Evening star., 1929-01-02

Giovanni Boccaccios 1Sl3-lS7o, was an
realistic tales known as THE Decameron.")
In the year Of our Lord 1348 there
happened at Florence, the finest city in
italy, q most terrible plague. To the
cure of this malady neither medical
knowledge nor the power OF drugs was
of any effect, whether because the dis
ease was in its own nature mortal, or
that the physicians (the number CT
whom, taking quacks and woman pre-
tenders into the account, was very
great), could form no just idea OF the
cause, nor consequently ground q true
method Of cure.
Whatever was the reason, few or none
escaped but they generally died the
third day from the first appearance OF
the symptoms, without fever or other
bad circumstance attending. And the
disease, by being communicated from
the sick to the WELL seemed daily to get
ahead and to rage the more, as fire VIII
do, by laying on fresh combustibles.
Nor was the disease given by con-
versing with only, or coming near the
sick, but even by touching their clothes,
or anything that they had before
touched. It was wondrous strange-but
such was the nature of the pestilential
matter as to pass not only from man to
man, but, what Is more strange, and
has been often known, that anything
belonging to the infested, If touched by
any other creature, would certainly in
feet and even kill that creature In
short space OF time.
One instance of this kind took par
ticular notice Of, namely, that the rags
Of a poor man just dead, being thrown
into the street, and two hogs coming
by at ths same time, and roofing
in their mouths, in less than an hour
turned round and died on the spot.
These accidents, and others OF the
like sort, occasioned various fears and
devices amongst those people that sur
vived, all tending to the same unchar1-
table and cruel end; which was to avoid
the sick, and everything that had been
near them, expecting by that means to
save themselves. And some, holding 1t
best to live temperately and to avoid
excesseS of all kinds, made parties and
shut themselves up from the rest OF the
world, eating and drinking moderately
Of the best, and diverting themselves
with music and such other entertain
mentS as they might have within doors;
never listening to anything from with
out which might make them uneasy.
Others maintained free living to be
a better preservative, drinking and rev.
cling necessarily from tavern to tavern,
or in private houses; which were fire.
quently found deserted by the owners,
and therefore common to every one, yet
avoiding, with all this irregularity, to
come near the infected
And such, at that time, was the pub
lie distress that the laws, human and
divine, were no more regarded; for, the
officers to put them in force being dead,
sick or in want of persons to assist
them, every one did just as he pleased.
A third sort Of people chose a method
between the two just mentioned-not
confining themselves to rules Of diet
like the former, and yet avoiding the
| intemperance of the latter, but eating
and drinking what their appetites re-
quired, they walked everywhere with
| odorS and noSegays to smell to; as
holding 1t best to strengthen the brain.
For they supposed the whole atmosphere
| to be tainted with the stink of dead
bodies, arising partly from the distem-
per itself and partly from the ferment-
ing of the medicine within them.
| Others of q more cruel disposition,
| as perhaps the most safe to themselves,
| declared that the only remedy was
to avoid it; persuaded, therefore, OF
| this, and taking care OF themselves
only, men and women In great num-
bers left the city, their houses, rela-
tions and effects. and fed into the
country; as If the wrath Of God had
| been restrained to visit only those
| within the walls of the city, or else
concluding that none ought to stay
| In a place thus doomed to destruction.
| Divided as they were, neither did all
die nor all escape; but falling sick In
| differently, as we'll those Of one as OF
another opinion, they who first set the
| example by forsaking others now
| languish themselves without mercy. ]
pass over the little regard that citizens
and relations showed to each other
| for their terror was such that BROTH
| er often fed from his brother, a wife
| from her husband, and, what is more
uncommon. q parent from Its own
child.
On which account numbers that fell
sick could have no help but that the
charity of friends, who were very few,
| or the avarice OF servants supplied
| Even these were scarce, and at extrav-
| agant wages, and so little used to the
business that they were fit only to
reach what was called for, and OBJ
serve when they died, and this desire
of getting money often cost them their
lives.
And many lost their lives who might
have escaped had they been looked
after at all. So that, between the
scarcity of servants and the violence
of the distemper, such numbers were
continually dying as made it terrible
to hear as well as to behold. Whence,
from mere necessity, many customs
were introduced, different from what
had been before known in the city.
A funeral, heretofore attended by .
retinue Of mourners, now had scarcely
any one to follow the last journey Q!
to such O pass, indeed. that mems live
were no more reRarded than he live