altered, and the plague was exceedingly advanced, and the number greatly increased; the bill was up at 2785, and prodigiously increasing, though still both sides of the river, as below, kept pretty well: but some began to die in Redriff, and about five or six in Ratcliff highway, when the sail-maker came to his brother John express, and in some fright, for he was absolutely warned out of his lodging, and had only a week to provide himself. His brother John was in as bad a case, for he was quite out, and had only begged leave of his master, the buiscuit baker, to lodge in an out-house belonging to his workhouse, where he only lay upon straw, with some biscuit sacks, or bread sacks as they called them, laid upon it, and some of the same sacks to cover him. Here they resolved, seeing all employment being at an end, and no work or wages to be had, they would make the best of their way to get out of the reach of the dreadful infection; and being as good husbands as they could, would endeavour to live upon what they had as long as it would last, and then work for more, if they could get work anywhere, of any kind, let it be what it would. air; though it may be warm weather, yet it may be wet and damp, and we have a double reason to take care of our healths at such a time as this; and therefore," says he, "you, brother Tom, that are a sail-maker, might easily make us a little tent, and I will undertake to set it up every night, and take it down, and a fig for all the inns in England; if we have a good tent over our heads we shall do well enough." The joiner opposed this, and told them let them leave that to him, he would undertake to build them a house every night with his hatchet and mallet, though he had no other tools, which should be fully to their satisfaction, and as good as a tent. The soldier and the joiner disputed that point some time, but at last the soldier carried it for a tent; the only objection against it was, that it must be carried with them, and that would increase their baggage too much, the weather being hot; but the sail-maker had a piece of good hap fell in, which made that easy, for his master whom he worked for having a rope-walk as well as a sail-making trade, had a little poor horse that he made no use of then, and being willing to assist the three honest men, he gave them the horse While they were considering to put this reso- for the carrying their baggage; also for a small lution in practice in the best manner they could, matter of three days' work that his man did for the third man, who was acquainted very well him before he went, he let him have an old topwith the sail-maker, came to know of the de-gallant-sail that was worn out, but was sufficient sign, and got leave to be one of the number; and thus they prepared to set out. It happened that they had not an equal share of money but as the sail-maker, who had the best stock, was, besides his being lame, the most unfit to expect to get anything by working in the country, so he was content that what money they had should all go into one public stock, on condition that whatever any one of them could gain more than another it should, without any grudging, be all added to the public stock. They resolved to load themselves with as little baggage as possible, because they resolved at first to travel on foot, and to go a great way, that they might, if possible, be effectually safe; and a great many consultations they had with themselves before they could agree about what way they should travel, which they were so far from adjusting, that even to the morning they set out they were not resolved on it. At last the seaman put in a hint that determined it. "First," says he, "the weather is very hot, and therefore I am for travelling north, that we may not have the sun upon our faces, and beating upon our breasts, which will heat and suffocate us; and I have been told," says he, "that it is not good to overheat our blood at a time when, for aught we know, the infection may be in the very air. In the next place," says he, "I am for going the way that may be contrary to the wind as it may blow when we set out, that we may not have the wind blow the air of the city on our backs as we go." These two cautions were approved of, if it could be brought so to hit that the wind might not be in the south when they set out to go north. John, the baker, who had been a soldier, then put in his opinion. "First," says he, "we none of us expect to get any lodging on the road, and it will be a little too hard to lie just in the open and more than enough to make a very good tent; the soldier showed how to shape it, and they soon, by his direction, made their tent, and fitted it with poles or staves for the purpose, and thus they were furnished for their journey: viz., three men, one tent, one horse, one gun, for the soldier would not go without arms, for now he said he was no more a biscuit-baker, but a trooper. The joiner had a small bag of tools, such as might be useful if he should get any work abroad, as well for their subsistence as his own; what money they had they brought all into one public stock, and thus they began their journey. It seems, that in the morning when they set out the wind blew, as the sailor said, by his pocket compass, at N. W. by W.; so they directed, or rather resolved to direct, their course N. W. But then a difficulty came in their way, that as they set out from the hither end of Wapping, near the Hermitage, and that the plague was now very violent, especially on the north side of the city, as in Shoredich and Cripplegate parish, they did not think it safe for them to go near those parts, so they went away east, through Ratcliff highway, as far as Ratcliff cross, and leaving Stepney Church still on their left hand, being afraid to come up from Ratcliff cross to Mileend, because they must come just by the churchyard, and because the wind, that seemed to blow more from the west, blowed di||rectly from the side of the city where the plague was hottest. So, I say, leaving Stepney, they fetched a long compass, and going to Poplar and Bromley, came into the great road just at Bow. Here the watch placed upon Bow bridge would have questioned them; but they, crossing the road into a narrow way that turns out of the higher end of the town of Bow to Old Ford, avoided any inquiry there, and travelled on to || Old Ford. The constables everywhere were upon their guard, not so much, it seems, to stop people passing by as to stop them from taking up their abode in their towns, and withal, because of a report that was newly raised at that time, and that indeed was not very improbable, viz., that the poor people in London being distressed and starved for want of work, and by that means for want of bread, were up in arms and had raised a tumult, and that they would come out to all the towns round to plunder for bread. This, I say, was only a rumour, and it was very well it was no more; but it was not so far off from being a reality as it has been thought, for in a few weeks more the poor people became so desperate by the calamity they suffered, that they were with great difficulty kept from running out into the fields and towns, and tearing all in pieces wherever they came; and, as I have observed before, nothing hindered them but that the plague raged so violently, and fell in upon them so furiously, that they rather went to the grave by thousands than into the fields in mobs by thousands; for in the parts about the parishes of St Sepulchre's, Clerkenwell, Cripplegate, Bishopsgate, and Shoreditch, which were the places where the mob began to threaten, the distemper came on so furiously that there died in those few parishes, even then, before the plague was come to its height, no less than 5361 people in the first three weeks in August, when, at the same time, the parts about Wapping, Ratcliff, and Rotherhithe, were, as before described, hardly touched, or but very lightly; so that, in a word, though, as I said before, the good management of the Lord Mayor and justices did much to prevent the rage and desperation of the people from breaking out in rabbles and tumults, and, in short, from the poor plundering the rich; I say, though they did much, the dead-cart did more, for, as I have said, that, in five parishes only, there died above 5000 in twenty days, so there might be probably three times that number sick all that time, for some recovered, and great numbers fell sick every day, and died afterwards. Besides, I must still be allowed to say, that if the bills of mortality said five thousand I always believed it was near twice as many in reality, there being no room to believe that the account they gave was right, or that, indeed, they were, among such confusions as I saw them in, in any condition to keep an exact account. But to return to my travellers:--Here they were only examined, and as they seemed rather coming from the country than from the city, they found the people easier with them; that they talked to them, let them come into a public house where the constable and his warders were, and gave them drink and some victuals, which greatly refreshed and encouraged them; and here it came into their heads to say, when they should be inquired of afterwards, not that they came from London, but that they came out of Essex. To forward this little fraud, they obtained so much favour of the constable at Old Ford, as to give them a certificate of their passing from Essex through that village, and that they had not been at London; which, though false in the common acceptation of London in the country, yet was literally true, Wapping or Ratcliff being no part either of the city or liberty. This certificate, directed to the next constable that was at Hommerton, one of the hamlets of the parish of Hackney, was so serviceable to them, that it procured them not a free passage there only, but a full certificate of health from a justice of the peace, who, upon the constable's application, granted it without much difficulty; and thus they passed through the long-divided town of Hackney (for it lay then in several separated hamlets), and travelled on till they came into the great north road on the top of Stamford hill. By this time they began to be weary, and so in the back road from Hackney, a little before it opened into the said great road, they resolved to set up their tent, and encamp for the first night; which they did accordingly, with the addition, that, finding a barn, or a building like a barn, and first searching as well as they could, to be sure there was nobody in it, they set up their tent, with the head of it against the barn; this they did, also, because the wind blew that night very high, and they were but young at such a way of lodging, as well as at the managing their tent. Here they went to sleep; but the joiner, a grave and sober man, and not pleased with their lying at this loose rate the first night, could not sleep, and resolved, after trying to sleep to no purpose, that he would get out, and taking the gun in his hand, stand sentinel, and guard his companions; so, with the gun in his hand, he walked to and again before the barn, for that stood in the field near the road, but within the hedge. He had not been long upon the scout, but he heard a noise of people coming on as if it had been a great number, and they came on, as he thought, directly towards the barn. He did not presently awake his companions, but in a few minutes more, their noise growing louder and louder, the biscuit-baker called to him and asked him what was the matter, and quickly started out too: the other being the lame sail-maker, and most weary, lay still in the tent. As they expected, so the people whom they had heard, came on directly to the barn, when one of our travellers challenged, like soldiers upon the guard, with "Who comes there?" The people did not answer immediately, but one of them speaking to another that was behind them, "Alasi alas! we are all disappointed," says he; "here are some people before us; the barn is taken up." They all stopped upon that, as under some surprise, and it seems there were about thirteen of them in all, and some women among them: they consulted together what they should do; and by their discourse, our travellers soon found they were poor distressed people too, like themselves, seeking shelter and safety; and besides, our travellers had no need to be afraid of their coming up to disturb them, for as soon as they heard the words, "Who comes there?" these could hear the women say, as if frighted, "Do not go near them: how do you know but they may have the plague?" And when one of the men said, "Let us but speak to them," the women said, "No, don't by any means; we have escaped thus far by the goodness of God; do not let us run into danger now, we beseech you." can. Our travellers found by this that they were a good sober sort of people, and flying for their lives as they were; and, as they were encouraged by it, so John said to the joiner his comrade, "Let us encourage them, too, as much as we 66 So he called to them: Hark ye, good people," says the joiner, "we find, by your talk, that you are flying from the same dreadful enemy as we are. Do not be afraid of us, we are only three poor men of us; if you are free from the distemper, you shall not be hurt by us; we are not in the barn, but in a little tent here on the outside, and we will remove for you; we can set up our tent again immediately anywhere else." And upon this a parley began between the joiner, whose name was Richard, and one of their men, who said his name was Ford. Ford. And do you assure us that you are all sound men? Rich.-Nay, we are concerned to tell you of it, that you may not be uneasy, or think yourselves in danger; but you see we do not desire you should put yourselves into any danger, and therefore, I tell you that we have not made use of the barn, so we will remove from it, that you may be safe, and we also. Ford. That is very kind and charitable; but, if we have reason to be satisfied that you are sound and free from the visitation, why should we make you remove now you are settled in your lodging, and it may be, are laid down to rest? We will go into the barn, if you please, to rest ourselves awhile, and we need not disturb you. Rich. Well, but you are more than we are. I hope you will assure us that you are all of you sound too, for the danger is as great from you to us as from us to you. Ford-Blessed be God that some do escape, though it is but few: what may be our portion still we know not, but hitherto we are preserved. Rich.-What part of the town do you come from? Was the plague come to the places where you lived? Ford.-Ay, ay, in a most frightful and terrible manner, or else we had not fled away as we do; but we believe there will be very few left alive behind us. Rich. What part do you come from? Ford. We are most of us of Cripplegate parish, only two or three of Clerkenwell parish, but on the hither side. Rich.-How then was it that you came away no sooner? Ford. We have been away some time, and kept together as well as we could at the hither end of Islington, where we got leave to lie in an old uninhabited house, and had some bedding and conveniences of our own that we brought with us; but the plague is come up into Islington too, aud a house next door to our poor dwelling was infected and shut up, and we came away in a fright. Rich.-And what way are you going? Ford. As our lot shall cast us-we know not whither but God will guide those that look up to him. They parleyed no further at that time, but came all up to the barn, and with some difficulty got into it. There was nothing but hay in the barn, but it was almost full of that, and they accommodated themselves as well as they could, and went to rest; but our travellers observed that before they went to sleep, an ancient man, who, it seems, was father of one of the women, went to prayer with all the company, recommending themselves to the blessing and direction of Providence before they went to sleep. It was soon day at that time of the year; and as Richard the joiner had kept guard the first part of the night, so John the soldier relieved him, and he had the post in the morning, and they began to be acquainted with one another. It seems, when they left Islington, they intended to have gone north, away to Highgate, but were stopped at Holloway, and there they would not let them pass; so they crossed over the fields and hills to the eastward, and came out at the boarded river, and so, avoiding the town, they left Hornsey on the left hand, and Newington on the right hand, and came into the great road about Stamford hill on that side, as the three travellers had done on the other side and now they had thoughts of going over the river in the marshes, and make forwards to Epping forest, where they hoped they should get leave to rest. It seems they were not poor, at least, not so poor as to be in want; at least, they had enough to subsist them moderately for two or three months, when, as they said, they were in hopes the cold weather would check the infection, or at least the violence of it would have spent itself, and would abate, if it were only for want of people left alive to be infected. : This was much the fate of our three travellers, only that they seemed to be the better furnished for travelling, and had it in their view to go farther off; for, as to the first, they did not propose to go farther than one day's journey, that so they might have intelligence every two or three days how things were at London. But here our travellers found themselves under an unexpected inconvenience, namely, that of their horse, for by means of the horse to carry their baggage, they were obliged to keep in the road; whereas, the people of this other band went over the fields or roads, path or no path, way or no way, as they pleased; neither had they any occasion to pass through any town, or come near any town, other than to buy such things as they wanted for their necessary subsistence, and in that, indeed, they were put to much difficulty; of which in its place. But our three travellers were obliged to keep the road, or else they must commit spoil, and do the country a great deal of damage in breaking down fences and gates, to go over enclosed fields, which they were loath to do if they could help it. Our three travellers, however, had a great mind to join themselves to this company, and take their lot with them; and after some discourse, they laid aside their first design, which looked northward, and resolved to follow the other into Essex; so in the morning they took up their tent, and loaded their horse, and away they travelled together. They had some difficulty in passing the ferry at the river side, the ferryman being afraid of them; but after some parley at a distance, the ferryman was content to bring his boat to a place || distant from the usual ferry, and leave it there for them to take it; so putting themselves over, he directed them to leave the boat, and he, having another boat, said he would fetch it again, which it seems, however, he did not do for above eight days. Here, giving the ferryman money beforehand, they had a supply of victuals and drink, which he brought and left in the boat for them, but not without, as I said, having received the money beforehand. But now our travellers were at a great loss and difficulty how to get the horse over, the boat being small, and not fit for it; and at last could not do it without unloading the baggage, and making him swim over. From the river they travelled towards the forest; but when they came to Walthamstow, the people of that town denied to admit them, as was the case everywhere. The constables and their watchmen kept them off at a distance, and parleyed with them; they gave the same account of themselves as before, but these gave no credit to what they said, giving it for a reason that two or three companies had already come that way, and made the like pretences, but that they had given several people the distemper in the towns where they had passed, and had been afterwards so hardly used by the country, though with justice too, as they had deserved; that about Brentwood, or that way, several of them perished in the fields, whether of the plague, or of mere want and distress, they could not tell. This was a good reason indeed why the people of Walthamstow should be very cautious, and why they should resolve not to entertain anybody that they were not well satisfied of. But as Richard the joiner, and one of the other men who parleyed with them, told them, it was no reason why they should block up the roads, and refuse to let people pass through the town, and who asked nothing of them, but to go through the street that if their people were afraid of them, they might go into their houses and shut their doors, they would neither show them civility nor incivility, but go on about their business. The constables and attendants, not to be persuaded by reason, continued obstinate, and would bearken to nothing; so the two men that talked with them went back to their fellows, to consult what was to be done: it was very discouraging in the whole, and they knew not what to do for a good while. But at last John the soldier and biscuit-baker considering awhile,-" Come," says he, "leave the rest of the parley to me." He had not appeared yet, so he sets the joiner Richard to work to cut some poles out of the trees, and shape them as like guns as he could, and in a little time he had five or six fair muskets, which, at a distance, would not be known; and about the part where the lock of a gun is, he caused them to wrap cloth and rags, such as they had, as soldiers do in wet weather, to preserve the locks of their pieces from rust, the rest was discoloured with clay or mud, such as they could get; and all this while the rest of them sat under the trees by his direction, in two or three bodies, where they made fires at a good distance from one another. While this was doing, he advanced himself and two or three with him, and set up their tent in the lane, within sight of the barrier which the townsmen had made, and sent a sentinel just by it with the real gun, the only one they had, and who walked to and fro with the gun on his shoulder, so that the people of the town might see them; also he tied the horse to a gate in the hedge just by, and got some dry sticks together, and kindled a fire on the other side of the tent, so that the people of the town could see the fire and the smoke, but could not see what they were doing at it. After the country people had looked upon them very earnestly a great while, and, by all that they could see, could not but suppose that they were a great many in company, they began to be uneasy, not for their going away, but for staying where they were; and, above all, perceiving they had horses and arms, for they had seen one horse and one gun at the tent, and they had seen others of them walk about the field on the inside of the hedge by the side of the lane, with their muskets, as they took them to be shouldered: I say, upon such a sight as this, you may be assured they were alarmed and terribly frightened; and it seems they went to a justice of the peace to know what they should do. What the justice advised them to I know not, but towards the evening they called from the barrier, as above, to the sentinel at the tent. "What do you want?" says John.⚫ Why, what do you intend to do?" says the constable. "To do," says John, "what would you have us to do?" Const. Why don't you be gone-what do you stay there for? John. Why do you stop us on the king's highway, and pretend to refuse us leave to go on our way? Const. We are not bound to tell you our reason, though we did let you know it was because of the plague. John. We told you we were all sound, and free from the plague, which we were not bound to have satisfied you of, and yet you pretend to stop us on the highway. Const. We have a right to stop it up, and our own safety obliges us to it; besides, this is not the king's highway, it is a way upon sufferance; you see here is a gate, and if we do let people pass here we make them pay toll. John. We have a right to seek our own safety as well as you, and you may see we are flying for our lives, and it is very unchristian and unjust to stop us. Const. You may go back from whence you came; we do not hinder you from that. John. No, it is a stronger enemy than you that keeps us from doing that, or else we should not have come hither. Const. Well, you may go any other way, then. John. No, no: I suppose you see we are able to send you going, and all the people of your parish, and come through your town when we It seems John was in the tent, but, hearing them call, he steps out, and, taking the gun upon his shoulder, talked to them as if he had been the sentinel placed there upon the guard by some officer that was his superior. will; but, since you have stopped us here, we are content; you see we have encamped here, and here we will live: we hope you will furnish us with victuals. Const. We furnish you! What do you mean by that? John. Why, you would not have us starve, would you? If you stop us here you must keep us. Const. You will be ill kept at our mainten ance. John. If you stint us we shall make ourselves the better allowance. Const. Why, you will not pretend to quarter upon us by force, will you? John. We have offered no violence to you yet; why do you seem to oblige us to it? I am an old soldier, and cannot starve; and if you think that we shall be obliged to go back for want of provisions, you are mistaken. Const. Since you threaten us, we shall take care to be strong enough for you: I have orders to raise the county upon you. John. It is you that threaten, not we: and, since you are for mischief, you cannot blame us if we do not give you time for it: we shall begin our march in a few minutes.* Const. And will you assure us that your other people shall offer us no new disturbance? John. No, no; you may depend on it. Const. You must oblige yourself too, that none of your people shall come a step nearer than where the provisions we send you shall be set down. John. I answer for it we will not.* Accordingly they sent to the place twenty loaves of bread, and three or four large pieces of good beef, and opened some gates, through which they passed, but none of them had courage so much as to look out to see them go, and, as it was evening, if they had looked they could not have seen them so as to know how few they were. This was John the Soldier's management. But this gave such an alarm to the county, that, had they really been two or three hundred, the whole county would have been raised upon them; and they would have been sent to prison, or perhaps knocked on the head. They were soon made sensible of this, for two days afterwards they found several parties of horsemen and footmen also about, in pursuit of three companies of men armed, as they said, with muskets, who were broke out from London, and had the plague upon them; and that were not only spreading the distemper among the people, but plundering the country. Const. What is it you demand of us? John. At first we desired nothing of you but leave to go through the town; we should have As they saw now the consequence of their case, offered no injury to any of you, neither would you they soon saw the danger they were in, so they have had any injury or loss by us. We are not resolved, by the advice also of the old soldier, to thieves, but poor people in distress, and flying divide themselves again. John and his two comfrom the dreadful plague in London, which de-rades, with the horse, went away as if towards vours thousands every week. We wonder how you could be so unmerciful. Const. Self-preservation obliges us. John. What! to shut up your compassion in a case of such distress as this? Const. Well, if you will pass over the fields on your left-hand, and behind that part of the town, I will endeavour to have gates opened for you. John. Our horsement cannot pass with our baggage that way; it does not lead into the road that we want to go, and why should you force us out of the road; besides, you have kept us here all day without any provisions but such as we brought with us. I think you ought to send us some provisions for our relief. Const. If you will go another way we will send you some provisions. John. That is the way to have all the towns in the county stop up the ways against us. Const. If they all furnish you with food, what will you be the worse? I see you have tents, you want no lodging. John. Well, what quantity of provisions will you send us? Const. How many are you? John. Nay, we do not ask enough for all our company, we are in three companies; if you will send us bread for twenty men and about six or seven women for three days, and show us the way over the fields you speak of, we desire not to put your people into any fear for us, we will go out of our way to oblige you, though we are as free from infection as you are. This frightened the constable and the people that were with him, that they immediately changed their note. They had but one horse amongst them. Waltham; the other in two companies, but all a little asunder, and went towards Epping. The first night they encamped all in the Forest, and not far off one another, but not setting up the tent lest that should discover them; on the other hand, Richard went to work with his axe and his hatchet, and, cutting down branches of trees, he built three tents or hovels, in which they all encamped with as much convenience as they could expect. The provisions they had at Walthamstow served them very plentifully this night, and as for the next they left it to Providence; they had fared so well with the old soldier's conduct, that they now willingly made him their leader; and the first of his conduct appeared to be very good. He told them that they were now at a proper distance enough from London: that as they need not be immediately beholden to the country for relief, so they ought to be as careful the country did not infect them as that they did not infect the country; that what little money they had they must be as frugal of as they could; that as he would not have them think of offering the country any violence, so they must endeavour to make the sense of their condition go as far with the country as it could. They all referred themselves to his direction; so they left their three houses standing, and the next day went away towards Epping; the Captain, also, for so they now called him, and his two fellow-travellers, • Here he called to one of his men, and bade him order Capt. Richard and his people to march the lower way on the side of the marshes, and meet them in the Forest; which was all a sham, for they had no Capt. Richard or any such company. |