t wandered into the country on the Surrey side were
found starved to death in the woods and commons; that country being more
open and more woody than any other part so near London, especially about
Norwood and the parishes of Camberwell, Dulwich,[180] and Lusum, where
it seems nobody durst[181] relieve the poor distressed people for fear
of the infection.

This notion having, as I said, prevailed with the people in that part of
the town, was in part the occasion, as I said before, that they had
recourse to ships for their retreat; and where they did this early and
with prudence, furnishing themselves so with provisions so that they had
no need to go on shore for supplies, or suffer boats to come on board to
bring them,--I say, where they did so, they had certainly the safest
retreat of any people whatsoever. But the distress was such, that people
ran on board in their fright without bread to eat, and some into ships
that had no men on board to remove them farther off, or to take the boat
and go down the river to buy provisions, where it may be done safely;
and these often suffered, and were infected on board as much as on
shore.

As the richer sort got into ships, so the lower rank got into hoys,[182]
smacks, lighters, and fishing boats; and many, especially watermen, lay
in their boats: but those made sad work of it, especially the latter;
for going about for provision, and perhaps to get their subsistence, the
infection got in among them, and made a fearful havoc. Many of the
watermen died alone in their wherries as they rid at their roads, as
well above bridge[183] as below, and were not found sometimes till they
were not in condition for anybody to touch or come near them.

Indeed, the distress of the people at this seafaring end of the town was
very deplorable, and deserved the greatest commiseration. But, alas!
this was a time when every one's private safety lay so near them that
they had no room to pity the distresses of others; for every one had
death, as it were, at his door, and many even in their families, and
knew not what to do, or whither to fly.

This, I say, took away all compassion. Self-preservation, indeed,
appeared here to be the first law: for the children ran away from their
parents as they languished in the utmost distress; and in some places,
though not so frequent as the other, parents did the like to their
children. Nay, some dreadful examples there were, and particularly two
in one week, o