. London . ? How many losttheir credit in the general stoppage of business ? Howmany fortunes were cast away when no debts could becollected, and when the debtors themselves were all de-stroyed ? And in cases when children were too young toprotect themselves, how many were plundered of everythingwhen their parents were dead ? Defoe, writing what he had learned by conversation withthose who could remember this evil time, speaks of strangeextravagances on the part of those who were infected. Verylikely there were such things. Not, however, that they were 302 /Ahxno \ common, as his story would h
. London . ? How many losttheir credit in the general stoppage of business ? Howmany fortunes were cast away when no debts could becollected, and when the debtors themselves were all de-stroyed ? And in cases when children were too young toprotect themselves, how many were plundered of everythingwhen their parents were dead ? Defoe, writing what he had learned by conversation withthose who could remember this evil time, speaks of strangeextravagances on the part of those who were infected. Verylikely there were such things. Not, however, that they were 302 /Ahxno \ common, as his story would have us believe. I prefer thepicture of the imprisoned citizen, which represents a citysitting in sorrowful silence, the people crouching in their housesin silence or in prayer, gazing helpless upon each other, whilethe blue sky and the hot sun look down upon them and theplague grows busier every day. When it abated at last, and the runaways went back totown, Pepys among them, he notes the amazing number of. BELOW BRIDGE beggars. These poor creatures were the widows or childrenof the craftsmen, or the craftsmen themselves whose ruin wehave just noted. This was in January. The plague, however, dragged the week ending March i, 1666, there were forty-twodeaths from it. In the month of July, it was still present inLondon, and reported to be raging at Colchester. In August CHARLES THE SECOND 303 Pepys finds the house of one of his friends in FenchurchStreet shut up with the plague, and it was said to be as badas ever at Greenwich. This was the last entry about it,because in a week or two there was to happen an event ofeven greater importance than this great Plague. Observe that this was the last appearance of the 1665 it has never appeared in Europe, except in Mar-seilles in the year 1720. It is not extinct. It smoulders,like Vesuvius. There is nothing, so far as can be understood,to prevent its reappearance in London or anywhere else,unless it is the improved sani
Size: 1823px × 1371px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauthorbesantwa, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookyear1892
