which extended to the first opening, and which, from the very appearance which they present, must have contained a considerable number of inhabitants; but of the fire itself, and of all the distressing events attending it, I am about to give you a very particular and interesting account, from the pen of an eye-witness of the conflagration. This narrative is contained in a coarse paper Manuscript volume, of a small quarto size, written in the print-hand of the 17th century, with some lines of faded red ink and chalk interspersed. The volume contains 517 pages in all, and is entitled ‘A Record of the Mercies of God; or, a Thankefull Remembrance;’ it being a collection, or journal, of remarkable providences and reflections, made by one Nehemiah Wallington, a Puritan Citizen and Turner, who lived in Little East-cheap, and who was evidently a friend of Burton and Bastwick, he having been several times examined concerning them before the Court of Star-Chamber. In this most singular record then, at pages 479-488, is an article entitled ‘Of the great fire vpon the Bridge;’ preceded by Mottoes from Psalms lxvi. 5; lxxi. 17; cxi. 2; Isaiah xlv. 7; and Amos iii. 6; which runs in the following terms.
“‘1633. It is the bounden dutie of vs all that haue beene the beholders of the wonderfull workes of the Lord our God, his mercyes and iudgements shewed heretofore; and now of late of a fearefull fire, wee should not forgett itt ourselues, and we should declare it to all others, euen to ye generations to come.—On the xi. day of February, (being Monday, 1633) began, by God’s iust hand, a fearefull fire in the house of one Mr. Iohn Brigges, neere tenn of the clocke att night, it burnt down his house and the next house, with all the goods that were in them; and, as I heere, that Briggs, his wife, and childe, escaped with their liues very hardly, hauing nothing on their bodies but their shurt and smoke: and the fire burnt so fearcely, that itt could not be quenched till it had burnt downe all the houses on both sides of the way, from S. Magnes Church to the first open place. And allthough there was water enough very neere, yet they could not safely come at it, but all the conduittes neere were opened, and the pipes that carried watter through the streets were cutt open, and the watter swept down with broomes with helpe enough; but it was the will of God it should not preuaile. And the hand of God was the more seene in this, in as much as no meanes would prosper. For the 3 Engines, which are such excellent things, that nothing that euer was deuised could do so much good, yet none of these did prosper, for they were all broken, and the tide was verie low that they could get no watter; and the pipes that were cutt yeilded but littel watter. Some ladders were broke to the hurt of many, for some had their legges broke, some had their armes, and some their ribbes broken, and many lost their liues. This fire burnt fiercely all night, and part of the next day (for my man was there about twelue a cloke, and he said he did see the fardest house on fire) till all was burnt and pulled downe to the ground. Yet the timber, and wood, and coales in the sellers, could not be quenched all that weeke, till the Tuesday following, in the afternoone, the xix of February, for I was there then my selfe, and had a liue cole of fire in my hand, and burnt my finger with it. Notwithstanding there were as many night and day as could labour one by another to carry away timber, and brickes, and tiles, and rubbish cast downe into the liters. So that on Wensday the Bridge was cleared that passengers might goe ouer.’
“‘At the begining of this fire, as I lay in my bed and heard ye sweeping of the channels and crying for water, water, I arose about one of the cloke, and looked downe Fish-street-hill, and did behold such a fearfull and dreadfull fire vaunting it selfe ouer the tops of houses, like a Captaine florishing and displaying his banner; and seeing so much meanes and so little good, it did make me thinke of that fire which the Lord threateneth against Ierusalem, for the breach of his Sabbath day. He saith thus: ‘But if ye will not here me to sanctifie the Sabbath day, and to beare no burden, nor to goe through ye gates of Ierusalem in the Sabbath day, then will I kindle a fire in ye gates there, and it shall deuoure the palaces of Ierusalem, and it shall not be quenched.’ Iere. xvii. 27.
“‘I did heere that on the other side of ye Bridge, the Bruers brought abundance of watter in vessells on their draies, which did, with the blissing of God, much good; and this mircie of God I thought on, that there was but littel wind; for had ye wind bin as high as it was a weeke before, I thinke it would have indangered ye most part of the Citie; for in Thames Street there is much pitch, tarre, rosen, and oyle, in their houses: Therefore, as God remembers mercy in iustice, let us remember thankefullnes in sorrow. ‘Therefore will I praise the Lord with my whole heart, and I will speake of all thy marvellous workes;’ ‘for it is of the Lord’s mercy that wee are not consumed,’ Lament. iii., 22. The Names, and Trades, and number of the Houses burnt vpon the Bridg, heere you may see vnder nethe.—
“‘1. Mr. William Vyner,—Haberdasher of smal Wares. 2. Mr. Iohn Broome,—Hosier. 3. Mr. Arther Lee,—Haberdasher of smal Wares. 4. Mris. Iohane Broome,—Hosier. 5. Mr. Ralph Panne,—Shewmaker. 6. Mr. Abraham Marten,—Haberdasher of Hattes. 7. Mr. Ieremiah Champney,—Hosier. 8. Mr. John Terrill,—Silke man. 9. Mr. Ellis Midmore,—Milliner. 10. Mr. Francis Finch,—Hosier. 11. Mr. Andrewe Bouth,—Haberdasher of small Wares. 12. Mr. Samuel Petty,—Glouer. 13. Mr. Valentin Beale,—Mercer. 14. Mris. —— Chambers, Senior. 15. Mr. Ieremiah Chamley,—Silke man. 16. The Blew Bore,—empti. 17. Mr. Iohn Gouer,—Stiller of Strong Waters. 18. Mr. Iohn Wilding, Iunior,—Girdler. 19. Mr. Daniel Conney,—Silke man. 20. Mr. Stephen Beale,—Lyning Draper. 21. Mris. Iane Langham,—Mercer. 22. Mr. Iames Dunkin, Wolling Draper. 23. Mr. Matthew Harding,—Salter. 24. Mr. Abraham Chambers,—Haberdasher of smal Wares. 25. and 26.—Mr. Lyne Daniel,—Haberdasher of Hattes, a double house. 27. Mris. —— Brookes,—Glouer. 28. Mr. —— Couerley,—Hosier. 29. Mr. Iohn Dransfielde,—Grocer. 30. Mr. Newman, emptie. 31. Mr. Edward Warnett, and 32. Mr. Samuel Wood, partoners,—Haberdashers of Small Wares. 33. Mr. Iohn Greene,—Haberdasher of Hattes. 34. Mr. Heugh Powel,—Haberdasher of Hattes. 35. Mr. Samuel Armitage,—Haberdasher of Small Wares. 36. Mr. Iohn Sherley,—Haberdasher of Small Wares. 37. Mr. John Lawrymore,—Grocer. 38. Mr. Timothy Drake,—Woolling Draper. 39. Mr. Iohn Brigges,—Needle-maker.’—at whose house the fire commenced,—‘40. Mr. Richard Shelbuery,—Scriuener. 41. Mr. Edward Greene,—Hosier. 42. Mr. —— Hazard,—the Curate, and 43. Mr. —— Hewlett,—the Clarke,—at S. Magnus Cloyster.’
“This narrative has, however, already appeared in print in the ‘Gentleman’s Magazine’ for November, 1824, pages 387, 388; the extract having been furnished by the possessor of the volume, Mr. William Upcott, of the London Institution.
“Of the ground-plot of London Bridge, after the damage done by this fire, there is yet extant a very curious survey, preserved under the care of Mr. Smith, in the British Museum. It consists of an unpublished drawing on parchment, measuring four feet five inches in length, by ten inches in breadth: and it, perhaps, belonged to Sir Hans Sloane, as it is kept with some other fragmenta of his property. In this drawing, the piers are represented in a tint of yellow, placed upon sterlings of Indian ink; and it was executed, as I suppose, soon after this fatal conflagration, since there is a note written in an ancient hand attached to the seventh pier from the City end, stating that ‘the Fire burnt to the prickt line,’ which is drawn from it; and which accords with all the subsequent views taken of the platform, and houses on the Bridge.
“I am next to speak,” continued my unwearied Historian, “of the manner in which this terrible destruction of London Bridge was repaired: and concerning this we are informed by Richard Bloome, a Continuator of Stow, who tells us in his ‘Survey,’ volume i., page 61, that after the fire, ‘this North end of the Bridge lay unbuilt for many years, only deal boards were set up on both sides, to prevent people’s falling into the Thames, many of which deals were, by high winds, oft blown down, which made it very dangerous in the nights, although there were lanthorns and candles hung upon all the cross beams that held the pales together.’ We have two views of London Bridge, in which the Northern end of it appears in this state, but in each of them the temporary erection is quite of a different nature; and it is somewhat singular that the writer whom I last cited, should positively speak as follows, concerning the early restoration of the destroyed houses, when there seems no real authority to support his assertions. ‘For about the year 1645,’—says he,—‘the North end of this part last burned, began to be rebuilt; and in the year 1646 was finished: the building was of timber, very substantial and beautiful, for the houses were three stories high, besides the cellars, which were within and between the piers. And over the houses were stately platforms leaded, with rails and ballusters about them, very commodious and pleasant for walking, and enjoying so fine a prospect up and down the River; and some had pretty little gardens with arbours. This half being finished, the other half was intended to be rebuilt answerable to this, which would have been a great glory to the Bridge and honour to the City, the street, or passage, being twenty feet broad; whereas the other part, at the South end, was not above fourteen, and, in some places, but twelve.’