There are a great many passages of this Fool-Prophet's life and sayings transmitted by tradition from father to son in this county palatine; as, that when he lived with a farmer, before he was taken into Mr. Cholmondeley's family, he gored an •x so cruelly, that one of the ploughmen threatened to beat him for abusing his master's beast. Nixon said, My master's beast will not be his three days. A life in an estate dropping in that time, the Lord of the manor took the same ox for an heriot. This account, as whimsical and romantic as it is, was told to the Lady Cowper, in the year 1670, by Dr. Parric•, late Bishop of Ely, then Chaplain to S•r Walter St. John; and that Lady had the following farther particulars, relating to this Prophecy, and the fulfilling of many parts of it, from Mrs Chute, sister of Mrs. Cholmondeley, of Vale-Royal who affirmed, that a multitude of people gathering together to see the Eagle before mentioned, the bird was •rightened from her young▪ that she herself was one of them, and the cry among the people was, Nixon's Prophecy is fulfilled, and we shall have a foreign King. She declared, that she read over the prophecy many times, when her sister was with child of the heir who now enjoys the estate. She particularly remembered ⟨p. 21⟩membered that King James II. was plainly pointed at, and that it was foretold he would endeavour to subvert the laws and religion of this kingdom, for which reason they would rise and turn him out; that the Eagle of which Nixon prophesied perched in one of the windows at the time her sister was in labour. She said it was the biggest bird she ever saw; that it was in a deep snow, and that it perched on the edge of a great bow-window, which had a large border on the outside, and she and many others opened the window, to try to scare it away, but it would not stir till Mrs Cholmondeley was delivered; after which it took flight to a great tree over against the room her sister lay in, where having staid about three days, it flew away in the night. She affirmed further to the Lady Cowper, that the falling of the garden-wall was a thing not to be questioned, it being in so many people's memory; That it was foretold that the heir of Vale-Royal should live to see England invaded by foreigners, and that he should fight bravely for his King and his country:
There are a great many passages of this Fool-Phrophet's life and sayings transmitted by tradition from father to son in this county palatine; as, that when he lived with a farmer, before he was taken into Mr. Cholmondeley's family, he gored an •x so cruelly, that one of the ploughmen threatened to beat him for abusing his master's beast. Nixon said, My master's beast will not be his three days. A life in an estate dropping in that time, the Lord of the manor took the same ox for an herriot. This account, as whimsical and romantic as it is, was told to the Lady Cowper, in the year 1670, by Dr. Parric•, late Bishop of Ely, then Chaplain to S•r Walter St. John; and that Lady had the following farther particulars, relating to this Prophecy, and the fulfilling of many parts of it, from Mrs Chute, fister of Mrs. Cholmondeley, of Vale-Royal who affirmed, that a multitude of people gathering together to see the Eagle before mentioned, the bird was •rightened from her young▪ that she herself was one of them, and the cry among the people was, Nixon's Phrophecy is fulfil•ed, and we shall have a foreign King. She declared, that she read over the prophecy many times, when her sister was with child of the heir who now enjoys the estate. She particularly remembered ⟨p. 21⟩membered that King James II. was plainly pointed at, and that it was foretold he would endeavour to subvert the laws and religion of this kingdom, for which reason they would rise and turn him out; that the Eagle of which Nixon prophesied perched in one of the windows at the time her sister was in labour. She said it was the biggest bird she ever saw; that it was in a deep snow, and that it perched on the edge of a great bow-window, which had a large border on the outside, and she and many others opened the window, to try to scare it away, but it would not stir till Mrs Cholmondeley was delivered; after which it took flight to a great tree over against the room her sister lay in, where having staid about three days, it flew away in the night. She affirmed further to the Lady Cowper, that the falling of the garden-wall was a thing not to be questioned, it being in so many people's memory; That it was foretold that the heir of Vale-Royal should live to see England invaded by foreigners, and that he should fight bravely for his King and his country:
