be unprovided
for, as also of families whose living depended upon the labor of the
heads of those families. I say, this reduced them to extreme misery; and
I must confess it is for the honor of the city of London, and will be
for many ages, as long as this is to be spoken of, that they were able
to supply with charitable provision the wants of so many thousands of
those as afterwards fell sick and were distressed; so that it may be
safely averred that nobody perished for want, at least that the
magistrates had any notice given them of.

This stagnation of our manufacturing trade in the country would have put
the people there to much greater difficulties, but that the master
workmen, clothiers, and others, to the uttermost of their stocks and
strength, kept on making their goods to keep the poor at work, believing
that, as soon as the sickness should abate, they would have a quick
demand in proportion to the decay of their trade at that time; but as
none but those masters that were rich could do thus, and that many were
poor and not able, the manufacturing trade in England suffered greatly,
and the poor were pinched all over England by the calamity of the city
of London only.

It is true that the next year made them full amends by another terrible
calamity upon the city; so that the city by one calamity impoverished
and weakened the country, and by another calamity (even terrible, too,
of its kind) enriched the country, and made them again amends: for an
infinite quantity of household stuff, wearing apparel, and other
things, besides whole warehouses filled with merchandise and
manufactures, such as come from all parts of England, were consumed in
the fire of London the next year after this terrible visitation. It is
incredible what a trade this made all over the whole kingdom, to make
good the want, and to supply that loss; so that, in short, all the
manufacturing hands in the nation were set on work, and were little
enough for several years to supply the market, and answer the demands.
All foreign markets also were empty of our goods, by the stop which had
been occasioned by the plague, and before an open trade was allowed
again; and the prodigious demand at home falling in, joined to make a
quick vent[306] for all sorts of goods; so that there never was known
such a trade all over England, for the time, as was in the first seven
years after the plague, and after the fire of London.

It remains now that I should sa