Oh, the miserable and calamitous
spectacle, such as haply the world had not seene the like since the
foundation of it, nor be outdone till the universal conflagration of
it. All the skie was of a fiery aspect, like the top of a burning
oven, and the light seene above forty miles round about for many
nights. God grant mine eyes may never behold the like, who now saw
above 10,000 houses all in one flame; the noise and crackling and
thunder of the impetuous flames, the shreiking (sic) of women and
children, the hurry of people, the fall of Towers, Houses, and
Churches, was like an hideous storme, and the aire all about so hot
and inflam'd that, at the last, one was not able to approach it, so
that they were forc'd to stand still and let the flames burn on, which
they did for neere two miles in length and one in bredth. The clowds
also of smoke were dismall, and reach'd, upon computation, neer
fifty-six miles in length. Thus I left it this afternoone burning, a
resemblance of Sodom or the last day. It forcibly call'd to my mind
that passage--_non enim hic habemus stabilem civitatem:_ the ruines
resembling the picture of Troy--London was, but is no more! Thus I
returned home.
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