No Fates in Death could them divide;
They must, without their Privilege, together both have dy’d.
PART II. Explained.
It is with the greatest Pleasure we enter upon the Method of preventing, tho’ not of curing this insidious Enemy of Mankind, which very justly has filled the World with Fear and Horror. For this Reason, and that Matters may proceed not only in greater Order, but also with greater Truth, Dr. Mead has gone through much Philosophy and Theory in Medicine, with great Labour and Fatigue; even to fainting away, despairing often in doing any thing to his own Satisfaction, knowing by much Experience, that the World is not so hard to please.
And therefore, he begins this second Part, by telling us, how great a Satisfaction it is, to know that the Plague is no Native of our Country. I hope he is satisfy’d with this Conceit, but I am afraid few People find any new Assurance, and Courage, springing up in them, upon this Assertion; or that they can have a better Heart to face the Plague more boldly, if it should be our Misfortune to have a Visit from it at this time.
But in what Page does this Demonstration lie? He has only told us, hitherto, that the pure Air is only infected with pestilential Steams, that rise out of Bogs; or out of Men that have died of the Plague; or else that these Steams were packed up in Goods, and with them carried from one Country into another: and tho’ this be bravely told, without any Reason assigned for it; yet we know not where they first have their Origine, and of what Country they are Natives. We have seen an Original English Plague, that came from no Place in the World, and took up its Abode altogether here; and whether all the rest, that have afflicted our Island, are Natives or Foreigners, is nothing so clear, as to build any great Satisfaction upon. And therefore, I do think, with the Doctor, that all Means should be found out to keep our selves clear from it; tho’ we can find no great Encouragement from what he yet has told us.
This Caution, as he tells us, consists of two Parts: The preventing its being brought into our Island; and, The putting a stop to its spreading among us. But, as the Doctor has a very ill Memory, and seldom performs what he promises, give me leave to put him in mind of a Promise, in his Preface; that his Method will be different from that taken in former times among us, and from what they commonly do abroad: Tho’ we have no Encouragement to think, that it will prove agreeable to Reason.