Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-06-14

tainiy. In "Bochanon" county occurred as
strange a birth-a woman presenting her lord
and master with hairy creature having two
heads, one above the other, and the uppermost
the head of lion. As soon as ii was born, this
unwelcOme little stranger ran mp and down the
house, crying, Woe, woe, woe TO the world, -
until the disguised father knocked it upon the
head. "This is certain truth"
All the prodigies we have thus far recounted
occurred in the provinces; but il must not be
supposed that London did not enjoy its fair
share of such wonders. Fiery darts flew over
the city, St. Paufs was eyershadOwed by clouds
of blood; bright star, of extraordinary dimen-
sions, encompasSed bysix Others of smaller size,
fell in Smithfeid; a fiery sword, like that seen
over Rome before it was taken by the Goths,
threatened Hogsden; pillar of fire hung over
Bethnal Green; mOnstrous surgeons were seen
above the bridge, and, (which is very ominous, -
great "porpus" leaped into a Thames water
mans wherrY. About five O'Clock one morn
ing, two credible persons living near Piccadilla
going across the 'tield by Pail Mall, heard a
noise as though pound of gun-powder had ex-
ploded, and looking up behed a body of fire
bigger than the moon, from which issued a
stream of fire, fight shot in length, and five
feet in breadth. Two bosom-shaped meteors
swept nightly over Wood street. Looking down
upon Smith6eld, a hame-colored lion, flourish
Ing tail like fOXS brush, YOmited clouds of
yellow smoke, that gathered together and eyap-
W
tiers Of seven executed men were SET above the
city gates bright star shown at MONDAY over
Aldgate for five days in succession, and from the
CHASTITY mementoes upon Bishopsgate pillars of
smoke assembled.
On the nth of April 1861, a person coming
townwards from Kentish-town,i met two men
near the Pindar of Wakefield, who told him TO
look behind him; on turning he saw in the air
the appartion of the tower and presently after
wards beheld the whole city portrayed in the
skies above him. Then it seemed TO take fire,
and upon the top of one of the gates appeared
the semblance of a mans head on pole A
strange apparihOn lowered over the White tow
err, and in June the moat was full. A cloud
kept passing backwards and forwards between
Whitehall and the Parliament house, dropping
fire upon each in turn. Over London bridge
were seen several aerial beasts nOndescript
monster, sundry male phantOms, four rainbows,
and two armies
Between seven and eight o'clock on the DIST of
March, 1860, very many citizens of credit, if not
OF rcnown, became the amazed spectators of
grand transformation scene. First appeared a
great cathedral with a high tower and an oak
with huge spreading branches, parted by
mountain, base uppermoSt. Out of the center
of the last issued a devouring crocodile,
which was successfully transformed into furi-
Gus bull, fierce lion rampant, a bear, and
boar. As the boar vanished the mountain split
in two, each part bearing great beast, one be-
ing an elephant with a castle on its back, and
the other of too doubtful an aspect to be ident-
fed, but resembling lion more than any 9TH
err creature. The elephant melted away, half Il
dozen men appeared and disappeared, and the
lion changed into horse and rider, coming only
to give place to an open mouthed whale. Next
appeared a cardinals hat, then formidable ar
my marching southwark to meet another and
join battle with itand then, without any discern
able victory being won by either of the opposing
ranks, became confused cloud and so van
iSbed.
Are our readers at all skeptical? If so, let
them take warning from what beel an unbe-
lever: Upon the I'd of May, 1862, an honest
and credible person living near the Falcon, on
the Bankside in Southwark, having oceas ion to
be on the water about Ereiie, late at night, did
discourse with the waterman about the Book of
Prodisies, saying he never could see anything Of
that nature which that book did make mention
of, neither could he believe there was any truth
in these stories. While he was thus discourSiug
there appeared suddenly a very great fl re upon
the water, which gave very clear light; and
Immediately they saw two ships coming very
near them, and were SOrely afraid that they
should have been boarded by them, and thereof
the waterman did bestir himself to get out of
the way, but his boat was fast. He thought at
first he was aground, but, finding it was not So,
attempted to row, but could not make his boat
stir. The ships now being very near them one
Of them was turned into the likeness of a very
tall man, about twenty feet high. Upon this,
the person in the boat, being extremely alright.
ed, fell to praying, and Immediately the appear
ance stood still, and was turned IN on one side
They being very near it, and looking upon j.
about half an hour precisely diScerned the form
OF its oountenance, AT length they plainly Saw
fire come out of its belly, and then il moved
towards the BankSide, and there consumed /
away as if it had been barrel OF pitch
Meanwhile the other ship had taken the shape
OF castle, and 1t was not until both had dis |
appeared that the waterman was able TO move |
his boat and convey his converted fare to his |
destination.
The circulators of these MunchauSeniSms GER
tanly intended their readers TO believe in them;
whether they believed in them themselves we
more than doubt. They wished to inspire their |
more ignorant fellows with the belief that the |
GAY OF their triumph was at hand, and that |
these prodgieS were so many signs of the good |
time Soispeedily coming. Probably they thought |
such pious frauds no frauds at all, and had no |
hesitation, when their own invention failed, in |
having such things manufactured to order; just |
rs dealers in articles of the sort ROW obtain any |
number of anecdotes Of angelic infants and stu
penduously pious youngsters. 1t is strange, |
perhaps, that such stories should emauate from |
folks who condemned dramatic and literary fic- |
tons as ungodly, and who were never weary of |
their adversaries with encouraging |
vain supcrsiitlons. Still we may hardly halloo |
When popular religious paper tells of a poor |
charwoman praying to be kept from the world, |
and soon after losing her hand by an accident, |
thereby being made incapable of her usual work, |
and compelled to retire into an obscure garrett
ma i've on the voluntary contribu tiOnS of the
and heads the story prayer An
wered,' it is plain that we ourselves are not
Iuite out of the wood, and, therefore, not cuti-
led to laugh at similar freaks on the part Of
qr ancest0rs.-4H the Year Round