75 King Edward the Sixth succeeded, being but nine years old. In his time the reformation began, which King Henry had made way for, by renouncing the Pope's supremacy, though himself died a Papist. Edward was an excellent Prince, and ordered the pulling down of all Popish images and pictures; and it was observed, that the very same day that images were pulled down at London, the English obtained a great victory over the Scots at Muscleborough. This King upon a sermon preached by Bishop Ridley concerning charity, gave three For the fatherless, and houses in London to the relief of the poor beggar's children he gave the Gray Friars, now called Christ-church: to the lame and diseased persons, St. Thomas's hospital in Southwark, and St. Bartholomew's in West Smithfield: and for vagrant idle persons, he gave his house of Bridewell. In the second year of his reign there was a great plague in London. In his third year Thomas Seymour Lord Admiral, and brother to the Lord Protector, was beheaded on Tower-hill. King Edward having reigned seven years, died, being but sixteen years of age. And the Lady Jane Gray daughter of the Duke of Suffolk, was proclaimed Queen by the Lord Mayor and Aldermen of London, as being made heir to the crown by the last will of Kind Edward; upon which the Lady Mary flies to Farmingham castle in Suffolk, and there, upon her solemn promise and engagement not to alter the religion established, nor to bring in Popery, the gentlemen of that country and Norfolk joined with her, and soon after she obtained the crown. But Queen Mary quickly forgot her obligations; for as soon as she was settled upon the throne, she presently removed all the Protestant bishops, and put others in their room, and persecuted the Protestants with all manner of cruelty: so that in her short reign of five years and four months, there suffered, upon the account of religion only, two hundred and seventy-seven persons of all sorts and ages; for there perished by the cruel flames, five bishops, twenty one divines, eight gentlemen, eighty-four artificers, one hundred husbandmen, servants and labourers, twenty-six wives, twenty widows, nine virgins, two boys, and two infants, one sprung out of the mother's womb as she was burning at the stake, and most unmercifully flung into the fire at the very birth: sixty-four more in those furious times were persecuted in the faith, whereof seven were whiped, sixteen perished in prison, twelve buried in dunghills, and many more lay in captivity and condemned, who were happily delivered by the glorious entrance of Queen Elizabeth, though she herself hardly escaped, being imprisoned in the Tower of London, every day expecting the tidings of her death, her servants were kept from her, and none but rustical soldiers about her : nay because a little boy did but bring her flowers sometimes in the Tower, he was threatened to be whiped if he went any more, her jailors pretended the child brought letters to her. Yea, the bloody Bishop Gardiner invented and contrived a warrant under Queen Mary's hand for her execution, which was sent to the lieutenant of the Tower; but the Queen hearing of it, denied her having any knowledge of it, and threatened Gardiner and some others, for their inhuman usage of her sister, whereby she happily escaped. In the first year of Queen Mary's reign, one Sir Thomas Wiat of Kent, put himself in arms to prevent her marriage with Philip King of Spain, as tending to bring England under the yoke of Spain, and to make the country a slave to strangers. An divers other knights and gentlemen joining with him, he marcheth to London, and coming to Charing Cross, he was encountered by the Lord Chamberlain and Sir John Gage, whom he put to flight; but coming to Ludgate he is denied entrance, and thinking to retire, he heard the Earl of Pembroke with his forces was behind him at Charing Cross; upon which being amazed, after a little musing, he returned toward Temple-Bar, and yielded himself to Sir Maurice Berkely, and getting upon his horse behind him, went to the court, where expecting the Queen's mercy, but he was sent to the Tower, and soon after beheaded on Tower-hill. About this time the Lord Guilford Dudley, the husband of Queen Jane, the Duke of Northumberland his father, and likewise Queen Jane and her father the Duke of Suffolk, were beheaded on Tower-hill. In her fourth year, hot burning agues and other strange diseases, took away many people, so as between October 20th and the last of December, there died seven Aldermen of London. In her fifth year, on the last of September, fell so great store of rain, that Westminster Hall was full of water, the boats rowed over Westminster bridge to King street. About which time a blazing star was seen all times of the night from the sixth to the tenth of March. Queen Mary being dead, Queen Elizabeth is proclaimed, and brought from Hatfield in Hartfordshire to London, where she was received with great joy. She restored and settled the Protestant reformation, though great offers were made her by the Pope, if she would become Papist. In her first year William Geoffry was whiped from the Marshalsea to Bedlam, for publishing that one John More was Jesus Christ; and More after he had been well whiped confessed himself to be a.couzening knave. A terrible tempest of thunder and lightning happened at London, which fired the lofty spire of St. Paul's steeple, beginning about the top thereof which was two hundred feet high from the top of the stone battlements, and burnt down to the roof of the church, consuming all the bells, lead, and timber work. In 1564, was a great frost, so that great numbers of people went over the Thames, and played thereon from London bridge to Westminster. On the third of January it began to thaw, and on the fifth no ice was to be seen. In the twentieth year of her reign a blazing star was seen with a long stream. About this time one Simon Pembroke of Southwark being suspected to be a conjurer, was ordered to appear in St. Mary Overies church, which he did, and leaning his head against a pew, the proctor lifted up his head, and found him dead, and rattling in the throat and being searched, several devilish books of conjuration were found about him. : In her thirty-fifth year there was so great a drought, that not only the fields but the springs themselves were dried up, and many cattle died every where for want of water. The river of Thames likewise failed, so that a horse-man might ride over at London bridge. In her thirtysixth year was a great plague in London and the suburbs, whereof died seventeen thousand eight hundred and ninety, besides the Lord Mayor and three Aldermen. About this time Edmund Coppinger and Henry Arthington gentlemen, came to Cheapside, and there in a cart proclaimed (as they said) news from heaven, that one William Hacket represented Christ, by partaking of his glorified body, and that they were the two prophets, one of mercy, the other of judgement, sent of God to help him in this great work. These men were apprehended, and Hacket was arraigned, and found guilty of speaking divers false and traiterous words against the Queen, and to have raced and defaced her pictures, thrusting an iron instrument into the place of the heart and breast; for which he was brought from Newgate to Cheapside, and being moved to ask God and the Queen's forgiveness, he fell to cursing and railing against the Queen, and made a blasphemous prayer against the divine Majesty of God, and was therefore hanged and quartered. Coppinger starved himself wilfully in Bridewel, and Arthington made a recantation. In the forty-third year of her reign Robert Devereux Earl of Essex, assisted by divers noblemen and gentlemen, entered the city of London in warlike manner at Temple Bar, crying for the Queen, till they came to the Sheriff's house in Fenchurch-street, who finding himself not master of his own house, escaped out at a back-door, and went to the Lord Mayor. And Essex finding the citizens in arms against him, endeavoured to fortify his house: but hearing that some great guns were sent for to beat it down, he surrendered himself, and was sent to the Tower, where he was afterward belicaded; but might have kept his head longer on, had he not been betrayed by Lady Walsingham; to whom after his condemnation he sent a ring, which the Queen had given him in token that she would stand by him in any danger: the Lady delivered not this ring, but being a little after upon her deathbed she desired to speak with the Queen, to whom having disburthened her conscience, the Queen flung away in extreme rage and fury, and never enjoyed herself well after that time, but would often break out into a passion, and wring her hands, crying, O Essex! Essex! and died not long after. After her death King James succeeded, in the third year of whose reign, was contrived the powder treason plot, for which Sir Edward Digby, Robert Winter, Graunt, and Bates were drawn, hanged, and quartered at the west end of St. Paul's; and Winter, Keys, Rookwood, and Faulks, at the parliament yard at Westminster. Awhile after, the King attended with divers lords, dined with the Lord Mayor, Sir John Watts, who after dinner presented his Majesty with a purse of gold, desiring he would please to be made free of the company of Clothworkers, to which the King consented, and calling to the master of the company, he said, "Stone, give me thy hand, I am now a Clothworker, and in token of my special favour to this fraternity, I do hear give to this company a brace of bucks yearly for ever; at the election of master and wardens." And a month after the King and the Prince dined at Merchant Taylor's hall, where the Prince was made free of that company, and had likewise a purse of gold presented him by the Master. In 1609, the New Exchange being newly finished, was first opened and named by King James, Britain's Burse. In 1612, Edward Wightman was burnt for an heretic, and one Legat burnt in Smithfield for an Arian. In 1615, Sir Thomas Overbury was poisoned in the Tower, for which the Earl of Somerset and his lady were arrianged and condemned, and Sir Gervase Elvis lieutenant of the Tower, Mistress Turner, and divers others executed. In 1618 the famous Sir Walter Rawleigh was beheaded in the New Palace Yard, Westminster. Next year Queen Anne died at Hampton Court. In 1623, a Popish priest being at mass, in Black Friars, in an upper room, it fell down, and many were killed and hurt. In 1625, King James died, having reigned twenty-two years. King Charles his son succeeded him, and was married to Henrietta Maria of France. In his first year was a great plague, whereof there 79 died in London 35417. In 1628 Doctor Lamb was murdered in the streets of London, for which the city was fined six thousand pounds; John Felton was the same year hanged at Tydering the Duke In 1633, the Queenwere magtainied at Guildthe long parliain 1642 posts and dered to be set But having alparticular acsages in this till the restorasent Majesty the Second, in a The Wars of land and Ireland peating anything only add: That General Monk Scotland, came after having gates, &c. of the the remnant of the long parliament, he afterwards grew dissatisfied at their proceedings, and going into the city was received with bonfires, and soon after that parliament was dissolved, and his Majesty happily restored May 29, 1660. In October following several of the regicides of the late King were executed at Charing Cross, that is, Harrison, Carew, Cook, Scot, Hugh Peters, Clement Scroop, Jones; and Hacket and Axtel at Tyburn. In January, one Venner a wine cooper, and some others of enthusiastic principles, made an insurrection in London, their leader persuading them that one should chase a thousand. They first marched to St. Thomas Apostles, and from thence to Bishopgate, Whitecross-street and from thence they went to Highgate and Canewood.. And three days after they came again into the city, being not above thirty or forty in number, but armed with blunderbusses and headpieces; and the trained-bands and some of the King's guards fell upon them and routed them; about five or six of them were killed, others fled, and the rest were taken prisoners. Their words, it is said, were, MRS. TURNER. |