AN ACCOUNT OF A Strange and Prodigious Storm of THUNDER, LIGHTNING & HAIL, Which happened in and about London, on Tuesday the Eighteenth of this Instant May; wherein there fell some Hailstones as big as a Pullet's Egg, and others five, six and seven Inches in Compass, which cut the Faces, Heads and Hands of several Persons, and shattered, broke and destroyed abundance of Glass-Windows in and about the City.  
LIKEWISE, A RELATION of a Terrible Tempest of Thunder, Lightning, etc. at a Town in Oxfordshire, which burned much Corn, some Barns, and Houses, and killed many cattle, and had like to have consumed the whole Town.  
AS ALSO, Another Relation of what happened to a Ship at Sea by Thunder and Lightning.  
TOGETHER WITH An Account of on extraordinary TEMPEST that happened at Blois in France, accompanied with Hailstones as big as a man's Fist; whereby the Jesuits Church and other Houses and Churches were beaten down, and all the Corn and Vines in eight Parishes utterly destroyed; In which Calamity the Protestant-Church there was wonderfully preserved entire, and not a Slate or Glass broken.  
WITH AN An ACCOUNT of the Noble and Magnificent Appearance at the first Going out of the Colonel's Company of the Orange under the Command of the Right Honourable Sir Robert Clayton Lord Mayor of London.  
LONDON, Printed for N. I. 1680.   

A RELATION OF SEVERAL wonderful Storms, etc.  
THere have been divers Strange and Wonderful Relations lately Published either with Licence or Allowance, of some Prodigious Accidents; and among the rest, not long since, there was an Account, That at a Town in Oxfordshire, there fell such a Tempest of Rain, Hail, Lightning, and Thunder, the like hath been seldom or never heard of in England: It began about Eleven a Clock in the Morning, the Sky being for a considerable time very Black and Dark; when on a sudden there fell in great abundance an incredible Storm of Hail, which, by the assistance of a strong East-wind, came down with that fierceness, that the Hailstones rebounded Three foot high from the Ground; after which followed a terrible shower of Rain, which seemed rather to fail by Pailfuls, and Dishfuls, than in the common way; which so affrighted the Inhabitants, that they went out immediately into the Fields to save their Sheep, Lambs, and other small cattle, but they had much ado to return with the preservation of their own Lives.  
BUT alas, This was but the Prologue or beginning of their succeeding sorrow, for during this dreadful Storm of Hail and Rain, the Heavens sent forth such huge and frequent flashes of Fire, that notwithstanding that deluge of Water, which at that instant was falling from the Skies, the Lightning took hold of some Houses, but was happily quenched without doing any considerable damage; but several Barns, notwithstanding the utmost diligence of the Inhabitants, were burnt down to the Ground, and all contained in them consumed to Ashes; and one of them was burnt with so much violence and fury, that a Man who was Thrashing therein, had much ado to make his escape, before the Barn was utterly ruined and destroyed;  
And among the rest a Youth being overtaken in the Storm, endeavoured to shelter himself in a Windmill, but the illnatured Miller began to Swear and Curse at him; ask him, If he was such a Fool and Changeling, to be afraid of a little Lightning and Thunder; the Boy had scarce time to Answer before he was struck off the Stairs, & the Miller was forced to go down, & take him up half dead; But this unkind Miller had hardly recovered the Youth, ere he himself was struck down with the Thunder, and taken up without any appearance of life for the present, though it is said he afterward recovered.  
There is likewise another Relation, That at a Town called Blois in France, about one a Clock in the Morning, an amazing Tempest of Wind began with such violence, as soon affrighted the most sleepy from their repose; and in a short time by its fury, beat, or blew down all the Body of the Church of Saint Soulucas, except the Belfry, and likewise half of the Jesuits Church, and Two fair Houses into the Highstreet, the People whereof were glad to run into their Arched Cellars to save themselves, which they happily did, though the Ruins fell upon, and round about the Arch, but the Rubbish being removed, they were afterward drawn out alive.  
This Tempest was accompanied with a most prodigious Hail, many Thousand Stones being found as big as a Man's Fist, a thing so wonderful to relate, that had there not been sufficient Eye-witnesses, it would seem incredible; This unusual Artillery of Heaven, did break all the Slates wherewith the Houses are covered, and the Glass Windows all over the Town as if they had been beaten in a Mortar. Without the Town there were Eight whole Parishes utterly ruined by the Hail in such a terrible manner, that it seemed as if no Corn had been sown, or Vines planted there; so strangely were all things battered down, and laid in a confused desolation; There were likewise Four other Parishes much endamaged, and Multitudes of Chimneys beaten down; so that the damage by that, and the breaking of Windows and Tiles, was valued to be about Two Hundred Thousand Crowns, and the harm abroad in Cornfields and Vineyards was invaluable.  
But in the midst of Judgement God's Mercy is justly to be Admired, for the Protestant Church in that Town was in a wonderful manner preserved, though it stood as much exposed to the Wether as any Building in the Town; and though all round it the direful marks of the Tempest were sadly Visible, yet this Church remained entire; without so much as a Slate or any Glass broken, which was generally taken notice of as a most remarkable Protection of Providence.  
Another thing was that it pleased God neither Man; Woman or Child were killed in this dreadful Desolation, one Immediate Reason whereof was, that it happened at such a time of Night, when all People were in their Houses, whereas had they been stirring abroad, 'tis very probable much mischief had befallen them.  
There likewise happened a strange Accident upon a Ship Riding at Sea, which being Attacked by a Tempest of Rain, Hail, Wind, Thunder, and Lightning, was in very great danger of being cast away; but on a sudden there broke so dreadful a Clap of Thunder into the Ship, that they all Imagined their Guns had Accidentally been Fired: and in a Moment their Main Mast was Split asunder from bottom to top as you would peel a Rush, the Maintop Mast was shivered into small pieces, and the Pendent at the head of it was burned to Ashes; it came with such Violence that it beat down fourteen Men which were upon Deck, and had like to have hurled them into Sea; and those that were between Decks were likewise thrown down; one of these poor men had the ill fortune to be hurt by it; Five of them lay for Dead a considerable time having no Symptoms of Life, for there could not the least Breath or Pulse be perceived in them, their Eyes and Teeth were Imovable, and yet they had no visible Wound, Bruise or Hurt about them, but they stunk so extremely of Sulphur or Brimstone, that it was hardly to be endured; they continued in this condition about half an Hour, but at last by Rubbing and Forcing open their Mouths, and pouring some Cordials down they were Recovered; but seemed much crazed in their Senses, At the same time there were six others miserably Burned, their Flesh being Scorched and yet their Garments not Consumed; nor so much as Singed as far as could be perceived, their Skin was much discoloured, and looked as if Burnt by a Coal.  
And upon Tuesday the eighteenth of this instant May, there happened a very strange and prodigious Storm in and about London, of which we shall endeavour to give a brief and true Account.  
About two a Clock in the Morning there began a furious Storm of Thunder and Lightning so extreme, the Heavens seemed to be in a flame, which was accompanied with very large Hail, and extraordinary violent and hasty Showers of Rain: This continued for several Hours, but about Ten a Clock in the Morning a strange and unusual darkness overspread the Face of Heaven, and immediately after that fell such a terrible storm of Hail, as the like was hardly if ever seen in England; the Hailstones were so very great, that some of them being measured were found to be four inches, others five, others six in Compass nay it is confidently reported that some were seven, eight and nine Inches about, this storm bred a strange consternation in the Inhabitants, but it pleased God, that it continued not above a quarter of an hour, otherwise it might have done much greater damage than it did; yet abundance of glass windows were broken and shatered to pieces, especially those called Sky Lights, which are so frequent since the Rebuilding the City: The Stones were of different shapes and sizes, and the Fancies of the People have likened them to divers things; they fell with such violence that they cut the Faces of some, and the heads and hands of others who were abroad; some others ran into the ground in the fields above an Inch, and being taken out, they were found to be as big as Pullet's Eggs, and some larger; several of them were round, others square and flat with very sharp Edges: The loss sustained by this terrible Storm is not yet to be reckoned up, especially if it fell with such Fury in the Cornfields, as it did in the City; of which we much doubt we shall have a sad and unwelcome Account.  

Now to refresh our Reader be pleased to take the following Account.  
The Right Honourable Sr. Robert Clayton Lord May or of London, having been sometime since made Colonel of the Orange Regiment in the room of Sr. Thomas Davis Deceased, This Evening May the 18 th'. was the first time of his Lordships going out with his Company; and several eminent Citizens of London, being resolved to show his Lordship all the Honour and Respect possible, came to wait upon his Lordship as Volunteers, which was performed in the following Order.  
First his Lordship went before in his own Coach, than followed a Division of His own Company; then a Division of the Blue Regiment in their Buff Coats and Feathers; after them several Divisions of the White, Yellow, Green and Red Regiments: all the Volunteers being either Officers in the Trained Bands, or other Worthy Citizens.  
Thus they marched from Smithffeld in all manner of Military Pomp to his Lordship's House in the Old Jury; their number being in all near six hundred Men; after which they were treated by his Lordship at a Magnificent Entertainment prepared for them in Grocer's Hall, consisting of about an Hundred Dishes of Meat: Where all things were managed with the Generosity and Gallantry, which is natural to that Worthy Maggistrate.   
FINIS.