hat might lie in houses and
holes, as in Moses and Aaron Alley, is nothing, for it is most certain
they were buried as soon as they were found. As to the first article,
namely, of provisions, the scarcity or dearness, though I have mentioned
it before, and shall speak of it again, yet I must observe here.

1. The price of bread in particular was not much raised; for in the
beginning of the year, viz., in the first week in March, the penny
wheaten loaf was ten ounces and a half, and in the height of the
contagion it was to be had at nine ounces and a half, and never dearer,
no, not all that season; and about the beginning of November it was sold
at ten ounces and a half again, the like of which, I believe, was never
heard of, in any city under so dreadful a visitation, before.

2. Neither was there, which I wondered much at, any want of bakers or
ovens kept open to supply the people with bread; but this was indeed
alleged by some families, viz., that their maidservants, going to the
bakehouses with their dough to be baked, which was then the custom,
sometimes came home with the sickness, that is to say, the plague, upon
them.

In all this dreadful visitation there were, as I have said before, but
two pesthouses made use of; viz., one in the fields beyond Old Street,
and one in Westminster. Neither was there any compulsion used in
carrying people thither. Indeed, there was no need of compulsion in the
case, for there were thousands of poor distressed people, who having no
help, or conveniences, or supplies, but of charity, would have been very
glad to have been carried thither and been taken care of; which, indeed,
was the only thing that, I think, was wanting in the whole public
management of the city, seeing nobody was here allowed to be brought to
the pesthouse but where money was given, or security for money, either
at their introducing,[252] or upon their being cured and sent out; for
very many were sent out again whole, and very good physicians were
appointed to those places; so that many people did very well there, of
which I shall make mention again. The principal sort of people sent
thither were, as I have said, servants, who got the distemper by going
of errands to fetch necessaries for the families where they lived, and
who, in that case, if they came home sick, were removed to preserve the
rest of the house; and they were so well looked after there, in all the
time of the visitation, that there was but one h