30 
at the dooi’j and the corpse to be viewed^ before it was buried, 
by the cleanser, who was to bury the body at night, not in the 
church or church-yard, but on Toft-green. In Petergate, an 
apprentice died suddenly, under suspicious circumstances. 
Yet the city authorities continued to he hopeful, and during 
the month of December they removed the restrictions from a 
great number of persons who had been shut up in their houses 
—some in Walmgate—some in the Water-lanes—others in 
Micklegate. Nearly all who were thus released, Avere required 
to make oath that they were free from any infectious disease to 
the best of their knowledge, and were then in health, and that 
whilst they were kept apart in their OAvn houses, they had not 
^ accompanied ’ with any that were suspected to he sick of the 
infection, and that they would not thereafter come near any 
suspected place or person. 
Among the persons Avho were set at liberty after their long 
seclusion, were the family of Alderman Lawne, without Walm¬ 
gate Bar, who were nearly the first to he suspected. They 
were now allowed to leave the house and come into the city, 
hut the alderman himself was to forbear attending divine service 
at the minster for the two ensuing sabbaths. 
In the hopes and expectations Avhich the citizens of York 
had indulged, that they should arrive at the termination of the 
year with a clean bill of health, they were doomed to disappoint¬ 
ment. A few days before Christmas, the death of Mr. Arthur 
Pepper, a respectable merchant, took place under suspicious 
circumstances. His body was ordered to he vieAved by three or 
four honest women, and if no appearance of infection presented 
itself, he was to he buried in the church, and Mr. Ascough 
might preach his funeral sermon, but no person Avas to be 
alloAved to go into his house to eat or drink, except those Avho 
must of necessity. 
On the last day of the year, a case of decided infection occurred 
in one of the principal streets of the city, Avhich rencAved the 
general alarm and anxiety, and Avas the cause of great annoyance 
and inconvenience to many of the inhabitants. It was reported 
to the authorities that one Pichard Smith, a potter, residing in 
Micklegate, had died of the sickness. An order was immediately 
