John Gough Nichols

“ Captivated with the beau-ideal of an amiable prince, a youth the patron of youth, a scholar the friend of scholars, such a theme, in such hands, has naturally amplified itself into a goodly Protestant legend, almost rivalling some of those of the earlier creed. ”

“ The church of the Grey Friars had been the favourite place of sepulture with those of the aristocracy of England who had died in the metropolis. According to the reckoning of Weever the church had been honoured with the sepulture of four Queens, four Duchesses, four Countesses, one Duke, two Earls, eight Barons, [36] and some thirty-five Knights: and in all six hundred sixty and three persons of quality. Stowe tells us that "there were nine tombs of alabaster and marble, invironed with strikes of iron, in the choir; and one tomb in the body of the church, also coped with iron ”

“ The two parishes of Christ church and Saint Bartholomew's the Less were fully constituted by Henry's grant, and so was the control of the city over the hospital of Saint Bartholomew; and the city retained all the estates which the grant conveyed, neither receiving or requiring any subsequent confirmation of them from king Edward the Sixth. Among those estates was the late house of the Grey Friars, but with no specific instructions as to the purposes to which it should be devoted. Its disposal appears to have been left to the discretion of the citizens ”

“ The picture at Christ's hospital is derived from Holbein's so far as the principal figures go. The number of aldermen kneeling to the right is increased to eight; and to the left are bishop Ridley and three others also kneeling. In the background the governors of the hospital are standing with their wands, to the number of about forty. Besides these, a boy and girl of the hospital are kneeling before the king, and fourteen others of either sex are ranged in couples along the front of the picture, the rows being terminated by a beadle and a matron. ”

“ The present chronicle tells us how he escaped,—by hiding in the gutters of his house. The history of that house, "a fair house of old time called the Green Gate," will be found in Stowe's Survay, where he states that "John Mutas, a Pickarde or Frenchman, dwelt there, and harboured in his house many Frenchmen that kalendred wolstedes, and did other things contrary to the franchises of the citizens." This John Meutas, or Meautys, (called James in the present chronicle,) founded a family in England, of which a pedigree will be found in Clutterbuck's History of Hertfordshire, vol. i. p. ”

“ When the lord mayor and aldermen rode to Saint Paul's on the afternoon of the following Christmas day, all the children stood in array from Saint Laurence lane in Cheap towards Paul's, being 340 in number, attired in one livery of russet cotton, [46] the boys with red caps, and the girls with kerchiefs on their heads, having a woman-keeper between every twenty children, and accompanied also by the physicians and four surgeons, and the masters of the hospital—who were some of the most eminent citizens. ”

“ In 1524 king Henry and cardinal Wolsey personally visited the house; and shortly after William Renscrofte, a refractory lay brother of the Observants of Greenwich, was committed to the custody of the Franciscans. [19] The next year they were visited by doctor Alleyn on the part of the cardinal. [20] In 1528, in the case of a prisoner who had broken away from the sessions at Newgate, [21] the convent asserted its right of sanctuary, a privilege that could scarcely be often put in requisition, as the much-frequented sanctuary of Saint Martin le Grand was in the immediate vicinity. ”

“ Waleys was then reappointed, and died mayor in 1302; after which Sir John le Blount was mayor during the six remaining years of Edward's reign. It is very possible that Waleys and Rokesley had the credit of erecting the buildings of the Grey Friars, not because they were done at their personal expense, but by contributions of the citizens under their patronage and superintendence. Waleys was apparently an equal or greater benefactor to the house of Franciscan Sisters without Aldgate, in whose chapel his bones were laid to rest. See the note upon him in the French Chronicle of London, p. 12. ”

“ It is obvious that during the many generations which have passed since the execution of Buckingham, there might have been many opportunities of concealing in the out-buildings of an inn the remains of some way-laid traveller, or the victim of some alehouse brawl. ”

“ Saint Francis, the founder and patron of the Friars Minors, [4] was born at Assisi in Italy in the year 1182; and he was still a young man when he commenced his scheme of religious observance. The Rule of his Fraternity was approved by Pope Innocent III. in 1210, revised in the Lateran council of 1215, and confirmed by Honorius III. in 1224. At the first general convention of the fraternity in 1217 its numbers were already considerable ”

“ We have seen how the convent had been originally established by the charity of the principal citizens, how its library had been added by the bounty of Whittington, and how the mayor and aldermen were recognised as the "founders." Like other "founders," or patrons of religious houses, at this crisis, they would naturally be inclined to urge those hereditary claims which were advanced, with more or less success, by various proprietors who occupied a similar position throughout the country ”

“ Meanwhile, the citizens themselves did not cease in their exertions to mitigate the crying evil of a large houseless population. On the 26th July, 1552, began the preparing of the Grey Friars house for the poor fatherless children; and also, in the latter end of the same month, began the repairing of Saint Thomas's Hospital in Southwark, for poor impotent and lame persons. ”

“ With this letter to illustrate the character of Walter lord Hungerford, considering also that names and dates are all consistent, it may at all events be admitted as a fair suggestion that the lady executed at Tybourn may have been the second wife, Alice Sandys; that his cruelty to her may have driven her to attempt to get rid of him by poison, or that he, wishing to get rid of her (as he did afterwards of his third wife) , may have brought some accusation against her, and procured her condemnation. ”

“ In the Lady chapel were those of Alice lady Kingston 1439, and sir Walter Langley 1470; in the chapel of the Apostles, south of the choir, was a great raised tomb of alabaster to sir Walter Blount knight of the garter 1474, and another to John Blount lord Mountjoy 1485; in the chapel of Saint Francis was a small raised tomb to sir John Robsard knight of the garter, and others to William Danvers under-treasurer of England 1439, sir Stephen Jennyns alderman of London 1523, and Hugh Acton citizen and taylor 1530 ”

“ Their first and principal benefactor was John Iwyn, citizen and mercer, who gave them some land and houses in the parish of St. Nicholas in the Shambles, by deed dated in the 9th Hen. III. Upon this they erected their original building. The first chapel, which became the choir of the church, was built at the cost of sir William Joyner, who was mayor of London in 1239; the nave was added by sir Henry Waleys, who was mayor during several years of the reign of Edward I. ”

“ Emanuel Philibert prince of Piedmont, and duke of Savoy,had been the first person elected into the order of the garter in the reign of queen Mary. He was cousin german to king Philip by their mothers, and it was contemplated that he should marry the princess Elizabeth. ”

“ This picture is very neatly engraved on a small scale by Mr. Augustus Fox, as the frontispiece to Mr. Trollope's History of Christ's Hospital. Its demerits are criticised "with candour" by Malcolm, who says the king's figure, though insignificant from its small size, is the only one whose attitude is easy, natural, and dignified. This is obviously because it is more faithfully copied than the rest from the Bridewell picture. Malcolm, however, had no suspicion that the picture at Christ's Hospital was not actually Holbein's work. ”

“ And from hare for lacke of issew unto hare cosyne Margaret late the dowter of lady Elnor wyffe unto [the earl of Cumber] lond one of the kynges blode, the whyche was one of the French qwens dowters [and to the heirs] of hare body lawfully begottyne.
. . . . . . . . . . a young man that was drauer at sent Jones at Ludgate . . . . . . . both hys erres cut of cruelly, and sent unto warde agayne . . . . . . . and had a rewarde of the chamber; [2] and within iij. dayes after hys master [went to the Tower, where he was] gunner, and was drownyd by the way and ij. men with hym. ”

“ Above all, when the reader is referred to p. 42, and is apprised of the crime for which this wretched man at last suffered the extreme penalty of the laws there is so much reason to conclude he had long outraged, it will not be thought unjust that the stigma should at length, in the pages of history, be removed from one of his victims to himself. ”

“ The hospital was to accommodate one hundred aged, sick, or impotent men and women, attended on by a matron, twelve nurses, and a resident surgeon. The corporation of London was bound to sustain these establishments by indentures made with the king, dated the 27th December, 1546, and the estates were granted and the foundation confirmed by letters patent dated on the 13th January following. ”

“ And also there was a commandment thorrow London that alle howsolders with their servantes shulde kepe their howses unto it was . . . . .
Item on Crystmas evyn was made a proclamacion that no man shulde make qwoyne, nore send beyond see, in payne of dethe.
Item the iiijth day of January [1551–2] the lorde of Crystmas [71] of the kynges howse came thorrow London and thorrow Scheppesyde, and soo to the lorde mayer's to denner, and dyvers of hys corte was devydyd, some to the sherffes and to dyvers alderman ”

“ Thys yere a Jew felle in to a drawte on a satorday, and he wolde not be draune owte that day for the reverens of hys sabbot day, and sir Richard Clare, that time tyme beynge erle of Gloucseter, [3] seynge that he wolde not be drawne owte that day, he wolde not suffer hym to be drawne owte on the sonday, for the reverens of the holy sonday, and soo thus the false Jue perished and dyde therein. ”

“ Thys yere the xijth day of December the dewke of Norffoke and the yerle of Sorré hys sonne ware comyttyd unto the tower of London, and the dewke went be watter from the lorde chaunselers place in Holborne that was sometyme the byshoppe of Ely's, and soo downe un to the watter syde, and so be watter un to the tower; and hys sonne the yerle of Sorré went thorrow the cytte of London, makynge grete lamentacion. ”

“ Item the laste day of September was the qwenes grace browth from the tower of London unto the Whyth-hall goodly, and many pagenttes in dyvers places as she came by the wey in London, with alle the crafttes and aldermen, and also a pagent in Powlles churcheyerde at the est ende of the church, and there she stode longe, for yt was made of rosemary with alle here armes and a crowne in the myddes. item also there was a man made too tope-castelles above the crosse of the stepulle, and there stode with a flagge in hys honde and viij. ”

“ It is to be feared that the lady Fleming was not a widow, but the wife, of James fourth lord Fleming, who was employed as one of the representatives of the Scotish nation to negociate the marriage of their queen, and who died at Paris on the 15th Dec. 1558, æt. 24. She was the lady Barbara Hamilton, eldest daughter of James duke of Chatelherault (at this time regent of Scotland) ; whose only child named in the family pedigree is Jane (afterwards the wife successively of lord chancellor Thirlestane and of John fifth earl of Cassilis,) who, as she died in 1609, æt. ”

“ We are told in our Chronicle [27] that every part of the Grey Friars' church was on this occasion filled with wine; but, except the injury it might sustain by such rough usage, it had not hitherto been dismantled. King Henry's letters patent of 1546 shew that the "partitions" or screens remained both in the church and chancel, the altars, pictures, images, and pulpit ”

“ Item the xij. of the same monyth of July was [procl] amacyon made to take up men, and to come to Totylle, and to have xd. a day, and na [mely to] feche in lady Mary; and that same day wente furth to feche here in the duke of Northumberland, and more was se . . . . . but he lay a iiij. or v. dayes besyde Ware, and then went forwarde to Chambri [dge, and] thowte to worke masteres, [3] as it aperes after. ”

“ Item, the xxij. day of May was the Assencion day, and at nyght was made grete bone-fyers thorrow all London, and grete chere in every parych at every bone-fyer, and grete melody with dyvers instrewmentes; and the mayer with the shreffes rydynge thorrow every warde of London to see how it was done, for the good tydynges that came owte of Scotlond.
Item, this yere was no wache at Mydsomer be cause of the warres; but the mayer wyth the shereffes rode thorrow alle London, and every alderman in hys warde with the constabulles. ”

“ If she so do, here is like to be a combat, the heartburning being already very great; the old worn pelf [Diana of Poictiers, then aged fifty-three,] fearing thereby to lose some part of her credit, who presently reigneth alone, and without empeasche." And again, from Amboise, April 29, "The said post hath brought word, that the lady Fleming is brought to bed of a man-child, whereat our women do not much rejoyce." ”

“ Thys yere at afternone on Alhallone day, whan the mayer came to Powlles, there was dyvers person of the duke of Northhumberlondes servanttes wolde have tane the chayne from the kynges shreffes necke in Powlles goynge after the mayer, and wolde have made a fraye within Powlles church, but whan they came with-owte the church at the north dore there thei made a fray and fowte and ware departyd, and went in to the pettycannons and fowte there, that whan the mayer came forthe of Powlles church he was fayen to fett them forth and had them to the counter. ”