iting down
my memorandums of what occurred to me every day, and out of which
afterwards I took most of this work, as it relates to my observations
without doors. What I wrote of my private meditations I reserve for
private use, and desire it may not be made public on any account
whatever.

I also wrote other meditations upon divine subjects, such as occurred to
me at that time and were profitable to myself, but not fit for any other
view, and therefore I say no more of that.

I had a very good friend, a physician, whose name was Heath, whom I
frequently visited during this dismal time, and to whose advice I was
very much obliged for many things which he directed me to take, by way
of preventing the infection when I went out, as he found I frequently
did, and to hold in my mouth when I was in the streets. He also came
very often to see me, and as he was a good Christian as well as a good
physician, his agreeable conversation was a very great support to me in
the worst of this terrible time.

It was now the beginning of August, and the plague grew very violent and
terrible in the place where I lived, and Dr Heath coming to visit me,
and finding that I ventured so often out in the streets, earnestly
persuaded me to lock myself up and my family, and not to suffer any
of us to go out of doors; to keep all our windows fast, shutters and
curtains close, and never to open them; but first, to make a very strong
smoke in the room where the window or door was to be opened, with rozen
and pitch, brimstone or gunpowder and the like; and we did this for some
time; but as I had not laid in a store of provision for such a retreat,
it was impossible that we could keep within doors entirely. However, I
attempted, though it was so very late, to do something towards it; and
first, as I had convenience both for brewing and baking, I went and
bought two sacks of meal, and for several weeks, having an oven, we
baked all our own bread; also I bought malt, and brewed as much beer
as all the casks I had would hold, and which seemed enough to serve my
house for five or six weeks; also I laid in a quantity of salt butter
and Cheshire cheese; but I had no flesh-meat, and the plague raged so
violently among the butchers and slaughter-houses on the other side of
our street, where they are known to dwell in great numbers, that it was
not advisable so much as to go over the street among them.

And here I must observe again, that this necessity of g