this it was answered that they would die sword in hand;' and the Lord Sands particularly pressed the earl to fight his way through, observing that it was more honourable to fall by the sword than the axe. Essex, however, being sore vexed with the cryes of ladies, and convinced probably of the impossibility of the escape, surrendered about ten o'clock the same night, together with the Earls of Southampton and Rutland, and the Lords Sands, Cromwell, Monteagle, and others; all of whom were put into boats and sent to the Tower.* On the following day, the queen, by proclamation, thanked the Londoners for their fidelity, and warned them withal to have a watchful eye on whatever passed in the city. Within a few days afterwards, all vagabonds were ordered to leave the city upon pain of death; the court having received information, that a great number of persons lay hid, with intent to rescue the earl, should they find opportunity. On the 19th of February, Essex and his friend Southampton were condemned for high treason in Westminster-hall, and the former was beheaded in the Tower, on Ash-Wednesday, being the sixth day after. He died with a firm, but penitent spirit; and was still held in such regard by the populace, that his executioner was beaten as he returned homewards, and would have been murthered,' had. not the sheriffs of London been called to assist and rescue him.'+ In the following month, Sir Christopher Blunt and Sir Charles Danvers were beheaded on Tower-hill, for their concern in Essex's conspiray, and Sir Giles Mericke, and Henry Cuff, gent. were hanged, bowelled, and quartered at Tyburn.' The former had been the earl's steward, the latter his confidential secretary. The trade and navigation on the English coasts being greatly interrupted by the depredations of Spanish privateers, the queen in 1601, ordered a number of ships to be fitted out to cruize against them; and on this occasion, no less than five fifteenths were assessed upon the citizens of London, towards defraying the expence of the armament; and a proclamation was issued for discharging all such debtors in the goals of London as were willing to enter on board the said ships. In the year 1602, the trade of the city of London having been greatly injured by the increase of hawkers and pedlars, the common council enacted, "That no citizen, or other inhabitant of London, for the future, should, under any pretence whatsoever, presume to let, before his, her, or their house, any stall, stand, or perpresture, upon the penalty of twenty shillings. And that all hawkers offending against the tenor of this act, not only to forfeit all their goods so * Camb. Eliz. "From this time," says Stow," untill all arraynments and executions were past, the citizens were exceedingly troubled, and charged with double watches, and warding, as well abou' the court as the cittie." Howe's ↑ Howe's Stow, p. 794. offered to sale, but likewise pay a fine of twenty shillings for every such offence." In the Foedera* is another proclamation of Elizabeth, for restraining the increase of buildings in the metropolis, by which she commands all persons to desist from any new building of any house or tenement within three miles of London; only one family to live in any house; empty houses erected within seven years not to be let; and unfinished buildings on new foundations to be pulled down' with many other articles of less importance. On the 24th of December, a slight shock of an earthquake was felt even at noone.'t In May, 1602, 'great pressing of soldiers was made about London, to be sent into the Low Countries;' and in the following month, another proclamation was made for restraining the increase of buildings, and for the 'voyding of inmates,' in the cities of London and Westminster, and for the space of three miles distant.' In August, the city furnished two hundred soldiers for service in Ireland; and in the ensuing January, fitted out two ships and a pinnace to lye before Dunkerke,' at an expence for manning and victualling of 60001. per annum. This was the last demand made by Elizabeth on the citizens; and it is remarked by historians, that during the long reign of that princess, and considerimg the readiness with which the citizens of London always answered her demands, she did not grant them any new charter of privileges, or even so much as confirm those which had been given by her predecessors. During the three last years, many seminary priests suffered in different parts of London. On the 24th of March, 1663, the queen expired at Richmond. On the same day, James the Sixth of Scotland was proclaimed her successor at the accustomed places in the city; the privy council, with the Lord Mayor and aldermen attending the ceremony. The proclamation had been drawn up with much form, and was most distinctly and ablie read by Sir Robert Cecil,' secretary of state to the late queen. Elizabeth was buried at Westminster on the 28th of April, "at which time, that cittie was surcharged with multitudes of all sorts of people in their streetes, houses, windows, leads, and gutters, that came to see the obsequie; and when they beheld her statue or picture lying upon the coffin, set forth in royal robes, having a crown uppon the head thereof, and a ball and sceptre in either hand, there was such a generall syghing, groaning, and weeping, as the like hath not beene seene or knowne in the memorie of man, neyther doth any historie mention any * Vol. xvi. p. 448. + Howe's Stow, p. 797. ll Ibid. people, time, or state, to make like lamentation for the death of their soverayne.' CHAPTER XI. History of London during the reign of James the First. On the 7th of May, the new king made his public entry into London. At Stamford-hill, he was met by the Lord Mayor and Aldermen, in scarlet robes, and 500 grave citizens in velvet coats, and chaynes of golde, being all very well mounted like the sheriffes and their trayne; the serjeants at armes, and all the English heraulds in their coates of armes, &c. and multitudes of people swarming in fields, houses, trees, and high wayes to beholde the king. Albeit, these numbers were no way comparable unto those he mette neare London."+ About six in the evening, he was conducted to the Charter-house, where he and all his trayne were treated with a most royall entertainment,' by the Lord Thomas Howard, for four days, after which he removed to Whitehall, and from thence to the Tower. 6 The preparations that were making by the citizens to do honour to the king's coronation, were interrupted by a dreadful plague, which spread its ravages through the capital with more merciless virulence, than any similar calamity that had happened since the time of Edward the Third. Their majesties, however, were crowned on the 25th of July, but they rode not through the citty in royall manner, as had beene accustomed, neither were the citizens permitted to come to Westminster, but forbidden by proclamation, for fear of infection to be by that means increased, for there died that week in the city and suburbs 857 of the plague.' This prohibition, however, did not extend to the lord mayor and principal citizens, who officiated at the coronation dinner, as usual, as chief butlers. On the day following, the king, who by his readiness to bestow honors, seemed to regard nobility as a jest, knighted all the city aldermen who had not previously undergone that ceremony. The plague continuing to increase, occa ioned the issuing of a proclamation against the keeping of Bartholomew fair, or any other fair within fifty miles of London; and about the same time, the statutes against rogues, vagabonds, sole, and dissolute persons, was + Ibid, p. 823 Howe's Stow, p. 812. Ibid. 827. ordered to be enforced : multitudes of dwellers in straight roomes' were prohibited, and newly-erected houses commanded to be pulled down. Several other proclamations against new buildings in London were made in this reign. A conceit or a pun passed with James as an argument, and he acted accordingly. 'The growth of the capital,' he remarked, 'resembled that of the head of a rickety child, in which an excessive influx of humour drained and impoverished the extremities, and at the same generated distem er n the overloaded part.' 6 The number that died of the plague in the course of this year was 30,578. During its continuance, the Michaelmas term was held at Winchester, and the courts of exchequer, &c. at Richmond in Surrey. At length, its ravages having ceased, the citizens resumed the preparation of their pageantry, and the king and queen, with the young prince Henry, 'passed triumphantly from the Tower to Westminster,' on the 15th of March, 1604. The king rode on a 'white gennet under a rich canopie' sustained by six gentlemen of the privy council. Seven triumphal arches or gates were raised in different parts of the city; and in the Strand was erected the invention of a rainbow, with the moone, sunne, and starres, advanced between two pyramids.'+ In short, the whole city and suburbs displayed a continued scene of pageantry; and all the city companies were arrayed in their formalities, and marshalled in their order of precedence, from the upper end of Mark-lane to the conduite in Fleet-street; the 'stremers, engines, and banners of each particular company being decently fixed.'t On the 19th of March, James opened his first parliament, at Westminster, by a long speech from the throne, in which good sense and pedantry were pretty equally blended. In the July following, this parliament was prorogued in displeasure, for having dared to remind the monarch of the privileges of the commons, after he had arbitrarily interfered in a contested election.§ James began early to stretch the prerogative unwarrantably, and to his endeavours to establish a blind deference to kingly authority, may be traced those events, which led his successor to the block. In September, the king borrowed certain sums' of money, ca 'privie scales, sent to the wealthiest citizens of London,' for that purpose. These sums appear to have been punctually repaid, together with 60,0001. which Queen Elizabeth had borrowed of the citizens in February, 1598. On the 24th of October, James was first proclaimed King of Great Britain, France, Ireland, &c. in most solemne manner, at the Great Crosse in West Cheape.' This was preparatory to the • Howe's Stow, p. 827. + Ibid. $ Ibid. Among the Acts passed by this parliament, through the king's influ ence, was that against conjuration. witchcraft, and dealing with evil spirits. Howe's Stow, p. 856. Union with Scotland, a measure which the king had much at heart, though greatly against the inclinations of his English subjects. The court of requests, which had been originally established by an act of common council, was found so beneficial, that an act of parliament was obtained in 1604, to confirm the power and jurisdiction of it; but many ill-disposed persons having attempted to wrest some ambiguous words in to cloak their own sinister purposes, a second act was found necessary in the following year; by which the former one was confirmed, and the authority of the court extended to non-freemen resident in the city.* In August, 1605, the king granted to the city a charter confirmatory of its right to the metage of all coals, grain, salt, fruits, eatable roots, and other merchandizes, wares, and things measurable,' brought within the limits of the city jurisdiction of the river Thames; and which had been several times questioned by the lieutenants of the Tower. About this period, the horrible conspiracy, known in history by the name of the Gunpowder Plot, the grand object of which was to prepare the way for the restoration of the Catholic religion, was carrying on by its daring contrivers, with every possible precaution that seemed necessary to ensure its success. The destruction of the king and parliament was the preliminary measure through which the conspirators thought to accomplish their design; and the blowing up the Parliament-house with gunpowder, at the moment when the sovereign should be commencing the business of the session by the accustomed speech from the throne, was the dreadful means by which that destruction was intended to be accomplished. All the principal conspirators were bigotted Catholics, who had for many years been plotting the downfall of Protestantism in this country, and had even sent messengers for foreign aid both to Spain and Flanders. Being disappointed, however, in the assistance they required, they resolved to depend upon their own efforts; and about Easter 1604, Winter and Catesby conceived the infernal idea of the Gunpowder plot; and this scheme having been communicated to several others, under the strongest oaths of secrecy and the solemnity of the eucharist, was agreed to be carried into effect on the meeting of parliament in the ensuing February. Some scruples of conscience, which even this hardened band could not help feeling, were soon removed by Jesuitical casuistry; and Henry Garnet, the provincial of the English Jesuits, is stated to have administered the sacrament to the five principal conspirators, Percy, Catesby, Winter, Guy Fawkes, and Wright, in a house at the back of St. Cle ment's church in the Strand, immediately after they had sworn fidelity to each other, and to the cause, upon a primer. In the beginning of December, Percy, who was cousin to the Earl of Northumberland, and one of the gentlemen-pensioners, * Lambert's London, ii. 29. |