%ISOlat1; %ISOlat2; %ISOnum; %ISOpub; ]> Northampton in Flames: / OR, / A POEM on the Dreadful FIRE / That Happened there on Monday the 20th. Septemb. 1675. University of California - Santa Barbara The Early Modern Center Director Patricia Fumerton 1675-1675 Early Modern Center, University of California Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA 04/25/2012 32130

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Patricia Fumerton Early Modern Center - English Department University of California Santa Barbara, CA 93105 United States of America EMail: pfumer@english.ucsb.edu

R5340 COnfused Cryes fill all the Peoples Ears, / And disagreeing Bells bespeak their Fears; Information in this section of the Source Description refers to the original ballad manuscript. 1: 133302 Northampton in Flames: / OR, / A POEM on the Dreadful FIRE / That Happened there on Monday the 20th. Septemb. 1675. Northampton in Flames: OR, A POEM on the Dreadful FIRE That Happened there on Monday the 20th. Septemb. 1675. Northampton in Flames: OR, A POEM on the Dreadful FIRE That Happened there on Monday the 20th. September 1675. 1675-1675 William Cademan

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 Early Modern Center Ballad Project Keyword Taxonomy advice affliction/ health alcohol Americas animals/ nature Bible/ biblical figures buildings/ architecture catastrophe children class clothing/ appearance country/ nation crime death economics/ commerce entertainments family folklore gender holidays/ seasons infidelity labor/ craft law London love maritime marriage military/ war monstrosity mythology/ Classical news nobility/ court politics/ government procreation punishment race/ ethnicity religious concepts religious figures religious groups royalty rural life servitude sex/ sexuality supernatural/ magic travel trickery/ deceit urban life vice violence virtue vulgar humor youth/ age Library of Congress Subject Heading Taxonomy 4/25/2012 Santa Barbara, California, United States of America buildings/ architecture catastrophe mythology/ Classical news urban life Ballads, English 17th century Broadsides, England 17th century 4/25/2012 4:30:17 PM XBallad Ly, Nancy Created XML Version of Ballad 4/25/2012 4:30:17 PM Transcription Supervisor Meyer, Shannon Transcription of ballad manuscript 4/25/2012 4:30:17 PM Double-Key Comparison and Merging Meyer, Shannon Transcription of ballad manuscript 4/25/2012 4:30:17 PM Transcriptionist Two Grafals, Michael Transcription of ballad manuscript 4/25/2012 4:30:17 PM Transcriptionist One Wong, Bethany Transcription of ballad manuscript 8/3/2011 Checker Jonathan Forbes Edited Ballad Catalogue Record 4/28/2011 Bibliographer Shannon Meyer Initial Ballad Catalogue Record Created 4/28/2011 Checker Shannon Meyer Edited Ballad Catalogue Record
<seg n="1" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">Northampton in Flames:</hi></seg> <seg n="2" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">OR,</hi></seg> <seg n="3" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">A POEM on the Dreadful FIRE</hi></seg> <seg n="4" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">That Happened there on <hi rend="bold">Monday</hi> the 20th. <hi rend="bold">Septemb.</hi> 1675.</hi></seg>
COnfused Cryes fill all the Peoples Ears, And disagreeing Bells bespeak their Fears; Faint glimmering lights on every wall appear, And Fire is all they now can see or hear. Some from their Shops, more from their Tables haste, To meet the Flames, that came themselves too fast: A joynt-concern engaged all the Town, Tis Fire alone makes every house our own. Where-ere they go, they new Surprises meet, And Grief alones the same in every Street. To loud complaints thamazed people fall, And Ruind! Ruind! Still did close them all. A thousand hands Strait fight thinraged foe, Who thus opposd dos but the fiercer grow; As when strong Winds th approaching Seas invade A mighty Billow of a Wave is made; So all the force they usd to stop the Fire, Did not Repell, but onely raise it Higher. Some from the Walls the heated Rafters tore, With the same Hands that set them Up before; And at the Conquerours feet their houses lay, The haughty Flames scorn the ignoble prey: And Lyon-like the prostrate Spoils, they mist, To conquer faster those that did resist: The infant-Flames each minute stronger grew, Whilst on the wings of a strong Wind they Flew; Nere did Bistonian Courser swiftlier bear, Pamperd in Peace the mighty God of War, Whilst over the Strymonian banks he scuds, And his Strong wind drives on the loytering Floods. But Zephyr could not long sustain the freight, But breathless lies under th unequal weight; The Flames no more now need the nourishing wind, But seem to leave those slower Blasts behind: And thus to their full strength and vigour grown, Singly defy all the Remaining Town. The full-fletcht Flames as swift as Joves fires Fly, Which in an instant lighten all the Sky: Houses of Entertainment and of Trade, Are all together in one Ruine laid; Shops, Stables, Barnes, all Buildings fall so fast, You could not say, which was devoured last: Not Polyphemus favours shewn. The *Silver-swan more sweetly sung of late, Too sad presage of her approaching fate; In deepest streams she wisht to hide her head, And curst the time She left her Watry bed: For now amidst the thickest Flames she fries, And there for want of her own Element dies. The *Lyon next, when nothing else could fright, Prepares himself for the unequal fight; Unknowing how to yield, he scorns the Fires, And in a generous Sullen rage expires. The *Hind, she heard, and knew her danger near, Which came so fast, she had no time to fear. The *Dog was nere afraid of her till now, Nor all so weak an Enemy could do, But now he finds her breath is hotter far, Then all thinveterate oth fiery Star. *Swan-Inn *Lyon-Inn *Hind-Inn. *Talbot-Inn And here, my Muse, the spacious *Hill survay, Where scarcely now th Affrighted People stay. Some on their backs their aged Parents bear, And shew their pietys greater than their fear: In the same hast AEnas snatcht his Sire And scarcely savd him from th pursuing fire. With wearied Steps a fearfull Mother strays, She trembles as she goes, looks backs, and Stays; Within her armes her youngest pledge she bore, And feard much for her self, for that much more: The Child looks on her with his watry Eyes, And all those frights he could not speak he Cryes. My Child (sayd she) my only child I fear, For none of all thy brethren else appear; Thy Father too-----But here she Silent grew, And durst not speak, but feard the Worst was true. *Market- place They Stayd, and saw, the tottering Chimni[e]s fall, And heard the Rents of each divided Wall: The great Beames burst and throw the sparks on high, And Fire rains down from the discoloured Sky; It fell so thick, not faster Hailestones pour, Which fall with violent force from an impetious Shower: These Cinders how they scapd, you could not tell,
Unless their tears did quench them, as they fell. The Richest Goods now Flame ore all the Hill, With Aromaticks which dried Channels fill: Th Arabian* Bird the scattered Spices takes, And of them all a Funeral Pile she makes; May she rise new from this her Flaming Nest, And th happy Emblem prove of all the rest. *Phenix Inn What ails my Muse to look so pale, All on a suddain how her spirits faile; With an uncertain step she now does go, And loose Pindariques only flow. See! see the Sacred * Fires rise, See how they mount and shew Brighter far than those below. See how they mount an unmixt Sacrifice! The Heavens asunder fall, They open, and receive it all. The Saints from whom it took its Name, Run and catch the Hallowed Flame, Which in safe Treasuries they lay, For they in Heavens Records did find a day; When it again should fill another Quire, And not consuming prove, but Purifying Fire. *All Saints Church My Muse she fainted, and intrancd she lay, Around her Head the sporting Visions play: When loe a Book a mighty Book she saw, It was the Volume of unerring Fate, The leaves of hardest Minerals were made; So hard, that God alone the Lines could draw, None else could write, and none obliterate: The Book lay open, and all times appear, And things not done, as plain as if they were; In dreadful Characters which fears create, And letters of a vast and fearful Size; She reads Northamptons too unhappy State, And all the Terrours of that Flaming Sacrifice: She reads the Legends of the dismal place, Of Fires, and their violent Rage, When suddain smiles adornd her alterd face, To find such happy Annalls for another Age. She reads, but as she read, excess of Joy, Her wandring Spirits did recall; Her hopes and fears by turns themselves destroy, She hopes all True, yet fears the Truth of all. And is it True said she, The Fates so soon shall raise that happy day, When all these Sister-Streets allied shall be, In stately order Uniformly gay. And shall the Sacred Roof so glorious grow, And there those polisht Columns stand, In which each golden Cherub sees his face, Doubly adorning all the Sacred place; And shall all this Treasure flow From Gracious Canterburies Pious hand! Ingrateful Muse said I, dost thou despair? Thou least of all shouldst doubt his Pious care: Did he not make that little that thou art? Yet that far more than thy desert: Did he not take thee from an homely Cell, To place thee where the Muses dwell? First Taught thee how, then gave thee where to Live, Tis not His fault but Thine, thy Lawrells do not Thrive, The careful *Genius of the place arose, Great in his Courage, great in Grief he shews; His mighty Courage dard the Rebel-fire, Though Grief did make him sigh, and blow it higher. Th unbounded Flames contract a seeming awe, And their unlimited Rage submits to Law; For generous heat did his Warm breast inspire, And his hot Zeal burnt out that colder fire. Obedient flames now creep along the street, An easy Conquest unto all they meet; To Cellars their last refuge now they fly, And there neglected of themselves they dy. But though the Town be Dust, its living Fame Shall never Dy in Loyal Comptons Name. *Earl of Northampton
London, Printed for William Cademan, at the New-Exchange in the Strande, 1675.