ſions in their Houſs, as indeed, they ought to have done, and which if they had been wiſe enough to have done, and lock’d themſelves entirely up, as ſome few did, they had perhaps eſcaped the Diſeaſe better: But as it appear’d they had not, ſo the Mob had no Notion of finding Stores of Proviſions there, if they had broken in, as it is plain they were: ſometimes very near doing, and which, if they had, they had finiſh’d the Ruin of the whole City, for there were no regular Troops to ha’ withſtood them, nor could the Traind-Bands have been brought together to defend the City, no Men being to be found to bear Arms,
But the Vigilance of the Lord Mayor, and ſuch Magiſtrates as could be had, for ſome, even of the Aldermen were Dead, and ſome abſent, prevented this; and they did it by the moſt kind and gentle Methods they could think of, as particularly by relieving the moſt deſperate with Money, and putting others into Buſineſs, and particularly that Employment of watching Houſes that were infected and ſhut up; and as the Number of theſe were very great, for it was ſaid, there was at one Time, ten thouſand Houſes ſhut up, and every Houſe had two Watchmen to guard it, viz. one by Night, and the other by Day; this gave Opportunity to employ a very great Number of poor Men at a Time.
The Women, and Servants, that were turned of from their Places, were likewiſe employed as Nurſes to tend the Sick in all Places; and this took off a very great Number of them.
And, which tho’ a melancholy Article in it ſelf, yet was a Deliverance in its Kind, namely, the Plague which raged in a dreadful Manner from the Middle of Auguſt? to the Middle of October, carried off in that Time thirty or forty Thouſand of theſe very People, which had they been left, would certainly have been an unſufferable Burden, by their Poverty, that is to ſay, the whole City could not have ſupported the Expence of them, or have provided Food for
