families and houses where really the infection was, obtained the
favour to have their dead be returned of other distempers, to prevent
the shutting up their houses. For example: –
Dead of other diseases beside the plague –
From the 18th July to the 25th 942
” 25th July ” 1st August 1004
” 1st August ” 8th 1213
” 8th ” 15th 1439
” 15th ” 22nd 1331
” 22nd ” 29th 1394
” 29th ” 5th September 1264
” 5th September to the 12th 1056
” 12th ” 19th 1132
” 19th ” 26th 927
Now it was not doubted but the greatest part of these, or a great part
of them, were dead of the plague, but the officers were prevailed with
to return them as above, and the numbers of some particular articles
of distempers discovered is as follows: –
Aug. Aug. Aug. Aug. Aug. Sept. Sept. Sept.
1 8 15 22 29 5 12 19
to 8 to 15 to 22 to 29 to Sept.5 to 12 to 19 to 26
Fever 314 353 348 383 364 332 309 268
Spotted 174 190 166 165 157 97 101 65
Fever
Surfeit 85 87 74 99 68 45 49 36
Teeth 90 113 111 133 138 128 121 112
— —- —- —- —- —- —- —-
663 743 699 780 727 602 580 481
There were several other articles which bore a proportion to these,
and which, it is easy to perceive, were increased on the same account,
as aged, consumptions, vomitings, imposthumes, gripes, and the like,
many of which were not doubted to be infected people; but as it was
of the utmost consequence to families not to be known to be infected,
if it was possible to avoid it, so they took all the measures they could
to have it not believed, and if any died in their houses, to get them
returned to the examiners, and by the searchers, as having died of
other distempers.
This, I say, will account for the long interval which, as I have said,
was between the dying of the first persons that were returned in the
bill to be dead of the plague and the time when the distemper spread
openly and could not be concealed.
Besides, the weekly bills themselves at that time evidently discover
the truth; for, while there was no mention of the plague, and no
increase after it had been mentioned, yet it was apparent that there
was an increase of those distempers which bordered nearest upon it;
for example, there were eight, twelve, seventeen of the spotted fever
in a week, when there were none, or but very few, of the plague;
whereas before, one, three, or four were the ordinary weekly numbers
of that distemper. Likewise, as I observed before, the burials
increased weekly in that particular parish and the parishes adjacent
more than in any other parish, although there were none set down of
the plague; all which tells us, that the infection was handed on, and
the succession of the distemper really preserved, though it seemed to
us at that time to be ceased, and to come again in a manner surprising.
It might be, also, that the infection might remain in other parts of
the same parcel of goods which at first it came in, and which might
not be perhaps opened, or at least not fully, or in the clothes of the
first infected person; for I cannot think that anybody could be seized
with the contagion in a fatal and mortal degree for nine weeks
together, and support his state of health so well as even not to
discover it to themselves; yet if it were so, the argument is the
stronger in favour of what I am saying: namely, that the infection is
retained in bodies apparently well, and conveyed from them to those
they converse with, while it is known to neither the one nor the other.
Great were the confusions at that time upon this very account, and
when people began to be convinced that the infection was received in
this surprising manner from persons apparently well, they began to be
exceeding shy and jealous of every one that came near them. Once,