Part I. Life) to the value of about 11cc07. per Annum; and with great Arrears of the faid Penfions which (together with one Annuity of 1000 1. that they have bought off) have coft the Governours near 30000 l. As to the latter, to wit, the Number of fmall Livings, the Lords the Bifhops, at the Request of the reft of the Governours, made a Return to them of all Livings in their respective Diocefes, not exceeding 80 / per Annum, the whole Number of which amounted to above 5oco. This being the State both of the Revenue and of the poor Livings, and the Demands of an Augmentation being fo great, and the Affet: fo fmall, there remained but one way to make the poor Clergy fenfible of the late Queens Bounty, the effects of which (being ignorant of the Difficulties that had lain fo long in the way) they had been expecting fo many Years; wherefore the Governours humbly reprefented the condition of the Revenue to her late Majefty, and procured Her leave to bring into Parliament a Bill for discharging small Livings from their Firft Fruits and Tenths, and all Arrears thereof; by which, and by a fubfequent Act in the Sixth Year of the late Queen, for allowing a longer time to the Bishops for returning their Certificates of fuch poor Livings as had loft the Benefit of the first Act, almost Half the Ecclefiaftical Livings of England were discharged from the Payment of First Fruits and Tenths; and above 3000 l. per Annum ftruck off from the Revenue of Tenths; infomuch that (about 1oooo 1. being yearly deducted to pay the Grants and Penfions with which the Revenue is charged) there remains now to the Governours no more than the contingent income of First Fruits, to be diftributed among the poor Clergy, which communibus annis, may amount to between 4000 and 5000 1. per Annum; of which the Governours have been fo good Huf bands, that they have now in their Hands near 10000 7. which by the Governours Rules, lately confirm'd by Her late Majesty under Her great Seal, and by the Generofity of concurring Benefactors, there is great Reafon to hope it will be encreased to double that Sum, under the Reign of his prefent Majefty, and by that means there may be, in a fhort time, about 100 poor Livings partaking of Her late Majesty's and Her charitable Subjects Bounty.

Befides thefe Helps to the Clergy, there is a Society, whofe Province is in a more peculiar manner to affift their Widows and Children; and that is the Society of the Sons of the Clergy, incorporated by King Charles II. July 1. 1678. by the Name of the Governours of the Charity for Relief of the Duoz Widows and Childzen of Clergy-Sen. Several Hundreds of Widows and Children of the Clergy, have yearly received great Relief from this charitable Foundation, the Number of which laft Year, viz. 1713. was 449. and the Sums diftributed among them, amounted to 1050 l. 11 s. There is a Branch of

this Society at Gefter, firft promoted in the Year 1700, which deferves to be taken notice of here, as worthy to be imitated in other Places. The Clergy of the Arch-Deaconry of Chefter, at the defire of the Right Reverend Dr. Stratford then Bishop of Chefter, and Dr. Entwifle then Arch-Deacon, confented to meet at Warrington in that County, for the Relief of Widows and Orphans of Clergy-Men. They have ever fince continued to meet there on the Firft Tuesday in June Annually. They walk in a Body to Church, the Bishop being ufually at the Head of them, where they hear Divine Service and a Sermon. Thence they return to a Houfe where they Dine. After Dinner, a Collection is made, every one putting fecretly into a Box prepared for that purpose, what Money he thinks fit, which generally amounts to about 60 or 70 which by Five Stewards is diftributed to fuch Widows and Children of Clergy-Men, as they think proper Objects of Charity. This Societyin Cheshire, is now become a Member of the Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy in London, by an Inftrument regularly executed, and is made capable of enjoying the fame Priviledges and Advantages with them.

Till the Reformation, there was no fettled Allowance for the Poor in England, the care of providing for them lay upon the Religious Houfes, which were very numerous, and many of them very well endow'd. But whether they were fuch bountiful Difpenfers of their Charities, as that the Poor had no reafon to complain of them may be very juftly queftion'd. This is certain, that the care of providing for them, was one of the earlieft and chiefeft Concerns of our firft Reformers, after they had attained a tolerable Degree of Settlement.

For in the Year 1551. Dr. Ridley Bishop of London, having preach'd upon this Subject before King Edward VI. the King was fo moved with the Sermon, that he commanded that good Bishop, and Sir Richard Dabbs, then Lord Mayor of London, and others to confider how the neceflities of the Poor of that City might be beft fupplied, and to lay their Schemes before him. Thefe Commiffioners accordingly divided the Poor into these four Claffes.

1. Orphans and Infants,

2. Sick and Wounded.

3. Idle Perfons and Vagabonds.

4. Decayed Houfbolders.

For the three firft of thefe, the King himfelf made the following Provifions.

To the Orphans and Infants, he gave Grey Friers, now called Chrift's Hofpital in London.

For the Sick and Wounded, the Hofpitals of St. Thomas and St. Bartholomew were fet by.

For

For Idle Vagabonds, that they might be put to Work, and receive Correction for their Mifcarriages, he gave his own Palace of Bridewell, which his Father had rebuilt fome years before for the Reception of the Emperor Charles V. He furnished it alfo with Goods from the Savoy, and Licenfed it to purchase Lands in Mortmain, to the value of 4000 Marks per Annum. That Licence was figned but two days before that excellent Princedyed, who thanked God that his Life was fpared long enough to make an end of that good Work.

The Poor Houfholders were fupplied by voluntary Contributions, raifed and diftributed as they faw proper from House to House.

Succeeding Generations have not been wanting to build upon King Edward VI's Foundation.

Queen Elizabeth appointed Overseers for the Poor by Act of Parliament, who are a fort of Lay-Deacons in every Parish, who are bound to take care of the Poor, and are impower'd by the fame Authority to raife Sums of Money fufficient to fupply their Wants. See the 43d of the faid Queen.

To the Account of the above-mention'd Societies, it may not be improper to make fome mention of the charitable Commiffion lately eftablifht by Her late Majefty's Letters Patent bearing date 28th of June 1709, for the Relief, Subfiftance, and Settlement of the poor Diftreffed Palatins; by Virtue of which the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lord. High Chancellor, and the Lord High Treafurer of Great-Britain, the Lord Prefident, together with divers Lords and others of Her Majefty's moft Honourable Privy Council, feveral Bishops and other dignify'd Clergy-men, the Attorney and Solicitor-General, the Lord Mayor and Aldermen, and other Eminent Merchants of the City of London; feveral of Her Majefty's Juftices of the Peace for the County of Middlefex, and City of Westminster, &c. were appointed Truftees to Receive Manage and Diftribute the Queen's Bounty, and Her Subjects charitable Benevolences to the faid poor Palatins; who by reafon of the many and great hardships they had fuftained for feveral years paft, by the barbarous and inhuman Cruelties of the French (who in thefe two laft Wars have burnt and deftroyed above 2000 of the chiefeft Cities, Towns and Villages of the Palatinate upon the Rhine) were forced to hide themselves in Woods and Caves, where great Numbers of 'em perish'd with Hunger, Cold and Nakedness; and about Twelve thoufand of thofe that remain'd, having at feveral times transported themselves into England to implore the Queen's Protection, they have been moft kindly entertain'd and relieved (as is well known) in and about the City of London; and the abovemention'd Lords and other Commiffioners have for feveral Months met together once a Week, and in Committees at

White-Hall and Guild-Hall, daily to confider of Ways and Means for the difpofing and fettling of thofe poor People in fuch manner, as might tend moft to the Honour of her Majefty, the Advantage of thefe Kingdoms, and the Strengthening the Proteftant Intereft in all the Queen's Dominions; in which though they found many Difficulties, yet the Wisdom of the, Queen's Minifters, and great Diligence and Application of the rest of the Lords and Gentlemen of this Commiffion, has at length furmounted 'em all; and they have happily disposed of most of the Palatins in Ireland, in North and South Carolina, in the Ifland of Scilly, in New-York, &c. befides feveral Hun. dreds of them employ'd in London, in Devonshire, &c. by Merchants and others in the Linnen Manufacture, in Husban. dry, &c. according to their respective Callings and Occupations.

CHAP. X.

Of the City of LONDON.

ONDON] Being the Seat of the British Empire, and the

most populous, the faireft and moft opulent City at this Day in all Europe, perhaps in the whole World, furpaffing, as fome Learned Men have conjectured, even Paris and Rome put together; it will not, I hope, feem impertinent to give a particu lar Account thereof.

Name and Antiquity.] London, fo called, as fome conjecture from Llong-din or dinas, the British Word, fignifying in the Saxen Tongue Shipton, or Town of Ships, was built certainly in the Roman times, and that very early. For in Nero's time when Boadicea rofe against Suetonius Paullinus the Roman Lieutenant, Londinium, (as Tacitus calls it) was very famous for its Trade and Commerce.

Situation. In the most excellent Situation of London, the Wifdom of our Ancestors is very confpicuous and admirable. It is feated upon a gentle rifing Bank, in a wholfom Soil, mixt with Gravel and Sand, upon the famous and navigable River Thames, at a Place where it is caft into a Crefcent, that fo each part of the City might enjoy the Benefit of the River, and yet not be far diftant one from the other; about 60 Miles from the Sea: In an excellent Air upon the North-fide of the River, for the Villages feated on the South-fide are noted to be more unhealthy, in regard of the Vapours drawn upon them by the Sun, defended by gentle Hills from the North and

South

South Winds. It lies in 51 Degrees, 30 Minutes, Northern Latitude.

The Highways leading from all Parts to this Noble City, are large, ftraight, fmooth and fair, no Mountains nor Rocks, no Marfhes nor Lakes to hinder Carriages and Paffengers, fo that Corn may easily be brought, and Cattle commodioufly driven unto it by Land; and thofe heavy, though neceffary Commodities, Hay and Fuel, are more cheaply conveyed by Water. The City of London is fupplied with Coals from New Castle, which Trade employes many Hundreds of Ships, and Thoufands of Seamen, who are reputed the ableft and hardest Men we have. In a Word, all the Bleffings of Land and Sea by the Benefit of Shipping, may be faid to be here more easily enjoyed than in any City of the World.

Bagnitude.] The City of London, with that of Westminster, and the Borough of Southwark, which being contiguous to one another, feem to make indeed but one City, and accordingly fhall be fo confider'd when we speak of Buildings, &c. is of a vaft Extenfion from Lime Houfe, measured to the End of Tothil or Tuttle-ftreet, from Eaft to Weft, it is above 7500 Geometrical Paces, that is above feven English Miles and an half; and from the farther End of Black-man-ftreet in Southwark, to the End of St. Leonard Shoreditch, is 2500 Paces, or two Miles and an half.

In this great City the Streets, Lanes and Allies, are in Number above 5000, and yet fome of them above half a meafur'd Mile in length; Dwelling-Houfes before the late dreadful Fire, were computed only within the Walls above 15000, and that is now accounted but a feventh Part of the whole City, as may appear by the Weekly Bills of Mortality, the Number of Houses at prefent may in all probability be 110000.

Number of Inhabitants.] That the Reader may the better guefs at the Number of Inhabitants, or Human Souls within this great City, he must know, that in one Year there were computed to be eaten in London, when it was lefs by two Thirds, 675co Beefs, ten times as many Sheep, befides abundance of Calves, Lambs, Swine, all forts of Poultry, Fowl, Fish, Roots, Milk, &c., Alfo that every Year to fupply London with New Castle Coal, there is brought into the River of Thames above 400000 Chaldron, and every Chaldron is 36 Bufhels.

Again, the Number of Inhabitants may be guefs'd at by the Burials in London, which in ordinary Years, when there is no Pestilence, amount of late to about 22000 in a Year, and in the Year 1681, which was not accounted a fickly Year, there died according to the general Bill of MortaJity, 12971.