MOTUS MEDITERRANEUS. OR, A TRUE RELATION OF A FEARFUL AND PRODIGIOUS EARTHQVAKE, WHICH LATELY HAPPENED IN THE ANCIENT City of COVENTRIE, and some other places of the Kingdom, to the great amazement of the Inhabitants.  
With a touch of some other occurrences, as well Foreign as Domestic.  LUKE 21. & 11. 
Great Earthquakes shall be in diverse places, and Famine, and Pestilence, and fearful things, and great Signs shall there be from Heaven.  
Printed for HE: HOLLAND. 1626.   

To THE WORSHJPFULL MY worthy Friend, T. S. Esquire, of B. in Hertford-shire.  
SIR,  
IT is not many Months since you accepted from my hands, at the second hand, my mournful Meditations compiled in the late memorable Mortality of the Plague: And heretofore for this good while, I have constantly sent, and imparted unto you, all manner of Foreign News and Novelties of moment; whereof you have been, and are desirous and studious, and the rather because of your sedentary life at home, and seldom or never stirring abroad, for diverse years past; So now, I pray, give me leave to impart unto you this domestic News, and most true Relation of a fearful Earthquake, which happened lately in the City and place of my Nativity: within a few days after I had been there, to visit nay nearest and dearest friends; who now are witnesses of the same, from whom (as also from others) I have the certain information of it. I doubt not but you received the several Pamphlets I lately sent you by your trusty servant R. H. And, it being your condition now to be so far remote from London, (in a fresh Air and sweet soil,) where Novelties are the more welcome unto you; It hath rather induced me to Inscribe unto you, at the first hand, this small Pamphlet of a prodigious Accident: For other matters, I hope I shall not forget still to send you, knowing your earnest desire after them: and I cannot marvel thereat, considering, Est natura hominis Novitatis avida: I must leave to enlarge myself further unto you by way of Epistle, because the thing itself is, I say, but a Pamphlet: Only, With your pleasant situated Place, I wish and pray for your health and welfare in soul and body: And so I take my leave.  
HALLELVIAH.   

To the Reader.  
SIR, If you be courteous, you will give me the publisher hereof thanks for my pains, and think your two pence or three pence, at the most, well bestowed: But if you be censorious, you will haply object at the Introduction, and say, it is larger than the Relation itself: If not with the introduction, than haply you will find fault with the Enlargement, application, and conclusion: To both which, I must beforehand answer you; It hath been the laudable custom in all Ages, upon the publishing of any Prodigy, or extraordinary work of God, not to let it pass without Introduction and Application, to the end, that men may be stirred up the better, to make good use of the Almighty's handy-workes: which are never sent, but for our Instruction, And for the truth of the Relation itself, I trow no understanding man can, or will make any question, when he hath read the Contents. And so farewell.   

A TRUE RELATION of a fearful and prodigious Earthquake, etc.  
OF the natural causes of Earthquakes many Philosophers, both ancient and modern have written largely and learnedly: and of those latter Writers, the Pair of most learned Germans, viz. Bartholomew Keckerman and john Magirus, 
Keckerman de Terrae motu. Magiri Phys:  in my judgement (yea, it is the judgement of the learned) have written best & most profoundly: and therefore it shall suffice me to write but a word for the better understanding of the common reader, as followeth: In the caves and concavities of the Earth there is some times conceived and bred, a vaporous Wind, which searching to break forth, doubtless is the first natural cause of Earthquakes, etc. But our Saviour Christ (TRUTH itself,) in the Gospel, when he speaketh of the Signs before the last judgement Day, and better informing us than all the Philosophers in the world have done, 
Luke 21.  He tells us, We shall hear of Wars and Seditions; Nation shall rise against Nation, and Kingdom against Kingdom: and with Famine and Pestilence, and other fearful things and signs from Heaven, he tells us plainly we shall have great EARTH-QVAKES, and those in diverse places, etc.  
Now, that we that live in this latter and sinful Iron-Age of the World may a little awaken and rouse up ourselves from the Cradle of Security, wherein we have been long rocked asleep: hath not God caused the whole Christian World to ring a loud Peal of Wars and Rumours of Wars? 
Matth. 24.6.  witness fertile France, spacious Germany, the Netherlands, Bohemia, Italy, Valtolin, Switzerland, Savoy, and what Country, Kingdom, or State witnessing not the same? Yea, and though we in this facrie Island, through the admirable blessing and long-suffering of God, have not the sounding of the Trumpet, and beating up of the Drum in our ears, further than for ex●…cise and preparation: and blessed be God for his Mercy our Peace, and his Lieutenant, our gracious King and Peacemaker. Yet, we are not I say without those Rumours of Wars abroad, and have a fellow-feeling of our Neighbouring Countries Calamities therein, and we are already engaged in their just Quarrels, for our own better security and safety. Amongst other signs and forerunners of the latter day, I remember our Saviour tells us of false Cprists, false Prophets, and Heresies that shall arise, where, without doubt he includeth, false Professors of CHRIST: And are we without such? how comes it then to pass, that each Head of the Hydra-headed baleful Beast of Heresies, and Schism striveth, of late, so much for superiority; amongst us here in this Nation, to go no further than our own: Certes, the ugly Head of Papism hath striven for place; the rotten Head of arianism hath also striven for place, the misshapen and ill-lookt Heads of old Pelagianism & new Arminianism have laboured to be reconciled, & janus-like, to be joined together, & so to take place: It is not my purpose to meddle with the small Heads of Schism, they being easily suppressed: They are those four Heads beforenamed, that trouble the Peace of the Church: the two former; they do openly disclaim the Doctrine of the Church; the two latter, a little more cunningly; they (forsooth) would intrude themselves into our Church, that so they might the better afterwards bring in the whole body of the BEAST herself: 
Tit. 3.11.  But leaving these Heads of Heresies to be suppressed, cut off and damned, by GOD, and the King, with the help of his Reverend Orthodox Clergymen: And not to enlarge myself further in the Introduction to a small Relation, hear and understand as followeth:  
About the midst and Centre of this Land, is situated and standeth the ancient City of COVENTRIE, a County of itself, though within the compass of Warwickshire: And in this City, on Monday the twenty seventh day of March last passed, 1626. about one of the clock after dinner, unlooked for, and on a sudden, happened this fearful and prodigious shock of Earthquake, to the great amazement, and almost astonishment of the Inhabitants; which was sensibly felt and observed throughout the City, shrewdly shaking the Houses, making the glass windows about the houses, the Pewter and other materials in the Houses to clatter: the Beds (wherein some lay sick) to shake under them, and all in a most terrible manner; and to make it more strange, fearful, and prodigious, it yielded forth at the instant an hideous noise and roaring, as it were, in the Air: which noise and roaring was like betwixt the noise of Thunder, and the roaring of the Sea: The Inhabitants and beholders hereof, (especially the better sort) betaking themselves to their best meditations and devotions, and humbly submitting themselves under God's hand and handie-workes: Though, blessed be Almighty God, there was no great hurt done thereby throughout the whole City: albeit therein are many goodly Houses and buildings, 
S. michael's Trinity  two large and fair Churches about the heart of the City, and with those Churches two lofty Pyramidal Spire-steeples of stone-worke, and not far from them a Cross of stone also in the Marketplace: either of which three Monuments will hardly yield inferiority to any others in the Kingdom.  
Now, that this Earthquake or Prodigy, did not contain itself in Coventrie alone, but by credible information, it was also sensibly observed in diverse other places of the Country, even as far as Bristol: And what this prodigious Accident may portend, in the Counsel of GOD, I must leave it: But thus much I dare be bold to say, and pray, GOD grant us quietness upon the Land, for doubtless the Earth was much shaken within.  
If any list to be so censorious, as to make question of the truth of this fearful Earthquake, let them repair unto the publisher and printer hereof, who hath diverse Letters from sundry grave, learned, religious, and judicious people, for confirmation thereof: which shall be produced, if need require: And if this late Earthquake seem strange or incredible unto them, I wish them have recourse unto that more admirable work of the Omnipotent, even in ours and our Father's remembrance, in Hereford-shire: and recorded by our best Historiographers: when as, In the year of Christ jesus, 
Speed, in his Geography. pag. 49  1571. Marcley Hill in the East of the shire, roused itself out of a dead sleep, and with a roaring noise removed from the place where it stood, (for aught we know, from the Creation, or the Deluge at the least,) and for three days together travailed from her first Site, to the great amazement and fear of the beholders. It began to journey upon the seventh day of February, being Saturday, at six of the clock at night, and by seven in the next morning had gone forty Paces, carrying with it Sheep in their coats, hedge-rowes and Trees; whereof some were overturned, and some that stood upon the Plain, are firmly growing upon the Hill, those that were East are turned West; and those in the West, were set in the East: In which remove, it overthrew Kinnaston-Chappell, and turned two Highways near a hundred yards from their usual Paths formerly trod. The ground thus travelling, was about twenty six Acres, which opening itself with Rocks and all, bore the Earth before it, for four hundred yards without any stay, leaving that which was Pasturage in the place of Tillage, and the Tillage overspread with Pasturage. Lastly, overwhelming the lower parts, mounted to an Hill of twelve fathoms high, and there rested herself, after three days travel: 
job 28.9. Isay 40.12.  remaining His Mark that so laid his hand upon this Rock, whose Power hath poised the Hills in His Balance.  
But leaving Hereford shire and Marcley Hill, where God hath now placed it, and not to speak of diverse other inferior Eearth-quakes; which since and before, we and our Fathers may remember, and our Chronicles make mention of them: And to come more near to these present times, (though somewhat further from home,) We may remember, that about the very time of the Apparition of that most memorable Comet or Blazing-Starre, which appeared in Aarctophylax, Anno 1618. In Italy, a Town called Pleurs, was by a fearful and prodigious Earthquake, (the ground opening itself,) clean swallowed up, Houses, Inhabitants and all: not one soul in it left alive, nor so much as any Monument of it remaining to be seen: 
1619. Gallobelgieus B. of London's Sermon at the Cross. I. Leech his Military Sermon.  And a while after the subversion of it, diverse neighbours that repaired thither, would needs attempt to dig into the ground, that they might see what they could find: Among other things that they found, GOD directed them to a Stone, which when they had taken up, they saw something written upon it in Hebrew Letters, as if (like the Tables of Stone that were given to MOSES in Mount Sinai) it had been graven with Gods own singer. Miraculous it was: and the writing this; (Read and tremble; Read and wonder,)  
Thus saith the LORD; My Word is like fire, and like an hammer breaking the Rocks: Go out of Babylon, and every one look to the saving of his own soul. Let none wink at his sins, for the vengeance will come, and all shall be rewarded according to their wickedness. Immediately after that most memorable Prodigy, followed the Death of Great Princes and Potentates; to wit, the Emperor MATHIAS and Empress his wife; his two Brethren, 
Maximilian. Albertus.  both Archduke's of Austria; then, Queen ANNE of Great Britain, his Sacred Majesty's Mother, (of famous Memory:) then PHILIP the third, King of Spain, (and since that, King JAMES, of blessed Memory:) then also began the Broils and Wars in Bohemia, the Palatinate, and other places, the woeful Consequences whereof we daily see and hear of; In so much, as that we have I say, (as our Saviour Prophesieth) Wars, Seditions, and almost nothing but Rumours of Wars; Yea, I may further say the RED HORSE of WAR, hath and doth trample all over Christendom, with a fearful and most lamentable havoc, embrewing his feet especially in the blood of Saints, the professors of the Gospel: And to pass from War: Hath not God caused the BLACK HORSE of PESTILENCE to play his part more near us? yea, even here amongst us in and about this famous City of London, where he hath trampled to death since this time twelvemonth above 55000. souls, besides what have died in other Cities, Towns, and places in this Kingdom: And now for the LEAN and Pale HORSE of FAMINE, although we must thankfully confess, that God hath wonderfully restrained him, yet other Countries have felt and do feel his weight, with cleanness of Teeth and emptiness of Belly: yea, and we ourselves have had a fearful Glimpse of Him: and how soon God may permit him further to appear amongst us, for our manifold sins, we know not, but may doubt, and aught to pray against Famine.  
To draw to a conclusion; If Wars and Seditions, Pestilences, Famines, and Earth-qvakes, be special Signs and Forerunners of the last judgement, as our Saviour CHRIST hath prophesied they are: and certes, Heaven and Earth shall pass, 
Matth. 24.35.  but his words shall not pass: It behoveth us, except we will be wilfully blind and stupid, to take the Premises into consideration, and not slightly to pass by without observation, and good use making of this Earthquake; such, being I say (once again) one of our blessed Saviour's Signs of his coming to judgement. And however, he in his wisdom have concealed that Year, day, and hour; that he will come, (though some too to pragmatically and petulantly have gone about to define the Year, to be nigh at hand:) yet it much behoveth us to meditate thereon; and prepare therefore, that so we may take all these forerunners to be so many forewarners of us particularly to turn to God by a true Conversion: whereupon will ensue all other Grace's needful for Salvation: And the rather we ought to take all God's judgements to be warnings unto us of the last Day; because, be it whensoever it shall please God, every particular man's death is unto him as the day of judgement; for as we die, so shall we rise: Now, what is more certain than Death? and what more uncertain than the day of Death? and it being so, what manner of men ought we to be? Good Lord, therefore give us grace to turn unto thee by true Repentance, that so we may say ingenuously, and heartily wish, Thy will be done; And, Come Lord jesus, Come quickly.  
HALLELVIAH DEO VNITRINO GLORIA. Amen.  
FINIS.