in other terms two. They paid 5s. for the reading weeks, 
• and for the others 2$. 6d. fold their chambers for one or 
two lives, and had mootings once in four terms. 
This little inn, whole buildings at prefent exhibit evi¬ 
dent marks of negleift and decay, confifts of one filial! 
fquare only, and has chambers built- on two Tides, the 
windows of the northern range looking into Wych-ftreet, 
and the others into the inn ; the fouth fide is formed by 
the old houfes in Holywell-ftreet. It lias a hall, which 
Hands in the fouth-weft corner of the court, and was 
formerly, when properly kept, a commodious handfome 
room ; but it is now appropriated to indifferent purpoles. 
The exterior is decorated with a handfome door-way, to 
which there is an afcent by a flight of ftone fteps and 
ballulfrades; the roof terminates in a pointed pediment, 
in the midlt of which is the armorial bearing of the foci- 
ety ; a lion, in alto relievo , indifferently fculptured ; and, 
beneath, the date, 1700. 
St. Clement’s Inn (an appendage of the Inner Tetp- 
ple) appears to have- derived its name from the church 
near which it ftands, and a celebrated holy well adjoin¬ 
ing ; both of which wbre dedicated to the Roman pontiff 
St. Clement. This well was one of the principal fprings 
at which the city youth on feltival days uled to entertaia 
themfelves with a variety of diverflons ; and is the fame 
which is now covered, and a pump placed in it, on the 
ealt lide of St. Clement’s Inn, and lower end of Clementfs- 
lane. 
A houfe, or inn of chancery, for the education of the 
ftudeiits of the law, was fituated on this fite in the time 
of king Edward IV. Wliofe inheritance it anciently .was, 
however, is hot known. In the year 14.86 (2 Henry VII.) 
fir John Cantlowe, knight, by a leaffe bearing date the 
20th of December, in confideration of 90 marks fine, and 
4I. 6s. 8d. yearly rent, demifed it for eighty years to 
William Elyot and John Elyot (in trull, as may be pre¬ 
fumed, for the Itudents of the law). About the year 1528 
(20th of Henry VIII.) Cantlowe’s right and intereft was 
palled to William Holies, citizen of London, afterwards 
knight, and lord mayor of that city, and aqceflor of the 
dukes of. Newcastle, one of whom, John earl of Clare, foil 
and fucceffor of fir John Holies, the fir ft earl, and whofe 
refidence was on the fite of the prefent Glare-market, de¬ 
mifed it to the then principal and fellows. 
The buildings of the prefent inn ve all modern, and 
occupy three fmall courts ; through which there is a tho¬ 
roughfare in the day-time to Clave-market and into New 
Inn. The chambers are by no means fo good as thofe of 
the latter place. The hall fills one fide of the middle 
fquare or court, and is a well-proportioned and elegant 
room. It contains a good portrait of fir Matthew Hale, 
and five other pief ures. On the outfide,the front of which 
has a refpectable and handfome appearance, are placed 
the arms of the fociety, argent, an anchor (without a 
ftock) in pale proper, and a C fable pafling through the 
middle. In the middle of the garden, which adjoins that 
of New Inn, and is kept with particular neatnefs, is a 
fun-dial, fupported by a figure of confiderable merit 
kneeling (a naked Moor, or African), which was brought 
from Italy by lord Clare, and prefented to the fociety; it 
■ attracts much attention. 
Lord chief juftice Sanders, who fucceeded fir Francis 
Pemberton, chief juftice in 16S1, received the rudiments 
of his education here. He was originally', it is faid, a 
ftroiling beggar about the ftreets, without known parents 
qr relations ; and, coming often to beg feraps at Clement’s 
Inn, was taken notice of for his uncommon fprightlinefs ; 
and, as he exprefied a ftrong inclination to learn to write, 
one of the attorney’s clerks taught him, and foon qualified 
him for a hackney writer. In this ftation he took all op¬ 
portunities of improving himfelf by reading fuch bo$ks as 
he borrowed of his friends, and in. the courfe of a few 
years became an able attorney, and a very eminent coun- 
l'el. His practice in the court of King’s Bench was. ex¬ 
ceeded by none ; his art and cunning were equal to his 
Vol. XI. No, 735. 
knowledge, and he carried many a caufe by laying fnares. 
If he was deteffedj he was never out of countenance, but 
evaded the matter withajeft, which he always had at 
hand. He was much employed by the king againlt the 
city of London in the bufinefs of th e. quo warranto. His 
perfon was as heavy and ungain as his wit was alert and 
lprightly. He is laid to have been “a mere lump of mor¬ 
bid flel'n the finell of hint was fo offenfive, that people 
ufually held their nofes when he came into the.court. 
One of his jefts on this occafion was, that “ noiie could 
fay he wanted iffue, for he had no lei's than nine in Iris 
back.” 
New Inn, fince the deftruftien of Strand Inn, which 
anciently belonged to the Middle Temple, is the only law- 
feininary remaining in the pofielfion of that fociety. It 
ftands contiguous to Clement’s Inn on the weft, and has 
little to intereft, being built of brick, and entirely mo¬ 
dern. In point of neatnefs, however, it may be propofed 
as an example to many of the other inns ; none of which 
are more pleafantiy fituated, alid few fo well kept. 
The' buildings occupy three iides of a fquare ; the 
fourth, or north-eaiterly part, joining to Clement’s Inn, 
from which it is only feparated by a gate and iron railing. 
They contain h number of fpacious and handfome cham¬ 
bers, and which are in general inhabited by the more re¬ 
fpectable part <ff the profeflion. The garden, which is a 
fine large plot of ground, furrounded by iron railing, 
and is laid out in pleafant walks, is common to both fo- 
cieties. The hall is a high fquare brick buildjng, and 
ftands towards the fouth-eaft corner of the fquare ; the 
front is adorned with a large clock. It has nothing with- 
infide remarkable, but is a fpacious and good room. 
The fite of New Inn, about the year 1485, was occu¬ 
pied as a common inn, .or hoftery for travellers and others, 
and was called, from its fign of the Virgin Mary, Our 
Lady Inn. “It became firft an hoftell for ftudents of the 
law,” fays Dugdale, “ (as the tradition is,) upon the re¬ 
moval of the ftudents of tire law from an old inn of chan¬ 
cery, fituate in Seacole-lane, a little fouth from St. Se¬ 
pulchre’s church, palled St. George’s Inn, and was pro¬ 
cured from fir John Fineux, knight, fometime lord chief 
juftice of the King’s Bench, for the rent of 61 . per an¬ 
num, by the name of New Inn.” This tradition is con¬ 
firmed by Stowe ; and part of the ancient ftone wail is 
ftill to be feen under the houfes of Bifliop’s and Green- 
arbour courts, at the back of the Old Bailey. 
This fociety was governed by a treal'urer and twelve 
ancients. The members were to be In commons, in their 
gowns and caps (as the other courts), one week in every 
term, or pay if not there. They had alfo 'anciently 
mootings once or twice a-term. Their armorial enfigns 
are. Vert, a flower-pot argent. 
New Inn may boaft the honour of having educated the 
great fir Thomas More, who for fome time fludied here 
previous to his entering himfelf of Lincoln’s Inn, of 
which he was afterwards a reader. And here the ftudents 
of Strand Inn, as being alfo under the fame government 
of the Middle Temple, removed on the deltruction of 
their houfe, as before-mentioned, by the protestor So- 
merl'et. 
Strand Inn, called alfo Cbefter Inn, or Chefter’s Inn, 
was a houfe of chancery belonging to the Middle Temple, 
which flood near the. church of St. Mary le Strand, and, 
together with that building and feveral others, was de- 
ftroyed in the reign of Edward VI. to make room for So- 
inerfet-houfe; the ftudents having previoufly been re¬ 
moved to New Inn oppofite. 
Occieve, the poet in the reign of Henry V. is faid to 
have ftudied the law at “ Cheftre’s Inne,” which is the 
only circumftance known concerning it. It is prefumed 
by Strype to have been built on ground belonging to tfie 
hifiiops of Chefter; to one of whom, Roger de Mulnet, 
or de Molend, called alfo Longfpee, Roger, named the 
Amner,. by his deed, dated 1257, gave and confirmed “a 
parcel of land and buildings lying in the parifn of St. 
X Mary 
