depiction of ship   

A TRUE AND perfect discourse of three great accidents that chanced in Italy within twenty and six days.  
WORTHY TO BE published, the better to know the Lords works, and to teach us, that with all humility we should accept of whatsoever his will and pleasure is.  
LONDON Printed by john Wolf dwelling in Distaff Lane near the sign of the Castle. 1588.   

A TRUE AND PERfect discourse of three great accidents that chanced in Italy, within twenty & six days, worthy to be published, the better to know the Lords works, and to teach us, that with all humility we should accept of whatsoever his will and pleasure is.  
THere are come letters written to certain Merchants of credit in this town being strangers, some dated the twentieth of December last, other some the second of januarie, and other on the sixth of the same month, wherein are set down the several accidents hereafter following, the which are worthy to be read and noted of every good Christian, to the end, that with love one towards an other, and godly fear towards the majesty of God, we seek in all dutiful manner to serve him, who suffereth not such plagues, but by his especial secret judgement for the punishment of the ungodly and example of his chosen people.  
On the thirteenth of December, 1587. and according to our course o● writing on the third of the same month, being Sunday, about two of the clock in the after noon, the air being very thick and darkish with often lightnings and thunder, that di● beat upon one of the tower of th● castle of S. Elmo in the city of Napels, wherein there was three thousant barrels of gun powder, the which being by this means set on fire, made such a terrible noise, that it seemed the whole went topsy-turvy, and overthrew in like sort all the houses that were within the same castle: Of the which houses there remained not any stone one upon another, so that, if in some part of the castle the walls had not remained and some rampires, there would have been no remembrance of any Castle or Tower that should have been there. And there escaped not above ten persons that were within the said castle, and already there are two hundred bodies dead, being men, women and children: it hath also spoiled many other, as it is thought, houses and churches to the number of one thousand, and hath not left so much as the very stones that were paved in their places, there is almost not one house in this poor city, as it now may be termed, but hath felt in some sort, part of this punishment: and in conclusion, he that hath not seen this miserable act, will hardly believe it, nor the miserable hurt that was there done. But that, that is more miraculous and worthy to be noted, is that the wife of the Captain of the said castle, two days before this chanced, said often times to her husband, that she would not tarry in the castle, her husband ask her, wherefore, she answered that for three several times one after an other, she dreamt, that she should with the castle be blown up into the air, of the which her speeches, her husband for twice or thrice made b●t a jest, but in the end, his wife was so importunate, that eight days before, he was content to house himself, with all his whole household in the city, somewhat far off from the castle: & by this means they avoided the danger which otherwise might have fallen upon them, beings as it should seem by the special favour of God. And the common opinion of all men is, that if the said tower had stood toward the city, as it was toward the sea, it had spoiled the most part of the city. God the author of all goodness bless and defend both them and us from such like extremities, and give us grace so to lead our lives, that we may be ready whensoever it shall please him to call us.  
From Genoa the second of january, 1588. the which is according to our order the xxiii. of December before, they do write as followeth: Here is arrived from Spain a ship called Piuma, the which had taken in, in the isle of Maiorica three men that had been taken before by the Turks and made slaves, the which men told them of the loss of three Galleys, in order as followeth.  
signor Giannettino Spinola in the isle of Euisa, with the Galleys of the prince D'Oria, that came out of Spain, being now advertised, how that there were seven small Galleys of Turkish Pirates in the isle of Spalmadore, from thence seven or eight miles off, he was desirous to go and fight with them, and presently he furnished eight Galleys with his best and readiest men to fight, as well of Soldiers and Mariners, as others: and thus they set themselves forward towards the said I'll of Spalmadore, but for that the wind was both great, and also contrary unto them, the one of the said Galleys could not pass the point of the said I'll, and so he turned back again, the other seven with great force went forward, and found the seven Turkish Pirates and their Galleys, who looked for nothing less than this, notwithstanding they took courage unto them, and four of those Turkish Galleys gave themselves to fight, and the other three fled. The four small Galleys of the Turks having joined themselves with three Galleys of Genoa, and fight on both sides most valiantly, there arose such a great tempest, that these Galleys being entangled together were driven upon a Rock, and so spoiled their Galleys, and many of their men were drowned, the other who saved themselves being come on land, they fell to fight afresh.  
And the other three Galleys that were fled, winding about the Island, found fair weather, and imagining what chanced, they landed two hundred fourscore and ten men, the which they sent to find the other that were a fight: they adjoining themselves with their other fellows Turks five the most part of the Spaniards, and got again many other Turks that were slaves to the Spaniards: and it is thought that the Turks carried away a great quantity of money, but of this there is no certainty. The one of the three Galleys was of Cigala, the other of Centurion, and the third of Grillo, all merchants of Genoa, who were fraught by Spaniards, the which thing is not to them alone a great hindrance, but also to such others as were interessed in the money.  
He that wrote, wrote to the Lords of Genoa in this order. It is not long since I wrote unto your Exellencies, how that in this town there have been discovered things never heretofore heard off. That is, of a sect or school of witches, and that many of them being examined of the fact, confessed. Now I writ again unto you, signifying that after that the Vicars of the Reverend signor Albengo, and the Inquisition have taken this matter in hand, there remained about eighteen or twenty condemned, the greater part of them have confessed voluntarily, & without any torment at all, besides which there remaineth as yet four suspected, who have not yet confessed any thing, and beside, there is in prison a witch, who hath confessed very much. So that the aforesaid Vicars proceed in their business marvelous well, not respecting rich nor poor, and this day as upon other days they sit in counsel for the same purpose. The common people of this place do show themselves in such sort desirous of the cutting off of these witches, that they have taken up money at interest to help the said Vicars. tomorrow the said Vicars depart hence, to go to Albenga there to consult, with the Reverend signor of Albenga, and so they mean presently to turn again hither to make an end.  
And truly (right honourable Lords) the dealings of these evil persons are most strange, in so much that they can cause tempests with thunder and lightnings and such other like evil, all the which seem them, as they make show, to be of account, for that they presume to be able to do far greater things: and that is more, they kill their own children and kinsmen: and even as it were in a trice, they will leap upon the back of the devil, who shall be in the likeness of a Ram: and go to their congregation for to conclude upon the doing of much evil, even in the presence of the devil, who sitteth there as chief judge in likeness of a king, before whom they do openly deny God, and bequeath themselves to the devil. These aught to be warnings unto every good Christian to be ready, and prepared against the deceitful enticements of the devil, the continual enemy of mankind, and who (as saith S. john in his Gospel) was a murderer even from the beginning, and as S. Peter saith in his epistle, he goeth about like a roaring Lion, seeking to devour, and therefore we have great need earnestly to pray unto almighty God, that he will assist us with his holy spirit, and so to guide us, that we be the better able to resist the vile temptations of Satan, and following his holy steps, his name may be in us glorified, and we in the end made partakers of his heavenly blessing, through jesus Christ our Lord.  
FINIS.