A most strange and rare example of the iust iudgement of God executed vpon a lewde and wicked coniurer the .xvij. day of Ianuarie. M.D.Lxxvij. In the parish church of S. Mary Oueris in Southwark, in the presence of diuers credible [and] honest persons

REmember mortal man how time doth passe , and know likewise , al humain flesh is gras : For time at length consumes the strongest oke , So death at last must strike the greuous stroke : Though lustie youth do pleasant beautie beare Yet youth to age in tract of time doth we are . The plesant flour that bears the freshest hue The grasse that grows so grene in sommer tide The pinching colde hir colour dothe subdue , So that hir beautie cannot long abide : Euen so the state of mortall man depends , Whose life to these may well compared be , To daye the powers aboue our life defends : To morrowe deade full oftentimes we see ▪ Therfore still liue as though thou shuldest dye , Thy soule to saue from so greate ieopardye . If mortall man woulde weigh his state aright , And shun the subtill snares of false delight , Esteming them to be so fraile and vaine , As nothing else maye sooner bring our paine : He woulde ( no doubt ) his course direct aright , And haue those shewes no longer in his sight . And though our nature be so weake and frayle , As any one attempt may soone auayle , No doubt but if with zeale we call for grace , We shall eschew suche lewde attempts apace . The sygnes and shewes that dayly doe appeere , In coastes abroade and in our countrie here , May well a warnyng be vnto vs all , To shun the synne that we be chargde withall , Let vs example take of holy writ , Wheron ech christen man shuld ground his wit , Howe God ( for synne ) in his displeased yre , Consumed Sodome and Gomorre with fyre . In these our dayes it may be eke regarded , How dyuers countreys for sinne are rewarded . Let vs therefore by them example take , And from our sinnes at length let vs awake , Which God of his mercy graunt for to be , That we in ioyes euerlasting may see The heuenly shew of his moste glorious face , Pronouncing ioys to them that cal for grace , AMEN .

AS the Synnes of Man are innumerable and dyuerse , gentle Reader , so the plagues & punishmentes of God are sundrye : and he sharpely scourgeth manye , that wee the resydue myghte the better bee warned . And though he suffer and beare with our wicked deedes and dealings a while , yet without amendement , and oure repentaunce , hee will stryke at laste , with so heauie and greuous a stroke that our frayle bodyes may not nor cannot sustayn his heauy hande . Let therefore euery true Christian enter into his own heart , & consyder how mercyfull God is , how he warneth vs , howe he spareth vs , and gyueth daily examples for our amendement , how he plageth the offendor , thoughe mercifull to a great sorte of sinners . If we woulde consyder this transitorie worlde howe tickle it standeth , howe vncertayne the lyfe of man is , howe we can assure vnto our selues nothyng certayne but death , howe our toyles , our laboures , oure cares , our inuentions , oure pollicies and subtilties passe with our mortall bodies : vndoubtedly the verie horrour of our consciences , woulde cause vs to bee more carefull to refrayne oure naturall bodies from such filthy , detestable and abhominable liuing , as they are most prone and ready to folowe and imbrace : yea it woulde so moue our myndes to deuotion , that therby the vayn industries , lewd attemptes , and wycked imaginations of our hearte myght be altered and chaunged to true Religion , to constantnesse of Faith , and to true and syncere dealyng one with an other . Let vs therfore searche and examine our selues , and lyke the loste sonne come home & crie Abba father , and then vndoubtedly , with spreaded armes , hee will bee ready to receiue vs to his great mercye , whereas on the contrarie hee will shewe hymselfe a fierce and terrible god , pronouncing a most sharpe iudgement vppon the offendor , yea he wil steale vpon him on a day when he loketh not for him , and in an houre that he is not ware of , and shall hewe him in peeces , and giue him his portion with the hipocrites , where there shall be weepyng and gnashing of teethe . After which sorte , God in his iustice , stroke the persone of whom we nowe speake : who maye well bee a myrrour and spectacle to vs all , that we knowing and seeyng the ende of hys wycked life , may renewe the olde man graffed in our harts , glorifying our heauenly Father whiche is in Heauen , whiche God graunte of his mercye . Amen .

The seuenteenth daye of Ianuarie this presente yeare of our Lorde God a thousand fiue hundred seuentie and sixe , one Simon Pembroke dwelling in Sainct Georges parish in Southwark , beyng conuented before the ordinarie iudge of that place as vehemently suspected to be a Coniurer , and the proces beeing serued vpon him to appeare in the Parishe Churche of Sainct Marie Ouery , at the Court there vsually holden by the sayde Iudge , to aunswere vnto suche obiections , as he myghte bee charged wythal , touching his diuellishe trade , and to receyue condygne punishment if he were founde culpable therein : albeit somewhat sickely before , as it must truly be confessed , neuerthelesse chosing rather to come than to vse any excuse of absence , he fayled not at his appoynted daye to appeare , shewing him selfe ready in euery respect to cleare him selfe of all suche matters as should or might in any wise be obiected against him , saying , that he had gret wrong to be troubled for any suche false surmyse , Wherevpon comming to a Proctor of the Arches , & mynding to retaine hym to bee of his counsell touchyng the defence of the obiections layde against him , being refused by the said Proctor , & with his fee in his hande , the Iudge comming into the Churche , he sank down sodeynly amongst them starke deade , not hauing space or grace to saye once , the Lord haue mercie vpon me : to the great amaze of al the standers by . The Iudge seing what had chaunced , and that by no meanes his lyfe coulde be recouered , he commaunded that he shoulde be serched , to the intent that if he had money or other chardge about him , it might not bee embeselled , but restored to his poore wife , beeing there present , lamenting hir late husbande in moste pitifull sorte , whiche done there were found about him certain diuelishe and wicked bookes of coniuration , a peece of tinne with a picture engraued , & a lttle blacke sticke like vnto Iette , aboute two inches long , with other toies , instrumentes no doubt of his diuelish arte .

Wherfore let this iust & sodain execution of gods iudgement , be a terror vnto those , that setting apart that clemency & great mercy of our heauenly father , haue practised this or the like wicked trade , & let al other that are infected with any notable crime , as no doubte none of vs can excuse our selues , take example by thys deade carkas , whose manner of lyfe as it was abhomynable , and odyous in the sighte of god , so the order of hys death no lesse fearful , and terrible in the sight of men . I say after so many warnyngs , let vs not be senslesse as bruite beastes , neither lette vs deferre our repentaunce vntill to morrow , least at midnight , or at the daunyng of the day our time be shortened , whereby to late , wee are to call for repentaunce : but while we haue time and space , let vs call for mercy , that we may assure our selues of his comfortable promisse , which is , that at what tyme soeuer a synner dothe repent him of his sinnes from the bottome of his harte , I will put all his wickednes out of my remembrance , and so glorifying him in this life , we may bee partakers of the heauenlye ioyes , prepared for his elected , whiche God graunte , for his sonne Iesu Christes sake . Amen .