LONDON. 



:Sud1iuryi archbifhop of Canterbury, and lord chancellor 

 (though guarded by 1200 foldiers), and hurrying them to 

 the adj;icent hill, beheaded them ; the third divilioii pro- 

 ceeded to Mile End, where the king met them, and promifed 

 to redrefs their fiippofed grievances, on which tiiey difpcried. 

 But Wat Tyler, with his party, vmdcr the pretence of re- 

 forming abufes, continued their ravages in London, liberated 

 the prifoners from the Fleet and Newgate, piimdered the 

 houfes of the Lombards who relided in the Itreet, which 

 yet retains their tjame, and dragging the merchants trom the 

 churches, whither they had fled for refuge, beheaded them 

 in the ftreets. Not content with murdering many of the 

 mod eminent citizens, tliey made proclamation for beheading 

 all lawyers and pcrfons connected with the Exchequer, and 

 even all who, in thofe days of ignorance, were capable of 

 •writing. The king made another effort for negociation : 

 attended only by forty horfe, he met Tyler with 20,000 of 

 his adherents in Smithfield. The behaviour of Tyler was 

 fo infolent, that the kmg ordered the mayor, fir William 

 Walworth, to arrell him ; on his rcfillance, fir William 

 felled him to the ground with his fword, and the attend- 

 ants difpatched him. The rebels prepared to revenge their 

 leader's death ; but Richard, though only fifteen years of 

 age, with a prudence and bravery which did him more credit 

 than any other action of his life, rode forward, exclaiming, 

 " My friends, will you kill your king ? Be not troubled 

 for the lofs of your leader ; I will be your captain, and 



frant what you defire." They then marched under his 

 ireftion to St. George's Fields, where, finding a thoufand 

 citizens completely armed to oppofe them, they threw down 

 their weapons, obtained their pardon, and immediately dif- 

 perf'.'i Thus ended an infnrreftion unparalleled in the 

 annals of this kingdom, and which for three weeks feemed 

 to threaten a total fubverfion of the government. In 1390, 

 the king appointed a tournament to be held in London, and 

 fent heralds to proclaim his intention to all the principal 

 courts of Europe, whence many princes and nobles came 

 to attend the fpeftacle, which was continued with the greatcft 

 fplendour for four days ; open houfe being kept at the king's 

 cxpence for all perfons of dilfinclion. The vail expendi- 

 ture which this and fimilar fellivities occafioned, frequently 

 reduced Richard to great pecuniary difficulties ; his enor- 

 mous profufion led him to a fyfiem of opprellion and ex- 

 tortion, which eventually caufed his depofition and death. 



jir.nah of Lorulon from the Accejfion of Henry IV. to that of 

 Elizabeth. — At the coronation of the new king, the mayor, 

 as ufual, officiated as chief butler. The citizens were grati- 

 fied by the repeal of fome obnoxious (latutes, and an exten- 

 fion of their privileges. In 1 401, an act was paifed for 

 " burning obftinate heretics," entirely aimed at the Lollards, 

 or followers of Wickliffe. The firft viAim was William San- 

 tree, parilh prieft of St. Ofyth, in Syth-lane, London. In 

 1407, the Plague again ravaged the kingdom, and fvvept 

 away more than 30,000 of the inhabitants of the metropo- 

 lis. In 1409, " a great play, of Matter from the Creation 

 of the World," was aded at Skinner's-Well, near Clerken- 

 well. The exhibition lafted eight days ; at which were 

 prefent the king and moll of the nobility and gentry of the 

 realm. In the following year, John Bradley was condemned 

 as a Wickliffite, and burnt in Smithfield, with circumllances 

 of peculiar cruelty. In this year Guildhall was erefted ; 

 the city hall before being a mean cottage in Aldermanbury. 

 The return of king Henry V. after the glorious vidtory ob- 

 tained at Agincourt in 14 15, was celebrated in London with 

 great magnificence. Neither this reign nor the following 

 produced any events of peculiar import to the city, till the 

 year 1450, when a new infurredion arofc, of fo formidiiblc a 



nature, that for fome weeks all the power of the crown was 

 infufficient to quell it.. This tumult is fuppofed to have 

 been railed by the inftigation of the duke of York, in or- 

 der to found the inclination of the people, and prepare the 

 nation for his defign of feizing that fceptre which Henry 

 fwayed fo feebly. By the fecret inftruftions of the duke. 

 Jack Cade, who had forvcd under him in the Frcncli wars, 

 alTumcd the name of Mortimer, and coUedted a rtrong body 

 ot nuilconteuts, under the popular pretext of redrefs of 

 grievances. They entered the city in triumph, and for fome 

 time bore down all oppofition ; and beheaded the lord trca- 

 furer, lord Say, and feveral other perfons of no^e. The in- 

 furgcnts at length lofing ground, a general pardon was pro- 

 claimed, and Cade, finding himfelt deferted by his followers, 

 fled : but a reward being offered for his apprehenfiun, he 

 was dilcovorcd, and refufing to furrendcr, was killed. 

 The remainder of this reign was filled up with the dreadful 

 contell between the Lancallrians and Yorkiils, which ended 

 in the depolition of Henry and the eilabliniment of Edward 

 IV. on the throne. The year 1472 will ever be memorable 

 in the annals of the metropolis, for the introduction of 

 printing into this country by William Caxton, citizen and 

 mereer. The hillory of the kingdom during this reign 

 and that of Richard III. does not in any particular manner 

 affect the concerns of the city. Soon after the accefiion of 

 Henry VII. in 148), an epidemical diforder of a very Angu- 

 lar nature, called tUcf-wealiri^ Jiclnrfs, raged with great vio- 

 lence in London. Thole attacked by it were thrown into a 

 violent peripiration, which generally occafioned their death 

 within twenty-four hours. It appears from Hall's Chronicle, 

 that two mayors and fix aldermen died of this complaint in 

 one week. This reign was particularly marked by opjjreffion 

 and extortion on the part of the king ; and the tumults and 

 infurreftions occafioned thereby, particularly that in fupport 

 of Perkin Warbeck, who was afierted to be Richard, duke 

 of York, and the heir to the throne. In this event, though 

 highly interefling to the kingdom, the city was not imme- 

 diately concerned. In 1500 the kingdom was again vifitcd 

 by the Plague, of which 30,000 perions died in the metro- 

 polis and its vicinity. In tlie reign of Henry VIII. when 

 he attempted to raife money without the aid of parliament, 

 the citizens made fuch determined oppofition to the m.eafnre, 

 and their example had fuch an influence through the king- 

 dom, that the king, in full council, abandoned his defign, 

 and granted a pardon to all who had oj)pofed liiin. On the 

 king's marriage with Anne Bolcyii, in 1533. (he was con- 

 veyed from Greenwich to the Tower, and thence through 

 the city to Weflminfter, with all the magnificence and 

 pageantry which unbounded prodigality could devife. The 

 remainder of this reign was notorious for the tyranny and 

 cruelty of the king, who, having thrown oft" the pope's fu- 

 premacy, facrificedall who adhered to it : yet profeffing a 

 zealous attachment to the dodtrines of the church of Rome, 

 he put to death thofe perfons who prefumed to difler from him, 

 Hence the promoters of reformation, and its oppofers, pe- 

 riflied in the fame flames ; the blood of the Catholic and 

 Protellant was (hed upon the fame block ; and Henry, 

 whilft vehemently contending againll the pope's infallibility, 

 fupported his own with tlie moll vindidtive cruelty. In 

 theie fanguinary fcenes, London had its full fhare ; great 

 numbers, of all ranks, were continually executed, either tor 

 herefy or treafon. The iupprefiion of the monalleries now 

 took place : oppofition to the king's will was fatal ; and the 

 partial iniurrectioiis which broke out in confequence, only 

 ferved to forward his mcafures, by giving the colour of 

 necefiity to the vengeance that was inflidted. Many im- 

 provements were made during this reign in the city and its 



fuburbs. 



