STRANGE News from Antwarpe, which happened the 12. of August last passed. 1612.  
FIRST PRINTED In DUCHESS at Bergen ap Zoame by joris Staell and now translated into English by I. F.  
¶ At London printed by Ralph Blower. 1612.   

To the Reader  
IT is not unknown unto most men of sort, what a famous City the City of Antwerp is, wherein of late, the wonderful power of Satan, hath (by the permission of the Almighty God) been there done & shown in the Cloister of S. michael in the said City, which is not only worthy: but also very requisite & meet to be made known and manifested unto all men, in regard of the sins and wickedness which now in these days remaineth to common amongst all nations, and forasmuch as of late the foul Find (by God's permission) showed his wrath and indingnation against the same City by consuming and spoiling of a great part of the Cloister there, as it is most truly made known unto divers and sundry persons already, as well by letters as otherwise: Therefore to the end that all persons should understand of the strange Accidents there happened, I thought it meet to set forth a small and brief treatise thereof, whereby every one may understand, and be truly advertised thereof to their own contentments, wishing all people to pray unto the omnipotent Majesty of God, for to defend us all from such, and the like Satanical Actions of the most tempting and wicked Satan, who seeketh daily for the distrction of all mankind, as in the matter following is at large truly declared.   

A true and perfect news of the wonderful judgements of God showed in the famous City of Antwerp: in S. Michael's Cloister there in which place most of the Princes or Potentates of those Countries are commonly entertained & lodged when they come into the City: which said Cloister, a great part thereof was greatly hurt and spoiled, the 12. of August last passed. 1612. as hereafter is most truly related.  
FOR as much as this famous City of Antwerp now is known to be one of the fairest Cities of building in all those parts of the Country: and also that for trade of Marchantdize it is now far surmounting many other towns, which in times past have been of great fame, and now this flourishing City aboundeth with many rich Merchants and Citizens, besides many other persons of great account, likewise there are in the same City many fair and goodly Churches and Cloisters of most rich and stately buildings, the same being beautified, and most curiously adorned with divers & sundry costly and rich Altars, besides many Immages and other Idoletrous and superstitious relics, such as the like are not to be seen or found elsewhere, in all the Netherlandes, as every one that hath been there can truly justify and report of, amongst all which, the richest, and most fairest monuments that now remain there, are in a place called Saint michael Cloister, wherein most commonly are all the chiefest Princes and Potentates of those Countries lodged, during their abode there. And as of late it hath been manifestly seen and known, how that the great and mighty Prince Abertus Duke of Brabant was lodged there in the same Palace or Cloister himself, besides many other great Princes and Potentates with him, which said Palace or Cloister is situated not far from the Castle of Antwerp, wherein are a thousand and three hundred Spaniards and soldiers which do now remain therein: who according to an ancient custom always ever heretofore continued amongst them, do usually once a year make a great account of their most worthy Patron S. jaques, otherwise (according to our English tongue) called S. james, upon which day is showed many great triumphs, sports & pastimes, throughout all the whole City, besides much feasting & banqueting, especially, amongst all the papistical sort of people, as well the Massing Priests: as also all the soldiers, and others there; all which is done in honour and reverence of S. james, as in manner and form is here expressed.  
First of all, the Gunner's and others in the Castle, do there discharge off all their great Ordinance, which is round about the Castle: Then all the soldiers standing in order of battle, do discharge and shoot off all their pieces (both Muskets and Calivers) three times one after an other, in honour of S. james, as aforesaid, and thereby they hold a firm and steadfast opinion, and are fully persuaded amongst themselves, that they are all quite freed and delivered from all trouble and mischief that might happen and ensue unto them, for all the year after. This is all performed in the forenoon.  
Upon the same day in the afternoon, there was a Tragedy played, wherein was showed, the manner of the Turks fight against the Christians. At which time, the Spaynish Ambassador that last departed England, came with a great train into the City from Bruixills, and there was very honourably received as well by the Citizens there, as also by all the Captains and Soldiers, and great triumphing was at his coming in, amongst which, the Citizens caused great store of ships to be placed before the town. and there they planted a great number of soldiers, which with their long shooting and discharging their pieces & Ordinance they beat down a huge great Ball of Brass or Copper, which was richly guilded over, which stood upon the top of the steeple of S. Michael's Church, and shot the same quite through in many places: the charged of making of a new Ball, and placing of it there again as the other was before, will cost them an infinite some of money: moreover at the time great store of fireworks were shown and made upon the waters, to the great delight of the Ambassador and all others that were there present.  
The next day after, they likewise acted a Comedy in Spaynish, the effect and meaning thereof, was (altogether) to show, and make the people to believe that they are, & so they account themselves to be, both lords and masters over the whole world. But let all true Christians now mark well what afterwards ensued amongst them.  
The third day after S. james his day and feast holden amongst them as afore rehearsed, in the afternoon, how the devil came & played his Tragedy there in the same Church and Cloister of Saint michael, who came thither with such a horrible and terrible noise both of Thunder and lightning, that all the people that were in the town were greatly amazed thereat.  
Assoon as this Satanical Fiend came into the City in this fierce and terrible manner, making a great noise or roaring over the same, he first came & sat upon the cross which standeth upon the top of the Steeple of S. Michael's Church where he was discerned & plainly seen of many people, having in one of his ugly and filthy Claws, a huge great stone, the which stone with great and mighty force, he cast down into the said steeple, and therewith he made such a huge and fearful a noise and rattling, that the Munckes that were in the Cloister, with great fear and anguish ran all out of their lodgings, verily supposing that the devil had been at their heels: from thence he went into the Steeple, (as it seemed unto them all) and set the same on fire, wherewith it burned most fearfully, and the flame thereof was so terrible and great, that many of the stones of the Steeple (with the heat and force of the fire) flew out and scattered so abroad, that it did exceeding much hurt, in and about the same Church and Cloister, and likewise the lead being melted, dropped down so extreme fast and was so scalding hot, that no man durst go near to quench that unmerciful fire, the fury of it was so great: nevertheless the Munckes be stirred themselves so well and lustily there, to quench the same fire with holy-water, that they had spent so much thereof, that they had work enough to do, to read their ordinary Conjuration, and to make their Autentible Charm, to consecrate more holy-water: And yet all that they could do at that time would not serve their turn, for at that instant, if that the common sort of People (as labouring men and such like) had not come thither to aid and assist them, in this their great necessity and still called for both holyed and unholyed water, and had more steadfaster faith and better and more perseverance in them, than the Munckes and themselves, I veriely persuade myself, that their holy water would have little availed them at that time. But if they had not mixed other unholy water therewith, and by the carefulness of the chief governors and Magistrates, and of the good industry of all the Artificers, soldiers and labouring men that were then present, all of them being most careful and painful in this business, and ready to do their best endeavours in this extremity, who (by God's help and theirs) at last quenched the Fire by force, and yet before they could do it, the greatest part of the leads that covered the Church was melted down from the top thereof, & many stones flew out of the walls & did great harm, both to the lodgings in the Cloister, and to many people inhabiting there about, besides the great hurt that was done to the Church, at that time. The like villainy wrought against God's Church by the most wicked Fiend, hath never, or seldom heretofore been heard of.  
But when Satan had performed this wicked Tragedy, before spoken of: yet he began a new, to skew the Munckes what he was further able to do, he began to play a Comedy with a great Picture that was hang'de within the Church, that had been made by one of the rarest or excellentest workman in the whole Countries, whose name was (as then called) Peter Rubbens, a man well known throughout all the seventeen Provinces for his knowledge and skill in that Art or science, and that there is none comparable unto him, which said Picture, the devil rend and tore all in many pieces, he ruinated the same in such manner and sort, that the repairing thereof will cost an hundred pound (at the least) before it can be wrought to that perfection which it was of and so set up again, in the like order and form as it was at the first there placed.  
Likewise, he in his Satanical course, rend and spoiled the Altar whereupon this picture or Idolatrous Immage stood upon, also spoiled & defaced the same with his wicked nails or claws, that he almost tore the same all quite down to the ground, which since that time, hath been viewed and seen by many thousands of people, who do greatly admire at the same, they all giving God most hearty thanks for their safe deliverance from all the mischiefs that Satan (if he might have by God's sufferance) been as then permitted to have done his own will.  
Moreover he took the Immage of an other Saint which he papistical sort of persons much honoured there, and made great account thereof, for that they held the same for a great Relic in their Church, and did much more worship and honour that Relic than all the rest.  
But what was it that grieved the Papists there, and in many other places planted most? that was, for the destruction and spoiling of another Immage (of what nature, quality or condition the same was of, none or very few can tell) yet notwithstanding, amongst many of them, great account was made thereof, but to what use, let us leave them to their own conceits and fond opinion, and now let us return to a third action.  
Likewise he took an other Immage of a saint (pictured like an old Friar in times past) that was near the place where the other stood, and cast both it, the stone and place whereon it was seated all unto the ground, and withal (not yet contented) with this, bear it as small as powder.  
All which his Satanical activity was showed upon the third day after S. jaques his day before mentioned: all which by him was performed in the Cloister of Saint michael, and upon the sudden the devil was gone away again none perceived him, and then his plays and shows were ended.  
The fourth day the Munckes and Friars, in the morning betimes fell to prayer again, and afterwards no vision of the serpent seen nor heard of any more, they then much praised and glorified God in all his works, and seeing and hoping that the tempest or storm was as then past and gone, they in their own bounty & glory, being glad that the storm was past and gone, bestowed upon them that were poor workmen labourers Soldiers and others, for their pains and in recompense of the business done, bestowed six Barrels of Beer, which amongst them was as then holden for a great matter, all which was merryly drunk up amongst them.  
By this and many other most wonderful and fearful examples (you may see and most evidently mark that the Commandments of God being wholly trodden down underfoot and neglected, God therefore sendeth such messages, and messengers unto the places wherein Idolatry, and superstitious ceremonies are daily used, thereby to give them warning to amend & leave of all such wickedness and abomination, and not any more to serve nor pray unto any such Idols, that are made of nothing else, but of stocks and stones, and of other earthly substance, and to move us to serve him with an humble and penitent heart, for I only am the Lord your God (saith he) that fargiveth the sins of the people unto the third and fourth generation, of those that love me, and keep my Commandments, and punish all those that hate me, as we see the papists daily commit and use innumerable kinds of blaspheamies, & superstitious idolatry, with many vain idle toys and imaginations of their own brain and fickle inventions, which God utterly abhorreth, and is greatly displeased therewith: therefore I wish and council all men to love, serve, and honour God almighty, and not to worship stocks and stones as all idolaters do: And thus (with my heart) wishing all happiness, and eternal salvation through Christ jesus unto all true and faithful Christians that love the holy and blessed word of God: I take my leave.  

Leave of your sin, and so your lives amend:  
And think upon God's judgement in the end,  
For Matthew saith, there is not any man:  
Of what degree, so ere he be that can  
Withstand the same, which will come unaware,  
Like thief by night: therefore we must have care.  
To watch and pray to him, till that we may  
Be ready, for that great and dreadful day.  
Wherein all those, that here have lived well,  
For evermore, with God in heaven shall dwell.   
FINIS.