| 86 | L O N | |
as if their salvation depended upon every
word they heard.
In the month of September Death rode
triumphant, for the burials then amount-
ed in one week to 6988; but the week
after the bill falling to 6544, gave some
glimmering hopes that this dreadful dis-
temper was past its crisis: however, the
great increase the week following to 7165,
re-immerged the survivors into an abyss of
horror and despair; for now they were
struck with the dreadful apprehensions,
that in a few days the living would not
be sufficient to bury the dead. They
were, however, happily mistaken; for af-
ter this, the contagion gradually decreased,
till it pleased the Almighty to restore this
desolate city to its pristine state of health;
after the direful ravages of this distemper
had swept off 68,596 persons, which, to-
gether with those who died of other dis-
eases, made the bill of mortality for this
year amount to 97,306. Echard's Hist.
Vincent's God's terrible voice.
As to the natural causes of this pesti-
lence, Physicians differ greatly; however,
Dr. Baynard observes, that during the
havock made by it, there was a general
calmness and serenity of weather, without
the least wind or rain; that through the
|
| | great |
|
| L O N | 87 |
great scarcity of nitre in the air, the fires
in the streets were with great difficulty
made to burn; and by its extreme rare-
faction, which was doubtless increased by
these fires, the birds panted for breath,
and those of the larger sort were observed
to fly more heavily than usual.
The above calamity was scarcely ceased,
and those who had fled returned to their
houses, when on Sunday the 2d of Sep-
tember 1666, a dreadful fire broke out at
one in the morning, in the house of Mr.
Farryner, a baker, in Pudding lane; a
time when the eyes and senses of all were
locked in sleep. The house was a wooden
building pitched on the outside, as were
all the rest in the lane, which was exceed-
ing narrow, and by the jutting over of the
several stories, the buildings on each side
almost met at the top; and in this man-
ner were built most of the houses in this
metropolis. The house in which the fire
began, containing much brush and faggot
wood, the fire soon got ahead, and fu-
riously seized on the neighbouring houses
on all sides, running four ways at once;
it presently set New Fish street all in a
flame; while another branch raging down
Pudding lane, laid hold on Thames street,
the repository of all combustibles, as
hemp, flax, rosin, oil, butter, pitch, tar,
|
| G 4 | brimstone, |
|
HomeVolume IVPage Group 80 - 99
