which I thought I had heard before. Coming near to the grate, the prisoner called me by my name, and desired I would throw something into the box."

"Close to Ludgate, the rebellion of Sir Thomas Wyatt was stopped by the train-bands. He (Wyatt) came on to the Belle Sauvage, and then certain of his men were slayne; and seeing Ludgate was shutte against him, he departed, saying, 'I have kept towche,' and soo went back, and being tane, was soon brought by water unto the Tower."-Chronicles of the Grey Friars of London.

The Belle Sauvage, till very lately, afforded a curious specimen of the players'-inn yard, where dramas were enacted previous to the building of theatres with roofs. Ludgate-street was famous for mercers' shops in Stow's day; and one of the old class, which has maintained its ground for upwards of a century (Hilditch's), still remains. At No. 65, the corner of St. Paul's-churchyard, lived John Newberry, for whom Goldsmith wrote "Goody Two Shoes," and a history of England. At "The Dunciad," Ludgate-street, D. Griffith published the Monthly Review, No. 1, 1749, perhaps the first of our critical journals.

Fronting Old St. Paul's, Digby, Winter, Grant, and Bates were executed, January 30, 1606, for their participation in the Gunpowder Plot. In 1792 was discovered a barbican, or watch-tower, near Ludgate, forming part of London wall in 1276 (a fragment of it is preserved in St. Martin's-court, opposite the Old Bailey); and in the same locality, in 1800, a sepulchral monument was dug up. It is dedicated to Claudina Martina, by her husband, a Roman soldier. A fragment of a statue of Hercules, and a female head, were also found, and are preserved at the London Coffee-house.

At No. 32, for a long period, was the famous establishment of Rundell aud Bridge, goldsmiths and diamond merchants, by whom the imperial crown for the coronation

S

of George IV., 1821, and many other magnificent works were executed. Green and Ward, their neighbours, had the honour of realising the famous Shield of Achilles, Flax man's noblest conception, to the beauty of which Stothard, we are informed, also contributed. At No. 45, William Hone published his "Every-day Book ;" and it has still some splendid shops, especially that of the Everingtons, so remarkable for its display of rich silks and costly oriental shawls.

Probably the short line of highway known as Ludgatehill and street is the greatest thoroughfare in London or the world. Timbs, in his "Curiosities of London," asserts that "through Ludgate-hill and street there have passed, in twelve hours, 8,752 vehicles, 13,025 horses, and 105,352 persons."

Many railway projects are afloat just now. If half of them are carried out, the metropolis will quite change its aspect, and not for the better. One scheme is—and, we fear, authorized by Act of Parliament-to throw a viaduct over Ludgate-hill, and thus entirely obstruct the noble glimpse it now admits of the Cathedral.

We must now speak briefly of St. Martin's Church, Ludgate. What numerous memorials of the genius of Wren we possess! He was a mighty architectural giant, and wherever he placed his foot he left a splendid sanctuary behind him. The church in question, though far from the most felicitous of his works, is well entitled to notice. It was built after the Great Fire. The tower and steeple rise 168 feet, and between the street and the body of the church is an ambulatory, which greatly lessens the noise from without. There is a curious carved bench in the vestry, dated 1690, and the font has a Greek inscription. In the old church was a singular epitaph, 1599, which runs thus:

The interior of the church evinces great skill in the artist. The roof, which has some beautiful ornaments, is supported on four unadorned, but fine, Corinthian pillars; their massiveness has a very imposing effect. There is a gallery on the north side which terminates in the organ loft. The carving round it appears to be tasteful and elegant; the portion railed in for communion service is wholly undecorated—the Belief and Decalogue, within oaken frames, being the sole ornaments. The roof is lofty, and if you take time to consider the structure carefully, the result must be admiration for the exquisite symmetry and suitableness of all its parts. I know not what number of worshippers usually attend here, but I found a good congregation, and fervently hope it is not marked down for destruction in the new scheme patronized by some of our bishops for the sweeping desecration of the City churches. The poor plea that the services are ill attended, and that many districts have no resident population, will be easily met. Only take care that each parish has an eloquent, or, at least, an earnest pastor, and there is no fear but that he will quickly draw hearers. Old London, with far fewer inhabitants, could boast a long list of churches-many of them were not rebuilt after the Great Fire. Have we so little taste for Wren's talent-so little reverence for the Almighty Being to whom his works were dedicated—that we seriously contemplate diminishing their number in such an unceremonious manner?

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LONDON GOLD.

MR. SMILES, in his agreeable compilation, entitled "SelfHelp," has brought forward various instances of persons originally poor, unknown, and even uneducated, rising to wealth and honour solely by their own exertions; but he has scarcely done justice to the notabilities of the City, among whom so many examples of the sort might be found. How frequently have destitute lads sought London, homeless and shoeless, to grow into millionaires, and ascend the civic chair, become the founders of noble charities, or educational establishments still nobler! Before the Reformation, when English trade and commerce were comparatively unimportant, the wealth and munificence of our citizens were the admiration of all Europe. Whittington, once a poor boy (and we do not insist that the romance about the cat is true), at an entertainment given to Edward III., burnt unpaid bonds from that great king in a sandal-wood fire, and was thrice Lord Mayor in honour of his princely liberality. Guy, an unnoticed shopkeeper, who scraped together a small fortune at bookselling, and increased it to wonderful dimensions by purchasing salvage after the Great Fire, made himself an eternal name by the hospital he endowed, as a century previous, Heriot, the jeweller of James I., had done, by building a college in Edinburgh. In more modern times,

and even up to our own, the civic throne has been repeatedly filled, and worthily too, by men who came to the metropolis to work as labourers in the docks, to sweep an attorney's office, or run of errands for merchants, who were afterwards glad to receive them as partners. Skinner, Atkins, Waithman, Wood, and many others, were once content to earn their daily bread by the sweat of their brow, having no friends but Providence and their own strong right hands. London is, in reality, "paved with gold" for the industrious, whether they work mentally or manually. I remember the elder Mr. Tegg-a most intelligent and honourable man, who ultimately rose, as he deserved, to great wealth and influence-setting up a nightly book auction, at a little shop in Cheapside, where his earnestness and ready-wittedness quickly ensured him success, and in a few years made him the proprietor of one of the largest book and publishing establishments in London. Morrison, of Fore-street, commenced business on the same spot as a haberdasher, all his stock being displayed at a window of the narrowest dimensions; and when he finally retired from trade, his wealth was reckoned by millions.

These are instances of money-getting by a comparatively slow process-by the successful toil of years, at the expense of many anxious days and nights; but gold is gathered on 'Change and in Capel-court by far more expeditious means; and, perhaps we ought to add, the morality of the method is frequently doubtful. Time-bargains, and the purchase of indispensable raw materials, such as cotton or silk, when the market is low, in order to keep them from circulation until scarcity enhances the value, may be mentioned as deserving this censure. You know how Cromwell dealt with corn-regrators in his day. The market was empty, and the people were starving. He caused a proclamation to issue, offering a reward to the merchants who produced