We are sorely afraid for our lives. The Black Death has been reported in Lincolnshire. The town is only twenty miles away from here; I fear I will die a horrible death. People have started to come down with headaches, bodies sores, and are staggering all over. Our uncle Dr.Wiloughby has come down with a bad case of sores on his body. His neck, armpits, and groin area are swollen with huge bulging boils. Thou is scared and food has become scarce, and no one wants to go out because of the Devil's spirit. It is starting to smell, bodies are rotting like boiled eggs sitting in the sun

As I look through a hole in the door, I see black bodies scattered about. Thou is scared to go out; mother forbids any visitors. Bad news comes about, mother has come down with a headache, and she is ill with bubbles of slimy oil sprouting from her soft skin. I fear she will be lost in five days. Mother has gone to a better place, but I still sit here trying to figure out why thou is still alive. I am so tired; the Black Death seems to have wiped out our town. Before I heard loud sounds on the street, but now, silence. Thou does not know what to do; I am helpless. Father has gone off to war, and I am here with a dead black body. What shall I do?

I have come down with the sickness and 'tis a matter of time before I die. I pray to God everyday, not for my sickness to go away, but to take care of me in his holy palace. I ask for your prayers.

-Sir William

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