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The ocean that with Thames her streams

His flowing tide doth blend, Conveys to it commodities

All that the world can send.

The noble seat of Kings it is;
For state and royalty

Of all the realm, the fence, the heart,
The life, the light, the eye.

The people ancient, valorous,
Expert in chivalry,

Enriched with all sorts of goods,

Of art, or mystery.

Take a strict view of every thing
And then say thus in brief,
This either is a world itself
Or of the world the chief.

The

The ancient and present Walls and Gates of the City.

HISTORIANS report, that about the year after Christ, 306, Constantine the Great, at the desire of his mother Helena, did first build a wall about this city, which may seem more probable, considering that the Britons did understand how to build walls with stone, as may appear by the following relation.

About the year of Christ 399, when the Empire of Rome was invaded, and that city destroyed by the Goths, the Romans called away all their forces from Britain for the defence of their own country; after which the Britons being not able to defend themselves, were for many years oppressed by two cruel nations, that is, the Scots and Picts, whereupon they sent ambassadors, with letters full of lamentable supplications and complaints to Rome, to desire their assistance, promising constant obedience to them. The Romans sent them a legion of soldiers, who fought with their enemies and drove them out of the country; and leaving the Britons at liberty they advised them to make a wall cross the country from one sea to the other, for their defence against their troublesome neighbours; and then the Romans returned home in triumph.

The Britons built this wall in the north of England, but wanting masons, they did not make it of stone as the Romans directed, but of turf, which was so weak, that it was little security to them. For their enemies perceiving the Romans were gone, they presently came in boats, and invaded their country, ruining and wasting all before them. Upon which, ambassadors were again sent with fresh lamentations to Rome, beseeching them not to suffer their miserable country to be wholy destroyed; the Romans then sent them another legion, who coming suddenly, surprised their enemies and made a great slaughter among them, chasing them back again even to their own country.

The Romans departing home again, told the Britons plainly, that the journey hither was long and troublesome, and therefore they must expect no further help from them; but must learn to use armour, and weapons themselves, thereby to be able to resist their enemies, who were encouraged to invade them because of their cowardice and faint-heartedness; however for the encouragement of their tributary friends, whom they were now forced to forsake the Romans made them

a wall of hard stone from the west sea to the east sea, and built two cities at each end thereof, the Britons labouring therein also. This wall was built eight feet thick, and twelve feet high, directly east and west, as appears by the ruins to be seen at this day. The work being finished; the Romans gave them a strict charge to look to themselves, and instruct their people in the use of arms, and military discipline, and least the enemy should come by sea southward, they made divers bulwarks at some distance from each other by the seaside; and then bid the Britons farewel, as intending to return no more; this hap pened in the reign of Theodosius the younger; near five hundred years after the first arrival of the Romans here, and about the year of our Lord 434.

The Britons after this had several skirmishes with the Picts and Scots, and made choice of Vortigern to be their King and leader, who is said to have been neither wise nor valiant, being wholly given up to lust and debauchery; and the people likewise having some rest from their enemies, ran into gluttony, drunkenness, pride, contention, envy, and all manner of vice, to the great scandal of their christian profession. At which time a dreadful pestilence fell upon them, which destroyed such a multitude of them, that the quick were not sufficient to bury the dead, and yet those that remained alive continued so impenitent that neither the death of their friends, nor fear of their enemies had any effect upon them, whereupon divine justice pursued them even almost to the destruction of the whole sinful nation.

For being now in danger of utter ruin from their old neighbours the Picts and Scots, they consulted with their King Vontigern what to do, and at last concluded to call in the Saxons, who soon after arrived in Briton; where (saith Bede) they were received as friends, for having driven out the Picts and Scots, they likewise drove out the Britons, forcing some of them to fly over the seas, and others into the barren and waste mountains of Wales and Cornwall.

The Saxons was likewise ignorant of building with stone till the year 680, for it is affirmed that Bennet Abbot of Werral, and master to reverend Bede, first brought in artificers for stone houses, and glass windows, unknown before to the Saxons, who built only with wood. And to this Polychronicon agrees; who speaking of those times, saith, then had ye wooden churches, nay wooden chalices, but golden priests; but now you have golden chalices, and wooden priests. And to conclude this argument, King Edgar in his charter to the Abbey of Malmsbury, dated the year of Christ 974, writes to this effect; all the monasteries in my realm to the outward sight are nothing

but worm-eaten and rotten timber, and boards, and which is worse, within they are almost empty, and void of divine worship.

Thus much as to walls in general, now to return to London; this city was destroyed and burnt by the Danes, and other Pagan enemies, about the year of our Lord 839, and was nobly rebuilt, and repaired the year 886 by Alfred King of the West Saxons, so that it lay waste, and uninhabited for almost fifty years; Alfred committed the custody of this new built city to his son-in-law Etheldred Earl of Mercia, to whom he had before married his daughter Ethelsted; and that this city was then strongly walled may appear by divers accidents; William of Malmsbury writes, that about the year 994 the Londoners shut up their gates and defended their King Etheldred within their walls against the Danes. In the year 1016, Canutus the Dane made war against Edmond Ironside, King of the West Saxons, and brought his navy to the west part of the bridge, casting a trench about the city of London, and attempted to have won it by assault, but the citizens repulsed him, and drove him from their walls. Likewise in the year 1052, Earl Godwin with his navy, sailed up by the south end of the bridge, and assailed the walls of the city.

William Fitz-Stephen, in the Reign of Henry IId. writes thus: "The wall of London is high and great, well towered on the north side, with due distance between the towers. On the south side also the city was walled and towered, but the fish-full river of Thames by its ebbing and flowing hath long since subverted them." Where by the north side he means from the river in the east, to the river Thames in the west, for so the wall stretched in his time, and the city being far longer from east to west, than in breadth from south to north, and also narrower at both ends than in the midst, is therefore compassed with the wall on the landside in the form of a bow, except where it is indented in betwixt Cripplegate and Aldersgate. But the wall on the south side along the river of Thames was streight as the string of a bow, and fortified with towers or bulwarks (as we now term them) in due distance from each other, as our author says, and we ourselves may observe at this day, this demonstrates that the walls of this city are of great antiquity.

Now for repairing and maintaining this wall, we find, that in the year 1215 and the sixth of King John, the Barons entering the city by Aldgate, first took assurance of the city, and then broke into the Jews' houses, and seizing their money and goods for their own uses, they with great diligence repaired the walls, and gates of the city, with stones taken from the Jews' broken houses. In the year 1257, Henry

III. ordered the walls of the city, which were much decayed and without towers to be handsomely repaired, and beautified at the common charge of the city.

In the seventeenth of Edward IV. Ralph Joceline, mayor, caused part of the wall of the City of London to be repaired between Aldgate and Aldersgate; he also caused Moorfields to be searched for clay to make bricks for that purpose. The Skinners made that part of the wall between Aldgate and Buvies Marks (commonly called Bevis Marks) towards Bishopsgate, as may appear by their arms fixed in three places there. The Lord Mayor and his company of Drapers made all that part between Bishopsgate and Allhallow's Church in the wall; and from Allhallows toward the Postern, called Moorgate. A great part of the same wall was repaired by the executors of Sir John Crosby, alderman, his arms being in two places; and other companies repaired the rest of the wall to Cripplegate; the Goldsmiths repaired from Cripplegate to Aldersgate, and there the work ceased.

The circuit of the wall of London on the land's side, that is from the Tower of London in the east to Aldgate, is 82 perches; from Aldgate to Bishopsgate 86 perches; from Bishopsgate to Cripplegate 162 perches; from Cripplegate to Aldersgate 75 perches; from Aldersgate to Newgate 66 perches; from Newgate to Ludgate 42 perches; in all 513 perches of assize. From Ludgate to Fleet Ditch 60 perches; from Fleet Bridge to the River Thames about 70 perches; so that the total of these perches amounteth to 643; and every perch being five yards and a half, makes 3536 yards and a half, containing 10608 feet, which is two English miles, and 608 feet more.

In the former time there were but four gates in the wall of this city, that is Aldgate for the east; Aldersgate for the North; Ludgate for the west, and Bridgegate over London Bridge for the south, but of late days for the convenience of passengers, divers other gates and posterns have been made.

Fitz-Stephen saith, that in the reign of Henry II. there were seven double gates in the wall of this city, but names them not, we may therefore suppose them to be, 1. The gate next the Tower of London, called the Postern. 2. Aldgate. 3. Bishopsgate. 4. Aldersgate. 5. Newgate. 6. Ludgate. 7. Bridgegate. Since which there hath been built Moorgate, now a famous gate and several other smaller posterns, as one between Bishopsgate and Moorgate, and two between Moorgate and Cripplegate; besides others in other places.

As to the first called the Postern near the Tower (which was destroyed by the dreadful fire in 1666, of which you have a particular

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