3d, there were buried 49932, in all
50021. Why he should here break up from giving any further Account may be
from the Weakness of his Intelligence, which so widely differs from all
other Accounts; and in this one, with Dr. _Hodges_, who tells you, that
about the Beginning of _September_, at which Time the Disease was at the
Height, in the Course of which Month, more than 12000 Persons died in a
Week: Whereas in _Bradley_, the most that were buried in one Week, _i. e._
from the 12th of _September_ to the 19th, amounted to no more than 7165.
But computing after the Manner of Dr. _Hodges_, we find (taking one Week
with another, from _August_ the 29th to the 27th of _September_, the Time
of its greatest Fury) the exact Number of 6555; which falls short very
near to one half of the Number accounted to be buried of that Distemper by
Dr. _Hodges_; and we have abundant Reason to believe, that the greatest
Account hitherto mentioned, may be short of the Number dying of that
Distemper. If we do but observe the strict Order then published to shut up
all infected Houses, to keep a Guard upon them Day and Night, to withhold
from them all Manner of Correspondence from without; and that after their
Recovery, to perform a Quarentine of 40 Days, in which Space if anyone
else of the Family should be taken with that Distemper, the Work to be
renewed again; by which tedious Confinement of the Sick and Well together,
it often proved the Cause of the Loss of the Whole.

These, besides many other great Inconveniencies, were sufficient to
affright the People from making the Discovery, and we may be certain, that
many died of the Plague which were returned to the Magistracy under
another Denomination, which might easily be obtained from the Nurses and
Searchers, whether from their Ignorance, Respect, Love of Money, _&c._

And if they vary so much in their Computation of those that died; we shall
find them as widely different in the Time when 'tis said the Plague first
began.

The great Dr. _Mead_ on this important Subject, may establish by his Name
whatever he lays down, with the same Force and Authority as the Ancients
held of that _ipse dixit_ of Aristotle; but as that great Master of Nature
was not exempt from slipping into some Errors, _& humanum est errare_, it
can be no Shock to the Reputation of this Gentleman, if we shall find him
no less fallible than of some others of the Faculty who has treated on
this Subject; and to this part of