number of burials in St. Giles's parish, which used to be about 16 or 18 at most, was now increased to 30; which indicated strongly that the increase was by the plague, though they concealed it, and put them in of other distempers.

"This was a terrifying account, and he was exceedingly affected with it himself, as you see. As for the young lady his sister, who had long used herself to the thoughts of these things; who expected it to be as it happened; and who, from her mother's discourse, having for some months looked upon the distemper as begun, had seriously applied herself to the great work of preparation for death, and was come to that happy state of being entirely resigned to the disposal of heaven; this being her case, she was far less surprised with it than her brother, and stood, as it were, ready to submit to the will of God, in whatever way it should please him to deal with her. And thus she abundantly made good the principle her mother had urged, namely, that, to speak of the plague beforehand as in view, and to make preparations for it as a thing certain, was so far from being a needless alarm to the people, and frightening and terrifying them, that it was the only way to

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preserve them from being frighted and terrified at it, when it really came upon them; and was the only way to keep the public peace, as her brother called it, by keeping the people composed and free from the confusions and tumultuous hurries which they are otherwise apt to fall into on such occasions.

"But the scene was not as it were yet spread, or the tragedy begun there was another prelude to appear, even in the narrow compass of this one family. O may it hot be the case of many among us, upon the present view of things of the like kind!

When the first disorders of this occasion were a little abated, and this gentleman had come a little more to himself, things took a new turn with him. He was occupied in his business during the day, and in company in the evenings; but in the morning he had always a little conversation with his sister, and she soon observed, after the first two or three days, in which he continued much affected with the danger they were all in, and with his own unprepared condition also, as he owned it to be; that he dropt the discourse by little and little; till at last he said nothing at all of it to her for three or four days. Upon this, one morning as they

were talking together, she broke in upon him with it thus: Dear brother, you tell me no news now, nor how we stand as to this terrible stroke that is coming upon us. I cannot but be very much concerned to hear what condition we are in. Pray how does it go on?'

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'God be praised,' said he, 'the distemper is stopped again: they say it was only a violent fever that seized one or two families: and the people have been in such a fright about it by the rashness of some old women, who set up a cry of the plague, that it has put all the town in an uproar. But it is stopped and I saw from the weekly bill to-day that the number of burials in St. Giles's is decreased again, and none of the plague or fever more than usual.'

it

:

S. I am glad to hear it, brother: I wish may hold.

B. I hope it will, sister. Come, do not be like my mother.

S. I wish I could be like my mother." B. Ay, but do not be like her in this; do not be always foreboding.

S. Dear brother, I forebode to nobody but myself. I do not take upon me to teach you, or say any thing but just what you ask

me.

B. Well, but do not forebode to yourself, sister; why, you will bring yourself to mope, and he dull upon it, till you come to have the vapours, and be half-mad.

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) 1.

S. I hope not, brother. I do not think so disconsolately upon it. I am in the hands of God, and it is my mercy that I am so I only want more strength to bring my faith to an entire dependence upon him.

B. But still you go on upon the old story, that the distemper will certainly come upon us.

S. "Nay, I cannot but say I expect it as certainly as if it were here just now: that I cannot go from.

B. No, no, I hope not: come, God may be better to us than our fears allow us to suggest: it may go off.

S. Then I hope I shall be thankful : delw but

blod

dei

B. But, what? prithee, girl, do not be always prophesying evil, or ringing knells over us before we are dead dead. S. Oh dear! how can you talk so, brother? I prophesy nothing: I do not pretend to it, but the thing fortells itself: God has given us notice of it several times, and, as good as bid us expect it. Shall I be so blind, as not to take the warning? God forbid!

Indeed, brother, I cannot help believing that it will certainly come still.

B. Well, and is not this, as I say, prophesying evil?

"

S. No, brother, it is not; because I do not trouble any body with my talk. I should not have said thus much to you, but that you extort it. These are notices to myself only.

B. But I would have you to be encouraged, and to encourage us all: you are our Governess, and when you are dull and melancholy all the family will be so.

S. I am not dull and melancholy: but sure, brother, this is not a time to be thoughtless: nobody can be so that has any common sense. You were alarmed enough yourself but a week ago and I do not think you have lost those just impressions it made upon you then, though you are not willing they should be seen so plainly as they were at that time.

B. It was all without reason, I verily think. I see it was all nothing but the fright of old women, and of foolish people, worse than old women, that raised the tumult all over the city.

S. Well, brother, if it prove so it will be well but I am sorry to see you cool so