Strange & Terrible news FROM CAMBRIDGE, BEING A true Relation of the Quakers bewitching of Mary Philips out of the Bed from her Husband in the Night, and transformed her into the shape of a Bay Mare, riding her from Dinton, towards the university.  
With the manner how she became visible again to the People in her own Likneness and Shape, with her sides all rent and torn, as if they had been spur-galed, her hands and feet worn as black as a Coal, and her mouth slit with the Bridle Bit.  
Likewise, her Speech to the Scholars and countrymen, upon this great and wonderful Change, her Oath before the Judges and Justices, and the Names of the Quakers brought to trial on Friday last at the assizes held at Cambridge. With the judgement of the Court.  
As also, the Devils snatching of one from his Company, and hoisting of him up into the Air, with what happened thereupon.  
London, Printed for C. Brooks, and are to be sold at the Royal Exchange in Cornhill, 1659.   

The Quakers trial on Friday last, at the general assizes held at Cambridge.  
AS the Wings and Motion of Time, are ushered into the Universe with various Changes; so is the Creature transformed daily from his Rational Intellects, to an irrational sensuality of Dumb Creatures. O monstrous! What Christians become Beasts; what a sad Age do we live in? Woeful Experience makes it deplorably evident: Iron sides, in Iron Times, suits well with a true Christians Qualifications; but Satanical Delusions in Backsliders from the Truth, carries a Badge of Infamy, as welll against the Glorious and Invisible creator, as against His admired Works of Creation: Such Atheistical Spirits, are the Original Rise, from whence the ensuing subject takes its Discourse; and true it is, that the judgements of God upon Witches and enchanters, are clearly manifested by Scriptural Examples, where the Lord saith, Thou shalt not suffer a Witch to live, Exod. 22.18. There shall not be found amongst you one that useth Divination, or an observer of Times, or an enchanter, or a Witch, or a Charmer, or a Consulter with Familiar Spirits, or Wizards, or a Necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination to the Lord, Deut. 18.10, 11, 12.  
Many such like Instances, may here intervene by way of simile to the people called Quakers; and as Constantine forbade all to ask Counsel at Witches, or to use the help of Charmers, upon pain of Death; so shall I admonish all people from adhering to Sorcerers, which like so many Mushrooms (in this Age) spring up in an instant, deviating from the Truth, and fancy a New Light, proceeding only from the Prince of Darkness; as manifestly appears in the case of Mary Philips, who falling from the Church of England, entered into the Society of Robert Dickson, and Jane Cranaway, two unrefined Quakers; but after some few weeks expired, she declined their ways, utterly renouncing them, and detesting their actions; insomuch, that they adjudged her to be in a Reprobate Condition, and not worthy of an Earthly Being; but rather a transfiguration from the Glorious Image she was created in; which (poor Soul) she was soon divested of, even in the Night, as she betook herself to rest with her Husband, being bewitched or enchanted out of the Room where she lay, and transformed into the perfect shape of a Mare, and so rid from Dinton to a Town within four miles of Cambridge, where a Company of seeming Quakers were met: But upon the aforesaid Inchanting-Witches alighting off, and hanging the Bridle upon the Pails, the snafflle (or bit) came out of her mouth, and miraculously she appeared in her created Form and Likeness, to the great astonishment of the Neighbours, who beheld this unexpected change with abundance of admiration; and upon the woman's declaring of herself, and the state of her Condition, she went along with some Officers to the Meeting, and coming into the Room, she pointed to the two Quakers, saying, This is the Man and Woman that bewitched me: Whereupon they were apprehended, and carried before a Justice, who committed them to safe Custody, there to remain till the assizes, which on Thursday last began at Cambridge, and on Friday they were brought to Trial, where the Woman that was bewitched made Oath against them, and showed her hands and feet, which were lamentably bruised, and changed as black as a Coal, her sides being also exceedingly rent and torn, just as if they were spur-galed, and her smock all bloody: Evident signs of her sad sufferings; yet utterly denied by the prisoners, who at last were cleared, notwithstanding the Grand Jury finding the Bill of Indictment.  
But to demonstrate more plainly, That there are Magicians and Witches, is evident by these two ensuing Examples; to wit, Cleomedes a great Magician in Rome, having practised the death of many little Children, the Parents of them at last sought revenge on him, who to shun their Fury, shut himself close up in Coffer: but when they had broke it open, the Devil had carried away the Magician.  
The governor of Mascon, a great Magician, as he was at dinner with some company, was snatched away by the devil, hoist up into the air, and carried three times about the Town, to the great astonishment of the Inhabitants, to whom he cried for help, but all in vain.  
Thus it is evident, that as there are Magicians and Witches; so are there divers of the sons of Adam reaching out their hands to the forbidden Tree, and catching at the fruit of it; yea, this offspring of Eve longing for the greenest Apples, the precocious knowledge of Events, and New Lights, before they come their just and perfect ripeness of maturity. And true it is, that there are some who can find no satisfaction, no Sabbath, no quiet in their present state, and therefore they would fain know what the next day, what the next year, what the next age will bring forth; in the highest prosperity they fear a mutation; in the lowest adversity they are impatient for a change; and hence it comes to pass, that futurity is the mark at which all level the arrows of their aspiring thoughts. As for instance, the Jews who had the Urim & Thummim, and Prophets of God to inquire of, yet ran a-madding after wizards, and such as had familiar spirits, had their false Prophets by hundreds; yea, and sent to Baalzebub the God of Ekron, an Oracle of the Devils, to inquire; as in the life of Ahaziah will appear.  
With how frequent and costly sacrifices did the Grecians adore their Oracle-giving Deities, purchasing an answer with a Hetacomb, and with the blood of a hundred dumb beasts conju●ing their dumb Devils, before the sullen Fiends would vouchsafe to answer them▪  
To pass by the several kinds of madness expressed in Geomancy, by Circles in the Earth; Pyromancy, by Fire; Hydromancy, by Water; Necromancy, by the Ghosts of the Dead, we shall descend, and treat your view, to another Inspection of the New Lights of these Dark Times; which appeass so visible, that they may be discerned as far as Norwich, where a high-flown Spirit, on Sabbath day last was a seven-night, took the impudence to pull down his breeches on the Communion Table, and laid there his most odious and nasty burden: But observe and tremble at the Divine Vengeance; he was suddenly tormented with the griping in his guts; and lamentably roaring out, died within the space of an hour or two. Will any man now say, that this is a Generation of men endued with New Lights: Surely no; for what is more obvious, than the proceeding of these Lights from the Prince of Darkness.  
And as there are some, who by their enchanted black Ribbons, tied about the Creatures left Wrist, gain many Proselytes; so there are others who deny the Lord's Day, charging the Ministry of England to be Antichristian, and yet seem to be strict in the ways of Holiness. I shall not therefore set bounds to other men's knowledge, nor circumscribe them within the Circle of my own Ignorance; they may have Dawnings, where I perceive no starlight: yet take this along with you, that God often in Text-hand declares his Mind, in a Comet, a Blazing-star, and other fiery Apparitions; and not by the vain-babblings of Magicians and Sorcers; Who may fitly be compared to the great Conjurer that Picus Mirandulae writes of in his time, viz. That promising a certain Prince he would present to him the siege of Troy, with Hector and Achilles fighting together as when they were alive: But as he was about his Conjurations, the Devil carried him away that he was never heard of after.  
To conclude, As the Jews and Heathens formerly, so many of the Quakers in these days, have been tampering about Futurities, how lawfully I cannot say, and pretend a Vision seen in the Air, betwixt Kingston and London, figuratively presenting the dividing of the City and Southwark; and of the Cities devolving and extinguishing in smoke.  
But doubtless, the best way is to acquiesce in God's revealed Will; for He will have his Children in some sense entertain Fortune by the day, choosing gradually and leisurely to discover the thoughts he hath concerning them, that he might keep them in a waiting and obebient posture, in a posture of dependence and expectation; not that I would have them with Anacreon cry out, Give me to day, let who will care for to morrow; or with the Stoics lazily expect the blind stroke of a conceited unavoidable Fate; but using all lawful and probable means, endeavour their Countries, and in it their own future good.  
FINIS.