The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1881-01-29
THE END OF THE WORLD.
MOTHER SYMPTOMS PRoPHEcY-THoUeHr
FOR THE SUPERsrIrIuUs.

MOTHER SHIPToN's Prophecy -THoUeHrs
FOR THE SuPERsTIT1uUs.
For many years rhyme known as "Mo-
ther Shipton's Prophecy" has been quoted
by the superstitious with reverental awe,
and it has been so widely circulated us IN
be almost household possession in all En-
glish speaking lands. Even the least sup
erstitious experience something akin to
tremor Of apprehension when her lines slip
out from the reeesses of memory and stand
in the practical light ofday, The chronicles
of her time place the day OF her birth during
the latter part of the fifteenth century, and
fix her birthplace at a place called Nase-
borough, near the Dripping Well, in York.
shire. Her bographer gravely states that
she was an own child of zone Agatha Ship
ton and Satan, the devil" and describes the
mother as a "simple girle," who found that
"needs must he go whom the devil drives"
and who led sorry life indeed.
OF the child 1t is said "Her strange and
unparalleled physiognomy was so misshap-
en- that it is altogether impossible to express
IN words, or the most ingenious to linn her
in colors. She was of indifferent height,but
very morose and big-boned, her head long,
with great goggling, but sharp and fiery
eyes; her nose of incredible and improper
tionable length, having on ii many crooks
and turnings, with many strange pmpies
Of divers colors, as red, blue and mixed.
which like va2ors of birthstone, gave much
lustre to her affrighted spectators in the
dead of the night Her cheeks were of
dark, swarthy complexion, much like a.
mixture OF black and yellow jaundice,
wiinkled, shriveled, and very hollow. The
teeth stood out in her mouth like the tusks
Of a wild boar. Her chin was Of the same
complexion as her face, turning up toward
her mouth, and shreks being heard from
an unknown cause, as If there had been
more than ordinary correspondence between
her teeth and it,"
Such is the description given or Mother
Shipton's personal appearance in a curious
old book reprinted in London about ten
years ago nom the original "Lifo and
Prophecies of Mother Shiptun," published
in 1887. Mother shipton lived to sn ex-
traordnary age. A stone was erected to
her memory in the vicinity Of Clifton and
about mile from the city Of York. A,
design representing an old, decrepid wo-
man reading to young visitor from the
Book of Fate, is on the stone, aud her cpl.
taph reads;
T'Here lies she who never ly'd,
Whose skill often has been try'd.
Her prophecies shall still survive,
And ever keep her name alive"
Following are the lines composing this
well-known piece:
Carriages without horses shall go.
And accidents I'LL the world with woe,
Around the world thoughts will fy,
In the twlnkling OF an eye.
Water shall yet more wonders do;
Now strange, yet shall be true,
The world upside down shall be,
And gold be found at the root of tree.
Through hills men shall ride.
And no horse or ass be at their side.
Under water men shall walk,
Shall ride. shall sleep, shI II talk.
In the air men shall be seen,
In white, In black, in green.
Iron In the water shall hoat,
And carry as easy as a wooden boat.
Gold shall be found, and found
In a land that's not now known.
Fire and water shall wonders do,
England shall at last admit a Jew.
The world unto an end shall come,
r. E..lk. k.., a 49,
II will be seen that several of the events
here described have been accomplished in
the invention Of railroads, telegraphs, iron-
clads, diving bells, and the discovery of the
power Of steamj in fact all have come to
pass except ain the air men shall be seen"
and the impending end ofall earthly things
We may be excused for giving such promi-
nence to this matter, but il IL should come
to pass 1t would be pretty big local item,
and our only fear is that we will not be
here to write it up in good style; but then
come to think, everybody else will Lave
migrated 10 a warmer cline and no one
will be lett to read mundane newspapers,
aud we are oonsoled. And now the ques
tion comes, did such person as Mother
Shipton exist and did she make the prophe-
cyH Pearsons claims 10 have an original
copy, printed in l64l. He seems inclined
10 creditthe rhymes to zone Master William =
Lilly" who aourshed from the year 1909
to 1850. Lilly was an astrologer, who dipped
much and often into the curious and w0n-
derful. Other authority says it was orign-
ally printed in 1888, and reprinted in l64l.
A later investigator, and one less likely to
be influenced by superstition, declares the
whole thing an ilnpositionj that the lines
were penned during this century aud alter
some Of the events described had transpired.
However that may be, the 1851, in whirh
the fual prophecy is TO be fulfilled, is here.
and poor Mother Shipton's veracity is on
trial. When the year 1882 dawns upon
world still existing and still peopled, the
Telgn ol The old hNg will be over in the
uost bhndlJ dsvotsd Of Der believers "a.