<!DOCTYPE ETS PUBLIC "-//UMDLPS//DTD EEBOPROOF 2.0//EN">
<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>2007-05-30</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Pip Willcox</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>proofed text and revised markup</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
</REVDESCR>
</TEMPHEAD>
<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="OX" ID="A78071">
<STC T="W">B6339A</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99895662</BIBNO>
<VID>153074</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB REF="1">
<HEAD>A Letter with a Narrative, written to the right Hon:^b^l^e THOMAS ALLEN
Lord Major of <HI>London,</HI> &amp;c. concerning a &s;trange Sight that appeared over this City of
<HI>London,</HI> in the yeare 1642. when the King was driven from his Parliament,
Dated as followeth.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>My LORD:</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P><HI>_I</HI> Doe with all due re&s;pects (upon &s;ight of your late Proclamation) make bold to ac|quaint
your Honour, with a &s;trange &s;ight which appeared over this City in 1642.
not improper for the worke of next <HI>Friday.</HI> I am &s;orry I had not acquainted your
Lord&s;hip with it, before you publi&s;ht your Proclamation, for it will conduce much
to the worke of the day, to let the People know what warning God offered to this City in 1642.
and may much increa&s;e their Devotion and humiliation upon the day, or as many dayes as it &s;hall
plea&s;e God to put into your Lord&s;hips heart, to command the people (under you) to meet againe
upon the like Humiliation; For this neglect hath been &s;o long, that I feare it will require ma|ny
dayes of humiliation before Gods Judgments will be remitted. There hath been many Fa&s;ts,
&s;ince God &s;ent this City warning in 42. but no proper returne hath been made by this City in 17.
yeares, to an&s;wer God againe; till it hath plea&s;ed God to put it into your heart at this time
(<HI>NEHEMIAH</HI> like) to command a Fa&s;t, which I hope will prove effectuall as his did.</P>
<P>I thinke my &s;elfe happie, that I can &s;ee it begun in Your time, which your Predece&s;&s;or did ei|ther
neglect, or tooke no cognizance of. I hope it will be a means to pre&s;erve this City; if with
reverence, and effectually performed; as I doubt not, I could have wi&s;hed that you had made it
Nehemiahs fast; that both Man and Bea&s;t might have fa&s;ted &s;trictly; But for that, I &s;ubmit to
your Honours better Judgment, and &s;hall ever pray for your Honours health and happini&s;s, and
the Cities &s;afety.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your Honors to command; N. B.</SIGNED>
If your Honour doubt the Truth of what I have related, I am ready to make it good,
being well knowne (a member of the Company of <HI>Stationers</HI>) and being Aged 78.
yeares, not able to follow my Trade doe the more give my mind to a better world.
<DATELINE><HI>Cur&s;itors Alley</HI> anent the <HI>Ro&s;e</HI> Taverne, <DATE><HI>Novemb.</HI> the 30. 1659.</DATE></DATELINE></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="account">
<HEAD>A Narrative of the &s;trange Apparition which appeared over this City of <HI>London</HI>
in the yeare 1642. about the time that the late King <HI>Charles was forced away from his</HI>
Parliament by the rude multitude.</HEAD>
<P>IN the yeare 1642. in the <HI>Chri&s;tma&s;s</HI> Holidayes, there appeared over this City of <HI>London,</HI> a Bow of
Smoake in the Firmament (in a cleere Star-light night no cloud &s;eene) which had his motion over the
City about three houres before it di&s;pier&s;ed it &s;elfe. The ri&s;ing of it was about <HI>Aldgate</HI> or <HI>White Chappell,</HI>
and extended it &s;elf as farre as St. <HI>Giles</HI> in the Fields to our appearance, and began his motion over the North
part of the City, moving in a perfit body (for about three houres) towards the South, till it came over the
<HI>Thames,</HI> and there, and then &s;cattered and di&s;pier&s;t it &s;elfe. The bredth of the bow was about an Ell to our
&s;eeming: It was ob&s;erved by divers Gentlemen in the <HI>Fleet</HI> which I &s;pare not to name, Sir <HI>Iohn Digby,</HI> Mr.
<HI>Thorne</HI> of <HI>Bedford,</HI> Mr. <HI>Newcomin,</HI> 2. reverend Divines, Mr. <HI>James Howell,</HI> a knowing man, and they and divers
more of quality, gave their opinion, that this Apparition was not Naturall, but &s;ent by God to give warning to
this City, and that the Bow of &s;moake intimated Fire that &s;hould con&s;ume it, and that God &s;ent it of pur|po&s;e
to give warning. I doubt not but many hundreth in the City &s;aw it, but &s;lighted it, as being &s;moake a
common vapour that comes out of every Chimney, and appearing at that time of Night when few people
were abroad, twixt Eight and Eleven at night, there could bee little notice taken of it; but at the <HI>Fleet</HI> upon
notice given, mo&s;t of the Gentlemen of the hou&s;e went up into the Leads, where you might looke over all
the hou&s;es as farre as <HI>Aldgate,</HI> and had a full view of the manner and motion of it, which &s;truck a great amaze|ment
into many of them, whereof I was one, and did ob&s;erve it from almo&s;t the beginning, till it came over the
<HI>Thames</HI> and di&s;pier&s;t it &s;elfe. So much for the de&s;cription and manner of this apparition.</P>
<DIV2 TYPE="colophon">
<P>LONDON,
Printed for <HI>Nath. Butter,</HI> re&s;iding in <HI>Cur&s;itors</HI> Alley, <DATE>1659.</DATE></P>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
