By W. W. Ravenhill, Esq. 



G7 



of the reader withall to amend in himself whatsoever he finds amiss 

 either herein or in himself and so Farewell. 



This pamphlet was thought worthy of a categorical answer by the 

 Rev. Robert Clark, minister of God's word at Norleach, about six 

 weeks afterwards. He says men believe the wonders, therefore he 

 writes. It's as true as the story that thirty dogs died the day 

 of the King's proclamation at Gravesend ; as true as the stories 

 of the Cavalier pillage, whereas their carriage was a just reproof to 

 the villainy of those not long before in office, whose rudeness to 

 two famous Gloucestershire families was well remembered (first), to 

 Sir Henry Frederick Thynne and his lady, who were plundered not 

 only in their grounds and stables, of horses, but in their closets of 

 their sweetmeats — no wonder these prophets have such sweet tongues; 

 (second) to Mr. How and his lady, robbing them and imprisoning 

 them. He then strikes away mightily at the story, expurgating 

 the lord and justice ; but when he gets to the frogs he says he is 

 bound to admit they are prolific and abound in that neighbourhood 

 at that time of year. Still they were not such well drilled frogs. 

 Ah Mr. Clark understands, the pamphleteer must mean the filthy 

 spirits about, in wickedness, they are, frog-like, living in pools of 

 mire, hopping, croaking, amphibious, enemies to bees (God's minis- 

 ters), and can't be stung as they are thick-skinned, witches like the 

 Egyptian frogs they followed the bloody waters of affliction. This 

 plague he hopes not eternal. He then denies everything. Perhaps 

 we may think Mr. Clark had better have left the matter alone. 



Whether or not Mr. Clark showed his letter to Mr. Shipman, the 

 Vicar of Fairford, before publication, we cannot tell. Perhaps he did, 

 or the latter saw it and did not care for such a champion, so a further 

 pamphlet appears the same day, written by a Mr. Brown, countersigned 

 by Mr. Shipman, the churchwarden and constable of Fairford, saying 

 "on the 16th of June from Squire Barker's old fish ponds there did 

 appear great store of young frogs, silly poor varmints, lin. or so 

 long, who did no harm to anyone. It was a mere natural event. 

 No wonder the law ought to be set against these lying zealots, but 

 there was no way to do it." We breathe again, for the frogs, 

 according to these redoubtable witnesses, did " nothing injurious." 



