London and the Kingdom - Volume II | Page 8

all knowledge of the plot save what he had heard
under the seal of confession. He was nevertheless convicted and
executed (3 May) in St. Paul's Churchyard.(48)
(M16)
Notwithstanding the capture and execution of the chief actors in the late
conspiracy, some time elapsed before the nation recovered from the
shock, and every idle rumour of mishap to the king soon became
exaggerated as it flew from one end of the kingdom to the other. Thus
it was that the citizens of London awoke on the morning of Saturday,
the 22nd March, to learn that the king was reported to have been killed
with a poisoned dagger whilst engaged in his favourite pursuit of
hunting. The alarm thus raised was with difficulty laid to rest by the
following precept(49):--
By ye Mayor.
"Where rumor hath this morninge bine dispersed abroad within this
cittie and ells where neere about the same that his maties person was in
very greate dainger for asmuch I have even now receaved intelligence
from the lords of his maties most honorable pryvye counsell that his
matie god be thancked is in saftie, and that I should presently make

knowne the same to all his lovinge subiects which by theis presents I
doe.
God save ye kinge."
On the 10th June James signed a proclamation ordering all Priests,
Jesuits, Seminaries and such like to depart the kingdom before the first
day of August. Any priest presenting himself to the officer of a sea-port,
and acknowledging his profession, would be forwarded on his way
across the sea, with the exception of Gerrard and Greenway, or
Greenwell.(50)
(M17)
In July of this year (1606) the king of Denmark arrived in England on a
visit to his brother-in-law, king James. The mayor, being informed by
the lords of the council that the Danish fleet was already in the Thames,
summoned a Common Council (17 July) to consider what steps should
be taken to give the royal visitor a befitting reception in the city. A
committee was thereupon appointed to make the necessary
preparations.(51) They had but a fortnight before them for contriving a
pageant, cleansing the streets, setting up rails and executing the
thousand little things which always require to be done on such
occasions. The sum of £1,000 was raised by the livery companies,(52)
and each alderman was directed to see that the inhabitants of his ward
hung out suitable tapestry from houses on the line of procession. The
distinguished visitor was presented with a gold cup taken from the
king's jewel-house in the Tower. It weighed 62-3/4 ozs., and the City
paid for it at the rate of £3 10s. per ounce.(53) There was but one thing
to mar the general rejoicing in the city, and that was the presence of the
plague. This necessitated special precautions being taken to prevent the
spread of infection, and an additional number of wardens were
appointed to take their stand, halberd in hand, at the doors of infected
houses on the day of the king's visit to prevent anyone going in or
coming out.(54)
(M18)

That the chief cause of the city being so often visited by epidemics in
former days was the lack of a plentiful supply of wholesome water will
scarcely be denied. When we consider with what rapidity the
population of the city increased, more especially under the Tudors, the
short-sighted policy of a government which forbade the erection of new
buildings within three miles of the city's gates,(55) and drove so many
families to find shelter under one roof within the limited area of the city
proper, in spite of proclamations to the contrary,(56) the want of any
organised system of drainage, and the scanty supply of water--we can
only marvel that the city was ever free from epidemics.
In 1543 the municipal authorities obtained statutory powers to amend
decayed conduits and erect new ones, as well as to bring water to the
city from Hampstead,(57) and from that time they appear to have taken
a more active interest in the water supply. They made periodical visits
to the various conduits, and more especially the conduit-head at
Marylebone, where a banqueting-house was erected for their
convenience. Nevertheless they preferred encouraging private
individuals (and these not infrequently foreigners) in attempts to
improve the city's water supply, as necessity arose, to undertaking the
work themselves in their corporate capacity. In 1570 the City acquired
parliamentary powers to break soil for the purpose of conveying water
from the river Lea, "otherwise called Ware River," at any time within
the next ten years,(58) but these powers were allowed to lapse by
default. In 1581 Peter Morice, a Dutchman, obtained permission to set
up a water-mill in the Thames at London Bridge, and by some
mechanical contrivance--a "most artificial forcier"--succeeded in
conveying water as