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CHARTER, but was then delivered in trust to the Archbishop of Canterbury for a given time, as security for the royal fulfilment of certain conditions attached to the celebrated code. John, in the mean time, conciliated the pope, and used the power thus regained, in endeavouring to shake off the yoke imposed upon him by the barons: a fierce civil war ensued; the aid of the French was called for against the royal party, and the Tower placed in the possession of Prince Lewis: but the death of John, the loyalty of the English to his youthful successor, with a series of disasters, induced Lewis to give up this and other fortresses.

Henry III. now in possession of the Tower, perceived its weakness as a fortress: he therefore directed his attention to the strengthening of its bulwarks, especially towards the west; operations which were regarded with considerable jealousy by the citizens of that period. As Henry made the Tower his chief residence, he also added to its internal comfort and beauty as a palace; indeed, in the subsequent years of this monarch's reign, he had frequently to resort thither for safety, until the result of the battle of Evesham crushed the power of those who had opposed him. This monarch appears to have possessed a taste for the fine arts; as it is in connection with his reign that mention is made of the Chapel in the White Tower, which he decorated with paintings, sculpture, &c.

But although the Tower was thus invested with the splendour of a palace, it became more than proportionately formidable as a state prison; and for ages after the commencement of the thirteenth century, scarcely a year transpired that did not witness the incarceration of some distinguished individuals within its walls. In this reign, the faithful servant and adviser of preceding monarchs, the high-minded Hubert de Burgh, Earl of Kent, underwent a course of the most cruel persecution. Twice was he dragged from the altar to which he had fled for sanctuary, to be immured in the dungeons of this fortress: and although succeeding events did enable him to close his days in peaceful obscurity, yet the affecting story of his misfortunes stamps the character of Henry with infamy. In this reign Griffin, the unfortunate Welsh prince, delivered (with others) as a hostage into the king's hands, broke his neck in an attempt to escape from the Tower.

Edward I. is supposed to have made the last additions of importance to the Tower: he added to its fortifications and enlarged the ditch by which they are surrounded. Of this period we shall have occasion to speak hereafter.

Edward II. shewed no partiality for the Tower as a residence although he occasionally retired to it for security; and upon

that principle, in 1322, when he marched towards the borders of Wales, he placed his queen, children, and household in this fortress, during which time, the queen gave birth to a princess, who from that circumstance was named Jane of the Tower.

Upon the deposition and murder of this ill-fated monarch, his son, Edward III. was carefully secluded from public affairs, by the policy of his mother, the infamous Isabella, and her coadjutor Mortimer. But Edward soon proved himself superior to their control: he inherited the spirit of his grandsire, and this future scourge of France burst forth in thunder on his foes, and Lord Mortimer, the partner in Isabella's guilt, expiated his treasons upon the gallows. The glories of this monarch's reign, filled the Tower prisons with illustrious chiefs and princes, Scottish and French; amongst whom were David, king of Scotland, and John, king of France.

The succeeding reigns, those of Richard II. and the usurper Henry IV. afford but a melancholy contrast to that of their victorious predecessor: the accession of a minor to the throne, upon the decease of Edward, opened the flood-gate of rebellion; and a protracted scene of civil strife ensued, which threw into shade the memory of former glories; and the Tower, instead of continuing a palatine-prison of the kings, princes and nobles of foreign enemies, became crowded with the partisans of rebellion, and ultimately afforded a dungeon to the unfortunate Richard himself. In the fourth year of this unhappy reign, on the insurrection headed by Wat Tyler, the insurgents possessed themselves of this citadel, burst into the royal chambers, offering outrage to the king and his mother; seized upon the Archbishop of Canterbury, (Simon of Sudbury) dragged him to Tower-hill, where they cruelly slaughtered him. Stow thus relates the horrid deed:"The archbishop seeing death at hand-with comfortable words, (as he was an eloquent man, and wise beyond all wise men of the realm) spake fairly to them. Lastly, after forgiveness granted to the executioner that should behead him, he kneeling down, offered his neck to him that should strike it off; being stricken in the neck, but not deadly, he putting his hand to his neck, said thus, "Aha! it is the hand of God!" He had not removed his hand from the place where the pain was, but that being suddenly stricken, his fingers' ends being cut off, and part of the arteries, he fell down, but yet he died not, until being mangled with eight strokes in the neck and in the head, he fulfilled most worthy martyrdom.

The crown, obtained "more by force than lawful succession or election," sat but uneasily on the head of Henry IV. and the turbulent spirit of the times, consequent upon his usurpation,

continued the Tower more a prison for those concerned in domestic strife than foreign war. We must not, however, pass over this reign without allusion to James of Scotland; who, becoming a prisoner in the Tower, was the third Scottish king confined within its walls in the course of a single century.

In the reign of Henry V. the hero of Agincourt, the Tower again became crowded with French prisoners of distinction; and many were afterwards removed to the castles of Flint, Rothlan, Conway, and other places: but nothing turther of interest occurs to us, in connexion with our subject, during that reign.

Of events connected with succeeding reigns we shall speak in another part. We will now proceed on our visit to this ancient memorial of the past.

The government of this fortress is entrusted to the following officers, viz.-the Constable, which being regarded an office of great honour and importance, has been generally conferred on men of high rank and influence; a Lieutenant, Deputy-Lieutenant, Fort-major, Chaplain, Physician, Apothecary, GentlemanPorter, Yeoman-Porter, Gentleman-Jailor, four Quarter Gunners, and forty Warders: as one of the warders will have to accompany the visitor, as a guide, a short account may be here introduced relative to the origin of that body. On the death of his father, Henry VIII. retired to the Tower for the sake of privacy, and for the formation of an administration; during which time he was attended by his Yeomen of the Guard. Upon his departure, he left fifteen of them in the Tower, and their name was changed to that of Warders: but it does not appear that they were allowed the same distinction of dress with those who attended the royal person, until the succeeding reign; for we learn, that the Duke of Somerset, (protector in the time of Edward VI) during his first imprisonment, approving the diligence of their attendance, promised them, that if set at liberty, he would procure them the privilege of wearing "the king's clothe, as the Yeomen of the Guard did." Somerset obtained his liberty and kept his promise; for he caused the Warders of the Tower to be sworn extraordinary of the Guard, and to wear the same uniform, which has been continued to the present day. This office was formerly obtained by purchase; but that regulation was altered in 1826; and vacancies are now filled up from persons of subordinate rank in the army, whose good conduct has rendered them deserving of such distinction.

The visitor enters the Fortress at that point where formerly stood "the Lyons' Gate;" so called from the court adjoining having been formerly occupied by the Royal Menagerie. It was originated by Henry III. in about 1254, for the reception of

some wild animals presented to him by foreign princes This department was enlarged by succeeding monarchs, and considerable sums (for the period) set apart for the maintenance of its ferocious inmates. King James I. upon visiting the Tower at the commencement of his reign, entertained himself and a portion of his court with a combat between one of the lions and three dogs, one only of the latter survived the conflict: James is said to have regarded sports of this description with peculiar relisha trait in his character which provokes contempt, when his own constitutional timidity is taken into consideration. This menagerie was at one time of considerable extent; but during the latter period of its existence, it had greatly fallen off in attraction, and its contents were, a few years back, transferred to the Zoological Gardens.

The next gate in our progress is that of the Middle Tower, which, with the gate on the farther side of the moat, (the Byward Tower) were strongly fortified, and each provided with a double port-cullis. These Towers, with all those of the Outer Ward, were increased and strengthened in the reign of Henry III. A narrow street, dividing the Outer from the Inner Ward, still retains the name of Mint-street: the houses in this street (which extends itself round the fortress) were formerly inhabited by officers employed in the ancient coinage, but now chiefly occupied by the military, a noble structure having been erected, to the north of Little Tower-hill, for the Mint department, with houses for its respective officers.

On the left is the Bell Tower, so called from its containing the alarm-bell of the garrison. This was the prison of John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, who was imprisoned and executed on account of his refusal to acknowledge the supremacy of Henry VIII. Some idea may be formed of the rigour to which state-prisoners in this period were subjected, from a letter addressed by this venerable prelate to Secretary Cromwell:

Furthermore, (he writes) I beseech you to be a good master unto me in my nocessity: for I have neither shirt nor suit, nor yet other clothes that are necessary for me to wear, but that be ragged and torn too shamefully; nevertheless, I might easily suffer that, if they would keep my body warm: but my diet also, God

*The first gold (says Howell in his Loudinopolis) that was coined in the Tower was in the reign of Edward III. and the pieces were called Florences, of the value of 6s. 8d. Perceval de post being master of the Mint at that time. All great sums before were used to be paid by the weight, as so many pounds or marks of silver, or so many pounds or marks of gold, but they bore no stamp: the lesser payments were in starlings, which was the only coin then current and stamp'd, which were pence so called; and they had their antiquity no further than from the reign of Henry II. Nevertheless, the Saxon coins before the Conquest, were pence of fine silver, somewhat weightier and better than the latter starlings, and the most pro bable reason that is given, why it was called starling money was, because in the ring or border of the penny there was a star stamped.

knows how slender it is at many times. And now in mine age, my stomach may not away but with a few kind of meats; which if I want, I decay forthwith, and fall into coughs and diseases of my body, and cannot keep myself in health. And as our Lord knoweth, I have nothing left unto me for to provide any better, but as my brother of his own purse layeth out for me to his great hindrance.—Wherefore, good master secretary, eftsoons (again) I beseech you to have some pity upon me, and let me have such things as are necessary for me in mine age, &c.

Such is the affecting memorial of one represented by Erasmus to have been "a man of integrity, deep learning, sweetness of temper, and greatness of soul." Cromwell, to his honour be it spoken, relieved the aged sufferer's wants, as far as was consistent with his own safety under an absolute and implacable master Princess (afterwards queen) Elizabeth is said to have been imprisoned in this Tower; but the supposition is wanting in authority

Passing on, the attention is called to a water-gate on the right, and the Inner Ballium-gate on the left: the former of these objects is the Traitors'-gate, through which it was customary, for privacy, to convey state-prisoners to and from the Tower, the water of the ditch having here a communication with the Thames under a stone bridge on the Wharf. Over this water-gate is a building, terminated at each end by a round tower, on which are embrazures for pointing cannon. This building was formerly used as a military infirmary, but now converted into apartments for the soldiery: here are also water-works for supplying the gar rison with water, by means of a steam-engine and water-wheel.

The building opposite to the Traitors'-gate is known by the appellation of the Bloody Tower, from a tradition that the two young princes, nephews of the Duke of Gloster (Richard III.) were suffocated in this part of the fortress, by the order of their unnatural uncle. In the reign of Henry VIII. it was called the Garden Tower, from its connection with the constable's or lieutenant's garden, which now forms part of the parade. It received its present name in the reign of Elizabeth.

Adjoining is the Record or Wakefield Tower: the lower part of this building is undoubtedly the most ancient part of the fortress, excepting the White Tower, and supposed to be a portion of the additions made by William Rufus. In this Tower are placed the ancient Records of our country: a circumstance alone investing it with an interest of too exalted character to be influenced by other considerations: we will therefore quote the words of Mr. Bayley, an erudite writer upon this subject, and pass on: "From the sources here laid open, the laws, the history, and the constitution of the kingdom, are daily receiving elucidation; and to the antiquary, the topographer, the genealogist, and to the nation in general, an inexhaustible mine of information is discovered which before had lain buried in obscurity."