Where at midnight, in dancing the hay, They lighten the cares of their Queen. Ghosts and witches came in for a share, I Jane Frizzle was a notorious witch on the Northumberland side of the river, who practised on men, maidens, and cattle. 2 George Maddison, Esq., the younger son of John and Elizabeth Maddison of Hole House, near Alan's Ford, was private secretary to Sir Joseph York, Bart., and after filling various diplomatic situations, he was appointed in 1782, under secretaty of State for the foreign department, and secretary of Legation, under the Duke of Manchester, who negociated the peace of Paris, in 1783; where he died suddenly, August 27th, 1783, in in the thirty-sixth year of his age. His death has been attributed, but we believe erroneously, to poison, intended for the Duke. See Bell's Rhymes of Northern Bards, p. 294. The Wretched Miser : OR, GOD'S REVENGE AGAINST THE OPPRESSOR. Remarqueable in a most Miraculous Punishment inflicted on the Person of a Notorious Usurer, in Sunderland, neer New-Castle. Who having unjustly taken away two kine from a poor Widdow, put them among twenty of his own, which were all struck by the hand of heaven, and found dead the next morning: the Widdows Kine only escaping: which sad judgement when the Miser had seen, he fell a Cursing, Blaspheming, and Deriding Gods justice in such words as are not fit to be named amongst Christians. Thereupon he immediately Sunk into the Ground above the waste, and there continually Barketh and Howleth like a Dog Day and Night, still beckoning with his hand for assistance, to the great terrour and amazement of all that see or hear him. Consume them in thy Wrath, consume them that they may not be. And at evening let them return, let them make a noise like a Dog, and go round about the City. Psalm, 59. 13. 14. Printed for P. Brooksby at the Golden-ball in West-smith's-field. HE cry of the oppressed is so loud that it pierceth Heaven, and reacheth even to the ears of the Almighty, who is graciously pleased to espouse their Quarrel, and to engage himself in their revenge. For the oppression of the poor for the sighing of the needy I will arise, saith the Lord, &c. Psalm 12. 5. But in the cause of the Fatherless children and the widdow, God is pleased to declare himself more particularly concerned, and therefore whosoever injureth or oppresseth them he provoketh the most high to wrath and indignation against him, of which we shall see a dreadful example in the ensuing Narrative. In the Town of Sunderland not many miles from New-castle, there lately lived a person, (whom I forbear to name) of great wealth; though not much reputation in the Country where he lived, for the vast sums of money he had raked together were gotten by such unjust and indirect ways that he was envyed by the rich, despised by the good, dreaded by the poor, and hated by all men; a wretched miser he was that scarce allowed himself or his Family necessaries for the support of Life, all the pleasure he took in this world was in multiplying of his bags, those idols of silver and gold, to which he constantly paid his Devotions, and to this end the business of his whole life was no other than to defraud the rich, and oppress the poor, resembling his father the Devil in this, that he went dayly too and fro seeking whom he might devour, and having in him too much of the nature of the Pine-tree, which destroys every thing that grows within reach of it's shaddow. : Not far from his house there dwelt a Widdow, miserable, who really wanted those necessaries the miser was afraid to make use of; one that lived in a Cottage of Turf, more like a Den then a house, having scarce any other sustainance for herself and two small children than what she receiv'd from two Kine which she had the priviledge to keep in an adjacent Common. Her Husband, it seems, in his life time owed this Miser four pounds for rent, for a small Tenement he had taken of him and a very hard bargain it prov'd, for with all his care and labour, in four years time he could compass to pay him no more then three pound of the principal Money, for which he took his Acquittance, and shortly after dyed. After his Death, the Widdow was very much troubled, partly for the loss of her Husband, and partly for fear of the Usurer, lest if he should come and demand the remaining twenty shillings, before she had wherewith to satisfie him, he might (according to his usual custom) violently prosecute her to the utter ruine of her self and children, to prevent which mischief, she wrought hard Night and Day, using all manner of thrift, and allowing herself no more then would (as we say) just keep life and soul together: so with much ado she had at last (to her great Joy) gotten up the twenty shillings, which she kept carefully in a Pitcher under-ground against the Miser came for his Money. In very little time after he came and knocked at her Door, but she, overjoy'd that she had the money ready, before she would open the Door, ran and taking up her Pitcher, came to him very cheerfully. Master, says she, here is your money, and with it I give you a thousand thanks: the Usurer seeing the money, and fancying the Acquittance might be lost or mislay'd (as indeed it was) replyed to her, Woman what dost thou mean, to give me twenty Shillings instead of four pound? The poor woman amazed hereat and not being able to prove the payment of three pound before, fell upon her Knees and beg'd him for God's sake that he would take what was his due and trouble her no more, for that she had seen a Quittance (as the poor Creature call'd it) under his hand, for three pound paid by her Hus. band. But he very impudently Denyed the Receipt of any such money, and Desired that God would inflict some heavy Judgement upon him, if ever he saw a penny of it, and so going away with horrible Curses, and Oaths, in his Mouth, threatning to sue the poor Widdow for his money, he left her to her tears and prayers, miserably lamenting her condition, and comforting her self only with the words of David: saying; The Lord will be a Refuge for the oppressed, a Refuge in time of trouble; Psalm 9. 9. While the Woman was in the mid'st of her affliction, weeping over her poor Infants, and every hour expecting the fury of the oppressour: he concluded upon a Writ of Attachment as the speediest way to get his own (or rather the Widdows money) into his hands, which accordingly he obtained in a very few Days, and serving it upon her two Kine, he took them into his custody, and put them among twenty more which he had of his own. The poor Woman neither finding nor expecting mercy at the hands of a merciless man, desired earnestly of God that he would be pleas'd according to his gracious promise, to plead her cause, and to deliver her from the violent man. However she and her little ones went that night supperless to bed for want of milk, almost the only thing by which they subsisted. Little rest was taken among them that night, the mothers heart was too full of grief, and the childrens bellies too empty of victuals to sleep or be at quiet, and in this condition at the present we leave them. The miser hardning himself in his wickedness, and having no remorse of conscience for what he had done, slept very securely that night, abundantly satisfied that he had made a small addition to his stock; little dreaming that he had gotten a canker to eat up his estate, or that the widdows lean Kine (like Pharaohs) came in for the destruction of the fat. But Walking in the Morning early to his Grounds he found it so to his cost, for by I know not what miracle all his own cattle were Killed in the strangest manner that ever eye beheld, not one remaining alive in the ground, save only the poor Widdows; some had their horns stuck fast in the ground till they had beaten themselves to Death, others were blasted with Lightning, many riven in sunder, and one prodigiously swell'd, with a kind of Corruption boiling out of her nose, which stunk so loathsomely that none could indure to come nigh her. The miser at first could not believe his eyes, till being fully convinced of the truth of the misfortune by his other sences, he fell to stamping, raving, cursing, swearing, and tearing his hair as if he had been Distracted, one while blaspheming against God, another while cursing and daming of the widdow and her Kine. A Neighbour of his perceiving him in this outrage, was walking up towards him, to see what was the matter, and being come almost to him, he heard him wish the Widdow (such a one) a Dog: there would be Carrion enough for her immediately upon which he sunk by degrees into the ground, as far as his waste, and fell to howling and barking like a Dog, after so strange and terrible a manner, that he was afraid to come near him: so that making what haste he could away, he reported the thing publiquely in the neighbouring Village, insomuch that it was quickly noised far and wide, and immediately thousands of people flocked from all parts to see and hear this prodigious Miracle: and there is scarce a man in all that part of the Country, but is ready to testifie that he hath been both an eye and ear witness of this dreadful example of wrath and justice. For any person at Noon-day may both hear him bark and howl, and see him wave his hand, and struggle, as it were, to get out of the ground, but all spectators are struck with such horror and amazement, that none durst go nigh him, either to view him, or relieve him. The Magistrates of the adjacent Burrough, being informed as well of the Injury the poor Widdow had received, as also of the wonderful judgement inflicted on the Miser, repaired to the place, resolving to relieve the former, and be satisfied in the latter, and when they had been confirmed in the truth of the whole matter, they admonished the people in the first place to take warning by the sad spectacle before them, to take care how they oppressed their Neighbours, and of provoking God, especially in so high a nature as that wicked wretch had done, and in the next place they thought convenient to order the restoring of the Two remaining Kine to the poor Widow, whose right they were to which the Relations of the Wretched Usurer most readily consented. The Woman being overjoyed at the sight of her Kine, could not but return her hearty thanks to Almighty God for his wonderful Providence towards her, and like a good and charitable Christian, Immediately fell to her prayers, that God would be pleased to give the wretch that had injured her, a sense of his Sins, and if it were his blessed will, to take off his heavy hand, and to restore him to his former condition, but as yet God hath not heard her prayers, and what will be the effect thereof he only knows to whom they are made; sure I am that it will well become every Christian to make his peace with God in time, and from this dreadful example to learn to serve the Lord with fear and trembling. Reprinted from a copy of the original pamphlet in the |