Diary of Ralph Josselin (Private Collection)

22.10.1656 (Wednesday 22 October 1656)

document 70009730

22. A few Soldiers quartered in our town, in the night I dreamed that being in the churchyard, their were signs in the sun, it was as in a cloud, and some part red, and some part black, it shone very little, and afterwards looking, but in some other place near my house, I thought there was a huge tree or oak that even reached to the height of the heavens and covered the face of the sky from East to West in a manner; but it was like a tree in winter, black, no leaves on it, but withered in the root and dead, and in all the boughs abundance of great fowls of all sorts, but I thought in a strange, dejected posture as if near dying, I called out to my family to see it, I thought it portended the ruin of a great brit - oak, a government, thence growing, [was it Rev. 19. 17. 18:] afterwards I thought I was likely to be put to death and Paul Raynham was the great enemy, I spoke to him boldly, he seemed to waive it, but told me how my preaching tended to disparage his estate, and professing condition, I envied it, I was delivered but I cannot distinctly tell how