Page:A Journal of the Plague Year (1722).djvu/85

 Truth was, the People of the Houſe knowing him, had entertain'd him, and kept him there all the Night, notwithſtanding the Danger of being infected, by him, tho' it appear'd the Man was perfectly found in himſelf.

It is with Regret, that I take Notice of this Tavern; the People were civil, mannerly, and an obliging Sort of Folks enough, and had till this Time kept their Houſe open, and their Trade going on, tho' not ſo very publickly as formerly; but there was a dreadful Set of Fellows that uſed their Houfe, and who in the middle of all this Horror met there every Night, behaved with all the Revelling and roaring extravagances, as is uſual for ſuch People to do at other Times, and indeed to ſuch an offenſive Degree, that the very Maſter and Miſtreſs of the Houſe grew firſt aſham'd and then terrify'd at them.

They ſat generally, in a Room next the Street, and as they always kept late Hours, ſo when the Dead-Cart came croſs the Street End to go into Hounds-ditch, which was in View of the Tavern Windows; they would frequently open the Windows as ſoon as they heard the Bell, and look out at them; and as they might often hear ſad Lamentations of People in the Streets, or at their Windows, as the Carts went along, they would make their inpudent Mocks and Jeers at them, eſpecially if they heard the poor People call upon God to have Mercy upon them, as many would do at thoſe Times in their ordinary paſſing along the Streets.

Theſe Gentlemen being ſomething diſturb'd with the Clutter of bringing the poor Gentleman into the Houſe, as above, were firſt angry, and very high with the Maſter of the Houſe, for ſuffering ſuch a Fellow, as they call'd him, to be brought out of the Grave into their Houſe; but being anſwered, that the Man was a Neighbour, and that