'Some Children earn a 1/2d., some 1d. and some 4d. per day.
'The Children are taught their Catechism, and often Catechised by the Minister, especially every Sunday.
'When Children are grown up to 12, 13 or 14 years of Age they are put forth Apprentices to Masters of Ships, and other Sea faring Men, and to Handycraft Trades and others, and the Governors give with them a good ordinary Suit of Cloaths or 20s. in Money at the Election of the Master or Mistress.
'... The Seal or Badge of this Corporation is an Orphan, his Left Hand resting on the Head of a Sheep, with this Motto, God's Providence is our Inheritance.'
The hospitals, in the modern acceptation of the word, were Bethlehem, or Bedlam, St. Bartholomew's, and St. Thomas's—Guy's not having yet been founded.
Of Bethlehem Hatton says: 'It was formerly a mean House situate between the E. side of Moor-fields, and Bishopsgate Street.... This Hospital for poor distracted Persons, growing Old and Ruinous, and too small to accommodate so great numbers, for whom Applications were made; the City of London granted to the Governours of the said Hospital, Ground on the S. Side of Moor-fields (a Situation much more Commodious as to Air &c.) for the benefit of Lunatick Persons, and in the year 1675, the present spacious Structure was begun to be erected, which was finished Anno 1676, being well built of Brick and Stone, the Wings at both ends and the Portico, being all adorned with each 4 pilasters,' etc.—'and on a Pediment over the Gate are the figures of 2 Lunaticks curiously Carved.' These figures, which are now in the hall of Bethlehem Hospital, represent Raving and Melancholy Madness, and were the work of Caius Gabriel Cibber (father of the celebrated Colley Cibber). They are carved in Portland stone, and one of them was the portrait of Oliver Cromwell's porter, then in Bedlam.
In Anne's time it was not overcrowded. 'Distracted persons who went out cured in the Year ending at Easter 1707—59; buried in that time 24. Brought into the Hospital in 1706—82—and remaining at Easter aforesaid in this Hospital under Cure, 142.'
'The Method of receiving, continuing and curing Lunaticks in this Hospital is: When any Person is minded to get a Friend or Relation into the Hospital, it must be by Petition to the Committee who sit at Bethlehem 7 at a time weekly; this must be signed by the Church Wardens or other reputable Persons who know the Lunatick, and also recommended to the said Committee by one of the Governours; and this being approved by the President and Governours, and enter'd in a Book, upon a vacancy (in their turn) an Order is granted for their being received into the House, where the said Lunatick is accommodated with a Room in a good Air, proper Physick, and Diet Gratis. The Diet is very good and wholesome, being commonly boyled Beef, Mutton or Veal and Broth with Bread for Dinners on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, the other Days, Bread, Cheese and Butter, or on Saturdays Peas, Pottage, Rice Milk, Fermity or other Pottage; and for Suppers they have usually Broth or Milk Pottage, always with Bread; and there is this farther care taken, that some of the Committee go weekly to the said Hospital to see the Provisions weighed, and that the same be good and rightly expended.
'There is also care taken, That no distracted Person be abused by the Servants of the House &c.; the Men Servants of the House attend the Lunatick Men, and the Women Servants the Women, and no loose Person or Apprentice is suffered to loyter away the time in this Hospital, nor any Person to be admitted to come or stay in (as a Spectator) after Sun Setting; and the Servants are particularly enjoyned to keep good Hours.'
This looks admirable, on paper—but, practically, it was the reverse. It ranked, as we know, with the Lions and Westminster Abbey, as one of the principal sights of London. Ward describes a visit: 'Accordingly we were admitted in thro' an Iron gate, within which sat a Brawny Cerberus of an Indico Colour, leaning upon a Money box; we turned in thro' another Iron Barricado, where we heard such a rattling of Chains, drumming of Doors, Ranting, Hollowing, Singing and Running that I could think of nothing but Don Quevedo's Vision, where the Damn'd broke loose, and put Hell in an Uproar.' He describes the lunatics as being filthy in their persons, their habits, and their conversation, and the visitors as no better than they ought to be: ''tis a new Whetstone's Park[666]—now the old one's Plough'd up, where a Sportsman at any Hour in the Day may meet with Game for his Purpose.' So he and his friend 'redeemed their Liberties from this Prison, at the Expence of Two Pence'—and went away.