CHAPTER VI._Mediæval London

THE PASSING OF MEDIÆVAL LONDON.

_Changes in Human Thought in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth

Centuries--Drawbacks to Civilisation, Worldliness and Neglect of

Religion--Reflection of this in London Life--St. Paul's in

Neglect--The Struggle for Better Things--Hope for the Future--The

Great Fire._

A few words seem called for before we leave the middle age of the great

City. The world may be said to have entered on a new life in the wonderful

movements of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The downfall of the

ancient city of Constantinople, which had driven the scholars of the East

westwards, especially into Italy, led to the great revival of learning in

Western Europe. The splendid works of Architecture, and of Painting and

Poetry, all trace their origin in part to this source. The discovery of

the Mariner's Compass had led on to that of a New World in the West, and

of the passage round Africa to the East. The new learning had produced the

revolt against traditional authority in theology. All this was wonderfully

influencing English, and therefore London, life. And so we have exploits

of rich citizens over the seas. We have the establishment of places of

education, in London pre-eminently Christ's Hospital, and the good works

of Sir Thomas Gresham.

But there were unpleasing features as well. The revolt from mediævalism in

religion led to very much wanton destruction in churches and religious

houses. The destruction of beautiful works of religious art has often been

all put down to the days of Cromwell, but this is not fair. There was a

vast amount of vandalism by "hot Gospellers" in the days of Elizabeth.

Thus Laud complains that he found the beautiful stained-glass windows in

Lambeth Chapel all broken and "patched like a beggar's coat." One may just

note here that his restorations of them were broken again in his day, and

were restored by Archbishop Tait. And even more evil was wrought

apparently by neglect and worldliness; the casting off Papal authority was

too often accompanied by casting off all religious restraints.

This is all seen too clearly in the records that are left to us of St.

Paul's Cathedral. Grievous neglect befell it in the latter part of the

sixteenth century. It is doubtful whether lightning or the carelessness of

a workman set the lofty spire on fire in 1561, but it fell in and did much

damage to the roof. This was to a certain extent repaired, but the glory

seemed to have departed. Inigo Jones built a new west portico in Italian

style, as that part had become dilapidated. Charles I. was endeavouring to

restore it when the Civil Wars broke out. At the Restoration, things had,

of course, become far worse, but while new plans of restoration were being

discussed came the Great Fire, which for awhile settled matters. During

the reigns of Elizabeth and James the Cathedral was a place of exchange

and of public parade, merchants met to arrange bargains and dandies to

show themselves. "The noise," said Bishop Earle, "is like that of bees; a

strange humming or buzz mixed of walking tongues and feet; it is a kind of

still roar or loud whisper. All inventions are emptied here, and not a few

pockets. The principal inhabitants and possessors are stale knights and

captains out of service." This agrees with what Falstaff tells us; he

"bought Bardolf in Paul's." And Ben Jonson speaks of Captain Bobadil as "a

Paul's man."

As the light of history falls on all this, it becomes clear to fair judges

that whilst there was widespread ungodliness and worldliness, there were

good and earnest men belonging to the two religious parties, who were

striving after Reformation. The Puritan divines in the early times of the

Stuarts were learned and most devout. Their commentaries on the Bible are

well worth study. So are the men on the other side: Andrewes, Hooker,

Jeremy Taylor, for example. The collision came, the Puritan triumph and

failure, the godless reaction. The history of London during all this time

again exhibits beautiful examples of men who saw opposite sides of the

same good shield, and strove for the love of God to make the world better.

The hand of God was visible, as J. R. Green once put it, shaping the

course of the middle age, and we believe and are assured that there is

still a nobler future for the City which we love, under the same Fatherly

and Almighty hand.

The epitaph of the noble mediæval city which we have endeavoured to

describe is engraved on the north side of the Monument on Fish Street

Hill:--"In the year of Christ 1666, the second day of September, eastward

from hence at the distance of two hundred and two feet (the height of this

column), about midnight, a most terrible fire broke out, which, driven on

by a high wind, not only wasted the adjacent parts, but also places very

remote, with incredible noise and fury. It consumed eighty-nine churches,

the City gates, Guildhall, many public structures, hospitals, schools,

libraries, a vast number of stately edifices, thirteen thousand two

hundred dwelling-houses, four hundred streets. Of the six and twenty wards

it utterly destroyed fifteen, and left eight others shattered and

half-burnt. The ruins of the City were four hundred and thirty-six acres,

from the Tower by the Thames side to the Temple Church, and from the

north-east along the City wall to Holborn Bridge. To the estates and

fortunes of the citizens it was merciless, but to their lives very

favourable, that it might in all things resemble the last conflagration of

the world. The destruction was sudden, for in a small space of time the

City was seen most flourishing, and reduced to nothing. Three days after,

when this fatal fire had baffled all human counsels and endeavours in the

opinion of all, it stopped as it were by a command from Heaven, and was on

every side extinguished."

INDEX

Aggas' Map of London, 20, 59

Aldermanbury, 22

Aldermen, 5, 23, 37, 41

Aldersgate, 10

Aldgate, 10

Alfred, King, 1, 3

Alfune, 12

Alleyn, Edward, 43

Anchorites, 51

Angevins, The, 5

Arches, Court of, 9

Arms, City, 18

Arundel House, 70

Athelstan, 17

Aubrey, 44

Augustinians, The, 13, 53

Ayloffe, Sir John, 41

Bankside, 43

Bartholomew Fair, 26, 51

Basing Hall, 8

Baynard's Castle, 10, 47, 68

Beaufort, Cardinal, 42

Beck, Anthony de, 71

Becket, Gilbert, 59

Becket, Thomas, Archbishop of Canterbury, 6, 11, 52

Bethlehem Hospital, 16, 53

Bishops of London--

Mellitus, 3, 50;

Maurice, 4, 11;

Restitutus, 50;

Erkenwald, 50;

Clifford, 57

Bishopsgate, 10, 72

Black Death, The, 18

Black Friars, The, _see_ Dominicans

Blackfriars, 47

Black Prince, The, 29, 67

Blackwell Hall, 30, 31

Boniface, Archbishop, 62

Borough, The, _see_ Southwark

Boy Bishop, The, 58

Bread Street, 8

Bridewell, 19, 69

Bridge House, The, 43, 45

Bridge Without, Ward of, 41

Budge Row, 8

Bull-baiting, 43

Bunhill Fields, 16, 60

Burbage, William, 43

Burgh, Hubert de, 13, 69

Cade, Jack, 18

Carmelites, The, 13, 53

Carpenter, John, 29, 30

Carthusians, 13, 53

Caxton, 19, 66

Charles I., 74, 77

Charter of William I., 4

Charterhouse, The, 52

Chaucer, 26, 55, 66

Cheapside, 8

Christ's Hospital, 19, 76

Churches--

All Hallows the Great, 20;

All Hallows, London Wall, 51;

All Hallows, Barking, 61;

Austin Friars, 53, 61;

St. Bartholomew the Great, 13, 23, 61;

St. Bartholomew the Less, 15;

St. Botolph, 61;

St. Clement Danes, 7;

St. Dunstan, Stepney, 51;

St. George, 42;

St. Giles, Cripplegate, 10, 61;

St. Gregory, 7;

St. Helen, Bishopsgate, 49, 61;

Holy Trinity, Aldgate, 13;

St. Katharine, 52;

St. Lawrence, Jewry, 23, 61;

St. Magnus, 26;

St. Martin's-le-Grand, 11;

St. Martin Pomeroy, 10;

St. Mary Overy (St. Saviour's), 13, 42, 61;

St. Mary-le-Bow, 8, 9, 23;

St. Michael, Crooked Lane, 15, 20;

St. Mildred, 8;

St. Olave, Hart Street, 13, 61;

St. Olave, Jewry, 61;

St. Peter, Cornhill, 49;

St. Peter ad Vincula, 75;

St. Thomas of Acon, 38

Cistercians, The, 11, 13, 52

Civic rule, 22

Cnichten Guild, 12

Common Council, The, 19, 28, 41

Companies, The Livery--22, 27, 31-35;

Barber Surgeons, 32;

Butchers, 32;

Cappers, 32;

Cloth Dressers, 32;

Drapers, 31, 32;

Dyers, 40;

Fishmongers, 32;

Grocers, 32, 48;

Goldsmiths, 32;

Haberdashers, 32;

Hostellers, 44;

Linen Armourers (Merchant Taylors), 33;

Leathersellers, 14, 34;

Mercers, 14, 33, 52;

Musicians, 32;

Parish Clerks, 14, 32, 35;

Pepperers, 32;

Pewterers, 32;

Saddlers, 31;

Skinners, 33;

Vintners, 32, 40;

Weavers, 31

Corporation of London, 2, 41

Courts Leet, 41

Courtenay, Archbishop, 12

Cripplegate, 10

Crosby, Sir John, 72

Crusades, The, 12

Crutched Friars, The, 13, 53

Crypts, Ancient, 23

Curfew, The, 11

Danes, The, 3, 5, 17

Dominicans, The, 12, 53

Donne, dean of St. Paul's, 54

Dunstan, 51

Durham House, 71

East Cheap, 9

Editha, Queen, 61

Edward the Confessor, 6, 64

Edward I., 27, 61, 66, 72

Edward II., 33, 57

Edward III., 9, 33, 34, 45, 66, 67

Edward IV., 10, 19, 43

Edward VI., 10, 19, 41

Elizabeth, Queen, 19

Epidemics--

The Black Death, 18;

The Sweating Sickness, 19;

The Plague in 1603, 21

Episcopal Residences, 15

Essex, Earl of, 70

Ethelbert, 50

Ethelred, 17

Etymology of London, 1

Exeter, Earl of, 70

Fairs, 26

Finsbury Fields, 17, 19, 59

Fire of London, The, 1, 53, 78

Fitzailwin, Henry, 17, 45

Fitzstephen, 11, 46, 52

Fitz-Walter, Robert, 68, 71

Fleet Prison, The, 24

Fleet River, The, 19, 58

Folkmote, The, 5, 8, 60

Franciscans, The, 13, 53

Friday Street, 9

Froissart, 75

Gates, The City, 10, 24

Giffard, bishop of Winchester, 13, 42

Globe Theatre, The, 43

Gower, 47

Greenwich, 47, 72

Gresham College, 70

Gresham, Sir Thomas, 76

Grey, Lady Jane, 72

Grey Friars, The, _see_ Franciscans.

Grub Street, 16

Guildhall, The, 8, 22

Guilds, _see_ Companies

Gundulph, bishop of Rochester, 73

Henry I., 5, 27

Henry II., 6, 32, 67

Henry III., 6, 32, 65, 67, 74

Henry IV., 18, 27, 29, 35, 75

Henry V., 27, 29, 45

Henry VI., 34, 75

Henry VII., 7, 66, 71

Henry VIII., 19, 53

Holborn, 19

Holy Trinity, Priory of the, 12, 13

Hospitalers, 52

Hospitals, 15, 19, 52

Houndsditch, 19, 20

Humphrey, duke of Gloucester, 69, 73

Ingelric, 11, 51

Inns, 43, 44

Insignia, Civic, 28

Isabella, Queen, 29

James I., 43

Jews, The, 18, 60

John, King, 25, 73

John of Gaunt, 71

Jones, Inigo, 77

Jonson, Ben, 43, 77

King's Bench, Prison of the, 45

Lambeth, 61-63, 76

Lancaster, Thomas, earl of, 57

Lindsay, Sir David, 39

Liverymen, 33

Lollards, 12, 63

London Bridge, 21, 36-40

London, Etymology of the name, 1;

Growth of the City, 1-9

London Stone, 7

London Wall, 17

Longchamp, bishop of Ely, 73

Lucius, King, Myth of, 2, 49

Ludgate, 10, 58

Lydgate, John, 59

Mandeville, Geoffrey de, 73

Manny, Sir Walter, 52

Marching Watch, The, 27

Marshalsea Prison, The, 45

Mary, Queen, 1

Matilda, 5

Mayor, Office of, 23, 24;

Election of, 25, 34;

Duties of, 25;

Household, 27;

Hunting Privileges, 27

Mayors, Lord--

Sir Henry Barton, 18;

Richard le Breton, 22;

Whittington, 14, 29, 30;

Henry Wallis, 24;

John Wells, 26;

Andrew Aubrey, 30;

Fitzailwin, 45;

John Norman, 48

Mellitus, Bishop, 3, 50

Mercers' School, 15

Monasticism, 11-15, 51-53

Montfort, Simon de, 38, 42

Moor Fields, 16

Mowbray, John, duke of Norfolk, 36

Newgate, 10

Newgate Street, 7

Normans, The, 5, 17

Old Jewry, 61

Orleans, Charles, duke of, 37, 75

Pageants, 9, 26, 27, 39

Paris Garden, 42, 43

Paul's Chain, 4, 60

Paul's Cross, 8, 60

Peter of Colechurch, 17, 37, 39

Piepowder, Court of, 26, 42

Plantagenets, The, 18

Prisons, 24, 25, 47

Punishments for Trade Offences, 22, 24

Rahere, 12, 51

Religious Houses, 11-15, 51-53

Religious Life, 49-63

Richard I., 73

Richard II., 18, 30, 33, 35, 39, 47, 55, 66, 67, 74

Richard III., 30, 60, 72, 75

Roman City, The, 1, 2

St. Augustine, 50

St. Bartholomew's Priory, 12, 13, 51

St. Botolph, 3

St. Helena, 49

St. Helen's Nunnery, 14, 50

St. John of Jerusalem, Priory of, 13, 23, 52

St. Mary Overy, Priory of, 13, 52

St. Olaf, 45

St. Paul's Cathedral, 4, 7, 49, 53-60

St. Thomas's Hospital, 19

Savoy, The, 70

Sebert, King, 3, 6

Seymour, Lord Thomas, 70

Shakespeare, 43

Shaw, Dr., 60

Sheriffs, The, 23, 28

Signs, Tradesmen's, 39

Smithfield, 18

Somerset, The Protector, 30, 59

Southwark, 13, 19, 40-45

Southwark Fair, 42

Stephen, King, 5, 73, 74

Stow, John, 10, 22, 48, 66, 71, 73

Strand, The, 21, 30

Suffolk, Duke of, 42

Swans on the Thames, 40

Templars, The, 52

Temple, The, 69

Thames, The, 36, 47, 64

Theatres, 43

Tooley Street, 21, 45

Tournaments, 9, 19, 39, 71, 75

Tower of London, 5, 37, 64, 73-75

Trades, 27, 32, 39

Trees, City, 10

Tyler, Wat, 18, 71, 74

Walter, Hubert, archbishop of Canterbury, 62

Walworth, Sir William, 18

Warren, William de, 42

Watling Street, 7

Welles, Sir John, 39

Westminster, 2, 7

Westminster Abbey, 6, 64

Westminster Hall, 66, 67

Westminster Palace, 65-67

White Friars, The, _see_ Carmelites

Whitehall, 21, 66, 69

White Tower, The, 5, 73

Whittington, Sir Richard, 14, 29, 30

William I., 4, 6, 11

William II., 45, 51, 66, 73

Winchester House, 42

Wolsey, Cardinal, 69

Wyatt, Sir Thomas, 38

Wyclif, 12, 18

LONDON:

STRANGEWAYS AND SONS, PRINTERS

TOWER STREET, CAMBRIDGE CIRCUS, W.C.

[Illustration: WESTMINSTER. _From the Drawing by Antonie van den

Wyngaerde. Bodleian Library, Oxford._]

[Illustration: THE STRAND. _From the Drawing by Antonie van den

Wyngaerde._]

[Illustration: ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL. _From the Drawing by Antonie van den

Wyngaerde._]

[Illustration: LONDON BRIDGE. _From the Drawing by Antonie van den

Wyngaerde._]

[Illustration: BILLINGSGATE. _From the Drawing by Antonie van den

Wyngaerde._]

[Illustration: THE TOWER OF LONDON. _From the Drawing by Antonie van den

Wyngaerde._]

[Illustration: THE PALACE AT GREENWICH. _From the Drawing by Antonie van

den Wyngaerde._]

[Illustration: THE PALACE OF GREENWICH, FROM THE OBSERVATORY HILL, WITH

THE SPIRE OF ST. PAUL'S IN THE DISTANCE.

_From a Drawing by Antonie van den Wyngaerde. Bodleian Library, Oxford._]

[Illustration: ROMAN BATH IN THE STRAND, DISCOVERED IN 1841. _From a

Drawing by J. Wykeham Archer_, 1841.

_British Museum._]

[Illustration: BASTION OF THE CITY WALL, IN THE CHURCHYARD OF ST. GILES'S,

CRIPPLEGATE.