A Chronicle of the Kings of England from the Time of the Roman Government, Regnal history 17 · Part 4 – Part 5
Of Casualties happening in his time.
IN his first yeare, on the seven and twentieth of April, thirteen persons were slaine, by mis-fortune with Gun-powder, at the Gun-powder Mill in …driffe, and much other hurt done in divers places. This yeare also, the plague in London was so great, that from the three and twentieth of December, 1602. to the two and twen…ieth of December following, there dyed in London, and the Liberties, eight and th…rty thousand, two hundred and foure and forty, whereof the Plague thirty thousand, five hundred threescore and eighteen of them in one week, three thousand fourescore and tenne, where the next yeare after, though the City were encreased with great number of strangers, yet there dyed that yeare of all diseases, within London and the Liberties, but onelyonly foure thousand, two hundred threescore and three persons. In the second yeare of his raigne, a strange accident happened, to the terrour of all bloudy murtherers, which was this; one Anne Waters enticed by a lover of hers, consented to have her husband strangled, and then buried him secretly under the dung-hill in a Cow-house; whereupon the man being missing by his neighbours, and the wife making shew of wondring what was become of him: It pleased God, that one of the inhabitants of the Towne, dreamed one night, that his neighbour Waters was strangled, and buried under the dung-hill in a Cow-house; and upon declaring his dreame, search being made by the Constable, the dead body was found, as he had dreamed: and thereupon the wife was apprehended, and upon examination, confessing the fact, was burned. And now what hope can murtherers have of being concealed, when they are subject to be discovered by any mans dreame. The nineteenth of Ianuarie in his third yeare, a great Porpus was taken at Westham; in a small Creek, a mile and a halfe within the Land: and within few dayes after, a Whale came up within eight miles of London, whose body was seen divers times above water, and judged to exceed the length of the largest ship in the River: but when shee tasted the fresh water, and scented the Land, she returned into the Sea. In his fourth yeare, being the yeare 1607. a mighty west wind brought in the sea into the River of Severne, with such violence, that in some places of Somerset-shire and Glocester-shire, the waters in divers Towns and Villages, grew higher than the tops of their houses; so as (notwithstanding all courses that could be taken, there were drowned in Somerset-shire 80. Persons, and damages done to the value of twenty thousand pounds. At Coventrie also, the seventh of April so suddaine a flood came into the Suburbs and City, that in one houre it rose in some places above 3 yards in height, to the great damage and hurt of many, and that which is much strange, as it suddenly came, so it suddenly abated: so as in foure houres and a halfe, it both came and went away. In his 6. year, being 1608. a frost began in Decem. which continued till April following, with such violence that not onelyonly the Thames was so frozen, that Carts loden were driven over as on dry land, but many fowles and Birds perished, as also much herbage in gardens, especially Artichoaks and Rosemarie were destroyed. This year also the 11. of April a Malt-house in the Town of St. Edmonds berry being by chance set on fire, continued burning till it had consumed 160. houses: but by the Kings bountifulnesse, (giving 500. loads of timber) and the City of Londons reliefe, the Towne was forthwith new builded, in a fairer manner than it was before. In the yeare 1613… on the seventeenth of April, in the parish of St…ndish in Lancashire, a mayden child was borne, having foure legges, foure armes, two bellies joyned to one back: one head with two faces, the one before, the other behind, like the picture of Ianus
This year also on the 26. of Iune, in the parish of Christs-Church in Hampshire, on Iohn Hitchel a Carpenter, lying in bed with his wife & a yong child by them, was himself & the child both burned to death with a suddain lightning, no fire appearing outwardly upon him, and yet lay burning for the space of almost three dayes, till he was quite consumed to ashes. This yeare also on the seventh of August, the Towne of Dorchister was quite consumed with fire, begun on the house of a Tallow Chandler, destroying all the houses, except a few neare the Church, and all their wares and goods, to the value of two hundred thousand pounds, yet not any man or woman perished. About the same time also, the Play-house called the Globe upon the Banks side neare London, was quite consumed with fire, by discharging a Piece of Ordnance, and yet no man hurt: and about foure years after, a new built Play-house, neare Golding-lane, called the Fortune, was by negligence of a Candle, cleane burnt to the ground. In the year 1614. the Town of St…atford upon Avon, was burned: and left the water should be behind in doing of mischiefe, so great Iundations were at this time in Norfolke and Lincoln-shire, that the sea entred twelve miles into the land. In the yeare 1612, on the 18. of Novemb. a Blazing star bgan to be seene in the South-east, about five a clock in the morning, the flame or streame whereof, enclined towards the west. This comet, in the opinion of D. B…mbridge, the great Mathematician of Oxford, was as far above the Moon, as the Moon is above the earth: what i… portended is onelyonly known to God: but the sequell of it was, that infinite slaughters and devastations followed upon it, both in Germany and other Countries. In the year 1622, on Friday the 24. of October, a Roman Catholike Priest preached in the after-noon, at Hunsdon house in the Black Friers in London, in an upper chamber where there were assembled above 300 men and women, when about the middle of the Sermon, a great part of the Floore brake, and fell down with such violence, that it brake down the next floor… under it: in the fall whereof, were slain the Preacher, and almost 100… of his Auditors, besides as many more hurt. In this Kings time course paper, commonly called white brown paper was first made in Engl. specially in Surry, & about Winsor.
Of his Wife and Children.
HE married Anne, the daughter of Frederick, the second King of Denmarke, whose marriage was there solemnized in the yeare 1589. By whom he had borne in Scotland, two Sons, Henrie who dyed before him, and Charles who succeeded him in the Crown; and one daughter named Elizabeth, married to Frederick the fi…th of that name, Count Palatine of the Rheine, by whom she had many children, both Sons and Daughters. King Iames had also by his wife Queen Anne, two other daughters borne in England, the Lady Marie, and the Lady Sophia, who both dyed young… the Lady Marie at about three yeares old, the Lady Sophia the next day after she was borne, and were both of them buried with great solemnity, in the Chappell Royall at Westminster.