Black Death Rakes

Here are some accounts of the Black Death found in the book The Black Death by Rosemay Horrox.

Beware: this article uses spellings which have had foreign influence reverted; this article uses native English third person pronouns.

A Rake from London
Þe, which first began in þe land of þe Sarakens, grew so strong þat, sparing no lordship, it every stead in all þe kingdoms streching from þat land norþwards, up to and  Scotland, striking dune þe greater  of þe  wiþ þe blows of swift deaþ. It began in England in þe shire of Dorset, þe  of Hallow Peter in Fetters, and forþwiþ went on wiþute warning from stead to stead. It killed a great many healþy folk, taking hem from þe world of man's cares in þe span of a morning. Þose marked for deaþ were seldomly to live longer þan þree or four days. It showed to no one, but a small few of þe wealþy. On þe same day twenty, forty, or sixty bodies, and often many more, mite be laid dune for burying togeþer in þe same pit.

Þe cwild came to London at abute þe of All Hallows' and daily  many of life. It grew so strong þat, between Candelmas and Easter, more þan two hundred were buried almost every day in þe new grave grund made next to Smiþfeeld, and þiss was in  to þe bodies buried in oþer churchyards in þe borow. It stopped in London wiþ þe coming of þe of þe Holy Goast, þat is to say at, going forþ unhindered towards þe norþ, where it also stopped nie Mickaelmas in 1349.

A Rake from Bristol
In 1348, þe feast of Hallow Peter in Fetters, þe first cwild came to England at Bristol, born by  and sailers, and it lasted in þe suþe lands  Bristol þroute  and all winter. And in þe following year, þat is to say in 1349, þe cwild began in þe oþer shires of England and lasted for a whole year wiþ þe utecome being þat þe living could hardly bury þe dead.

A Rake from York
In 1348, Michaelmas, þere began a dying of men in England. After Cristmas, on þe 31st of Ereyool, þe  flooded and burst its banks at þe bridge towards Mickelgate, a befalling which lasted until Lent. And after þiss, at, þe dying began in þe borow of York and  until þe feast of Hallow James.

A Rake from Tomas Walsingham
Þiss year þere was a great which lasted from midsummer to þe following Cristmas, and it was speedily followed by a great dying in þe east among þe Sarakens and oþer unbeleevers. It was so great þat hardly a tenþ of þe Sarakens were left alive, and hie, þinking þat þe cwild had been sent to hem for hir unbeleef, to þe Cristly. But when hie fund þat þe same cwild among Cristians hie went back to hir unbeleef like dogs to hir spew.

In 1349, þat is in þe 23rd year of þe of King Edward III, a great killing went forþ þroute þe world, beginning in þe suþern and norþern lands. Its was so great þat hardly half mankind was left alive. Tunes onse brimming wiþ folk were emptied of hir dwellers, and þe cwild spread so þickly þat þe living could hardly bury þe dead. It was reckoned by a handful of men þat barely a tenþ of mankind alive. A great dying of followed on þe heels of þiss cwild. dwindeled and land was left untilled for want of who were nowhere to be found. And so much wrechedness followed þese ills þat afterwards þe world could never go back to its former.

Meanwhile, as þe cwild in England, Pope Clement, forþat þe great sickness, full  for  to all þose þroute þe kingdom who died truly sorry after hir.

A Rake from Scotland
in 1350 þere was a great cwild and dying of men in þe kingdom of Scotland, and þiss cwild also for many years before and after þiss in sundry spots of þe world, indeed, þroute þe whole. So great a has never been heard of from þe beginning of þe world to þe  day, or been written dune in books. For þiss cwild blew its illwill so þorowly þat fully a þird of mankind was killed. At God's bidding, moreover, þe was done by an  and new shape of deaþ. Þose who fell sick of a kind of gross swelling of þe flesh lasted for barely two days. Þiss sickness befell everywhere, but  þe middling and lower ilks, seldomly þe great. It such  þat childer did not dare to  hir dying, or  hir childer, but fled for fear of  as if from leprosy or a.