+
I might spend a great deal of my time in exclamations against the
follies, and indeed the wickednesses of those things, in a time of such
danger, in a matter of such consequence as this of a national infection;
but my memorandums of these things relate rather to take notice of the
fact, and mention only that it was so. How the poor people found the
insufficiency of those things, and how many of them were afterwards
carried away in the dead carts, and thrown into the common graves of
every parish with these hellish charms and trumpery hanging about their
necks, remains to be spoken of as we go along.
All this was the effect of the hurry the people were in, after the first
notion of the plague being at hand was among them, and which may be said
to be from about Michaelmas,[74] 1664, but more particularly after the
two men died in St. Giles's, in the beginning of December; and again
after another alarm in February, for when the plague evidently spread
itself, they soon began to see the folly of trusting to these
unperforming creatures who had gulled them of their money; and then
their fears worked another way, namely, to amazement and stupidity, not
knowing what course to take or what to do, either to help or to relieve
themselves; but they ran about from one neighbor's house to another, and
even in the streets, from one door to another, with repeated cries of,
"Lord, have mercy upon us! What shall we do?"
I am supposing, now, the plague to have begun, as I have said, and that
the magistrates began to take the condition of the people into their
serious consideration. What they did as to the regulation of the
inhabitants, and of infected families, I shall speak to[75] by itself;
but as to the affair of health, it is proper to mention here my having
seen the foolish humor of the people in running after quacks,
mountebanks, wizards, and fortune tellers, which they did, as above,
even to madness. The lord mayor, a very sober and religious gentleman,
appointed physicians and surgeons for the relief of the poor, I mean the
diseased poor, and in particular ordered the College of Physicians[76]
to publish directions for cheap remedies for the poor in all the
circumstances of the distemper. This, indeed, was one of the most
charitable and judicious things that could be done at that time; for
this drove the people from haunting the doors of every disperser of
bills, and from taking down blindly and without consideration, poison
for physic, and death instead of life.
This direction of the physicians was done by a consultation of the whole
college; and as it was particularly calculated for the use of the poor,
and for cheap medicines, it was made public, so that everybody might see
it, and copies were given gratis to all that desired it. But as it is
public and to be seen on all occasions, I need not give the reader of
this the trouble of it.
It remains to be mentioned now what public measures were taken by the
magistrates for the general safety and to prevent the spreading of the
distemper when it broke out. I shall have frequent occasion to speak of
the prudence of the magistrates, their charity, their vigilance for the
poor and for preserving good order, furnishing provisions, and the like,
when the plague was increased as it afterwards was. But I am now upon
the order and regulations which they published for the government of
infected families.
I mentioned above shutting of houses up, and it is needful to say
something particularly to that; for this part of the history of the
plague is very melancholy. But the most grievous story must be told.
About June, the lord mayor of London, and the court of aldermen, as I
have said, began more particularly to concern themselves for the
regulation of the city.
The justices of the peace for Middlesex,[77] by direction of the
secretary of state, had begun to shut up houses in the parishes of St.
Giles-in-the-Fields, St. Martin's, St. Clement's-Danes, etc., and it was
with good success; for in several streets where the plague broke out,
upon strict guarding the houses that were infected, and taking care to
bury those that died as soon as they were known to be dead, the plague
ceased in those streets. It was also observed that the plague decreased
sooner in those parishes after they had been visited to the full than it
did in the parishes of Bishopsgate, Shoreditch, Aldgate, Whitechapel,
Stepney, and others; the early care taken in that manner being a great
means to the putting a check to it.
This shutting up of the houses was a method first taken, as I
understand, in the plague which happened in 1603, at the coming of King
James I. to the crown; and the power of shutting people up in their own
houses was granted by act of Parliament, entitled "An Act for the
Charitable Relief and Ordering of Persons Infected with Plague." On
which act of Parliament the lord mayor and aldermen of the city of
London founded the order they made at this time, and which took place
the 1st of July, 1665, when the numbers of infected within the city
were but few; the last bill for the ninety-two parishes being but four,
and some houses having been shut up in the city, and some people being
removed to the pesthouse beyond Bunhill Fields, in the way to Islington.
I say by these means, when there died near one thousand a week in the
whole, the number in the city was but twenty-eight; and the city was
preserved more healthy, in proportion, than any other place all the time
of the infection.
These orders of my lord mayor's were published, as I have said, the
latter end of June, and took place from the 1st of July, and were as
follow: viz.,--
ORDERS CONCEIVED AND PUBLISHED BY THE LORD MAYOR AND ALDERMEN OF
THE CITY OF LONDON, CONCERNING THE INFECTION OF THE PLAGUE; 1665.
Whereas in the reign of our late sovereign King James, of happy
memory, an act was made for the charitable relief and ordering of
persons infected with the plague; whereby authority was given to
justices of the peace, mayors, bailiffs, and other head officers,
to appoint within their several limits examiners, searchers,
watchmen, keepers, and buriers, for the persons and places
infected, and to minister unto them oaths for the performance of
their offices; and the same statute did also authorize the giving
of their directions as unto them for other present necessity should
seem good in their discretions: it is now, upon special
consideration, thought very expedient, for preventing and avoiding
of infection of sickness (if it shall please Almighty God), that
these officers following be appointed, and these orders hereafter
duly observed.
_Examiners to be appointed to every Parish._
First, it is thought requisite, and so ordered, that in every
parish there be one, two, or more persons of good sort and credit
chosen by the alderman, his deputy, and common council of every
ward, by the name of examiners, to continue in that office for the
space of two months at least: and if any fit person so appointed
shall refuse to undertake the same, the said parties so refusing to
be committed to prison until they shall conform themselves
accordingly.
_The Examiner's Office._
That these examiners be sworn by the aldermen to inquire and learn
from time to time what houses in every parish be visited, and what
persons be sick, and of what diseases, as near as they can inform
themselves, and, upon doubt in that case, to command restraint of
access until it appear what the disease shall prove; and if they
find any person sick of the infection, to give order to the
constable that the house be shut up; and, if the constable shall be
found remiss and negligent, to give notice thereof to the alderman
of the ward.
_Watchmen._
That to every infected house there be appointed two watchmen,--one
for every day, and the other for the night; and that these watchmen
have a special care that no person go in or out of such infected
houses whereof they have the charge, upon pain of severe
punishment. And the said watchmen to do such further offices as the
sick house shall need and require; and if the watchman be sent upon
any business, to lock up the house and take the key with him; and
the watchman by day to attend until ten o'clock at night, and the
watchman by night until six in the morning.
_Searchers._
That there be a special care to appoint women searchers in every
parish, such as are of honest reputation and of the best sort as
can be got in this kind; and these to be sworn to make due search
and true report, to the utmost of their knowledge, whether the
persons whose bodies they are appointed to search do die of the
infection, or of what other diseases, as near as they can. And that
the physicians who shall be appointed for the cure and prevention
of the infection do call before them the said searchers, who are or
shall be appointed for the several parishes under their respective
cares, to the end they may consider whether they be fitly qualified
for that employment, and charge them from time to time, as they
shall see cause, if they appear defective in their duties.
That no searcher during this time of visitation be permitted to use
any public work or employment, or keep a shop or stall, or be
employed as a laundress, or in any other common employment
whatsoever.
_Chirurgeons._[78]
For better assistance of the searchers, forasmuch as there has been
heretofore great abuse in misreporting the disease, to the further
spreading of the infection, it is therefore ordered that there be
chosen and appointed able and discreet chirurgeons besides those
that do already belong to the pesthouse, amongst whom the city and
liberties to be quartered as they lie most apt and convenient; and
every of these to have one quarter for his limit. And the said
chirurgeons in every of their limits to join with the searchers for
the view of the body, to the end there may be a true report made of
the disease.
And further: that the said chirurgeons shall visit and search such
like persons as shall either send for them, or be named and
directed unto them by the examiners of every parish, and inform
themselves of the disease of the said parties.
And forasmuch as the said chirurgeons are to be sequestered from
all other cures,[79] and kept only to this disease of the
infection, it is ordered that every of the said chirurgeons shall
have twelvepence a body searched by them, to be paid out of the
goods of the party searched, if he be able, or otherwise by the
parish.
_Nurse Keepers._
If any nurse keeper shall remove herself out of any infected house
before twenty-eight days after the decease of any person dying of
the infection, the house to which the said nurse keeper doth so
remove herself shall be shut up until the said twenty-eight days
shall be expired.