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4. The SWORD-BEARER attends the lord mayor at his going abroad, and carries the fword before him, the emblem of juftice. This is an ancient and honourable office, reprefenting the state and princely office of the king's majefty, in his representative the lord mayor; and, according to the rule of armory, "He muft carry the fword upright, the hilts being holden under his bulk, and the blade directly up the midft of his breaft, and so forth between the fword-bearer's brows." 5. The common hunt; whose business it is to take care of the hounds belonging to the lord mayor and citizens, and to attend them in hunting in thofe grounds to which they are authorised by charter. 6. The common crier, and the ferjeant at arms, summon all executors and adminiftrators of freemen to appear, and bring in inventories of the perfonal ef tates of freemen, within two months after their deceafe; and he must have notice of the appraise

which the fheriffs being judges, each has his affiftant or deputy. To each of thefe courts belong 4 attorneys, who are fworn upon their being admitted by the court of aldermen; alfo a fecondary, a clerk of the papers, a prothonotary, and 4 clerks fitters. The fecondary's office is to allow and return all writs brought to remove clerks out of the faid courts; the clerk of the papers files and copies all declarations upon actions; the prothonotary draws and engroffes all declarations; the clerks fitters enter actions and attachments, and take bail and verdicts. To each of the compters, or prifons belonging to these courts, appertain 16 ferjeants at mace, with a yeoman to each, befides inferior officers, and the prifon-keeper. In the fheriff's court may be tried actions of debt, cafe, trefpafs, account, covenant, and all perfo nal actions, attachments, and fequeftrations. The teftimony of an abfent witnefs in writing is admitted as evidence. When an erroneous judgments. He also attends the lord mayor on fet days, ment is given in either of the fheriff's courts of the city, the writ of error to reverfe this judgment muft be brought in the court of huftings before the lord mayor, The fheriffs of London may make arrests and ferve executions on the Thames. The RECORDER, by his office, feems to have been intended, as an affiftant to, or affeffor with, the lord mayor, in matters of juftice and law. He is chofen by the lord mayor and aldermen only; and takes place in all courts, and in the common council, before any who hath not been mayor. He is confidered as the mouth of the city; and delivers all addreffes to the king, &c. from the corporation. (See RECORDER.) The next chartered officer is the CHAMBERLAIN; an office of great repute and truft. He is elected by the livery annually, on Midfummer day, but is never difplaced during his life, unless some great crime be proved against him. He has the keeping of the money, lands, and goods, of the city orphans, or takes fecurity for the payment thereof when the parties come to age. And to that end he is deemed in the law a fole corporation for orphans; and therefore a bond or recognizance made to him or his fucceffors, is recoverable by his fucceffors. He hath a court peculiarly belonging to him. His office may be termed a public treasury, collecting the customs, moneys, and yearly revenues, and all other payments belonging to the corporation of the city. The other officers under the lord mayor are, 1. The common ferjeant. He attends the lord mayor and court of aldermen on courtdays, and is in council with them on all occafions, within or without the liberties of the city. He takes care of orphans eftates, and manages them, according to his judgment, to the best advantage. 2. The TOWN-CLERK keeps the original charter of the city, the books, rolls, and other, records, wherein are registered the acts and proceedings of the city; fo that he may not be improperly called the city regifter: he attends the lord mayor and aldermen at their courts, and figns all public inftruments. The city REMEMBRANCER attends the lord md f on certain days, his bufinefs being to put his hip in mind of the felect days he is to go abroad with the aldermen, &c. He attends daily at the parliament houfe, during the feffions, and reports to the lord mayor their tranfactions.

and at the courts held weekly by the mayor and aldermen. 7. The water bailiff looks after the prefervation of the Thames against all encroachments, and looks after the fishermen, for the prefervation of the young fry. For that purpose there are juries for each county, that hath any part of it lying on the fhores of the faid river; which juries, fum moned by the water bailiff at certain times, make inquiry into all offences relating to the river and the fish, and make their prefentments accordingly. He alfo attends the lord mayor on fet days in the week. Thefe 7 purchafe their places; except the town clerk, who is chofen by the livery. There are alfo 3 ferjeant carvers; 3 ferjeants of the chamber, a ferjeant of the channel; 4 yeomen of the water fide: an under water bailiff; two yeomen of the chamber; two meal weighers; two yeamen of the wood wharfs; with a number of clerks, city marshals, and many other inferior officers. There is alfo a coroner, a moft useful and neceffary office in a great city. See CORONER, § 1—3. There are likewife feveral courts for executing juftice, viz. the court of huftings, lord mayor's court, &c. There are alfo two fubordinate kinds of government in the city; one executed by the alderman, deputy, and common council men, and their inferior officers, in each ward; under which form are comprehended all the inhabitants, free or not free of the city. Every ward is therefore like a little free state, subject to the lord mayor as chief magiftrate. The housekeepers of each ward elect their reprefentatives, the common council, who join in making bye-laws for the government of the city. The officers of each ward manage the affairs belonging to it, and each has a court called the WARDMOTE, for this purpose. The other fubordinate government is by the mafter, wardens, and court of afliftants, of the incorporate companies; whofe power reaches no further than the members of their refpective guilds; except that in them is vefted the power to choofe reprefentatives in parfiament for the city, and all thofe magiftrates and officers elected by a common hall; which companies are invefted with diftinct powers, according to their respective charters.-A court is also held in the Old Bailey, 8 times a-year, in a hall named Justice hall, or the Seffions houfe, by the king's Commiffion of oyer and terminer, for the trial of

criminals,

criminals, for offences committed within the city and county. Of this court, the lord mayor, and fuch aldermen as have served that office, are judges; along with the recorder and sheriffs; attend. ed by one or more of the national judges.

OF.

ii. LONDON, GOVERNMENT, ECCLESIASTICAL, London is a bishop's fee, the diocese of which comprehends not only Middlefex, Effex, and part of Hertfordshire, but is fuppofed to include alfo the whole of the British fettlements abroad, where there is no refident bishop. The bishop of London takes precedency next to the archbishops of Canterbury and York; but the following parithes of this city are exempted from his jurifdiction, being peculiars under the immediate government of the archbishop of Canterbury; viz. All-hallows in Bread-ftreet, All-hallows Lombard-ftreet, St Dionys Back-church, St Dunftan in the Eaft, St John Baptift, St Leonard Eaftcheap, St Mary Aldermary, St Mary Bothaw, St Mary le Bow, St Michael Crooked-lane, St Michael Royal, St Pancras Soper-lane, and St Vedaft Fof. ter-lane.

iii. LONDON, GOVERNMENT, MILITARY, OF. The military government is lodged in a lieutenancy, confifting of the lord mayor, aldermen, and other principal citizens, who receive their authority by a commiffion from the king. Thofe have under their command the city trained hands, confifting of 6 regiments of foot, diftinguished by the names of the white, orange, yellow, blue, green, and red, each containing 8 companies of 150 men, amounting in all to 7200. There is alfo a corps called the artillery company, from its being taught the military exercife in the artillery ground. This company is independent of the reft, and confifts of 700 or 800 volunteers. Thefe, with two regiments of foot, of 800 men each, commanded by the lieutenant of the tower, make the whole militia of this city; which, exclufive of Weft. minfter and Southwark, amounts to about 10,000

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(9.) LONDON, HISTOY OF, AFTER THE DEPARTURE OF THE ROMANS, TILL ITS IMPROVE MENT BY ALFRED THE GREAT. After the Romans deserted Britain, a new and fierce race fucceeded. The Saxons landed in 448; (See ENG: LAND, 13.): London fell into their hands, about 457; and became their chief city in Effex. It fuffered much in the wars between the Britons and Saxons, but foon recovered; fo that Bede calls it a princely mart town, under the governnent of a chief magiftrate, whofe title of portgrave, or portreve, conveys a grand idea of the mercantile ftate of London in thofe early ages, that required a governor of the port. During the civil vars of the Saxons, the Londoners kept themfelves neuter; and about 819, when the whole Heptarchy fell under the power of Egbert, London became the metropolis of England, which it has ever fince continued. During the invafions of the Danes, London fuffered greatly. In 849, these invaders entered the Thames with 250 thips, plundered and burnt the city, and maffacred the

troops being cut in pieces by K. Ethelwolf and his fon Ethelbald. London fuffered more from these two incurfions than ever it had done before. In the reign of King ALFRED the Great, London began to recover. He rebuilt its walls, drove out the Danish inhabitants who had fettled there, reftored the city to its former liberties, and committed the care of it to his fon-in-law, Ethelred duke of Mercia. In 893, however, he had the mortification to fee his capital totally reduced to afhes by an accidental fire, which could not be extinguished, as the houfes at that time were all built of wood. The walls, however, being conftructed of incombustible materials, continued to afford the fame protection as before; the houses were quickly rebuilt, and the city divided into wards and precincts. Alfred alfo inftituted the office of fheriff, fo that here we have the outlines of the order of magiftrates afterwards settled in London; in the perfon of the portreve, or portgrave, as fupreme magiftrate; in the sheriff, and in the fubordinate magiftrates, placed at the head of each ward or precinct, analogous to the mo dern office of alderman and common council men. Alfred next began to ornament the city, and to excite the English to an emulation in building their houses of stronger and more durable materials than wood. Having begun to build his pa laces of tone and brick, the opulent Londoners and the nobility followed his example, though the cuftom did not become general till fome ages a ter.

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(10.) LONDON, HISTORY OF, FROM ALFRED'S DEATH TO THAT OF HENRY II. In 1015, Canute king of Denmark invaded and plundered the coun ties of Dorfet, Somerfet, and Wilts, failed up the Thames with 200 fhips, and laid fiege to London. The citizens made fuch a brave refistance, that Canute withdrew his army, leaving only his fleet to blockade the city by water. At laft, however, being defeated in feveral battles by Edmund Ironfide, he was obliged to call off his fhips to Cover his own army. But in the compromife, afterwards made between Edmund and Canute, London was given to the latter. The opulence of London at this time appears from the tax laid upon it by Canute to pay his army; which was no less than 10,500l. while the rest of the nation was taxed only at 72,000l. In 1946, the firft inftance occurs of the Londoners fending reprefen. tatives to parliament. This happened on settling the fucceffion after Canute's death. The English in general declared for Edward fon of king Ethel red II. or, if that could not be carried, for Har dicanute, fon of Canute by Queen Emma, then at Denmark, London efpoufed the intereft of Harold Harefoot, fon alfo of Canute, by Q. Elgiva, of Northampton. Edward's party foon declined; and the Londoners agreed, that the two brothers should divide the kingdom; but as Hardicanute did not return in proper time to England, a wit tenage-mote was held at Oxford, where most of the thanes on the N. of the Thames with the pi lots of London, chofe Harold for

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with a fleet of 350 fail, determined to deftroy every thing that had efcaped their former barbarity. But they were disappointed, most of their

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leading men of the city; whic don was then of fuch confequ portant national affair was tranfacted without the

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confent of the inhabitants; for the Saxon annals cution of John Senex; who, though very rich affure us that none were admitted into this af had engaged in thefe villanies. He offered soolb fembly of election, but the nobility and the pi- weight of filver, a prodigious fum in those days, lots of London. On the invafion of the Normans for his pardon, but was refufed. The king, howunder William I. London fubmitted as well as the ever, continued to drain the citizens of their moreft of the kingdom; and received two charters ney, and fined every guild, fraternity, and comfrom that prince, confirming all the privileges pany, that had acted as bodies corporate without they had under the Saxon kings, and adding fe- the royal letters patent. On the death of Henry veral new ones. But while the citizens were pro- IL the title of the firft magiftrate of London was mifing themfelves tranquillity under the new go- changed from portgreve to that of bailiff; and in vernment, it was almost entirely reduced to afhes 1189, the bailiff claimed and acted in the office by an accidental fire in 1077. It had fcarcely re- of the chief butler at the coronation of Richard I. covered from this calamity, when it was visited (11.) LONDON, HISTORY OF, FROM HENRY II.'S by another of the fame kind in 1086, which be- DEATH TO THAT OF HENRY III. In 1191, K. gan at Ludgate, and burnt the moft opulent part Richard I. permitted the bailiff Henry Fitz-Alwine, of the city; confuming, among other buildings, to affume the title of MAYOR. In 119, we find the cathedral of St Paul's; which, however, was certain orders of the mayor and aldermen to prefoon rebuilt more magnificently than before. Un- vent fires, and "that 12 aldermen of the city der William II. London fuffered confiderably by fhould be chofen in full hutings, and fworn to fires, hurricanes, and inundations, as well as by affift the mayor, in appealing contentions that the tyranny of that prince; but Henry I. granted might arife among neighbours in the city," &c. large immunities to it, which revived its trade, Such confidence alfo did Richard put in the wifand encouraged the arts. The king, however, dom and fidelity of the citizens of London, that retained the privilege of appointing the portreve; when it was refolved to fix a ftandard for weights but the immunities granted to the Londoners fe- and meafures for the whole realm, he- committed cured their affections, and tended much to fix the execution thereof to the sheriffs of London him on the throne. At the fame time there was and Middlefex. This happened in 1198, when fuch plenty of provifions, that as much corn was corn was advanced to the enormous price of 18s. fold for is. as would fuffice 100 people for a day; 4d. per quarter. London was much favoured by 4d. would purchase as much hay and corn as K. John, who granted it 3 charters foon after his would maintain 20 horses for a day; and a sheep acceffion. The first was a recital and confirmation could be bought for a groat. These pieces of of those granted by Henry I. and II. with the admoney indeed were then of much more intrinfic ditional privilege of being free from all tolls, duvalue, than at prefent; the fhilling being the 20th ties, and cuftos, in his foreign dominions; for part, and the groat the 60th, of a pound weight of which they paid the fum of 30co merks. The filver; but ftill provifions of all kinds were amazing. 2d was a confirmation of one granted by K. Richly cheap. Henry alfo checked the licentioufnefs ard, giving the citizens of London the jurifdiction of the Normans, who, by the favour showed them and confervancy of the Thames; and extending under the two Williams, had been guilty of the that jurifdiction to the Medway; with a power moft barbarous practices, and had dreadfully har- to inflict a penalty of rol. upon any perfon that raffed and plundered the country. Many of them fhould erect a wear in either of thefe rivers. The were fo extravagant in their barbarity, that what 3d charter granted them a free-farm rent of the they could not eat or drink in their quarters, they fheriffwics of London and Middlesex at the aneither obliged the people to fell for their ufe, or cient rent, of which they had been deprived by they would throw it into the fire: and, at their Q. Matilda; with the power of choofing their going off, they often ftaved the casks containing own fheriffs. This charter was given by way of the remainder of the liquor. Henry, to stop thefe conveyance from the crown to the citizens for a exceffes, published a proclamation, that all who valuable confideration, by which the fheriffwic fhould be convicted of fuch barbarities should became their freehold; and this is the first conhave their eyes pulled out, or their hands or feet veyance on record with the legal terms of to have cut off. This effectually checked the infolence of and to bold, which are now accounted an effential the Normans, and the city continued to flourish part in all conveyances of property. Under Henry throughout the reigns of Henry I. and Stephen. Ill. London was greatly oppreffed. In 1218, he The attachment of the citizens to Stephen, how- exacted a fine of 40 merks for felling a fort of ever, was never forgiven by Henry II. who made cloth not two yards within the lifts; and a 15th them fenfible of his difpleafure, by making fre- of the citizens perfonal estates for the enjoyment quent demands of money from them. About of their ancient rights and privileges. In 1221, this time, indeed, the Londoners were arrived at he commanded all the foreign merehants to dea horrible pitch of licentioufnefs. The fons of part the city; which drew 30 merks from the Anthe moft wealthy citizens entered into a confede-featic company of the Steelyard, to have feitin of racy to rob and murder all that came in their way in the night-time. The king took the opportunity from thefe irregularities to enrich himself. He demanded feveral loans and free gifts; till at laft the Londoners, to prevent further inquiries, paid into the exchequer 5000l. in 3 years. Thefe diforders, however, were at last ftopped by the exe VOL. XIIL PART. II.

their guild or a hall in Thames-freet. in the fame year, in confequence of a riot, wherein the citizens were molt barbarously used, fome of them being hanged, and others having their hands and feet cut off, without any form of trial, the mayor and all the magiftrates were degraded; a cuftos placed over the city, and 30 perions bound as feBbb

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eurities for the good behaviour of the city. Several thousand merks were alfo exacted by the king before he would confent to a reconciliation. This arbitrary behaviour alarmed the whole nation. The parliament, in 1224, addreffed the king, to confirm the charter of liberties which he had fworn to obferve; and the confequence of this application was a confirmation of the MAGNA CHARTA, in the full parliament at Westminster, in 1225. At this time alfo, the rights and privileges of the citizens were confirmed. They were exempted from profecutions for BURELS, i. e. lifted cloth; and were granted the right of having a common feal. The neceffitous circumftances of this monarch, however, made him often exact money arbitrarily as long as he lived.

(12.) LONDON, HISTORY OF, FROM HENRY III.'S DEATH, TO THE DREADFUL PESTILENCE AND FIRE, IN 1665 & 1666. Under the fucceed. ing monarchs, as the liberty of the people in general was augmented, fo the freedom, opulence, and power of the citizens of London increased, until they became a kind of balance to the power of the crown itself, which in fome measure they ftill continue to be. Riots indeed, for which they generally fuffered, were by no means unfrequent; they alfo often fuffered by fires and plagues. Nothing, however, happened which materially affect ed the welfare of the city, till the reign of Charles II. in 1665, when London was ravaged by the most violent plague ever known in Britain. The whole fummer had been remarkably ftill and warm, fo that the weather was fometimes fuffocating even to people in perfect health; and by this unusual heat and fultry atmosphere, people were undoubtedly prepared for receiving the infection, which appeared with violence in July, Auguft, and September. A violent plague had raged in Holland in 1663; on which account the importation of merchandife from that country was prohibited by the British legislature in 1664. The infection, however had actually been imported, for in the clofe of 1664, 2 or 3 perfons died fuddenly in Weftminster, with marks of the plague on their bodies. Some of their neighbours, terrified at their danger, removed into the city, and communicated the infection to fo many others, that it became impoffible to extinguish it by feparating those that were infected from fuch as were not. It was confined, however, through a hard frofty winter, till February, when it appeared in St Giles's parish, to which it had been originally brought; and, after another interval, fhowed its malignant force afresh in April. At firft it took off one here and there, without any certain proof of their having infected each other, and houses were that up, to prevent its spreading. But it was now too late; the infection gained ground every day, and the fhutting up of houfes only made the difeafe fpread wider. People, afraid of being fhut up, concaled their illness; while numbers either efcaped from their places of confine ment, or expired in the greateft torments, deftitute of every affiftance; and many died both of the plague and other difeafes, who would in all probability have recovered, had they been allowed their liberty, with proper exercife and air. A house was thut up on account of a maid-fervant,

who had only fpots, and not the gangrenous blothces upon her, fo that her diftemper was probably a petechial fever. She recovered; but the people of the house obtained no liberty to ftir, either for air or exercife, for 40 days. The bad air, fear, anger, and vexation, attending this inju rious treatment, caft the miftrefs of the family into a fever. The vifitors, appointed to fearch the houfes, faid it was the plague, though the phy. ficians were of a different opinion: the family, however, were obliged to begin their quarantine anew, though it had been almost expired; and this ad confinement affected them so much, that moft of them fell fick of one diftemper or another. Every illness that appeared in the family produced a fresh prolongation of their confinement; til at laft the plague was actually brought in by thofe who came to inquire into the health of the family, and almost every perfon in the house died. Many examples of a fimilar kind happened, and this was one of the worst confequences of shutting up houfes. All means of ftopping the infection proved ineffectual. Multitudes fled into the country; many merchants, owners of fhips, &c. fhut themselves up, on board their veffels, being fupplied with provifions from Greenwich, Woolwich, and farm-houfes on the Kentish fide, where they were fafe; for the infection never reached below Deptford, though the people went often a fhore to buy fresh provifions. As the violence of the plague increafed, the fhips which had fåmilies on board removed farther off; fome went quite out to fea, and put into fuch harbours as they could get at. In the mean time, the deaths increafed rapidly in the city. In the last week of July, the number of burials amounted to 2010; in the first week of August it rose to 3817; thence to 3880; then to 4237; the next week, to 6102; and at last to 7000 and 8000 weekly. In the laft week of September, however, the fury of the dif ease began to abate; though vaft numbers were fick, yet the number of burials decreased from 7155 to 5538; next week to 4929; then to 4327; next to 2665; then to 1421, and the next week to 1031. All this while, the poor people had been reduced to the greateft diftreffes, by the ftagnation of trade, and the fickneffes occafioned by their manner of living. The rich, however, contributed to their subsistence in a most liberal manner. The fums collected, on this occafion, are indeed almost incredible; being faid to have amounted to 100,00ol. per week. The king contributed cool. weekly; and in the parish of Cripplegate alone 17,0col. was diftributed weekly among the poor inhabitants. By the vigilance alfo of the magiftrates, provifions continued remarkably cheap throughout the whole time of this dreadful calamity, fo that all riots on that account were prevented; and at laft, on the ceffation of the difeafe in winter 1665, the inhabitants who had fled returned, and London to appearance became as populous as ever, though it was com puted that 100,000 perfons had been carried off by the plague. The city was fcarcely recovered from this defolation, when it was almoft totally laid in afbes by a moft dreadful fire; which broke out in a baker's fhop in Pudding-lane, on Saturday night, Sept. 2, 1666. In a few hours Billing

gate

gate ward was entirely burnt down; and before morning the fire had croffed Thames-street, and deftroyed the church of St Magnus. Thence it proceeded to the bridge, and confumed a great pile of buildings there; but was ftopped by the want of any thing more to deftroy. The flames, however, being fcattered by a ftrong eaft wind, continued their devaftations in other quarters. All efforts to stop it proved unsuccessful through out Sunday, when it proceeded up as far as Garlick-hithe; and destroying Canon-street, invaded Cornhill and the Exchange. On Monday, the flames having proceeded eaftward against the wind through Thames-ftreet, invaded Tower-street, Grace-church-street, Fenchurch-ftreet, Dowgate, Old Fish-ftreet, Watling-ftreet, Thread-needleftreet, and feveral others, from all which it broke at once into Cheapfide; which, in a few hours, was all in flames, the fire having reached it from fo many places at once. The fire then continuing its courfe from the river on one fide, and from Cheapfide on the other, furrounded the cathedral of St Paul's. This building ftood by itself at fome diftance from any houfes; yet fuch was the violence of the flames, and the heat of the atmosphere, that the cathedral took fire at top. The great beams and maffy ftones broke through into Faith-church underneath, which was quickly burnt; after which, the flames invaded Pater-nofter-row, Newgate ftreet, the Old Bailey, Ludgate-hill, Fleet-ftreet, Iron-monger-lane, Old Jury, Laurence-lane, Milkftreet, Wood-ftreet, Gutter-lane, Fofter-lane, Lothbury, Cateaton-ftreet; and, having deftroyed Chrift-church, burnt furiously through St Martin's Le Grand toward Alderfgate. The fire had now attained its greatest extent, and was feveral miles in compafs. The vaft clouds of smoke obfcured the fun, fo that he either could not be feen, or appeared as red as blood. The flames reached an immenfe way up in the air, and their reflection from the fmoke, which in the night-time feemed alfo like flame, made the appearance ftill more terrible. The atmosphere was illuminated to a great extent, and this illumination is faid to have been vifible as far as Jedburgh in Scotland. Some of the light ashes alfo are faid to have been carried to the distance of 16 miles. Guildhall exhibited a fingular appearance. The oak with which it was built was fo folid that it would not flame, but burnt like charcoal, fo that the building appeared for several hours like an enchanted palace of gold. At laft, on Wednesday morning, when every one expected that the suburbs were to have been burnt, the fire began to abate, the wind having cealed. It was checked by the great building in Leaden-hall-ftreet, and in other ftreets by blowing up feveral houfes with gun powder; and on Thursday the flames were quite extinguished. By this extraordinary conflagration, there were deftroyed, 13,200 houses, 87 churches, 6 chapels, 32 public halls, the royal exchange, the customhoufe, 3 city gates, the jail of Newgate, 4 ftone bridges, the Seffions houfe, Guildhall, with its courts and offices, Blackwell hall, Bridewell, Poultry Compter, Woodftreet Compter, and St Paul's Church; which, with wares, household furniture, money, goods, books, wine, fugar, tobacco, &c. have been eftimated to amount to no lefs

than L.ro,689,000 fterling.-It was never certainty known whether this fire was accidental or defign ed. A fufpicion fell upon the Papifts; and this gained fuch credit, that it is afferted for a truth on the monument erected in memory of the conflagration. (See § 18.) Though there was no fufficient proof of this, it had the effect of making the Papifts moft violently fufpected and abhorred by the Proteftants.

(13.) LONDON, HISTORY OF, FROM THE GREAT FIRE IN 1666, TO THE REVOLUTION IN 1688. From this calamity, great as it was, London foon recovered, and became much more magnificent than before; the streets, formerly crooked and narrow, being now built wide and spacious; and the induftry of its inhabitants foon repaired the loffes they had fuftained. In 1679, the city was again alarmed by the discovery of a defign to deftroy it by fire a fecond time. Elizabeth Oxly, fervant to one Rind in Fetter-lane, having fet her master's house on fire, was apprehended, and confeffed, that he had been hired to do it by one Stubbs, a Papift, for a reward of 51. Stubbs being taken into cuftody, acknowledged that he had perfuaded her to it; and that he himself had been prevailed upon by one father Gifford his confeffor, who had affured him, that by burning the houses of heretics he would do a great fervice to the church. He alfo owned that he had feveral conferences with Gifford and two Irishmen on the affair. The maid and Stubbs alfo declared, that the Papifts intended to rife in London, expecting to be powerfully fupported by a French army. In confequence of this difcovery, the Papifts were banished from the city and ten miles round, and 5 Jefuits were hanged. The Papifts, in revenge, forged what was called the meal-tub plot, in which the Prefbyterians were faid to hatch treacherous defigns against the king's life. Sir Edmondbury Godfrey alfo, who had been very active in the proceedings against the Papifts, was found murdered; and this murder, together with their discovering the falfehood of the meal-tub plot, fo exafperated the Londoners, that they refolved to show their deteftation of Popery, by an extraordinary_proceflion and exhibition on the 17th Nov. Q. Elizabeth's acceffion to the throne, on which day they annually burnt the pope in effigy. This proceffion and exhibition (of which it is unneceffary now to detail the particulars) gave great offence to the court. The breach was farther widened by the election of fheriffs. The candidates fet up by the court were rejected by a majority of almost two to one; and upon their demanding a poll, a tumult enfued. On this the king iffued out a com miffion that fame evening for trying the rioters; which, however, was fo far from intimidating the reft, that they determined, not only to oppofe the Popish party, but to exclude the duke of York from his fucceflion to the crown. In the mean time, the king prorogued the parliament, to prevent them from proceeding in their inquiry concerning the Popish plot, and the exclufion bill. Upon this the lord mayor, aldermen, and common council, prefented a petition to the king, requesting that he would permit the parliament to fit, in order to complete their falutary measures. This petition was highly refented by the king; who, Bbb 2

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