guage and oaths: asked we what I did out of my grave at such a time, when so many honester men were carried into the church-yard? and why I was not at home, saying my prayers, against the dead-cart came for me? and the like. I was indeed astonished at the impudence of the men, though not at all discomposed at their treatment of me: however, I kept my temper. I told them, that though I defied them, or any man in the world, to tax me with any dishonesty, yet I acknowledged that, in this terrible judgment of God, many better than I were swept away, and carried to their grave: but to answer their question directly, the case was, that I was mercifully preserved by that great God, whose name they had blasphemed and taken in vain, by cursing and swearing in a dreadful manner; and that I believed I was preserved in particular, among other ends of his goodness, that I might reprove them for their audacious boldness, in behaving in such a manner, and in such an awful time as this. especially for their jeering and mocking at an honest gentleman, and a neighbour, for some of them knew him, who they saw was overwhelmed with sorrow, for the breaches which it had pleased God to make upon his family.

I cannot call exactly to mind the hellish abominable raillery which was the return they made to that talk of mine, being provoked, it seems, that I was not at all afraid to be free with them; nor, if I could remember, would I fill my account with any of the words, the horrid oaths, curses, and vile expressions, such as, at that time of the day, even the worst and ordinariest people in the street would not use; for except such hardened creatures as these, the most wicked wretches that could be found, had at that time some terror upon their minds of the hand of that power which could thus, in a moment, destroy them.

four days after this, continually mocking and jeering at all that showed themselves religious or serious, or that were any way touched with the sense of the terrible judgment of God upon us; and I was informed they flouted in the same manner at the good people who, notwithstanding the contagion, met at the church, fasted, and prayed to God to remove his hand from them.

I say, they continued this dreadful course three or four days, I think it was no more, when one of them, particularly he who asked the poor gentleman what he did out of his grave, was struck from heaven with the plague, and died in a most deplorable manner; and, in a word, they were every one of them carried into the great pit, which I have mentioned above, before it was quite filled up, which was not above a fortnight, or thereabout.

These men were guilty of many extravagances, such as one would think human nature should have trembled at the thoughts of, at such a time of general terror as was then upon us; and particularly scoffing and mocking at everything which they happened to see that was religious among the people, especially at their thronging zealously to the place of public worship, to implore mercy from heaven in such a time of distress; and this tavern, where they held their club, being within view of the church door, they had the more particular occasion for their athe||istical profane mirth.

But this began to abate a little with them before the accident which I have related happened; for the infection increased so violently at this part of the town now, that people began to be afraid to come to the church, at least, such numbers did not resort thither as was usual. Many of the clergymen likewise were dead, and others gone into the country, for it really required a steady courage and a strong faith for a man, not only to venture being in town at such a time as this, but But that which was the worst in all their likewise to venture to come to church and perdevilish language was, that they were not afraid form the office of minister to a congregation, of to blaspheme God, and talk atheistically; mak-whom he had reason to believe many were actuing a jest at my calling the Plague the hand of God, mocking, and even laughing at the word judgment, as if the providence of God had no concern in the inflicting such a desolating stroke; || and that the people calling upon God, as they saw the carts carrying away the dead bodies, was all enthusiastic, absurd, and impertinent.

I made them some reply, such as I thought proper, but which I found was so far from putting a check to their horrid way of speaking, that it made them rail the more; so that I con. fess it filled me with horror and a kind of rage, and I came away, as I told them, lest the hand of that judgment which had visited the whole city should glorify his vengeance upon them, and all that were near them.

They received all reproof with the utmost contempt, and made the greatest mockery that was possible for them to do at me, giving me all the opprobrious insolent scoffs that they could think of, for preaching to them, as they called it, which indeed grieved me, rather than angered me; and I went away blessing God, however, in my mind, that I had not spared them, though they had insulted me so much.

They continued this wretched course three or

ally infected with the plague, and to do this every day, or twice a day, as in some places was done.

It is true the people showed an extraordinary zeal in these religious exercises, and, as the church doors were always open, people would go in single at all times, whether the minister was officiating or not, and, locking themselves into separate pews, would be praying to God with great fervency and devotion.

Others assembled at meeting houses, every one as their different opinions in such things guided, but all were promiscuously the subject of these men's drollery, especially at the beginning of the visitation.

It seems they had been checked for their open insulting religion in this manner by several good people of every persuasion, and that and the violent raging of the infection I suppose was the occasion that they had abated much of their rudeness for some time before, and were only roused by the spirit of ribaldry and atheism at the clamour which was made when the gentleman was first brought in there, and perhaps were agitated by the same devil when I took upon me to reprove them, though I did it at first with all the calmness, temper, and good manners that I

having forced those desperate people to wander || abroad with the plague upon them, who would otherwise have died quietly in their beds.

I remember one citizen, who, having thus broken out of his house in Aldersgate street, or thereabout, went along the road to Islington ; he attempted to have gone in at the Angel Inn, and after that at the White Horse, two inns known still by the same signs, but was refused; after which he came to the Pied Bull, an inn also still continuing the same sign; he asked them for lodging for one night only, pretending to be going into Lincolnshire, and assuring them of his being very sound, and free from the infection, which also, at that time, had not reached much that way.

They told him they had no lodging that they could spare but one bed, up in the garret, and that they could spare that bed but for one night,

some drovers being expected the next day with cattle; so, if he would accept of that lodging, he might have it, which he did; so a servant was sent up with a candle with him to show him the room. He was very well dressed, and looked like a person not used to lie in a garret ; and when he came to the room he fetched a deep sigh, and said to the servant, "I have seldom lain in such a lodging as this;" however, the servant assured him again that they had no better. "Well," says he, "I must make shift; this is a dreadful time, but it is but for one night." So he sat down upon the bedside, and bade the maid, I think it was, fetch him up a pint of warm ale; accordingly the servant went for the ale, but some hurry in the house, which perhaps employed her otherwise, put it out of her head, and she went

up no more to him.

66

The next morning, seeing no appearance of the gentleman, somebody in the house asked the servant that had showed him up stairs what was become of him. She started. Alas!" says she, "I never thought more of him; he bade me carry him some warm ale, but I forgot." Upon which, not the maid, but some other person, was sent up to see after him, who, coming into the room, found him stark dead, and almost cold, stretched out across the bed; his clothes were pulled off, his jaw fallen, his eyes open in a most frightful posture, the rug of the bed being grasped hard in one of his hands; so that it was plain he died soon after the maid left him, and it is probable had she gone up with the ale, she had found him dead in a few minutes after he sat down upon the bed. The alarm was great in the house, as any one may suppose, they having been free from the distemper till that disaster, which, bringing the infection to the house, spread it immediately to other houses round about it. I do not remember how many died in the house itself, but I think the maid-servant who went up first to him fell presently ill by the fright, and several others; for whereas there died but two in Islington of the plague the week before, there died seventeen the week after, whereof fourteen were of the plague; this was in the week from the 11th of July to the 18th.

who, in the first breaking out of the distemper, fled away into the country, and had retreats among their friends, generally found some or other of their neighbours or relations to commit the charge of those houses to, for the safety of the goods, aad the like. Some houses were, indeed, entirely locked up, the doors padlocked, the windows and doors having deal boards nailed over them, and only the inspection of them committed to the ordinary watchmen and parish officers; but these were few.

It was thought that there were not less than 10,000 houses forsaken of the inhabitants in the city and suburbs, including what was in the outparishes, and in Surrey, on the side of the water they called Southwark. This was besides the numbers of lodgers, and of particular persons who were fled out of other families: so that in all it was computed that about 200,000 were filed and gone in all. But of this I shall speak again: but it was a rule with those who had thus two houses I mention it here on this account, namely,-that taken sick in a family, before the master of the in their keeping or care, that if anybody was family let the examiners or any other officer know of it, he immediately would send all the rest of his family, whether children or servants, as it fell out to be, to such other house which he sick person to the examiner, have a nurse, or had so in charge, and then giving notice of the nurses, appointed; and have another person to be shut up in the house with them (which many for money would do) so to take charge of the house, in case the person should die.

This was, in many cases, the saving a whole family, who, if they had been shut up with the sick person, would inevitably have perished: but, on the other hand, this was another of the inconveniences of shutting up houses; for the apprehensions and terror of being shut up made many run away with the rest of the family, who, though it was not publicly known, and they were not quite sick, had yet the distemper upon them; and who, by having an uninterrupted liberty to go about, but being obliged to conceal their circumstances, or, perhaps, not knowing it themselves, gave the distemper to others, and spread the infection in a dreadful manner, as I shall explain farther hereafter.

And here I may be able to make an observation or two of my own, which may be of use hereafter to those into whose hands these may come, if they should ever see the like dreadful visitation. First, the infection generally came into the houses of the citizens by the means of their servants, whom they were obliged to send up and down the streets for necessaries, that is to say, for food, or physic : to bakehouses, brewhouses, shops, &c., and who, going necessarily through the streets into shops, markets, and the like, it was impossible but that they should, one way or other, meet with distempered people, who conveyed the fatal breath into them, and they brought it home to the families to which they belonged. Secondly, it was a great mistake, that such a great city as this had but one pest-house; for had there been, instead of one pest house, There was one shift that some families had, viz. beyond Bunhill-fields, where, at most, they and that not a few, when their houses happened | could receive, perhaps, 200 or 300 people : I say, to be infected, and that was this The families || had there, instead of that one, been several pest

houses, every one able to contain a thousand people without lying two in a bed, or two beds in a room; and had every master of a family, as soon as any servant (especially) had been taken sick in his house, been obliged to send them to the next pest-house, if they were willing, as many were, and had the examiners done the like among the poor people, when any had been stricken with the infection-I say, had this been done where the people were willing (not otherwise), and the houses not been shut, I am persuaded, and was all the while of that opinion, that not so many, by several thousands, had died; for it was observed, and I could give several instances within the compass of my own knowledge, where a servant had been taken sick, and the family had either time to send him out or retire from the house, and leave the sick person, as I have said above, they had all been preserved; whereas, when, upon one or more sickening in a family, the house has been shut up, the whole family have perished, and the bearers have been obliged to go in to fetch out the dead bodies, not being able to bring them to the door; and at last none left to do it.

versing with one another, when actually infected,
as they were at first, though they knew it.
I acknowledge I was one of those thoughtless
ones that had made so little provision, that my
servants were obliged to go out of doors to buy
every trifle by penny and halfpenny, just as be-
fore it began, even till my experience showing me
the folly, I began to be wiser so late, that I had
scarce time to store myself sufficient for our com-
mon subsistence for a month.

I had in family only an ancient woman, who managed the house, a maid-servant, two apprentices, and myself; and the plague beginning to increase about us, I had many sad thoughts about what course I should take, and how I should act. The many dismal objects which happened everywhere as I went about the streets had filled my mind with a great deal of horror for fear of the distemper itself, which was indeed very horrible in itself, and in some more than others; the swellings, which were generally in the neck or groin, when they grew hard and would not break, grew so painful that it was equal to the most exquisite torture; and some, not able to bear the torment, threw themselves out at windows, or shot themselves, or otherwise made themselves away, and I saw several dismal objects of that kind; others, unable to contain themselves, vented their pain by incessant roarings, and such loud and lamentable cries were to be heard as we walked along the streets, that would pierce the very heart to think of, especially when it was to be considered that the same dreadful scourge might be expected every moment to seize upon our

I cannot say but that now I began to faint in my resolutions; my heart failed me very much, and sorely I repented of my rashness. When I had been out, and met with such terrible things as these I have talked of-I say, I repented my rashness in venturing to abide in town: I wished often that I had not taken upon me to stay, but had gone away with my brother and his family.

Secondly, this put it out of question to me that the calamity was spread by infection, that is|| to say, by some certain steams or fumes, which the physicians call effluvia, by the breath, or by the sweat, or by the stench of the sores of the sick persons, or some other way, perhaps, beyond even the reach of the physicians themselves, which effluvia affected the sound who came within certain distances of the sick, immediately penetrating the vital parts of the said sound per-selves. sons, putting their blood into an immediate ferment, and agitating their spirits to that degree which it was found they were agitated; and so those newly infected persons communicated it in the same manner to others; and this I shall give some instances of, that cannot but convince those who seriously consider it; and I cannot but with some wonder find some people, now the contagion is over, talk of its being an immediate stroke from heaven, without the agency of means, hav-retire home sometimes, and resolve to go out no ing commission to strike this and that particular person, and none other; which I look upon with contempt, as the effect of manifest ignorance and enthusiasm; likewise the opinion of others, who talk of infection being carried on by the air only, by carrying with it vast numbers of insects and invisible creatures, who enter into the body with the breath, or even at the pores with the air, and there generate or emit most acute poisons, or poisonous ovæ, or eggs, which mingle themselves with the blood, and so infect the body; a discourse full of learned simplicity, and manifested to be so by universal experience; but I shall say more to this case in its order.

I must here take further notice that nothing was more fatal to the inhabitants of this city than the supine negligence of the people themselves, who, during the long notice or warning they had of the visitation, made no provision for it, by laying in store of provisions or of other necessaries, by which they might have lived retired, and within their own houses, as I have observed others did, and who were in a great measure preserved by that caution; nor were they, after they were a little hardened to it, so shy of con

Terrified by those frightful objects, I would

more, and perhaps I would keep those resolutions for three or four days, which time I spent in the most serious thankfulness for my preservation, and the preservation of my family, and the constant confession of my sins, giving myself up to God every day, and applying to him with fasting, humiliation, and meditation. Such intervals as I had I employed in reading books, and in writing down my memorandums of what occurred to me every day, and out of which, afterwards, I took most of this work, as it relates to my observations without doors; what I wrote of my private meditations I reserve for private use, and desire it may not be made public on any account whatever.

I also wrote other meditations upon divine subjects, such as occurred to me at that time, and were profitable to myself, but not fit for any other view, and therefore I say no more of that.

I had a very good friend, a physician, whose name was Heath, whom I frequently visited during this dismal time, and to whose advice I was very much obliged for many things which he directed me to take, by way of preventing the infection when I went out, as he found I frequently did, and to hold in my mouth when I was