64 THE MODEL MERCHANT 



Patcraostcr, in the Eoyal,^ "in which he founded a College, con- 

 sisting of four Fellows (Masters of Arts), Clerks, Conducts, and Choris- 

 ters, who were governed by a Master, on whom he bestowed the 

 rights and profits of the Church, in addition to his salary of ten marks. 

 To the Chaplains he gave eleven marks each ; to the First Clerk eight; 

 to the Second Clerk seven and a half; and to the Choristers five marks per 

 annum each. One of the duties of the recipients of this charity was to 

 pray for the good estate of Eichard "Whittington ' and Alice, his wife, 

 their founders, and for Sir "William Whittington, Knight, and Dame 

 Joan, his wife, and for Sir Hugh Fitzwarren and Dame Molda, his 

 wife, fathers and mothers of the said Richard Whittington and Alice, 

 his wife; for King Richard the Second, and Thomas of Woodstock, Duke 

 of Gloucester, special lords and promoters of the said Richard Whit- 

 tington, &c." He also built the Chapel annexed to Guildhall. 

 The original license for the foundation of his College was procured 

 by Whittington in 1400 (2nd Henry IV.); and the following year 

 the Mayor and commonalty of London granted him a vacant piece of 

 ground for the building of his College, in the Royal, which was after- 

 wards fully confirmed to his executors by Henry YI., for Whittington 

 himself unfortunately died before its completion. 



One can scarcely help thinking that a man so much before his day 

 in charitable and religious matters, as well as in secular aff'airs, must 

 have imbibed, even if imperceptibly, some of the enlightened religious 

 views which were then making so much stir in England, under the 

 preaching of Wickliff, the great reformer of religion, at a period when 

 the state of the church was at the lowest ebb of darkness. Although we 

 have no ground for supposing that he had actually embraced Wicklifi"s 

 views, yet, if avo may judge from Fox's Martyrs," the doctrines of that 

 great reformer had taken deep root among the citizens of London. In the 

 very year (1393) in which Whittington was elected Sherifi", Fox says, 



y Londin. Jicdiviv., vol. 4, p. 514-515. 



" Quam prxfatus Ricardus in vitu suu funditus ct notabiliter inchoavit." — 



Charter of Foundation iu Dugdale's Monasticon. 



The Royal was originally called the Tower Royal, and afterwards the Queen's 



"Wardrobe. 



s See Dugdale's Monasticon, Bohn's edition, vol. 7, p. 74G, — Charter of 



Foundation. 



a Fox's Martyrs, vol. 1, p. 070, fol., 1641. 



