those sees in which they resided; but had no reference to civil jurisdiction: for if it had, the whole of Ely Place ought to belong to the diocese of Ely, where the bishop is not only diocesan, but justice of peace.

"Now if it required an act of parliament, 27 Hen. VIII. c. 35. to constitute the bishop of Ely a justice of peace in his own bishopric; where is the act of parliament which invests him with such authority in the city of London, of which Ely Place always did, and still does constitute, a part? Allowing this also; every doubt must be set aside, when it is considered, that the moment the bishop alienated his estate to the crown, he alienated his right with it, and carried his extra-civic presumption with him to Dover Street, where, according to the same extravagant opinions, it is equally as unsafe for the high steward and high constable of Westminster to issue processes at present, as it was formerly in the lord mayor of London, to do the same in Ely Place. We therefore must insist, sanctioned as we are by the opinions of such great men as Sir Nicholas Bacon, lord keeper; Sir Robert Catlyne, lord chief justice of England; Sir Walter Mildmay, chancellor of the Exchequer; and Sir James Dyer, lord chief justice of the court of Common Pleas; the greatest judges of law and equity of their time, "That the tenements, called ELY RENTS, in Holborn, WERE, and ARE WITHIN THE LIBERTIES, FRANCHISES, AND JURISDICTION OF THE CITY OF LONDON; and that the said mayor and commonalty of the city of London, and THEIR SUCCESSORS, should from thenceforth PEACEABLY, and QUIETLY have, use, enjoy, and exercise, WITHIN THE SAID TENEMENTS, ALL AND EVERY SUCH LIBERTIES, CUSTOMS, and JURISDICTIONS, AS THEY MAY USE WITHIN ANY OTHER PLACE WITHIN THE LIBERTY AND FREEDOM OF LONDON."

Below Ely Place stood SCROOPE'S INN. "This house," says Stow, was sometime letten out to serjeants at the lawe, as appeareth, and was found by inquisition taken in the Guildhall of London, before William Purchace, maior and

escheator

escheator for king Henry the Seventh, in the fourteenth of his reigne, after the death of John lord Scroope; that he died, seized in his demesne of fee, by the feofment of Gay Fairfax, knight, one of the king's justices, made in the ninth of the same king unto an esquire, the sayde John Scroope, knight, lord Scroope of Bolton, and Robert Wingfield, of one house or tenement lately called Serjeantt Inn, situate against the church of St. Andrew, in Oldbourne, in the citie of London, with two gardens and two messuages to the same tenement belonging, in the said city, to hold in burgage, valued by the yeere in all reprizes ten shillings " This place still retains the name of SCROOPE'S COURT; and was in 1616, the residence of Sir George Snelling, Sir Henry Coulte, &c.

Lower down was antiently GOLD LANE.

JOHN GERARD, the most celebrated of our antient botanists, had his garden in Holborn. He was a surgeon, and many years retained as chief gardener to lord Burleigh. Upon his death, Gerard found patrons in Sir Walter Raleigh, lord Edward Zouch, lord Hunsdon, &c. In 1597, he published his "Herbal," a book still in great esteem. Thomas Johnson*, an apothecary, published an improved edition of Gerard's book. "The descriptions in this Herbal," says Granger," are plain and familiar; and both these authors have laboured more to make their reader's understand the characters of the plants, than to give them to understand that they knew any thing of Greek and Latin."

Oldbourne was an antient village, built upon the bank of the rivulet or bourne, called Oldbourne, that sprung up

Johnson, for his labours in this work, was honoured with the degree of doctor of physic, by the university of Oxford; he was also lieutenant colonel to Sir Marmaduke Rawdon, governor of Basing House, in the civil wars. He set fire to the Grange, near that fortress, which consisted of twenty houses, and killed and burnt about three hundred of Sir William Waller's men, wounded five hundred more, and took arms, ammunition, and provision, from the enemy. He died in Seprember 1644, of a wound which he received in a sally from the gar rison. Granger.

L 2

near

near the south end of Gray's Inn Lane, and ran in a clear current to the bridge at the bottom of Holbourn or Oldbourne Hill, where it fell into the river of Wells.

END OF THE ELEVENTH ROUTE.

ROUTE XII.

From the north End of Fetter Lane, down Holborn, to Shoe Lane and Fleet Street; Fetter Lane to Holborn, the Barrs, Middle Row, Chancery Lane, to Fleet Street, and Temple Bar.

HE only notice that we shall take of Fetter Lane, at the commencement of this route, is, that on the 5th of July, 1643, Nathaniel Tompkins, Esq. was executed opposite the end of the lane in Holborn. He had been one of the party who adhered to the parliament, whilst its measures were consistent and moderate; but on finding that it pursued a plan of treason and rebellion, Messrs. Tompkins, Chaloner, Waller the poet, and other gentlemen of consideration, not only returned to their allegiance; but formed associations to resist, and, if possible, to overturn the prevailing faction. The project failed; Mr. Tompkins and Mr. Chaloner, were executed for the alledged conspiracy; and poor Waller was compelled to live on a pardon, at the dear purchase of 10,000l.

BARTLET'S BUILDINGS, at this period, was the residence of respectable families, as it still continues. Here is held the meetings of two SOCIETIES, who claim particular attention.

The best and most authentic account we can give of their institution, is from their own documents, published annually; by these it appears, "that about the latter end of the year 1698, a few gentlemen formed themselves into a Voluntary Society; and with unanimity and zeal promoted

the

the real and practical knowledge of true religion, by such methods as appeared to them to be most conducive to that end, till towards the conclusion of the year 1701; when, at their instance, a charter was obtained from William III. whereby all the then subscribing members of this society, with other persons of distinction in church and state, were incorporated, for the better carrying on that branch of their designs which related to the plantations, colonies, and factories beyond the seas, belonging to the kingdom of England.

"But their charter being limited to foreign parts, and the business of that corporation being hitherto confined to the British plantations in America, most of the original members of the voluntary society still continued to carry on, in that capacity, their more extensive designs for advancing the honour of God, and the good of mankind, by promoting Christian knowledge, both at home and in other parts of the world, by the best methods that should offer. They are therefore a society distinct from that corporation, and are known by the name of THE SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE.

"Their principal methods were the same as they had been before; to erect and promote charity schools; to disperse both at home and abroad, Bibles, Prayer books, and various religious tracts; to establish Protestant missions jointly with the king of Denmark, in the East Indies, and in other parts of the world; to employ the poor and their families, by erecting workhouses; to relieve exiles for the Protestant faith; to print the sacred Scriptures, &c, in the Welsh language; to promote religion in the Scilly islands; to print Bibles, Prayer books, and religious tracts, in the Manks tongue, &c."

The books and papers brought or printed by order of the society amount, in one year, to the amazing number of sixty-eight thousand two hundred and sixty-six; besides one thousand four hundred and sixty-five packets sent to subscribing and corresponding members; consisting of

Bibles,

.13,752 8 6

The receipts of this extensive and excellent undertaking, from 1805 to 1806, amounted to

The payments during the same period

13,425 17 7

Under the same roof the PATRONS OF THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE CHARITY SCHOOLS, transact their business.

After what has already been said upon this subject, under St. Paul's Cathedral, and St. Andrew's Charity School, it is only necessary to add, that "these schools, being a great support to the Protestant religion and established church of England, deserve the protection of every Christian and every friend to the British constitution; but, viewed in the light of humanity as well as policy, they demand the patronage of every friend to human nature.

"More than seven thousand children clothed and educated in this metropolis, and a great number of them wholly supported, by the voluntary bounty of individuals only, without any obligatory support from the laws, present, to the admiration of surrounding states, a picture of the British character, liberally and amiably portrayed.

"The anniversary meeting of the children of these charity schools, at divine service, is an affecting display of public benevolence, a grateful tribute to the memory of our generous ancestors who established them, and an animating incentive to the present age to patronise and transmit to posterity these excellent institutions, so honourable to this kingdom, and unequalled in any other.

"In order, therefore, that so glorious a display of public benevolence may ever continue to adorn this great and opulent metropolis, to attract the public regard, by encouraging the support of these institutions, the above society was esta blished upon a very antient foundation, consisting principally of treasurers, trustees, and subscribers to charity schools." THAIVE'S

5