第 12 节
作者:雨来不躲      更新:2021-10-16 18:43      字数:9322
  shut up; and then let the air carry it all out with a blast of gunpowder;
  others caused large fires to be made all day and all night for several
  days and nights; by the same token that two or three were pleased to
  set their houses on fire; and so effectually sweetened them by burning
  them down to the ground; as particularly one at Ratcliff; one in
  Holbourn; and one at Westminster; besides two or three that were set
  on fire; but the fire was happily got out again before it went far
  enough to bum down the houses; and one citizen's servant; I think it
  was in Thames Street; carried so much gunpowder into his master's
  house; for clearing it of the infection; and managed it so foolishly; that
  he blew up part of the roof of the house。  But the time was not fully
  come that the city was to he purged by fire; nor was it far off; for
  within nine months more I saw it all lying in ashes; when; as some of
  our quacking philosophers pretend; the seeds of the plague were
  entirely destroyed; and not before; a notion too ridiculous to speak of
  here: since; had the seeds of the plague remained in the houses; not to
  be destroyed but by fire; how has it been that they have not since
  broken out; seeing all those buildings in the suburbs and liberties; all
  in the great parishes of Stepney; Whitechappel; Aldgate; Bishopsgate;
  Shoreditch; Cripplegate; and St Giles; where the fire never came; and
  where the plague raged with the greatest violence; remain still in the
  same condition they were in before?
  But to leave these things just as I found them; it was certain that
  those people who were more than ordinarily cautious of their health;
  did take particular directions for what they called seasoning of their
  houses; and abundance of costly things were consumed on that
  account which I cannot but say not only seasoned those houses; as
  they desired; but filled the air with very grateful and wholesome
  smells which others had the share of the benefit of as well as those
  who were at the expenses of them。
  And yet after all; though the poor came to town very precipitantly;
  as I have said; yet I must say the rich made no such haste。  The men of
  business; indeed; came up; but many of them did not bring their
  families to town till the spring came on; and that they saw reason to
  depend upon it that the plague would not return。
  The Court; indeed; came up soon after Christmas; but the nobility
  and gentry; except such as depended upon and had employment under
  the administration; did not come so soon。
  I should have taken notice here that; notwithstanding the violence of
  the plague in London and in other places; yet it was very observable
  that it was never on board the fleet; and yet for some time there 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; even of itself; and
  the malignity declining; as I have said; though infinite numbers were
  sick; yet fewer died; and the very first weeks' bill decreased 1843; a
  vast number indeed!
  It is impossible to express the change that appeared in the very
  countenances of the people that Thursday morning when the weekly
  bill came out。  It might have been perceived in their countenances that
  a secret surprise and smile of joy sat on everybody's face。  They shook
  one another by the hands in the streets; who would hardly go on the
  same side of the way with one another before。  Where the streets were
  not too broad they would open their windows and call from one house
  to another; and ask how they did; and if they had heard the good news
  that the plague was abated。  Some would return; when they said good
  news; and ask; 'What good news?' and when they answered that the
  plague was abated and the bills decreased almost two thousand; they
  would cry out; 'God be praised I' and would weep aloud for joy; telling
  them they had heard nothing of it; and such was the joy of the people
  that it was; as it were; life to them from the grave。  I could almost set
  down as many extravagant things done in the excess of their joy as of
  their grief; but that would be to lessen the value of it。
  I must confess myself to have been very much dejected just before
  this happened; for the prodigious number that were taken sick the
  week or two before; besides those that died; was such; and the
  lamentations were so great everywhere; that a man must have seemed
  to have acted even against his reason if he had so much as expected to
  escape; and as there was hardly a house but mine in all my
  neighbourhood but was infected; so had it gone on it would not have
  been long that there would have been any more neighbours to be
  infected。  Indeed it is hardly credible what dreadful havoc the last
  three weeks had made; for if I might believe the person whose
  calculations I always found very well grounded; there were not less
  than 30;000 people dead and near 100。000 fallen sick in the three
  weeks I speak of; for the number that sickened was surprising; indeed
  it was astonishing; and those whose courage upheld them all the time
  before; sank under it now。
  In the middle of their distress; when the condition of the city of
  London was so truly calamitous; just then it pleased God … as it were
  by His immediate hand to disarm this enemy; the poison was taken
  out of the sting。  It was wonderful; even the physicians themselves
  were surprised at it。  Wherever they visited they found their patients
  better; either they had sweated kindly; or the tumours were broke; or
  the carbuncles went down and the inflammations round them changed
  colour; or the fever was gone; or the violent headache was assuaged;
  or some good symptom was in the case; so that in a few days
  everybody was recovering; whole families that were infected and
  down; that had ministers praying with them; and expected death every
  hour; were revived and healed; and none died at all out of them。
  Nor was this by any new medicine found out; or new method of cure
  discovered; or by any experience in the operation which the
  physicians or surgeons attained to; but it was evidently from the secret
  invisible hand of Him that had at first sent this disease as a judgement
  upon us; and let the atheistic part of mankind call my saying what
  they please; it is no enthusiasm; it was acknowledged at that time by
  all mankind。  The disease was enervated and its malignity spent; and
  let it proceed from whencesoever it will; let the philosophers search
  for reasons in nature to account for it by; and labour as much as they
  will to lessen the debt they owe to their Make