¶ T he Copy of a Letter Descri b'ing the wondered work of G odd in delivering a Maiden withi n the City of Chester, from an horrible kind of torment a nd sickness 16. of Fe bruary 1564.  

O England thou behold a fact most 〈◊〉  
showed forth by God in this thy native land  
Scythe by god's word thou setst so little care.  
God. God I say, begins to stretch his hand.  
As in this book thou mayest well understand.  
A Maid but young, late with great ill 〈◊〉  
But now by God she is again re●est.   
¶ Imprinted at London by John Awdely, dewlling in little Britain street, beyond Aldersgate. 23. of March. 1564.   

¶ To his very friend Master J. D.  
AFter hearty salutations letting all other matters pass, these chief are to signify unto you: That here of late hath happened a wondered cure of a Maid with in this City, wrought by God's power in his faithful Minister & Preacher of Jesus Christ, Master Lane, to the advancement of God's glory, and to the great marveling of all those inhabiting in these parts. And lest the same should be misreported, or the wicked suffered to wrist things, to abuse God's Preachers, & for that the thing is so rare & notable that it should not be kept from the posterity, I have therefore sent you the whole true discourse thereof, described with the hand of Sir William Caluerley knight, Richard Hurleston Esquire, and mine own. I could have had every man here to have done the like, but considering we have had good proof the one with the other, I thought this shall suffice, praying you to put the same in print.  
From the City of Chester the xu of March. 1564. Your friend J. F.   

¶ The copy of a letter describing the wondered work of God, in delivering a Maiden within the City of Chester, from an horrible kind of torment and sickness, 16. of February. Anno. 1564.  
Having received your letter, & thereby understanding aswell what brute hath lately happened in your parts, concerning the delivery of a woman here within the City of Chester, from a most monstrous and horrible kind of torment and disease, as also how desirous you are to learn the truth thereof: I am contented in gratifying this your request, to signify herein as is for truth known and accepted. The story therefore was this:  
Anne Mylner a Maiden of the age of xviii years, daughter to Randulphe Mylner, and brought up in her Father's house, within the bridge street of the same City, went the xviii day of October last, to bring her Father's Cows into the fields. And at her return, coming in the high way near to the City, was suddenly taken with great fear, and thought that she saw a white thing compassing her round about, and so amazed, came to her father's house, & in the next morning felt herself grieved, & very sore in all the parts of her body, which so increased, that thereupon she was enforced to keep her bed, being very sick. And during the space of five days then next ensuing, did not take any kind of bodily sustenance, as her Parents hath sundry times declared. She had her fit and trance almost from hour to hour, and had never above three hours rest in the day & night. Neither did eat during the time of her sickness, but once in each xxiiii. hours, and then most commonly a little quantity of bread and cheese, which notwithstanding was done with wonderful snatching and rashness.  
The manner of her disease and sickness was such (as here after, touching the time of her cure, shall be more particularly described) that unto her out of all parts of the city, repair of very many was made. Yea, insomuch that after Master John Pierce, one of the Canons of the Cathedral church of Chester, and Reader of the Didinity Lecture there, with divers persons of reputation had seen the Maiden, he with his auditory in December last, at the end of his Lecture, kneeling upon their knees made special prayers unto God, for her deliverace.  
After this it chanced Master John Lane, late fellow of Christ's College in the University of Cambridge, & now a famous and godly Preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, within the County of Chester, preaching at Torperley, at the request of Ralph Done Esovyer, about the xxi. of Januarye last, metther with two men of the said City, the one being a near neighbour to this woeful woman: who then among other talk, demanded of Master Lane, whether there were not some possessed with spirits as in times past, and for confirmation hereof spoke of the said Maiden, & alleged the horryblenes of her torment to be such, at the time of her trance, that it could argue nothing else, but that she was possessed with some spirit. And further said, that she had remained in that miserable plight xu or. xuj. weeks, and (as I suppose, having heard how it is well known to divers credible persons in these parts, what rare and singular remedy god hath wrought by M. Lane, to some that sustained of late no small decay of mind and memory, or else being of that religion, as in these days seek miracles to confirm God's word) desired him at his next coming to the City of Chester, to see the tormented Maiden, and they would bring him unto her.  
Master Lane then condecending to their request, & at his next repair unto the said City, lodged in the house of Sir William Caluerly Knight, whereon Friday being the xvi of Februarye last (at which time the Assize was hloden in Chester) met again by occasion with the said two men: who after they had put him in remembrance of his promise, & had disclosed the manner of the maidens torment to Sir William Caluerley, sir William Sneyd Knights, and my Lady Caluerley, with divers other then desirous to see the Maiden, went all together, and brought master Lane unto the said Mylners' house (to see the Maiden, and then to him unknown) about two of the clock in the after noon of the same xvi day of February, & there finding the Maiden in her trance after her accustomed manner, lying in a bed within the haul, her eyes half shut, shalfe open, looking as she had been aghast, never moving either eye or eye lid, her teeth something open, with her tongue doubling between, her face somewhat read, her head as heavy as lead to lift at, she lay still as a stone, and feeling her pulse, it beaten with as good measure, as if she had been in perfit health. And in this sort beholding her, almost during the fourth part of an hour, her belly began to move, swelling up & down, sometime beneath her chest, sometime up to the throat, in such vehemenry, that a man would have thought she would have burst. Then suddenly she lifteth herself up in her bed, bending backwards in such order, that almost her head and feet met, falling down sometime on the one side, sometime on the other, but rising again so suddenly, that the beholders could not imagine how if might be possible so quickly she could without aid of hand, cast herself (her belly being upward) into the form of a hoop.  
Master Lane demanded of her that kept this cruel handled creature, whether she could not keep her down? Who answered no, and said that she had once tried it, and then was almost cast into the fire. Then desired he that she would permit him to assay if he could hold this doleful woman down. She answered yea, but yet said it would not prevail. W●l said Master Lane, by the grace of God it may prevail. And thereupon after that this pitiful Maiden had lifted herself. 4. or v. times in such wondered manner as before is noted, he took her in hand, & with much ado plucked down her feet, and with more ado kept them down, holding her hands, sitting upon her legs, in whom he found such strength and vehement pangs, that he was fully persuaded she was possessed.  
The people present, seeing him so to continued with her, and her pains increase, some thought best he should let her alone, saying that it would have the course. Whom master Lane desired to be quiet, and let God work, willing them to pray to God for her, for asmuch as in him only consisteth her deliverance from that pain, and that god was as strong as ever he was. And when she was in the vehement pangs the beholders called upon god for her, master Lane secretly said the fifty Psalms, & often desired God, through the blood of his son Jesus Christ, to ease the Maiden, not doubting of his mercy in that behalf.  
And when he had thus strived with her the space of two hours, that the drop trickled down his face, he had thought to have commended her unto God: but then again it came to mind to tarry the end, and so began a fresh to strive with her, ever secretly praying & calling upon the blood of Christ, & when her belly was pressed down with as much weight & strength as could be, by those that were present, she strived more than before, and divers times with the vehement swelling of her belly, she was very like to have thrown them over, that so held down her body.  
At the last Master Lane called for vinegar, whereat the standers by marveled, saying, that that thing with much more had been often times attempted, but to no purpose. Notwithstanding he ceased not to call still for it, saying, that God might do that then, which he did not before, and so received vinegar, put it into his mouth & blewe it into the maidens nostrils, whereat she cried a Lady, Lady. He then willed her to call upon God, and the blood of Christ, & in these doings she being astonished▪ he called again for more vinegar. Whereat she cried: Not, not, no more for God's sake.  
Then master Lane willed her to speak & say after him, & so he & all then present, said the Lords prayer & Te deum, she saying after them.  
After this her deliverance, she then continually called upon God, and by the appointment of master Lane, she had her clotheses put on, & meat brought, whereof she did eat a little. This done, master Lane willed to try whether she could go. Whereunto, albeit that those than present answered that it was not possible, for that she had not gone in all the time of xvii weeks then last passed, yet master Lane affirmed that the same God which gave her speech, could give her strength also to go: and so departing the place, until the women had gotten on her hosen, and then coming in again, willed her in the name of God to come to him, standing in th● other side of the house, which she did. And thereupon after talk had with her of the manner of her taking, & admonishing her to have a steadfast faith in Christ, and to occupy herself in prayer, left her.  
My Lady Caluerley, mistress Eravenor, wife to John Eravenor, with divers other credible per so as were present, during such time as master Lane was with the maiden, and are eye witnesses to these his doings.  
The next day following, master Lane preached at saint Maries within the said City, before John Chrogmarton Esquire, the queens majesties high Justice in the county of Chester, at which sermon the late recovered Maiden was present.  
Upon this so wondered a cure great talk was had in each company within the City, that thereupon the Maiden was not only brought unto the said Justice, and master Lane afterwards upon earnest request by some of his friends, half constrained, did write his whole doings therein: but also master Rogers. Archdeacon of Chester, in his sermon made in the Cathedral Church of Chester, the iiii of this instant month of March, before the Mayor of the City, the Bishops of Chester and of Saint Assaphats', with a great multitude of the Citizens beside, having occasion offered by the words of the then present Gospel, touched this fact: Alleging that what so ever was the original cause of so great and strange a disease, yet was the cure wonderful, and wrought by God, either to the great commodity, or else for the great plague of the City of Chester, and the country adjoining. The Maiden remaineth at this present (praised be god) in perfect good health and liking.  
Thus truly, and as briefly as I might, you have the effect of your request.  
Written at the City of Chester, the viii of March. An. 1564. ¶ The names of the witnesses hereof, which also did set to their hands. 

¶ Sir William Caluerley knight,  
¶ Richard Hurlestone Esquire.  
¶ John Fisher Gentleman.