The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-01-09

VIII he Reached This Year-HRIIu-
cinatiOn OF n Hag, or Prsdic.
tion Destined TO Fulfill
meRt-Whlchi

In eighteen hundred and eishty-one. ="
Mother Symptoms prophecy has almost
become household word among English
speaking people. Even the least supersti-
tious experience something akin to tremor
Of apprehension when these two lines of the
prophecy slip out frsm the rScesses Of mem
ory and stand in the practical light of day.
The chronicles Of her time place
the day of her birth during tho lat
tor part of the fifteenth century, and
fix her birthplace at place called
Marlborough, near the Dripping Well, in
Yorkshire. Her biogrnpher gravsly states that
she was an own child of "ene Agatha Ship.
TO aRd Satan, the devil" and describes the
mother as simple girle," who found that
needs must he 90 whom the devil drives"
and who led sorry life indeed. Ofthe child
1t ia said: "Her strange and unparalleled
phsiognomy was so misshapep that it is al
together impossible TO express it fally in
words, or the most ingenious 10 linn her in
color. She was of indifferent height, but
very mc-''" am bis-hor'' s'r had long,
with great Eoggling, but sharpe and iiery
eyes; her nose ofRn incredible and unpro-
portional length, having in il many
crooks and turnipgr, adorned with many
strange pinples of divers cslors, as
red, blue, SRd miIt, which, like va
pours Of birthstone, gave much lustsr to her
anrlghted spectators Ia the dead time of the
night. Her cheeks were of black, swarthv
complexion, much like mixture of blsck
and yellow jsundics, wriEklod, shriveled and
very hollow. Two teeth stood out in nor
mouth like the tusks of wild boar. Her
chm was OF the same complexion nc her face
turning up toward her mouth, and shreeks
being heard from IN unknown cause, as it
there had been more than ordinary cores
pondenco between her teeth and ito
Such is the description given of Mother
Symptoms personal appearance ia n curious
old book reprinted in London, about ten
years ago, from the original Life and Proph-
ecies OF Mother ShiptoH," published in 1887.
AS she grew older, persons of high and low
degree resorted to her, for she became famous
for strange powers of prede.tination, con-
lerred upon her by the devil, her father, and
by numberless imps and spirits who were her
daily companions. In the quaint language Of
her historian, "the nature of the Eprlisb
people ia rather TO desire to know what is to
come than TO seek to rectify what ia deno
amlss; so the greatest part of her vItitants
came only to be resolved Of what she knew
would come 10 pass"
Her prophecies were
USUALLY DELIVERED IN RHYME,
O7o which has been much discussed was given
10 The Abbott of Beverly after this wise:
When th' lower Shrubs do fall,
lh7 great Trees quickly follow shall,
lha a'tert PeacoclI's lefty Pride,
Saal g. MS Master be u Guide,
AND ohN grant Court TO pAsG shall bring
Mha. ~. Rrvsr done by any King.
Inc, poor ehell grove 10 see that bay,
And who did Feast mu,t Fast aud Pray
Fate so do reed their overthrow,
Riches brought Pride and Pride brought woe,
Ths was supposed TO predict the downfall
OF Cardinal Wolssy, the "Miter'd Peacock"
King Henry, seeing the cardinals power ex-
tending to tho clover ShrRbs, +" feared il also
upon the great Trees" The poverty to come
upon the people by the dissolution of the
6ounlitul, housekeeping of the abbots and
irlAs is also prophesed as we'll as the over
throw of the riches and pride Of the monks
and friars. Another prophecy Interpreted 10
itoretell tho death of Lady Jane GREY. the
burning OF the martyrs, the Wyat's rebellion
and the death of Queen Mary and Cardinal
Pool reads as follows
vertuous LAdye then shall die
For bsir raised up too high;
Her death shall cause another Joy,
who Will the kingdom much annoy,
hlters shall rise mtefs come down.
Ana streams OF bleed shall Smithneld drown
England shall Join In League with Spain,
which some TO hinder strive In vain,
The LyOncss from life retires,
And PontihcAl Priest expires.
The principal events of the reinns of suc-
ceeding sovereigns arc accurately foretold
Little wonder is thsr0 that in so credulous
an aga marvellous faith was placed in this
old oracle, and princes and prclates consulted
her wisdom.
Mother Shipton lived to an extraordinary
age, and died esteemed by all who knew her
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, decrepit woman reading to Young
visitor from tho book OF Fate, is on the
stone, and her epitsph reads
Here lies she who neverly'd
whose pkill often has boon tried
her prophecies shall Btill survive
And ever keep her name alive.
Tho prophecy from which the head limos
are taken is bsst known Of them ali
And now comes the question, did such o
person " Mrs. Shipton ever really exist; and,
itso, were her predictions made
BEFORE OR AFTER THE OCCURRENCE
Of events predicted!
The loss mystic antiquarian of TODAY do
clares the whole thing clever imposition of
SEINE unknown imposter. But Peason claims
TO have an original copy printed in l54l. He
seems inclined to credit the rhymes to "one
Master William Lilly" who fourished from
the year 1902 to 1881. Lilly was An sstroIo-
ger, who dipped much and often into The on.
riou' and wonderful. However it may be,
those inclined TO faith in Mother Shipton
and the truthfuln~s of her prophe-
o'es, have ono year more in
which to cling to their belief When
the new year Of 1882 dawns upon still sx-
i'tent world, the old lady's roiga will be over
in the minds of her most qualiing Of follow.
ers, Nothing is harder to kill than we'll
ted lie" and we will not quite give up our
uncenfessed faith in Mother Shipton lin we
have given her fair trial. History has mn.
merous records of specious frauds Of this sort
palmed upon the public, which is said. AZ Il
was Ia tho days of tho Athenians, ready ",o
see and hear something new" Tho spurious
Letter of Montcalm," wherein the French
general is made to predict many events long
before their occurrence is q notable exsmple
Of this Kind of inn osition. Deubusss The
tlme when no one will believe in tho set of
dlvinstion isa long distance in the future,
aud so long as here are any who will be,
eve, so long shall we flnd prototypes, and
we'll, Yorkshire" ffs