A great wonder in HEAVEN: Shewing the late Apparitions and Prodigious noyſes of War and Battails ſeen on Edge-Hill neer Keynton in Northampton-ſhire.

THat there hath beene, and ever will be Laruae ſpectra, and ſuch like ap­paritions, namely, Ghoſts and Gob­lins, have beene the opinion of all the famouſeſt Divines of the Primi­tive Church, and is (though op­pugned by ſome) the received Do­ctrine of divers learned men at this day, their opinion being indeed ra­tified and confirmed by divers Texts of Scripture, as the Divells poſſeſſing the Swine, and the men poſſeſſed with Divells in the Acts of the Apoſtles, that came out of them, and beat the Exorciſts, by which it is evidently con­firmed, that thoſe legions of erring angels that fell with their great Maſter, Lucifer, are not all confined to the lo­call Hell, but live ſcattered here and there, diſperſed in the empty regions of the ayre as thicke as motes in the Sunne, and thoſe are thoſe things which our too ſuperſtitious an­ceſtors called Elves and Goblins, Furies, and the like, ſuch as were thoſe who appeared to Machbeth the after King4 of Scotland, and foretold him of his fortunes both in life and death. It is evident, beſides, that the divell can con­denſe the ayre into any ſhape he pleaſeth; as hee is a ſubtill ſpirit, thin and open, and rancke himſelfe into any forme or likeneſſe, as Saint Augustin, Prudentius, Hieronimus Cyril, Saint Baſil the Great; and none better then our late Soveraigne King Iames of ever-living menory, in his Trea­tiſe de Demonologia, hath ſufficiently proved: but to omit circumſtance and preamble, no man that thinkes hee hath a ſoule, but will verily and confidently believe that there are divels, and ſo conſequently ſuch divels as appeare either in premonſtrance of Gods Judgements, or as fatall Em­baſſadours to declare the meſſage of mortality and deſtructi­on to offending Nations; and hath in Germany and other places afflicted afterwards with the horror of a civill and forraigne warres notoriouſly manifeſted.

But to our purpoſe Edge-Hill in the very confines of Warwickeſhire, neere unto Keynton in Nrrthamptonſhire, a place, as appeares by the ſequele, deſtined for ci­vill warres and battells; as where King Iohn fought a battell with his Barons, and who in the defence of the Kingdomes lawes and libertie was fought a bloody con­flict betweene his Majeſties and the Parliaments forces, who under the conduct of his Excellence the Earle of Eſſex, obtained there a glorious victory over the Cava­liers at this Edge-Hill, in the very place where the bat­tell was ſtrucken, have ſince, and doth appeare, ſtrange and portentuous Apparitions of two jarring and contra­ry Armies, as I ſhall in order deliver, it being certified by the men of moſt credit in thoſe parts, as William Wood Eſquire, Samuel Marſhall Miniſter, and others, on Saturday, which was in Chriſtmas time, as if the Savi­our of the world, who died to redeeme mankinde, had beene angry that ſo much Chriſtian blood was there ſpilt, and ſo had permitted theſe infernall Armies to appeare,5 where the corporeall Armies had ſhed ſo much blood; between twelve and one of the clock in the morning was heard by ſome Sheepherds, and other countrey-men and travellers, firſt the found of Drums a far off, and the noyſe of Soulders, as it were, giving out their laſt groanes; at which they were much amazed, and amazed ſtood ſtill, till it ſeemed by the neerneſſe of the noyſe to approach them, at which too much affrighted, they ſought to with­draw as faſt as poſſibly they could, but then on the ſud­den, whileſt they were in theſe cogitations, appeared in the ayre the ſame incorporeall ſouldiers that made thoſe clamours, and immediately with Enſignes diſplayed Drums beating, Muſquets going off, Cannons diſcharged, Horſes neyghing, which alſo to theſe men were viſible, the ala­rum or entrance to this game of death was ſtrucke up, one Army which gave the firſt charge, having the Kings colours, and the other the Parliaments in their head or front of the battells, and ſo pell mell to it they went; the battell that appeared to the Kings forces ſeeming at firſt to have the beſt, but afterwards to be put into ap­parent rout; but till two or three in the morning in e­quall ſcale continued this dreadfull fight, the clattering of Armes, noyſe of Cannons, cries of ſouldiers ſo ama­zing and terrifying the poore men, that they could not believe they were mortall, or give credit to their eares and eyes, runne away they durſt not, for feare of being made a prey to theſe infernall ſouldiers, and ſo they with much feare and affright, ſtayed to behold the ſucceſſe of the buſineſſe, which at laſt ſuited to this effect: after ſome three houres fight, that Army which carryed the King colours withdrew, or rather appeared to flie; the other remaining, as it were, Maſters of the field, ſtayed a good ſpace triumphing, and expreſſing all the ſignes of joy and conqueſt, and then with all their Drummes, Trum­pets, Ordnance and Souldiers vaniſhed, the poore men6 glad they were gone, that had ſo long ſtaid them there a­gainſt their wils, made with all haſte to Keinton, and there knocking up Mr. Wood, a Juſtice of Peace, who called up his neighbour Mr. Marſhall the Miniſter, they gave them an account of the whole paſſage, and averred it upon their oaths to be true. At which affirmation of theirs, being much a­mazed, they ſhould hardly have given credit to it, but would have conjectured the men to have been either mad or drunk, had they not knowne ſome of them to have been of appro­ved integritie; and ſo ſuſpending their judgements till the next night about the ſame houre, they with the ſame men, and all the ſubſtantiall Inhabitants of that and the neighbou­ring pariſhes, drew thither; where about halfe an houre after their arrivall on Sunday, being Chriſtmas night, appea­red in the ſame tumultuous warlike manner, the ſame two adverſe Armies, fighting with as much ſpite and ſpleen as formerly: and ſo departed the Gentlemen and all the ſpe­ctatours, much terrified with theſe viſions of horrour, with­drew themſelves to their houſes, beſeeching God to defend them from thoſe helliſh and prodigious enemies. The next night they appeared not, nor all that week, ſo that the dwel­lers thereabout were in good hope they had been for ever departed; but on the enſuing Saturday night, in the ſame place, and at the ſame houre, they were againe ſeene, with far greater tumult fighting in the manner afore mentioned for foure houres, or verie neere, and then vaniſhed, appea­ring againe on Sunday night, and performing the ſame acti­ons of hoſtilitie and bloud-ſhed; ſo that both Mr, Wood and others, whoſe faith it ſhould ſeeme was not ſtrong enough to carrie them out againſt theſe deluſions, forſook their ha­bitations thereabout, and retired themſelves to other more ſecure dwellings; but Mr, Marſhall ſtayed, and ſome o­ther, and ſo ſucceſſively the next Saturday and Sunday the ſame tumults and prodigious ſights and actions were put in the ſtate and condition they were formerly. The rumour7 whereof comming to his Majeſtie at Oxford, he immediate­ly diſpatched thither Colonell Lewis Kirke, Captaine Dud­ley, Captaine Wainman, and three other Gentlemen of cre­dit, to take the full view and notice of the ſaid buſineſſe, who firſt hearing the true atreſtation and relation of Mr. Mar­ſhall and others, ſtaid there till Saturday night following, wherein they heard and ſaw the fore-mentioned prodigies, and ſo on Sunday diſtinctly knowing divers of the appariti­ons, or incorporeall ſubſtances by their faces, as that of Sir Edmund Varney, and others that were there ſlaine; of which upon oath they made teſtimony to his Majeſtie. What this does portend, God only knoweth, and time perhaps will diſcover; but doubtleſly it is a ſigne of his wrath againſt this Land, for theſe civill wars, which He in his good time finiſh, and ſend a ſudden peace between his Majeſtie and Parliament.