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 at other times before that they us’d to be; for this is to be ſaid of the People of London, that during the whole time of the Peſtilence, the Churches or Meetings were never wholly ſhut up, nor did the People decline coming out to the public Worſhip of God, except only in ſome Pariſhes when the Violence of the Diſtemper was more particularly in that Pariſh at that time; and even then no longer, than it continued to be ſo.

Indeed nothing was more ſtrange, than to ſee with what Courage the People went to the public Service of God, even at that time when they were afraid to ſtir out of their own Houſes upon any other Occaſion; this I mean before the time of Deſperation, which I have mention’d already; this was a Proof of the exceeding Populouſneſs of the City at the time of the Infection, notwithſtanding the great Numbers that were gone into the Country at the firſt Alarm, and that fled out into the Foreſts and Woods when they were farther terrifyed with the extraordinary Increaſe of it. For when we came to ſee the Crouds and Throngs of People, which appear’d on the Sabbath Days at the Churches, and eſpecially in thoſe parts of the Town where the Plague was abated, or where it was not yet come to its Height, it was amazing. But of this I ſhall ſpeak again preſently; I return in the mean time to the Article of infecting one another at firſt; before People came to right Notions of the Infection, and of infecting one another, People were only ſhye of thoſe that were really ſick, a Man with a Cap upon his Head, or with Cloths round his Neck, which was the Caſe of thoſe that had Swellings there; ſuch was indeed frightful: But when we ſaw a Gentleman dreſs’d, with his Band on and his Gloves in his Hand, his Hat upon his Head, and his Hair comb’d, of ſuch we had not the leaſt Apprehenſions; and People