History of London — 28 - Author's Notes on Lessons 40 - 63

40. ELIZABETHAN LONDON.

PART I.

~Stow~ (born 1525, died 1605): a famous writer in Queen Elizabeth's reign on the antiquities of London and other places.

~Whitechapel~ takes its name from a white chapel-of-ease built to relieve Stepney, in which parish this district was till 1763. ~tenters~: pegs for stretching cloth.

Sometimes hooks were used, from which we get the phrase 'to be on tenter hooks'--to be on a stretch with anxiety.

~St. Katharine's~ has given its name to the great docks east of the Tower.

~bull-, bear-baiting~: the sport of setting dogs to worry bulls or bears.

~Alsatia~: for a vivid picture of this haunt of rogues in the reign of James I. the reader is referred to Sir W. Scott's 'Fortunes of Nigel.'

~Austin Friars~: the space known as Drapers' Gardens (because the hall of the Drapers' Company is adjoining) in Throgmorton Street is on the site of this monastery.

~Canwicke (now Cannon) Street~ was so called because the wax-chandlers and candle-makers lived in that part.

41. ELIZABETHAN LONDON.

PART II.

~William Shakespeare~ (born 1564, died 1616): the prince of poets, who lived in the reigns of Elizabeth and James I. ~ruins of the monasteries~ which had been suppressed by Henry VIII.

in 1536-1540. ~Cold Harbour~: a merchant's mansion once standing on the bank of the Thames in Thames Street.

~Genevan bands~: a kind of collar worn by Protestant clergymen, so called because Geneva, the home of Calvin, was the centre of Protestantism.

~palaces along the Strand~: if you walk along the Strand you will notice that many of the short streets leading down to the river bear the names of noblemen, such as Arundel Street, Norfolk Street, Salisbury Street, &c. from the old palaces which once stood there.

~Staples Inn~: a picturesque group of old houses in Holborn was formerly a wool-market (_staple_ means a fixed market).

~Wych Street~ is near Holywell Street in the Strand.

~Cloth Fair~ is now a poor neighbourhood near Smithfield.

42. ELIZABETHAN LONDON.

PART III.

~Impressment~: in the absence of some orderly arrangement, such as conscription (where all serve) or a voluntary system (like our own), the press-gang used to kidnap people and force them to serve.

~animosity~: anger, ill feeling against.

~The Steelyard~, on the site of which Cannon Street railway station now stands, was the house of the Hanse merchants (_see_ note on Chapter XXII.

).

~John Colet~, Dean of St. Paul's (born 1466, died 1519), was one of the leaders of the revival of learning in England.

St. Paul's School, which he founded in 1512, has been moved to Hammersmith.

43. TRADE.

PART I.

~Forestall their market~: that is, to buy things before they arrived at the market, so as to sell them at a higher price.

~Luebeck~: a large port in north Germany in the Baltic.

~staples~, originally all kinds of raw produce, came to be applied only to wool.

Staples Inn was once a wool-market.

~instead of selling our wool~: Edward III.

brought Flemish weavers into England to encourage manufactures.

Till then England produced and exported wool to Antwerp and other manufacturing centres, but did not make it into cloth.

~Hamburg~ was a member of the Hanseatic League.

~The screen~ was presented to the Church of All Hallows the Great, Thames Street, in 1710, by the Hanseatic merchants.

44. TRADE.

PART II.

~Incubus~: something that weighs down and hinders.

~religious wars in the Netherlands~: between the Protestant Dutch and the Catholic Spaniards, who were oppressing the country through great part of the sixteenth century.

~Bourse~: the same as ~Exchange~, where merchants meet to transact their business.

~English wool~ in Bruges, because it was much exported thither from England before the growth of home manufactures.

~Flemings~: the natives of Flanders; who were the chief manufacturers of Europe long before England took the lead.

~14 per cent.

~: the height of this rate may be seen by comparing it with the 21/2 per cent.

, which is all England now pays as interest upon her debt.

~Bethlehem Hospital~, corrupted into Bedlam, is still a hospital, but only for the insane.

45. TRADE.

PART III.

~Bruges ...

civil wars~: that is, the religious wars referred to in Chapter XLIV.

~Venetians~: before the discovery of the sea route to India and the East Venice was the first maritime and commercial power in the world.

The route round the Cape of Good Hope was discovered by Vasco de Gama in 1497. ~Moluccas~: a group of tropical islands between Celebes and New Guinea, rich in pearls, spices, and precious woods.

~Calicut~: the port in Madras, where Vasco de Gama first landed in May 1498. The cotton cloth called _calico_ was first brought thence.

~Moorish pirates~: North Africa has always been a haunt of pirates.

In 1816 Lord Exmouth had to bombard Algiers, and even as late as 1860 the European Powers had to suppress piracy in Morocco.

~Dordrecht~: a commercial town in the south of Holland, near Rotterdam.

~The South Sea Company~ is celebrated above the other trading companies for the great speculation in its shares called the ~South Sea bubble~ in 1720. 46. PLAYS AND PAGEANTS.

PART I.

~Mummers~: men who played in entertainments masked and in various disguises.

~masque~: a kind of play in which the actors wore masks.

Milton's 'Comus' is a well-known masque of high character.

~mystery~: a name for a religious play representing some scene from the Bible or scenes from the life of a saint.

~admonition~: warning.

~frescoes~: paintings on a wall covered with plaster--done while the plaster is still wet or _fresh_.

~sequence~: that is, the connection of one event with another.

~properties~: the articles used in the play, scenery, dress, &c. ~realistic~: looking as though they really were the persons represented.

~tableau~: scene.

~lessee~: one who rents a theatre or holds it on a lease from the owner.

47. PLAYS AND PAGEANTS.

PART II.

~Pageants~: grand shows, processions.

~censers~: vessels for burning incense.

~conduit~: a pipe or channel for leading or _conducting_ water.

~Cross of Chepe~: a memorial erected in the centre of the chepe, or market, in memory of Queen Eleanor.

~jerkins~: a kind of jacket often made of leather.

~panoply~: full armour.

~banneret~: a little banner.

~blackjacks~: leather vessels for holding liquor.

~malmsey~: a strong sweet wine.

~marshal~: draw up and arrange.

~Lord Mayor's Show~: on November 9--when the people have an opportunity of welcoming the new Lord Mayor on his entering into office.

48. PLAYS AND PAGEANTS.

PART III.

~libretto~: the words of a masque or play set to music.

~scenic~: on the stage.

~Ben Jonson~ (born 1574, died 1637): a great English play writer and poet, and a friend of Shakespeare.

~Francis Bacon~, Lord Verulam (born 1561, died 1626), was Lord Chancellor and a great writer on philosophical subjects.

~Oberon~: the king of the fairies and husband of Titania, as in Shakespeare's 'Midsummer Night's Dream.'

~save James~: that is, King James I. ; a piece of courtly flattery due to Jonson's connection with the court.

~Prince Henry~, who is meant by Oberon in the masque, died in 1612, to the great regret of the people.

~Phosphorus~: Lucifer, the morning star that brings the day.

49. PLAYS AND PAGEANTS.

PART IV.

~Gammer (i. e. Old Mother) Gurton's Needle~ is a very rough old play about an old woman who lost her needle while mending a pair of breeches, and, after accusing everyone of stealing it, finds it after all in the garment itself.

It was written some time before 1560. ('Gammer,' the French _grand'-mere_, grandmother, contracted into 'ganmer,' and then 'gammer.'

) ~contortionist~: one who twists himself into extraordinary attitudes to amuse the public.

~octagonal~: with eight sides.

~prologue~: the verses spoken before a play to introduce it to the audience.

~Golden Lane~: a street near the Barbican, turning out of Aldersgate Street.

~Bankside~, in Southwark, on the southern side of the Thames.

50. THE TERROR OF THE PLAGUE.

PART I.

~Pretensions~: ambitious claims.

~Wars of the Roses~: a civil war lasting 1455-1485. In thinking of the loss of life occasioned by this war, it must be remembered that such loss fell most heavily on the noble families; the mass of the population was not so much disturbed by it.

~Long Acre~: a street near Drury Lane, now chiefly occupied by carriage-makers.

~delirium~: a wandering in the mind caused by fever.

51. THE TERROR OF THE PLAGUE.

PART II.

~Registers~: a record of names of persons who have died.

Such records are now accurately kept by the registrars of births, deaths, and marriages.

~The King~: Charles II.

, who, whatever his faults may have been, was at least good-natured and averse to suffering.

~Samuel Pepys~ (born 1632, died 1703) was Secretary to the Admiralty in the reigns of Charles II.

and James II.

His famous diary gives a graphic picture of life during these reigns.

52. THE TERROR OF FIRE.

PART I.

~Coleman Street~ runs northward from Lothbury (behind the Bank of England) to Moorgate.

The name goes back even to Saxon times, and probably comes from one Ceolmund, who had a farm near.

~St. Erkinwald~: an early Saxon Bishop of London, who encouraged the citizens to restore their ruined city, and himself built the Bishop's Gate (named after him).

His shrine in St. Paul's was long an object of reverence.

~Paternoster Row~: always a great centre of the book trade: it was a row immediately adjoining the precincts of the Cathedral before encroachments were made.

Naturally much of the booksellers' wares was religious--paternosters, aves, credos, &c. ~chancel~: the east end of a church in which is the altar, separated from the rest of the church by a screen or railings.

(Latin _cancelli_, a grating.

) ~transept~: the part of a cathedral projecting on either side.

Cathedrals are generally built in the shape of a cross; the transept is the arms of the cross in the ground plan.

53. THE TERROR OF FIRE.

PART II.

~Astronomer~: one who studies the stars or heavenly bodies.

~John Evelyn~ (born 1620, died 1706), a gentleman of the reign of Charles II.

, was made one of the commissioners for the restoration of London after the Great Fire.

He wrote a diary, which is not so amusing as that of Pepys (_see_ Chapter LI.

) ~St. Dunstan-in-the-East~, in Tower Street, was the first church restored by Wren after the fire.

~John Dryden~ (born 1631, died 1700): one of the greatest English poets.

He was a supporter of the house of Stuart, and was made poet laureate.

~obnoxious~: exposed to.

54. ROGUES AND VAGABONDS.

~Vagabonds~: wanderers who have no settled home.

~Wapping~: called Wapping Wash (or Marsh) in the time of Queen Elizabeth, when it was first drained and banked in, lies on the north bank of the Thames, in Middlesex, near the Thames Tunnel.

~Lambeth~, facing Westminster, on the south bank of the river, is low-lying, and was called in Saxon times Lambhythe, meaning loamy or muddy landing place.

~Bermondsey~ (_ey_--island), on the south bank of the Thames, one mile S.

E.

of St. Paul's, is a centre of the leather and wool trade.

~Rotherhithe~ (or Redriff), on the south bank of the Thames, lies east of Bermondsey and faces Wapping.

The south end of the Thames Tunnel is in Rotherhithe.

~stringent~: strict.

~impotent~: powerless, unable to work.

~stocks~: a wooden frame in which the legs of criminals were confined.

~The Barbican~: a street near the site of the old Aldersgate.

Barbican means defensive works for a gate.

~Turnmill Street~ is near Farringdon railway station.

55. UNDER GEORGE II.

PART I. THE WEALTH OF LONDON.

~Essayists~: people who write essays; that is, short compositions on any subject.

~picturesqueness~: beauty and grace; qualities which might be supposed to make anything a good subject for a _picture_.

~ruffles~: pieces of some white material plaited and attached as a frill to the collar and sleeves of garments.

~ostentation~: making a great show.

~Puritanism~: the more sober style of life and thought introduced by the Puritans, who were a religious party in the times of Elizabeth and the Stuarts, and were desirous of a purer and simpler doctrine and mode of living.

56. UNDER GEORGE II.

PART II.

~Predecessors~: those that went before them.

~cruciform~: in the form of a cross.

The ground plan of many churches is shaped like a cross.

~St. Stephen's, Walbrook~, stands behind the Mansion House, where the Walbrook used to flow.

~lectureship~: the office of a lecturer, one who gives lectures, discourses, or (as in this case) sermons.

Money was left to pay for these sermons, that is, the lectureships were ~endowed~.

~harbouring~: sheltering.

~organisers~: those who get up and arrange anything.

~Haymarket~ (obviously once a hay market) is near Trafalgar Square, and ~Coventry Street~ near Leicester Square.

~innovations~: novelties, new things.

57. UNDER GEORGE II.

PART III.

~Broad Street~: between the Royal Exchange and Liverpool Street.

~Whitecross Street~ is near the Barbican, Aldersgate Street;

~Whitechapel~, in which is ~Middlesex Street~ (commonly known as Petticoat Lane), is reached through Aldgate.

~Hogarth~ (born 1697, died 1764): a celebrated English painter, chiefly famous for moral, satirical and humorous pictures drawn from everyday life.

~asphalt~: a kind of mineral pitchy substance which melts in heat and can be laid down so as to form a hard, smooth roadway.

~Vauxhall~: in Surrey, in the parish of Lambeth, on the south of the Thames.

There was once an old manor house here called Faukes or Fox Hall.

~Bermondsey Spa~: so called from a mineral spring discovered there in 1770. (Spa, a place where there is a mineral spring, gets its name from a celebrated watering-place in Belgium of that name.

) ~punch~: a drink containing five ingredients--water, spirits, sugar, lemon-juice, spice.

58. UNDER GEORGE II.

PART IV.

~Decorous~: behaving in a decent and respectable way.

~appreciation~: estimate, judgment about.

~congregation~: gathering together.

~Benjamin Franklin~ (born 1706, died 1790): a native of Boston, U. S.

A.

, who lived for some time in England.

As a scientist he is famous for electrical experiments; as a politician, for the share he took in upholding the independence of the American States.

~transmission~: handing down from father to son.

~externally~: outwardly.

~St. Katharine's~, ~Ratcliff~, ~Shadwell~, ~Stepney~, are all in the East End of London.

~jurisdiction~: legal authority.

59. UNDER GEORGE II.

PART V.

~Lighters~: large boats or barges used in unloading ships.

~bleaching-grounds~: where cloth was laid out to be bleached or whitened by the wind and sun.

~hopbines~: the stalks of hop plants.

~transportation~: conveying convicted criminals abroad.

Till 1869 convicts were sent to Australia; now they are kept in convict prisons at home.

~classification~: dividing and arranging into classes.

~embezzle~: to steal something entrusted to one's care.

~press-gang~: a party of sailors under an officer who forcibly took men to serve in the Royal Navy.

~anarchy~: absence of rule, disorder.

~Gordon Riots~: in 1780, led by the fanatic Lord George Gordon.

The mob raised the cry of 'No Popery' on account of a law then proposing to remove hardships from Roman Catholics.

Riot and plunder were the real object of the mob.

The disorder had to be suppressed by military force.

~Police~: organised in 1829 by Sir Robert Peel, after whom the members of the force were called 'bobbies' and 'peelers.'

60. THE GOVERNMENT OF THE CITY.

PART I.

~Denominations~: religious bodies or sects, the members of which are all called by the same name.

(Latin _nomen_, a name.

) ~every conceivable topic~: every subject you can think of.

~community~: a people, the public.

~achieved~: won by effort.

61. THE GOVERNMENT OF THE CITY.

PART II.

~Symbol of~: the representative of; the presence of a policeman is the outward form taken by the law in the eyes of the people.

~mote~: meeting; hence ~folks' mote~, meeting of the folk or people;

~ward mote~, meeting of those living in the same ward or city division.

~The Companies~: such as those of the Goldsmiths, Merchant Taylors, Drapers, &c. ~Quarter Sessions~: the sessions or sittings of the Law Courts in a county or city held every quarter.

~archives~: public records.

~sergeant~ means 'servant,' 'officer'--here of the law.

Ordinarily it is a rank in the army.

62. THE GOVERNMENT OF THE CITY.

PART III.

~Advocate~: argue in favour of.

~tenacity~: perseverance, holding on.

(Latin _teneo_, to hold.

) ~livery~: because the members of the different trade companies used to wear a distinguishing uniform or livery.

~fletchers~: arrow-makers.

(French _fleche_, an arrow.

) ~trust-money~: money entrusted for a certain purpose for which alone it can be used.

~technical~: where useful trades and sciences are taught.

63. LONDON.

GREATER LONDON.

~Conservative~: preserving, so far as convenient, the present state of things.

~functions~: powers and duties.

~reformatory schools~: where boys and girls who have committed some crime are sent to be reformed to better ways.

~assets~: property actually held, so that it can be set off against a debt.

~democratic~: giving power and influence to the people.

~oligarchic~: giving power and influence to the few.

~'law worthiness'~: right to assist in the making of laws.

* * * * * _Spottiswoode & Co. Printers, New-street Square, London_ * * * * * [Transcriber's Note: The following errors have been corrected in this text: Page 6: Fitzstephen's to FitzStephen's Page 68: fiteenth to fifteenth Page 108: SEVENTEENTH to FIFTEENTH Page 135: Westminter to Westminster Page 223: alway to always Page 246: Archishop to Archbishop Page 256: supressed to suppressed The following words are inconsistently hyphenated in the original text: folk-mote, folkmote; Lud-gate, Ludgate; pack-horse, packhorse;

river-side, riverside.

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