There is a small monument to the memory of Dr. Buck, a pious and learned minister, who died in 1685. Under the organ gallery is the following inscription; engraven on brass, the authenticity of which being doubted, must speak for itself: "Be hit known to all men, that the yeers of our Lord God, an. CLXXIX. Lucius, the fyrst Christen king of this lond, then callyd Brytayne, fowndyd the fyrst chyrch in London, that is to sey, the chyrch of Sent Peter apon Cornhyl; and he fowndyd ther an archbishop's see, and made that chirch the metropolitan and cheef chirch of this kingdom, and so endureth the space of CCCC. yeerys and more, unto the commyng of Sent Austen, an apostyl of Englond, the whych was sent into the lond by Sent Gregory, the doctor of the chirch, in the tyme of king Ethelbert, and then was the archbishoppys see and pol removyd from the aforeseyd chirch of Sent Peter's apon Cornhyl unto Derebernaum, that now ys callyd Canterbury, and ther yt remeynth to this dey. "And Millet Monk, whych came into this lond wyth Sent Austen, was made the fyrst bishop of London, and hys see was made in Powllys chirch. And this Lucius, kyng, was the fyrst foundyr of Peter's chyrch apon Cornhyl; and he regnyed king in thys ilond after Brut, MCCXLV. yeerys. And the yeerys of owr Lord God a CXXIV. Lucius was crownyd kyng, and the yeerys of hys reygne LXXVII. yeeyrs, and he was beryd aftyr sum cronekil at London, and aftyr sum cronekil he was beryd at Glowcester, at that plase wher the order of Sent Francys standyth." But no one can pass, without the tribute of a pitying sensation, the monument erected over the remains of those who were consumed in the dreadful fire at Mr. Woodmason's house in Leadenhall Street, on Friday, January the 18th, 1782 *. After This calamity was of so remarkable and distressing nature, that we cannot avoid stating some of the circumstances. Mr. Woodmason had gone with several friends, it being the queen's birth-day, to see the company $ 2 After the names of the children is engraved the following: The whole Offspring of James and Mary Woodmason, In the same awful moment, on the 18th January, 1782, By sudden and irresistible Flames Sleep of Innocence to Eternal Bliss, Their remains collected from the Ruins, A sympathising Friend of the bereaved Parents, Devotes this spontaneous tribute of the feelings of his mind, To the memory of innocence, Several eminent persons were rectors of St. Peter's church, among these we select Dr. Green alias Fotherby, who having company at the ball-room at St. James's palace. Mrs. Woodmason and the rest of the family, consisting of seven children, and three servant maids only, were at home. It was usual for Mrs. Woodmason, every night, to visit her young family before she went to rest; having so done this evening, she retired to her own chamber, but going to another apartment to arrange part of her household economy; on the maid's return to her mistress' bed-room, with some water, she discovered the furniture of the bed on fire. Her scfeams brought back Mrs. Woodmason, who, in her fright, forgot to shut the door, and thereby confine the flames till the children were brought away in safety; on the contrary, she flew to the other windows, and her cries having brought the neighbours and populace to the house, they requested her to open the street doors. Her recollection urged her to attend to the cries of her neighbours, and instantly running down stairs, had all immediate possible assistance; but by this time the flames had formed a tremendous barrier between the children and those who ran up to save them. All seven were destroyed, as well as two young men in the next house. The catastrophe stoo dreadful to dwell upon. been been several times commissary of the university of Oxford, was for his merit, promoted to be chanter; residentiary, and prebendary in the cathedral of Lincoln; he died in 1536, Dr. John Taylor, dean, and afterwards bishop of Lincoln, 1552, Refusing to be present at mass, in the beginning of queen Mary's reign, he was persecuted, and died of grief at Ankerwyke soon after. Whilst he was dean, he, among others, was selected to compile the liturgy in 1548. Dr. Fairfax, deprived by the parliament, after he had been imprisoned in Ely House and on ship-board; was also plundered, and his wife and children driven from their dwelling, for his loyalty, in 1642. Dr. Hodges, a preacher before the long parliament, one of the assembly of divines, and dean of Hereford, in 1661. On his death, in 1672, succeeded the pious Dr. William Beveridge, bishop of St. Asaph. This prelate was so proficient in learning, that, at eighteen years age, he wrote a treatise on the excellency and use of the oriental tongues, and a Syriac grammar: in 1661, he was presented to the vicarage of Yealing, in Middlesex, and the following year chosen rector of this church; bishop Hench man promoted him to a prebend in St. Paul's, and bishop Compton to the archdeaconry of Colchester; after refusing the bishopric of Bath and Wells, vacant by the deprivation of the conscientious bishop Ken; he was consecrated bishop of St. Asaph, in 1704, which he enjoyed little more than three years. He died in 1707, in the seventy-first year of his age, and was buried in St. Paul's cathedral. His "Private Thoughts," and other religious tracts, will preserve his name in all classes of religious society; and his works of erudition place him very high as a literary character. Dr. John Waugh, rector, was also prebendary of Lincoln, dean of Gloucester, and in 1723, bishop of Carlisle. of In the centre of the four streets at this place, was a water standard placed in 1582, by Peter Maurice, constructor of the water-works under London Bridge. This ingenious person made an artificial forcer, to convey the Thames water, in leaden pipes, over the steeple of the church of St. Magnus, and thence into several houses in Thames Street, New Fish Street, and Gracechurch Street, up to the north west corner of Leadenhall, the highest ground of all the city; where the water of the main pipe, rising into the standard, provided at the expence of the city, with four spouts, running four ways at every tide, according to covenant, not only supplied the neighbouring inhabitants in a plentiful manner; but cleansed the streets toward Bishopsgate, Aldgate, the Bridge, and Stock's Market. "But," says Stow, "there is now no such conveniency, and from what cause, I know not." Having thus perambulated Cornhill, it remains to add, that at the time of the Conquest, it did not bear its present name, according to Harrisón, in his additions to Hollingshead; nor was it a street of eminence for many centuries, as we find by the very indifferent name which its inhabitants bore, and till 1546, when the back gate of Sir Martin Bowes, as we have mentioned before, opened into Cornhill. How ever, that it contained a residence of the king's, that the antient weigh-house was formed of the house of Sir Thomas Lovel*, who had built it, and gave it to the Grocer's Com pany, Sir Thomas Lovel, was knight of the garter and treasurer of the household to Henry VIII. His residence was at Worcesters, in Enfield, where he died, May 25, 1524, and was buried in the priory of Holiwell, in Shoreditch, within a chapel which he had founded, Mr. Lyson's has given a curious account of the ceremonial of his funeral, copied from the original in the college of arms. After relating the ceremonies at Enfield, and the procession to London, the formula proceeds thus: "On the morrow, beyng Tuesday the 7th day of June, the morners, with all the other, were at the forsaid parish churche by 7 of the clok in the morning, where all the thynges beyng in a rediness, the masse was begon singing by the abbot of Waltam; and at the offrygne, the chiefe morner, with the other, offryd; and so the masse fynisched, every man went to horsback, and the chayre beyng prepared and redy, sett forwarde to London, and procedynge in manner as in the day before, came through the parische of the said Enfyld, Edmonton, Tottenham, and Hackney; and every parische aforesaid had for the churches, two longe torches, four schochins, and 6s. 8d. in money; and at the same Edmonton came for to mete the said corps, the venerable Father in God the Lord Cuthberd Tunstall, bushop of London, the lord of Saynt John's, pany, of which he was a member, are evident; and that it obtained its present name from a considerable corn market, is equally well founded. The Sir Richard Wyngfeld, Sir Henry Wyat, Sir John Dance, Sir Robert Johns, with manye other nobles and gentlemen; wher also did meet the prestes and clerks, the four orders of fryers, and 60 longe torches borne by poure men; and when they were sett all in good order, proceded styl on thourough the highway which was by Shordyche-churche, untyll the gatts of his place at Halywell, wher stode on bothe syds the gentilmen of the innes of court, with certayn crafts of London; and at the gatt stode the maior and all the aldermen of London; and when they were comen to the church doer and every man alyghted from his horse, the corps was taken from the chayre out of yt: and ther was ensens hym the foresaid abbot of Waltam, and the pryor of Saynt Marie Spyttell, bysyds London, and suffragan to the bushop of London, havyng on their myters, and in pontificalibus; and when he was ensensed, procedyd through the body of the churche and the nonnes quyre, and so in the great quyre, where he was sett under a herse, havyng five pryncipalls, 16 morters with course lyghts, rachements, syde lyghts, and other lyghts, well furnyshchid with pencells and schochins accordyngly; also, there was under the said herse and the corps, a majestic hangyng, over hit the dome, and at the four corners of it, the four evangelistes, and four schochins of his armes, one at the side, another at the feet, and one on every syde; and abowght the said herse was a valence fryngid, and with his words, Dieu soit loué, garnischid with his crest and bage, and hys armes; and when he was under the herse, dirige began, and all the clerks of London were ther to sing the said dirige, the wyche was solemnly done; and in the dirige, while the maior of London, with the aldermen, came and stode about the herse, rayles beyng spacious ynough from the herse hangid with blak cloth, where they said de profundis for the soule of the defunct; and that endyd, they went their way, and when dirige was full endyd and fynyschid, with all the seremonies accordyng, the morners with all other went home to the said place of Haliwell; and so rested the body within the churche for that nyght, havyng watche; and durynge the said dirige there was a drynkynge in all the cloisters, the nones-hall, and parlors of the said place, and every where els in the said place, for as many as wold come, as well the crafts of London, as gentilmen of innes of court, havyng wyne, beer, ale, and ipocras, confits, spice, brede, in good ordre; wich doone, every man went home for that nyght. "On the morowe, beyng Wednesday, and the 8 day of June, the morners, with all other, beyng at the churche in a redynes by 7 of the clok, was begon the masse of our Ladie, songin by the aforenamed abbot |