and Cold Harbour. A few
nobles continued to have houses in the City. In the time of Charles II.,
the Duke of Buckingham had a house on College Hill, and the palaces
along the Strand still remained.

[Illustration: THE CITY FROM SOUTHWARK.]

The merchants' houses took the place of these palaces. They were built
either in the form of a quadrangle, standing round a garden, with a
cloister or covered way running round, of which Gresham House, pulled
down in the last century, was a very fine example. But, since few
merchants could afford to build over so large a piece of ground and land
was too valuable to be wasted on broad lawns and open courts, the houses
were built in four or five stories, with rich carvings all over the
front. The house called Sir Paul Pinder's House in Bishopsgate Street,
pulled down only a year or two ago, was a very fine example of such a
house. The great hall was henceforth only built in great country houses:
in the City the following of the richest merchants, in his private
house, consisted of a few servants only; small rooms henceforward became
the rule: when entertainments and festivities on a large scale are held,
the Companies' Halls may be used. The inferior kind of Elizabethan house
may still be seen in Holborn--outside of Staple Inn: in Wych Street: in
Cloth Fair: and one or two other places. They were narrow: three or
four stories high: each story projected beyond the one below: they were
gabled: the windows were latticed, with small diamond panes of glass:
they were built of plaster and timber. Building with brick only began in
the reign of James the First. Before every house hung a sign, on which
was painted the figure by which the house was known: some of these signs
may still be seen: there is one in Holywell Street: one in Ivy Lane: and
there are many old Inns which still keep their ancient signs.

42. ELIZABETHAN LONDON.

PART III.

The population of London at this time was perhaps, for it is not
certain, 150,000. There were no suburbs, unless we call the Strand and
Smithfield suburbs; the London citizen stepped outside the gates into
the open country. This fact must be remembered when we think of the
narrow lanes. The great danger of the City still remained, that of fire,
for though the better houses were built of stone, the inferior sort, as
was stated above, continued to be built of timber and plaster. There
were no vehicles in the streets except carts, and the number