The National Register.
London, England, 1814-08-07 00:00:00

THE

LIFE, PREDICTIONS AND PREGNANCY,

OF

JOANNA SOUTHCOTT.

' Ye shall be as Gods r—SATAN.

Lord Bacon has some sensible remarks on the subject of :
popular prophesying-, which he eonsiders as frequently in-
jurious to individuals, and not wholly to be disregarded by
the state. Sacred scripture itself as decidedly cauti.ons -us
a....,,tinst pretended prophets. NVe are not Only seffieiently
adnelnishe-d of the necessity of ascertaining the claims of
those who propose themselves to us with a "l'hus saith the
',old,' but at the same time furnished with .the criterion by •
which to determine what manner of ;pith they are of. Num-
bers, we know, were to come, crying lo ! here is Christ,'
whom, being so warned, it will be at our peril to attend to :1
fore when a prophet,' or a prophetess,- spcaketh in the
Name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass,
that is the thing which the Lord bath. not spoken, but the it
prophet,' or prophetess, bath spoken 'it presumptuously.'
Here k therelme, the test whereby we are enabled to ' tiy
the spirits' of thcre who assume the prophetic guise, whether
as male or female, lest we should finally be b'etraved by that ,
educing who might otherwise be mistaken for ' an
angel of light'
Twenty two years have nearly elapsed since our. nation
was alarmed by the denunciations of. one weodo-prophet,
while, about the Same period, an eminent propheesslirst li-
ni:him-T(1 to us her rommil.sion. It w..s• in the year 1793,
that Richard Brothers made his official appearance on the.
phophetic stage, and, styling himself the " Nephew of sus
Christ," declared that the Jews should he restored to their
osn land, during the year 1798, and' that he was the cap-.
tains appointed to pi ecede them. Although the expatriated.
israelites•were them selves too sagacious to be trepanned by
their new friend,. he found several Christians so simple as to
believe in hi a; and, amongst these adhei ems, an Honorable
Membei of the British Senate, who theie staunchly espoused.
his cause, and asserted his pietensions.•
None el t' being found to second the motion of Mr.
!Lilted, however, respecting the liberation of Brothers,
wletse writings had occasioned his confinement with insane
tnieds, the subject of the ensuing sketch, during the year
most considerately interposed her good offices—bv
threatening that England would be destro"ed, unless the pro-
PhUt were set free. Brothers has since been permitted to gol
at large,, I.ying :undergone mock salutary discipline, and,
happily for himself and mankind, is not likely to 'elapse into
the, diseas.e of Lne‘ing that he is inspit ed. The futility of
,his claims to a relationship with to has 'been.
Inctnifested to all; awl it here remains to itivesti.4ate those:,
of present and immediate successor in the prophetic;
see np. . ,
JOANNA. SolyrucoTx was born in' the,mOnih of April
1750, bcinx.bapti:ied: op ttm 6th of June foiroWing,.accord-
mg to her registry, at the parish church of bt. Ot.
Vol. Va. No. CCC.I.L.

tcry, in Devonshire. She was the daoglver of William and
Hannah Southeorr ; her father was in the farming line, and
both her parents were professed members of the estaPlished
church. Tradition is silent as to the circumstance of any
" signs" having atteraled the introduction of such an extra-.
ordinary personage into our world ;• but the Spirt; has since
informed her " that the Angels rejoiced at her birth ;" while
one of her Sealed Doctors has been heard to declare. that the ,
Comet of 18!1 was similar to the star which denoted the
birth-place of Christ, and also that it was attended by sari°.
ther comet, although of less mmititude, being both together
meant to indicate the perfect union that subsisted between
tkat divine Person and the favoured Prophetess.
She speaks of herself as having been in character " the
simplest of all her father's houef" and
.rom her early age
having " the. fear of the Lord deeply impressed on her
mind and heart." Joanna then deli,;hred. in perusing the
ser iptu res. She %yrs parti.cular ly of by, the account of
.
the sufferings of Christ, feeling her " heart btyn with
dignation against his accusers," and she titinks that her
growth in grace bore some proportion to her e.dvancing in
years.
Considering the religious bias of her mind, even in vouth,
it is less surprising to find• her ipdiffer•ent th'thoi2 onjects
which usuallyenga,,e the affections of ferrates: This can alone
explain Joanna's treafmcnt of her 'chief admirer, N0:.13
Bishop, who.in-vain endeavoured to make a suitable impre.-
sion on her heart. Although they were recirie..i!iv in love,
and she herself has recorded that love, yet, such was the d:s_.
/position of her mind, she constantly rejected him, and scums
to have preferred tine pt it celihaey lo the consola-
tions of matrimouv.T.hcie is certainly an..air of eccentricity
in this. Possibly she was not. without some ;presentiment of
*her future.. rank ; and thus she who expected to Lecome
" the Lamb's Bride," being destined " to bring- the t;od-
head an'cl he Manhood•to a 'per fed likeness," might lusfly,
spurn at the proffer of embraces that were but mortai: •

Still otTir'plophetes,7 wo dd appear not to be the only
thusiast of her sex, who has suffered herself to beCO.44
enamoured cif Christ, while they imagined that 'they 4.er:e
admit int- his worth, and who now proclainis her rank 'as the
Second Eve." In the scar 1770, one Anhe Lee, origin: Sy
of Maul-tester, was confessed as " the firs.rMiiiher, or spi-
-ritual parent in the Tine of the female, :rnd the seeohd heic
in the covenant of life," at true believeis be:ng Joint-11A
with Christ ; and hence, arniingst her fullOwers, • cotnnionl.2
called Shakers; ."
she hath been distinr(uished b no other
'naine or title thanthat'of Mother, (*win that period. to the
Aresent .She Most strenty:ustv assseverated her•rani.
•.' I am Anne the TVo'rd!''s.he Wild say, si.2:nifyitig the the
.Word dwelt in ber snif-itAlfv.; *htni •tl is
tort on those ii-hOaddrPsied• her
used by the Whrld. • avOicratiee
ingl3:9 the leadjottfebet of 'the'folto‘Ve
pensible fo theiriTtqfettioti• bei*. rtii(
pertuasion that she alone was the per
. .
language of 'pro phecy, as a woman tra
painedl to be delivered; that 'she stood.
effect the 4iestdridons 4f-that•Whkh

",1.1 All .s•
.
_.NYg... •
• (<•'.4,:4';.
1. ,

is Was I,,tr constant ri?-
i the CUstottliry titles
yf mai rialre is, ccoi.cl-
trs.of Anne, as•-indit-
inaintato it as their
sOotten offin •,
%railing with child; 'dud
first in her 0106 r,. to
Iwis forfeited .bY' tilt* f.
;4/
. •
• e
•