TO have two Tongues is commonly the property of a Diſſembler, that is to ſay, to have two Hearts, and one Tongue; for though the tranſgreſſion of the Heart be layed to the diſſimulation of the Tongue; the Tongue is not ſo much guilty of it, as is the Heart, that doth ſign, and dictate to it. It is the property of a Wiſe man to have his Tongue in his Heart, (ſaith the wiſeſt of men;) but if every man ſhould have as many Tongues to expreſſe his thoughts, as he hath a heart that conſpires with his head to contrive them, how many Monſters would there be in Nature?

But though the Tongue be oftentimes a Diſſembler, yet Truth it ſelf (for the honour of the Tongue) will not have it to be diſſembled; that the Tongue is a moſt Neceſſary Inſtrument, and attended with as much wonder, and prophecy, when God peculiarly doth pleaſe to move it, as it is with lyes, and vanities, when God doth leave it to it ſelf. We will deſcend by degrees to the obſervation of this Truth, and we will indevour to be as plain as poſſibly we can, for we know to whom we write.

The firſt double Tongue that ever was in the World, was the Tongue of the Devil, when in the form of a Serpent he courted Adam and Eve, to tranſgreſſe the Commandement of the Almighty. Adam before was as entire in his Tongue, as he was in his Innocence; There was then in the World but one Language. and there needed but one tongue to expreſs that Language. Deceit was not known in Nature, unleſſe it was only in the Nature of the Serpent, into which Nature the Devil did transform himſelf, and having tempted Man to ſin by a ſecret tincture, and an Infection of as much Ambit • on as crawling Corruption, he hath ever ſince made Man almoſt as ſerpentine as himſelf.

Man being thus infected with a double Tongue from the Devil, behold a puniſhment proportioned to the Nature of his Offence. It was the double or the forked Tongue of the Serpent that tempted Man to ſin, and God will revenge it with his forked Thunderbolts, which indeed had ſunk mankind into the Pit of eternal darkneſſe, had he not in this wilderneſſe of affliction been releived with the Sight of a better Serpent, who after the immortal honour of his ignominious Death, by the wonder of cloven Tongues which appeared like Fire, did teſtifie unto him the wonder of his Reſurrection, ſo ſaving unto Mankind, that whoſoever calleth on his Name ſhall be ſaved.

The Iſraelites heretofore for their murmuring, had been bitten with fiery Serpents, the ſins of their Tongues being puniſhed with the Teeth of the Serpents, their murmuring Tongues being like fiery Serpents, by which their ſins were chaſtiſed and expounded.

And as the Brazen Serpent was lifted up in the Wilderneſſe, ſo was the Son of Man lifted upon the Croſſe, and conferred the gift of Cloven Tongues on thoſe that loved him, that all Nations might partake as well of the bleſſing, as they heard of the wonder of his Reſurrection.

In the Contemplation of this I ſtand amazed, I find a Wheel turned in a Wheele, a Sphere wrapt in a Sphere, eſpecially when after this guift of a Cloven Tongue, I do read: That it ſhall come to paſſe in the laſt dayes, that the Lord will poure out his Spirit on all fleſh, and their Sons and their Daughters ſhall prophecy: And on my Servants, and on my Hand-maids, ſaith the Lord, I will poure out of my Spirit in thoſe days, and they ſhall prophecy.

The Beaſts who had cloven Feet, were accounted clean in the Old Law, and we find the Cloven Tongues to be the myſtical Tokens of much happineſſe to come in the new. They were the Interpreters of the Sheet which St. Peter ſaw, and what it contained before the four corners of it were knit together. They were the Prophets that foretold the Goſpel of Salvation, which ſhould be preached now as well unto the Gentiles as to the Jews.

This is inſerted, to take off the Imputation which the World doth commonly faſten on double Tongues, not that they are guiltleſſe, for a double Tongue, and a double Heart, go oftentimes together. A double Tongue for the moſt part is a falſe Tongue, and the Devil is the Father of lyes, and may have a Cloven Tongue, as well as a Cloven Foot. But the Child of whom we come now to ſpeak, hath not as it ſeems a double Tongue, nor a cloven, or a divided Tongue, but two Tongues, one lapped over the other, and is as wonderful in his Language, both in the earlineſſe, and the Senſe of it, as he is in the Supernumerary Member.

Michael Scotus in his Book De ſecretis Naturae, diſcourſeth why ſome Men have ſix Fingers, and why many men have one Thumb joyned to another, which is not of the ſame length and bigneſſe, but ſubſervient to the other; In this he gives you uncontrouled Reaſons, to ſatisſie the exuberance of Nature. The great Schollar Fracanſtorfius, who wrote many yeers after him, is more full and cleer in his diſquiſitions on this Subject; If I do remember my ſelf rightly, it is in the very ſame place or very neer unto it, where he gives you his Reaſons why David being an old Man, was adviſed by a Counſel of his Phyſicians to take a young Maid into his Bed; But I have yet never heard of any Phyloſopher that ſhoweth Reaſons why a man hath two Tongues, nor of any Hiſtorian who declareth that ever any one hath had them.

True it is, I have heard many a man to ſay, that his own Wife, or his next Neighbours VVife, hath a thouſand Tongues, which modeſtly I conceive is not ſo much, by reaſon of the Number of ſo many Tongues, as by the perpetual motion of one Tongue. And this indeed is the noyſe and the complaints of every day, and every wind doth blow them over the face of the VVorld, that now they are no ſooner heard, then diſregarded: but for an Infant to be born with two Tongues, and to ſpeak almoſt as ſoon as it was born, is a wonder in earneſt, a wonder as well to be ſeen, as heard, and the great wonder which I come now to declare unto you.

In the Subburbs of London, in the lower end of Eaſt-ſmithfield, at a place called Knockfergus, a young woman was brought to bed with a Child that was born with two Tongues, the one in ſome meaſure covering the other, but the lower Tongue appearing to be the more natural, for it ſeemeth to be more firme and longer than the other. The father of it is a poor man, and of a poor trade, but ſuch a one that the beſt Lady in the Land, when ſhe is plagued with Corns, would be glad of his Aſſiſtance. Having a ſharp Knife, and a good dexterity in this, he doth get a reaſonable Subſiſtence to live in a hard world, and being a good Corn-cutter, he doth make his harveſt, and thriftily brings it home, as well in Winter as in Summer. His Name is John Clarke, and he liveth at the next door to the Sign of the Soldier and Trumpet at Knockfergus. His Wife is a great Pains-taker, and well beloved amongſt her neighbours, who were many of them with her, at the time of her delivery, and did aſſiſt her in her Childing throwes.

Three dayes after ſhe was brought to bed, many of her neighbours came to give her a viſit, and ſome of them were witneſſes at the Chriſtning of her Child, whoſe Name was John, after the Name of his Father; looking ſtedfaſtly on the Child and kiſſing it, the Child did open its mouth, and they plainly diſcerned that it had two Tongues, which they were loath to diſcover to the mother, who for all ſhe gave it ſuck, had not then the leaſt knowledge of it.

Mrs. Nicholls her next Neighbour whiſpering to the Midwife, whoſe name is Mrs. Silk, concerning it, and the other Neighbours marvelling at it, and deſired that for the preſent it might be kept in private amongſt themſelves, becauſe they were loath to diſquiet the mother, who began to take a little reſt after her hard Travail, with ſuch melancholy News, the Child began to wayle, and to cry out, A King, A King, A King;

If they were ſurpriſed with wonder to ſee two Tongues, how may we think, they were now tranſported to hear one of them to ſpeak, and to ſpeak ſuch a word, ſo unexpectedly and diſtinctly.

In a ſilence full of amazement, they did now look on one another, the ſpeaking Child had made the Women dumb, which more then all the Bels in the Town ringing at once, or the ratling of the brazen pans can doe when the Moon is in labour: Being all of them for a little reſpit of time thus huſht as midnight, the Child began to ſpeak again, and to repeat thoſe-Words it did expreſs before, which the Mother hearing, did call for the Child, and did partake of the Wonder with them; they entred into Councel, and concluded that in regard the Name and Authority of a King had been aboliſhed by the Parliament, it was not fit it ſhould be divulged; the Mother, therefore did deſire them that they would not make any mention of it, which they pronſiſed to perform; but what muzzle can ſilence the tongue of a woman?

From whiſpers at the firſt, it began to grow into open Reports, and the more they did promiſe to ſuppreſs it, the more it was divulged; howſoever the Mother (as ſhe ſaith her ſelf) did tamper with the Child, and as much as ſhe could to make it ſenſible of her, ſhe did forbid it to ſpeak in that Name, which neither ſhe, nor others that did attempt it could ever effect.

In a ſhort time the Child with two tongues, and the words in the mouth of it were famous in the City, and divers Gentlewomen of the City did ſend their Coaches for the mother and the Child, who ever now and anon, would cry out A King, a King, a King; and if there were any company about it, that it did not like, it will put forth its hand and cry Away, away▪

This being rumour'd in the City, great Ladies and many perſonages of honour at Clerken-well have ſent for the Mother and Child, who not knowing what to make of it, have nevertheleſs been beneficial to the poor Mother of it. It is obſerveable, that whereas other Children go forward, this Child do what they can goes backward.

The Age of the Child being three quarters of a yeer.