A strange and terrible Wonder wrought very late in the parish Church of Bongay, a Town of no great distance from the city of Norwich, namely the fourth of this August, in the year of our Lord 1577. in a great tempest of violent rain, lightning, and thunder, the like whereof hath been seldom seen.  
With the appearance of an horrible shaped thing, sensibly perceived of the people then and there assembled.  
Drawn into a plain method according to the written copy. by Abraham Fleming.   

The Preface to the Reader.  
AMong men it is grown in custom, to have forewarnings of afterclaps, as beacons built upon hills, which then are set on fire when danger is imminent and at hand: Alarm bells serving to the same purpose, and other inventions of men proceeding & provided of policy, to prevent or else to prepare against that which is perilous. Every man can arm himself, when hazard is at hand to save him and his as he is able: for the preserving of temporal things, jesus how painful and venturous we be: and no sooner shall a premonishment be given, but we are furnished I warrant you to the proof. God warneth us by signs from heaven, by fiery appearances in the air most terrible, by wonders wrought on earth, strange & unusiall, by exinundations of waters beyond their appointed limits, by the removing of senseless trees from the natural place where they were planted, by the great power which the Prince of darkness through God's permission and sufferance bathe recovered, by many late most miserable murders not to be named, much less to be committed among Christians, by insurrections full of danger and detestable treason on this side the seas, by tumults and uproars between Princes of foreign nations, and what should I say more? by the trump of his sweet and heavenly Gospel, sounded unto us out of the mouth of his messengers. But we will not be warned, we will tumble still upon the bed of wantonness, and drink ourselves drunk with the wine of sensuality, that whiles we lie wallowing in the sink of our Sodomitical sin, we may be consumed with a Sodomitical or a babylonical destruction.  
God open the eyes of our hearts, that we may see in what Wildernesses, among what wild Beasts and devouring Serpents we do wander: and give us minds mollified and made soft, that at his works we may fear and be astonished.  
The occasion that I have wrote this warning (which I would to God I had the grace to follow) was a wonder lately wrought in Norfolk, and so lately wrought, that the terror of the same is at this instant fresh in memory. A Spectacle no doubt of God's judgement, which as the fire of our iniquities hath kindled, so by none other means then by the tears of repentance it may be quenched. The order of the thing as I received the same I have committed to paper, for the present view and perusing of those that are disposed. It is grounded upon truth, and therefore not only worthy the writing and publishing, but also the hearing and considering.   

¶ The report of a strange and wondered Spectacle.  
SUnday, being the fourth of this August, in the year of our Lord 1577. to the amazing and singular astonishment of the present beholders, and absent hearers, at a certain town called Bongay, not past ten miles distant from the City of Norwiche, there fell from heaven an exceeding great and terrible tempest; sudden and violent, between nine of the clock in the morning and ten of the day aforesaid.  
This tempest took beginning with a rain, which fell with a wondered force and with no less violence than abundance, which made the storm so much the more extreme and terrible.  
This tempest was not simply of rain, but also of lightning and thunder, the flashing of the one whereof was so rare, and vehement, and the roaring noise of the other so forcible and violent, that it made not only people perplexed in mind and at their wit's end, but ministered such strange and unaccustomed cause of fear to be conceived, that dumb creatures with the horror of that which fortuned, were exceedingly disquieted, and senseless things voided of all life and feeling, shook and trembled.  
There were assembled at the same season, to hear divine service and common prayer, according to order, in the parish church of the said town of Bongay, the people thereabouts inhabiting, who were witnesses of the strangeness, the rareness and sodenesse of the storm, consisting of rain violently falling, fearful flashes of lightning, and terrible cracks of thunder, which came with such unwonted force and power, that to the perceiving of the people, at the time and in the place above named, assembled, the Church did as it were quake and staggar, which struck into the hearts of those that were present, such a sore and sudden fear, that they were in a manner rob of their right wits.  
Immediately hereunto, there appeared in a most horrible similitude and likeness to the congregation then & there present, a dog as they might discern it, of a black colour: at the sight whereof, together with the fearful flashes of fire which then were seen, moved such admiration in the minds of the assembly, that they thought dooms day was already come.  
This black dog, or the devil in such a likeness (God he knoweth all who worketh all) running all along down the body of the Church with great swiftness, and incredible haste, among the people, in a visible form and shape, passed between two persons, as they were kneeling upon their knees, and occupied in prayer as it seemed, wrung the necks of them both at one instant clean backward, in somuch that even at a moment where they kneeled, they strangely died.  
This is a wonderful example of Godis wrath, no doubt to terrify us, that we might fear him for his justice, or puling back our footsteps from the paths of sin, to love him for his mercy.  
To our matter again. There was at the same time another wonder wrought: for the same black dog, still continuing and remaining in one and the self same shape, passing by an other man of the congregation in the Church, gave him such a gripe on the back, that therewithal he was presently drawn together and shrunk up, as it were a piece of leather scorched in a hot fire: or as the mouth of a purse or bag, drawn together with a string. The man, albeit he was in so strange a taking, died not, but as it is thought is yet alive: which thing is marvelous in the eyes of men, and offereth much matter of amazing the mind.  
Moreover, and beside this, the Clerk of the said Church being occupied in cleansing of the gutter of the Church, with a violent clap of thunder was smitten down, and beside his fall had no further harm: unto whom being all amazed this strange shape, whereof we have before spoken, appeared, howbeit he escaped without danger: which might peradventure seem to sound against truth, and to be a thing incredible: but, let us leave thus or thus to judge, and cry out with the Prophet.  
O Domine! etc. O Lord, how wondered art thou in thy works!  
At the time that these things in this order happened, the Rector, or Curate of the Church, being partaker of the people's perplexity, seeing what was seen, and done, comforted the people, and exhorted them to prayer, whose counsel, in such extreme distress they followed, and prayed to God as they were assemled together.  
Now for the verifying of this report, (which to sun will seem absurd, although the sensibleness of the thing itself confirmeth it to be a truth) as testimonies and witnesses of the force which rested in this strange shaped thing, there are remaining in the stones of the Church, and likewise in the Church door which are marvelously renten & torn, the marks as it were of his claws or talans. Beside, that all the wires, the wheels, and other things belonging to the Clock, were wrung in sunder, and broken in pieces.  
And (which I should have told you in the beginning of this report, if I had regarded the observing of order) at the time that this tempest lasted, and while these storms endured, the whole Church was so darkened, yea with such a palpable darkness, that one person could not perceive another, neither yet might discern any light at all, though it were leser than the lest, but only when the great flashing of fire and lightning appeared.  
These things are not lightly with silence to be over passed, but precisely and thoroughly to be considered.  
On the self same day, in like manner, into the parish church of another town called Blibery, not above seven miles distant from Bongay above said, the like thing entered, in the same shape and similitude, where placing himself upon a main baulk or beam, whereon sometime the Rood did stand, suddenly he gave a swinge down through the Church, and there also, as before, slew two men and a lad, and burned the hand of another person that was there among the rest of the company, of whom divers were blasted.  
This mischief thus wrought, he flew with wondered force to no little fear of the assembly, out of the Church in a hideous and hellish likeness.  
These things are reported to be true, yea, by the mouths of them that were eye witnesses of the same, and therefore dare with so much the more boldness verify what soever is reported.  
Let us pray unto GOD, as it is the duty of Christians, to work all things to the best, to turn our flinty hearts into fleshy hearts, that we may feel the fire of God's mercy, and flee from the scourge of his justice.  

A necessary Prayer.  
O GOD which hast promised to be a shield to such as flee to thee for succour in their necessities, & with thy wings to over shadow them that they feel not the scorching heat of afflictions & miseries: we beseech thee, that although we, through the infinite and unmeasurable sins which we commit, provoke thee to smite us with the Iron rod of thy wrath and judgement: yet that it would please thee to remember that we are but frail flesh, subject to sin, and to too prove to offend: that it would please thee to cast thy gracious countenance upon us, and to stretch out thy silvered sceptre of peace unto us, that being restored into thy favour, from which our offences have separated us, we may shroud our selves under the shield of thy safeguard against all manner of annoyances whatsoever, through Christ Jesus our only saviour & redeemer, in whose name, as he hath taught us, we say and pray. Ab omni malo libera nos Domine: Deliver us from all evil, good Lord. Amen.  
Tibi laus honour & gloria, in aeuum.  
Amen.    

Imprinted at London by Francis Godly dwelling at the west end of Paul's.