Strange and fearfull newes from Plaisto.
In the parish of West-ham, near Bow, four miles from London,
in the house of one Paul Fox, a silk weaver,
Where is daily to be seen throwing of stones, brickbats, oyster-shells, bread, cutting his work in pieces, breaking his windows; stones of fifty weight coming up the stairs, a sword flying about the room, books going up and down the house.
With many more unheard of things, fearfull to the amazement of many hundreds of the beholders, both learned men and others; neither can any perceive from whence these strange things come.
With many more wonders here set down the like never heard of before.
Printed at London by I. H. 1645.
Several great wonders seen at Paul Fox his house at Playsto, in the parish of West-ham in the County of Essex, many thousands of people going daily thither to behold them to the amazement of all the beholders.
At Plaisto in the Parish of West-ham, in the County of Essex, lives one Paul Fox, a silk weaver, a man of an honest life and conversation, and has a wife and children, and dwelt there many years. This man’s house for the space of one month last past, or more, has been haunted with a Spirit (which in the view of many thousands of people, that have come thither on purpose to behold those wonders that are daily there to be seen) hath done these things following.
There hung a sword in the chamber with the hilts downwards, and the point in the ceiling of the house, which in a sudden came flourishing about the room, flying up and down, no hand touching of it, nor anything but the sword possibly appearing: the said Paul Fox being then in the room, and some others, but the sword came not near any of them: and although at the first it was some terror to the beholders, the said Fox took hold of it by the hilts, and at the first had much ado to keep it in his hand, the point still turning in his hand several ways, but he forthwith ran with it into the next room, laying it down upon a bench where it lay still.
After this he came out of that room into the chamber, where it was at the first, and locked the other chamber door, the sword being in it, and while he was talking with some others of the strangeness of this business, the sword came again into the room, and flourished about the same as before, the door not opening nor any sign appearing how it came out of that room into this.
Then there being a cane standing in the kitchen (such a one as men usually walk with in the streets) the cane of itself came hopping up the stairs, giving a tap on every stair as it came, and presented itself in the room, stand upright upon one end, and after it had as it were given some obeisance to the sword, the sword lay still, and the cane began to dance round about the table on which the sword lay for the space of half a quarter of an hour, and then laid itself down by it.
This being ended, and the fury of the flying sword appeased by the submissive deportment of the staff, Paul Fox was in good hopes that he should hereafter be quiet; but in one evening there was a strange kind of rapping at the door, upon which himself went to it, and demanding who it was that knocked, the Spirit with a soft hollow voice commanded him to open the door, saying, he must dwell there: to which Fox replied that he thought it to be an evil Spirit and that he had nothing to do there, wishing it to return to Hell Gates, where he thought he might have entrance without knocking, and so for the present he heard no more of it.
But it seems this tatchy Fyn grew angry: for at noon-day as Fox and his son, and two servants were at their work, weaving of fine Lace and Ribboning, their work was cut to pieces in the loom before their faces: yet they could not discern either hand or knife, but the sick cut short off, and great stones, tiles, brick-bats, oyster-shells, pieces of bread, and other things came in at the windows, broke all the glass, and frightened young Fox and the two servants out of the room, but did not any hurt to either of them.
These things often falling out (besides some apprehensions of fear) Fox sustained great loss in his trade, his work being often cut to pieces, and especially in the day time, he removed his dwelling to another place, but was still followed and haunted by these Spirits, and oftentimes when he or his servants were at work, their work was still cut as before but nothing appearing thereupon, he came back again to his former dwelling at Plaisto, which house was quiet all the time that he was absent, but upon his coming thither again the like thing happened as before, ad that which was a greater wonder than any of the rest.
In the yard lay a great stone of about half a hundredweight and had continued there many years, and as Paul Fox and diverse others were in the room, one pair of stairs high, for many come daily thither to behold things of this strange nature, this stone came tumbling upstairs into the middle of the room without anything seen to move it, with as much facility in ascension of such a ponderous thing naturally would do in the descension, which being looked upon with much admiration the stone lay still in the middle of the room after it came up one pair of stairs in this wonderful manner. Then one of Fox’s men took up the stone, and carried it downstairs into the yard and laid it down there in a place, whereby long lying it had made a hole in the earth, and within a quarter of an hour the same stone came trooling upstairs again as before, and after fetching of a compass or two about the room, it lay still, and wagged not, but as if it were an inhabitant, rather than a guest, and claimed rather the chief place in the house, than to lie any longer in the yard: it does usually so soon as it is carried down come up again into the same room.
These things being beheld by at least 100 people at once, which came the last week, and still do daily to receive satisfaction in these apparent wonders, which are now also become great in fame: for the strangeness thereof ministers discourse in the country, and is spread abroad throughout this whole city.
Some of the gentlemen that came to see it gave money to one of Fox’s servants, which he thankfully took, and laid it up in a handkerchief, which as it were caught out, and the money flew forth into the midst of the room in the view of all the people. This being a lusty young man seemed at the first to be somewhat daunted, but having hitherto received any hurt and having often seen strange things there of like nature, he caught the handkerchief up again, and gathered up the money, tied it up again with two knots, and unbuttoned his doublet, and put it next his skin under his arm, where finding of it stir, he clapped his elbow down close to his side, and thought to have held it, but it came out and flew about the room as before.
I should be too tedious to relate every particular that has happened here within the space of this month, how Fox his son and his men are sometimes pulled by the hair, lugged by the ears, knocked on the head, pinched in their sleep, pulled out of their beds, troubled with many noises, their work cut in pieces before their faces, their bread thrown about the room, their books about their ears, the doors sometimes made fast when they were let open, and another time fell open when they were locked.
What the event may be we know not, but it continues to this day, and there be thousands that have been eye-witness of the truth thereof, the man has been much troubled at it, being much impoverished for that he cannot with quiet use his trade, and has received many losses by the cutting and spoiling his silk and other commodities.
And many ministers, gentlemen and great scholars have come purposely to see these things and have consulted together to find out the reason or cause of these strange remarkable wonders, which are continually asked there, but they cannot give any reason or ground for, and not finding out the cause, are also in the course of nature to seek to the remedy; some think it is to reveal something that is past and others are of an opinion that it fore-shows some things to come. That which is manifest appertains to us, and our children, but hidden things belong unto God.
In Paul Fox’s home was also a shelf whereon did lie many godly books, amongst which was a Bible, the Practise of Piety, and others, but of a sudden as the books were lying together and little before the usual hour the said Fox was wont to read a chapter and perform other duties, the whole shelf of books came fluttering about the room, and some papers that were among the books were carried quite away and lost, but none of the godly books were missing: nay, after a time they had been hurried about the room, clashing one against another, as if they have been torn in a thousand pieces. The Bible and other good books were spread open upon the board, and not one leaf diminished of them, which as it appeared to the beholders to be none of the least wonders, so may we observe that although the evil spirit had power to show a malice and hatred against such pious books, which by the daily use and practise of Paul Fox was a meas to change it from doing that mischief which it desire and might be an occasion to shorten his [?], but against the very Book of God, the holy Bible, though it had not power to do the least hurt to any of them, and was forced to be a servant to spread the book open against Fox or some of his family should read in it.
Almost infinite are the strange examples of the unheard of wonders beyond nature or art, that has and still is daily to be seen and heard at this Paul Fox’s house, but I shall hasten to a conclusion.
The wife of Paul Fox having made a pot of porridge and after her husband her self and their family had eaten part of them, she left the pot with the residue in a corner at the end of the kitchen and covered it close, but after it had stood there close-covered for the space of about half an hour, being almost quite cold, the lid suddenly fell off the pot, trundling about the room; and the porridge sprung up right out of the pot, ascending a great height, as if it had been forced out of the pipe of an engine, and dashing against the walls, was dispersed about the room, not one drop being left in the pot.
Now for as much as in nature these marvelous things to those that have not been eyewitnesses thereof may seem to exceed the bounds of credit or belief, yet seeing it is generally known for a truth and may be proved by thousands of good credit and repute and is still to be seen by any that desire satisfaction at Plaisto in the parish of West Ham aforesaid, which is a little beyond Bow, it will be unnecessary for me to pursuade your belief any further herein, only let me put you in mind what strange things have been acted by witches; how many have been the last Assizes condemned and executed in the counties of Essex and Suffolk, all which are already published in print, and are known to be approved as truths, and therefore I shall not need further to insist on them, and will end this discourse with one particular more which is not less worthy your knowledge than cause given to the inhabitants of these parts of the kingdom to do their utmost in discovering and finding out wicked persons which by confederacy with the Devil do not only cast away their souls and bodies, but make spoil and havoc of their neighbours’ goods.
In some part of the countries whole flocks of geese have been feeding on the greens overnight and in the morning some of them have been found fluttering on their back with their heels upwards, others running and reeling up and down, making hideous noise, and many of them stark dead. In those that were dead was found a long quill (as it were) thrust the length of one’s finger into the fundament of the geese, and in others that were but half dead the quill was in but about an inch and half, but within few hours they died also. These things are thought apparently to exceed from witchcraft, but as for the others at Paul Fox’s house which are wonders (the like never scarce ever heard of) there cannot any solid reason be given from where they exceed.
FINIS.