16 The LIFE of the, uninfeeted, and that part of my Family , which I left there, all fife thro' the great mercy of God my merciful Proteclor. § 29. About this time the French furprized St: Chriffophers and fome other of our Plantations in the Welk Indies, and the Dutch took our Plantation of Si u sus. And " the Wars proceeding nearer home, in the end of Tune i 666. in the which many were kill'd on both fides, andthe D. of York fo near the danger , as that he ventur- ed himfelf in fight no inure. Among others the E. of IVLirlborounh beinggain, there was found about him a, Letterwritten to Sir Hugh Pollard Comptroller of the King's Honfhold ; in which (being awaken'd by Sea-dangers ) he difclaim'd Sadducifm, and pleaded for the Soul's Immortality; which was PI ¡need, becaufe being intimate Friends they were both before füppofedto he Infidelsand Sadducees, that believed no Life after this. § 3o. On `July tr . wasthezd great Sea -fight , inwhich the Inglifh had the better 'And in Augufb we feemed to prevail yet more ; infomuch that dlonk was f id topro- ceed fo far as to enter their Harbour andburnt zo Ships in the River , and to burn a Thoufand Honfes on the Land and give the Seamen the Plunder; for which is the endof Aug: Jl the King appointed a Day of Thankfgiving tobe kePt in Lodan, whichwas done ; though many muttered that it was not wifely donee, to pt>vokc' the Dutch by burning their houfes, when it was eafy forthem to do the like bvüs, oz our Sea- Coafts; and fo to teach them the way of undoing us while neither party gained by filchdoings. And that it was no good lip offuture profperity when chofe that believed not, that there is a God or at lealt that his providence difpofeth offilch things , would give God folemnThanks for an unprofitable burning of the Houfes of innocent Prótefbants. And our Confidence wasthen grown fohigh, that we talkt of nothing but bringingdown the Dutch to our mercy and bringing them to Contempt and Ruine: But our Height was quickly taken down, by the lofs of many Haniborougi Rips finit , and then by a lofs of many ofour men, in anAttempt upon their Merchant Rips in the Sound at Denmark ; but efpecially by the firing of the City of Lon- don. § 3 t . On,Septemb. 2. after midnight Londonwas Set on fire; and on Sept. 3. the Excb.ruge was burnt ; and in ThreeDays almoft all the City within the Walls, and much without them. The feafon had been exceeding dry before, and the Wind in the Fall where the Fire began. The people having none to conduEt them aright, could do nothing to refill it, but Rand and fee their Honfes burn without Remedy; the Engines being prefently out of Order, and ufelefs. The Streets were crowded withPeople and Carts, tocarry away what Goods they could get out : And they that were molt alive and befriended (by theirWealth)got Carts, and lavedmuch; and the refe loft álmoft all. The Lofs in Hoofer andGoods is fcarttly to be valued : And among the reft the Lofsof Books wasan exceeding great Detriment to the Intereft of Piety and Learning : Almon all the Bookfellers in St. Paul's Church-Yard brought their Books into Vaultsunder St. Paul's Church, where it was thought almoft impof- fible that Fire Mould come. But the Church it feif being on fire, the exceeding weight ofthe Stones falling. down did break into the Vault, and let in the Fire, and they could not come near.to fave the books. The Library alfo of Sion-Co/ledge was burnt, and molt of the Libraries of Minifters, Conformable and Nonconformabie, in theCity; with the Libraries of many Nonconformiltsof the Countrey which had been lately brought up to the City. I Saw the half burnt Leaves of Books near my Dwelling at Acton fix milesfrom London ; but others found their scar r al- molt twenty miles diltant. At lait , force Seamen taught them to blowup fome of the next Hoofer with Gunpowder, which ftopt theFire. And in fnne places it Slope as wonderfullyas it had proceeded without any knov. n Canf . Ic [topt at Holborn- Bridge andnear St. Dunfban'sChurch in FleetJireet and at `epulehre's Church (when the Church was burnt,) and at ChriJl's Church (when the Church was burnt)and near Alderfgate andCripplegate, and other places at the Wall , and in AuSkinFriars (the Dutch Church Stopt it andefcaped,) and inB(opfgateStreet and Leadersh.rll-/brees; and Fenchurchftrèet m the midst of theStreets, and Rort of the Tester, and all beyond the River (Southmark) efcaped. Thus was the belt, and one of the faireft Cities in the worldturnd into AResand Ruines in Three Days Space, with many floeChur- ches, and the Wealth andNeceflaries of the Inhabitants. TheNumber of Houfes are recorded by others. § 32.
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