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<DATE>06-01-07</DATE>
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<NAME>Mona Logarbo</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="A82095">
<STC T="W">D603</STC>
<STC T="T">E325_20</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99861326</BIBNO>
<VID>113459</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A DECLARATION,
<HI>Of a &s;trange and Wonderfull</HI> MONSTER:
Born in KIRKHAM Pari&s;h in LANCASHIRE (the Childe
of Mrs. <HI>Haughton,</HI> a Popi&s;h Gentlewoman) the face of it upon the brea&s;t,
and without a head (after the mother had wi&s;hed rather to bear a
Childe without a head then a Round head) and had cur&s;t the
PARLIAMENT.</P>
<P>Atte&s;ted by Mr. FLEETWOOD, Mini&s;ter of the &s;ame Pa|ri&s;h,
under his own hand; and Mrs. <HI>Gattaker</HI> the Mid-wife, and divers
other eye-witne&s;&s;es: Who&s;e te&s;timony was brought up by a <HI>Mem|ber</HI>
of the Hou&s;e of Commons.</P>
<P>Appointed to be printed according to Order: And de&s;ired to be publi&s;hed in all the
Counties, Cities, Townes, and Pari&s;hes in <HI>England:</HI> Being the &s;ame
Copies that were pre&s;ented to the Parliament.</P>
<P><FIGURE>
</FIGURE>
London, Printed by <HI>Jane Coe.</HI> 1646.</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="part">
<PB REF="2">
<PB N="3" REF="2">
<HEAD>A
DECLARATION OF A
Strange and Wonderfull
MONSTER:
born in Kirkham Pari&s;h, in
Lanca&s;hire.</HEAD>
<P>_THis wonderfull manife&s;tation of Gods
anger, again&s;t wicked and prophane peo|ple;
we &s;hall lay open thus.</P>
<P>1. In declaring where it was done.</P>
<P>2. Upon whom.</P>
<P>3. What is &s;uppo&s;ed might be the
cau&s;e.</P>
<P>4. What proofs there are to make it
appear to be a truth.</P>
<P>In the fir&s;t, we have di&s;covered the County, Pari&s;h, and the
Hou&s;e.</P>
<P>In the &s;econd; the woman her parentage, her husband, and
religion.</P>
<P>In the third, her cour&s;e of life, and her &s;peeches.</P>
<P><PB N="4" REF="3">
In the fourth, that it is confirmed, both by relation and te&s;timo|nials
under their own hands, who were eye witne&s;&s;es.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, the Dukedome of <HI>Lanca&s;hire</HI> is the County where this
Mon&s;ter was brought forth; the County it &s;elf lyes North, borde|ring
upon the We&s;t of York-&s;hire, and Derby-&s;hire, and by the
Iri&s;h Sea. The people that live there, are a mixt Number; &s;ome
precious godly people; but for the mo&s;t part very bad: No parts
in <HI>England</HI> hath had &s;o many Witches, none fuller of Papi&s;ts, and
they were the chiefe In&s;truments in &s;eeking to have that wicked
Book of Allowance for Sports on the Lords Day to be publi&s;hed,
and it was &s;et forth by their procurements, and the godly people
among&s;t them have &s;uffered very much under their reproaches and
wicked malice.</P>
<P>This Mon&s;ter was born in the Town and Pari&s;h of <HI>Kirkeham</HI>
in that County, which is in <HI>Amounderne&s;&s;e</HI> Hundred, between <HI>Pre|ston</HI>
and little <HI>Morton,</HI> within three miles of <HI>Clifton,</HI> on the We&s;t
&s;ide of <HI>Lanca&s;hire,</HI> within &s;ome three miles of one point of the Sea,
and &s;ome &s;ix or &s;even miles of the main; a Pari&s;h which God hath
ble&s;&s;ed with good Mini&s;ters, and &s;ome godly people (though but
few) in it; who by the malice of wicked and prophane Wretches,
have been much abu&s;ed heretofore.</P>
<P>This Gentlewoman (for &s;o &s;he is both by Birth and Mariage)
was delivered of this Mon&s;ter at her Husbands hou&s;e in <HI>Kirkeham</HI>
Pari&s;h afore&s;aid, and about a mile from <HI>Kirkeham</HI> Town, where
the Midwife being &s;ent for came to her, and delivered her in that
hou&s;e, the Child (or rather Mon&s;ter) was born, but dead, and there
it was &s;hewed, and from thence caryed into the Church-yard a
day or two after, and there buried: after which, &s;ome (in Gentle|mens
habit) were &s;een to go in; &s;uppo&s;ed to be Popi&s;h Prie&s;ts and
Fryars: and thus you have the place where this Mon&s;ter was
brought forth.</P>
<P>Secondly, for the woman that bore it, &s;he is a good han&s;ome,
proportionable, comely Gentlewoman, young, and of a good com|plexion,
of a merry di&s;po&s;ition, and an healthfull Nature, well per&s;o|ned,
had her conditions been &s;uitable.</P>
<P>For her Parents they were of a very bitter di&s;po&s;ition again&s;t
godly people; Papi&s;ts they were both, and divertive again&s;t hone&s;t
<PB N="5" REF="3">
prote&s;tants, For her mother &s;he would u&s;ually call hone&s;t men
Roundheads and Puritans, and Hereticks, many gentlemen did
much u&s;e her hou&s;e, which were &s;u&s;pected to be popi&s;h prie&s;ts
her husband (which was this womans father) was called Mr.
<HI>Browne,</HI> who lived in the pari&s;h of <HI>Kirkham</HI> al&s;o: And among&s;t
other reproaches and &s;cornes which her mother ca&s;t upon religious
people &s;he took her Cat; and &s;aid that it mu&s;t be made a Round|head
like <HI>Burton, Prinne,</HI> and <HI>Ba&s;twicke,</HI> and cau&s;ing the eares to
be cut off; called her cat Prynnn (in&s;tead of Pu&s;&s;e) both then
and after &s;he hath often &s;aid, that &s;he hoped to &s;ee the Church flou|ri&s;h
againe (meaning the Popi&s;h Church) and all Roundheads
&s;ubdued; and &s;he hath done much for the releife of poore Papi&s;ts
in tho&s;e parts.</P>
<P>The young woman, viz: Mi&s;tris <HI>Brownes</HI> daughter, who
bore this mon&s;ter, was married by one Ma&s;ter <HI>Haughton</HI> a papi&s;t
al&s;o; for none el&s;e were admitted to come &s;uiters to her, This
Ma&s;ter <HI>Haugh<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">on</HI> then lived at <HI>Grim&s;hall</HI> in the &s;ame Countie, but
after they were married dwelt &s;ometimes in a village neere <HI>Kerk|ham</HI>
in the &s;ame pari&s;h where her mother lived, Mr. <HI>Haughton</HI> is a
gentlema<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter"> de&s;cended of an ancient family, wel known in tho&s;e parts
and not altogether of &s;uch a bitter &s;pirit as tho&s;e he matched with,
he hath been a gentleman wel bred, only in a popi&s;h way educated.</P>
<P>The woman he married was a notorious papi&s;t, and would ma|ny
times hold a notable di&s;cour&s;e with her neighbours about her
religion, &s;he was not onely borne of popi&s;h parents, but bred, and
brought up with them, and educated in the popi&s;h Religion ha|ving
many popi&s;h pictures, and Crucifixes, and other popi&s;h trum|pery
wherein &s;he much delighted; and i<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;he were at any time re|proved
for the &s;uper&s;titious fooleries &s;he &s;o affected, &s;he would
&s;peak much in defence thereof, and was alwayes very ob&s;tinate,
and would expre&s;&s;e much invection again&s;t tho&s;e godly prote&s;tants
and others that reproved her.</P>
<P>3 Now for the cour&s;e of life which the woman lived, who
bare this mon&s;ter, it hath been much &s;pent in popi&s;h devotion;
and &s;ome<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">imes in company with her neighbours the gentlewomen
and Fa<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="3 letters">ers wives that lived about her, &s;he was one v<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">ry zea|lous
among&s;t papi&s;ts, and fri<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">ndly among&s;t neighbours, onely
when her Religion was touched, &s;he expre&s;&s;ed much pa&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P><PB N="6" REF="4">
She hath been often heard to cur&s;e again&s;t Mr. <HI>Prinn,</HI> Mr. <HI>Bur|ton,</HI>
and Doctor <HI>Ba&s;twick,</HI> and the Roundheads. Al&s;o to revile
the Parliament, and &s;ay that &s;hee thought that the King
and the Bi&s;hops were the righter part of us; &s;he hath
been heard to wi&s;h, that &s;he and hers might never live to be <HI>Round|heads,</HI>
nor <HI>Separati&s;ts,</HI> and that &s;he hath praid to God, that &s;he
might never live to &s;ee any of hers &s;uch; and that the <HI>Puritans</HI>
and <HI>Independents</HI> de&s;erve all to be hanged: and many &s;uch like ex|pre&s;&s;ions
would often fall from her.</P>
<P>Among&s;t the re&s;t, one &s;peech of hers was mo&s;t notorious, and
hath re&s;ted in the memory of &s;ome Gentlewomen, and others that
heard her when &s;he &s;pake it; that being in company with her,
they fell to di&s;cour&s;e of the pre&s;ent mi&s;eries of the Kingdome, by
the&s;e warres; and &s;ome &s;poke again&s;t the <HI>Cavaliers,</HI> and the <HI>Pa|pi&s;ts</HI>
in the Kings Army; Whereupon this Mrs. <HI>Haugton</HI> &s;aid lit|tle
le&s;&s;e again&s;t the <HI>Roundheads</HI> and <HI>Independents,</HI> and &s;he &s;aid the
King was in the right again&s;t them; &s;he was replyed to, that tho&s;e
called <HI>Roundheads</HI> were hone&s;t men, and in the rght way of walk|ing,
and living like the people of Ged, and &s;utable to the profe&s;&s;ion
of Chri&s;tians: And withall wi&s;hing, if it plea&s;ed God, that &s;he
had her eyes opened, and was &s;uch a Roundhead. No &s;aith &s;he, I
had rather have no head, nor life: I nor any of mine, I hope will
ever be &s;uch. An&s;wer was made her, that her children if &s;he had
any, might (if God &s;o plea&s;e) have their eyes opened; and &s;ee that
good which &s;he is ignorant of. Mrs. <HI>Haughton</HI> made an&s;wer again
in the&s;e words: <HI>I pray God, that rather than I &s;hall be a Roundhead,
or bear a Roundhead, I may bring forth a Childe without a head.</HI>
This was a fearfull &s;aying, and taken notice of by divers of her
neighbours that heard her &s;peak it. And this many who know it,
do apprehend, might be a great meanes to provoke God to &s;hew
&s;uch a te&s;timony of his di&s;plea&s;ure again&s;t her, by cau&s;ing her to
bring forth this Mon&s;ter, who&s;e Picture is in the Title-page of
this Book.</P>
<P>4. Now for te&s;timony of the truth of this, we &s;hall give it
you in Order thus:</P>
<P>Her Neighbours who heard her &s;peak the afore&s;aid words, have
been with Mr. <HI>Fleetwood</HI> the Mini&s;ter of the Pari&s;h of <HI>Kirkham,</HI>
<PB N="7" REF="4">
where &s;he was brought to bed of this Mon&s;ter, and where it was
buried al&s;o, and it was told to &s;ome of the Committee of the Coun|ty
what had happened and that &s;he had &s;poke tho&s;e words. And
after that &s;he was with childe, and delivered of the Mon&s;ter, one
Widdow <HI>Gattaker</HI> the Midwife, formerly wife to Mr. <HI>Gattaker,</HI>
&s;ometimes Vicat of the &s;aid Pari&s;h; &s;he being a godly woman,
could not be ea&s;ed in her minde, untill &s;he had di&s;charged her con|&s;cience
in making it known to Mr. <HI>Fleetwood</HI> the Mini&s;ter afore|&s;aid;
That &s;he had brought the &s;aid Mrs. <HI>Haughton</HI> to bed of a
Mon&s;ter, which had no head; declaring her opinion, that &s;he veri|ly
believed that it was the hand of God upon her, for tho&s;e impre|cations
&s;he wi&s;hed upon her &s;elf, as is before expre&s;t: The Mini|&s;ter
he &s;poke of it to others, and &s;o did the Midwife al&s;o, which
made it to be &s;pread up and down the Country, &s;o that it came to
the eares of &s;ome of the Committee; And for the further &s;atisfa|ction
of the truth thereof, Collonel <HI>More</HI> an hone&s;t godly
Gentleman, a Member of the Hou&s;e of Commons, and one of the
Committee being there, it was de&s;ired he &s;hould &s;end a Letter to
Mr. <HI>Fleetwood</HI> the Mini&s;ter of the Pari&s;h, to know the certainty of
it, whether it was truth or not; which Letter was writ, and by
him &s;ent accordingly. And Mr. <HI>Fleetwood</HI> receiving the &s;aid Let|ter,
&s;ent for the Midwife about it, and &s;he &s;till confirmed what &s;he
&s;aid before, yet for better &s;atisfaction, Mr. <HI>Fleetwood</HI> cau&s;ed the
grave to be opened, and the childe to be taken up, and laid to view,
and found there a body without an head, as the Midwife had &s;aid;
onely the childe had a face upon the brea&s;t of it, as you may &s;ee in
the portraicture.</P>
<P>The Certificate was &s;hewed before divers of the Committee,
and by Collonel <HI>More</HI> a Member of the Hou&s;e of Commons,
brought up to <HI>London,</HI> and &s;hewed to divers of the Hou&s;e; who
have commanded it to be printed, that &s;o all the Kingdome might
&s;ee the hand of God herein; to the comfort of his people, and the
terrour of the wicked that deride and &s;corn them.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="part">
<PB N="8" REF="5">
<HEAD>A Copie of a Certificate under the hand
of Mr. Edward Fleetwood Mini&s;ter of Kirkham
Pari&s;h in Lanca&s;hire, concerning the
Mon&s;ter brought forth by Mrs. Haugh|ton
a Papi&s;t, living in that
Pari&s;h.</HEAD>
<P>AS we mu&s;t tell no lye, &s;o we &s;hould not conceal any truth; e&s;pe|cially
when it tends to Gods glory: There was a great Papist
and of great Parentage, within the Pari&s;h of <HI>Kirkham,</HI> and his wives
mother being of the &s;ame Religion, did u&s;ually &s;coffe and mocke the
Roundheads, and in deri&s;ion of Mr. <HI>Prinne,</HI> and others, cut off th<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">
the Cats eares, and called it by his name. But behold an example of
the ju&s;tice and equity of God in his judgements: As <HI>Adonibezeck</HI>
was repaid in his own kinde: <HI>Haman</HI> hanged upon the &s;ame Gallowes
he had prepared for <HI>Mordecai,</HI> and <HI>Pharaoh</HI> and all his Ho&s;te drow|ned
in the Sea into which he had thought to have driven the I&s;raelites,
And likewi&s;e one of the Popi&s;h Prelates, who &s;aid he would not dine
before <HI>Ridley</HI> and <HI>Latimore</HI> were burnt, was burned in his own ent|trails.
So (much what) alike, it fell out with this mans wi&s;e, a Po|pi&s;h
creature, who being great with childe, when the time of her deli|very
came, &s;he brought forth a Mon&s;trous childe without an head&punc;
ugly and deformed, the portraicture whereof (as near as we could de|lineate)
is here de&s;cribed, and my &s;elf,</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>EDWARD FLEETWOOD, Pa&s;tor&punc;
With the Midwife, and others who &s;aw the
Childe taken out of its grave;
Witne&s;&s;es hereof.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
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