would not be above a tenth Part of its People left together, for the Diſeaſe to take hold upon: But ſuppoſe them to be a fifth Part, and that two Hundred and fifty Thouſand People were left, and if it did ſeize upon them, they would by their living ſo much at large, be much better prepar’d to defend themſelves againſt the Infection, and be leſs liable to the Effects of it, than if the ſame Number of People lived cloſe together in one ſmaller City, ſuch as Dublin, or Amſterdam, or the like.
It is true, Hundreds, yea Thouſands of Families fled away at this laſt Plague, but then of them, many fled too late, and not only died in their Flight, but carried the Diſtemper with them into the Countries where they went, and infected thoſe whom they went among for Safety; which confounded the Thing, and made that be a Propagation of the Diſtemper, which was the beſt means to prevent it; and this too is an Evidence of it, and brings me back to what I only hinted at before, but muſt ſpeak more fully to here; namely, that Men went about apparently well, many Days after they had the taint of the Diſeaſe in their Vitals, and after their Spirits were ſo ſeiz’d, as that they could never eſcape it; and that all the while they did ſo, they were dangerous to others. I say, this proves, that ſo it was; for ſuch People infected the very Towns they went thro’, as well as the Families they went among, and it was by that means, that almoſt all the great Towns in England had the Diſtemper among them, more or leſs; and always they would tell you ſuch a Londoner or ſuch a Londoner brought it down.
It muſt not be omitted, that when I ſpeak of thoſe People who were really thus dangerous, I ſuppoſe them to be utterly ignorant of their own Condition; for if they really knew their Circumſtances to be ſuch as indeed they were, they muſt have been a kind of
