of the world.” Aug. 31st. “The plague above 6000.” Sep. 7th. “Sent for the Weekly Bill, and find 8252 dead in all, and of them 6978 of the plague.” Sep. 14th. “Decrease of 500 and more.” Sep. 20th. “(Dead) ... of the plague, 7165.” Sep. 27th. “Blessed be God! there is above 1800 decrease.” Oct. 4th. “The plague is decreased this week 740.” Oct. 12th. “Above 600 less dead of the plague this week.” Oct. 16th. “Lord! how empty the streets are, and melancholy, so many poor sick people in the streets full of sores; and so many sad stories overheard as I walk.” Oct. 31st. “Above 400 less ... of the plague, 1031.” Nov. 5th. “The plague increases much at Lambeth, St. Martins, and Westminster.” Nov. 9th. “The Bill of Mortality is increased 399 this week.” Nov. 15th. “The plague—Blessed be God!—is decreased 400, making the whole this week but 1300 and odd.” Nov. 22nd. “I was very glad ... to hear that the plague is come very low; the whole under 1000, and the plague 600 and odd.” Dec. 13th. “Our poor little parish is the greatest number in all the city, having six, from one last week.” 1666 Jan. 3rd. “Decrease of the plague this week to 70.” Jan. 8th. “To Paternoster Row, few shops there being yet open.” Jan. 10th. “Plague is increased this week from 70 to 89.” Jan. 16th. “The plague 158.” Jan. 23rd. “Plague being now but 79.” Jan. 31st. “Plague decreased this week to 56.” Mar. 13th. “Plague increased to 29 from 28.” April 25th. “Plague is decreased 16 this week.” May 12th. “The plague increases in many places and is 53 this week with us.” June 6th. “A monthly fast day for the plague.” July 2nd. “The plague is, as I hear, increased but two this week.” Aug. 6th. “Greenwich worse than ever it was, and Deptford too.” Aug. 9th. } “Mrs. Rawlinson is dead of the sickness ... the mayde Aug. 10th.} also is dead.” It will be observed that the Plague lingered until the Great Fire of September 2 drove it clean away. The best—that is, the most graphic—account of the Plague is that of Daniel Defoe. It is, perhaps, too long. The mind grows sick in the reading. He presents us, after his favourite method, with a series of pictures and portraits of individuals. When it is remembered that his book appeared in the year 1720, the year, that is, of the great Plague of Marseilles, and fifty-five years after the event, it is generally believed that his history is a work of pure fiction. I think it can be shown, however, that it was not a work of fiction at all, but simply a work of recollection. To the old man of sixty came back the memories and the tales that he had heard as a boy not yet in his teens.