On September 7th, 1666, Sir John Evelyn took a walk through the streets of London to see for himself the devastation wreaked by five days of the Great Fire. Amid the baking, charred remains, he saw tens of thousands of destitute Londoners, too stunned even to beg; happily, the Government arranged for charitable donations to be brought to them.

As the flames abated, rumours flew of a Franco-Dutch invasion, triggering panic and a spate of attacks on foreigners. Once Evelyn was sure the army had the situation in hand, he went home minded to visit his parish church, only to remember that the plague of the previous year was not yet over and he must still be wary.

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