rn were brought in from Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. The other part
of this corn-trade was from Lynn, in Norfolk, from Wells and Burnham,
and from Yarmouth, all in the same county; and the third branch was from
the river Medway, and from Milton, Feversham, Margate, and Sandwich, and
all the other little places and ports round the coast of Kent and Essex.

There was also a very good trade from the coast of Suffolk with corn,
butter, and cheese; these vessels kept a constant course of trade, and
without interruption came up to that market known still by the name
of Bear Key, where they supplied the city plentifully with corn when
land-carriage began to fail, and when the people began to be sick of
coming from many places in the country.

This also was much of it owing to the prudence and conduct of the Lord
Mayor, who took such care to keep the masters and seamen from danger
when they came up, causing their corn to be bought off at any time
they wanted a market (which, however, was very seldom), and causing the
corn-factors immediately to unlade and deliver the vessels loaden with
corn, that they had very little occasion to come out of their ships or
vessels, the money being always carried on board to them and put into a
pail of vinegar before it was carried.

The second trade was that of coals from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, without
which the city would have been greatly distressed; for not in the
streets only, but in private houses and families, great quantities of
coals were then burnt, even all the summer long and when the weather
was hottest, which was done by the advice of the physicians. Some indeed
opposed it, and insisted that to keep the houses and rooms hot was a
means to propagate the temper, which was a fermentation and heat already
in the blood; that it was known to spread and increase in hot weather
and abate in cold; and therefore they alleged that all contagious
distempers are the worse for heat, because the contagion was nourished
and gained strength in hot weather, and was, as it were, propagated in
heat.

Others said they granted that heat in the climate might propagate
infection--as sultry, hot weather fills the air with vermin and
nourishes innumerable numbers and kinds of venomous creatures which
breed in our food, in the plants, and even in our bodies, by the very
stench of which infection may be propagated; also that heat in the air,
or heat of weather, as we ordinarily call it, makes bodies relax and