Buttoreturntomytravellers。Heretheywereonlyexamined,andastheyseemedrathercomingfromthecountrythanfromthecity,theyfoundthepeopletheeasierwiththem;thattheytalkedtothem,letthemcomeintoapublic—housewheretheconstableandhiswarderswere,andgavethemdrinkandsomevictualswhichgreatlyrefreshedandencouragedthem;andhereitcameintotheirheadstosay,whentheyshouldbeinquiredofafterwards,notthattheycamefromLondon,butthattheycameoutofEssex。
Toforwardthislittlefraud,theyobtainedsomuchfavouroftheconstableatOldFordastogivethemacertificateoftheirpassingfromEssexthroughthatvillage,andthattheyhadnotbeenatLondon;
which,thoughfalseinthecommonacceptanceofLondoninthecounty,yetwasliterallytrue,WappingorRatcliffbeingnoparteitherofthecityorliberty。
ThiscertificatedirectedtothenextconstablethatwasatHomerton,oneofthehamletsoftheparishofHackney,wassoserviceabletothemthatitprocuredthem,notafreepassagethereonly,butafullcertificateofhealthfromajusticeofthepeace,whoupontheconstable\'sapplicationgranteditwithoutmuchdifficulty;andthustheypassedthroughthelongdividedtownofHackney（foritlaytheninseveralseparatedhamlets）,andtravelledontilltheycameintothegreatnorthroadonthetopofStamfordHill。
Bythistimetheybegantobeweary,andsointheback—roadfromHackney,alittlebeforeitopenedintothesaidgreatroad,theyresolvedtosetuptheirtentandencampforthefirstnight,whichtheydidaccordingly,withthisaddition,thatfindingabarn,orabuildinglikeabarn,andfirstsearchingaswellastheycouldtobesuretherewasnobodyinit,theysetuptheirtent,withtheheadofitagainstthebarn。Thistheydidalsobecausethewindblewthatnightveryhigh,andtheywerebutyoungatsuchawayoflodging,aswellasatthemanagingtheirtent。
Heretheywenttosleep;butthejoiner,agraveandsoberman,andnotpleasedwiththeirlyingatthislooseratethefirstnight,couldnotsleep,andresolved,aftertryingtosleeptonopurpose,thathewouldgetout,and,takingtheguninhishand,standsentinelandguardhiscompanions。Sowiththeguninhishand,hewalkedtoandagainbeforethebarn,forthatstoodinthefieldneartheroad,butwithinthehedge。Hehadnotbeenlonguponthescoutbutheheardanoiseofpeoplecomingon,asifithadbeenagreatnumber,andtheycameon,ashethought,directlytowardsthebarn。Hedidnotpresentlyawakehiscompanions;butinafewminutesmore,theirnoisegrowinglouderandlouder,thebiscuit—bakercalledtohimandaskedhimwhatwasthematter,andquicklystartedouttoo。Theother,beingthelamesailmakerandmostweary,laystillinthetent。
Astheyexpected,sothepeoplewhomtheyhadheardcameondirectlytothebarn,whenoneofourtravellerschallenged,likesoldiersupontheguard,with\'Whocomesthere？\'Thepeopledidnotanswerimmediately,butoneofthemspeakingtoanotherthatwasbehindhim,\'AlasIalasIwearealldisappointed,\'sayshe。\'Herearesomepeoplebeforeus;thebarnistakenup。\'
Theyallstoppeduponthat,asundersomesurprise,anditseemstherewasaboutthirteenoftheminall,andsomewomenamongthem。
Theyconsultedtogetherwhattheyshoulddo,andbytheirdiscourseourtravellerssoonfoundtheywerepoor,distressedpeopletoo,likethemselves,seekingshelterandsafety;andbesides,ourtravellershadnoneedtobeafraidoftheircominguptodisturbthem,forassoonas—
theyheardthewords,\'Whocomesthere？\'thesecouldhearthewomensay,asiffrighted,\'Donotgonearthem。Howdoyouknowbuttheymayhavetheplague？\'Andwhenoneofthemensaid,\'Letusbutspeaktothem\',thewomensaid,\'No,don\'tbyanymeans。WehaveescapedthusfarbythegoodnessofGod;donotletusrunintodangernow,webeseechyou。\'
Ourtravellersfoundbythisthattheywereagood,sobersortofpeople,andflyingfortheirlives,astheywere;and,astheywereencouragedbyit,soJohnsaidtothejoiner,hiscomrade,\'Letusencouragethemtooasmuchaswecan\';sohecalledtothem,\'Harkye,goodpeople,\'saysthejoiner,\'wefindbyyourtalkthatyouareflyingfromthesamedreadfulenemyasweare。Donotbeafraidofus;weareonlythreepoormenofus。Ifyouarefreefromthedistemperyoushallnotbehurtbyus。Wearenotinthebarn,butinalittletenthereintheoutside,andwewillremoveforyou;wecansetupourtentagainimmediatelyanywhereelse\';anduponthisaparleybeganbetweenthejoiner,whosenamewasRichard,andoneoftheirmen,whosaidhisnamewasFord。
Ford。Anddoyouassureusthatyouareallsoundmen？
Richard。Nay,weareconcernedtotellyouofit,thatyoumaynotbeuneasyorthinkyourselvesindanger;butyouseewedonotdesireyoushouldputyourselvesintoanydanger,andthereforeItellyouthatwehavenotmadeuseofthebarn,sowewillremovefromit,thatyoumaybesafeandwealso。
Ford。Thatisverykindandcharitable;butifwehavereasontobesatisfiedthatyouaresoundandfreefromthevisitation,whyshouldwemakeyouremovenowyouaresettledinyourlodging,and,itmaybe,arelaiddowntorest？Wewillgointothebarn,ifyouplease,torestourselvesawhile,andweneednotdisturbyou。
Richard。Well,butyouaremorethanweare。Ihopeyouwillassureusthatyouareallofyousoundtoo,forthedangerisasgreatfromyoutousasfromustoyou。
Ford。BlessedbeGodthatsomedoescape,thoughitisbutfew;
whatmaybeourportionstillweknownot,buthithertowearepreserved。
Richard。Whatpartofthetowndoyoucomefrom？Wastheplaguecometotheplaceswhereyoulived？
Ford。Ay,ay,inamostfrightfulandterriblemanner,orelsewehadnotfledawayaswedo;butwebelievetherewillbeveryfewleftalivebehindus。
Richard。Whatpartdoyoucomefrom？
Ford。WearemostofusofCripplegateparish,onlytwoorthreeofClerkenwellparish,butonthehitherside。
Richard。Howthenwasitthatyoucameawaynosooner？
Ford。Wehavebeenawaysometime,andkepttogetheraswellaswecouldatthehitherendofIslington,wherewegotleavetolieinanolduninhabitedhouse,andhadsomebeddingandconveniencesofourownthatwebroughtwithus;buttheplagueiscomeupintoIslingtontoo,andahousenextdoortoourpoordwellingwasinfectedandshutup;andwearecomeawayinafright。
Richard。Andwhatwayareyougoing？
Ford。Asourlotshallcastus;weknownotwhither,butGodwillguidethosethatlookuptoHim。
Theyparleyednofurtheratthattime,butcamealluptothebarn,andwithsomedifficultygotintoit。Therewasnothingbuthayinthebarn,butitwasalmostfullofthat,andtheyaccommodatedthemselvesaswellastheycould,andwenttorest;butourtravellersobservedthatbeforetheywenttosleepanancientmanwhoitseemswasfatherofoneofthewomen,wenttoprayerwithallthecompany,recommendingthemselvestotheblessinganddirectionofProvidence,beforetheywenttosleep。
Itwassoondayatthattimeoftheyear,andasRichardthejoinerhadkeptguardthefirstpartofthenight,soJohnthesoldierrelievedhim,andhehadthepostinthemorning,andtheybegantobeacquaintedwithoneanother。ItseemswhentheyleftIslingtontheyintendedtohavegonenorth,awaytoHighgate,butwerestoppedatHolloway,andtheretheywouldnotletthempass;sotheycrossedoverthefieldsandhillstotheeastward,andcameoutattheBoardedRiver,andsoavoidingthetowns,theyleftHornseyonthelefthandandNewingtonontherighthand,andcameintothegreatroadaboutStamfordHillonthatside,asthethreetravellershaddoneontheotherside。Andnowtheyhadthoughtsofgoingovertheriverinthemarshes,andmakeforwardstoEppingForest,wheretheyhopedtheyshouldgetleavetorest。Itseemstheywerenotpoor,atleastnotsopoorastobeinwant;atleasttheyhadenoughtosubsistthemmoderatelyfortwoorthreemonths,when,astheysaid,theywereinhopesthecoldweatherwouldchecktheinfection,oratleasttheviolenceofitwouldhavespentitself,andwouldabate,ifitwereonlyforwantofpeopleleftalivetoheinfected。
Thiswasmuchthefateofourthreetravellers,onlythattheyseemedtobethebetterfurnishedfortravelling,andhaditintheirviewtogofartheroff;forastothefirst,theydidnotproposetogofartherthanoneday\'sjourney,thatsotheymighthaveintelligenceeverytwoorthreedayshowthingswereatLondon。
Buthereourtravellersfoundthemselvesunderanunexpectedinconvenience:namelythatoftheirhorse,forbymeansofthehorsetocarrytheirbaggagetheywereobligedtokeepintheroad,whereasthepeopleofthisotherbandwentoverthefieldsorroads,pathornopath,wayornoway,astheypleased;neitherhadtheyanyoccasiontopassthroughanytown,orcomenearanytown,otherthantobuysuchthingsastheywantedfortheirnecessarysubsistence,andinthatindeedtheywereputtomuchdifficulty;ofwhichinitsplace。
Butourthreetravellerswereobligedtokeeptheroad,orelsetheymustcommitspoil,anddothecountryagreatdealofdamageinbreakingdownfencesandgatestogooverenclosedfields,whichtheywerelothtodoiftheycouldhelpit。
Ourthreetravellers,however,hadagreatmindtojointhemselvestothiscompanyandtaketheirlotwiththem;andaftersomediscoursetheylaidasidetheirfirstdesignwhichlookednorthward,andresolvedtofollowtheotherintoEssex;sointhemorningtheytookuptheirtentandloadedtheirhorse,andawaytheytravelledalltogether。
Theyhadsomedifficultyinpassingtheferryattheriver—side,theferrymanbeingafraidofthem;butaftersomeparleyatadistance,theferrymanwascontenttobringhisboattoaplacedistantfromtheusualferry,andleaveitthereforthemtotakeit;soputtingthemselvesover,hedirectedthemtoleavetheboat,andhe,havinganotherboat,saidhewouldfetchitagain,whichitseems,however,hedidnotdoforaboveeightdays。
Here,givingtheferrymanmoneybeforehand,theyhadasupplyofvictualsanddrink,whichhebroughtandleftintheboatforthem;butnotwithout,asIsaid,havingreceivedthemoneybeforehand。Butnowourtravellerswereatagreatlossanddifficultyhowtogetthehorseover,theboatbeingsmallandnotfitforit:andatlastcouldnotdoitwithoutunloadingthebaggageandmakinghimswimover。
Fromtherivertheytravelledtowardstheforest,butwhentheycametoWalthamstowthepeopleofthattowndeniedtoadmitthem,aswasthecaseeverywhere。Theconstablesandtheirwatchmenkeptthemoffatadistanceandparleyedwiththem。Theygavethesameaccountofthemselvesasbefore,butthesegavenocredittowhattheysaid,givingitforareasonthattwoorthreecompanieshadalreadycomethatwayandmadethelikepretences,butthattheyhadgivenseveralpeoplethedistemperinthetownswheretheyhadpassed;andhadbeenafterwardssohardlyusedbythecountry（thoughwithjustice,too,astheyhaddeserved）thataboutBrentwood,orthatway,severalofthemperishedinthefields—whetheroftheplagueorofmerewantanddistresstheycouldnottell。
ThiswasagoodreasonindeedwhythepeopleofWalthamstowshouldbeverycautious,andwhytheyshouldresolvenottoentertainanybodythattheywerenotwellsatisfiedof。But,asRichardthejoinerandoneoftheothermenwhoparleyedwiththemtoldthem,itwasnoreasonwhytheyshouldblockuptheroadsandrefusetoletpeoplepassthroughthetown,andwhoaskednothingofthembuttogothroughthestreet;thatiftheirpeoplewereafraidofthem,theymightgointotheirhousesandshuttheirdoors;theywouldneithershowthemcivilitynorincivility,butgoonabouttheirbusiness。
Theconstablesandattendants,nottobepersuadedbyreason,continuedobstinate,andwouldhearkentonothing;sothetwomenthattalkedwiththemwentbacktotheirfellowstoconsultwhatwastobedone。Itwasverydiscouraginginthewhole,andtheyknewnotwhattodoforagoodwhile;butatlastJohnthesoldierandbiscuit—
maker,consideringawhile,\'Come,\'sayshe,\'leavetherestoftheparleytome。\'Hehadnotappearedyet,sohesetsthejoiner,Richard,toworktocutsomepolesoutofthetreesandshapethemaslikegunsashecould,andinalittletimehehadfiveorsixfairmuskets,whichatadistancewouldnotbeknown;andaboutthepartwherethelockofagunishecausedthemtowrapclothandragssuchastheyhad,assoldiersdoinwetweathertopreservethelocksoftheirpiecesfromrust;therestwasdiscolouredwithclayormud,suchastheycouldget;andallthiswhiletherestofthemsatunderthetreesbyhisdirection,intwoorthreebodies,wheretheymadefiresatagooddistancefromoneanother。
Whilethiswasdoingheadvancedhimselfandtwoorthreewithhim,andsetuptheirtentinthelanewithinsightofthebarrierwhichthetown\'smenhadmade,andsetasentineljustbyitwiththerealgun,theonlyonetheyhad,andwhowalkedtoandfrowiththegunonhisshoulder,soasthatthepeopleofthetownmightseethem。Also,hetiedthehorsetoagateinthehedgejustby,andgotsomedrystickstogetherandkindledafireontheothersideofthetent,sothatthepeopleofthetowncouldseethefireandthesmoke,butcouldnotseewhattheyweredoingatit。
Afterthecountrypeoplehadlookeduponthemveryearnestlyagreatwhile,and,byallthattheycouldsee,couldnotbutsupposethattheywereagreatmanyincompany,theybegantobeuneasy,notfortheirgoingaway,butforstayingwheretheywere;andaboveall,perceivingtheyhadhorsesandarms,fortheyhadseenonehorseandonegunatthetent,andtheyhadseenothersofthemwalkaboutthefieldontheinsideofthehedgebythesideofthelanewiththeirmuskets,astheytookthemtobe,shouldered;Isay,uponsuchasightasthis,youmaybeassuredtheywerealarmedandterriblyfrighted,anditseemstheywenttoajusticeofthepeacetoknowwhattheyshoulddo。WhatthejusticeadvisedthemtoIknownot,buttowardstheeveningtheycalledfromthebarrier,asabove,tothesentinelatthetent。
\'Whatdoyouwant？\'saysJohn。*
\'Why,whatdoyouintendtodo？\'saystheconstable。\'Todo,\'saysJohn;\'whatwouldyouhaveustodo？\'Constable。Whydon\'tyoubegone？Whatdoyoustaytherefor？
John。Whydoyoustopusontheking\'shighway,andpretendtorefuseusleavetogoonourway？
Constable。Wearenotboundtotellyouourreason,thoughwedidletyouknowitwasbecauseoftheplague。
John。Wetoldyouwewereallsoundandfreefromtheplague,whichwewerenotboundtohavesatisfiedyouof,andyetyoupretendtostopusonthehighway。
Constable。Wehavearighttostopitup,andourownsafetyobligesustoit。Besides,thisisnottheking\'shighway;\'tisawayuponsufferance。Youseehereisagate,andifwedoletpeoplepasshere,wemakethempaytoll。
John。Wehavearighttoseekourownsafetyaswellasyou,andyoumayseeweareflyingforourlives:and\'tisveryunchristianandunjusttostopus。
Constable。Youmaygobackfromwhenceyoucame;wedonothinderyoufromthat。
John。No;itisastrongerenemythanyouthatkeepsusfromdoingthat,orelseweshouldnothavecomehither。
Constable。Well,youmaygoanyotherway,then。
John。No,no;Isupposeyouseeweareabletosendyougoing,andallthepeopleofyourparish,andcomethroughyourtownwhenwewill;butsinceyouhavestoppedushere,wearecontent。Youseewehaveencampedhere,andherewewilllive。Wehopeyouwillfurnishuswithvictuals。
*ItseemsJohnwasinthetent,buthearingthemcall,hestepsout,andtakingthegunuponhisshoulder,talkedtothemasifhehadbeenthesentinelplacedthereupontheguardbysomeofficerthatwashissuperior。[Footnoteintheoriginal。]
Constable。WefurnishyouIWhatmeanyoubythat？
John。Why,youwouldnothaveusstarve,wouldyou？Ifyoustopushere,youmustkeepus。
Constable。Youwillbeillkeptatourmaintenance。
John。Ifyoustintus,weshallmakeourselvesthebetterallowance。
Constable。Why,youwillnotpretendtoquarteruponusbyforce,willyou？
John。Wehaveofferednoviolencetoyouyet。Whydoyouseemtoobligeustoit？Iamanoldsoldier,andcannotstarve,andifyouthinkthatweshallbeobligedtogobackforwantofprovisions,youaremistaken。
Constable。Sinceyouthreatenus,weshalltakecaretobestrongenoughforyou。Ihaveorderstoraisethecountyuponyou。
John。Itisyouthatthreaten,notwe。Andsinceyouareformischief,youcannotblameusifwedonotgiveyoutimeforit;weshallbeginourmarchinafewminutes。*
Constable。Whatisityoudemandofus？
John。Atfirstwedesirednothingofyoubutleavetogothroughthetown;weshouldhaveofferednoinjurytoanyofyou,neitherwouldyouhavehadanyinjuryorlossbyus。Wearenotthieves,butpoorpeopleindistress,andflyingfromthedreadfulplagueinLondon,whichdevoursthousandseveryweek。Wewonderhowyoucouldbesounmerciful！
Constable。Self—preservationobligesus。
John。What！Toshutupyourcompassioninacaseofsuchdistressasthis？
Constable。Well,ifyouwillpassoverthefieldsonyourlefthand,andbehindthatpartofthetown,Iwillendeavourtohavegatesopenedforyou。
John。Ourhorsemen**cannotpasswithourbaggagethatway;itdoesnotleadintotheroadthatwewanttogo,andwhyshouldyouforceusoutoftheroad？Besides,youhavekeptushereall*Thisfrightedtheconstableandthepeoplethatwerewithhim,thattheyimmediatelychangedtheirnote。
**Theyhadbutonehorseamongthem。[Footnotesintheoriginal。]
daywithoutanyprovisionsbutsuchaswebroughtwithus。Ithinkyououghttosendussomeprovisionsforourrelief。
Constable。Ifyouwillgoanotherwaywewillsendyousomeprovisions。
John。Thatisthewaytohaveallthetownsinthecountystopupthewaysagainstus。
Constable。Iftheyallfurnishyouwithfood,whatwillyoubetheworse？Iseeyouhavetents;youwantnolodging。
John。Well,whatquantityofprovisionswillyousendus？
Constable。Howmanyareyou？
John。Nay,wedonotaskenoughforallourcompany;weareinthreecompanies。Ifyouwillsendusbreadfortwentymenandaboutsixorsevenwomenforthreedays,andshowusthewayoverthefieldyouspeakof,wedesirenottoputyourpeopleintoanyfearforus;wewillgooutofourwaytoobligeyou,thoughweareasfreefrominfectionasyouare。*
Constable。Andwillyouassureusthatyourotherpeopleshallofferusnonewdisturbance？
John。No,noyoumaydependonit。
Constable。Youmustobligeyourself,too,thatnoneofyourpeopleshallcomeastepnearerthanwheretheprovisionswesendyoushallbesetdown。
John。Ianswerforitwewillnot。
Accordinglytheysenttotheplacetwentyloavesofbreadandthreeorfourlargepiecesofgoodbeef,andopenedsomegates,throughwhichtheypassed;butnoneofthemhadcouragesomuchastolookouttoseethemgo,and,asitwasevening,iftheyhadlookedtheycouldnothaveseenthemastoknowhowfewtheywere。
ThiswasJohnthesoldier\'smanagement。Butthisgavesuchanalarmtothecounty,thathadtheyreallybeentwoorthreehundredthewholecountywouldhavebeenraiseduponthem,and*Herehecalledtooneofhismen,andbadehimorderCaptainRichardandhispeopletomarchthelowerwayonthesideofthemarches,andmeetthemintheforest;whichwasallasham,fortheyhadnoCaptainRichard,oranysuchcompany。[Footnoteintheoriginal。]
theywouldhavebeensenttoprison,orperhapsknockedonthehead。
Theyweresoonmadesensibleofthis,fortwodaysafterwardstheyfoundseveralpartiesofhorsemenandfootmenalsoabout,inpursuitofthreecompaniesofmen,armed,astheysaid,withmuskets,whowerebrokeoutfromLondonandhadtheplagueuponthem,andthatwerenotonlyspreadingthedistemperamongthepeople,butplunderingthecountry。
Astheysawnowtheconsequenceoftheircase,theysoonsawthedangertheywerein;sotheyresolvedbytheadvicealsooftheoldsoldiertodividethemselvesagain。Johnandhistwocomrades,withthehorse,wentaway,asiftowardsWaltham;theotherintwocompanies,butallalittleasunder,andwenttowardsEpping。
Thefirstnighttheyencampedallintheforest,andnotfaroffofoneanother,butnotsettingupthetent,lestthatshoulddiscoverthem。Ontheotherhand,Richardwenttoworkwithhisaxeandhishatchet,andcuttingdownbranchesoftrees,hebuiltthreetentsorhovels,inwhichtheyallencampedwithasmuchconvenienceastheycouldexpect。
TheprovisionstheyhadatWalthamstowservedthemveryplentifullythisnight;andasforthenext,theyleftittoProvidence。
Theyhadfaredsowellwiththeoldsoldier\'sconductthattheynowwillinglymadehimtheirleader,andthefirstofhisconductappearedtobeverygood。HetoldthemthattheywerenowataproperdistanceenoughfromLondon;thatastheyneednotbeimmediatelybeholdentothecountryforrelief,sotheyoughttobeascarefulthecountrydidnotinfectthemasthattheydidnotinfectthecountry;thatwhatlittlemoneytheyhad,theymustbeasfrugalofastheycould;thatashewouldnothavethemthinkofofferingthecountryanyviolence,sotheymustendeavourtomakethesenseoftheirconditiongoasfarwiththecountryasitcould。Theyallreferredthemselvestohisdirection,sotheylefttheirthreehousesstanding,andthenextdaywentawaytowardsEpping。Thecaptainalso（forsotheynowcalledhim）,andhistwofellow—travellers,laidasidetheirdesignofgoingtoWaltham,andallwenttogether。
WhentheycamenearEppingtheyhalted,choosingoutaproperplaceintheopenforest,notverynearthehighway,butnotfaroutofitonthenorthside,underalittleclusteroflowpollard—trees。Heretheypitchedtheirlittlecamp—whichconsistedofthreelargetentsorhutsmadeofpoleswhichtheircarpenter,andsuchaswerehisassistants,cutdownandfixedinthegroundinacircle,bindingallthesmallendstogetheratthetopandthickeningthesideswithboughsoftreesandbushes,sothattheywerecompletelycloseandwarm。Theyhad,besidesthis,alittletentwherethewomenlaybythemselves,andahuttoputthehorsein。
Ithappenedthatthenextday,ornextbutone,wasmarket—dayatEpping,whenCaptainJohnandoneoftheothermenwenttomarketandboughtsomeprovisions;thatistosay,bread,andsomemuttonandbeef;andtwoofthewomenwentseparately,asiftheyhadnotbelongedtotherest,andboughtmore。Johntookthehorsetobringithome,andthesackwhichthecarpentercarriedhistoolsin,toputitin。Thecarpenterwenttoworkandmadethembenchesandstoolstositon,suchasthewoodhecouldgetwouldafford,andakindoftabletodineon。
Theyweretakennonoticeoffortwoorthreedays,butafterthatabundanceofpeopleranoutofthetowntolookatthem,andallthecountrywasalarmedaboutthem。Thepeopleatfirstseemedafraidtocomenearthem;and,ontheotherhand,theydesiredthepeopletokeepoff,fortherewasarumourthattheplaguewasatWaltham,andthatithadbeeninEppingtwoorthreedays;soJohncalledouttothemnottocometothem,\'for,\'sayshe,\'weareallwholeandsoundpeoplehere,andwewouldnothaveyoubringtheplagueamongus,norpretendwebroughtitamongyou。\'
Afterthistheparishofficerscameuptothemandparleyedwiththematadistance,anddesiredtoknowwhotheywere,andbywhatauthoritytheypretendedtofixtheirstandatthatplace。Johnansweredveryfrankly,theywerepoordistressedpeoplefromLondonwho,foreseeingthemiserytheyshouldbereducedtoifplaguespreadintothecity,hadfledoutintimefortheirlives,and,havingnoacquaintanceorrelationstoflyto,hadfirsttakenupatIslington;but,theplaguebeingcomeintothattown,werefledfarther;andastheysupposedthatthepeopleofEppingmighthaverefusedthemcomingintotheirtown,theyhadpitchedtheirtentsthusintheopenfieldandintheforest,beingwillingtobearallthehardshipsofsuchadisconsolatelodgingratherthanhaveanyonethinkorbeafraidthattheyshouldreceiveinjurybythem。
AtfirsttheEppingpeopletalkedroughlytothem,andtoldthemtheymustremove;thatthiswasnoplaceforthem;andthattheypretendedtobesoundandwell,butthattheymightbeinfectedwiththeplagueforaughttheyknew,andmightinfectthewholecountry,andtheycouldnotsufferthemthere。
Johnarguedverycalmlywiththemagreatwhile,andtoldthemthatLondonwastheplacebywhichthey—thatis,thetownsmenofEppingandallthecountryroundthem—subsisted;towhomtheysoldtheproduceoftheirlands,andoutofwhomtheymadetheirrentoftheirfarms;andtobesocrueltotheinhabitantsofLondon,ortoanyofthosebywhomtheygainedsomuch,wasveryhard,andtheywouldbelothtohaveitrememberedhereafter,andhaveittoldhowbarbarous,howinhospitable,andhowunkindtheyweretothepeopleofLondonwhentheyfledfromthefaceofthemostterribleenemyintheworld;thatitwouldbeenoughtomakethenameofanEppingmanhatefulthroughallthecity,andtohavetherabblestonethemintheverystreetswhenevertheycamesomuchastomarket;thattheywerenotyetsecurefrombeingvisitedthemselves,andthat,asheheard,Walthamwasalready;thattheywouldthinkitveryhardthatwhenanyofthemfledforfearbeforetheyweretouched,theyshouldbedeniedthelibertyoflyingsomuchasintheopenfields。
TheEppingmentoldthemagain,thatthey,indeed,saidtheyweresoundandfreefromtheinfection,butthattheyhadnoassuranceofit;
andthatitwasreportedthattherehadbeenagreatrabbleofpeopleatWalthamstow,whomadesuchpretencesofbeingsoundastheydid,butthattheythreatenedtoplunderthetownandforcetheirway,whethertheparishofficerswouldorno;thattherewereneartwohundredofthem,andhadarmsandtentslikeLowCountrysoldiers;
thattheyextortedprovisionsfromthetown,bythreateningthemwithlivinguponthematfreequarter,showingtheirarms,andtalkinginthelanguageofsoldiers;andthatseveralofthembeinggoneawaytowardRumfordandBrentwood,thecountryhadbeeninfectedbythem,andtheplaguespreadintoboththoselargetowns,sothatthepeopledurstnotgotomarketthereasusual;thatitwasverylikelytheyweresomeofthatparty;andifso,theydeservedtobesenttothecountyjail,andbesecuredtilltheyhadmadesatisfactionforthedamagetheyhaddone,andfortheterrorandfrighttheyhadputthecountryinto。