e up,
a little surprised, not knowing what the matter was; but he bid them
sit still, he only came to take his leave of them. They asked him, 'Why,
Mr--, where are you going?' 'Going,' says he; 'I have got the sickness,
and shall die tomorrow night.' 'Tis easy to believe, though not to
describe, the consternation they were all in. The women and the man's
daughters, which were but little girls, were frighted almost to death
and got up, one running out at one door and one at another, some
downstairs and some upstairs, and getting together as well as they
could, locked themselves into their chambers and screamed out at the
window for help, as if they had been frighted out of their wits. The
master, more composed than they, though both frighted and provoked, was
going to lay hands on him and throw him downstairs, being in a passion;
but then, considering a little the condition of the man and the danger
of touching him, horror seized his mind, and he stood still like one
astonished. The poor distempered man all this while, being as well
diseased in his brain as in his body, stood still like one amazed. At
length he turns round: 'Ay!' says he, with all the seeming calmness
imaginable, 'is it so with you all? Are you all disturbed at me? Why,
then I'll e'en go home and die there.' And so he goes immediately
downstairs. The servant that had let him in goes down after him with a
candle, but was afraid to go past him and open the door, so he stood on
the stairs to see what he would do. The man went and opened the door,
and went out and flung the door after him. It was some while before the
family recovered the fright, but as no ill consequence attended, they
have had occasion since to speak of it (You may be sure) with great
satisfaction. Though the man was gone, it was some time--nay, as I
heard, some days before they recovered themselves of the hurry they were
in; nor did they go up and down the house with any assurance till they
had burnt a great variety of fumes and perfumes in all the rooms, and
made a great many smokes of pitch, of gunpowder, and of sulphur, all
separately shifted, and washed their clothes, and the like. As to the
poor man, whether he lived or died I don't remember.

It is most certain that, if by the shutting up of houses the sick bad
not been confined, multitudes who in the height of their fever were
delirious and distracted would have been continually running up and down
the streets; and even as it was a