526 



A. D. 1666. 



ton-flreet, &:c. all which were paflure-gronnds till about the year 

 '1680. 



In the city of Weilminfter, ftricTily lb called, fince the year 1688 

 there has been a great increafe of buildings towards TothilUfields, &c. 

 befide the fuperb flreets in our days ereded in the vicinity of the new 

 bridge there. Laftly, fince the acceflion of the prefent royal family,, 

 there is fo great an addition made to the weftern fuburbs, where ftands 

 New Bond-ftreet and the other flreets adjoining to Hanover, Cavendilh, 

 Gi'olVenor, and Berkeley, fquares, as alone would conilitute a conlider- 

 able and beautiful city ; and a conflderable addition has been alfo made 

 in the proper city of Weftminiter, befides the great additions made to 

 the nearly acljoining villages of Paddington, Chelfea, Knightibridge, 

 and Kenfmgton, weftward, and Marybone, Iflington, and Newington^ 

 northward, and more eminently to the famous village of Hackney 

 north-eaftward ; and alfo eaftward to Mile-end, Bow, and Stratford, 

 Wrapping, and Limehoufe ; and a new town growing gradually up 

 fouth of the Thames from the fine bridge of Weftminfter, and at 

 Stockwell and Clapbam, befides the many flreets built on the marfli- 

 grounds of Rotherhithe and Deptford, and alfo at Greenwich. 



Whither indeed can we turn or cafl our eyes, eaft, weft, fouth, or north, 

 where there are not great improvements on new foundations, all arifing 

 out of the immenfe commerce of the antient and noble mercantile city 

 of London ? 



Before the great conflagration the flreets were very narrow, fo as in 

 many of tliem the garrets on each fide projefted very near each other, 

 the houfes being almoil wholely of timber, lath, and plafler, each flory 

 projeding beyond the next lower one ; wherefor, in order to widen 

 many of the more public ftreets after this great dlfafter, there were two 

 extenfive ads of parliament palfed [19 Car. II, cc. 2, 3] for determin- 

 ing in a fummary vvay the bounds of houfes and ftreets to be rebuilt in 

 London ; and many and great alterations were made for the better in 

 the width of flreets and lanes, as in Fleet-ftreet, Lutigate-hill, Ludgate- 

 flreet, St. Paul's churchyard, Cheapfide, Newgate-flreet, the Poultry, 

 Gracechurch-flreet, Thames-flreet, Old Fifh-flreet, and from Cheapfide 

 to the Thames, then a poor, narrow, and crooked, lane called Soper- 

 lane, now Qrieen-ftreet, a fine new flreet from Cheapfide up to Guild- 

 hall, called King-flreet, there being no other coach-way thither before 

 the lire but by Laurence-lane. Thames-flreet was raifed three feet *, 



* Tlie ftreets of a populous town, if not panisd, and rebuilt, and fo deep Is Roman London buried 



niuft inevitably be railed in the courle of ages by by the repeated aecumulation of ruins above the 



the accumulation of rubbifh. The workmen, in original fnrface. The reader who is dciitous of 



digging after the great fire, found three different feeing a particular account of the Roman antlqui- 



ilreets above each other, and at twenty feet under ties in and near London, may confult S.ukely, 



the furfaoe difcovered Roman walls and teiTelated Gale, Mailhwd, and particularly Bogford's Letler, 



pavements. So often has London been dellroyed printed \\\l\\ Leliind' s Colledanea, V. \, p. Iviii, M. 



