coffee house now the Rainbow, or Nando's coffee house, by the Inner Temple Gate, one of the first in England; was in the year 1667, presented by the inquest of St. Dunstan's in the West, for making and selling a sort of liquor called Coffee, as a great nuisance and prejudice of the neighbourhood, &c.

Commencing at Field Lane, to Chick Lane, Black Boy Alley, Saffron Hill, Kirby Street, Hatton Garden, Hatton Wall, Leather Lane, Liquorpond Street, Gray's Inn Lane. Return by Portpool Lane, Baldwin's Gardens, to Holborn Bars; and by Brook House, Street, and Market, continue to Furnival's Inn, Hatton Garden, and Ely Place, to Field Lane.

PON looking at Aggas's Map of London, in the

UPON

year 1560, we shall find that the north side of Holborn consisted of only a single row of houses, with gardens behind them; and that Field Lane was a mere opening from the street to the fields between Holborn, and Clerkenwell; there was a narrow path, where at present stands Saffron Hill, through a long pasture, bounded by the Turumill Brook, and the wall of Lord Hatton's garden. A passage between two walls, or hedges, passed to Smithfield, on the site of Chick Lane; and the rest of the neighbourhood was Occupied by Ely House, and Hatton House, with their several gardens, &c.

Field Lane, in Stow's time, was distinguished as a filthy passage into the fields." It has undergone no improvement since his time; but is still one of the most dirty, narrow avenues in the metropolis; though constantly crowded with passengers to the various petty streets and alleys of Saffron Hill liberty, and St. Sepulchre's Without. VOL. IV. No. 79.

H

It

It abounds with shops for the sale of cloaths, tripe, old iron, and too often with receptacles for the receipt of stolen property.

Chick Lane, a street rather wider, is also better inha bited; but still a very inconvenient place. At the east end is a new-built workhouse for the poor of St. Sepulchre's parish. On the north side is a mass of tenements, fearful to approach, called Black Boy Alley. During the reign of king George II. this place was the terror of the whole city The method pursued by the inhabitants, who were called "The Black Boy Alley Gang," was to intice the unwary by means of prostitutes, then gag them, so that they should not alarm; after which it was the practice of these nefarious wretches to drag their prey to one of their depositories, and having robbed the parties, instantly mur dered them, and threw the dead bodies down into the ditch. Their atrocity, however, became so notorious, that government pursued the offenders so effectually, that no less than nineteen were executed at one time. Hogarth has depicted one of these diabolical scenes in his prints of the Industrious and Idle Apprentice, where the idle apprentice is betrayed by his companion to the officer of justice.

Saffron Hill, is a long street of indifferent houses; there, are several avenues and courts, the resorts of poverty and filth; towards Turnmill Street, a double range of houses of nearly the same complexion, except a few dwellings and factories of respectable persons, for the convenience of

room.

Out of Saffron Hill, a passage formerly ascended by steps, leads to CHARLES STREET, and KIRBY STREET; so called from an estate possessed by the noble family of Hatton. In Kirby Street, was the house in which resided the learned printer, WILLIAM BOWYER, Esq. of whose benevolence we have made mention under STATIONER'S HALL.

In Cross Street, is HATTON HOUSE; this was built by Sir Christopher Hatton, who by his elegant manners, rather than his mental qualifications, attracted the notice of

queen

queen Elizabeth, who ultimately appointed him lord keeper .of the great seal. He, however, discharged his high office with great applause, and was prudent enough never to act without the assistance of two able lawyers. By his interest with the queen, he extorted from Richard Cox, bishop of Ely, who had long resisted the sacrilege, the orchard and garden of the episcopal palace; and it shews that Elizabeth partook sometimes of the spirit of her father, the absolute Henry, when she could forget herself so far as to write the following letter to bishop Cox, demanding of him to surrender the premises:

Proud Prelate!

you are

"You know what you was before I made you what now; if you do not immediately comply with my request, by G-d, I will unfrock you.

"

ELIZABETH."

Such a mandate from such authority, effectually overpowered the bishop; therefore on the 20th of March, 1576, be granted to Hatton, "the gatehouse of the palace, except two rooms, used as prisons for those who were arrested, or delivered in execution to the bishop's bailiff; and the lower rooms, used for the porter's lodge; the first court yard within the gatehouse, to the long gallery, dividing it from the second; the stables there; the long gallery, with the rooms above and below it; and some others; fourteen acres of land, and the keeping the gardens and orchards, for twenty-one years, paying at Midsummer Day, a red rose for the gatehouse and garden, and for the ground ten loads of hay, and 107. per annum; the bishop reserving to himself and successors free access through the gatehouse, walking in the garden, and gather twenty bushels of roses yearly;" and Hatton undertook to repair and make the gatehouse a convenient dwelling.

But to shew that injustice, in whatever shape, meets its reward; Sir Christopher having incurred a debt to Elizabeth, her ungenerous and avaritious spirit cost the chancellor his life. The queen demanded payment of the sum, which was large; he was unable to satisfy the demand;

Elizabeth, with her wonted impatience, probably reproached him; the chancellor could not withstand such an accumulation of evils, and died broken hearted, leaving the queen in despair forthe loss of an intelligent judge and coun

sellor.

Dying without issue, the estate came to his nephew, Sir William Hatton. In 1584, the premises suffered an extent, to satisfy a debt of 42,1397. 5s. due to the queen from the late Sir Christopher; whose rental, it seems, amounted to no more than 7177. 2s. 11d. including Hatton Garden, then valued at 10l. per annum. Sir William, however, next year obtained a grant of the extent; and at his death the whole went to John Hatton, whose sou Sir Christopher, having obtained an act of parliament, in the third year of the reign of king James I. to dock the entail, &c. towards paying the debts upon the estates, levied a fine, and suffered a common recovery of the premises;, and in consideration of 4000l. paid by Sir Edward Coke, who had married Elizabeth, widow of Sir William, the use thereof transferred to trustees for her and her heirs. It is evident each bishop in succession claimed redemption of the estate.

Sir Edward, in Trinity term, in the seventh year of the reign of Charles I. levied a fine on the premises to trustees for his lady and her heirs; and in 1638, she proposed to sell the whole to the king; but he being informed by archbishop Laud, and his council, of the bishop of Ely's title, refused to proceed in the purchase. Bishop Wren preferred his bill the same year against lady Hatton, for redemption; she stood out in contempt, and was committed to the Fleet prison, for not answering the bill.

The civil wars, soon overturned all these proceedings; the bishop was committed to the Tower, and lady Hatton was confirmed in her supposed rights.

In 1662, bishop Wren, being restored to his see,again prosecuted his claim in Chancery, to which lord Hatton demurred; but was over-ruled by the court; during, however, the time that the suit was depending, he began to build Hatton Garden, and the neighbouring streets; and though

though he and his workmen were constantly served with injunctions, they carried on the buildings in opposition to all authority; and, the bishop dying in the interim, lord Hatton completed them. The encroachments of these buildings were so great, that the bishop was compelled, for want of a more proper entrance, to bring his horses through the great hall of his palace.

Hatton House has degenerated from its intention; it has been converted into a dancing academy; a printing office; and behind into a neat chapel, originally built for a congre gation of the New Jerusalem, or Emanuel Swedenbourg's persuasion; since it has been deserted by that flock, it has been and is still occupied by a eongregation of Calvinistic principles.

Hat and Tun Yard, is a corruption of Hatton Yard, and was most probably the yard before the gatehouse already mentioned.

At the south-west corner of Cross Street, in Hatton Garden, is a large building, erected by Christopher lord viscount Hatton, for a chapel; this structure, with a house and yard at the east end, were vested, by an act of par liament, in the third and fourth years of the reign of William and Mary, in Dr. Simon Patrick, bishop of Ely, and his successors, for ever; after which many efforts were made in the reign of queen Anne, that it might be converted into one of the fifty new churches; but the applica tions having proved ineffectual, it was rented as ST. AN DREW'S CHARITY SCHOOL.

The history of these kinds of charitable institutions arose during the reign of James II. That bigoted monarch having used every means to pervert the established Protestant religion of the country, by the introduction of Popish emissaries, who industriously disseminated their opinions, and formed schools for furthering their absurd and persecuting opinions; it was necessary that the well-meaning members of the church of England, should by every legal means in their power, endeavour to counteract the plots against the national religion, by the suggestion and promo