IT is reported of the famous Scythian , that when he went foorth to warre against his enemies ; it was his fashion , first to display a white Ensigne , as a token of his mercie , if his foes would yeeld to faire conditions : but if not , then would he display a red Ensigne , in signe of effusion of bloud and threatning death and destruction : but if at least they refused to stoope to his faire admonitions ; then would he set vp his black banner : betokning nothing but reuenge , and bloudie slaughter ; and that not one should scape from his threatning furie . So hath Almightie God dealt with this our Country : hath he not from time to time sent downe his Ensignes of anger amongst vs to affright vs from our sinnes and to stope our fete in the way of Iniquitie , and yet notwithstanding , we goe one in our abominations ? He hath deuoured vs with diseases , pinched vs with famine , terrified vs with accidentall fiers consuming our houses ? he hath commanded the mercilesse waters to swallow the friutes of the Earth , so as they became vtterly vselesse and vnprofitable to you : he hath transposed the seasons , set Summer in Winters place , & Winter in Summers stead : He hath called from amongst you , the Noble , graue , and learned , the wise , the iudge , & godly : nay hath he not come nearer vnto you ; and called the husband from the wife , the wife from the husband ? the child from the mother ? the father from the Sonne , one friend from another , and sayd them all vp together in the graue of corruption by the hand of death to your sad sorrow and discomfort ? These , and many moe Iudgements hath God sent downe amongst you , as so many Heralds to proclayme his iust anger against you for your abominations , and yet you lie snorting in your sinnes , quaffing downe iniquitie like water , and securely streching your limes vpon the bed of luxuritie , as if God were not iealous of his honour , and regarded not our transgressions . O England , England , delude not thy selfe with these goulden dreames ? but resol●● that God will come , and visit thee in some sharper measu●●●nd manner , then heretofore he hath done : the axe is allready laid to thy roote ? his powerfull hand hath long beene heaued vp ouer thee , and when it fals , it must be thy confusion : O remember , that God is said , to haue feete of Lead , and hands of Iron , he is slow to wrath ; but when he strikes , he paies home and heauie . Therefore abuse not thou Gods patient .

How many warning peeces of his displeasure hath he discharged vpon thee ( O England ) and yet , thou takest no warning . What blazing Comets , what Apparitions , what vnnaturall Inundations , what maleuolent Coniuntions of the Starres ? what Conspiracies against our King and State ? What miraculous , Monstrous , and Prodigious births haue beene presented to our eyes , as hideous spectators of deformitie ? yet all these cannot moue vs from our wickednesse ? For better confirmation here of , and meeting with so faire an occasion ; I will briefely relate a most strange and monstrous accident in nature , which , howsoeuer in mans apprehention , it may seeme unpossble . Therefore , lest any should meet my discourse with a scoffe , and smilingly say ? This is an vsuall tricke put vpon the world for profit ? and that this monstrous Childe birth ( whereon my present subiect is chiefly grounded ) was begotten in some monster hatching brayne ; produced for a Bartlemew faire babie ; and sent at this time ( for order sake ) to be nurced at the common charge of the newes affecting multitude ; let them know , that not one syllable shall be added to the making vp of an vntrueth ? but as it is approued to be true , by the attestation of many godly , honest , and religious women ? so no lesse faithfully & truely will I relate it , to the generall satisfaction of all those that read . And in briefe , thus it happened . In Kent-streete there dwelleth one , whose name is Iohn Ladyman ? whose wife ( vpon the 21. of August 1617. ) after long travell , was deliuered of a Female child with a halfe forehead , without any scull , hauing a faire proportioned body from the brest downward : the said child had its mouth & eyez miraculously placed in the sayd halfe forhead neere vpon the breast , vpon the said halfe fore-head lay a peece of flesh of two fingers thicke round about , the flesh being wonderfully curled like Gentle womens attire : being of a very blew coullour like a turcke Cocke , the eyes being very bigg staring and very firy red , which greatly terrifyed the midwife and all that were present , the chid being dead , the midwife labored to close the staring eies but could not , they presently fell all to prayer desiring God to take from them this so sodayne astonishment and feare , the midwife after prayer arising , and so the rest of the women , beholding agayne the Child , they saw the eares of it fastened to the halfe forhead , not being like to Christians eares , but stood pricking vp , behind each eare , was two little bones standing vp ouergrowne with flesh , and hauing very long heaire . In this hideous and fearefull forme was this child brought forth aliue , to the great astonishment of the beholders , and grieuious lamentation of the parents ; If any curious censurer call in question the trueth hereof , let him enquire at the place before recited , for his better satisfaction : In the meane time let me thus stop his mouth : That he , who bad the Sun retire , & it obeyed : that he , who reared vp the diuided waters like walls of bricke ? and maide a pathway through the deepe : that he , who graspeth the thunder in his right hand , and the Rainbow in his left : that he , whose throne is heauen ? whose footestoole is earth ? that this terrible God , I say , who created all of nothing , can as easily diuert the vsuall and orderly course of procreation , into dreadfull and hideous deformitie . Therefore let me induce euery honest heart , to apply this to his owne conscience , and seriously to weigh and consider the sinnes of the land in a holy consideration ? then shall he clearely discerne this monstrous production , to be a mercifull message sent from the Almightie , for our further admonition and instrustion . And thou O London , that art intituled the beauty of the world , the blazing beacon of Europe . That in the midst of iudgements , God hath allwaies remembred mercy , and hath not suffered , of a long time , his wrath to lie hard and heauie vpon thee , and further that thou shouldst not reach foorth thy hand to iniquitie ? he hath indowed thee with many great and infinite fauours , turning thy ficknesse into health , thy penury into plentie , thy mourning into mirth ? and most aboundantly ( out of his gratious goodnesse ) hath dispersed the glourious light of his word , both in the publike Ministrie , and priuate excercises thereof , whose all-spreading lustrie breakes foorth ( like the swallowing of the Sea ) in euery street , yet still thou hatest to be reformed : Thus hath he led thee with the lines of his loue , to walke more vprightly with him , who is the God of thy life , libertie , health , wealth and peace : and yet for all this ( O London ) art thou misted by the malice of Sathan , and thyne owne corruption , miserably deceiued with the pleasures of sinne , which last but for a moment : and still doest thou lift vp thy heeles & hands against God : and steelest thy heart , & face , against his wayes , workes , iudgement , and mercie . No man takes heed to his paths : he that was filthie , is become more filthie : and the crew of the abominations ( vnder whose burden the earth groanes : and men should mourne if they were not sencelesse , and gracelesse ) are so farre from diminishing , that they infinitly increase , and get head ouer thee . What need I poynt out vnto thee , thy pride , extortion , oppression , briberie , vsurie , with the rest of those crying sinnes ? giue me leaue to be silent : why the very stones in thy streets , beasts in the fielde , all dumbe & insensible Creatures , doe in their kinde , ioyntly crye out against thee , as the prophet did in his daies : Iustice is turned into gall & wormewood , the poore are sould for siluer , and the needy for shooes , why should I capitulate , thy great pride and excesse in apparell for backe , with attyres for head , thy whoredome , luxurie , drunkennesse ? ( sinnes dayly committed , in the presence both of God and man , as though the Magistraite had no law to punish them : nor the Minister courage to reproue them : for feare of offending a great man in his parish , or loosing part of his pention . Thus doth the Snake deuour the Toad , and the Toad the snake : thus one wicked man striues to Canopie the wickednesse of another , lest his owne should be vnmasked and laid bare . As for that fearefull sinne of prophaning the Saboth , that is slighted off with the title of Recreation : O where should one find that man , woman , or child who with care and conscience sanctifies the Saboth day ? either by their religious and reuerent preparing of themselues to come to the publike assemblies ? or being come , to demeane themselues as beseemeth such heauenly exercises , as prayer , and preaching ? who regards , to spend the holy Saboth in meditation , and conference of instructions publickly taught : in singing of Psalmes , Prayer , in visiting the sicke , in doing workes of charitie and Christian loue ? Or who rather doth not publikely prophane it , priuatly abuse it : some holding it to be but a day of bodily rest , & therfore betake themselues to their pillow , and sleepe longer then on any day of the weeke : some accounting of the Church assemblies , and the religious excercises therein , no better , then of common meetings for sports : nor receiue the word with no more reuerence & attention , then a prophane Stageplay , or winters tale : some sitting idly at their doores , gaping and gasing : suffering , nay , commanding their seruants and children to prophaine it , by dancing , stoole-ball playing , with the like vnlawfull and wicked recreations : some also poasting ouer their worldly affaires , casting vp their accounts : telling of money in Sermon time , reparing to Iustices for execution of Law , banquetting their kinsfolkes ? with a thousand such like abominations , fearefully committed vpon the Lords day ?

For these ( O London ) may not I ( with the Prophet ) cry out in the bitternesse of my soule : Shall not the Land tremble for this ? and shall not euery one mourne that dwelleth within thee ? The which to preuent then , O let my admonishment beate vpon the Anuile of thy heart , and force thee to fall low vpon the knee of submission : repent thee betimes , while it is called to day , cease to prouoke thy Maker with obstinate ambition : thy sinnes are at full height , and with open mouthes call for vengance and destruction to consume thee : O send out thy prayers & repentance to stop the violence of the Lords iust anger breaking foorth against thee , which ( as a starued Lyon ) waites at thy dores , and watches in thy highest streets , to deuoure thee , & to ouercloude thy beautie in darke , comfortlesse , and wofull desolation : The which , God of his gracious mercie , and fauourable goodnesse towards thee , preuent in his due time .