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Q. What caused the plague?
The learned doctors with whom I studied attributed the disease to
a massive corruption of the air. In a report in 1348, these same scholars
proved that this corruption began with a planetary conjunction of
Saturn, Mars, and Jupiter on March 20, 1345. Some accounts spoke of
cataclysms in the Orient, such as firestorms or rains of frogs, that
spawned a drifting, disease-laden cloud. Clearly there is merit to
these theories-only a contamination of the air could explain why some
people were struck down in their homes, without having touched or
even seen another victim. Most of the populace, however, believed
the spiritual leaders who insisted that so great a disaster could
only be God's punishment for the general wickedness of the age.
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