[Bagford Collection, I. 89 verso.]

A most Strange, but True

Account

Df a Wery

Large Sea-Monster,

That was found last Saturday in a Common-Shore in New Fleet Street in Spittle-Fields, where at the Black-Swan Alehouse, thousands of People resort to see it: Herein you have the Dimensions of the said Surprizing Creature, with the various Conjectures of several able Men concerning what may be the Omen of this Creatures leaving the Sea, and to rove so far under Ground, the Common-Shore where it was found running above two Miles before it empties it self at Blackwall: The occasion of this Creature's coming hither being likewise hinted on by P- -ge [Partridge] in his Monthly Prognostications for this Year, 1704.

Resaging the several Mutations which are approaching

to Kingdoms, States, and Common-wealths, something appears wond'rous in the Heavens, Earth, or watry Element, by frightful Blazing Comets, monstrous Births, or strange Fishes leaving their deep Habitations of the Sea to swim in Brooks and Rivers: and as to strange Omens foretelling Alterations in this Kingdom, our Chronicles give an Account that when King Ethelred ascended the throne by his Mother's murdering his Brother Edward, upon his Coronation-Day, a Cloud was seen throughout England, half resembling Blood, and half Fire; which Prodigy was the fore-runner of the Danes Landing here three Years after, and committing great Outrages in divers parts of the Kingdom. Before William Rufus was kill'd by Sir Walter Tyrrel in New-Forrest, two Blazing Stars appeared; and at Finchamstead, near Abington in Berkshire, a Well of Bloody Colour'd Water sprung up for fifteen Days, and then ceased. Before Henry the Second dyed it rained Blood in the Isle of Wight, for the space of two Hours; a Dragon of marvellous Bigness was discovered at Saint Osyph in Essex; an Earthquake rented in pieces

the Cathedral at Lincoln; and in Orford in Sussex, certain Fisher-men drew up in their Net a Hairy Creature out of the Sea, in all Proportions like a Man, which was exposed to the Sight of Thousands, living upon Flesh, but in the end stole from his Keepers and got to Sea again. In the Reign of Henry the Third, four Suns appeared from the Rising to the Setting, after which followed a great Famine. Before Richard's Resignation of his Crown, to Henry the Fourth, the Bay and Lawrel Trees withered throughout England. In the time of Henry the Sixth, whilst a great Fight was at Ludlow betwixt the two Houses of York and Lancaster, Three Suns appeared in the Firmament, which immediately united into one, and the next Reign began the Union of the Families. And so when Oliver Cromwel's Usurpation was at end, the Members of the Calves-head-Club Confederate the Devil fetcht him away in a terrible Whirlwind. But now as strange a Wonder ensues, which take as follows.

On Saturday last, being the 20th of this instant May, something of a strange un[u]sual Shape was perceived to be [within] a Common-Shore in New-Fleet-street in SpittleFields, which incited their Curiosity who saw it, to make a further search into the Matter, and accordingly going into the Common-Shore (which runs above two Miles under Ground before it empties it self at Blackwall) they draged the

1 A curious Collection, now in the British Museum, was made, in a quarto volume, by a private gentleman, of last century show-bills and advertisements of Monsters and curiosities, exhibited at Bartholomew Fair and other places. Among these genuine records of (in many cases) imposture, are wood-cuts of a semihuman hairy creature," standing on the sea-shore, similar to the one mentioned above. We give an engraving on p. 58, from Roxb. Coll., i. 231.

2 The Storm, on September 2nd, 1658, when Oliver Cromwell died, is referred to, among others, by two contemporary poets: 1. Edmund Waller (equally ready to panegyrize Charles Stuart, when Restoration-day arrives), Upon the death of the Lord Protector ::

"We must resign! Heav'n his great Soul does claim

In Storms, as loud as his immortal Fame:

His dying groans, his last breath, shakes our Isle,
And trees uncut fall for his funeral pile;

About his palace their broad roots are tost

Into the air," etc.

(Poems on State Affairs, 6th ed., 1710, i. 23.)

And, 2. in answer to it, by John Cleveland :

""Tis well he's gone (O had he never been!)
Hurried in Storms, loud as his crying sin;
The pines and oaks fell prostrate at his Urn," etc.

(J. Cleveland Revived: Poems, 1662, p. 111.)

Creature out, which was a dead Porpoise of a very large Size, it being above Four Foot in Length, and Three Foot about, which now is to be seen at the Sign of the BlackSwan, an Alehouse, in New-Fleet-street in Spittle-Fields, as aforesaid, to which thousands of People daily resorts to view it: Now as to the Nature of this Fish, which is vulgarly called a Sea-Hog, from its being like a Swine both in Shape and Flesh, its Residence is in the Sea, and appear in multitudes against an approaching Storm, tumbling after a strange manner with their Bellies upwards about Ships that are on their several Voyages; and that it should leave the Deep to rove up into fresh Water Rivers, and more especially to crawl so far up a Common-Shore, it seems somewhat amazing among the Curious; there is now great turning over of Partridge, whose Prognostications are much admired by the Mob, but they find he has took no more Notice in this year's Almanack of this Porpoises untimely Death in a CommonShore, than of the Thunder which we had last Week, he taking no notice that we shall have any at all this Year; but to make amends for this Fault, I believe it wou'd be very acceptible to the Fools under Crispin's Meridian, if

Partridge's Almanacks, for some time in great repute, as foretelling changes of weather (like Murphy's, in later days), and also important events, foreign or domestic, like our recently-deceased Zadkiel's. William Lilly had ruled half a century before him, with varying popularity and discredit.

2 Crispin. The 25th October is the day of SS. Crispin and Crispian, duly honoured by the "Gentle Craft" of Cobblers and Shoemakers (Cobblerdom secured the priority under the Emperor Charles V., but, as shoes need to be made before being cobbled, somewhat unjustly). We know not what concern foolish people, quid-nuncs, and sight-seers have with “Crispin's Meridian," except that the day of the Cordwainers' Saint is kept as an unbroken holiday for revelling. On it was fought the battle of Agincourt, in 1415. See Shakespeare's Henry V., Act iv. sc. 3,—

"This day is call'd the Feast of Crispian:

He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is named,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,

And say, To-morrow is Saint Crispian ;'

Then will he strip his sleeve, and show his scars,

And say, 'These wounds I had on Crispin's day.' .

This story shall the good man teach his son,

And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,

From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered."

Why shoemaking was styled "The Gentle Craft" is explained by Thomas
Deloney in his often-reprinted "History of the Gentle Craft," Oct. 1597.

in his next year's Almanack he would oblige them with the Hyleg' of this poor Fish: but the general Conjecture of this Creature's rambling so far up a sh- -n Concavity under Ground, is, that it either came from the French Coasts, and signifies Lewis is ready to beshit himself, for fear the Affairs will not go as they shou'd do in Spain, or else it came from the Spanish Coasts, and intimates by his Obscurity, that the Duke of Anjou had rather hide his Head than fight; and the last Conjecture I believe to be most probable, because Partridge says in his Prognostications in this Month, The Gingerbread King of Spain full of Fears and Fatigue, it belongs to the Family. Moreover it is thought this strange Fish came of some good Family, because the Possessors of it talk of having R- - in Fstreet embalm it against they shew it at Green-Goose-Fair.

Licensed according to Order.

LONDON, Printed for R. Smith, near Spittle-Fields
Market, 1704.

[Before October; probably in May. In white-letter at back of preceding "Lamentation."]

1 An astrological term: Apheta, Hyleg, or Prorogator, the place or planet that carries with it the life of the native, until it comes to the place or evil aspect of the Anareta, when death ensues.-James Wilson's Compleat Dictionary of Astrology, 1819, p. 7; which see for list of the Aphetic places,

etc.

2 Louis XIV., who sent forth a fleet from Brest in May, sustained many of his reverses this year, 1704, the same in which Marlborough gained the victory of Blenheim, and (old style) received the manor of Woodstock. The mention of the Duke of Anjou's unwillingness to fight helps to date this broadsheet as before September. Sir George Rooke appeared before Barcelona on May 18th, took Gibraltar in July, fought Thoulouse off Malaga in August, and returned to England in September.

3 "The little Gingerbread King of Spain, full of Fears and Fatigue, it belongs to the Family." These words are given for the end of May, 1704, with "The month full of action and hurry in one part or another," in the Merlinus Liberatus Almanack, for Bisextile, by John Partridge, Student in Physick and Astrology, at the Blue Ball in Salisbury Street, in the Strand, London. For October he prognosticated "A certain great Man leaves this world in an uneasy humour;" we may therefore consider the Porpoise not entirely unforeseen, only misunderstood, as great personages are apt to be among Lilliputians.

[Bagford Collection, I. 90.]

The Somersetshire Wonder,' Dr, Late Dreadful Judgments which hath hapened upon the Family of Mr. Pope, of Wotton, near Glastenbury in the said Country.

TO THE TUNE OF, the Bleeding heart.

[The original contains three woodcuts, the right-hand one is printed on page 66.]

YOOD People all that round about me stand,

GOOD

Pray mind the strange afflictions in this Land,

Such wonders scarce before has ever been,

In Somersetshire at Wotten they are seen.

4

This extremely solemn recital of a series of marvels and misfortunes, that appear to have been a bare-faced conspiracy to obtain money by false pretences, may be read with interest, despite its homely language, numerous misprints, and want of veracity. These supposed supernatural warnings, outrageously silly though they be, purposeless (except on the money-begging hypothesis), and to some of us incredible, are not far removed from the absurdities which a considerable number of otherwise sensible people have been ready to believe of late, under the name of spiritualistic manifestations, in England and America. Whatever substratum of truth there may be, we can most of us detect a large amount of imposture overlying it. And the utter inconsequence or valuelessness of what is told or shown makes it undesirable to encourage the "Sperrits" to reveal themselves.