In a welcome respite from his catalog of horrors, the author looks beyond the streets of London and considers the effect of the disease on trade and commerce, starting here with its impact on foreign trade. London in 1665 was the second most populous city in Europe, after Paris, and English ships were part of a burgeoning international trade with Europe, certainly, but also with its colonies in the Americas. At the same time, England was involved in a series of wars with the Dutch that would result in continued Dutch naval supremacy. Naturally, the arrival of the plague in London did not help either the war effort or British foreign trade, as ships departing from London were not allowed to dock at most European ports. For a time, English ports along the coasts continued to prosper, but finally the arrival of the plague in those cities, accelerated by trade with the capital, shut them down as well. And, as related here, the Dutch and others fully capitalized on the situation to increase their economic advantage. [For notes on the main themes of the novel, visit https://londonplague.com/postscript/. To see some ways in which our reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic are anticipated in the Journal, see https://londonplague.com/concordance/.] Credits: Podcast produced by Sam Brelsfoard. Music from Funeral Sentences of Henry Purcell (1659-1695), performed by the Choir of Clare College at the University of Cambridge, Timothy Brown conducting. Used by permission. Visit our website: www.londonplague.com © 2020 Mark Cummings