THe Lord God of heauen , the most righteous and mightie iudge of the world , neuer intends to inflict plagues or punishmentes on any Countrey , Cittie , or nation , but first it pleaseth him of his vnspeakeable mercie , to forewarne the same countrey , cittie , or nation thereof , by the mouthes of his Prophets , and other ministers of his worde , or else by his wonderfull signes and tokens shewed in the heauens , the earth , or other his creatures , that thereby the people may be induced to forsake their former wickednesse , and to learne amendment and newnesse of life . Examples hereof we haue in Genesis , how many tokens of his wrath did the Lord shew vnto Pharao , before his destruction in the red sea ? Likewise before Sodome was consumde with fire from heauen , it is written that Abraham had knowledge thereof , and intreated the Lord to spare it : but such were the sinnes of that cursed Cittie , that his prayers could not preuaile . Againe , more then the space of an hundred yeares before the waters drownd the worlde , had Noah warning to build the Arke , and long it was ere hee finished that worke , insomuch that the children of men made a scorne thereof , and so farre were they from grace , that no warning at all they tooke thereby . The Niniuites hauing warning repented at the preaching of Ionas : but Ierusalem was nothing moued though Christ Iesus himselfe foretold their destruction : for which cause sorrow came vpon them as vpon a woman when she trauelleth . The signs and tokens which the Lord sent ouer that Cittie before their fall were many and maruelleus , notwithstanding they persisted in their sinnes , and flattering themselues in their owne follies , made false interpretations of those prodigious wonders . Séeing then that as the Apostle saith , that whatsoeuer is written , is written for our learning , let all Christians take warning hereby , not iestingly to ioyne themselues together ( as they did in the old world ) to deride or falsely to interpret the dreadfull tokens sent among vs , lest with them of Ierusalem destruction do suddenly come vpon vs . I haue here to shew you a strange and wonderfull token of Gods wrath figured forth in a silly Herring , in which smal fish he doth demonstrate great and dreadfull matters as by the picture you may perceiue : on the one side whereof you may plainely behold the perfect shape of two armed men , the one hauing in his hand a launce , the other a sword , close buckled in their corslets , with burgancts on their heades , standing as it were in their defence , threatning and assayling one another . I know that many will giue as small credit hereunto , and as sleightly esteeme thereof as Pharao did of the flies , & the Iewes of Christs miracles : notwithstanding the Lord hath chosen the foolish thinges of this world to confound the wise , and the weake to ouercome the mighty , as he himselfe hath expressed in his holy Gospell . Moreouer there was toward the taile of this Herring the right portraiture of two rods , the one farre bigger then the other , seeming to bee bound together with two strong bandes apéece , which euery man must confesse to bee the vndoubted signe of dreadfull correction : according as the Psalmist speaketh , saying : Thou shalt bruse them with a rod of Iron , and breake them in peeces like a Potters vessell . In scripture sword and pestilence is said to be the scourges of the Lord : and therefore that cruel and bloody tyrant Tamberlaine did iustly call himselfe the scourge of God , by whom he corrected the proud , rebellious and wicked world : bringing by bloody wars many kingdomes into his subiection . If we enter then into due consideration hereof , and with the eyes of grace behold the same , we cannot but confesse , that the righteous Lord hath sent these signes vnto vs , to forewarne vs of our wickednesse , least by the sharpe correcting rods of Gods wrath wee be most iustly punished with sword and famine . But now behold on the other side of this Herring , were fiue Characters most perfectly ingrauen , some of them vsual , and wel knowne among vs at this day , others strange and not vnderstood : but what the God of all power and might will giue hereby to be known is left to better iudgement , notwithstanding let vs remember , that as it once pleased God by the finger of his power to write on the wall a heauie sentence against Balthasar , so hath it pleased him at this present to write on this Herring vndoubtedly a heauie sentence against the sinnes of this age , thereby to call this drowsie worlde out of the damnable sléepe of sinne and wickednes , wherein it hath slugged so long a time . Then what is he that séeing the same , and dreading the hot vengeance of the Lord , will not be inforced with Balthasar to shake and tremble at the grieuous iudgements which is therby likely to bee threatned : if Balthasar being a heathen King , shooke so sore at the handwriting on the wall , wel may all Christians harts shake to sée , and there withall to consider what fearefull sentence may vpon the Herring be engrauen . When our Sauiour Christ did write vpon the ground , before those that accused the woman of adulterie , her accusers were therby so confounded in conscience , that for very shame they slipt away out of his sight : how much more then may we be confounded at the sight & interpretation of these strange characters , which the Lord hath not written on the ground in the dust of the earth , but in the very meat which we should eat , thereby ( as it were ) laying his indgements in our dishes , at euery meale to be remembred . For who is ignorant that among the fishes of the sea , there is none so common at our table as the Herring , no fish more vsed in any land , nor better knowne among all sorts of people : whereby it is iustly to be gathered , that the Lord hath sent it for a generall warning vnto his people : the Lord grant our heartes may be moued thereby . Moreouer , this Herring was full fouretéene inches in length : importing ( as I coniecture ) that this iudgement threatned against the world for sinne is an extraordinarie and no vsuall iudgement , but such as the eyes of men haue seldome or neuer séene : besides , the markes were all of red and bloody colour . The Lord for Christes sake be merciful vnto vs , & giue vs grace with such repenting harts to turne from our sinnes , that he may turne his iust wrath from vs . This Herring among a number of others was taken on the 26. day of Nouemb. 1597. néer vnto Drenton , sometime the ancient and chiefe Cittie of the kingdome of Norway . And after it was shewen to diuers of the nobility , & magistrates of that countrey . The portraiture thereof & admonition was first printed in Roterdam , by Iohn van Doetec●m in the Dutch tongue , & out of the same language translated into English , for the profite and instruction of our countrey people . The Lord God Almighty giue vs grace to watch and waite for the comming of the heauenly brydegroome , that being decked and attired in the true wedding garment of Christes righteousnes , we may enter with him to the heauenly banket , there to raigne in his glorious kingdome for euermore , Amen .