his gloves in his hand, his hat upon his head, and his hair combed,
of such we bad not the least apprehensions, and people conversed a great
while freely, especially with their neighbours and such as they knew.
But when the physicians assured us that the danger was as well from the
sound (that is, the seemingly sound) as the sick, and that those people
who thought themselves entirely free were oftentimes the most fatal, and
that it came to be generally understood that people were sensible of
it, and of the reason of it; then, I say, they began to be jealous of
everybody, and a vast number of people locked themselves up, so as not
to come abroad into any company at all, nor suffer any that had been
abroad in promiscuous company to come into their houses, or near
them--at least not so near them as to be within the reach of their
breath or of any smell from them; and when they were obliged to converse
at a distance with strangers, they would always have preservatives
in their mouths and about their clothes to repel and keep off the
infection.

It must be acknowledged that when people began to use these cautions
they were less exposed to danger, and the infection did not break into
such houses so furiously as it did into others before; and thousands of
families were preserved (speaking with due reserve to the direction of
Divine Providence) by that means.

But it was impossible to beat anything into the heads of the poor. They
went on with the usual impetuosity of their tempers, full of outcries
and lamentations when taken, but madly careless of themselves, foolhardy
and obstinate, while they were well. Where they could get employment
they pushed into any kind of business, the most dangerous and the most
liable to infection; and if they were spoken to, their answer would be,
'I must trust to God for that; if I am taken, then I am provided for,
and there is an end of me', and the like. Or thus, 'Why, what must I do?
I can't starve. I had as good have the plague as perish for want. I have
no work; what could I do? I must do this or beg.' Suppose it was burying
the dead, or attending the sick, or watching infected houses, which were
all terrible hazards; but their tale was generally the same. It is true,
necessity was a very justifiable, warrantable plea, and nothing could
be better; but their way of talk was much the same where the necessities
were not the same. This adventurous conduct of the poor was that which
brought th