The Strange and. W on<lerfu! H 1 ~ 'To. R: Y , . A ,ND~t1tiJ.1:;. PR·OPHECiltS . ' ' Mother Shipton. , Printed and Sold ~t the .Printing-Offi,e in -Bow-Churcl,-Y-ar4. Lof]-dQn. ~ .. ~· . \ , HISTORY OF Mother SHIPTON~ C H A P. I. - ·OJ her Birth. MOther Shipton· ( as all hiftories agree) was born in Y orkfhire, the place is much difputecl, but the received opinion is Knareshorough near the dropping-welt Concerning her parentaie, there are like wife various reports: Some fay her fa ther was a necromancer, and thereby i became entailed on his inheritance. Bu the common ftory, which therefore : ihall follow, is, that her mother was .J .daughter of very poor parents, who die when .fue was f carce fifteen years of ag 3 ) Agatha ( for that was her .name) being ~ of a rn.dancholy temper,' and reduc'd .to extreme poverty, was 'one .day fittii1g in . a 1n.e1ancholy pofit1-re, . by the fide of i __river, when ·fhe was accofl:'ed by the Df­ vil, in the ihape of a_, h ndfome youn~ ­ man, in this manner, f-Io now, pretty maid, why are you fo fad? Does -all'y ~hing trouble you?- Difcover but your malady, and I'll foon eafe yoqr troubles. , Agatha, not thinking of the:- Devil, took hi1n fer fame compaffionate ·mortal~ and Jo let him underil:and, that her great wants were the occafion cf her · trouble. J>i(h, faid the infernal courtier, that's .a tri_fle, for ,if you like me, I'll marry you, and take care of you. This is too good news to lie true, faid .Agatha. -Meet me at this place to-1norrow morning, faid he. · and I'll be as good as my. werd. To this Agatha. confented, and came to the fame place at the time -appointed, ·and 1nd the Devil was as punctual as ihe, md it feems; came provided to carry a\vay 1is bride, having a horfo with a pillli0n·. i fo without many \\"ords, when both fides were agreed, !he got up behinei him, and tway they rid. _ ·, I 4- 1 .. .-, I 1 . Hfs ..courfcr being of the -idfernal kind, ~eedecd neither whip .nor fpur, but f wife a~ the wind, im.rnediately brought then1 to their jo.urney's end ; where alighting, ihe was conducred into a ftately roan:. · ,fion, and rich garments being brought her, lhe was' bid to attire herfelf in 'them, which ·fhe did, and was then le .into a fl:~tely hall, where ih_e found 'a large table, furniilied with all vari~ties, herfelf being placed at the upperend ·next to her inferpal huiband; the other gue{L " placed themfelves as they pleafed . · Having dined, they went to dancing . -~n the midfi: of \vhich, Agatha's luftfu Devil took her into a private room, an'C · there inticing her to luft, the fimph wench confented, and they went to-bee without more ceremony. His embraces as !he told the mid wife, were as cold ~ ·ace, without any thing 0£ genial warmth After t~is acting of theirs was over h told he'r what he was, and that ihe fhouli -have power to command the winds, rail ternpefts, or do ,vhatcver ilie pleafed, an Jhe believed him, whereupon he taugr. her a parcel of unintelligible g_ibberi!h . ( 5) ' His ,infernal cetemonie·s-being over,. it 'thu.ndered after a prodigious mann~r, and. the poor wretch was ftript of her gaudy­ ~ttire, and fouAd herfelf in the middle of­ a difmal wood, wheire fhe faw· a chariot. drawn' by t\"° flaming dragons,. coming · towards her, and was,. by fome invifib_le rand put into it,. a-nd in an infiant car~ ried thro) the air• to her own 't:ottage. I ' ~~~~ffi~~~~~~ffl C 1-l A P.. J:i,. ow Shipton's Mother pr-crved 1.ttiih .Cbild; how jhe fitted the jeruere Jujtice, a11d qf , w1ba,t happe~ed at her Birt~. HE neighbours feeing i\gatha live · T to handforn.e, with any en1ploy, were furprized to fee her big with child, ,which coul.d not be concealed by reafon of her bignefs. So .ibe was carried be ....: fore a ju!tice of · peace, who chid het for her incont.inency, but was foon fi. lenced, for his wife and family being pre­ fent, Agatha L'lid to him, Mr. jufiict; tho' ygu talk fo much, your worfhip fa not f o free, for there fiand two of yeur fervant-wenches,. both with child by. you,, . , ' ( 61. ) pointing to ' them ~with her finger, upon .. which -they were iall fo blank, that his wife faw wtiat ilie [aid was true, and fo .fell- upon the harlots 1ike-~fury, for no-' - t!li.ng could afTua.ge her. So Agatha was -difn1jffed> and Vv'as foon afterwa\:ls dcli- vr;red in the ~1onth of July, in the 4th yclr of the reign of king .Henry 'VJI. ' .-md j L.. th-e year of CI1r ifi 1frh ~. I-I er .. travail ~-as very grjevous, and a moft (erribie clap of thunder happened at the birth of her, ·who was afterwards called mother Shipton, nor could the tempe!t affright the ,vomen more than the prodi­ gious phifiognomy of the child, the bo-J dy was long- and very big-bon'd, great goggling eyes, very {harp and fiery, an un­ proportionable nofe, having many crooks and turnings1 adorned with great pimples, and wLich gave fuch a lufire ,in the night that her .our[e needed no other candle to drefs her by, and befides this horrid fbape it was obki:ved, as foon as ihe was bor.n 1he fell a laughing, and a grinning, after a jeerir mannt r, and immediately the em pefi ceafed. { 7 ) ~~$(1~~4'~~ e H ~A P. III. - By what (}fher .lV11me 1Vlo_ther Shipton·-'l.f..'{JS chri//ened, atzd how her J.11..other 'Wf.'(1! ' into a .l~fonsfti!ry. ' HE child being thus born, ,~as or- T der::d by the acbot of Beverly to. be chriflen~d, which v.;,as perfonned' by , the nan1e of U [[ula Sontible. Jo was her .mother 11a1~ed, and Shi_pt~n i5 her· h\1t: band's nan1e. But to proceed, when fhe WlS about t\VO year5 old, her mother,be-_ ing fenfible of her evil, in holding a cor­ refpoudence ,vit:h a wicked fpirit. So.ap­ plying hede1f to ievr:ral 1-eligious n1en of great note; by whofe grave advice fhe grew truly penitent, put herfeJf into a neighbouring n1onafi:ery, having firfi put out .her child, with a piece of rnoney to her friend, and to {pend the remainder of her days in the fa1nous convent of the order .of St. Bridget, near N ottinghan1, in. prayers and tears, and other acts of pennance, for the wickednefs of her youth. But ·wonderful it \Vas . to relate the acci=. -( 8 ) dents that befel the the old nurfe fhe wa pu-t to, for the .fiend her father often vi fited her,-particularly, one day fhe fol:}n I .her'door open. So fearing ·{he was robb'd, fh(t aiked three or four neighbours wive to go int0 the entry. They heard a noife as· jf 1 oo cats had been in concert, which fo difn1ayed thern, that they all endea­ voured-who fhould fir.fi: get out of doors; . but in vain, for every one of them had a yoke on. But foo:1 after the yoke felr ,of( and a coul-flaff ,laid on two n1en's fuoµlders, on which an old woman pre­ iented herfelf fiark na,ked, hanging fome­ times by the middle. \Nhile the women, having theit cloaths over their heads, ex­ pofed their .iharne to public view, and fo continued 'till a friar accidentally came to the h0ufe, and then they were f uddenly releafed ; but {till the child could nnt be found, 'till one of the company looking by chance into the chimney) faw it ftark naked, fitting r1firide upon the iron to whi~h the pot-hook,s w~re fafiened, from whence they took it down_without the )eaft hurt; and fo far from being frjght­ ened, that it feemed, by it's monfl:rous ( ,.) · frnile, to be very well pleafed, at th~:ple-a~ fant exploits. , · ~~·~~=®~=~~·~ C H A P. IV . Several other ve~y nierry Pranks played by . Mother Shipton, in Revenge to )itch as . a bu.fed her. S our Urfula gtewi up,. fhe was of;te.R A affronted hy reafon of h~r d.efor­ mity~ but fhe n.everr fa1led to tPk~ reyepg,e on d1ofe that clid it,. As one-da.y th¢ pa­ riili w~re inet~ 0ne abufed h~r ,_ by cal .. ling her eevil's,.. baflard,, hag!s-f-i;J.ce, ind the like; whereupon Ihe grumbled, .1nd went a-way: But when they fat dowll to dinner, one of them in an iuftant had his ruff pulled oft: and the feat of an houfe of office clapt in its place. He that fate n~xt hiw. budl: into a laughter, upon this his hat was conveyed away, and a ck>fe­ fiool-pan put in its reom ; befides this, a modefi: young gentlewoman, fitting· at the table, looking on the· two, endeavoured · to refrain laug4ing, but cotild not, and continued breaking wind backwards for a _ quarter of an hour~ like fo m~,ny broad- - ( IO ) fid~s; w,ll1ch m·ade all th cornpany laugh f o heart rl y, ·that the mafter ot th~ houfe was -alar~ed therew ~th~; and being defi- · rous tg iliare w_ith his guefl:s iti their mirth, .