A. D. 1 156. 329 



were diflinguilhcd from thofe of moft of the fmaller towns by the ap- 

 pellation of barons *. With a pardonable partiality, Fitz-Stephen fays, 

 that no city in the world exports its merchandize to fuch a diftance : 

 but he has unluckily neglected to inform us of the fpecies of goods ex- 

 ported, or the countries to which they were carried, none of which 

 were very diftant, according to our modern enlarged ideas of naviga- 

 tion. Among the imports he enumerates gold, fpices, frankincenfe 

 from Arabia ; pretious ftones from Egypt ; purple drapery from India ; 

 palm-oil from Bagdad ; all which he might, perhaps with more ftrid 

 propriety, have derived immediately from the trading cities of Italy. 

 Furs of various kinds, he fays, are brought from Norway and Ruffia ; 

 arms from Scythia ; and wine from France. The venders of the vari- 

 ous commodities, and labourers of every kind, are dayly to be found in 

 their appropriate and diflin6t places f ; and every Friday a market is 

 held in Smithfield for horfes, cows, hogs, &c. The city, with the fub- 

 urbs, contains 13 large conventual churches, and 126 parochial ones. 

 According to our author, no fewer than 60,000 foot and 20,000 horfe 

 iflued from the city in the reign of King Stephen t. The ciry is ftrong- 

 ly fortified with caftles and turrets, and furrounded by a wall with feven 

 gates, except on the fouth fide, where the river has undermined the an- 

 tient wall, which the protedion of the palatine tower at the eaft end of 

 the" city now renders unneceflliry. The king's palace at Wefiminfiier is 

 two miles from the city § ; and the intermediate fpace is almofi; filled 

 up with the houfes and gardens of the citizens ||. On the north tide 

 are open fields of corn and grafs, and a lake %, with feveral dreams turn- 

 ing mills ; and beyond thefe there is a forefl:, wherein the citizens take 

 the diverfion of hunting. [Stephanidis Vita Thomcs Cant.'] 



William of Malmfbury, an author of the fame age, fays, London is a 

 noble city, renowned for the opulence of its citizens, who, on account 



* Whether all the citizens of London, or only 40,000. But as it is now known from the fub- 

 thofe who poflefled fome civic pre-eminence, were fidy roUof the year 1377, difcovercd by Mr. Top- 

 called hai-ons, has been difputed, and, I fuppofe, ham, that the taxable perfons of both fexes above 

 cannot be clearly determined by any fufficient au- fourteen years of age in London, were then only 

 thority. See above, p. 314. 23,314, it is not probable that the number of thofc 



f The authority of Fitz-Stephen has been under fourteen, the clergy, and thofe living on 



ftrangely adduced to prove, that the Steelyard, charity, would altogether bring the number even 



Vintry, &c. were the appropriated wharfs of the up to 40,000 : and it may be prefumcd, notwith- 



various nations trading to London in his time, ftanding the ravages of the peftilence in the year 



He fays no fuch thing. The eftabbdiment of the 1348, that London was not more populous in the 



Vintry in particular will be accounted for in the twelfth than in the fourteenth century, 

 year 1300. § Ludgate was then the wellern boi^ndary of 



\ The copy of our author, from which Leland the city, 

 made his excerpts, had only 40,000 foot. \_Col- |j 1'hefe were the country villas of the citizens, 



Icdauea, V. iv,/>. 241.] Either of the numbers is to which they retired from the noife and crowd of 



moft enormonfly exaggerated, if it is meant that the city. The fame ground is now covered with 



London alone furniflied fo many fighting men of ftreets almoft as much crowded as any of thofe in 



its own inhabitants. Peter of Blois, arch-deacon of the city. 



London, an author of the fame age, \_EpiJi. ad In- «J Now Moorfields, part of which has been late- 



noctnl. papam-l ftates the whole population of ly adorned with the elegant buildings of Finfbury 



London, men, women, and children, to be only fquare. 



Vol. I. T t 



