does every Shop-keeper with his Wares. Here the Woman began to give him ill Words, and ſtood at his Door all that Day, telling her Tale to all the People that came, till the Doctor finding ſhe turn'd away his Cuſtomers; was oblig'd to call her up Stairs again, and give her his Box of Phyſick for nothing, which, perhaps too was good for nothing when ſhe had it.
But to return to the people, whoſe Confuſions fitted them to be impos'd upon by all Sorts of Pretenders, and by every Mountebank. There is no doubt, but theſe quacking Sort of Fellows rais'd great gains oUt of the miſerable People; for we daily found, the Crouds that ran after them were infinitely greater, and their Doors were more thronged than thoſe of Dr. Brooks, Dr. Upton, Dr. Hodges, Dr. Berwick, or any, tho' the moſt famous Men of the Time: And I was told, that ſome of them got five Pound a Day by their Phyſick.
But there was ſtill another Madneſs beyond all this, which may ſerve to give an Idea of the diſtracted humour of the poor People at that Time; and this was their following a worſe Sort of Deceivers than any of theſe; for theſe petty Thieves only deluded them to pick their Pockets, and get their Money; in which their Wickedneſs, whatever it was, lay chiefly on the Side of the Deceiver's deceiving, not upon the Deceived: But in this Part I am going to mention, it lay chiefly in the People deceiv'd, or equally in both; and this was in wearing Charms, Philters, Exorciſms, Amulets, and I know not what Preparations, to fortify the Body with them againſt the Plague; as if, the Plague was not the Hand of God, but a kind of a Poſſeſion of an evil Spirit; and that it was to be kept off with Croſſings, Signs of the Zodiac, Papers tied up with ſo many Knots; and certain Words, or Figures written on them, as particular-ly
