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THE

PREFACE.

S St. Paul's Cathedral was intended to be an Honour to the Nation, and an Ornament to the City of London, an Attempt to preferve the Memory of it's Erection, may hope to be favourably received. Nor can it be thought of less Importance, to have a Prospect fet before us of the Viciffitude of all earthly Monuments of Grandeur, in the Rife, Increafe, flourishing State, gradual Decay, and final Diffolution of the old Structure, whose ruinous Condition, after more than a thousand Years Existence, made Way for the prefent most beautiful Fabric to fucceed.

In the Profecution of this Defign, we must acknowledge ourselves chiefly indebted to the Labours of two very eminent Men, namely, Sir William Dugdale, and Sir Chriftopher Wren, the former took Pains, as himself has declared, to give a perfect Reprefentation of the OLD CATHEDRAL, that the Remembrance of fo glorious a Structure might not wholly be buried in Oblivion; and the latter has left behind him fome Materials, not elsewhere to be met with, of the Ornaments and other Decorations with which he intended

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intended to have embellished the New. If in fo fmall a Work as this many Things be omitted, with which the Reader would gladly be acquainted, we must refer him to Dugdale's Hiftory of St. Paul's, and to Wren's Parentalia..

As to the other Parts of this little Book, reSpecting the MONUMENT, LONDON-Stone, and other ANTIQUE REMAINS therein treated of, nothing in particular need to be premised. What is faid of the MONUMENT, indeed is founded upon incontestable Facts; but as to LONDON-STONE, the WALL and GATES of LONDON, and other Matters grounded upon Conjecture, though the Reader will here find as much Satisfaction as in all the other Books that mention them, yet I question if what is advanced will command his Belief. Something will occur to his own Reafon that will stagger his Faith, and to the free Exercife of that Reason I commend him.

AN

AN

HISTORICAL DESCRIPTION

OF

ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL,

AND IT'S

ORNAMENT S

I

Of the old CATHEDRAL of St. PAUL. XXN our Hiftory of Westminster-Abbey, we have already observed, that, till the Beginning of the 6th Century the Pagan Worfhip generally prevailed in Britain; and it is beyond all Doubt that the Inhabitants of London continued to pay divine Honours to Diana, in a Temple dedicated to the Service of that Goddefs, till the Reign of Ethelbert, King of Kent.

This Prince being converted to Chriftianity by the Preaching of Auguftine, caufed the Pagan Temples within his Jurifdiction to be confecrated to a purer Worship, established the Order of Bishops, and conftituted Auguftine their Metropolitan, who, about the Year 604, being follicited thereto by Sebert

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King

King of Effex, advanced Mellitus to the Bishopric of London, and converted the Temple of Diana into a Cathedral, by destroying the Idols, building an Altar, furnishing it with Relics, and fprinkling it with Holy Water.

That this was the Origin of the old Structure of St. Paul's, appears from unquestionable Authorities; but in the then unfettled Sate of Christianity, the Kingdom of Effex, upon the Death of Sebert, relapfing into Paganism, this newly confecrated Cathedral was again defiled, it's Bifhop banished, the Idols restored, and that Adoration offered to false Gods which was only due to the Supreme Being: It did not, however, remain long in this depraved State; the Chriftian Religion every-where prevailed, and bore down all Oppofition; infomuch, that in 675 we find Erkinwald, the fourth Bishop of London, from Mellitus, lavishing an immense Treasure in repairing and beautifying the ancient Edifice, augmenting it's Revenues, and procuring fuch Privileges from the Pope and the Saxon Princes then reigning, for it's future Security, as fhould effectually disappoint the Attempts of it's Enemies. As the Labours of this devout Bishop were crowned with Succefs, fo in the Infancy of Chrißanity this Kind of Piety was never fuffered to pass unrewarded; his Soul was exalted to Heaven, and his Body tranflated to a glorious Shrine above the high Altar in the Eaft Part of this Church, and remained there the Admiration of fucceeding Ages, till the fatal Deftruction of the whole Fabric extinguished it's Luftre.

During the Saxon Heptarchy it feems to have flourished exceedingly. Kenrard, King of Mercia, declared it as free in all it's Rights, as he himself defired to be at the Day of Judgment; Athelstan endowed it with fifteen Lordships; Edgar with two,

and

and Elgleflede, his Wife, with two more; all which were confirmed by the Charters of Ethelred and Canutus, which threaten the Violaters with folemn Curfes.

Edward the Confeffor was the next Benefactor to this Church; but the Norman Invafion, which foon fucceeded, for a while eclipfed it's Glory. Some of it's Revenues were at first seized upon by the Conqueror, who, in the Fury of War, treated Clergy and Laity with equal Rigour: But, when the Thoughts of establishing himself on the Throne had taken Poffeffion of his Mind, and Rapine and Plunder had given Way to more ferious Confiderations, that wife Prince began the Reformation of Abuses, by caufing full Reftitution to be made to the Church, and by confirming all it's Rights, Privileges, and Immunities, in the ampleft Manner, with a pious Benediction upon those who fhould augment it's Poffeffions, and folemn Imprecations against fuch as fhould violate any of the Charters made in it's Favour.

In this Reign, however, a dreadful Fire confumed the ancient Fabric of which we have been、 fpeaking, ard gave Rife to a more magnificent Building than had ever been applied to the Purposes of Devotion in any Part of England before. This great Work was undertaken by Maurice, then Bishop of London, who obtained a Grant of fuch Materials for carrying it into Execution as fhould be found useful, out of the Ruins of the great Palatine-Tower, fituate near the River Fleet, on the very Spot where Robert Kilwardy, Archbishop of Canterbury, afterwards erected that House of Dominicans fo well known by the Name of Black Friars. But the Foundations which this good Bishop had laid were fo vaft, that though he lived twenty Years, and profecuted the Work

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