A Weapon of Defence AGAINST Sudden Death.  
OR, A brief Description of the desperat times in which we live. Being a brief and true Relation of the evils that proceeds and follows after vain-glorious opinions and cursed Desperation: By the example of several people both in the City of London, and in other parts of our Nation. showing the manner of their ungodly living, and how they came by their untimly deaths this present year, 1656. for want of serving of God, and taking good heed.  
Here is also a brief and true Relation of the terrible storms of Lightning and Thunder, Hail and Rain which happened at Norwich, July 20. 1656.  
Written by L. Price, and printed on purpose for others to take warning by.  
London, Printed for W. Gilbettson at the sign of the Bible in Giltspur-street, 1656.   

The Epistle, or Preface  
BRiefly showing and setting fort● the mercies of God, the frailty o● man, the deceitfulness of the world, an● the temptations of the Devil; Being fit pattern for all sorts of people, whether they be rich or poor; not onely t● look upon, but also to bare it in remembrance, and to think upon it at every up-rising and down-lying, and a● every going forth and coming in and my Prayer shall be, that God wil● be pleased to give a Blessing both t● your souls and bodies, so that you ma● never fall into desperation, nor com● by any untimely death, as of late to● many have done, as you shall hear i● this my strange and true Discourse.  
Collected and written by one tha● would wish that all men might have 〈◇〉 care how they led their lives,  
Your Friend, L. P.   

A Weapon of Defence against Sudden Death.  

ON the first day of March this present year, 1656. which is called Saint Davids day there was one David Harrison living in the Town of Meedly in Yorkshire, a tailor by trade, who was given very much to mocking, scoffing, and jéering, Swearing, Drunkenness, and the like; It chanced so that he coming into an Al-house where were some of his acquaintance, he sate down to drink with them, being half drunk before he came in; so his Neighbours shewed him civil respect, and bade him sit down: Now mark what after came to pass, this David Harrison said, and did swear a most bloody Oath, that he would make all the folks in the house drunk of his own charge, in honour of his name, because it was S. Davids day, so calling in for a dozen together, he began to drink Healths to one, and to another, so long, that he had made himself so drunk, that he cowl hardly go or stand, his Neighbours all persuaded him to forbear swearing and drinking, and ho go home, but the more they persuaded him, the worse he was, for every time he drunk he spewed it up again, and every time he spake he swore a bloody Oath, and at the last he swore God dam him body and soul if he did not drink himself sober again, before he did go out of the house; but in that he was falsely for sworn, for as he put the Flagon pot to his mouth, thinking to have swallowed down all the drink, his nose burst out a bleeding, and he fell backward to tee round like a man distracted of his wits, where he lay cursing and swearing near upon eight and forty hours, for his bleeding at nose could never be stopped nor stinted, till such time he had bled himself to death; and now Ile leave it for all men to judge whether this man had not his death deservedly.  
But surely, though a man will say, that every one shall have that Death which is allotted for them; My opinion is this, if he had served God in a better maner, he might have come to a better end, and that if he had made good use of his time, he might have lived many a fair year longer; But to be brief, the matter that is here spoken of was sent up in a Letter from the Masters of the Parish were it was done, and desired to have it put in Print, to the end that all Mockers and Scorners, Swearers, and Pot-companions, both in the City of London, and in all other places may take warning hereby, and with speed amend their sinful lives, which GOD grant we may all do.   

Here followeth another strange and true Relation of the deplorable life and untimely death of James parnel, a Quaker.  
SOme people of England are now grown to such a giddy-headed manness, the like was never known in any Age before, as it ma appear by one James Parnel a Quaker, which travelled up and down from place to place preaching and teaching false Doctrine, and telling them that all that were not of his Congregation were damned to eternity; moreover he said, how that the Bible was of none effect, and that Davids Psalms were but Ballads: Furthermore he said, that he himself was a Prophet, and that he could do as many Miracles as Christ did do when he was living on the earth, and that he was able to make the deaf to hear, the dumb to speak, the lame to go, the blind to see, and to raise the dead to life again; Now mark what became of him at the last, through his vain-glorious opinion of himself, After he had traveled through many Cities, Towns, and Countries, as London, Bristol, gloucester, Exester, Salisbury, Worcester, Hereford, Cicester, Chichester, southampton, the Ile of Wight, Winchester, and many other places, still teaching the people after his own inventions; He came at last into the County of Essex, where he finished up his last dayes, the manner how was thus, he  told the people there, that if they would believe in him he would show them a miracle, and said that as Christ fasted forty dayes and forty nights, so would he undertake to do, but for seducing the people, and bringing them to a false belief, and for his Blasphemies, he was apprehended, and sent to Colchester, and there kept in prison, where he undertook( as he said he would do) to fast forty days and nights, so because he should have no excuse for his fallacy, he was watched that none should come to give him victuals in private, but if he would eat openly in the sight of the people, he was allowed to have as much victuals as he would desire, to be set before him every day: But to be brief, he still continued in his own wilful fopperies, and fasted ten days and nights together, and ne er tasted of one bit of bread nor drop of drink, and all this was done because he would have been though to have been a Prophet, but the eleventh day he became to be so hungry, that he had no longer power to forbear, but called for food, and had it brought unto him, but alas it did do him no good, for by reason of his over long fasting, his guts and entrails were clammed up, and clung together, insomuch that the victuals could not have its natural passage into the parts of his body which it should have gone into, and so in that miserable taking was starved to death, having plenty of victuals at command, but could not eat.  
And being dead a jury of men went upon him, whereby to find the true manner of the cause of his death, and so at the last they gave up their Verdict to this purpose, that he was guilty of his own death, and that he had done wilful murder upon himself, in that he restrained himself from that bodily sustenance that the Lord in mercy hath ordained for the relief of all mankind: And because no one shall have any cause to make any doubt of the truth hereof, it is witnessed by Master judas tailor the Fore-man of the Inquest, and Master Joseph Smith, another of the Inquest, who with the consent of Master Alderman Gael of Colchester, the Verdict was given in and approved, on May the fifth, 1656.   

Here is a true Relation of a most horri● Murder committed on the River o● Thames by two Watermen, and afterwards discovered by themselves, who were excecuted for the same Murder in July last, 1656 at Maidstone in Kent and afterwargs brought to Graaefend and their hanged in Chains both upon one Gibbet, for others to take warning there by; The manner was as followeth.  
IN the year that is here spoken of, on the time which is called my Lord Maiors day, a young man that lived near Smithfield-Bars, whose name was Christopher Savage unfortunate●y killed his Mother-in-law with a stab of a knife, the cause wherefore it was done there's no man can tell, for so soon as ever he had done the bloody dead he ran away, and so took Boot to go by water because he would not be discovered, but as they were upon the water, he began to tell the watermen strange matters, and said that he was a grazier, and had been at a fair and sold a great many head of Cattle; moreover he said that his business was in great hast, and that if they ●ould row apace he would pay them well for their pains, for he said he had money enough; whereupon the Watermen seeing the cost to be clear, laid by their Oars and ran suddenly upon him, to one held him that he should not stir whilst the other cut his throat; No sooner was this bloody murder performed, but they took away his money, tied a great ston about his body, because he should sink to the bottom,& so threw him over-boord into the water, thinking that he should never be seen nor heard of again: But now mark the wonderful works of the Lord, how strangely murder will be brought to light, though it be don never so secretly, these two Watermen which had don the Murder afterwards fell out about sharing the Money, one of their names was Smith, and the others name was Gurney, both of them dwelling in Gravesend; Sometimes Smith would say when they were in a place where they thought no body could hear them, that Gurney had more share of the Money then he dad; Sometimes Gurney would say that Smith had the greatest part of the Money; but at one time amongst the rest they fell out grievously, and were ready to fight about it, and one of them  told the other in plain terms that he was the party that cut the mans throat, and cast him over-boord, which words were heard and taken notice of, whereupon they were both apprehended and sent to Maidstone Gaole, and at the Assizes were found guilty by the jury, condemned by the judge, and according to their deserts were both hanged in chains near Gravesend in Kent, where all the Passengers that goes or comes that way either by Land or by Water may see them.   

Here followeth another strange Relation which is very well known to be true.  
UPon the twentieth day of july, this presant year 1656. in the county of Norfolk there happened such a dreadful tempest of Thunder. Lightning, hail rain, and whirlwinds, that the li●e thereof was never seen nor known in England by the oldest man or woman that is now alive, which tempest first of all began at the City of Norwich, it being then the Sabath of the Lord about four or five a clock in the afternoon; the maner how the tempestuous weather began in Norwich was in this manner; The first aparitions that were seen and taken notis of was Lightning and thunder in a most strange and violent maner which made the people all amazed that saw the lightning and heard the thunder, in so much that some thought that the world was then at an end, but tis very known that their ws sorrowas was not then at an end, let them think what they would, for it was so that in a little time after there appeared a mighty black Hitchy Cloud, which darkened both the Sun and the sky, insomuch that the that stood one close to another, could hardly know one from another, yet that Cloud afforded store of fire, in such plenty, as if it had come from the mouth of a Furnace, with such a smokes if it had proceeded from hell itself.  
Then presently after followed a bright shining Cloud, which the people understood to be a token of Gods mercy towards them, and so it was indeed, for had the black cloud continued a longer time there, it is supposed by men of good understanding, that matters had happened worse then they did, and it was too bad as it wwas, for why immedietely there came such a mighty storm of hail and Rain that powred down as if Heaven and Earth would come together, with a strong whirl-wind, that the force thereof beat down many Buildings; and made the Glass windows to fly in pieces, insomuch that five thousand pou●ds will not suffice to make that good that was spoyled at that time, Some of the Hail-stones being taken up were found to be as big as pigeons Eggs, some as big as Hens Eggs, and some bigger.  
But that's not all, for the country round about felt and suffered greater extremities; for by the means of the dreadful Lightning that fell from the Sky, there were many Ricns of Hay and Corn set on fire, and by the violence of the Thunder, and Whirl-wind, houses were beaten to the ground, and many people lost their lives. A multitude of Corn was quiter destroyed by Lightning and Thunder, and trees were torn up by the yoots; Birds flying in the air were strike dead, and Herbs and Flowers in fields and Gardens blasted Some grounds that were fruitful and b●re Corn on Saturday night, was made like Plou'd land before Monday morning: These things( dear christians) are hard to be believed, but it is known to be too true.  
And now to draw to a conclusion let us consider that this was the handy work of the Almighty God of Heaven and Earth, and that he that did so by them, can do the like to us therfore let us all with faithful hearts and true repentance seek the Lord whilst he may be found in mercy.  
One thing more is to be considered concerning the hayle-stones that fell in the City of Norwich how them that were the bigest and greatest of all were of divers several shapes and fashions, some of them had the likeness of a mans eye to be seen in them, some had the likeness of a mans face; some of them were like Great Buttons which is a fashion that is now in great request in the City; some of them were like pieces of Ice, and had the likeness of a Lion upon them, and many other strange shapes were then to be seen: These things in the judgement of the world seems to be impossible, but there is nothing impossible to God; and verile I am persuaded that God sent these wonderful signs and tokens amongst them so sudden and unexpectedly, to put us all in mind of a greater sorrow that will shortly come upon the World, except we speedily repent and amend our sinful lives.   

UPon the five and twentieth day of july, at Lemster, and the country thereabouts there was such a horrible Tempest of Thunder and Lightning, which destroyed and blasted a numberless deal of Corn, of Hops, and of Garden fruits, and Orchard fruits, insomuch that many people are undone by the means thereof: And at Bransyard in Wrcestershire the Lightning set four Barns on fire that self-same night.  
The 26. day of july in Nottinghamshire there was a wonderful strange tempestuous weather, the like whereof there's no man alive can remember, for in the darksome time of the night there arose such a terrible Tempest of Thunder, Lightning, Hail and Rain, as if heaven and earth would come together; insomuch that the people that were traveling upon the road, might by means of the flashes of Lightning see every way what was before& behind them, as brief as if it had been at noon day, by means whereof were many Barns, Ricks, and Fields of standing Corn burned and consumed to ashes, and many people killed with the Thunder.   
FINIS.