The Plague at Marseilles Consider'd - Richard Bradley (korean ebook reader .txt) 📗
- Author: Richard Bradley
- Performer: -
Book online «The Plague at Marseilles Consider'd - Richard Bradley (korean ebook reader .txt) 📗». Author Richard Bradley
‘The Cathedral Church, call’d Notre Dame la Majeure, whereof S. Lazarus is Patron, is very Solemn. It was formerly a Temple dedicated to Venus, or to Diana of Ephesus. Its Form is Irregular; but it was not thought proper to add or diminish any thing. There remain several large Columns, on which stood the Idol. The Treasure of this Church is very Rich. Here you see the Head of S. Lazarus, that of S. Connat, a Foot of S. Victor, and many other Relicks. Near the Cathedral, is a Chappel built upon the Spot where (the Marseillians tell you) S. Mary Magdalen preached the Gospel to the Idolaters, as they came out of the Temple.
‘Notre Dame des Acoules is also a fine large Church, which was formerly a Temple sacred to the Goddess Pallas. In that of S. Martin, which is Collegiate and Parochial, is preserv’d a Silver Image of the blessed Virgin, five Foot and half high, the Crown and Ornaments whereof are very rich. The Church of S. Saviour, now belonging to a Nunnery, was anciently a Temple of Apollo. All these Places are so many Proofs of the Antiquity of Marseilles, as well as two other Temples near the Port, with two Towers, viz. that of S. John, which is a Commandry of the Knights of Malta, and that of S. Nicolas.
‘The Abby of S. Victor, of the Order of S. Benedict, is situate at the Foot of the Citadel. It resembles a Castle, being encompass’d with Walls, and set off with Towers. At the Front of the Church are these Words address’d to S. Victor,
Massiliam verè Victor civesque tuere.
‘In a Chappel on one side of the Epistle, you see the Head of that Saint, in a Shrine of Silver guilt, finely wrought, which was given by Pope Urban V. whose Tomb is on one side of the Choir; there are many other Relicks in this Church. You then descend a large Stair-Case into the Church under Ground, where the Chappels visited by the Curious, are full of Holy Bodies. There they shew you the Tomb of S. Eusebius, and those of forty five Virgins who disfigur’d themselves to terrifie the Vandals who put them to Death. Here also you see St. Andrew’s Cross entire, the Branches whereof are seven Foot long and eight Inches Diameter. In one of these subterraneous Chappels is a little Grotto, wherein S. Mary Magdalen (they tell you,) upon her Landing at Marseilles began to do Pennance. They add, that she Inhabited it six or Seven Years: Her Statue likewise is represented, lying at the entrance of this Grotto. There is also a rich Chappel of our Lady, wherein no Women are permitted to enter. This Order was made, upon the Vulgar Notion, of a Queen’s being struck Blind, who had the Temerity to venture into it.
‘In Marseilles you observe likewise the Monasteries and Churches of the Carthusians, the Monks of St. Anthony, the Trinitarians, Jacobins, Augustins, Barefooted Augustins, Carmelites, Barefooted Carmelites, Cordeliers, Observantins, Servites, Minims, Capuchins, Recollects, de la Mercy, Feuillans, Jesuites, Fathers of the Oratory, and of the Mission. There are also Benedictine Nuns, Dominicans, Nuns of S. Clare, Capuchins, Carmelites, Bernardines, Urselins, Nuns of the Visitation of Mercy, and of the good Shepherd or Repentance; and a Commandry of Malta.
‘The Citadel of Marseilles is near the Port, extending its Fortifications to the Entrance of the same; and yet it commands the Town. The Key which lines this side of the Harbour, from Fort S. Nicolas to the Arsenal, is about fifteen hundred Paces long, and is adorned with handsome Ware-Houses and Dwelling-Houses: Here is the great Hospital for Sick Slaves, which was formerly the Arsenal before the New one was built. Six large Pavilions, as many main Houses, and a great square Place big enough to build several Galleys at a time in, form the Design of it. In this Place are two large Basons, as long and as deep as a Galley, in each of which, when a Galley is ready to launch, they open a small Sluice which kept up the Sea Water.
‘This great Building makes one entire Front of the Port, three hundred Paces in Length; the Harbour of Marseilles, is thirteen hundred Paces long, and the Circumference about three Thousand four hundred and fifty Paces. The Streets of the old Town are long, but narrow; and those of the New are spacious, and well Built. The chief, is that they call le Cours, which is near forty Paces broad, in the middle of which is a Walk, planted with four Rows of young Elms, which, with the Keys, are the Places of publick Resort.
‘The Town-House which they call La Loge, is situate upon the Key over against the Galleys. Below is a large Hall, which serves the Merchants and Sea-faring Men for an Exchange; and above Stairs the Consuls, Town-Councellors, and others concerned in the Civil Administration have their Meeting. The most valuable Piece in this Building, is the City Arms in the Front, Carved by the famous Puget.
‘Marseilles seems still to retain somewhat of the ancient Government, of its four Courts, being divided into four Quarters, viz. S. John, Cavaillon, Corps de ville and Blancaire; each of which hath its Governors and other Officers. The Porte Royalle is well Adorned, having on one side the Figure of S. Lazarus, and on the other, that of S. Victor. And in the middle is a Busto of Lewis XIV. with this Inscription over it, Sub cujus imperio summa libertas.
‘The Town is encompass’d by good Walls, and a Tetragon which commands a Part of it, is the best of the two Citadels, and within Cannon Shot of a Fort call’d Notre Dame de la Garde, whither the Inhabitants frequently go to pay their private Devotion, and from whence they discover Ships at Sea at a great Distance. This Fort is built on the top of a Mountain, upon the Ruins of an ancient Temple of Venus, called Ephesium.
The Country about this City is low and open for two Miles, agreeably adorn’d with Villas, Vineyards, and Gardens of Fig-Trees, and Orange-Trees, with plenty of Water from a good Spring, which being divided into several Branches serves to furnish the City.
As to the Inhabitants, they are for the most part Poor and uncleanly, and chiefly Eaters of Fruit, Herbs, and Roots with such like meagre Fare, nor do they take any Pains to clean the Streets where the meaner Sort have their Habitation. Their Bread is very coarse and high priz’d; and perhaps what has principally contributed to the Progress of the Plague among them, was the great Numbers of those which Lodged together in the same House, as I shall explain hereafter; when I have examin’d the State of London, when it suffer’d by the Plague in the Year 1665.
London, at the time of the Plague, 1665 was, perhaps, as much crouded with People as I suppose Marseilles to have been when the Plague begun; the Streets of London were, in the time of the Pestilence, very narrow, and, as I am inform’d, unpaved for the most part; the Houses by continu’d Jetts one Story above another, made them almost meet at the Garrets, so that the Air within the Streets was pent up, and had not a due Freedom of Passage, to purifie it self as it ought; the Food of the People was then much less invigorating than in these Days; Foreign Drugs were but little in Use, and even Canary Wine was the highest Cordial the People would venture upon; for Brandy, some Spices, and hot spirituous Liquors were then not in Fashion; and at that time Sea-Coal was hardly in Use, but their firing was of Wood; and, for the most part, Chestnut, which was then the chief Furniture of the Woods about London, and in such Quantity, that the greatest Efforts were made by the Proprietors, to prevent the Importation of Newcastle-Coal, which they represented as an unwholsome Firing, but, I suppose, principally, because it would hinder the Sale of their Wood; for the generality of Men were (I imagine) as they are now, more for their own Interest than for the common Good.
The Year 1665 was the last that we can say the Plague raged in London, which might happen from the Destruction of the City by Fire, the following Year 1666, and besides the Destroying the Eggs, or Seeds, of those poisonous Animals, that were then in the stagnating Air, might likewise purifie that Air in such a Manner, as to make it unfit for the Nurishment of others of the same Kind, which were swimming or driving in the Circumambient Air: And again, the Care that was taken to enlarge the Streets at their Rebuilding, and the keeping them clean after they were rebuilt, might greatly contribute to preserve the Town from Pestilence ever since.
But it was not only in the Year 1665 that the Plague raged in London, we have Accounts in the Bills of Mortality, of that dreadful Distemper in the Years 1592, 1603, 1625, 1630 and 1636, in which Years we may observe how many died Weekly of the Plague, and Remark how much more that Distemper raged in the hot Months, than in the others, and serve at the same time as a Memorandum to the Curious.
A TABLE, Shewing how many Died Weekly, as well of all Diseases, as of the Plague, in the Years 1592, 1603, 1625, 1630, 1636; and the Year 1665.
Buried of all Diseases in the Year 1592.
Total Pla. March 17 230 3 March 24 351 31 March 31 219 29 April 7 307 27 April 14 203 33 April 21 290 37 April 28 310 41 May 5 350 29 May 12 339 38 May 19 300 42 May 26 450 58 June 2 410 62 June 9 441 81 June 16 399 99 June 23 401 108 June 30 850 118 July 7 1440 927 July 14 1510 893 July 21 1491 258 July 28 1507 852 August 4 1503 983 August 11 1550 797 August 18 1532 651 August 25 1508 449 Septemb. 1 1490 507 Septemb. 8 1210 563 Septem. 15 621 451 Septem. 22 629 349 Septem. 29 450 330 October 6 408 327 October 13 522 323 October 20 330 308 October 27 320 302 Novemb. 3 310 301 Novem. 10 309 209 Novem. 17 301 107 Novem. 24 321 93 Decemb. 1 349 94 Decemb. 8 331 86 Decem. 15 329 71 Decem. 22 386 39 ———— The Total of all that have been buried is, 25886 Whereof of the Plague, 11503
Buried of all Diseases in the Year 1603.
Total Pla. March 17 108 3 24 60 2 31 78 6 April 7 66 4 14 79 4 21 98 8 28 109 10 May 5 90 11 12 112 18 19 122 22 26 122 32 June 2 114 30 9 131 43 15 144 59 23 182 72 30 267 158 July 7 445 263 14 612 424 The OutParishes
this Week
were joined
with the City. 21 1186 917 28 1728 1396 August 4 2256 1922 11 2077 1745 18 3054 2713 25 2853 2539 Septemb. 1 3385 3035 8 3078 2724 15 3129 2818 22 2456 2195 29 1961 1732 October 6 1831 1641 13 1312 1149 20 766 642
Comments (0)