%ISOlat1; %ISOlat2; %ISOnum; %ISOpub; ]> The true reporte of the forme and / shape of a monstrous childe, borne at Muche Horkesleye, a village three / myles from Colchester, in the Countye of Essex, the .xxi. daye / of Apryll in this yeare. 1562. University of California - Santa Barbara The Early Modern Center English Broadside Ballad Archive (EBBA) Director Patricia Fumerton Associate Director Carl G Stahmer ?-? Early Modern Center, University of California Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA 06/15/2021 37066

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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

S117982 THis monstrous world that monsters bredes as / As men tofore it bred by natiue kinde (rife Information in this section of the Source Description refers to the original ballad manuscript. 1: 34 The true reporte of the forme and / shape of a monstrous childe, borne at Muche Horkesleye, a village three / myles from Colchester, in the Countye of Essex, the .xxi. daye / of Apryll in this yeare. 1562. The true report of the form and shape of a monstrous child, borne at Muche Horkesleye, a village three miles from Colchester, in the County of Essex, the xxi. day of April in this year. 1562. Printer Thomas Marshe ?-?

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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 Featured 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 6/15/2021 Santa Barbara, California, United States of America Ballads, English 17th century Broadsides, England 17th century 6/15/2021 2:49:52 PM XBallad Fong, Joann Created XML Version of Ballad 6/15/2021 2:49:52 PM Transcription Supervisor McCants, Kristen Transcription of ballad manuscript 6/15/2021 2:49:52 PM Double-Key Comparison and Merging Stark, Nicole Transcription of ballad manuscript 6/15/2021 2:49:52 PM Transcriptionist Two McCants, Kristen Transcription of ballad manuscript 6/15/2021 2:49:52 PM Transcriptionist One Raychawdhuri, Anita Transcription of ballad manuscript 4/3/2019 Bibliographer Kristen McCants Initial Ballad Catalogue Record Created
<seg n="1" rend="left">The true reporte of the forme and</seg> <seg n="2" rend="left">shape of a monstrous childe, borne at Muche Horkesleye, a village three</seg> <seg n="3" rend="left">myles from Colchester, in the Countye of Essex, the .xxi. daye</seg> <seg n="4" rend="left">of Apryll in this yeare. 1562.</seg> <lb/> <seg n="5" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">O, prayse ye God and</hi></seg> <seg n="6" rend="indent"><hi rend="italic">blesse his name</hi></seg> <lb/> <seg n="7" rend="left"><hi rend="italic">His mightye hande hath</hi></seg> <seg n="8" rend="indent"><hi rend="italic">wrought the same.</hi></seg>
THis monstrous world that monsters bredes as rife As men tofore it bred by native kinde By birthes that shewe corrupted natures strife Declares what sinnes beset the secrete minde. I meane not this as though deformed shape Were alwayes linkd with fraughted minde with vice But that in nature god such draughtes doth shape Resemblyng sinnes that so bin had in price, So grossest faultes brast out in bodyes forme And monster caused of want or to much store Of matter, shewes the sea of sinne: whose storme Oreflowes and whelmes vertues barren shore. Faultye alike in ebbe and eke in flowd, Like distaunt both from meane, both like extreames. Yet greatst excesse the want of meane doth shrowde And want of meane excesse from vertues meanes. So contraryest extreames consent in sinne Which to bewray to blindest eyes by syght Beholde a calfe hath clapt about his chinne His chauderne reft whence nature placed it right. And ruff'd drives doutfull seers to prove by speache Themselves not calves, and makes the fashion stale. In him behold by excesse from meane our breache And midds excesse yet want of natures shape.
To shewe our misse beholde a guiltlesse babe Reft of his limmes (for such is vertues want) Himselfe and parentes both infamous made With sinful byrth: and yet a worldlyng scant. Feares midwyfes route: bewrayeng his parentes fault In want of honestye and excesse or sinne. Made lawfull by all lawes of man, yet halt Of limmes by God, scapd not the shamefull marke Of bastard sonne in bastard shape descryed. Better farre better ungyven were his lyfe Than geven so. For nature just envyed Her gyft to hym: and cropd wyth mayming knyfe His limmes, to wreake her spyte on parentes sinne. Which, if she spare unwares so many scapes As wycked world to breede wil never linne Theyr lives declare theyr maims saved from their shapes Scorchd in theyr mindes (o cruel privye mayme That festreth styll, o unrecured sore) Where thothers quiting wyth theyr bodyes shame Theyr parentes guilt, oft linger not theyr lyves In lothed shapes but naked flye to skyes. As this may do whose forme tofore thine eyes Through want thou seest, a monstrous uglye shape Whom frendly world to sinne doth terme a scape.
ON Tuysday being the .xxi. day of Apryll, in this yeare of our Lorde God a thousand fyve hundred thre score and two, there was borne a man childe of this maymed forme at Muche Horkesley in Essex, a village about thre myles from Colchester, betwene a naturall father and a naturall mother having neyther hande, foote, legge, nor arme, but on the left syde it hath a Stumpe growynge out of the shoulder, and the ende thereof is rounde, and not so long as it should go to the elbowe, and on the ryghte syde no mencion of anything where any arme should be, but a litel stumpe of one ynche in length, al- so on the left buttocke there is a stumpe comming out of the length of the thygh almost to the knee, and round at the ende, and groweth something overthwart towardes the place where the ryght legge should be, and where the ryghte legge should be, there is no mencion of anye legge or stumpe. Also it hath a Codde and stones but no yearde, but a lytell hole for the water to issue out. Finallye it hath by estimation no tounge, by reason whereof it sucketh not, but is succoured wyth liquide substaunce put into the mouth by droppes, and nowe begynneth to feede wyth pappe beyng very well favoured, and of good and cheareful face. The aforesayde Anthony Smyth of Much Horkesley husbandman and his wyfe, were both maryed to others before, and have had dyvers chyldren, but this deformed childe is the fyrst that the sayd Anthony and his wyfe had betwene them two, it is a man chylde. This chylde was begot out of matrimony, but borne in matrimonye. And at the makynge hereof was living, and like to continue.
Imprinted at London in Fletestrete nere to S. Dunstons church by Thomas Marshe.