The Present State of London, Frontispiece – Table of contents
The Lord Mayor & Court Of Aldermen.
THE PRESENT STATE OF London: OR, Memorials COMPREHENDING A Full and Succinct Account Of the Ancient and Modern State thereof.
By THO. DE-LAƲNE, Gent.
Civitates ab initio Ʋtilitatis cauſa conſtitutae ſunt.
Ariſtot. 1. Polit.
LONDON: Printed by George Larkin, for Enoch Proſſer and John How, at the Roſe and Crown, and Seven Stars, in Sweethings-Alley, near the Royal Exchange in Cornhil. 1681.
To the Right Honourable Sir Patience Ward, Knight, LORD MAYOR OF THE City of LONDON.
My Lord,
THeſe Memorials, reſpecting the Ancient and Modern State of this great and Renowned City, of which (under His Majeſty) Your Lordſhip enjoys the Supreme Magiſtracy, cannot find a more Proper, or more Honourable Patron than Your Lordſhip; conſidering the High Place You hold in that Meridian for which This Diſcourſe is Calculated.
The General Grief expreſſed by all Loyal Engliſh Proteſtants, for Your Lordſhips late Indiſpoſition, and the General Rejoycing amongſt them, for Your Happy Recovery, as a Mercy to this City, (of both which, the Preſenter of this Addreſs was in part a Witneſs and Partaker) are Evidences both of Your Lordſhips Good Adminiſtration in ſo Eminent a Dignity, aud the Univerſal Satisfaction of this Famous Metropolis in Your Government.
Your Prudent, Zealous, and Couragious Conduct in theſe Perillous and Menacing Times, ſuitable to thoſe Never-to-be-forgotten Speeches, delivered by Your Lordſhip, and Your Eminent and Worthy Predeceſſor, Sir Robert Clayton, at the Time of Your Election to this Auguſt Magiſtracy, has engaged all True Patriots, and Abhorrers of Foreign and Domeſtick Vaſſalage, (a thing attempted to be Introduced by thoſe Execrable Mediums of Aſſaſsinating the Sacred Perſon of His Royal Majeſty, and Everting His Government) to give Your Lordſhip an Eminent Place in their Eſteem, and Juſtly Obliges this Great City to Honour Your Lordſhip in a Degree ſuitable to ſo High a Merit.
My Lord,
I hope You will vouchſafe me Your Pardon for my Preſumption in Publiſhing this ſmall Product of my Receſs and Solitude, under the Patronage of Your Honourable Name, for which, and the Famous City You Govern, I have ſo High a Veneration, that it Obliges me to be
Your Lordſhips moſt humble Servant, Thomas De-Laune. London, June 24. 1681.
To the Reader.
THis Abſtract is partly collected from the beſt Authors I could meet with, as the Chronicles and Statutes of England, Antiquaries, Modern Writers, &c.
I have endeavoured to avoid Prolixity, and to omit no Remarkables, as far as my deſigned Brevity would admit; intending rather a Compendium, than a Voluminous Hiſtory.
What lay ſcatered in divers Volumes, are reduced (in a method wholly new) under their proper Heads, briefly, yet (I hope) not obſcurely. I have intermixt many new things, which fell within my own obſervation (or my Friends) reſpecting the Preſent State of this City, never to my knowledge (I am ſure never in this Method) Publiſhed. It is ſaid, That Omne tulit punctum, qui miſcuit utile Dulci:
If that be not done here, yet it is an Eſſay of that kind, being a mixture wherein with great variety, things highly uſeful are interwoven with delightſom. And if there be any miſtakes or imperfections, which all men are liable to, upon any Information, (which ſhall be thankfully reſented) it may be capable of Rectifying hereafter.
I do not pretend to give a full account of all things worthy to be known, in this great City, or of its famous Citizens, for that would make an huge Volume, but onelyonly of the moſt Eminent which have occurr'd to my Reading or Obſervation.
As to the Method and particulars treated of, you are referred to the Synopſis, or Table of Contents following; by which you may eaſily find out any thing in the Book.
If the City thinks this worth entertainment, it will engage me to proceed in perfecting other Materials I have by me, and offer it in another work, which I truſt will be uſeful to all. I have an high Honor for this Illuſtrious City, and the worthy Inhabitants thereof, as an Inſtance of which, this Eſſay is offered to the peruſal of the Candid Reader, by
Thomas D…-lau…
To his Friend, Mr. Thomas De-Laune, An Acroſtick on The Preſent State of LONDON:
This is that City which the Papal Crew
Have by their Damn'd Devices overthrew
Erected on her old Foundations, New.
Pourtrayed once by Stow, and now again
Rebuilt, and Re-reviv'd by thee, De-laune;
Extracted Phoenix-like, whoſe ſplendor ſhows
She triumphs o're the Ruine of her Foes.
Excellent Architect, that in few Sheets
New builds a City of Five hundred Streets.
Temples, Courts, Churches, Monuments and Halls.
Shores, Towers, Gates, Inns, Citadels, and Walls.
The Grandeur of this fam'd Metropolis,
Arts, Laws and Cuſtoms, thou haſt ſhewn in this:
This Little Volume comprehends the Great
European-Empory, the Royal Seat
Of Engliſh Monarchs, whoſe Succeſſion runs
From Royal Fathers, Lineally to Sons.
London, the Author fully lets Thee ſee
Orders and Cuſtoms of Antiquity;
Names, Honours, Titles, Companies drawn forth,
Diſplay'd in Banners, Badges of thy Worth:
Of all the Cities on the Continent,
No better Governours nor Government.
R. S.
To his Friend the Author, UPON THE Preſent State of LONDON.
REader, Survey DE-LAƲNE, and his Survey,
Who LONDON's Glories lively doth diſplay
In Her immediate State; whoſe Stately Pile
Exceeds all Structures on the Britiſh Iſle:
Look through this Little Book, as through a Glaſs,
You may behold what now She Is, and Was.
View between Sixty Six, and Eighty One;
Can you not ſee Great Alteration?
In Sky-Invading-Flames three days She burns,
Which all her Glories into Aſhes turns:
But ſtop not there; Look nearer yet by Ten;
Doth She not mount to greater Glory then
Before? Look nigher yet by Five, for this
Her Preſent State a Pleaſant Proſpect is.
This Glaſs (Brave City) he preſents to Thee,
That Thou Thy Self, Thy Self may'ſt better ſee.
This Thy Remote and Diſtant Friends will move
To Admiration, and Ʋniting Love.
When they peruſe thoſe Gallant Laws whereby
Thou'rt Rul'd, and Ruleſt by Juſt Policy.
Thy Piety, Thy Splendid Trade, by which
Thou art become ſo Great, ſo Good, ſo Rich.
Thoſe worthy Characters which he hath writ,
Exalts Thy Greatneſs, Juſtifies his Wit.
'Tis not my Task Thy Splendor to Commend,
It is Exalted by DE-LAƲNE Thy Friend.
My Muſe would fain Attempt his Commendation,
But is conſtrain'd to reſt in Admiration.
D. E. Philopolis.
The CONTENTS.
CHap. 1, Of the Antiquity, Original, and Name of London. Page 1.
Chap. 2. Of the Situation of London. P. 3.
Chap. 3. Of its Increaſe, Magnitude, Publick Structures, and number of Inhabitants, p. 5, 292.
Sect. 1. Of its Walls, Towers, Gates, &c. p. 9.
Of the Tower, and Ancient Caſtles, p. 13, 17.
Sect. 2. Of its Churches and Monuments, p. 19
Of Pauls Church, and Weſtminſter-Abby, p. 20
The Ancient State of all the Churches in London
Alphabetically, with their monuments, &c. p 27.
The Monument of Mr. Fox, Martyrologiſt, p. 69.
Of Mr. Speed the Famous Hiſtorian, p. 73.
Sect. 3. Of Hoſpitals, viz. Chriſts Hoſpital, and St. Thomas his Hoſpital, &c. p. 81.
Of the Charter-Houſe, or Sutton's Hoſpital, p. 90
Of Old and New Bedlam, p. 97.
Sect. 4. Of its Palaces, viz. Whitehall, or the Kings Court, &c. p. 99.
Of St. James's Palace, and the Park, p. 122
Of Weſtminſter-hall, and the Courts there, viz. Common-Pleas, Kings-Bench, Chancery, and Exchequer, p. 126.
Of Dooms-day-Book. p, 135.
A full Account of the High-Court of Parliament, &c. p. 193.
Of Somerſet-houſe, p. 156.
Sect. 5. Of the Royal Exchange, &c. p. 159.
Sect. 6. Of Colledges and Inns of Court, viz. Greſham-Colledge, Sion-Colledge, Phyſitians-Colledge, Doctors Commons, Colledge of Heralds, &c. and Inns of Court and Chancery, p. 162, 179.
Sect. 7. Of London-Bridge, p. 191.
Of the River of Thames, and Lord Mayors Juriſdiction there. p. 195.
Of the New River, p. 209.
Chap. 4. Of the Government of London, Eccleſiaſtical, Temporal, and Military, &c. p. 213. to 288.
Of the Charters, By-Laws, and Courts in London, p. 263. to 277.
Chap. 5. Of the Trade of London, its Merchants, the Original of Money; an Account of the ſeveral Corporations, and their Coats of Arms blazon'd. p. 269.
The Oath of a Freeman, p. 331.
Of Guild-hall, Leaden-hall, Blackwel-hall, and the Cuſtom-houſe, p. 333, to 336.
Of Docks, Porters, &c. p. 340.
Of the Markets for Coals, Corn, and Fiſh, p. 342.
Of the Navy-Office and Poſt-Office, p. 343, 345.
Of the Penny-Poſt. p. 350.
The Rates of Coachmen, p. 359.
An Alphabetical Account of the Carriers, Waggoners, and Stage-Coaches, that come to the reſpective Inns in London, from all parts of England and Wales, with the days of their Coming in, and Going out. p. 383.
The Rates of Carmen and Watermen. p. 436, 442.
An Hiſtorical Account of the Wars, Tumults, Fires, Epidemical Diſeaſes, Rarities and Accidents, that have happened in the City of London: Briefly abſtracted from Ancient and Modern Writers, p. 443.
An Appendix containing the Names of the preſent Aldermen, and the reſpective Wards they Govern; With a List of the preſent Officers of the Lord Mayors Houſe, and the Officers belonging to the Two Counters.