LON 
giftrales of the city, exerted themfelves fo effectually in 
executing the laws againft vice and immorality, that, at 
the affffes then held for the city of London, there was 
not one Criminal to be tried. The reafon of this is fet 
forth in a moft curious letter from William Fletewood, 
recorder of London, to the lord-treafurer, then with the 
court at Buxton ; of which the following is an extraft : 
The only caufe that this reformation taketh fo good ef¬ 
fect here about London, is, that when, by order, we have 
either juftly executed the law, or performed the council’s 
commandment, we were wont to have either a great man’s 
letter, a lady’s ring, or fome other token from fuch other 
inferior perfons, as will devife one untruth or other to ac- 
cufe us of, if we perform not their unlawful requefts. 
But now the court is far off ; and here we are not troubled 
■with letters, neither for the reprieve of this prifoner, nor 
for fparingithat fray-maker. We nip vice in the bud, we 
puntfli petty thieves; and, when the aflife cometh, we 
have no great ones to try.” 
The two following articles, extracted from Howes’s 
Chronicle, p. 680, under the date of 1576, will contri¬ 
bute to ihow, that, in point of ingenuity and patience, 
our fellow-citizens are fecond to no individuals in any 
nation. 
u - A llrange piece of work, and almoft incredible, was 
brought to pafs by an Englilhman, born within the city 
of London, and a clerk of the chancery, named Peter 
Bales, who, by his induftry and practice of his pen, con¬ 
trived and writ, within the compafs of a penny, in Latin, 
the Lord’s Prayer, the Creed, the Ten Commandments, 
a prayer to God, a prayer for the queen, his pofy, his name, 
the day of the month, die year of our Lord, and the reign 
of the queen: and at Hampton-court he prefented the 
fame to the queen’s majefty in the head of a ring of gold, 
covered with a cryftal, and prefented therewith an excel¬ 
lent fpeftacle, by him devifed, for the eafier reading there¬ 
of, wherewith her majefty read all that was written therein, 
and did wear the fame upon her finger.” 
“Alfo, about the fame time, Mark Scaliot, blackfmith, 
born in London, for trial of workmanfhip, made one 
’ianging-lock of iron, fteel, and brafs, a pipe-key filed 
three-fquare, with a pot upon the (haft, and the bow with 
two SS, all clean wrought, which weighed but one grain 
of gold, or wheat-corn; he made alfo a chain of gold of 
forty-three links, to the which chain the lock and key 
being faftened and put about a flea’s neck, (he drew the 
fame; all which, lock, key, chain, and flea, weighed but 
one grain and a half.” 
The name of Fletewood, recorder of the city, will never 
be forgotten as long as we are fenfible of gratitude ; for by 
his exertions he did not only amend the morals of the 
Londoner* our anceftors, but kept away the plague, which 
made its appearance in the Temple in the year 1577 ; at 
which time Mr. Wm. Lamb deferved alfo the thanks of 
his countrymen, by conveying the water through leaden 
pipes from the upper end of Ked-lion-ltreet to Snow-hill. 
This conduit was taken down in 1746, to make room for 
the ere&ion of the Foundling Hofpital. 
About this time, the queen iffued an order, for again 
afcertaining the number of foreigners in London ; when, 
on the report being made, it appeared that they amounted 
to 6461, nearly three times as many as in 1567, viz. Dutch, 
*302; French, 1838 ; Italians, i 16 ; Englilh, born offoreign 
parents, 1542; other nations, 447 ; perfons not certified, 217. 
This confiderable increafe of foreigners in the metropolis 
was productive of a remonltrance from the lord-mayor and 
aldermen, againft the vaji increafe of new buildings, and num¬ 
ber of inhabitants, within the city and fuburbs of London, 
chiefly occafioned by the great refort of people from abroad, 
and all parts of the kingdom, to fettle there; which it was 
imagined would prove of dangerous confequence, both to 
London and to the whole nation, if not timely remedied. 
Wherefore her majefty iffued a proclamation, by which it 
was forbidden to ereft any new buildings within three 
miles from the city-gates, where no former houfe could be- 
DON, 83 
remembered to have been by any one living; and alfo to 
fuft'er any more families than one only, to be placed or t« 
inhabit in any one houfe; with power to the lord-mayor 
to commit offenders againft this proclamation, or to hold 
them to bail. And when fir John Branch, the next lord- 
mayor, went to take the oath in the Exchequer, the lord- 
treafurer charged him ftriCHy to enforce the laid procla¬ 
mation, becaufe, faid he, “ there will, from an increafe of 
people, arife an exceflive price of vi'&uals and fuel; and 
danger of plague and infection.” 
On the 21 ft of June, 1581, the populace taking offence 
at the images with which the crofs in Cheapfide was de¬ 
corated, they attempted to pull the whole down, bur, 
failing in their defign, they broke and defaced the images; 
and, notwithftanding the offer of a reward of forty crowns, 
the offenders were never difcovered. 
The Turkey or Levant Company wa» incorporated in 
this year, and the firft governor was fir Edward Olborn* 
an alderman of London. See the article Company, voL 
iy. p. 874. 
In the year 1582, the luxury of the times having greatly 
prevailed among people of all degrees, in their apparel, 
particularly apprentices, the lord-mayor and common- 
council enacted, 1. That no apprentice whatfoever Ihould. 
prefume to wear any apparel but what he receives from 
liis mailer. 2. To wear no hat, nor any thing but a 
woollen cap, without any filk in or about the fame. 3. 
To wear neither ruffles, cuff's, loofe collars, nor any thing 
but a ruff at the collar, and that only of a yard and a half 
long. 4. To wear no doublets but what are made of 
canvafs, fuftian, fackcloth, Englilh leather, or wool¬ 
len, without any gold, filver, or hlk trimming. 3. To 
wear no other coloured cloth, or kerfey, in hofe or llock- 
ings, than white, blue, or ruffet. 6. To wear no other 
breeches but what (hall be of the fame ftuff as the doub¬ 
let, and neither Hitched, laced, or bordered. 7. To wear 
no other than a plain upper coat, of cloth or leather, with¬ 
out pinking. Hitching, edging or filk, about it. 8. To 
wear no other furtout than a cloth gown or cloak, lined 
or faced with cloth, cotton, or baize, with a fixed round 
collar, without Hitching, guarding, lace, or filk. 9. To> 
wear no pumps, flippers, or (hoes, but of Englilh leather* 
without being pinked, edged, or Hitched ; nor girdles, 
nor garters, other than of crewel, woollen, thread, or lea¬ 
ther, without being garnillied. 10. To wear no fword, 
dagger, or other weapon, but a knife; nor a ring, jewel 
of gold nor filver, nor filk in any part of his apparel; on 
pain of being punilhed at the dilcretion of the mafter for 
the firft offence; to be publicly whipped at the hall of his 
company for a fecond offence; and to ferve fix months 
longer than fpecified in his indentures for a third offence-. 
11. No apprentice to frequent any dancing, fencing, or 
mulic, fchools; nor keep any cheft, prefs, or other place* 
for holding of apparel, or goods, but in his mailer’s houle; 
under the penalties aforelaid. 
An ingenious German, named Maurice, fubmitted a 
fclieme to the lord-mayor and aldermen, in this year, for 
fupplying the city with Thames water, by means of a ma¬ 
chine, to be worked by the ftream of the tide, under Lon- 
don-bridge. The fclieme being approved, the city granted 
Maurice a leafe of one arch, and a place for fixing his en¬ 
gine, at the north end of the bridge, for the term of five 
hundred years, at a rent of ten (hillings per annum. 
Two years after, he obtained a leale of a fecond arch; 
and, from the utility of, and improvements in, the inven¬ 
tion, Maurice and his pofterity acquired confiderable 
wealth. It continued in their hands till 1701, at which 
time the wheels occupied four arches, when it was fold to 
Richard Soams, a goldfmith, for thirty-fix thoufand pounds. 
Immediately after the purchal'e, Soams obtained a confir¬ 
mation of Maurice’s leafe, at the yearly rent of twenty 
(hillings, and a fine of three hundred pounds; after which, 
he divided the undertaking into three hundred lliares, at 
five hundred pounds each. 
The cuftom of the nomination of Iherifls, by the lord- 
mayor: 
