The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1831-09-14


Of man! It once brought upon TINS 'ae' an
the foods of the deluge-then tie "!e
Heaven fell upon the cities oil 'hS pl1,'ranu
now it seemed unto me that inc "iissl Vi e'o
Lord was sweesing with an u?rootihg pesu-
Ian.o ana,Irsr and even a worse city, which
rou,d sc.,ceiv reckon upon remnant OF ten
,;ah..e,,. ;nh,bita1ts! The rainbow of prom
;ss seemed to have departed from the skies,
and no righteous Lot remained, 10 stay with /
snnpiications the wrath of the dolly One.
Is, lie morrow rose early, and proceeded
IN The inn called the Temple whereai my young
friend kept his chamber for Studying the law.
/ could not but note, on passing through Cheap
side the sad contrast which The streets pre-
scented to that hustle and activity which on
former occasions | had observed then, all
was life and animation-now, the stiffness Of
death seemed 20 prevail. The few individuals
j met looked pale, and wild, and miserable
and they gded along apar: from each other,
SO silently, that they seemed more like unto
spectres from the tombs than living beings.
Here, too, noted little party Of official men
stop before house at the corner of Wood street,
to mark il with the red cross Of the pest. They
made some brief inquiries, and upoa receiving
answers thereto, they gave strict directions for
barring all egress of the inmates thus consign-
ing them to inevitable death, and cutting off as
it seemed unto me, branch from tho living
troo OF the human family But l will not
dwell on these painful reco!lectons.
The annexed description of the form OF this
awful pestilence, appears in recent number
of the Edinburg Review il
1.-THE disease generGlly manifested itself BY
the usual febrile symptoms Of shivering, nausea
headache, and delirium. In some, these aztec
lions were so mild, as TO be taken for a sllgnl
and transient in1sposition. The victim saw
not, or would not see, the insdious approach
of his foe. He applied to his usual asocatons
Till sudden faintness came on, the maclae, the
fatal token, appeared on his breast, and within
an hour, life was extinct. But in most cases
the pain and the delrium left no room ioi
doubt. On the third or fourth day, buboes, oil
carbunces arose if these could be made te
suppurate recovery might be anticipated n
they resisted the efforts of nature and the ski
Of the physician, death was inevitable. The sui
ferings of the patients often threw them into
paroxysms of phrenzy. They burst the bands
by which they were bound 10 their beds; they
precipitated themselves from the windows
ihov ran naked into the streets, and plunged
into the river.
"Meu of the strongest minds were lost IL
amazcmeut, when they contemplated thu
scene of wo and desolation. The weak and th
credulous became the dupes of their own fear
and mag inations Tales the most improbable
and predictions the most terrific, were circu
lated Numbers assembled at different GENE
teries TO behold the ghosts Of the dead wall
round the pits in which their bodies had beer
deposited and crowds believed that they saw
in the heaven a sword of fame, stretching from
Westminster to the Tower. To add to thel
terrors, came the fanatics, who felt themseive
Inspired to act the part of prophets. One ofthes
in a etRte of nudity, walked through the city
bearing on his head pan of burning Goals, an
deneuneing the judgment OF God on its sin
full inhabitants; another, assuming the charac
ter of Jonah, proclaimed aloud as he passet
"Yet forty days, and London shall be destroy
ed ~ and third might be met, sometimes b
day, sometimes by night, advancing with
hurried step, and exclamng, with deep ser
nchral voice, Oh, tho great and dreadfr
God" In many places, the regulations of tn
magistrates could no longer be enforced. TIL
nights did not suffice for tho burial of the dead
who were now borne in collins to their grave
ut all hours of the day and il was inhunar
TO shut up the dwellings, OF the infected poor
whose families must have persisted througl
want, had they not been permitted to 90 an
eeek relief. London presented aewids an
heart-rending scene of misery and desoiatoh.
In the beginning of December, seventy
three parishes were pronounced clear OF tn
disease. The intelligence was hailed with 10
BY the emigrants, who returned in crowds I
take possession Of their homos, and resur
their usual occupations. In February, tn
court was fixed at Whitehall, and the nobilit
and gentry followed the footsteps of the sOve
-sign. Though more than one hundred thoi
sand individuals said to have persisted, "
in a short time, the chasm in the populatie
was no longer discernable The plague col
tinued, indeed, 10 linger in particular spots, bI
its terrors were forgotten or despised and III
streets, so recently abandoned by the inhabi
ants, were again thronged with muitiudes
the eager pursuit of profit, or pleasure,
crime"