ry fire touched
them, and then running into boats or clambering from one pair of stairs
by the waterside to another. And among other things, the poor pigeons, I
perceive, were loth to leave their houses, but hovered about the windows
and balconies till they burned their wings and fell down. Having staid,
and in an hour's time seen the fire rage every way, and nobody, to my
sight, endeavouring to quench it, I to White Hall, and there up to the
king's closet in the chapel, where people come about me, and I did give
them an account which dismayed them all, and word was carried in to the
king.

So I was called for, and did tell the king and Duke of York what I saw,
and that unless his majesty did command houses to be pulled down,
nothing could stop the fire. They seemed much troubled, and the king
commanded me to go to my lord mayor from him and command him to spare no
houses, but to pull down before the fire every way. Meeting with Captain
Cocke, I in his coach, which he lent me, to Paul's, and there walked
along Watling Street, as well as I could, every creature coming away
loaded with goods to save, and here and there sick people carried away
in beds. At last met my lord mayor in Canning Street, like a man spent.
To the king's message, he cried, like a fainting woman, "Lord! what can
I do? I am spent; people will not obey me. I have been pulling down
houses; but the fire overtakes us faster than we can do it." So I walked
home, seeing people almost all distracted, and no manner of means used
to quench the fire. The houses, too, so very thick thereabouts, and full
of matter for burning, as pitch and tar in Thames Street, and warehouses
of oil and wines and brandy.

Soon as I dined, I away, and walked through the City, the streets full
of people, and horses and carts loaden with goods. To Paul's Wharf,
where I took boat, and saw the fire was now got further, both below and
above bridge, and no likelihood of stopping it. Met with the king and
Duke of York in their barge. Their order was only to pull down houses
apace; but little was or could be done, the fire coming so fast. Having
seen as much as I could, I away to White Hall by appointment, and there
walked to St. James's Park, and there met my wife, and Creed and Wood
and his wife, and walked to my boat; and upon the water again, and to
the fire, still increasing, and the wind great. So near the fire as we
could for smoke, and all over the Thames you were almost burned