THE main Ocean being the general Empire or Dominion of the Whale, the admiring World look upon it as a prodigie, if at any time that mighty Leviathan makes a prodigal excurtion out of his own spacious Confines, to sport himself in any Creek or River.

Some People have been so supersticious as to take notice, that there commonly falls out some extraordinary Change or Revolution in those Countreys where such a thing hap­pens; but what reason they have for it, I cannot yet ima­gine: So heretofore Men took their Augury from flying-Birds, or the entrails of dead Beasts; but how little intelli­gence this as inquisitive, and if I did not live in it my self, I should say more learned Age, has gathered out of such Observations, I leave to the Prudent to Compute.

I know some Men who have precipitated their own Mor­tality, and conceited they should immediately dye, before (as the subsequence after proved it) Providence intended their expiration; meerly upon the insignificant Clicking, or well-measured palpitation of a discontented Wood-worm, or Death-watch. Others who have took pet at their own Salubriosity or Health, and been frighted into an Ague, or Consumption at the letcherous shricks of a wanton Weesel. For my part, who am no Admirer of Old Womens Sto­ries, I know no reason why we may not as rationally tremble at the obstreperous neighings of a Rude Stone-Horse; or put on a Sick Cap at the lascivious noise of a clamorous Catter­wauling, [Page 4] as be terrified at either of them. So far am I from insinuating any doubts or fears into the minds of any of my Fellow Subjects, that I think they had never less occa­sion to apologize a smile, or excuse the mirth of a Jubilee, than now they have; and perhaps the most discontented of them would club with me in that belief, would their frenzy give them so much patience as to consider, That most part of the yet known World are now involved in Martial Broils; whilst the indulgent Heavens are so kind as to admit us to be the quiet Commiserators of their miseries.

My Pen raves, and Phancy itches to amplifie upon that Subject; but fearing my large Porch is already too big for my little House, I will baulk my inclinations to pur­sue my Theme.

Being not over-cumber'd with business, I made it part of mine to walk the Streets, which I found lately infected with the hideous noise of a Blazing-Star, or prodigious Comet, which was visibly seen here in England (as if other Parts of the World were not admitted The fine sh— or Rarity show; and might not as reasonably appropriate insuing evills to themselves, as some of our discontented Fanaticks do to us) whereupon I consulted the Judgment of the Learned concerning the nature of a Meteor, which I find them all agree (except the Lillian Tribe) to be no other than an Ignis fatuus, or Will of the Wisp drawn by the Sun's extraordinary exhalations into a higher Sphere, and owns its elevation to that degree of heat which at­tracts it.—

After this I heard the Multitude ask for an Account of a Strange Whale, which was lately taken —they could not tell where, but somewhere about England they were sure of it. This made me solicitous to enquire after it; and I was so fortunate at last to meet with the Master [Page 5] of a Ship who was an Eye-witness of its incursion, and gave me this following Account concerning it.

That on the 23. of this present Month April, the Neigh­bouring Inhabitants to a fair River in Essex, known by the Name of Wivner-River (whose Mouth opens to the Sea) perceived a great disturbance in the Water, which big­gened the expectations of the Countrey-Men in those parts, so that some of them threw down their Shovels, others forsook their Plough-tails; and in fine, the generality of them left their Imployments to go to be the Spectators of the Event of so unusual an Accident. The troubled Water put some of them into pious cogitations, whilst others gaping for the Event, spy'd the back of a Fish of an ex­traordinary size, who by her discontented postures and fre­quent struglings seem'd to quarrel with the narrowness of the River for more Elbow-room. She sometimes threw her prodigious Head above the Waves, at other times with her spreading Tail shovelled the Sands so high, that part of them fell on the Spectators Heads: One while she flown­ced at such a rate, that they beheld the greatest part of her Body, and with the ponderous squelsh of her large Bulk falling again into the Water, made the depressed Waves in a haughty insurrection out-swell their Bancks, and threaten an over-flow to the Neighbouring Meads.

In this discontented motion she continued to go up some part of that River, till she came within six miles of Colchester, where the Sands being washt away by the preceding Tide, she was fain to struggle for life in a low Water and hard bottom; where, with her extraordinary endeavour to quit her self of that premunire, she brake off part of her Tall, and with a deluge of Blood which immediately issued from that fraction, coloured the whole Stream with a sanguine or bloody Tincture; in so much [Page 6] that those Inhabitants who lived some distance off, nearer the Sea, were startled at the alteration, and really ima­gined that no less an accident than that of a Bloody fight could stain the Water with so deep a Dye.

In fine, the Spectators were amaz'd; no Man durst ven­ture to seize upon the unusual Visitant, till at length she her self sav'd them that labour; for having struggled so long in those shallow Waters, she bruis'd her self so much, that had she not had that misfortune of breaking off her Tail, it is since judg'd she could not have liv'd, had she recovered her beloved Ocean.

In short, Reader, this Gentleman who gave me this infor­mation told me that in this lamentable condition she endea­voured to resist her fate, till at length, for want of both breath and blood, she dyed in the Water, being of so large a bulk that the River could not cover her: Her Body strutted out of the Waters like a Hill, or Promontory; and when she was drawn out of the River and came to be measured, she was found to be no less than fifty Foot in length, and twenty eight in thickness.

Perhaps it may be expected by some, that since I have un­dertaken to give an account of the arrival of this prodigious Creature, I should also turn Naturalist, and be obliged to give the World the Reason of their excursions in general.

I know there are divers have guess'd at those inducements which have caused Whales to wander out of their Natural Province, the unbounded Ocean; but since they have not been able to giue us a sensible demonstration, we may chuse whether we will pin an implicite credulity on their (in other things) authentick sleeves.

Pliny would perswade us that their unnatural wandrings are generally caused by sickness or indisposition of Body, which, as with rational, so much more with sensitive Crea­tures usually makes them restless and discontented; this it is which makes them out of conceit with their old Coverts, and run like mad Dogs at Adventures, they greatly care not whither, having vainly tried for a Medicine in the salt Wa­ters, their sense inclines them to hope for what they mist of there in the fresh; so that having made some entrance into some Creek which leads to a Rivers mouth, the fresh Wa­ter still increasing upon them, they never return till they are either taken or Sanded.

Some hold that there are some Tides so impetuous, that by vertue of their strength alone they are able to hurle a young Whale into the mouth of a fresh Water River; in which, perhaps she may sport her self awhile, till those Waters re­vert and treacherously leave her on the naked Sands.

A third sort of opinions there are, who do appropriate to a storm the same effect.

And a fourth, and indeed these are most numerous, though (perhaps least authentick) who would have Whales to be brought to Land by the same means, and for the same Rea­son, as (they would have it) Comets are placed in the Skie, viz. either as a certain sign of an insuing Judgment to fall upon that Nation over which they depend, or else a favour­able warning given us by the Almighty, to turn from some notorious sins, and consequently avoid those threatning pu­nishments which nothing but a real reformation and hearty repentance can infallibly avoid.

For all I have said I know some people upon this Narra­tive will be apt to be presaging, but as long as it shall please the Almighty to keep in health his most sacred Majesty, and (as he already has) to give him the Love of his Subjects, and a happy Concordance with their representitive the Parlia­ment, I think we should abuse the remarkable mercies of our God in fearing ensuing miseries, whilst we have such proba­ble hopes of future Prosperity.