The miserable estate of th● City of Paris at this present.  
With a true report of sundry strange visions, lately seen in the air upon the coast of Brittany, both by Sea and land.   depictions of the aforementioned "sundrie straunge visions" 
LONDON Printed for Thomas Nelson. 1590.   

The miserable estate of the City of Paris at this present, with a true report of sundry strange visions, lately seen in the air upon the Coast of Britain both by Sea and land.  
THe present and distressed estate of the City of Paris, as it is unknown to some, so it is well known unto many thousand persons that daily feel the force and bitterness thereof. The same being most extreme and lamentable, I could do no less but lay it open to the view of the whole world that all the Cities in Christendom may take example by the same, and fear hereafter to attempt the like inhuman, unnatural and most ungodly actions, which above all other that City hath sundry times committed, especially in two points: first, in slaughtering the blood of many thousand innocents, and secondly for resisting and rebelling from time to time against the authority of their Sovereign and Christian King, wherein they have of long time peevishly continued. For which their so insolent crimes, doubtless almighty God doth justly plague and punish them, the rather to make it known unto them and others, that he is a just God, and will punish the blood-thirsty and wicked, as he hath promised, even to the third and fourth generation.  
Such have been the crimes of those proud and disloyal Pariseans, (who of late years lived in great prosperity, and abounded in wealth) that in the life time of that blood-thirsty Butcher, and unnatural Murderer of Christians called the Duke of Guise, with the consent of the Queen mother and her associates, suffered to be accomplished and performed within the said City, a lamentable Massacre of many thousand innocents in one night, and such especially as were of the flower and chief of the Nobility of France, the fact being yet so fresh in memory, that the blood of those then slaughtered asketh revenge and craveth blood again upon those hard hearted hellhounds and their posterity, now maintainers of their unholy League, that long time have resisted the authority of the higher powers, and given their consents to seek the dissolution and ruin of that kingdom, and the subversion of their King, his Crown and dignity Royal, as they have done from time to time. For which their so horrible actions, together with their grievous crimes and detestable pride, whoredom, incest, gluttony, and such like abominable vices which they of long time used, it hath pleased God to send among them extreme famine (a sharp messenger of revenge to punish them) whereby they are at this present in such grievous distress as it is lamentable to report. For the City is besieged round about by the kings power which is very strong, and thereby hath cut them off from having any victuals or other succour whatsoever, their victuals within was spent long since, whereby they are in woeful ease for want of food. They are enforced to eat Horses, Asses, Dogs, Cats, Rats, Mice, and other filthy and unaccustomed things for their sustenance, yea that which is more odious in respect of their necessity, it is said that they are enforced to feed one upon an other: and that through feebleness and want of victuals they fall down dead in the streets and in their houses. A most lamentable and unaccustomed thing to be done, yet constrained so to do by means of their want and grievous famine, which is now generally among them. This their necessity may be compared to the want & miserable estate of the jews at the siege of jerusalem, where death threatened the destruction of all the inhabitants, thereby showing them that for their wickedness and wilful stubbornness their destruction is at hand.  
The Friars and Clergy men who are the ring leaders and principal governors there at this present time, perceiving the great necessity whereunto the Citizens would be driven, by means of their detestable persuasions, dealt politicly, sending for the Citizens of Paris into several Cloisters & religious Houses within the same City, and commanded them to bring in all their warlike furniture which they had in their houses, to the intent that they might see if they were serviceable or not for war, so when they had gotten all the same furniture of pikes halberds, muskets, guns, dags, sword, and such like, they detained their weapons and sent every man home again destitute of any furniture, wherewith to defend themselves if occasion should serve, whereby they have weakened the whole multitude of Citizens, and drawn the strength of the City into their own direction and government, fearing lest that famine should compel the general multitude to rebel against them, and so constrain the fat fed Friars to yield to their daily outcries, which is to yield up the City into the kings hands, and to submit themselves to his mercy, which to do they can not compel them for want of weapons. Some here may happily demand, why the Clergy men and chief Rulers, will not yield it up as well as the rest, rather than to taste of famine and so to suffer so grievous and cruel a torment, which is more bitter than death, but for answer thereto let this suffice. The Leaguers and Clergy men of the City, suspecting long before that such misery would come to pass, did victual themselves for a long time, so that those especially that are chief governors, Officers, watchmans, and Guard to the City, have yet some sufficient maintenance, nevertheless the ordinary Friars are not far differing from the general state of the lay men in that City, for they are almost starved by reason 〈◊〉 their small allowance, so that most of them look like unto wild men, whose countenance is lean and stern, as willing to snatch at the quarter of a good dog, as soon as any other, though it cost twenty shillings, as at this present it is worth among them. This is the true estate of the said City and inhabitants therein, whose misery is doubtless sent of God, as a sharp scourge for their so great wickedness and disobedience towards God and their Sovereign. Thus doth God still harden the hearts of the Governors, and maketh them wilful, blind, and foolish in their own fancy, that their punishment for their wickedness might be the more sharp and grievous. The Prince of Parma for certainty hath entered France with ten thousand men of horse and foot, but soon after he passed the borders, intending to aid those of the Legue, the King's power gave him a battle and discomfited three thousand of his men. They of the League are very sorrowful for that the town of Moutriall in Pickardy is yielded up to the King, which is of certain troth & done very lately. A general Battle is daily expected forthwith, between the Duke de Maine and the Christian King of France, for whom almighty God daily doth fight, and will doubtless speedily deliver his enemies into his hands, they are within four leagues one of another on both sides of a river. It is therefore very convenient that all Christians should pray for the good success of the King, that it would please God to give him victory over those rebellious and traitorous persons. At the coming of the Prince of Parma into the French countries, it is reported there was visibly seen in the Air to all his army, three rain bows, and between every one of them the form of a toad, and presently the rivers there about seemed nothing but blood, and so continued for a short space, whereby his army was in great fear, and would willingly have returned, but they were by their general commanded on pain of death to go forwards. Sundry such sights have lately been seen upon the coast of France, for one of her majesties ships called the Vanguard, being in the narrow seas, met with nine hulks and fly boats of the low countries bound homeward from Spain, where the Captain examined them concerning sundry matters, who among other things told him, that they being on the coast of France, on the one and twentieth of june last, in a place called Bell I'll, the Sea round about them was of the colour of blood, for the full space of half an hour, and nothing was to be seen but blood, so far as they could discern, & taking up the water in their buckets, they could not perceive it from blood: this the Master and other in the company did swear to be true. Moreover in july last past the said ship of her Majesties called the Vanguard being at Sea, in an evening about setting time of the watch, all the men in the ship at the rising of the Moon, did discern in the air over the Moon the shape of a man, with a crown on his head & the king of Spain's arms plainly displayed, which continued visibly to be seen for some small space, and soon after it was as a thing overthrown and vanished away, and seemed to them as though it were falling.  
All which visions general, by the conjecture of sundry of good judgement, presageth the ruin and confusion of those unwholy Leaguers, upholden by the Pope and the king of Spain, and contrariwise the good success of the French King, whose ancient arms is the three toads. God for his mercy sake daily defend and protect him, that he may vanquish all his enemies, which seek and pretend his utter confusion, which God grant for his mercy sake. Amen.  
FINIS.