headaches；　pains；　and　swellings；　because　they　died　in　such　a　dreadful
  manner　…　yet　the　latter　had　the　worst　state　of　the　disease；　for　in　the
  former　they　frequently　recovered；　especially　if　the　swellings　broke；
  but　the　latter　was　inevitable　death；　no　cure；　no　hell）；　could　be
  possible；　nothing　could　follow　but　death。　　And　it　was　worse　also　to
  others；　because；　as　above；　it　secretly　and　unperceived　by　others　or　by
  themselves；　communicated　death　to　those　they　conversed　with；　the
  penetrating　poison　insinuating　itself　into　their　blood　in　a　manner
  which　it　is　impossible　to　describe；　or　indeed　conceive。
  This　infecting　and　being　infected　without　so　much　as　its　being
  known　to　either　person　is　evident　from　two　sorts　of　cases　which
  frequently　happened　at　that　time；　and　there　is　hardly　anybody　living
  who　was　in　London　during　the　infection　but　must　have　known　several
  of　the　cases　of　both　sorts。
  （1）　Fathers　and　mothers　have　gone　about　as　if　they　had　been　well；
  and　have　believed　themselves　to　be　so；　till　they　have　insensibly
  infected　and　been　the　destruction　of　their　whole　families；　which　they
  would　have　been　far　from　doing　if　they　had　the　least　apprehensions　of
  their　being　unsound　and　dangerous　themselves。　　A　family；　whose　story
  I　have　heard；　was　thus　infected　by　the　father；　and　the　distemper　began
  to　appear　upon　some　of　them　even　before　he　found　it　upon　himself。
  But　searching　more　narrowly；　it　appeared　he　had　been　affected　some
  time；　and　as　soon　as　he　found　that　his　family　had　been　poisoned　by
  himself　he　went　distracted；　and　would　have　laid　violent　hands　upon
  himself；　but　was　kept　from　that　by　those　who　looked　to　him；　and　in　a
  few　days　died。
  （2）　The　other　particular　is；　that　many　people　having　been　well　to　the
  best　of　their　own　judgement；　or　by　the　best　observation　which　they
  could　make　of　themselves　for　several　days；　and　only　finding　a　decay
  of　appetite；　or　a　light　sickness　upon　their　stomachs；　nay；　some　whose
  appetite　has　been　strong；　and　even　craving；　and　only　a　light　pain　in
  their　heads；　have　sent　for　physicians　to　know　what　ailed　them；　and
  have　been　found；　to　their　great　surprise；　at　the　brink　of　death：　the
  tokens　upon　them；　or　the　plague　grown　up　to　an　incurable　height。
  It　was　very　sad　to　reflect　how　such　a　person　as　this　last　mentioned
  above　had　been　a　walking　destroyer　perhaps　for　a　week　or　a　fortnight
  before　that；　how　he　had　ruined　those　that　he　would　have　hazarded　his
  life　to　save；　and　had　been　breathing　death　upon　them；　even　perhaps　in
  his　tender　kissing　and　embracings　of　his　own　children。　　Yet　thus
  certainly　it　was；　and　often　has　been；　and　I　could　give　many　particular
  cases　where　it　has　been　so。　　If　then　the　blow　is　thus　insensibly　striking
  …　if　the　arrow　flies　thus　unseen；　and　cannot　be　discovered　…　to　what
  purpose　are　all　the　schemes　for　shutting　up　or　removing　the　sick
  people？　　Those　schemes　cannot　take　place　but　upon　those　that　appear
  to　be　sick；　or　to　be　infected；　whereas　there　are　among　them　at　the
  same　time　thousands　of　people　who　seem　to　be　well；　but　are　all　that
  while　carrying　death　with　them　into　all　companies　which　they　come　into。
  This　frequently　puzzled　our　physicians；　and　especially　the
  apothecaries　and　surgeons；　who　knew　not　how　to　discover　the　sick
  from　the　sound；　they　all　allowed　that　it　was　really　so；　that　many
  people　had　the　plague　in　their　very　blood；　and　preying　upon　their
  spirits；　and　were　in　themselves　but　walking　putrefied　carcases　whose
  breath　was　infectious　and　their　sweat　poison；　and　yet　were　as　well　to
  look　on　as　other　people；　and　even　knew　it　not　themselves；　I　say；　they
  all　allowed　that　it　was　really　true　in　fact；　but　they　knew　not　how　to
  propose　a　discovery。
  My　friend　Dr　Heath　was　of　opinion　that　it　might　be　known　by　the
  smell　of　their　breath；　but　then；　as　he　said；　who　durst　smell　to　that
  breath　for　his　information？　since；　to　know　it；　he　must　draw　the　stench
  of　the　plague　up　into　his　own　brain；　in　order　to　distinguish　the　smell！
  I　have　heard　it　was　the　opinion　of　others　that　it　might　be　distinguished
  by　the　party's　breathing　upon　a　piece　of　glass；　where；　the　breath
  condensing；　there　might　living　creatures　be　seen　by　a　microscope；　of
  strange；　monstrous；　and　frightful　shapes；　such　as　dragons；　snakes；
  serpents；　and　devils；　horrible　to　behold。　　But　this　I　very　much　question
  the　truth　of；　and　we　had　no　microscopes　at　that　time；　as　I　remember；
  to　make　the　experiment　with。
  It　was　the　opinion　also　of　another　learned　man；　that　the　breath　of
  such　a　person　would　poison　and　instantly　kill　a　bird；　not　only　a　small
  bird；　but　even　a　cock　or　hen；　and　that；　if　it　did　not　immediately　kill　the
  latter；　it　would　cause　them　to　be　roupy；　as　they　call　it；　particularly　that
  if　they　had　laid　any　eggs　at　any　time；　they　would　be　all　rotten。　　But
  those　are　opinions　which　I　never　found　supported　by　any　experiments；
  or　heard　of　others　that　had　seen　it；　so　I　leave　them　as　I　find　them；
  only　with　this　remark；　namely；　that　I　think　the　probabilities　are
  very　strong　for　them。
  Some　have　proposed　that　such　persons　should　breathe　hard　upon
  warm　water；　and　that　they　would　leave　an　unusual　scum　upon　it；　or
  upon　several　other　things；　especially　such　as　are　of　a　glutinous
  substance　and　are　apt　to　receive　a　scum　and　support　it。
  But　from　the　whole　I　found　that　the　nature　of　this　contagion　was
  such　that　it　was　impossible　to　discover　it　at　all；　or　to　prevent　its
  spreading　from　one　to　another　by　any　human　skill。
  Here　was　indeed　one　difficulty　which　I　could　never　thoroughly　get
  over　to　this　time；　and　which　there　is　but　one　way　of　answering　that　I
  know　of；　and　it　is　this；　viz。；　the　first　person　that　died　of　the　plague　was
  on　December　20；　or　thereabouts；　1664；　and　in　or　about　long　Acre；
  whence　the　first　person　had　the　infection　was　generally　said　to　be　from
  a　parcel　of　silks　imported　from　Holland；　and　first　opened　in　that　house。
  But　after　this　we　heard　no　more　of　any　person　dying　of　the　plague；
  or　of　the　distemper　being　in　that　place；　till　the　9th　of　February；　which
  was　about　seven　weeks　after；　and　then　one　more　was　buried　out　of　the
  same　house。　　Then　it　was　hushed；　and　we　were　perfectly　easy　as　to　the
  public　for　a　great　while；　for　there　were　no　more　entered　in　the　weekly
  bill　to　be　dead　of　the　plague　till　the　22nd　of　April；　when　there　was　two
  more　buried；　not　out　of　the　same　house；　but　out　of　the　same　street；
  and；　as　near　as　I　can　remember；　it　was　out　of　the　next　house　to　the
  first。　　This　was　nine　weeks　asunder；　and　after　this　we　had　no　more　till
  a　fortnight；　and　then　it　broke　out　in　several　streets　and　spread　every
  way。　　Now　the　question　seems　to　lie　thus：　Where　lay　the　seeds　of　the
  infection　all　this　while？　　How　came　it　to　stop　so　long；　and　not　stop　any
  longer？　　Either　the　distemper　did　not　come　immediately　by　contagion
  from　body　to　body；　or；　if　it　did；　then　a　body　may　be　capable　to
  continue　infected　without　the　disease　discovering　itself　many　days；
  nay；　weeks　together；　even　not　a　quarantine　of　days　only；　but
  soixantine；　not　only　forty　days；　but　sixty　days　or　longer。
  It　is　true　there　was；　as　I　observed　at　first；　and　is　well　known　to　many
  yet　living；　a　very　cold　winter　and　a　long　frost　which　continued　three
  months；　and　this；　the　doctors　say；　might　check　the　infection；　but　then
  the　learned　must　allow　me　to　say　that　if；　according　to　their　notion；　the
  disease　was　（as　I　may　say）　only　frozen　up；　it　would　like　a　frozen　river
  have　returned　to　its　usual　force　and　current　when　it　thawed　…　whereas
  the　principal　recess　of　this　infection；　which　was　from　February　to
  April；　was　after　the　frost　was　broken　and　the　weather　mild　and　warm。
  But　there　is　another　way　of　solving　all　this　difficulty；　which　I　think
  my　own　remembrance　of　the　thing　will　supply；　and　that　is；　the　fact　is
  not　granted　…　namely；　that　there　died　none　in　those　long　intervals；　viz。；
  from　the　20th　of　December　to　the　9th　of　February；　and　from　thence　to
  the　22nd　of　April。　　The　weekly　bills　are　the　only　evidence　on　the　other
  side；　and　those　bills　were　not　of　credit　enough；　at　least　with　me；　to
  support　an　hypothesis　or　determine　a　question　of　such　importance　as
  this；　for　it　was　our　received　opinion　at　that　time；　and　I　believe　upon
  very　good　grounds；　that　the　fraud　lay　in　the　parish　officers；　searchers；
  and　persons　appointed　to　give　account　of　the　dead；　and　what　diseases
  they　died　of；　and　as　people　were　very　loth　at　first　to　have　the
  neighbours　believe　their　houses　were　infected；　so　they　gave　money　to
  procure；　or　otherwise　procured；　the　dead　persons　to　be　returned　as
  dying　of　other　distempers；　and　this　I　know　was　practised　afterwards　in
  many　places；　I　believe　I　might　say　in　all　places　where　the　distemper
  came；　as　will　be　seen　by　the　vast　increase　of　the　numbers　placed　in　the
  weekly　bills　under　other　articles　of　diseases　during　the　time　of　the
  infection。　　For　example；　in　the　months　of　July　and　August；　when　the
  plague　was　coming　on　to　its　highest　pitch；　it　was　very　ordinary　to　ha