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thereof there was observed to fall down out of the skie a stone of about foure 
pounds weight, which was taken up by them who saw it fall, and being both 
strange for the forme of it, and somewhat miraculous for the manner of it, 
was by the same parties who are ready to attest this Truth brought up and 
shewed to a worthy member of the House of Commons, upon whose ground 
it was taken up, and by him to divers friends who have both seen and 
handled the same. Now the manner of finding of this stone was on this 
wise : one Captaine Johnson and one Master Thompson, men well knowne in 
that part of Suffolke, were that day at Woodbridge about the lanching of a 
ship that was newly builded there, who hearing this marvellous noise towards 
Alborow, verily supposed that some enemy was landed, and some sudden 
onset made upon the Towne of Alborow. This occasioned them to take Horse 
and hasten homewards, the rather because they heard the noise of the battel 
grow lowder. And being at that instant when that greatest cracke and 
report was made in conclusion, on their way upon an heath betwixt the two 
Townes, Woodbridge and Alborow, they observed the fall of this stone, which 
grazing in the fall of it along upon the heath, some 6 or / yards, had 
out run their observation where it rested, had not a dog which was in their 
company followed it by the scent as was hot, and brought them where it 
lay covered over with grasse and earth, that the violence of its course had 
contracted about it. This is the true relation of the finding of this stone, 
which is 8 inches long and 5 inches broad, and 2 inches thick. 
Having described these falls of stones as given by con- 
temporary writers, I will now come to some modern instances. 
I will first quote from Mr. King the phenomena attending the 
fall at Sienna. 
On the 16th of June, 1794, a tremendous cloud was seen in Tuscany, near 
Sienna and Radacofani, coming from the north about seven o’clock in the 
evening ; sending forth sparks like rockets, throwing out smoke like a 
furnace, rendering violent explosions, and blasts more like those of cannon, 
and of numerous muskets than like thunder ; and casting down to the ground 
hot stones ; whilst the lightning that issued from the cloud was remarkably 
red, and moved with less velocity than usual. 
Signor Andrew Montauli, who saw the cloud as he was travelling, 
described it as appearing much above the common region of the clouds, and 
as being clearly discerned to be on fire, and becoming white by degrees ; not 
only where it had a communication by a sort of stream of smoke and light- 
ning, with a neighbouring similar cloud ; but also, at last, in two-thirds of its 
whole mass, which was originally black. And yet he took notice that it was 
not affected by the rays of the sun, though they shone full on its lower pails ; 
and he could discern, as it were, the basin of a fiery furnace in the cloud, 
having a whirling motion. 
The stones that fell were numerous, the largest weighing 
five pounds and a half — some only a quarter of an ounce. 
They fell over a space of ground of from three to four miles, 
