THE Woeful and Lamentable waist and spoil done by a sudden Fire in S. Edmondsbury in Suffolk, on Monday the tenth of April. 1608   houses on fire 
houses on fire LONDON Printed for Henry Gosson, and are to be sold in Pater- nosterrowe, at the Sign of the Sun. 1608   

THE Woeful and lamentable waste and spoil done by sudden Fire in S. Edmons-burie in Suffolk, on Monday the tenth of April. 1608  
THere is no imposition of affliction laid upon mankind by the powerful hand of God, but it is either to draw us unto him, & to teach us to bend all our intendments to celestial happiness, or to with draw us from the world, and to forewarn us not to rely our hopes upon her slippery terms: For what shall we get by being willing customers unto her, but false ware suitable to the shop of such a Merchant? her traffic is but toil, her wealth trash, and her game mischief: If we consider where we are, what state we stand in, The dangers that hang over us, and our ordinary wants, and amisses: We shall find our whole life so necessarily joined with sorrow, that we ought rather delight (and take pleasure) in God's loving chastisements, and admonitions, than any way murmur and grudge at our crosses, or tribulations: Consider (saith Saint Bernarde) From whom thou comest, and blush whether thou goest, and fear where thou livest, and lament. We are begotten in uncleaneness, nourished in darkness, and brought forth with throbs, and throws. Our Infancy is but a dream, our youth but madness, our manhood a combat, our age a sickness, our whole life misery, and our death horror.  
If we have any thing that doth delight us, it is in so many hazards, that the fear of losing it, is more than the joy of enjoying it. If we have any thing that doth annoy us, the agreevance thereof increaseth, with the doubt of as evil, or worse, that may strait ensue after it: which way can we cast our eyes, but that we shall find cause of complaint and heaviness? These are forcible motives to persuade us to suffer our afflictions with patience.  
If we look up towards heaven, from thence we are banished: If we look towards earth, That is our prison: On the right hand we have Virtue, whose steps we have not followed: On the left hand we have Vice, whose course we have pursued: Before us we have our death, ready to devour us: behind us, our wicked life, ready to accuse us: And on every side, daily and deadly adversaries, ready to entrap us.  
Oh how much than are worldlings deceived, that walk in magnis & mirabilibus superse? in great things and marvels above themselves? that rejoice in the time of weeping, that make this life their happiness, and their palace of pleasure: that e●eme afflictions to be dishonourable, that think to go to heaven, by the wide way, that only leadeth to perdition. Afflictions are loving and fatherly corrections to win us to heaven, The path that goeth thither is narrow, rough, & fully wearisome, & tiring ascents their way therefore is wrong, their error gross, and their ruin is assured, that after the steps of many that have patiently trod the way to heaven by crosses & tribulations, will not learn to settle their footing.  
The contentions of this life, have nothing certain, but true misery, rough storms, solace full of sadness, and hopes full of hazard: they are like fair weather in winter, nothing durable, like a calm in the Sea, always uncertain: like the steadiness of the Moon, that is ever in changing: they resemble the Cockatrice's egg, fair without & foul within: Nabuchodonozor's Image, that had the face and head of gold, but earthen and brittle feet: Or the sweet River that runneth into the salt Sea.  
Seeing therefore that crosses and afflictions or any external calamities, are but means to remember us of our place, state, & danger, and but seeds of comfort, to such as enjoy them, how soever they seeame here covered and corrupted in earth, and tedious to man's undergoing, let us solace ourselves in heap of a joyful conclusion.  
We are here but Pilgrims, we have no City of abode, but hope for a future place of rest. If our way should be altogether beset with pleasures and delights, we should easily be hindered in our journey towards heaven, being drawn and withheld, with the view and desire of those allurements. Therefore God hath laid in the way of thoroughfare, some tedious and distersfull oppositions to put us in mind of our heavenly repose, and to teach us to run over the cares of this life with patience. God hath his secret love to mankind, and his several punishments for sin, which he often times doth easily inflict upon us to draw us to amendment.  
Those creatures which in the first parliament of our creation, were appointed to be our comforts, are many times sent forth with sundry rods to scourge us, to correct us, nay to draw blood of us for our sins. There is yet a means to be made for our reconcilement: Son and heir apparent to the King of heaven, mediats between his Father and us, to make our peace with him: it may easily be effected, if we shake off and abandon those vice enormities, and base company of sins, that attaint every one of us. If we do not, he will assuredly turn his threatenings into blows, and his loving mercy into severe justice: and those consuming flames, which he hath of late but scattered in divers parts of this Kingdom: he will at one time, and in one place, cast all together, and make of the world one geernall bone-fier and that on a sudden, for not making right use of his divers fatherly and gentle admonitions.  
Amongst which, this affliction of Fire, that befell to the Town of S. Edmons-burie in Suffolk, deserves with all pity to be pitied, and to be reckoned (in the remembrance of many other) as an imposition of calamity laid upon that place by the hand and power of God for their secret sins and offences. The beginning of which fire, as it was by the remiss and sleepy negligence of a Servant, So did it prove to be of very dismal, and disaster consequence. It was such as none could behold it without trembling, neither can any hear it, and not shed tears in abundance, to see the miseries that were, kindled by it.  
IT happened on Monday the tenth of April, between eight and nine of the clock in the morning, without the east gate of the same Town, in a place called East-gate street, in the house of one Randall a Maltster. And notwithstanding that at first it began half a mile from the Market place, yet was it carried thither by the violence of the wind, where it did those several hurts, as will not be made good in long time, nor without great sums of money. In describing which sad report, you shall behold the names of some that are fallen into misery by the same: As also the places where the chief hurts and overthrows have been, with several hot encounters, & some part of the spoils.  
The very Market place, that was the beauty and ornament of the whole town, was the principal and chiefest part that felt the fury of this fiery assault. That place that before was had in such admiration for the goodly houses & the manner of their stately buildings, was by this untimely accident utterly defaced, & made a rude continent of heaps of stones and pieces, of Timber, that but newly fell from those late burnt houses. The Warehouses and Sellars about the Market place, wherein were great store of Fish, salt, Sugar, Spices, and many other commodities of great value, were by this fire all turned into Ashes, & now serve for nothing but refuse.  
This fire brought to the Market place by the tempest of wind, hath blown a great number upon the Rocks, of such poverty and Misery, that the loss that the town hath received by the same, is thought not able to be made good again, unless the eye of compassion extend itself to the largest compass and limits of this Land in her behalf. The walls, Fences, and hedges within the town, are all laid level to the ground, by this furious invader, who no sooner entered, but he was inflamed with Pride, and got into the highest and chiefest places, where he encountered with the stoutest and tallest of them, and never ceased till he brought them as low as earth.  
The lamentable shrieks of women, the cries of poor children, the astonishment, and wild looks of all men at this sudden and untimely accident, no man can truly express: the danger that this terrible tempest brought with it, wrought unspeakable fear in the hearts of all that were near unto it; but the sudden and strange cruelty of the same, bred the greater terror and amazement: men severally employed, and going about their ordinary occasions of business, were compelled (seeing so dreadful an enemy approaching) to fly back to their houses, yet before they could enter, death stood at the doors ready to receive them.  
Whole Corne-mowes and Hay-mowes, (the one reserved for man's food, the other for sustenance of cattle) were all quite consumed by this merciless adversary. The losses whereof were to great, and innumerable, as none knows the grief thereof, for the present, but the owners of them.  
But to descend from the general spoil (which was great) to some particular losses (which were as grievous.) Let us behold the lamentation of M. Pinner a Grocer, dwelling in S. Edmondsbury aforesaid, and in the market place, in the parish of Saint james, (where the most hurt was done) with the complaints and bewailings, which himself, his wife, and children power out for that misery which the cruelty of this fire hath exercised upon them: whereby he lost not only all that substance that was his own, but also those wares which he had of other men's; so that he is doubly undone: this fire showed his glistering triumphs in devouring his goods, plate, and money, and in swallowing and eating up a new built house to the ground; that but lately before cost him four or slew hundred pounds the erecting.  
He that the day before was esteemed a man (at the least) worth two or three thousand pounds, was by this untimely accident utterly undone, his goods being quite destroyed and consumed, himself (in his estate) was made less worth than nothing. They that before were wont to comfort the distressed, and to feed their neighbours, and other inhabitants with bread, are by this in danger to perish for want of relief, being now ready to beg bread themselves.  
Many people that lost their goods, and got from the peril of the fire; escaping with their lives, are since fallen sick with the very fear, and sudden fright of it, and remain in great danger and doubt of recovery: the fire having destroyed all means that should comfort them in this their distress.  
The lead of the market-cross & the cross itself was utterly ruinated & consumed to the ground by the violent blow of this hot encounter. Here might you see men, women, & children in great multitudes, come crying out for safety, and ready to run out of their wits: seeing that which maintained their lives spoiled before their faices; and yet glad to forsake all that they have in the world, and to shift for their poor lives: many were sharers in this one ill bargain, yet in the end all losers. So furious & fiery was this sharp assault, that even that which many men had brought into the streets out of their houses, in hope to be saved, was lost & consumed in the flames. Many of the inhabitants, before this unhappy accident fell upon them, were of good ability; and with that substance which God (through their honest endeavours) had bestowed upon them, they were charitable relievers of their poor neighbours within the town; but now even those to whom they have formerly given bread, are ready to be solicited in the like extremity of want by them (if they had it) for relief: and now their cases being made all alike by this tyrannous enemy of the world, and unmerciful destroyer of all things, being all deprived of means, they are all in like danger to starve, unless the hands of God's people be opened in their comfort.  
But to digress a little, to pass from Preambles to the thing indeed, from gentle warnings to the penalty itself. This scourge of sin; this forementioned misery is but a very small resemblance in respect of the which is to come: if we neglect to make right use thereof to the behoof of our souls: Initium autem dolorum haec: These are but a beginning of griefs. These strange events are but prognostications of worse to come, as a smoke in respect of a more terrible ensuing fire, and like a mustering of soldiers before the sad battle. Let therefore these afflictions and some other late crosses and calamities (the feeling whereof is yet fresh in our memories) prevail with us, not to slumber out our time in careless security, but to win grace & favour at God's hands by amendment of our lives. For if there be a neglect of this, what will the pains be that these beginnings portend? How rigorrous will that sentence be, that hath so fearful remonstrances before the judgement?  
But not to enlarge myself in this. Let us look back to the misery and calamity that hath also befallen to M. Cox a Draper, dwelling both in the same town and parish, whose house the flame of this fire swallowed with unsatiable jaws, and consumed into ashes: burning all his goods and household-stuff, and leaving nothing to put bread into the mouths of him, his wife, and children, save only a little yarn, of small account or value, which he had, and was preserved by great chance in a warehouse he had in Rotten-row, a place not far from the market place aforesaid.  
All hands laid about them in this fiery conflict (as if that enemies had been marching to besiege the Town) to save and truss up what they could, and be gone: but behold how swift is mischief, when God drives it before him to the punishment of our sins: all were labouring to bear away some of their goods, but before their burdens could be taken up, they were compelled to forsake them, & to look about for the safeguard of their lives, leaving the rest to the mercy of the fire.  
The desolate effects that this cruel Element wrought in Saint Edmondsbury aforesaid, is able to thaw the most frozen heart, and to work a relenting in the most obdurate spirit that is. Whose fury was so vehement, that from the Monday it began, till the Wednesday after, the rage thereof could not be fully extinguished, nor could it be thoroughly quenched, albeit all the wells and ponds about the town, were drawn dry to that purpose. This heat as it consumed two hundred dwelling houses, and upwards in the same town, with their household-stuff, and barns with much Corn unthrashed in them, with many thousand quarters of wheat, barley, and rye, threshed and laid up in Chambers, Horses in the the stable, Kine, Swine, and other cattle: so did the rage thereof continue to add grief and sorrow to a place that of itself ministereth nothing but matter of sorrow, namely the Prison of the same town, which in short space (the prisoners for the time being removed) by the merciless judgement of fire was condemned to be burned, and quite consumed into ashes. Many inhabitants are impoverished by it, & most of them undone for ever: many thousands of pounds cannot make good the losses & spoils that this town hath received hereby. The misery of this place is matchless, the losses of the people numberless, & their cares, cureless: for what a strange alteration may it be thought to them, the were wont to succour & harbour others in distress, to be now left succourless, & made destitute of harbour themselves, by the violent blow of this storm? and even in a moment of time to be deject and thrown done from the top of riches and welfare, to the most low degrees and conditions of poverty, and sorrow? and in stead of choice and delicate diet; of fair dwellings, and of soft lodging, to have now no food at all; no certain dwelling, but the miry frame of this wild world to walk in: and no better lodging than the bare ground? This Town so famous before for beauty and for stateliness of building, is now untimely defaced, & overthrown by this sudden misfortune, and deserves no less to be pitied and relieved, than that affliction did, which the city of Cannae, & the adjoining places thereof felt so grievously, that all the houses of the same being covered and oppressed with heaps of burning ashes, the Romans (in very pity of their estates) were contented to release them ten years tribute, to repair the inestimable damages of one such irruption. I pray God that the inhabitants of this distressed place may but find (amongst us) part of the like comfort and feeling compassion in this so sad extremity.  
To this cruel wild fire storm that so reigned in the houses, and wrougt such lamentable spoils to this poor Town, may be added another casualty and calamity that did lay hold upon a cart, coming loaden to the Market with Corn, and increased the sorrow of her owner, by the rage of the flames, which were no sooner carried to her by the violence of the wind, but she was quite consumed, and the Corn burned, and two or three of her horses turned into ashes, to the great sorrow of such as saw it, and could not help it, and the ineffable discomfort of many, that might have been relieved by it.  
The diligent and industrious care of the justices of the peace, that were there at that time assembled at the quarter Sessions, and of many others met there together by those occasions, deserves not to pass unremembered: who by their examples stirred up many (as much as in them lay) to use their best means to appease this heat; which notwithstanding continued so strong in the assault, that it consumed, as is aforesaid, two hundred and odd dwelling houses: and for all that was or could be done, it is thought and reported from the mouths of very sufficient and judicious persons, that an hundred thousand pounds will not make good the losses that this town of S. Edmondsbury hath received by this fire, nor recover it to the former estate: which besides the wrack of houses that by this calamity of fire were laid level with the ground, lost also her substance and riches of corn, money, gold, plate, wares, etc. of infinite value and measure, wherewith the same was formerly stored, to the unrecoverable undoing of the owners thereof, and of their wives and children, who by this means are left quite destitute of means even to maintain their wretched bodies with food.  
And now because the consideration of that which our sins have deserved, is a forcible motive to digest with patience, these or any crosses or miseries that befall unto us: let us call to mind what God might further have laid upon us, besides this, or our late afflictions of plague, fires, waters, frost, etc. and yet not only not exceeded the bound of his justice, but have still showed himself of infinite mercy: for it is a general Axiom, and an approved verity, ratified by the common consent of all Divines: That as God doth reward above our deserts, and in his eternal recompense, far exceedeth the value of any works we can do; soon the other side doth he chastise far underneath the rate of our misdeeds: and (his infinite justice considered) his greatest punishment amounteth not to the exceeding heinousness of the least of our sins. And seeing the injuries that we daily offer to so infinite a Majesty, in so opprobrious and despiteful manner, (being so far inferior, and so highly beholding unto him) are so many in number, so grievous in quality, and so ordinary in experience with all men, though God should double and triple all punishments of sin, and lay them on sinners backs for their several offences, yet might he justly double them a new, and as often as he thought good, without doing any injury to the offenders, yea, and punishing far less than their deserts.  
Let us not then think much, if we, whose offences are most grievous, suffer a few scourges and afflictions, but rather account them as easy messengers to call us homewards, and as motives to draw us to amendment: that every man particularly descending into himself, may learn to strike sail to his sins, and put his soul into the safe harbour of Penitence, lest remaining still in the scope of wicked winds and weather, some inexpected gulf and sudden storm dash him upon the rock of eternal ruin. God grant there ensue not a second affliction worse than this, by forgetfulness and careless security.  
FINIS.