7 i8 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



Saint John's day; every perfon, though fhut up from fociety 

 for months before, buys, fells, and communicates with his 

 neighbour without any fort of apprehenfion ; and it was ne- 

 ver known, as far as I could learn upon fair inquiry, that 

 one fell fick of the plague after this anniverfary : it will 

 be obferved I don't fay died; there are, I know, examples of 

 that, though I believe but few; the plague is not always a 

 difeafe that fuddenly terminates, it often takes a confider- 

 able time to come to a head, appearing only by fymptoms ; 

 fo that people taken ill, under the moft putrid influence of 

 the air, linger on, ilruggling .with the difeafe which has 

 already got fuch hold that they cannot recover ; but what 

 I fay, and mean is, that no perfon is taken ill of the plague 

 fo as to die after the dew has fallen in June ; and no fymp- 

 toms of the plague are ever commonly feen in Egypt but 

 in thofe fpring months already mentioned, the greater part 

 of which are totally deftitute of moiiture. 



I think the inflance I am going to give, which is univer- 

 fally known, and cannot be denied, brings this fo home that 

 no doubt can remain of the origin of this dew, and its 

 powerful effects upon the plague. 



The Turks and Moors are known to be predeflinarians ; 

 they believe the hour of man's death is fo immutably fixed 

 that nothing can either advance or defer it an inftant. Se- 

 cure in this principle, they expofe in the market-place, im- 

 mediately after Saint John's day, the clothes of the many 

 thoufands that have died during the late continuance of 

 the plague, all which imbibe the moid air of the evening 

 and the morning, are handled, bought, put on, and worn 

 without any apprehenfion of danger; and though thefe 

 i coufiA 



