+Source.+--Holinshed's _Chronicle_, Vol. III., p. 482. (London, 1808.)
Shortly after for the better preservation of his royal person, he
constituted and ordained a certain number as well of archers, as of
divers other persons, hardy, strong, and active to give daily
attendance on his person, whom he named yeomen of his guard, which
precedent men thought that he learned of the French king when he was
in France. For it is not remembered that any king of England before
that day used any such furniture of daily soldiers. In this same year
a kind of sickness invaded suddenly the people of this land, passing
through the same from the one end to the other. It began about the one
and twentieth of September, and continued until the latter end of
October, being so sharp and deadly that the like was never heard of to
any man's remembrance before that time.
For suddenly a deadly burning sweat so assailed their bodies and
distempered their blood with a most ardent heat, that scarce one
amongst an hundred that sickened did escape with life; for all in
manner as soon as the sweat took them, or within a short time after,
yielded the ghost. Beside the great number which deceased within the
city of London, two mayors successively died within eight days and six
aldermen. At length, by the diligent observation of those that escaped
(which marking what things had done them good, and holpen to their
deliverance, used the like again), when they fell into the same
disease the second or third time as to divers it chanced, a remedy was
found for that mortal malady which was this. If a man on the day time
were taken with the sweat, then should he straight lie down with all
his clothes and garments and continue in the sweat four and twenty
hours after so moderate a sort as might be. If in night he chanced to
be taken, then should he not rise out of his bed for the space of four
and twenty hours, so casting the clothes that he might in no wise
provoke the sweat, but lie so temperately that the water might distil
out softly of its own accord. And to abstain from all meat if he might
so long suffer hunger and to take no more drink neither hot nor cold
than would moderately quench and assuage his thirsty appetite. Thus
with lukewarm drink, temperate heat and measurable clothes many
escaped: few which used this order (after it was found out) died of
that sweat. Marry! one point diligently above all other in this cure
is to be observed, that he never did put his hand or feet out of the
bed to refresh or cool himself, which to do is no less jeopardy than
short and present death. Thus this disease coming in the first year of
King Henry's reign, was judged (of some) to be a token and sign of a
troublesome reign of the same king, as the proof partly afterwards
shewed itself.