SEASONABLE ADVICE, 
 For preventing the mischief of Fire, that may come by negligence, Treason, or otherwise.  
Ordered to be Printed by the Lord Major of LONDON. 
 And is thought very necessary to hang in every man's House, especially in these dangerous Times.  Invented by WILLIAM GOSLING, Engineer, 

How many several ways, Houses, towns, and Cities, have been set afire.  
SOme hath been burnt by bad hearths, chimneys, Ovens, or by pans of fire set upon boards: some by clothes hanged against the fire: some by leaving great fires in chimneys, where the sparks or sickles breaking fell and fired the boards, painted clothes, Wainscots', Rushes, mats, as houses were burnt in Shoreditch: some by Powder, or shooting off Pieces: some by Tinder or Matches: some by setting Candles under shelves: some by leaving Candles near their beds: some by snuffs of Candles, Tobacco-snuffes, burnt papers, and some by drunkards; as many houses were burnt in Southwark: some by warming Beds: some by looking under Beds with Candles: some by sleeping at work, leaving their Candles by them, so many have been burnt of several Trades: some by setting Candles near the thatch of houses: some by snuffs or sparks fall'n upon Gunpowder, or upon mats, rushes, chips, small-coal, and in chinks; so Wimbleton was burnt: some towns were burnt by Maultkills: some by Candles in Stables: or by foul chimneys: some by Candles amongst hemp, flax, and warehouses: some by Candles falling out of their candlesticks: some by sticking their Candles upon posts: some by links knocked at shops, stalls, sellers, windows, warehouses, doors, and dangerous places: some by carrying fire from place to place, where the wind hath blown it about the streets, as it did burn St. Edmondsbury: some by warm sea-coal cinders put in baskets, or wooden things, as did burn London-Bridge: And some have been burnt without either fire, or Candle, as by wet hay, corn, straw, or by mills, wheels, or such like: all which hath been by carelessness. And some have been fired a purpose by villainy or Treason.   

Orders to be Observed that fire may not happen,  
IS that every housekeeper, either himself, or one by his appointment that should be last up, to see to the fire and Candle, and to shut the Sellerwindowes, doors, casements, garret-windows, and to stop holes, and sinks, that fire may not come in by Treason, or otherwise: To prevent Treason that may come by wildfire, is to stop the wildfire simples, where they are sold: seek to prevent fire at the beginning, and by the sight of smoke, to look to it, for divers fires have been so prevented: Some have been prevented by smelling old wood, linen, or woollen burne: and some by hearing the crackling of sticks, coals, or sparks of fire, have prevented mischief thereby: if you will use Candle all night, let your Candlestick be a pot of water brim full, and set it where it shall stand, and then light a Candle and stick a great pin in the bottom of the Candle, and let it slowly into the water, and it will burn all night without danger if the wood under the hearth of a chimney be a fire, then take heed you do not open it too suddenly, before you cast water upon it, for the air getting in, the fire will burst forth, therefore still throw water, and open it by degrees. And that the Bricklayers should look better to the foundations of hearths, and ovens, to prevent the hurts of fire: if chimneys be afire, either wet hay, or straw, or a wet blanket, or a kettle of water hung over, or bay-salt cast into the fire, or a Piece shot up into the chimney, will help it. And that the Watch might be from daylight to daylight, at such a distance that they may see and hear from one Watch to the other; that some might be upon Gates, Towers, or Churches, if need be, to give notice to the Watch below, upon any occasion, to prevent both enemy and fire.   

Orders that if fire should happen, either by wildfire, or other ways, to prevent the miseries thereof.  
THen the Bells going backward, doth give notice of fire: and that all Officers and others, must keep the streets or lanes ends, that the rude people may be kept from doing mischief, for sometimes they do more harm than the fire: and suffer none but the workers to come near, and all the streets from the fire to the water, may have double rows or ranks of men on each side the street, to handy empty pales, pots, or buckets, to the water, and to return full to the fire, by the other row or rank of people, on the same side the street: so as the streets affords, you may have divers ranks: and by this order, water may be brought to quench it, or earth to choke it, and smother it, with that speed and plenty, as need requires.  
All those of higher or level ground, should throw down water, to run to the place where the fire is, and there to stop it: and others to sweep up the waters of kennels towards the fire. If water-pipes run through the streets, you may open it against the house that is a fire, and set another pipe in that upright, and two or three foot lower than the height of the head of the same water, set in some gutter, trough, or pipe unto the upright pipe, to convey the water to the fire, for under the foresaid height, it will run itself from high ponds, or from Sir Hugh Middleton's water, or Conduit-heads, or from the Water-houses, without any other help, into the fire, as you will have it: you may keep great scoops or Squrts of wood in houses; or if you will, you may have in the Parish a great squirt on wheels, that may do very good service.  
Where mild fire is, milk, urine, sand, earth, or dirt, will quench it: but any thing else set afire by that, will be quenched as afore: if there be many houses standing together, and are endangered by a mighty fire, before it can be quenched, or choked with earth, than you may pull down the next house opposite to the wind, and then earth and rubbish being cast upon the fire, and round about it, will choke the violence of the fire: besides the water you may get to do the like. Also it is necessary that every Parish should have hooks, Ladders, Squrts, Buckets, and scoops in a readiness upon any occasion.  
O the miseries of Cities, towns, Villages, and particular houses, that have been burnt, where some could not recover their losses in thirty years after, and some never, which have been lamentable spectacles unto us, when many men, women, and children, have been burnt in their houses; and multitudes of people utterly undone, that saw all their wealth burned before their eyes. Besides, many have been hurt, many killed, and many burned, that came but to help to quench the fires. What lamentable cries, frightings, and amazements, there was to all sorts of people, some sick, some in childbed, and some great with child, to the terror of them all: and all was through the miseries of fire, that came by carelessness and wilfulness.  
Therefore let the very sight of fire and Candle, put us in mind to prevent the like miseries that have come by fire, both in London, and the parts of England: for great winds may rise suddenly, and enemies furies, may do mischief. To master the Elements, is either to increase or decrease any of them; for as air makes fire increase; so earth will choke it; and water will quench it.  
Preventions of fires, would save the often Collections of money in all Churches in England; all which is for the profit and safety of the commonwealth. As good order, and care, prevents our fear of fire; so a good life, prevents the ways to sin. And every one, mend one; then all will be mended. The Lord commandeth us, to have care of our neighbour's goods, Deut. Chap. 22. For the love of our neighbour fulfilleth the Law, Rom. Chap. 13.    

Printed for H. B. At the Castle in Cornhill. 1643.