A Strange Birth at Stone-House, Account
A TRVE AND CERTAINE RELATION Of a STRANGE-BIRTH, which was borne at Stone-house in the Parish of Plimmouth, the 20. of October. 1635.
TOGETHER with the Notes of a Sermon, preached Octob. 23. 1635. in the Church of Plimmouth, at the interring of the sayd Birth.
By Th. B. B. D. Pr. Pl.
LONDON, Printed by Anne Griffin, for William Russell in Plimmouth. 1635.
To the Curious Beholder of the former Picture.
Deare Countrey-man.
NOT the meere fiction of the overdaring Picturer doest thou here behold: But (if he have done his part) the true Pourtraiture of the worke of God, presented to the world to be seene and to be admired.
Two things I have to deliver to thine eare, which this figure cannot convey unto thine eye. First, what it intendeth: Next, how thou maiest correct the Picture, if it need amending.
For the first; it intendeth to acquaint thee with this story. In the Countie of Devon, and in the Parish of the famous Towne of Plimmouth, there is a Village called Stone-house; Viculum Piscatorium I may justly terme it, a pretty little Fishertowne, for it consisteth mostly of men that live by the Sea, and gaine their livelihood by the water. In this village there dwelleth one Iohn Persons a Fisherman, whose wife having fulfilled the usuall moneths and weekes of womens burdens, upon the twentieth day of this present monethmonth October fell in travell, and by the helpe of a second Mid wife (through Gods mercy and goodnesse) was the poore mother (after the wearie travell of thirteene or foureteene painefull houres) safely delivered of the burden. A Birth not more painfull to the Mother (tho very painefull doubtlesse beeing still-borne,) then strange and wonderfull to all the beholders. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, with admiration: and, as it falleth out in such a case, soone is the fame thereof spread all abroad. Towne and Countrey commeth in to see, that hereafter they might (as I for my part must) say; At such a time, in such a place, I saw the strangest birth in all respects, that ever I saw or heard before. Two heads, and neckes, two backes, and sets of ribbes, foure armes and hands, foure thighes and legges: in a word, from head to heele (so farre as the eye could discerne) two compleat and perfect bodies, but concorporate and ioyned together from breast to belly, two in one.
For the second thing propounded, viz. how to correct the picture, if it need amendment; take this. When I first cast mine eye upon them lying on the table, I said, surely if those children had bin living, Art might have caused a just separation of them, for I conceived them to bee no other than two bodies joyned together in one common skin. But I soone perceived mine Errour, when putting my finger to feele the Collar the Cannellbone (I meane that place where you see themO… f…pcu…ae. begin to joyne together) I found that they had but one breast-bone common to them both, and by it, as by a partition wall, were their two bodies (as two chambers) both joyned & separated: joyned together in respect of the externall bulke, separated in respect of the internall contents. This concorporation lasted downe to the Navell or a little beneath, which also was in common to them both, I still speak of what the eye could see, happily so soone as that string of the umbilicall vessels, by which the mothers wombe supplied food and nourishment to the birth had passed the skinne, it might dispart it selfe. But outwardly it was one in common. Whence also it was conjectured, that though these twinnes might have several hearts, and lungs answerable to their severall heads and neckes, yet but one common Liver to them both. The truth of this conjecture I leave to the Colledge of Physitians to discover, that is not my profession, nor will I presume to determine any thing in anothers Art, onelyonly this Obiection I have against it: that supposing one common Liver, it must either gird them round or be misplaced in one of them: for turning brest to brest, and belly to belly, you ioyne the left side of the one body to the right side of the other: so that I say, except the liver do compasse it round, it shall be misplaced in the one.
But to returne to the story. These two twins were not more neerely ioyned in the bulk of body, than they were in all parts and proportions like to one another where they were disparted; so that two the likest twins that ever you saw were not more like: nay the glasse cannot (I thinke) give a truer answer to the face than these were each to other. Which I doe the more boldly affirme, because having satisfyed mine eye with beholding them on the one side as they lay, I caused the women to turne the other side, and laying them as before (face to face, and foot to foot) I could perceive no difference in them at all from what I had seene before. One thing I forgot, till it was too late: which if I had remembred, I verily perswade my selfe, might have been done, viz. To lay them one upon another. The which I mention, lest happily any might conceive that the ioyncture of their bodies might leane to one side more than to another. I was about to aske the women whether the mother felt them living in the wombe; when presently I corrected my selfe, seeing each part and limbe, yea, and the whole body of either growne (as indeed it was) to a iust maturity: each by himselfe, had they beene sundered, had been a iust birth; having haire on the heads, nailes on their hands and toes, nay which is more (except the women were much deceived they had some teeth in their head: and to confesse the truth, I thought so too, till others that had more skil and experience perswaded me to the contrary. Howsoever, the children were each of them as compleat and perfect as Births use to be.
VponUpon these grounds I corrected my selfe in my former intended question: for how should they grow to that perfection of stature, had they wanted life? But the mid-wife and the women told me, that they were living and lively some few houres before they were borne: So that in all likely-hood, had a skilfull hand been made use of at the first, they might have lived to see the light, if not to inioy it. But God that gave them a life and beeing in the wombe, knowing that life upon earth would have beene a burden to them, provided better for them, and tooke them to himselfe.
Thus have I given a true, and I thinke a full narration of this worke of wonder which God hath shewed here amongst us. And with it, I am content to send abroad some few notes prepared for the confluence of people, met together, when this birth was layed into the earth. Something me thought was fitting to be commended to them that saw it, while the thing was fresh in mind; and that something such as it is: loe here it is. Rather would I shame my selfe in being over-busie, than be wanting in what I conceit may not be unprofitable to the countrey wherein I live. Read then these notes, And if thou count not this halfe houre ill bestowed, thou wilt I trust (I desire thou wouldest) pray for him, who if thou love the Lord Iesus in sincerity, prayeth for thee, that thou maiest prosper and be in health, even as thy soule prospereth.
Farewell. Plimmouth, Octob. 30. 1635▪