The History of London by Walter Besant (best classic books TXT) 📕

people could read or write that men often had to have recourse to professional writers.

~deed~: a written document relating to some legal transaction.

~conveyance~: a writing legally transferring from one person to another property, especially houses and land.

~Humphrey Duke of Gloucester~ was the youngest brother of Henry V., on whose death he was made regent in England in 1422. He died in 1447.

~St. Cuthbert~ was a monk, missionary, and bishop of Lindesfarne, an island off the coast of Northumberland, where he died in 687 A.D., and was buried in Durham Cathedral.

~sacristy~: a room adjoining a church where sacred vessels, vestments, &c. are kept.


24. ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL. PART II.

~Inigo Jones~ (born 1572, died 1652) was a celebrated architect.

~Portico~: a row of columns in front of a building.

~Exchange~: a building where merchants meet to transact business.

~nave~: the main body of a church, the aisles being on each side of the nave.

~King Charles II. returned~ at the Restoration in 1660.

~Sir Christopher Wren~ (born 1632, died 1723): the greatest English architect. After the great fire he rebuilt St. Paul's Cathedral, fifty London churches, and many public buildings. Over his tomb in St. Paul's is the inscription in Latin: 'If you seek for his monument, look round about you.'

~The Peace of Ryswick~, 1697, made by England, Spain, and Holland with Louis XIV. of France.

~Dr. Johnson~ (born 1709, died 1784): one of the great names in English literature, and author of a celebrated dictionary.

~oriental scholar~, or ~orientalist~, is a man who studies Eastern or Indian languages, such as Persian, Arabic, Hindi, Sanskrit, &c.

~sarcophagus~: a stone chest for holding a corpse.

~porphyry~: a hard kind of stone coloured purple and white.

~Battle of the Nile~, 1798; ~Cape St. Vincent~, 1797; ~Camperdown~, 1797.

~Lord Almoner~: the official who dispenses the royal charities and bounties.

~Slavonic~: a group of kindred languages, including Russian, Polish, and Bulgarian.


25. PAUL'S CHURCHYARD.

~Embattled~: built with battlements.

~minor canons~: clergy of the cathedral who intone the services and look after the music.

~charnel~: containing the bones of the dead.

~Finsbury Fields~: the _fenny_ or marshy ground lying north of the Moorgate of the old City walls.

~Papal Bulls~: decrees and orders issued by the Pope, so called from the seal attached to them.

~Latimer~ (born 1470, died 1555), Bishop of Worcester, burnt at the stake for his Protestant opinions together with Ridley, Bishop of London.

~chapter house~: the building where the chapter or clergy belonging to the cathedral meet.

~Sacrist~: the official in a cathedral who copied and took care of the music and books.

~Paul's Chain~: so called because traffic was stopped by a chain during the hours of service.


26. THE RELIGIOUS HOUSES.

~Forester~: one who has charge of a forest to cut wood, plant new trees, &c.

~vicar~: one who acts in place of another; hence a priest who on behalf of his monastery conducted services in a parish church.

~orders~: the different brotherhoods into which monks were divided.

~indiscriminate charity~: giving without thinking, whether the charity is well or ill bestowed.

~Minorites~: monks or nuns belonging to the Franciscan Order, who in their humility called themselves the 'lesser' (_minores_) brethren, or sisters.

~Blackfriars~ were the Dominicans; ~Whitefriars~ were the Carmelites; ~Greyfriars~ were Franciscans, from the colour of their respective dresses.

~Charter House~: the house of the Carthusian monks.

~Temple~: once the house of the ~Templars~, an order of knights whose duty it was to protect the Holy Sepulchre.

~part of the church ... still to be seen~: at Clerkenwell the gate of the priory of St. John's is still standing.


27. MONKS, FRIARS, AND NUNS.

~Indiscriminately~: without making any distinctions between them.

~hermit~, from the Greek, and ~solitary~, from the Latin, mean the same thing--one who retires from the world and lives in a lonely place.

~Monte Casino~, in Campania, near Naples, where St. Benedict established his monastery in 529 A.D.

~St. Benedict~ is often shortened to Benet, as in the name of several London churches.

~austerities~: severe rules of life and conduct.

~Friars~, or brethren (French _freres_, Latin _fratres_): those orders that went forth to the people.

~Assisi~: a town in Central Italy where St. Francis was born.

~St. Dominic~: born in Castile, in Spain, 1170, died 1221; founded his order to convert 'heretics,' and procured the establishment of the ~Inquisition~, or court for punishing heretics.

~Sanctuary~: a refuge where criminals were safe from the law. Sir W. Scott in the 'Fortunes of Nigel' well describes the lawless character of this district in the reign of James I.

~St. Bernard~: a celebrated brother of the Cistercian Order (born 1091, died 1153).


28. THE LONDON CHURCHES.

~St. Augustine~ was sent by Pope Gregory the Great in 597 to convert the heathen English: he was the 'Apostle of the English,' and first Archbishop of Canterbury.

~St. Dunstan~, who became Archbishop of Canterbury and died in 988, was not only a zealous priest but a great statesman and ruler.

~St. Alphege~: an Archbishop of Canterbury murdered by the Danes in 1012 A.D.

~Sise Lane~: a lane in the City, near Cannon Street.

~The Basings~: an old City family whose name also survives in the 'Bassishaw' ward of the City, and in Basinghall Street.

~Bread Street~, turning out of Cheapside, shows where the bakers chiefly dwelt in Old London.

~John Milton~ (born 1608, died 1674) wrote 'Paradise Lost,' 'Paradise Regained,' and some beautiful shorter pieces.

~Three Poets~: i. the Greek Homer, reputed author of those noble epics the 'Iliad' and 'Odyssey' (about 1000 B.C.); ii. the Roman Virgil, who wrote the 'AEneid' (born 70 B.C.); iii. the English Milton. The famous epitaph was written by John Dryden.

~William Tyndal~ assisted the Reformation by translating the New Testament into English (1526), and part of the Old Testament. He was burnt as a heretic at Vilvoorde, near Brussels, in 1536.

~William Cowper~ (born 1731, died 1800), the author of 'The Task' and other beautiful poems.


29. THE STREETS.

~Plantagenet~: Henry II., 1154-1189, was the first of the line of kings bearing this name, so called from the badge worn by Henry's father, a sprig of broom.

~Chesel~ was the Anglo-Saxon for pebble, and Kiesel is the German for the same. The ~Chesil Beach~, near Weymouth, is a remarkable bank of shingle joining Portland Bill to the mainland.

~Somerset House~, in the Strand: the palace of the Protector Somerset has been pulled down, and public offices erected on its site.

~Northumberland House~, now demolished, has given its name to Northumberland Avenue, near Charing Cross.

~Southwark ... many Inns~: in particular the Tabard, where Chaucer's pilgrims assembled.

~mediaeval~: living in the middle ages, that is, some time before about 1500 A.D.

~ironmongers in their Lane~: that is, Ironmonger Lane, turning out of Cheapside.


30. WHITTINGTON. PART I.

~Mercer~: a merchant who sells silken or woollen goods.

~executors~: those who are appointed to carry out the last will and testament of a dead man.

~Levantine~, in the Levant, or eastern part of the Mediterranean.

~Guinea~, on the west coast of Africa.

~Pizarro~: a Spanish adventurer who conquered Peru from its native rulers or Incas, and was murdered in his palace at Lima in 1541.

~a piece of eight~ (dollars), that is, about 30_s._

~assessment~: the value put upon house or property in order to fix the amount of taxes to be paid.


31. WHITTINGTON. PART II.

~Vintner~: a wine-seller.

~Wycliffe~, born about 1324, was a learned theologian and rector of Lutterworth, in Leicestershire. For preaching Protestant doctrines he was summoned to appear at St. Paul's to answer a charge of heresy in 1377.

~John of Gaunt~ thus made the second attempt to deprive London of its liberties and charter; Matilda, the opponent of Stephen, had tried long before, but it ended in her overthrow (_see_ p. 45).

~The Marshal~ was the commander of the Royal forces. To put London under him was to destroy its liberty. This office is hereditary in the family of the Duke of Norfolk, and like other royal offices became unimportant when it became hereditary.

~rebellion of the peasants, 1381~, against over-taxation and being bound to the soil as serfs by their landlords. ~John Ball~, the popular preacher, used to ask:


'When Adam delved and Eve span,
Who was then a gentleman?'


~The Archbishop of Canterbury~, Simon of Sudbury, had as chancellor proposed the taxes complained of; therefore the peasants murdered him.

~rescinding~: repealing of a law.


32. WHITTINGTON. PART III.

~Burning of heretics and Lollards~: in 1401, in the reign of Henry IV., an Act of Parliament was passed for burning heretics.

~Lollards~ were those who differed from the Church before the Reformation. The name comes from a German word _lollen_, to sing--from the custom of these reformers.

~Mansion House~: the official home of the Lord Mayor. The present building was begun in 1739; previously a house in Cheapside was used for the purpose.

~bond~: a written obligation binding someone to pay a sum of money. When money was needed the King used to borrow from wealthy citizens and give a bond or promise to repay.

~St. Michael's Paternoster Royal~ is in College Hill, near Cannon Street. The church was so called from the Tower Royal given by Edward III. in 1331 to his queen, Philippa, for her wardrobe.


33. GIFTS AND BEQUESTS.

~Mark~: a coin, now obsolete, worth 13_s._ 4_d._

~interdicted~: forbidden, prevented.

~technical school~: where useful and practical arts and trades are taught.

~aqueduct~: an artificial channel for water.

~Sevenoaks~, in Kent.

~Higham Ferrers~ is a small town in Northamptonshire.


34. THE PALACES AND GREAT HOUSES.

~The King Maker~: Warwick was so called because he helped Edward IV. to become king in 1461, and restored Henry VI. for a time in 1470. He was slain at the battle of Barnet, 1471.

~quadrangle~: an open court, square, with buildings all round it.

~College of Heralds~: a Government office under the Earl Marshal which looks after pedigrees and armorial bearings.

~Hampton Court~: a Royal palace begun by Cardinal Wolsey.

~St. James's Palace~: the official residence of the Queen in London, Buckingham Palace being her private residence.

~buttery~: a storeroom where liquors and other provisions were kept.

~Baynard's Castle~ has given its name to one of the City wards.

~The Duke of Buckingham~ secured the crown for Richard III., and then being insufficiently rewarded rebelled against him, and was executed in 1483.

~George, Duke of Clarence~, brother of Edward IV., first sided with his father-in-law, the Earl of Warwick, then joined his brother in 1471. With justice, therefore, Shakespeare called him 'false, fleeting, perjured Clarence. He was accused of treason and found dead in the Tower in 1478.


35. AMUSEMENTS.

~Tournament~: a sham fight at which knights, mostly on horseback, used to show their skill.

~Twelfth Day~: twelve days after Christmas, formerly an occasion of great festivities, which have now nearly died out.

~Morris-dance~: a _Moorish_ dance to an accompaniment of bells and tambourines.

~cresset~: a kind of lantern formed of an open brazier filled with combustible materials.

~demilance~: a kind of horse-soldier armed with a short lance.

~mummeries~: entertainments performed by men in masks.

~Curfew~: the bell rung at eight o'clock at