The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1930-01-10
-NDER date of April 30, 166


ushered in his day-tO-day &C
count of the growth and
progress of the dreadful visitation. He
wrote this:
"Great fears of the sickness here IN
the city, 1t being said th"t two or
three houses are already shut up. God
preserve US all!
Substantially a week later he ser
down these words:
'May Z. The hottest day that ever
i felt in my life. This day, much
against my will, did in Druary Lane
see two or three houses marked with
a red cross upon the doors, and Lord
have mercy upon u.s. writ there; which
was sad sight to me. being the first
of the kind that to my remembrance
] ever saw"
From Pepys' records we may note
how within a month and little more
the pestilence had spread until 1t
claimed its victims in hosts:
"July II. A solemn fast day for
the plague is growing upon us.
"July Is. Above 700 died Of the
plague this week.
"July 20. Walked to Redriffe, where
] hear the sickness is, and indeed Is
scattered almost everywhere. There
dying 1859 of the plague this week.
Burying by Daylight.
"August 8. To Dagenhams. All the
way people citizens. walking TO and
haxx ho ,lou ic n
city this week by the bill death lisD;
which by chance. at Greenwich / had
heard was 1920 of the plague and 5000
and odd of all diseases. By and by
met my Lord Crewe returning; MIR.
MARI telling me by the way how
maid-servant Of Mr.. John Wright's
(who lives thereabouts) falling sick OF
the plague, she was removed to an
clubhouse and nurse appointed to
look to her; who. being once absent.
the maid got out of the house at the
window, and ran away. The nurse
coming knocking and having no an
swer, believed she was dead and went
and told Mr.. Wright SO; who and his
lady were in great strait what to do
to get her buried. At last resolved to
60 to Brentwood hard by, being in the
parish, and there get people to do it.
But they would not; so he went home
full of trouble. and in the way met
the wench walking over the common,
which frighted him worse than before;
and he was forced to send people TO
take her. which he did; and they got
one of the pest coaches and put her
into 1t to carry her to pest-house.
And passing in narrow lane, Sir An
thony Browne, with his brother and
some friends in the coach, met this
coach with the curtains drawn close.
The brother heing young man and
believing there might be some lady in
Ii that would not be seen, and the way
being narrow, he thrust his head out
of his own into her coach and to look,
and there saw somebody look very Ill,
fly; which the coachman also cried out
upon. And presently they come up 10
some people that stood looking after II
and told our gallants that 1t was a
maid of Mr.. Wright's carried away
sick of the plague; which put the
young gentleman into fright, and al
most cost him his life but is now well
again.
August II. The people die so that
now it seems they are fain to carry the
dead to be buried by daylight, the
nights not sufficing to do 1t in. And
my Lord Mayor commands people 70
be in at nine at night all, as they say,
that the sick may have liberty to go
abroad for air.
august Is. 1t was dark before
could get home, and so land at Church
yard stairs. where to my great trou-
BILE, met dead corpse of the plague
in the narrow alley just bringing down
a little pair of stairs. But ! thank
God ! was not much disturbed at 1t.
However, l shall beware of being late
abroad again.
august %. l went away and
walked to Greenwich. in my way see
ing a coffin with dead body therein,
dead of the plague, lying in an open
close belonging to Coome Farm, which