MOTHER SHIPTON.
j ,* The Strange and Wonder
Plainly felting forth
Her Prodigious BJ DEATH and
tTH, LIFE BURIAL,
CONTAIN IN Q
The mod important PASSAGES, both of Church and State, during the Reigns, of King Henry the Seventh, Henry the Eighth, Edward, the Sixth, Queen Mary the Fti It Quee« Elizabeth King jf mes the Fir ft, iCb&ries the Fii d and Secon i, jamet the Second^ William and yttary , and Queen Anne,
WITH
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The EXPLANATION of each P R Q P H E C Y; and PREDICTION, foretelling a Time when there fhall be but one Man, to feven Women.
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historical i
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THE
H I S T O R Y
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C H A ft- I.
Of her Birth and F arenta^e* Otto Sb/pfon as all hiftories a- | jf gr.ee) was a 7 vrkfhire woman. fThe particular place was very much dil- puted, because fevcral towns have pre¬ tended to the honour of her birth; but the me ft credi le and received opinion jlieri es it to Knar e* hr o' near the drep- pingwveil, in f he laid county. Concern¬ ing her pedig ee or parerirageo there is Ikewi e very various, jepb'ts : Souk "fay per father was a necromancer, and that
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he had ski!! in the black art, which there- b 1 b came entailed on her bv inheritance* but the common ftory, which therefore/ 1 fhall fellow, yet without forcing the reader to believe whether he will or no) is, that the never had any father of hu¬ man race, or jn ral weight, but was begot as the great Welfh prophet, Merita, was of old' by the phantafm of Apollo, or . feme wanton aerial Damon, in manner : following : Her mother, whom feme re¬ cords call Agatha, and other Emnatha , being left an orphan about the age of f 6, verv poor, and much troubled with that • grievous, but common difeafe, called by., feme idlcneis, and by others floth. Asp fee was once upon a time fitting be moan- .] ing herlelf, on a fhady bank, bv the high ; way fi e, a fpirit appeared to her in the fbape of a handfome young fean; and fmhing on her, 'Pretty maul, quoth he, j why doji thou fit jo fan ? fhou at t not old enough to have thy head fettered ■[ with the cans of the 'world* :FHthee \ tell me thy bufzrefs + and dmbt: not b&i 1 will help thee oat oj all thy trunk l rs.
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The maid calling up her eyes, and not Itifpefiing a devil hid in io comely a countenance, related to him her wants, and that fhe knew not how to live.
I Fijh laid he. that* s nothing , he ruled by \ ms , and thou jhalt never lack . She
hearing him prormfe lb fairly, told him fhe would ; and thereupon to draw her | in by degrees to deftruction, he firfl temp ed her to fornication, and prevail’d | lo far as to gain her : but his touches, as | fhe afterwards conftfTed to the midwiie,
| were as cold as ice or fnow. From this | time forward, fhe was commonly vifited donee ad*y by her hellifh gallant, and t never wanted money; for ftill asfhefwept | the houf e fhe would find fbme odd pieces, t nine- pences, quarters of thirteen-pence j half pennies, and the like, fufficitnt to
tfupply her occ^fions.
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\ CHAP. II.
\How mother <chipton\r mother proved f with child : how Jhe fitted the j eve re || jujiice ; and what happened at her m l delivery .
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Mil neiatiDours observing that Ag&~
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tba. Without a »y employ, lived io
handfomeiy, wonder'd exceedingly how fhe came by the money to iupport her in that way ; but were moft ftirprized when they foon after found her to be withJ cnild, which fbc could not long hide ; for before her delivery fh-* was as big as. if fhe had gone with half a dozen chil¬ dren at once : Whereupon fhe was car¬ ried before a juftice, who threatened and chided her for her incontinency \ but he was loon filenc d, for h?s wife and ail his family being preient Agatha (aid to him aloud Mr Juftice ,bow gravely you talki now, and yet the truth is, your worfhip i\ not altogether free ; for here ft ana s{ two of your fervjnt wem bes who are loth et this time with ehild by you : pointing to them feverally with her fin¬ ger : At which both himftlf and the two girls., were fo Wank, that his wife plainly! law what fh - laid was true, and thervfo el fell upon the harlots ?i ke fir v; for a I thatj Mr J jff-ce and rhe c nft 'bins c u‘d doi was enough to keep the £eace,„ an3
; :?e whole family was in finch confufioft, it Agatha , for that time, was difmis’d } d loon after (in the month of July, in . ,e fourth ]year of the reign of King bhnry VII. which was in the year of our lord 1 6 S 8 was brought to bed of a daughter: Her travail was very grievous, and a mold terrible clap of thunder hap¬ pen'd juft as fhe was delivered of. this ft range birth, which afterwards was lo famous by the name of Mother Shipton • nor could the tempeft affright the w^rnan more than the prodigious phyfi. ^iiorny of the child • the body was long and very big boned, great gogling eyes, very fharp and fiery, a noie of unproportionable length, having in it many crooks and turnings, adorned with great pimples, and which, like vapours of brimftone, gave ; inch a luftre in the night, that her nurfe | needed" no other candle to dreis her by ; land befides this nncooth fhspe, it was [oblerved, that as foon as fhe was t>orn, RfHe fell a laughing and grinning afrer a I, jeering manner, and immediately after the fembeft.
V / /
By what name Mother Shipton was co tjiewd. and how her nut her went bi o a monad ry.
TP H E child being thus brought into ** the world, ai ier f ich ffornge cir- cumftmces, was/ tho’ not without fopie oopofition ordered at lift, b/ the \b bpt of Beverley, tobechrifteaed, which was performed by the name of (Jrfula Sea - tbiel , for the latter was her mother's and confequently her maiden furname ; and as for Ship ton, it was the name of her hat¬ band, whom fhe afterwards married as will appear in the fequel of this hiftory ; and in this particular, moft of the authors I hive read have been fully miitaken. but to preceded : when fhe was about two years old, mother coming to be fen- fible of her evil, in holding a correfpoft- denev whkh a wicked ipirit, applying herfelf to feve-ral religious men oi great note in-.thofe times, by whole g^ve advice ihe grew true] y penitent, and according ..to the fa fn ion of that age’s devotion) put herfelf into a neighbouring monaftery, having firft put out her child, with a
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piece cf money, to a lriend, and fbfpent the remainder of her days in the famous convent rf the order cl 6'/. Bridget, near A7 otting bam, in prayers and tears, and other aSs of pennance, to expiate the wickedness of her youth; but wonderful it is to relate the Troubles thatbefcl the nurfe fire was put to ; for her Father the full Friend, is reported ieveral Times • to have vifiied ' her- particularly one day, the nurfe having been abroad, when {he returned, {he found her door open;, whereupon, fearing that ihe was robbed,,, ihe called three ;or four neiboujts and! tfere wifes to go into the hot if e w hi: her; before they got well into the entry, t i e h hard a fringe fioiie, as if there ha Ji been a thoutand cats in concert, which: fo difrmved them, that they at! rutin towards the door, endeavouring to get r ’rt fga n; bur in vain fl>r every one ;.f t’-em had vok s fell off ,nd then a coiilt- jf) ff was laid on two ot the mens fh >nl- de s noon which an old wotmn pre- Jenmd herf«if tt -irk -naked, feme rimer hanetht by tue m cis, lotiw times by ihv
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jtoes nfion by the Vied v, \\i?h (diVera
Iot e pdhires; ?v hi e the woman hav¬ ing alr rh ir coats turned over their ens, txp- ted their fhame to the pub wk \ tew, and lo c* ntinutd t i H a ^rar acrideuta y came to the houfe dud then they i luodentv released $ but llii) the -child be- ring taken out of the end e. c u td n* t ! e 1 found ti har faff ore of the e- mp ny 1 okirg » p the chimnev, iavy it 11 a? k— rake \ fitting ; ft-ide upo^ the hop to v t ichthe pot-ho* ksarc iafUreh vvjheppe they took it down wit hour the lead ihiHt, and to tar from King frightened,
Ithat.it een ed bv ifs moKtrous inulg* to 1 e very wed pleal-ed at thefe pledant txr I loits.
CHAP IV.
I , ot
ij S ever <t! o< her m+rry pranis f lay# by Mother Shipton, w revenue if as abuferi her . •’ o :
A S our Urfula grpw up to the riper /V years, (he was often rff or ’ecf I f teat >n ot her detorfmtv, but never fa\\ d tQ'be revenged oil thole that did it, A^i
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one day all the chief of the parifh belt together at a merry meeting, fhe comir thither occafiondiy on an err arid, for of them abu'fed her, by calling her tl ‘devil's ha hard and hagdace^ and the lift whereupon fhe went a wav grumblin but fo ordered affairs,- that when the
i at down to dinger, one of the princip. yeomen that thought- hinifeif fpruii and find, had in an Infant has auff whk in thole days they wore pulled off af the feat of an houfe of office cl apt in ii place: He that fat next him, burftir cut bto a laughter at the fight thereof Befide*: this, a mode ft young gentkwo tnan, that fat at the table at the fan: time, looking at thefe two worthy Ipec taclesof mirth, endeavoured all fhe cou to refrain laughing, but lhe could no! but withal, continued breaking win backward for above a quarter of an hoii together, like 10 many broad Tides in fea- fight • when made all the com pan fcugh fo extremely, that the m after o the houfe ( Heine: the chief inn in th
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tbwnj was alarmed below, therewith
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and defir eel to fiiare with his guefts i| their mirth , came running tip itairs J faft as his legs could carry him ; but hi® iiig about to enter the door, he couicj not * add no wonder, fince the oldeft mar! Jiving never law a larger pair of horrij than he had on his head; but whilfi: they were a p;azina; on ^ne another^ as morel than -half diflracted, they were all re¬ duced to the lame condition they were in at firft ; alter which followed a nolle, as it more than an hundred perfons were laughing together, but nothing was Teen,
CHAP. V. 1
How- Urfiila married a young matt named Tobias Shipt on ^ and bow- ji rangy ly jbe di [covered a thief.
f~\ U R Urfula was now arrived at the
four and twentieth year of her age\ and tho ’ (he was none of the pret¬ tied maids hi the town , as you may ■remember by her dejc rift ion , yet (be longed for a husband as well as the
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\beff of themy ana at la ft obtained her \ di.fr t- ; for whether flee lift a an\ dove* powder , or charms to enamour him or f| whether the hope* of petting a iiit.e I money ,whiih fie was reported to have, mho' no ho y c-atld tell h w jit % ot it% I can fee him to court her (as there a*e f| jo me men that would rot only many I the devil's r aught cr, but his ram too f r ; money ) / cannot tertainly idiot m the Header \ hut a /weef heart foe h d, dp atned Tcb as hi' ton b *s tra e a Car - Agent er. to whom foe was Ihortly after ; married, and ver' c m fort ly the \ heed ' t <?aher, but tuVtr had any d thrift, pit happen'd a bon ■ a month (if ter h, r ft/rirriave, one of her tied hboat rs le rflwg [ her doors caret f\ of a had a < won k i and p chico at jtoUtt a a\ ra hiL foe i,was tillin'? a g JJg* * hue of an h nr i (on c, af the next <r o r> v here foo v tvt j to fetch fire , whnh mi foitune nn.ih %t on hied her: v he made her moan 10 f otf er hiptonT who did not go a out labour hie our hr tie fl\ to* jurors^ \wii h their / Cannes and fou,xsf 10 je
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* Vmd de'crij-hon of the v*t ruh »» ; £ ut round's tola dr jiib aoi e lx nan e bad jtelcii the things . add .if, that Jhe would wait her teflon t I < m au tib Jhane to ber \ and jo me eta j.e ltd, i or the ihxt n a> ht-ray. I if ok ad the fieef-le* tie w iman amid not avoid not avoid futltug on the fmul uvtt Itf iloaihs , and t> c fetthoat in hi r / a • , find (o mar i bed thro’ the croud in ’.he inarlet pan, where the other it as. Jy Mo her hipton’s curedion i, to re- five
th m. fin'll’ g fhefe words :
J ftdemy neighbour’* -'moi l & co.af,
1 am a thief and 1 ere I ftt" t ^ ho when floe came o the ow> er fie inti’-; rff ’he jtnoek and petticoat, a d gave her them wnh a K Vcreua « tu t$- jej, a.ke« her far on, ana Jo cetai ted.
' CHAP. "V J
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f7er fK Cfheiy agamf! Carc!i: & Woolley •
f*
: I 7 tbtfe ar?'] fc~)cra! the hie * s
E* AJot-Ur *>hi*>tui held got a tuiwe %
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far and near , of a cunning woman , cm a woman or forefight, that her won were counted oracles \ nor did (he mec die only with private perfons, but wa aavifed by wit h people of the great e[ quality \ among which number at tha time was Cardinal Woolley. Vdoen i was reported, that he intended to Iv at Tork , [he public kly faid \ He Jhoul never come there \ which coming to hi ear , and being offended, he caufed thre\ lords to go to her , who came to Ring houfes, near Tork , where leaving thei . men , they took a guide and came to Mo\ ther Shlfofon sL and knocking at her deoA Jhe cried out , come in, Mr. Bealley, them guide, and theje noble Lords with you \ which much fur prized them that jht\ Jhould know them, for when they came in flee called each of them by their names, and treated them with ale ana cakes', whereupon, f aid one of fjm j Lords , if you knew our 'errand, fm would not make fo much of us Toujaia the Cardinal jhould never fee Tork . Noe Jam the, l jaid he might fee Tork, but
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never come a$ it. Well , [aid the Lord when he does come thou dealt be burnt Then taking her linen handkerchief offi her head , fays fke , if this burn , / burn, immediately threw it into the fire before them , but it would not burn : So that after it had lain in th\ flames a quarter of an homy Jke took if out again, and it was not jo much as finged . Hereupon one of the Lor dir asked her what Poe meant of him : My Lord, faid Jke, the time will come wheat you'll be as low as L and that is lowM
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indeed ; which proved true , for Poortlf- after he was beheaded f
■ Nor was her f pee ch4 concerning the Cardinal lefs verified', for he coming- from Ci wood, went to the top of the tower , and asked where lork was which being fieew'd him, he ev quid a how;
far it was there ; ( quoth be ) there was;
a witch [aid, I /loom d never fee lork: AV/r, (ays one prefen t, your epiinemc j is mi [informed, floe (aid you foould fee 1
it but not come at it- Then He vowed
to burn her when he came tkereywhich
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hut et jjt miles dfiant hut imme¬ diately he was fe 't for hack b\ > he / ingy and dtcd, in his return, of a v o- I lent lofjet/ejs, at Leteefter.
* Gi'er PROPHECIES of M the? Shiptoiv, ?tLaun& to thoje tun s
T divers times, when perfons of qua- l.ty came to v fit her, (he deliver’d •tii' ,le feveral prophecies hollowing, that is to jay :
l PROPHECY. w Before Ouz -Bruise and Trim-ty-Church i.meeis, they lhal! build it in the day, and it jlfhail fall in t e night; until they get ;he ih m hell (tone of Trinity-Church to be the lovvdl (hone of Ouze Bridg' .
EXPLANATION.
I This came to pa C for fnnry fteeple in [York was blown down with a temped, and Ijuuze Bridge brok-down with a flood; and whac they d*d n the day t me in repairing the bridge, fdl do v i n the nieht; till at lafh they laid the h gh ft Ihone of the fteeple fear the found iti n of rhe bndge
II. P R • ) P H h C Y.
A dint ihctll ha4 pen when a Ifcip Hull come
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failing up the Thames, till it come again ft London, and the mailer of the (hip iliaii weep i and the mariners of the (hip in all afk him why he weeps, fmce he made f> good a voyage ? And he fhall fay. Ah l wbat a goodly city this was once , none in the world was comparable to it , and now there is fcarce an boufe that can let us drink for our money .
EXPLANATION.
Thefe la ft words were fadly verified after the dreadful fire of London, in 1666, when there was not an houfe left all along the Thames’s fide, from the tower to the tem¬ ple : As for the words before, they being darkly deliver’d are not like to be under- flood, till time that both ddccvers and ab- fconds all things, fhall bring the matters figiiified to light.
CHAP. VII!
Her
p.0 in ver^ Beverley.
TH E Abbot .of B ew- rley giving her a vifit one day. tohl i Vr, t hat as he f oin^Joveral ih-ng- wfvcb ft$£ had f'rrre ly faid to be exactly true, lo lie wits pciU,aued
fhe was not ignorant or thofe which for the
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future were co enfue, aid thereiore re qu elded -her to i mo art fame of her fore know Ledge ;to him; for which favour, tho’ it was more than his defer ts could om na id, yet fhould he neither want a toiorue .to acknowledge, nor a heart to endeavour a requital of fo great an obligation. Mr. Abb m, faid (he, leave off complimenting, I am an old wo¬ man, who will not flatter nor be flatter’d of any, yet will anfwer defines as fall as [ may; and therefore did i n mi (dick verfes difcover to him the greaceld ace dents that nave hap¬ pened in England from that day to this, as in the folio wing explanations will appear.
I. P R O P H E C Y.
V/hen the cow doth ride the hull ,
Then prie If beware of thy /hull,
EXPLAN ATI O NT.
By the cow was meant Henry VIII . who gave the cow in his arms, as the Earl of Richmond ; and the Bull be token’d Ma¬ dam Anne of Bulioigne, not only as the firft iyllableof her name.1 but hectufe her father save the black buffs 'head in his creft; and when the King married her, immedi¬ ately; aider -happened thediffolution of Mo- naffries, and reff.rai.pt laid on the priefds.
II. PROP H E C Y.
For a jzveet pious Prince make room ,
And in each Church prepare a broom .
j EXPLANATION.
This was meant of King Edward VI. in Kvhofe time the proteflant religion was eEa- blifhed, and the popilh fu peril it iorrs fwept out of the kirk, an old word uied ftill in ^Scotland for the church.
III. PROP H E C Y. m
Aledlo next a.ffumes the croivn\
\And fir earns of blood ft all Smithfield rundown .
EXPLANATION.
Thcfe lines decyphor Queen Mary , call’d \AlePlo (the. name ol one of the furies) for her • ■ c r ue 1 1 y t o t h e p r o t e ft a n t s , o f w h o m g r e a t n u ra - I be were then burnt in Smithfield ! IV. PROP H E C Y,
A Maiden Phieen full many a year ,
Shall Englan d’j warlike Scepter bear.
E X P L A N A T I O N.
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Spoken of Queen Elizabeth % who reigned extremely beloved by her fubje.&s, and dread¬ ed by her enemies, above forty years.
| V. P R O P H EC Y.
Fhe weftern Monarchy wooden borfes. Shall be bejh'oyed by Drake's forces.
E X P L A N A T f O N, y The King of Spain’s mighty navy 1588,
deftroyed by the tain Drake.
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En gliili Fleet under Cap
VI. PROPHECY.
The Northern Lyon over Tweed,
The maiden Queen fie all next fuecced. And join in one two mighty States \ Then / hall Janus (hut his G"tes.
EXPLANATION.
This relates to King James, who bavin been mnany years King of Scotland, th crown of England, by Queen Elizabeth' death, fell to him •, whereupon he came ovc Tweeed to take up his refidence here, an fo join’d the two Kingdoms under one gc vernment. And as for Janus {hutting hi gates you muft know Janus was one ot th Heatnety Gods that had a temple at Rome the gates of which were never fhut but times of peace ; alluding to which our Prc: phetefs here declares the peaceful reign c King James
VII. P ROPH F. C Y.
Forth from the "North nrfeb^ef b’ew. And E^gl/b htk (hall add thereto •, Mars Jhati rage as be were woo'd.
And E irt (halt da k n'd be with bloo , E X P L A N A V 1 O N. This relates to our ’a nentab c ei ril Arars. \ III. P R O P H E C V,
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But teJVs what\ next ? 0 cruel fate !
A Km* mace Xia- tyr at his gate,
E X P L A N A T I O N. Meaning the execrable murder of that oft excellent Prince, King Charles I,
IX P R O P H E C Y.
The juft Ki ng dead , the wolf Jhall then ,
With blood ufurp the lion's den ♦,
But death (hall burry him away ,
Confufion (hall a while bear J way ;
Till bate to England fha’l reftoret yf Kmg to reign as heretofore ;
Who mercy and juftice likewrfe ,
• <5^/7 /» h s empire exercife,
EXPLANATION, his Prophecy we have feen fulfilled by romweli’s Ufupa?i ns* the Committee of fety’s confufion, and our gracious fove- ign’s miraculous reftoration.
X. PROPHEC Y.;
Tiiumphant death rides London tbro\
Sind men on tops ef hrufi.s go • - 7 , v EXP L ANA T LO N. he fi ft line points out the great Cickuefs m on Jon in 1665 *, and the fecund thedreacj-
fire the Year following.
X I P R O P H I C Tu
* The North fhyll >we it it wonder ous fore But the South Jhall rmi (ever more.
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XII PROPH EC Y.
You flaa'll have a Year of pining Hanger, and fhail nor know of the war over night- yet fhail, you have it in the morning ; and when it happens, it fhail laft three years 2 then will come a woman with one eye, and fhe will tread in many a man’s blood up to: the knees ; then Iliad come in clubs and clouted Shoes.
XIII. PROPHECY.
Then may a man take houfe or Bower Land or Tower, for one and twenty years but afterwards fhail be a white harvefl o.t com gotten in by 2 woman •, then fhail it be, that one woman fhail fay to another, “ Mother I have feen a man to-day, for tc: one man there fhaLl be a thoufand women:.
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Unhappy's he who lives to fee thofe days Bin happy the Dead , Shi pt on's wife fays a
1 e this Jtiffice, the night draws on. . ~
2 ou muji dtp a. t and I begone
Apol 0 dm fwMd my chi tries, • 1
For to' 'tbnvAi proceeding Himes .
Having laid this Mother Ship ton ‘ arofe and the adnur i ng ‘XbbtK, who- you muf fu.pp -le^t ook a^f thef| prophecies in wruitvg,
ave her niany^ha.nks, and returned
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C H A P. IX.
Mother Ship ton's life , death , burial.
^ H I S famous Prophetefs continued fe- veral years efteemed as the i , bil or ora* le of thofe times : At laft, being three icore nd thirteen years of age, die found the ime in the black book of deftinv approach- ig, wherein (he muft give a final adieu to he world, which fhe foreto]d to a day, to ivers people; and at the hour predicted, aving taken leave of all her friends, laid Irfelf down on her bed and died : on ham a poet of this age be ft owed this
E P I T A P H.
'-JERE lies fhe viho never ly'd ,
IV ho e frail fo often has heenJ^d ;
7ho[e prophet ks jhafl fiilr jurvive, nd ever keep her name alive.
i ancient PROPHECY of the Lilly. K. P. and K. W.
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HE l Ely fhall remain in a merrv world, and he fhali be removed agatnft the
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Teed of the Lien,, and he fhali Hand on one
fide of his country with a number of (hips, then fhali come the ion of man, having a fierce beaft in his arms, which kingdom is the' land of the moon, which is dreaded throughout the whole world ; with a num¬ ber of people fhali he pafs many waters, and fhali come to the land of Lion , and fhali look for help of the beaft of h;s country : And an F.agle fhali come out of the Eaft, fpread w th the beams of the fon of man, and fhail deftroy caftles of the Thames, and there fhail be a battle among many king¬ doms : That year fhail be the bloody field, and Lily, F. K. fhail lofe his crown, and therewith fhail be crowned the fon of man K W. And the fourth year fhail be many battles for the faith, and the fon of man, with the F.agies fhali be preferred, and there (hall be an univerfal peace over the whole world, and there lhall be plenty of fr ‘its, and then fhali he go to the land of the crofs.
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