Concourfe of all the Inhabitants, whom Charity, Intereft, or Curiofity had drawn together.The Fire was vifible, and there were Hands enough to have checked its Progrefs: But instead of uniting at once their Endeavours to extinguish it, they began to exclaim against what they feverally imagin'd to have been the Caufe to which it was owing. Many cried out that the Papists had done it, and therefore rather watched those whom they took to be of that Perfuafion, than affifted any in extinguishing the Flames; others exclaim'd, that there were Incendiaries about, who fought their own Advantage in the Deftruction of others. This different Caufe produced the fame or a worfe Effect; whoever was fufpicious, miftrufted every one he did not know, and those whofe Malice, or whofe Paffions were strong, branded every Man against whom they had the leaft Quarrel, with the Name of Incendiary-Some pioufly difpofed, call'd it a Judgment from Heaven on the City, for the many Iniquities of the past Times, and contented themselves with denouncing God's Judgment against their Enemies in the Language of Scripture. The Street was full of honeft and ftout Men, well regarded in the Neighbourhood, and well able to work, but not being bred Firemen, they were afraid of burning their Fingers, and therefore thought that they difcharg'd well their Duty, by fetting out many Veffels of Drink to encourage the Mob; but this though well meant, produced no great Good, for those who drank, and hallow'd, did little elfe, and when they got drunk, they were as merry, and feem'd as unconcern'd, as if they were fhouting round a common Bonfire- -thofe who feem'd the most reasonable, blamed the Master of the Family for letting the Fire get fuch a Head, and infifted upon his examining whether it had been owing to the Careleffnefs, or Malice of his Servants, and that he fhould begin by turning them away; from thefe Surmifes and Clamours, the Multitude proceeded to Invectives, rip

ping up all the Malice of the late Times, to load each other, whilft the Houfe which they came to fave, burnt on before their Eyes.

After fome Time spent in this Manner, fome wifer. than the reft animated thofe about them to lay afide thofe fruitless Difputes, and affift their Neighbours they reprefented that they had all in their Turns felt enough of what had pafs'd, that good Neighbourhood, and good Policy enjoin'd them to be Friends for the fitture, and efpecially in this Cafe to unite, fince the Fire would otherwife get a Head too ftrongly to be ftop'd, and their Houfes might fhortly take Fire, unlefs timely prevented.

Upon this feveral fet to work with Might and Main, they rush'd through the Flames, they climb'd over the most dangerous Places, animated by their Virtue, by their mutual Danger, and by the Shouts of the People; but when the Mafter of the House faw them plucking off the Firebrands, he and his Servants fwore they were pulling down his Houfe, inftead of affifting him, and by main Force kept them from doing him the most material Service they could, and which they had attempted with much Labour and Danger.

This difcouraged feveral, but ftill many continued to work hard, and to endeavour to fave the House, notwithstanding the unreasonable Threats of the Mafter and Servants.

While they were thus at work, fome of them ob ferv'd the Sparks and Firebrands drove with Violence by a fudden Wind upon the Roof of a neighbouring Church-Work hard my Lads, cried feveral among them, pull away, the Danger fpreads, all the Street will take Fire immediately,Lord blefs me, faid one among them, the Church is in Danger.-Damn the Church, fays another, have not we Churches enough? I am fure we can spare fifty of them. This. contemptuous Treatment of the Church on one fide,. provoked the pious Zeal of a drunken Butcher on the C. 2 other

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other, who fupporting himself by the Corner of the Church, fwore horribly, that he would stand by the old Bitch (as he tenderly call'd her) as long as he lived. Hereupon was moved the pious Spirit of a Puritan, who leaping into one of the Hogfheads which the Mob had emptied, with an audible Voice, follicited the Attention of the People to his Exhortations for the Reformation of their Manners, while a Quaker in another Part of the Street, with much Vehemence, at tempted to perfuade his Hearers, that what he had to fay was of much greater Confequence, than extinguifhing the Flames of their earthly Tabernacles. From this began new Difputes, new Reproaches, new Invectives, not an Oppreffion of the Churchmen, not an Injustice of the Republicans remain'd unremember'd,

In this Conjuncture there happened a ridiculous Accident not unworthy of being remember'd. Two leading Men of the Multitude, of different Interefts (the one a Churchman, the other a Diffenter) at the fame Time (without conferring together) conceived the fame Ambition of enlarging their Influence, and attempted it by the fame Means; each of them, upon the firft Uproar, left the Care of the Fire, and appear'd with great Patience and Attention among the foremost of thofe who liften'd to these judicious Apofiles, and each of them afterwards fill'd a Bucket to fling upon the Church; but the Event fell out far different from what they had expected, for (fo heated were both fides in their new Division) the Churchmen all fwore that they had both pifs'd upon the Church, whilst all the others exclaim'd against them for having thrown away all their Water to fave it.

At laft, all left off their Work, and fome of the hottest among them fwore, they would rather let the whole City burn than work with fuch Rafcals, feveral ran to fave the Church, others ftood gaping in the Street, and the most active, were those who rail'd the moft. While all who came to plunder and do Mif

chief, pretended to take Part, and encourag'd the Divifion, to animate the contending Parties, and give their Comrades Opportunity to carry off whatever they could fteal. But the honeft Men who came to put out the Fire, faw the House burnt down, the Street take Fire, and had their own Pockets all pick'd into the Bargain.

SATURDAY February 19, 1737.

B

ERNIER informs us of a very extraordinary Custom which prevails to this Day in the Empire of Mogol. His Imperial Majefty is annually weigh'd upon his Birth-day, and if it appears that fince his former Weighing he has made any confiderable Acquifition of Flesh, it is Matter of publick Rejoicings throughout his whole Dominions. Upon that great Day too his Subjects are obliged to make him Prefents, which feldom amount to lefs than thirty Millions.

This feems to be a Custom which, like many Cu ftoms in other Countries, is narrowly obferved for Antiquity or Form-fake; but the original Purpose for which it was at first wifely established, either neglected or quite forgotten: For it is impoffible to imagine that his Mogol Majefty's good and loyal Subjects fhould find fuch Matter of Joy in the literal Increase of their Sovereign's Materiality, which muft of courfe render him les qualified for the Functions and Duties of his Government; fo that it is more reasonably to be prefum'd, that as all the Oriental Nations chufe to convey their Precepts of Religion, Morality, and Govern

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ment through Hieroglyphicks, Types, and Emblems, this Custom was originally allegorical, and fignified the political Increase of his Majefty's Weight, as to Credit, Power, and Dominions; which might juftly administer great Joy to his faithful Subjects.

Or to carry my Conjecture a little farther, is it impoffible that his now abfolute Empire might formerly have been a limited one? The equal Balance of which it might be neceffary often to examine, in order to preferve it in its juft Équilibrium; in which Cafe, it is "highly probable his Majefty was weigh'd against fome Counterpoife; or to fpeak plainer, the Prerogative of the Prince might be examined with relation to the Rights and Privileges of the Subject.

-What confirms me the more in this Opinion, is the Choice of the Day for the Operation. It was his facred Ma jefty's Birth-day, a Day in which he was fuppos'd to be in good Humour, and the Prefents were of a Nature to put him in good Humour, in cafe they had not found him fo: Which Circumftances feem to be meant as preparatory Sweetners to a Ceremony that would not otherwife have been very agreeable to him.

It will be no Objection to my Conjecture, to alledge the prefent abfolute Form of that Government, fince a very little. Knowledge of Hiftory, will fhew us that the most abfolute Governments now in the World have been originally free ones, and only bought, bully'd, or beaten out of their Liberties.

This may very probably have been the Cafe in Indiftan, where the Nobles and the Reprefentatives of the People might think it both civil and prudent not to weigh quite fair against his Majefty, but to lighten their own Scale, that he might preponderate a little. This Little by degrees increas'd the Bulk of their Succeffors, by continually adding more and more to it.

The Superiority of Weight probably pleas'd his Majefty, and gave him a Relish for more; which these great annual Prefents fwelling up his Civil Lift, en

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