342
NOTES AND QUERIES. [9* s. m. MAY e, 99,
torical students may, it is to be hoped,
endeavour to distinguish what the Puritans
objected to, what they thought indifferent,
and what they encouraged. H. DAVEY.
82, Grand Parade, Brighton.
WITHYCOMBE CHURCH STRUCK BY
LIGHTNING. (See ante, pp. 26, 136.)
THINKING that the following contemporary narrative of a very remarkable occurrence may be of sufficient interest for insertion in 'N. & Q.,' I have abridged it from a transcript in a little work, published in 1876, entitled
"Things New and Old concerning the Parish of Widecombe-in-the-Moor and its Neighbourhood. Edited by Robert Dymond, F.S.A., of Exeter."
The original tract, as mentioned by one of your correspondents, was reprinted in the 'Harleian Miscellany.' Certain passages in the reprint are omitted from Dymond's transcript, which somewhat differs, more- over, in punctuation and spelling from the version in the 'Miscellany'; but here and there I have corrected these, so as to make the following more closely accordant with the reprint of the Harieian tract.
Readers of Mr. Blackmore's * Christowell ' will remember what an effective use is made in that novel of the incidents of this extra- ordinary storm.
' A second and most exact relation of those sad and lamentable accidents which happened in and about the Parish Church of Wydecombe, near the Dartmoors in Devonshire,
On Sunday, the 21st of October last, 1638.
' Come, behold the works of the Lord, what deso- lations He hath made in the earth.' Psal. xlvi. 8.
"Imprimatur Thomas Wyke, R. P. Episc. Lond. Cap. Domest. Printed at London by G. M. for R. Harford, and are to be sold at his shop in the Queen's-head-alley, in Paternoster - Row, at the Gilt Bible, 1638. Quarto, containing 37 pages.
" Though this is called properly the second rela- tion of this wonderful accident, yet it includes the former verbatim, and adds and explains some passages, either omitted or left obscure, by way of appendix.
"As for the veracity of this relation, I am in no doubt, being so well attested, and licensed to be printed by the Bishop of London's domestick chaplain, but I could wish that these terrors of the Lord would persuade men to ba more afraid of his judgements, and to seek for his mercy and pro- tection, in the time of need, by a just discharge of their respective duties.
To the Header.
" I here present thee with a second relation of that wonderful accident which the printing of the former book hath given occasion of. Having now received a full and perfect relation, as is possible to be hoped for, or procured, assuring thee it is not grounded on information taken up at second-hand ;
but those persons being now come to London who
were eye-witnesses herein, and the chiefest dis-
coverers of the effects of these terrible accidents
Although thou hadst the truth in part before, yet
not the tythe thereof, the full relation whereof thou
shalt find here annexed, following after the former
relation, supplied in all those particulars, wherein
there was any defect before, supposing it better to
annex it than to dissolve ancf blend it with the
former. What thou hadst not before, shall only be
supplied now, and no more; and though the
price be more, yet suspend thy censure till thou hast perused it, and then it may be thou wilt <nve him thanks, who hath been at the pains to add this
to^the former; Farewell.
"A true Relation of those most strange an nw^Wn^Si^^ ha PPening in the Parish
n Sunday,
Gods visible judgements and terrible remon-
strances, which every morning are brought to li^ht
coming into our knowledge, should be our observa-
tion and admonition, that thereby the inhabitants
L th , e i earth m ay. learn righteousness; to leave
oft all busy, malicious, causeless, and unchristiauly censuring of others, and to turn in upon ourselves remembering Vel poemtendum, vel pereundum 'Ex- cept we repent we shall likewise perish '
"Upon Sunday the 21st October last," in the parish church of Wydecombe, near the Dartmoors m Devonshire, there fell, in time of Divine service' ^ S i ra .K ge darl ess, increasing more and more, so that the people there assembled could not see to read in any book ; and suddenly, in a fearful and lamentable manner, a mighty thundering was heard the rattling whereof did answer much like unto the sound and report of many great cannons, and terrible strange lightning therewith, great amazing those that heard and saw it, the darkness increasing yet more, so that they could not see one another- the extraordinary lightning came into the church so flaming that the whole church was presently filled with fire and smoke, the smell whereof was very loathsome, much like unto the scent of brim- stone ; some said they saw at first a great fiery ball come m at the window, and pass through the church. T j t mm . lster ot tn e parish, master George Lyde being m the pulpit, or seat where prayers were read, however he might be much astonished hereat
D through God's mercy, had no harm at all in his y ; but to his much grief and amazement beheld afterward the lamentable accidents ; and although himself was not touched, yet the lightning seized upon his poor wife, fired her ruff, and linnen next to her body, and her clothes, to the burning of many parts of her body in a very pitiful manner. And one mistress Ditford, sitting in the pew with the minister's wife, was also much scalded; but the \ maid and child sitting at the pew door had no , harm. Besides, another woman adventuring to run ' out ot the church, had her clothes set on fire, and ' was not only strangely burnt and scorched, but had her flesh torn about her back, almost to the very j bones. Another woman had her flesh so torn, and her body so grievously burnt, that she died the same night.
Also, one master Hill,f a gentleman of good
- o > -i Lyde ' vicar of Widecombe
from 1636 until his death in 1672. t " Roger Hill, gent., buried 23 October, 1638.-
