A Moste true and marveilous straunge wonder, the lyke hath
seldom ben seene, of .XVII. Monstrous fisshes, taken in Suffolke, at Downam brydge, within a myle
of Ipswiche. The .XI. daye of October. In the yeare of our Lorde God. M.D.LX.VIII.
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FYrste you shall understande, that the begynners first Venterers
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to take these fishes, was Nycholas Gibbins, and Jhon Carnaby,
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with theyr men: after came John Baker, and Robert Haulley with
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theyr men, being all Saylers & Shipmen dwelling in Ipswiche,
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with other, besydes manye of the countrey ther about, whyche when they
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harde of it, came thyther to helpe, and see the taking of them.
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Also, of these .xvii. fyshes, there was a male, and a female, that was
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more howge and monstrous then the other .xv. For the least of these .ii.
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fisshes, were .xxvii. foote longe: and as bigge in the middle eche of them,
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as .iii. Buttes of Malmezie, and of a marveylous great strength, as it is
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well known to dyvers in Ipswich & other places, beside those men above
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named. For they tyed one of these fysshes to a boat, to brynge hit to Ips-
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wich wharfe, and being so tied to the boat, swam awaye wyth the boat &
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all the men that weare in it, toward the sea a marvaylous swyft pace, for
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all that they could do: this was when the tyde came in, for they had made
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provision before, when the water was loo, to tie great roapes about theyr
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tayles and finnes with small boates, and by such meanes as they could.
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(And as I sayd before) the tyde commyng in & the fyshe havinge water,
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swam away with the boat so fast toward the sea, that if ther had not byn
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rescue of other boates and such vessels as they had thear, that boat and
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all they in it, had ben lost and utterlie cast away. But as God wold have
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it, by the helpe of thother boates or vessels, tieng the fishe also. Brought
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him by force to a convenient place, and tied him fast to a tree with strong
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Cable roapes, and so usyng theym one by one, founde meanes to brynge
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theim to Ipswych wharfe. Wher they were layd with great labour and
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trouble, besyde breaking of theyr wyndlace & a great Cable roape, wyth
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halyng them up, they weare of suche marvaylous greatnes, strength and
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wayght. Som of them laye upon the wharfe .ii. dayes and a nyght before
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they weare dead, and yet they strooke them wyth Axes & other weapons
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to kyll them. The ryver wherin they weare taken was coloured red, with
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the blood that issued from theyr woundes, whyle they weare a takyng, the
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water beinge so deepe that a Hoy might well ryde thearin. Thear was
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also .iii. Butchers a hole day cutting out one of these fysshes, and as ma-
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nye to carye it awaye with hand barous to the town warehouse, and the
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Butchers were fayne to put on bootes to stand in to cut it out, it was so
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deepe & full of garbyge? this fishe was a mans heyght in thicknes, from
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the top of the backe to the bone: and his bones as harde as stones, that the
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Butchers mard al theyr Axes they occupied a bout them. The other .xv.
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fisshes were .xxiiii. foote longe, and som of them, xxi. foote, and byg accor
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ding to theyr length. But the .ii. biggist, male and female, was .xxvii.
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foote long, and as byg in the middle as .iii. Buttes of malmsie. Havinge
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a round snout. His mouth wyde, gapinge above a yeard broad. And had
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xliiii. teeth, one beinge wayed & waith a pound & a halfe, viii. inches & a
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half long, and above .vi. inches in compas a bout, yet none of the biggest.
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Also a great long tung, a marveylous byg head, & is a yeard betweene the
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eies. Upon theyr heds were holes, as big that a man might put in both his
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fistes at once, out of the which they did spoute a great quantitie of water
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whyle they were a takinge, that they had almoste dround .ii. boates men
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and all, with spoutynge of water: for the water wold assende uppwarde
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from the fisshes, as hie as any house, and so fall doun & weet all them that
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were within theyr reache moste cruellie. Also they were white beneath
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the eyes a hand broad, theyr eies blacke, and no bigger then the eyes of a
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Calfe. Theyr backes as blacke as ynke, so smoth & bryght that one myght
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have seene his face on it, as in a dim Glasse. Theyr bellies as whyte as
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mylke. And upon their backes they had eche of them one great blacke Fin
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growing, and sum of them were a yeard and a halfe long, verie thycke, &
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strong, and .ii. great blacke ones underneath the fore part of his bellye.
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Also the male, one of the .ii. biggest had a yerde, that when it was out, was
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more then .iii. quarters of a yearde long, and as byg toward his bodye as
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a mans arme sleeve & all, by the elboe. His tayle was .iii. yeardes long,
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and .ii. yerdes broad verye thycke & blacke, & wonderfull stronge: for .x.
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tall men stood uppon his tayle, & he liftng his tayle up, over thrue theym
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all. Also when he had lifted up his tayle it was of such monstrous waight
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strength, and bygnes, that when it fell the verye grund wold rynge, and
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shake therwith. Thys fyshe was cut out in peeces, and geven away to
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divers in the towne that did eate of it, and was verye good meate, eyther
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rosted or bakt, (so much of it as was kept sweete) and the meate of them
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bakt tasted lyke red Deere. And as they cut it out it was wayed by pee-
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ces, so that the verye boddye of this one fishe, wayed .LII. hondred the
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bare carckas, besyde many lytle peecis that was geven away unwaied to
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cravers that stood by, & besydes a Carte loade of garbyge that came oute
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of his bellye, so that all together was above threescore hondred and od.
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If the men of Ipswych had knowne so muche betyme whyle they were
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sweete, as they have sence, they might have made .ii. C. marcke more of
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them then is now made. But now they bee barreld upp to make Oyle of,
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and will not bee sold for a great peece of monney.
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And this you maye see, the perfect and true discripcion, of these
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straunge fishes, wherin is to be noted, the straung and marveylous
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handye workes of the Lord, blessed be God in all his giftes, & holye
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in all his workes, the Lordes name bee praysed, in them, and for
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them, for ever and ever. So be it.
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