had been visited upon his people for their unbelief. Therefore, when he had
travelled for twenty days and heard that the plague was as fatal to Christians
as to other people, he shrewdly turned about, abandoned his journey, and
hastened to his own country, but the Christians pursued him and slew some
two thousand of his people.
There died at Avignon in one day, according to a reckoning made before the
pope, 1,312, and on another day four hundred and more. Of the Domin-
icans in Provence 358 died during Lent,
3
and of 140 friars at Montpellier
4
only seven survived. At Magdelaine
5
only seven friars remained out of eight
score (which was enough). At Marseilles of seven score and ten Minorites,
truly, only one remained to tell the tale (and just as well). Of the Carmelites
sixty-six perished at Avignon before the citizens knew what was happening,
for they were believed to have slain one another. Not one of the Augustinian
friars, nor yet their order, survived in Avignon. At the same time the pestil-
ence raged in England, beginning at several places in the autumn and running
through the country to end at the same time the next year.
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