Historical Remarks on the Ancient and Present State of the Cities of London and Westminister

the quarters upon the gates, meaning those regicides that were executed a while before, whose quarters were put upon the gates of the city. Venner and nineteen of his accomplices were arraigned and condemned, and he and several of them executed in divers parts of the city.

In 1661, his Majesty proceeded magnificently from the Tower to Whitehall, and was next day crowned at Westminster. And soon after there was a general muster of the forces of the City of London, at Hyde Park, consisting of two regiments of horse, and twelve regiments of foot. In 1662, Sir Henry Vane was beheaded on Tower Hill, and Corbet, Berkstey, and Okey, three of the regicides sent from Holland, were executed at Tyburn. In the year 1665, there was a great plague, whereof there died in London, in one year, 68596 persons. In 1666, September 2, about one of the clock in the morning, a sudden fire broke out in Pudding-Lane near London Bridge, which in four days burnt down 13,200 houses. In 1678, Dr. Oats and Dr. Tongue discovered a horrid popish plot against his Majesty, the protestant religion and government established: and October 10, Sir Edmundbury Godfrey, who took the examinations, was murdered. William Staley, a papist, was executed for treason, Edward Coleman, Ireland, Grove and Pickering, executed for the plot; Green, Berry, and Hill for the murder of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey. In the year 1679, the Lords Powis, Stafford, Arundel, Peters, and Bellasis, were committed to the Tower for high treason, and soon after the Earl of Danby was committed thither. The King dissolves his privy council, and calls another. Langhorn the counsellor was executed. The Parliament is dissolved, having sat about 18 years: another called, and dissolved. Upon 30th of November, 1680, Lord Viscount Stafford was arraigned before his Peers in Westminster Hall, the House of Commons managing the impeachment against him: the trial continued till the seventh of December following, and he was then found guilty of high treason, by the surpulsage of twenty-four voices more against him than for him: and upon Wednesday, December 29, about ten in the morning, the Sheriff of London received the prisoner from the Lieutenant of the Tower, and conducted him to the scaffold prepared for that purpose upon Tower Hill, and there he was beheaded. Upon Wednesday, June 15, 1681, Oliver Plunket, Titular Primate of Ireland, and Archbishop of Dublin, was brought to the King's Berch bar, and there received sentence to be drawn, hanged and quartered for high treason, in conspiring the death of the King, and designing to bring in a French army, and introduce popery into the kingdom of Ireland; he having been convicted for it some few days before, at the same place: together with

Edward Fitz-Harris, for contriving a treasonable and malicious libel to stir up the people to rebellion against the King and government; who likewise received the same sentence of death at the same time.

Not many days before, the Lord Howard of Escrick was committed prisoner to the Tower of London, upon an information of high treason; and upon June 20, he was brought up to the King's Bench bar, and by his counsel moved that he might be put in bail for his appearance, but it was denied him, and he remanded back to prison.

The Origin and Foundation of the famous
City of London.

THOUGH it may seem difficult to discover the origin of some

nations and cities, yet it is no hard matter to find out the foundation of this most honorable and famous City of London.

But as the Roman writers to magnify the City of Rome, drew its origin from the Gods, and Demy-Gods, by the race of the Trojans, so Jeffery of Monmouth our Welsh historian, for the greater glory of this renowned city, deduced it from the same origin, relating that Bruce who descended from the Demy-God Æneas, the son of Venus, daughter of Jupiter, about the year of the world 2855, and 1108 years before the Nativity of our blessed Saviour, built this city near the river now called Thames, and named it Troynovant, or Trenovant; but this account has no great authority. The same historian tells us, that King Lud afterward repaired and increased this city with fair buildings, towers and walls, and called it after his own name Faire Lud or Lud's town, and the gate which he built in the west part thereof, he likewise for his own honor named Ludgate. He adds, that this Lud had two sons, Androgeus and Theomantius, who being not of age to govern at the death of their father, their uncle Cassibelan took upon him the crown; in the eighth year of whose reign, Julius Cæsar arrived in England with a formidable army to conquer it, and obliged the Britons to pay a yearly tribute to Rome. Cæsar calls London the city of Trinobantes, which sounds somewhat like Troy Nova, though learned men think that Trinobantes signifies the state or signiory of the Trinobantes.

But in those days, the cities of the Britons were not artificially built with stone or timber but were only thick, and troublesome woods plashed together, and intrenched round, like those which the Irish at this day call Fastnesses; some are of opinion that whence London had her fame, from thence she had also a name, that is from ships, which the Britons call Lough, and Dinan a town, so that London is no other than Shipton, a town of ships; which title no city hath more

right to assume than this, being situated upon the gentle ascent of an hill, near a gallant navigable river, which swelling at certain times with the ocean-tides, she is able by her deep and safe channel to entertain the greatest ships, which bring in all the richest commodities the 'world can afford.

Some would have Llwndian the Welsh name of London, to be derived from Llhwn which signifies a fenced town, made of trees cast down and barricadoed together, as aforementioned, for so the Poet sings.

Their houses were the thicks,

And bushy queachy hollow caves,
And hurdles made of sticks.

And it is probable, that in the place were St. Paul's church now stands, there was a wood or grove, and a temple dedicated to Diana, which was usually set up in the woods; and in a place about St. Paul's there were the heads and bones of oxen lately found, which is supposed were offered in sacrifice to her.

Now though it be not certainly known, who was the founder of London, yet whoever it was, he shewed much prudence in choice of situation; for she seems to have been built in an happy hour, having continued for so many ages; Amianus Marcellinus who wrote near thirteen hundred years ago, calls her then, an Ancient City.

When the Romans had reduced the hither parts of Britain into the form of a province, and had sown the seeds of civility here, as well as over all Europe, this city began to be renowned for wealth, riches, and prosperity, yea she continued always the same under the Romans, Saxons, and Normans, being seldom or never afflicted with any great calamities. In the reign of Nero, when the Britons had conspired to recover their lost liberty, under the conduct of Boadicia, the Londoners could not with all their weeping and lamentations, keep Suetonius Paulinus in the city, but after he had raised a power of the citizens, he would needs go from thence, leaving the city naked to the enemy, who presently surprized it, and slew those whom either weakness, feebleness, or sweetness of the place, had detained there. Nor was London in less danger by the Gauls or French, if she had not been wonderfully preserved, for when Caius Alectus, had treacherously destroyed Carausius, he kept to himself the revenues of Britain and Holland, and called himself Augustus Emperour, as his coins often found here do demonstrate; but when Marcus Asclepiodotus had slain him in battle, those French who remained alive after the fight, hastening to London, would have plundered the city, had not the

river Thames, (which never failed to help the Londoners at need) very happily brought the Roman legions to their assistance, who put the barbarians to the sword all the city over. About which time it is recorded, that Lucius Gallus was slain by a brookside which ran almost through the city, and of him was called by the Britons, Wantgall, in English, Walbrook, which name remains to this day, under which there is a sewer within the ground, to carry the kennel water of the city into the Thames. This is not far from London-stone, which is thought to be a Miliary, such as ket places of which

were

of journies every seems more prothis stone is near city as it lieth in After this Julius man lieutenant, Britons to build selves, and temgods, to bring up learning, and to selves like Roa few years after tivity, she bebut especially for merchants, prothereof, as Cornotes, and was

some authors

others Augusta,

name her fame

P. HOLLAND.

Milemark, or were in the marRome, from taken dimensions which