Another infected person came and knocked at the door of a citizen’s house where they knew him very well; the servant let him in, and being told the master of the house was above, he ran up and came into the room to them as the whole family was at supper.  They began to rise up, a little surprised, not knowing what the matter was; but he bid them sit still, he only came to take his leave of them.  They asked him, ’Why, Mr—­, where are you going?’ ‘Going,’ says he; ’I have got the sickness, and shall die tomorrow night.’  ’Tis easy to believe, though not to describe, the consternation they were all in.  The women and the man’s daughters, which were but little girls, were frighted almost to death and got up, one running out at one door and one at another, some downstairs and some upstairs, and getting together as well as they could, locked themselves into their chambers and screamed out at the window for help, as if they had been frighted out of their wits.  The master, more composed than they, though both frighted and provoked, was going to lay hands on him and throw him downstairs, being in a passion; but then, considering a little the condition of the man and the danger of touching him, horror seized his mind, and he stood still like one astonished.  The poor distempered man all this while, being as well diseased in his brain as in his body, stood still like one amazed.  At length he turns round:  ‘Ay!’ says he, with all the seeming calmness imaginable, ’is it so with you all?  Are you all disturbed at me?  Why, then I’ll e’en go home and die there.’  And so he goes immediately downstairs.  The servant that had let him in goes down after him with a candle, but was afraid to go past him and open the door, so he stood on the stairs to see what he would do.  The man went and opened the door, and went out and flung the door after him.  It was some while before the family recovered the fright, but as no ill consequence attended, they have had occasion since to speak of it (You may be sure) with great satisfaction.  Though the man was gone, it was some time—­nay, as I heard, some days before they recovered themselves of the hurry they were in; nor did they go up and down the house with any assurance till they had burnt a great variety of fumes and perfumes in all the rooms, and made a great many smokes of pitch, of gunpowder, and of sulphur, all separately shifted, and washed their clothes, and the like.  As to the poor man, whether he lived or died I don’t remember.

It is most certain that, if by the shutting up of houses the sick bad not been confined, multitudes who in the height of their fever were delirious and distracted would have been continually running up and down the streets; and even as it was a very great number did so, and offered all sorts of violence to those they met, even just as a mad dog runs on and bites at every one he meets; nor can I doubt but that, should one of those infected, diseased creatures have bitten any man or woman while the frenzy of the distemper was upon them, they, I mean the person so wounded, would as certainly have been incurably infected as one that was sick before, and had the tokens upon him.