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Part　6




It　may　be　proper　to　ask　here　how　long　it　may　be　supposed　men

might　have　the　seeds　of　the　contagion　in　them　before　it　discovered

itself　in　this　fatal　manner；　and　how　long　they　might　go　about

seemingly　whole；　and　yet　be　contagious　to　all　those　that　came　near

them。　　I　believe　the　most　experienced　physicians　cannot　answer　this

question　directly　any　more　than　I　can；　and　something　an　ordinary

observer　may　take　notice　of；　which　may　pass　their　observations。　　The

opinion　of　physicians　abroad　seems　to　be　that　it　may　lie　dormant　in

the　spirits　or　in　the　blood…vessels　a　very　considerable　time。　　Why　else

do　they　exact　a　quarantine　of　those　who　came　into　their　harbours　and

ports　from　suspected　places？　　Forty　days　is；　one　would　think；　too　long

for　nature　to　struggle　with　such　an　enemy　as　this；　and　not　conquer　it　or

yield　to　it。　　But　I　could　not　think；　by　my　own　observation；　that　they

can　be　infected　so　as　to　be　contagious　to　others　above　fifteen　or

sixteen　days　at　furthest；　and　on　that　score　it　was；　that　when　a　house

was　shut　up　in　the　city　and　any　one　had　died　of　the　plague；　but　nobody

appeared　to　be　ill　in　the　family　for　sixteen　or　eighteen　days　after；　they

were　not　so　strict　but　that　they　would　connive　at　their　going　privately

abroad；　nor　would　people　be　much　afraid　of　them　afterward；　but

rather　think　they　were　fortified　the　better；　having　not　been　vulnerable

when　the　enemy　was　in　their　own　house；　but　we　sometimes　found　it

had　lain　much　longer　concealed。



Upon　the　foot　of　all　these　observations　I　must　say　that　though

Providence　seemed　to　direct　my　conduct　to　be　otherwise；　yet　it　is　my

opinion；　and　I　must　leave　it　as　a　prescription；　viz。；　that　the　best　physic

against　the　plague　is　to　run　away　from　it。　　I　know　people　encourage

themselves　by　saying　God　is　able　to　keep　us　in　the　midst　of　danger；

and　able　to　overtake　us　when　we　think　ourselves　out　of　danger；　and

this　kept　thousands　in　the　town　whose　carcases　went　into　the　great　pits

by　cartloads；　and　who；　if　they　had　fled　from　the　danger；　had；　I　believe；

been　safe　from　the　disaster；　at　least　'tis　probable　they　had　been　safe。



And　were　this　very　fundamental　only　duly　considered　by　the　people

on　any　future　occasion　of　this　or　the　like　nature；　I　am　persuaded　it

would　put　them　upon　quite　different　measures　for　managing　the

people　from　those　that　they　took　in　1665；　or　than　any　that　have　been

taken　abroad　that　I　have　heard　of。　　In　a　word；　they　would　consider　of

separating　the　people　into　smaller　bodies；　and　removing　them　in　time

farther　from　one　another　…　and　not　let　such　a　contagion　as　this；　which

is　indeed　chiefly　dangerous　to　collected　bodies　of　people；　find　a

million　of　people　in　a　body　together；　as　was　very　near　the　case　before；

and　would　certainly　be　the　case　if　it　should　ever　appear　again。



The　plague；　like　a　great　fire；　if　a　few　houses　only　are　contiguous

where　it　happens；　can　only　burn　a　few　houses；　or　if　it　begins　in　a

single；　or；　as　we　call　it；　a　lone　house；　can　only　burn　that　lone　house

where　it　begins。　　But　if　it　begins　in　a　close…built　town　or　city　and　gets

a　head；　there　its　fury　increases：　it　rages　over　the　whole　place；　and

consumes　all　it　can　reach。



I　could　propose　many　schemes　on　the　foot　of　which　the　government

of　this　city；　if　ever　they　should　be　under　the　apprehensions　of　such

another　enemy　（God　forbid　they　should）；　might　ease　themselves　of　the

greatest　part　of　the　dangerous　people　that　belong　to　them；　I　mean　such

as　the　begging；　starving；　labouring　poor；　and　among　them　chiefly

those　who；　in　case　of　a　siege；　are　called　the　useless　mouths；　who　being

then　prudently　and　to　their　own　advantage　disposed　of；　and　the

wealthy　inhabitants　disposing　of　themselves　and　of　their　servants　and

children；　the　city　and　its　adjacent　parts　would　be　so　effectually

evacuated　that　there　would　not　be　above　a　tenth　part　of　its　people　left

together　for　the　disease　to　take　hold　upon。　　But　suppose　them　to　be　a

fifth　part；　and　that　two　hundred　and　fifty　thousand　people　were　left：

and　if　it　did　seize　upon　them；　they　would；　by　their　living　so　much　at

large；　be　much　better　prepared　to　defend　themselves　against　the

infection；　and　be　less　liable　to　the　effects　of　it　than　if　the　same　number

of　people　lived　dose　together　in　one　smaller　city　such　as　Dublin　or

Amsterdam　or　the　like。



It　is　true　hundreds；　yea；　thousands　of　families　fled　away　at　this　last

plague；　but　then　of　them；　many　fled　too　late；　and　not　only　died　in　their

flight；　but　carried　the　distemper　with　them　into　the　countries　where

they　went　and　infected　those　whom　they　went　among　for　safety；

which　confounded　the　thing；　and　made　that　be　a　propagation　of　the

distemper　which　was　the　best　means　to　prevent　it；　and　this　too　is　an

evidence　of　it；　and　brings　me　back　to　what　I　only　hinted　at　before；　but

must　speak　more　fully　to　here；　namely；　that　men　went　about

apparently　well　many　days　after　they　had　the　taint　of　the　disease　in

their　vitals；　and　after　their　spirits　were　so　seized　as　that　they　could

never　escape　it；　and　that　all　the　while　they　did　so　they　were　dangerous

to　others；　I　say；　this　proves　that　so　it　was；　for　such　people　infected　the

very　towns　they　went　through；　as　well　as　the　families　they　went

among；　and　it　was　by　that　means　that　almost　all　the　great　towns　in

England　had　the　distemper　among　them；　more　or　less；　and　always　they

would　tell　you　such　a　Londoner　or　such　a　Londoner　brought　it　down。



It　must　not　be　omitted　that　when　I　speak　of　those　people　who　were

really　thus　dangerous；　I　suppose　them　to　be　utterly　ignorant　of　their

own　conditions；　for　if　they　really　knew　their　circumstances　to　be　such

as　indeed　they　were；　they　must　have　been　a　kind　of　wilful　murtherers

if　they　would　have　gone　abroad　among　healthy　people　…　and　it　would

have　verified　indeed　the　suggestion　which　I　mentioned　above；　and

which　I　thought　seemed　untrue：　viz。；　that　the　infected　people　were

utterly　careless　as　to　giving　the　infection　to　others；　and　rather　forward

to　do　it　than　not；　and　I　believe　it　was　partly　from　this　very　thing　that

they　raised　that　suggestion；　which　I　hope　was　not　really　true　in　fact。



I　confess　no　particular　case　is　sufficient　to　prove　a　general；　but　I

could　name　several　people　within　the　knowledge　of　some　of　their

neighbours　and　families　yet　living　who　showed　the　contrary　to　an

extreme。　　One　man；　a　master　of　a　family　in　my　neighbourhood；　having

had　the　distemper；　he　thought　he　had　it　given　him　by　a　poor　workman

whom　he　employed；　and　whom　he　went　to　his　house　to　see；　or　went

for　some　work　that　he　wanted　to　have　finished；　and　he　had　some

apprehensions　even　while　he　was　at　the　poor　workman's　door；　but　did

not　discover　it　fully；　but　the　next　day　it　discovered　itself；　and　he　was

taken　very　in；　upon　which　he　immediately　caused　himself　to　be

carried　into　an　outbuilding　which　he　had　in　his　yard；　and　where　there

was　a　chamber　over　a　workhouse　（the　man　being　a　brazier）。　　Here　he

lay；　and　here　he　died；　and　would　be　tended　by　none　of　his　neighbours；

but　by　a　nurse　from　abroad；　and　would　not　suffer　his　wife；　nor

children；　nor　servants　to　come　up　into　the　room；　lest　they　should　be

infected　…　but　sent　them　his　blessing　and　prayers　for　them　by　the

nurse；　who　spoke　it　to　them　at　a　distance；　and　all　this　for　fear　of　giving

them　the　distemper；　and　without　which　he　knew；　as　they　were　kept　up；

they　could　not　have　it。



And　here　I　must　observe　also　that　the　plague；　as　I　suppose　all

distempers　do；　operated　in　a　different　manner　on　differing

constitutions；　some　were　immediately　overwhelmed　with　it；　and　it

came　to　violent　fevers；　vomitings；　insufferable　headaches；　pains　in　the

back；　and　so　up　to　ravings　and　ragings　with　those　pains；　others　with

swellings　and　tumours　in　the　neck　or　groin；　or　armpits；　which　till　they

could　be　broke　put　them　into　insufferable　agonies　and　torment；　while

others；　as　I　have　observed；　were　silently　infected；　the　fever　preying

upon　their　spirits　insensibly；　and　they　seeing　little　of　it　till　they　fell

into　swooning；　and　faintings；　and　death　without　pain。

I　am　not　physician　enough　to　enter　into　the　particular　reasons　and

manner　of　these　differing　effects　of　one　and　the　same　distemper；　and

of　its　differing　operation　in　several　bodies；　nor　is　it　my　business　here

to　record　the　observations　which　I　really　made；　because　the　doctors

themselves　have　done　that　part　much　more　effectually　than　I　can　do；

and　because　my　opinion　may　in　some　things　differ　from　theirs。　　I　am

only　relating　what　I　know；　or　have　heard；　or　believe　of　the　particular

cases；　and　what　fell　within　the　compass　of　my　view；　and　the　different

nature　of　the　infection　as　it　appeared　in　the　particular　cases　which　I

have　related；　but　this　may　be　added　too：　that　though　the　former　sort　of

those　cases；　namely；　those　openly　visited；　were　the　worst　for

themselves　as　to　pain　…　I　mean　those　that　had　such　fevers；　vomitings；

headaches；　pains；　and　swellings；　because　they　died　in　such　a　dreadful

manne