Anne Mylner | An eighteen year old maid from the city of Chester in the county of Cheshire who was allegedly possessed by a white spirit that enveloped her. She was possessed for fifteen to sixteen weeks. One day, she came home from the fields very sick and would only eat once every twenty-four hours. When she would eat, she would only eat bread and cheese. She had a fit and was in a trance from hour to hour. She was delivered by having vinegar spit up her nose until she called out for the blood of Christ and made to recite prayers with John Lane. The following day Mylner attends a sermon John Lane preached at Saint Mary's Cathedral in Chester (now St Mary's Centre, then Church of St Mary-on-the-Hill), where she attended. At the time of publication she "remayneth at this prese[n]t (praysed be god) in perfit good health and lyking."
(Image 3-4) | The copy of a letter describing the wonderful worke of God, in deliuering a Maiden within the City of Chester, from an horrible kinde of torment and sickenes, 16. of February. Anno. 1564.
HAuing receiued your letter, & therby vnderstanding aswel what brute hath lately happened in your partes, concernyng the deliuery of a woma~ here within the City of Chester, from a most monstrous and horrible kynde of torment and disease, as also howe desirous you are to learn the truth therof: I am contented in gratefieng this your request, to signifye herein as is for truth knowen and accepted. The storye therfore was thys:
Anne Mylner a Mayden of the age of .xviii. yeres, daughter to Ra~dulphe Mylner, and broughte vp
in her Fathers house, wythin the bridge strete of the same City, we~t the .xviii. daye of October last, to bring her Fathers Kyne into the fieldes. And at her returne, comming in the high way neare to the City, was sodaynlye taken wyth great feare, and thoughte that she saw a whyte thing compassing her round about, and so amased, came to her fathers house, & in the nexte morning felt her selfe greued, & very sore in al the partes of her body, which so increased, that thereupon she was enforced to keepe her bed, beyng verye sicke. And during the space of fyue dayes then next ensuing, did not take anye kynde of bodely sustenance, as her Parentes hath sundry tymes declared. She had her fyt and traunce almost fro~ houre to houre, and had neuer aboue three houres rest in the day &
night. Neyther did eate during the time of her sycknes, but once in ech xxiiii. houres, and then most commonly a litle quantitye of breade and cheese, which notwithsta~ding was done with wonderfull snatching and rashnes.
The maner of her disease and sycknes was suche (as here after, touching the time of her cure, shall be more perticularly described) that vnto her out of al partes of the citye, repayre of verye manye was made. Yea, insomuche that after Maister John Pierce, one of the Canons of the Cathedrall churche of Chester, and Reader of the Didinity Lecture there, with diuers persons of reputacion had sene the Mayden, he with his Auditorye in December last, at the ende of hys Lecture, kneling vpon their knees made speciall prayers vnto God,
for her deliuerace.
And further
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said, that she had remayned in that miserable plight .xv. or. xvi. wekes, and (as I suppose, hauing hearde howe it is well knowen to diuers credible persons in these partes, what rare and syngular remedye god hath wrought by M. Lane, to some that sustained of late no smal decay of minde and memory, or els being of that religion, as in theese dayes seeke myracles to confirme Gods woorde) desyred him at his next comming to the City of Chester, to see the tormented Mayden, and they would bring him vnto her.
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there finding the Mayden in her traunce after her accustomed maner, lying in a bed within the haule, her eyes halfe shut, shalfe open, looking as she had bene agast, neuer mouyng either eye or eye lyd, her teeth somthing open, with her toung doublyng betwene, her face somewhat
red, her head as heauy as leade to lift at, she lay stil as a stone, and feeling her pulce, it beat with as good measure, as if she had bene in perfite health. And in this sort beholding her, almost during the fourth part of an houre, her bellye began to moue, swelling vp & down, somtime beneath her chest, sometyme vp to the throte, in suche vehemenry, that a man would haue thought she would haue burst. Then sodenly she lifteth her self vp in her bed, bending backwards in such order, that almost her head and fete met, falling downe somtime on the one syde, somtime on the other, but rysyng againe so sodenly, that the beholders could not imagine howe if might bee possible so quicklye shee coulde without ayde of hande, cast her selfe (her belly being vpwarde) into the fourme of a hoope.
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The people present, seing hym so to continue with her, and her paines encrease, some thought best he should let her alone, saying that it woulde haue the course. Whom maister Lane desired to be quyet, and let God woorke, willing them to pray to God for her, for asmuche as in him onely consisteth her deliuerance from that payne, and that god was as stro~g as euer he was. And when she was in the veheme~t panges the beholders called vpon god for her, maister Lane secretly sayd the fifty Psalm, & ofte~ desired God, through the bloud of his so~ne Jesus Christ, to ease the Maiden, not doubting of his mercye in that behalfe.
And when he had thus striued with her the space of two houres, that the drope trickled downe hys
face, he had thought to haue commended her vnto God: but then againe it came to mynde to tary the end, and so began a freshe to striue with her, euer secretly praying & calling vpo~ the bloud of Christ, & whe~ her belly was pressed downe wt as much weight & stre~gth as could be, by those yt wer present, she stryued more the~ before, and diuers times with the vehement swelling of her bellye, shee was verye like to haue throwne them ouer, that so helde downe her body.
At the last Maister Lane called for viniger, wherat the sta~ders by marueiled, saying, that yt thing with muche more had bene often tymes attempted, but to no purpose. Notwithstanding he ceased not to call styll for it, saying, that God might do that then, which he did not before, and so receiued viniger,
put it into his mouth & blewe it into the Mayde~s nostrels, wherat she cryed a Lady, Lady. He the~ willed her to cal vpo~ God, and the bloud of Christ, & in these doinges she being astonied he called againe for more viniger. Wherat she cried: No, no, no more for Gods sake.
The~ maister Lane willed her to speake & say after him, & so he & all the~ present, said the Lords prayer & Te deum, she saying after them.
After this her deliueraunce, she then continually called vpon God, and by the appointment of maister Lane, she had her clothes put on, & meate brought, wherof she did eat a little. This done, maister Lane willed to try whether she could go. Whereunto, albeit that those then present answered that it was not possible, for that shee had not gone in al the time of .xvii. weekes then
last past, yet master Lane affirmed that the same God which gaue her speche, could geue her strength also to go: and so departing the place, vntill the women had gotten on her hosen, and then comming in againe, [...] her in the name of God to come to him, standing in thSingle illegible letter other syde of the house, whych she did. And thereupon after talke had wyth her of the maner of her taking, & admonishing her to haue a stedfast faith in Christ, and to occupy her selfe in praier, left her.
My Lady Caluerley, maistres Erauenor, wyfe to John Erauenor, with diuers other credible per so as wer present, during such time as mayster Lane was wyth the mayden, and are eye wytnesses to these his doinges.
The next day following, mayster Lane preached at saynt Maries
within the sayde Citye, before John Chrogmarton Esquier, the Quenes maiesties high Justice in the Countye of Chester, at whych sermon the late recouered Maiden was present.
Upon this so wonderful a cure great talke was had in eche company within the City, that therupon the Mayden was not onelye brought vnto the said Justice, and maister Lane afterwardes vppon earnest request by som of hys friendes, halfe constrayned, dyd wryte hys whole doinges therin: but also maister Rogers. Archdeacon of Chester, in his sermon made in the Cathedrall Church of Chester, the iiii of this insta~t month of March, before the Maior of the Citye, the Bishops of Chester and of Saynt Assaphats, with a great multitude of the Citizens besides, hauing occasion
offered by the wordes of the then present Gospel, touched thys fact: Alledging that what so euer was the originall cause of so great and strau~ge a disease, yet was the cure wonderfull, and wrought by God, either to the great commodity, or els for the great plague of the City of Chester, and the countrye adioyning. The Mayden remayneth at this prese~t (praysed be god) in perfit good health and lyking.
Thus truly, and as briefly as I myght, you haue the effect of your request.
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