t take care not to increase it. We suppose you can
give us no security against your being chargeable to our parish and to
the inhabitants, any more than you can of being dangerous to us as to
the infection."

"Why, look you," says John, "as to being chargeable to you, we hope we
shall not. If you will relieve us with provisions for our present
necessity, we will be very thankful. As we all lived without charity
when we were at home, so we will oblige ourselves fully to repay you, if
God please to bring us back to our own families and houses in safety,
and to restore health to the people of London.

"As to our dying here, we assure you, if any of us die, we that survive
will bury them, and put you to no expense, except it should be that we
should all die, and then, indeed, the last man, not being able to bury
himself, would put you to that single expense; which I am persuaded,"
says John, "he would leave enough behind him to pay you for the expense
of.

"On the other hand," says John, "if you will shut up all bowels of
compassion, and not relieve us at all, we shall not extort anything by
violence, or steal from any one; but when that little we have is spent,
if we perish for want, God's will be done!"

John wrought so upon the townsmen by talking thus rationally and
smoothly to them, that they went away; and though they did not give any
consent to their staying there, yet they did not molest them, and the
poor people continued there three or four days longer without any
disturbance. In this time they had got some remote acquaintance with a
victualing house on the outskirts of the town, to whom they called at a
distance to bring some little things that they wanted, and which they
caused to be set down at some distance, and always paid for very
honestly.

During this time the younger people of the town came frequently pretty
near them, and would stand and look at them, and would sometimes talk
with them at some space between; and particularly it was observed that
the first sabbath day the poor people kept retired, worshiped God
together, and were heard to sing psalms.

These things, and a quiet, inoffensive behavior, began to get them the
good opinion of the country, and the people began to pity them and speak
very well of them; the consequence of which was, that upon the occasion
of a very wet, rainy night, a certain gentleman who lived in the
neighborhood sent them a little cart with twelve trusses or bundles of