Orders conceived and published by the Lord Major and aldermen of the city of London, concerning the infection of the plague

Orders concerning infected Houses, and Persons sick of the Plague.

Notice to be given of the Sickness.

THE Master of every House, as soon as any one in his House complaineth, either of Botch, or Purple, or Swelling in any part of his body, or falleth otherwise dangerously sick, with∣out apparent cause of some other Disease, shall give knowledge thereof to the Examiner of Health within two hours after the said sign shall appear.

Sequestration of the Sick.

AS soon as any man shall be found by this Examiner, Chirurgion or Searcher to be sick of the Plague, he shall the same night be sequestred in the same house.

And in case he be so sequestred, then though he after∣wards die not, the House wherein he sickned shall be shut up for a Moneth, after the use of due Preservatives taken by the rest.

Airing the Stuff.

FOR sequestration of the goods and stuff of the infe∣cted, their Bedding, and Apparel, and Hangings of Chambers, must be well aired with fire, and such per∣fumes as are requisite within the infected House, before they be taken again to use: this to be done by the ap∣pointment of the Examiner.

Shutting up of the House.

IF any person shall have visited any man, known to be Infected of the Plague, or entred willingly into any known Infected House, being not allowed: the House wherein he inhabiteth, shall be shut up for certain daies by the Examiners direction.

None to be removed out of Infected Houses, but, &c.

ITem, that none be removed out of the House where he falleth sick of the Infection, into any other House in the City, (except it be to the Pest-house or a Tent, or unto some such House, which the owner of the said visited House holdeth in his own hands, and occupieth

by his own servants) and so as security be given to the Parish whither such remove is made, that the attendance and charge about the said visited persons shall be obser∣ved and charged in all the particularities before expres∣sed, without any cost of that Parish, to which any such remove shall happen to be made, and this remove to be done by night: And it shall be lawful to any person that hath two Houses, to remove either his sound or his infected people to his spare House at his choice, so as if he send away first his found, he may not after send thi∣ther the sick, nor again unto the sick the sound. And that the same which he sendeth, be for one week at the least shut up and secluded from company for fear of some infection, at the first not appearing.

Burial of the dead.

THat the Burial of the dead by this Visitation be at most convenient hours, alwaies either before Sun∣rising, or after Sun-setting, with the privity of the Churchwardens or Constables, and not otherwise; and that no Neighbours nor Friends be suffered to accom∣pany the Coarse to Church, or to enter the house visi∣ted, upon pain of having his house shut up, or be im∣prisoned.

And that no Corps dying of Infection shall be buried or remain in any Church in time of Common-Prayer, Sermon, or Lecture. And that no children be suffered at time of burial of any Corps in any Church, Church∣yard, or Burying-place to come near the Corps, Coffin, or Grave. And that all the Graves shall be at least six foot deep.

And further, all publick Assemblies at other Burials are to be forborn during the continuance of this Visita∣tion.

No infected Stuff to be uttered.

THat no Clothes, Stuff, Bedding or Garments be suffered to be carried or conveyed out of any infe∣cted Houses, and that the Criers and Carriers abroad of Bedding or old Apparel to be sold or pawned, be ut∣terly prohibited and restrained, and no Brokers of Bed∣ding or old Apparel be permitted to make any outward Shew, or hang forth on their Stalls, Shopboards or Win∣dows toward any Street, Lane, Common-way or Pas∣sage, any old Bedding or Apparel to be sold, upon pain of Imprisonment. And if any Broker or other person shall buy any Bedding, Apparel, or other Stuff out of any Infected house, within two Moneths after the Infe∣ction hath been there, his house shall be shut up as Infe∣cted, and so shall continue shut up twenty daies at the least.

No person to be conveyed out of any infected House.

IF any person visited do fortune, by negligent looking unto, or by any other means, to come, or be convey∣ed from a place infected, to any other place, the Parish from whence such Party hath come or been conveyed, upon notice thereof given, shall at their charge cause the said party so visited and escaped, to be carried and brought back again by night, and the parties in this case offending, to be punished at the direction of the

Alderman of the Ward; and the house of the receiver of such visited person to be shut up for twenty daies.

Every visited house to be marked.

THat every House visited, be marked with a Red Cross of a foot long, in the middle of the door, evident to be seen, and with these usual Printed words, that is to say, Lord have mercy upon us, to be set close over the same Cross, there to continue until lawful ope∣ning of the same House.

Every visited House to be watched.

THat the Constables see every house shut up, and to be attended with Watchmen, which may keep them in, and minister necessaries unto them at their own charges (if they be able,) or at the common charge if they be unable: the shutting up to be for the space of four Weeks after all be whole.

That precise order be taken that the Searchers, Chi∣rurgions, Keepers and Buriers are not to pass the streets without holding a red Rod or Wand of three foot in length in their hands, open and evident to be seen, and are not to goe into any other house then into their own, or into that whereunto they are directed or sent for, but to forbear and abstain from company, especially when they have been lately used in any such business or atten∣dance.

Inmates.

THat where several Inmates are in one and the same house, and any person in that house happen to be infected; no other person or family of such house shall be suffered to remove him or themselves without a Cer∣tificate from the Examiners of Health of that Parish; or in default thereof, the house whither he or they so re∣move, shall be shut up as in case of Visitation.

Hackney Coaches.

THat care be taken of Hackney Coachmen, that they may not (as some of them have been observed to doe) after carrying of infected persons to the Pesthouse, and other places, be admitted to common use, till their Coaches be well aired, and have stood unimployed by the space of five or six daies after such service.