The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1830-10-13
POWER OF IMAGINATION.

N''SiS was Viz WI Muster OF Arts oil
Christ's College, Cambridge, who, for opinions
held contrary to the determinations of the holy
mother church of Rome was convened before
the Bishops, and in the end sent to Oxford
there openly to recant and TO bear his faggot
to the terror of the students of that university
1t was appointed that he should be brought SOL
EMMY into st. Marys church upon Sunday
/ where great number of the head doctors and
dvines, and others of the university, were as
sembled, beside great number of citizens who
came to behold the sight. DIR. Smith, then
reader of the divinity lecture, was appointed to
make the sermon at his recantation. lthings
J thus prepared, cometh forth poor Mallary with
lis faggot upon his shoulder the doctor was
also in the pulpit TO make his sermon ; he had
scarce proceeded into the midst thereof, when
suddenly was heard in the church the voice Of
I one crying in the streets, &c fire fire y The
. occasion of which was, one Heuster coming
from Allhallows parish. saw a chimney on fire
and so passing in the street Of ST. Mary's church
cried " Fire, FIRE" meaning no hurt. This
sound Of fire being heard in the church, went
from one to another till at length it came 20
the ears of the doctors, and at length TO the
preacher himself These, amazed with sudden
fear, began TO look up TO the top of the church,
and to behold the walls, the rest seeing them
look up, looked up also. Then began in the
midst of the audience, some to cry out " fire.
( AiIC' w odllb dHOllleT In the cHuTCn
saith one The church was scarce pronounced,
when in moment there was a common cry ;
"Ihe church is on fire, the church is on fire BY
! heretics." Then was there such fear, concourse.
and tumult of the people through the whole
church, that it cannot be declared in words, as
it was in deed. After this, through the stir of
} the people running TO and fro, the dust was so
raised, that it showed as if it had been smoke
! This. and the cutlery of the people, made all
f.o;I f,,t
began all together to run away; but such was
the press of the multitude running IN heaps to.
gether, that the moro they labored, the less they
could get out they thrust one another in such
sort, that they stuck fast at the door, and there
was no moving forward or backward They
then ran to another little wicket on the north
side but there was the like or a greater thronp.
/ There was yet another door towards the west
which, though shut, and seldom opened. vet
now they ran to it with such sway, that the
great bar of iron (Which is incredible to be
known) being pulled out and broken by the
force of mems hands the door Notwithstanding
could not be opened for the press or multitude
of the people. AT last, when they were there
also past hope to get out, they were exceed.
ingly amazed, and ran up and down crying out
that the heretcs had conspired their death:
one said he plainly heard the fire another af.
frmed he saw it, and third swore he felt the
iuOlIcI lCdu uIOppiIiS dOWi u pun Ills u6dQ ana
shoulders. None cried out more earnestly than
the doctor who preached, who IN manner first
of all cried out in the pulpit: "These are the
subtiIties and trains of the heretics against me
Lord have mercy upon me %
In all this confusion nothing was more feared
than the melting Of the load which many af.
frmed they felt dropping upon thei. bodies.
The doctors seeing no remedy, that no force
nor authority could prevail, fell TO entreaty and
i,
another his scarlet gown, so that any man would
pull him out, though by the ears. president
of college pulled board out from the pews,
covered his head and shoulders Herewith against
the scalding lead, which they feared much more
than the falling of the church. One thought
to get out at a window, and he had broken the
glass, and got his head and one shoulder out
bnt then stuck fast between the iron bars, and
he could move neither way others stuck fast
in the doors, over the heads Of whom some got
out boy was got up TO the top of the church
door, and seeing monk of the college of
Gloucester(who had got upon The heads of men)
coming towards him, with wide cowl hanging
to his back, the boy thought it a good occasion
for him TO escape by, and handsomely conveyed
himself into the monks cowl-The monk got
out with the boy in his cowl, and for while
felt weight or burthen; at last, feeling his
cowl heavier than accustomed, and hearing a
when in the throng, believing that the evil
spirit which had set the church on lire, was got
into his cowl; then began he to play the ex-
orcist. In the name of God, said he, and all
saints, | command thee to declare what thou
art, that art behind my back. | am Bertram's
boy, said the other. But |, said the monk, ad
jure thee in the name of the inseparable Trim
ity, and thou wicked spirit, do tell me who thou
art, and from whence thou earnest, and that
81 o,, I bov soil La.
good master, let me go. When the man per-
ceIved the matter. he took the boy out who
ran away as fast as he could. In the mean time,
those who were in the streets, percciYing all
things to be without fear, made signs to them
in the church to keep themselves quiet, crying
to them there was no danger; but, forasmuch
as no word could be heard, by reason OF the
noise in the church, those signs made them
more afraid than before supposing all on fire
without the church, and that they were bid to
tarry therein, and not to venture out for the
dropping of the lead and the fall of other
things; this trouble lasted for many hours.
The next day, and week following, there was
an incredible number of bills set upon the
church doors to inquire for things lost; as
shoes, gowns, caps, purses, girdles, swords and
money and in this tumult, few but through
negligence or forgetfulncss, left something be-
! hind The hereto, who, through this hurly-
the day following taken to the church of St.
Frideswide, where he supplied the rest of his
! plenary penance. This ridiculous accident,
adds Fox, happened ammo l54l, in the reign of
King Henry the Eighth.
! JUMPING. Old Lines, of Connecticut, used TO
| bet with young men that he could jump as far in
the same ground and direction as they. As often
as he found novice to accept, he would say, q
am decripd and you spry, and therefore permit me
to choose the ground" Certainly Well, the
ground would be chosen within foot of house
and he would jump his toes against it, and say
Jump farther there, in that direction you can
Once he was beaten; for happening to choose 4
spot beneath window, his competitor took ou
the sashes, and jumped into the room.
IHTEMPERANcE. Let women beware of the In
temperate. Let her shun their presence as the &C
cursed of Heayen-the smitten with that moral lep
rosy which is alike immedicable and unacceptable
Let her remember that in uniting her destiny wlti
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