FromJanuary3toJanuary107113
\"\"10\"178611
\"\"17\"249515
\"\"24\"31329
\"\"31toFebruary7338
\"February7\"146211
\"\"14\"215213
\"\"21\"282210
\"\"28toMarch75110
——————————
4824100
FromAugust1toAugust825511
\"\"8\"152368
\"\"15\"222844
\"\"22\"2940610
\"\"29toSeptember538211
September5\"123923……
\"\"12\"1942517
\"\"19\"2642610
\"\"26toOctober31449
————————
2916180
Tothedisparityofthesenumbersitistobeconsideredandallowedfor,thataccordingtoourusualopinionwhowerethenuponthespot,therewerenotone—thirdofthepeopleinthetownduringthemonthsofAugustandSeptemberaswereinthemonthsofJanuaryandFebruary。Inaword,theusualnumberthatusedtodieofthesethreearticles,and,asIhear,diddieofthemtheyearbefore,wasthus:—
1664。1665。
Child—bed189Child—bed625
Abortiveandstill—born458Abortiveandstill—born617
————————
6471242
Thisinequality,Isay,isexceedinglyaugmentedwhenthenumbersofpeopleareconsidered。Ipretendnottomakeanyexactcalculationofthenumbersofpeoplewhichwereatthistimeinthecity,butI
shallmakeaprobableconjectureatthatpartby—and—by。WhatIhavesaidnowistoexplainthemiseryofthosepoorcreaturesabove;sothatitmightwellbesaid,asintheScripture,Woebetothosewhoarewithchild,andtothosewhichgivesuckinthatday。For,indeed,itwasawoetotheminparticular。
Iwasnotconversantinmanyparticularfamilieswherethesethingshappened,buttheoutcriesofthemiserablewereheardafaroff。Astothosewhowerewithchild,wehaveseensomecalculationmade;291
womendeadinchild—bedinnineweeks,outofone—thirdpartofthenumberofwhomthereusuallydiedinthattimebuteighty—fourofthesamedisaster。Letthereadercalculatetheproportion。
Thereisnoroomtodoubtbutthemiseryofthosethatgavesuckwasinproportionasgreat。Ourbillsofmortalitycouldgivebutlittlelightinthis,yetsomeitdid。Therewereseveralmorethanusualstarvedatnurse,butthiswasnothing。Themiserywaswheretheywere,first,starvedforwantofanurse,themotherdyingandallthefamilyandtheinfantsfounddeadbythem,merelyforwant;and,ifI
mayspeakmyopinion,Idobelievethatmanyhundredsofpoorhelplessinfantsperishedinthismanner。Secondly,notstarved,butpoisonedbythenurse。Nay,evenwherethemotherhasbeennurse,andhavingreceivedtheinfection,haspoisoned,thatis,infectedtheinfantwithhermilkevenbeforetheyknewtheywereinfectedthemselves;nay,andtheinfanthasdiedinsuchacasebeforethemother。Icannotbutremembertoleavethisadmonitionuponrecord,ifeversuchanotherdreadfulvisitationshouldhappeninthiscity,thatallwomenthatarewithchildorthatgivesuckshouldbegone,iftheyhaveanypossiblemeans,outoftheplace,becausetheirmisery,ifinfected,willsomuchexceedallotherpeople\'s。
Icouldtellheredismalstoriesoflivinginfantsbeingfoundsuckingthebreastsoftheirmothers,ornurses,aftertheyhavebeendeadoftheplague。OfamotherintheparishwhereIlived,who,havingachildthatwasnotwell,sentforanapothecarytoviewthechild;andwhenhecame,astherelationgoes,wasgivingthechildsuckatherbreast,andtoallappearancewasherselfverywell;butwhentheapothecarycameclosetoherhesawthetokensuponthatbreastwithwhichshewassucklingthechild。Hewassurprisedenough,tobesure,but,notwillingtofrightthepoorwomantoomuch,hedesiredshewouldgivethechildintohishand;sohetakesthechild,andgoingtoacradleintheroom,laysitin,andopeningitscloths,foundthetokensuponthechildtoo,andbothdiedbeforehecouldgethometosendapreventivemedicinetothefatherofthechild,towhomhehadtoldtheircondition。Whetherthechildinfectedthenurse—motherorthemotherthechildwasnotcertain,butthelastmostlikely。
Likewiseofachildbroughthometotheparentsfromanursethathaddiedoftheplague,yetthetendermotherwouldnotrefusetotakeinherchild,andlaiditinherbosom,bywhichshewasinfected;anddiedwiththechildinherarmsdeadalso。
Itwouldmakethehardestheartmoveattheinstancesthatwerefrequentlyfoundoftendermotherstendingandwatchingwiththeirdearchildren,andevendyingbeforethem,andsometimestakingthedistemperfromthemanddying,whenthechildforwhomtheaffectionatehearthadbeensacrificedhasgotoveritandescaped。
ThelikeofatradesmaninEastSmithfield,whosewifewasbigwithchildofherfirstchild,andfellinlabour,havingtheplagueuponher。
Hecouldneithergetmidwifetoassistherornursetotendher,andtwoservantswhichhekeptfledbothfromher。Heranfromhousetohouselikeonedistracted,butcouldgetnohelp;theutmosthecouldgetwas,thatawatchman,whoattendedataninfectedhouseshutup,promisedtosendanurseinthemorning。Thepoorman,withhisheartbroke,wentback,assistedhiswifewhathecould,actedthepartofthemidwife,broughtthechilddeadintotheworld,andhiswifeinaboutanhourdiedinhisarms,whereheheldherdeadbodyfasttillthemorning,whenthewatchmancameandbroughtthenurseashehadpromised;andcomingupthestairs（forhehadleftthedooropen,oronlylatched）,theyfoundthemansittingwithhisdeadwifeinhisarms,andsooverwhelmedwithgriefthathediedinafewhoursafterwithoutanysignoftheinfectionuponhim,butmerelysunkundertheweightofhisgrief。
Ihaveheardalsoofsomewho,onthedeathoftheirrelations,havegrownstupidwiththeinsupportablesorrow;andofone,inparticular,whowassoabsolutelyovercomewiththepressureuponhisspiritsthatbydegreeshisheadsankintohisbody,sobetweenhisshouldersthatthecrownofhisheadwasverylittleseenabovetheboneofhisshoulders;andbydegreeslosingbothvoiceandsense,hisface,lookingforward,layagainsthiscollarboneandcouldnotbekeptupanyotherwise,unlessheldupbythehandsofotherpeople;andthepoormannevercametohimselfagain,butlanguishednearayearinthatcondition,anddied。Norwasheeveronceseentoliftuphiseyesortolookuponanyparticularobject。
Icannotundertaketogiveanyotherthanasummaryofsuchpassagesasthese,becauseitwasnotpossibletocomeattheparticulars,wheresometimesthewholefamilieswheresuchthingshappenedwerecarriedoffbythedistemper。Buttherewereinnumerablecasesofthiskindwhichpresentedtotheeyeandtheear,eveninpassingalongthestreets,asIhavehintedabove。Norisiteasytogiveanystoryofthisorthatfamilywhichtherewasnotdiversparallelstoriestobemetwithofthesamekind。
ButasIamnowtalkingofthetimewhentheplagueragedattheeasternmostpartofthetown—howforalongtimethepeopleofthosepartshadflatteredthemselvesthattheyshouldescape,andhowtheyweresurprisedwhenitcameuponthemasitdid;for,indeed,itcameuponthemlikeanarmedmanwhenitdidcome;—Isay,thisbringsmebacktothethreepoormenwhowanderedfromWapping,notknowingwhithertogoorwhattodo,andwhomImentionedbefore;
oneabiscuit—baker,oneasailmaker,andtheotherajoiner,allofWapping,orthere—abouts。
Thesleepinessandsecurityofthatpart,asIhaveobserved,wassuchthattheynotonlydidnotshiftforthemselvesasothersdid,buttheyboastedofbeingsafe,andofsafetybeingwiththem;andmanypeoplefledoutofthecity,andoutoftheinfectedsuburbs,toWapping,Ratcliff,Limehouse,Poplar,andsuchPlaces,astoPlacesofsecurity;anditisnotatallunlikelythattheirdoingthishelpedtobringtheplaguethatwayfasterthanitmightotherwisehavecome。
ForthoughIammuchforpeopleflyingawayandemptyingsuchatownasthisuponthefirstappearanceofalikevisitation,andthatallpeoplewhohaveanypossibleretreatshouldmakeuseofitintimeandbegone,yetImustsay,whenallthatwillflyaregone,thosethatareleftandmuststanditshouldstandstock—stillwheretheyare,andnotshiftfromoneendofthetownoronepartofthetowntotheother;
forthatisthebaneandmischiefofthewhole,andtheycarrytheplaguefromhousetohouseintheirveryclothes。
Whereforewereweorderedtokillallthedogsandcats,butbecauseastheyweredomesticanimals,andareapttorunfromhousetohouseandfromstreettostreet,sotheyarecapableofcarryingtheeffluviaorinfectiousstreamsofbodiesinfectedevenintheirfursandhair？Andthereforeitwasthat,inthebeginningoftheinfection,anorderwaspublishedbytheLordMayor,andbythemagistrates,accordingtotheadviceofthephysicians,thatallthedogsandcatsshouldbeimmediatelykilled,andanofficerwasappointedfortheexecution。
Itisincredible,iftheiraccountistobedependedupon,whataprodigiousnumberofthosecreaturesweredestroyed。Ithinktheytalkedoffortythousanddogs,andfivetimesasmanycats;fewhousesbeingwithoutacat,somehavingseveral,sometimesfiveorsixinahouse。Allpossibleendeavourswereusedalsotodestroythemiceandrats,especiallythelatter,bylayingratsbaneandotherpoisonsforthem,andaprodigiousmultitudeofthemwerealsodestroyed。
Ioftenreflectedupontheunprovidedconditionthatthewholebodyofthepeoplewereinatthefirstcomingofthiscalamityuponthem,andhowitwasforwantoftimelyenteringintomeasuresandmanagements,aswellpublicasprivate,thatalltheconfusionsthatfollowedwerebroughtuponus,andthatsuchaprodigiousnumberofpeoplesankinthatdisaster,which,ifproperstepshadbeentaken,might,Providenceconcurring,havebeenavoided,andwhich,ifposteritythinkfit,theymaytakeacautionandwarningfrom。ButI
shallcometothispartagain。
Icomebacktomythreemen。Theirstoryhasamoralineverypartofit,andtheirwholeconduct,andthatofsomewhomtheyjoinedwith,isapatternforallpoormentofollow,orwomeneither,ifeversuchatimecomesagain;andiftherewasnootherendinrecordingit,Ithinkthisaveryjustone,whethermyaccountbeexactlyaccordingtofactorno。
Twoofthemaresaidtobebrothers,theoneanoldsoldier,butnowabiscuit—maker;theotheralamesailor,butnowasailmaker;thethirdajoiner。SaysJohnthebiscuit—makeronedaytoThomashisbrother,thesailmaker,\'BrotherTom,whatwillbecomeofus？Theplaguegrowshotinthecity,andincreasesthisway。Whatshallwedo？\'
\'Truly,\'saysThomas,\'Iamatagreatlosswhattodo,forIfindifitcomesdownintoWappingIshallbeturnedoutofmylodging。\'Andthustheybegantotalkofitbeforehand。
John。Turnedoutofyourlodging,TomIIfyouare,Idon\'tknowwhowilltakeyouin;forpeoplearesoafraidofoneanothernow,there\'snogettingalodginganywhere。
Thomas。Why,thepeoplewhereIlodgearegood,civilpeople,andhavekindnessenoughformetoo;buttheysayIgoabroadeverydaytomywork,anditwillbedangerous;andtheytalkoflockingthemselvesupandlettingnobodycomenearthem。
John。Why,theyareintheright,tobesure,iftheyresolvetoventurestayingintown。
Thomas。Nay,Imightevenresolvetostaywithindoorstoo,for,exceptasuitofsailsthatmymasterhasinhand,andwhichIamjustfinishing,Iamliketogetnomoreworkagreatwhile。There\'snotradestirsnow。Workmenandservantsareturnedoffeverywhere,sothatImightbegladtobelockeduptoo;butIdonotseetheywillbewillingtoconsenttothat,anymorethantotheother。
John。Why,whatwillyoudothen,brother？AndwhatshallIdo？
forIamalmostasbadasyou。ThepeoplewhereIlodgeareallgoneintothecountrybutamaid,andsheistogonextweek,andtoshutthehousequiteup,sothatIshallbeturnedadrifttothewideworldbeforeyou,andIamresolvedtogoawaytoo,ifIknewbutwheretogo。
Thomas。Wewerebothdistractedwedidnotgoawayatfirst;thenwemighthavetravelledanywhere。There\'snostirringnow;weshallbestarvedifwepretendtogooutoftown。Theywon\'tletushavevictuals,no,notforourmoney,norletuscomeintothetowns,muchlessintotheirhouses。
John。Andthatwhichisalmostasbad,Ihavebutlittlemoneytohelpmyselfwithneither。
Thomas。Astothat,wemightmakeshift,Ihavealittle,thoughnotmuch;butItellyouthere\'snostirringontheroad。Iknowacoupleofpoorhonestmeninourstreethaveattemptedtotravel,andatBarnet,orWhetstone,orthereabouts,thepeopleofferedtofireatthemiftheypretendedtogoforward,sotheyarecomebackagainquitediscouraged。
John。IwouldhaveventuredtheirfireifIhadbeenthere。IfIhadbeendeniedfoodformymoneytheyshouldhaveseenmetakeitbeforetheirfaces,andifIhadtenderedmoneyforittheycouldnothavetakenanycoursewithmebylaw。
Thomas。Youtalkyouroldsoldier\'slanguage,asifyouwereintheLowCountriesnow,butthisisaseriousthing。Thepeoplehavegoodreasontokeepanybodyoffthattheyarenotsatisfiedaresound,atsuchatimeasthis,andwemustnotplunderthem。
John。No,brother,youmistakethecase,andmistakemetoo。I
wouldplundernobody;butforanytownupontheroadtodenymeleavetopassthroughthetownintheopenhighway,anddenymeprovisionsformymoney,istosaythetownhasarighttostarvemetodeath,whichcannotbetrue。
Thomas。Buttheydonotdenyyoulibertytogobackagainfromwhenceyoucame,andthereforetheydonotstarveyou。
John。Butthenexttownbehindmewill,bythesamerule,denymeleavetogoback,andsotheydostarvemebetweenthem。Besides,thereisnolawtoprohibitmytravellingwhereverIwillontheroad。
Thomas。Buttherewillbesomuchdifficultyindisputingwiththemateverytownontheroadthatitisnotforpoormentodoitorundertakeit,atsuchatimeasthisisespecially。
John。Why,brother,ourconditionatthisrateisworsethananybodyelse\'s,forwecanneithergoawaynorstayhere。IamofthesamemindwiththelepersofSamaria:\'Ifwestayherewearesuretodie\',I
meanespeciallyasyouandIarestated,withoutadwelling—houseofourown,andwithoutlodginginanybodyelse\'s。Thereisnolyinginthestreetatsuchatimeasthis;wehadasgoodgointothedead—cartatonce。ThereforeIsay,ifwestayherewearesuretodie,andifwegoawaywecanbutdie;Iamresolvedtobegone。
Thomas。Youwillgoaway。Whitherwillyougo,andwhatcanyoudo？Iwouldaswillinglygoawayasyou,ifIknewwhither。Butwehavenoacquaintance,nofriends。Herewewereborn,andherewemustdie。
John。Lookyou,Tom,thewholekingdomismynativecountryaswellasthistown。YoumayaswellsayImustnotgooutofmyhouseifitisonfireasthatImustnotgooutofthetownIwasborninwhenitisinfectedwiththeplague。IwasborninEngland,andhavearighttoliveinitifIcan。
Thomas。ButyouknoweveryvagrantpersonmaybythelawsofEnglandbetakenup,andpassedbacktotheirlastlegalsettlement。
John。Buthowshalltheymakemevagrant？Idesireonlytotravelon,uponmylawfuloccasions。
Thomas。Whatlawfuloccasionscanwepretendtotravel,orratherwanderupon？Theywillnotbeputoffwithwords。
John。Isnotflyingtosaveourlivesalawfuloccasion？
Anddotheynotallknowthatthefactistrue？
Wecannotbesaidtodissemble。
Thomas。Butsupposetheyletuspass,whithershallwego？
John。Anywhere,tosaveourlives;itistimeenoughtoconsiderthatwhenwearegotoutofthistown。IfIamonceoutofthisdreadfulplace,IcarenotwhereIgo。
Thomas。Weshallbedriventogreatextremities。Iknownotwhattothinkofit。
John。Well,Tom,considerofitalittle。
ThiswasaboutthebeginningofJuly;andthoughtheplaguewascomeforwardinthewestandnorthpartsofthetown,yetallWapping,asIhaveobservedbefore,andRedriff,andRatdiff,andLimehouse,andPoplar,inshort,DeptfordandGreenwich,allbothsidesoftheriverfromtheHermitage,andfromoveragainstit,quitedowntoBlackwall,wasentirelyfree;therehadnotonepersondiedoftheplagueinallStepneyparish,andnotoneonthesouthsideofWhitechappelRoad,no,notinanyparish;andyettheweeklybillwasthatveryweekrisenupto1006。
Itwasafortnightafterthisbeforethetwobrothersmetagain,andthenthecasewasalittlealtered,andthe\'plaguewasexceedinglyadvancedandthenumbergreatlyincreased;thebillwasupat2785,andprodigiouslyincreasing,thoughstillbothsidesoftheriver,asbelow,keptprettywell。ButsomebegantodieinRedriff,andaboutfiveorsixinRatdiffHighway,whenthesailmakercametohisbrotherJohnexpress,andinsomefright;forhewasabsolutelywarnedoutofhislodging,andhadonlyaweektoprovidehimself。
HisbrotherJohnwasinasbadacase,forhewasquiteout,andhadonlybeggedleaveofhismaster,thebiscuit—maker,tolodgeinanouthousebelongingtohisworkhouse,whereheonlylayuponstraw,withsomebiscuit—sacks,orbread—sacks,astheycalledthem,laiduponit,andsomeofthesamesackstocoverhim。
Heretheyresolved（seeingallemploymentbeingatanend,andnoworkorwagestobehad）,theywouldmakethebestoftheirwaytogetoutofthereachofthedreadfulinfection,and,beingasgoodhusbandsastheycould,wouldendeavourtoliveuponwhattheyhadaslongasitwouldlast,andthenworkformoreiftheycouldgetworkanywhere,ofanykind,letitbewhatitwould。
Whiletheywereconsideringtoputthisresolutioninpracticeinthebestmannertheycould,thethirdman,whowasacquaintedverywellwiththesailmaker,cametoknowofthedesign,andgotleavetobeoneofthenumber;andthustheypreparedtosetout。
Ithappenedthattheyhadnotanequalshareofmoney;butasthesailmaker,whohadthebeststock,was,besideshisbeinglame,themostunfittoexpecttogetanythingbyworkinginthecountry,sohewascontentthatwhatmoneytheyhadshouldallgointoonepublicstock,onconditionthatwhateveranyoneofthemcouldgainmorethananother,itshouldwithoutanygrudgingbealladdedtothepublicstock。
Theyresolvedtoloadthemselveswithaslittlebaggageaspossiblebecausetheyresolvedatfirsttotravelonfoot,andtogoagreatwaythattheymight,ifpossible,beeffectuallysafe;andagreatmanyconsultationstheyhadwiththemselvesbeforetheycouldagreeaboutwhatwaytheyshouldtravel,whichtheyweresofarfromadjustingthateventothemorningtheysetouttheywerenotresolvedonit。
Atlasttheseamanputinahintthatdeterminedit。\'First,\'sayshe,\'theweatherisveryhot,andthereforeIamfortravellingnorth,thatwemaynothavethesunuponourfacesandbeatingonourbreasts,whichwillheatandsuffocateus;andIhavebeentold\',sayshe,\'thatitisnotgoodtooverheatourbloodatatimewhen,foraughtweknow,theinfectionmaybeintheveryair。Inthenextplace,\'sayshe,\'Iamforgoingthewaythatmaybecontrarytothewind,asitmayblowwhenwesetout,thatwemaynothavethewindblowtheairofthecityonourbacksaswego。\'Thesetwocautionswereapprovedof,ifitcouldbebroughtsotohitthatthewindmightnotbeinthesouthwhentheysetouttogonorth。
Johnthebaker,whobadbeenasoldier,thenputinhisopinion。
\'First,\'sayshe,\'wenoneofusexpecttogetanylodgingontheroad,anditwillbealittletoohardtoliejustintheopenair。Thoughitbewarmweather,yetitmaybewetanddamp,andwehaveadoublereasontotakecareofourhealthsatsuchatimeasthis;andtherefore,\'
sayshe,\'you,brotherTom,thatareasailmaker,mighteasilymakeusalittletent,andIwillundertaketosetitupeverynight,andtakeitdown,andafigforalltheinnsinEngland;ifwehaveagoodtentoverourheadsweshalldowellenough。\'
Thejoineropposedthis,andtoldthem,letthemleavethattohim;
hewouldundertaketobuildthemahouseeverynightwithhishatchetandmallet,thoughhehadnoothertools,whichshouldbefullytotheirsatisfaction,andasgoodasatent。
Thesoldierandthejoinerdisputedthatpointsometime,butatlastthesoldiercarrieditforatent。Theonlyobjectionagainstitwas,thatitmustbecarriedwiththem,andthatwouldincreasetheirbaggagetoomuch,theweatherbeinghot;butthesailmakerhadapieceofgoodhapfellinwhichmadethateasy,forhismasterwhomheworkedfor,havingarope—walkaswellassailmakingtrade,hadalittle,poorhorsethathemadenouseofthen;andbeingwillingtoassistthethreehonestmen,hegavethemthehorseforthecarryingtheirbaggage;alsoforasmallmatterofthreedays\'workthathismandidforhimbeforehewent,helethimhaveanoldtop—gallantsailthatwaswornout,butwassufficientandmorethanenoughtomakeaverygoodtent。Thesoldiershowedhowtoshapeit,andtheysoonbyhisdirectionmadetheirtent,andfitteditwithpolesorstavesforthepurpose;andthustheywerefurnishedfortheirjourney,viz。,threemen,onetent,onehorse,onegun—forthesoldierwouldnotgowithoutarms,fornowhesaidhewasnomoreabiscuit—baker,butatrooper。
Thejoinerhadasmallbagoftoolssuchasmightbeusefulifheshouldgetanyworkabroad,aswellfortheirsubsistenceashisown。
Whatmoneytheyhadtheybroughtallintoonepublicstock,andthustheybegantheirjourney。Itseemsthatinthemorningwhentheysetoutthewindblew,asthesailorsaid,byhispocket—compass,atN。W。
byW。Sotheydirected,orratherresolvedtodirect,theircourseN。W。
Butthenadifficultycameintheirway,that,astheysetoutfromthehitherendofWapping,neartheHermitage,andthattheplaguewasnowveryviolent,especiallyonthenorthsideofthecity,asinShoreditchandCripplegateparish,theydidnotthinkitsafeforthemtogonearthoseparts;sotheywentawayeastthroughRatcliffHighwayasfarasRatcliffCross,andleavingStepneyChurchstillontheirlefthand,beingafraidtocomeupfromRatcliffCrosstoMileEnd,becausetheymustcomejustbythechurchyard,andbecausethewind,thatseemedtoblowmorefromthewest,blewdirectlyfromthesideofthecitywheretheplaguewashottest。So,Isay,leavingStepneytheyfetchedalongcompass,andgoingtoPoplarandBromley,cameintothegreatroadjustatBow。
HerethewatchplaceduponBowBridgewouldhavequestionedthem,butthey,crossingtheroadintoanarrowwaythatturnsoutofthehitherendofthetownofBowtoOldFord,avoidedanyinquirythere,andtravelledtoOldFord。Theconstableseverywherewereupontheirguardnotsomuch,Itseems,tostoppeoplepassingbyastostopthemfromtakinguptheirabodeintheirtowns,andwithalbecauseofareportthatwasnewlyraisedatthattime:andthat,indeed,wasnotveryimprobable,viz。,thatthepoorpeopleinLondon,beingdistressedandstarvedforwantofwork,andbythatmeansforwantofbread,wereupinarmsandhadraisedatumult,andthattheywouldcomeouttoallthetownsroundtoplunderforbread。This,I
say,wasonlyarumour,anditwasverywellitwasnomore。Butitwasnotsofarofffrombeingarealityasithasbeenthought,forinafewweeksmorethepoorpeoplebecamesodesperatebythecalamitytheysufferedthattheywerewithgreatdifficultykeptfromgoutintothefieldsandtowns,andtearingallinpieceswherevertheycame;
and,asIhaveobservedbefore,nothinghinderedthembutthattheplagueragedsoviolentlyandfellinuponthemsofuriouslythattheyratherwenttothegravebythousandsthanintothefieldsinmobsbythousands;for,inthepartsabouttheparishesofStSepulcher,Clarkenwell,Cripplegate,Bishopsgate,andShoreditch,whichweretheplaceswherethemobbegantothreaten,thedistempercameonsofuriouslythattherediedinthosefewparisheseventhen,beforetheplaguewascometoitsheight,nolessthan5361peopleinthefirstthreeweeksinAugust;whenatthesametimethepartsaboutWapping,Radcliffe,andRotherhithwere,asbeforedescribed,hardlytouched,orbutverylightly;sothatinawordthough,asIsaidbefore,thegoodmanagementoftheLordMayorandjusticesdidmuchtopreventtherageanddesperationofthepeoplefrombreakingoutinrabblesandtumults,andinshortfromthepoorplunderingtherich,—I
say,thoughtheydidmuch,thedead—cartsdidmore:forasIhavesaidthatinfiveparishesonlytherediedabove5000intwentydays,sotheremightbeprobablythreetimesthatnumbersickallthattime;forsomerecovered,andgreatnumbersfellsickeverydayanddiedafterwards。Besides,Imuststillbeallowedtosaythatifthebillsofmortalitysaidfivethousand,Ialwaysbelieveditwasneartwiceasmanyinreality,therebeingnoroomtobelievethattheaccounttheygavewasright,orthatindeedtheywereamongsuchconfusionsasI
sawthemin,inanyconditiontokeepanexactaccount。