¶ A discription of a monstrous Chylde, borne at Chychester in Sussex, the .xxiiii. daye of May. This being the very length, and bygnes of the same. M. CCCCC. LXII.
WHen God for synne, to plage hath mēt
Although, he longe defarde
He tokens truly, straunge hath sent
To make hys foes a fearde.
That they thereby, might take remorce
Of their yll lyfe mispent
And more of loue, then feare or force
Their formall faultes repent.
Before the earth was ouerflowen
With waters huge throughout
He sent them Noe, that holy one
Who dayly went about.
To call them then, to Godly lyfe
At whome they laughte and fumde
He was contemde of man and wyfe
Tyll they were all consumde.
Loth did preache most earnestly
But it did not preuayle:
Then fyre and brymstone verely
Vpon them doune did hayle.
Pharaoes heart had no remorce
Though wounders straunge he sawe
But rather was therfore the worce
Without all feare or awe.
Vntyll bothe he and his therfore
By iustice sent of God
In raginge seas, were all forlore
And then he felt the rod.
Ten tymes truely were the Iewes
In captiue brought and led
Before eche tyme, it God did vse
Hys tokens strange we red.
The yeare before Vaspatian came
The Iewes a heyfer drest
Whiche beynge slayne, did calue a lame
This sygne they sone did wrest,
As others doe, and styll haue done
In making it as vayne
Or els good lucke, they saye shal come
As please their foolish brayne.
The Heathen could forese and saye
That when suche wounders were
It did foreshew to them alwaye
That some yll hap drew nere.
The scripture sayth, before the ende
Of all thinges shall appeare
God will wounders straunge thinges sends
As some is sene this yeare.
The selye infantes, voyde of shape
The Calues and Pygges so straunge
With other mo of suche mishape
Declareth this worldes chaunge.
But here, lo, see aboue the rest
A Monster to beholde
Procedinge from a Christian brest
To monstrous to be tolde.
No Caruer can, nor Paynter maye
The same so ougly make
As doeth it self shewe at this daye
A sight to make the quake.
But here thou haste by Printing arte
A signe therof to se
Let eche man saye within his harte
It preacheth now, to me.
That I shoulde seke to lyue hencefoorth
In Godly lyfe alwaye
For these be tokens now sent foorth
To preache the later daye.
Also it doeth demonstrate playne
The great abuse and vyce
That here in Englande now doeth raygne
That Monstrous is the guyse.
By readinge stories, we shall fynde
In scripture, and elles where
That when suche thinges came out of kynde
Gods wrath it did declare.
But if we lightely weye the same
And make but nyne dayes wonder
The Lord our stoutnes, sone will tame
And sharpely bringe vs vnder.
Then ponder wel betymes, long past
The sequel of suche signes
And call to God by prayer in hast
From sinne to chaunge oure myndes.
Repent, amende bothe hygh and lowe
The woorde of God embrace
To lyue therto, as we should doe
God gyue vs all the grace.
quod. Ihon. D.
¶ The father hereof is one Vyncent, a boutcher, bothe he and hys wyfe being of honest & quiet conuersation. They hauing had chyldre before, in natural proportion; and went with this her full tyme.
¶ Imprynted at London, by Leonard Askel for Fraunces Godlyf. In the yeare of oure Lorde. 1562.