t The Natural Hi/lory 



much the lefs it feel the rage of the Plague, I think the edge of 

 the charge is fufficiently rebated, 'tis reported amongft the e ob- 

 fervations of an ingenious Perfon that refided long in the Ifland 

 Japan, That though the Air be very falubrious there, yet the 

 Small Pox and Fluxes are very frequent, but the Plague not fo 

 much as ever heard of; which has often made me reflect on the 

 year 1665, when the Peftilence wasfpreadina maner all over 

 the Kingdom, that even then, though the Court, both Houfes 

 of Parliament, and the Term were kept at Oxford, the Plague 

 notwithftanding was not there at all. 



10. Others again, tell us of the Black. Apife held in the 

 Caftle here, an. 1577. wnen a poyfon out fleam broke forth of 

 the Earth, and fo mortally feifed the fpiritsof the Judges, Sheriffs, 

 Juslices, Gentry and Juries, befide great numbers of others that 

 attended the bufinefs, that they fickned Upon it and almoft all of 

 them dyed ; but let it not be afcribed to \\\ fumes and exhalations 

 afcending from the Earth and poyfoning the Air, for fuch would 

 haveequally affected the Prifoners as Judges, but we find not that 

 they dyed otherwife then by the halter, which eafily perfwades 

 me to be of the mind of my f Lord Verulam, who attributes it 

 wholly to the fmell of the Goal, where the Prifoners had been 

 long, clofe, and naftily kept. 



1 1 . 'Tis true, that Oxford was much more unhealthy hereto- 

 fore then now it is, by reafon the City was then much lefs, and 

 the Scholars many more, who when crowded up in fo narrow a 

 fpace, and the then flovenly Towns-men not keeping the ftreet 

 clean, but killing all maner of Cattle within the walls, did ren- 

 der the place much more unhealthy. Hence 'tis, that we find 

 fo many refcripts of our Kings prohibiting maftationem grojfarum 

 lefliarum infra muros, (y quod vici mundentur a ftmi* & fimarm, 

 bearing date 13 Hen. 3. 2jEdw.i. 12 Edw.y. 37 Hen. 6. g and 

 all alledging the reafon , quiaper hat maSlationes, isrc aer ibidem in- 

 ficitur, becaufeby the killing fuch maner of Cattle,, and laying 



the dung in the ftreets, the Air was infected. Moreover, about 

 thefe times the Ifis and Cherwell, through the carelefnefs of the 

 Towns-men, being filled with mud, and the Common-flioars 

 by this means ftopt, did caufe the afcent of malignant vapors 

 whenever therchappened to be a Flood ; for befide its ftirring 



Phi/ofoph. Tranjatt. num. 49. t Nat. Hifi. Cent. ro. mm 914. * MSS.in Arch. Bib- Bod.fol. 90, 91. 



the 



