Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	church_n	great_a	see_v	2,797	5	3.4756	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A48714	The present surveigh of London and Englands state Containing a topographicall description of all the particular forts, redoubts, breast-works, and trenches newly erected round about the citie on both sides of the river, with the severall fortifications thereof. And a perfect relation of some fatall accidents, and other disasters, which fell out in the city and countrey, during the Authors abode there. Intermingled also with certaine severall observations worthie of light and memorie. By William Lithgow.	Lithgow, William, 1582-1645?	1643 (1643)	Wing L2543; ESTC R220129	15,129	23

THE PRESENT SVRVEIGH OF LONDON AND ENGLANDS STATE Containing A Topographicall description of all the particular Forts Redoubts Breast-works and Trenches newly erected round about the Citie on both sides of the River with the severall Fortifications thereof And a perfect relation of some fatall accidents and other disasters which fell out in the City and Countrey during the Authors abode there Intermingled also with certaine severall Observations worthie of light and memorie By William Lithgow London Printed by I. O. 1643. The present Surveigh of London and Englands State AFter long fourtie yeares wandring since my first launching abroad to surveigh the spacious bounds and tertiat face of the ancient world besides my daily fastidious and now frequent p●edestriat progresses at home and in neighbour Regions about and being fallen in the rotten bosome of declyning age the sun being set on the winter day of mine elabourat time and that time past three score years yet now I say for diverse serious respects in this instant year 1643. April 24. it was my resolution to imbarke at Preston Pannes with sundrie passengers bound for London Where weighing Ankers and hoysing saile with roome winds and fair weather we coasted along the Brittannian shoare In all which deserted way betweene Forth and Gravesend wee found onely three ships two Scots-men and a Noruegian and one of the royall Whelps lying at Anker in AErmouth road which made the sea resemble a wildernesse and the devasted shoare the comfortlesse sight of a desolate land Where never heretofore winter excepted these Tritonian bounds were seen reciprocally taken without 2000 saile recoursing that sandie and shelfy marine But the estate and affaires of this world are ever ranging ever changing never constant which made Solon tell Craesus that man should never reckon on the felicity of this life because there might be a mutability of fortune ere death The like may I now say of deplorable Germanie lately the mother soyle of Europe yea and the glorie of the whole Universe that never in these dayes of antiquitie could Chaldea Chelfania Assyria and Mesopotamia the foure principall pastures for the first Creation compare with that almost invincible Empyre for Princes Potentates Nobilitie Imperiall Cities Gentrie Merchants and rich Bowres no no for it was the superabounding fulnesse of men money and might and indeed nothing inferior the fall of Adam reserved to the first orientall Paradise And yet when the fulnesse of their pride luxurie gluttonie and libidinous lusts were sprung on high and crying for Heavens all-commanding judgements how soon with the sword plague and famine were they thrown down upon the desperat rocks of grievous desolation And who can tell it is now begun how soon the like punishment may fall upon this I le the South part whereof being loaden with self love vain glorie the fatnesse of vices ambitious pride and a contemptible disdain of all nations themselves excepted So that their backs and bellies like unto Castor and Pollux are become the loadstone of their flattering follies and pampering pleasures That without some condigne correction they might easily in a manner forget the Creatour and so the Creature Spain in this chastisement may second Germany France may resemble Spaine and I fear ere long which God evert England shall be left the last mourner of all bearing now as it were almost the very effigie of the distracted and combustible Kingdomes in this Europian tierce upon the shoulders of her declining fortune But now reverting to my purpose the first news I heard at my disbarking was the down-casting of the golden crosse in Cheapside to the which with speed I approached where I saw divers imagious relicts tumbling down in the bottomlesse pit of oblivion upon the sequell day May 4. it was razed to the ground and the foundation thereof made levell with the street which was not done by tumult but by order of Parliament And now I will neither commend nor condemne the fact but this far I dare say whilst it stood it was a monumentall ornament worthie of a royall Citie and the beautifull object of admiration to all spectatours and strangers But indeed some idolatrous Papists made it in going by the Sanctuarie of their superstition making homage to it and crossing their now crossed breasts have left the golden crosse to fall down like Dagon at the feet of a happie begun reformation So the third day thereafter they caused take downe all the new and old crosses standing on Churches and steeple tops and notwithstanding whereof I still carry six crosses on my arme and the seventh crosse still followeth mee against my will which the world may help and I cannot prevent Next upon Weddinsday ensuing May 10. by order of Parliament I saw at noone day two great heaps of books burned both where the golden crosse formerly stood and before the Royall Exchange Which books had been compyled by the Popish prelaticall faction for tollerating on the Sabboth day sportings pastimes prophane playes and so consequently all sorts of labour as the Papists do at this day in the Popes own patrimoniall lands prohibiting afternoone sermons and commanding the erection of Altars and homages therto which was done for the introduction of the Masse and other infinite pendicles of Poperie And now truely I never saw London these fourtie yeares past so populous as now it is only there is a general muttering that money is hard to come by and that is because all kinde of trades and trading begin to decay and they who have money keep it close for common imployments are lately metamorphosed in flying collours toucking of Drummes inveloping scarffs and Pandedalian Feathers wherein they have more pleasure than profite And yet it best agrees with the peoples nature who delight mainly in publick showes and frivole ostentations Indeed for victuals they have abundance and plenty of all things and at an easie rate and want for nothing as yet save onely peace But it may truly be feared that if these their generall combustions draw to a Winter leaguer that both the City and Kingdome shall smart for it And why because both the great armies and also the pettie armies in every County do so sack and spoil the grounds of horses bestiall grasse corne and haye a●● also pitifully plunder the people of moneys victuals and domestick furniture that the continuing of it in a short time shall ruine all And now to begin with the Cities insides before I come to its outsides and fortifications I found the River from Ratcliffe upwards full of Merchant ships and they lying two and two and side to side with a pretty distance from couple to couple resembled as though they had been to make a sea fight But indeed they ly at their guard and are well provided The first lamentation their tongues offered me here was the dearth and scarcity of coals notwithstanding of the daily relief they get from Scotland yet they are loath to part with money and in a

next day following May 17 the Feltmakers Fishmongers and Coupers marched three severall wayes to three sundrie fields carrying twenty four collours had their number amounted to three thousand and odds And now to shun prolixitie let the ingenious Reader judge what number of numbers would these sequel Trades be as Goldsmiths Ferriers Bakers Bruers Butchers Cooks Candlemakers Smiths Cutlers Carpenters Shipwrights Joyners Boxmakers Wheelewrights Turners Carmers and foure thousand Weavers Braziers Dyers Imbrouderers Horologiers Watchmakers Engravers Tinkers Haberdashers Feathermakers Clothiers Tanners Curriers Glovers Spurriers Painters Printers Stationers Bookbinders Gunmakers Glaziers Masons Tecturers Brickmakers Plumbers Vpholsters Combemakers Girdlers Coblers Chimney-sweepers Jackfarmers with many moe that I can not recollect Which indeed as they are of a marvellous great number so it was a delicat observation to consider and remarke the indefatigable multitude and strength of the City never heretofore practised nor exercised The computation whereof may sincirly amount to an hundred thousand able men not reckoning any above fifty years of age although the latter number would far exceed the former And now closing this preceeding passage behold the superstitious Holy dayes in the City and Countrey are not as hitherto abolished Neither have they a seeming purpose to abandon them because they are the baits of prophane pleasures and vitious wantonnesse which their gadding inclinations love rather to follow than forsake Neither is their Service Book exterminated but in an ambiguous way some Churches professing it and other some disallowing it I will not here expostulate between the mean and the manner but surely there is a great wisedome visibly seene in the generall councell that will not enforce a sudden alteration upon the People till weightier matters be first settled lest the one half should devoure the other and the common estate of the Common-weal be miserably ramversed for as the Italian saith china Piano ua sano so say we that soft fire makes sweet malt Even so the prudent proceeding of provident policie must with a multitude dallie as the Fisherman doth with a hooked Salmond le ts him strugle in the streame a while and then softly steales him to the land where he is catchd and dispatchd And now the nature of man would ever either hear or see novelties and here a speciall one the Tower of London from long antiquitie wont ever to guard the City as the Eagle keeps her yong ones from the Griffon but now the citie guards day and night the Tower lest Bishop Laud and Bishop Wren should leap out through the iron windowes to swim on Thames and that Euripus to swallow them down which should be a great pitie if the Popes indulgences could prevent it And now I recall at my first coming here it was agitate in Parliament to send these two ghostly fathers to new England that the great Ocean before their arrivall there might purget hem like to purgatorie of all the corruptions and perfidious knaveries they had done in England with many others these twenty five yeares This resolution was relented which many a heart lamented but it may be against the next spring they will either make saile or hing The Citie now hath fourteen horse Troupes that scoute the high wayes both day and night and ride the round nightly twice about the foot squadrons where so their Centinels are set at watch and themselves to stand on guard for this is the militarie way of Mars And now coming to my maine purpose I wish the Reader hold but conceive as my pen shal let him see the fairest encompassed city in all Europe which my pedestriall march in twelve hours time painfully performed And thus three dayes before my departure thence I approached to make the toure round about and descending to the lower end of Wappine there I beganne my circuit Then here close by the houses and the River Thames I found a seven angled Fort erected of turffe sand watles and earthen worke as all the rest are composed of the like having aine Port holes and as many cannons and neare the top round about pallosaded with sharpe wooden stakes sixt in the bulwarkes right out and a foot distant from another which are defensive for suddain scalets and single ditchd below with a Court du guard within Advancing thence along the trench dyke for all the Trenches are deep ditched about vvhich runneth through Wappine Fields to the further end of Whitechappell a great vvay vvithout Aldgate and on the road vvay to Essex I savv a nine angled Fort only pallosaded and single ditched and planted vvith seven pieces of brazen Ordonance and a Court du guard composd of timber and thatch'd vvith tyle stone as all the rest are VVhere tovvards Myle-end green I beheld there tvvo pertie Forts or Redoubts each of them vvith three Ports and they Cannoned stand vvithin an intrenched closure having five courts du guard that secure the passage vvay From White chappell Fort Northvvestvvard I trenched along the Trenches to Shoarditch Fort standing mainly quadrangled single pallosaded and single ditched carrying on three corners of the four eight Demicanons and a royall court du guard within And without which and at Kingsland being the old post way for Scotland there stands two earthen Rampires with two Courts du guard Thence returned I followed along the champaine breastworkes to Hogston where I found a quadrat Fort well pallosaded and planted with five Cannons at the two field corners The strength is double ditched and betweene the two it is strongly barrocaded with wooden stakes everie stake neare the top being fenced with three iron hookes of a span long Thence I marched through Fineberry fields along the Trench enclosing there Moorefields and came to Mount-milhill Fort for all the Forts about are blank and blanke in sight of other where being arryved I found it standing on the high way near to the Red Bull This is a large and singular fortification having a Fort above and within a Fort the lowest consisting of five angles two whereof towards the fields are each of them thrice ported having as many great Cannon with a flanking piece from a hid corner The upper Fort standing circular is furnished with eleven pieces of Cannon reall which command all the rest and upon the bosome top of all standeth a Windmill The lower bulwarks are first pallosaded round about and near their tops and then in the middle flank between the two ditches strongly barrocaded beside two Countercarps and three Redoubts of lesser importance yet all defensive This is one of the chief Forts about the city and first erected Thence footing along the Trench dyke which is three yards thick and on the ditch side twice as high I courted Islington at the lower end whereof I found a strong and large strength called Waterfield Fort having within two utter workes a circularie Mount stored with nine great pieces of artillerie and on the point of a Countercarp three pieces more there I saw the longest Court