80 DIARY OF WILLIAM WH1TEWAY. 



horning beyond helpe and recovery, their might they in wofull 

 manner hehold marchants warehouses full of riches commodities, 

 heing shops of silkes and vellvetts on a flaming fier, garners of 

 hreade corne consuming, multitudes of Linnen and Wollen Clothes 

 burned into ashes, Gold and Silver melted with Brasse Pewter and 

 Copper, tronkes and chestes of Damaskes and fine linnens with all 

 manner of rich stuffes made fewell to increase this universe sole 

 conquerour, which leveld and made wast of all things it laid hold 

 of, the fiercenes of the fier was such that it even burnet and 

 scortht trees as they grew, and converted their greene liveries into 

 black burned garments, not so much as Hearbes and Flowers 

 flourishing in Gardaynes but were in moment withered with the 

 heate of the fier, many living creatures as house, Sume, pollayne 

 and such like at this wofull time were consumed into ashes to the 

 great griefe of the beholders, was it not a sorrow for a tradesman to 

 see all his estate burning at one instant, which he had laboured for 

 twenty yeares before, was it not a sorrow for a man to rise rich in 

 the morning, and to be brought unto poverty before night, and was 

 it not a sorrow for parents, to see the portion of their children thus 

 consumed, Oh griefe, upon griefe ; when this burning invader 

 comes, he shewes no pitty, he spareth neither rich nor poore ; 

 the rich he makes poore, and the poore most miserable. 

 Dorchester was a famous Towne, now a heape of ashes for 

 travellers that passe by to sigh at : Oh Dorchester wel maist thou 

 raourne for those thy great losses : for never had English towne 

 the like unto thee : the valew by the judgement of the inhabitantes, 

 without partiallity, is reckoned to come to two hundred thousand 

 pounds, besides wel neere three hundred houses, all ruynated and 

 burned to the ground : only a few dwelling houses that stand 

 about Church was saved, and withall the Churche by Gods 

 providence preserved for people therein to magnifie his name : 

 All the rest of the Towne was consumed and converted into a 

 heape of ashes : a loss so unrecoverable, that valesse * the whole 



* Query: vnlesse= unless. 



