Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1852-1852, 1852-10-28

THE GREAT PLAGUE IN THE l4TH CENTURY. -
A slight sketch Of the history Of this awful Vlsl-
tation, compiled from source upon which we
NAV pretty confidently rely, will show by com
par;son what a triAng matter is mag"ifed latQ
pcstilence at the present day. Like the cholera
this fearful pestilence first appeared in the East.
II broke out in India about the year l34s, and
thence extended its ravages to the western part
Of Asia, into Egypt, Abysinia, and the northern err
portions of Africa. it proceeded over ASH MI
nor Greece, and the Archipelago, almost oepoPu-
lating those regions in its marcel. According 10
numerous writers, where it was most taVoraOie !"
SHARED one man out of three, or one out OF hVe'
but where it ragged most violently scarcely one
ont of fifteen or twenty escaped destrucI'oh'
Some countries partly by the plague, and parity
by earthquakes, which were awtully frequent aI
that time, were left quite desoate. 1t appears TO
have remained five or six months in one place.
and then to have gonein search of victims. be-
fore invading Christendom it swept OF 2S'soo'
600 persons throughout the East in the course
of siure wear. From Greece the plague passed
into Italy. The Venitians having lost lOO,Ooo
souls. almost entirely deserted their city. AT
Florence 10000 persons peri shed in one year.
France next fell its fury. At Avignon the NOR
talitv was terrible. When first broke out there,
no fewer than sixty-six Carmelitc trlars died be,
fore anv BODY knew how, and it was imagined
that they had murdered one another. Ot the
members of the English college at Avignon not
ono was left alive; and of the whole population
not one in FIVE. In one day 1912 perished, and
in another 400. Proceeding northward, thcpes-
thence reached Paris where it swept OF 5O,Ooo
people. About the same time it spread into Ger
many, where IL, 100000 persons became its VIC
tins. AT Lubbock alone, according to the concur
ring accounts of several writers, 10000 people
died in one year, and of those 1900 are reported
to have perished in the space Of four hours,
About the beginning of August l34s, the
scourge appeared in England, spreading every
where such destruction that out of the whole
population hardly one person in ten survived
In the churchyard of Yarmouth 1862 people
were buried in one year ; and in the city of Nor
wich 57,375 died within six months. No gene
raj statement of the total amount of mortality
in London is given but there are details suffi-
cient to show that it was terrible beyond imag'
nation. The pestilence ragged violently in Wales
and Scotland thence passing into Ireland it
made great havoc among the English residents,
but strange to say the native IRISH were out 1T
tie affected.
In l349, the pestcnce entirely ceased in Eng
land but the destroying angel continued his
march through other regions for several years
longer-marks Of his presence remaining on re-
cord down to the year 1862.
One of the most deplorable effects resulting
from this visitation fell upon the hands of that
unfortunate race-the Jews A belief was preva-
lent in several countries that they had caused the
pestileuce by poisoning the wells and fountains !;
and in many places they were massacred by thou
sands by the outraged popuiace. Twelve thou
sand of them were murdered in the single city
of Mcntez; and in other parts Of Germany they
were externnated.
No similar visitation has since afflicted the
world; nor does its earlier history afford any in
stance of a calamity Of the same nature, equally
wide spread or destructive. Indeed, in almost
every other memorable instance Of the plague it
has been limited to particular district, or to
even particular city.