PORTPOOL LANE, has nothing to recommend it, 'except: that it retains the name of the antient manor of Portpool, belonging to the lords Gray, of Wilton; and gives title to one of the prebends in St. Paul's cathedral. It will be further mentioned under Gray's Inn.

BALDWIN'S GARDENS, a street so called from buildings erected by a gardener to queen Elizabeth. A large stone, on which is cut that queen's arms, against a pawnbroker's Xebshop, in the street, records the circumstance. X

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Below Gray's Inn Lane, in Holborn, is BROOKE STREET, leading to Brooke's Market, Beauchamp Street, Dorrington Street, and Greville Street, all named from titles of the lords Brooke, earls of Brooke and Warwick, &c. At the corner of Brooke Street, is the extensive iron grate and furniture manufactory of James Oldham Oldham, Esq. built on the site of BROOKE HOUSE, a mansion belonging to that noble family.

FULK GREVILE, son of Sir Fulk Grevile, by Anne, daughter of Ralph Nevile, earl of Westmoreland, belonged to the court of queen Elizabeth many years, and was continued in the same station by James I. by whom he was made knight of the Bath, at his coronation. In the second year of the same reign he obtained a grant of the ruinous castle at Warwick, with all the grounds belonging to the domain. He restored and beautified the castle by a substantial repair. Afterwards, in the year 1615, he was constituted under treasurer and chancellor of the Exchequer, appointed one of the privy council; and for his faithful. services in those employments, advanced to the dignity of lord Brooke, of Beauchamp's Court, in the county of Warwick. He surrendered the chancellorship of the Exchequer, and was admitted one of the noblemen of the. king's bedchamber.

A domestic, named Haywood, had spent the greatest part of his life in his lordship's service, and conceiving that he had not been sufficiently rewarded, he remonstrated to his lord, who resenting his behaviour, the unnatural wretch

suddenly

suddenly plunged his sword into his master's back at Brooke House, of which his lordship died on the 30th of September, 1628, at the age of seventy-four. The execrable assassin, terrified at the horrid deed, added to his guilt the crime of suicide, by falling on his own sword in an adjoining apartment.

Lord Brooke was buried at Warwick, where the following inscription is placed round his tomb :

"Fulk Grevile,-Servant to Queen Elizabeth,-Counsellor to King James, and Friend to Sir Philip Sidney."

Near this place was the mansion of the family of Bourchier, earls of Bath, afterwards called Bath Place.

FURNIVAL'S INN. The noble family of Furnival, came from Normandy in the reign of Richard I.; Gerard de Furnival accompanied that monarch to the Crusade, and was present at the siege of Acre. His grandson Gerard, died at Jerusalem, in 1219. Thomas, his son, was killed by the Saracens. Another Thomas accompanied Edward I. in the wars in Scotland. His son Thomas, was with his father in all his martial achievements; and his son, also named Thomas, bore a considerable share of glory at the taking of Caen, in Normandy, at the battle of Cressy, and in the wars of Scotland, during the reign of Edward II!. He was succeeded by his brother William, whose daughter Joan, kaving in the reign of Henry IV. married Thomas Nevill, younger brother to Ralph, earl of Westmoreland, the inheritance of this inn came to him; and by Maud, their sole daughter and heiress, it descended, by marriage, to John Talbot, earl of Shrewsbury, in which family it continued till the reign of Edward VI. when Francis, earl of Shrewsbuy, in consideration of 1207. sold the premises to Edward Griffin, Esq. solicitor general, William Ropere, and Richard Haydone, Esqrs. and their heirs, to the use of the society of Lincoln's Inn: which sum of 1201. (the purchase money) was paid out of the treasury of that society. The principal and fellows of Furnival's Inn, to whom a lease was ganted by the society of Lincoln's Inn, were to pay yearly 2. 6s. 4d. as appears by the accounts of that house.

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This inn occupies a very considerable plot of ground, and is divided into two squares, or courts; but the buildings are in a state of decay, and much neglected.

The front next the street, is a very fine specimen of brick work, adorned with pilasters, mouldings, and an handsome arched gateway; and appears to be of the architecture prevalent in the reign of Charles II.

The HALL is a low, plain brick building, with a small turret, and two large projecting windows at the west end. The interior is antient, the roof is of timber, arched and divided into pannels by ribs springing from the sides. Its dimensions are forty feet by twenty-four. In the windows are a few armorial bearings, and in the room are the portraits of lord Raymond, and Sir Thomas Pengelly.

This society is governed by a principal, and twelve antients; and the members of the house, according to the old constitutions, were to be in commons a fortnight in every ten, or pay two shillings per week, if absent.

Nothing particular occurs in this part of the route, till

we arrive at

ELY PLACE.

This street of elegant houses occupies the site of the antient palace of the bishops of Ely; which, formerly called Ely's Inn, was built in consequence of a will, made by bishop John de Kirkeby, who died in the year 1290, and bequeathed to his successors a messuage and nine cottages, situated in Holborn; which messuage became thenceforth the capital mansion of the bishops of Ely. William de Luda, his immediate successor, purchased several houses, and some lands adjoining, and at his death, which happened in 1298, left them to the bishops of that see, on condition that the person succeeding him should, within three months after his confirmation, pay to his executor one thousand marks; he also gave by his will two hundred marks to purchase twenty marks a year for the maintenance of three chaplains to pray for his soul, and the souls of the future bishops of Ely for ever in their chapel, of this house; he likewise left three houses for their habitation. The gardens of this house

were

were afterwards laid out in a very extensive manner, and so improved that the productions of the season were esteemed forwarder here than in any other plantation about London; a proof of this is to be met with in the best historians, as it gave occasion to the cruel duke of Gloucester, afterwards Richard III. to cloak his design upon the life of lord Hastings. At a privy council, summoned in the Tower the 13th of June, 1483, the duke seemed to indulge himself in familiar conversation with the counsellors before they should enter upon business; and, having paid some compliments to Morton, bishop of Ely, on the good and early strawberries which he raised in his garden at Holborn, he begged the favour of having a dish of them, which that prelate immediately dispatched a servant to bring him; the Protector then left the council, as if called away by some other business, but soon after returned, and, under pretence that Hastings had plotted against his life, called in his guards, who seized the unfortunate nobleman, and immediately after beheaded him on a log of timber, which lay in the court of the Tower. The estate of Ely House was afterwards greatly increased by different purchases, so much, that, in the reign of queen Elizabeth, the whole, consisting of buildings, gardens, pastures, and inclosures, contained above twenty (Maitland says forty) acres of land inclosed within a wall. Bishop Richard Cox, at the pressing instances of queen Elizabeth, leased the western part of the house, and all the great garden and closes thereunto belonging, at a very small rent, to Christopher Hatton, Esq. afterwards high chancellor of England, for the term of twentyone years. Hatton, being in possession, laid out a considerable sum of money in planting, building, and other improvements, and made this a pretence for moving the queen to oblige the bishop to alienate it to him.

After the revolution, a suit was instituted in Chancery against the then lord Hatton, who availed himself of his privilege in parliament, to avoid answering the bill. By this, and other incidental delays, the suit was protracted till the time of bishop Patrick, who thought fit to put an end to it,

between the years 1691 and 1707, by accepting one hundred pounds a year, to be settled on his see.

Part of this story is differently told by Maitland, who says, on bishop Cox's refusal, the affair was deferred till his death; when, the temporalities devolving to the crown, Elizabeth granted the said apartments and gardens to Sir Christopher Hatton, and his heirs for ever.

The entrance to this house was on the north side of Holborn, almost opposite to St. Andrew's church, through a large gateway, or porter's lodge, into a small paved court. On the right hand were some offices, supported by a colonade; and on the left a small garden, separated from the court by a brick wall. On the front appeared the venerable old hall, originally built with stone; its roof was covered with lead. Adjoining to the west end were the chief lodging rooms and other apartments.

The inside of this wall was about thirty feet high, thirtytwo broad, and seventy-two long. The timber of the roof formed a demi dodecagon. It was lighted by six Gothic windows; four on the south, and two on the north side. The floor was paved with tiles. At the lower end was an oaken screen, and near the upper end there was an ascent of one step for the high table, according to the old English fashion.

To the north-west of the hall was a quadrangular cloister; its south side measuring ninety-five, and its west seventythree feet.

In the centre was a small garden. The east side was converted into a sort of lumber room, or cellar. Over the cloisters were lodging rooms and galleries, where were several antient windows; but not above two small pieces of painted glass, and those neither beautiful nor curious.

Here was a venerable hall, seventy-four feet long, with six large painted windows, the furniture suited to the hospitality of the times. This structure was substantially repaired, and mostly rebuilt by Thomas Fitzalan, alias Arundel, bishop of Ely, and afterwards archbishop of Canterbury,