it 's pointless to try to capture the feeling of a city in which people -- crippled , humpbacked , dwarfed , or tall and gangly , advancing on crutches , carrying huge bundles on their bent shoulders , or hurrying upright and with purpose -- were going every which way at once , some selling , some buying , some carrying , some scurrying , some rich and carried in litters or marching bravely through the mud in their bejeweled boots , and most rushing about in simple jerkins with hooded tunics ; a populace wrapped to the teeth in wool or velvet or fur of all different quality , to defend themselves against the cold .