much like the present St. Paul's Churchyard, save that the houses
now in the north are an encroachment. This open space was surrounded by
a wall, in which were six gates embattled. The first was the Great
Western Gate, facing Ludgate Hill: the second in Paul's Alley in
Paternoster Row: the third at Canon Alley: the fourth, or Little Gate,
where is now the entrance into Cheapside: the fifth, St. Augustine's
Gate, Watling Street: the sixth at Paul's Chain.

[Illustration: PAUL'S CROSS.]

Walking round this enclosure we come first upon the Bishop's Palace,
standing on the north side of the Nave. The Palace was provided with a
private entrance into the Cathedral. Beyond the Palace was a very
beautiful cloister called Pardon Church Haugh. In this cloister stood a
chapel built by Gilbert, father of Thomas a Becket. Many monuments and
tombs of great persons stood within this cloister, which was also
remarkable for its 'Dances of Death.' This was a series of paintings
representing Death as a skeleton armed with a dart, leading by the hand
men and women of every degree, from the highest to the lowest. There
were formerly many examples of such dances. Next to the cloister was
the library, the catalogue of which still exists to show what a
scholar's collection of books then meant. Next to the library stood the
College of the Minor Canons: then came Charnel Chapel, beneath which was
a crypt filled with human bones taken from the churchyard. Remember that
this has been a burial place ever since the year 610, when a church was
first built here. From the year 610 till the year 1840, or for a period
of 1,200 years, new graves were continually made in this ground. Who can
guess how many thousands lie buried here? Every handful of the dust is a
handful of human remains. From time to time, however, the bones were
collected and placed in this crypt of Charnel Chapel. The chapel itself
was apparently a large building, for when it was pulled down the
materials were used by the Duke of Somerset at the Reformation in
building Somerset House in the Strand. There are yet standing some
portions of the original house, so that the stones of Charnel Chapel may
still be seen. As for the crypt, they carried away the bones, which made
a thousand cartloads, and laid them over Finsbury Fields, covering them
with ground, on which were erected three windmills. The site is marked
by the street called Windmill Street.

Next to Charnel Chapel stood the fam