STRANGE NEWS out of Kent, of a Monstrous and misshapen Child, borne in Old Sandwich, upon the 30. of julie last, the like (for strangeness) hath never been seen.  
Imprinted at London by T. C. for W. Barley, and are to be sold at his shop in Gratious-streete. 1609.   

❧ STRANGE NEWS OUT OF KENT. OF A Monstrous and misshapen Child, borne in Old Sandwich, upon the 30. of julie last, 1609. the like (for strangeness) hath never been seen, known, nor heard of.  
GOds wonders, (dear Countrymen of England) daily showed amongst us, as well Celestial as earthly, may, if any grace be within us, procure a continual fear and trembling, and the abortive and prodigious births from time to time, which many of us have been eye witnesses of, may sufficiently summon us from sin, and speedily awaken us from our dreams of security, wherein we lie carelessly sleeping.  
God we see is highly offended with us, in that he thus changeth the secret workings of nature, as he lately showed, in the strange birth of a monstrous child brought into the World, at Sandwich in Kent, the strange shape and unnatural proportion thereof, not only raised much fear, fright, and wonder, to the inhabitants of that Country there dwelling, which beheld it, but also the reports (now most truly) certified, by men of credit and substantial reputation, may give sufficient cause of terror and amazement to all people, the whole Kingdom over, and being rightly considered of by judicial censurers, and men of understanding, it may without all doubt, put each degree and estate in mind, & consideration of the heavy wrath of our angry God, not only by this his judgement here expressed, but divers other ways threatened against us, for our sins & transgressions, therefore good Countrymen, and you whose Christianlike minds will relent at the relation hereof: good Countrymen, I say, let me entreat you, that both your eyes, and ears, may be gentle witnesses to the truth of this strange wonder in nature, and that your hearts and minds may be bend to a repentant understanding, for the discourse here following, is both strange, true, fearful, and full of much wonder, and because there shall be (no doubt) made of the verity thereof, I have here placed down the names of such personages of credit, now dwelling in London, that were eye-witnesses thereof, and personably saw the same, to their great hearts grief and sorrow, which I hope, will be sufficient to approve the truth.  

¶ The names of such Witnesses that saw this Monstrous Child, now dwelling in London.  
1. M. Bills, at the sign of the Ship in Thames street.  
2. M. Dickson, a Cooper, in Thames street, near to Saint Dunston's church.  
3. M. Smith, a victualler, in long-Southwark.  
4. Richard Rawson, Waterman, dwelling in East-Smithfield.  
5. Alice Smith, dwelling in Byshops-gate-streete.  
6. Amie Ratcliff, of Shoreditch, with divers others, whose inward griefs there taken, is yet fiercely worn away, and cannot well (for the strangeness thereof,) be forgotten, and this is the only truth.   
It is not unknown to most part of the kingdom, that Sandwich is one of the principal towns in Kent, bordering upon the Sea, rich, and populous, and well stored with substantial and wealthy inhabitants, near unto which town now standeth a very old house, (being the dwelling place of one Goodwife Wattes, whose husband is a shepherd) which house is the only remnant of an other town, which time hath ruinated & worn away, now called by the name of old Sandwich, in which house, being some quarter of a mile from Sandwich, wherein as I said before, dwelleth one Goodwife Watts, a very honest poor old woman, well-beloved of the country, and of an honest conversation amongst her neighbours, one that takes great pains for her living, and most willing to keep her credit upright.  
Upon the thirty of july last passed, 1609. being saturday, there came unto this old poor woman's house, a certain wandering young woman, as it seemed great with child, handsome, and decently appareled, and being not well able to travel further, by reason of her great belly, even ready to be delivered, desired succour of this kindhearted old woman Mother Watts, and that she would grant her some help and comfort in this her extremity, and with weeping tears running down her cheeks, requested for God's sake, that some Christianlike charity might be showed her, & houseroom for that night offorded her for womanhood sake, otherwise herself, and the babe within her body were like to perish. This request of hers seemed so reasonable, and the regard of her big belly, drew such pity and womanly nature from this good old woman Mother Watts, that she not only granted her houseroom and lodging for that night, but also sucker, help and furtherance, (if it so should happen) at the painful hour of her delivery: to be short, this big belly wandering young woman having thus by her humble entreaties obtained lodging, where the very first night of her lying there, fell into a most strange labour, where her womb was tormented with such grievous pain, that it much affrighted the old woman Mother Watts, and in her mind struck such a fear, that she immediately called in her neighbours, being women all of a willing forwardness in such a business: but through the inward labouring of the woman's body, not any of them all knew how to shift in such a dangerous case, wherefore amazedly they looked one of another, till such time as one goodwife Hatch, the younger, was sent for, being a Midwife of a mild nature, and of good experience, who at her coming thither, so cunningly showed her skill, that with the helping hand of God, this distressed young woman was speedily delivered, for which diligent pains she gave her seven. shillings, but her womb yielded forth into the world a kind of creature, but no child rightly shaped, for it was most strange & dreadful to behold, and drove the Midwife goodwife Hatch and the rest of the company into a great fright, even ready all to sink down dead to the ground with fear, whether it were for the sins of the Parents, or that God would have his justice, in the estranging of nature for our sins here shown, let the wiser sort imagine: but surely this unknown woman yielded from her womb such an abbortive and prodigious fruit, that this age's memory cannot call to mind the like: for it had no head, nor any sign or proportion thereof, there only appeared as it were two faces, the one visibly to be seen, directly placed in the breast, where it had a nose, and a mouth, and two holes for two eyes, but no eyes, all which seemed ugly, and most horrible to be seen, and much offensive to human nature to be looked upon, the other face was not perfectly to be seen, but retained a proportion of flesh in a great round lump, like unto a face quite disfigured, and this was all of that which could be discerned. The face, mouth, eyes, nose, and breast, being thus framed together like a deformed piece of flesh, resembled no proportion of nature, but seemed as it were a caios of confusion, a mixture of things without any description, from the breast downward to the bowels it was smooth and strait, all the other parts of the body retained a most strange deformity, for the arms grew out at the top of the shoulders, having neither joint nor elbow, but round and fleshy, at the end of which arms, grew two hands, with fifteen fingers, the one hand had eight, the other seven, of a contrary shape, not like to the natural fingers of new borne children: also it had fourteen toes, of each foot seven, being as it were like unto geese or ducks feet. The waist and middle as I said before, was strait and without joints, but the lower parts were all in a lump of flesh, like unto a lambs paunch, or such li●e loathsome thing to be seen, and withal the legs so short, that they seemed to have no proportion. This miracle in nature, or rather Gods wonder, thus brought into the world, quite disfigured from humane creation, as by the picture is rightly deciphered, wrought such an amazement in the beholder's hearts, that for a time, they were strucken almost senseless: the Room also where this child lay, smelled so earthly (for it was dead borne) that not any of them all could hardly endure the sent thereof.  
Among other remembrances, this is to be observed for a thing of strangeness, that the woman herself confessed, that this monster, a little time before her delivery, moved in her belly, not like unto other natural children, but as she had been possessed with an evil spirit, which put her to extreme torments.  
Not many hours passed, before the reports of this strange birth was bruited abroad, and the ears of the inhabitants thereabout dwelling, so filled with the news thereof, that they came in multitudes to behold it, in such abundance that it was wonderful.  
But now again to our purpose. On Sunday being the last of julie, this new delivered woman, in reason seeming to be weak and sickly, lying in her bed, desired the old woman her hostis, Mother Wattes (within whose house she lay) to go into the town, & to buy such necessaries as was needful for a weak woman in childbed to have, giving her money for the same purpose, the which mother Wat's most willingly did: But now mark what in that mean time happened, & let all women in such a case consider what might be done, & how strongly nature in this new delivered woman prevailed, for before Mother Wats could return from Sandwich, which was in less time than two hours, she had got up out of her bed, put on all her clothes, and was gone from the house, leaving behind her eight shillings, lying upon the Table, the child being dead, laid by it, with an intent that the money should pay for the burial of the same, all which at mother Wats her return, being found in this order, seemed to be an accident most strange, whereupon she immediately called in her neighbours, where (making known unto them all these aforesaid proceedings) with a general consent, they certified the same unto the Magistrates, who upon good consideration, together, with the advice of a reverend and learned Minister, of Saint Clement's church in Sandwich, one M. Simons, who very charitably gave it burial, & withal, giving many godly admonitions to the people, concerning this most strange birth: from such like terrible examples of God's wrath, sweet jesus be merciful unto us, for such like dumb warnings of our own overthrows as this is, if we be not graceless, may lead us out of the pathway of perdition, & guide us aright into the true way of happiness.  
Some other things concerning this wonder is to be considered of, the one is, that there was one of the Sergeants Wives of Sandwich, that by the sight, and corrupted smell proceeding from the child, received such a conceit, that to this day she is not scarce well, but sickly, and much decayed in health: likewise, in the time of this woman's continuing in Mother Watses house, it could not be known by any means what she was, from whence she came, nor whither she was going, nor as yet it is not known for a truth to what place she is traveled, but for a certainty she was proved to be a wanderer, & supposed to be one's daughter in the I'll of Tennet, but of what life and conversation she hath been, and is of, none can justly say as yet, but surely the birth of her womb hath bred much cause of fear.  
God in his other creatures, shows the like examples, only to put us in mind of repentance, both by birds, beasts, fowls, and fishes, as there hath been divers strange birds, and fowls sent into the world with the likeness of great ruffs about their necks some with periwigs, chains, and such like.  
The Sea in like manner yields forth her monsters in sundry likenesses and deformed shapes. London had lately a fearful pattern of the same, by a huge deformed fish, that would groan and roar contrary to his kind, which by many people was seen at the Swan within Newgate.  
There be many I know that remembers the late groaning tree near Burndwood in Essex, the sinking of the ground in Sussex, with a number such other like wonders wrought by the hand of God for our amendments, yet carelessly we still run astray, regarding nothing at all these larum-bels sent from our gentle redeemer.  
And if we do consider thereof aright, we are to make our prayers to God daily, that in mercy he would look upon us, and not in this manner make a deformity of nature, examples of his heavy indignation, threatened against us: from such and all other the like, God in his sweet mercy deliver us all: Amen.  
FINIS.