74 LON 
Conference, was erected in the year 1518. At this time 
the city in particular, and the whole kingdom in general, 
were vifited again with that moft dreadful epidemical dif- 
eafe, termed the fweating Jicknefs. The effeffs were very 
Bidden ; for it proved fatal in three hours after the pa¬ 
tient was affected. When it fir ft began, the king’s court 
was exceedingly fplendid and numerous, 011 account of 
the queen of Scotland being in London upon a vifit to 
her brother; but the dreadful havock which the ficknefs 
made foon thinned it. That princefs retired to Berwick ; 
the law-terms were adjourned ; and the king, to keep the 
infection as much as he could from his family, reduced 
his officers and domeftics to a very fmall number. It was 
computed, that in fome towns half, and in others one 
third, of the inhabitants died of this dreadful diftetnper. 
The act for licenfing practitioners in phyfic, palled a few 
years before, having brought the faculty into better repute, 
the molt able phyficians now fought to keep ignorant pre¬ 
tenders entirely out of the profeffion, and, for that pur- 
pofe, applied to the king for a charter of incorporation, 
to enable them to frame proper regulations for practition¬ 
ers. Henry complied with their requelt, and granted 
them a charter in this year, which was confirmed by par¬ 
liament in 152.3, with additional privileges. 
When we conlider that the city-ditch, which ran and 
Spread its mephitic exhalations from Aldgate to the poft- 
ern on Tower-hill, coft no more than 95I. 3s. this 
vear to be entirely cleanfed, and compare it with the 
enormous expenfe attending fuch works in our days, we 
may eiteem as near as poffible the difference between the 
value of the reprefentative coin of that age with our’s, 
and the falary of labourers. The chief ditcher had fe- 
ven-pence per day, the fecond fixpence, and the others 
five-pence each ; the vagabonds (for that was the term ap¬ 
plied to the labourers, not with any view of contempt, 
but becaufe they tiled to go and get work independently 
from one place to another, from the Latin vagari , “ to go 
about,”) had only one penny, and meat'and drink at the 
charge of the city. Yet, when we recoiled that three half¬ 
pence could buy a fat capon, then we find the equili¬ 
brium ftill holding faft between the price of labour and 
that of provifions. 
The city of London, in 1622, was roufed to the enjoy¬ 
ment of parades and (hows, of which large communities of 
men are generally fo fond, by the arrival of the emperor 
Charles V. in England on a vifit to Henry VIII. who met 
him at Dover, and conducted him to Greenwich, where 
he was received by the queen, attended by the principal 
nobility. On their entrance into the city, the lord-mayor, 
aldermen, and fheriffs, received them in their formalities, 
attended by the principal citizens on horfeback, richly 
accoutred ; on which occafion the ftreets were decorated 
■with the molt pompous ornaments, and a variety of mag¬ 
nificent pageants. The emperor was conduced to Black- 
friars, the place appointed for his refidence, and the princes 
and nobility of his retinue to the nev/ palace at Bride¬ 
well. The emperor ftaid fix weeks in England, and, be¬ 
fore his departure, was inltalled a knight of the order of 
the garter. 
This year alfo, Henry received a vifit from CJhriftian 
king of Denmark, and his queen. On their arrival, they 
were received by the mayor and citizens, who conduced 
them with great pomp to the bilhop of Bath’s palace, the 
place appointed for them during their lfay. St. Peter’s 
eve happening before their departure, their majefties, at¬ 
tended by the principal nobility, went to lee the pompous 
march of the city-watch ; for which purpofe they were 
conducted to the King’s Head, in Cheapfide, where they 
were highly pleafed with the novelty of the fight, and af¬ 
terwards elegantly entertained by fir Thomas Baldry, the 
mayor; 
The war with France, which began about this time, 
forced the king to demand a loan of 20,000k from the 
good and ever-loya! city of London. Some refiftance was 
made 3 but, the king granting .an obligation for repay- 
D O N. 
ment figned by himfelf and the cardinal, the matter wai 
eafily adjufted. 
The low rate of houfe-rent at this time (hows, that, even 
in London, there was out little wealth, compared with 
the^prefent times. Howell, in his Londinopolis, p. no, 
fays, “ That an ancient grammar-fehool in Bow church¬ 
yard, being decayed, the fchool-boufe was let out for rent, 
about this time, at four (hillings yearly, a cellar at two 
(hillings, and two vaults under that church, both for fif¬ 
teen Ihillings.” 
Much about this time, fays Howell, in the feme work, 
foap began iirft fo be made in London; “ before which 
time, that city was ferved with white foap from beyond 
fea ; and with grey foap, fpeckled with white, very Tweet 
and good, from Briftol, fold here for a penny the pound, 
and never above a penny-farthing; alfo black foap for a 
halfpenny the pound.” 
By an aft of parliament, of the fourteenth and fifteenth 
of Henry VIII. cap. 2. for fettling how many apprentices 
and journeymen (not denizens) fiiould be kept by foreign 
tradefmen in London, &c. great powers were given to the 
corporations of handicrafts over the workmanlhip of thefe 
foreigners, there being, in thofe times, fmiths, joiners, 
coopers, &c. who were foreigners, and had feals or fiamp3 
put on their works, after being examined by the wardens 
of thofe corporations. The jurifdiftion oT the London 
corporations was, by this aft, to extend two miles beyond 
the city, viz. “ within the town of Weftminlter, the pa- 
rilhes of St. Martin in the Fields, and our Lady in the 
Strand, St. Clement’s Danes without Temple-bar, St. 
Giles’s in the Fields, St. Andrew’s in Holborn, the town 
and borough of Southwark, Shoreditch, Whitechapel pa- 
rilh, St. John’s-ftreet in Clerkenwell, and Clerkenwell pa- 
rilh, St. Botolph without Aldgate, St. Catharine’s ntar 
the Tower of London, and Bermondfey-ftreet.” 
This is an authentic view of the fuburbs of London in 
1524. We are not, however, to imagine that they were 
all contiguous to each other, as at prefent: the Strand 
was then chiefly taken up with the capital dwellings of 
the nobility, which had large gardens adjoining; and a 
confiderable part of the parifnes of St. Martin and St. 
Giles were literally in the fields, as was the northern part 
of St. Andrew’s in Holborn, and a great part of Weft- 
minfter, Clerkenwell, Shoreditch, Whitechapel, and South¬ 
wark. 
The re-appearance cf the plague, and the difputes about 
foreign traders, filled up the enfuing year. In 1527, car¬ 
dinal Wolfey being appointed ambaffador extraordinary 
to the court of France, on his way thither he rode through, 
the city in the greateft pomp, attended by a numerous 
train of the chief nobility, gentry, and prelates, who, to¬ 
gether with his and their domeftics, formed a body of 
twelve hundred horfernen. This magnificent cavalcade 
was preceded by fixty fumpter-horles and mules, and 
eighty baggage-carriages, which were followed by a great 
number of gentlemen, three in a rank, richly dreffed in 
velvet, with large golden chains about their necks ; then 
followed two gentlemen, each carrying a very large filver 
crofs ; next came two others, with a ftately filver column 
each, followed by two other gentlemen, one carrying the 
great leal of England, and the other the cardinal’s hat 5 
after them rode a gentleman, carrying the cardinal’s port¬ 
manteau of fcarlet, richly embroidered, with a cloak there¬ 
in ; then came the cardinal, gorgeoully apparelled, mount¬ 
ed on a ftately mule, followed by a led horfe, and a mule 
trapped with crimlbn velvet; then came the nobility, 
gentry, and clergy, followed by his and their domeftics, 
all clothed in dark orange-coloured coats, with T. C. that 
is, Thomas, Cardinal, embroidered on them. 
In the fame year, two ambafladors extraordinary from 
the court of France made their public entry into London, 
attended by a great uurnber of their countrymen of the 
fir ft quality. Apartments were provided for them and 
their retinue in the bilhop of London’s palace ; where 
each of them was presented by the mayor, in the name of 
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