xty horses in rich
trappings, each mounted by an esquire of honor,--and sixty ladies of
rank, dressed in the richest elegance of the day following on their
palfreys, each leading by a silver chain a knight completely armed for
tilting. Minstrels and trumpets accompanied them to Smithfield amidst
the shouting population: there the Queen and her fair train received
them.' Then this same author tells at much length of the commencing of
the tournament, and says 'they tilted each other until dark. They all
then adjourned to a sumptuous banquet, and dancing consumed the
night.' For several days and nights this same performance was
repeated. That gives you a slight idea of the aspect Smithfield bore
in the days when it was far outside the limits of the 'City.'"

After pausing a few minutes in her talk, while they walked about the
square, Mrs. Pitt proceeded:

"In 1381, after the peasant uprising, the leader, Wat Tyler, was
killed here. And then, in the reigns of 'Bloody Mary' and of
Elizabeth, this was the place of public execution. Way back in 1305,
the patriot William Wallace was hanged here, and after him came a long
line of sufferers,--among them Anne Askew, Rogers, Bradford, and
Philpot, who were persecuted because of their adherence to the
Protestant Religion. After that terrible period, Smithfield was for
many years the only cattle-market in London; and here was held
Bartholomew Fair, also. Don't you agree that this square has had
about as varied a history as is very well possible?"

The church of St. Bartholomew the Great, one of the oldest and most
interesting in London, is reached from Smithfield by an inconspicuous
arch, which leads to a narrow walk close beside brick walls. At the
further end is the facade of the church, which boasts of having been
erected in 1123, by Rahere, who also founded the neighboring Hospital
of St. Bartholomew.

Once inside the doorway, the visitor feels as though he had actually
stepped back many centuries, for, as Baedeker says, "the existing
church, consisting merely of the choir, the crossing, and one bay of
the nave of the original Priory Church, is mainly pure Norman work, as
left by Rahere." Here again, the visitor encounters that strange
atmosphere which belongs to the place pervaded by great age.

"You see," explained Mrs. Pitt, "the church which we see is only a
very small part of the original edifice as Rahere built it. The
entrance from Smithfield was probably the door to