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A.D.
664. |
This
year the sun was eclipsed, on the eleventh of May (Sign
of doom);... This same year there was a great plague in the island
Britain,... (Sign
of doom) |
A.D.
671. |
This
year happened that great destruction among the fowls. (Sign
of doom) |
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A.D.
678. |
This
year appeared the comet-star in August, and shone every morning, during
three months, like a sunbeam. (Sign
of doom) |
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A.D.
679. |
...and
the monastery of Coldingiham was destroyed by fire from heaven. (Sign
of doom) |
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A.D.
685. |
This
year there was in Britain a bloody rain, and milk and butter were
turned to blood. (Sign
of doom) |
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A.D.
729. |
This
year appeared the comet-star. (Sign
of doom) |
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A.D.
733. |
...;
the sun was eclipsed;... (Sign
of doom) |
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A.D.
734. |
This
year was the moon as if covered with blood. (Sign
of doom) |
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A.D.
744. |
The
stars went swiftly shooting. (Sign
of doom) |
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A.D.
774. |
This
year also appeared in the heavens a red crucifix, after sunset(Sign
of doom) ;...; and wonderful serpents were seen in the land of
the South-Saxons. |
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A.D.
793. |
This
year came dreadful forewarnings over the land of the Northumbrians,
terrifying the people most woefully: these were immense sheets of
light rushing through the air, and whirlwinds (Sign
of doom), and fiery dragons flying across the firmament. These
tremendous tokens were soon followed by a great famine (Sign
of doom): and not long after, on the sixth day before the ides
of January in the same year, the harrowing inroads of heathen men
made lamentable havoc in the church of God in the Holy-island, by
rapine and slaughter. |
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A.D.
795. |
This
year was the moon eclipsed, between cock-crowing and dawn, on the
fifth day before the calends of April. (Sign
of doom) |
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A.D.
800. |
This
year was the moon eclipsed, at eight in the evening, on the seventh
day before the calends of February;... (Sign
of doom) |
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A.D.
802. |
This
year was the moon eclipsed, at dawn, on the thirteenth day before
the calends of January. (Sign
of doom) |
A.D.
806. |
This
year was the moon eclipsed, on the first of September;... (Sign
of doom) This year also, on the next day before the nones of June,
a cross was seen in the moon, on a Wednesday, at the dawn; and afterwards,
during the same year, on the third day before the calends of September,
a wonderful circle was displayed about the sun. (Sign
of doom) |
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A.D.
807. |
This
year was the sun eclipsed, precisely at eleven in the morning, on
the seventh day before the calends of August. (Sign
of doom) |
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A.D.
827. |
This
year was the moon eclipsed, on mid-winter's mass-night. (Sign
of doom) |
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A.D.
879. |
The
same year also the sun was eclipsed one hour of the day. (Sign
of doom) |
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A.D.
891. |
And
the same year after Easter, about the gang-days or before, appeared
the star that men in book-Latin call "cometa": some men
say that in English it may be termed "hairy star"; for that
there standeth off from it a long gleam of light, whilom on one side,
whilom on each. (Sign
of doom) |
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A.D.
904. |
This
year the moon was eclipsed. (Sign
of doom) |
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A.D.
905. |
...
and a comet appeared on the thirteenths day before the calends of
November. (Sign of
doom) |
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A.D.
926. |
This
year appeared fiery lights in the northern part of the firmament.
(Sign of doom)
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A.D.
975. |
Then
too was seen,
high in the heavens,
the star on his station,
that far and wide
wise men call --
lovers of truth
and heav'nly lore --
"cometa" by name. (Sign
of doom)
Widely was spread
God's vengeance then
throughout the land,
and famine scour'd the hills. (Sign
of doom)
(...and
then soon, in the same year, during harvest, appeared "cometa"
the star (Sign of
doom); and then came in the following year a great famine (Sign
of doom), and very manifold commotions among the English people.)
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A.D.
976. |
This
year was the great famine in England. (Sign
of doom) |
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A.D.
979. |
This
same year was seen a bloody welking oft-times in the likeness of fire;
and that was most apparent at midnight, and so in misty beams was
shown; but when it began to dawn, then it glided away. (Sign
of doom) |
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A.D.
986. |
...
and in this year came first the great murrain of cattle in England.
(Sign of doom)
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A.D.
995. |
This
year appeared the comet-star. (Sign
of doom) |
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A.D.
1005. |
This
year was the great famine in England so severe that no man ere remembered
such. (Sign of
doom) |
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A.D.
1014. |
This
year, on the eve of St. Michael's day, came the great sea-flood, which
spread wide over this land, and ran so far up as it never did before,
overwhelming many towns, and and innumerable multitude of people.
(Sign of doom)
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A.D.
1032. |
This
year appeared that wild fire, such as no man ever remembered before,
which did great damage in many places. (Sign
of doom) |
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A.D.
1042. |
All
that year was the season very severe in many and various respects:
both from the inclemency of the weather, and the loss of the fruits
of the earth. More cattle died this year than any man ever remembered,
either from various diseases, or from the severity of the weather.
(Sign of doom)
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A.D.
1044. |
This
year there was very great hunger over all England, and corn so dear
as no man remembered before; so that the sester of wheat rose to sixty
pence, and even further. (Sign
of doom) |
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A.D.
1046. |
And
in the same year, after Candlemas, came the strong winter, with frost
and with snow, and with all kinds of bad weather; so that there was
no man then alive who could remember so severe a winter as this was,
both through the loss of men and through the loss of cattle; yea,
fowls and fishes through much cold and hunger perished. (Sign
of doom) |
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A.D.
1049. |
(And
this year also there was an earthquake, on the kalends of May, in
many places in Worcester, and in Wick, and in Derby, and elsewhere
(Sign of doom);
and also there was a great mortality among men, and murrain among
cattle (Sign of
doom): and moreover, the wild-fire did much evil in Derbyshire
and elsewhere.(Sign
of doom)) |
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A.D.
1053. |
About
this time was the great wind, on the mass-night of St. Thomas; which
did much harm everywhere. And all the midwinter also was much wind.
(This
year was the great wind on Thomas's-mass-night, and also the whole
midwinter there was much wind;) (Sign
of doom)
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A.D.
1054. |
And
in this year was so great loss of cattle as was not remembered for
many winters before. (Sign
of doom) |
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A.D.
1060. |
This
year was a great earthquake on the Translation of St. Martin. (Sign
of doom) |
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A.D.
1066. |
Then
was over all England such a token seen as no man ever saw before.
Some men said that it was the comet-star, which others denominate
the long-hair'd star. It appeared first on the eve called "Litania
major", that is, on the eighth before the calends of May; and
so shone all the week.
(And
this year appeared a comet on the fourteenth before the kalends
of May.) (Sign of
doom)
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A.D.
1077. |
This year also was the dry summer; and wild fire came upon many shires,
and burned many towns; and also many cities were ruined thereby. (Sign
of doom) |
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A.D.
1082. |
...
and this year also was a great famine. (Sign
of doom) |
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A.D.
1086. |
And
the same year there was a very heavy season, and a swinkful and sorrowful
year in England, in murrain of cattle (Sign
of doom), and corn and fruits were at a stand (Sign
of doom), and so much untowardness in the weather, as a man may
not easily think; so tremendous was the thunder and lightning, that
it killed many men; and it continually grew worse and worse with men.
(Sign of doom)
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A.D.
1087. |
In
the one and twentieth year after William began to govern and direct
England, as God granted him, was a very heavy and pestilent season
in this land. Such a sickness came on men, that full nigh every other
man was in the worst disorder, that is, in the diarrhoea; and that
so dreadfully, that many men died in the disorder (Sign
of doom). Afterwards came, through the badness of the weather
as before mentioned, so great a famine over all England, that many
hundreds of men died a miserable death through hunger (Sign
of doom). Alas! how wretched and how rueful a time was there!
When the poor wretches lay full nigh driven to death prematurely,
and afterwards came sharp hunger, and dispatched them withal! Who
will not be penetrated with grief at such a season? or who is so hardhearted
as not to weep at such misfortune? Yet such things happen for folk's
sins, that they will not love God and righteousness. |
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A.D.
1089. |
There
was also over all England much earth-stirring on the third day before
the ides of August... (Sign
of doom) |
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A.D.
1097. |
Then
upon the feast of St. Michael, the fourth day before the nones of
October, appeared an uncommon star, shining in the evening, and soon
hastening to set. It was seen south-west, and the ray that stood off
from it was thought very long, shining south-east. And it appeared
on this wise nearly all the week. Many men supposed that it was a
comet. (Sign of doom) |
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A.D.
1098. |
Before
Michaelmas the heaven was of such an hue, as if it were burning, nearly
all the night (Sign
of doom). This was a very troublesome year through manifold impositions;
and from the abundant rains, that ceased not all the year, nearly
all the tilth in the marshlands perished. (Sign
of doom) |
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A.D.
1099. |
This
year also, on the festival of St. Martin, the sea-flood sprung up
to such a height, and did so much harm, as no man remembered that
it ever did before. And this was the first day of the new moon. (Sign
of doom) |
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