the Watchmen, as was reported in abundance of Places; and I believe, that from the Beginning of the Viſitation to the End, there was not leſs than eighteen or twenty of them kill'd, or ſo wounded as to be taken up for Dead, which was snppos'd to be done by the People in the infected Houſes which were ſhut up, and where they attempted to come out, and were oppos'd. Nor indeed cou'd leſs be expected, for here were juſt ſo many Priſons in the Town, as there were Houſes ſhut up; and as the People ſhut up or impriſon'd ſo, were guilty of no Crime, only ſhut up becauſe miſerable, it was really the more intollerable to them.
It had alſo this Difference; that every Priſon, as we may call it, had but one Jaylor; and as he had the whole Houſe to Guard, and that many Houſes were ſo ſituated, as that they had ſeveral Ways out, ſome more, ſome leſs,and ſome into ſeveral Streets; it was impoſſible for one Man ſo to Guard all the Paſſages, as to prevent the eſcape of People, made deſperate by the fright of their Circumſtances, by the Reſentment of their uſage, or by the raging of the Diſtemper itſelf; ſo that they would talk to the Watchman on one Side of the Houſe, while the Family made their eſcape at another.
For example, in Coleman-ſtreet, there are abundance of Alleys, as appears ſtill; a Houſe was ſhut up in that they call Whites-Alley, and this Houſe had a back Window, not a Door into a Court, which had a Paſſage into Bell-Alley; a Watchman was ſet by the Conſtable, at the Door of this Houſe, and there he ſtood, or his Comrade Night and Day, while the Family went all away in the Evening, out at that Window into the Court, and left the poor Fellows warding, and watching, for near a Fortnight.
Not
