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 Anglish Spelling, which has had foreign influence reverted. As a personal preference I have opted: to use ⟨eCe⟩ and ⟨oCe⟩ instead of ⟨ee⟩ and ⟨oo⟩; to use ⟨oCe⟩ instead of ⟨oa⟩; to use ⟨e⟩, ⟨eCe⟩, or ⟨aCe⟩ instead of ⟨ea⟩, depending on vowel quality; to allow magic-E to appear after more consonant clusters than is standard today.

=The Writ=

 A Rake from London 

Þe cƿild, hƿic first began in þe land of þe Sarakens, greƿ so strong þat, sparing no lordscip, it nesed efery sted in all þe kingdoms streccing from þat land norþƿards, up to and inning Skotland, striking dune þe grater dele of þe folk ƿiþ þe bloƿs of sƿift deþ. It began in England in þe scire of Dorset, umb þe simbel of Halloƿ Peter in Fetters, and forþƿiþ ƿent on ƿiþute ƿarning from sted to sted. It killed a grate many helþy folk, taking em from þe ƿorld of mans cares in þe span of a morning. Þose marked for deþ ƿere seldomly gefen lefe to lif longer þan þree or four days. It scoƿed helde to no one, but a small feƿ of þe ƿelþy. On þe same day tƿenty, forty, or sixty bodies, and often many more, migt be laid dune for berrying togeþer in þe same pit. Þe cƿild came to London at abute þe simbel of All Halloƿs and daily benum many of life. It greƿ so strong þat, betƿene Candelmas and Ester, more þan tƿo hundred licces ƿere berried almost efery day in þe neƿ grafe grunde made next to Smiþfelde, and þis ƿas in eking to þe bodies berried in oþer circgeards in þe boroug. It stopped in London ƿiþ þe cumming of þe este of þe Holy Goste, þat is to say at Hƿite Sunday, going forþ unhindered toƿards þe norþ, hƿere it also stopped nige Mickaelmas in 1349.

 A Rake from Bristol 

In MCCCXLVIII, umb þe simbel of Halloƿ Peter in Fetters, þe first cƿild came to England at Bristol, born by ceapmen and sailers, and it lasted in þe suþe lands umb Bristol þrugeute ƿedemonþ and all ƿinter. And in þe folloƿing gere, þat is to say in 1349, þe cƿild began in þe oþer scires of England and lasted for a hƿole gere ƿiþ þe utecum being þat þe lifing culd hardly berry þe ded.

 A Rake from Geork 

In 1348, umb Michaelmas, þere began a dying of men in England. After Cristmas, on þe 31st of Eregeole, þe e called Use floded and burst its banks at þe bridge toƿards Mickelgate, a befalling hƿic lasted until Lent. And after þis, at umb risingtide, þe dying began in þe boroug of York and ƿoded until þe simbel of Halloƿ James.

 A Rake from Thomas Ƿalsingham 

Þis gere þere ƿas a grate duneyeting hƿic lasted from midsummer to þe folloƿing Cristmas, and it ƿas spedily folloƿed by a grate dying in þe este among þe Sarakens and oþer unbelefers. It ƿas so grate þat hardly a tenþ of þe Sarakens ƿere left alife, and hy, þinking þat þe cƿild had bene sent to em for her unbelefe, hƿarfed to þe lefe of Crist. But hƿen hy funde þat þe same cƿild ƿoded among Cristens hy ƿent back to her unbelefe like dogs to her speƿ. In 1349, þat is in þe 23rd gere of þe ƿelde of King Edƿard III, a grate killing ƿent forþ þrugeute þe ƿorld, beginning in þe suþern and norþern lands. Its bane ƿas so grate þat hardly half of mankind ƿas left alife. Tunes ones brimming ƿiþ folk ƿere emptied of her dƿellers, and þe cƿild spred so þickly þat þe lifing culd hardly berry þe ded. It ƿas reckoned by a handful of men þat barely a tenþ of mankind blifed alife. A grate dying of deres folloƿed on þe heles of þis cƿild. Gafels dƿindeled and land ƿas left untilled for ƿant of netes hƿo ƿere nohƿere to be funde. And so muc ƿreccedness folloƿed þese ills þat afterƿards þe ƿorld culd nefer go back to its former hode. Menehƿile, as þe cƿild ƿoded in England, Pope Clement eded, oƿing to þe grate sickness, full forgefeness for dedebote to all þose þrugeute þe kingdom hƿo died treƿly sorry after her andettings.

 A Rake from Skotland 

In MCCCL þere ƿas a grate cƿild and dying of men in þe kingdom of Skotland, and þis cƿild also ƿoded for many geres before and after þis in sundry spots of þe ƿorld, indede, þrugeute þe hƿole þoþer. So grate a cƿild has nefer bene herd of from þe beginning of þe ƿorld to þe anƿard day, or bene ƿritten dune in bokes. For þis cƿild bleƿ its illƿill so þorougly þat fully a þird of mankind ƿas killed. At Gods bidding, moreofer, þe lure ƿas done by a ferly and neƿ scape of deþ. Þose hƿo fell sick of a kind of gross sƿelling of þe flesc lasted for barely tƿo days. Þis sickness befell folk eferyhƿere, but hure þe middelling and loƿer ilks, seldomly þe grate. It begat suc grore þat cilder did not dare to nese her dying kends, nor did kends nese her cilder, but fled for fere of coþe fanging as if from leprosy or a nadder.