408 LON 
It is computed that the annual expenditure of this hof¬ 
pital amounts to thirty thoufand pounds per annum, in¬ 
cluding the board and clothing of the children and the 
Hilaries to the officers and fervants of the foundation. 
The upright adminiftration of this hofpital has in no 
inTtance been more acknowledged than in the trults which 
have been repofed in them, by thofe who have founded 
other charities, entirely unconnected with the nature of 
this foundation,.and wholly without their previous know¬ 
ledge: viz. ilt, The alms houfes founded by David Smith, 
citizen and embroiderer, in 1584., which was deftroyed by 
the fire in 1666, and afterwards rebuilt by fir Thomas 
Fitch 5 the penfioners at firlt received only il. 9s. 4-d. but 
the daughter of fir T. Fitch added a further gift fufficient 
to allow them from the company of embroiders il. 14s. 6d. 
each, adly, The far more extenfive and important trull 
of Mr. Iletherington’s-charity for the blind, by which no 
fewer than 450 blind perfons (not beggars) are relieved 
•with 10I. per ann. each. 
We now come up a narrow winding palfage between 
Chrilt’s and Bartholomew’s hofpitals, into Giltfpur-Jlreet, 
fo named molt probably from a fign at fome inn in that 
place, or out of compliment to'the knights who ufed to 
come by in their way to the tilts and tournaments gene¬ 
rally held in Smithfield. Cock-lane and Pie-corner obtained 
their names, as it (liould feem, from the fame circumflance. 
Both thefe birds are known for their pvopenfity to fight, 
their courage and obltinacy. It is therefore probable 
that public houfes, or inns in this neighbourhood, had 
adopted thefe badges on account of the wranglers who 
made their way through this ftreet to the fpot where their 
difputes were to be fettled. The words of our molt elti- 
mable chronicler and keen furveyor, John Stow, about 
Pie-corner, are curious, and give confidence, as they gave 
rife, to our hypothefis. He lays: “Pie-corner, a place fo 
called of fuch a figne, fornetimes a fair inne for receit of 
travellers, but now (1638) divided into tenements} and, 
over again 11 the faid Pie-corner lyeth Cocke-lane, which 
runneth down to Oldbourne conduit.” It is clear that 
the pie, in this circumflance, did not mean any thing to 
eat, but the bird of that name, the pie or mag-pie. The 
original word is pica in Latin, from which, in imitation 
of, or cotemporaneoufiy with, the French, we made pie ; 
hence every thing which, like that bird, is made up into 
the two colour's, white and black, obtained this appella¬ 
tion. The well-known dilh of that name, contralting the 
whitenefs of the crult with the darker colour of the meat 
or fruit which the pafte contains, was fo called from that 
circumflance ; and the coincidence of the fire of London 
beginning at Pudding-lane, and ending at Fie-corner, led 
the mint? all ray, and diftorted the original fenfe of the 
denomination.—This fhort explanation, which we have 
thought inrerelting and ufeful, leads 11s to conlider the 
figure of a boy placed many years lince at the corner of 
Cock-Jane and G.iltfpur-llreet. It has been there for many 
years; and, if recollection does not deceive them, feveral 
old friends of ours have allured us.that they remember the 
little figure for more than fixty years; but their opinion 
is,that the ftatue was.of Hone. We have ourfelves lome 
faint recollection of having feen the one now exifling 
there (and of which we gave an engraving in Plate VII b.) 
more than twenty years ago. The boy, though partly 
disfigured, exhibits Hill fome remains of the lufty ftyle of 
Rubens, being overloaded with fat. A kind ot drapery, 
which is at this time painted blue, is feen behind him; 
and the poor little creature, either originally, or from 
fubfequent alterations, feems really to labour under the 
molt excruciating torture. Is it intended to reprefent 
the Dutch boy, mentioned by fome Londinographers as 
having confelfed to haye been, with bis father, the baker, 
the canle of the conflagration ? But an inlcription upon 
the folded arms and part of the belly, runs as follows: 
“ This boy was put up in memory of the great fire of 
London, occafioned by the fin of gluttony—1666.” Hence 
.fome fuppofe this tun-bellied boy might have been, in- 
3 
D O N. 
tended as a perfonification of Gluttony itfeif. In another 
view, the aching face, uplifted eyes, and Ihrinking muf- 
cles, of the fat infant, fupported by the infeription, and 
the flame-colour paint with which lie is generally be- 
fmeared once in two or three years, combine to make 
others believe that it was carved tor the lpecial purpofe 
of reprefenting a young and unfortunate victim of the 
devouring fire. But no fuch thing. We have looked at 
it with the unprejudiced eye of an antiquary ; and, to out 
great aflonilhment, we have difeovered, that the noiv- 
exifling figure is that of CuriD ! The fon of Venus is 
famed, in mythological lore, for Letting hearts on fire, but 
not whole cities. However, this little flattie was, no doubt, 
originally carved for the Ion of Venus ; for he has wings,, 
and they are confpicuous, as they happen to be now 
painted bright yellow. Hence we are led to conclude 
that this fuppofed, or however-adopted, memento of th$. 
fire of London, was borrowed from fome groupe in wood 
reprefenting Cupid chid by his mother, or, as we fee him 
in many places, fcourged by Jeaioufy or the Graces. 
We hope our readers will not think our criticifm mif- 
placed, though this memento of the fire of London is evi¬ 
dently fo ; for we omitted to mention that the figure is 
fet againft a public-honfe at the corner of Cock-lane; 
whereas there can be little doubt that the fire itoppecl at 
the oppofite corner; as Stow exprefsly informs us, in 
the palfage already quoted, “ that over againlt Pie-cor¬ 
ner lyeth Cock-lane.” The figure might have been re¬ 
moved, and fet up oppofite, when the houfes on that fide 
were lall rebuilt; or it might have been originally placed 
there (which better agrees with the traditions vve have been 
able to collefl) as a convenient fituation to point to the 
fpot where the fire flopped; jufl as the Monument it not 
placed on the fpot where the fire began, but 20a feet from 
it. Upon the whole, there is little doubt but that Pie-cor¬ 
ner, properly fo called, is at this time occupied by a baker 
(of pies and other things), at the corner of the palfage we 
have mentioned, which is now commonly called Plough- 
court, from a public-houfe of that name; but formerly 
Windmill-court, from -the windmill at the top of Old 
Newgate;'and more anciently P ie- corner-lane ; and is lb 
named in Wilkes’s Britilh Directory. 
Having nniihed the digreluon which brought us to the 
upper corner of this palfage, court, or lane, we lliall re¬ 
treat the fame way we come, and then pals through Chrilt’s 
Hofpital, and out at the fouth-welt avenue, the Grey 
Friars, into Newgate-ltreet.—Exactly oppofite the Grey- 
Friars’ gate is Warwick-lane, which derives its name from 
the inn or houfe of Richard Nevil, the king-making earl 
of Warwick. Speaking of his coining to London to the 
convention of 1458, Stow fays, lie was accompanied by 
“ fix hundred men, all in red jackets imbroidered with 
ragged Haves before and behind, and was lodged in War- 
wicke-lane; in whofe houfe there was often fix oxen eaten 
at a breakfaft; and every taverne was full of his meate ; 
for lies? that had anie acquaintance in that houfe might 
have there fo much of Ibdden and roll meate as he could 
pricke and carry upon a long dagger.” The memory of 
this ear! is Hill preferred by a Hone carving againft tltb 
fide of a houfe at the north-welt corner, whofe iront is in 
Newgate-ltreet. This figure, not for the elegance of the 
workmanlhip, but on account of its antiquity, and the 
refleftions it may give rife to, we have thought worthy 
of prefervation. It is reprefented on Plate VII L. at fig. 8. 
—Confidering attentively this little piece of bas relief, we 
fufpeft that the .'efign has been partly taken from the 
drawing of that famous character Guy earl of Warwick, 
in the curious roll of the earls of Warwick, now in 
the polfellion of the corporation of Heralds 5 and hence 
arofe a fort of miliake in the fhield, Ihowing a bend linil- 
ter inftead of a chevron, ermine, the fecond leg of the 
chevron being nearly loll in the concealed part of the 
buckler, as reprefented upon the roll. The warrior is 
d.reffed in a coat of mail, with the military Jap am or frock 
ever it. The letters G. C. at bottom might be luppoled to 
Hand 
