How many severall wayes, Houses, Townes, and Cities, have beene set a-fire.

SOme hath been burnt by bad Harths, Chimnies, Ovens, or by pans of fire set upon boards: some by Cloaths hanged against the fire: some by leaving great fires in Chimnies, where the sparkes or sickles breaking fell and fired the boards, painted Cloaths, Wainscots, Rushes, Matts, as houses were burnt in Shoreditch: some by Powder, or shooting off Pieces: some by Tinder or Matches: some by setting Candles under shelves: some by leaving Candles neere their beds: some by snuffes of Candles, Tobacco-snuffes, burnt papers, and some by drunkards; as many houses were burnt in Southwarke: some by warming Beds: some by looking under Beds with Candles: some by sleeping at worke, lea­ving their Candles by them, so many have been burnt of severall Trades: some by setting Candles neere the thatch of houses: some by snuffes or sparks falne upon Gunpowder, or upon matts, rushes, chips, small-coale, and in chinkes; so Wimbleton was burnt: some Townes were burnt by Mault­kills: some by Candles in Stables: or by foule Chimnies: some by Candles amongst hempe, flaxe, and ware-houses: some by Candles falling out of their Candlestickes: some by sticking their Candles upon posts: some by Lincks knockt at shops, stalls, sellers, windowes, ware-houses, dores, and dangerous places: some by carrying fire from place to place, where the winde hath blowne it about the streets, as it did burne St. Edmondsbury: some by warme Sea-coale sinders put in baskets, or woodden things, as did burne London-Bridge: And some have been burnt without either fire, or Candle, as by wet hay, corne, straw, or by mills, wheeles, or such like: all which hath been by carelesnesse. And some have been fired a purpose by villany or Treason.

Orders to be Observed that fire may not happen,

IS that every house-keeper, either himselfe, or one by his appointment that should be last up, to see to the fire and Candle, and to shut the Seller­windowes, dores, casements, garret-windows, and to stop holes, and sinkes, that fire may not come in by Treason, or otherwise: To prevent Trea­son that may come by wilde-fire, is to stop the wilde-fire simples, where they are sould: Seeke to prevent fire at the beginning, and by the sight of smoake, to looke to it, for divers fires have been so prevented: Some have been prevented by smelling old wood, linnen, or woollen burne: and some by hearing the crackling of sticks, coales, or sparkes of fire, have prevented mischiefe thereby: if you will use Candle all night, let your Candlestick be a pot of water brim full, and set it where it shall stand, and then light a Candle and sticke a great pin in the bottome of the Candle, and let it slowly into the water, and it will burne all night without danger if the wood under the harth of a Chimnie be a fire, then take heed you doe not open it too suddenly, before you cast water upon it, for the ayre getting in, the fire will burst forth, therefore still throw water, and open it by degrees. And that the Bricklayers should look better to the foundations of harths, and ovens, to prevent the hurts of fire: if Chimnies be a-fire, either wet hay, or straw, or a wet blanket, or a kettle of water hung over, or bay-salt cast into the fire, or a Piece shot up into the chimnie, will helpe it. And that the Watch might be from day-light to day-light, at such a distance that they may see and heare from one Watch to the other; that some might be upon Gates, Towers, or Churches, if need be, to give notice to the Watch below, upon any occasion, to prevent both enemy and fire.

Orders that if fire should happen, either by wilde-fire, or other wayes, to prevent the miseries thereof.

THen the Bells going backward, doth give notice of fire: and that all Officers and others, must keepe the streets or lanes ends, that the rude people may be kept from doing mischiefe, for sometimes they doe more harme than the fire: and suffer none but the workers to come neere, and all the streets from the fire to the water, may have double rowes or rankes of men on each side the street, to handy emptie pales, potts, or buckets, to the wa­ter, and to returne full to the fire, by the other row or ranke of people, on the same side the street: so as the streets affords, you may have divers ranks: and by this order, water may be brought to quench it, or earth to choake it, and smoother it, with that speed and plenty, as need requires.

All those of higher or levell ground, should throw downe water, to run to the place where the fire is, and there to stop it: and others to sweep up the waters of kennells towards the fire. If water-pipes run through the streets, you may open it against the house that is a fire, and set another pipe in that upright, and two or three foot lower then the height of the head of the same water, set in some gutter, trough, or pipe unto the upright pipe, to con­vay the water to the fire, for under the foresaid height, it will run it selfe from high ponds, or from Sir Hugh Middletons water, or Conduit-heads, or from the Water-houses, without any other helpe, into the fire, as you will have it: you may keepe great Scoopes or Squrts of wood in houses; or if you will, you may have in the Parish a great Squrt on wheeles, that may doe very good service.

Where milde fire is, milke, urine, sand, earth, or dirt, will quench it: but any thing else set a-fire by that, will be quencht as afore: if there be ma­ny houses standing together, and are indangered by a mightie fire, before it can be quencht, or choaked with earth, then you may pull downe the next house opposite to the winde, and then earth and rubbish being cast upon the fire, and round about it, will choake the violence of the fire: besides the water you may get to doe the like. Also it is necessary that every Parish should have Hookes, Ladders, Squrts, Buckets, and Scoopes in a readinesse upon any occasion.

O the miseries of Cities, Townes, Villages, and particular houses, that have been burnt, where some could not recover their losses in thirtie yeares after, and some never, which have been lamentable spectacles unto us, when many men, women, and children, have been burnt in their houses; and multitudes of people utterly undone, that saw all their wealth burned before their eyes. Besides, many have been hurt, many kild, aud many burned, that came but to helpe to quench the fires. What lamentable cryes, frightings, and amazements, there was to all sorts of people, some sicke, some in child-bed, and some great with childe, to the terrour of them all: and all was through the miseries of fire, that came by carelesnesse and wilfulnesse.

Therefore let the very sight of fire and Candle, put us in minde to prevent the like miseries that have come by fire, both in London, and the parts of England: for great winds may rise suddenly, and enemies furies, may doe mischiefe. To master the Elements, is either to increase or decrease any of them; for as ayre makes fire increase; so earth will choake it; and water will quench it.

Preventions of fires, would save the often Collections of money in all Churches in England; all which is for the profit and safetie of the Common­wealth. As good order, and care, prevents our feare of fire; so a good life, prevents the wayes to sinne. And every one, mend one; then all will be mended. The Lord commandeth us, to have care of our neighbours goods, Deut. Chap. 22. For the love of our neighbour fulfilleth the Law, Rom. Chap. 13.