It was thought that there were not leſs than 10000 Houſes forſaken of the Inhabitants in the City and Suburbs, including what was in the Out Pariſhes, and in Surrey, or the Side of the Water they call’d Southwark. This was beſides the Numbers of Lodgers, and of particular Perſons who were fled out of other Families; ſo that in all it was computed that about 200000 People were fled and gone in all: But of this I ſhall fpeak again: But I mention it here on this Account, namely, that it was a Rule with thoſe who had thus two Houſes in their Keeping, or Care, that if any Body was taken ſick in a Family, before the Maſter of the Family let the Examiners, or any other Officer, know of it, he immediately would ſend all the reſt of his Family whether Children or Servants, as it fell out to be, to ſuch other Houſe which he had ſo in Charge, and then giving Notice of the ſick Perſon to the Examiner, have a Nurſe, or Nurſes appointed, and have another Perſon to be ſhut up in the Houſe with them (which many for Money would do) ſo to take Charge of the Houſe, in caſe the Perſon ſhould die.
This was in many Cafes the ſaving a whole Family, who, if they had been ſhut up with the ſick Perſon, would inevitably have periſhed: But on the other Hand, this was another of the Inconveniencies of ſhutting up Houſes, for the Apprehenſions and Terror of being ſhut up, made many run away with the reſt of the Family, who, tho’ it was not publickly known, and they were not quite ſick, had yet the Diſtemper upon them; and who by having an uninterrupted Liberty to go about, but being obliged ſtill to conceal their Circumſtances, or perhaps not knowing it themſelves, gave the Diſtemper to others, and ſpread the Infection in a dreadful Manner, as I ſhall explain farther hereafter.
And here I may be able to make an Obſervation or two of my own, which may be of uſe hereafter to thoſe, into whoſe Hands this may come, if they ſhould ever ſee the like dreadful Viſitation. (1.) The
