gyman was distracted or not, or whether
he did it out of pure zeal for the poor people, who went every evening
through the streets of Whitechapel, and, with his hands lifted up,
repeated that part of the liturgy of the church continually, "Spare us,
good Lord; spare thy people whom thou hast redeemed with thy most
precious blood." I say I cannot speak positively of these things,
because these were only the dismal objects which represented themselves
to me as I looked through my chamber windows; for I seldom opened the
casements while I confined myself within doors during that most violent
raging of the pestilence, when indeed many began to think, and even to
say, that there would none escape. And indeed I began to think so too,
and therefore kept within doors for about a fortnight, and never stirred
out. But I could not hold it. Besides, there were some people, who,
notwithstanding the danger, did not omit publicly to attend the worship
of God, even in the most dangerous times. And though it is true that a
great many of the clergy did shut up their churches and fled, as other
people did, for the safety of their lives, yet all did not do so. Some
ventured to officiate, and to keep up the assemblies of the people by
constant prayers, and sometimes sermons, or brief exhortations to
repentance and reformation; and this as long as they would hear them.
And dissenters[167] did the like also, and even in the very churches
where the parish ministers were either dead or fled; nor was there any
room for making any difference at such a time as this was.

It pleased God that I was still spared, and very hearty and sound in
health, but very impatient of being pent up within doors without air, as
I had been for fourteen days or thereabouts. And I could not restrain
myself, but I would go and carry a letter for my brother to the
posthouse; then it was, indeed, that I observed a profound silence in
the streets. When I came to the posthouse, as I went to put in my
letter, I saw a man stand in one corner of the yard, and talking to
another at a window; and a third had opened a door belonging to the
office. In the middle of the yard lay a small leather purse, with two
keys hanging at it, with money in it; but nobody would meddle with it. I
asked how long it had lain there. The man at the window said it had
lain almost an hour, but they had not meddled with it, because they did
not know but the person who dropped it might come back to look