I have mentioned above that notwithstanding this dreadful calamity,yet the numbers of thieves were abroad upon all occasions,where they had found any prey,and that these were generally women.It was one morning about eleven O'clock,I had walked out to my brother's house in Coleman Street parish,as I often did,to see that all was safe.
My brother's house had a little court before it,and a brick wall and a gate in it,and within that several warehouses where his goods of several sorts lay.It happened that in one of these warehouses were several packs of women's high-crowned hats,which came out of the country and were,as I suppose,for exportation:whither,I know not.
I was surprised that when I came near my brother's door,which was in a place they called Swan Alley,I met three or four women with high-crowned hats on their heads;and,as I remembered afterwards,one,if not more,had some hats likewise in their hands;but as I did not see them come out at my brother's door,and not knowing that my brother had any such goods in his warehouse,I did not offer to say anything to them,but went across the way to shun meeting them,as was usual to do at that time,for fear of the plague.But when I came nearer to the gate I met another woman with more hats come out of the gate.'What business,mistress,'said I,'have you had there?'
'There are more people there,'said she;'I have had no more business there than they.'I was hasty to get to the gate then,and said no more to her,by which means she got away.But just as I came to the gate,I saw two more coming across the yard to come out with hats also on their heads and under their arms,at which I threw the gate to behind me,which having a spring lock fastened itself;and turning to the women,'Forsooth,'said I,'what are you doing here?'and seized upon the hats,and took them from them.One of them,who,I confess,did not look like a thief -'Indeed,'says she,'we are wrong,but we were told they were goods that had no owner.Be pleased to take them again;and look yonder,there are more such customers as we.'She cried and looked pitifully,so I took the hats from her and opened the gate,and bade them be gone,for I pitied the women indeed;but when I looked towards the warehouse,as she directed,there were six or seven more,all women,fitting themselves with hats as unconcerned and quiet as if they had been at a hatter's shop buying for their money.
I was surprised,not at the sight of so many thieves only,but at the circumstances I was in;being now to thrust myself in among so many people,who for some weeks had been so shy of myself that if I met anybody in the street I would cross the way from them.
They were equally surprised,though on another account.They all told me they were neighbours,that they had heard anyone might take them,that they were nobody's goods,and the like.I talked big to them at first,went back to the gate and took out the key,so that they were all my prisoners,threatened to lock them all into the warehouse,and go and fetch my Lord Mayor's officers for them.
They begged heartily,protested they found the gate open,and the warehouse door open;and that it had no doubt been broken open by some who expected to find goods of greater value:which indeed was reasonable to believe,because the lock was broke,and a padlock that hung to the door on the outside also loose,and not abundance of the hats carried away.
At length I considered that this was not a time to be cruel and rigorous;and besides that,it would necessarily oblige me to go much about,to have several people come to me,and I go to several whose circumstances of health I knew nothing of;and that even at this time the plague was so high as that there died 4000a week;so that in showing my resentment,or even in seeking justice for my brother's goods,I might lose my own life;so I contented myself with taking the names and places where some of them lived,who were really inhabitants in the neighbourhood,and threatening that my brother should call them to an account for it when he returned to his habitation.
Then I talked a little upon another foot with them,and asked them how they could do such things as these in a time of such general calamity,and,as it were,in the face of God's most dreadful judgements,when the plague was at their very doors,and,it may be,in their very houses,and they did not know but that the dead-cart might stop at their doors in a few hours to carry them to their graves.
I could not perceive that my discourse made much impression upon them all that while,till it happened that there came two men of the neighbourhood,hearing of the disturbance,and knowing my brother,for they had been both dependents upon his family,and they came to my assistance.These being,as I said,neighbours,presently knew three of the women and told me who they were and where they lived;and it seems they had given me a true account of themselves before.