457 
LON 
conrfely in wood, with wings expanded, and fet at the top 
of a pole. This innocent game is common on the conti¬ 
nent. Prizes are fet to the feveral limbs of the bird—a 
filver goblet perhaps for the head, a filver fpoon for each 
wing, and a tea-fpoon for the tail; but, when the whole 
is knocked down at once by the fortunate bolt of the 
fkilful archer, all the prizes fall to his lot j otherwife the 
viCtor is the man who hits the laft bit or fplinter of the 
bird, and is honoured with the title of King, which he 
wears for the Whole year, enjoying at the fame time fome 
particular privileges, as that of felling fo many cafks of 
wine without paying duty, and walking in an honourable 
place in proceffions. On the decline of archery, thefe 
warlike exercifes fell gradually into difufe, and were re¬ 
tained in fome few places merely as amuiing fports and 
an unoffending way of killing time.—At that period this 
clofe was furrounded by a brick wall, and ferved as an ar¬ 
tillery-ground, where the gunners of the Tower ufed 
weekly to praCtife the art of gunnery. The laft prior of 
St. Mary Spital granted this artillery-ground for thrice 
ninety-nine years, for the exercife of great and fmall ar¬ 
tillery; and hence this ground became fubject to the 
Tower. The Artillery-company received a charter from 
king Henry VIII. which was afterwards confirmed by 
queen Elizabeth ; and, in 1622, an armory was ereCted in it, 
containing five hundred fets of arms. The company, at 
length, grew fo numerous, that this ground was too fmall 
for them ; and, when they removed to the prefent artil¬ 
lery-ground, this fpot was diftinguiffied by the name of 
the Old Artillery-ground. It is now converted into llreets 
and lanes; but the name is ftill retained in Artillery-ffreet. 
Contiguous to this field, on the north, where Duke and 
Steward ftreets are fituated, flood the priory and hofpital 
of St. Mary Spital, which w-ns founded in the year 1107, 
by Walter Brune and his wife Rofia, for canons regular. 
At the time of its furrender to Henry VIII. in 1539, it 
was valued at 478I. per annum, and contained a hundred 
and eighty beds for the accommodation of poor objeCts, 
who were carefully provided with all the neceffaries of life. 
In April 1559, queen Elizabeth vifited St. Mary Spi¬ 
tal in great Hate ; poflibly to hear a fermon given from 
the crofs. She was attended by a thoufand men in har- 
nefs, with fhirtsof mail, corflets, and morice-pikes, carried 
through London, to the court, with drums and trumpets 
founding, and two morice-dancings, and in a cart two white 
hears. 
To this hofpital alfo the lord-mayor, aldermen, and 
ftieriffs, repaired annually in their formalities, attended 
by the governors and children of Chrift’s Hofpital, and 
accompanied by many perfons of diftinCtion, to hear the 
fermons that were preached on Monday, Tuefday, and 
Wednefday, in Eafter-week. Thefe fermons, which were 
always on the fubjeCl of the refurreCtion of our Saviour, 
were delivered by fome of the mod eminent of the city 
divines, from a pulpit-crofs, fituated in the church-yard, 
like that at St. Paul’s ; oppofite to which was a handfome 
houfe for the reception of the mayor and his company. 
This cuftom was kept up till the year 1642 ; but in the 
grand rebellion the pulpit was broken down by the fa¬ 
natics, and the preaching difcontinued. It was, however, 
fo far revived at the reltoration, that the Spital-fermons 
have been fince preached at St. Bride’s in Fleet-ftreet. 
Between the church-yard of St. Botolph, and the fouth- 
ealt corner of Moorfields, was a long ftreet, with feveral 
fmaller ones contiguous, called Petty France, from hav¬ 
ing been firft inhabited by people of that nation. On 
this fpot now Hand the elegant ftreets called New Broad- 
flreet and Broad-flreet Buildings, the refidence of mer¬ 
chants of the firlt refpeCtability. 
Purfuing our way to Shoreditch, we find a regular de- 
creafe of height and elegance in the houfes, fo that, a 
little north of the turnpike, the ftreet affumes a coun¬ 
try look. — At the corner of a fmall, narrow, ftreet on the 
left hand, is an old wooden ftatue, fuppofed to have re- 
Vol. XIII. No. 919. 
D O N. 
prefented Jane Shore; but now fo mutilated, that it may 
be almolt a queftion whether it was meant for her or her 
royal lover. The appearance of the breads alone feems to 
decide the point ; for the plume of feathers and laurel- 
leaves ftill diftinguifhable in the helmet or cap, feem to 
appertain rather to a man, though women jrfed fometimes 
to wear them in the fame guife. The head-drefs much re~ 
fembles that of Joan of Arc in platter by Gois the younger. 
See Hijloric Gallery of Portraits and Paintings, vol. ii.—That 
the reader may judge for himfelf, we have given a repre- 
fentation of this fragment on Plate VII b*. fig. 4, 1 
The melancholy ftory of Jane Shore’s punifhment is 
reported hv Holinfhed in the following naive manner; 
“ In her penance, fhe went in countenance and pafle fo 
demure, fo womanlie, that, albeit (he were out of all aiaie 
fave her kirtle onlie, yet went the fo faire and loveiic, 
namelie, while the woondering of the people caft a comelie 
rud in hir cheeks, (of whiche fhe before had molt raffle,) 
that hir great fhame wan hir much praife among thofe 
that were more amorous of hir bodie than cuiious of hir 
foule. And manie good foikes that hated hir living, 
(and glad were to fee fin corrected,) yet pitied they more 
hir penance than- rejoifed therein, when they confidered 
that the Protector procured it more of a corrupt intent 
than anie virtuous affetiion.”—Rowe has clothed this 
part of her fad ftory in the following poetical drefs; but 
it is far from depreciating the moving fimplicity of the 
old hiftorian : 
Submiffive, fad, and lowly, was her look ; 
A burning taper in her hand fhe bore, 
And on her fhoulders, carelefsly confus’d 
With loofe negleCt, her lovely trefles hung; 
Upon her cheek a faintifh flufh was fpread ; 
Feeble fhe feem’d, and forely fin it with pain. 
While, barefoot as fhe trod the flinty pavement, 
Her footfteps all along were mark’d with blood. 
Yet filent (till fhe pafs’d, and unrepining; 
Her ftreaming eyes bent ever on the earth. 
Except when, in fome bitter pang of forrow. 
To Heav’n fhe feem’d in fervent zeal to raife. 
And beg that mercy man deny’d her here. 
The poet has adopted the ftory of her being denied all 
fuftenance, and of her perifhing with hunger; but that 
was not fa<ft. She lived to an advanced age, but in great 
diftrefs and poverty ; deferted even by thofe to whom fhe 
had, during profperity, done the molt eflential fervices. 
She dragged a wretched life to the time of firThomasMore, 
who introduces her ftory into his life of Edward V. The 
beauty of her perfon is fpoken of in high terms: “ Pro¬ 
per fhe was, and faire, (fays Holinfhed ;) nothing in hir 
bodie that you would have changed ; but you would have 
wifhed hir fomewhat higher. Thus faie they that knew 
hir in hir youth. Now is file old, leane, withered, and 
dried up ; nothing left but rivelled fkin and hard bone ; 
and yet, being even fuch, whofo well advife her vifa^e 
might geite and devife which parts how filled would make 
it a faire face.”—In a fuppofed original picture of this 
lady in the provoft’s lodgings, in King’s College, Cam¬ 
bridge, her hair is railed in fliort curls high above her 
neck, and mixed with chains of jewels fet "in a lozenge 
form ; liei neck and body, as far beneath her arms, are 
naked ; the fifft has two firings of pearls hanging loofe 
round it: over her fhoulders is a rich chain of jewels fet 
in circles ; and pendant from the middle, which han^s 
down her breaft, is a rich lozenge of jewels, and to each 
link is affixed one or more pearls. In her countenance is 
110 appearance of charms; fhe mult have attracted the 
hearts of her lovers by her intellectual beauties. 
Our chief reafon, however, for mentioning this weak, 
and unfortunate woman was in order to contradict the 
popular error of Shoreditch being named after her huf- 
band ; as it appears certain, that it originated from the 
lord of the manor, fir John de Sordid), a perfon deeply 
6 A fkilled 
