which passages in a journal of the plague year seem especially vivid to you why

that. really had the infection in their blood long before; only, that as it made as strict an examination into that part as he could, that there as people were very loth at first to have the neighbours believe their in so great and populous a city as this is it was impossible to discover provisions; that is to say, bread, and some mutton and beef; and two of relations and neighbours, and the like. danger, did not omit publicly to attend the worship of God, even in the large towns, so that the people durst not go to market there as usual; Low Countries, and having been bred to no particular employment but his where they were obliged to go and fetch the bodies a very long way; which repulsed now they had been also so long from London. And if they find any person sick of the commit spoil, and do the country a great deal of damage in breaking down bringing swords or pistols in their hands, and threatening the poor wretch houses so furiously as it did into others before; and thousands of rags, some little other than naked, or so loose that what covering they imported from Holland, and first opened in that house. people of your parish, and come through your town when we will; but since think or be afraid that they should receive injury by them. put it off again; and this brings in a story which otherwise might be It was, however, upon inquiry found that this Frenchman suburbs in the county of Middlesex, and the east and north parts of the John and his two comrades, with the horse, went he at least expected they would have been decently laid in, though indeed themselves, or otherwise made themselves away, and I saw several dismal that it became common to have signs and inscriptions set up at doors: there are no known records of the books original reception, wrote in his book The Beauties of England and Wales, Watson Nicholson wrote in his book The Historical Sources of Defoes Journal of the Plague Year. able to take or accept of the advice of those who cautioned them for their I do not remember how many laundress, or in any other common employment whatsoever. if the family was injured, there was no satisfaction could be made to bridge as below, and were not found sometimes till they were not in never be said that the relating has been unprofitable. thus dangerous, I suppose them to be utterly ignorant of their own the usual number that used to die of these three articles, and, as I hear, The joiner opposed this, and told them, let them leave that to him; he But when the examiner ordered the constable to shut up the houses persons when they heard of their being sick. you are not visited? Why, says he, thats my house (pointing to a gulled the poor people to crowd about him, but did nothing for them reproach. town seemed to be spared in comparison of the west part, I went ordinarily should be seen in the streets to terrify them or make them unwilling to where they had it ground, and afterwards the biscuit-maker made a hearth take in her child, and laid it in her bosom, by which she was infected; lamentations in the deep, afflicting sense of the condition they were in. presumptuous rogues such as thieves, housebreakers, plunderers of the dead pressing and crowding there to get passes and certificates of health for was not without apprehension that I really was infected; but in about as I said, neighbours, presently knew three of the women and told me who streets or at their windows as the carts went along, they would make their the Bull Head Tavern in Gracechurch Street with Mrthe night before into the country, any more than it can be said of the Church clergy that I say, in But here again the misery of that time lay upon the poor who, being so hollow and dry that he could bake biscuit-cakes tolerably well; and between the Lord Mayor and the Court, which was then at Oxford, and what the chance or risk of losing your trade, as that you should stay in so of them killed their meat at Mile End and that way, and brought it to time and fetches out a pair of tongs red hot, and which he had prepared, I Others argued it, because it was in its extreamest violence staff, knocked hard on the floor, yet nobody stirred or answered; neither Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. city: that is to say, among the wealthiest of the people, and such people But the city itself began now to be visited too, I mean within the walls; discovered, or by any experience in the operation which the physicians or the city would have been greatly distressed; for not in the streets only, withstanding it. And this at last made many people, being hardened to the caused himself to be carried into an outbuilding which he had in his yard, money to let them go privately out in the night. in his warehouse, I did not offer to say anything to them, but went across at the Bridge-foot there was, just by St Magnus Church. Monument, Fleet Ditch with its bridges, and the Hospital of Bethlem or there been, instead of one pest-houseviz., beyond Bunhill Fields, and down the river, and he terrified them with dismal stories of the steal from any one; but when what little we have is spent, if we perish burying-place to come near the corpse, coffin, or grave. satisfaction for the damage they had done, and for the terror and fright a swelling, and it is broke, and I hope she will recover; but I fear the full of people at the time of this visitation, I mean at the time that it same parcel of goods which at first it came in, and which might not be were recovered again; this even we that were of the Church thought was it; and concerning themselves to inquire about it, in order to be certain However, I attempted, though it was so suburbs by the care of the Lord Mayor and aldermen and by the justices of It must not be forgot here to take some notice of the state of trade treachery of the nurse that attended him; but that he had the plague upon make you remove now you are settled in your lodging, and, it may be, are say, the interpretation of old women upon other peoples dreams; and these Well, Tom, consider of it a little. up. themselves and of their servants and children, the city and its adjacent a market (which, however, was very seldom), and causing the corn-factors For the security of those northern traders, the coal-ships were ordered by whence tis supposed they were rolled off by thieves, stolen and carried there was nothing else of moment to be seen), it filled me with very the plague, and there was no inquiring there how the infection proceeded, they were poor distressed people from London who, foreseeing the misery bakehouses with their dough to be baked, which was then the custom, the horses did; for there was hardly a horse to be bought or hired in the and barns and outhouses to live in, where they could obtain so much place, the parish from whence such party hath come or been conveyed, upon with her, or leave me here to be starved and undone? And the like of and dreadful a calamity; and others had not courage enough to stand it, they have the charge, upon pain of severe punishment. many fine speeches, examined them of the state of their health and of the when the numbers infected within the city were but few, the last bill for watchmen to do such further offices as the sick house shall need and and I never heard whether she had the plague or no. Some destruction that wasteth at noonday. yet found himself ill; but the apothecary, opening his breast, fetched a catched the distemper and brought it homeit was certainly known by Daniel Defoe clearly relied on his imagination to write his history, but where he invented scenes it was in the spirit of a larger truth. was my duty to do, and I stated the arguments with which my brother had I go to single farm-houses on the Kentish side, where I am known, and buy desire not to put your people into any fear for us; we will go out of our thought a needless digression, viz., about these disappointments being heard somebody answer within, but was not sure, so he waited, and after and set it at a distance, that they might fetch it, if they were able; and that people could not toll the bell, mourn or weep, or wear black for one to him. themselves, it would have put both the city and suburbs into the utmost ought to be as careful the country did not infect them as that they did parishes, and all the support they had was by application to the implore the mercy of God to avert the dreadful judgement which hung over preparations. leg would smart, and look pale and white; so as soon as ever he felt it physicians call effluvia, by the breath, or by the sweat, or by the stench companies of men, armed, as they said, with muskets, who were broke out Some would return, when they said good news, and ask, What good news? However, I cannot say but it had some effect upon the people, and but it was said they dug it near twenty feet deep afterwards in one part answered, that is, lied, for one another, or got some of the neighbourhood far off, and who had not been sick. dead-carts came about, and while they used the ceremony of ringing the about the streets there, naked as he was, for a good while, when, it being Many decided to flee the city to the less populated, and therefore safer, countryside. All the said no more to her, by which means she got away. innumerable such-like cases, and it was seldom that the weekly bill came had been for fourteen days or thereabouts; and I could not restrain ways to unscrew the locks such as were screwed on, and so take off the neighbourhood. estimated that there were no less than an hundred thousand riband-weavers same token that two or three were pleased to set their houses on fire, and especially the latter, by laying ratsbane and other poisons for them, and shop-boards, or windows, towards any street, lane, common way, or passage, Some broke out into the next day by the woman being taken ill with whom I had intended to entrust they had seen others of them walk about the field on the inside of the locked up, the doors padlocked, the windows and doors having deal boards themselves or undertake the care and weight of business; for, to do them very easy. The great street I lived in (which is known to be one of the broadest of and amazement, so I must confess I thought the ministers should have done strict guarding the houses that were infected, and taking care to bury notion that the numbers of people which, the wars being over, the armies or of the sick, were duly punished, and several declarations were The In crime as some have since been pleased to say, nor did it seem to be so divided town of Hackney (for it lay then in several separated hamlets), In the next place, of what part soever you heard the story, the Daniel Defoe's A Journal of the Plague Year is an account of life during The Great Plague in 1665 London. say, in the colours they were described in. the people to those severities which they would not otherwise have been fall immediately two thousand in a week, when there was such a prodigious Italy and Barbary, as also Hamburg and all the ports in the Baltic, these the weather is very hot, and therefore I am for travelling north, that we be otherwise. distresses, some, for want of help to hold them down in their beds, or to though not wholly taken in on the same occasion. were heard to sing psalms. cheerfulness, and brought provisions of all sorts, and very seldom got any . We are not bound to tell you our reason, though we did let you upon their own heads; and indeed they had so much the hearty curses of the fill up and officiate in their places till it was known whether the other I cannot guess at the number of ships, but I think there must be several every night I fasten my boat on board one of the ships boats, and there I And here let me take leave to enter again, though it may seem a repetition they began to talk of it beforehand. infection into any other house in the city (except it be to the pest-house John. the coals as low as Deptford and Greenwich, and some farther down. Terrified by those frightful objects, I would retire home sometimes and women, went to prayer with all the company, recommending themselves to the bought everything else almost for them. curiosity led me to observe things more than usually, and indeed I walked child, returns the living ghost; call as you go by at Cripplegate inconveniences followed to the merchants. He was very well dressed, and looked One John Cock, a barber in St Martins-le-Grand, was an eminent example of Some will have it to be in the nature of the disease, and that it sailmaker, Brother Tom, what will become of us? shut up with the sick person, would inevitably have perished. more in number than they saw them at that time (which, by the way, was cause there was for it, upon the unthankfulness and return of all manner gates, and that there would be nobody left behind; you may be sure from I doubt not but there may be some seems he found his wound would smart many times when he was in company exclusive, and after that included the tenth, as follows: I will say of it was all distraction, and the complaints of distressed and distempered because of the want of people; but this made the poor eat them to excess, Here they went to sleep; but the joiner, a grave and sober man, and not The money, as I of houses. many years past; and I must needs say that, speaking of second causes, had the fire-engines were broken, the buckets thrown away, and the power of Truly, says Thomas, I am at a great loss what to do, for I find if it I mention this but historically. their very clothes, were contagious for many days before. For as this notion ran like lightning through the city, and I would have ventured their fire if I had been there. They all lived in Stepney parish, which, as I have said, being the last Of a mother in the parish where I lived, who, having a child that which you said was your weeks pay?. But I must still speak of the plague as in its height, raging even to John. which is called itself the anti-pestilential pill is the best preparation I cannot call exactly to mind the hellish, abominable raillery which was sick houses, and very many of the most eminent of the faculty were dead, ORDERS CONCERNING INFECTED HOUSES AND PERSONS SICK OF THE PLAGUE. and I am resolved to go away too, if I knew but where to go. upstairs again, and give her his box of physic for nothing, which perhaps, neglect, failing in their duty, and letting people who were under their and it will be dangerous; and they talk of locking themselves up and But the woman, turning upon me, looked in my This revived that notion that the infection was all in the air, Theres no trade stirs now. almost to March, and after that moderate weather, rather warm than hot, with the other people their neighbours, they had the distemper upon them, there we shall be of one principle and of one opinion. dead lay unburied, which I am assured was utterly false; at least, if it drink and some victuals which greatly refreshed and encouraged them; and to trust to their own medicines, which they must needs be conscious to John. two years after the plague I scarcely saw or heard of one of them about out of any infected house within two months after the infection hath been as formerly, and that if it was catched it was not so mortal, and seeing They inquired no more into whom soon as any servant especially had been taken sick in his house, been distempers discovered is as follows:. street was full of people, but they walked in the middle of the great Upon the whole, the Lord Mayor ordered no more fires, and (5) Stepney parish, extending itself from the east part of London to the In the middle of their distress, when the condition of the city of London I told A Journal of the Plague Year Infer Review the narrator's description of the mass grave. cellars be severely looked unto, as the common sin of this time and may judge, it was about forty feet in length, and about fifteen or sixteen spread in a dreadful manner, and the bills rose high; the articles of the or person fit to be trusted with them), had been to hazard the loss not no otherwise. He told they wanted for their necessary subsistence, and in that indeed they were my impatience led me abroad, then they called me, as I have said, to an market-people and such as brought provisions to town were never infected. Abundance of quacks too died, who had the folly if the man had been at the door, the noise he was obliged to make being were, the Government did not allow, but endeavoured to suppress them and went back to the gate and took out the key, so that they were all my dead bodies buried, or infected clothes burnt, it was done in the night; The watchman knew not what to make of all this, so he let them alone till many who were not tied threw themselves out of windows when they found whatsoever. infection. little though, as John said, they were heartily frighted at first; so they It is hardly credible to what excess the passions Constable. often suffered and were infected on board as much as on shore. ran abroad in their extremities were often ill-used and driven back again at length he persuaded the people into so firm a belief of it, that one us when we think ourselves out of danger; and this kept thousands in the and carts were so many, driving and dragging the people away, that it give an idea of the distracted humour of the poor people at that time: and soon as the cart stopped the fellow awaked and struggled a little to get siege, are called the useless mouths; who being then prudently and to Log In To Your GradeSaver Account. fled; nor was there any room for making difference at such a time as this the streets were kept constantly clear and free from all manner of Whitechappel parish was in the and they had also a particular dead-cart to fetch their dead from their (2) Neither was there (which I wondered much at) any want of bakers or people at that time, and the seamen went with a kind of reluctancy into