Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1881-12-08

o"au1e. 4ue steAW tTaln anu t0N
balloon, which she is declared to have
predicted. are included. Inside is re =
lated the old story Of Mother Ship.
tons bith from the unhallowed mar
riage Of her mother with the devil;
the prodigies which attended her in
fancy, such as her cradle being found
suspended up the chimney with the
child in it without visible means of
support, and her reading a book at
first sight; and then the prophecies
after the fact forged in the 18th cen
tury, followed by those forged in this
18th century. The fact is notable
that on the placards and on the book
cover the thing made most prominent
is the prediction that the world is to
come to an end in 1881. This is the
most fascinating item. 1t is notorious
that English mines have within these
recent years remained vacant for "a
hours where Zadiel's Almanac had
predicted an explosion on that day;
and it is not at all unlikely that, after
the growing interest in the events OF
1881, if that year shall be passed
without an explosion Of the planet,
Mother Shipton will be blown As sky
high as in the picture, and wolld 0.
delusions will come to an end.
What Is mere unsupported denial
against the vast number Of facts built
into the pyramid whose apex Hindley
selects to pedestal his lie? Toward
the close Of the 10Th century-certain-
lv more than a generation after the
date given above, l448-lived the
woman who became known as Mother
Shipton, whose repute as prophet
ess. rests upon nothing earlier than
l64l At that time pamphlet ap.
peared with this title: The Prophe.
sic Of Mother Shipton. In the Reign
Of King Henry the Eighth. Fore
telling the death of Cardinal Wolsey,
the Lord Percy and ott ers, and also
what should happen in insuing times
London. Printed for Richard Lown-
des at his shop adjoiningth Ludgate,
l64l,' On the title page is a nearly
full length and very coarse wood cut,
not Of the conventional witch, but
Of the medieval country woman. The
book was evidently forged, probably
by the "astrologer' Of the time, Lily.
and it is to be feared that the evideu-
ces Of the forgery 200 years ago set
Al all too tempting example before
the artful Editor Of 1862. As a
specimen Of the "Prophesie." l have
Transcribed from the ancient book it.
sell the concluding sentences: Then
shall b4 IN the North that one woman
shall say unto another, Mothor,
have seen man to-day, and for one
man there shall he thousand wom-
en-; there shall be man sitting upon
St. James Church Hill weeping his
fill, and after that ship come sail
ing up the Thames till it cone
against London, and the Master of
the ship shall weep, and the Marri.
ners shall aske him why he weepeth,
seeing hee hath made so good a voy
age, and hee shall say, Ah, what
goodIy Cite this was none in the
world comparable to it, and now
there is scarcely left any house that
can let us have drinke for our mon
ey." This was Lilys great and only
hit-f; as is probable, be wrote the
book-for the great fire Of London
occurred 25 years later, and the as
trologers had no difficulty in putting
that and this together. The last
lines in the book are these:
Unhappy hee that lives to see these days;
But happy are the dead, Symptoms wife
says"