History of Animal Plagues. 219 



the want of a due care in burying them. And your lord- 

 ships may know of what importance it was judged by the 

 King of Prussia, the States of Holland, and several other 

 Princes and States, bv the care they took to publish decrees and 

 placards commanding them to be buried upon pain of death or 

 other severe penalties; and I humbly conceive it would be neces- 

 sary not only to bury those which shall die, but that such as are 

 already dead may have the same care, as also that they be 

 buried nine or ten feet deep at least. All of which is most 

 humbly submitted. Sec.'' 



' Their lordships thought fit to defer all proceeding upon this 

 report till the distemper, becoming more general, should make 

 it necessary ; but I thank God that necessity never happened, 

 for within three weeks or a month after the giving in of that 

 report the following particulars concurred to put an end to the 

 disease. 



'The cows began their latter purging, which contributed 

 much to prevent the disease from appearing in fresh places, and 

 the eow-keepers were convinced that the disease was incurable. 



' The knowledge of the disease was spread all over England, 

 so that none would buy a cow in the country ; and the gentle- 

 men prevented their being killed in town by having the markets 

 examined daily, and such meat condemned as appeared sus- 

 picious. 



'They now divided their cows into small parcels, by which 

 they lost only that in which the disease happened ; whereas be- 

 fore that method, when one cow got this disease, if she had 

 herded with one, two, or three hundred (the contagion was such), 

 scarce one did escape. 



' Those who had no sick cows avoided all communication with 

 such as had. They likewise found that the keeping their cows 

 so long when ill had been the chief cause of their lo.ss ; they 

 therefore now brought them to be buried on the first appearance 

 of the disease, before the contagion could possibly have got to 

 any great height. 



'These were the effects of the cow-keepers' dear-bought experi- 

 ence ; but it was the indefatigable care and diligence ot those 

 four gentlemen, who gave a daily attendance, botli early and late, 



