Lauri’s Reviews > The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time. > Status Update

In England, as in other countries, one of the few things that offered a measure of protection against the pestilence was privilege.

During those two years, perhaps 50 percent of England was consumed in the mortality.

Bonfires were set to ward off the pestilence and guards were posted to keep strangers out of the city.

Under instruction from municipal authorities, all ships entering Venice were boarded and searched; vessels found harboring foreigners and corpses were set ablaze.