Some more notes I made while reading Daniel Defoe's novel A Journal of the Plague Year and tomorrow I’ll wrap it up. By now, people are probably curious how long did it take and how the whole thing with the plague ended.
Best medicine against the plague
Upon the foot of all these observations, I must say, that though Providence seemed to direct my conduct to be otherwise; yet, it is my opinion, and I must leave it as a prescription, viz., that the best physic against the plague is to run away from it. I know people encourage themselves by saying, "God is able to keep us in the midst of danger, and able to overtake us when we think ourselves out of danger;" and this kept thousands in the town, whose carcasses went into the great pita by cart-loads; and who, if they had fled from the danger, had, I believe, been safe from the disaster; at least, 'tis probable they had been safe.
On trade, importing, exporting goods
As to foreign trade, there needs little to be said; the trading nations of Europe were all afraid of us, and no port of France, or Holland, or Spain, or Italy, would admit our ships or correspond with us : indeed we stood on ill terms with the Dutch, and were in a furious war with them, though but in a bad condition to fight abroad, who had such dreadful enemies to struggle with at home. Our merchants accordingly were at a full stop, their ships could go nowhere, that is to say, to no place abroad; their manufactures and merchandise, that is to say, of our growth, would not be touched abroad : they were as much afraid of our goods as they were of our people ; and indeed they had reason, for our woolen manufactures are as retentive of infection as human bodies, and, if packed up by persons infected, would receive the infection, and be as dangerous to touch as a man would be that was infected ; and, therefore, when any English vessel arrived in foreign countries, if they did take the goods on shore, they always caused the bales to be n opened and aired in places appointed for that purpose.
But these extravagant reports were very prejudicial to our trade, as well as unjust and injurious in themselves ; for it was a long time after the plague was quite over, before our trade could recover itself in those parts of the world ; and the Flemings and Dutch, but especially the last, made very great advantages from having all the market to themselves, and even buying our manufactures in the several parts of England where the plague was not, and carrying them to Holland, and Flanders, and from thence transporting them to Spain and to Italy, as if they had been of their own making.
On disinfecting stuff
Others said, — they granted that heat in the climate might propagate infection, as sultry hot weather fills the air with vermin, and nourishes innumerable numbers and kinds of venomous creatures, which breed in our food, in the plants, and even in our bodies, by the very stench of which, infection may be propagated; also, that heat in the air, or heat of weather, as we ordinarily call it, makes bodies relax and faint, exhausts the spirits, opens the pores, and makes us more apt to receive infection, or any evil influence, be it from noxious pestilential vapors, or any other thing in the air ; — but that the heat of fire, and especially of coal fires, kept in our houses, or near us, had a quite different operation, the heat being not of the same kind, but quick and fierce, tending not to nourish, but to consume and dissipate all those noxious fumes, which the other kind of heat rather exhaled, and stagnated, than separated, and burnt up : besides, it was alleged, that the sulphurous and nitrous particles, that are often found to be in the coal, with that bituminous substance which burns, are all assistant to clear and purge the air, and render it wholesome and safe to breathe in, after the noxious particles (as above) are dispersed and burnt up.
