History of the Plague in London

by Daniel Defoe

he says you know of."--"Very well,child," returns the living ghost; "call, as you go by, at CripplegateChurch, and bid them ring the bell," and with these words shut the dooragain, and went up again, and died the same day, nay, perhaps the samehour. This the young man told me himself, and I have reason to believeit. This was while the plague was not come to a height. I think it wasin June, towards the latter end of the month. It must have been beforethe dead carts came about, and while they used the ceremony of ringingthe bell for the dead, which was over for certain, in that parish atleast, before the month of July; for by the 25th of July there died fivehundred and fifty and upwards in a week, and then they could no morebury in form[144] rich or poor.

  I have mentioned above, that, notwithstanding this dreadful calamity,yet that[145] numbers of thieves were abroad upon all occasions wherethey had found any prey, and that these were generally women. It was onemorning about eleven o'clock, I had walked out to my brother's house inColeman Street Parish, as I often did, to see that all was safe.

  My brother's house had a little court before it, and a brick wall and agate in it, and within that several warehouses, where his goods ofseveral sorts lay. It happened that in one of these warehouses wereseveral packs of women's high-crowned hats, which came out of thecountry, and were, as I suppose, for exportation, whither I know not.

  I was surprised that when I came near my brother's door, which was in aplace they called Swan Alley, I met three or four women withhigh-crowned hats on their heads; and, as I remembered afterwards, one,if not more, had some hats likewise in their hands. But as I did not seethem come out at my brother's door, and not knowing that my brother hadany such goods in his warehouse, I did not offer to say anything tothem, but went across the way to shun meeting them, as was usual to doat that time, for fear of the plague. But when I came nearer to thegate, I met another woman, with more hats, come out of the gate. "Whatbusiness, mistress," said I, "have you had there?"--"There are morepeople there," said she. "I have had no more business there than they."I was hasty to get to the gate then, and said no more to her; by whichmeans she got away. But just as I came to the gate, I saw two morecoming across the yard, to come out, with hats also on their heads andunder their arms; at which I threw the gate to behind me, which, havinga spring lock, fastened itself. And turning to the women, "Forsooth,"said I, "what are you doing here?" and seized upon the hats, and tookthem from them. One of them, who, I confess, did not look like a thief,"Indeed," says she, "we are wrong; but we were told they were goods thathad no owner: be pleased to take them again. And look yonder: there aremore such customers as we." She cried, and looked pitifully: so I tookthe hats from her, and opened the gate, and bade them begone, for Ipitied the women indeed. But when I looked towards the warehouse, as shedirected, there were six or seven more, all women, fitting themselveswith hats, as unconcerned and quiet as if they had been at a hatter'sshop buying for their money.

  I was surprised, not at the sight of so many thieves only, but at thecircumstances I was in; being now to thrust myself in among so manypeople, who for some weeks I had been so shy of myself, that, if I metanybody in the street, I would cross the way from them.

  They were equally surprised, though on another account. They all told methey were neighbors; that they had heard any one might take them; thatthey were nobody's goods; and the like. I talked big to them at first;went back to the gate and took out the key, so that they were all myprisoners; threatened to lock them all into the warehouse, and go andfetch my lord mayor's officers for them.

  They begged heartily, protested they found the gate open, and thewarehouse door open, and that it had no doubt been broken open by somewho expected to find goods of greater value; which indeed was reasonableto believe, because the lock was broke, and a padlock that hung to thedoor on the outside also loose, and not abundance of the hats carriedaway.

  At length I considered that this was not a time to be cruel andrigorous; and besides that, it would necessarily oblige me to go muchabout, to have several people come to me, and I go to several, whosecircumstances of health I knew nothing of; and that, even at this time,the plague was so high as that there died four thousand a week; so that,in showing my resentment, or even in seeking justice for my brother'sgoods, I might lose my own life. So I contented myself with taking thenames and places where some of them lived, who were really inhabitantsin the neighborhood, and threatening that my brother should call them toan account for it when he returned to his habitation.

  Then I talked a little upon another footing with them, and asked themhow they could do such things as these in a time of such generalcalamity, and, as it were, in the face of God's most dreadful judgments,when the plague was at their very doors, and, it may be, in their veryhouses, and they did not know but that the dead cart might stop at theirdoors in a few hours, to carry them to their graves.

  I could not perceive that my discourse made much impression upon themall that while, till it happened that there came two men of theneighborhood, hearing of the disturbance, and knowing my brother (forthey had been both dependents upon his family), and they came to myassistance. These being, as I said, neighbors, presently knew three ofthe women, and told me who they were, and where they lived, and it seemsthey had given me a true account of themselves before.

  This brings these two men to a further remembrance. The name of one wasJohn Hayward, who was at that time under-sexton of the parish of St.Stephen, Coleman Street (by under-sexton was understood at that timegravedigger and bearer of the dead). This man carried, or assisted tocarry, all the dead to their graves, which were buried in that largeparish, and who were carried in form, and, after that form of buryingwas stopped, went with the dead cart and the bell to fetch the deadbodies from the houses where they lay, and fetched many of them out ofthe chambers and houses; for the parish was, and is still, remarkable,particularly above all the parishes in London, for a great number ofalleys and thoroughfares, very long, into which no carts could come,and where they were obliged to go and fetch the bodies a very long way,which alleys now remain to witness it; such as White's Alley, Cross KeysCourt, Swan Alley, Bell Alley, White Horse Alley, and many more. Herethey went with a kind of handbarrow, and laid the dead bodies on, andcarried them out to the carts; which work he performed, and never hadthe distemper at all, but lived about twenty years after it, and wassexton of the parish to the time of his death. His wife at the same timewas a nurse to infected people, and tended many that died in the parish,being for her honesty recommended by the parish officers; yet she neverwas infected, neither.[146]

  He never used any preservative against the infection other than holdinggarlic and rue[147] in his mouth, and smoking tobacco. This I also hadfrom his own mouth. And his wife's remedy was washing her head invinegar, and sprinkling her head-clothes so with vinegar as to keep themalways moist; and, if the smell of any of those she waited on was morethan ordinary offensive, she snuffed vinegar up her nose, and sprinkledvinegar upon her head-clothes, and held a handkerchief wetted withvinegar to her mouth.

  It must be confessed, that, though the plague was chiefly among thepoor, yet were the poor the most venturous and fearless of it, and wentabout their employment with a sort of brutal courage: I must call it so,for it was founded neither on religion or prudence. Scarce did they useany caution, but ran into any business which they could get anyemployment in, though it was the most hazardous; such was that oftending the sick, watching houses shut up, carrying infected persons tothe pesthouse, and, which was still worse, carrying the dead away totheir graves.

  It was under this John Hayward's care, and within his bounds, that thestory of the piper, with which people have made themselves so merry,happened; and he assured me that it was true. It is said that it was ablind piper; but, as John told me, the fellow was not blind, but anignorant, weak, poor man, and usually went his rounds about ten o'clockat night, and went piping along from door to door. And the peopleusually took him in at public houses where they knew him, and would givehim drink and victuals, an
d sometimes farthings; and he in return wouldpipe and sing, and talk simply, which diverted the people; and thus helived. It was but a very bad time for this diversion while things wereas I have told; yet the poor fellow went about as usual, but was almoststarved: and when anybody asked how he did, he would answer, the deadcart had not taken him yet, but that they had promised to call for himnext week.

  It happened one night that this poor fellow, whether somebody had givenhim too much drink or no (John Hayward said he had not drink in hishouse, but that they had given him a little more victuals than ordinaryat a public house in Coleman Street), and the poor fellow having notusually had a bellyful, or perhaps not a good while, was laid all alongupon the top of a bulk or stall, and fast asleep at a door in the streetnear London Wall, towards Cripplegate; and that, upon the