LON 
to deftroy Baynard’s caftle, at the fouth-weft end of 
Thames-ftreet; and the (lately palace of Robert Fitz-Wa- 
ter, caltellain and ftandard-bearer of the city, who, having 
taken part with the malcontent barons, and refuted to 
give fecurity for his lidelity to the king, had fled to 
France. 
His majefty then, in IZ13, fummoned a convention of 
the Hates of the kingdom at St. Paul’s cathedral, where 
he made, or rather renewed, before Nicholas, the pope’s 
legate, that infamous fubjedion of his crown, which he 
had formerly made to the pope, before his legate Pandulph ; 
and agreed to pay an extraordinary fum of money to the 
pope for taking off the national interdid; towards which, 
the citizens of London were obliged to pay two thoufand 
marks. But, to prevent as much as poflible thole mur¬ 
murs which he had but too much reafon to apprehend, he 
granted the citizens his fifth and lad charter, a copy of 
which vve have fubjoined. 
“John, by the grace of God, king of England, duke of 
Normandy, Aquitain, and earl of Anjou; To his archbi- 
Ihops, bifhops, abbots, earls, baron?, jultices, flteriffs, ru¬ 
lers, and to all his faithful fubjeds, greeting.’ Know ye, 
that we have granted, and by this our prefent writing 
confirmed, to our barons of our city of London, that they 
may choofe to themfelves every year a mayor, who to us 
may be faithful, difcreet, and fit for government of the 
city, fo as, when he (hall be chofen, to be prefented unto 
ns, or our juftice (if we (hall not be prefent;) and he (hall 
fwear to be faithful to us; and that it (hall be lawful to 
them, at the end of the year, to amove him and fubftitute 
another, if they will, or the fame to retain, fo as he be 
prefented unto us, or our juftice, if we (had not be pre¬ 
fent. We have granted to the fame our barons, and by 
this our prefent charter confirmed, that they well and 
in peace, freely, quietly, and wholly, have all their liber¬ 
ties, which hitherto they have ufed, as well in the city of 
London as without, as well by water as byriand, and in 
all other places, faving to us our chamberlainfhip. Where¬ 
fore we will and ftreightly command, that our aforefaid 
barons of our aforefaid city of London may choofe unto 
themfelves a mayor of themfelves, in manner and form 
aforefaid; am! that they may have all the aforefaid li¬ 
berties well and in peace, wholly and fully, with all things 
to the fame liberties appertaining, as is aforefaid. Given 
by the hands of Mr. Richard Harrifter, our chancellor, at 
the New Temple, London, the nineteenth day of May, in 
the fixteenth year of our reign.” 
However inimical the other parts of this king’s condufl 
may have been to the liberties of the fubjefl, the charters 
granted by him to London, and every other town of con- 
fequence in his dominions, laid the foundation of that !'e- 
cure intercourfe, without which, commerce will unavoid¬ 
ably be cramped, if not wholly annihilated. Thus vve find, 
that, as foon as this charter was obtained, many fraterni¬ 
ties were formed in London, which continued and flou- 
rifhed for a long time before they were incorporated by 
charter. 
Under this reign a civil war raged in feveral parts of 
the kingdom; the city was taken pofleflion of by the barons, 
whofe followers foon began to plunder the houfes of roy- 
alids and Jews ; they then befieged the Tower, which bold 
attempt the king confidering, together with the increaf- 
ing number of the infurgents, he confented at lad to grant 
the famous charters called “Magna Charta” and “Charta 
de Forefia,” in the former of which it is exprefsly ftipu- 
iated that “the city of London (hall have all its ancient 
privileges and free cuftoms as well by land as by water.” 
Thefe broils eaufed a great deal of anxiety to the Lon¬ 
doners, who, at the inftigation of the barons, offered the 
crown to Louis, the elder fon of Philip king of France, 
if he would bring a fufficient force to preferve them from 
ruin, and fwear to maintain them in their ancient laws, 
rights, and privileges; this propol'al was eagerly accepted 
by Philip. 
in the interim, John advanced to the attack of the city, 
D O N. 63 
but, on tlie approach of his forces, the citizens, inftead of 
being intimidated, opened their gates, and inarched out 
to give them battle, choofing rather to die bravely in the 
field than to perifh within their walls. This refolution 
was followed by the molt complete fuccefs; the advanced 
party of the royal army was entirely routed, with a confi- 
derable lofs in killed and wounded, among whom was their 
general, Savarie de Malleon. This rough reception con¬ 
vinced the king of the impracticability of the attempt; and 
he preferred withdrawing his army to rifquing a general 
engagement with the brave and refolute Londoners. 
About this time the citizens fitted out a powerful fleet, 
to clear the coad of numerous pirates, who infeited jthe 
mouth of the river Thames, fo that the trade of the city 
was almod entirely lod; and, having engaged and defeated 
thefe combined robbers, took and deftroyed (ixty-five of 
their (hips : hence we may judge of the formidable date 
of the city at that time, when it was not only capable of 
defending itfelf againd the king, though then in poffeffion 
of all other parts of the kingdom; but likewife at the 
fame time to fend out fo potent a navy, as was able to 
dedroy fuch a mighty band of confederated and del'pe- 
rate pirates. 
Louis, on hearing of the bravery of the Londoners, Cent 
a melfenger with a letter of thanks, exhorting them to 
perfevere, and promifing them fpeedy and powerfukaflifi¬ 
ance. Soon after this, he arrived at Sandwich, with a fleet 
of fix hundred (hips, from whence he proceeded to Lon¬ 
don with his army, and on his march attacked and re¬ 
duced the caftle of Rocheller. On his arrival, the citi¬ 
zens gave him a mod magnificent and pompous welcome; 
and, at the fame time, he received the homage of them 
and the barons, to whom he fwore to reflore good laws, 
and their loft eftates. The Londoners never departed 
from this engagement; but, upon the demife of king John, 
William earl of Pembroke, who took the part of Henry 
liis fon, and had him crowned, prevailed with forty of 
the barons to defert their protestor Louis, and to fubmit 
to tlie young king. This defection, with the decreafe oF 
the French army, in a long courfeof hard lervice, obliged 
Louis to agree to a truce ; in which time he went to 
France, and returned with frefh fupplies to London. The- 
king’s troops had already taken the field, and fat down 
before the caftle of Mount Sorel, in Leicefterftiire; for 
the relief of which he detached 20,000 regular troops, and 
600 knights, who obliged the earl of Cheller to raife the 
liege. They then marched to Lincoln; where they were 
defeated by the king’s forces ; which, with the lofs of a 
powerful fupply cut off at fea by a fleet from the Cinque 
Ports, obliged Louis to (hut himlelf up in London. And, 
though he was there blocked up both by land and water, 
he would not treat of peace without Inch conditions as 
were confident with his honour, and the (afety of thofe 
who invited him over; and, in particular, he took care 
that the ancient rights and privileges of the city (hould 
be confirmed. The Londoners, on their part, gratefully 
acknowledged this generofity, by lending him 5000 marks, 
to difeharge his debts, before he departed for France. 
During the reign of Henry III. the city of London was 
oppreffed in many different ways. In 1218, he exacted a 
fine of forty marks for felling a fort of cloth not two yards 
within the lifts ; and a fifteenth of the citizens’ perfonal 
eftates for the enjoyment of their ancient rights and pri¬ 
vileges. In 1221, he commanded by proclamation all the 
foreign merchants to depart the city; which drew thirty 
marks from the Hanfeatic company of the Steelyard, to 
have feifin of their guild, or hall, in Thames-ftreet' But 
it was the wreftling-match at St. Giles’s in the Fields that 
brought on their greateft burden. In the year 1221, on 
St. James’s day, the citizens of London having carried off 
the victory from the people of Weltminller and other 
neighbouring villages, the fteward of the abbot of Wed- 
minder, meditating revenge againd the Londoners, pro- 
pofed another wreltling-march with them, and gave a ram 
for the prize. The citizens retorted to the place at the 
time 
