In short, every thing concurred to the Destruction of the Stews, and demolish’d they were.
This Action, however, lost Tyler his Life; for William Walworth, then Lord-Mayor, was the very Man who struck him first off his Horse in Smithfield: For which the King knighted him, gave him 100 l. Pension, and added the Dagger to the City-Arms.
Whilst Whoring was in this unsettled Condition, the Bishop thought it a good Opportunity to ingross the whole Profit of licensing Courtezans, which occasion’d them fresh Trouble; for John Northampton, who succeeded Walworth, either piqued at the Bishop’s invading his Right, or out of a real Reforming Principle, for he was a Follower of Wickliff, commenced a severe Persecution. He had his Spies and Constables in every Street, to apprehend Strollers; and such Women as were neither handsome nor rich enough to bribe his Officers, were carried through the Streets in great Pomp, with their Hair shorn, and Trumpets and Pipes playing before them. All this he did contrary to the express Commands of the Bishop, who had several Bickerings with him upon that Head.
This great Reformer John Northampton was, from his troublesome Temper, nick-nam’d Cumber-Town; and as he succeeded Tyler in the Work of Reformation, so he had like to have met with as bad a Fate: For two Years after he was found guilty of High Treason, without making the least Defence; had his Goods confiscated, and was condemned to perpetual Imprisonment 100 Miles from London: Accordingly he was sent to Tentagil-Castle in Cornwall.
This dreadful Cumber-Town being removed, the Stews had Leisure to re-settle themselves under the Protection of the Church; and enjoyed an almost uninterrupted Tranquillity for 150 Years.
We find, indeed, an Act passed at Westminster, in the 11th of Hen. VI. that no Keepers of Stews, or Whore-Houses in Southwark, should be impannelled upon any Jury, or keep a Tavern in any other Place.
But the most sensible Blow they ever felt, was the Invasion of the French-Pox. The Spaniards had brought it from the Islands of Florida to Naples, and the Army of Charles VIII. when he conquer’d that Kingdom in the Year 1495, transmitted it into France, from whence it had a very quick Passage into England; for there was an Act passed in the latter end of Henry VII’s Reign, for expelling out of the Stews all such Women as had the Faculty of Burning Men.
However, we find they still continued in good Repute in the Reign of Henry VIII.[10] and yielded a considerable Revenue to the Bishop of London; for Bucer, in one of his Books against Gardiner, taxes him with it as an heinous Crime, that he should receive most of his Rents out of the Public Stews.
After this terrible Accusation, we may easily guess what Quarter our Stews met with at the Reformation. But now Bucer has got his Ends; the Stews are destroy’d; those public Nusances are demolish’d; Whoring is attack’d on all hands without Mercy; and what then? Why, truly, by mere Dint of Reforming, we have reduced Lewdness to that pass, that hardly one Bachelor in the Kingdom will lie with a Woman, if he is sure that she’s not found; and very few modest Women will suffer a Man to get them with Child, unless he makes a Promise to marry.
In short, the Truth is, we are at this present Writing as bad as we can be; and I hope I have fairly shown how we may be better.