Boats at Night; and in this manner, as I have heard, the River-ſides were lin’d with Boats and People as long as they had any thing to ſubſiſt on, or cou’d get any thing of the Country; and indeed the Country People, as well Gentlemen as others, on theſe and all other Occaſions, were very forward to relieve them, but they were by no means willing to receive them into their Towns and Houſes, and for that we cannot blame them.
There was one unhappy Citizen, within my Knowledge, who had been Viſited in a dreadful manner, ſo that his Wife and all his Children were Dead, and himſelf and two Servants only left, with an elderly Woman a near Relation, who had nurs'd thoſe that were dead as well as ſhe could: This diſconſolate Man goes to a Village near the Town, tho’ not within the Bills of Mortality, and finding an empty Houſe there, enquires out the Owner, and took the Houſe: After a few Days he got a Cart and loaded it with Goods, and carries them down to the Houſe; the People of the Village oppos’d his driving the Cart along, but with ſome Arguings, and ſome Force, the Men that drove the Cart along, got through the Street up to the Door of the Houſe, there the Conſtable reſiſted him again, and would not let them be brought in. The Man caus’d the Goods to be unloaden and lay’d at the Door, and ſent the Cart away; upon which they carry’d the Man before a Juſtice of Peace; that is to ſay, they commanded him to go, which he did. The Juſtice order’d him to cauſe the Cart to fetch away the Goods again, which he refuſed to do; upon which the Juſtice order’d the Conſtable to purſue the Carters and fetch them back, and make them re-load the Goods and carry them away, or to ſet them in the Stocks till they came for farther Orders; and if they could not find them, nor the Man would not conſent to take them away, they ſhould cauſe them
