Strange and Terrible News from Sea. Or: A True Relation of a Most Wonderful Violent TEMPEST OF Lightning and Thunder. On Friday, the 18th. of this Instant Jan. 1678. Whereby the Mainmast of a Ship, Riding at Anchor off of Cows was split from the top to the bottom: Fourteen Men upon the Upper Deck, and Three between Decks struck, and Five of them left for Dead, their Eyes and Teeth being immovable, and their Bodies stinking so of Sulphur, that none could endure the smell. With several other Lamentable Passages Communicated in a Letter from a Gentleman on Board, to a Friend in Cheapside.  
With Allowance, Ro. L'Estrange.  
Printed by A. P. and T. H. for John' Clerk, at the Bible and Harp, in West-smith-field, 1678.   

Strange and Terrible News from Sea. etc.  
'TIs generally known what exceeding rough and tempestuous Wether we have had of late; and I presume few parts of England have escaped the Notice. I wish all may have avoided the harms of that prodigious Storm that happened on Friday the 18th, instant, about three a clock in the morning: at London it was very surprising and dreadful, coming with so sudden and impetuous a violence like a Hurriance, that it generally affrighted people, making many leap out of their Beds in astonishment, as if Doomsday had been at hand, to inform themselves better of this unexpected occasion of terror; it being followed with such an excessive Volley of Hail, that the like has hardly been known in our Age; and several of the Watchmen have assured me, That divers of the Hailstones at their first descent were very little inferior to Pigeons (nay, some say Pullet's) Eggs in Magnitude; The Thunder and Lightning that proceeded, was very considerable here, but nothing so extraordinary as in parts remote, and especially at Sea, of its strange and lamentable effects there; we have one very remarkable instance, faithfully Communicated from a Gentleman on Board, as follows.  
ON Tuesday last we sailed to Cows, the wind coming up at West, we cast Anchor there, intending to take the opportunity of the first fair wind, but it continued not only contrary, but also extreme high blustering and outrageous, and on Thursday a prodigious mixture of so much Rain, Hail, Wind, Thunder, and Lightning, as if the Element had been Involved in civil Wars, and Factious Meteors had took a solemn league to depose the Sun, and huddle the World into its primitive Chaos of Darkness, Confusion and Horror: but this was still but a suitable Prologue to a more dismal tragedy; for behold! about three a clock on Friday morning, (the very time of the mighty storm at London) there broke a Clap of thunder so dreadful into our Ship, that we all Imagined one of our Guns had casually took fire, and went off, but were soon taken off from that Imagination, when we perceived the hideous flashes of lightning which acccompanied it: so dreadfully as if all the Planets descending from their Orbs had with United fires set the Hemisphere into a general and continued Blaze; Nor was the terror of the sight all the effect it had upon us, but in a moment it split our main mast, as easily as you would peal a rush, from the very top to the bottom in the Hold: Nor did other parts of our tackle speed much better: for our main topmast was shivered into small pieces, and the pendent at the Main-top-mast-head burned to Ashes, but what was still more sad: it beat down by its violent impetuosity Fourteen men upon the deck, and had like to have hurled several into the Sea, nay it cast down three that were between the Decks: for its force was so great, and with all its operation so subtle, being as it were a Spirituous body that nothing could withstand it.  
On these poor men that had the ill fortune to be hurt by it: Five of them for a considerable time after were taken for dead, having no Simptomes of life left: for there was not the least Perception of Breath or Pulse, and both thei● Eyes and Teeth were Immovable, and yet had no visible wound, bruise, or hurt about them, but stunk so extremely of Sulphur (or Brimstone) that we could hardly endure to go near them. In this desperate condition they continued half an hour or thereabouts: But at last by rubbing them, forcing open their mouth, and pouring down spirits and other restoritive Cordials, we recovered them to some operations of Vitality, & do hope to preserve all their lives, but they are so strangely Crazed in their senses that 'tis feared they will scarce ever enjoy the exercise of their reason and understandings so fully as formerly.  
Besides these, there are 6 more that are miserably burned through their clothes, I mean their flesh scorched, and yet their garments not consumed, nor so much as singed as far as we can perceive; their Skin is much discoloured, and looks as it were burnt to a Coal, but the doctor does not doubt to cure them perfectly. By reason of this disastrous Accident, we are forced to return to Portsmouth for reparation, etc.  
Dated Jan. 20 th'. 1677.  
By this most certain and plain Relation, we may perceive the wonderful strange force of Lightning, how strong it is, and how penetrating, how sudden in its Approach, how terrible in its Execution. Philosophers have treated largely both of the Generation of thunder and lightning, as also of their dismal effects: But methinks none has described it with a more happy mixture of Judgement and Fancy, than the Noble Du Bartas, whose words with some small variation I shall presume here to repeat.  

— Hark! Hark! methinks  
The World's wall shakes, the Earth's foundation shrinks;  
And sure the Furies in black Erebus,  
Transport their Hell between the Heaven and us:  
Thunder! what's that? they say a vapour moist,  
Which both from fresh and from salt water's hoist:  
In the same instant with Hot Exhalations,  
In the airy Regions secondary Stations;  
Where fiery Fumes besieged with the Crowd,  
And keen cold thickness of that dampish cloud;  
Strengthen their strength, and with redoubled Volleys,  
Of joined heat on the cold Leaguer sallies:  
And without resting, loud it groans and grumbles,  
And rolls, and roars, and round, round, round, it rumbles:  
Till having rend the lower side a sunder,  
With sulphury flash it does go off in thunder.  
This Lightning of a purer Fume is framed,  
Through'ts own hot-dryness evermore inflamed;  
Whose power past credit, without rasing skin,  
Can bruise to powder all our bones within;  
Can melt the Gold that greedy Miser's hoard,  
In closebarred Coffers, and not burn the Board;  
Can melt the Blade, and never sing the sheath,  
Can scorch an Infant in the Womb to Death.  
And never Blemish in one sort or other,  
Flesh, Bone, or Sinew of th' amazed Mother:  
Consume the shoes, and never hurt the feet,  
Empty a Cask, and yet not perish it, etc.   
These properties we have in part seen verified in this Narrative: May all people lead their lives in sobriety and godliness, Working out their Salvation with fear and trembling; that guarded with faith and a good conscience, they may either avoid, or with a Christian Resolution meet all such sudden calamities. Certainly he that seriously considers the Majesty and Power of our Creator Manifested in the amazing Voice of thunder can never be an Atheist: those that would know more of the nature of Lightning, let them read full of Meteors.  
Finis.