and beer, I took my friend and physician's
advice, and locked myself up, and my family, and resolved to suffer
the hardship of living a few months without flesh-meat, rather than to
purchase it at the hazard of our lives.

But though I confined my family, I could not prevail upon my unsatisfied
curiosity to stay within entirely myself; and though I generally came
frighted and terrified home, vet I could not restrain; only that indeed
I did not do it so frequently as at first.

I had some little obligations, indeed, upon me to go to my brother's
house, which was in Coleman Street parish and which he had left to my
care, and I went at first every day, but afterwards only once or twice a
week.

In these walks I had many dismal scenes before my eyes, as particularly
of persons falling dead in the streets, terrible shrieks and screechings
of women, who, in their agonies, would throw open their chamber windows
and cry out in a dismal, surprising manner. It is impossible to describe
the variety of postures in which the passions of the poor people would
express themselves.

Passing through Tokenhouse Yard, in Lothbury, of a sudden a casement
violently opened just over my head, and a woman gave three frightful
screeches, and then cried, 'Oh! death, death, death!' in a most
inimitable tone, and which struck me with horror and a chillness in my
very blood. There was nobody to be seen in the whole street, neither did
any other window open, for people had no curiosity now in any case, nor
could anybody help one another, so I went on to pass into Bell Alley.

Just in Bell Alley, on the right hand of the passage, there was a more
terrible cry than that, though it was not so directed out at the window;
but the whole family was in a terrible fright, and I could hear women
and children run screaming about the rooms like distracted, when a
garret-window opened and somebody from a window on the other side the
alley called and asked, 'What is the matter?' upon which, from the first
window, it was answered, 'Oh Lord, my old master has hanged himself!'
The other asked again, 'Is he quite dead?' and the first answered, 'Ay,
ay, quite dead; quite dead and cold!' This person was a merchant and a
deputy alderman, and very rich. I care not to mention the name, though I
knew his name too, but that would be an hardship to the family, which is
now flourishing again.

But this is but one; it is scarce credible what dreadful cases happened
in p