_The Burning City_
NEXT Day, the Holiday of Life was over, its Duties re-commenced. Master
_Blower_ had an Accumulation of Business to attend to, and I had Plenty
to do about the House. Before the End of the Week, I was immersed in
Cares that were Pleasures to me, inasmuch as they lightened his own. But
I could not resist paying a Visit to the Bridge, and spending an Hour in
the dear old House, and another, afterwards, with _Violet_. She and
_Mark_ came to sup with us. I found they were not going to marry till
six Months were out, which was full quick, after all; but I was thankful
they would wait so long. A Change seemed coming over _Mark_; he was
steady, composed, attentive to Business, and far pleasanter, whether
lively or sad, than in his earlier Days. As to _Violet_, she was
infinitely softened, and the old Spirit of Coquetry seemed quite to have
burned out. We did not see them often, but Master _Blower_ always
received them kindly, and they seemed to consider it a Privilege as well
as a Pleasure to come to us.
Thus, the Winter wore on: the Plague was stayed; and though it was
common to meet in the Streets Men in their Nightcaps, limping, or with
their Throats bound up, no one thought of getting out of their Way, for
the Infection had spent itself. And Persons that were Strangers to each
other might be heard exchanging Congratulations on the improved State of
Things, now that Houses and Shops were re-opening, the Weeds beginning
to disappear from the Thoroughfares, and Men no longer walked along the
Middle of the Streets, but on the Foot-pavements.
My dear Husband endeavoured to impress the Hearts and Minds of his
People, in Season and out of Season, with a Sense of the Mercy that had
preserved them; but, I am sorry to say, with very little permanent
Effect. True it is, at first the Ground was broken up, and the Clods
were soft, and the good Seed that was cast in seemed likely to fructify;
but alas, the hot Sun of worldly Temptation soon hardened the Ground and
burnt the Seed up, and People that had almost miraculously escaped the
general Judgment, seemed little better than they were before. This
depressed my dear Husband very much; but, instead of relaxing his
Efforts, he only redoubled them; and he said I strengthened his Hands.
There was also a great deal of Distress, owing to the general Stagnation
of Trade, and the vast Numbers of People thrown out of Employ. So that,
though we did all we could, it was heart-rending to witness the Misery
in some of the lower Districts of our Parish. We pinched ourselves to
help them, voluntarily giving up such and such Things at our Table; and
this with such Cheerfulness that I really believe our Self-privations
gave us more actual Enjoyment than if we had ate the Fat and drank the
Sweet to our Hearts’ Desire. And once or twice it remarkably happened
that when we had a little exceeded in this Way, and had supplied thereby
the needs of a more than ordinary Number, a great Hamper would arrive
from Mistress _Blower_, full of Game, Poultry, Eggs, Butter, Brawn,
Hams, Tongues, and Everything that was good. Often we talked over that
sweet Place the Hampers came from; and it seemed to me that my Husband
more and more inclined towards the Country; especially as his Throat had
never quite recovered the Effects of the Plague, and he found he could
not make himself heard throughout the remoter Parts of his large Church
without Difficulty. Quite at the End of the Summer, the old Incumbent of
_Bucklands_ Parsonage died; and as the living was in the Squire’s Gift,
and he had some Notion his Brother would like it, he wrote to offer it
to him. My Husband asked my Mind about it; I said I should like it of
all Things, if he could be content with so small and quiet a Field of
Action. He said, yes, the Time had been when it had been otherwise with
him—the harder the Work the greater the Pleasure, especially as carrying
some Sense of Glory in the Victory over it; but it was not so with him
now: he could be content with trying to do good on a small Scale;
especially as he had not been quite so successful on the larger Field of
Action as he had hoped and expected.
“Could I preach like _Apollos_,” continued he, “to what Good, to the
Half of my Congregation, who cannot catch one Word in ten? So that, in
Fact, I preach to a small Congregation already. And I’ve no Mind to
receive the Pay without doing the Work. There’s no Fear, _Cherry_, of my
not making myself audible in _Bucklands_ Church!—Besides, do you know I
fancy I have a little domestic Mission there. My dear, good Brother, who
has dozed under Doctor _Bray_ for so many Years, has languished under a
spiritual Dearth. He is now getting in Years, and I think I may do
Something for him—you know he told you he thought my Sermons were _the
real Thing_.”
“He said,” replied I, “that you not only hit the right Nail on the Head,
but hammered it well in.”
After some further Talk, which only went to prove how completely we were
of a Mind on the Matter, the Letters were written and sent—to accept the
one Living and resign the other. That was on the Second of _September_.
The same Night, broke out that dreadful Fire, which lasted three Days
and three Nights, and destroyed fifteen of the twenty-six City Wards,
including four hundred Streets and Lanes, and thirteen thousand Houses.
Oh, what a dreadful Calamity! We were in Bed, a little after Ten, when
Shrieks and Cries of “Fire!” awoke us; and my dear Husband put his Head
forth of the Window and asked where it was. A Man running along
answered, “On or at the Foot of _London Bridge_!” Then our Hearts failed
us for _Violet_ and _Mark_, and all our old Friends; and we dressed and
went forth, for I could not be stayed from accompanying Master _Blower_.
But before we could reach the Bridge Foot, we found Access to it cut
off, both by Reason of the Crowd and of the Flames: the only Comfort
was, that the Fire kept off the Bridge. There was so much Tumult and
Pressure that we could only keep on the Skirts of the Crowd, where we
hung about without doing any Good for some Hours.
The next Morning, we were in Hope of hearing the Fire had been got
under; instead of which, the whole _Bankside_ was wrapped in Flames, and
all the Houses from the Bridge Foot, and all _Thames Street_, were lying
in Ashes. The People seemed all at Pause, gazing on, without stirring
Hand or Foot, and those that were personal Sufferers were venting their
Grief in Cries and Lamentations. But we could not find that any Life had
yet been lost; and the Fire kept off the Bridge.
When I went Home at Dusk, it was to pray for the poor Sufferers, and
then to muse how far the Calamity might extend. Supper was on Table, but
I had no Mind to eat; which was all the better, as my Husband presently
brought in a poor, weeping Family who had lost Everything, and had not
touched a Morsel all Day. We gave them a good Meal, and Shelter for the
Night. They slept, but we could not. There was no Need of Candles all
that Night, which was as light as Day for ten Miles round. The Fire was
now spreading all along the South Part of the City, leaping from House
to House, and Street to Street, for the very Air seemed ignited; Showers
of Sparks and Ashes were falling in every Direction, and the Pavement
was growing almost too hot to tread upon. My Husband kept bringing in
new Refugees as long as our House would hold them, and I was too busy
caring for them to have Leisure to go forth, even had it been safe; but
each New-comer brought fresh Tidings of the Desolation, which was now
extending to Churches, public Monuments, Hospitals, Companies’ Halls, as
though it would carry all before it. We now began to be in some Alarm
for ourselves; and to consider what we should do if it came our Way; and
now we experienced the Convenience of having but little Treasure that
Moth, Rust, or Fire could injure, for when Master _Blower_ had made up a
small Packet of Papers and ready Money that we could readily carry about
us, there was Nothing left for the Destroyer to consume but our poor
Furniture and the House over our Heads. Very opportunely, at this Time
came to our Door a _Berkshire_ Countryman with one of the good Squire’s
Hampers full of Eatables. I never saw a poor Fellow look so scared! He
got a good View of the Calamity from a Distance, and then set his Face
homewards in as great a Hurry as if the Flames were in Chase of him. The
Streets were now full of Carts loaded with Moveables, which their Owners
were conveying out of Town; giving Way to the Calamity rather than
seeking to arrest it, which, indeed, it was now vain to attempt, though
I think Something might have been done at first. _St. Paul’s_ was now in
a Blaze; the great Stones exploding with intense Heat, and the melted
Lead running along the Gutters. This Night, also, we got scarce any
Rest.
[Illustration:
S^t Paul’s was now in a Blaze
]
The next Morning, while I was overlooking my Stores, and considering how
I should best husband them for my poor Inmates, in comes _Mark_, his
Face blackened, his Hair full of Ashes, his Clothes singed in many
Places, and his Shoes nearly burnt off his Feet.
“Thank GOD, you are safe, then!” cries he, catching hold of both my
Hands. “The Sky looked so fiery in this Quarter during the Night, that
_Violet_ and I were in dreadful Fear for you, and I started at Daybreak,
and came here by making a great Round, to see how it fared with you. And
_Violet_ bids me say that she has not forgotten your Father’s and
Mother’s Kindness to her Father and Mother when they were burned out of
House and Home, nor how she and you were put together in the same
Cradle; and it will make her and me, dear _Cherry_, unspeakably happy to
receive you and Master _Blower_ under the very same Roof, should you be
burnt out of your own.”
I said, “Dear _Mark_, that is so like you and _Violet_! Just the
Kindness I should have expected! Believe me, we shall thankfully accept
it, if there be Need. But at present the Fire is all about us, yet comes
not to us. We have made up our little Parcel of Treasures, (a little
one, indeed, _Mark_!) and are ready to start at a Minute’s Notice,
trusting to a good GOD to spare our Lives. This old House, if it once
catches, will burn like Tinder; meanwhile, come and see how many it
holds.”
So I led him from Room to Room, and shewed him Mothers nursing their
Infants, Children eating Bread and Milk, and old People still sleeping
heavily. He was greatly interested and impressed. “What a good Soul you
are!” said he,—“I can give you no Notion of the Scenes of Misery on the
Outskirts through which I passed on my Way here. People huddled in
Tents, or lying under Hedges, or on Heaps of Litter and broken
Furniture, without a Morsel of Bread or a Cup of Milk, yet none
begging!... I saw a few Bread-carts and Milk-people coming up to them as
I passed along, but many had no Money, not even a Penny, to buy a
Breakfast. I had filled my Purse, _Cherry_, with all that was in the
Till, before I set out; but you see there’s not much in it now——”
And he pulled out an empty Purse, with a Smile that showed he was well
pleased with the Way its Contents had gone. Then we shook Hands
heartily, and parted.
To the loud Crackling of Flames and Crash of falling Buildings, was now
added the blowing up of Houses with Gunpowder, which, indeed, made the
Neighbourhood of them very dangerous to Bystanders, but checked the
Progress of the Fire. However, Nothing effectual could have been done,
had it not pleased ALMIGHTY GOD to stay his Judgment by abating the high
Wind, which fell all at once; whereby the Flames ceased to spread,
though the glowing Ruins continued to burn.
The Crisis being now past, we ceased to be in Apprehension for
ourselves, and devoted all our Attention to the poor, bereft People
under our Care. Some of these were fetched away by their Country
Friends; sooner or later all dispersed; and then we went out into the
Fields adjoining the City, to afford what little Help we could. But oh!
the Desolation! To attempt to assuage that Accumulation of Destitution
by our trivial Means seemed like essaying to subdue the Fire with a Cup
of Water: yet we know that every Little helps; and that even a Cup of
Water, to the thirsty Man who drinks it, quenches not his Thirst the
less, that Thousands beside are parched with Drought. And thus, by
Analogy, concerning the general Amount of human Suffering surrounding us
at all Times, which the wife of a _Whitechapel_ Parson is perhaps as
well qualified to speak of as any one else—We need not be discouraged
from aiding any, because we cannot succour all; since the Relief
afforded is as grateful to him who has it, as though _all_ were
relieved, which it is not GOD’S Will that any should have Power to
accomplish.
By the End of the Month this terrible Calamity was over-past; at least,
as far as we had Anything to do with it, though we continued to give
Shelter to poor, ruined Householders as long as the Parsonage was our
own. The Gentleman who succeeded my dear Husband seemed a benevolent
Sort of Man, a little pompous, maybe, but tenderly disposed towards the
Poor.
And now, Everything being settled, we sold some of our old Furniture,
and sent down the Rest, with Mistress _Peach_, by the Wagon. And my dear
Husband and I entered _Bucklands_ exactly as we had left it, and on the
very same Horse; I in my cherry-colour Habit, that was as fresh as on my
Wedding-day. And here we have been ever since; and he calls me his right
Hand, and says my Attention to all his secular Affairs leaves his Mind
at Liberty to pursue his Duties and Studies without Distraction—and that
I understand the Poor even better than he does—and that I am his best
Counsellor, his dearest Friend, his pleasantest Companion, his darling
_Cherry_!—Yes; he calls me, and I believe he thinks me all this: and as
for _my_ being happy in _him_ ... I should think so, indeed!
FINIS
_Printed by_ BALLANTYNE, HANSON & CO.
_Edinburgh and London_
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● Transcriber’s Notes:
○ The captions for the illustrations don’t exactly match the
captions given in the List of Illustrations.
○ Missing or obscured punctuation was silently corrected.
○ Typographical errors were silently corrected.
○ Inconsistent spelling and hyphenation were made consistent only
when a predominant form was found in this book.
○ The use of a carat (^) before one or more letters shows they were
intended to be superscripts, as in S^t Bartholomew or L^{d.}
Egemont.
○ Text that was in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_).