£- O N 
Jitto England ill the year 1472 by William Caxton, a 
mercer of London, and firft praftifed- in We'ftinin(ter-ab¬ 
bey. What little learning hitherto exilted remained in 
the hands of the clergy, who perverted it to I'liit their 
own purpofes. Few books were written except idle le¬ 
gendary tales to preferve a fpirit of fuperftition ; and ma- 
nufcript copies bore too high a price to be purchafed by 
the common people. The firft book printed by Caxton, 
in London, was a treatife on the Game of Chefs, trans¬ 
lated by himfelf from the French; it was not com¬ 
pleted and pubiifhed until 1474. He was patronized by 
the earl of Rivers, who, trailflating “ A Colieftion of the 
Diftes and Sayings of the Philofophers,” gave it to Cax¬ 
ton ; and if is reputed to have been the fecond book 
printed. It is faid that a fair manufcript of this tranfla- 
tion is preferved in the archbiftiop’s library, at Lambeth ; 
with an illumination reprefenting the earl of Rivers intro¬ 
ducing Caxton to Edward IV. his queen, and the prince. 
This art foon got into great repute; for, previous to Cax- 
ton’s death, which took place in 1491, we find Theodore 
Rood, John Lettou, William Macheline, and Wynkin de 
Worde, foreigners, and Thomas Hunt, an Englifhman, 
all printers in London. See the article Printing. 
Caxton’s opinion of the youth of London in his time, 
though not very flattering, may be prefumed to be correct. 
He fays ; “ I fee that the children that hen borne within 
the fayd cyte encreal'e and prouffyte not like their faders 
and olders ; but for the molfe parte, after that they ben 
coineyn to their perfight yeres of dil'cretion, and rypenes 
of age, how well that faders have lefte to them grete 
quantite of goodes, yet fcarcely amonge ten two thrive. 
O bleffed Lord ! whan I remembre tbys, I am al aba fined. 
I cannot judge the catife ; but fayrer, ne wyfer, ne bet 
befpoken, children in theyre youthe, ben no wher than 
ther ben in London ; but at thyr ful ryping there is no 
camel, ne good corn founden, but chart' for the moft part.” 
Ames's Hijl. of Printing. 
In the month of September, 1479, a dreadful peftilence 
broke out in London, which continued till November in 
the next year, during which unhappy vifitation an incre¬ 
dible number of citizens fell viftims to it. 
The power of the city magiftrates, at this time, was 
raifed to a very high pitch. In the midft of this dread¬ 
ful plague, Robert Byfield, one of the flieriffs, having 
prefumed to knee! clofe to the lord-mayor, before St. Er- 
kenwald’s {brine, the mayor complained to the court of al¬ 
dermen of having been rudely treated ; wherefore the (heriff 
was fined fifty pounds, to be applied to the repairs of the 
city conduits. One Robert Deynys, having, in the year 
3480, married an orphan in the city, without licenfe of 
the magiftrates, was adjudged, by the court of lord-mayor 
and aldermen, to pay a fine of twenty pounds for the laid 
offence. In the fame year a remarkable punifinnent was 
inflifted on four perfons, who, having been tried for rob¬ 
bing of churches, and convicted, were fentenced to be 
hanged on Tower-hill, and their bodies burnt to allies, 
together with the gibbet on which they were hanged ; 
which fentence was accordingly carried into execution. 
About this period, the king, to evince his regard for 
the corporation of London, invited the mayor, aldermen, 
and chief citizens, to a grand hunt on V/altham-foreft, 
in which feveral deer were killed, and the entertainment 
was concluded with a fumptuous and fplendid feaft, which 
the king caufed to be provided in a beautiful arbour 
erected on the occafion. Shortly after, to {how that he 
alfo wifiied to preferve a good underftanding with the city 
ladies, his majefty fent a prefent of two harts, fix bucks, 
and a ton of wine, to the lady-mayorefs, who entertained 
the aldermen’s ladies and others with this royal donation 
at Drapers’ hall. 
The proclamation of Richard III. at Caftle Baynard’s, 
where lie refided, was attended with a great deal of fineffe 
played upon the mayor and citizens of London ; but vve 
itill find, even at that moment, when power and its influ¬ 
ence had entirely turned the leak of juftice in favour of 
DON. 7-j 
the ufurper, a deep fenfe of loyalty in our Snceftors. 
They refifted, till they were overthrown. See the article 
England, vol. vi. p. 623. Richard made the lord-mayor 
of London, fir Edmund Shaw, a privy-counfellor, and 
admitted his claim to aft as chief butler at the coronation. 
To Richard III. fucceeded Henry VII. (in 1485,) whole 
reign began by the vifitation of a moft extraordinary 
difeafe, called the fweating fcknefs, which raged with great 
violence in London. The patients were feized with a. 
moft unnatural perfpiration, which, wafting out of the 
body all the nourithment, and even the fubftance of the 
blood, caufed death within four-and-twenty hours. It 
continued its rage for a whole month before any method 
of cure was difeovered ; and, in the mean time, deltroyed 
many thoufand people; among whom were two lord - 
mayors, fix aldermen, and three flieriffs. 
Among other regulations at this time, i486, an aft of 
common-counci! was paffed to prevent improper perfone 
obtaining the freedom of the city; the import of which' 
was, that no apprentice fliould be taken, nor freedom be 
given, except to fuch as were gentlemen born; agreeable 
to that claufe of the freeman’s oath, which fays, “ Ye {hall- 
take none apprentice but if [except] lie be free-born, that 
is to fay, 110 bondman’s fon, nor the child of any alien.” 
According to the Chronicon Preciofuni, wheat fold, this 
year, for one pound four {hillings per quarter. 
Few or no events of great import cliarafterize the reigti- 
of this monarch. Some regulations relative to appren¬ 
tices, tlie reftoration of Cheaplide Crofs, the prohibition 
againff citizens trading at fairs-out of the city, marvin- 
ftances of extortions on the fide of the crown, and of loy¬ 
alty on the fide of the people, the improvements at Fleet- 
ditch to make it navigable, hut particularly the founda¬ 
tion of St. Paul’s fchool, by Dr. John Collet, dean of St. 
Paul’s, which ftili flourifhes with honour to itfelf and be¬ 
nefit to the metropolis,—are the only notable features of 
that reign. 
Henry VII. died on the aad of April, 1509, at his fa¬ 
vourite palace of Richmond, leaving one million eight 
hundred thoufand pounds Iterling, in money, jewels, and 
plate, locked up in the vaults of his palace.—That fucli 
a fum of money fliould have been hoarded by this weak 
and fuperftitious king, in order to enable him to order 
maffes to be faid for the falvation of his foul, favours the 
funnife, that he intended to carry heaven not by force s 
(Matth. xi. 12.) but by pecuniary feduftion.—However, 
his funeral was condufted with the utmoft magnificence. 
His body was brought from Richmond to the painted 
chamber at Weftminiter, where, re fling three days, a fo- 
lemn mafs and dirge were fung by a mitred bifliop; 
w hence being removed into the hall, the fame fervice was 
performed there, the like fpace of time ; as alfo in the 
chapel three days longer; and at every place was a hearfe, 
adorned with banners, efcutcheons, and pennons, witk 
mourners attending. From thence, on Wednefday, the 
9th of May, it was put into a chariot, covered with cloth* 
black and gold, drawn by five beautiful horfes, covered 
with black velvet, ornamented with efcutcheons of fine 
gold ; with iiis effigy, apparelled in rich robes, the crown 
on his head, and feeptre and ball in his hands, laid on a 
cufhion of gold, and environed with banners of the arms 
of all his dominions, titles, and genealogies ; a great 
number of prelates praying, with his fervants, and others, 
in black,_ before the body ; and nine mourners, with 
about fix hundred torches, following. In this order it 
was attended to St. George’s Fields, near Southwark; and 
there met by the religious of the feveral orders in or about 
the city, with the lord-mayor, aldermen, and common- 
council, in black. It was then brought through the city 
to St. Paul’s, and placed in the choir, in a ltately heads 
of wax; whence, after a folemn mafs, and a fermont 
preached by the biffiop of Rocheller, it was the next day, 
with the fame ftate, conveyed to Weffminfter, fir Edward 
Hayward, with the king’s coat of arms, bearing his ban¬ 
ner, on a horfe trapped with the arms of the defunct; and 
tbere>. 
