A PLAGUE ORDER (1593).
Since the Great Plague of 1665 there has been no similar outbreak in this country, but before that year plagues were of comparatively frequent occurrence. Despite the enormous loss of life which these pestilences caused, no effective measures were taken to prevent their recurrence. Although the outbreaks were by no means confined to the towns, they appear invariably to have commenced there, and the blame was usually attached to immigrants, or to the importation of infected foreign goods. The conditions in the towns, particularly London, were so utterly insanitary that infectious diseases were positively encouraged, and the annals of London contain periodical accounts of disastrous visitations such as the one described by Stow as occurring in 1603. The early literature concerning the Plague is not very illuminating, and we get very few details as to treatment. The chief points of the regulations which were issued on the occasionof every serious outbreak appear to be isolation of infected persons and special attention to sanitation. These measures, of course, are exactly those which are adopted at the present day; but it seems that, excellent though the regulations themselves might be, they were very imperfectly enforced, and we are almost entirely in the dark as to the treatment accorded to the sufferers and the remedies, if any, which were found to prove at all effective.
(a) 1593. Orders to be sett downe by the Lord Mayor and Aldermen of London for taking awaie such enormities as be meanes not only to continue but increase the plague and disorders of the Citie; being taken out of the proclamations set out by the Citie and the articles sett downe for providing for the poor and setting them to work.
1. To give charge to Churchwardens, Constables, Parish Clerks and Bedells to enquire what houses be infected.
2. To visit the ward often to see orders observed, especially touching cleanness in the streets.
3. The Aldermen or their deputies in their own persons to appoint Surveyors monthly in every parishe.
4. To appoint that certificate may be made to them what houses be infected.
5. To give charge to all teachers of children that (as nere as they can) they permit no children to come to their scoles from infected houses, especiallie till such houses have bene clere by the space of 28 daies, and that none kepe a greater number than their Roomes shall be thought fit by the Aldermen or their deputies to conteyne.
1. To see the orders for the sick executed daylie and diligentlie, upon knowledge from the Aldermen what houses be infected.
2. To appoint purveyours of necessaries for infected houses (being of the same houses), and deliver them reed rods to carry, and see that none other resort to their houses.
1. To bring every daie notice in writing to the Aldermen or their deputies what houses be infected.
1. To provyde to have in readiness women to be providers and deliverers of necessaries to infected houses, and to attend the infected persons, and they to bear reed wandes, so that the sicke maie be kept from the whole, as nere as maie be, nedefull attendance weighed.
1. To inquire what houses be infected.
2. To view dailie that papers remaine upon doors xxviii daies or to place newe.
1. To understand what houses be infected.
2. To see bills set upon the doors of houses infected.
3. To suffer no corpses infected to be buried or remain in the churche during prayer or sermon, and to keep children from coming nere them.
1. To see the streets made cleane every daie saving Sunday and the soile to be carried away.
2. To warn all inhabitants, against their houses to keep channels clere from fylth (by only turning it aside) that the water maie have passage.
1. To kyll dogs, etc., or to lose his place.
1. Houses having some sicke though none die, or from whence some sicke have bene removed, are infected houses, and such are to be shut up for a month.
2. The whole familie to tarry in xxviii days.
3. To keep shut the lower rooms for the like space.
4. One licensed to go for provision, etc.
5. No clothes hanged into the streets.
6. Such as have wells or pumpes, every morning by six and every evening after eight a clocke, shall cause ten bucketts full to run into the streets.
7. Every evening at that hour the streets and channels to be made cleane, the water not swept out of the channell, nor the streets overwett but sprinkled, etc.
8. The houses infected and things in them to be aired in the xxviii days and no clothes or things about the infected persons to be given awaie or sold, but either destroyed or sufficientlie purified.
9. Owners of houses infected with their familie, may within the month depart to any their houses in the countrye, or to any other house in the Cyttye without being shut up, so that they abstain from returning to the Cyttye, or from going abroad out of house in the Cyttye, for a month.
10. None shall keep dogg or bitche abroad unled nor within howling or disturbing of their neighbours.
11. To have no assembly at funeral dynners or usual meeting in houses infected.
12. None shall for a month come into infected houses but such as be of the house and licensed to do service abroad.
13. No donghills out of stables, Bearhouses or other places to be made in the strete.
14. To have double time of Restraint for consenting to pull down bills, and the taker awaie to suffer imprisonement for viii days.
Shall be appointed and sworne.
These viewers to report to the Constable, he to the Clarke, and he to the chief of Clarkes, all upon pain of imprisonment.
A pain of standing on the pillory for false reports by the viewers. A loss of pension to such as shall refuse.
That diligent care be had, that pavements be amended where nede is, and that principall paviers be appointed to survey the wants of paving, especiallie in Channels, and that the dwellers against such may be forced to amend them.
If the increase of the sicknes be feared, that Interludes and plaies be restrained within the libertyes of the Cyttye.
That skilful and learned physicions and surgeons may be provided to minister to the sicke.
1. That all such as be diseased be sent to St. Thomas or St. Bartylmewes hospitall, there to be first cured and made cleane, and afterwards those which be not of the Cyttye to be sent awaie according to the statute in that case provided, and the other to be sett to worke, in such as are least used by the Inhabitants of the Cyttye, for the avoyding of all such vagrant persons as well as children male and female, soldiers lame and maymed, as other idle and loytering persons that swarme in the streets and wander up and downe begging to the great daunger and infecting of the Cyttye for th' increase of the plague and annoyance to the same.
2. That all maisterless men who live idlie in the Cyttye without any lawfull calling, frequenting places of common assemblies, as Interludes, gaming houses, cockpitts, bowling allies, and such other places, may be banished the Cyttye according to the laws in that case provyded.
(b) In the former year, 1603, the plague of pestilence being great in Ostend, and divers other parties of the Low countries, and many soldiers returning thence into England, and many ships of war lying long at Sea became also infected, who in their return, brought that contagion into divers parts of this land, chiefly into the City of London: by reason whereof many citizens, and other inhabitants thereof, for their better safety went into most shires of this kingdom, where in divers places they were kindly entertained, and entreated, and in many places most unchristianly, and despitefully reviled, and not suffered to have relief, neither for love, nor money, saying God must needs plague you, for your monstrous wickedness etc. many died in high-ways, fields and barns, near unto good towns, and villages, where too many of them were let remain too long unburied, but God whose mercy is above all his works, stayed his visitation in London, to the honour of his own name, and admiration of all men.
The City of London, the year ensuing viz. 1604, was cleared of all infection, and the other cities of this kingdom, most villages, and towns corporate, more extremely visited, and some by proclamation prohibited from coming to London: and it was Christianly observed in the year 1604, in the which it pleased Almighty God to visit the whole land with pestilence (London only excepted) that all those places were least, or not at all visited, which the year before had relieved the distressed. There died in London, and the liberties thereof, from the 23rd of December 1602, unto the 22nd of December 1603, of all diseases, 38,244, whereof of the plague, 30,578: the next March following, against the time the King should ride in triumph through London, to behold the state and beauty thereof besides the Clergy, Nobility, and chief gentry, of every country, and great numbers of strangers from beyond seas, there repaired thither such great multitudes of people from all places, as the like in London was never seen until that day, all which notwithstanding, there died that year of all diseases within London, and the liberties of London but 4,263.