%ISOlat1; %ISOlat2; %ISOnum; %ISOpub; ]> The forme and shape of a Monstrous Child / borne / at Maydstone in Kent, the .xxiiij. of October. 1568. 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 37068

The University of California makes a claim of copyright only to original contributions made by Early Modern Center participants and other members of the university community. The University of California makes no claim of copyright to the original text. Permission is granted to download, transmit or otherwise reproduce, distribute or display the contributions to this work claimed by The University of California for non-profit educational purposes, provided that this header is included in its entirety. For inquiries about commercial uses, please contact:

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

S113123 AT Maydstone in Kent there was one Marget Mere, Daughter to Richard Mere of the sayd / Towne of Maydstone, who being vnmaryed, played the naughty packe, and was gotten with Information in this section of the Source Description refers to the original ballad manuscript. 1: 36 The forme and shape of a Monstrous Child / borne / at Maydstone in Kent, the .xxiiij. of October. 1568. The form and shape of a Monstrous Child born at Maidstone in Kent, the xxiiii of October. 1568. Printer John Awdeley ?-?

This document follows the guidelines specified for TEI.

XML Generated Automatically at 6/15/2021 2:59:03 PM Using EMC

XBallad Parsing Engine developed by Carl G Stahmer.

TEI Template developed by Gerald Egan and Modified by Carl Stahmer

All apostrophes are encoded as '.

Any dashs occurring in line breaks have been removed;

All dashs are encoded as ‐ and all em dashes as —.

 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 2:59:03 PM XBallad Fong, Joann Created XML Version of Ballad 6/15/2021 2:59:03 PM Transcription Supervisor McCants, Kristen Transcription of ballad manuscript 6/15/2021 2:59:03 PM Double-Key Comparison and Merging Stark, Nicole Transcription of ballad manuscript 6/15/2021 2:59:03 PM Transcriptionist Two McCants, Kristen Transcription of ballad manuscript 6/15/2021 2:59:03 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 forme and shape of a Monstrous Child / borne</seg> <seg n="2" rend="left">at Maydstone in Kent, the .xxiiii. of October. 1568.</seg> <lb/> <seg n="3" rend="left"><hi rend="italic"><hi rend="bold">As ye this shape abhorre</hi></hi></seg> <seg n="4" rend="indent"><hi rend="italic"><hi rend="bold">In body for to have:</hi></hi></seg> <lb/> <seg n="5" rend="left"><hi rend="italic"><hi rend="bold">So flee such Vices farre</hi></hi></seg> <seg n="6" rend="left"><hi rend="italic"><hi rend="bold">As might the soule deprave</hi></hi></seg> <lb/> <seg n="7" rend="left">In Gods power</seg> <seg n="8" rend="indent">all flesh stands,</seg> <seg n="9" rend="left">As the clay in the</seg> <seg n="10" rend="indent">Potters hands.</seg> <lb/> <seg n="11" rend="left">To fashion even</seg> <seg n="12" rend="indent">as he wyll,</seg> <seg n="13" rend="left">In good shape</seg> <seg n="14" rend="indent">or in yll</seg>
AT Maydstone in Kent there was one Marget Mere, Daughter to Richard Mere of the sayd Towne of Maydstone, who being unmaryed, played the naughty packe, and was gotten with childe, being delivered of the same childe the .xxiiii. daye of October last past, in the yeare of our Lord, 1568. at .vii. of the clocke in the afternoone of the same day being Sonday. Which child being a man child, had first the mouth slitted on the right side like a Libardes mouth, terrible to beholde, the left arme lying upon the brest, fast therto joyned, having as it were stumps on the handes, the left leg growing upward toward the head, and the ryght leg bending toward the left leg, the foote therof grow- ing into the buttocke of the sayd left leg. In the middest of the backe there was a broade lump of flesh in fashion lyke a Rose, in the myddest whereof was a hole, which voyded like an Issue. Thys sayd Childe was borne alyve, and lyved .xxiiii. houres, and then departed this lyfe. Which may be a terrour as well to all such workers of filthynes & iniquity, as to those ungodly livers. Who (if in them any feare of God be) may moove them to repentance and amendement of lyfe, which God for Christes sake graunt both to them and us. Amen. Witnesses hereof were these, William Plomer, John Squier Glasier, John Sadler Goldsmith, besides divers other credible persons both men and women. A warnyng to England.
THis monstrous shape to thee England Playn shewes thy monstrous vice. If thou ech part wylt understand, And take thereby advice. For waying first the gaspyng mouth, It doth full well declare: What ravine and oppression both Is used wyth greedy care. For, for the backe, and gorging paunch, To lyve in wealth and ease: Such toylmen take that none may staunch Their greedy minde, nor please. For in such sort, their mouthes they infect, With lying othes, and slaightes: Blaspheming God, and Prince reject, As they were brutish beastes.
Their filthy talke, and poysoned speech, Disfigures so the mouth: That som wold think ther stood the breech Such filth it breatheth forth. The hands which have no fingers right But stumps fit for no use: Doth well set forth the idle plight, Which we in these daies chuse. For rich and poore, for age and youth, Eche one would labour flye: Few seekes to do the deedes of truth, To helpe others thereby. The leg so clyming to the head, What meaneth it but this? That some do seeke not to be lead, But for to leade amis.
And as this makes it most monstrous, For Foote to clyme to head: So those Subjects be most vicious, That refuse to be lead. The hinder part doth shew us playne, Our close and hidden vice, Which doth behind us run amayne, In vyle and shameful wyse. Wherefore to ech in England now, Let this Monster them teach: To mend the monstrous life they show, Least endles death them reach.
Imprinted at London by John Awdeley, dwellyng in little Britain streete without Aldersgate. The .xxiy. of December.