Selected quad for the lemma: city_n
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A09661
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The true report of the burnyng of the steple and church of Poules in London
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Pilkington, James, 1520?-1576.
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1561
(1561)
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STC 19930; ESTC S105054
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4,051
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18
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vtter distruction For in the hole city without the churche no stycke was kyndled surelye Notwithstanding that in diuerse partes stretes and within the houses bothe adioyninge and of a good distaunce as in fletestrete newgate market by the violence of fyre burninge coles of greate bignesse fell downe almoost as thicke as haylstones and flawes of lead were blowen abrode into the gardins without y e Citie like flawes of snow in bredthe w toute hurt god be thanked to any house or persoÌ„ Many fond talkes goe abrode of the original cause of this fier Some say it was negligence of plumbers whereas by due examinacion it is proued that no plumbers or other workemen labored in the churche for sixe monethes before Other suspect it was done by som wicked practise of wildfyer or gunpouder but no iust suspicious therof by any examinacion can be founde hitherto Some suspect coniurers sorcerers wherof there is also no great likelyhode And if it hadde bene wrought y t waie yet could not the deuil haue done it without Gods permissioÌ„ to som purpose of his vnsercheable iudgemeÌ„ts as appereth in the story of Job The true cause as it semeth was the teÌ„pest by gods suffrance for it cannot be otherwise gathered but that at y e said great terrible thunderclap when sainte Martins steple was â—orne the lightning which by natural order smiteth y e highest did first smite y e top of Paules steple and entring in at the small holes which haue alwaies remained open for building skaffoldes to the works finding the timber very olde drie did kindle y e same so y e fier increasing grew to a flame wrought y e effecte which folowed most terrible then to behold now most lamentable to looke on On Sonday folowyng beynge the .viii. day of June the reuerend in god the Bishop of Duresme at Paules crosse made a learned fruitful sermon exhorting the auditory to a general repentance namely to humble obedieÌ„ce of the lawes superior powers whiche vertue is muche decayed in these our daies seming to haue intellygeÌ„ce from the Queenes highnes that her maiestie intendeth thaâ— more seueritie of lawes shalbe executed against persons disobedyent aswell in causes of religioÌ„ as ciuil to the great reioysing of his auditours He exhorted also hys audieÌ„ce to take this as a generall warninge to the whole realme namelye to the citie of London of some greater plage to folow if amendmente of lyfe in all states did not ensue He muche reproued those persons whiche woulde assigne the cause of this wrathe of god to any perticular state of meÌ„ or that were diligent to loke into other mens lyues coulde see no faultes in themselfes but wished that euery man wold descend into himselfe and say with Dauid 〈…〉 I am he that hathe sinned and so furth to that effect â—erye godlye He also not onely reproued the prophanatyon of the said Churche of Paules of longe time hertofore abused by walkiÌ„g â—angling brawling fighting bargaining c. namely in Sermons seruice time but also auÌ„swered by the way to the obiectioÌ„s of such euil tunged persoÌ„s which do impute this token of gods deserued ire to alteracioÌ„ or rather reformacioÌ„ of religioÌ„ declaring out of auÌ„cient records histories y â— like yea greater maters had befallen in y â— time of supersticioÌ„ ignorance For in y e first yere of king StephaÌ„ not only y e said church of Paules was breÌ„t but also a great part of y e city y t is to say froÌ„ LondoÌ„ bridge vnto S. ClemeÌ„ts without TeÌ„ple bar was by fier coÌ„sumed And in y e daies of king HeÌ„ry y e .vi. y â— steple of Paules was also fired by lightning although it was then staidi by diligeÌ„ce of y e Citizens y e fier being theÌ„ by likelyhode not so fierce Many other suche like coÌ„mon calamities he rehersed whiche had happened in other couÌ„treis both nigh to this realm far of where y e church of Rome hath most aucthority therefore coÌ„cluded y e surest way to be y t euery man should iudge examin ameÌ„d himselfe embrace beleue and truely folow y e word of god earnestly to pray to god to turn away froÌ„ vs his deserued wrath indignacioÌ„ wherof this his terrible work is a most certein warning if we repent not vnfeinedly The whiche god graÌ„t maye come to passe in all estates degrees to y e glory of his name and to oure endelesse comforte in Christ our sauiour Amen God saue the Queene
THE TRVE REPORT of the burnyng of the Steple and Churche of Poules in London ¶ Ieremy ◠iii I wyll speake suddenlye agaynst a nation or agaynste a kyngedome to plucke it vp and to roote it out and distroye it But yf that nation agaynste whome I haue pronounced turne from their wickednes I wyll repent of the plage that I thought to brynge vppon them Imprynted at London at the west ende of Paules Church at the sygne of the Hedghogge by Wyllyam Seres Cum priuilegio ad imprimendum solum Anno. 1561. The. x of Iune ¶ The true reporte of the burninge of the Steple and Church of Paules in London ON Wednesday beinge the fourthe daye of June in the yeare of our Lord. 1561. and in the thyrde yeare of the reigne of our soueraygne Ladye Elizabeth by the grace of God Queene of Englande Fraunce and Ireland defender of the faith c. betweene one and two of the clocke at after Noone was seene a marueilous great fyrie lightning and immediately insued a most terrible hydeous cracke of thunder suche as seldom hath been heard and that by estimacion of sense directlye ouer the Citie of London At which instante the corner of a turret of y e steple of saint Martins Churche within Ludgate was torne and diuers great stones casten down and a hole broken throughe the roofe timber of the said church by the fall of the same stones For diuers persones in tyme of the saide tempest being on the riuer of Thamys and others beyng in the fieldes nere adioyning to y e Citie affirmed that thei saw a long and a speare pointed flame of fier as it were runne through the toppe of the Broche or Shaft of Paules Steple ▪ from the Easte Westwarde And some of the parish of saint Martins then being in the streate dyd feele a marueylous strong ayre or whorlewynd with a smel lyke Brimstone comming from Paules Churche and withal heard the rushe of y e stones which fell frō their steple into the churche Betwene .iiii. and fiue of the clocke a smoke was espied by diuers to breake oute vnder the bowle of the said shaf of Paules namely by Peter Johnson principall Registrer to the Bishop of Londō who immediatly brought worde to the Bishops house But sodeinly after as it wer in a momente the flame brake furth in a circle like a garlande rounde about the broche about two yards to the stimacion of sight vnder the bowle of the said shaft increased in suche wise that within a quarter of an howre or litle more the crosse the Egle on the toppe fell downe vpon the south crosse Ile The Lord Maior being sent for his brethren came with all spede possible had a short consultaciō as in such a case might be with y ◠Bishop of London and others for y e best way of remedy And thither came also y e Lord keper of y e great Seale the Lord Treasorer who by their wisedom and authoritie dyrected as good order as in so great a confusiō could possible be Some there wer pretēding experience in warres that coūceled the remanente of the steple to bee shot down with Canons whiche counsel was not liked as most perilous both for the dispersing the fire and destructiō of houses and people other perceiuing the steple to be past al recouery considering the hugenes of the fier the dropping of the lead thought beste to geat ladders scale the churche with axes to hew down a space of the roofe of the Churche to stay the fier at the leaste to saue some part of the saide churche whiche was concluded But before y e ladders buckets could be brought things put in any order and especially because the churche was of such height that thei could not skale it no sufficiente nomber of axes could be had y e laborers also being troubled with y e multitude of ydle gasers the moste parte of the higheste roofe of the Churche was on fier Fyrst the fall of the Crosse and Egle fired the southe crosse Ile whiche Ile was firste consumed the beames brands of the steple fell down on euery side fired the other thre partes that is to saye the Chauncel or Quier the north Ile the body of the church So that in one howres space y e broch of the steple was brent downe to y e battlementes the most part of y ◠highest roofe of the churche likewise consumed The state of the steple churche seming both desperate my Lord Mayor was aduised by one maister Winter of y e admiraltie to conuerte the moste part of his care prouisiō to preserue the Bishops palace adioynyng to the Northwest end of the church least frō that house beinge large the fier might sprede to the stretes adioyning Wherupon the ladders buckets laborers were commaunded thither by greate labor diligente a piece of y e roofe of the Northe Ile was cut down the fier so stayed and by muche water that parte quenched and y e said Bishops house preserued It pleased god also at the same tyme bothe to turne calme the winde which afore was vehemēt continued stil high greate in other partes without y e citie There wer abouee .v. C. persons y ◠laboured in carying fillīg water c. Diuers substancial Citizens toke paynes as if thei had bene laborers so did also diuers sondrye gentlemen whose names wer not knowen to the writer hereof but amongst other the said M. Winter one M Stranguish did both take notable paines in their own persons also much directed encouraged other and that not without great daūger to thēselues In y e euening came the Lord Clinton Lord admiral frō y e court at Grenewiche whō the Queenes maiesty assone as the rage of the fier was espied by her maiestye and others in the court of the pitifull inclinacion loue that her gracious highnesse dyd beare both to y e said church the citie sente to assyst my Lorde Mayor for the suppressyng of the fyre who with his wysdome authority diligēt trauayl did very much good therin About .x. of the clocke the fyercenes of the fyre was past the tymbre being fallen and lyinge brenninge vppon the vaultes of stone the vaultes yet god be thanked standynge vnperished so as onelye the tymbre of the hole church was consumed the lead molten sauyng the most parte of the two lowe Iles of the Queare and a piece of the north Ile and an other smal piece of y e southe Ile in the bodye of the churche Notwithstandynge all which it pleased the merciful god in his wrath to remēbre his mercie and to enclose the harme of this most fyerce and terrible fyre wythin the walles of thys one church not extending any part of his wrath in this fyre vppon the rest of the Citie whiche to all reason and sence of man was subiect to