¶ A description of a monstrous Child, borne at chichester in Sussex, the xxiiii day of May. This being the very length, and bigness of the same. M. CCCCC. LXII.  
 

WHen God for sin, to plague hath meant  
Although, he long defarde  
He tokens truly, strange hath sent  
To make his foes a feared.   

That they thereby, might take remorse  
Of their ill life misspent  
And more of love, then fear or force  
Their formal faults repent.   

Before the earth was overflown  
With waters huge throughout  
He sent them Noah, that holy one  
Who daily went about.   

To call them then, to Godly life  
At whom they laughte and fumed  
He was contemde of man and wife  
Till they were all consumed.   

Loath did preach most earnestly  
But it did not prevail:  
Then fire and brimstone verily  
Upon them down did hail.   

Pharaoes' heart had no remorse  
Though wonders strange he saw  
But rather was therefore the worce  
Without all fear or awe.   

Until both he and his therefore  
By justice sent of God  
In raging seas, were all forlore  
And then he felt the rod.   

Ten times truly were the jews  
In captive brought and led  
Before each time, it God did use  
His tokens strange we read.   

The year before Vaspatian came  
The jews a heifer dressed  
Which being slain, did calf a lame  
This sign they soon did wrest,   

As others do, and still have done  
In making it as vain  
Or else good luck, they say shall come  
As please their foolish brain.   

The Heathen could foresee and say  
That when such wonders were  
It did foreshow to them alway  
That some ill hap drew near.   

The scripture saith, before the end  
Of all things shall appear  
God will wonders strange things sends  
As some is seen this year.   

The silly infants, void of shape  
The Calves and pigs so strange  
With other more of such mishap  
Declareth this worlds change.   

But here, lo, see above the rest  
A Monster to behold  
proceeding from a Christian breast  
To monstrous to be told.   

No Carver can, nor Painter may  
The same so ugly make  
As doth itself show at this day  
A sight to make the quake.   

But here thou haste by Printing art  
A sign thereof to see  
Let each man say within his heart  
It preacheth now, to me.   

That I should seek to live henceforth  
In Godly life alway  
For these be tokens now sent forth  
To preach the later day.   

Also it doth demonstrate plain  
The great abuse and vice  
That here in England now doth reign  
That Monstrous is the guise.   

By reading stories, we shall find  
In scripture, and else where  
That when such things came out of kind  
God's wrath it did declare.   

But if we lightly weigh the same  
And make but nine days wonder  
The Lord our stoutness, soon will tame  
And sharply bring us under.   

Then ponder well betimes, long past  
The sequel of such signs  
And call to God by prayer in haste  
From sin to change our minds.   

Repent, amend both high and low  
The word of God embrace  
To live thereto, as we should do  
God give us all the grace.   
quod. Ihon. D.  
¶ The father hereof is one Vyncent, a boutcher, both he and his wife being of honest & quiet conversation. They having had chyldre before, in natural proportion; and went with this her full tyme.   

¶ Imprinted at London, by Leonard Askel for Frances Godlyf. In the year of our Lord. 1562.