ll vessels from the
port of Hull, and other places in the Humber, by which great quantities
of corn were brought in from Yorkshire and Lincolnshire; the other part
of this corn trade was from Lynn in Norfolk, from Wells, and Burnham,
and from Yarmouth, all in the same county; and the third branch was from
the river Medway, and from Milton, Feversham, Margate, and Sandwich, and
all the other little places and ports round the coast of Kent and
Essex.[299]

There was also a very good trade from the coast of Suffolk, with corn,
butter, and cheese. These vessels kept a constant course of trade, and
without interruption came up to that market known still by the name of
Bear Key, where they supplied the city plentifully with corn when land
carriage began to fail, and when the people began to be sick of coming
from many places in the country.

This also was much of it owing to the prudence and conduct of the lord
mayor, who took such care to keep the masters and seamen from danger
when they came up, causing their corn to be bought off at any time they
wanted a market (which, however, was very seldom), and causing the
cornfactors[300] immediately to unlade and deliver the vessels laden
with corn, that they had very little occasion to come out of their ships
or vessels, the money being always carried on board to them, and put it
into a pail of vinegar before it was carried.

The second trade was that of coals from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, without
which the city would have been greatly distressed; for not in the
streets only, but in private houses and families, great quantities of
coal were then burnt, even all the summer long, and when the weather was
hottest, which was done by the advice of the physicians. Some, indeed,
opposed it, and insisted that to keep the houses and rooms hot was a
means to propagate the distemper, which was a fermentation and heat
already in the blood; that it was known to spread and increase in hot
weather, and abate in cold; and therefore they alleged that all
contagious distempers are the worst for heat, because the contagion was
nourished, and gained strength, in hot weather, and was, as it were,
propagated in heat.

Others said they granted that heat in the climate might propagate
infection, as sultry hot weather fills the air with vermin, and
nourishes innumerable numbers and kinds of venomous creatures, which
breed in our food, in the plants, and even in our bodies, by the very
stench of which inf