718 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, 1 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, ftruggling 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 todie after the dew has fallen in June; and no fymp- 
toms of the plague are ever commonly feen in Egypt but 
in thofe {pring months already mentioned, the greater part 
ef which are totally deftitute of mozfture. 
I ruink the inftance 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. 
Tue Turks and Moors are known to be predeftinarians ; 
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 moift air of the evening - 
and the morning, are handled, bought, put on, and worn 
without any apprehenfion of danger; and though thefe 
Le : confi& 
