A26888:413
The certainty of the worlds of spirits and, consequently, of the immortality of souls…
The certainty of the worlds of spirits and, consequently, of the immortality of souls of the malice and misery of the devils and the damned : and of the blessedness of the justified, fully evinced by the unquestionable histories of apparitions, operations, witchcrafts, voices &c. / written, as an addition to many other treatises for the conviction of Sadducees and infidels, by Richard Baxter.The certainty of the worlds of spirits and, consequently, of the immortality of souls of the malice and misery of the devils and the damned : and of the blessedness of the justified, fully evinced by the unquestionable histories of apparitions, operations, witchcrafts, voices &c. / written, as an addition to many other treatises for the conviction of Sadduces and infidels, by Richard Baxter.
London: printed for T. Parkhurst, 1691
Treatise › Chapter 10 › Letter: Mr. Winney's Inclos'd Letter concerning the Glaston-Thorn.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Mr. Winney's Inclos'd Letter concerning the Glaston-Thorn.
Worthy Sir,
Real Love and Thanks prescribed, &c. These are to acquaint you, that I Received a Letter from you, wherein Mr. Thomas's Request to you, is, that the exactest and most punctual Account, of the usual Story of the Blossoming of Glastonbury Thorn on Christmas-day, might be found out; I have upon your Request searched more of it, than ever I thought to trouble my self to do, and have conversed with the most Ancient that I knew, and was directed to, and think those that are Credible, they offer to aver it upon Oath, what they tell me: Thus one Ancient Man tells me, that he hath gone on the Eve to it, and he hath found it like another dead Thorn, without any Blossom, or likelihood to have a sudden forwardness to it, only some Evidence of the Appearance of the breaking out the Buds, and but an Appearance perceivable, and he hath gone on Christmas-day, and found the Blossoms as though it was the midst of May, and gathered them, and sent them many Miles, and had good Rewards; this the Man will depose upon his Oath. At the same time this Man was at ⟨p. 210⟩my House, there came occasionally, an ancient Woman, a Neighbour, whose Testimony I believe fit to be received, who earnestly affirmed this, that in the time of Queen Ann, she lived with one Sir Tho. Hughes, in Wells, a Justice of Peace, who purposely sent his men (two of them) to know the Truth, that he might satisfy any that might make enquiry, and on the Eve, towards Night, they found it as another Thorn, only the breaking out of the beginning of Buds, and staying in Glastonbury all Night, to observe, as near as might be, the time when they began to sprout forth into a perfect Blossom, they have gone again toward the turn of the Night, and have found the perfect Blossom about two or three of the Clock, so that at Morning they have returned to their Master with them, which she told me, she saw when they brought it home: