been abroad in promiscuous company to come into their houses, or
near them – at least not so near them as to be within the reach of their
breath or of any smell from them; and when they were obliged to
converse at a distance with strangers, they would always have
preservatives in their mouths and about their clothes to repel and keep
off the infection.
It must be acknowledged that when people began to use these
cautions they were less exposed to danger, and the infection did not
break into such houses so furiously as it did into others before; and
thousands of families were preserved (speaking with due reserve to
the direction of Divine Providence) by that means.
But it was impossible to beat anything into the heads of the poor.
They went on with the usual impetuosity of their tempers, full of
outcries and lamentations when taken, but madly careless of
themselves, foolhardy and obstinate, while they were well. Where
they could get employment they pushed into any kind of business, the
most dangerous and the most liable to infection; and if they were
spoken to, their answer would be, ‘I must trust to God for that; if I am
taken, then I am provided for, and there is an end of me’, and the like.
Or thus, ‘Why, what must I do? I can’t starve. I had as good have the
plague as perish for want. I have no work; what could I do? I must do
this or beg.’ Suppose it was burying the dead, or attending the sick, or
watching infected houses, which were all terrible hazards; but their
tale was generally the same. It is true, necessity was a very justifiable,
warrantable plea, and nothing could be better; but their way of talk
was much the same where the necessities were not the same. This
adventurous conduct of the poor was that which brought the plague
among them in a most furious manner; and this, joined to the distress
of their circumstances when taken, was the reason why they died so
by heaps; for I cannot say I could observe one jot of better husbandry
among them, I mean the labouring poor, while they were all well and
getting money than there was before, but as lavish, as extravagant, and
as thoughtless for tomorrow as ever; so that when they came to be
taken sick they were immediately in the utmost distress, as well for
want as for sickness, as well for lack of food as lack of health.
This misery of the poor I had many occasions to be an eyewitness
of, and sometimes also of the charitable assistance that some pious
people daily gave to such, sending them relief and supplies both of
food, physic, and other help, as they found they wanted; and indeed it
is a debt of justice due to the temper of the people of that day to take
notice here, that not only great sums, very great sums of money were
charitably sent to the Lord Mayor and aldermen for the assistance and
support of the poor distempered people, but abundance of private
people daily distributed large sums of money for their relief, and sent
people about to inquire into the condition of particular distressed and
visited families, and relieved them; nay, some pious ladies were so
transported with zeal in so good a work, and so confident in the
protection of Providence in discharge of the great duty of charity, that
they went about in person distributing alms to the poor, and even
visiting poor families, though sick and infected, in their very houses,
appointing nurses to attend those that wanted attending, and ordering
apothecaries and surgeons, the first to supply them with drugs or
plasters, and such things as they wanted; and the last to lance and
dress the swellings and tumours, where such were wanting; giving
their blessing to the poor in substantial relief to them, as well as
hearty prayers for them.
I will not undertake to say, as some do, that none of those charitable
people were suffered to fall under the calamity itself; but this I may
say, that I never knew any one of them that miscarried, which I