●EAREFVLL NEWS FROM COVENTRY, OR A true Relation and Lamentable Story of one Thomas Holt of Coventrey a Musician:  
Who through Covetousness and Immoderate love of money, sold himself to the Devil, with whom he had made a contract for certain years.  
And also of his most Lamentable end and death, on the 16. day of February. 1641.  
To the terror and Amazement of the Inhabitants thereabouts. written by Laurence Southern of Coventrey.  
London, Printed for john Thomas. 1642.   

A True and Lamentable story of one Thomas Holt of Coventrey Musician, who through covetousness and immoderate love of money, sold himself to the Devil, and also of his most lamentable end, on the 16. of February. 1641.  
Mark Gentle Reader, for thine own good, and the comfort of thy soul, the damnable effects of covetousness and distrust of Gods never failing providence.  
This man the sad subject of this little treatise was a Musician in Coventry, whom for his skill in his Art and profession few or none could compare with him, by which he gained not only the love of many Gentlemen thereabouts; but also a competent estate to himself: God moreover to enlarge his blessings if grace had caused him so to think of it, gave him nineteen children, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of the Prophet David doth manifest to be great blessings, for saith he in the Psalms, Lo children the fruit of the womb are a blessing, and an inheritance that comes from the Lord; But he to the contrary thought them to be curses, and distrusting God's providence thought that he who doth and is able to provide for all the creatures on the face of the Earth, yea and feeds the young Ravens that call upon him, was not able, or if he could, yet he would not afford means to maintain and provide for those children which he had given, but indeed as it is so it will be an infallible truth that infidelity & miserable belief, are the grand and sole ringleaders to damnation, and to these he joined covetousness, which indeed is a root upon which many great sins are branches, for he that will be suddenly rich, must enter into divers tentations; The first which is Infidelity, and so misbelief, that if we believe any thing, yet we believe not what we ought to believe, because we want the ground of it which is faith. Now the want of this faith makes us that we cannot apprehend that saying which God once said to Abr●ham in the 17 of Gen. verse 1. where he saith, I am the Almighty God, and therefore all sufficient, but what follows, thou must saith God if thou wilt have me to be all sufficient unto thee, walk before me, and ●●●erfell: 'tis true, this persection was in Abraham because he had faith to bel●●●● God's promises, but how can this perfection be in him who can neither believe God nor his promises: but before speak any more of this I shall think it fit to say some thing of the damnable contract between the Devil & the wretched subject of my discourse, the truth whereof is too apparent, and indeed I could wish that no such truth had caused me to set a pen to paper, and to condole that late and yet too soon, and by him ever to be lamented, hard unfortunate and graceless act, is now too late, but that every Christian who is yet alive that shall chance to take a perusual hereof, I have endeavoured to relate a Real truth and no more, as just information hath been given me.  
It hath plainly appeared both by his wife and other creadible neighbours, that upon the 16 of February Last past; which to their sorrow and loss, some of them are forced to justify, there arose a mighty and tempestuous wind, from morning till night, by reason whereof some had their houses blown down, others their reeks of come and hay served in like manner, and inconclution many had loss and wrong, the very day this wretched man perceiving his time to be but short and almost drawn to a period day; too his cost, to soon being spent, and night approaching he repairs to his death bed, his wife with him also, wherein long he had not continued but he called his wife, desiring her to fetch him Pen Ink and paper, professing that he must not delay but forthwith make his last will and testament. His wife wondering at this his sudden and unexpected resolution half amazed, and suppossed it had been rather in jest then earnest, she seemed to procrastinate and delay the time, but he absolute in his determination urged her forthwith to dispatch, saying that by and by a man would come and knock at his door to speak with him but saith he deny me, and say I am not at home, his Wife to fulfil his desire not knowing the event or the cause that moved him there unto, went to fetch him those things he asked for, which being no sooner brought, but before he could make use of them the unwellcome messenger he last speak of came and knocked at his door, I am quoth he now I doubt prevented the man is come bnfore I can dispatch the thing I meant to have done, but howsoever deny me if it be possible.  
Down then went his Wife from her Husband to the door, unto which when she came, she found a man, and a handsome man as she thought, who said to her thus, (woman) where is thy husband: the woman replied Sir he is not now at home; Nay woman quoth he deny him not for that is in vain, for I know that he is now in bed, and I must and will speak with him.  
The woman unwilling to with stand a known truth gave him leave to enter the house, and shown him where her husband was, unto which place when he came, their was strait some private conference betwixt them, the woman his wife then present, pondering in her mind, the cause of such sad and solatery passages, she perceived to be between them, at last this infernal fiend after their damnable discourse ended, changed his assumed shape and appeared to the woman what indeed he was, the woman at her husband's end, being almost driven to her wit's end, ran down the stairs to call her neighbours about her but before she or they came, the man by that murdering fiend the devil, was at once robed of his life here, and much to bedoubted of his life hereafter, and at the return of his wife and neighbours they found this miserable Caitiff dead in his bed, with his neck broken, to the terror of the beholders, he had in his life time a Chest wherein he would never suffer neither his wife nor any child he had to look in, which after his death was opened and found filled to the top with Gould, as they thought, but being once touched it fell to dust, I speak not here of the number of years that the Devil gave him to live, because to none but himself it was Known I might say something of his course of life but that is needles, for it is easily understod that his life is abhominabl whose death is Damnable, so then, and mark whosoever thou art that givest thyself to covetousness and will not the Lord to be suffitient for the mark also what it hath wrought in many others, and make them an example to thyself, I could instance many but I will speak only of these as pertinent to this occasion, the first is that arch traitor judas who because he could get no more, would under value his Lord and Master and rather than he would go without money, would sell him though it were but for thirty pieces of silver, a second is that Ananias who through covetousness and to save his money would not stick to lie though it were against the Holy Ghost.  
A thir● is that covetous Acan who could not rest till he had stolen the wedge of gold and the Babilonish garment.  
Another of the same nature we may read of Ahab who lay groaning upon his bed sick and would not eat bread till he had the Vinyard of Nabeth, and rather than his purpose should be of none effect, he would by that wicked instrument jesebell his wife, cause him to be stoned to death.  
But what was the end of these covetous wretches; for the first, he came and made abare confession of his fault but wanting Grace went away and desperately hanged himself, another with his wife also which is not here expressed, at the rebuke of one of the Apostles for lying against the holy Ghost was suddenly smitten dead.  
A third for his theft and unjust desires was for the same ajudged to be stoned to death.  
The fourth and last for that he sold himself to work wickedness, was by the just decree of Almighty GOD, strangely shot into the body as he fate in his Chariott, by which mortal wound he died.  
O! the folly and madness of many men, who sell their souls eternal happiness for a few temporal and fading pleasures, but if they would consider with me these two things certainly it would be a large motive to reduce men from prising temporal things at so high a rate, as many now a days do.  
O! that man would consider the eternity of his soul which because it is the breath of GOD it cannot die, but must live everlastingly in either weal or woe, now if it depart the body under the wrath and curse of GOD, in what miserable estate doth the body leave it; and so to it's cost will one day find it, for this is true, that as death leaves a man, so judgement will find him. For it is an old saying that as the tree falls so it lies, for after death Repentance is no whit prevalent, for than we shall repent for nothing, but this that we repent no sooner, for such will be the extremity of pain in that lake of fire and Brimstone whereby the soul shall be so distracted that it can think of nothing but execrations, blasphemies and the like; Now it is eternity that adds fuel to this fire, for so oft as the Soul thinks of this little word (ever) it is a Hell in the midst of Hell, Nay it is a very Hell itself. O! the heavy doom of the just judgement of Almighty GOD, who as he hath not limited his mercies to his elect, so he hath not set or appointed an end of punishment to the Reprobate, but so far is their misery from ending, that it is ever but beginning, now then let those damned soul selling witches Conjurers, and such like, duly consider the miseries of eternal death, consider it I sayall you that forget GOD, least suddenly his wrath break out upon you and heteare you in pieces whilst there is none to help you, consider also that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, for he is a God of pure eyes, and cannot behold innequitie with any the least consent or liking, but will punish it either here or hereafter, though in his dearest Children.  
But that no man should despair, let him know that as God is a just God, so he is a merciful God also, for his mercies are above all his works, for let the wicked sorsake his fin, and the unjust man his dealing, and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him, and will abundantly pardon, therefore forsake fin, and fear not but thou shalt find mercy, upon which I wish every man to rely.  
FINIS.