History of the Plague in London

by Daniel Defoe

122 Staines 82 Chertsey 18 Windsor 103 _cum aliis._[230]

  Another thing might render the country more strict with respect to thecitizens, and especially with respect to the poor, and this was what Ihinted at before; namely, that there was a seeming propensity, or awicked inclination, in those that were infected, to infect others.

  There have been great debates among our physicians as to the reason ofthis. Some will have it to be in the nature of the disease, and that itimpresses every one that is seized upon by it with a kind of rage and ahatred against their own kind, as if there were a malignity, not only inthe distemper to communicate itself, but in the very nature of man,prompting him with evil will, or an evil eye, that as they say in thecase of a mad dog, who, though the gentlest creature before of any ofhis kind, yet then will fly upon and bite any one that comes next him,and those as soon as any, who have been most observed[231] by himbefore.

  Others placed it to the account of the corruption of human nature,who[232] cannot bear to see itself more miserable than others of its ownspecies, and has a kind of involuntary wish that all men were as unhappyor in as bad a condition as itself.

  Others say it was only a kind of desperation, not knowing or regardingwhat they did, and consequently unconcerned at the danger or safety, notonly of anybody near them, but even of themselves also. And indeed, whenmen are once come to a condition to abandon themselves, and beunconcerned for the safety or at the danger of themselves, it cannot beso much wondered that they should be careless of the safety of otherpeople.

  But I choose to give this grave debate quite a different turn, andanswer it or resolve it all by saying that I do not grant the fact. Onthe contrary, I say that the thing is not really so, but that it was ageneral complaint raised by the people inhabiting the outlying villagesagainst the citizens, to justify, or at least excuse, those hardshipsand severities so much talked of, and in which complaints both sides maybe said to have injured one another; that is to say, the citizenspressing to be received and harbored in time of distress, and with theplague upon them, complain of the cruelty and injustice of the countrypeople in being refused entrance, and forced back again with theirgoods and families; and the inhabitants, finding themselves so imposedupon, and the citizens breaking in, as it were, upon them, whether theywould or no, complain that when they[233] were infected, they were notonly regardless of others, but even willing to infect them: neither ofwhich was really true, that is to say, in the colors they[234] weredescribed in.

  It is true there is something to be said for the frequent alarms whichwere given to the country, of the resolution of the people of London tocome out by force, not only for relief, but to plunder and rob; thatthey ran about the streets with the distemper upon them without anycontrol; and that no care was taken to shut up houses, and confine thesick people from infecting others; whereas, to do the Londoners justice,they never practiced such things, except in such particular cases as Ihave mentioned above, and such like. On the other hand, everything wasmanaged with so much care, and such excellent order was observed in thewhole city and suburbs, by the care of the lord mayor and aldermen, andby the justices of the peace, churchwardens, etc., in the outparts, thatLondon may be a pattern to all the cities in the world for the goodgovernment and the excellent order that was everywhere kept, even in thetime of the most violent infection, and when the people were in theutmost consternation and distress. But of this I shall speak by itself.

  One thing, it is to be observed, was owing principally to the prudenceof the magistrates, and ought to be mentioned to their honor; viz., themoderation which they used in the great and difficult work of shuttingup houses. It is true, as I have mentioned, that the shutting up ofhouses was a great subject of discontent, and I may say, indeed, theonly subject of discontent among the people at that time; for theconfining the sound in the same house with the sick was counted veryterrible, and the complaints of people so confined were very grievous:they were heard in the very streets, and they were sometimes such thatcalled for resentment, though oftener for compassion. They had no way toconverse with any of their friends but out of their windows, where theywould make such piteous lamentations as often moved the hearts of thosethey talked with, and of others who, passing by, heard their story; andas those complaints oftentimes reproached the severity, and sometimesthe insolence, of the watchmen placed at their doors, those watchmenwould answer saucily enough, and perhaps be apt to affront the peoplewho were in the street talking to the said families; for which, or fortheir ill treatment of the families, I think seven or eight of them inseveral places were killed. I know not whether I should say murdered ornot, because I cannot enter into the particular cases. It is true, thewatchmen were on their duty, and acting in the post where they wereplaced by a lawful authority; and killing any public legal officer inthe execution of his office is always, in the language of the law,called "murder." But as they were not authorized by the magistrate'sinstructions, or by the power they acted under, to be injurious orabusive, either to the people who were under their observation or to anythat concerned themselves for them, so that,[235] when they did so, theymight be said to act themselves, not their office; to act as privatepersons, not as persons employed; and consequently, if they broughtmischief upon themselves by such an undue behavior, that mischief wasupon their own heads. And indeed they had so much the hearty curses ofthe people, whether they deserved it or not, that, whatever befell them,nobody pitied them; and everybody was apt to say they deserved it,whatever it was. Nor do I remember that anybody was ever punished, atleast to any considerable degree, for whatever was done to the watchmenthat guarded their houses.

  What variety of stratagems were used to escape, and get out of housesthus shut up, by which the watchmen were deceived or overpowered, andthat[236] the people got away, I have taken notice of already, and shallsay no more to that; but I say the magistrates did moderate and easefamilies upon many occasions in this case, and particularly in that oftaking away or suffering to be removed the sick persons out of suchhouses, when they were willing to be removed, either to a pesthouse orother places, and sometimes giving the well persons in the family soshut up leave to remove, upon information given that they were well, andthat they would confine themselves in such houses where they went, solong as should be required of them. The concern, also, of themagistrates for the supplying such poor families as were infected,--Isay, supplying them with necessaries, as well physic as food,--was verygreat: and in which they did not content themselves with giving thenecessary orders to the officers appointed; but the aldermen, in personand on horseback, frequently rode to such houses, and caused the peopleto be asked at their windows whether they were duly attended or not,also whether they wanted anything that was necessary, and if theofficers had constantly carried their messages, and fetched them suchthings as they wanted, or not. And if they answered in the affirmative,all was well; but if they complained that they were ill supplied, andthat the officer did not do his duty, or did not treat them civilly,they (the officers) were generally removed, and others placed in theirstead.

  It is true, such complaint might be unjust; and if the officer had sucharguments to use as would convince the magistrate that he was right, andthat the people had injured him, he was continued, and they reproved.But this part could not well bear a particular inquiry, for the partiescould very ill be well heard and answered in the street from thewindows, as was the case then. The magistrates, therefore, generallychose to favor the people, and remove the man, as what seemed to be theleast wrong and of the least ill consequence; seeing, if the watchmanwas injured, yet they could easily make him amends by giving him anotherpost of a like nature; but, if the family was injured, there was nosatisfaction could be made to them, the damage, perhaps, beingirreparable, as it concerned their lives.

  A great variety of these cases frequently happened between the watchmenand the poor people shut up, besides those I formerly mentioned aboutescap
ing. Sometimes the watchmen were absent, sometimes drunk, sometimesasleep, when the people wanted them; and such never failed to bepunished severely, as indeed they deserved.

  But, after all that was or could be done in these cases, the shutting upof houses, so as to confine those that were well with those that weresick, had very great inconveniences in it, and some that were verytragical, and which merited to have been considered, if there had beenroom for it: but it was authorized by a law, it had the public good inview as the end chiefly aimed at; and all the private injuries that weredone by the putting it in execution must be put to the account of thepublic benefit.

  It is doubtful whether, in the whole, it contributed anything to thestop of the infection; and indeed I cannot say it did, for nothing couldrun with greater fury and rage than the infection did when it was in itschief violence, though the houses infected were shut up as exactly andeffectually as it was possible. Certain it is, that, if