A True Relation of the birth of three Monsters in the City of Namen in Flanders: As also God's judgement upon an unnatural sister of the poor womans, mother of these abortive children, whose house was consumed with fire from heaven, and herself swallowed into the earth. All which happened the 16. of December last. 1608.  
  

A True relation of the birth of three Monsters, in the City of Namen in Flanders: as also God's judgement upon an unnatural sister of the poor womans, mother of these obortyve children, whose house was consumed with fire from heaven, and herself swallowed into the earth. All which happened the 16. of December last. 1608.  
GOd, in his great love to mankind, hath ever showed us his suffering mercy, before his sudden judgements, and with a father's love to his offending children, tells us of our faults, before he chastise us. Many ways hath God (of late) both here at home, as well as in foreign countries, forewarned us to repent, before his judgement lighten upon us, yet we still presever in our vicious kind of living, neglecting his mercy, when we know his judgement is irrevocable. So repugnant is frail nature against Divine reason, that our souls lie wallowing (like Swine) in all foulness of life and sensual Concupiscence.  
O England, look upon thyself, before thou search into foreign wonders, and thou shalt find, the Highest is offended with thee: for these tokens of his wrath, to forewarn thee, hast thou felt; mortality through pestilence: he hath (for the seven deadly sins) given thee almost seven years punishment: strange Inundations of waters, like a second Deluge, have rained upon the fruitful earth: fire from heaven hath made Churches and steeples, Gods Beacons, to bid us arm ourselves with repentance, against the general enemy to the world, the Devil: frosts have hardened the heart of our mother earth, and have made her so unnatural, that she hath almost starved her children, sending out of her barren womb no fruit, but leane-visaged dearth, to devour those that she should feed; and now doth this monster-feede upon us, and yet we repent not.  
And now look further into the world, and you shall see through the eyes of your understanding, such apparent tokens of God's wrath, able to fright ugly sin, from the hearts of welshaped creation, and make men by Contrition as pure, as before they were polluted with their fleshly Concupiscence.  
IN the City of Namen, in the Low Countries, there dwelled a poor labouring man, having to his wife a woman of a good birth, and reputed always virtuous in her living. This poor woman had a sister exceeding rich, one as fully vicious, as she was virtuous, more proud, than she could be humble. So blind is Fortune in her gifts, that merit doth not guide her, but Chance.  
The poor man's wife being great with child, and feeling the pangs of Childbirth, in all haste sent her husband to her rich sister, to lend her aid in that extremity, thinking that womanly Charity (if they had not been sisters) would have made her come and visited her in that time of need and danger.  
The poor man being come to his wines sisters house, and speaking with her, told her the cause of his coming. But she replied, and said, How darest thou (base beggar) to come to procure me to visit so poor a whore, whose blood and knowledge I disclaim, as being not my fathers right begotten daughter, but a bastard? I have friends coming to my house, to make marry with me, and I shall leave them, and go help to bring more beggars into the world.  
The poor man replied, O sister, do not so much wrong your poor sister, as to term her a bastard, being your mother's daughter.  
With that, this enraged shée-devill struck the poor man with a staff, that the blood ran about his ears, and commanded her servants to kick him out of doors, saying. It was a fit reward for a beggar, that will call a Gentlewoman sister.  
Home goes this poor man, with a sorrowful heart, calling to Almighty God for vengeance on this Monster of her sex, that pitiless woman: And coming to his wife, told her of the unkindness of her sister. The poor affrighted woman, through grief and rage, fell presently in labour, and was delivered of three Monsters, striking a terror to those women employed in that business.  
Th●se ill-proportioned children, were a son and two daughters; and the first that saw this world, was a daughter, that had such dress, and attire on the head, by nature of flesh, as women have made by art of Bonelaces, and such like, with a fleshy Uardingale about the middle of it, as if Nature, having forsaken her old fashions, had now devised new.  
This child, (or rather Monster) cried with a shrill voice, and spoke, saying, O thou Creator, that gavest me this form & life, let me not live here in this world of Pride, of Lust, of Murder, and all wickedness: return me suddenly to what I was; for here (I know) is nothing but calamity. And as it spoke these words, it straightways died.  
The second was a son, with a strange misshapen head, having upon the back of his right hand, the fashion of a death's head: And this child said, that Dearth and Plague should cover the whole World, and that they were sent to give notice of it to all men. And so speech and life left him together.  
The third was a daughter, having about the neck, a Ruff laced, and Cuffs about the wrists, like the Ruff, all of flesh, so artificial in nature, as if Nature in her first work had entreated Art to help her: And this child said, that God would punish the world suddenly, for our manifold transgressions; and said moreover, that they three were sent to forewarn us of the Lords coming; and then strait died  
The mother of these Monsters, through grief and terror, yielded up the ghost, and left a poor disconsolate husband behind her, to fill the mouth of rumour, with these strange unheard of wonders.  
But now to show the justice of God, with his mercies.  
That proud, rich, unnatural sister of this unfortunate mother, at the same instant time that this poor woman was delivered, had her house, amidst all her mirth, fired with lightning: and she flying out of it, to save her life, the willing earth gaped wide, and swallowed her quick, holding it more fit for her to be in the earth, then on the earth, being so unnatural against nature: And her wealth and all her substance was quite consumed with that quenchless fire, till God's judgement was executed, and then it ceased of itself, doing no farther damage.  
The fame of these wonders having possessed the City, and the truth of them apparently known, stirred up good motions in the hearts of the Inhabitants, to Fasting, to Prayer, to almsdeeds, and such like works of grace and pardon.  
The Governors of the City caused it to be printed, as well to give the country round about knowledge of it, as to continue the remembrance of it there, that they might still presever in the good course they begun.  
Thus have I set down briefly these wonders in nature, in the City of Namen in Flanders, which happened the 16 of December last. 1609.  
Faithfully translated, according to the Dutch Copy, printed in the same City.  
FINIS.   

LONDON, Printed by Simon Stafford, for Richard Bunnian, and are to be sold at the sign of the red Lion upon London Bridge. 1609.