398 OBSERVATIONS ON A LIBEL. 



affairs, and is, as far as standeth with the dignity of 

 her majesty s royal state, continually to be seen, to 

 the great comfort and heart-ease of her people. 



Secondly, we will mention the blessing of health : 

 I mean generally of the people, which was wanting 

 in the reign of another of these kings ; which else 

 deserved to have the second place in happiness, 

 which is one of the great favours of God towards any 

 nation. For as there be three scourges of God, war, 

 famine, and pestilence ; so are there three benedic 

 tions, peace, plenty, and health. Whereas there 

 fore this realm hath been visited in times past with 

 sundry kinds of mortalities, as pestilences, sweats, 

 and other contagious diseases, it is so, that in her 

 majesty s times, being of the continuance aforesaid, 

 there was only, towards the beginning of her reign, 

 some sickness, between June and February, in the 

 city ; but not dispersed into any other part of the 

 realm, as was noted ; which we call yet the great 

 plague ; because that though it was nothing so 

 grievous and so sweeping as it hath been sundry 

 times heretofore, yet it was great in respect of 

 the health which hath followed since ; which hath 

 been such, especially of late years, as we began to 

 dispute and move questions of the causes whereunto 

 it should be ascribed, until such time as it pleased 

 God to teach us that we ought to ascribe it only to 

 his mercy, by touching us a little this present year, 

 but with a very gentle hand ; and such as it hath 

 pleased him since to remove. But certain it is, for 

 so many years together, notwithstanding the great 



