h thunder and lightning, whereby
the church of Baldock in Hertfordshire and the church and part of the
town of Walden in Essex, with other neighbouring villages, were sore
shaken, and the steeple of St. Pauls in London about two in the
afternoon was set on fire in the midst of the shaft first on the west
side and then on the south, and divers people espying the fire came to
quench it in the steeple, which they did with vinegar, so far as they
could find, so that when the Lord Mayor with much people came to Pauls
to have holpen if need had been they returned again every man to his own
home, trusting in God all had been well, but anon after between eight
and nine of the clock the fire burst out again afresh out of the
steeple, by reason of the wind more hot and fervent then before, and did
much hurt to the lead and timber thereof. Then the Lord Mayor and many
people came thither again and with vinegar quenched the fire which was
so violent, but no man received any hurt.

Moreover in Sir Richard Whittington's time lived one Richard Fleming,
Bishop of Lincoln, in the year 1430 who founded Lincoln Colledge in
Oxford, which was afterwards in Richard the third's time in the year of
our Lord 1479 by Thomas Rotherham Bishop of the same sea (_sic_) much
augmented and enlarged with great revenues. Likewise Magdalen Colledge
in Oxford was built by William Wainfleet Bishop of Winchester, who was a
loving and constant friend to Sir Richard Whittington and did much good
in many parts of this kingdom, and the said Sir Richard did largely
contribute to these and the like pious uses by the intreaty of this
Bishop.

In the year of our Lord 1419, in which Sir Richard Whittington was the
third time inaugurated into the Mayoralty as is before mentioned King
Henry the fifth, who having conquered the greatest part of France and
espoused Katherine sole daughter to the King and heir to the crown,
taking leave of his father-in-law, embarked with his Royal bride and
landed at Dover upon Candlemas Day, leaving in France for his deputy his
brother the Duke of Clarence, from thence arrived in London the
fourteenth day of February, and the Queen came thither the one and
twentieth day of the same month, being met upon Black-Heath by the Lord
Mayor and three hundred aldermen and prime citizens in gold chains and
rich costly habits with other sumptuous and brave devices as pageants,
speeches and shows to the great delight and content of both their
Maie