an culture and
literature to which the Renaissance had given birth, and from these
sources English literature received new beauty of thought and form.

It was, then, in a new England that Shakespeare lived, an England
intensely proud of the past which had made the present possible, an
England rich enough and secure enough to have leisure and interest for
literature, an England so vigorous, so confident, that it could not
fail to bring out all that was latent in its greatest genius.

+The City of London+.--All this enthusiasm and activity reached its
highest point in London. Even more then than now, London was the
center of influence, the place to which the greatest abilities were
irresistibly attracted, and in which their greatest work was done. But
the London of Shakespeare's time was vastly different from the London
of to-day. On all sides, except that washed by the Thames, the
mediaeval walls were still standing and served as the city's actual
boundary. Outside them were several important suburbs, but where now
houses extend for miles in unbroken ranks, there were then open fields
and pleasant woods. The total population of the city hardly exceeded a
hundred thousand, while that of the suburbs, including the many guests
of the numerous inns, amounted to perhaps a hundred thousand more.
Hence, although there undoubtedly was crowding in the poorer quarters,
London was a much more open city than it is to-day. The great houses
all had their gardens, and a few minutes walk in any direction brought
one to open country.

{54}

Westminster, now well within the greater London, was then only the most
important suburb. Here was the Hall in which Parliament met, and, not
far away, Whitehall, the favorite London residence of the Queen.
Attracted by the presence of royalty, many of the great nobles had
built their houses in this quarter, so that the north bank of the
Thames from Westminster to the City was lined with stately buildings.

The Thames was London's pleasantest highway. It was then a clear,
beautiful river spanned by a single bridge. If one wished to go from
the City to Westminster, or even eastward or westward within the City
itself, one could go most easily by boat. The Queen in her royal barge
was often to be seen on the river. The great merchant companies had
their splendid barges, in which they made stately progresses. One went
by boat to the bear gardens and theaters on the south bank. Below the