alſo: And indeed when Men are once come to a Condition to abandon themſelves, and be unconcern’d for the Safety; or at the Danger of themſelves, it cannot be ſo much wondered that they ſhould be careleſs of the Safety of other People.
But I chooſe to give this grave Debate a quite different turn, and anſwer it or reſolve it all by ſaying, That I do not grant the Fact. On the contrary, I ſay, that the Thing is not really ſo, but that it was a general Complaint rais’d by the People inhabiting the out-lying Villages againſt the Citizens, to juſtify, or at leaſt excuſe thoſe Hardſhips and Severities ſo much talk’d of, and in which Complaints, both Sides may be ſaid to have injur’d one another; that is to ſay, the Citizens preſſing to be received and harbour’d in time of Diſtreſs, and with the Plague upon them, complain of the Cruelty and Injuſtice of the Country People, in being refuſed Entrance,and forc’d back again with their Goods and Families; and the Inhabitants finding themſelves ſo impoſed upon, and the Citizens breaking in as it were upon them whether they would or no, complain, that when they were infected, they were not only regardleſs of others, but even willing to infect them; neither of which were really true, that is to ſay, in the Colours they were deſcrib’d in.
It is true, there is ſomething to be ſaid for the frequent Alarms which were given to the Country, of the reſolution of the People in London to come out by Force, not only for Relief, but to Plunder and Rob, that they ran about the Streets with the Diſtemper upon them without any control; and that no Care was taken to ſhut up Houſes, and confine the ſick People from infecting others; whereas, to do the Londoners Juſtice, they never practifed ſuch things, except in ſuch particular Caſes as I have mention’d above, and ſuch-like. On the other Hand every thing was managed with ſo much Care, and ſuch excellent Order was obſerv’d in the whole City and
