The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1866-08-04


dom. il is recorded, in a report made TO the
Pope at Avignon, that Il destroyed twenty.
three millions, eight hundred thousand per-
sons throughout the East In the course ola
single year
While the Christians remained untouch.
ed. their supposed immunity. since their
neighbors were suffering the extremity Of
the malady. operated SO strongly on the
minds Of some Of the heather princes, that
they resolved to.propitiate Heaven by em.
bracing Christianity. The King OF Tarsis
accompanied by great multitude OF his
princes and mobiles, actually set out ON his
journey TO Avignoh TO receive baptism
/ from Pope Clement the Sixth but learn.
ing on bis way that the Christians, too, had
become victims 10 the destroyer, be return.
ed home. with the loss Of about two thous.
and men. who tho Christians most uugen-
erously attacked and cut OF in the rear Of
I his army.
/ From Greece the plague passed into lts.
/ ly. The Venetians, having lost 100000
souls. fled from their city aud left il almost
uninhabited At Florence the mortality
was terrific. There, says Boccacio. be.
tween March and July following. il is sup.
posed. and made pretty certain. that up
wards Of 100000 souls persisted in the city
only whereas, before that calamity, IL
was not believed TO have contained 50 ma
I ny inhabitants" Among those who fell
was Giovanni, the historian. to whose wri-
tings we have referred lie was one of the
most distinguished men OF his age and
his historical works are looked upon as
correct and valuable. lie was the annal-
ISL OF this pesiilence almost TO the day Of
his falling u victim TO il.
Many orthe Florentines fed from the
city without, stopping to remove their fur
niture or secure their doors so that the
palace to-day abandoned by the prince
might tomorrow become the abode Of the
begger. The ordinary course Of life was
changed some endeayored ~ avoid the
malady by leading an abstemioGs life. whilst
others rushed into all manner OF excuses.
Many persons would carry with them per.
fumes, wherewith 10 rectify the tainted AZ
mOspherc. The laws were disregarded. FOR
there were no officers 10 put them in force
The universal terror was such that brother
lied from brother the wife from her husband
and even tine mother from her child. so that
many who fell sick could only obtain such
help rs was supplied by the charity al
friends. or the avarice Of servants. who de.
handed exorbtant wages. and often obtain
Great irregularities took place IN the
burial al the dead. No lIain OF mourner-
or sad melody Of chaunts accompanied the
corpse TO ne last resting place. Hired
men would hastily rush with the dead body
10 tho nearest place oil lntcrmeui. where
after few hasty prayers. l. would DO CON.
mtted TO the earth. Many. especially those
Of the poorer class. persisted unattended IN
sh.sa .Nana 1aN.. a
houses were entered every morning,
and the CHASTITY corpseS they might contain
were taken out by the nieghbors and plac.
ed at the doors. whence they would be cat.
ried in the wake 'of some passing luueral
procession. The usual places OF iniermen'
soon being filed up. trenches were dug. and
the dead placed in them by hundreds,
piled up in rows. " as goods are slowed in 4
ship" little earth being thrown in between
each row, until the trench was fled 10 the
top. The country people died in the high
ways, in the fields, and in their own houses
rather like cattle than human creatures :
whilst the tiocks. herds. and faithful dogs
driven from their homes, would wander
among the forsaken harvesis. and. after
they had filed themselves return at night
What magnificent dwellings," remark.
!
" what noble palaces were then depopUia
ted to the last person What families ex
tinct What riches aud vasi possession!
LEFT, and no known heir to inherit What
number OF both sexes, in the prime ant
vigor Of youth. whom in the morning nei
Their Galea, Hippocrats. nor .Fsculapiu!
himself, but, would have declared in per
feet health, after dining heartily with iheiI
friends here. have snpped with their de
parted friends IN the other world -
France next became exposed to the raw
ages OF this plague. At Avignon the NOR
tally was horrible. When it is FIRST brok,
out there. no fewer than sixty.siX Of th,
Carmeliie friars died before anybody knew
how. so that il was imagined they had mur
dcred one another. or the members Of tn,
English college at Avignon not one wa
left alive aud Of the whole inhabitants OF
the city not one in Eve. The Inalaly pro
ceeded nOrthward through France. iii il
reached Paris. where il cut Of $4,000 PEG
pie.
About the same time il spread into tier
many, where its fayages were estimated a.
the enormous amount Of IL 400 900 souls
At Lubbock alone. according to the concur
rent accounts ofseveral writer's. $4,000 per
sons were swept away 10 one year, of whom
1900 are reported to have died ia thl
space OF four hours. Here the superstition
was such that rich merchants sought 4
propitiate Heaven by bestowing their use
less wealth upon the monasteries. But th,
monks refused 20 receive Il, and closed tbei
gates against il whereupon the lardy pen
itents threw their tainted treasure over III,
walls that surrounded the sacred edifces
The fearful scourge reached Englan,
about the beginning Of August, 1875, whel
IL appeared 10 the seaport IN the south
west Of the kingdom. The disease tlev
from place TO place in the west and south
reached London on November LIST, aud Il
nally spread itself all over the land. scat
tering everywhere such destruction. that
out OF the whole population, hardly on
person in ten was left alive. In the neigh
boFhood Of London large fields were en-
, ployed as burial places, and fifty or sixt
would be inferred IN single pit. In Eng
land, too, as in Florence, there was q tOtI
dissolution OF the bonds 81 society rela
tive fed from relative. the physicians r,
fused 10 attend tho sick, and priests forbor
, TO administer the sacrament or absolve I'll
, dying peniteni. so fearful were all OF con
ing in contact with the affected. But Wit
all this precaution the dreadful yisitar
would overtakc them. There was no plaC
IN which they could hide ihs, II did nc
enter.
! The plague commenced in 1919. add b
the month Of August 10 that year i be
entircly'disappeared.
II While the mortality was raging 10 EnG
!, land aud France, the Pope never cease
. importuning the monarehs Of both TO pu