Storms and fires.

Thunder and lightning.

In the year 1562, being in Champagne and passing by a little village called Villeneufe [Villeneuve-Renneville-Chevigny] not far from Sens the arch-bishopric. A certain gentlemen and honourable personages told me a strange chance that happened to two young priests by thunder, who in harvest time coming from singing of mass for a rich man dead, after dinner retiring themselves. Were encountered with torment of the air accompanied by thunder and strange lightning. These two young men, recovering a little wood sat them down together under the trees. But they were killed by thunder where the next day after a diligent search for them, their kinsfolks found them.
They thought at first that they had but slept but it proved a perpetual sleep, stripping and searching them they could find neither hurt nor mark on their bodies but either of their hats were a little singed and in the middle of their was a spot of the size of a Carolus which is about the breadth of a groat.
Their poor bodies stunk wonderfully that none could endure them.
M. D. BEAVLIEV in his treatise of thunder and lightning.

About the year 1536 on a Sunday summer was kept an excessive and dissolute marriage in a village half a day’s journey from Poitiers the which had but one straight and long street. On this day and place about noon happened a strange and fearful thunder, a globe of fire and the greatness of a bowl fell in one of the corners of the town and ran along the street without hurting anybody to Saint George’s church, where it being entered made a strange spoil taking away the tombs of the dead ran to the great altar and spoiled a fair image of our lady holding her little child in her arms. Besides it tore away the pavement in diverse places of this church and broke a chain of iron that held up a crucifix cast it down and broke one arm of it afterwards grazing along the walls on the left hand without hurting them that were tolling the bells (more than for fear to run away) it mounted into the steeple (a very fair building) the which it burnt in such a sort that all the bells both great and small were melted. The metal falling upon the pavement of the church.
[I may have reason to return to this short account of ball lightning]

Traveling through Italy not far from Eugubio [Gubbio?] I saw thunder light upon two peasants riding upon asses killing both men and beasts upon the place they had a third man in their company who had the bones of one of his arms so broken, as one could not see whether there were any bone at all. This blow caused such pitiful griefs in this poor man and did so torment him as he desired not live.

I have seen two men (father and son) have their bodies so amazed and dead with thunder that I thought verily they had fallen into apoplexy. They remained seven days together without eating drinking, speaking or moving . In the end I caused them to be bloodlet giving them sharp glisters, rubbing and nourishing their bodies. So as in short time they recovered their former healths. Certain months before the death of Hipolito of Este, cardinal of Ferrara thunder fell upon his palace and entered into my chamber, light upon one of my servants swords hanging at the bedside melted the point of it making a little bullet of it and neither bore nor hurt the sheath.
MVRETVS in his Annotations vpon the 31. Chap. of the 2. booke, of Senecas naturall questions.

About the year 1560. Near to Beneuida [Beneixida?] a town in Spain two men walked together in the open fields, a strange tempest arose to the great astonishment of them both, the seeking by flight to get some cover and perceiving the tempest to increase cast themselves flat to the ground where they felt the tempest ready to lift them from the ground. In the end one of them perceiving the noise to cease lifted himself up the whirlwind having much amazed him those which perceived him coming and the other lying still went towards him but they found dead having his bones so broken as one might have writhed his arms and legs like a glove. All his body seeming nothing but flesh likewise his tongue was taken away and could not be found, notwithstanding that they made diligent search for it. They were diverse judgments upon this accident one said he was an ordinary swearer and blasphemer of the holy name of God and therefore was particularly chastised in the part that had most dishonoured his creator.
By such aforementioned whirlwind the town in Spain called Algadefie was wholly ruined the houses and buildings being laid flat to the ground.

The five and twenty of May 1566 about three o’clock in the afternoon a clap fell upon the castle of Meissen burnt the floor of a chamber, melted kettles and pans spoiling all the chambers entering and going out the windows, then down into the cellars to the great amazement of all, but hurt not any person. Three years after the nineteenth of July 1569 the thunder having roared from eight o’clock in the morning til four in the afternoon the bolt about one o’clock light upon the college church of the townhouse. Much cattle and some men were found dead in the ficildes [beans] amongst the other memorable accidents the lighting seized upon a country fellow who burnt all his body over three days after then died.

The mother of Jerome Fracastorius [Girolamo Fracastoro] an excellent philosopher, admirable poet and happy physician of our time. Having him in her arms giving him suck was struck with a thunderclap and killed without any touch or hurt to the little child, which was a presage of the glory that this excellent personage (who lived long after and then died of an apoplexy) should be crowned with.

Great fires

I do not enter at this present into the consideration of fires growing through the fury of war, having reserved the description thereof among the incredible miseries, caused by the wars in our [time]. In this Section we will only treat of fires proceeding from other means. The last of June about a hundred years since, towards night Krakow the capital city of Poland was set on fire, the which was in a manner all burnt. It was a wonderful ruin, by reason of many thousands of houses that were consumed to Ashes.
Maister Cromer, lib. 30. of the Historie of Poland.

In the year 1514 the 11th of January at night, fire took the Rialto [market area] at Venice, and first consumed the rich shops, which were very many. A Northerly wind blowing very vehemently, carried this fire to the next houses in an instant all was on fire: so as infinite buildings were ruined. Saint John’s Temple, the meat market, and all the buildings about it.
The shops of goldsmiths and changers were consumed. This fire continued all night, and could not be quenched, but in making place by the ruin of houses, and whole streets. Most part of the city was defaced by this accident. Since it hath been so redefined, beautified, and enlarged, as this loss, hath not been seen these many years.
P. IOVIVS, lib. 12. of his Histories.
The year 1518. in June, after a horrible eclipse of the sun, there followed at the same hour a terrible fire at Vienna in Austria, the which burnt a quarter of the city. The Emperor Maximillian the first be∣ing with his Court at Innsbruck, fell sick hearing of this news, and died of a continual fever.
CVSPINIAN in the life of the Emperours.

Fire in Delft, the Netherlands, in 1536.

In the year 1536. the 2nd of May, a gust of wind having scattered sparkles here and there, fire took in many houses at Delft, a great, fair, and famous town in Holland, so as in few hours the greatest part thereof was ruined, and had like to have been all consumed by this fire. But it had been so repaired since, as at this day it is one of the pleasantest and most delightful towns that can be seen. In this fire there happened a memorable accident. Men of credit did see that time a stork (whereof there are great numbers in Holland) which coming from her prey, discovered, that the fire had taken the nest, where her young ones were. She began to fall upon it, to see if she could preserve them from the fire: but for that they were yet unfeathered, and that there was no means to draw them forth, she fell upon them with her wings spread abroad, and covering her young ones, was so consumed to ashes with them.
What a reproach is this charitable bird to some fathers and mothers, which have no feeling of nature, nor of humanity, but only the face.
ANDR. IVNIVS in his de∣scription of Holland.

In the year 1539. betwixt June and July, upon a Thursday night, fire took at Constantinople, near to the prison appointed for criminal persons, in the shops of such as sold tallow, rosin, oil, and such like stuffs, so as it took hold of the prison which was barred very close, and there smothered seven hundred men. From thence it dispersed itself on every side through the city, and coming to another prison, they were constrained to let them forth, else they had all perished: for in a moment this prison was consumed to ashes. Then the fire advanced towards the wooden gate, where as the smith’s forges be, and such as deal in iron works: from thence it took hold of the Captain of the Janissaries house, and consumes all it meets in that quarter. Then it gets into the taverns street, and that being consumed, it does seize upon a great place called Tachral Cala, then it turned towards the copper smiths, and the glass houses environing all that quarter that is about the pain∣ted stoves. Then going on, it came to the place where the Jews dwelt, where it made a wonderful spoil, for that the houses stand very close. The flames flew to the gate of the fish market, and consumed all that it encountered betwixt that and the Jews street, whose houses were burnt to ashes. Neither was it possible by any means to quench this fire, so as it continued all night, and the next day, even unto the evening, having wasted and consumed the best part of the city, and suburbs thereof, unto the seashore.
The Annales of Turkie.

The explosion of the Zandpoort in Mechelen in the night of 6 to 7 August 1546,

In the year 1546. on Saturday the seventh of August, fire fell from heaven, upon Macklin [Mechelen] in Brabant, and fired a tower, where was a hundred barrels of powder. This tower was quite overthrown, with a piece of the town wall, of two hundred paces, near to the said tower. Then the fire of this powder took hold of the near places, and did so fire all the town, as if a great shower of rain had not fallen, this great city had been consumed to ashes. The next day they found so many dead carcasses, and so stinking, as they were forced with all speed to make great holes, and to bury them by dozens at a time. All the Sunday was spent in such burials. The number of the hurt exceeded a hundred and fifty. They found a woman with child smothered under certain ruins, who being speedily opened, her child was found breathing, and was baptised. A gentlewoman leaping out of her bed to open an window in her chamber, her head was cut off with a thunderbolt, so as it hung without life by a piece of the skin.

In a corner of a street, near unto Bernard’s Palace, a taverner called Croes, being gone into the cellar to draw beer for his guests, whereof some played at cards: the house in a moment was overthrown, the players among others were crushed in pieces, having the cards yet in their hands, when they drew them from under the ruins. No one in the house escaped but only the host, preserved by means of the vaulted cave into the which he was gone. Three days after this pitiful accident, there were many found in caves dead for hunger, others smothered, or fainted away, with the terror and insupportable stink of the lightning. They found a man and a woman that were carried away, and as it were tied fast betwixt the branches of a tree. The suburbs of Neckecspsis [Nekkerspoel] were in a manner all ruined. This city so pleasant and fair before, was all disfigured, and as it were torn in pieces her stately buildings spoiled and overthrown: among others, the Emperor’s palace, the Lady Marguerits, and that of Berque, were struck with lightning, and overthrown. The house of the Italian bankers was quite ruined: the post lodging spoiled, and the stable carried away with the horses. A part of the Augustines convent, and of other temples in the city were broken. The Count of Hocstrats house endured, and broke the shock of this storm, the which ceased when it had overthrown it. With out it nothing had been left standing, neither within the towne nor about it. There were found huge quarters of free stone cast by the Tempest, about six hundred paces from the Wall, to the great hurt of those places where they fell. It was a fearful tempest, a presage of the warre of Germanie, whether the Empe∣rour CHARLES the fift then marched.