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Corporation Acts, difplays a lively regard for the prefervation of the eftablished faith, whofe purity commands veneration, and whofe importance calls for defence; while the formation of a committee to confider of the abolition of the Slave Trade, fhews that our vigilance to fecure our own invaluable conftitution, both in church and ftate, from dangerous encroachments, or infidious attacks, does not prevent us from paying a juft attention to the general rights of man, nor from attempting to extend to others that freedom we enjoy ourselves.

The state of the nation, too, is fuch, as to infpire us with fentiments of pleasure and gratitude; a regular diminution of the national debt; and a daily augmentation of revenue, arifing from an extenfion of commerce and credit; exhibit a fcene, which, contrafted with the fituation of neighbouring powers, muft render us objects of envy and

refpect. Our Indian territories also. continue in a state of progreffive im provement; and as the happiness of the natives is confidered as the most folid bafis of public profperity, there can be little doubt but they will be fpeedily exonerated from that load of debt, which a long war and violent exertions have impofed. The minifter, truly fenfible of the importance of thefe various advantages, has been studious to fecure their du ration, by ftrengthening our continental alliances; the treaty of amity and defence concluded with Pruffia -by which our treaty with Holland is confirmed and extendedaffords a ftrong proof of his political fagacity, and of his conftant attention to the interests and welfare of the ftate by that, our natural confequence among the European powers is restored; and fuch an acceffion of ftrength acquired, as is equally requifite for the prefervation of peace and the fupport of war,

END OF NATIONAL HISTORY FOR 1789.

THE

EXTRACTS

FROM PENNANT'S DESCRIPTION OF

LONDON.

I.

PROFLIGATE MARRIAGES.

N walking along the ftreet in

law, against all Spreaders of r«« mours! The times were turbulent, but flighter penalties than death might have fufficed. The unhappy man, on the ladder, declared, in the prefence of Stow, That he knew not for what offence he was brought

I'm for except for words by me

on the fide next to Fleet Prifon, I have often been tempted by the queftion-" Sir, will you pleafe to walk in, and be married?" Along this most lawless fpace was hung up the frequent fign of a male and female hand conjoined, with, "Marriages performed within!" written beneath. A dirty fellow invited you in. The parfon was feen walking before his fhop; a fqualid profligate figure, clad in a tattered plaid nightgown, with a fiery face, and ready to couple you for a dram of gin, or roll of tobacco.

Our great chancellor, lord Hard wick, put thefe dæmons to flight, and faved thousands from the mifery and difgrace which would be entailed by these extemporary thought

lefs unions.

II.

CRUEL EXECUTION.

NEAR Aldgate lived and died the able hiftorian John Stow. He relates a cruel execution on a gibbet, erected on the pavement before his houfe, on the bailiff of Rumford, in the time of Edward VI. In that age there were most barbarous and ty

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fpoken yefternight to fir Stephen, curate and preacher of this parifh; which were thefe. He afked me, "What news in the countrey ??? I answered, Heavy newes. "Why?"quoth he. "It is fayd," quoth I, "that many men bee up in Effex; but, thanks be to God, all is in good quiet about us. And this was all, as God be my judge.”

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MURDERS WITHIN THE TOWER;'

IN 1092, a violent tempeft did great injury to the Tower; but it was repaired by William Rufus, and his fucceffor. The first added another collateral building on the fouth fide, between it and the Thames, which was afterwards

called St. Thomas's Tower. Be neath that was Traitors Gate, through which ftate prifoners were brought from the river: and, under another, properly enough called the Bloody; for, till thefe happier ages, there was little difference between confinement and the scaffold, or private affaffination.

Yetowers of Julius, London's lafting fhame, With many a foul and midnight murder fed.

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Here fell the meek ufurper Henry VI. by the dagger of the profligate Gloucefter. Here, full of horrors died, by the hands of hired ruffians, the unsteady Clarence. Here the fweet innocents, Edward V. and his brother, perished victims to the ambition of their remorfelefs uncle. And the empoisoning of fir Thomas Overbury makes up the fum of the known murders, the reproaches of our ancient fortrefs. We have here a ftrait room, or dungeon, called, from the mifery the unhappy occupier of this very confined place endures, the Little Eafe. But this will appear a luxurious habitation, when compared with the inventions of the age of Louis XI. of France; with his iron cages, in which perfons of rank lay for whole years; or his Oubliettes, dungeons made in form of reverfed cones, concealed with trap-doors, down which dropped the unhappy victims of the tyrant. Sometimes their fides were plain, fometimes fet with knives, or fharp-edged wheels: but, in either cafe, the devoted were certain to fall into the land where all things bore little resemblance to that which they left behind.

IV.

ACCOUNT OF BLOOD'S ATTEMPT

TO STEAL THE CROWN.

I PASS over lefs interefting monuments, to the little ftone on the floor, which records, that "Talbot Edwards, late keeper of his majesty's regalia, 30th September 1674, aged 80," was depofited here. Was it not a fhameless reign, no remem brance of this good and faithful fervant would have been fuffered to remain. This venerable man was keeper of the regalia, when the ruffian Blood made the notorious attempt on the crown, and other or naments of majesty. Never was a more determined villain: "with a head to contrive, and heart to exe

cute any wickedness." Blood con trived, under the guife of a clergyman, to make acquaintance with Mr. Edwards; infinuated himself into his favour and confidence. After various vifits, with the affistance of several other affociates, he seized on the old man, whom he had requested to fhew the jewels to his friends, gagged him, and on his refifting, ftruck him on the head with a mallet, and gave him several stabs. Edwards thought it prudent to counterfeit death. Blood put the crown under his par fon's gown: another put the globe in his breeches: a third, not being able to conceal the fceptre by reafon of its length, broke off the rich ruby and put it in his pocket. As foon as they were gone, Edwards forced out the gag, and gave the alarm; they were inftantly purfued, and three of them foon taken. Blood ftruggled hard for his prize, faying, when it was wrefted from him, "It was a gallant attempt, though unfuccefsful; it was for a CROWN.'

The curiofity of the king was excited to fee a man engaged in fo many important villanies: under pretence of obtaining difcoveries, his majesty made the wretch a vifit; from that moment the artful Blood dated his fecurity: he told the king fo many plaufible tales; fuch indifference he fhewed for his own life, fuch anxiety for that of his majesty (for he infinuated that his comrades would certainly revenge his death, even on his facred majefty) that in a fhort time he obtained his pardon. It was neceffary to apply to the duke of Ormond for permiffion, the ruffian having made the attempt on his grace's life not long before. The duke nobly answered, "If his ma jefty could forgive him ftealing the crown, he might eafily forgive the attempt upon his life; and if fuch was his majesty's pleasure, that was a fufficient reafon for him, and his lordship (the earl of Arlington, who

brought

But all good men looked on him with horror, and confidered him as a Sicarius to a profligate fet of men, to overawe any who had integrity enough to refift the meafures of a most profligate court. This mifcreant died peacefully in his bed, Auguft 29th, 1680, fearlessly, and without any figns of penitence; totally hardened and forfaken by Heaven.

among others, the earl of Shrew1bury: but fir William gratefully decided in favour of Ofborne; Ofborne, fays he, faved her, and Osborne fhall enjoy her. In her right he poffeffed a great fortune. He became fheriff of London in 1575; and lord mayor in 1582. I have feen the picture of his mafter at Kiveton, the feat of the duke of Leeds, a half. length on board; his dress is a black gown furred, a red veft and fleeve, a gold chain, and a bonnet. He ferved the office of lord mayor in 1559; and died in 1566.

VI.

JOHN FALSTAFF.

The innocent Talbot Edwards, fo far from receiving the grateful reward of his fidelity and fufferings, got with great difficulty a penfion of two hundred a year; and his fon, who was active in taking Blood, one hundred more: but the order for the penfions was fo long delayed, and the EASTCHEAP, THE RESORT OF SIR expences attending the cure of the good old man's wounds fo great, that he was forced to fell his order for a hundred pounds ready money, and the fon his for fifty. It is fingular that this aged man furvived his injuries feven years; the attempt was made May 9th, 1671, and the infeription, contrary to the affertions of fome hiftorians, fixes his death in 1,680.

མ.

A BRAVE ACTION*.

THE gallant action of Edmund Ofborne, ancestor to the duke of Leeds, when he was apprentice to fir William Hewet, cloth-worker, must by no means be forgotten. About the year 1536, when his master lived in one of thofe tremendous houfes on London Bridge, a fervant-maid was playing with his only daughter in her arms, in a win* See a confirmation of this account, in

A LITTLE higher up than the church of St. Magnus, on the left hand, is Eaftcheap, immortalized by Shakespeare, as the place of rendezvous of fir John Falstaff and his merry companions. Here ftood the Boar's Head tavern; the fite is now covered with modern houses, but in the front of one is still preserved the memory of the fign, the Boar's Head, cut in tone. Notwithstanding the houfe is gone, we fhall laugh at the humour of the jovial knight, his hoftefs, Bardolph, and Pistol, as long as the defcriptive pages of our great dramatic writer exift in our en tertained imagination. I must men. tion, that in the wall of another houfe is a Swan cut in ftone; probably, in old times, the fign of another tavern.

The renowned Henry, prince of Wales, was not the only one of the

brothers, John and Thomas, with their attendants, between two and three o'clock, after midnight, raised fuch an uproar, that the mayor and fheriffs thought proper to interfere. This the princes took as an infult on their dignity. The magiftrates were convened by the celebrated chief justice Gascoign; they stood on their defence, and were most honourably difmiffed, it being proved that they did no more than their duty, towards the maintenance of the peace.

This street was famous, in old times, for its convivial doings; "The cookes cried hot ribbes of beef rosted, pies well baked, and other victuals: there was clattering of pewter, pots, harpe, pipe, and fawtrie." Evident marks of the jollity of this quarter.

VII.

GREAT FIRE IN 1666.

IN Pudding-lane, at a very fmall distance from this church, begun the ever-memorable calamity by fire, on the 2d of September 1666. In four days it confumed every part of this noble city within the walls, except what lies within a line drawn from the north part of Colemanftreet, and juft to the fouth-weit of Leadenhall, and from thence to the Tower. Its ravages were alfo extended without the walls, to the weft, as far as Fetter-lane, and the Temple. As it begun in Puddinglane, it ended in Smithfield at Pyecorner; which might occafion the infeription with the figure of a boy, on a houfe in the last place, now almoft crafed, which attributes the fire of London to the fin of glut tony.

VIII.

THE MONUMENT.

THAT aftonishing proof of the genius of fir Christopher Wren, the Monument, is placed on the fide of

Fifh-ftreet, very near to the spot
where the calamity began;
Where London's column, pointing at the

fkies,

Like a tall bully lifts its head and lyes.
It is a Doric column, two hundred
and two feet high, fluted, and finished.
with a trifling urn with flames, in-
stead of a noble statue of the reigning
king, as the great architect propofed.
On the weft fide of the pedeftal is a
bafs relief, cut by Gabriel Cibber,
in admirable tafte. It represents
emblematically this fad catastrophe ;
Charles is feen, furrounded with
Liberty, Genius, and Science, giv-
ing directions for the reftoring of
the city. Here the fculptor found,"
luckily, one example to compliment
the attention of the thoughtless
monarch towards the good of his
fubjects; for, during the horrors of
the conflagration, and after it was
fubdued, his endeavours to stop the
evil, and to remedy the effects, were
truly indefatigable. The king was
ferioufly affected by this calamity,
and many emotions of piety and de-
votion were excited in him. There
was, for a fhort time, great reafon

to

expect the fruits of this his brief return to Heaven: but they were quickly blafted by the uncommon wickedness of the people about him, who, by every prophane witticifm on the recent calamity, and even by fuggefting that it was the blefling of God, to humble this rebellious city, and to prepare it for his yoke, from the royal breaft. This noble foon removed every good thought column was begun in 1671; and finished in 1677, at the expence of 14,500l. A melancholy period of party rage and the infcription was permitted. The damage fuftained by the cruel element, was computed at ten millions feven hundred and fixteen thousand pounds. But Providence, mingling mercy with juftice, fuffered only, the lofs of a very few lives.

IX. SIR

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