The
Masters Are Elected By The Wardens And Assistants Of The Mercers'
Company, And The Scholars Are Admitted By The Master Upon A Warrant
Directed To Him By The Surveyor.
The elections for the university
are in March, before Lady Day, and they are allowed their
exhibitions for seven years.
To this school belongs a library,
consisting chiefly of classic authors. The frontispiece is adorned
with busts, entablature, pediments, festoons, shields, vases, and
the Mercers' arms cut in stone, with this inscription over the door:
INGREDERE UT PROFICIAS. Upon every window of the school was
written, by the founder's direction: AUT DOCE, AUT DISCE, AUT
DISCEDE - i.e., Either teach, learn, or begone.
The founder, in the ordinances to be observed in this school, says
he founded it to the honour of the Child Jesus, and of His blessed
mother Mary; and directs that the master be of a healthful
constitution, honest, virtuous, and learned in Greek and Latin; that
he be a married or single man, or a priest that hath no cure; that
his wages should be a mark a week, and a livery gown of four nobles,
with a house in town, and another at Stebonheath (Stepney); that
there should be no play-days granted but to the King, or some bishop
in person: that the scholars every Childermas Day should go to St.
Paul's Church, and hear the child-bishop sermon, and afterwards at
high mass each of them offer a penny to the child-bishop: and
committed the care of the school to the Company of Mercers; the
stipends to the masters, the officers' salaries, &c., belonging to
the school, amounting at first to 118 pounds 14s. 7d. 1ob. per
annum; but the rents and revenues of the school being of late years
considerably advanced, the salaries of the masters have been more
than doubled, and many exhibitions granted to those who go to the
university, of 10 pounds and 6 pounds odd money per annum. The
second master hath a handsome house near the school, as well as the
first master.
The school at Mercers' Chapel, in Cheapside, hath the same patrons
and governors as that of St. Paul's, viz., the Mercers, who allow
the master a salary of 40 pounds per annum, and a house, for
teaching twenty-five scholars gratis.
Merchant Taylors' School is situated near Cannon Street, on St.
Lawrence Poultney (or Pountney) Hill. This school, I am told,
consists of six forms, in which are three hundred lads, one hundred
of whom are taught gratis, another hundred pay two shillings and
sixpence per quarter, and the third hundred five shillings a
quarter; for instructing of whom there is a master and three ushers:
and out of these scholars some are annually, on St. Barnabas' Day,
the 11th of June, elected to St. John's College, in Oxford, where
there are forty-six fellowships belonging to the school.
As to the charity schools: there are in all 131, some for boys,
others for girls; where the children are taught, if boys, to read,
write, and account; if girls, to read, sew, and knit; who are all
clothed and fitted for service or trades gratis.
I proceed in the next place to show how well London is supplied with
water, firing, bread-corn, flesh, fish, beer, wine, and other
provisions.
And as to water, no city was ever better furnished with it, for
every man has a pipe or fountain of good fresh water brought into
his house, for less than twenty shillings a year, unless brewhouses,
and some other great houses and places that require more water than
an ordinary family consumes, and these pay in proportion to the
quantity they spend; many houses have several pipes laid in, and may
have one in every room, if they think fit, which is a much greater
convenience than two or three fountains in a street, for which some
towns in other countries are so much admired.
These pipes of water are chiefly supplied from the waterworks at
London Bridge, Westminster, Chelsea, and the New River.
Besides the water brought from the Thames and the New River, there
are a great many good springs, pumps, and conduits about the town,
which afford excellent water for drinking. There are also mineral
waters on the side of Islington and Pancras.
This capital also is well supplied with firing, particularly coals
from Newcastle, and pit-coals from Scotland, and other parts; but
wood is excessively dear, and used by nobody for firing, unless
bakers, and some few persons of quality in their chambers and
drawing-rooms.
As for bread-corn, it is for the most part brought to London after
it is converted into flour, and both bread and flour are extremely
reasonable: we here buy as much good white bread for three-
halfpence or twopence, as will serve an Englishman a whole day, and
flour in proportion. Good strong beer also may be had of the
brewer, for about twopence a quart, and of the alehouses that retail
it for threepence a quart. Bear Quay, below bridge, is a great
market for malt, wheat, and horse-corn; and Queenhithe, above the
bridge, for malt, wheat, flour, and other grain.
The butchers here compute that there are about one thousand oxen
sold in Smithfield Market one week with another the year round;
besides many thousand sheep, hogs, calves, pigs, and lambs, in this
and other parts of the town; and a great variety of venison, game,
and poultry. Fruit, roots, herbs, and other garden stuff are very
cheap and good.
Fish also are plentiful, such as fresh cod, plaice, flounders,
soles, whitings, smelts, sturgeon, oysters, lobsters, crabs,
shrimps, mackerel, and herrings in the season; but it must be
confessed that salmon, turbot, and some other sea-fish are dear, as
well as fresh-water fish.
Wine is imported from foreign countries, and is dear. The port wine
which is usually drunk, and is the cheapest, is two shillings a
quart, retailed in taverns, and not much less than eighteen or
twenty pounds the hogshead, when purchased at the best hand; and as
to French wines, the duties are so high upon them that they are
double the price of the other at least.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 31 of 40
Words from 30923 to 31968
of 40922
