29 
ST. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL. 
(Illustrated by the Lantern). 
By The Rev. JOCELYN PERKINS, M.A., F.R.Hist.S. 
February 9th, 1909. 
On Ludgate Hill, where St. Paul’s Cathedral now stands, 
the Romans erected their temple to Diana, the goddess of 
hunting. In early days all over this spot waved the branches 
of a mighty forest, tire name of which is still perpetuated 
in the district of “St. John’s Wood.” When the Romans 
left Great Britain the Christianity they had introduced 
disappeared, and the temple they had erected was destroyed. 
The centuries passed along and once more the cross of Christ 
was uplifted in this land. About 604 Ethelbert built a 
cathedral to the glory of God and in memory of St. Paul, 
on the same spot on which the Roman temple had stood. 
Fire seems to have claimed the old St. Paul’s Cathedral for 
its own. The building underwent no less than five successive 
burnings. In 1086 a fire almost as disastrous as that which 
gutted the great building in the early part of Charles II.’s 
reign, took place. After that, Bishop Maurice set to work 
-with great vigour to build a new cathedral and at length a 
mighty building was completed. Later, in the reign of 
Henry III. a majestic choir was added, and as time went on 
we find the building becoming more and more important in 
the life of London. Stephen Langton produced in St. Paul’s 
Cathedral Henry I.’s Charter, on which was based 
Magna Charta. A few years later the evil monarch John 
handed over himself and his kingdom to Pope Innocent III. 
in this historic building. At Paul’s Cross eminent divines 
used to hold forth week by week for many generations. 
This beautiful building underwent terrible vicissitudes. The 
spirit of profanity and sacrilege predominated, and all kinds 
of vices might have been found here. Buyers and sellers 
carried on their traffic in the precincts of the building, in fact 
