It was so called, because it was constructed in Holland, entirely of wood, and, being brought over in pieces, was erected in this place with wooden pegs only, not a single nail being used in the whole fabric. Its situation is even yet pointed out by the seventh and eighth arches of London Bridge, from the Southwark end, being still called the draw lock, and the nonesuch lock. On the London side of the bridge, the Nonesuch House was partly joined to numerous small wooden dwellings, of about twenty-seven feet in depth, which hung over the parapet on each side, leaving, however, a clear space of twenty feet in the centre; though, over all these, its carved gables, cupolas, and gilded vanes, majestically towered. Two sun-dials, declining east and west, also crowned the top on the south side; on the former of which was painted the old and appropriate admonition of Time and Tide stay for no man;' though these ornaments do not appear to have been erected until the year 1681, in the mayoralty of Sir Patience Ward.

We know not at what exact period London Bridge was first occupied by shops, but in the survey of bridge-lands, it appears very probable that some of the shops in the Bridge-street were actually erected on the bridge. Houses with distinguishing signs, however, must have been built upon this edifice at a very early period; for the first notice of one is in the fire which broke out at the Pannier, at the north end of the bridge, in 1504; whilst the next is not older than 1619, and occurs in a letter written October the 6th, by George Herbert, the pious author of the Temple, and printed at the end of Izaak Walton's Lives. The principal ancient residences of the London booksellers were— St. Paul's Churchyard, Little Britain, Paternoster-row, and London Bridge: the title-pages of many books showing that they were printed for publishers on the latter site.

There were also chapels. The custom of erecting religious houses on bridges is certainly of great antiquity. A notable instance of this kind was on the bridge at Droitwich, where the road passed through the chapel and separated the congregation from the reading desk and pulpit. Another famous bridge-chapel is also to be found erected over the river Calder, at Wakefield, in the West Riding of Yorkshire. This beautiful fane was built by King Edward IV, in memory of his father, Richard, Duke of York, who was killed in the battle fought near Wakefield, on December the 31st, 1460. Markets, too, were held on London Bridge.

In 1760, all the buildings on London Bridge were removed: but it is not for us to go through all the alterations and accidents which the author so circumstantially relates. We ought, however, to mention, that the history of the water-works-of the estates and their produce-of wages and salaries, showing the value of money-and of a multitude of other relative circum

stances,-is replete with information, and must be esteemed of great importance by the citizens and corporate body of London. In January 1665-6 (as noticed by Pepys), a hurricane blew away the pales on London Bridge, upon which a jesting ballad was made at that time, and we quote it to prove how much has been stolen from it by later writers.

Some Christian people all give ear
Unto the grief of us-

Caused by the death of three children dear,
The which it happened thus:

And eke there befel an accident,

By fault of a carpenter's son,
Who to saw chips his ax-e-lent

Woe worth the time may Lon

May London say: woe worth the carpenter!
And all such block-head fools;

Would he were hanged up like a sarpent here
For meddling with edge tools.

For into the chips there fell a spark,
Which put out in sucb flames,

That it was known into South-wark

Which lies beyond the Thames.

For loe! the bridge was wondrous high,
With water underneath;

O'er which as many fishes fly

As birds therein do breathe.

And yet the fire consumed the brigg,
Not far from place of landing;
And, though the building was full big,
It fell down,-not with standing.
And eke into the water fell

So many pewter dishes,

That a man might have taken up very well
Both boil'd and roasted fishes!

And thus the bridge of London town,
For building that was sumptuous,
Was all by fire half burnt down,
For being too contumptious!

Thus you have all but half my song,-
Pray list to what comes ater;
For now I have cooled you with the fire,
I'll warm you with the water!

I'll tell you what the river's name's

Where these children did slide-a, It was fair London's swiftest Thames, Which keeps both time and tide—a, All on the tenth of January,

To the wonder of much people; 'Twas frozen o'er that well 'twould bear Almost a country steeple !

Three children sliding thereabout,

Upon a place too thin:

That so, at last, it did fall out,

That they did all fall in.

A great lord there was that laid with the king,
And with the king great wager makes;
But when he saw that he could not win
He sigh'd, and would have drawn stakes.

He said it would bear a man for to slide,
And laid a hundred pound;

The king said it would break, and so it did,
For three children there were drowned;

Of which, one's head was from his should-
ers stricken, whose name was John;

Who then cried out as loud as he could, 'Oh Lon-a, Lon-a, Lon-don,

Oh, tut-tut-turn from thy sinful race!'
Thus did his speech decay:

I wonder that, in such a case,

He had no more to say.

And thus being drowned, alack, aláck!

The water ran down their throats,

And stopped their breath three hours by the clock, Before they could get any boats!

Ye parents all that children have,

And ye that have none yet,

Preserve your children from the grave,
And teach them at home to sit.

For had these at a sermon been,
Or else upon dry ground,

Why then I never would have been seen,
If that they had been drowned!

Even as a huntsman ties his dogs,
For fear they should go fro him;
So tye your children with severity's clogs,
Untie 'em-and you'll undo 'em.

God bless our noble parliament,
And rid them from all fears;

God bless all the commons of this land,
And God bless-some of the peers!

Howell the poet has some very bombastic verses in praise of the bridge-an imitation (with augmentation) of Sannazario's sonnet to the Bridge of Venice. It runs thus

When Neptune from his billows London spyde,
Brought proudly hither by a high spring-tyde;
As through a floating wood he steered along,
And dancing castles clustered in a throng;
When he beheld a mighty bridge give law
Unto his surges, and their fury awe;
When such a shelf of cataracts did roar,

As if the Thames with Nile had changed her shore;
When he such massy walls, such tow'rs did eye,
Such posts, such irons, upon his back to lye;
When such vast arches he observed, that might
Nineteen Rialtos make, for depth and height;
When the cerulean god these things survayed,
He shook his trident, and astonished said,—
Let the whole earth now all her wonders count,
This bridge of wonders is the paramount!

Yet, notwithstanding this author's praises of the Bridge of the World,' as he calls it, he makes us acquainted with what may be considered as an ancient satire upon it; since he says, 'If London Bridge had fewer eyes, it would see far better.' The arches of this edifice, and the dangerous passage through them, have also given rise to another quaint saying, which is recorded in the Rev. J. Ray's Collection of Proverbs, and which is, 'London Bridge was made for wise men to go over, and fools to go under.'

Astronomical Occurrences

In MARCH 1829.

SOLAR PHENOMENA.

THE Sun enters Aries at 37 m. past 8 in the evening of the 20th of this month, and he rises and sets during the same period as in the following

TABLE

Of the Sun's Rising and Setting for every fifth Day.

March 1st, Sun rises 35 m. after 6, sets 25 m. past 5

25

35

5

......

11th

15

....

16th

5

6
6

The hour indicated by a good sun-dial being observed, and corrected by means of the corresponding equation of time, gives the hour which ought to be specified by a well-regulated clock, and consequently affords an easy method of ascertaining how much it is too fast or too slow, and of correcting it accordingly.

TABLE

Of the Equation of Time for every fifth Day.

m. s.

Sunday March 1st, to the time by the dial add 12 38