SOME OBSERVATIONS CONCERNING THE PLAGUE, &c.

AS to the Original of this dire⯑ful Scourge of Mankind call'd the Plague, I find the moſt learned Phyſicians are much divided in their O⯑pinions concerning it, and thoſe who have ſearched ve⯑ry far into the Secrets of Nature do yet ingenuouſly acknowledge themſelves to be very much at a loſs about it. The great Dr. Sydenham freely and ful⯑ly confeſſes his own and his Brethren's Ignorance in this Matter, and that not without a Smart Re⯑flection upon ſuch as pretend to know more than their Neighbours, in this and other Particulars of the ſame abſtruſe Nature. In Chap. 2 d. Page 71. of his Works, he thus expreſſes himſelf. At verò quae, qualiſque ſit, illa aeris Diſpoſitio à quâ mor⯑bificus hic apparatus promanat, nos, pariter ac com⯑plura alia circa quae vecors ac arrogans Philoſo⯑phantium [2]turbanugatur, planè ignoramus. Words ſo ſevere and ſo diſcouraging to any Enquiries of this Kind, that I ſhall chuſe to leave them as I find them.

I muſt here indeed freely own that I am much pleaſed with the Piety and Ingenuity of the lear⯑ned and diligent Diemerbroeck, who after a large Recital and Examination of the ſeveral Hypotheſes that had been advanced before his Time concern⯑ing the Origine of the Plague, and after weighing the Arguments and Reaſons brought by their re⯑ſpective Patrons for the Support of them, declares himſelf wholly diſſatisfied with them all, in the eight Chapter of his firſt Book and the Annotations there⯑on; and after all, he has Recourſe to the [...] of the great Hippocrates, (the Father and Prince of Phy⯑ſicians,) and endeavours to make it appear that ſomething ſupernatural or preternatural is to be un⯑derſtood thereby, and that That ancient Sage (tho' guided only by the Light of natural Reaſon) inten⯑ded to ſignifie by that Term, ſomewhat ſent down from angry Heaven, as a juſt Puniſhment for the Wickedneſs of Men.

But it may not be improper to add ſomething un⯑der this Head from that great Chriſtian Philoſo⯑pher, and (while he lived) illuſtrious Ornament of the Royal Society, Mr. Boyle, never to be men⯑tioned without a Preface of Honour. This Curi⯑ous and Critical, but Sober and Modeſt Enquirer into the Powers of Nature, and Operations of Se⯑cond Cauſes, in his Occaſional Diſquiſition concer⯑ning the Original of the Plague, wiſely chuſes the middle Way, between thoſe who recur wholly to ſupernatural Cauſes, and thoſe who impute all to na⯑tural Ones, in their Accounts hereof: He obſerves, [3]in his Experimental Diſcourſe concerning the In⯑ſalubrity and Salubrity of the Air, Page 50. &c. That the Sacred Writings expreſly teach that ſome Plagues have been in an extraordinary Manner in⯑flicted by God, particularly That which in David's Time ſwept away in three Days Seventy Thouſand Men. But He ſeems to think that it is carrying the Matter too far to infer from hence, or to affirm po⯑ſitively that All are ſo. I have ſometimes ſuſpect⯑ed (ſays he, Page 52.) that in the Controverſie concerning the Origine of the Plague whether it be Natural or Supernatural, neither of the contend⯑ing Parties is altogether in the Right, ſince 'tis very poſſible that ſome Peſtilences may not break forth without an extraordinary Interpoſition of Almighty God, provoked by the Sins of Men; and yet other Plagues may be produced by a tragical Con⯑courſe of merely natural Cauſes. But we are not to think that by this laſt Expreſſion He meant to exclude the Superior Agency or Superintendency of the Firſt in any Caſe; for no Man can expreſs a more becoming and awful Senſe of, or an higher Reverence for the Cauſe of Cauſes, than this great Genius does in all his Writings; and I could heartily wiſh that He were more generally imitated herein by the Virtuoſi of the preſent Age, and that a more explicit Reference to Divine Providence were to be found in all their Reſearches into Nature: And I cannot but hope that it would very much contri⯑bute hereunto, if our Modern Wits would ſeri⯑ouſly read and conſider that excellent Treatiſe cal⯑led the Chriſtian Virtuoſo, written by this Noble Author. But to return from this (I hope not un⯑uſeful) Digreſſion: As to Mr. Boyle's Opinion concerning the Riſe of Ordinary Plagues, it is in [4]ſhort This: He inclines to think that the Malig⯑nant Diſpoſition of the Air whereby the Plague is propagated, if not firſt produced, is imputable to ſome Kind of Subterraneal Expirations, and par⯑ticularly to Arſenical Fumes; but as to this He is far from being Poſitive, or Dogmatical: What He offers to render this Conjecture probable, they that pleaſe may ſee, in his Diſcourſe of the Air, as to its Unhealthfulneſs or Healthfulneſs, already men⯑tioned. Thus far as to the Origine of the Plague.

What the Learned Dr. Mead advances, about the Beginning of Page 4. of his Diſcourſe, in theſe Words; [Nor do I think that in this Iſland particularly, there is any one Inſtance of a Peſtilential Diſeaſe among us of great Conſequence, which we did not receive from other Iufected Places:] is perfectly agrecable to the Opinion of the celebrated Syden⯑ham, who obſerves, that to the evil Diſpoſition of the Air, which proceeds (according to Him) from a latent unknown Cauſe, there muſt be joyned the Reception of ſome [...] or Infection flowing from ſome Plaguy Body, and received either immediately by a near Approximation to it, or elſe mediately by the Means of ſome Fomes tranſmitted thencefrom into ſomething apt to receive and retain the ſame, and transferred therewith to diſtant Places; until by the great Number of infected Bodies, the Air receives ſuch a Taint, [or rather is ſo charged and loaded with Poiſonous Particles] as ſuffices to pro⯑pagate the Contagion to ſome Diſtance, without any other Spark to kindle the ſpreading Fire. The Sub⯑ſtance of this may be ſeen in Page 72. of his Works.

In Page 7. the Doctor briefly mentions that moſt terrible Plague which carried Death over the greateſt Part of the then known World, about the [5]Middle of the fourteenth Century, the Hiſtory of which being very remarkable (eſpecially if all the Circumſtances related by Authors of conſiderable Note be true) I ſhall preſent the Reader with a ſomewhat larger Narrative of it, as very proper to affect us with a pious Awe and Fear of the Wrath and Vengeance of a righteous God, and alſo to give us a melancholy and humbling Repreſentation of the horrid Degeneracy of humane Nature, and the deſ⯑perate Obſtinacy of irreclaimably Wicked Men. Mr. Boyle in Page 69. of the forementioned Diſ⯑courſe has given a brief Account of this prodigious Peſtilence, from that excellent French Hiſtorian Mouſieur de Mezeray, who (as he tells us) relates in the Life of Philip de Valois, that the Plague which happened in France in the Year 1346, was ſo Contagious and Deſtructive, that ſcarce a Village or even a Houſe eſcaped uninfected by it: He adds, that this Peſtilence began two Years before in the Kingdom of Cathay, by a Vapour that was moſt horribly ſtinking, which brake out of the Earth like a Kind of Subterraneal Fire; and devoured above 200 Leagues of that Country, even to the very Trees and Stones, and infected the Air in a wonderful Manner: From Cathay (ſays he) it paſſed into Aſia and Greece, thence into Africa, afterwards into Europe, which it ranſack'd throughout. Thus far Mr. Boyle from Mezeray, in whoſe Account the Date of the Year ſeems to have been miſtaken, or 1346 miſprinted for 1348, or 1349. For by Dr. Mead's and the following Account, it began in Ca⯑thay, (the Northern Part of China) in 1346.

Beſides what I have quoted from Mr. Boyle, I ſhall entertain the Reader with a more Circumſtan⯑tial Relation of this moſt fearful Calamity which I [6]met in Kircher's Chronology of the moſt remarka⯑ble Plagues that are recorded in Hiſtory, annexed to his Scrutinium Phyſico-Medicum contagioſae Lu⯑is, quae Peſtis dicitur. The Subſtance of what he writes is this; That in the Poutificate of Clement the ſixth, Charles the fourth being Emperor, there raged a moſt cruel Peſtilence, the worſt that ever was, ſcarcely the third Part of Mortals being left alive. It ſo prevailed every where, that God ſeemed as if he would deſtroy all Mankind by a general Ru⯑ine, as of old in the univerſal Deluge. Villanius tells us that it had its firſt Riſe in the Ʋpper Aſia, and particularly in the Kingdom of Cathay, in the Year 1346, from a moſt filthy Smell ſuppoſed to proceed from a certain Fiery Body, which either fell from Heaven, or broke out of the Earth, and extended its horrible and terrifying Bulk to ſo vaſt a Compaſs, that it conſumed every thing that ſtood in its Way, Animals, Houſes, Trees, &c. for the Space of fifteen Days Journey: And ſome moſt filthy lit⯑tle Beaſts furniſhed with Feet and Tails, [by this Deſcription they ſeem to have been a Sort of Neuts or Lizards] as alſo Worms, and a ſmall Sort of Snakes in a numberleſs Multitude, fell at the ſame Time from the Air upon the Earth, the Stench and Putrefaction whereof infected the whole Region. A Peſtilence hence ariſing invaded the adjacent Pla⯑ces, and then ſpread it ſelf to the remoter Cities and Provinces, ſo that it depopulated all Aſia. After⯑wards it penetrated into Egypt, Greece, and Italy. Thence it paſſed over into France, Spain and En⯑gland, and at length into Germany, Poland and all the Northern Parts, with the Deſtruction of innu⯑merable Perſons. In the City of Florence only, Villanius ſays there periſhed 60000, but St. An⯑thony [7]makes them 100000; and although ſuch a dreadful Contagion was ſent among Men by the a⯑venging Hand of God for their enormous Wicked⯑neſs, yet after ſo great a Calamity thoſe that ſuc⯑ceeded and came greedily into the Poſſeſſion of ſuch rich Inheritances as the deceaſed had left, grew worſe and more wicked than ever. Many Prodigies pre⯑ceded this Plague in Aſia, ſuch as horrible Clefts, or ſwallowing Gulfs in the Earth exhaling a poi⯑ſonous Wind or Vapour, and other Things of the like Sort. Thus far Kircher. Page 247.

N. B. If that Part of the Story be Fact concer⯑ning the Worms, Snakes, &c. which are ſaid to have fallen from the Air, it ſeems to me much more probable that they were hatch'd from Eggs that had been formerly laid on the Earth, or Leaves of Plants, by Animals and Inſects of that Kind; the Diſpoſition of the Air, which was filled with the Steams of that horrible Meteor before mentioned, perhaps greatly contributing to their Generation or quickning in ſuch vaſt Numbers.

This moſt fearful Plague is alſo taken Notice of by many other Chronologers. Alſtedius relates that at Lubeck it carried off 90000. And that of the Bare-footed Monks in ſeveral Parts it deſtroyed ſo great a Number that in the whole their Dead amoun⯑ted to 1244434; and the ſame Particular is mentio⯑ned by Hogelius in his Horologium Hiſtoricum, Page 632. who tells us alſo, that at Erford there died ſuch Multitudes that the burying Places in the City being all fill'd with Carcaſes, 12000 were laid in eleven Caves under the Mountain called the Red Moun⯑tain. Page 650.

Many other deſtructive Peſtilences before and after this are mentioned by Hiſtorians, and ſe⯑veral [8]of the later Ones particularly deſcribed by Learned Phyſicians, as That at Delft in 1557 by Foreſtus, That at Vicenza by Maſſaria in 1576, That at Nimeguen in 1636 by Diemerbroeck, and the laſt very terrible One at London in 1665 by Hodges, which they that pleaſe may conſult.

In Page 11. towards the End, the Learned Au⯑thor juſt mentions the Opinion of ſome who have thought that the Peſtilential Contagion or Infecti⯑on is propagated by the Means of Inſects, whoſe Eggs may eaſily be conveyed from Place to Place, and produce the Diſeaſe when they come to be hatched: But he obſerves withal that this is a Suppoſition groun⯑ded upon no manner of Obſervation, and that there is no Need to have Recourſe to it. As to this Hypothe⯑ſis of poyſonous Inſects giving Riſe to the Plague, it has been lately inſiſted on by Mr. Bradley, who in his new (and indeed very ingenious and uſeful) Improvements of Planting and Gardening Reprin⯑ted here, has publiſhed a Letter from Mr. Robert Ball containing ſeveral curicus Obſervations which ſeem to him to render it highly probable; and in a ſmall Tract lately publiſhed by Mr. Bradley, the Title of which is, The Plague at Marſeilles conſi⯑dered, he has purſued the ſame Conjecture, and tran⯑ſcribed the Subſtance of what is to be found in the Book and Letter already mentioned upon the Head of Inſects.

This Notion ſeems to be much a-kin to that which was advanced by Athanaſius Kircher (that famous Enquirer into Nature, ſufficiently known to the lear⯑ned World by his Voluminous Labours) in the for⯑mer Century, and he ſeems to have taken the Hint from the noted Cardan, for in Page 52. of his Scruti⯑nium Peſtis, he tells us, that Cardan relates that in his [9]Time (who flouriſhed about the Middle of the ſix-teenth Age) there was a moſt cruel Peſtilence at Milan, ariſing (as he conjectures) from an infinite Number of little Worms: Of theſe Vermiculi Kir⯑cher diſcourſes very largely in his Treatiſe of the Plague, bothbefore and after thenowmention'd Quo⯑tation from Cardan; and particularly in Page 141. he ſpeaks of the Plague as ſomething which he hadſhewn to be Animated, becauſe of thoſe Animalcula which hetakes to be often, if not always, the Seminary there⯑of, concerning which he thus expreſſes himſelf; Sunt autem hi Vermiculi Peſtis propagatores, tam exigui, tam tenues et ſubtiles, ut omnem ſenſûs captum cludant; &c. The Subſtance of what he ſays is this; That theſe little Worms which he ſuppoſes to be the Spreaders, if not wholly the Breeders of the Plague, are ſo exceeding Small that they are to the Senſe and Sight imperceptible and undiſcernable, unleſs it be by the Help of the moſt exquiſite Microſcopes, and for their Smalneſs may be called Atoms, but they encreaſe ſo prodigiouſly that their Numbers are beyond Compute. Theſe Vermiculi, as they are generated (Ex putredine) out of Corruption, ſo they are eaſily thruſt forth by all the Pores of the Body in which they are, toge⯑ther with the ſweaty Vapours, and are carried along with the ſlighteſt Motion of the Air in vaſt Swarms, like the Motes that may be ſeen plying to and fro in the Sun Beams, when they ſhine into a Room that is ſomewhat obſcure thro' a Hole. Theſe Inſects (he ſuppoſes) do tenaciouſly adhere to any Thing they meet with, and inſinuate themſelves into the ſmalleſt Pores of Bodies; and to render all this more probable, he ſays, that he has oft found the Blood taken from Perſons labouring under Putrid Fevers [10]ſo full of Worms, within an Hour or two after the Emiſſion, as even aſtoniſhed him, from whence he perſwades himſelf that Man may (not only after his Death, but even) while alive be plentifully ſtored with ſuch Vile Animalcules, tho' the Senſe cannot diſcern them, and that, on this, as well as other Ac⯑counts, Job ſpeaks as he does. Chap. 17.14 [I have ſaid to Corruption thou art my Father: to the Worm thou art my Mother and my Siſter.] He goes on to ſhew that this Verminoſe Brood, which (according to his O⯑pinion) is caſt forth in very great Quantity both from the Living Bodies of ſuch as are infected with the Plague, and from the Carcaſes of the Dead when they begin to putrifie, being received into the innermoſt Parts of Linen and Woolen Cloaths, and the like, are there cheriſhed, and therewith conveyed to diſtant Places, and that this is the firſt and principal Semi⯑nary of the whole Contagion; as he endeavours to ſhew more at large: But ſuch as deſire further Infor⯑mation as to this Particular, muſt have Recourſe to the Book it ſelf, for it would require much more Time and Room, than can be allowed at preſent but to make an Abridgement of his copious Diſcourſe about it in ſeveral Parts of the ſaid Treatiſe. This Hypotheſis muſt be acknowledged very plauſible and ingenious, if it be built upon a ſolid Foundation, and if ſuch Vermiculi as theſe have a real Exiſtence in Rerum Naturâ, and be not the Creatures of aſtrong Imagination only. That there are Worms very often found in Humane Bodies is indeed ſufficient⯑ly evident, and what none are ignorant of; and that Worms have been ſometimes vomited up by Perſons ſick of the Plague is atteſted by Authors of good Credit: Diemerbroeck mentions one Inſtance of this Kind, Hiſt. 52. Page 306. where he relates [11]this Particular concerning a Patient of his, that he caſt up by Vomit above 60 ſmall Worms as red as Blood, ſoon after which he died; but he adds that he never ſaw the like in any other Perſon. We are alſo told that Multitudes of ſuch Worms were found in ſome dead Bodies that were opened at Marſeilles, which lived and moved very briskly when put into Wine or Brandy, but were ſoon killed with Oyl and Juice of Lemons; yet after all, Kircher's Vermiculi and Mr. Ball's and Mr. Bradley's Inſects do not ſeem to be of the ſame Species with theſe Worms, for the former are repreſented as ſo many animated Atoms, ſcarcely diſcoverable by the Help of the beſt Glaſſes, whereas the latter were ſufficiently obvi⯑ous both to the Sight and Touch. For my part I ſhall not go about to determine any Thing in this Matter, but ſhall leave it to the nicer Examination of the moſt Learned Philoſophers and Phyſicians, who are capable of penetrating much farther into the Myſteries of Nature than I can pretend to be. Only I cannot forbear adding that I do very much doubt while theſe Inſects (which by the way can⯑not be the ſame with Mr. Bradley's Blighting In⯑ſects, for then we ſhould have a Plague every Time we have a Blight, which in and about this Place is almoſt as oft as we have a Spring, as the Gardeners know to their Sorrow, by the ſo frequent Deſtruc⯑tion of their Fruit: I ſay I do much doubt, while theſe Inſects) remain in ſuch an inviſible State, the Hypotheſis that is founded upon them will alſo re⯑main precarious, and as little demonſtrable as others that have been formerly propoſed. To which I ſhall ſubjoin this one Remark more; That the Generation of Worms or any other Animals, ex putredine, which Kircher ſeems to take for granted, is now almoſt [12]univerſally exploded, and no ſuch Thing as Spon⯑taneous or aequivocal Generation allowed to the meaneſt Inſect: but 'tis agreed among the Learned, that the ſmalleſt Creatures do (as well as the great⯑eſt) proceed ex Semine, and have Parents of their own Kind by whom they are propagated; and this indeed is what Mr. Bradley no where denies, and I do not ſay but that his Hypotheſis may be conſiſtent with the univocal as well as aequivocal Generation of ſuch Animalcula. Yet give me Leave to obſerve once more, that the gradual Progreſs which the Peſtilence uſually makes, does not ſeem very well to agree with the exceeding Lightneſs of theſe volatile In⯑ſects, and upon conſidering this Circumſtance one would be enclined to imagine, that whatever is the Fomes of the Contagion, it muſt be ſomething more ponderous, tho' no leſs poiſonous than theſe vene⯑mous Inſects are ſuppoſed to be; and I cannot well conceive how it would be poſſible by all the Care or Precaution in the World, to prevent the ſpread⯑ing of the Diſtemper from one End of a Countrey to the other, in a very ſhort Space of Time, if it be car⯑ried about by theſe Nimble, Light-heel'd, Living A⯑toms, who would make nothing of flying over Lines and Rivers, or faſtning upon the Men themſelves that ſtand to guard the Paſſes, and in ſhort, muſt go which Way ſoever they are carried by every Puff of Wind or Stream of Air. But I ſhall not in⯑ſiſt further at preſent upon this or any other Diffi⯑culties that occur to my Thoughts with Reference to this Hypotheſis. I ſhall leave theſe little Crea⯑tures to ſhift for themſelves as well as they can, but if they be ſuch Plaguy ones as they are repreſented, I deſire to have no experimental Acquaintance with them, tho' I own that the Notion and Speculation [13]of them may be agreeable enough to an inquiſitive Genius; and the Objections which lye croſs in my Mind againſt this Hypotheſis of Plague-producing Inſects, may poſſibly be anſwered to Satisfaction by the Patrons of it, how inſoluble ſoever they may at preſent appear to me.

What the Learned Doctor ſuggeſts in Page 22, 23, &c. againſt the old but unhappy Cuſtom of ſhut⯑ting up Infected Houſes, is ſo Humane and Charita⯑ble, and ſupported with ſuch Solid Reaſons, that I cannot but hope it will be ſo far attended to by our wiſe Legiſlators in all future Regulations they ſhall ſee fit to make, that ſuch a cruel and hurtful Method may be effectually prevented, and that if at any time it ſhould pleaſe God to viſit us with that ſore Diſtemper, the Terror and Danger of it ſhall not be augmented by Treating the miſe⯑rable Sufferers with ſuch unreaſonable rigour as manifeſtly tends to ſink and overwhelm their Spi⯑rits (which ought to be kept up as much as poſſible, as in other Diſeaſes, ſo more Eſpecially in this) and to diſpoſe them for nothing (humanely Speak⯑ing) but to Deſpair and Die. And I cannot doubt but that ſuch timely Proviſion will be made by the Publick, of convenient Lazarettoes for the Reception of the Sick upon the firſt breaking ſorth of the Dire Diſeaſe in any large City or Town, as may (through the Bleſſing of Heaven) prove an happy Means of ſtopping the Progreſs thereof in its beginning.

As to the Alternative which the Doctor propoſes in the cloſe of his excellent Performance concern⯑ing infected Goods, that if they be not burned they may be buried deep in the Ground; I cannot but think the Latter of theſe Methods, (or the ſink⯑ing [14]them in the Sea or in ſome deep Water, where it can be conveniently done, to prevent digging up) to be much the more eligible, and the ſafeſt as well as leaſt offenſive manner of deſtroying them; for I have a vehement ſuſ⯑picion that by the burning of Infected Cloaths and the like, the Venomous Effluvia or poiſo⯑nous particles adhering to them may be car⯑ried along with the Smoak, and the fatal [...] or Fomes being Volatilized by the Fire may fill all the Circumambient Air, and inſtead of reſtraining may greatly propagate the Contagion. This I very well remember, that in ſome parts of England it is a ge⯑nerally received Opinion that the burning of Cloaths taken from a Perſon that dies of a very Malignant Small Pox, greatly tends to ſpread the Diſtemper; and wicked Nurſes, who deſire to make work for themſelves, are ſaid to practiſe this very Method to ac⯑compliſh their barbarous Deſigns; and when I lived in the County of Suffolk, I was informed that when that Diſeaſe was in the Town of Ipſwich (about 25 or 30 Years ago) a certain barbarous Nurſe did early in a Morning, (that ſhe might not be known) at the head of one of the principal Streets, put fire to an heap of Old Rags and Bed Cloaths that had belonged to ſome poor People who Died of that Diſtemper, and the Smoak driving along the Street, ſeveral that paſſed by betimes com⯑plained of a very offenſive ſmell, and the next News was that almoſt all that had not formerly gone thro' that Diſeaſe in that whole Street, were ſeized with it in a very few days. And if this Method of Burn⯑ing be ſo pernicious in the Caſe of the Small Pox, I doubt there is too much Ground of fear (accor⯑ding to the common way of arguing à Minori ad Majus) that it may prove ſtill more fatal in the [15]Caſe of the Plague; But this I humbly ſubmit to the Con⯑ſideration of the Learned in Philoſophy and Phyſick.

As for proper Prophylacticks or Preſervatives from the Plague, the Doctor has not offered much upon this Head, and ſeems to deſpair of the diſco⯑very of any Specifick of vertue ſufficient to fortifie nature againſt the aſſaults of ſuch a Malignant Di⯑ſeaſe. After the mention of ſome general and very uſeful rules to be obſerved by way of prevention, and juſt hinting at a few particulars, eſpecially the uſe of Wine Vinegar in ſmall quantities, [which, with his Conſerva me Domine, is ſaid to have been the Antidote of the famous Sylvius] He does in the 35. Page, recommend leaving the infected place as the Sureſt Preſervative, which is the ſame with the Counſel that Ramazzini gives in his late Diſſertation concerning the Plague at Vienna, about ſeven Years ago; Page 469. of his Works; where he thus expreſses himſelf. Ʋt quod ſentio proferam, illud unicum perplacet, quod vulgò de tribus com⯑poſitum appellatur, i. e, de celeri fugâ à loco in⯑fecto, de profectione ad longinquas regiones, ac tardâ reverſione; quo remedii genere ſapientiores quoque Medici uti conſuevere. The Sum of which is, That, to ſpeak his Mind freely, he thinks the Method of prevention preſcribed by the old Adage, Mox, longè, tardè, cede, recede, redi, to be the Beſt, i. e. to get away ſoon, to go away far, and to return back ſlowly; which he ſays is a remedy that the wiſeſt Phyſicians themſelves are wont to make uſe of upon this Occaſion: But how proper advice ſoever this may be to thoſe who are in ſuch Circumſtances as render them capable of following it, yet there are, alas, great numbers to whom this will ſeem an hard ſaying, as being by them im⯑practicable. The lower ſort of People, poor Me⯑chanicks [16]and Tradeſmen that have nothing to live upon, but the Profit of their Mean Employments, muſt be forced to Stick by the Stuff; they have no Country Seats to repair to, and few of them have any ſuch Friend as will be free to receive them into their houſes in the adjacent Villages. If there⯑fore any thing could be found out that would, if not always, (which indeed is not to be expected) yet pretty often prove a Defenſative againſt this dread⯑ful Enemy, it would certainly be a great and moſt acceptable Service to Mankind to acquaint the world therewith. But as to this, I (being no Phyſician my ſelf) have little to offer but what has occaſionally occurred to me in peruſing ſome of the beſt Medi⯑cal Books, written by Authors of the greateſt Name and Note, who have themſelves been emi⯑nent Practitioners, and particularly have had cou⯑rage enough to Viſit the Sick in places where the Plague has raged with the greateſt Violence. A⯑mong theſe, Diemerbroeck and Hodges are the Chief in the Claſs of Modern Writers; the Former being Phyſician at Nimeguen during the ſevere Peſtilence that made ſuch fearful havock there in the Year 1636; and the Latter at London in 1665, when near an hundred thouſand Perſons were cut off by this Flagellum Dei. As to Diemerbroeck, that great Judge Mr. Boyle ſays, that he prefers his Book of the Plague to any that he had ever read of that Diſeaſe, Page 81. of his Treatiſe of the Air, alrea⯑dy mentioned; and indeed He ſeems to have commu⯑nicated his Obſervations to the World with a great deal of ingenuous plainneſs and fidelity. It would take up too much room to tranſcribe the half of thoſe Receits, which he propoſes from himſelf and others by way of prevention, in his Treatiſe of this Diſtem⯑per; [17]I ſhall therefore only give my Reader the Sub⯑ſtance of what he ſets down in the 12 Ch. of his 2d. Book, the Title of which is De meo ipſius Vivendi modo, where he faithfully relates what Courſe he himſelf took for his own Preſervation, while he at⯑tended the Sick during that ſad time in which the Plague raged at Nimeguen. The Sum of what he ſays I have endeavoured to contract as follows: He tells us, that he avoided as much as he could all ve⯑hement Perturbations of Mind: That he lived intre⯑pidly, or without Fear: That it was the ſame Thing to him whether he viſited the Sick of the Plague or of any other Diſtemper, and that he as readily ſerved the Poor gratis, as the Rich for a Reward; He adds, that if at any time he found himſelf ſome⯑what ſhocked, (which in that doleful Seaſon, where⯑in there was ſcarce an Houſe in the whole City that eſcaped the Contagion, muſt needs happen now and then) in ſuch a Caſe he refreſhed his Spirits with three or four Draughts of Wine; That being fre⯑quently diſturbed in the Night, and much tired in the Day with walking up and down from Patient to Patient, he was forced to Sleep an Hour after Dinner, when he could beſt ſpare the time, though he diſſwaded others, who were under no ſuch ne⯑ceſſity, from ſleeping in the Day: That as to Diet, he uſed Meats of the moſt eaſy Digeſtion, avoiding Swine's Fleſh, Herrings, and the like, which he had found hurtful to him: That his Drink was ordina⯑ry Ale and Small White Wine, of which he ſome⯑times drank to Chearfulneſs, but never to Exceſs; That he kept his Body open, but not too looſe, only ſo as to have One or Two Stools in a Day: That Once or Twice in a week at Bed-time he ſwallowed One or Two of his Anti-peſtilential Pills deſcribed in [18] Chap. 9. [the Compoſition of which ſhall be ſubjoin⯑ed to this Account] That beginning to viſit the Sick between Four and Five in the Morning, he could then take Nothing, his Stomach perfectly loathing both Meat, Drink, and Medicine, ſo that he was con⯑ſtrained (though againſt his own Judgment) to go forth faſting, and could do no more than (after committing himſelf to God by pious Prayers) to chew ſome Grains of the leſſer Cardamom; That a⯑bout Six a Clock in the Morning he took a little Treacle, or Diaſcordium, or eat a little Candied Orange Pill, and very frequently three or four Bits of Candied Elecampane: About Eight he break⯑faſted upon a Peice of Bread with Butter and Green⯑cheeſe made of Sheeps Milk, drinking a Glaſs of Ale, and now and then (but not daily) he took a Draught of Wormwood Wine about Nine: At Ten he ſmoaked a Pipe of Tabacco, and after Dinner Two or Three, and the like after Supper, and ſometimes Two or Three more between Meals, and if at any Time he found himſelf affected with the Ill Smell of the Sick, he preſently had Recourſe to the ſame Remedy, which he ſays (he found by his own Ex⯑perience) as well as always thought to be the moſt effectual Preſervative, ſo that the Tobacco be of the beſt Sort. He adds, that upon the ceaſing of the Plague he left off Smoaking, not willing to ac⯑cuſtom himſelf to it, leſt he ſhould turn its laudable Uſe into a deteſtable Abuſe.

The Compoſition of the Anti-peſtilential Pills is as follows.

Take the Roots of Butter-bur, Carline Thiſtle, Dittany, Angelica, Elecampane, of each an½Ounce; and Half; of Gentian one Dram and Half; of the beſt Rhubarb, one Ounce and Half; of Zedoary one [19]Dram: Of the whiteſt Agarick, Half an Ounce; Take alſo the Herbs Scordium, the leſſer Centory, Rue, of each Half an Ounce; Carduus Benedict⯑us, ſix Drams; and of the Flowers of Staechas one Dram and an half; as alſo the Seeds of Citron and Oranges, of each one Dram; of all theſe make a groſs Powder, which ſteep for two or three Days in two Pounds and an half or three Pounds of White Wine, then boil it for about a Quarter of an Hour, and ſtrain it very ſtrongly in a Preſs, and afterwards ſtrain itagain through thin Paper: In the ſtrained Liquor diſſolve three Ounces and an half of the beſt A⯑loes, and three Drams and an half of clear Myrrh in Drops: Let the Moiſture evaporate in a China Diſh 'till a Maſs of Pills can be made of the Re⯑mainder. Theſe Pills (ſays the Author) we have found to be of great Uſe in Time of the Plague.

Thus far from the accurate Diemerbroeck; who has alſo given us no leſs than 120 Hiſtories of ſo many particular Perſons afflicted with the Plague, in whoſe Caſes may be ſeen all the various Symp⯑toms of that ſore Diſtemper, with the Remedies pro⯑per to each of them, which are well worth the Per⯑uſal of ſuch as underſtand the Language wherein they are writ.

Proceed we now to the Learned Dr. Hodges, who by the Appointment of the Government continued in London during that moſt dreadful Peſtilence, which raged there in the Year 1665, of which he afterwards publiſhed an Hiſtorical Narration with the Title of [...], or an Account of the Plague: in which he treats concerning the Riſe and Progreſs, the Cau⯑ſes, Signs, and Cure of the Contagion, and alſo re⯑lates his own Manner of living in that Time of Dan⯑ger. What I ſhall obſerve from him ſhall be only [20]the few particular Directions which he gives con⯑cerning ſuch Things as he judges proper to be done by Way of Precaution; omitting the general Ones relating to the timely providing Lazaretto's, keep⯑ing Houſes and Streets clean, and the like, which Dr. Mead has perfectly well recommended. As to particular Preſervatives from the Plague, Dr. Hodges gives us ſeveral Receits, of which I ſhall on⯑ly ſet down Two that are of eaſy Preparation, and perhaps of equal Virtue with the more pompous Forms. The firſt is what he calls an Electuary for the Ʋſe of the Poor, the Compoſition of which is in Page 229, of his Book, viz. Take Conſerve of Wood-ſorrel and Goats Rue, of each half a Pound; of Marigolds, one Pound; London-treacle, three Ounces; Bole Armoniack vitriolated, four Ounces; with Syrup of Lemons as much as is ſufficient; make an Electuary; two or three Drams of which may be taken Morning and Evening. The other is an Hauſtus ſaid to be of great Virtue. Viz. Take Wa⯑ter of red Roſes camphorated two Ounces, the beſt Vinegar one Ounce, in which diſſolve two Scruples of the beſt Bole Armoniack; add three Drams of ſimple Syrup of Scabious, mix them for a Draught.

I do the rather mention this becauſe the Uſe of Vinegar ſeems to be much approved by the Lear⯑ned Dr. Mead. Diemerbroeck alſo highly com⯑mends Vinegar, and ſays that he had ſeen many poor People better preſerved by taking a Spoonful thereof every Morning, than ſome Others were by the moſt coſtly Remedies. Page 170.

Among other Antidotes againſt the Peſtilential Contagion, Dr. Hodges does particularly commend Canary of the beſt Sort, of which he frequently drank while he attended the Sick, and found it of ſin⯑gular [21]Uſe to himſelf and others. His Time of drink⯑ing it was at Dinner, and a little before Bed-time; but as to the Smoaking of Tobacco, which Diemer⯑broeck ſo much extols, He ſpeaks very doubtfully of it, and ſeems to have had an Averſion to it, and to ſuſpect that the Peſtiferous Vapours may be ſuck⯑ed in with the Smoak; and in fine he prefers his good Spaniſh Wine very much before it, and this ſo far as appears was the Antidote he chiefly truſted to among the Internal Ones. But then as to Ex⯑ternal Defenſatives againſt this deadly Enemy (re⯑jecting the many Amulets vulgarly preſcribed, the moſt of which he thinks to be uſeleſs, and ſome noxious,) there is one which he greatly commends as the moſt powerful and effectual of all others in this Caſe, and that is the having of large Iſſues; for Inſtance, one in the Left Arm, and the other in the Right Leg, capacious enough to contain five or ſix Peaſe. The more to enforce this Advice, he does ſolemnly affirm, Page 240. that as oft as he went in⯑to Places that were more than ordinarily Infected, he found that Part of his Arm in which the Iſſue was, exceedingly pained, and that thin, undigeſted, Bloody Matter would flow from it, with a very ſmart Pungency, and that upon this Warning given him, he preſently had Recourſe to proper Alexiphar⯑micks. It ſeems plain from hence even to Senſe and ocular Demonſtration, that the Virus, the Venom, and Poiſon of the Contagion did work off in a great Meaſure by Means of this Sort of Evacuation. I ſhall only add under this Head, that Diemerbroeck does alſo much commend this Remedy, and obſerves that many who had Iſſues eſcaped the Plague at Ni⯑meguen, and of thoſe that had it, a conſiderable Num⯑ber recovered ſpeedily upon taking a Sweating [22]Medicine, and he mentions ſeveral other eminent Phyſicians that had found the happy Effect of ſuch Iſſues in the Courſe of their Practice. Page 150. &c. He obſerves alſo that many of thoſe that had Sores about them eſcaped the Plague, and he tells us that Galen of old made the Same Obſervati⯑on.

I ſhall now in the Cloſe of this Collection juſt mention One or Two Preſervatives recorded by the Excellent Mr. Boyle, towards the latter end of his diſcourſe of the Air beforementioned. The former of theſe is in Page 86. which was communi⯑cated to him by one whom he calls an ancient and very experienced Phyſician, to whoſe care a great Peſt-houſe was committed. This Perſon own'd to Mr. Boyle, that beſides ardent Prayers to God, and a very regular diet, his conſtant Antidote was on⯑ly to take every Morning faſting a little Sea-Salt diſſolved in a few Spoonfuls of Fair Water: Mr. Boyle adds that he thinks it deſirable that Notice be taken of all Remedies that have been found by good Trials available againſt the Plague; for ſince Peſti⯑lences are various in their Kinds, 'tis very poſſible that their appropriated Remedies may be ſo too; and that Medicine may prove ſucceſsful in one, which has proved ineffectual in another. The Noble Au⯑thor adds to this, That the ſaid Conſideration for⯑bad him to paſs by the following Particular, Viz. That a very Learned Phyſician having recommen⯑ded to him the Herb called Galega, or Goats-rue, at that time little noted in England, as a moſt effectu⯑al Antidote againſt the Plague, he cauſed it to be cultivated in a Garden, and when the Peſtilence raged moſt, having ſome of it by him made up with a little Sugar in the form of a fine green Conſerve, he [23]ſent it to Two infected Perſons, who, by the divine bleſſing on it, both of them recovered. He alſo takes notice of the great vertue of this Herb againſt the Bitings of Venomous Creatures: It may be eaten in its entire Subſtance as a Salad, or the Conſerve or Syrup may be taken, or the Juice newly expreſs'd, which he thinks better than the Syrup or Conſerve.

Thus I have finiſhed what I had to offer to the Publick concerning the Plague, and the moſt proper Antidotes againſt it which I have met with in my lit⯑tle reading. I ſhall only add, That after all, our prin⯑cipal-Truſt and Confidence muſt be in the Goodneſs and Mercy of Almighty God, through the Merits of our Lord and Saviour Jeſus Chriſt; and it great⯑ly concerns all Perſons to ſearch and try their ways, and turn unto the Lord with their whole hearts. Let the Means and Inſtruments or Second Cauſes of this terrible Calamity be what they will; whether it owes its Origin to Subterraneal Steams and the Expirations of Noxious Minerals, (as Mr. Boyle conjectures) or, to a peſtiferous Aura, proceed⯑ing from a peculiar, and (in a Sort) corruptive al⯑teration of the Nitro-aereal Spirit, (as Dr. Hodges thinks) or, to prodigious Swarms of inviſible Ve⯑nomous Inſects, (as Kircher and Mr. Bradley ima⯑gine) Or Laſtly, to an unhealthy Conſtitution of the Seaſon, and Diſorder in the Air Occaſioned by ex⯑ceſſive Heat and Moiſture, (as Galen taught of old) which evil Conſtitution is heightned and ren⯑dred more Malignant by the Stinks of Stagnating Waters, by Putrid Exhalations from the Earth and from dead Carcaſes lying unburied, which fill the Air with Contagious Particles, and ſo being Suck'd in with the Breath taint in their paſſage the Salival Juices, which being Swallowed down into [24]the Stomach fix the Malignity there, as the Learned Dr. Mead obſerves, Pag 7. and 11. of his Diſcourſe: I ſay whether this Dreadful Diſeaſe owes its Origine to any one, or (which is more probable) to a Concurrence, and Complication of Secondary Cauſes, Yet ſtill it becomes us to look higher, and to reverence Divine Providence as the firſt and principal Cauſe. The great God has ſaid, Amos 3.6. [Shall there be Evil in a City, and the Lord hath not done it?] Sword and Famine and Peſtilence are what He expreſly calls, His ſore Judgments. (Ezek. 14.21.) The Earth, the Water, the Fire, the Air, all the Elements, and all their Actions are at his Beck, and under his ſteady Government, and 'tis not improbable that he does employ Angels, as the Miniſters of his Juſtice, to inſlict deſerved Puniſhments, and particularly this of Peſtilence up⯑on a guilty People: Poſſibly he may by their invi⯑ſible Hands ſcatter through the Air thoſe fatal Mi⯑aſmata, thoſe Malignant Venomous Atoms, and Poiſonous Effluvia, the Seeds of Contagious Diſ⯑tempers, that carry Death and Deſtruction all a⯑round; to which Thought ſome Divines have been led by ſome paſſages in Holy Writ that ſeem in their opinion to look this way. Be this as it will, 'tis certain that the Almighty is the principal Agent, who orders and over-rules all Inferiour ones, and therefore whatever or whoever be the Inſtruments, 'tis with him that we have chiefly to do, 'tis from him that we have more to Fear or Hope than from all the World beſides, and therefore it muſt needs be both our Duty and our Intereſt to fly to his Mer⯑cy-Seat, to Humble our ſelves before him, and to make our earneſt Supplication to him, either to Pre⯑ſerve us from ſuch Publick deſolating Calamities, [25]or to prepare us for them. And a general Humili⯑ation, Repentance, and Reformation is one of the moſt hopeful Means of Preſervation from this ter⯑rible Diſtemper, whereby the Wrath of an offen⯑ded God is revealed from Heaven againſt the Ʋn⯑righteouſneſs and Ʋngodlineſs of a guilty World. Yea, if God ſhould ſee fit to ſend it among us, ſuch Repentance and Amendment, joined with a true Faith in the Mediator, would beſt prepare us for it, give us the greateſt Courage and Comfort under it, and the moſt happy Iſſue out of it, and even Death it ſelf would be to us no other than a Paſſage to a bet⯑ter Life.

For the Direction of the curious Reader that de⯑ſires to conſult the Authors themſelves which I have uſed in this Collection, I here ſubjoin a Catalogue of them with the Editions made uſe of by me.

Alexandri Maſſariae Vicentini Practica Medica venetiis. 1622. Fol. Editio quarta.

Petri Foreſti Alcmariani Opera omnia. Rotho⯑magi. 1653. Fol.

Athanaſii Kircheri Scrutinium Phyſico-Medicum Contagioſae Luis, quae Peſtis dicitur. Romae. 1658. Quarto.

Isbrandi de Diemerbroeck Tractatus de Peſte No⯑viomagenſi. Amſtelaedami. 1665. Quarto.

Bernardini Ramazzini Opera. Londini. 1717. Quarto.

Alſtedii Theſaurus Chronologiae. Herbornae Naſſoviorum. 1637. Editio Tertia. Octavo.

[...], ſive Peſtis apud Populum Londinenſem graſſantis Narratio hiſtorica. Authore Nathanaele Hodges. Londini. 1672. Octavo.

An Experimental Diſcourſe of ſome unheeded Cauſes of the Inſalubrity and Salubrity of the the [26]Air. By the the Honourable R. Boyle. London. 1685. Octavo.

Zachariae Hogelii Horologium Hiſtoricum. Lip⯑ſiae. 1704. Editio ſecunda. Octavo.

Thomae Sydenham Opera. Lond. 1705. Editio tertia. Octavo.

Such as deſire to ſee more of the Nature and Cure of the Plague may conſult Burnet's Theſaurus Me⯑dicinae Practicae à Daniele Puerario Auctus in duo⯑bus Tomis. Genevae. 1678. Octavo. In which he has collected the principal Remedies made Uſe of againſt this Diſtemper by the moſt eminent Phyſici⯑ans of the two laſt Ages, ſuch as Foreſtus, Fabri⯑tius Hildanus, Rodericus à Fonſeca, Felix Plate⯑rus, Joannes Crato, Gregorius Horſtius, Ray⯑mundus Mindererus, Helmontius, Mercurialis, Kircher, Diemerbroeck, Hodges, and others. Or they may have Recourſe to Etmullerus, and the Col⯑lections of the Voluminous Manget, in his Bibli⯑otheca Medico-Practica in four large Folio's. His Collections relating to the Plague may be found in the Fourth Volume, printed at Geneva, 1698. who to the Authors already mentioned has added ſome later ones, as Barbette, Sylvius, Willis, &c.

Add to the Preſervatives, that Garden Rue eaten with Bread and Butter, or made up into a Conſerve is much commended againſt the Plague, and if this were added to the Conſerve preſcribed in Page 23. I ſhould think it would be to the Advantage there⯑of. The very Smell of this Herb, tho' ungrateful, is ſaid to be an Antidote.

Candied Elecampane Roots are alſo much praiſed by Diemerbroeck.

To what is obſerved in the Fourth Page from Dr. Mead and Sydenham concerning the Plague's not [27]ſpringing up of its ſelf in this Part of the World, I ſhall beg Leave to add as a Cloſe to this Paper; That altho' it may be true that this Diſtemper ne⯑ver breaks out in theſe Countries unleſs the Semina⯑ry of it be brought to them from ſome infected Place, yet the Diſpoſition of the Air may ſome⯑times be ſuch as to render it more apt than ordinary to receive into it the Poiſonous Fomes, and to pro⯑pagate the ſame, which is what theſe Learned Gen⯑tlemen do expreſly acknowledge. The Uſe which I would make of this Reflection is, that the warm Conſtitution of the Air which has prevailed for the greateſt Part of the preſent Winter, and is general⯑ly thought to be too favourable to the Seeds of this Diſeaſe (whatever they are) ſhould put us upon Doubling our Diligence, in the Uſe of all proper Means to guard againſt the Admiſſion of any Thing from Abroad, that may give the leaſt Suſpicion of its harbouring ſuch a Fatal Miſchief: for ſhould any Thing of this Kind be conveyed to us, it may have the like unhappy Effects with a Little Spark, falling into a great Deal of Dry Tinder, that may quickly diffuſe it ſelf, and break forth into a Flame not eaſy to be extinguiſhed.

In Magnis voluiſſe ſat eſt.