"These are to will and require you in his Majesty's name, to take into your custody, and safely keep the body of Francis Smith of London, Stationer, for that traitorously and seditiously he compiled, printed, and published a treasonable and seditious book, intitled Several prodigies and apparitions seen in the heavens from August 1st 1660, to the latter end of May 1661, containing a collection of several former prodigies, mischievous events thereupon to princes, and a forgery of divers late false and feigned prodigies and impostures of the same kind, prognosticating thereby the like events to his majesty, and thereby did traitorously and seditiously instil into the hearts of his majesty's good subjects, a superstitious belief thereof, and a dislike and hatred of his majesty's person and government, and prepared them to effect a damnable design for the destruction of his sacred majesty, and to introduce a change of the government established; and for so doing, this shall be your warrant. Given at our Court at Whitehall the 15th day of August 1661. Edward Nicholas, To the Keeper of the prison of the Gatehouse, Westminster, or his Deputy. And this is the cause of the taking and detaining of the said Francis Smith in the prison of our lord the king, under my custody, whose body at the day and place in the said writ contained, I have ready as by the said writ is commanded me.
"Edward Broughton, knight.
"My counsel pleaded they knew nothing of that copy till now, and gave evidence that the copy I produced was taken from the clerk of the prison for which he had five shillings, upon which I was remanded back again to prison till the next term following; and here it may be remembered as an addition to the habit of cruelty attending that prison; (the gaoler notwithstanding what the Lord Chief Justice Forster had said to him) forced me to go down into the dungeon for above 20 days because I could not raise him £7 towards chamber rent at that instant. Then upon renewed complaints and counsel charge, obtained order to be taken out of the dungeon, and put upstairs into a chamber where I was again turned out within a week, at eight o'clock at night, while my poor wife and two of my children were eating, and they at that time of the night in the depth of winter, forced to seek their lodging amongst strangers in Tothill Street, Westminster, and myself constrained to lie upon the bare boards in an open entry, where I continued the rest of my time till bailed out, being several weeks, sometimes lying on the ground; the rest in a hammock.
"In this time I was sent for to Whitehall, and in the presence of a gentleman of quality yet living and several others, was offered £100 and present discharge, but to declare my knowledge (upon an imprecation) of the authors or printers of the aforesaid book. Yet rather than occasion hurt to any, gave myself up to their utmost displeasure; and had recourse to many chargeable Habeas Corpus's before I could obtain bail. By this imprisonment, I lost my shop and trade for two years, to above £300 charge and damage, towards which I can truly say to this day, I never had directly or indirectly to the value of £20 reparation from any person or persons whatsoever; though it hath been often suggested both by persons in authority and others, that competitors bore me out, which occasioned my bonds to be aggravated."[176]
On June 29th, 1661, Thomas Creake, of Little Britain, was examined before the Secretary of State, when he stated that he had in printing 2000 copies of this book; he had struck off the first sheet, and delivered 1000 copies to one George Thresher for binding.[177]
Among the State Papers of July, 1661, there is preserved the draft of a warrant from the Secretary of State for the apprehension of one Cole, dwelling at the Sign of the Printing Press, near the Old Exchange, and for search in his house, shop, &c., for copies of the "Mirabilis Annus," or any other prohibited books.[178]
On October 4th, 1661, a warrant was issued by the Secretary of State to the Keeper of the Gatehouse, to receive into custody Elizabeth, wife of Giles Calvert, bookseller, for printing and publishing a treasonable and seditious book called Several Prodigies and Apparitions seen in the Heavens, from August 1. 1660 to the latter end of May, 1661, "being a forgery of false and feigned prodigies, prognosticating mischievous events to the King, and instilling into the hearts of subjects a superstitious belief thereof, and a dislike and hatred of His Majesty's person and government, and preparing them to effect a damnable design for his destruction, and a change of government."[179]
In a communication from Mr. Ashmole to the Secretary of State, dated October 30th, 1661, the authorship of this book is attributed to Mr. George Cockain, a preacher, who had weekly meetings at an alehouse in Ivy Lane.[180]
On December 8th, 1661, Mr. Jessey, a minister, was examined before the Secretary of State in relation to this book, when he stated that he had long been in the habit of collecting notes of remarkable events; one of which described the strange death of Major Orde in the Bishopric of Durham, which was in the Annus Mirabilis; he visited Mr. Cockain, and had written out prodigies for him, and heard them from him.[181]
On December 19th, 1661, Francis Smith, the printer before referred to, was examined by the Secretary of State, when he denied any knowledge of the book, "never heard of it, contributed to it, read it, nor delivered it out."[182]