OF the naturall cauſes of Earth-quakes many Philoſophers, both ancient and moderne haue written largely and learnedly: and of thoſe latter Writers, the Paire of moſt learned Germanes, viz. Bartholomew Keckerman and Iohn Magirus, Keckerman de Terrae motu. Magiri Phyſ: in my judgement (yea, it is the judgement of the learned) haue written beſt & moſt profoundly: and therefore it ſhall ſuffice me to write but a word for the better vnderſtanding of the common reader, as followeth: In the caues and concauities of the Earth there is ſome times conceiued and bred, a vaporous Winde, which ſearching to breake forth, doubtleſſe is the firſt naturall cauſe of Earthquakes, &c. But our Saviour Chriſt (TRVTH it ſelfe,) in the Goſpell, vvhen he ſpeaketh of the Signes before the laſt judgement Day, and better informing vs than all the Philoſophers in the world haue done,Luke 21. He tells vs, Wee ſhall heare of Warres and Seditions; Nation ſhall riſe againſt Nation, and Kingdome againſt Kingdome: and with Famine and Peſtilence, and other fearefull things and ſignes from Heauen, he tells vs plainely wee ſhall haue great EARTH-QVAKES, and thoſe in diuers places, &c.

Now, that wee that liue in this latter and ſinfull Iron-Age of the World may a little awaken and rouſe vp our ſelues from the Cradle of Securitie, wherein wee haue beene long rocked aſleepe: hath not God cauſed the whole Chriſtian World to ring a lowd Peale of Warres and Rumours of Warres? Matth. 24.6. witneſſe fertile France, ſpacious Germanie, the Netherlands, Bohemia, Italy, Valtolin, Switzerland, Sauoy, and what Countrie, Kingdome, or State witneſſing not the ſame? Yea, and though wee in this facrie Iland, through the admirable bleſſing and long-ſuffering of God, haue not the ſounding of the Trumpet, and beating vp of the Drum in our eares, further than for ex •… ciſe and preparation: and bleſſed bee God for his Mercie our Peace, and his Lieutenant, our gracious King and Peacemaker. Yet, we are not I ſay without thoſe Rumours of Warres abroad, and haue a fellow-feeling of our Neighbouring Countries Calamities therein, and wee are alreadie engaged in their juſt Quarrells, for our owne better ſecuritie and ſafetie. Amongſt other ſignes and fore-runners of the latter day, I remember our Sauiour tells vs of falſe Cpriſts, falſe Prophets, and Hereſies that ſhall ariſe, where, without doubt hee includeth, falſe Profeſſors of CHRIST: And are wee without ſuch? how comes it then to paſſe, that each Head of the Hydra-headed balefull Beaſt of Hereſies, and Schiſme ſtriueth, of late, ſo much for ſuperioritie; amongſt vs here in this Nation, to goe no further than our owne: Certes, the vgly Head of Papiſme hath ſtriven for place; the rotten Head of Arrianiſme hath alſo ſtriven for place, the miſ-ſhapen and ill-lookt Heads of old Pelagianiſme & new Arminianiſme haue laboured to be reconciled, & Ianus-like, to be joyned together, & ſo to take place: It is not my purpoſe to meddle with the ſmall Heads of Schiſme, they being eaſily ſuppreſſed: They are thoſe foure Heads before-named, that trouble the Peace of the Church: the two former; they doe openly diſclaime the Doctrine of the Church; the two latter, a little more cunningly; they (forſooth) would intrude themſelues into our Church, that ſo they might the better afterwards bring in the whole body of the BEAST her ſelfe:Tit. 3.11. But leauing theſe Heads of Hereſies to be ſuppreſſed, cut off and damned, by GOD, and the King, with the helpe of his Reuerend Orthodox Clergie-men: And not to enlarge my ſelfe further in the Introduction to a ſmall Relation, heare and vnderſtand as followeth:

About the middeſt and Centre of this Land, is ſituated and ſtandeth the ancient Citie of COVENTRIE, a Countie of it ſelfe, though within the compaſſe of Warwickſhire: And in this Citie, on Munday the twentie ſeuenth day of March laſt paſt, 1626. about one of the clocke after dinner, vnlookt for, and on a ſudden, happened this fearefull and prodigious ſhocke of Earth-quake, to the great amazement, and almoſt aſtoniſhment of the Inhabitants; which was ſenſiblie felt and obſerued throughout the Citie, ſhrewdly ſhaking the Houſes, making the glaſſe windowes about the houſes, the Pewter and other materialls in the Houſes to clatter: the Beds (wherein ſome lay ſicke) to ſhake vnder them, and all in a moſt terrible manner; and to make it more ſtrange, fearefull, and prodigious, it yeelded forth at the inſtant an hideous noiſe and roaring, as it were, in the Aire: which noiſe and roaring was like betwixt the noiſe of Thunder, and the roaring of the Sea: The Inhabitants and beholders hereof, (eſpecially the better ſort) betaking themſelues to their beſt meditations and devotions, and humbly ſubmitting themſelues vnder Gods hand and handie-workes: Though, bleſſed be Almightie God, there was no great hurt done thereby throughout the whole Citie: albeit therin are many goodly Houſes and buildings,S. Michaels Trinitie two large and faire Churches about the heart of the Citie, and with thoſe Churches two loftie Pyramidall Spire-ſteeples of ſtone-worke, and not farre from them a Croſſe of ſtone alſo in the Market-place: either of which three Monuments will hardly yeeld inferioritie to any others in the Kingdome.

Now, that this Earth-quake or Prodigie, did not containe it ſelfe in Coventrie alone, but by credible information, it was alſo ſenſibly obſerued in diuers other places of the Countrie, euen as farre as Briſtoll: And what this prodigious Accident may portend, in the Counſell of GOD, I muſt leaue it: But thus much I dare bee bold to ſay, and pray, GOD grant vs quietneſſe vpon the Land, for doubtleſſe the Earth was much ſhaken within.

If any liſt to bee ſo cenſorious, as to make queſtion of the truth of this fearfull Earth-quake, let them repaire vnto the publiſher and printer hereof, who hath diuers Letters from ſundrie graue, learned, religious, and judicious people, for confirmation thereof: which ſhall be produced, if need require: And if this late Earth-quake ſeeme ſtrange or incredible vnto them, I wiſh them haue recourſe vnto that more admirable worke of the Omnipotent, euen in ours and our Fathers remembrance, in Hereford-ſhire: and recorded by our beſt Hiſtoriographers: when as, In the yeere of Chriſt Ieſus, Speed, in his Geography. pag. 49 1571. Marcley Hill in the Eaſt of the ſhire, rowzed it ſelfe out of a dead ſleepe, and with a roaring noiſe remoued from the place where it ſtood, (for ought wee know, from the Creation, or the Deluge at the leaſt,) and for three dayes together trauailed from her firſt Site, to the great amazement and feare of the beholders. It began to journey vpon the ſeuenth day of Februarie, being Saturday, at ſixe of the clocke at night, and by ſeuen in the next morning had gone fourtie Paces, carrying with it Sheepe in their coates, hedge-rowes and Trees; whereof ſome were ouerturned, and ſome that ſtood vpon the Plaine, are firmely growing vpon the Hill, thoſe that were Eaſt are turned West; and thoſe in the Weſt, were ſet in the Eaſt: In which remoue, it ouerthrew Kinnaſton-Chappell, and turned two Highwayes neere a hundred yardes from their vſuall Paths formerly trod. The ground thus trauelling, was about twentie ſix Acres, which opening it ſelfe with Rockes and all, bare the Earth before it, for foure hundred yardes without any ſtay, leauing that which was Paſturage in the place of Tillage, and the Tillage ouerſpread with Paſturage. Laſtly, ouerwhelming the lower parts, mounted to an Hill of twelue fathomes high, and there reſted her ſelfe, after three dayes trauell: Iob 28.9. Iſay 40.12. remaining His Marke that ſo laid his hand vpon this Rocke, whoſe Power hath poyſed the Hills in His Ballance.

But leauing Hereford ſhire and Marcley Hill, where God hath now placed it, and not to ſpeake of diuers other inferiour Eearth-quakes; which ſince and before, wee and our Fathers may remember, and our Chronicles make mention of them: And to come more neere to theſe preſent times, (though ſomewhat further from home,) Wee may remember, that about the very time of the Apparition of that moſt memorable Comet or Blazing-Starre, which appeared in Aarctophylax, Anno 1618. In Italie, a Towne called Pleurs, was by a fearefull and prodigious Earthquake, (the ground opening it ſelfe,) cleane ſwallowed vp, Houſes, Inhabitants and all: not one ſoule in it left aliue, nor ſo much as any Monument of it remaining to be ſeene:1619. Gallobelgieus B. of Londons Sermon at the Croſſe. I. Leech his Militarie Sermon. And a while after the ſubuerſion of it, diuers neighboures that repaired thither, would needs attempt to digge into the ground, that they might ſee what they could finde: Among other things that they found, GOD directed them to a Stone, which when they had taken vp, they ſaw ſomething written vpon it in Hebrew Letters, as if (like the Tables of Stone that were giuen to MOSES in Mount Sinay) it had beene grauen with Gods owne ſinger. Miraculous it was: and the writing this; (Read and tremble; Reade and wonder,)

Thus ſaith the LORD; My Word is like fire, and like an hammer breaking the Rockes: Goe out of Babylon, and euery one looke to the ſauing of his owne ſoule. Let none winke at his ſinnes, for the vengeance will come, and all ſhall be rewarded according to their wickedneſſe. Immediatly after that moſt memorable Prodigie, followed the Death of Great Princes and Potentates; to wit, the Emperour MATTHIAS and Empreſſe his wife; his two Brethren,Maximilian. Albertus. both Arch-Dukes of Auſtria; then, Queene ANNE of Great Britaine, his Sacred Maieſties Mother, (of famous Memorie:) then PHILIP the third, King of Spaine, (and ſince that, King IAMES, of bleſſed Memorie:) then alſo began the Broyles and Warres in Bohemia, the Palatinate, and other places, the wofull Conſequences whereof wee daily ſee and heare of; In ſo much, as that wee haue I ſay, (as our Sauiour Propheſieth) Warres, Seditions, and almoſt nothing but Rumours of Warres; Yea, I may further ſay the RED HORSE of WARRE, hath and doth trample all ouer Chriſtendome, with a fearefull and moſt lamentable hauocke, embrewing his feet eſpecially in the blood of Saints, the profeſſours of the Goſpell: And to paſſe from Warre: Hath not God cauſed the BLACK HORSE of PESTILENCE to play his part more neere vs? yea, euen here amongſt vs in and about this famous Citie of London, where hee hath trampled to death ſince this time twelue-moneth aboue 55000. ſoules, beſides what haue died in other Cities, Townes, and places in this Kingdome: And now for the LEANE and Pale HORSE of FAMINE, although wee muſt thankfully confeſſe, that God hath wonderfully reſtrained him, yet other Countries haue felt and doe feele his weight, with cleaneneſſe of Teeth and emptineſſe of Belly: yea, and wee our ſelues haue had a fearefull Glympſe of Him: and how ſoone God may permit him further to appeare amongſt vs, for our manyfold ſinnes, wee know not, but may doubt, and ought to pray againſt Famine.

To draw to a concluſion; If Warres and Seditions, Peſtilences, Famines, and Earth-qvakes, bee ſpeciall Signes and Fore-runners of the laſt Iudgement, as our Sauiour CHRIST hath propheſied they are: and certes, Heauen and Earth ſhall paſſe, Matth. 24.35. but his words ſhall not paſſe: It behoueth vs, except we will be wilfully blinde and ſtupid, to take the Premiſſes into conſideration, and not ſlightly to paſſe by without obſervation, and good vſe making of this Earthquake; ſuch, being I ſay (once againe) one of our bleſſed Saviours Signes of his comming to judgement. And however, hee in his wiſedome haue concealed that Yeere, day, and houre; that hee will come, (though ſome too to pragmatically and petulantly haue gone about to define the Yeere, to bee nigh at hand:) yet it much behoueth vs to meditate thereon; and prepare therefore, that ſo wee may take all theſe fore-runners to be ſo many fore-warners of vs particularly to turne to God by a true Converſion: whereupon will enſue all other Graces needfull for Salvation: And the rather wee ought to take all Gods judgements to bee warnings vnto vs of the laſt Day; becauſe, be it whenſoever it ſhall pleaſe God, every particular mans death is vnto him as the day of Iudgement; for as wee die, ſo ſhall wee riſe: Now, what is more certeine than Death? and what more vncertaine than the day of Death? and it being ſo, what manner of men ought wee to bee? Good Lord, therefore giue vs grace to turne vnto thee by true Repentance, that ſo we may ſay ingenuouſly, and heartily wiſh, Thy will be done; And, Come Lord Ieſu, Come quickly.

HALLELVIAH DEO VNITRINO GLORIA. Amen.