<!DOCTYPE ETS PUBLIC "-//UMDLPS//DTD EEBOPROOF 2.0//EN">
<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>2010-01-03</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Mona Logarbo</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B000010.pdcc.</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
</REVDESCR>
</TEMPHEAD>
<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="B00064">
<STC T="S">11501.5</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">54532354</BIBNO>
<VID>180786</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="modern commentary">
<PB REF="1"><!-- PDF PAGE 92 -->
<PB REF="1" MS="y"><!-- PDF PAGE 92 -->
<HEAD>Museum Notes</HEAD>
<BYLINE>By A. L. LEACH, F.G.S., Hon Curator.</BYLINE>
<HEAD>A TALE OF THE SEA.</HEAD>
<P>A few weeks ago these Notes contained an account of the Merman of Linney Head, taken from a strange story related by a farmer who claimed to have seen the creature in December, 1781. An earlier story of one of these perplexing appear|ances has now come to light according to Mr. H. M. Vaughan, who writes as follows:</P>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>A MERMAID AT PENDINE.</HEAD>
<P>A curious and indeed unique little pamphlet recently purchased by the National Library of Wales, is an account of the appearance of a Mermaid off the coast at Pendine over 340 years ago. This pamphlet, which was unknown at the British Museum, where the authori|ties are greatly interested in its discov|ery, consists of four leaves octavo with the text in black letter and a picture of the Mermaid on the title page. It is shown as "Imprinted at London, 1603, for W.B." The title runs "A most strange and true Report of a Monsterous Fish that appeared in the form of a Woman from her waist upwards, seene in the Sea by divers men of good repu|tation on the 17 of February 1603, near Gylmanes poynt in the parish of Pendine in the Countie of Carmarthen."</P>
<P>The account of the Mermaid is con|tained in a letter by "Mr. P. G." to his cousin "Mr. H. P." in London, and from internal evidence it appears to be based on a careful enquiry made by Mr. William Sandars, of Pendine, a magis|trate and otherwise a person of local influence, but he did not make his inves|tigation until several weeks after the event. Many witnesses were then exam|ined and the report contains the names of thirteen of these in full. Here is the substance of the story.</P>
<P>The creature was first observed by one Thomas Raynold, yeoman, who after watching it for two hours, fetched several friends and neighbours so that they might see the weird object and bear witness to its reality. It had "the shape of a lively Woman from her waist up|wards which was all above the water; her collour browne: a very large and fayre [head of] Haire: her breasts round and very white with two fayre handes: everything formally as a Woman." This description tallies with the figure on the title page. Various people watched the strange obect until darkness set in: then it was lost to sight and was not seen or heard of again.</P>
<P>What did all these people see? Was it a dugong or manatee or other visitor from tropical seas, or was it, as the picture seems to suggest, an unusually large seal? The chief hindrance to an acceptance of these naturalistic explana|tions arises from the very human hands and arms. Much imagination would need to be called into play to convert a seal's paddles into the "two fayre handes" shown in the drawing. But
<PB REF="2"><!-- PDF PAGE 93 -->apart from these features the figure might be interpreted as a representation of a seal.</P>
<P>I hope to obtain from the National Library a photostat facsimile of this rare if not unique pamphlet concerning the Mermaid. This copy will be placed in the Library of the Tenby Museum.</P>
<P>It is a curious coincidence that the nar|ratives of the Pendine Mermaid and the Linney Head Merman both begin with stories told by local farmers, Raynold and Reynold respectively, bearing names so unusual in this district that neither of them appears in the current list of Electors in the parish of St. Mary's-in-Liberty. Again in each case the creature had human hands and arms, and the descriptions of its ap|pearance were written not by the chief witnesses but by local persons of impor|tance. May it not be that the Linney Head story is a distorted version, told long afterwards, of the Pendine event and that this may have arisen from an exaggerated and imaginative account of a very large seal?</P>
<PB REF="2" MS="y"><!-- PDF PAGE 93 -->
<PB REF="3"><!-- PDF PAGE 94 -->
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB REF="3" MS="y"><!-- PDF PAGE 94 -->
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="4"><!-- PDF PAGE 95 -->
<PB REF="4"><!-- PDF PAGE 95 -->
<P>A mo&s;t &s;trange and true report of a mon&s;terous Fi&s;h, who appeared in the forme of a Woman, from her wa&s;te vpwards.</P>
<P><FIGURE>
<FIGDESC>depiction of a mermaid</FIGDESC>
</FIGURE></P>
<P>Imprinted at London for W.B.</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB REF="5"><!-- PDF PAGE 96 -->
<PB REF="5"><!-- PDF PAGE 96 -->
<HEAD>A mo&s;t &s;trange and true re|port of a mon&s;terous Fi&s;h, that appeared in the forme of a Woman, from her wa&s;t vpwardes: Seene in the Sea by diuers men of good reputation, on the 17. of February la&s;t pa&s;t 1603&punc; neare <HI>Gylmanes</HI> poynt, in the pari&s;h of <HI>Pendine</HI> in the Countie of <HI>Carmarthen.</HI></HEAD>
<HEAD>To his louing Kin&s;man and Friend M. <HI>H. P.</HI> at his lodging in London, the&s;e. &amp;c.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>_MY mo&s;t louing Coo&s;en,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>like the touch of the pure&s;t <HI>Arabian</HI> Gold, haue I euer found your Loue, which &s;o often hauing approued, in all true frind&s;hip hath obliged mee by all bondes of gentillitie and hone&s;ty vnto you (e&s;pecially) for your kindly and paineful par|ticipating from time to time, all tho&s;e honorable &s;er|uices done his mo&s;t excellent Maie&s;tie, from place to place (in your Letters) &s;o largely de&s;cribing his royaltie, and the &s;ubiects duetie: with the cheering whereof, our hartes were no le&s;&s;e repleni&s;hed with all comfort and true affection of loyaltie, then you, the mo&s;t happy beholders thereof: with remem|brance of tho&s;e happie tydings, &s;uch a &s;imphanie of true zeale and duetie comoyning, as brought more comfort to our greeued hartes, which care had ouer charged with imaginations, That the care of the one, was expeld by the ioy of the others: and our de|cayed &s;prightes reuiued, as <HI>Aqua Cele&s;tis</HI> the body, re&s;igning his late&s;t ga&s;pe to his maker.</P>
<P><PB REF="6"><!-- PDF PAGE 97 -->
For the&s;e, and millions of other your kind fauours (my good Coo&s;en) &s;et me lade you with thankes, and &s;o many wi&s;hes of happines &amp; pro&s;peritie from all your Friendes, in the We&s;terne Mountaines of <HI>Wales,</HI> as wee de&s;ire: then &s;hould you not neede (in ought that &s;hould either con&s;erne the worldes felici|tie, or heauens bie&s;&s;edne&s;&s;e) but all in all &s;hould con|curre to make you happie, both with God and men? The time is &s;hort of my Me&s;&s;engers &s;tay: his ha&s;te on his iorney requiring ha&s;te, yet could I not omit this oportunitie, to gratifie your <HI>London</HI> Newes of ioy, with a mo&s;t rare and &s;trange matter here in our confines, not long fithence happening.</P>
<P>Strange things many haue publi&s;hed, as mon&s;te|erous Birthes, &s;trange Bea&s;tes, taking of Whales and other &s;trange Fi&s;hes&punc; fierie Dragons, &amp; &s;trange &s;ightes in the Ayre, &s;ome by nature, (others, as to|kens of Gods powerfull Maie&s;tie) all great and ad|myrable for men to wonder at, and exalt his glory, to the abating of mens pride, and for warning or vs that our &s;infull liues may be amended, that true re|pentance may follow, and pride&punc; whoredome, brybe|rie, extortion, couetou&s;ne&s;&s;e, letcherie, and &s;uch like pernitious damnable vices, may be vtterly aboli|&s;hed: reta<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">ning in their place, the feare of Gods wrath for &s;inne, charitable loue among&s;t men, and all other holy pre&s;criptions from God, our gracious Soueraigne, and Preachers of his &s;acred word.</P>
<P>I am &s;omewhat tedious, good Coo&s;en: therefore I referre you to the true report of this mo&s;t admirable and &s;trange newes, which on my credite I write you: but impart it with the be&s;t of our &amp; your good friendes, as foloweth. <HI>Viz.</HI></P>
<P><PB REF="6"><!-- PDF PAGE 97 -->
ON Fryday the xvij. day of Februarie la&s;t pa&s;t <HI>1603.</HI> about three of the clocke in the after noone, one <HI>Thomas Raynold</HI> of <HI>Pendine,</HI> (a Village in the Countie of <HI>Carmarden</HI>) a very hone&s;t and &s;ub&s;tan|ciall Yeoman, walking neare the &s;hores &s;ide, not far from a high Land or Poynt in the &s;ame pari&s;h, called <HI>Hollogoho,</HI> betweene <HI>Gylmanes</HI> Poynt and <HI>Tolwen,</HI> he &s;aw &s;wimming in the Sea (neare the Poynt) a mo&s;t &s;trange and wonderfull thing: the greatnes and rarenes whereof, being of that forme and length, albeit he was a man of good &s;ence and &s;pright, hauing rea&s;on and iudgement, more then many of no better education, droue him &s;o to admire there at, that he &s;pent the better part of two howers viewing of it, as it draue with the Tyde towardes the &s;hore, betweene the two Poynts: where he did di&s;couer it at his full plea&s;ure in this forme.</P>
<P>The &s;hape of a very liuely Woman, from her wa&s;t vpwardes, which was all aboue the water: her cullour browne: a very large and faire Paire: ouer which (to his &s;eeming) was a thing like a Hood, about her necke in maner of a white Band, her Bre&s;tes round and very white, with two fayre handes, eue|rie thing formally as a Woman.</P>
<P><HI>Thomas Raynold</HI> hauing with great wonder no|ted all this, neare two howers &s;pace, in good fight, and tooke good noti&s;e thereof, imagining what might be thought, of vnbeleeuing people, if he &s;hould report it, hauing no body to iu&s;tifie his wordes, al|though he be a man of credite: yet leauing it for a time, as waighing his reputation, &s;peedeth him in all ha&s;te to the Towne, where, &s;o many of his
<PB REF="7"><!-- PDF PAGE 98 -->hone&s;t neighbours and coo&s;ens as he could &s;odaine|ly finde, he cau&s;ed to goe with him to the Poynt, where he left it, to witne&s;&s;e what he had &s;eene: who likewi&s;e had good view thereof halfe an houre and more, neuer changing any &s;hape, but as <HI>Raynold</HI> had &s;eene it. A mo&s;t dreadfull woonder to many of tho&s;e beholders, which diuer&s;ly cen&s;ured thereof: &s;ome being afrayde, lea&s;t it might be otherwi&s;e then it &s;hewed: Standing thus amazed at the &s;ight, with turning of the Tyde, it made way from the place where they &s;aw it &s;wimming: then in &s;wimming, (which was more admirable) it appeared in cullour gray, with eares like a Hound, but &s;omewhat grea|ter and &s;horter: her backe like vnto a Cock-boate, a full yard or more in breadth: her tayle to their &s;ee|ming, two fothomes in length: in her &s;wimming &s;he went Soth-ea&s;t to the Sea: Then came &s;hee North-ea&s;t to <HI>Tolwen,</HI> where &s;hee continued vntill night: at which time, the darkene&s;&s;e of the night approching, the beholders lo&s;t her &s;ight, and from that time, was neuer &s;eene more, or heard of as yet, about all the coa&s;t. Three howers full or more, they had perfect &s;ight of her, as I haue written.</P>
<P>The people, as a wonder, filled the pari&s;h with the rumor of this &s;trange &s;ight, and far and neare went the report. Among&s;t many others which came, and &s;ent to <HI>Pendine,</HI> to heare the certaine newes hereof, one <HI>M. William Sandars,</HI> of the &s;ame Pari&s;h, hauing been for his Maie&s;ties bu&s;ines at <HI>Garmarthen</HI> that day, at his home comming hearing a rumour here|of by his &s;eruants, and knowing well <HI>Thomas Ray|nold</HI> to be a man of good name among&s;t them, de&s;i|rous
<PB REF="7"><!-- PDF PAGE 98 -->to be re&s;olued of the trueth hereof, on the mor|row following &s;ent for him, and examined him of euery part and particularitie hereof, as you haue heard, who confirmed the &s;ame vnto him: and for the better &s;atisfaction of the &s;aid <HI>M. Sandars, Raynold</HI> &s;ent for all tho&s;e, or the better &s;ort, which were pre|&s;ent with him, who confirmed vnder their handes, what <HI>Raynold</HI> had &s;poken: who&s;e names I likewi&s;e &s;end you, as they were &s;ub&s;cribed. <HI>Viz.</HI></P>
<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>The Examiner <HI>M. William Sandars</HI> of Penden.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Examinates.</HI>
<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>Thomas Raynold.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Raynold.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI><HI>Iohn Raynold</HI> the elder.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI><HI>Iohn Raynold</HI> the younger.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI><HI>Dauid Moris</HI> Smith.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Mori&s;h Webb.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI><HI>Harry Mores</HI> of Morras.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Alice Row.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Ioane Mories.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Anne Mories.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Elinor Bullocke.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Kath<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">rine Griphine.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Philip Day.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>With many others, both of <HI>Penden</HI> and other places.</P>
<P>What this woonder may pretend, to his Maie&s;tie that made vs all, it is be&s;t knowen: but with vs, greatly admired. Accept this (good Coo&s;en) which am at your &s;eruice, and let vs all, as our bounden duetie, be&s;eech God all powerfull, and full of might, to ble&s;&s;e and pre&s;erue our royall and mo&s;t gratious king, the Queene, and all their Princely progenie: &s;trengthen our taythes, and continue our peace, to his eternall glory, &amp; our comfortes in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your Coo&s;en, and euer deuoted Friend: <HI>P. G.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
