History of the Plague in London by Daniel Defoe
possible, butit may serve to confirm the many desperate things which the distressedpeople, falling into deliriums and what we call light-headedness, werefrequently run upon at that time, and how infinitely more such therewould have been if such people had not been confined by the shutting upof houses; and this I take to be the best, if not the only good thing,which was performed by that severe method.
On the other hand, the complaints and the murmurings were very bitteragainst the thing itself.
It would pierce the hearts of all that came by, to hear the piteouscries of those infected people, who, being thus out of theirunderstandings by the violence of their pain or the heat of their blood,were either shut in, or perhaps tied in their beds and chairs, toprevent their doing themselves hurt, and who would make a dreadfuloutcry at their being confined, and at their being not permitted to "dieat large," as they called it, and as they would have done before.
This running of distempered people about the streets was very dismal,and the magistrates did their utmost to prevent it; but as it wasgenerally in the night, and always sudden, when such attempts were made,the officers could not be at hand to prevent it; and even when they gotout in the day, the officers appointed did not care to meddle withthem, because, as they were all grievously infected, to be sure, whenthey were come to that height, so they were more than ordinarilyinfectious, and it was one of the most dangerous things that could be totouch them. On the other hand, they generally ran on, not knowing whatthey did, till they dropped down stark dead, or till they had exhaustedtheir spirits so as that they would fall and then die in perhaps half anhour or an hour; and, which was most piteous to hear, they were sure tocome to themselves entirely in that half hour or hour, and then to makemost grievous and piercing cries and lamentations, in the deepafflicting sense of the condition they were in. There was much of itbefore the order for shutting up of houses was strictly put intoexecution; for at first the watchmen were not so rigorous and severe asthey were afterwards in the keeping the people in; that is to say,before they were (I mean some of them) severely punished for theirneglect, failing in their duty, and letting people who were under theircare slip away, or conniving at their going abroad, whether sick orwell. But after they saw the officers appointed to examine into theirconduct were resolved to have them do their duty, or be punished for theomission, they were more exact, and the people were strictly restrained;which was a thing they took so ill, and bore so impatiently, that theirdiscontents can hardly be described; but there was an absolute necessityfor it, that must be confessed, unless some other measures had beentimely entered upon, and it was too late for that.
Had not this particular of the sick being restrained as above been ourcase at that time, London would have been the most dreadful place thatever was in the world. There would, for aught I know, have as manypeople died in the streets as died in their houses: for when thedistemper was at its height, it generally made them raving anddelirious; and when they were so, they would never be persuaded to keepin their beds but by force; and many who were not tied threw themselvesout of windows when they found they could not get leave to go out oftheir doors.
It was for want of people conversing one with another in this time ofcalamity, that it was impossible any particular person could come at theknowledge of all the extraordinary cases that occurred in differentfamilies; and particularly, I believe it was never known to this day howmany people in their deliriums drowned themselves in the Thames, and inthe river which runs from the marshes by Hackney, which we generallycalled Ware River or Hackney River. As to those which were set down inthe weekly bill, they were indeed few. Nor could it be known of any ofthose, whether they drowned themselves by accident or not; but I believeI might reckon up more who, within the compass of my knowledge orobservation, really drowned themselves in that year than are put down inthe bill of all put together, for many of the bodies were never foundwho yet were known to be lost; and the like in other methods ofself-destruction. There was also one man in or about Whitecross Streetburnt himself to death in his bed. Some said it was done by himself,others that it was by the treachery of the nurse that attended him; butthat he had the plague upon him, was agreed by all.
It was a merciful disposition of Providence, also, and which I have manytimes thought of at that time, that no fires, or no considerable ones atleast, happened in the city during that year, which, if it had beenotherwise, would have been very dreadful; and either the people musthave let them alone unquenched, or have come together in great crowdsand throngs, unconcerned at the danger of the infection, not concernedat the houses they went into, at the goods they handled, or at thepersons or the people they came among. But so it was, that exceptingthat in Cripplegate Parish, and two or three little eruptions of fires,which were presently extinguished, there was no disaster of that kindhappened in the whole year. They told us a story of a house in a placecalled Swan Alley, passing from Goswell Street near the end of OldStreet into St. John Street, that a family was infected there in soterrible a manner that every one of the house died. The last person laydead on the floor, and, as it is supposed, had laid herself all alongto die just before the fire. The fire, it seems, had fallen from itsplace, being of wood, and had taken hold of the boards and the joiststhey lay on, and burned as far as just to the body, but had not takenhold of the dead body, though she had little more than her shift on, andhad gone out of itself, not hurting the rest of the house, though it wasa slight timber house. How true this might be, I do not determine; butthe city being to suffer severely the next year by fire, this year itfelt very little of that calamity.
Indeed, considering the deliriums which the agony threw people into, andhow I have mentioned in their madness, when they were alone, they didmany desperate things, it was very strange there were no more disastersof that kind.
It has been frequently asked me, and I cannot say that I ever knew howto give a direct answer to it, how it came to pass that so many infectedpeople appeared abroad in the streets at the same time that the houseswhich were infected were so vigilantly searched, and all of them shut upand guarded as they were.
I confess I know not what answer to give to this, unless it be this:that, in so great and populous a city as this is, it was impossible todiscover every house that was infected as soon as it was so, or to shutup all the houses that were infected; so that people had the liberty ofgoing about the streets, even where they pleased, unless they were knownto belong to such and such infected houses.
It is true, that, as the several physicians told my lord mayor, the furyof the contagion was such at some particular times, and people sickenedso fast and died so soon, that it was impossible, and indeed to nopurpose, to go about to inquire who was sick and who was well, or toshut them up with such exactness as the thing required, almost everyhouse in a whole street being infected, and in many places every personin some of the houses. And, that which was still worse, by the time thatthe houses were known to be infected, most of the persons infected wouldbe stone dead, and the rest run away for fear of being shut up; so thatit was to very small purpose to call them infected houses and shut themup, the infection having ravaged and taken its leave of the house beforeit was really known that the family was any way touched.
This might be sufficient to convince any reasonable person, that as itwas not in the power of the magistrates, or of any human methods orpolicy, to prevent the spreading the infection, so that this way ofshutting up of houses was perfectly insufficient for that end. Indeed,it seemed to have no manner of public good in it equal or proportionableto the grievous burthen that it was to the particular families that wereso shut up; and, as far as I was employed by the public in directingthat severity, I frequently found occasion to see that it was incapableof answering the end. For example, as I was desired as a visitor orexaminer to inquire into the particulars of several families which wereinfected, we scarce came to any house where the plague had visiblyappeared in the family but that some of the family were fled and gone.The magistrates would resent this, and cha
rge the examiners with beingremiss in their examination or inspection; but by that means houses werelong infected before it was known. Now, as I was in this dangerousoffice but half the appointed time, which was two months, it was longenough to inform myself that we were no way capable of coming at theknowledge of the true state of any family but by inquiring at the dooror of the neighbors. As for going into every house to search, that was apart no authority would offer to impose on the inhabitants, or anycitizen would undertake; for it would have been exposing us to certaininfection and death, and to the ruin of our own families as well as ofourselves. Nor would any citizen of probity, and that could be dependedupon, have staid in the town if they had been made liable to such aseverity.
Seeing, then, that we could come at the certainty of things by no methodbut that of inquiry of the neighbors or of the family (and on that wecould not justly depend), it was not possible but that the uncertaintyof this matter would remain as
On the other hand, the complaints and the murmurings were very bitteragainst the thing itself.
It would pierce the hearts of all that came by, to hear the piteouscries of those infected people, who, being thus out of theirunderstandings by the violence of their pain or the heat of their blood,were either shut in, or perhaps tied in their beds and chairs, toprevent their doing themselves hurt, and who would make a dreadfuloutcry at their being confined, and at their being not permitted to "dieat large," as they called it, and as they would have done before.
This running of distempered people about the streets was very dismal,and the magistrates did their utmost to prevent it; but as it wasgenerally in the night, and always sudden, when such attempts were made,the officers could not be at hand to prevent it; and even when they gotout in the day, the officers appointed did not care to meddle withthem, because, as they were all grievously infected, to be sure, whenthey were come to that height, so they were more than ordinarilyinfectious, and it was one of the most dangerous things that could be totouch them. On the other hand, they generally ran on, not knowing whatthey did, till they dropped down stark dead, or till they had exhaustedtheir spirits so as that they would fall and then die in perhaps half anhour or an hour; and, which was most piteous to hear, they were sure tocome to themselves entirely in that half hour or hour, and then to makemost grievous and piercing cries and lamentations, in the deepafflicting sense of the condition they were in. There was much of itbefore the order for shutting up of houses was strictly put intoexecution; for at first the watchmen were not so rigorous and severe asthey were afterwards in the keeping the people in; that is to say,before they were (I mean some of them) severely punished for theirneglect, failing in their duty, and letting people who were under theircare slip away, or conniving at their going abroad, whether sick orwell. But after they saw the officers appointed to examine into theirconduct were resolved to have them do their duty, or be punished for theomission, they were more exact, and the people were strictly restrained;which was a thing they took so ill, and bore so impatiently, that theirdiscontents can hardly be described; but there was an absolute necessityfor it, that must be confessed, unless some other measures had beentimely entered upon, and it was too late for that.
Had not this particular of the sick being restrained as above been ourcase at that time, London would have been the most dreadful place thatever was in the world. There would, for aught I know, have as manypeople died in the streets as died in their houses: for when thedistemper was at its height, it generally made them raving anddelirious; and when they were so, they would never be persuaded to keepin their beds but by force; and many who were not tied threw themselvesout of windows when they found they could not get leave to go out oftheir doors.
It was for want of people conversing one with another in this time ofcalamity, that it was impossible any particular person could come at theknowledge of all the extraordinary cases that occurred in differentfamilies; and particularly, I believe it was never known to this day howmany people in their deliriums drowned themselves in the Thames, and inthe river which runs from the marshes by Hackney, which we generallycalled Ware River or Hackney River. As to those which were set down inthe weekly bill, they were indeed few. Nor could it be known of any ofthose, whether they drowned themselves by accident or not; but I believeI might reckon up more who, within the compass of my knowledge orobservation, really drowned themselves in that year than are put down inthe bill of all put together, for many of the bodies were never foundwho yet were known to be lost; and the like in other methods ofself-destruction. There was also one man in or about Whitecross Streetburnt himself to death in his bed. Some said it was done by himself,others that it was by the treachery of the nurse that attended him; butthat he had the plague upon him, was agreed by all.
It was a merciful disposition of Providence, also, and which I have manytimes thought of at that time, that no fires, or no considerable ones atleast, happened in the city during that year, which, if it had beenotherwise, would have been very dreadful; and either the people musthave let them alone unquenched, or have come together in great crowdsand throngs, unconcerned at the danger of the infection, not concernedat the houses they went into, at the goods they handled, or at thepersons or the people they came among. But so it was, that exceptingthat in Cripplegate Parish, and two or three little eruptions of fires,which were presently extinguished, there was no disaster of that kindhappened in the whole year. They told us a story of a house in a placecalled Swan Alley, passing from Goswell Street near the end of OldStreet into St. John Street, that a family was infected there in soterrible a manner that every one of the house died. The last person laydead on the floor, and, as it is supposed, had laid herself all alongto die just before the fire. The fire, it seems, had fallen from itsplace, being of wood, and had taken hold of the boards and the joiststhey lay on, and burned as far as just to the body, but had not takenhold of the dead body, though she had little more than her shift on, andhad gone out of itself, not hurting the rest of the house, though it wasa slight timber house. How true this might be, I do not determine; butthe city being to suffer severely the next year by fire, this year itfelt very little of that calamity.
Indeed, considering the deliriums which the agony threw people into, andhow I have mentioned in their madness, when they were alone, they didmany desperate things, it was very strange there were no more disastersof that kind.
It has been frequently asked me, and I cannot say that I ever knew howto give a direct answer to it, how it came to pass that so many infectedpeople appeared abroad in the streets at the same time that the houseswhich were infected were so vigilantly searched, and all of them shut upand guarded as they were.
I confess I know not what answer to give to this, unless it be this:that, in so great and populous a city as this is, it was impossible todiscover every house that was infected as soon as it was so, or to shutup all the houses that were infected; so that people had the liberty ofgoing about the streets, even where they pleased, unless they were knownto belong to such and such infected houses.
It is true, that, as the several physicians told my lord mayor, the furyof the contagion was such at some particular times, and people sickenedso fast and died so soon, that it was impossible, and indeed to nopurpose, to go about to inquire who was sick and who was well, or toshut them up with such exactness as the thing required, almost everyhouse in a whole street being infected, and in many places every personin some of the houses. And, that which was still worse, by the time thatthe houses were known to be infected, most of the persons infected wouldbe stone dead, and the rest run away for fear of being shut up; so thatit was to very small purpose to call them infected houses and shut themup, the infection having ravaged and taken its leave of the house beforeit was really known that the family was any way touched.
This might be sufficient to convince any reasonable person, that as itwas not in the power of the magistrates, or of any human methods orpolicy, to prevent the spreading the infection, so that this way ofshutting up of houses was perfectly insufficient for that end. Indeed,it seemed to have no manner of public good in it equal or proportionableto the grievous burthen that it was to the particular families that wereso shut up; and, as far as I was employed by the public in directingthat severity, I frequently found occasion to see that it was incapableof answering the end. For example, as I was desired as a visitor orexaminer to inquire into the particulars of several families which wereinfected, we scarce came to any house where the plague had visiblyappeared in the family but that some of the family were fled and gone.The magistrates would resent this, and cha
Seeing, then, that we could come at the certainty of things by no methodbut that of inquiry of the neighbors or of the family (and on that wecould not justly depend), it was not possible but that the uncertaintyof this matter would remain as