Loimologia: Or, an Historical Account of the Plague in London in 1665: With Precautionary Directions Against the Like ContagionHodges, Nathaniel
History
Loimologia: Or, an Historical Account of the Plague in London in 1665: With Precautionary Directions Against the Like Contagion
Hodges, Nathaniel
Plague -- England -- London -- Early works to 1800
IT must not however be omitted, with what Precipitation the trembling
Inhabitants left the City, and how they flocked in such Crowds out of
Town, as if _London_ had quite gone out of it self, like the Hurry of a
sudden Conflagration, all Doors and Passages are thronged for Escape: Yet
after the chief of the People were fled, and thereby the Nourishment of
this cruel Enemy had been in a great Measure taken away, yet it raged
still; and although it seemed once to slay as _Parthians_ in their Flight,
it soon returned with redoubled Fury, and kill’d not by slow Paces, but
almost immediately upon Seizure; not unlike what is often seen in Battle,
when after some Skirmishes of Wings, and separate Parties, the main Bodies
come to engage; so did this Contagion at first only scatter about its
Arrows, but at last covered the whole City with Death.
THUS therefore in the Space of one Week were eighty Persons cut off, and
when Things came to Extremity, all Helps were called in; so it began now
to be solely the Magistrates Business, how to put a Stop to this cruel
Devastation, and save some Part of the City at last from the Grave; first
then therefore were appointed a Monthly Fast for Publick Prayers, to
deprecate the Anger of Heaven; nor proved it in vain, or were their
Supplications altogether fruitless; for if we have any Regard to the
Temperature of the Season, the whole Summer was refreshed with moderate
Breezes, sufficient to prevent the Air’s Stagnation and Corruption, and to
carry off the pestilential Steams; the Heat was likewise too mild to
encourage such Corruption and Fermentation, as helps to taint the animal
Fluids, and pervert them from their natural State.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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