he utmost contempt, and made the
greatest mockery that was possible for them to do at me, giving me all
the opprobrious, insolent scoffs that they could think of for preaching
to them, as they called it, which indeed grieved me, rather than angered
me; and I went away, blessing God, however, in my mind that I had not
spared them, though they had insulted me so much.

They continued this wretched course three or four days after this,
continually mocking and jeering at all that showed themselves religious
or serious, or that were any way touched with the sense of the terrible
judgement of God upon us; and I was informed they flouted in the same
manner at the good people who, notwithstanding the contagion, met at the
church, fasted, and prayed to God to remove His hand from them.

I say, they continued this dreadful course three or four days--I think
it was no more--when one of them, particularly he who asked the poor
gentleman what he did out of his grave, was struck from Heaven with the
plague, and died in a most deplorable manner; and, in a word, they were
every one of them carried into the great pit which I have mentioned
above, before it was quite filled up, which was not above a fortnight or
thereabout.

These men were guilty of many extravagances, such as one would think
human nature should have trembled at the thoughts of at such a time
of general terror as was then upon us, and particularly scoffing and
mocking at everything which they happened to see that was religious
among the people, especially at their thronging zealously to the
place of public worship to implore mercy from Heaven in such a time of
distress; and this tavern where they held their dub being within view
of the church-door, they had the more particular occasion for their
atheistical profane mirth.

But this began to abate a little with them before the accident which I
have related happened, for the infection increased so violently at this
part of the town now, that people began to be afraid to come to the
church; at least such numbers did not resort thither as was usual. Many
of the clergymen likewise were dead, and others gone into the country;
for it really required a steady courage and a strong faith for a man not
only to venture being in town at such a time as this, but likewise to
venture to come to church and perform the office of a minister to
a congregation, of whom he had reason to believe many of them were
actually infected with the