London's Loss of Charter.

"In London was such a Quarter, the like was never known,
About the forfeited Charter, betwixt the Court and the Town."

THE

-Song in Praise of the Loyal Stationers. 1682.

HE Writ of Quo Warranto against the Charter of London had been delivered to the Sheriffs near the end of December, 1681; but our ballad belongs to soon after June 12, 1683. It will be convenient to introduce it here, out of chronological order. Civic broils suddenly lost the zest of being waged between factions of nearly equivalent strength, when once they became mixed up with the stirring events of the Rye-House Plot (discovered on the following 19th of the same month).

It has been easy for radical Revolutionists, who sympathize with all opposition to constituted authority, so long as that authority is not held in their own hands, to rail at the recall of the Civic Charters in 1683. But like the suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act, in times of seditious outrage, or the temporary abrogation of Trial by Jury, when no just verdict can be won from any terrified or traitorous jurors, howsoever clear be the evidence of guilt, the pressure of circumstances has often been accounted sufficient justification for extreme acts at critical times. We may according to our humour take one or other explanation and excuse, for the King's party acting so sharply in curbing the City's privileges. But the root of the matter was this: the Revolutionary men had advanced defiantly towards rebellion, and had made preparations for Civil War, which if successful would have certainly overthrown the King and the Church, and been followed by judicial murder of the King, as in 164, if he were not cut off by assassination. The system of packing Juries by Whig Sheriffs had been carried too far not to be met by the Court wresting from its foes the nomination of the Sheriffs. For this movement the fulcrum was gained of a "loyal" or Tory Lord Mayor. That unqualified and disqualified voters were pressed forward in order to secure a majority who might return Whigs for the Shrievalty is indisputable. On strict scrutiny the apparent Whig majority was declared to be a minority. The privilege of nominating a Sheriff by drinking to him, which had been unchallenged by the Whigs so long as their own Mayors thus

After the poll had been declared adjourned by the Lord Mayor, on July 5th, '82, the numbers illegally taken were, for Papillion, 2754; Dubois, 2709; Box, 1609, and North, 1557. After unsatisfactory debates at the Guildhall, an order was given by Council that the poll should begin de novo, and great care be taken to preserve the peace of the city. Then followed confused proceedings, but ultimately Sir Dudley North remained as Sheriff, Sir Ralph Box cried off and paid the fine for exemption, and Peter Rich held office in his place.

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The Whig Sheriffs of London.

chose their own Sheriffs, was now indignantly repudiated, when Sir John Moore selected Tory North or Tory Box. The contest was severe, but the Court party at length triumphed. Papillion and Dubois not only fought hard to avoid defeat, but even braved the Law by presuming to arrest the Lord Mayor, Sir Wm. Pritchard, while in office, aided as they were by the notoriously immoral Forde Lord Grey of Werk, and other Monmouthites of the True-Blue Protestant fraternity: viz., Player, Slingsby Bethel, Cornish, Rich. Goodenough, Pilkington and Shute. This was in April, 1683.

Matthew Taubman had satirized Ward's Sheriffs of 1680 in a short song (wherein Philander again represents Charles II.), entitled

Philander.

Pox on the factions of the City,

AFor choosing two Presbyter Shr[ieve]s,

Alas! 'tis a great deal of pity,

My heart for Philander grieves.
He sent the Recorder of London,

Who by the factious was run down;

They are such Rogues they wish us undone;
Hang up those Dogs, oh! Billy Scroggs.

They tell us of Plots and of wonders,

To run Church and Monarchy down,
Whilst still the loud Pa[rliame]nt thunders
Against both Mitre and Crown.

The Co[mmo]ns to th' City are trotting amain,
Where they sit plotting who next shall reign,
Whilst we lye sotting; Charles to the Wain:
'Rogue 'em again!

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The Sheriffs were Pilkington and Shute; the Recorder, Jeffereys. A Loyal Song called "Loyalty Triumphant, on the Confirmation of Mr. North and Mr. [Peter] Rich, Sheriffs of London and Middlesex," begins, "Fill up the Bowl, and set it round, The day is won, the Sheriffs crown'd." It is to the tune of D'Urfey's Joy to the Bridegroom fill the sky: as to which see pp. 231 and 271. Another writer gave us, to the tune called Tom Farmer's Maggot, A New Catch.

London! O London! how comes it of late

There's such debating on matters of State ?

Of talking, of warring, and jarring among your selves?
'Tis the way to be quite all undon.

A Pox on the politick Rogue that begun

To rail, and to scrible, and put forth Libel,

'Gainst Monarch, and matters beyond your view;

In prying in things where you have nothing to do:
Tis wondrous pity, so great a City

Should ever be pester'd with such a Crew.

London Charter about to be surrendered.

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For anything that we know to the contrary, the same author gave us also the following ditty, which he entitles similarly

A New Catch.

Ome say the Plot goes on, and some for Rebellion hope,

But we'll combine, to drink good Wine, in spight of Phanatick or Pope. Jack Presbyter huffs and dings, And dirt on the Church he flings;

The Citizens swear they want but a Mayor

To make them do wondrous things.

But a curse on all Rogues and Fools! sure we are not all such Owls,
That twice in an age they can ever engage

The Nation to umep their Souls.

Among Nat. Thompson's Loyal Poems one appeared recording "The Great Despair of the London-Whigs for the Loss of the Charter," in fifty-one lines, which begin thus:

Then is our Charter (Polexfin 1) quite lost?

Is there no aid from the new sainted Post?
Are our Sham Plots and Perjuries all in vain?
If not, we'll summon Patience back again."

Saints' Prayers to Heaven w' have found will not prevail,
But more propitious Hell will never fail.

Therefore Titus Oates is exhorted to summon Shaftesbury "the once-great Tapski's Ghost," and with him his former agent Stephen College the Protestant Joiner, "The proto-martyr for the last Good Cause." It is well that Satirists of old were no more trustworthy than the ancient Canidia and modern Spirit-Rappers; otherwise the Night-Side of Nature would be as choak-full of nuisances as a Revolution Club. The Protestant Joiner's Ghost disembodied appears to have been restless and unprofitable, as when it inhabited his insignificant frame. A broadside printed for A. Turner, 1681, is entitled "Stephen College's Ghost to the Fanatical Cabal." It begins, "From the unfathomed Bowels of these cells."

Another Loyal Poem, entitled "The Charter: A Comical Satyr," begins, "As Sampson's strength up in his hair was ty'd, Rebellious strength was in the Charter hid." We give "The City Ballad," 1682, in the next group: 66 Prepare now, ye Cits, your Charter to lose."

1 Henry Polloxfen, with Counsellor Richard Wallop, engaged on the case. 2 Sir Patience Ward, convicted of perjury on 19th May, 1683, immediately afterwards retreated to Holland. He was answerable for the libel against the Papists, on the Monument, during his Mayoralty, 1680-81, but Slingsby Bethel was no doubt the chief offender, sheriff of the previous year.

[British Museum Collection, P.M. 1872, a. 1. fol. 45.]
London's Lamentation ;

Or,

AN EXCELLENT NEW SONG

On the Loss of London's Charter. 1683.

TO THE TUNE OF, Packington's Pound.

Ou Free-men, and Masters, and 'Prentices mourn,
For now you are left with your Charter forlorn:
Since London was London, I dare boldly say,

For your Riots you never so dearly did pay.
In Westminster-Hall

Your Dagon did fall,

That caused you to Riot and Mutiny all:

Oh London! Oh London! thou 'dst better had none,
Than thus with thy Charter to vie with the Throne.

Oh London! Oh London! how could'st thou pretend
Against thy Defender thy crimes to defend ?
Thy Freedom and Rights from kind Princes did spring,
And yet in contempt thou withstandest thy King;
With bold brazen face

They pleaded thy Case,

In hopes to the Charter the King wou'd give place:

Oh London! thou'dst better no Charter at all,

Than thus for Rebellion thy Charter shou'd fall.

Since Britains to London came over to dwell,

You had an old Charter to buy and to sell;

And whilst in Allegiance each honest man lives,

Then you had a Charter for Lord Mayor and Shrieves :
But when, with your Pride,

You began to backslide,

And London by Factions did run with the Tide,

Then London! Oh London! 'tis time to withdraw,
Lest the Flood of your Factions the Land over-flow.

When Faction and Fury of Rebels prevail'd,

When Coblers were Kings, and Monarchs were Jayl'd;
When Masters in Tumults their 'Prentices led,
And the Tail did begin to make War with the Head;

When Thomas and Kate

Did bring in their Plate,

T'uphold th' Old Cause of the Rump of the State:

Then tell me, Oh London! I prithee, now tell,
Had'st thou e'r a Charter to Fight and Rebel?

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Judgment was given against the City on 12th June, 1683, "That the liberties and franchises of the said City be taken into the King's hands." Charles, Louis, and York (Court-cards) walk in its funeral procession (see cut opposite).

London's Lamentation for loss of Charter.

When zealous Sham-Sheriffs the City oppose,
In 'spight of the Charter, the King, and the Laws,
And make such a Riot and Rout in the Town,
That never before such a Racket was known;

When Rioters dare

Arrest the Lord May'r,

And force the King's Substitute out of the Chair;
Oh London! whose Charter is now on the Lees,
Did your Charter e'r warrant such actions as these?

Alas for the Brethren! what now must they do,
For choosing Whig-Sheriffs and Burgesses too?
The Charter with Patience is gone to the pot,
And the Doctor is lost in the depth of the Plot.
St. Stephen his Flayl
No more will prevail,

Nor Sir Robert's Dagger the Charter to bail :
Oh London! thou' dst better have suffer'd by Fire,
Then thus thy old Charter shou'd stick in the Mire.

But since with your Folly, your Faction and Pride,
You sink with the Charter, who strove with the Tide,
Let all the lost Rivers return to the Main

From whence they descended; they 'l spring out again:
Submit to the King

In every thing,

Then of a New Charter new Sonnets we 'll sing:

As London (the Phoenix of England) ne'r dies,

So out of the Flames a New Charter will rise.

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[April, 1683.

45

[Aldermen.

[Sir P. Ward. [Oates. [S. College.

[Clayton

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Printed by Nathanael] T[hompson], at the Entrance into the Old Spring-Gardens. [White-letter. No woodcut; this one belongs to p. 30 R. Date, June, 1683.]