SUch of late have been the imoderate Rains accompanyed with Prodigeous Thunders and Lightenings, that considering the Season of the year it has proved Extraordinary for frustrating the labours of the Husbandman in many places, by the fearful Inundations occasioned thereby; & proved destructive to Men, Wo­men and Children, House, Cattle, Stacks of Corn, and Hay, and the like, plainly demonstrating that when the Almighty pleases, he can Command the Elements to fight against us. But leaving a Ge­neral Demonstration, I shall come to particulars.

On Saturday the 19th. of May, 1683. A young man formerly living at Walworth in Surry, riding the Country to buy Horses at divers Fairs, and returning somewhat late in the Evening, thinking that Night to have reached Dunstable, having six or seven Horses tied tail to tail, and that day the Impeteous Rains having fallen with­out intermission for the space of 8 hours, he found that the Land-floods [Page 2]and rising of the Ri [...]ers thereby occasioned, had raised the Waters, to such a hight, that all the Road seemed one great River, but yet thinking it not deep, nor the Stream so fierce, as he afterwards found it, be adventured to pass through, but soon found his rashness when it admitted of no retreat, for coming to a place where the Water fell from the higher ground disgorged it self into a low Meddow full of dangerous Ditches, which at that time seemed all a Sea, the Horses who a long time had swome with him on their backs, were droven down by the Impetuosity of the Torrent and he together with them lost, being carryed the space of 700. yards, and there sunk in an Osier D [...]tch.

A Coach, with several persons of either Sex, coming from a Village near Market-Harborough in Leicester-Shire, about the begining of the last week the Coachman warranting a safe passage in a deep Road, the Horses plunging out of their depth, the Coach over-set and was notwithstanding draged by the Horses, swiming for the space of 100 yards, during which space those that were in it could not get out, yet 3. of them, there being 4 in also kept their heads a­bove Water, that they came safe to a shallow, the fourth being drown­ed as lying under the rest, yet such was their Miserable Condition that when come to the shallow, they could see no Land, neither be­fore nor behind them for near a furlong, and the waters still in­creased on them, so that they were forced to cut the Horses Harnes­es and tye them by the Rains to one of the wheels to keep them from plunging into a deeper water, then they had with so much danger pas­sed; and so sitting together with the Coachman, who had saved him­self by keeping his Box for the space of 4. hours in that Melancholy posture at the end thereof the Raine having sometime before ceased it so pleased God that the waters abated, & then geting upon the Horses they left the Coach and their dead Friend, and returned from whence they came, and to the amazement of the Country people made this Lamentable Relation.

A Gentleman coming from Oxford on the 29. of May between Wickham and Beckonsfield was together with his Horse carried away with the Stream, that came out of a Meddow on the right hand into a Meddow on the left, and there plunged into a River that drives the Paper Mills where his Horse was lost, and himself had followed the same fate had not Providence so ordered it that he caught hold on a Wislow that grew on the Banck, and so by scrambling up into it saved his life, being forced there to continue for the space of four hours, at what time a Millers Boat came to his releife: and we since hear, that in the bottom of Chalk-Hill near Stoken Church a Coach was over-set, and two passengers drowned, and that 300 Sheep, and several Cows, and Horses, perished the last week by over-flowing of the River Isis.

At Craford in Kent, a fearful Deluge happened on Whitsun-munday which entering several houses put the people into a great consterna­tion causing all the wooden Lumber below-stairs, to swim up and down, as also several Stacks of Hay and Corn, laying many Corn-Fields under water, to the great amazement of the Inhabitants. At what time, likewise a person looking out at his Window near that [Page 3]place was struck with a flash of Lightening, that if he be not since dead, 'tis conjectured he cannot live long.

A Wagon coming towards London, was near Rumford, on Thurs­day last, over-set by the Violence of the Flood that had rendered the ways exceeding deep, the manner thus; the Horses plunging into the water the Thill horse fell down, and in strugling over-threw the Wagon, which pressed down by the Lading, and people that were therein stood almost to the middle bar in water, & having cast the Lading, most of which was lost and spoiled by the Violence of the Stream driven down, it turning over and over, at length it was for­ced with such fury against a Bank or rather Sluce, through which the water rushed; that it beat in pieces e'r the Horses could be Dis­engaged, and the most of them drowned, the Wagoner hardly Es­caping.

From B [...]ston, in Lincoln-Shire. We have a Relation that 100. head of Cattle have been lost in the Fenns and Low Grounds thereabouts. As likewise some Houses Demolished, and many people killed and hurt, with the prodigious Thunder and Lightening, that has, for a Month past, happened in those parts, nor has the Sea by the Exceed­ing great Land-floods, that have of late rowled into it, failed to over­flovv its Banks, especially on the Coasts of Holland, and Zeland, vvhere the Dikes, being broken through with Violence of the Waves and their softness, by reason of the continual Rain, that for the space of 13 days, continued there above 6000. Acres lie under vvater: and amongst other things a Village in Zealand is quite carried a­way, wherein perished several sick and seeble people who could not fly before the Torrent had stopped all passages, so that their Friends, who in the Consternation fled, could not return to re­lieve them without the Eminent hazard of their own lives.

In Cambridge on wendnesday last a Gentleman and his man at­tempting to pass abirdg covered by the water it unhappyly fortuned that a part of it was carryed away by the violenc of the Torrent; so that the man venturing for most fell with his horse where both perish­ed in the floods; his Master not being able to render him any reliefe.

At a Place called Clapham in Surry on this Side Putney on Tues­day the 29 of May in the Evening as several People were Siting in a house discoursing, a flash of Lightening of which that night there were many dismal ones, entering amongst them struck a girle and a man down upon the flore and sorely rent the house: and after­wards another Clap of thunder attended with lightening struck an­other Person dovvn as he was traveling by the said house so that he lay in the street for dead, all over him being as black as a hat and the house for that night and part of the next day was so strong Sented with Sulphur that few people could long Indure it, though many as well the Gentry as the poorer sort hearing of this sad accident, came to take a view of the lamentable people by the said disaster now rendered misereable spectacles.

Our Letters from the North, continue to give us a Melancholy ac­count of great Damages sustained in many places, whole Fields of Corn and Grass lying under vvater, all the Meddovvs, Fenns, and Lovv Grounds standing like a Sea covered vvith vvater, in many places a pikes length in depth, and by the Violence of the rushing Floods many up-land Corn-fields are torn, as if it had been nevv Plovved or Harrovved, the rills being such that they seem deep Trenches rather then vvater cuts.

And thus vve may see what frail things we mortals are; and Sud­dain and unexpected fate overtakes us when we least expect it: there­fore ever to be prepared for our latter end, come when if will, should be the greatest busyness of our lives: then let us ever revere & admire that God who at a words speaking can render us breathless and by weak means bring the proudest to the dust; for as holy-writ affirmes if his wrath do but a little kindled in his breast, Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.