Sighting

Quote from the "annual register":

The following letter hath been
received from Weyloe, in the diocese
of Copenhagen.

"On the 26th of December last,
about ten at night, there arose a
great storm. I did not go to bed;
and about four minutes past two in
the morning, I observed a sudden
light across my windows, which I
took for lightening: the storm at
this time increased not a little. I
kept my eye fixed at my window;
and at four o'clock I perceived a
ray of light which seemed to come
in a horizontal direction from the
moon, to appearance about a toise
and half (nine feet) in length, and
about the thickness of a man's arm.
Rays darted from it on each side.
Running into my garden, I saw a
ball of fire, about the size of a
common ball, running gently from
south to north. At first the ball was
of a pale colour, like the sun covered
with clouds, and threw out
many rays. It grew more and more
red, and smaller, and in two minutes
disappeared without noise or
smoke. My astonishment was the
greater, as the tempest ceased soon
after, though it had been accompanied
with such violent blasts of
wind, that many imagine they felt
the shock of an earthquake. I have
spoken to a dozen of people who
all saw it. Of all the phaenomena I
have seen in Norway, I remember
none equal to this, nor attended
with like cirumstances."

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