polis called St. Giles’s.-—St. Giles's church is fuppofed 
to owe its origin to the chapel belonging to an hofpital 
founded here about the year 1117, by Matilda, queen of 
Henry I. for the reception of a certain number of leprous 
people belonging to London and Middlefex. In the year 
1354, Edward III. granted this hofpital to the mailer and 
brethren of the order of Burton St. Lazer, in Leicefter- 
fhire, in confideration of their having remitted forty marks, 
and the arrears thereof, payable out of the exchequer; by 
which means it became a cell to that order, and fo it con¬ 
tinued until the general fuppreffion of religious houfes. 
In the year 1545, Henry VIII. granted this hofpital, with 
its chapel, to lord Dudley ; foon after which it appears to 
have been made parochial ; for, on the 20th of April, 
1547, William Rawlinfon was inftituted reCtor of it. The 
i’mall old church of this parifli being taken down in the 
year 1623, a church of brick was erefted in its Head ; but, 
the ground in its neighbourhood being gradually raifed to 
the height of eight feet above the floor, it became very 
damp and unwholefome. On this, the inhabitants ap¬ 
plied to parliament to have it rebuilt, when, the fum of 
eight thoufand pounds being granted for that purpofe, 
the old fabric was taken down in 1730, and the prefent 
ItruCture was completed in three years after. This mag¬ 
nificent edifice is exceeding lofty, and the whole of it is 
built of Portland (tone. The area of the church within 
the walls is fixty feet wide and feventy-five in length, ex- 
clufive of the recefs for the altar. The roof is fupported 
with Ionic pillars and piers of Portland done, and is 
vaulted underneath. The outfideof the church has a ruf- 
«ic bafement; and the windows of the galleries have femi- 
circular heads, over which is a modillion-cornice. The 
Iteeple is.a hundred and fixty feet high, and confifts of a 
ruftic pedeftal, fupporting a Doric order of piiafters ; and 
over the clock is an oCtangular tower, with three-quarter 
Ionic columns, fupporting a baluftrade with vafes ; on 
this tower ftands the fpire, which is alfo octangular, and 
belted. The expenfe 8f ereCting this church amounted to 
10,026k 15s. 9d. including the eight thoufand pounds 
granted by parliament. It is a reClory in the gift of the 
crown. Over the north-welt door into the church-yard 
is a curious piece of fculpture, reprefenting the Day of 
RefurreCtion : it contains a great number of figures, and 
was fet up about the year 1686. 
Near this church was the houfe of Alice duchefs Dud¬ 
ley, who died here in 1669, aged ninety. She was the wi¬ 
dow of the great fir Robert Dudley, foil to Robert earl of 
Leicefter, who, by various untoward circumftances, was 
denied legitimacy and his paternal eftates. He had been 
created a duke of the Roman empire, and lived and died 
in Tufcany, by the title of duke of Northumberland. His 
widow was advanced to the dignity of a duchefs, by let¬ 
ters patent of Charles I. which were afterwards confirmed 
by Charles II. but the title died with her. The name is 
ffill preferved in Dudley-court, at prefent a moll wretched 
and dirty place. 
In ancient times it was cuftomary to prefent to male¬ 
factors, on their way to the place of execution, (which, 
about the year 1413, was removed from Smithfield and 
placed between High-ftreet, St. Giles’s, and Hog-lane,) 
a bowl of ale, as the laft refrefhment they were to receive 
in this life. Such a cuftoin prevailed at York ; which 
gave rife to the faying, that “ the fadler of Bawtry was 
hanged for leaving his liquor." Had he flopped, as ufual, 
his reprieve, which was actually on the road, would have 
arrived time enough to have laved him.— Here was exe¬ 
cuted, in the moll barbarous manner, the famous fir John 
Oldcaftle, lord Cobham. His crime was that of adopting 
the tenets of Wyclifte. He was mifreprefented to our he¬ 
roic prince Henry V. by the bigoted clergy, as a heretic 
and traitor; and as having been actually at the head of 
thirty thoufand Lollards, in thefe very fields. About a 
hundred inoffenfive people were found there : Cobham 
efcaped ; but was taken fome time after in Wales. He 
fullered death on this fpot: was hung on a gallows, by a 
chain fattened round his body, and, thus fufpended, burnt 
alive. 
About this fpot, between Tottenham-court-road and 
St. Giles’s church, and indeed below it, quite to Drury- 
lane, we find feveral l'mall narrow flreets, chiefly inhabited 
by low Hibernians, who have given a peculiar character 
to the place ; and the natural warmth (we might fay heat) 
of their temper difplays itl'elf here with all its energy. 
Broken .heads, black eyes, and bruifes of all colours and 
hues, are generally the refult of thefe Irifli games. 
Great Ruflel-ftreet, leading to Bloomflmry-fquare, is a 
noble ftreet, and refpeCtably inhabited. It has on its 
north fide, Bedford-fquare, one of the molt uniform places 
in London. The centre houfes on each of the four Tides 
of this quadrangle are particularly decorated-; and in¬ 
deed, elegance and tafte feem to have affixed their feal on 
every houfe. Thefe centre houfes are diftinguifhed from 
the others, which are of brick, by having a (lone fagade 
upon a rullic pediment; the order is Ionic, and of good 
effeCt. The middle of the area is formed into a circular 
grafs-plat, haying a broad gravel-walk around it, on the 
outfide of which is a parterre of flirubs and flowers ; and 
the whole is encompafled with an iron-railing. 
On the north fide of Great Ruflel-ftreet is Montngue- 
houfe, better known by the name of the British Museum, 
from being the depofitory of that extenfive national col¬ 
lection. This noble building was ereCled by John duke 
of Montague, keeper of the wardrobe to king Charles II. 
and who was afterwards in high favour with king William 
and queen Anne. The front of the building is very ex¬ 
tenfive ; two large wings, for offices, join it at right an¬ 
gles, and form a handfome court, inclofed from the ftreet 
by a high brick wall, in the centre of which is a fpacious 
gate, under a dome : the infide of the wall is formed into 
a grand colonnade, reaching to the wings on either fide. 
The houfe is adorned with very curious paintings, (parti¬ 
cularly the hall and ftaircafe,) executed by La FolTe, Bap- 
tifte, and Roufleau; and behind it is an extenfive garden. 
The firft rife of this fplendid collection was in confe- 
quence of the will of fir Hans Sloane, who left his mu- 
feum to the nation, which he declared in his will coft him 
upwards of 50,000k on condition that parliament paid 
20,000k to his executors, and purchafed a houfe fuffici- 
ently commodious for it. The parliament aCted with great 
liberality on this occafion ; feveral other valuable collec¬ 
tions were united to this of fir Hans Sloane, and the 
whole eftablifliment completed for the fum of 85,000k 
which was railed by a lottery. 
A beginning having been thus made of a public feien- 
tific repofitory, it was deemed expedient to enlarge its 
extent, and mcreafeirs importance by adding to it what¬ 
ever happened to be at that time within the reach of the 
legiflature. Parliament accordingly added at various times 
to the Sloanean Muletim; the Cottonian library; major 
Edwards’s library ; the Harleian collection of manu- 
l'cripts; fir Win. Hamilton’s collection of fictile or Greek 
vafes ; the Townleian collection of antique marbles ; the 
manuferipts of the late marquis Lanfdown ; the mine¬ 
rals of the lion. Charles Greville ; and laftly, in 1813, the 
library of counfellor Hargrave, as noticed at p. 367. 
Among other benefactors to this (now called Britilh) 
Mufeum are, his majefty king George II. who gave the 
whole of the important library of printed books and ma- 
nuferipts which had been gradually collected by our kin°-s 
from Henry VII. to William III. and which is ltill an¬ 
nually increafing by the privilege of being fupplied with a 
copy of every publication entered at Stationers’ Hall. 
His prefent majefty, equally defirous of promoting the 
Mufeum, has given a numerous collection of valuable 
pamphlets which were publiflied in the convulfive interval 
between 1640 and 1660. His majefty has alfo contributed 
the two finelt mummies in Europe, which were prefented 
to him by the late earl of Bute; a fum of money arifing 
from lottery-tickets, which belonged to his royal prede- 
cefiors, amounting to 1123k in 1772, a complete let of 
3 tka 
