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Christopher Wren made a strict order against any profanation of 

 the sacred building. Another favourite haunt was the garden of 

 Gray's Inn, where the choicest society was to be met ; and we are 

 told that Mrs. Pepys went on one occasion specially to observe 

 the fashions of the ladies, because she was then " making some 

 clothes." 



London had been ravaged by plague on many former occasions, 

 but the pestilence which began in December, 1664, will ever live 

 in history as the Plague of London. On the 7th of June, 1665, 

 Pepys for the first time saw two or three houses marked with the 

 red cross, and the words "Lord have mercy upon us" on the door. 

 The deaths daily increased, and business was stopped. Grass 

 grew in the area of the Royal Exchange at Whitehall, and in the 

 principal streets of the city. On the 4th September he writes from 

 Woolwich : " I have stayed in the city till above 7400 died in one 

 week, and of them about 6000 of the plague, and little noise heard 

 day or night but tolling of bells." 



The plague was scarce stayed before the city was in flames — a 

 calamity of the first magnitude, but one which in the end caused 

 much good, as the seeds of disease were destroyed. The fire 

 broke out at one a.m., on 2nd September, 1666, at a house in 

 Pudding Lane, and ended at Pie Corner. A strong east wind 

 helped the flames, which raged all Monday and great part of Tues- 

 day. The wind fell on Tuesday night, and the flames slackened on 

 Wednesday. On Thursday it was extinguished, but broke out 

 again that night at the Temple. Houses were blown up with 

 gunpowder, and the fire finally mastered. Interesting details are 

 given by Pepys in his Diary, which time will not allow of my 

 quoting here ; but the river swarmed with vessels with persons 

 carrying away their goods, and many fled to Hampstead and 

 Highgate, though Moorfields was the chief resort of the houseless 

 Londoner. Within a few days of the fire, three several plans were 

 presented to the King for the rebuilding of the city. Wren pro- 

 posed to build thoroughfares north, south, east and west; to insulate 

 all churches in conspicuous positions, to form the most public 

 places into large piazzas, to unite the halls of the twelve chief 



