The Present State of London, Treatise · Chapter 5 · Section 3 · Part 27
Secondly. Their Inſtructions are
1. TO do it in Select places, amongſt old Buildings, and where Engines cannot play.
2. To Fire the Water-Houſes, and get the Newriver-water ſtopt, if they can for that time, near that place.
3. To have ſome of their chief Friends thereabouts, that may miſadviſe great perſons, that they may blow up Houſes where it is not neceſſary, or where rather it will do harm by opening a paſſage for the fire.
4. To have ſome of their active Inſtruments, who under pretence of helping may ſcatter Fire-halls in contiguous Houſes, and break down the Windows, Roof, &c. to let in the fire more eaſily.
5. To have others attending that ſhall cry out againſt French and Papiſts, and mightily pitty the People, thereby getting to be truſted with removing of Goods, and ſo to plunder and ſteal, or if they find an opportunity to fire Houſes at a diſtance.
6. Curiouſly to obſerve Wind and Tide, in all attempts, as likewiſe Froſts and very dry times, and chuſe Sundays for doing the buſineſs, becauſe then there is leaſt Water.
Now whether thoſe wicked Incendiaries have obſerved theſe Rules in that monſtrous and execrable villany before recited, is left at the Tribunal of the Readers Impartial Judgment, who may conſider the Circumſtances following, of which they (viz. the Papiſts) made a fatal uſe.
1. It was the dead time of the night, or rather a little before two in the Morning, when all perſons gave themſelves to their repoſe, and were in a dead …leep.
2. The Dead time of the Week, being Saturday night, when Traders were retired to their Country-Houſes, and none but Maid-ſervants or Apprentices to look after their Houſes.
3. The Dead time of the Year, being then the long Vacation, when Tradeſmen were generally in the Country to fetch in their Debts.
4. The Cloſeneſs of the Buildings there facilitated the progreſs of the Fire, and hindred the playing of Engines.
5. The Houſes were generally Wooden, or built of old Timber.
6. A very dry preceding Summer made the Timber very apt to take Fire.
7. In thoſe parts were the greateſt Magazines and Store-houſes of the City, of Oyls, Pitch, Tar, Roſin, Wax, Butter, Brimstrne, Hemp, Cordage, Cheeſe, Wine, Brandy, Sugars, &c.
8. An Easterly Wind, continued long before, and then blew ſtrongly, a fatal help to ſpread the Fire Weſtward.
9. The Thames-Water-Tower was immediately burnt down, being near the place where the fire began, ſo that they could not be ſupplyed with Waters that way.
To conclude, The ſame ſeveral Teſtimonies and Depoſitions taken by a Committtee appointed for that purpoſe by the Houſe of Commons Tueſday 25 Sept. 1666. viz. That this was acted by a Helliſh Combinat…on of Papiſts, evidenced by the words of Papiſts before the Fire, by their actual flinging of Fire-balls, &c. and otherwiſe promoting the Incendium during the Fire, many of which were catched in the Fact, but conveyed away by ſome of their Friends, under pretence to ſecure them.—The free Confeſſion of the French-man, Robert Hubert, who was hang'd for it, and the Witneſs of Capt. Bedloe, and others, who have made out that they were concern'd in it; I ſay all theſe are enough to ſatisfie any that will not wink himſelf blind, that London was burnt by Romiſh Fire-balls, (which they were wont to call Tewxsbury Mustard-balls) thrown by Romiſh hands.
But Renowned LONDON, notwithſtanding thoſe vaſt loſſes, and the Devouring-Plague the Year before, and the chargeable War we had then againſt three powerful Neighbour Nations, lay not long in Rubbiſh, but began Phenix-like to revive out of the aſhes of its conſumed Predeceſſor.
This diſmal Calamity gave His Majeſty a ſad opportunity of exerciſing hs Compaſſion and Care towards many diſtreſſed Families, who lay in the open Fields. His Majeſty therefore iſſued Proclamations to Juſtices of the Peace for cauſing Proviſions to be ſent into the Markets, and ordered his Sea-ſtore to be opened for a preſent ſupply of Bread in Ship-Bisket, &c.
The King paſſed an Act of Parliament for eſtabliſhing a Judicature, to take Cognizance of; and Determine all Differences that might ariſe among parties concerning burnt or Demolliſhed Houſes. And by Act of Parliament there was a New-Model of Building appointed, which may be worth the Readers peruſal; It was paſt, Anno 1666. 19 Car. 2. See Kebles Statutes at large, p. 1327, to 1335. but 'tis too large to be tranſcribed.
Pur…uant to this Act, the Citizens betook themſelves chearfully to Rebuild, and in four years time they erected in the ſame Streets 10000 Houſes, and laid out for the ſame 3000000 of pounds Sterl. counting but 300 l. a Houſe, one with another, beſides ſeveral large Hoſpitals, divers very ſtately Halls; 19 fair ſolid Stone Churches, that did coſt above 100000 l. were all at the ſame time erecting, and ſoon after finiſhed; And ſince that time they have gone on Chearfully to Rebuild, ſo that there is hardly a vacant place in the City; except ſuch as are deſigned for other uſes than Dwelling-Houſes.
And as if the Fire had only purged the City, the Buildings are become infinitely more Beautiful, more Commodious, and more Solid (the three main Vertues of all Edifices) then before; Nay, as if the Citizens had not been any was impoveriſhed, but rather enricht by that huge Conflagration, they may be ſaid to be even rather exceſſive than otherwiſe in their Expences upon the ſtately Italian Faciata's or Fronts of their New Houſes, Churches, and Halls, many of excellent Portland-ſtone, upon their richly adorn'd Shops, Chambers, Balconies, Signs, Portals, &c. The publick Halls which are ſo magnificent and richly adorn'd, with excellent and Curious Architecture, Carved Work in Stone and Wood, with Pictures and Wainſcot, not only of Firr and Oak, but ſome with ſweet-ſmelling Cedar—The Churches beautified with excellent various Towers, and Fronts of true Roman Architecture. They have made their Streets much more large and ſtreight, paved on eachſide with ſmooth-hewen-ſtone, and guarded the ſame with many Maſſy Poſts for the benefit of Foot Paſſeugers; and whereas before they dwelt in low, dark Wooden Houſes, they now live in lofty, lightſome, uniform, and very ſtately Brick-buildings,— A great number of the Halls, ſtately Taverns, and magnificent Houſes of Merchants and other Wealthy Citizens, being fit to receive the greateſt Monarch in Europe, with a brave Train, at an Entertainment.
Abundance of theſe are built backwards, for the advantage of Trade and Shop-keepers which are towards the Street, whereas if they were (as is uſual in Italy and elſewhere) built towards the great and principal ſtreets, no City in the whole World could go beyond it for beauty and magnificence.
Near the Bridge of London, where this Dreadful Fire began, is now erected (as was ordered by Act of Parliament,) a Pillar in perpetual Memory of that great Incendium. It is of the Dorick Order, 175 Foot high from the Superficies of the Ground, and 15 Foot Diameter, all of ſolid Portland-stone, with a fair Stair-caſe in the middle, of black Marble, and a large Iron Balcony at the top,—from whence a man may have a gallant proſpect of all the City and Country, this is commonly called the MONƲ MENT, the Pedeſtal is likewiſe all of Portland-ſtone, and is 21 Foot ſquare, and 40 Foot high, Carved with moſt exquiſite and ſignificant reſemblances, or figures to the Street-ſide, and on the other ſides it bears theſe Inſcriptions, carv'd in large Letters.
Anno Chriſti MDCLXVI Die IV Nonas Septembris. Hinc in orientem, pedum CCII intervallo (quae eſt hujuſce Columnae Altitudo) Erupit de media nocte incendium, quod vento ſpirante hauſit etiam longinqua, & partes per omnes populabundum ferebatur cum impetu & fragore incredibili XXCIX Templa, Portas, Praetorium, Aedes publicas Ptochotrophia, Scholas Bibliothecas, Inſularum magnum Numerum, Domuum CM… 00 00 00 CC, vicos CD abſumpſit. De XXVI Regionibus XV funditus Delevit, alias VIII laceras & ſemiuſtas reliquit. Ʋrbis Cadaver ad CDXXXVI jugerae (hinc ab aree per Tamiſis ripam ad Templariorum Fanum, illinc ab Euro Aquilonali porta ſecundum Muros ad Foſſae Fletanae Caput) porrexit; adverſus opes Civium & fortunas infeſtum, erga vitas innocuum: Ʋt per omnia referret, ſupremam illam mundi exuſtionem.
Velox Clades fuit; exiguum tempus eandem vidit Civitatem florentiſſimam & nullam.
Tertio Die, cum jam plane evicerat humana Conſilia & ſubſidia omnia, Caelitus ut par eſt credere, Juſſus ſtetit fatalis ignis & quaquaverſum elanguit.