Orders heertofore conceiued and agreed to bee published by the Lord Mayor and Aldermen of the citie of London and the iustices of peace of the counties of Middlesex and Surrey, by direction from the lords of His Maiesties most honourable priuie councell, and now thought fit to be reuiued, and againe published.

Orders heeretofore conceiued and agreed to bee published , by the Lord Mayor and Aldermen of the Citie of London , and the Iustices of Peace of the Counties of Middlesex and Surrey , by direction from the Lords of his Maisteies most Honourable Priuie Councell , and now thought fit to be reuiued , and againe published .

WHereas in the first yeare of his Maiesties most happie reigne ouer this Realme of England , an Act was made for the charitable reliefe , and ordering of persons infected with the Plague : whereby Authoritie is giuen to Iustices of Peace , Mayors , Bayliffes , and other head-Officers , to appoint within their seuerall limits Examiners , Searchers , Watchmen , keepers , and buryers for the persons and places infected , and to minister vnto them Oathes for performance of their Offices . And the same Statute also authorizeth the giuing of other directions , as vnto them for the present necessity , shall seeme good in their discretions . It is therefore vpon speciall consideration thought very expedient , for the preuenting and auoyding of the infection of Sicknesse ( if it shall please Almighty God ) which is now dangerously dispersed into many places within the Citie and Suburbs of the same : that these Officers following bee appointed , and these Orders hereafter prescribed be duly obserued .

Examiners be appointed in euerie Parish . FIrst , it is thought requisite , and so ordered , that in euery parish there be one , two , or more persons of good sort and credite , chosen and appointed by the Alderman his Deputie , and Common Councell of euery Ward , and by the Iustices of Peace in the Counties , by the name of Examiners , to continue in that Office the space of two moneths at least : and if any fit persons so appointed as aforesaid , shall refuse to vndertake the same , the said parties so refusing , to bee committed to prison vntill they shall conforme themselues accordingly .

The Examiners Office . THat these Examiners be sworne by the Alderman , or by one of the Iustices of the County , to enquire and learne from time to time , what houses in euery parish bee visited , and what persons be sicke , and of what diseases , as neere as they can informe themselues , and vpon doubt in that case , to command restraint of accesse , vntil it appeare what the disease shall proue : and if they find any persons sicke of the infection , to giue order to the Constable , that the house be shut vp : and if the Constable shall be found remisse or negligent , to giue present notice thereof to the Alderman , or the Iustice of Peace respectiuely .

Watchmen . THat to euery infected house there be appointed two watchmen , one for the day , and the other for the night : and that these Watchmen haue a speciall care that no person goe in or out of such infected houses , whereof they haue the charge , vpon paine of seuere punishment . And the said Watchmen to doe such further Offices as the sicke house shall neede and require : and if the Watchman be sent vpon any busines , to locke vp the house , and take the key with him : and the Watchman by day to attend vntill ten of the clocke at night : and the Watchman by night till sixe in the morning .

Chirurgions THat there be a speciall care , to appoint women Searchers in euery parish , such as are of honest reputation , and of the best sort as can bee got in this kinde : and these to be sworne to make due search and true report , to the vtmost of their knowledge , whether the persons , whose bodies they are appointed to search , do dye of the Infection , or of what other diseases as neere as they can . And for their better assistance herein , forasmuch as there hath bene heretofore great abuse in misreporting the disease , to the further spreading of the Infection : It is therefore ordered , that there be chosen and appointed three able and discreet Surgeons , besides those three that do already belong to the Pest-house : amongst whom , the City and Liberties to bee quartered , as the places lye most apt and conuenient : and euery of these sixe to haue one quarter for his limit : and the said Chirurgeons in euery of their limits , to ioyne with the Serchers , for the view of the body , to the end there may be a true report made of the disease .

And further , that the said Chirurgeons shall visite and search such sicke persons as shall eyther send for them , or be named and directed vnto them by the Examiners of euery parish , and informe themselues of the disease of the said parties .

And forasmuch as the saide Chirurgeons are to be sequestred from all other Cures , and kept onely to this disease of the Infection : It is ordred , That euery of the saide Chirurgeons , shall haue twelue pence a body searched by them , to be paide out of the goods of the party searched , if he be able , or otherwise by the parish .

Orders concerning Infected Houses , and Persons sicke of the Plague .

Notice to be giuen of the sicknes . THe Master of euery house , as soone as any one in his house complayneth , eyther of botch , of purple , or swelling in any part of his body , or falleth otherwise dangerously sicke , without apparant cause of some other disease , shall giue knowledge thereof to the Examiner of health within two houres after the said signe shall appeare .

Sequestration of the sicke . AS soone as any man shall be found by this Examiner , Chirurgeon or Searcher , to be sick of the plague , he shall the same night be sequestred in the same house . And in case he bee so sequestred , then though he afterwards die not , the house wherein he sickned , shall bee shut vp for a moneth , after the vse of due preseruatiues taken by the rest .

Ayring of the stuffe . FOr sequestration of the Goods and Stuffe of the Infected , their Bedding , and Apparell and hangings of Chambers , must bee well ayred with fire , and such perfumes as are requisite within the infected house before they be taken againe to vse , this to be done by the appointment of the Examiner .

Shuting vp of the house IF any person shall haue visited any man , knowne to be infected of the plague , or entred willingly into any knowne infected house , being not allowed : the house wherein hee inhabiteth shall be shut vp for certaine dayes , by the Examiners direction .

None to be remoued out of infected houses , but ITem , that none be remoued out of the house where he falleth sicke of the infection , into any other house in the City , Burrough , or County ( except it be to the Pesthouse or a Tent , or vnto some such house , which the owners of the said visited house holdeth in his owne hands , and occupieth by his owne seruants ) and so as security be giuen to the parish , whether such remoue is made , that the attendance and charge about the said visited persons , shall be obserued & charged in all the particularities before expressed , without any cost of that parish , to which any such remoue shall happen to be made , and this remoue to be done by night . And it shall be lawfull to any person that hath two houses , to remoue either his sound or his infected people , to his spare house at his choice , so as if he send away first his sound , he may not after send thither his sicke ; nor againe vnto the sicke the sound : and that the same which he sendeth be for one weeke at the least shut vp , and secluded from company for feare of some infection , at the first not appearing .

Buriall of the dead . THat the Buriall of the dead by this visitation bee at most conuenient houres , alwayes eyther before Sun-rising , or after Sunne-setting , with the priuity of the Churchwardens or Constables , and not otherwise ; and that no Neighbours nor Friends be suffered to accompany the Coarse to Church , or to enter the house visited , vppon paine of hauing his house shut vp or be imprisoned .

No infected stuffe to bee vttered . THat no Clothes , Stuffe , Bedding or Garments be suffered to be carried or conuayed out of any infected houses , and that the Cryers and carriers abroad of Bedding or old Apparrell , to be sold or pawned , be vtterly prohibited and restrained : and no Brokers of Bedding , or old Apparrell be permitted to make any outward show , or hang forth on their Stals , Shop-boards , or Windowes , towards any Street , Lane , common Way or passage , any olde Bedding or Apparrell to be sold , vpon paine of imprisonment : and if any Broaker or other person shall buy any Bedding , Apparrell , or other Stuffe out of any infected house , within two moneths after the infection hath beene there , his house shall be shut vp as infected , and so shall continue shut vp twenty dayes at the least .

IF any person visited doe fortune , by negligent looking vnto , or by any other meanes , to come or bee conueyed from a place infected , to any other place , the parish from whence such party hath come , or bene conueyed , vpon notice thereof giuen , shal at their charge cause the said party so visited and escaped , to be carried and brought backe againe by night , and the parties in this case offending , to be punished at the direction of the Alderman of the Ward , and the Iustices of the Peace respectiuely : and the house of the receiuer of such visited person , to bee shut vp for twenty dayes .

Euery visited house to be marked . THat euery house visited bee marked with a redde Crosse of a foote long , in the middle of the doore , euident to be seene , and with these vsuall printed words : that is to say , LORD haue mercy vpon vs , to be let close ouer the same Crosse , there to continue vntill lawfull opening of the same house .

Euery visited house to be watched . THat the Constables see euery house shut vp , and to bee attended with Watchmen , which may keepe them in , and minister necessaries vnto them at their owne charges ( if they be able ) or at the common charge if they be vnable : the shutting vp to be for the space of foure weekes after all be whole .

That precise order be taken that the Searchers , Chirurgions , Keepers , and Buriers are not to passe the streets , without holding a red Rod or Wand of three foote in length in their hands open or euident to be seene , and are not to go into any other house then into their owne , or into that whereunto they are directed or sent for , but to forbeare and abstaine from company , especially when they haue bene lately vsed in any such businesse or attendance .

And to this end it is ordred , that a weekely Taxe be made in euery parish visited , if in the Citie or Borrough then vnder the hand of the Alderman of the Ward , where the place is visited : if neither of the Counties , then vnder the handes of some of the Iustices next to the place visited , who ( if there be cause ) may extend the Taxe into other parishes also , and may giue warrant of distresse against them which shall refuse to pay : and for want of distresse or for assistance , to commit the offenders to prison , according to the Statute in that behalfe .

¶ Orders for clensing and keeping sweete of the Streets .

The streetes to bee kept cleane .

That the rakers take it from out the houses . Laystals to be made far off from the City .

FIrst it is thought very necessary , and so ordered , That euery house-holder do cause the street to be daily pared before his doore , and so to keepe it cleane swept all the Weeke long .

THat the sweeping and filth of houses to bee daily carried away by the Rakers , and that the Raker shall giue notice of his comming by the blowing of a horne , as heretofore hath beene done .

THat the Laystalles be remoued as farre as may bee out of the City , and common passages , and that no Night-man or other be suffered to emptie a Vault into any Garden , neere about the City .