The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1911-10-13
40 HE black death! II ever any
two words have served to set
terror stalking abroad in Eng
land they have been these. the
L. 81 AH0oA n0Sfi-

terror stalking abroad In Eng
land they have been these. the
graphic title of dread pesti-
lence. The word plague" has some
how come to be identified almost sole
~ with the great plague Of 1865. pos
sibly by reason Of the many records
and histories of that particular vista
ton. Yet for hundreds OF years the
plague paid England periodical visits
from no one anew where.
For q century. perhaps. the country
would go free. The plague might be
heard Of in other countries. now In
the east, now threatening so near as
Amsterdam. And then. when the peo-
pie had come to feel safe. suddenly
there would come the pestilence.
striking down its thousands.
plaques First Visit to Britain.
OF the first visitation Of the black
death in 1348 many terrible things are
related. It broke out In Dorsetshire
in August of that year. From there
1t moved on to Bristol and Gloucester
shire Then 1t made sudden APP
pearance in Oxfordshire. From there
the infection was carried to London.
and. while that city was busy with the
burying Of its dead. the black death
was sweeping it's way almost over the
entire country.
It Is curious to note In connection
with the recent outbreak In Suffolk
that It was the eastern counties which.
after London, suffered most severely
from the visitation. The parsons Of
more than 500 parishes in East Anglia
we're counted among the victims. and
in some cases these clergy had to be
replaced not once. but two or three
times Nineteen Of the religious
houses in Norfolk and Suffolk lost
their abbots and priors
Appalling as these figures may be.
they are as nothing to the toll taken
by the black death from the inhabif-
ants of London. Details of that time
Of terror are sparse enough. but such
records as exist tell a grim story
Stow. in his Chronicle. says that
the pestilence so waste, the people
that scarce the tenth person Of all
sorts was left alive. and churchyards
were not SUFFICIENT to receive the
dead" Still more startling figures
were set down by the same chronicier.
and he states that more than so. 1O0
bodies were buried In one piece Of
ground. bought for the purpose bv one
Sir Walter Nanny. In Sritt,e Croft.
now known as the Char4erhouse.
The number. no doubt. was exas.
gerated Indeed. such q death roll
would Almost have depopu.ated Lon.
ION: but Il is i'ke'y enough that one
third If the population OF the whole
country were carried on by the pesti
ence
Four scousges In 18th Century.
After that first visit four more OUT.
breaks OF plague swelled the tables Of
mortality durinR the fourteenth cen
ury Between 1890 and 144O Il came
gain four times. and there we're two
7. three more epidemics BEFORE the
;reas plague Of 1865
With these CURING visftafions
om. measures Of precaution came
40 use In its earlier stages the
aEue probably had much &. own
way
Il was NOT until lS43 fh~t thers Il
ny evidence Of an organixed attempt
prevent the speeding at the infec-
ion The first plague order was t.
ued IN that year. among other things
Il forty days quarantine fos any house
where there was = case Of riag..e.
hose Of independent means should
eep within doors for one mouth after
ecovery from plague Others whn
ould Dos live without their dsiIy u
~ should refrain az much IS posstbia
an loix abroad and sors forty dayr
y, o@t AMI abroad. nxo Il, carry =