P L A 
on the fecond day, or on the third to the utmoft, the pa¬ 
tient died, without any carbunculus or abfcefs whatever. 
The defcription given of this plague, as it appeared at 
Florence, by the facetious Boccacio, is very interefting. 
He tells us that “the fymptoms with which it was ac¬ 
companied were, in foine refpeCts, different from thofe 
which attended it in the Eaft, where an effufion of blood 
from the nofe announced the approach of death ; for 
with us, in perfons of both fexes, there arofe tumours on 
the groin, and under the arm-pits, which, in fome, were 
as large as a common-fized apple, and were called by the 
common people gavoccioli. Thefe quickly fpread to the 
other parts of the body, and were fucceeded by black or 
livid l'pots, on the arms, thighs, and elfewhere. In 
fome perfons thefe fpots were large and few in number; 
in others fmall and numerous; but wherever either they 
or the gavoccioli appeared, they were the certain figns of 
inevitable death, againft which no medicines feemed to 
be of any avail. For, whether it arofe from the incura¬ 
ble nature of the difeafe, or from the ignorance of the 
practitioners, many of whom had certainly no pretenfions 
to medical knowledge, almoft all thofe who were affeCted 
died on the third day after the appearance of the afore- 
faid fpots, without the occurrence of fever or of any other 
fymptom.” 
The accuracy of this defcription is unqueftionable ; for 
it accords, as we (hall prefently (how, with modern obfer- 
vations. Boccacio, however, is not in all refpeCts fo ac¬ 
curate. The following paragraph is very fufpicious. 
“ But what rendered this peftilence fo deftruCtive, was 
the facility with which it was communicated, fpreading like 
fire amongft combuftible matter. Not only thofe who 
affociated or converfed with the difeafed, but thofe who 
merely touched their clothes, or any thing which they 
had ufed, were immediately infeCted ; nay, incredible as 
it may appear, even thofe animals which happened to 
come in contaCl with any thing belonging to thofe who 
were afflicted with this diftemper, were feized with it, and 
died in a very (hort fpace. Of this I was myfelf an eye- 
witnefs, in fome pigs, which, while turning over fome rags 
with their fnouts that had been thrown into the ffreet 
from the houfe of a poor man lately dead, began to reel 
as if they were poifoned, and fell dead upon them.” 
It appears alfo, that in this plague no precautionary 
meafures had any influence in arrefting the infection. 
Many, however, were tried. “Some,” fays our author, 
“ thought that the beft prefervative againft the contagion 
was to be found in Jlricl temperance and feclufion. They 
therefore formed themfelves into parties, and (hut them¬ 
felves up, icith ajupply of wines and other provijions of the 
leji quality, in fome houfe which the infeCtion had not 
reached; and, carefully avoiding all intercourle from 
v.'ithout, diverted themfelves with mufic and other amufe- 
ments, as well as they could. Others, on the contrary, 
afferted that the wifeft way was to eat and drink, and 
drive care away by diffipation; and in conformity with 
this opinion, they went from tavern to tavern, and from 
houfe to houfe, indulging themfelves freely in all kinds 
of excefs, whenever they thought proper. For, into fuch 
a miferable (late of affliction and diftrefs was the city 
fallen, that the officers of juftice, and the ininifters of re¬ 
ligion, being alike fwept away by the mortality, all laws, 
both human and divine, were fufpended; and men aban¬ 
doned their houfes and property to any one that chofe to 
take pofleffion of them, as having little longer to enjoy 
them. Some again, adopting a middle courfe between 
thefe two, neither dieted themfelves fo ftrictly as the one, 
nor.indulged in the exceffes of the other; but wore aro¬ 
matic herbs, flowers, or fpices, as a prefervative againft 
the corruption of the air, which the putrefying bodies 
rendered every-where noifome and fetid; while others, 
abandoning their friends and pofleffions,fled into the coun¬ 
try, fuppofing that the city was the exclufive objeCt of the 
divine vengeance, and that its laft hour was come. Of 
G U E. 579 
thofe who purfued thefe different plans, fome in every 
cafe efcaped, but the greater part perilhed iniferably.” 
The middle of the feventeenth century was remarka¬ 
ble for fome terrible irruptions of the plague. In the 
year 1656 the plague was brought from Sardinia to Na¬ 
ples, being introduced into the city by a tranfport with 
foldiers on-board. It raged with exceffive violence, car¬ 
rying off in lefs than fix months 400,000 of the inhabit¬ 
ants. The diftemper was at firft called by the phyficians 
a malignant fever ; but one of them affirming it to be 
pejlilential, the viceroy, who was apprehenfive left fuch a 
report would occafion all communication with Naples to 
be broke off, was offended with this declaration, and or¬ 
dered him to be imprifoned. As a favour, however, he 
allowed him to return and die in his own houfe. By 
this proceeding of the viceroy, the diftemper, being ne- 
gleCted, made a moft rapid and furious progrefs, and filled 
the whole city with confternation. The ftreets were 
crowded with confufed proceffions, which ferved to fpread 
the infeCtion through all the quarters. The terror of the 
people increafed their fuperftition ; and, it being reported 
that a certain nun had prophefied that the peftilence 
would ceafe upon building a hermitage for her filter nuns 
upon the hill of St. Martin’s, the edifice was immediately 
begun with the moft ardent zeal. Perfons of the high- 
eft quality (trove who fhould perform the meaneft offices; 
fome loading themfelves with beams, and others carrying 
bafkets full of lime and nails, while perfons of all ranks 
(tripped themfeives of their moft valuable efteCts, which 
they threw into empty hogftieads placed in the ftreets to 
receive the charitable contributions. Their violent agi¬ 
tation, however, and the increafing heats, diffufed the 
malady through the whole city, and the ftreets and the 
(fairs of the churches were filled with the dead ; the num¬ 
ber of whom, for fome time of the month of July, 
amounted daily to 15,000. The viceroy now ufed all 
poffible precautions to abate the fury of the diftemper. 
and to prevent its fpreading to the provinces. The in¬ 
fection, however, defolated the whole kingdom, except¬ 
ing the provinces of Otranto and the Farther Calabria, 
and the cities of Gaeta, Sorrento, Paolo, and Belvedere. 
The general calamity was increafed in Naples by malcon¬ 
tents, who infinuated that the diftemper had been defign- 
edly introduced by the Spaniards, and that there were 
people in difguife who went through the city fowing poi- 
(oned duft. This idle rumour enraged the populace, who 
began to infult the Spanifh foldiers, and threaten a fedi- 
tion; fo that the viceroy, to pacify the mob, caufed a 
criminal to be broke upon the wheel, under pretence 
that he was a difperfer of the duft. A violent and plen¬ 
tiful rain falling about the middle of Auguft, the diftem¬ 
per began to abate ; and on the eighth of December the 
phyficians made a folemn declaration that the city was 
entirely free from infection. 
Of the frequent and dreadful vifitations of the plague 
to the city of London, we have in various pages of 
that article, related much interefting matter, though 
not exaftly medical, to which the reader may refer 
by means of the Index. It is neceffary to obferve 
here, that, according to the defcription given by Dr. 
Hodges in his Loimologia, the plague of 1665 was of 
the word kind ; for petechial eruptions (the moft for¬ 
midable of all appearances) w'ere very frequently pre¬ 
sent* They varied from fmall ones, refembling flea- 
bites, to others as large as the (tripes of a whip, which 
latter gave the (kin a mottled appearance. According to 
the above author, thefe tokens (fo vulgarly called as be¬ 
tokening death) were elevated, and contained blood. 
They “ were of various fizes,” fays he ; “ fometimes as fmall 
as a pin’s head, fometimes larger, and as broad as a filver 
penny. Some were depreffed, others prominent. They 
differed alfo in their degrees of hardnefs, fome being 
eafily penetrable by a needle or a pen-knife, &c. Tbey 
were not all of the fame colour, but bore fo ftrong a re- 
7 femblance 
