“We see death coming into our midst like foul smoke. A plague, which cuts off the young. A rootless phantom which has no mercy.” The Black Death as described by 14th c. Welsh poet Jeuan Gethin. This was the bubonic plague and likely the earliest recorded pandemic. Simon Schama tracks King Death's journey west and its shattering effects on these islands; a dark period in classic series A History of Britain - all episodes on BBC iPlayer | bbc.in/3XTSFU | BBC Arts