A Journal of the Plague Year, Daniel Defoe [best novels to read for beginners txt] 📗

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, shouldered; I say, upon such a sight as this, you may be assured they were alarmed and terribly frighted, and it seems they went to a justice of the peace to know what they should do. What the justice advised them to I know not, but towards the evening they called from the barrier, as above, to the sentinel at the tent.

“What do you want?” says John.1

“Why, what do you intend to do?” says the constable.

“To do,” says John; “what would you have us to do?”

Constable

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?

Constable

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.

Constable

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.

Constable

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 have come hither.

Constable

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 through your town when we will; but since you have stopped us here, we are content. You see we have encamped here, and here we will live. We hope you will furnish us with victuals.

Constable

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.

Constable

You will be ill kept at our maintenance.

John

If you stint us, we shall make ourselves the better allowance.

Constable

Why, you will not pretend to quarter upon us by force, will you?

John

We have offered no violence to you yet. Why do you seem to oblige us to it? I am an old soldier, and cannot starve, and if you think that we shall be obliged to go back for want of provisions, you are mistaken.

Constable

Since you threaten us, we shall take care to be strong enough for you. I have orders to raise the county upon you.

John

It is you that threaten, not we. And since you are for mischief, you cannot blame us if we do not give you time for it; we shall begin our march in a few minutes.2

Constable

What is it you demand of us?

John

At first we desired nothing of you but leave to go through the town; we should have offered no injury to any of you, neither would you have had any injury or loss by us. We are not thieves, but poor people in distress, and flying from the dreadful plague in London, which devours thousands every week. We wonder how you could be so unmerciful!

Constable

Self-preservation obliges us.

John

What! To shut up your compassion in a case of such distress as this?

Constable

Well, if you will pass over the fields on your left hand, and behind that part of the town, I will endeavour to have gates opened for you.

John

Our horsemen3 cannot pass with our baggage that way; it does not lead into the road that we want to go, and why should you force us out of the road? Besides, you have kept us here all day without any provisions but such as we brought with us. I think you ought to send us some provisions for our relief.

Constable

If you will go another way we will send you some provisions.

John

That is the way to have all the towns in the county stop up the ways against us.

Constable

If they all furnish you with food, what will you be the worse? I see you have tents; you want no lodging.

John

Well, what quantity of provisions will you send us?

Constable

How many are you?

John

Nay, we do not ask enough for all our company; we are in three companies. If you will send us bread for twenty men and about six or seven women for three days, and show us the way over the field you speak of, we desire not to put your people into any fear for us; we will go out of our way to oblige you, though we are as free from infection as you are.4

Constable

And will you assure us that your other people shall offer us no new disturbance?

John

No, no you may depend on it.

Constable

You must oblige yourself, too, that none of your people shall come a step nearer than where the provisions we send you shall be set down.

John

I answer for it we will not.

Accordingly they sent to the place twenty loaves of bread and three or four large pieces of good beef, and opened some gates, through which they passed; but none of them had courage so much as to look out to see them go, and, as it was evening, if they had looked they could not have seen them as to know how few they were.

This was John the soldier’s management. But this gave