ing by degrees, down came
on every side a terrible rain of liquid fire that seamed and burned the
ground, and carried destruction with it in its swift course towards the
Thames.

And now, by reason of the fearful heat, great projections of Portland
stone, cornices, and capitals of columns, flew off before the fire had
time to reach them. Windows melted in their frames, pillars fell to the
ground, ironwork bent as wax; nay, the very pavements around glowed
so that neither man nor horse dared tread upon them. And the flames,
gradually gaining ground, danced fantastically up and down the
scaffolding, and covered the edifice as with one blaze; whilst inside
transom beams were snapped asunder, rafters fell with destruction, and
the fire roaring through chapels and aisles as in a great furnace, could
be heard afar. And that which had been a Christian shrine was now, a
smoking ruin.

Raging onward in their fierce career, the flames darted towards such
buildings in the neighbourhood as had been previously untouched, so that
Paternoster Row, Newgate Street, the Old Bailey and Ludgate Hill
were soon in course of destruction. And from the latter spot the
conflagration, urged by the wind, rapidly rushed onwards towards Fleet
Street. On the other hand, it extended from Cheapside to Ironmongers'
Lane, Old Jewry, Lawrence Lane, Milk Street, Wood Street, Gutter Lane,
and Foster Lane; and again spreading from Newgate Street, it surrounded
and destroyed Christ Church, burned through St. Martin's-le-Grand
towards Aldgate, and threatened to continue its triumphant march to the
suburbs.

For several miles nothing but raging fire and smoking ruins was visible,
for desolation had descended on the city. It was now feared the flames
would reach the Palace of Whitehall, and extend towards Westminster
Abbey, a consideration which caused much alarm to his majesty, who
prized the sacred fane exceedingly. And now the king was determined the
orders he had already issued should be obeyed, and that houses standing
in direct path of the fire should be demolished by gunpowder; so that,
a greater gap being effected than any previously made by pulling them
down, the conflagration might have no further material wherewith to
strengthen and feed its further progress.

This plan, Evelyn states, had been proposed by some stout seamen early
enough to have saved nearly the whole city; "but this some tenacious and
avaricious men, aldermen, etc., would not per