of labour and of travel he had bestowed upon the illustration of his country for the good of the commonwealth and posterity to come, as was set forth, he granted to himwhat? a License" to gather, receive, and take the alms and charitable benevolence of all his loving subjects whatsoever, inhabiting within his cities of London and Westminster and the suburbs thereof " !!!

The poor worn out old man died a twelvemonth afterwards, 1605, leaving little behind him but his good works, which, although necessarily faulty in some respects, have served as foundations for the structure of all after topographical and historical writers. His collections for the Chronicles of England, which occupy sixty volumes quarto, are now in the British Museum, and may give some idea of his amazing industry and perseverance.

On one side of the frieze over the alcove, in which his figure sits, is written,

Stut Scribenda

on the other side

Stut Legenda
Scribere.

And beneath the monument is the following inscription. Memoriae Sacrum. Resurrectionem in Christo hic expectat Johannes Stowe, Civis Londinensis, Qui In Antiquis Monumentis Eruendis Accuratissima Diligentia Usus Angliae Annales, Et Civitatis Londini Synopsim Bene De Sua, Bene De Postera Aetate Meritus Luculenter Scripsita Vitaeq. Stadio Pie Et Probe Des curso, Obiit Aetatis Anno 80. Die 5, Aprilis, 1605.

Elizabetha Conjunx, Ut Perpetuum Sui Amoris Testimonium, Dolens.

According to Maitland, it appears he was not permitted to rest in peace, even after death-that neither his reputation nor any other circumstance was sufficient to protect his remains; for we learn that they were removed in the year 1732 to make room for the body of another.

Near the vestry door, and to the left of Stow's Monument, is a brass plate in a frame, with figures engraven upon it, in memory of Simon Burton, Citizen, who died in 1595; and at the east end of the same aile, is another for Nicholas Levison, Sheriff, dated 1534. The last bears two figures, a male and female, kneeling with several children, and has a plate upon it stating, that it was restored at the expense of the parish in the year 1764. On the south side of the chancel there is a portion of a rudely carved monumental canopy, with a portion of a brass plate which once probably adorned it, but without date or name. On the other side is affixed a stone monument to the memory of Sir Thomas Offley, Knight, Alderman, and sometime Mayor, who died, 1582, and of his wife Dame Jone, who died 1578. Composite columns and entablature form recesses, in which are the figures of the knight and his lady kneeling before an altar-tomb, and on the face of this are shewn their three sons. Over the tomb are these lines,

By me a lykelihood, beholde

How mortal man shall torn to mold,

When all his pompe and glori vayne

Shal chaynge to dust and earth agayne;
Such is his great incertaintye,

A flower, and type of vanitye.

There are many more monuments and tablets within the church of the same period, exemplifying the gradual introduction to this country of mouldings and architectural decorations from Italy.

Against the wall of the north aile in the place of one of the windows is fixed a particularly large and sumptuous monument, erected in 1637, to the memory of Sir Hugh Hammersley; the figures of the Knight and his wife, with

attendants are of the size of life: and the two servants, or esquires, who serve as supporters, are most gracefully sculptured. It appears to be the work of Thomas Madden.

In a desk at the east end of the south aile are seven curious old books which have been in the church for a long period of time. They consist of several copies of Fox's "Book of Martyrs," one of which is illustrated with woodcuts; the "Paraphrase of Erasmus of the Books of the New Testament," a singular a singular "History of the world," and the Works of Bishop Jewell; but the titles and dates, for the most part, are wanting. The greater number of these books are in black letter and have a portion of iron chain attached to them. The M. S. works which were in use up to the commencement of the 15th century, were necessarily articles of great cost, and were usually secured under open cages; as an example of which, we may mention the record, that when Henry Beda, a priest, left his M. S. breviary to the church of St. Jacques la Boucherie in Paris, he bequeathed a sum of money to the church-warden of the parish for the purchase of a cage in which to preserve it. Even after printing was invented, books were at first extremely rare, and when deposited in a public place, so that several persons might read them at the same time, were chained to the wall as a measure of security.

This church has had many benefactors; and, as among them, we may mention Mrs. Sarah Cooke, 1727, and Mrs. Beatrix, 1731, who, in consideration of a faculty vault, left to the Rector and six trustees an estate in Thread-needle Street in trust, for a sermon on New Year's day, when the Rector, receives £10. the clerk, £4. the sexton, £3. and such poor inhabitants as may apply, 20s. each. The trustees were also directed to apply £20. in apprenticing two poor boys.

The Rector of the parish is the Rev. William Antrobus, B.D. and his son the Rev. John Antrobus is the present

curate.

Before concluding our notice of this church, we should perhaps record a singular circumstance in connection with it, which occurred in 1701, and caused some confusion in the neighbourhood. In this and the adjoining parishes a great number of Jews formerly dwelt, and the daughter of one De Breta, a merchant of that persuasion, having associated much with Christians, became convinced of the truth of our religion; and a day was appointed for her public baptism in the church of St. Andrew Undershaft. The time arrived and the ceremony was commenced; but before its completion, her father rushed into the church and commanded them to desist: finding, however, that he was not attended to, he invoked the most bitter curses on his daughter, and praying that the building might fall and bury all present in its ruins, left the church. He afterwards refused to provide for his daughter, and the parish was compelled to maintain her in order that she might not be discouraged. In consequence of this event a petition was presented to the House of Commons from the city, praying them to compel the Jews to provide for their protestant children, and an act was obtained.1

For the terms of this petition see Malcolm's " Londinium Redivivum.” Vol. I. p. 86.