Mary Magdalen and of All Saints, by the Guildhall, called London College;" the full establishment of which consisted of a Custos, or Warden, seven Priests, three Clerks, and four Choristers. Even admitting the books to have actually been removed by Somerset, it may be presumed that they were not taken away until after the suppression of the Chapel, and whilst it yet remained in the power of the crown.* It is a singular and extraordinary fact, that such a powerful body as the Corporation of London should, almost to the present period, have given so little encouragement to Literature, as scarcely to have had a printed book in their possession! This reproach, however, is now in a rapid course of removal, for early in the year 1824, it was unanimously resolved, to establish a Library in Guildhall, under the direction of thirteen members of the Common Council; and in order to carry this resolution into practice, 2001. per annum was granted for the purchase of books, and 5001. as an outfit. The collection already includes many rare and valuable publications on Civic * It appears, from Newcourt's "Repertorium," pp. 132— 217, that this Chapel was not granted to the City until the 4th of Edward VI. Its clear value, according to Sancroft's MS. Valor. was 131. 16s. 8d. per annum. From the Notes to Dr. Knight's "Life of Dean Colet," (pp. 85, 86,) it appears, that if the Wardenship of this College was not filled up within twenty-four days after every vacancy, the Bishop of London, or his Vicar-General, when the See was full, and the Dean of St. Paul's, when the See was vacant, was to present the Warden. history and topography: and the Committee are particularly anxious to render it a complete store of the first works of authority on municipal subjects. A department of maps, plans, and prints, relating to London, and generally, to the property of the City, is attached to the Library, and a Librarian has been recently appointed; but how far the collection will be rendered available to the public, is as yet undetermined, The City muniments, comprising ancient charters, records, &c. under the care of the Town Clerk, comprise one of the most valuable collections now extant. BLACKWELL HALL, which adjoined to the south side of Guildhall Chapel, was an edifice of much note, both from the remoteness of its date, and from the use to which it was appropriated for centuries. Stow, who attributes its foundation to "the age posterior to the Conquest," says, that it was builded upon vaults of Caen stone," and that of "olde time," it belonged to the [mercantile] family of the Basings, which was in this realm a name of great antiquity and renowne," and several of whom were Sheriffs of London, at different periods, from the time of King John to the reign of Edward the Second.* From that family, it was called Basing's Haugh, or Hall, 66 66 Survey of London," p. 227: edit. 1598. The arms of the Basings, a gerond of twelve points, golde and azure," were "abundantlie placed in sundry partes of that house, even in the stone worke, but more especially in the walles of the Hall, which carried a continuall painting of them, on every side, so close together as one escutcheon could be placed by another."-Ibid. and it gave name to the surrounding Ward (which was principally built on the land of the " Basings"), now corruptly called Bassishaw Ward. In the 36th of Edward III., Basing's Hall was the dwelling of Thomas Bakewell in the next reign (20th Richard II.) it was purchased by the City, under the appellation of Bakewall Hall (afterwards corrupted into Blackwell Hall), together with two gardens, one messuage, two shops, and other appurtenances in the adjoining Parishes of St. Michael and St. Lawrence, for the sum of 501. Immediately afterwards, the buildings were converted into a storehouse and market-place for the sale of every kind of woollen cloth that should be brought into London; and it was ordered, that no woollen cloth should be sold elsewhere, under pain of forfeiture, unless it had at first been lodged, &c. at the common market in this Hall. The ground-work of these regulations was to prevent frauds in the manufacture of cloths, which might bring English commerce into discredit in Foreign markets; and the regulations themselves were protected by divers ordinances and proclamations. On the establishment of Christ's Hospital, by Edward VI., a part of the revenue of the Hall was applied to the support of that charity, and the management of the warehouses was vested in its Governors; but, from the progressive alterations which took place in the mode of conducting the woollen trade during the two last centuries, the Blackwell Hall market has been wholly diverted into new channels. The mansion of the Basings having become ruinous, a new Hall was erected upon its site in the latter part of Queen Elizabeth's reign. That building was mostly destroyed by the Great Fire, after which, about 1672, the late extensive pile was erected: it inclosed two quadrangular courts, and had three spacious entrances by arched gateways. The principal entrance, in Guildhall Yard, was flanked by two columns of the Doric order, sustaining an entablature and pediment; among the ornaments, were sculptures of the Royal Arms and of the Arms of the City. ANTIQUITIES OF THE SEE OF LONDON.FOUNDATION The origin of the Ecclesiastical Government of this Diocese, is involved in great obscurity: yet, without attending either to the legend of King Lucius, and his conversion to Christianity about the middle of the second century, or that of the ArchFlamens, whom Geoffrey of Monmouth has seated at York, Caerleon, and London, there can be little doubt of there having been a Bishop of this City previously to the year 326, at which time Restitutus, who was present at the second Council of Arles, in France, subscribed his name and style in these words: "Ex Provincia Britannia Civitate Londinensi Restitutus Episcopus." But whatever might have been the early prevalence of Christianity in this Diocese, it had certainly been afterwards supplanted by the Pagan worship of the Saxons. At the landing of Augustin," the Apostle of the English," in Kent, and the conversion of the Kentish Saxons, King Ethelbert, to whom all the country, south of the Humber, appears to have been feudatory, erected a Cathedral Church on the site of the present St. Paul's, in the year 610. London, which, according to the venerable Bede, was "the emporium of many nations," having been fixed on for a Bishop's See by Augustin himself; and Mellitus, one of the companions of his Mission, was appointed its first Bishop, in 604. Sebert, nephew of King Ethelbert (and founder of Westminster Abbey), was at that period King of the East Saxons, and his Kingdom, which included the Counties of Middlesex and Essex, and part of Hertfordshire, was commensurate with the extent of the present Diocese. On the decease both of Ethelbert and Sebert, in 1616, their subjects relapsed into Paganism, and Mellitus was expelled from his See by the three Sons of Sebert, to whom he had refused the Communion of the Sacrament, unless they would consent to be baptized. Bede has thus related the particulars of this transaction, which most probably took place within St. Paul's Church. "The death of King Sabareth," [Sebert,] says Bede, much increased the trouble and persecution of the Church. He departing to the everlasting kingdom of Heaven, left his three sons, who were yet Pagans, heirs of his temporal kingdom on earth. Immediately on their |