was a
strange press in the river, and even in the streets, for seamen to man
the fleet. But it was in the beginning of the year, when the plague was
scarce begun, and not at all come down to that part of the city where
they usually press for seamen; and though a war with the Dutch was not
at all grateful to the people at that time, and the seamen went with
a kind of reluctancy into the service, and many complained of being
dragged into it by force, yet it proved in the event a happy violence to
several of them, who had probably perished in the general calamity, and
who, after the summer service was over, though they had cause to lament
the desolation of their families--who, when they came back, were many
of them in their graves--yet they had room to be thankful that they were
carried out of the reach of it, though so much against their wills.
We indeed had a hot war with the Dutch that year, and one very great
engagement at sea in which the Dutch were worsted, but we lost a great
many men and some ships. But, as I observed, the plague was not in the
fleet, and when they came to lay up the ships in the river the violent
part of it began to abate.

I would be glad if I could close the account of this melancholy year
with some particular examples historically; I mean of the thankfulness
to God, our preserver, for our being delivered from this dreadful
calamity. Certainly the circumstance of the deliverance, as well as the
terrible enemy we were delivered from, called upon the whole nation for
it. The circumstances of the deliverance were indeed very remarkable,
as I have in part mentioned already, and particularly the dreadful
condition which we were all in when we were to the surprise of the whole
town made joyful with the hope of a stop of the infection.

Nothing but the immediate finger of God, nothing but omnipotent power,
could have done it. The contagion despised all medicine; death raged in
every corner; and had it gone on as it did then, a few weeks more
would have cleared the town of all, and everything that had a soul. Men
everywhere began to despair; every heart failed them for fear; people
were made desperate through the anguish of their souls, and the terrors
of death sat in the very faces and countenances of the people.

In that very moment when we might very well say, 'Vain was the help of
man',--I say, in that very moment it pleased God, with a most agreeable
surprise, to cause the fury of it to abate, ev