(4) 



May i. The sun was eclipsed, and a great pestilence 

 in Britain (A. S. C.). 



665 There was so terrible a mortality in England that men 

 came in crowds to the precipices which overhang the sea, 

 and threw themselves headlong down, preferring to perish 

 by a speedy death rather than by the slow torture of 

 disease (M. of W.). 



671 In this year was the great destruction of birds (A. S. C. ; 

 M. of W.). 



678 In the month of August a blazing star appeared, with 

 a long bright beam, like to a pillar. It was seen every 

 morning for the space of three months together. No 

 rain fell in the province of the South Saxons for the space 

 of three years, so that the people were brought into great 

 misery by reason of famine (Holinshed). Matthew of 

 Westminster puts the comet in 677. 



In August the star comet appeared and shone for three 

 months every morning like a sunbeam (A. S. C.). 



685 In this year there was bloody rain in Britain (A. S. C.). 



686 There was an eclipse of the moon. The sun was 

 also eclipsed on the 3rd of May, at about ten o'clock. 

 And the same year a most terrible pestilence ensued, 

 which lasted all July, August, and September (M. of W.}. 



695 There was an eclipse of the sun this year (M. of W.). 



Great frost in England. The river Thames frozen over 



for six weeks (Lowe). 

 697 Com in the harvest time appeared bloody, and in 



Scotland it rained blood (ffolinshed). 

 729 January there appeared two comets very terrible to 



behold ; the one rising in the morning before the rising of 



the sun, and the other after the setting thereof, and they 



appeared thus every morning and evening for the space of 



a fortnight together (Holinshed). 



In this year the star comet appeared (A. S. C. ; also 

 M.ofW.) 

 733 On the eighteen calends of September the sun suffered 



