Tales of an antiquary Author:Richard Thomson Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: 139 THE ROYAL GEORGE: A LEGEND OF FLEET-STREET. CHAPTER THE FIRST. Taking off his Cloak and George, he deliver'd his George to the Bishop, saying, '... more » Remember!'— 'twas said,' to send it to the Prince.' Howell's Medulla Histohl Anglican.. The amiable and loyal Evelyn, in his very interesting Diary, laments it as one of the most unhappy consequences of that military and puritanical government introduced by the Civil Wars, that most of the London pulpits were usurped by strange fanatical preachers, " Sectaries of all sorts, and blasphemous and ignorant mechanics." Then indeed there was no lack of sermons, lectures, exercises, expositions, prayer meetings, and similar edifications; for at all times of the day the Church-doors of some Parish were to be found open, and a congregation as- sembled, composed of expounding soldiers, off duty; idle tradesmen, neglecting their occupations; huckstersand mechanics, who had left their callings for a call; and sanctified serving-men who spent nearly half of their time in a conventicle, and generously divided the remainder, almost equally, between themselves and their employers. In the mean time, the pious and established Ministers of the London Churches were exposed to considerable privation and poverty, by being thus displaced from their livings. They " could not dig, and to beg they were ashamed;" so that nothing might have supported them, but that fervent and well-regulated piety which many of them possessed in such an eminent degree, and the private relief and shelter which they received, from the few loyal and honest hearts that were yet remaining. Nor did the Churches themselves escape much better than their pastors. It is true that manyof their ecclesiastical ornaments were such as could not well be either removed or d...« less