mud and stench of the narrow
City streets, they cared nothing for such things. They were free: and
they were well fed: and they were cheerful and contented.

11. THE WALL OF LONDON.

Let us examine into the history and the course of the Wall of London, if
only for the very remarkable facts that the boundary of the City was
determined for fifteen hundred years by the erection of this Wall; that
for some purposes the course of the Wall still affects the government of
London; and that it was only pulled down bit by bit in the course of the
last century.

You will see by reference to the map what was the course of the Wall. It
began, starting from the east where the White Tower now stands. Part of
the foundation of the Tower consists of a bastion of the Roman wall. It
followed a line nearly north as far as Aldgate. Then it turned in a N.W.
direction just north of Camomile Street and Bevis Marks to Bishopsgate.
Thence it ran nearly due W., north of the street called London Wall,
turning S. at Monkwell Street. At Aldersgate it turned W. until it
reached Newgate, where it turned nearly S. again and so to the river, a
little east of the present Blackfriars Bridge. It ran, lastly, along the
river bank to join its eastern extremity. The river wall had openings or
gates at Dowgate and Bishopsgate, and probably at Queen Hithe. The
length of the Wall, without counting the river side, was 2 miles and 608
feet.

This formidable Wall was originally about 12 feet thick made of rubble
and mortar, the latter very hard, and faced with stone. You may know
Roman work by the courses of tiles or bricks. They are arranged in
double layers about 2 feet apart. The so-called bricks are not in the
least like our bricks, being 6 inches long, 12 inches wide and 11/2 inch
thick. The Wall was 20 feet high, with towers and bastions at intervals
about 50 feet high. At first there was no moat or ditch, and it will be
understood that in order to protect the City from an attack of
barbarians--Picts or Scots--it was enough to close the gates and to man
the towers. The invaders had no ladders.

[Illustration: CITY GATES.]

In the course of centuries a great many repairs and rebuildings of the
Wall took place. The Saxons allowed it to fall into a ruinous condition.
Alfred rebuilt it and strengthened it. The next important repairs were
made in the reign of King John in 1215, by Henry III., Edward I.,
Edward II., Edward III., Richard II., Edward