persons writing creeds and prayers, before printing commenced; and also for making of string beads. Old books were then, as now, bought there, and in Little Britain, not far from it; divinity and classic books, on the north side of St. Paul's churchyard; law, history, and plays, about Temple-bar; French books in the Strand."-Mackay's Journey. The celebrated jester to Queen Elizabeth, Dick Tarleton, kept a tavern in this row, which was much frequented by the wits of the day. The streets were a perfect nuisance, and in the first quarter of the century London and Westminster were two distinct cities. If you gave the wall to any one sooner than have a quarrel, you would be liable to a splash from the carriages, or be tossed by a half baited bull, or hugged by a run-away bear. About 1662 there was a pretty general repairing of the highways of London and Westminster; several of the principal streets were now first paved. In 1687 the population was estimated, by Sir William Petty, at 696,000, no doubt he put it much too high. In ten years later, Mr. King estimated it at 530,000, which was then, perhaps, much too low. At the revocation of the edict of Nantes, 1685, many silk weavers, and fine paper makers came over, and the Duke of Buckingham brought plate glass makers from Venice. These from that time began to flourish. Drinking glasses were made 1557, and quickly brought into use. In the hatred of everything Aristocratic, which seized the whimsical public during the civil wars; the titled were sure to be mobbed, cursed, and reviled; several were obliged to set guards over their houses, if their parliamentary career did not please the mobocracy of the day. This is somewhat of a picture of the metropolis by day, at night it was much worse, and is too horrible to be believed, if faithfully described from Somer's Tracts. Truly might Rousseau say: "Town is the dwelling place of profane mortals; the Gods inhabit rural retreats." The city watch, always armed, but never faithful, were in constant collision with nightly drunkards, who wore rapiers and daggers; besides, there were the following rebellious factions, who found that after nine o'clock it was the best time to carry on their various depredations: "None cared what way he gained, so gain was his." Bacon well said, "When quarrels and factions are carried openly, it is a sign the reverence of the These turbulent wretches were the roargovernment is lost." ing boys and bonaventuras. After these succeeded, in the following reigns, the swash-bucklers and privadors, added to them the Mohawks, intermingled with the turbulent apprentices, so that life at night was unsafe. As London kept increasing, its troubles were not lessened, except the turbulent apprentices' rows had been quelled, (see vol. i. p. 226.) A lamentable idea may be formed by stating, that in 1744, the lord mayor and aldermen went with an address to the king, in which was the following frightful statement: "That divers confederacies of evil disposed persons, armed with bludgeons, pistols, cutlasses, and other dangerous weapons, infest not only the lanes and passages, but likewise the public streets and places of usual resort, and commit most daring outrages upon the persons of your majesty's good subjects, whose affairs oblige them to pass through the streets, by terrifying, and robbing, and wounding them, and these feats are frequently perpetrated, at such times as were deemed heretofore hours of security, that the officers of justice have been repulsed in the performance of their duty, some of whom have been shot, and some dangerously wounded, and others murdered, in endeavouring to discharge their duty in apprehending the said persons.' This will prove that the play writers and essayists of the time have not exaggerated.. Pick-pockets regularly frequented the churches. In 1736,* there were only 1000 lamps in the city of London, and those only lighted in the winter months, and the few watch men were, for the most part, only old feeble men. The streets then for the most part unpaved, great long water spouts projecting into the streets; in a thunder-storm, taking the wall would be as bad as a gentle dip under a water-wheel. At Bath, Beau Nash made the best public regulations, so that 8000 families annually visited that fashionable (naturally warm) bathing city, every winter season. Two of his laws were most excellent, and tended to preserve order under his beneficent regulations. The first was, all politics were aban "In that year, on a debate in the house of commons, about putting a higher tax on distilled spirits, it was stated, there were signs, where such liquors are retailed, with the following inscriptions: 'Drunk for a penny, dead drunk for twopence, clean straw for nothing.'" With a view of evading the act, there were several brandy shops who sold compounded liquors, under the following names, viz: Sangree, Tow-row, Cuckold's Comfort, Parliament Gin, Bob-make-shift, the Last-shift, the Ladies' Delight, the Balk, King Theodore of Corsica, Cholic and Gripe Waters, &c. This gin act created such consternation that a double guard, for some days, was mounted at St. James's and Kensington Palaces; and the Horse Guards at Whitehall, and other places, were reinforced. "This record establishes the reality of the inscription in Hogarth's frightful print of Gin Lane,' and marks a trait in the manners of that period, which, to the credit of the industrious classes, has greatly abated."-Gentleman's Magazine. doned in the public rooms, this prevented quarrels and duellings, for it was the fashion to wear swords; the second, all scandal strictly prohibited, which made it pleasant for the ladies. Until then, this fashionable city was full of broils, not only among the sedan-chairmen, but by numbers of the fashionable votaries, who sojourned there every winter. The female part of society in London, seems to have been early innoculated with this turbulent virus; on the 12th February, 1619, Mr. Chamberlain wrote to Sir Dudley Carleton, stating, that "Our pulpits continually ring of the insolence and turbulence of women, and to help forward, the players have likewise taken them to task, and so do the beggars and ballad-singers, so that they can come nowhere but their ears tingle, and if all this will not serve, the king threatens to fall upon their husbands, parents, or friends, that have or should have power over them, and make them pay for it." As a farther proof, which I am sorry to give, of this female turbulency, Elias Ashmole, the antiquarian, has the following entry in his diary, 1657: "The cause between me and my wife was heard, when Mr. Sergeant Maynard observed to the court, that there were 800 sheets of depositions on my wife's part, and not one word proved against me of using her ill, nor ever giving her a bad or provoking word." The decision was against the lady; the court, refusing her alimony, delivered her to her husband; "whereupon," says Ashmole, "I carried her to Mr. Lilly's and took lodgings for us both." Reader, kind, courteous reader, can you guess why he took her there? I will be bound you cannot; well then, to lesson your anxiety, both he and Lilly were bitten by astrology; and from the cutting of a corn up to lopping off the head of a king, each sex, when in any difficulty, consulted the stars. I suppose he and his spouse got reconciled, perhaps the two stars, under which they were born, came on purpose into juxtaposition, and for their sake remained so, for he says no more about her until April 1st, (curious day,) 1668, he announces her death. And this zealous lover of the ancients, to convince the world that he loved his former wife, took another, 3d November, and among many particulars which he gives of it, the wedding was finished at "10 hor, P. M." A great deal of this would have been prevented, if the wealthy had obeyed, as they ought from every consideration, the various proclamations which were issued, commanding them to go into the country and to keep up their hospitality, and spend their money there, instead of expending it in profligacy in London. CHARING CROSS.-In vol. i. p. 258, I mention that fifteen crosses were erected by King Edward I., in memory of his wife, Eleanor. The cut here given represents the one placed in the village of Charing, as being the last spot on which the body rested, before it entered Westminster Abbey, (it is about a short mile from it.) This was destroyed by the populace, 1643, in their infuriated zeal against such edifices. “Here, for a while, my proper cares resigned; Here let me sit in sorrow for mankind!!!" GOLDSMITH. How changeable are the affairs of this world, for on this very spot was placed the beautiful equestrian statue of King Charles I., in bronze. During the civli wars, that matchless piece of art fell into the hands of the parliament, by whom it was ordered to be sold, and broken up, but was fortunately saved from destruction by the mercantile cunning of the parliamentary brazier, who had buried it entire, (see vol. i. p. 266;) where it was again remounted on its present pedestal, seventeen feet high, by Grinling Gibbons. It was usual, on the 29th of May, the anniversary of the restoration of Charles II., to decorate the statue with oaken boughs. This Eleanor's cross was of an octagon shape, and in an upper stage contained eight figures. Surely such a neat little building might have been spared; one would have thought the fair sex would have formed a rampart around it, and defended it from such faithless, desecrating despoilers. This was not erected from either sectarian or political motives, but from those feelings which binds society together. When the frantic ruthless bands yelled out, " Down with the crosses!" happy would it have been if some patriotic Amazon had stepped forth, in the name of her sex, and cried, Hold! "Not for such purpose were those altars placed; So may our country's name be undisgraced, So may'st thou prosper where thy youth was reared, By every honest joy of love and life endeared." BYRON. PLAGUE, FIRE, STORM.-There were three ary and heavy inflictions during this century. The first was. the great plague of 1665, which began in the month of May, and continued on till the end of September, during which period, there had been swept off 68,596 persons.* On the second September, 1666, broke out the great fire, which consumed 4000 streets and lanes, 13,200 houses, old St. Pauls Cathedral, 86 parish churches, 6 chapels, the Royal Exchange, Blackwell Hall, the Custom House, several hospitals, and libraries, 52 of the city companies' magnificent halls, and a vast number of other stately edifices, together with three of the city gates, four stone bridges, and four prisons. Of merchandize, and household furniture, according to the best calculation; the loss amounted to £10,735,000; but, fortunately, only six persons lost their lives. In the year 1676, there was also a very extensive fire of nearly a proportional extent, as the London fire, ten years before, in the Borough of Southwark. In the announcement of this calamity in the London Gazette, it was stated," that about 600 houses had been burnt and blown up." The town hall, which was involved in the destruction, was not built until about ten years after. When complete, it was adorned with a statue of Charles II., which remained until this building was pulled down, in 1773. This statue was then set up on the watch house, in three crowns square, on which some witty wag wrote: "Justice and Charles have left the hill,1 The city claimed their places; Justice resides at Dick West's still,2 In the year 1613, the new river water was brought from Ware, to London, by Sir Hugh Middleton, and let into the lower reservoir, at Islington. There was a grand masque given on this occasion. On the twenty-sixth of November, 1703, happened one of the most dreadful storms of wind, which extended over great * This dire infection had been carried down to Eyam, in Derbyshire, where it was stopped spreading by the Rev. William Mompesson, at the risk of every. thing dear to him; for he lost his wife, and caught it himself; see an account of this affair, in. "The Desolation of Eyam," by the Howitt's. The Rev. Thomas Stanley acted also a conspicuous part. See Hone's Table Book. † 1 St. Margaret's Hill. 2 In allusion to a figure of justice which supported the lord mayor's chair, in the town hall, and was purchased by Mr. West, of the Three Crowns, coffee-house, and placed as an ornament in his bar. |