A short narrative of the late dreadful fire in London

Edward Waterhouse (1619-1670), lived at Sion College (a society for Anglican clergymen) on London Wall. Sion College and about one-third of its library was burnt down in the Great Fire of London in 1666, a tragedy which Waterhouse refers to in his book. The focus of the book is religious, with Waterhouse dwelling much on the nation's sins, which he feels were the cause of the fire. He also compares London's conflagration to those related in the Bible. Waterhouse feels that God was in fact very merciful in his destruction of London, in that he only burnt one-third of London (including the suburbs) and that so few people died.

He also gives some interesting details on events surrounding the fire; how 'Gamesters and others of shuffling life' spent their time stealing or extorting money rather than fighting the fire. He blames people from the suburbs for this, saying that London was 'devoured by surburbian thieves, and by the Countreys extortion for their carts'. Waterhouse deplores people's cowardice in running from the fire, writing 'the hearts of men were in their heels'.