THE TRUE REPORT of the burning of the steeple and Church of Paul's in London.  ¶ jeremy. ●. iii. 
I will speak suddenly against a nation, or against a kingdom, to pluck it up, and to root it out, and destroy it. But if that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their wickedness, I will repent of the plague that I thought to bring upon them.  
Imprinted at London, at the west end of Paul's Church, at the sign of the hedgehog by William Seres. Cum privilegio ad imprimendum solum. Anno. 1561. The. x of june.   

¶ The true report of the burning of the steeple and Church of Paul's in London.  
ON Wednesday being the fourth day of June, in the year of our Lord. 1561. and in the third year of the reign of our sovereign Lady Elizabeth by the grace of God, Queen of England, France and Ireland, defender of the faith. etc. between one and two of the clock at after Noon, was seen a marvelous great fiery lightning, and immediately ensued a most terrible hideous crack of thunder, such as seldom hath been heard, and that by estimation of sense, directly over the City of London. At which instant the corner of a turret of the steeple of saint Martin's Church within Ludgate was torn, and divers great stones casten down, and a hole broken through the roof & timber of the said church, by the fall of the same stones.  
For divers persons in time of the said tempest being on the river of Thames, and others being in the fields near adjoining to the City, affirmed that they saw a long and a spear pointed flame of fire (as it were) run through the top of the brooch or Shaft of Paul's steeple▪ from the east Westward. And some of the parish of saint martin's then being in the street, did feel a marvelous strong air or whorlewynd, with a smell like Brimstone, coming from Paul's Church, and withal heard the rush of the stones which fell from their steeple into the church. Between four and five of the clock a smoke was espied by divers to break out under the bowl of the said shaf of Paul's, & namely by Peter Johnson principal Registrer to the Bishop of London, who immediately brought word to the Bishop's house. But suddenly after, as it were in a moment, the flame broke forth in a circle like a garland round about the brooch, about two yards to thestimation of sight under the bowl of the said shaft, & increased in such wise, that within a quarter of an hour, or little more, the cross & the Eagle on the top fell down upon the south cross I. The Lord Maior being sent for, & his brethren, came with all speed possible, & had a short consultation as in such a case might be, with the Bishop of London and others, for the best way of remedy. And thither came also the Lord keeper of the great Seal, & the Lord Treasurer, who by their wisdom and authority directed as good order, as in so great a confusion could possible be.  
Some there were, pretending experience in wars, that counseled the remanente of the steeple to be shot down with Canons, which counsel was not liked, as most perilous both for the dispersing the fire, and destruction of houses and people, other perceiving the steeple to be past all recovery, considering the hugeness of the fire, & the dropping of the lead, thought best to get ladders & scale the church, & with axes to hue down a space of the roof of the Church, to stay the fire, at the least to save some part of the said church, which was concluded. But before the ladders & buckets could be brought, & things put in any order, and especially because the church was of such height, that they could not scale it, & no sufficient number of axes could be had, the labourers also being troubled with the multitude of idle gazers, the most part of the highest roof of the Church was on fire.  
first the fall of the Cross and Egle fired the south cross I, which I'll was first consumed, the beams & brands of the steeple fell down on every side, & fired the other three parts, that is to say, the Chancel or Quire, the north I, & the body of the church. So that in one hours space the broach of the steeple was brent down to the battlements, & the most part of the highest roof of the church, likewise consumed. The state of the steeple & church seeming both desperate: my Lord Mayor was advised by one master Winter of the admiralty, to convert the most part of his care & provision to preserve the Bishop's palace adjoining to the Northwest end of the church: lest from that house being large, the fire might spread to the streets adjoining. Whereupon the ladders, buckets, & labourers, were commanded thither, & by great labour & diligent, a piece of the roof of the north Isle was cut down, & the fire so stayed, and by much water, that part quenched, and the said Bishops house preserved. It pleased god also at the same time both to turn & calm the wind, which afore was vehement, & continued still high & great in other parts without the city. There were abovee .v. C. persons that laboured in carrying & filling water etc. divers substantial Citizens took pains as if they had been labourers, so did also divers & sundry gentlemen, whose names were not known to the writer hereof, but amongst other, the said M. Winter, & one. M Stranguish, did both take notable pains in their own persons, & also much directed & encouraged other, and that not without great danger to themselves. In the evening came the Lord Clinton, Lord admiral from the court at Grenewiche, whom the Queen's majesty assoon as the rage of the fire was espied by her majesty and others in the court, of the pitiful inclination & love that her gracious highness did bear both to the said church & the city, sent to assist my Lord Mayor for the suppressing of the fire, who with his wisdom, authority & diligent travail did very much good therein. About ten of the clock the fyercenes of the fire was past, the timber being fallen and lying brenning upon the vaults of stone, the vaults yet god be thanked) standing unperished: so as only the timber of the hole church was consumed, & the lead melted, saving the most part of the two low Isles of the Queare, and a piece of the north I'll, and an other small piece of the south I'll, in the body of the church. notwithstanding all which, it pleased the merciful god in his wrath to remember his mercy, and to enclose the harm of this most fierce and terrible fire, within the walls of this one church, not extending any part of his wrath in this fire upon the rest of the City, which to all reason and sense of man was subject to utter destruction. For in the hole city without the church no stick was kindled surely.  
Notwithstanding that in diverse parts, & streets, and within the houses both adjoining and of a good distance, as in fleetstreet, & newgate market, by the violence of fire, burning coals of great bigness, fell down almost as thick as hailstones, and flaws of lead were blown abroad into the gardens without the City, like flaws of snow in breadth without hurt, god be thanked, to any house or person. Many fond talks go abroad of the original cause of this fire. Some say, it was negligence of plumbers, whereas by due examination it is proved that no plumbers or other workmen laboured in the church for six months before. Other suspect it was done by some wicked practice of wildfyer or gunpowder but no just suspicious thereof by any examination can be found hitherto. Some suspect conjurers & sorcerers, whereof there is also no great likelihood. And if it had been wrought that way, yet could not the devil have done it, without God's permission, & to some purpose of his unsearchable judgements, as appeareth in the story of Job. The true cause as it seemeth, was the tempest by god's sufferance: for it cannot be otherwise gathered, but that at the said great & terrible thunderclap, when saint Martin's steeple was ●orne, the lightning which by natural order smiteth the highest, did first smite the top of Paul's steeple, and entering in at the small holes which have always remained open for building scaffolds to the works & finding the timber very old & dry, did kindle the same, & so the fire increasing grew to a flame & wrought the effect which followed most terrible then to behold, & now most lamentable to look on.  
On Sunday following being the viii day of June, the reverend in god, the Bishop of Duresme, at Paul's cross made a learned & fruitful sermon, exhorting the auditory to a general repentance, & namely to humble obedience of the laws & superior powers, which virtue is much decayed in these our days: seeming to have intelligence from the Queen's highness that her majesty intendeth tha● more severity of laws shallbe executed against persons disobedient, aswell in causes of religion, as civil, to the great rejoicing of his auditors. He exhorted also his audience to take this as a general warning to the whole realm, & namely to the city of London, of some greater plague to follow, if amendment of life in all states did not ensue: He much reproved those persons which would assign the cause of this wrath of god to any particular state of men, or that were diligent to look into other men's lives, & could see no faults in themselves: but wished that every man would descend into himself and say with David 〈…〉 I am he that hath sinned, and so forth to that effect ●erye godly. He also not only reproved the prophanatyon of the said Church of Paul's of long time heretofore abused by walking, ●angling, brawling, fight, bargaining. etc. namely in Sermons & service time: but also answered by the way to the objections of such evil tunged people, which do impute this token of gods deserved ire, to alteration, or rather reformation of religion, declaring out of ancient records & histories, the like, yea & greater matters had befallen in the time of superstition & ignorance. For in the first year of king Stephan not only the said church of Paul's was brent, but also a great part of the city, that is to say, from London bridge unto S. Clement's without Temple bar, was by fire consumed. And in the days of king Henry the vi the steeple of Paul's was also fired by lightning, although it was then staidi by diligence of the Citizens, the fire being then by likelihood not so fierce. Many other such like common calamities he rehearsed, which had happened in other countries, both nigh to this realm & far of, where the church of Rome hath most authority, & therefore concluded the surest way to be, that every man should judge, examine, & amend himself, & embrace, believe, and truly follow the word of god, & earnestly to pray to god to turn away from us his deserved wrath & indignation, whereof this his terrible work is a most certain warning, if we repent not unfeignedly. The which god grant may come to pass in all estates & degrees, to the glory of his name and to our endless comfort in Christ our saviour. Amen.  
God save the Queen.