Buttoreturntomytravellers。Heretheywereonlyexamined,andastheyseemedrathercomingfromthecountrythanfromthecity,theyfoundthepeopletheeasierwiththem;thattheytalkedtothem,letthemcomeintoapublic—housewheretheconstableandhiswarderswere,andgavethemdrinkandsomevictualswhichgreatlyrefreshedandencouragedthem;andhereitcameintotheirheadstosay,whentheyshouldbeinquiredofafterwards,notthattheycamefromLondon,butthattheycameoutofEssex。
　　Toforwardthislittlefraud,theyobtainedsomuchfavouroftheconstableatOldFordastogivethemacertificateoftheirpassingfromEssexthroughthatvillage,andthattheyhadnotbeenatLondon;
　　which,thoughfalseinthecommonacceptanceofLondoninthecounty,yetwasliterallytrue,WappingorRatcliffbeingnoparteitherofthecityorliberty。
　　ThiscertificatedirectedtothenextconstablethatwasatHomerton,oneofthehamletsoftheparishofHackney,wassoserviceabletothemthatitprocuredthem,notafreepassagethereonly,butafullcertificateofhealthfromajusticeofthepeace,whoupontheconstable'sapplicationgranteditwithoutmuchdifficulty;andthustheypassedthroughthelongdividedtownofHackney（foritlaytheninseveralseparatedhamlets）,andtravelledontilltheycameintothegreatnorthroadonthetopofStamfordHill。
　　Bythistimetheybegantobeweary,andsointheback—roadfromHackney,alittlebeforeitopenedintothesaidgreatroad,theyresolvedtosetuptheirtentandencampforthefirstnight,whichtheydidaccordingly,withthisaddition,thatfindingabarn,orabuildinglikeabarn,andfirstsearchingaswellastheycouldtobesuretherewasnobodyinit,theysetuptheirtent,withtheheadofitagainstthebarn。Thistheydidalsobecausethewindblewthatnightveryhigh,andtheywerebutyoungatsuchawayoflodging,aswellasatthemanagingtheirtent。
　　Heretheywenttosleep;butthejoiner,agraveandsoberman,andnotpleasedwiththeirlyingatthislooseratethefirstnight,couldnotsleep,andresolved,aftertryingtosleeptonopurpose,thathewouldgetout,and,takingtheguninhishand,standsentinelandguardhiscompanions。Sowiththeguninhishand,hewalkedtoandagainbeforethebarn,forthatstoodinthefieldneartheroad,butwithinthehedge。Hehadnotbeenlonguponthescoutbutheheardanoiseofpeoplecomingon,asifithadbeenagreatnumber,andtheycameon,ashethought,directlytowardsthebarn。Hedidnotpresentlyawakehiscompanions;butinafewminutesmore,theirnoisegrowinglouderandlouder,thebiscuit—bakercalledtohimandaskedhimwhatwasthematter,andquicklystartedouttoo。Theother,beingthelamesailmakerandmostweary,laystillinthetent。
　　Astheyexpected,sothepeoplewhomtheyhadheardcameondirectlytothebarn,whenoneofourtravellerschallenged,likesoldiersupontheguard,with'Whocomesthere？'Thepeopledidnotanswerimmediately,butoneofthemspeakingtoanotherthatwasbehindhim,'AlasIalasIwearealldisappointed,'sayshe。'Herearesomepeoplebeforeus;thebarnistakenup。'
　　Theyallstoppeduponthat,asundersomesurprise,anditseemstherewasaboutthirteenoftheminall,andsomewomenamongthem。
　　Theyconsultedtogetherwhattheyshoulddo,andbytheirdiscourseourtravellerssoonfoundtheywerepoor,distressedpeopletoo,likethemselves,seekingshelterandsafety;andbesides,ourtravellershadnoneedtobeafraidoftheircominguptodisturbthem,forassoonas—
　　theyheardthewords,'Whocomesthere？'thesecouldhearthewomensay,asiffrighted,'Donotgonearthem。Howdoyouknowbuttheymayhavetheplague？'Andwhenoneofthemensaid,'Letusbutspeaktothem',thewomensaid,'No,don'tbyanymeans。WehaveescapedthusfarbythegoodnessofGod;donotletusrunintodangernow,webeseechyou。'
　　Ourtravellersfoundbythisthattheywereagood,sobersortofpeople,andflyingfortheirlives,astheywere;and,astheywereencouragedbyit,soJohnsaidtothejoiner,hiscomrade,'Letusencouragethemtooasmuchaswecan';sohecalledtothem,'Harkye,goodpeople,'saysthejoiner,'wefindbyyourtalkthatyouareflyingfromthesamedreadfulenemyasweare。Donotbeafraidofus;weareonlythreepoormenofus。Ifyouarefreefromthedistemperyoushallnotbehurtbyus。Wearenotinthebarn,butinalittletenthereintheoutside,andwewillremoveforyou;wecansetupourtentagainimmediatelyanywhereelse';anduponthisaparleybeganbetweenthejoiner,whosenamewasRichard,andoneoftheirmen,whosaidhisnamewasFord。
　　Ford。Anddoyouassureusthatyouareallsoundmen？
　　Richard。Nay,weareconcernedtotellyouofit,thatyoumaynotbeuneasyorthinkyourselvesindanger;butyouseewedonotdesireyoushouldputyourselvesintoanydanger,andthereforeItellyouthatwehavenotmadeuseofthebarn,sowewillremovefromit,thatyoumaybesafeandwealso。
　　Ford。Thatisverykindandcharitable;butifwehavereasontobesatisfiedthatyouaresoundandfreefromthevisitation,whyshouldwemakeyouremovenowyouaresettledinyourlodging,and,itmaybe,arelaiddowntorest？Wewillgointothebarn,ifyouplease,torestourselvesawhile,andweneednotdisturbyou。
　　Richard。Well,butyouaremorethanweare。Ihopeyouwillassureusthatyouareallofyousoundtoo,forthedangerisasgreatfromyoutousasfromustoyou。
　　Ford。BlessedbeGodthatsomedoescape,thoughitisbutfew;
　　whatmaybeourportionstillweknownot,buthithertowearepreserved。
　　Richard。Whatpartofthetowndoyoucomefrom？Wastheplaguecometotheplaceswhereyoulived？
　　Ford。Ay,ay,inamostfrightfulandterriblemanner,orelsewehadnotfledawayaswedo;butwebelievetherewillbeveryfewleftalivebehindus。
　　Richard。Whatpartdoyoucomefrom？
　　Ford。WearemostofusofCripplegateparish,onlytwoorthreeofClerkenwellparish,butonthehitherside。
　　Richard。Howthenwasitthatyoucameawaynosooner？
　　Ford。Wehavebeenawaysometime,andkepttogetheraswellaswecouldatthehitherendofIslington,wherewegotleavetolieinanolduninhabitedhouse,andhadsomebeddingandconveniencesofourownthatwebroughtwithus;buttheplagueiscomeupintoIslingtontoo,andahousenextdoortoourpoordwellingwasinfectedandshutup;andwearecomeawayinafright。
　　Richard。Andwhatwayareyougoing？
　　Ford。Asourlotshallcastus;weknownotwhither,butGodwillguidethosethatlookuptoHim。
　　Theyparleyednofurtheratthattime,butcamealluptothebarn,andwithsomedifficultygotintoit。Therewasnothingbuthayinthebarn,butitwasalmostfullofthat,andtheyaccommodatedthemselvesaswellastheycould,andwenttorest;butourtravellersobservedthatbeforetheywenttosleepanancientmanwhoitseemswasfatherofoneofthewomen,wenttoprayerwithallthecompany,recommendingthemselvestotheblessinganddirectionofProvidence,beforetheywenttosleep。
　　Itwassoondayatthattimeoftheyear,andasRichardthejoinerhadkeptguardthefirstpartofthenight,soJohnthesoldierrelievedhim,andhehadthepostinthemorning,andtheybegantobeacquaintedwithoneanother。ItseemswhentheyleftIslingtontheyintendedtohavegonenorth,awaytoHighgate,butwerestoppedatHolloway,andtheretheywouldnotletthempass;sotheycrossedoverthefieldsandhillstotheeastward,andcameoutattheBoardedRiver,andsoavoidingthetowns,theyleftHornseyonthelefthandandNewingtonontherighthand,andcameintothegreatroadaboutStamfordHillonthatside,asthethreetravellershaddoneontheotherside。Andnowtheyhadthoughtsofgoingovertheriverinthemarshes,andmakeforwardstoEppingForest,wheretheyhopedtheyshouldgetleavetorest。Itseemstheywerenotpoor,atleastnotsopoorastobeinwant;atleasttheyhadenoughtosubsistthemmoderatelyfortwoorthreemonths,when,astheysaid,theywereinhopesthecoldweatherwouldchecktheinfection,oratleasttheviolenceofitwouldhavespentitself,andwouldabate,ifitwereonlyforwantofpeopleleftalivetoheinfected。
　　Thiswasmuchthefateofourthreetravellers,onlythattheyseemedtobethebetterfurnishedfortravelling,andhaditintheirviewtogofartheroff;forastothefirst,theydidnotproposetogofartherthanoneday'sjourney,thatsotheymighthaveintelligenceeverytwoorthreedayshowthingswereatLondon。
　　Buthereourtravellersfoundthemselvesunderanunexpectedinconvenience:namelythatoftheirhorse,forbymeansofthehorsetocarrytheirbaggagetheywereobligedtokeepintheroad,whereasthepeopleofthisotherbandwentoverthefieldsorroads,pathornopath,wayornoway,astheypleased;neitherhadtheyanyoccasiontopassthroughanytown,orcomenearanytown,otherthantobuysuchthingsastheywantedfortheirnecessarysubsistence,andinthatindeedtheywereputtomuchdifficulty;ofwhichinitsplace。
　　Butourthreetravellerswereobligedtokeeptheroad,orelsetheymustcommitspoil,anddothecountryagreatdealofdamageinbreakingdownfencesandgatestogooverenclosedfields,whichtheywerelothtodoiftheycouldhelpit。
　　Ourthreetravellers,however,hadagreatmindtojointhemselvestothiscompanyandtaketheirlotwiththem;andaftersomediscoursetheylaidasidetheirfirstdesignwhichlookednorthward,andresolvedtofollowtheotherintoEssex;sointhemorningtheytookuptheirtentandloadedtheirhorse,andawaytheytravelledalltogether。
　　Theyhadsomedifficultyinpassingtheferryattheriver—side,theferrymanbeingafraidofthem;butaftersomeparleyatadistance,theferrymanwascontenttobringhisboattoaplacedistantfromtheusualferry,andleaveitthereforthemtotakeit;soputtingthemselvesover,hedirectedthemtoleavetheboat,andhe,havinganotherboat,saidhewouldfetchitagain,whichitseems,however,hedidnotdoforaboveeightdays。
　　Here,givingtheferrymanmoneybeforehand,theyhadasupplyofvictualsanddrink,whichhebroughtandleftintheboatforthem;butnotwithout,asIsaid,havingreceivedthemoneybeforehand。Butnowourtravellerswereatagreatlossanddifficultyhowtogetthehorseover,theboatbeingsmallandnotfitforit:andatlastcouldnotdoitwithoutunloadingthebaggageandmakinghimswimover。
　　Fromtherivertheytravelledtowardstheforest,butwhentheycametoWalthamstowthepeopleofthattowndeniedtoadmitthem,aswasthecaseeverywhere。Theconstablesandtheirwatchmenkeptthemoffatadistanceandparleyedwiththem。Theygavethesameaccountofthemselvesasbefore,butthesegavenocredittowhattheysaid,givingitforareasonthattwoorthreecompanieshadalreadycomethatwayandmadethelikepretences,butthattheyhadgivenseveralpeoplethedistemperinthetownswheretheyhadpassed;andhadbeenafterwardssohardlyusedbythecountry（thoughwithjustice,too,astheyhaddeserved）thataboutBrentwood,orthatway,severalofthemperishedinthefields—whetheroftheplagueorofmerewantanddistresstheycouldnottell。
　　ThiswasagoodreasonindeedwhythepeopleofWalthamstowshouldbeverycautious,andwhytheyshouldresolvenottoentertainanybodythattheywerenotwellsatisfiedof。But,asRichardthejoinerandoneoftheothermenwhoparleyedwiththemtoldthem,itwasnoreasonwhytheyshouldblockuptheroadsandrefusetoletpeoplepassthroughthetown,andwhoaskednothingofthembuttogothroughthestreet;thatiftheirpeoplewereafraidofthem,theymightgointotheirhousesandshuttheirdoors;theywouldneithershowthemcivilitynorincivility,butgoonabouttheirbusiness。
　　Theconstablesandattendants,nottobepersuadedbyreason,continuedobstinate,andwouldhearkentonothing;sothetwomenthattalkedwiththemwentbacktotheirfellowstoconsultwhatwastobedone。Itwasverydiscouraginginthewhole,andtheyknewnotwhattodoforagoodwhile;butatlastJohnthesoldierandbiscuit—
　　maker,consideringawhile,'Come,'sayshe,'leavetherestoftheparleytome。'Hehadnotappearedyet,sohesetsthejoiner,Richard,toworktocutsomepolesoutofthetreesandshapethemaslikegunsashecould,andinalittletimehehadfiveorsixfairmuskets,whichatadistancewouldnotbeknown;andaboutthepartwherethelockofagunishecausedthemtowrapclothandragssuchastheyhad,assoldiersdoinwetweathertopreservethelocksoftheirpiecesfromrust;therestwasdiscolouredwithclayormud,suchastheycouldget;andallthiswhiletherestofthemsatunderthetreesbyhisdirection,intwoorthreebodies,wheretheymadefiresatagooddistancefromoneanother。
　　Whilethiswasdoingheadvancedhimselfandtwoorthreewithhim,andsetuptheirtentinthelanewithinsightofthebarrierwhichthetown'smenhadmade,andsetasentineljustbyitwiththerealgun,theonlyonetheyhad,andwhowalkedtoandfrowiththegunonhisshoulder,soasthatthepeopleofthetownmightseethem。Also,hetiedthehorsetoagateinthehedgejustby,andgotsomedrystickstogetherandkindledafireontheothersideofthetent,sothatthepeopleofthetowncouldseethefireandthesmoke,butcouldnotseewhattheyweredoingatit。
　　Afterthecountrypeoplehadlookeduponthemveryearnestlyagreatwhile,and,byallthattheycouldsee,couldnotbutsupposethattheywereagreatmanyincompany,theybegantobeuneasy,notfortheirgoingaway,butforstayingwheretheywere;andaboveall,perceivingtheyhadhorsesandarms,fortheyhadseenonehorseandonegunatthetent,andtheyhadseenothersofthemwalkaboutthefieldontheinsideofthehedgebythesideofthelanewiththeirmuskets,astheytookthemtobe,shouldered;Isay,uponsuchasightasthis,youmaybeassuredtheywerealarmedandterriblyfrighted,anditseemstheywenttoajusticeofthepeacetoknowwhattheyshoulddo。WhatthejusticeadvisedthemtoIknownot,buttowardstheeveningtheycalledfromthebarrier,asabove,tothesentinelatthetent。
　　'Whatdoyouwant？'saysJohn。*
　　'Why,whatdoyouintendtodo？'saystheconstable。'Todo,'saysJohn;'whatwouldyouhaveustodo？'Constable。Whydon'tyoubegone？Whatdoyoustaytherefor？
　　John。Whydoyoustopusontheking'shighway,andpretendtorefuseusleavetogoonourway？
　　Constable。Wearenotboundtotellyouourreason,thoughwedidletyouknowitwasbecauseoftheplague。
　　John。Wetoldyouwewereallsoundandfreefromtheplague,whichwewerenotboundtohavesatisfiedyouof,andyetyoupretendtostopusonthehighway。
　　Constable。Wehavearighttostopitup,andourownsafetyobligesustoit。Besides,thisisnottheking'shighway;'tisawayuponsufferance。Youseehereisagate,andifwedoletpeoplepasshere,wemakethempaytoll。
　　John。Wehavearighttoseekourownsafetyaswellasyou,andyoumayseeweareflyingforourlives:and'tisveryunchristianandunjusttostopus。
　　Constable。Youmaygobackfromwhenceyoucame;wedonothinderyoufromthat。
　　John。No;itisastrongerenemythanyouthatkeepsusfromdoingthat,orelseweshouldnothavecomehither。
　　Constable。Well,youmaygoanyotherway,then。
　　John。No,no;Isupposeyouseeweareabletosendyougoing,andallthepeopleofyourparish,andcomethroughyourtownwhenwewill;butsinceyouhavestoppedushere,wearecontent。Youseewehaveencampedhere,andherewewilllive。Wehopeyouwillfurnishuswithvictuals。
　　*ItseemsJohnwasinthetent,buthearingthemcall,hestepsout,andtakingthegunuponhisshoulder,talkedtothemasifhehadbeenthesentinelplacedthereupontheguardbysomeofficerthatwashissuperior。[Footnoteintheoriginal。]
　　Constable。WefurnishyouIWhatmeanyoubythat？
　　John。Why,youwouldnothaveusstarve,wouldyou？Ifyoustopushere,youmustkeepus。
　　Constable。Youwillbeillkeptatourmaintenance。
　　John。Ifyoustintus,weshallmakeourselvesthebetterallowance。
　　Constable。Why,youwillnotpretendtoquarteruponusbyforce,willyou？
　　John。Wehaveofferednoviolencetoyouyet。Whydoyouseemtoobligeustoit？Iamanoldsoldier,andcannotstarve,andifyouthinkthatweshallbeobligedtogobackforwantofprovisions,youaremistaken。
　　Constable。Sinceyouthreatenus,weshalltakecaretobestrongenoughforyou。Ihaveorderstoraisethecountyuponyou。
　　John。Itisyouthatthreaten,notwe。Andsinceyouareformischief,youcannotblameusifwedonotgiveyoutimeforit;weshallbeginourmarchinafewminutes。*
　　Constable。Whatisityoudemandofus？
　　John。Atfirstwedesirednothingofyoubutleavetogothroughthetown;weshouldhaveofferednoinjurytoanyofyou,neitherwouldyouhavehadanyinjuryorlossbyus。Wearenotthieves,butpoorpeopleindistress,andflyingfromthedreadfulplagueinLondon,whichdevoursthousandseveryweek。Wewonderhowyoucouldbesounmerciful！
　　Constable。Self—preservationobligesus。
　　John。What！Toshutupyourcompassioninacaseofsuchdistressasthis？
　　Constable。Well,ifyouwillpassoverthefieldsonyourlefthand,andbehindthatpartofthetown,Iwillendeavourtohavegatesopenedforyou。
　　John。Ourhorsemen**cannotpasswithourbaggagethatway;itdoesnotleadintotheroadthatwewanttogo,andwhyshouldyouforceusoutoftheroad？Besides,youhavekeptushereall*Thisfrightedtheconstableandthepeoplethatwerewithhim,thattheyimmediatelychangedtheirnote。
　　**Theyhadbutonehorseamongthem。[Footnotesintheoriginal。]
　　daywithoutanyprovisionsbutsuchaswebroughtwithus。Ithinkyououghttosendussomeprovisionsforourrelief。
　　Constable。Ifyouwillgoanotherwaywewillsendyousomeprovisions。
　　John。Thatisthewaytohaveallthetownsinthecountystopupthewaysagainstus。
　　Constable。Iftheyallfurnishyouwithfood,whatwillyoubetheworse？Iseeyouhavetents;youwantnolodging。
　　John。Well,whatquantityofprovisionswillyousendus？
　　Constable。Howmanyareyou？
　　John。Nay,wedonotaskenoughforallourcompany;weareinthreecompanies。Ifyouwillsendusbreadfortwentymenandaboutsixorsevenwomenforthreedays,andshowusthewayoverthefieldyouspeakof,wedesirenottoputyourpeopleintoanyfearforus;wewillgooutofourwaytoobligeyou,thoughweareasfreefrominfectionasyouare。*
　　Constable。Andwillyouassureusthatyourotherpeopleshallofferusnonewdisturbance？
　　John。No,noyoumaydependonit。
　　Constable。Youmustobligeyourself,too,thatnoneofyourpeopleshallcomeastepnearerthanwheretheprovisionswesendyoushallbesetdown。
　　John。Ianswerforitwewillnot。
　　Accordinglytheysenttotheplacetwentyloavesofbreadandthreeorfourlargepiecesofgoodbeef,andopenedsomegates,throughwhichtheypassed;butnoneofthemhadcouragesomuchastolookouttoseethemgo,and,asitwasevening,iftheyhadlookedtheycouldnothaveseenthemastoknowhowfewtheywere。
　　ThiswasJohnthesoldier'smanagement。Butthisgavesuchanalarmtothecounty,thathadtheyreallybeentwoorthreehundredthewholecountywouldhavebeenraiseduponthem,and*Herehecalledtooneofhismen,andbadehimorderCaptainRichardandhispeopletomarchthelowerwayonthesideofthemarches,andmeetthemintheforest;whichwasallasham,fortheyhadnoCaptainRichard,oranysuchcompany。[Footnoteintheoriginal。]
　　theywouldhavebeensenttoprison,orperhapsknockedonthehead。
　　Theyweresoonmadesensibleofthis,fortwodaysafterwardstheyfoundseveralpartiesofhorsemenandfootmenalsoabout,inpursuitofthreecompaniesofmen,armed,astheysaid,withmuskets,whowerebrokeoutfromLondonandhadtheplagueuponthem,andthatwerenotonlyspreadingthedistemperamongthepeople,butplunderingthecountry。
　　Astheysawnowtheconsequenceoftheircase,theysoonsawthedangertheywerein;sotheyresolvedbytheadvicealsooftheoldsoldiertodividethemselvesagain。Johnandhistwocomrades,withthehorse,wentaway,asiftowardsWaltham;theotherintwocompanies,butallalittleasunder,andwenttowardsEpping。
　　Thefirstnighttheyencampedallintheforest,andnotfaroffofoneanother,butnotsettingupthetent,lestthatshoulddiscoverthem。Ontheotherhand,Richardwenttoworkwithhisaxeandhishatchet,andcuttingdownbranchesoftrees,hebuiltthreetentsorhovels,inwhichtheyallencampedwithasmuchconvenienceastheycouldexpect。
　　TheprovisionstheyhadatWalthamstowservedthemveryplentifullythisnight;andasforthenext,theyleftittoProvidence。
　　Theyhadfaredsowellwiththeoldsoldier'sconductthattheynowwillinglymadehimtheirleader,andthefirstofhisconductappearedtobeverygood。HetoldthemthattheywerenowataproperdistanceenoughfromLondon;thatastheyneednotbeimmediatelybeholdentothecountryforrelief,sotheyoughttobeascarefulthecountrydidnotinfectthemasthattheydidnotinfectthecountry;thatwhatlittlemoneytheyhad,theymustbeasfrugalofastheycould;thatashewouldnothavethemthinkofofferingthecountryanyviolence,sotheymustendeavourtomakethesenseoftheirconditiongoasfarwiththecountryasitcould。Theyallreferredthemselvestohisdirection,sotheylefttheirthreehousesstanding,andthenextdaywentawaytowardsEpping。Thecaptainalso（forsotheynowcalledhim）,andhistwofellow—travellers,laidasidetheirdesignofgoingtoWaltham,andallwenttogether。
　　WhentheycamenearEppingtheyhalted,choosingoutaproperplaceintheopenforest,notverynearthehighway,butnotfaroutofitonthenorthside,underalittleclusteroflowpollard—trees。Heretheypitchedtheirlittlecamp—whichconsistedofthreelargetentsorhutsmadeofpoleswhichtheircarpenter,andsuchaswerehisassistants,cutdownandfixedinthegroundinacircle,bindingallthesmallendstogetheratthetopandthickeningthesideswithboughsoftreesandbushes,sothattheywerecompletelycloseandwarm。Theyhad,besidesthis,alittletentwherethewomenlaybythemselves,andahuttoputthehorsein。
　　Ithappenedthatthenextday,ornextbutone,wasmarket—dayatEpping,whenCaptainJohnandoneoftheothermenwenttomarketandboughtsomeprovisions;thatistosay,bread,andsomemuttonandbeef;andtwoofthewomenwentseparately,asiftheyhadnotbelongedtotherest,andboughtmore。Johntookthehorsetobringithome,andthesackwhichthecarpentercarriedhistoolsin,toputitin。Thecarpenterwenttoworkandmadethembenchesandstoolstositon,suchasthewoodhecouldgetwouldafford,andakindoftabletodineon。
　　Theyweretakennonoticeoffortwoorthreedays,butafterthatabundanceofpeopleranoutofthetowntolookatthem,andallthecountrywasalarmedaboutthem。Thepeopleatfirstseemedafraidtocomenearthem;and,ontheotherhand,theydesiredthepeopletokeepoff,fortherewasarumourthattheplaguewasatWaltham,andthatithadbeeninEppingtwoorthreedays;soJohncalledouttothemnottocometothem,'for,'sayshe,'weareallwholeandsoundpeoplehere,andwewouldnothaveyoubringtheplagueamongus,norpretendwebroughtitamongyou。'
　　Afterthistheparishofficerscameuptothemandparleyedwiththematadistance,anddesiredtoknowwhotheywere,andbywhatauthoritytheypretendedtofixtheirstandatthatplace。Johnansweredveryfrankly,theywerepoordistressedpeoplefromLondonwho,foreseeingthemiserytheyshouldbereducedtoifplaguespreadintothecity,hadfledoutintimefortheirlives,and,havingnoacquaintanceorrelationstoflyto,hadfirsttakenupatIslington;but,theplaguebeingcomeintothattown,werefledfarther;andastheysupposedthatthepeopleofEppingmighthaverefusedthemcomingintotheirtown,theyhadpitchedtheirtentsthusintheopenfieldandintheforest,beingwillingtobearallthehardshipsofsuchadisconsolatelodgingratherthanhaveanyonethinkorbeafraidthattheyshouldreceiveinjurybythem。
　　AtfirsttheEppingpeopletalkedroughlytothem,andtoldthemtheymustremove;thatthiswasnoplaceforthem;andthattheypretendedtobesoundandwell,butthattheymightbeinfectedwiththeplagueforaughttheyknew,andmightinfectthewholecountry,andtheycouldnotsufferthemthere。
　　Johnarguedverycalmlywiththemagreatwhile,andtoldthemthatLondonwastheplacebywhichthey—thatis,thetownsmenofEppingandallthecountryroundthem—subsisted;towhomtheysoldtheproduceoftheirlands,andoutofwhomtheymadetheirrentoftheirfarms;andtobesocrueltotheinhabitantsofLondon,ortoanyofthosebywhomtheygainedsomuch,wasveryhard,andtheywouldbelothtohaveitrememberedhereafter,andhaveittoldhowbarbarous,howinhospitable,andhowunkindtheyweretothepeopleofLondonwhentheyfledfromthefaceofthemostterribleenemyintheworld;thatitwouldbeenoughtomakethenameofanEppingmanhatefulthroughallthecity,andtohavetherabblestonethemintheverystreetswhenevertheycamesomuchastomarket;thattheywerenotyetsecurefrombeingvisitedthemselves,andthat,asheheard,Walthamwasalready;thattheywouldthinkitveryhardthatwhenanyofthemfledforfearbeforetheyweretouched,theyshouldbedeniedthelibertyoflyingsomuchasintheopenfields。
　　TheEppingmentoldthemagain,thatthey,indeed,saidtheyweresoundandfreefromtheinfection,butthattheyhadnoassuranceofit;
　　andthatitwasreportedthattherehadbeenagreatrabbleofpeopleatWalthamstow,whomadesuchpretencesofbeingsoundastheydid,butthattheythreatenedtoplunderthetownandforcetheirway,whethertheparishofficerswouldorno;thattherewereneartwohundredofthem,andhadarmsandtentslikeLowCountrysoldiers;
　　thattheyextortedprovisionsfromthetown,bythreateningthemwithlivinguponthematfreequarter,showingtheirarms,andtalkinginthelanguageofsoldiers;andthatseveralofthembeinggoneawaytowardRumfordandBrentwood,thecountryhadbeeninfectedbythem,andtheplaguespreadintoboththoselargetowns,sothatthepeopledurstnotgotomarketthereasusual;thatitwasverylikelytheyweresomeofthatparty;andifso,theydeservedtobesenttothecountyjail,andbesecuredtilltheyhadmadesatisfactionforthedamagetheyhaddone,andfortheterrorandfrighttheyhadputthecountryinto。