with the greatest difficulty he came to land. The danger in which himself, a beloved consort, a dutiful son, and a number of faithful subjects were involved, so agitated Edward's soul, that in the agony of his heart, this great warrior, the subduer of kingdoms, prostrated himself in supplication to Heaven; and vowed that if the Almighty deigned to relieve him from such imminent perils, he would evince his gratitude by the foundation of a structure dedicated to religious worship. However the king might have resolved, the promised token of gratitude did not commence till ten years afterwards, when the nation was nearly depopulated by the plague.

In 1359, Edward having obtained the consent of the prior and convent of the Holy Trinity, founded an abbey of Cistertian, or white monks, which he dedicated to St. Mary of Graces, "in remembrance and acknowledgment of the goodness of Almighty God, and of the Lord Jesus Christ, and of the blessed Virgin Mary; whom he had often called upon, and found helpful to him by sea and land, in wars, and other perils; and therefore ordered this house to be called The King's free Chapel of the blessed Virgin of Graces, in memory of those graces or favours which he had received from her."

Edward granted the manors of Gravesend, Leybourn, Leach, Wattingbury, Gore, Parrock, and Bykenore, with

In Norwich, no less than thirty seven thousand one hundred and four persons, besides Mendicants and Dominicans; and in Yarmouth, seven thousand five hundred and two; so that the living, which was previously worth seven hundred marks, was reduced to 401. per year. "What time this pestilence had wasted all England, the Scots greatly rejoicing, mocked, and sware oft times," By the vile death of the Englishmen,' but the sword of God's wrath, slue and consumed the Scots in no less numbers than it did the other. It also wasted the Welshmen, and within a while passed over into Ireland, where it destroyed a great number of English people that dwelt there; but such as were right Irish born, that dwelt in the hilly country, it scarcely touched, so that few of them died thereof." This terrible calamity commenced in 1348, and continued in one place or other of these realms till 1357.

their appurtenances, and the advowsons of their several churches, besides lands in Surrey, &c. to feoffees, for the eudowment of this abbey of St. Mary de Gratiis, which he denominated also, Eastminster.

These feoffees, in compliance with his will, conveyed all the premises to the abbot and monks for a term of years, to the intent that they might be given by king Richard II. in mortmain to them for ever. They afterwards granted their interest in the manors at a certain yearly rent, to Sir Simon Burley, of whom we have made mention, in Leadenhall Street; who, having forfeited them with his life, the king, by his letters patent, in the twelfth year of his reign, at the petition of the abbot and convent, granted to them the rents and profits, as a sufficient endowment, until he should otherwise provide for them. After which, by other letters patent, in his twenty-second year, he granted all the original domains, to hold in pure and perpetual alms for ever, for the performance of the religious purposes therein mentioned, and he gave licence to the surviving feoffees of Edward III. to release these manors and lands to them*.

At the final dissolution of monasteries, the lands and revenues having been given to the king, for ever, he granted it to Sir Arthur Darcy, second son of Thomas Lord Darcy, who was beheaded in the reign of Henry; but who, on the family honours being restored, was employed in the wars against Scotland. He executed these orders so punctually, and so much to the king's satisfaction, that he was made governor of Jersey; and after he had possession of the dissolved abbey, he entirely demolished it. The greatest part was afterwards occupied by the Victualling Office, and the adjoining grounds converted to smaller tenements. On the removal of the Victualling Office to Somerset House, the premises were occupied by tobacco warehouses. These also are giving way to the foundation of an extensive building, about to be constructed for THE MINT, which is to be removed from the Tower, where it has subsisted for ages; in room of which the site of the Mint, in the Tower, is to be occupied by barracks.

*Dugdale Monasticon Anglicanum.

Proceeding

Proceeding to East Smithfield, we find that here was antiently a fair fifteen days, from the eve of Pentecost to the octaves of Trinity, granted by Henry III in 1229; and, for this purpose, the king issued his briefs to the sheriffs of Lincoln, Gloucester, Kent, Worcester, York, Norfolk, and Suffolk, as well as to the mayor and sheriffs of London, by which, the latter were to proclaim the fair, throughout the whole bailiwick; causing all merchants of their bailiwick alfo to know, that they might fecurely come to the fair. We have before had occasion to speak of the extortions used by this monarch, it was therefore necessary that the above provifo should be particularly specified in the writ, the necessity of which might have induced the continuation of such specification in future instruments of the same kind.

In this neighbourhood was a vineyard belonging to Geoffrey de Magnavilla*, (corruptly Mandevill) in the time of king Stephen.

This Geoffrey, fteward of Normandy by defcent from his mother, was sent by king Stephen, with Gilbert earl of Clare, to quell the rebellion in the Ifle of Ely, which had been fomented by Baldwin de Rivers, and Nigel, bishop of Ely. Being also conftable of the Tower of London, he was raised from a baron to be earl of Essex, but the empress Maud, having bribed him to her interest by large donations and privileges, such as the fortification of his caftles at pleasure, the office of hereditary chief justice of Essex, and a confirmation to him of the shrievalty of that county and Hertfordshire, the stewardship of Normandy, and the shrievalty of London and Middlesex, he deserted the cause of king Stephen, of which the latter having notice, seized the earl in the court, then at St. Albans; nor could he obtain his liberty till he had yielded up the Tower of London, and his castles of Walden and Pleshey, So much was he reduced in his circumstances by these seizures, that he became a depredator; he invaded the demesne lands of his sovereign, as well as private property, and plundered the abbies of St. Alban and Ramsey; the latter he surprized in the night, and expelling the religious, sold their religious ornaments, with the price of which, he rewarded his adherents, and fortified the church. Such accumulated outrages urged his public excommunication; and having committed additional enormi. ties, whilst he besieged the castle of Burwell, in the county of Kent, he was shot through the head by an arrow, whilst he was passing without his helmet on account of heat.

From

From East Smithfield a narrow circuitous lane leads to the bank of the Thames, where stood the great Breweries, or as called by the antient maps, the Bere Houfe. This part of public fustenance, was subject to regulation as early as the reign of Henry VII. who, in 1492 licenced John Merchant, a Fleming, to export fifty tuns of Ale, called Berre: and in the same reign, one Geffry Gate, probably a king's officer, spoiled the brew houses at St. Catharine's twice, either for sending too much abroad unlicenced, or for brewing it too weak for home consumption. The demand for this article from foreign parts, encreased to a high degree; in the reign of Elizabeth, five hundred tuns were exported at once, for the queen's use; probably for the service of her army in the Low Countries, three hundred and fifty barrels to Embden, three hundred to Amsterdam, and again eight hundred to Embden. There seems at this period to have been a free exportation, except when checked by proclamation, on account of the scarcity of corn; but even then it was permitted by royal licence *.

One of the most confiderable brewers of the laft reign, was Humphry Parsons, Efq. twice lord mayor. This gentleman, upon a hunting party with Lewis XV. being mounted on a spirited English courfer, contrary to the politee of the then French court, outstripped the reft of the company, and was first in at the death. His majefty enquiring, who that gentleman was; one of his adulating attendants, indignantly answered, that he was "un Chevalier de Malte." The king, however, entering into conversation with Mr. Parfons, asked the price of his horse; which, the chevalier, with true politenes, answered was beyond any price, otherwise " than his majesty's acceptance." The horfe was delivered, and ever afterwards chevalier Parfons had the honour of ferving the French nation with his extract of Malte, exclufively of any other.

* Pennant. The same author, from "Customs, &c. of London," printed by Pynson, about 1521, has furnished us with the receipt for making the boasted British liquor: "x quarters malte, ii quarters wheete, ii quarters ootes, xi pound weight of hoppys, to make lx barrels of sengyll beer."

Before

A

Before we dismiss this part of our fubject, it will be necessary to make a few observations on the jurisdiction of the city of London within these precincts, as it formerly did, and still ought to exist.

In our first volume, p. 61. mention is made of the soke, denominated Knighten Guild. The object we have in view, renders it necessary, that a more diffuse account should be given in this place.

It appears, as we have before stated, that, in the reign. of king Edgar, thirteen knights, well beloved by the king and realm, for the services they had achieved, requested a certain desolate portion of land, on the east side of the city, with the liberty of a guild, or fraternity for ever. On the following conditions, their request was granted: "That each of them should victoriously accomplish three combats, one above the ground, one under the ground, and one under the water;" and that after this, they should, at a certain day, in East Smithfield, run with spears against all comers. The monarch named this tract Knighten Guild, and founded it as follows: From Aldgate to the place, where the bars are now fixed, on the East; northernly, to Bishopsgate; and southward to the river Thames, and as far into the water, as a horseman entering the same, might ride at low water, and throw his spear. So that all East Smithfield, with the right side of the street to Dodding pond, (now St. Catharine's dock) into the Thames, and also the hospital of St. Catharine, with the mills, that were founded in the reign of king Stephen; besides the outward stone wall, and the Tower ditch, were all esteemed to be in this see and liberty.

Their descendants having given this domain to the prior of the Holy Trinity; he was constituted by these means, not only the superior of a religious assembly, but in consequence of such acquisition, an alderman of London; so that it appears, the privileges of the city were duly preserved; for the prior and his successors being then seized of the soke, as a part of the suburb, and within the liberties of the city, were admitted, as aldermen, and sat in court, attended the mayor, and rode with the other aldermen, clothed in the usual habiliments of office, till the dissolution of the house