as you have seen,
originally on two low hills overlooking the river. A strong wall built
all along the bank from Blackfriars (now so called) to the present site
of the Tower kept the river from swamping the houses and wharves which
sprang up behind this wall. The walls of the City later on, but only
about fifty years before the Romans went away, enclosed a large area
covered over with streets, narrow near the river and broad farther
north, and with residences, warehouses, villas, and workshops. There was
probably a population of 70,000 or even more. On the west, in the
direction of Westminster, the City wall overlooked an immense marsh: on
the south across the river there was a still broader and longer marsh:
on the east there was another great marsh with the sea overflowing the
sedgy meadows at every high tide: on the north there was a wild moor and
beyond the moor there was an immense forest. Four roads not counting the
river-way kept the City in communication with the rest of the island.
The most important of these roads was that afterwards called Watling
Street, which passed out at Newgate and led across the heart of the
country to Chester and Wales, to York and the north. The second,
afterwards called Ermyn Street, left the City at Bishopsgate and ran
through Lincoln to York, a third road called the Vicinal Way ran into
the eastern counties, and by way of London Bridge Watling Street was
connected with Dover.

London, therefore, standing in its marshes had no means of providing for
itself. All the food for its great population was imported. It was
brought on pack asses along these roads. It came from the farms and
gardens of the country inland by means of these high roads, strong,
broad, and splendid roads, as good as any we have since succeeded in
making. In peaceful times these roads were crowded all the way from
Chester and Lincoln and Dover with long trains of animals laden with
provisions for the people of London, as well as with goods for export
from the Port of London. They were met by long trains of animals laden
with imports being carried to their destination. The Thames in the same
way was filled with barges laden with provisions as well as with goods
going down the river to the people and the Port of London. Below Bridge
the river was filled with merchant ships bringing cargoes of wine and
spices and costly things to be exchanged for skins and slaves and
metals. Let us remember that the daily victuallin