the black death and the dancing mania-第6部分

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there　was　still　no　want　of　fresh　candidates；　who；　strangers　to　the　unchristian　fear　of　death；　piously　devoted　themselves　to　their　holy　calling。

The　churchyards　were　soon　unable　to　contain　the　dead；　and　many　houses；　left　without　inhabitants；　fell　to　ruins。

In　Avignon；　the　Pope　found　it　necessary　to　consecrate　the　Rhone；　that　bodies　might　be　thrown　into　the　river　without　delay；　as　the　churchyards　would　no　longer　hold　them；　so　likewise；　in　all　populous　cities；　extraordinary　measures　were　adopted；　in　order　speedily　to　dispose　of　the　dead。　　In　Vienna；　where　for　some　time　1；200　inhabitants　died　daily；　the　interment　of　corpses　in　the　churchyards　and　within　the　churches　was　forthwith　prohibited；　and　the　dead　were　then　arranged　in　layers；　by　thousands；　in　six　large　pits　outside　the　city；　as　had　already　been　done　in　Cairo　and　Paris。　　Yet；　still　many　were　secretly　buried；　for　at　all　times　the　people　are　attached　to　the　consecrated　cemeteries　of　their　dead；　and　will　not　renounce　the　customary　mode　of　interment。

In　many　places　it　was　rumoured　that　plague　patients　were　buried　alive；　as　may　sometimes　happen　through　senseless　alarm　and　indecent　haste；　and　thus　the　horror　of　the　distressed　people　was　everywhere　increased。　　In　Erfurt；　after　the　churchyards　were　filled；　12；000　corpses　were　thrown　into　eleven　great　pits；　and　the　like　might；　more　or　less　exactly；　be　stated　with　respect　to　all　the　larger　cities。　　Funeral　ceremonies；　the　last　consolation　of　the　survivors；　were　everywhere　impracticable。

In　all　Germany；　according　to　a　probable　calculation；　there　seem　to　have　died　only　1；244；434　inhabitants；　this　country；　however；　was　more　spared　than　others：　　Italy；　on　the　contrary；　was　most　severely　visited。　　It　is　said　to　have　lost　half　its　inhabitants；　and　this　account　is　rendered　credible　from　the　immense　losses　of　individual　cities　and　provinces：　　for　in　Sardinia　and　Corsica；　according　to　the　account　of　the　distinguished　Florentine；　John　Villani；　who　was　himself　carried　off　by　the　Black　Plague；　scarcely　a　third　part　of　the　population　remained　alive；　and　it　is　related　of　the　Venetians；　that　they　engaged　ships　at　a　high　rate　to　retreat　to　the　islands；　so　that　after　the　plague　had　carried　off　three…fourths　of　her　inhabitants；　that　proud　city　was　left　forlorn　and　desolate。　　In　Padua；　after　the　cessation　of　the　plague；　two…　thirds　of　the　inhabitants　were　wanting；　and　in　Florence　it　was　prohibited　to　publish　the　numbers　of　dead；　and　to　toll　the　bells　at　their　funerals；　in　order　that　the　living　might　not　abandon　themselves　to　despair。

We　have　more　exact　accounts　of　England；　most　of　the　great　cities　suffered　incredible　losses；　above　all；　Yarmouth；　in　which　7；052　died；　Bristol；　Oxford；　Norwich；　Leicester；　York；　and　London；　where　in　one　burial　ground　alone；　there　were　interred　upwards　of　50；000　corpses；　arranged　in　layers；　in　large　pits。　　It　is　said　that　in　the　whole　country　scarcely　a　tenth　part　remained　alive；　but　this　estimate　is　evidently　too　high。　　Smaller　losses　were　sufficient　to　cause　those　convulsions；　whose　consequences　were　felt　for　some　centuries；　in　a　false　impulse　given　to　civil　life；　and　whose　indirect　influence；　unknown　to　the　English；　has　perhaps　extended　even　to　modern　times。

Morals　were　deteriorated　everywhere；　and　the　service　of　God　was　in　a　great　measure　laid　aside；　for；　in　many　places；　the　churches　were　deserted；　being　bereft　of　their　priests。　　The　instruction　of　the　people　was　impeded；　covetousness　became　general；　and　when　tranquillity　was　restored；　the　great　increase　of　lawyers　was　astonishing；　to　whom　the　endless　disputes　regarding　inheritances　offered　a　rich　harvest。　　The　want　of　priests　too；　throughout　the　country；　operated　very　detrimentally　upon　the　people　（the　lower　classes　being　most　exposed　to　the　ravages　of　the　plague；　whilst　the　houses　of　the　nobility　were；　in　proportion；　much　more　spared）；　and　it　was　no　compensation　that　whole　bands　of　ignorant　laymen；　who　had　lost　their　wives　during　the　pestilence；　crowded　into　the　monastic　orders；　that　they　might　participate　in　the　respectability　of　the　priesthood；　and　in　the　rich　heritages　which　fell　in　to　the　Church　from　all　quarters。　　The　sittings　of　Parliament；　of　the　King's　Bench；　and　of　most　of　the　other　courts；　were　suspended　as　long　as　the　malady　raged。　　The　laws　of　peace　availed　not　during　the　dominion　of　death。　　Pope　Clement　took　advantage　of　this　state　of　disorder　to　adjust　the　bloody　quarrel　between　Edward　III　and　Philip　VI；　yet　he　only　succeeded　during　the　period　that　the　plague　commanded　peace。　　Philip's　death　（1350）　annulled　all　treaties；　and　it　is　related　that　Edward；　with　other　troops　indeed；　but　with　the　same　leaders　and　knights；　again　took　the　field。　　Ireland　was　much　less　heavily　visited　that　England。　　The　disease　seems　to　have　scarcely　reached　the　mountainous　districts　of　that　kingdom；　and　Scotland　too　would　perhaps　have　remained　free；　had　not　the　Scots　availed　themselves　of　the　discomfiture　of　the　English　to　make　an　irruption　into　their　territory；　which　terminated　in　the　destruction　of　their　army；　by　the　plague　and　by　the　sword；　and　the　extension　of　the　pestilence；　through　those　who　escaped；　over　the　whole　country。

At　the　commencement；　there　was　in　England　a　superabundance　of　all　the　necessaries　of　life；　but　the　plague；　which　seemed　then　to　be　the　sole　disease；　was　soon　accompanied　by　a　fatal　murrain　among　the　cattle。　　Wandering　about　without　herdsmen；　they　fell　by　thousands；　and；　as　has　likewise　been　observed　in　Africa；　the　birds　and　beasts　of　prey　are　said　not　to　have　touched　them。　　Of　what　nature　this　murrain　may　have　been；　can　no　more　be　determined；　than　whether　it　originated　from　communication　with　plague　patients；　or　from　other　causes；　but　thus　much　is　certain；　that　it　did　not　break　out　until　after　the　commencement　of　the　Black　Death。　　In　consequence　of　this　murrain；　and　the　impossibility　of　removing　the　corn　from　the　fields；　there　was　everywhere　a　great　rise　in　the　price　of　food；　which　to　many　was　inexplicable；　because　the　harvest　had　been　plentiful；　by　others　it　was　attributed　to　the　wicked　designs　of　the　labourers　and　dealers；　but　it　really　had　its　foundation　in　the　actual　deficiency　arising　from　circumstances　by　which　individual　classes　at　all　times　endeavour　to　profit。　　For　a　whole　year；　until　it　terminated　in　August；　1349；　the　Black　Plague　prevailed　in　this　beautiful　island；　and　everywhere　poisoned　the　springs　of　comfort　and　prosperity。

In　other　countries；　it　generally　lasted　only　half　a　year；　but　returned　frequently　in　individual　places；　on　which　account；　some；　without　sufficient　proof；　assigned　to　it　a　period　of　seven　years。

Spain　was　uninterruptedly　ravaged　by　the　Black　Plague　till　after　the　year　1350；　to　which　the　frequent　internal　feuds　and　the　wars　with　the　Moors　not　a　little　contributed。　　Alphonso　XI。；　whose　passion　for　war　carried　him　too　far；　died　of　it　at　the　siege　of　Gibraltar；　on　the　26th　of　March；　1350。　　He　was　the　only　king　in　Europe　who　fell　a　sacrifice　to　it；　but　even　before　this　period；　innumerable　families　had　been　thrown　into　affliction。　　The　mortality　seems　otherwise　to　have　been　smaller　in　Spain　than　in　Italy；　and　about　as　considerable　as　in　France。

The　whole　period　during　which　the　Black　Plague　raged　with　destructive　violence　in　Europe　was；　with　the　exception　of　Russia；　from　the　year　1347　to　1350。　　The　plagues　which　in　the　sequel　often　returned　until　the　year　1383；　we　do　not　consider　as　belonging　to　〃the　Great　Mortality。〃　　They　were　rather　common　pestilences；　without　inflammation　of　the　lungs；　such　as　in　former　times；　and　in　the　following　centuries；　were　excited　by　the　matter　of　contagion　everywhere　existing；　and　which；　on　every　favourable　occasion；　gained　ground　anew；　as　is　usually　the　case　with　this　frightful　disease。

The　concourse　of　large　bodies　of　people　was　especially　dangerous；　and　thus　the　premature　celebration　of　the　Jubilee　to　which　Clement　VI。　cited　the　faithful　to　Rome　（1350）　during　the　great　epidemic；　caused　a　new　eruption　of　the　plague；　from　which　it　is　said　that　scarcely　one　in　a　hundred　of　the　pilgrims　escaped。

Italy　was；　in　consequence；　depopulated　anew；　and　those　who　returned；　spread　poison　and　corruption　of　morals　in　all　directions。　　It　is　therefore　the　less　apparent　how　that　Pope；　who　was　in　general　so　wise　and　considerate；　and　who　knew　how　to　pursue　the　path　of　reason　and　humanity　under　the　most　difficult　circumstances；　should　have　been　led　to　adopt　a　measure　so　injurious；　since　he　himself　was　so　convinced　of　the　salutary　effect　of　seclusion；　that　during　the　plague　in　Avignon　he　kept　up　constant　fires；　and　suffered　no　one　to　approach　him；　and　in　other　respects　gave　such　orders　as　averted；　or　alleviated；　much　misery。

The　changes　which　occurred　about　this　period　in　the　north　of　Europe　are　sufficiently　memorable　to　claim　a　few　moments'　attention。　　In　Sweden　two　princes　diedHaken　and　Knut；　half…　brothers　of　King　Magnus；　and　in　Westgothland　alone；　466　priests。　The　inhabitants　of　Iceland　and　Greenland　found　in　the　coldness　of　their　inhospitable　climate　no　protection　against　the　southern　enemy　who　had　penetrated　to　them　from　happier　countries。　　The　plague　caused　great　havoc　among　them。　　Nature　made　no　allowance　for　their　constant　warfare　with　the　elements；　and　the　parsimony　with　which　she　had　meted　out　to　them　the　enjoyments　of　life。　　In　Denmark　and　Norway；　however；　people　were　so　occupied　with　their　own　misery；　that　the　accustomed　voyages　to　Greenland　ceased。　Towering　icebergs　formed　at　the　same　time　on　the　coast　of　East　Greenland；　in　consequence　of　the　general　concussion　of　the　earth's　organism；　and　no　mortal；　from　that　time　forward；　has　ever　seen　that　shore　or　its　inhabitants。

It　has　been　observed　above；　that　in　Russia　the　Black　Plague　did　not　break　out　until　1351；　after　it　had　already　passed　through　the　south　and　north　of　Europe。　　In　this　country　also；　the　mortality　was　extraordinarily　great；　and　the　same　scenes　of　affliction　and　despair　were　exhibited；　as　had　occurred　in　those　nations　which　had　already　passed　the　ordeal：　　the　same　mode　of　burialthe　same　horrible　certainty　of　deaththe　same　torpor　and　depression　of　spirits。　　The　wealthy　abandoned　their　treasures；　and　gave　their　villages　and　estates　to　the　churches　and　monasteries；　this　being；　according　to　the　notions　of　the　age；　the　surest