E-text prepared by Steven Gibbs, Linda Cantoni,
and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team
()
Transcriber's note:
This e-book, a pamphlet by Gideon Harvey, was originallypublished in 1769, and was prepared from a reprint in The Novels andMiscellaneous Works of Daniel De Foe, vol. 5 (London: Henry G. Bohn,1855), in which it complemented a reprint of Defoe's A Journal of thePlague Year.
Archaic spellings have been retained as they appear inthe original, and obvious printer's errors have been corrected withoutnote.
No sooner was the plague so abated in London that the inhabitantsbegan to return to their habitations, than a most dreadful fire brokeout in the city, and raged as if it had commission to devoureverything that was in its way. On the second of September, 1666, thisdismal fire broke out at a baker's shop in Pudding-lane byFish-street, in the lower part of the city, near Thames-street, (amongrotten wooden houses ready to take fire, and full of combustiblegoods) in Billingsgate-ward; which ward in a few hours was laid inashes. It began in the dead of the night, and the darkness very muchincreased the confusion and horror of the surprising calamity: when ithad made havoc of some houses, it rushed down the hill towards thebridge; crossed Thames-street, invaded St. Magnus church at the bridgefoot, and though that church was so great, yet it was not a sufficientbarricado against this merciless conqueror; but having scaled andtaken this fort, it shot flames with so much the greater advantageinto all places round about, and a great building of houses upon thebridge is quickly thrown down to the ground; there, being stayed inits course at the bridge, the fire marched back through the cityagain, and ran along, with great noise and violence, throughThames-street, westward, where, having such combustible matter to feedon, and such a fierce wind upon its back, it prevailed with littleresistance, unto the astonishment of the beholders. The fire is soontaken notice of, though in the midst of the night: Fire! Fire! Fire!doth resound through the streets; many start out of their sleep, lookout of their windows; some dress themselves, and run to the place. Thecitizens affrighted and amazed, delayed the use of timely remedies;and what added to the misfortune, was, the people neglecting theirhouses, and being so fatally set on the hasty removing of their goods,which were, notwithstanding, devoured by the nimble increase of theflames. A raging east wind fomented it to an incredible degree, and ina moment raised the fire from the bottoms to the tops of the houses,and scattered prodigious flakes in all places, which were mounted sovastly high in the air, as if heaven and earth were threatened withthe same conflagration. The fury soon became insuperable against thearts of men and power of engines; and beside the dismal scenes offlames, ruin and desolation, there appeared the most killing sight inthe distracted looks of the citizens, the wailings of miserable women,the cries of poor children, and decripid old people; with all themarks of confusion and despair. No man that had the sense of humanmiseries could unconcernedly behold the dismal ravage and de