The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1871-10-26

mealted the ruins of the vaulted roofe |
falling broke into St. Faiths, which being
filled with magazines of bookes, belonging
to ye stationers and carried thither for
safety, they were all consumed burning i
for week following 1t is also observ-
able, that the lead over ye alter at ye east |
end was untouched, and among the diverse |
monuments, the body of one bishop re-
manned intire Thus lay in ashes that |
most venerable church, one of the most |
ancient pieces of early piety in ye Christi
an world, besides neere 100 more The |
lead, yron worke, bells, plate, &c, mealt- !
ed; the -exquisitely wrought MERGERS |
Chapel, the sumptuous Exchange, ye
august frabriq of Christ Church, all ye rest
of Companies Halls, sumptuous build
ings, arches, all in dust; the fountains
dried up and ruin'd, whilst the very wa
ters remand boiling; the vorago's Of sub
teranean cellers, wells, and dungeons, for
merly warehouses, still burning in stencil
and dark clouds of smoke, so that in 5 or
miles, in traversing about, did not see
one load of timber unconsum'd nor many
stones but what calcin'd white as snow.
The people who now walk d about ye ruins
appear'd like men in a dismal desert, or
rather in some create City laid waste by
a cruel enemy, to which was added the
stencil that came from some poore crea-
lures bodies, beds, &c. Sir Thomas Gress-
hams statue tho fallen from its Mich IN
the Royal Exchange, remained intire,
when all those of ye kings, since ye con-
quest, were broken to pieces also the
standard IN Cornehill, and @. Elizabeth's
efhgles, with some armes on Iudgate, con-
tinued with but little detriments whilst
the vast yron chains of the city streetz,
hinges, barrs and gates of prisons, were
many of them mealted and reduced to
cinders by ye vehement heate. I was not
able to pass through any Of the narrow
street,, but kept the widest; the ground
and air, smoake and fiery vapour conti-
nued so intense. that my haire was ging'd,
and my feete unsufferably surheated The
bie-lanes and narrower strestes were quite
filrd up with rubbish; nor could one have
knowne where he was, but by ye ruines
of some church or hill that had some re-
markable tower or pinnacle remaining.
then went towards Islington and High
gate, where one might have seen 100000
people of all ranks and degrees dispersed
and lying along their heaps of what they
could save from the fire, deploring their
loss; and though ready to perish for hun
ger and destitution, yet not asking one
penny for relief, which to me appeared a
stranger sight than any had yet behind,
His Majesty and Council indeed took all
imaginable care for their relief, by procla-
nation for the country to come in and re-
fresh them with provisions.
In ye midst of all this calamity and con-
fusion, there was, I know not how, an
alarm, begun that the French and Dutch,
with whom we were now in hostility, were
not only landed, but even entering the
City. There was in truth, some days be-
fore, create suspicion of those 2 nations
joining, and now that they had taken oe-
casion of firing the towne. This report
did so terrific, that on a sudden there was
such an uproare and tumult, that they
ran from their goods and taking what
weapons they could come at, they could
not be stopp'd from falling on some of
those nations, whom they casually met,
without sense or reason. The Glamour
and peril grew so excessive, that it made
the whole court amaz'd and they did with
infinite paines and create difficulty reduce
and appease the people, sending troops OF
soldiers and guards to cause them to re-
tire into ye fields againe, where they were
watch'd all night. left them pretty
quiet, and came home sufficiently weary
and broken. Their spirits thus little
calmed, and the alright abated, they now
began the repaire into ye suburbs about
.ye city, where such as had friends or op-
portunity got shelter for the present, tc
which his ma'ty's proclamation also IN
Vited them.