Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1832-06-26
Cbe constitutional ggsbtg.
TIE GREAT PLAGUE
IL THE FovnrErNru Century.

world three centuries before, is almost forgotten
slight sketch Gifts history, drawn from old chro.
niclers, will show, by comparison, what small
matter is magncd into pestcnco in the pre-
sent day.
This dreadful pcstilouco, like tho Cholera, made
it, first appearance i'll the East. 1t arose in Chi.
ma, Tartary, India, and Egypt, about the year
l543. IL was aScribcd by the contemporary writer's
Mezeray and Giovanni VILLAIN, to Il General cor
rupton of the atmosphere, accompanied by the
appearance ofmlions of small scrpcuis and other
venomous insects, and, III other places, quantities
OF hugo vcrmin with numerous legs and of u hi
deous aspect, which filled the air with putrid OK
halations. Some Jealous Christian writers of the
time derived its origin from the arch-imposter Ma
homet; for they say that, at Mecca, in Arabia Fee
lN, raincd snakes and blood from heaven for three
days and nights together; that the temple of Ma
homot was beaten down by terrible tempest, ard
his sepulchre torn up and broken iii pieces; and
that tho suphurous vapours, and the stencil of tho
snakes and blood, so corrupted the middle region
OF the air, that the infectious matter spread itself
over the world in all directions. Making every
allowance for the ignorance and crcdulity of the
age, it appears evident that some natural causes
mad contributed 20 corrupt the air and load IL with
pcstfcrous vapours. And il is remarkable that
before the disease appeared i'll Europe, singular
meteorological phenomena, OF similar nature,
took place. Thus, it came into England in the
end OF the year IBIS; and IL had raincd from the
previous CriStmas till Midsummer almost without
ceasng, $50 that all the WHILE" to use the words
OF an old writer, ait hardly held up so much
as for one day and night together" Great nunda-
tons followed; and accumulations of starnnnt
water by which tho whole atmosphere was poj.
soncd In France, several strange nctcorc appear
ances described by writer's OF credit. Giovanni
Villain says, that on the Goth of December, 1913,
IN the morning, after sunrise, there appeared at
Avgnon, over the pope's palace, a pillar of fire,
which tarricd there for tho space Of an hour, pro-
ducng general terror and amazcmcnt.
During the same period there were many dreadful
earthquakes; some of them in places where such
6 n he hos of A.
all earthquake threw down n great number of
houses, stecpcs, and churches. At Naples there
was an earthquake, accompanied with tremen-
dous hurricane, which destroyed large portion Of
the city On this occasion it is related that while
r triar was preaching to Il crowded congregation
no and his auditory were swallowed up in an in
stlnt-all but one individual who observed tho
trembling of the earth in time to save himself bv
night. n great multitude of the inhabitants were
buried IN the ruins OF their habitatons: and the CT
tzens burst not venture in their houses, but remain
ed terrified III the market places or fields till tho
earthquake (Which continued by fits for eight days.
had spent its fury. In Greece, particularly in the
Morea and the island of Cyprus, whole VILLAGES
were overwhelmed. Even in Germany, a country
not liable to this calamity, there was an earthquake
which extended over great part of Austria and
SYRIA ana destroyed many toWns and VILLAGES in
those districts: "-tnd many other provinces" saws
all old historian suffered such lasting characters
OF the fury of these strong commissions of nature
that, lest tho Joint concurrence Of so many authors
of those days should not obtain sufficient credit
they might be very plainly read by late poste-
rity." These earthquakes generally attended
with storms OF thunder and lightning, wind and
hail. In the year 1913, according 10 Jampodius
1t ranod blood in Germany, and mctoors and other
coruscations appeared in the air Mock suns were
seen, and the heavens sometimes seemed on fire
In many of these accounts We may presume that
there is good deal of cXaggeration. But the tcs
tlmonies are too numerous and respectable to leave
any doubt, that, before and during the pcstilcncc
the elements were in state of general convulsion
which seems unparalleled in history
The plague extended its ravagcs from India int
he more western parts of Asia, into Egypt, Abys
snia, and thence into the northern part of frica
1t proceeded over Asia Minor, Greece, and the is
lands ID the Archipelago, almost depopulating the
regions which il stalked. II NAV be literally,
said to have decimGted tho world. even though we
were t. take this term implying the destruction
OF mr., IN place OF out of ten. Accordiug In
Mezeny and other writer's, where it was most ia,
voura'lc it left of three or one out f five:
but were IT ragged most violently it scarce left
hitce.th or twentieth person alive. Some coun
tries, partly by tho plague, and partly by earth
quake were left quite dcsolatc. Giovanni VILLAIN
says nat IN part of Mcssopoamia, only some
"omn survived, who were driven by extremity
and a"pair TO devour one another
In prague appears to havo staid five or six
months III one place, and then to have gone IN
seaTcl OF fresh victims. Its symptoms are minute
~ deicribed by many writer's, and appear to have
oech Ihe same IN every country it visited 1t gene.
hdiiy appeared III tho groin, under the armpiis
wheIo swemgs were produced, which broke into
s1FeS' attended with fever, splitting and vomiting
VI o'ood' Tho patient frequently died i'm half
generally within day or two at the most
III ne Survived the third day, there was hone.
'nough even thcn many fell into deep seep from
winch they never awokc
before the Pesticncc invaded Christondom, it
Is recorded, III Il report made to the pope at vir
non ihat 1t swept away twenty three millions
TT,,shI hundred thousand persons throughout the
~ INC course oil single gear. While the
O"l'FuaiIS renamed untouched, their supposed i'm
mum ty, since their ncighbors were sulIeri,r tho
extremity Of the malady, operated so stron,,i,, 49,
inc minds OF some of the heather princes tb,t
tnoy resolved to Propitiato Heaven by embracing
christianity. The King of Iarsis, accompauied
=. ~, d %ieat multitude OF his princes and mobiles,
actually set out on his journey to Avignon. TO re-
cove baptism from Pope Clement VI But hear |
ing on his way that the Christians too had boco,no
VctIns to the destroyer, he returned home. with
t tno loss OF about two thousand men, whom the
- most ungencrousy attacked and cut off
In the rear Of his army.
From Greece the plague passed into J,s,y I'll
yenetIans, having lost 100 900 souls. Gcd from,
ther CITY, and left it almost unInhabited Al Flo
ohcc7 o9,OOO persons died in one year Aroon,r
tncSc was inc historian Giovanni VILLAIN, whose
writings we have already referred to. IJo was orc
OF tho most distinguished men of k;s arc. and H.;
HISTORICAL works arc looked upon as correct and
valuable. tlo was the annalist Of this pcsti1cnco
almost down 10 tho day Of his falling victim 10 |
~, rance next became exposed to lis ravagcs
AZ AVlgnon the mortality was horrible In Tho
tTong language of Stow, people died blcedi,o =,
VIZ nose, mouth, and iuudanionf; so that rivers
ran WIN blood, and streams of pulrid rorc isercd
It Uln inc graves and scpulchrcs Of the dead
Whcn II irst broke out there no foyer th,n oixt,
six OF the Carincuc fri,rs ,ied Lcfro , ~
S"oW now, so that IT was imaqincd tbcv had mn
", rI,co one another. OF tho member, ri liz Frr
~ ~ ~ .NV'gnon, not one was left aliro; and
five. AcrorJ- n,'''o'Ian,' OF the city, not one in