T was about the Beginning of Sep tember 1664, that I, among the Reft of my Neighbours, heard, in ordinary Discourse, that the Plague was return'd again in Holland, for it had been very violent there, and particularly at Amsterdam and Roterdam, in the Year 1663. whether they fay, it was brought, fome faid from Italy, others from the Levant among fome Goods, which were brought home by their TurkeyFleet; others faid it was brought from Candia; others from Cyprus. It matter'd not, from whence it came; but all agreed, it was come into Holland again. We had no fuch thing as printed News-Papers in those Days, to fpread Rumours and Reports of Things; and to improve them by the Invention of Men, as I have liv'd to fee practis'd fince. But fuch things as thofe were gather'd B from from the Letters of Merchants, and others, who correfponded abroad, and from them was handed about by Word of Mouth only; fo that things did not spread inftantly over the whole Nation, as they do now. But it seems that the Government had a true Account of it, and feveral Counfels were held about Ways to prevent its coming over; but all was kept very private. Hence it was, that this Rumour died off again, and People began to forget it, as a thing we were very little concern'd in, and that we hoped was not true; till the latter End of November, or the Beginning of December 1664, when two Men, faid to be Frenchmen, died of the Plague in Long-Acre, or rather at the upper End of Drury-Lane. The Family they were in, endeavour'd to conceal it as much as poffible; but as it had gotten fome Vent in the Difcourfe of the Neighbourhood, the Secretaries of State got Knowledge of it. And concerning themfelves to enquire about it, in order to be certain of the Truth, two Phyficians and a Surgeon were order'd to go to the Houfe, and make Infpection. This they did; and finding evident Tokens of the Sickness upon both the Bodies that were dead, they gave their Opinions publickly, that they died of the Plague: Whereupon it was given in to the Parish Clerk, and he alfo return'd them to the Hall; and it was printed in the weekly Bill of Mortality in the ufual manner, thus, Plague 2. Parifes infected 1. The People fhew'd a great Concern at this, and began to be alarm'd all over the Town, and the more, because in the laft Week in December 1664, another Man died in the fame Houfe, and of of the fame Diftemper: And then we were eafy again for about fix Weeks, when none having died with any Marks of Infection, it was faid, the Distemper was gone; but after that, I think it was about the 12th of February, another died in another House, but in the fame Parish, and in the fame manner. This turn'd the Peoples Eyes pretty much towards that End of the Town; and the weekly Bills fhewing an Increase of Burials in St. Giles's Parish more than ufual, it began to be fufpected, that the Plague was among the People at that End of the Town; and that many had died of it, tho' they had taken Care to keep it as much from the Knowledge of the Publick, as poffible: This poffefs'd the Heads of the People very much, and few car'd to go thro' Drury-Lane, or the other Streets fufpected, unless they had extraordinary Bufinefs, that obliged them to it. This Increase of the Bills ftood thus; the ufual Number of Burials in a Week, in the Parishes of St. Giles's in the Fields, and St. Andrew's Holborn, were from 12 to 17 or 19 each, few more or less; but from the Time that the Plague first began in St. Giles's Parifh, it was obferv'd, that the ordinary Burials increased in Number confiderably. For Example, From Dec. 27th to Jan. 3. St. Giles's Jan. 3. to10. St. Giles's 16 17 12 From Jan. 17. to Jan. 24. St. Giles's -23 St. Andrew's-16 Jan. 24. to- 31. St. Giles's 24 Jan. 30. to Feb. 7. St. Giles's- -21. Feb. 7. to St. Andrew's 23 to 14. St. Giles's 24 whereof one of the Plague. The like Increase of the Bills was observ'd in the Parishes of St. Brides, adjoining on one Side of Holborn Parish, and in the Parish of St. James Clarkenwell, adjoining on the other Side of Holborn; in both which Parishes the ufual Numbers that died weekly, were from 4 to 6 or 8, whereas at that time they were increas'd, as follows. |