He did not presently awake his Companions, but in a few Minutes more their Noise growing louder and louder, the Biscuit-Baker call’d to him and ask’d him what was the Matter, and quickly started out too: The other being the Lame Sail-maker and most weary, lay still in the Tent.

As they expected, so the People who they had heard, came on directly to the Barn, when one of our Travellers challenged, like Soldiers upon the Guard, with Who comes there? The People did not Answer immediately, but one of them speaking to another that was behind him, Alas! Alas! we are all disappointed, says he, here are some People before us, the Barn is taken up.

They all stopp’d upon that as under some Surprize, and it seems there was about Thirteen of them in all, and some Women among them: They consulted together what they should do, and by their Discourse our Travellers soon found they were poor distress’d People too like themselves, seeking Shelter and Safety; and besides, our Travellers had no need to be afraid of their coming up to disturb them; for as soon as they heard the Words, Who comes there, these could hear the Women say, as if frighted, Do not go near them, how do you know but they may have the Plague? And when one of the Men said, Let us but speak to them; the Women said, No, don’t by any means, we have escaped thus far by the Goodness of God, do not let us run into Danger now, we beseech you.

Our Travellers found by this that they were a good sober sort of People and flying for their Lives as they were; and, as they were encourag’d by it, so John said to the Joyner his Comrade, Let us Encourage them too as much as we can: So he called to them, Hark ye good People says the Joyner, we find by your Talk, that you are fleeing from the same dreadful Enemy as we are, do not be afraid of us, we are only three poor Men of us, if you are free from the Distemper you shall not be hurt by us; we are not in the Barn, but in a little Tent here in the outside, and we will remove for you, we can set up our Tent again immediately any where else; and upon this a Parly began between the Joyner, whose Name was Richard, and one of their Men, who said his Name was Ford.

Ford. And do you assure us that you are all Sound Men.

Rich. Nay, we are concern’d to tell you of it, that you may not be uneasy, or think your selves in Danger; but you see we do not desire you should put your selves into any Danger; and therefore I tell you, that as we have not made use of the Barn, so we will remove from it, that you may be Safe and we also.

Ford. That is very kind and charitable; But, if we have Reason to be satisfied that you are Sound and free from the Visitation, why should we make you remove now you are settled in your Lodging, and it may be are laid down to Rest? we will go into the Barn if you please, to rest our selves a while, and we need not disturb you.

Rich. Well, but you are more than we are, I hope you will assure us that you are all of you Sound too, for the Danger is as great from you to us, as from us to you.

Ford. Blessed be God that some do escape tho’ it is but few; what may be our Portion still we know not, but hitherto we are preserved.

Rich. What part of the Town do you come from? Was the Plague come to the Places where you liv’d?

Ford. Ay ay, in a most frightful and terrible manner, or else we had not fled away as we do; but we believe there will be very few left alive behind us.

Rich. What Part do you come from?

Ford. We are most of us of Cripplegate Parish, only two or three of Clerkenwell Parish, but on the hither side.

Rich. How then was it that you came away no sooner?

Ford. We have been away some time, and kept together as well as we could at the hither End of Islington, where we got leave to lie in an old uninhabited House, and had some Bedding and Conveniences of our own that we brought with us, but the Plague is come up into Islington too, and a House next Door to our poor Dwelling was Infected and shut up, and we are come away in a Fright.

Rich. And what Way are you going?

Ford. As our Lott shall cast us, we know not whither, but God will Guide those that look up to him.

They parlied no further at that time, but came all up to the Barn, and with some Difficulty got into it: There was nothing but Hay in the Barn, but it was almost full of that, and they accommodated themselves as well as they cou’d, and went to Rest; but our Travellers observ’d, that before they went to Sleep, an antient Man, who it seems was Father of one of the Women, went to Prayer with all the Company, recommending themselves to the Blessing and Direction of Providence, before they went to Sleep.

It was soon Day at that time of the Year; and as Richard the Joyner had kept Guard the first part of the Night, so John the Soldier Reliev’d him, and he had the Post in the Morning, and they began to be acquainted with one another. It seems, when they left Islington, they intended to have gone North away to Highgate, but were stop’d at Holloway, and there they would not let them pass; so they cross’d over the Fields and Hills to the Eastward, and came out at the Boarded-River,* and so avoiding the Towns, they left Hornsey on the left Hand, and Newington on the right Hand, and came into the great Road about Stamford-Hill on that side, as the three Travellers had done on the other side: And now they had Thoughts of going over the River in the Marshes, and make forwards to Epping Forest, where they hoped they should get leave to Rest. It seems they were not Poor, at least not so Poor as to be in Want; at least they had enough to subsist them moderately for two or three Months, when, as they said, they were in Hopes the cold Weather would check the Infection, or at least the Violence of it would have spent itself, and would abate, if it were only for want of People left alive to be Infected.

This was much the Fate of our three Travellers; only that they seemed to be the better furnish’d for Travelling, and had it in their View to go further off; for as to the first, they did not propose to go farther than one Day’s Journey, that so they might have Intelligence every two or three Days how Things were at London.

But here our Travellers found themselves under an unexpected Inconvenience namely, that of their Horse, for by means of the Horse to carry their Baggage, they were obliged to keep in the Road, whereas the People of this other Band went over the Fields or Roads, Path or no Path, Way, or no Way, as they pleased; neither had they any Occasion to pass thro’ any Town, or come near any Town, other than to buy such Things as they wanted for their necessary Subsistence, and in that indeed they were put to much Difficulty: Of which in its Place.

But our three Travellers were oblig’d to keep the Road, or else they must commit Spoil and do the Country a great deal of Damage in breaking down Fences and Gates, to go over enclosed Fields, which they were loth to do if they could help it.

Our three Travellers however had a great Mind to join themselves to this Company, and take their Lot with them; and after some Discourse, they laid aside their first Design which look’d Northward, and resolv’d to follow the other into Essex; so in the Morning they took up their Tent and loaded their Horse, and away they travelled all together.

They had some Difficulty in passing the Ferry at the River side, the Ferry-Man being afraid of them; but after some Parly at a Distance, the Ferry-Man was content to bring his Boat to a Place distant from the usual Ferry, and leave it there for them to take it; so putting themselves over, he directed them to leave the Boat, and he having another Boat, said he would fetch it again, which it seems however he did not do for above Eight Days.

Here giving the Ferry-Man Money before-hand, they had a supply of Victuals and Drink, which he brought and left in the Boat for them, but not without, as I said, having receiv’d the Money before-hand. But now our Travellers were at a great Loss and Difficulty how to get the Horse over, the Boat being small and not fit for it, and at last cou’d not do it without unloading the Baggage, and making him swim over.

From the River they travelled towards the Forest, but when they came to Walthamstow the People of that Town denied to admit them, as was the Case every where: The Constables and their Watchmen kept them off at a Distance, and Parly’d with them; they gave the same Account of themselves as before, but these gave no Credit to what they said, giving it for a Reason that two or three Companies had already come that Way and made the like Pretences, but that they had given several People the Distemper in the Towns where they had pass’d, and had been afterwards so hardly us’d by the Country, tho’ with Justice too, as they had deserv’d; that about Brent-Wood or that Way, several of them Perish’d in the Fields, whether of the Plague, or of mere Want and Distress, they could not tell.

This was a good Reason indeed why the People of Walthamstow shou’d be very cautious, and why they shou’d resolve not to entertain any Body that they were not well satisfied of. But as Richard the Joyner, and one of the other Men who parly’d with them told them, it was no Reason why they should block up the Roads, and refuse to let People pass thro’ the Town, and who ask’d nothing of them, but to go through the Street: That if their People were afraid of them, they might go into their Houses and shut their Doors, they would neither show them Civility nor Incivility, but go on about their Business.

The Constables and Attendants, not to be perswaded by Reason, continued Obstinate, and wou’d hearken to nothing; so the two Men that talk’d with them went back to their Fellows, to consult what was to be done: It was very discouraging in the whole, and they knew not what to do for a good while: But at last John the Soldier and Biscuit-Baker considering a-while, Come, says he, leave the rest of the Parly to me; he had not appeared yet, so he sets the Joyner Richard to Work to cut some Poles out of the Trees, and shape them as like Guns as he could, and in a little time he had five or six fair Muskets, which at a Distance would not be known; and about the Part where the Lock of a Gun is he caused them to wrap Cloths and Rags, such as they had, as Soldiers do in wet Weather, to preserve the Locks of their Pieces from Rust, the rest was discolour’d with Clay or Mud, such as they could get; and all this while the rest of them sat under the Trees by his Direction, in two or three Bodies, where they made Fires at a good Distance from one another.

While this was doing, he advanc’d himself and two or three with him, and set up their Tent in the Lane within sight of the Barrier which the Town’s Men had made, and set a Centinel just by it with the real Gun, the only one they had, and who walked to and fro with the Gun on his Shoulder, so as that the People of the Town might see them; also he ty’d the Horse to a Gate in the Hedge just by, and got some dry Sticks together and kindled a Fire on the other side of the Tent, so that the People of the Town cou’d see the Fire and the Smoak, but cou’d not see what they were doing at it.

After the Country People had look’d upon them very earnestly a great while, and by all that they could see, cou’d not but suppose that they were a great many in Company, they began to be uneasie, not for their going away, but for staying where they were; and above all perceiving they had Horses and Arms, for they had seen one Horse and one Gun at the Tent, and they had seen others of them walk about the Field on the inside of the Hedge, by the side of the Lane with their Muskets, as they took them to be, Shoulder’d: I say, upon such a Sight as this, you may be assured they were Alarm’d and terribly Frighted; and it seems they went to a Justice of the Peace to know what they should do; what the Justice advis’d them to I know not, but towards Evening they call’d from the Barrier, as above, to the Centinel at the Tent.

What do ye want? says John1

Why, what do ye intend to do? says the Constable.

To do, says John, What wou’d you have us to do?

Const. Why don’t you be gone? what do you stay there for?

John. Why do you stop us on the King’s Highway,* and pretend to refuse us Leave to go on our Way?

Const. We are not bound to tell you our Reason, though we did let you know, it was because of the Plague.

John. We told you we were all sound, and free from the Plague, which we were not bound to have satisfied you of, and yet you pretend to stop us on the Highway.

Const. We have a Right to stop it up, and our own Safety obliges us to it; besides this is not the King’s Highway, ’tis a Way upon Sufferance; you see here is a Gate, and if we do let People pass here, we make them pay Toll.

John. We have a Right to seek our own Safety as well as you, and you may see we are flying for our Lives, and ’tis very unchristian and unjust to stop us.

Const. You may go back from whence you came; we do not hinder you from that.

John. No, it is a stronger Enemy than you that keeps us from doing that; or else we should not ha’ come hither.

Const. Well, you may go any other way then.

John. No, no: I suppose you see we are able to send you going, and all the People of your Parish, and come thro’ your Town, when we will; but since you have stopt us here, we are content; you see, we have encamp’d here, and here we will live: we hope you will furnish us with Victuals.

Const. We furnish you! What mean you by that?

John. Why you would not have us Starve, would you? If you stop us here, you must keep us.

Const.