you see St. Helen's Priory of Black Nuns, with
the parish church dedicated to the same saint.
Beyond it, is the mansion of the Nevills, called
Leadenhall. At the four-faced crossway or
carfeux, by the corner of this house, are placed the
stalls of the poulterers who are not freemen.
The steeple on the other side is that of St.
Andrew's church, known as Undershaft, because
every May-day a taller maypole or shaft is set up
beside it.
The town ditch has here acquired the name
of Houndsditch, from the noisome practice of
casting dead dogs therein. Notwithstanding
this, the neighbourhood is too near the fields
not to be a favourite resort. You may see it
crowded on Fridays, and other fast days, with
pious and charitable citizens, for whose alms
divers bedridden people dwelling in these
cottages wait expectantly at the open windows,
holding out a linen cloth and a pair of beads, as
tokens that they will recompense the gift with
prayers. The large building to the right is the
Priory of the Holy Trinity. The gate to which
we are approaching, is the Aldgate, the name
whereof attests its antiquity. The church
beside it is St. Botolph's. Beyond, is the Abbey
of the Nuns of St. Clare, commonly called the
Minories. The farm where the cows are feeding,
is attached to the nunnery. The ward without
the walls is known as the Portsoken or
Knighten Guild, from a company of gallant
knights on whom the Saxon King Edgar
bestowed it. The church in the fields beyond is
Whitechapel, or St. Mary Matfelm. The latter
name has received many ingenious explanations,
all wide of the mark. A learned brother of the
Hospitallers, who has visited the Holy Land,
informed us that the word is Hebrew, and
signifies " with the child."
Passing through the postern- gate, we are now
on Tower-hill, and within view of the Tower,
the stateliest and the strongest fortress in the
kingdom. The western gate and its adjacent
bulwark are the newest parts of the building.
The fosse round them is of great size, and being
a royal precinct, it is a capital crime to bathe
therein. In the bulwark are kept divers lions and
leopards under safe charge. Close behind the
Tower, is the Hospital of St.Catherine. To the east,
beyond the walls, you see East Smithfield, with
its burial-ground for the plague-stricken in 1348.
There, too, is the new Cistercian monastery
called Grace Abbey, or East Minster, lately
founded by the king in gratitude for his escape
from shipwreck. Thence you may pass, if you
will, through avenues of elms to the suburbs of
Radcliffe and Shadwell. The church tower
among the fields, in the distance, is that of
Stebenhede or Stebenheth, a village where the
Bishop of London has a palace. Beside the
river, is Wapping, on the shore of which you
can see the gallows whereon our brave seamen
hang any pirates whom they chance to capture.
Those vessels which throng the Pool are of all
nations. The Flemish scuts are freighted with
wheat and firewood. The Hanse ships bear
wax, copper, tin, and other wares to Queenhithe.
Yonder French vessels are laden with
the wines of Gascony, which they will unship
at the Vintry; those oyster Lubeck-boats are
bound for Billingsgate.
Let us pass down Tower-street. In Hart-street,
to the right, the Friars of the Holy Cross,
commonly called Crouched Friars, have their house.
Beyond it, is the former haunt of the poorer
Jews, still known as Poor Jewry. Close beside
us, is the King's Chapel of Allhallowes, Barking.
Further on, we come to Mincheon-lane, so called
from the nuns or minchuns of St. Helen's, who
own many houses therein. Here, dwell most of
the Genoese traders, known to the vulgar as
galley-men, from the vessels in which they
voyage. Their landing-place of Galley-key is
hard by, in Thames-street. Hence, we pass
into Eastchepe, where dwell the butchers and
cooks. Here, is a flesh and fish market;
and ready-cooked dishes of divers sorts may
be also had. Beyond, on the left, is New
Fish-street, with its market adjoining London-bridge.
The fish-wharf of Billingsgate is hard by. Our
course is into Fen-church-street, across the
little brook of Langbourne. To the left is the
market of Graschirche, where corn, vegetables,
salt, and other commodities are sold. Beyond,
near the corner of the entrance to London-
bridge, you see a large stone mansion, which
was the residence of our lamented Edward
Prince of Wales. The church on the opposite
side is dedicated to St. Magnus. To the right
you see where Eastchepe leads into Candlewyke-
street, which takes its name from the candlewrights,
who, with many of the drapers and
weavers, reside there. Opposite to where we
stand, is Lombard-street, the resort of the great
Italian money-lenders.
Turning to the right hand, let us pass into
Cornehill-street, which, next to Westchepe, is
our most populous and busy thoroughfare. This
street and its neighbourhood form a separate
liberty, or soke, of the Bishop of London, who
has divers privileges and immunities herein.
Among them, is the possession of a seignorial
oven, whereat all his tenants are bound to bake
their bread, and pay him therefore the due of
furnage. These sokes were formerly more
numerous than now, but have fallen into decay,
greatly to the benefit of the civic magistrates,
with whose rules of trade and jurisdiction over
felons they did grievously interfere. Those that
still remain, are chiefly in the hands of ecclesiastics.
Yonder circular building is the inn, a place of
custody for incontinent persons, and other mis-
doers. Those two churches are St. Peter's and
St. Michael's. On the western side of the
latter, are placed the stalls of the poulterers,
who are freemen of the city. We are here in a
world of markets. The street takes its name
from an ancient corn-market here holden. In the
centre of the road, stand sellers of bread, cheese,
and herbs. Those carts beside the pathway are
laden with charcoal and firewood for sale. Here,
too, you may purchase bows and quivers, with
kind of wooden and iron implement that
you can want. Passing down the street, we
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