ANNALS OF CORK~
XXll
of God had not bln so heavily upon her, but they ar& not mctde so apparent as the sinnes of Sodome. But if Vox Populi be Vox D.ei; if the people .of the country ~ joyning round about them may. be taken for Witnesses; f«·suffi~I~nt p:roof of the~l"· sirines which might provoke the wrath of God upon them, the Citizens and Inhabi- . tants ~f Corke have been taxed and noted for usury ~the cheerful daughter of covet- ousness) to ex~eed any Cittie in the King's Dominions, except some Citties in Eng- land, which as. they are fane greater in quantity, so I feare· they do as muoh exceed in quality of the same sinne.. But of this mor~, hereafter; when ~ shall.have pass.ed. over this lamentable narration of Corke. This last of May;, bemg Fnday, betwiXt eleven and twelve of the Clocke, the cloudes over. the Cittie began to gather thic~e,. which caused such a da.rknes in theill houses, that they were amazed to behold sodame darkenes. These darke clouds seemed to muster tog~ther and to descend by degrees. neare to the Cittie. Whilst the Inhabitants stood thus wondering at the extraordinary darkenes, suddanly they heud a terrible clappe of thunder, and at the same instant they saw a dreadful lightning with flames of fire breake out of the.cloudes and fall upon the Cittie at the same instant at the East end'and the highest part of the Cittie.. . At the very place where the Stares beganne thei.J: Battell, and where they first fell down•. . being killed in the fight, there the fire first began with horrible flames, which the inha- "bitants of the West and lower parts of the Cittie beholding, they began hastily to rulh towards the East part where the fire began. They were not runne halfe the way· when as they heard a woeful cry of fire behind them, for the West part was also set on fire. Betwixt two fires, being amazed and confounded; not-knowing what to doe,. 1ihe flames of fire raged also extreamely in ·the middest of the houses on both side of the streete. Albeit they had great abundance of water near at hand, ther.e was no· means to be had nor any endeavour to be used to quench the flames. For the fire. was so sodaine, the flames so hot, and raging, that there was no possibility to come- neare them. For the fire which falleth from heaven is unquenchable, and ragetb.. with that violent heate as may not be endured. So that the inhabitant,q seeing alt their labours and indeavours to be spent in vain,.and many consumed which adven-- tured too near to save their goods their wives or children, then they resolved to save themselves by running and flying out of the Cittie into the fields, and to an Island: adjoining near unto the Cittie. Some were saved by this means. But those who- were in the cittie were so enclosed upon both sides with fire, that they were-brought into miserable Extreamities. These had no other means to save themselves, but to. fly for refuge into the Churches. There were in the Cittie three Churches, all which were filled with people tormented with woe and terror. For albeit they were in th&. Churches covered with slate and built otherwise with thick stone walls, yet this was. no security unto them when as they had nothing to hope fQr,. but a. dreadful expec- tation every minute of an houre, when the Churches would be fired also. For they could not goe out of the chuTchea, the fire raged so on all aide~:~. And in the churches they heard nothing but clamours and out cries. Every mans feare was a torment,_ not only to himself but to others generally. For the houses round about the Churches flaming, upon every glimpse of fire, the cry was raised, the Church is now on fire, now we shall all be consumed. This was the miserable and woeful case of those who. fled to the qhurches. ~ow fer those who remained in the streets (as all people whose w:eakness might not shift for themselves),or young children, whose want of discretion could not foresee how to avoyd the danger, or such persons who loved their wives children, and goods more than then;tselves. Many hundreds of these people wer~ consumed by the fire. Now, concernmg thpse who to save their lives fled into the. Island and fields ~djoini~g, ~n. w~at a woeful and miserable a:fH.iction were they 1 Th~se were J:>eholding their Cittie m a lamentable combustion. They w&e turning theu eyes th1~ way and t~at way;where sometime their habitations we~e, where they h~d goods, wives,.and children, broth~rs and sisters, fathers and mothers, cousins and friends, and al~ either consumed, or m danger to be consumed with fire. And to agravate the bitterness of their heavie a:ffiiction more, they heard out of the Cittie hy~eous and rueful cryes and clamours, which made them imagine all were utter)y penahed and consumed. And what the battell and fight of the birds did presage
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