86 LON 
And where (before) many unjuft complaints, 
Curioufly feated, caufed oft reftraints, 
Stops, and great erodes to our mafter’s charge, 
And the work’s hindrance ; favour now at large 
Spreads itfelf open to him, and commends 
To admiration both his paines and ends. 
(The king’s mod gracious love,) perfection draws 
Favour from princes, and from all applaufe. 
Then, worthy magiftrates, to whofe contente 
(Next to the date) all this great care was bent; 
And for the publike good (which grace requires) 
Your loves and furtherance chiefly he defires 
To cherilh thefe proceedings, which may give 
Courage to fome who may hereafter live, 
To praftife deedes of goodnefle and of fame. 
And gladly light their actions by bis name. 
Clarke of the worke, reach me the booke, to fliovv 
How many arts from fuch a labour flow. 
All this he readeth in the dark's book. 
Firfl, here’s the overfeer, this tride man 
An ancient fouldier, and an artiz.an. 
The clarke, next him mathematician ; 
The mafler of the timber-worke takes place 
Next after thefe ; the meafurer, in like cafe; 
Bricklayer and enginer; and after thofe 
The borer and the pavier; then it fhowes 
The labourers next; keeper of Amvvell-head, 
The walkers lafl : fo all their names are read. 
Yet thefe but parcels of fix hundred more 
That (at one time) have beene imployed before. 
Yet thefe in fight, and all the red will fay 
That all the weeke they had their royall pay. 
At the letting open the Jluce. ♦ 
Now for the fruits then : flow forth, precious fpring; 
So long and dearly fought for, and now bring 
Comfort to all that love thee : loudly fing, 
And with thy cryftal murmurs Arook together 
Bid all thy true wel-wijhtrs welcome hither,” 
In the year 1617 his majefly caufed certain rules to be 
publilhed, under the title of <r The Book of Sportsby 
which the people were tolerated to exercife recreations 
and diverfions on the fabbath-day. The lord-mayor and 
citizens, together with many of the clergy, fo far oppofed 
it, that they incurred the refentment of the high-commif- 
fion court. Notwithstanding which, the lord-mayor per- 
fevered fo flrongly, in fhowing his contempt at fuch an 
vnehridian licenfe, that he even caufed the king’s car¬ 
riages to be dopped as they were driving through the city 
in the time of divine fervice. The matter being related 
to his majedy with the mod aggravating circumdances, 
he fwore, in a great rage, “He thought there had been no 
more kings in England than hirnfelf.” After the heat 
of his pafiion had l'ubfided, hefent a warrant to the mayor, 
commanding him to let them pafs; which he obeyed, with 
this declaration“ While it was in my power, I did my 
duty ; but, that being taken away by a higher power, it 
is my duty to obey.” This well-timed concefiion was 
highly pleafing to the king, and the mayor was acquitted 
of the breach of the royal orders, with great reputation. 
From the above tranfaftion it will naturally be inferred, 
that James, though a drenuous aliertor of orthodox opi¬ 
nions, was yet a latitudinarian in morals ; and the infer¬ 
ence is drengthened by his common profane difeourfe, 
and by the grant he gave to Clement dottrel, efq. groom- 
porter of his houfehold, to lioenfe gaming-houfes for 
cards, dice, bowling-alleys, and tennis-courts. In Lon¬ 
don and Wedminder, including their refpeftive fuburbs, 
were then tweuty-four bowling-places ; four in South¬ 
wark ; in St. Catharine’s one ; one in Shoreditch, and in 
Lambeth two. Within thefe limits were alfo tolerated 
fourteen tennis : courts, and forty taverns or ordinaries for 
playing at cards and dice. The motives of this indul¬ 
gence were expreffed in the grant in the following terms; 
DON. 
“ For the honed and reafonable recreation of good and 
ciTU people, who, by their quality and ability, may law¬ 
fully ufe the games of bowling, tennis, dice, cards, tables, 
nine-holes, or any other game hereafter to be invented.” 
We have to congratulate ourfelves that this fort of 
diverfion has retired from the public into private houfes, 
and that the “good people” are lefs inclined to cards and 
dice than they appear to have been formerly. Befides this 
whimficality, the king exhibited mod curious fpecimens 
of incoherence and inffabiiity of mind in fomeedifts, the 
motives of which cannot be afeertained. In 1621 he if- 
fued a proclamation to enforce the prohibition of fiefii 
during Lent; an ecclefiadical law, the feverity of which 
feemed to have been done away with at the time of the re¬ 
formation. By this order the magilfrates of London were 
enjoined to examine the fervants of all innholders, viftu- 
allers, cooks, alehcufe-keepers, taverners, &c. who fell 
victuals, concerning any flefh fold by them in Lent. And, 
in the following year, he ordered ail the lords, fpiritual 
and temporal, and gentlemen who have feats in the coun¬ 
try, privy-counfellors and the fervants of the king and 
prince excepted, to leave London forthwith, to attend 
their fervice in their feveral counties, and to celebrate the 
feaft of Chriftmas. And in a fecond proclamation he en¬ 
joins them, not only to remain at their feats during Chrift- 
mas, but always till his further pleafure be known. Wi¬ 
dows of diftinftion were included in this order; and all 
whofe iavv-bufinefs required their attendance in London 
were commanded to leave their families in the country. 
The year before James’s death, the city raifed two. thou- 
fand men out of ten required by the king for the fupport 
of his fon-in-law the elector palatine; and an aft of par¬ 
liament was pafied for making the Thames navigable 
from Oxford, for the conveyance of free-ftone to the city 
of London. 
King James died on the 27th of March, 1625. The 
public entry of Charles I. and his bride, to whom he had 
been lately married, was podponed until the 2d of Febru¬ 
ary in the following year, on account of the plague, 
which then, as at the beginning of the preceding reign, 
raged mod violently in London. 
Hackney-coaches had their rife in the firft year of 
Charles I. See the article Coach, vol. iv. p. 702. This 
troublefonre reign could not help affefting the tranquillity 
of the city, and the comforts of the citizens. They were 
obliged to refufe Charles’s arbitrary demand of money ; 
and were punifhed for their firmnels by being ordered to 
fit out twenty of the belt (hips in the river, well manned 
and dored with ammunition and provifions for three 
months; and feveral of the principal merchants were im- 
prifoned. It was not long, however, before a pretence 
was found for obtaining a fum of money from the city 
with more colour of jultice. One Dr. Lamb, a favourite 
of the king, and the fufpefted advifer of thefe arbitrary 
proceedings, being difeovered in the city, was attacked by 
a mob, who loaded him with the molt bitter inveftives, 
and dragged him about the dreets, beating and kicking 
him, till at length he died under their inhuman treatment. 
The king, hearing of the tumult, hallened into the city 
in time to have faved his life, had his authority been fuf- 
ficienfly great, or his body-guard drong enough to have 
refeued him from the exafperated citizens, who, in reply 
to the king’s intreaties, and promifes that he would futfer 
the law to take its courfe if Lamb could be judged guilty 
of any offence, faid, “they had judged him already.” The 
king was fo incenfed, that he amerced the city in a fine 
of fix thoufand pounds, which was afterwards mitigated 
to fifteen hundred marks, on the committal of feveral of 
the rioters. 
About this time ordinances were properly iflued by the 
common-council, in order to clear the Itreets and lanes of 
Halls and (lands with which they were generally encum¬ 
bered, to the great annoyance of the paflengers. 
A law-mill, or engine for fatting timber, was erefted, 
ia 
