the biscuit, which was in a
little bag, and left a little boy to watch it till she came again.

'Well, but', says I to him, 'did you leave her the four shillings too,
which you said was your week's pay?'

'Yes, yes,' says he; 'you shall hear her own it.' So he calls again,
'Rachel, Rachel,' which it seems was her name, 'did you take up the
money?' 'Yes,' said she. 'How much was it?' said he. 'Four shillings and
a groat,' said she. 'Well, well,' says he, 'the Lord keep you all'; and
so he turned to go away.

As I could not refrain contributing tears to this man's story, so
neither could I refrain my charity for his assistance. So I called him,
'Hark thee, friend,' said I, 'come hither, for I believe thou art in
health, that I may venture thee'; so I pulled out my hand, which was in
my pocket before, 'Here,' says I, 'go and call thy Rachel once more, and
give her a little more comfort from me. God will never forsake a family
that trust in Him as thou dost.' So I gave him four other shillings, and
bid him go lay them on the stone and call his wife.

I have not words to express the poor man's thankfulness, neither could
he express it himself but by tears running down his face. He called his
wife, and told her God had moved the heart of a stranger, upon hearing
their condition, to give them all that money, and a great deal more
such as that he said to her. The woman, too, made signs of the like
thankfulness, as well to Heaven as to me, and joyfully picked it up; and
I parted with no money all that year that I thought better bestowed.

I then asked the poor man if the distemper had not reached to Greenwich.
He said it had not till about a fortnight before; but that then he
feared it had, but that it was only at that end of the town which lay
south towards Deptford Bridge; that he went only to a butcher's shop and
a grocer's, where he generally bought such things as they sent him for,
but was very careful.

I asked him then how it came to pass that those people who had so shut
themselves up in the ships had not laid in sufficient stores of all
things necessary. He said some of them had--but, on the other hand, some
did not come on board till they were frighted into it and till it was
too dangerous for them to go to the proper people to lay in quantities
of things, and that he waited on two ships, which he showed me, that had
laid in little or nothing but biscuit bread and ship beer, and that he
had bought everything else