The Burning of London, Part 3 · Meditation 47
MEDITATION XLVII. Of the burning of Troy and the circumſtances thereof, compared with that of London.
TIme was, when that place which was ſince called London, went by the name of new-Troy, and as it ſometimes bore the ſame name, ſo they both came to the ſame end, viz. by fire. Old Troy was fired not accidentally, but wilfully and by Enemies; and ſo ſome think was New-Troy, otherwiſe called London. Admit the ſtory of Troy be partly fictitious (as things related by Poets are ſuſpected to be) yet give me leave to moralize it as followeth: Is is reported, that Priamus giving leave to his Son Paris, to raviſh Helena, Wife to Menelaus King of Sparta, was that which forced the Greeks, who burnt Troy, to renew their ancient quarrel againſt it. I think, there have been ſew Tragedies acted in the world, but the luſt of the fleſh hath born a ſhare in, and been one great occaſion of them. I cannot ſay, it was that which did provoke men to burn London, if it were done by wilfull …nſtruments; but I doubt not, but that was one of the ſins which did provoke God to ſuffer that goodly City to be burnt. Was not Paris his treacherous ſlaying of Achilles, who was in treaty of Marriage with his ſiſter Polyxena, another incentive to the Grecians to deſtroy Troy? The unrighteous ſhedding of blood is a ſin, that will as eaſily kindle a fire as moſt that can be mentioned. The Greeks (as is ſaid) had it revealed to them, that unleſs they could do three things, Troy could never be deſtroyed: One was, they muſt get the Palladium, or image of Pallas out of the City, (which, Virgil ſaith, they did by means of Ulyſſes). Pallas was counted the Goddeſs of wiſdom. Had not the Pall…d…um been taken away, for the time; or had thoſe that were concern'd been ſo wiſe at firſt, as they were at laſt, London had ſcarcely been burnt to the ground in ſpight of all the treachery that was ſuſpected, or could have been uſed. Another thing was, If they would deſtroy Troy, they muſt provide a great Wodden-horſe, which accordingly they did, putting ſome of their choifeſt men into the belly of it, which pretending to dedicate to M…crva, they left before the City, having made it higher than the gates, hoping, as it proved, that the Tro…s would pull down part of the wall, to take it in, whilſt they had withdrawn themſelves to the … Te…dot. The Tr…jans brake down the wall, took in the horſe, placed it in the Caſtle: but in the night Sinon who was one of thoſe Gre…, that were in the Horſe's belly, giving notice by ſire, the Greeks came from Tenedos; who finding the Trojans had drunk themſelves faſt aſleep, ſackt the City, and burnt it. Thus Troy periſhed, partly by the Credulity, Security, Weakneſs, and Intemperance of it's Inhabitants, in a little time after it had for ten years together, withſtood the fruitleſs attempts of its adverſaries. Was there not ſome ſuch thing went to the deſtruction of London? Were there not a ſort of men within that City (as is vehemently ſuſpected) who might not unſitly be compared to the Greeks that were hid in the Belly of the forementioned Wodden-horſe, people of a concealed Religion, (and therefore I call them hid); and amongſt the reſt was there not one Sinon, as I may call him, becauſe he was the firſt that kindled the fire (witneſs his own confeſsion)? Had not the Gates of London been ſet too wide open for ſuch treacherous Greeks to enter in, poſsibly that famous City had been ſtanding to this very day. But what was a Proverb concerning Trojans, Sero ſapiunt Phryges, The Trojans uſe to be wiſe when it is too late, was too applicable to our ſelves. We begin to wiſh the gates of London had been ſhut againſt ſuch dangerous Perſons, when alaſs! in ſome places it hath no Gates to ſhut. It is likely, the Gentlemen that lay Couchant before, in the Belly of the Woodden-horſe, are now not without greater hopes than ever that they ſhall get up and ride. But he that ſits in heaven can make the ſecond of September produce them as little good, as did their infamous fifth of November. But why was it that London was deſtroyed by the ſame means as was old Troy? Will any ſay that the old Proverb, that ſuch a one is a truſty Trojan, was as applicable to the new Trojans, as to the old? I do not think that was the reaſon. For though there might be ſome faithleſs men in London (as there are in all places;) yet I doubt not, but Londoners (take one with another) might and may ſafely be truſted, as far as any ſort of men; and have as much Faith and Conſcience amongſt them as is elſewhere to be ſound. But, that God who found ſin enough in Job to juſtifie all that he did againſt him, all the evil he brought upon him, could not but have a ſufficient controverſie with London; which, abſolutely conſidered, was bad enough; though, if compared with other places and People, it was certainly one of the beſt.