The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1891-07-01
ANCIENT LONDON.
How the EAglish Lived Six Centuries
Age.

thirteenth century? 1t was dwarfish. !
squalid structure Of such crazy unsub-
stantiality that, with stout iron crook
and two strong cords, provided by the
ward. it might be pulled down and
dragged off speedily in case Of fire; a
structure Of one story jutting over low
ground floor, with another jut OF caves
above, its roof perchance engrailed with
gables, its front bearing an odd resent
blance to the back of couple of huge
stairs, and the whole most rickety,
tumbledown, topheavy, fantastical thing.
Chimneys were fairly in vogue then, SO
it had them, squat, square, widemouthed,
faced with white plaster, red tiles, or
gray pebble work. Red tiles covered its
roof; its walls were Of rough planned
blanks. or wooden framework filled
with composite of straw and clay, but
tressed with posts, and crossed this way
and that with supporting beams--the
whole daubed over with whitewash, OF
which the weather soon made graywash.
In front was a stairway, sometimes COW
cred. sometimes not, or stepladder set
slantwise against the wall, for an en-
trance to the upper story. The door,
ways were narrow and low, the WINDOWS
also: and the latter, darkened with over
brows of wooden shutters, propped up
from beneath, and sticking out like long,
slender awnings, were further darkened
by sashes Of parchment, linen, or thln
shaven horn, for glass came from fland-
ers, and was costly and rare.
Such. Joint and seam and tile being
loosened into crack and Granny and crew
ice everywhere, was the dwelling OF the
London citizen as the eye might see 1T IN
the middle of the thirteenth century.
Multiply that dwelling into tortuous
and broken perspective OF like buildings
some Joined by party walls, some with
spaces between, all pent rooted or gable
peaked, heavy eaved, stub chimneyed,
narrow latticed, awning shattered. STAIR
cased, post huttressed, beam crossed,
dusky red rooted, dingy white walled,
and low under the overhanging vastness
of the sky, and you have an ancient
London street, which shall be foul and
narrow, with open drains, footways
roughly tagged and horseway deep with
slushy mire, overstrewn with ashes,
, shards. and offal, and smelling abomina-
bly. There were, indeed, at that period
, thinly interspersed here and there, houses
!, of somewhat better description, solidly
! built of stone and timber, though at best
= strangely deficient in comfort and con
: venience, according to the fashion OF
: that most inconvenient and uncomforta
. BILE age. Here and there, too, for thost
: were the times of the feudal soldier ant
priest rose in dreadful beauteous con
y trast with the squalid city the architect
- ural grandeurs Of church and cathedral
-, or the stately house or palace OF blshol
8 or earl. But all around stretched dwell
~ ings which our poorest modern hous
:, excels, and on those dwellings all evil
y and discomforts that can befall had thei
70 quarry. :.
a Light came dim, and sunshine dlml
rlimmering into their darkened rooms
10 Summer heats made ovens of them. In
", old gray family of London fogs ros
,;s from the marshes north of the city wall
bo from the cities intersecting rivuiets, frol
be the Thames below, and crept in at ever
MT opening to make all dark and chill witt
nd in. Down their squat chimneys swel
oh the smoke, choking and binding. Rail
49, such as even rainy England knows n
oil now soaked them through for weeks
NO. pether. Cold such as English winte
ps have forgotten now pierced with gri
tha ug blast and silent shifting snow,
tho their shivering inmates. Foul exhal
hot tons from the filthy streets hung arou'
the them an air Of poison, or, rising fro
,ts the cesspools, of which every house h
% ~ one within, discharged themselves wi
deadly maladies. Lightnings stabb
;od their roofs or rent their walls, hunt
ave- for those they sheltered. Conlagratit
,ins lurking in spark, upspread in dragonl
His flame, and roared through them devo'
ras n.y. Whirlwind swept through tn
a.. bowling, and tossed them down
~ ffties. Pestilence breathed throu
tod Them in recurring seasons, and left tn
Tho looms aghast with cOrpses. Civic riot
'' intestine war stormed often near the
ov. and brought them death and sorrt
how Famine arose every few years and wall
, a. through them on his way through E
NOM land, leaving their tenants lean and
nnd or lifeless. Often into them broke
lib midnight robber, single or in gan
.n,d often to them came the gatherer of ia
h;s or of tithes; upon them hung perpetu'
, no all the bloodsuckers, every vaml
th.t which an age of ignorance and tyra
,om ' could spawn; and in them herded
ham lusts and passions, fiendish bigot'
crazy shperstitions, british illiter'
.,,,, and all that darkens and depraves
~ ~ soul. For that was the mournful
.Soro night Of our mortal life, centuries
y 90, The old, sad stars that governed our
= not ditions still kept their forceful sta
s.ao. above the brawl of brutal and infe
;,'s dreams; and one alone, now risen
,,hra Geber's east, hung dewy bright with
Soor worlds hope and promise, while Sc'e
nv. builder of life that is holy, beaut
and gay, was. but a wondrous new
raul, child in Roger Bacon's cell, dream'l
= .rd things to come Atlantic Monthly.
their