were so good, and their own safety so much concerned, that his family submitted to the restraint with the more cheerfulness, though they began to labour hard for breath at that time, and to be very desirous of air, having been shut up so closely and so long.

"At length, on the first of December, he opened his street door for the first time, and walked out. The bill of mortality the week before was 544 of all diseases, whereof only 333 were of the plague, and nearly half of that number were in Stepney parish, and on the Southwark side of the river, where the sickness continued latest, as it had been longest before it began. The first of December, I say, he walked out; but he suffered none of his family to stir but himself. He viewed the streets, the houses and shops, but conversed with no one; nor did he see any body that he knew, except a few just in his own neighbourhood. A vast number of houses were standing empty and deserted, the inhabitants being gone into the country: yet in some of these he observed servants returned, who had opened the windows and doors, and were, as we call it, airing the houses and the goods; making fires in all the rooms, opening the windows, and burning perfumes; and in that manner preparing

the houses for the return of the families that belonged to them. The number of people in the streets was greater indeed than he had expected: but this seemed to be occasioned rather by the curiosity of those who were left, which led them to go more abroad than otherwise they would have done: for in the back streets, and ways less frequented, he found very few.

"He came home again in a few hours, not having visited any body, or made any inquiries after any of his friends, or any one else; and resolved to keep up his close quarters one week longer. Nor would he buy any fresh provisions, or suffer any one to go to market; but resolved upon some new measures which he put in practice the week following. At that time he went out early in the morning, and taking his eldest son and his apprentice with him, walked on foot as far as Tottenham High-Cross. Finding there a house of one of his acquaintance, which had not been infected at all, he took lodgings or apartments in it for his whole family, and the same day returned to London. In the course of the week he removed them all thither, carrying his own goods and some part of his provisions; all which he caused to be fetched by waggons belonging to the

country people, and such as he had good information were sound, and had not been infected at all.

"Here he not only relieved his family with fresh air, which they so much wanted, but with fresh provisions also, which he had now brought to them from Waltham market, by his old higgler who had supplied the family at the beginning of the year.

He left his house in London fast locked up, except the gate into his yard, the key of which he gave to the honest watchman, and went himself, or his son, or his apprentice, two or three times a week, to see that every thing was safe and in good order. And thus he continued till the February following: for all the month of December and January the plague continued in the city; and at the latter end of December it began to increase again; which was believed to be occasioned by the people's returning faster than ordinary to their dwellings: so that the third week in December the increase was 83; and then there died of the plague still 281, the whole bill being 525.-But by the beginning of February, the family being well recovered and refreshed, and all in perfect health, and the city being filled again with people, and in a pretty good state of health, he removed

all back again, and came to his house, opened his doors, and carried on his business as before.

"Thus, next to the protection of God's Providence, a complete retirement from the street, and from conversing on any account whatever with the rest of the people; separating from them, and having, as we may say, nothing to do with them, either to buy, or sell, or speak, or sit with them or near them; was proved to be capable of effectually preserving a man or a family, in the time of the direst infection.

"I will not suppose this man or his family, who were so severe in fasting and humbling themselves before God all the time they were under apprehensions of the distemper, and surrounded with daily experience of the dreadful calamity that lay upon the city, could so far forget themselves now, as not to give God thanks in the most solemn manner possible for their deliverance. That part I take for granted. They could not be rational creatures, much less Christians, and retain no sense of such a signal preservation. I will therefore, I say, take that for granted, and suggest that the master of the family with the utmost seriousness of devotion performed this part, and that he obliged all his family to do the like.

"I am also to observe that, whereas this gentleman had laid in a magazine of stores sufficient for his family for a whole year, and yet was not shut up above seven months or thereabouts, he had a quantity of various articles remaining: and these you are to understand that he brought out when the markets were open, and provisions came in plenty again, and might be procured without danger, and made a thank-offering of them to the poor namely,

1500 lbs. of Biscuit

300 lbs. of Cheese

5 Hogsheads of Beer

5 Flitches of Bacon

2 Barrels and more of salted beef."

Thus with his piety towards God he combined, as was so befitting the occasion, charity to the poor, numbers of whom must needs be, at such a time, in circumstances of the greatest exigency and distress.