Annales of England
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Introductory notes
Francis Godwin (1562-1633), Bishop of Llandaff and Hereford, was an important Protestant divine and historian. His Catalogue of the Bishops of England since the first planting of the Christian Religion in this Island was published in 1601 and later reissued in 1615. In 1616 he published a Latin translation with a dedication to King James. Godwin was also a pioneer of science fiction, being the author of a work entitled The Man in the Moone, or a Discourse of a Voyage thither, by Domingo Gonsales. The work inflenced Cyrano de Bergerac, and apparently also Jonathan Swift The extract pertains to the year 1559, a year Godwin describes as year "memorable for the extreme dearth and contemptible cheapnesse of corne".
Annales
OF ENGLAND.
Containing the Reignes
OF
HENRY the Eighth.
EDWARD the Sixt.
Queene MARY.
Written in Latin by the Right Hono-
rable and Right Reverend Father in
God FRANCIS Lord
Bishop of Hereford.
Thus Englished, corrected and inlar-
ged with the Author's consent, by
MORGAN GODWYN.
Nec verbum verbo curabo reddere fidus Interpres.—HORAT.
LONDON,
Printed by A. Islip,
and W. Stansby,
1630.
PUBLISHED BY A. Islip
PUBLISHED BY W. Stansby
1630
1. Anno Dom. 1557. Reg. Mariae 4. & 5. Philipi 3. & 4.
[...]The eight day after this victorie an assault is given, and the Towne carried by force, wherin were taken the Admirall COLIGNY with his brother D'ANDELOT who (shortly after made an escape) IARNAC, S. REMY HUMES, and many other persons of quality: the son of the Lord of Fayette, SALEVERT, OGIER, VIC YES, LABARRE, ESTANG and GOURDES were slaine. Of the English in this assault few of note were lost, beside Lord HENRY DUDLEY yongest son to the Duke of Northumberland, and Sir EDWARD WINDSORE, who were the first that advanced Ensigne on the walls.
This yeare is alike memorable for the extreme dearth and contemptible cheapnesse of corne. A little before harvest wheat was sold at foure markes the quarter: within the current of a moneth it fell to the low rate of five shillings. Wherin I rather admire the insuing cheapnesse then the dearth, having my selfe in the yeare 1597. paied double the former deare price.
But that which I shall now relate, I should deeme far more memorable, had I not in later times my selfe seene the like. On the night which insued the seventh day of September, almost two houres after Sunset, the Moone having risen an houre before, a Rainbow was seene in the West. That I may relate the like accident though of differing time, the like apparition was seene by me on the foure and twentieth of November 1604. when (the Sun having two houres before declined to its lowest) travailing towards Colebrooke, the forme of a white cloud shaped into a fragment of a Circle, and just opposite to the Moone then newly risen appeared, which did every way resemble a true Rainbow, but that it was not diversified with colors, and in steed of the Sunne had the Moone its opposite.