France

Hoc gemit Italiae populus tot mortibus impar;
Hoc exhausta viris defectaque Gallia plorat;
Hoc aliae, quocunque iacent sub sydere, gentes.

The people of Italy groan at this, too weak for so many deaths. France, drained of men and worn out, weeps at it, and so do other nations, under whatever star they lie.

Anno Domini mcccxlviii percussa est gens Franciae et quasi totius mundi, et hoc alio modo quam per bellum. Nam sicut fames, ut dictum est in principio, et bella, ut dictum est in processu hujus narrationis, affuerant, ita pestilentiae et tribulationes in diversis mundi partibus iterum acciderunt.

In the year of our Lord 1348 the people of France, and of almost the whole world, were struck down, and not by war. Famine had come, as I said at the beginning, and wars, as I told as this account went on. Now pestilences and troubles came again in many parts of the world.

Unde eodem anno mcccxlviii in mense augusti, visa fuit quaedam stella supra Parisius, versus partem occidentalem, magna et clara valde, post horam vesperam, adhuc lucente sole et tendente ad occasum; et haec erat non multum longe, sicut sunt caeterae, a nostro hemisphaerio elevata, imo videbatur propinqua satis. Et factum est ut, sole occidente et nocte appropinquante, dicta stella, me et multis aliis fratribus eam aspicientibus, non videbatur de uno loco se movere. Tandem nocte jam veniente, nobis videntibus et multum admirantibus, dicta stella valde grossa in plures et diversos radios est dispersa; quae radios fere Parisius et versus orientem projiciens, totaliter disparuit, et ex integro annullata fuit. Unde an fuerit una cometa, vel alia, aut ex aliquibus exhalationibus formata, et tandem in vaporibus resoluta, astronomorum judicio derelinquo. Possibile tamen est quod ipsa fuit praesagium pestilentiae futurae admirandae, quae satis cito, ut dicam, Parisius et per totam Franciam sicut alibi secuta est.

In August of that same year, 1348, a star was seen over Paris, toward the west. It was very large and bright. It appeared after vespers, while the sun was still shining and going down. It did not seem set high above our part of the sky, as the other stars are, but seemed quite close. As the sun set and night came on, I and many other friars watched it, and it did not seem to move from its place. At last, when night had come, while we watched in great wonder, this very large star broke up into many separate rays. It cast its rays out over Paris and toward the east, then vanished completely and was gone. Was it a comet, or something else? Was it formed from exhalations and finally dissolved into vapors? I leave that to the judgment of astronomers. Still, it may have been a sign of the astonishing pestilence that soon followed, as I will tell, in Paris and all over France, as it did elsewhere.

Sed, proh dolor! ex hujus renovatione saeculi non est mundus propter hoc in melius commutatus. Nam homines fuerunt postea magis avari et tenaces, cum multo plura bona quam antea possiderent; magis etiam cupidi et per lites, brigas et rixas atque per placita seipsos conturbantes. Nec per hujusmodi terribilem mortis pestem a Deo inflictam fuit pax inter reges et dominos reformata; quinimo inimici regis Franciae ac etiam Ecclesiae, fortiores et pejores quam ante, per mare et per terram guerras suscitaverunt, et mala ampliora ubique pullularunt. Et quod iterum mirabile fuit, nam cum omnis abundantia omnium bonorum esset, cuncta tamen cariora in duplo fuerunt, tam de rebus utensilibus quam de victualibus, ac etiam de mercimoniis et mercenariis, et agricolis et servis; exceptis aliquibus haereditatibus et domibus quae superfluae remanserant his diebus. Charitas etiam ab illo tempore refrigescere coepit valde, et iniquitas abundavit cum ignorantia et peccatis; nam pauci inveniebantur qui scirent aut vellent in domibus, villis et castris informare pueros in grammaticalibus rudimentis.

But alas! The world was not changed for the better by this renewal of the age. Afterward people were more greedy and grasping, though they owned far more goods than before. They were also more covetous, and they troubled themselves with lawsuits, brawls, quarrels, and pleas in court. Nor did this terrible plague of death, sent by God, bring peace among kings and lords. Instead the enemies of the king of France and of the Church, stronger and worse than before, stirred up wars by sea and by land, and greater evils sprang up everywhere. And here is another wonder. Though there was plenty of every good thing, everything cost twice as much. This was true of tools and household goods and of food, and also of merchandise, hired workers, farmhands, and servants. The exceptions were some inheritances and houses, which were left over in plenty in those days. From that time on, charity also began to grow very cold, and wickedness abounded, with ignorance and sin. For few could be found in houses, towns, and castles who knew how, or were willing, to teach children the basics of grammar.

Notre Capitaine voyant la pitié et maladie ainsi esmeue, fit mettre le monde en prières et oraisons, et fit porter une Image et remembrance de la Vierge Marie contre un arbre, distant de notre Fort d'un traict d'arc, le travers les neiges et glaces, et ordonna que le Dimanche ensuivant l'on diroit au dit lieu la Messe, et que tous ceux qui pourroient cheminer tant sains que malades, iroient à la procession, chantans les sept Psaulmes de David, avec la Litanie, en priant la dite Vierge qu'il luy plust prier son Cher Enfant qu'il eust pitié de nous : et la Messe dite et chantée devant la dite Image, se fit le Capitaine Pélerin à Nostre Dame, qui se fait de prier à Rocquemadou ; promettant y aller, si Dieu luy donnoit grace de retourner en France. Celuy jour trépassa Philippe Rougemont, natif d'Amboise, de l'âge d'environ vingt ans.

Our captain saw our misery and how the sickness had spread, and he set everyone to praying. He had an image of the Virgin Mary taken over the snow and ice and set against a tree, a bowshot from our fort. He ordered that Mass be said there on the following Sunday. All who could walk, sick or well, were to go in the procession and sing the seven Psalms of David with the Litany. They were to pray the Virgin to ask her dear Child to have pity on us. After the Mass was said and sung before the image, our captain made a vow. If God gave him the grace to return to France, he would go as a pilgrim to Our Lady, who is prayed to at Rocquemadou. That day Philippe Rougemont died, a native of Amboise, about twenty years old.

Et pour couvrir la dite maladie lorsqu'ils venoient près de notre Fort, notre Capitaine, que Dieu a toujours préservé debout, sortoit au devant d'eux avecque deux ou trois hommes tant sains, que malades, lesquels il faisoit sortir après luy; et lorsqu'il les voyoit hors du parc, faisoit semblant de les vouloir battre, et criant, et leur jettant bâtons après eux, les envoyant à bord, montrant par signes ès dits Sauvages qu'il faisoit bésogner ses gens dedans les Navires : les uns à gallifester, les autres à faire du pain et autres besognes, et qu'il n'estoit pas bon qu'ils vinssent chomer dehors : ce qu'ils croyoient. Et faisoit le dit Capitaine battre et mener bruit ès dits malades dedans les Navires avec bâtons et cailloux, feignans gallifester: Et pour lors estions si épris de la die maladie, qu'avions quasi perdus l'espérance de jamais retourner en France, si Dieu par sa bonté infinie et miséricorde ne nous eust regardé en pitié, et donné connoissance d'un remède contre toutes maladies, le plus excellent qui fut jamais vu ni trouvé sur la terre, ainsi que nous dirons dans le chapitre suivant.

The people of the country came near our fort, and we had to hide the sickness from them. So our captain, whom God always kept on his feet, went out to meet them. He took two or three men with him, some well and some sick, and had them follow him out. Once they were outside the enclosure, he pretended he wanted to beat them. He shouted and threw sticks after them and sent them back on board. He showed the Savages by signs that he kept his men working inside the ships. Some were calking and others making bread or doing other jobs, and it was no good for them to come idling outside. And they believed it. The captain also had the sick men inside the ships bang and make noise with sticks and stones, pretending to calk. By then we were so stricken by the sickness that we had nearly given up hope of ever seeing France again. But God in his endless goodness and mercy looked on us with pity. He let us learn of a remedy against all sicknesses, the most excellent ever seen or found on earth, as we will tell in the next chapter.

To the office, where Sir W. Batten, Colonel Slingsby, and I sat awhile, and Sir R. Ford coming to us about some business, we talked together of the interest of this kingdom to have a peace with Spain and a war with France and Holland; where Sir R. Ford talked like a man of great reason and experience. And afterwards I did send for a cup of tee (a China drink) of which I never had drank before, and went away.

To the office, where Sir W. Batten, Colonel Slingsby, and I sat awhile. And Sir R. Ford coming to us about some business, we talked together of its being in this kingdom’s interest to have peace with Spain and war with France and Holland, and Sir R. Ford talked like a man of great reason and experience. And afterwards I sent for a cup of tea (a China drink), which I had never drunk before, and went away.

Those dreadful stories you have heard of the Plague, have very little foundation in truth. I own, I have much ado to reconcile myself to the sound of a word, which has always given me such terrible ideas; though I am convinced there is little more in it, than in a fever. As a proof of this, let me tell you, that we passed through two or three towns most violently infected. In the very next house where we lay, (in one of those places) two persons died of it. Luckily for me, I was so well received, that I knew nothing of the matter; and I was made believe, that our second cook, had only a great cold. However we left our doctor to take care of him, and yesterday they both arrived here in good health; and I am now let into the secret, that he has had the Plague. There are many that escape it, neither is the air ever infected. I am persuaded that it would be as easy a matter to root it out here, as out of Italy and France; but it does so little mischief, they are not very solicitous about it, and are content to suffer this distemper, instead of our variety, which they are utterly unacquainted with.

Those dreadful stories you have heard of the plague have very little foundation in truth. I own I have much ado to reconcile myself to the sound of a word which has always given me such terrible ideas, though I am convinced there is little more in it than in a fever. As a proof of this, let me tell you that we passed through two or three towns most violently infected. In the very next house where we lay (in one of those places) two persons died of it. Luckily for me, I was so well received that I knew nothing of the matter, and I was made believe that our second cook had only a great cold. However, we left our doctor to take care of him, and yesterday they both arrived here in good health. And I am now let into the secret that he has had the plague. There are many that escape it; neither is the air ever infected. I am persuaded that it would be as easy a matter to root it out here as out of Italy and France. But it does so little mischief, they are not very solicitous about it, and are content to suffer this distemper instead of our variety, which they are utterly unacquainted with.

139. — L'adoption des restaurateurs, qui de France a fait le tour de l'Europe, est d'un avantage extrême pour tous les citoyens, et d'une grande importance pour la science.

Restaurants have spread from France all over Europe. They are a great benefit to every citizen and of great importance for the science [of gastronomy].

I had scarcely become settled in Philadelphia when in July, 1793, the yellow fever broke out, and, spreading rapidly in August, obliged all the citizens who could remove to seek safety in the country. My father took his family to Bristol on the Delaware, and in the last of August I followed him. Having engaged in commerce, and having a ship at the wharf loading for Liverpool, I was compelled to return to the city on the 8th of September, and spend the 9th there. My business took me down to the Swedes' church and up Front street to Walnut street wharf, where I had my counting-house. Everything looked gloomy, and forty-five deaths were reported for the 9th. In the afternoon, when I was about returning to the country, I passed by the lodgings of the Vicomte de Noailles, who had fled from the Revolutionists of France. He was standing at the door, and calling to me, asked me what I was doing in town. "Fly," said he, "as soon as you can, for pestilence is all around us." And yet it was nothing then to what it became three or four weeks later, when from the first to the twelfth of October one thousand persons died. On the twelfth a smart frost came and checked its ravages.

I had scarcely become settled in Philadelphia when, in July 1793, the yellow fever broke out, and, spreading rapidly in August, obliged all the citizens who could remove to seek safety in the country. My father took his family to Bristol on the Delaware, and in the last of August I followed him. Having engaged in commerce, and having a ship at the wharf loading for Liverpool, I was compelled to return to the city on the 8th of September, and spend the 9th there. My business took me down to the Swedes’ Church and up Front Street to Walnut Street wharf, where I had my countinghouse. Everything looked gloomy, and forty-five deaths were reported for the 9th. In the afternoon, when I was about returning to the country, I passed by the lodgings of the vicomte de Noailles, who had fled from the revolutionists of France. He was standing at the door, and calling to me, asked me what I was doing in town. “Fly,” said he, “as soon as you can, for pestilence is all around us.” And yet it was nothing then to what it became three or four weeks later, when from the first to the twelfth of October one thousand persons died. On the twelfth a smart frost came and checked its ravages.