A ready way to prevent SUDDEN DEATH: Being a brief and true Relation of many sad misfortunes which have happened unto Men, Women, and Children both in the City of London, and in divers parts of the Nation of England, which came through negligence, wilfulness, hardness of heart, presumption and carelessness. This was Written and Printed to the end that all people whatsoever that read or hear this little Book read, may learn to beware and prevent danger of Sudden Death before it comes upon them.  
Reader peruse this little Book,  
And heedfully upon it look;  
It may preserve thy soul from strife,  
And through God's blessing save thy life.  
This Book was written by Laurence Price, this present year 1655.  
London printed for William Gilbertson in Gilt-spur street, 1655.   

A ready Way to prevent SUDDEN DEATH.  

Here beginneth the book of several sad Examples which have happened unto the people of England, for want of serving of God, and taking good heed from March 1. to this present time 1655.  
BEloved Christians, it is a saying amongst many people, that there is a foreknowledge by the planets whereby the wizards and soothsayers of our times can foretell what death a man or a woman shall die: and some there are that will take upon them to foretell how long the world shall endure, and at what time the later day shall come; but I am sure they have no warrant from the word of God for what they say; and therefore to convince such Diabolical errors, I refer you to the words of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who saith, of that great and notable day knoweth no man, no not the Angels which are in heaven, but my Father only, Matth. 24. 26. This place of Scripture may very well serve to withdraw men's hearts from believing in false prophets, fortune-tellers, wizards and soothsayers, and to put their whole trust and confidence in the living Lord; which God give us all grace to do. And now I will tell you of a sad misfortune which happened to a Fortune-teller on the second of March last. In the famous city of Exeter there was a certain dissembling fellow which presumed to say that he had such skill in knowledge, that he could discern by the palm of the hand, by the visage of the face, or by the colour of the hair, how long any man or woman should live, what courses they should take, and what deaths they should die. This false fellows name was Thomas Jones, who had so deluded the people, that they followed him up and down which waysoever he went, thinking that he had passing skill; but all the skill he had was but to cousin them of their money, as you shall hear: At one end of the city there was a great Barn which had nothing in it; to which every day for a long time together he frequented and came into without the consent of the owner; and as often as he came thither, a multitude of simple people followed him; but without money he would do nothing. Moreover he said, that if they would not believe that he could do them good, and give them satisfaction for what they came for, he would not meddle with them. This set such an edge upon the fancy of the people, that some gave him money, others gave him cheese and bacon, and some gave him the clothes from their backs, because they had nothing else to give him. But at the last some of the Magistrates of the city finding themselves agrived at his do, they sent officers which apprehended him and brought him to prison; where when he had lain there the matter of four hours, the Devil appeared to him in a bodily shape, and bade him to hang himself, or cut his own throat: whereupon he cried out with such a loud voice, insomuch that the Keeper of the prison came into the room where he was, and asked him what was the matter, who told him that he had given him self to the Devil some 3 years since, and that he was now come for him, and that he bade him cut his own throat: Whereupon the Keeper looking round about, and saw nothing appear, told him that it was but his fancy to think so, and therefore bade him serve God and repent him of his sins, and he should be sure to prevent the danger of sudden death, and that the Devil should have no power over him: to whom he answered, that he had done so many villainies and traspasses against God and the world, that his sins could never be forgiven. The Keeper desired him to pray; he answered, that his heart was so much hardened, that God had forsaken him, and that he had no power to pray. Then the Keeper searched his pockets, and took away his knife, and the garters from his legs, because he should do himself no harm, and so went out of the room, thinking to have sent some body to keep him company, till he had order from the officers to let him go: but he having a knife in the skirt of his Coat, which the Keeper knew not of, cut his own throat therewith, before any one could come to him; and there was an end of a false blasphemous, dissembling hypocrite: God grant that others may take example high his death, and learn to amend their sinful lives.   

Here followeth another sad Example which was done at Collyweston two miles from Stamford, March 20. 1655.  
THere lived in the Parish of Collyweston a young man whose name was Francis Jarvice, who fell in love with a beautiful maid that dwelled in the same parish; and so between them two there was no love lost, for she loved him as dearly as ever woman loved man, as you shall hear: this loving couple having made a match together between themselves, appointed a day to be married on; and when the time was near at hand, the young woman all too late, she being great with child, made her father and mother acquainted with her mind, and how she had made a promise to be married on such a day; which when her father heard, he became like a mad man, and in his angry mood did swear, that if she married with such a beggarly fellow as Francis Jarvice, he would never own her for his child; an said, that he had rather keep the bastard when it was born, then that she should marry with him: whereupon she made and errand to Stamford, as if she were to buy poison to poison the Rats; but by the way coming home she poisoned herself, and the infant within her, and so she died a sudden and desperate death: which when her sweetheart heard of, he vowed never to eat nor to drink, nor to take any sustenance whilst he lived in this world, and so pined himself and died. Her father ran about being distracted of his wits, and threw himself off from a high gallery & broke his neck. Her mother drowned herself in a deep Drawwell; whose sudden deaths and untimely ends many thousands do lament.  
About that very same time there was a sad disaster happened to a servant maid near unto Smithfield Bars in London at the sign of the Castle; which maid went up into a high room to hang out  to dry out at a window upon poles which were made for that purpose; but for want of taking good heed, the pole which she put trust unto, slipped away from her, and so losing her hold, she fell out of the window and dashed out her brains against the stones, and had never the power to call upon God for mercy, nor to speak one word to any man or woman, and so poor soul she came by a sudden and untimely death, which might have been prevented if she had taken better heed; for certainly if she had thought that her death had been so near at hand, she would have had a better care of herself. The truth of the matter here. spoken of, there are more than a thousand people that can witness, which be held the maid after she was dead, and some of them that were eye witnesses, desired that it might be put in print, because all other servants that go carelessly about their business, may by this sad example serve God, and take a care of themselves.   

Here followeth another sad example very necessary to be had in memory.  
In the county of Suffolk, at a town called Bugles, there lived a man named William Tite, being possessed of an evil quality of jealousy: Upon a certain time he made show of love to his wife, so caught her in his arms, set her upon his knee as they sat in a chair, and with a Judas kiss saluted her, and said unto her as followeth: Ah my dear and loving wife, that hast been always faithful and true unto me, now my conscience accuseth me that I have done thee great wrong, laying that to thy charge, that I know thee to be guiltless of: And for the several abuses which I have done thee, I am hearty sorry, and henceforth I protest never to abuse thee more. The woman being overjoyed with her husband's comfortable words, made him this reply; Husband I thank you for your good words, and I hope that good deeds will follow after. Yes, said he, your desires shall quickly be fulfilled; and with that word having a knife which he had prepared for that purpose, put his hand under her Apron, and ripped up her bowels and belly, insomuch that the child which was in her womb, fell out on the ground, and sprawled before him. And having done his mischief, presently ran away from the place, and came to Yarmouth, and was entertained into a Ship to go beyond the Seas; but as they were failing along on the salt Seas, there suddenly arose a mighty tempest of weather, both of thunder and lightning, wind and rain, that the like hath but seldom been seen or known. Whereupon the Master of the ship desired all the people that were in the ship to join with him in prayer, that God would be pleased to preserve them and their ship from the dangers of the surging and merciless waves. Then said William Tite that had murdered his wife so bloodily, making a scoff of that which the Master of the ship had spoken, saying as followeth, As for my part I need not fear drowning, for I was born to be hanged: for I killed my wife but three days before I came on shipboard, and I will see you all damned before I will pray for any of you all. There was at that time a lusty young man in the ship named Miles Johnson, who ran unto him and said, It may be that it is for thy wickednesss that our ship is so troubled, and our lives in such extreme danger, and therefore if thou wilt not pray unto God to deliver thyself and us from peril, I will presently throw thee over the shipboard & drown thee, and so thou shalt never live to be hanged. Then said William Tite, hang me or drown me, or cut my throat, or do what you will with me, you shall never make me to say any prayer, for the safeguard of our lives. Whereupon the young man having the consent of some others that were in the ship, took him by the twist, and threw him headlong into the Sea, and left him to the mercy of the waves, for he was no more to be seen; and immediately the tempest abated, and the wether became temperate, and they all praised God for their deliverance.  
The Ship which they were in, had a Dutch Skipper, which served to carry passengers to and again. The certainty of this matter was written in a Letter by James Roberts, Thomas Moody, and Roger Gale, which were then aboard the Ship, and sent to London on purpose to have it printed, for others to take warning by, and to avoid murder and blasphemy.   

Here followeth a most strange and miraculous Example of a great deliverance and preservation of a woman from sudden death, by the providence of Almighty God, the like whereof was never heard of before; and this it was.  
THere lived in the County of Kent a Gentleman of good Rank and quality, who had great store of money at command, and did usually lend and lay out, and take in mighty great sums. This gentleman oftentimes frequented to come to the City of London to buy and to sell, having to his wife a very modest, civil, wel-governed woman, and one that feared God, with whom her husband left all the substance that he had. Upon a time when the gentleman was from home, there came a great company of villains, thiefs and robbers to the house, and surprised the servants, and bound them with cords, hands and feet; and after coming into the room where the gentlewoman herself was, and commanded her to bring them and to show them the place where her husband's money bags all were: The woman being in a maze, knew not what to do, but being in danger of her life, but prayed them even for God's sake to spare her life, and she would do for them all that she could; and so she brought them to a room where was great store of gold and silver, money and plate, and other rich commodities which they took away and loaded some of their horses with; but having not enough to satisfy their greedy desire, they eme again to the woman, and said they would hang her, if she would not help them to more money. She answered, that she knew of never a penny but what they had already. Whereupon one of the villains took her and would have ravished her, & afterwards like a merciless wretch hanged her up by the neck in a silk scarce which she had about her middle: which being done, he went again with some others of his fellows, and searched every room about the house, and took what they could find; and coming bacl again the same way that they went, they found the woman praying upon her knees, and praising God for her preservations for the knot which they had tied was loosened, and so she fell to the ground, by what means she herself nor none else doth know. Then they took her and hanged her the second time with a bridle of one of their horses, saying, if that were not strong enough, that they would be hanged for her. Which being done, the Thiefs made away. Now mark well what afterwards came to pass, it pleased God that with her struggling and striving when they were gone, that the bridle broke and she fell to the ground again. And when her husband came home, she having recovered her senses and health, told him of all the passages which had happened unto her. Not long time after that her husband and she came to London about some business which they had to do; and on the day when the great show was to be seen in the fields with the Train bands of London, the gentleman and his wife were there, and standing near unto the Tent where my Lord Mayor was, the woman saw the man which had hanged her, and done her all the wrong, and knowing him to be the same, caused him to be apprehended and sent to the prison of Newgate, and being arraigned at the Bar for his life, confessed the matter, and peacht others of his companions, For which offence there were five of them taken and condemned to die, of which one was pressed to death, and the other four with two other offenders, were hunged at Tyburn in April the last day of the Month, whose names were as followeth,  
Mr, Prescot, Mr. Baxter, Mr. Taylor, Mr. Horton, Mr. Loveridge, all hanged to death, Mr. Hancock pressed to death.  
The truth of this may be verified by more than ten thousand people which saw them suffer at the place of Execution.  
By this we may see how powerful & how merciful God is to them that put their trust in the Lord: Therefore let no man nor woman think that any one is able to foretell or know what God will have brought to pass. And of this be sure, that God will never leave us nor forsake us, except we leave him and forsake him first: therefore I desire all good people to serve God truly and duly both day and night, and to pray unto him that he will be pleased to guide our hearts and minds in the true knowledge of God, and of his Son our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be ascribed all honour and power, might, majesty, and thanksgiving.  
FINIS.