Gods three arrows plague, famine, sword, in three treatises. I. A plaster for the…Gods three arrovves plague, famine, svvord, in three treatises. I. A plaister for the…

The famine of the City, and the desperation of the ¹thieves both increased alike, every day more and more; so that now there was no more corn found. Wherefore the seditious persons brake into the houses, and searched every corner for to find corn; and if after their search they found any, then they did beat the owners for denying it at the first; and if they found none, they tortured the householders, as having more cunningly hidden it: And whosoever was yet strong of body and well liking, him they presently killed; for hereby they deemed him to have store of food, or else he should not have been in so good plight of body as he was. And they that were pined with famine, were by these barbarous seditious people slain, who esteemed it no offence to kill them, who would shortly after die, though they were left alive. Many, both rich, and poor, secretly exchanged all that they had for one bushel of corn, and ²presently shutting themselves in the secretest room of their houses, some of them did eat the corn as it was unground: others made bread thereof, as necessity and fear required. No man in the whole city sate down to eat his meat on a table, but greedily taking it, not boiled from the fire, they (even raw as it was) did ear it. Most miserable was this manner of living, and a spectacle which none without tears was able to behold; for the strongest still got the most, and the weakest bewailed their misery: for now famine was the greatest calamity they endured. And nothing doth arm men more then shame: for during this famine no reverence ³was had towards any man: for wives took the meat even out of their husbands mouths, and children from their parents, ⟨p. 164⟩and mothers even from their infants, which was the most lamentable thing of all. No body had now any compassion, neither did they spare their dearest infants, but suffered them to perish even in their arms, taking from them the very drops of life. Yet could they not eat thus in such secrecy, but presently some came to take away from them that whereon they fed. For if in any place they saw any door shut, presently hereupon they conjectured that they in the house were eating meat, and forthwith breaking down the doors, they came in; and taking them by the throat, they took the meat out of their mouths already chewed, and ready to be swallowed down.