wheat, with our Flax and Hemp; in a Word, all was by the said Storm of Hail destroyed, so that some have Plowed it up where their Corn was, and Sowed it again; some have Plowed it for Summer work, and some have turned their Cattle into their Corn Fields, and some others let it lie, to see what the Lord will be pleased to do with it.

The Tythe-Corn of the Town, that usually hath been Let from 25 to 26 l. and sometimes at 30 l. the Morning after the Storm, none would have given 1 l. for it: The loss of our Meadowing is not a whit behind the rest: To the great Damage of the Town; most of the Town Folk being Daries; the Grass was Beaten and Battered as if pounded in a Mortar, so that there is little left, and what between, the Sap of Trees, Corn and Grass. Our Pits and Ditches are Dyed like Tanners Bark-Pits. We heard that our Neighbouring Towns­men were so sorry for us, that one said he would (if the rest would do like­wise) give us a Load of Hay for relief of our Cattle.

The Hail and Wind continued about half an hour; the Hail-stones were of divers shapes, some with sharp Ends and Edges, and like your Smiths Cynders, some say there were of 8 or 9 Inches about; but we were so affrighted that Night we did not regard to measure them, but next day there was measured that were 5 Inches about, and on the Friday following which was 5 days after, there was found in old Thatch, Hail that was 5 Inches about, we cannot ex­press our loss, sustained by the said Wind and Hail; there was such abundance of it, and it beat mightily into our Houses, that our Old Corn, Cheese, Meat, Bedding, and other houshold Goods received great Damage by it, all the sub­stance of the Storm lighted on our Village, as it afterwards appeared, for that way the Storm drove it passed by the Neighbouring Towns, the Hill being be­twixt them and us, so they sustained very little loss by it.

Truly since the great Hail in the Land of Egypt, we do not hear that the like hath been seen for Thunder, Hail, and Fire mingled with it, flashing upon the Ground, as it appeared to many that beheld it, and came with such a hei­deous Noise, that cannot be express'd, betwixt the Hail and Wind, its violence was great, being in such abundance, that it lay in some places three quarters of a Yard deep, and beat up the Ground, and drove it on heaps in some places, and after it, followed a great Damp or Mist, with a very offensive smell; but we desire to give Glory and Thanks to Almighty God, that spared our Lives and the Lives of our Cattle, when it had been so easie a thing to destroy us, when stronger things were destroyed, but that he pleased to give a Commission to its strong Force, and no further to proceed.

And we humbly pray God, that we who have seen and felt his mighty Power, and all others, who only hear of this Relation, may make a right improve­men of it, to the Glory of Almighty God and our own souls good.

And we whose Names are hereunto subscribed do humbly conclude, that all our losses in the afore-mentioned particulars, within the Precincts of Alvanley, will amount unto the Sum of several 1000 l. and upwards, unless God in his infinite Mercy find out a way for our Relief; but it pittys our hearts most of all, for our poor Widows and Fatherless, whose whole years profits are destroyed.

John Bushell, of the Parish of Allhallows the Wall, London, knows very well the persons who sent this Letter, as likewise some of the persons above-named, and do believe this Relation to be very true, having received a Letter from another person to the same Effect.

I William Watts of the said Parish of Allhallows in the Wall, do know very well, the person that sent the above-written Letter, and doth really believe the above-written Relation to be true.

I William Johnson of London, Notary Publique, do Certifie that I do know, not only the said person that sent the said Letter, but also several other of the per­sons Inhabitants there, and that I believe the above Relation to be assuredly true, and no false thing, I having seen a Letter sometime since to that Effect.