It is this day Ordered by the Lords and Commons in Parliament, That the Booke concerning the enjoyning and tollerating of Sports upon the Lords day, be forthwith Burned by the hand of the Common Hangman in Cheape-side, and other usuall places: And to this purpose, the Sheriffs of London and Middlesex respectively, are hereby required to be Assistant to the effectuall Execution of this Order, and see the said Books burnt accordingly. And all persons who have any of the said Books in their hands, are hereby required forthwith to deliver them to one of the Sheriffes of London, to be burnt according to this Order.

The Sheriffes of London and Middlesex have assigned Wednesday next the 10^th of this instant May, at twelve of the clock, for the putting in execution of the foresaid Ordinance, and therefore doe require all persons that have any of the Bookes therein mentioned, to bring them in by that time, that they may be burned accordingly.

LONDON:
Printed for Thomas Underhill in Great Woodstreete.
May 9. 1643.

The 2 of May, 1643 y^e Crosse in Cheapeside was pulled downe, a Troope of Horse & 2 Companies of foote wayted to garde it & at y^e fall of y^e tope Crosse dromes beat trumpets blew & multitudes of Capes wayre throwne in y^e Ayre & a great Shoute of People with ioy, y^e 2 of May the Almanake sayeth, was y^e invention of the Crosse, & 6 day at night was the Leaden Popes burnt in the place where it stood with ringinge of Bells & a greate Acclamation & no hurt done in all these actions.

10 of May the Boocke of Sportes upon the Lords day was burnt by the Hangman in the place where the crosse stoode, & at Exchange

A LETTER
Of His Excellencie
The Lord General Monck,
To the Speaker of the Parl. From Guild-Hall, London.

Right Honourable,
In obedience to the Commands received from the Council last night, I marched with your Forces into the City this morning, and have secured all the persons except two, ordered to be secured, which two were not to be found: The Posts and Chaines I have given order to be taken away, but have hitherto forborn the taking down of the Gates and Portcullises, because it will in all likelihood exasperate the City; and I have good ground of hopes from them, that they will Levy the Assess; They desiring onely first to meet in Common-Council, which they intend to do to morrow morning. It seems probable to me, that they will yeild obedience to your Commands, and be brought to a friendly Complyance with you; for which reason I have suspended the execution of your Commands touching the Gates and Portcullises, till I know your further pleasure therein, which I desire I may by this Bearer; I shall onely desire, that (so your Commands may be answered with due obedience) such tenderness may be used towards them, as may gain their affections; They desired the Restauration of those Members of their Common-Council that are secured, which desires of theirs I shall onely commend to your grave Consideration, to do therein as you shall think most expedient, and, in attendance upon your further Commands, Remain

Guildhall Feb 9, 1659.

Your most Humble and Obedient
Servant
George Monck.

To the Right Honourable William Lenthal, Speaker to the Parliament of the Common-Wealth of England at Westminster.

POSTSCRIPT

I shall become an humble suiter to you, That You will be pleased to hasten your Qualifications, that the Writs may be sent out; I can assure you it will tend much to the Peace of the Country, and satisfie many honest Men.

Thursday Afternoon, January 9, 1659.

This Letter from General George Monck from Guild-Hall, London, of the 9th of February, 1659, was read.

Resolved, Upon the Question by the Parliament, That the Answer to this Letter be, to send General Monck the Resolve of the Parliament, That the Gates of the City of London, and the Portcullises thereof be forthwith destroyed, And that he be ordered to put the said Vote in Execution accordingly, and that M. Scot and M. Pury do go to General Monck and acquaint him with these Votes.

Tho. St. Nicholas, Clerk to the Parliament.

Thursday, February 9, 1659.

Resolved upon the Question by the Parliament, That the Gates of the City of London, and the Portcullises thereof be forthwith destroyed, and that the Commissioners for the Army do take Order that the same be done accordingly

Tho. St. Nicholas, Clerk to the Parliament.

Haggai Chap:i·ve:2. Thvs speaketh the lord of hosts this people saie, the tyme is not yet come that the lords hovse shovld be bvilt. 3. Then came the word of the lord by Haggai the prophett saying, 4. is it tyme for yovrselves (o yee) to dwell in yovr seiled hovses, & this hovse lye waste:·

It is written: my hovse is the hovse of prayer: &c;·

A Trimers Character.
Who Can in the Twinkling of an eye Transform himselfe .viz^t. to act the patriot and Saint. With two Hearts, two Tongues, and two Opinions for God or Baal like the Hedg-Hog’s Holes of refuge to fly too when a Storme Aproches, or the Barnacle both flesh and fish, Janus with two faces, or the Sea-gull that Swims as fish and flyes as fowl that hath a Double devotion Scotch and English, in one day’s duty. Half Surplice, and half Cloak both Priest and Presbeter. by way of Caution, be not led— misled I meane, but Mark these Monsters, who serve their own bellyes, and are onely fleecers, not feeders.
He would be stil a Rebel if he durst,
Turn-Coat in every Age for Interest.

S^t. Alexander Carew, S^t. John Hotham, Captin Hotham & the Arch Bishop of Canterbury, beheaded on Towerhill for Treason against y^e Parliament 1645.

[...] issue of blood in this more then miserable Kingdom; I shall desire, that I
may pray for the people too, as well as for my self: O Lord, I beseech thee
give grace of repentance to all people that have a thirst for blood, but if
they will not repent, then scatter their devices so, and such as are or shall
be contrary to the glory of thy great name, the truth and sincerity of Religion,
the establishment of the King, and his posterity after him in their just
rights and priviledges, the honour and conservation of Parl. in their ancient
and just power, the preservation of this poor Church in her truth, peace
and patrimony and the settlement of this distracted and distressed people,
[un]der the ancient laws, and in their native liberties; and when thou hast
[don]e all this in mercy for them, O Lord fill their hearts with thankfullness,
[and] with religious dutiful obedience to thee and thy Commandments all
[thei]r dayes: So Amen, Lord Jesus; and I beseech thee receive my soul to
[mer]cy. Our Father, &c.

The Bishop of Canterburies last prayer on the Scaffold.

Lord I am comming as fast as I can, I know I must pass through the
[sha]dow of death before I can come to see thee, but it is but umbra mortis,
[a m]eere shadow of death, a little darkness upon nature, but thou by thy me-
[ri]ts and passion hast broke through the jaws of death; so, Lord, receive my
[So]ul, and have mercy on me, and bless this Kingdom with peace and plenty,
and with brotherly love and charity, that there may be not this effusion
of Christian blood amongst them, for Jesus Christ his sake, if it be thy will.
And when he said, Lord receive my soul, which was his designe, the
Executioner did his office.

CUSTOM HOUSE

The Custom House for the Port of London, or Grand Office for the Management not only of the Affairs relating to y^e Exports and Imports of the Opulent City, but of the Customs throughout England according to the Regulations of Parliament. It was built by K. Charles the 2^d Anno 1668, at the Expence of above 10,000 Pounds, the former House being—consumed by the Fire of London. It is a large and gracefull Building, fronting the Water side, very Comodious as well for the Commissioners and the several Officers and Clerks above Stairs, as the Ware houses underneath,
—and the Cranes for Landing and Lading the Merch^nts Goods.—
&c.

View of the Front of Sir Paul Pindar’s’ House on the West Side of Bishopsgate Street Without
This was formerly the Residence of Sir Paul Pindar, an eminent London Merchant; Consul to Aleppo; Ambassador to Constantinople and a public Benefactor during the reign of King James the first.
The Vignette exhibits part of the First Floor Cieling.

DURHAM HOUSE      SALISBURY HOUSE      WORCESTER HOUSE.

The three Houses above represented, stood on the banks of the Thames nearly adjoining each other. Durham House, the first in the Plate, occupied the spot called Durham Yard, now the Adelphi, and was built by Ant^y. Bec Bish^p. of Durham, as a town residence for the Bishops of that See. Salisbury House was erected by Robert Cecil, Earl of Salisbury, in the reign of James I. and covered the site of the present Salisbury and Cecil Streets. Worcester House, originally belonged to the See of Carlisle. It afterwards came into the possession of the Earls of Worcester. Edw^d. the last Earl of Worcester died here in 1627. His son Hen^y. being created Duke of Beaufort, it was called Beaufort House, and the Site is now called Beaufort Buildings. The above View was taken about the year 1630.

Inside of the RED BULL Playhouse.

The Red Bull Playhouse stood on a plot of ground lately called “Red Bull Yard” near the upper end of S^t. John’s Street Clerkenwell; and is traditionally said to have been the Theatre at which Shakespeare first held a gentleman’s horses. In the civil wars it became highly celebrated for the representations of Drolls, to a collection of which pieces published by Frauncis Kirkman in 1672, this view of it forms a frontispiece. The figures brought together on the stage are intended as portraits of the leading actors in each Droll. The one playing Simpleton is Robert Cox, then a great favourite, of whom the publisher thus speaks in his preface. “I have seen the Red Bull Playhouse which was a large one, so full that as many went back for want of room as had entred. Robert Cox, a principal actor and contriver of these pieces, how have I heard him cryed up for his John Swabber, and Simpleton, the Smith. In which latter, he being to appear with a large piece of Bread & Butter, on the stage I have frequently known some of the female spectators to long for it”. The above print may be regarded not only as highly curious for the place it represents, but as a unique specimen of the interior economy of our antient English Theatres.

VIOLA DA GAMBA

“For important regale of the Company the concerts were usually all viols to the organ or harpsichord. The violin came in late and imperfectly. When the hands were well supplied the whole chest went to work, that is, six viols, music being formed for it which would seem a strange sort of music now, being an interwoven hum-drum.”—From Autobiography of Roger North, born 1653.

CLAVICHORD

(The wrestler was the tuner, who wrested or strained the wire to the required tension.)

SPINET

This spinet was made in London about the end of the seventeenth century by Stephen Keene.

A contemporary advertisement runs thus:—“Mr. Stephen Keene, Maker of Harpsycons and virginals dwelleth now in Threadneedle St., at the sign of the virginal who maketh them excellently well both for sound and substance.”

THE FLAGEOLET

Pepys, in his Diary (March 1, 1666), writes:—

Being returned home I find Greeting, the flageolet-master, come and teaching my wife.” And (20th Jan. 1667)

“To Drumbleby’s the pipe maker, there to advise about the making of a flageolet to go low and soft, and he do show me a way which he do, and also a fashion of having two pipes of the same note fastened together, so I can play on one and then echo it upon the other, which is mighty pretty.”

A FINE OLD ITALIAN LUTE

A fine old Italian lute with label “1600, in Padova Venue.” A special interest attaches to it from its having been the favourite instrument of the late Carl Engel. In Evelyn’s (the Diarist) time lutes by famous Bologna makers were fetching extraordinary prices.

A VIRGINAL

Pepys, in his Diary, Sept. 2, 1666, at the time of the great fire writes:—

“Rivers full of lighters and boats taking in goods, and I observed that hardly one lighter or boat in three, that had the goods of a house in but there was a pair of virginals in it.”

FEASANT HAWKING.

ANGLING.