arms attend in their tabards, the earl marshal being present. Their public library contains a large and valuable collection of original records of the pedigrees and arms of families, funeral certificates of the nobility, and other evidences of a similar nature.

Higher up the hill near Paul's Chain, was the Paul's Head Tavern, which with the appurtenances had been antiently St. Paul's Brewhouse. In the thirty-eighth of Henry III. one William Hilary, watched the going out of John de Codington, clerk, being then in Rracina S. Pauli in Warda Barnard Castle. When the said John was gone out, presently the said William made an insult upon him. And, as a clerk convict, he was delivered to the bishop." This clerk, it seems, had fled thither for sanctuary; so that the very brewhouses belonging to religious foundations were deemed sanctuaries!

On the opposite side of the street was a large old building, called St. Paul's Bakehouse, on account of being employed for that purpose by the officers of the cathedral.

Crossing KNIGHT RIDER STREET, of which an account has ‘already been given, the next object of attention is

DOCTORS' COMMONS.

This is a college for such as study and practice the civil law, and decide causes within its own limits. The addition of Commons is taken from the manner in which the civilians diet here, commoning together, as is practised in universities. The original foundation of this place arose from a public-spirited and learned divine, Dr. Henry Harvey, LL. D. master of Trinity Hall, Cambridge, prebendary of Ely, &c. who purchased and fitted up the building for civilians and canonists, being then an old stone structure belonging to St. Paul's cathedral, but leased out to Lord Mountjoy. Before this period the doctors, &c. were lodged in a mean and contracted house near Paternoster Row, which had been the residence of one of the canons residen atiaries of St. Paul's; and after its entire desertion by the members of the church, was converted to the Queen's Arms stavern, as it still continues.

1

The causes cognizable in Doctors' Commons are, blasphemy, apostacy from Christianity, heresy, schism, ordinations, institutions of clerks to benefices, celebration of divine service, matrimony, divorces, bastardy, tythes, oblations, obventions, mortmains, dilapidations, reparation of churches, probate of wills, administrations, simony, incests, fornications, adulteries, solicitation of chastity, pensions, procurations, commutation of penance, right of pews, &c.

There are also several offices and courts kept here, viz. The registry of the archbishop of Canterbury, and the registry of the bishop of London. In which are recorded all wills, and other matters done in the ecclesiastical courts. of those sees. To which every one may have recourse, by paying an easy fee.

The Court of Arches has the pre-eminence of the rest, as being the highest court under the jurisdiction of the archbishop of Canterbury; taking its name of distinction from Bow Church, which church originally was built upon arches, and in which this court first sat for the dispatch of business. The judge of this court is stiled The Dean of the Arches, because he holds a jurisdiction over a deanery in London, consisting of thirteen parishes, exempt from the jurisdiction of the bishop of London. Under this judge there is a register or examiner, an actuary, a beadle or crier, and an apparitor; besides advocates and procurators or proctors. To this court lie all appeals in ecclesiastical matters within the province of Canterbury.

The Prerogative Court belongs also to the archbishop, and is established for the trial of civil causes: where, if the. deceased has left goods, to the value of 51. out of the diocese; and being of the diocese of London, to the value of 10. the will is to be proved, and administration to be taken here also the cause is to be debated and determined, when any contention grows touching such wills and administrations. In this court is a judge, stiled Judex Curie Prerogativa Cantuariensis; a register, in whose office are VOL. III. No. 69. 3 N deposited

deposited all original wills: and under him are a deputy and several clerks. This register office stands a little to the westward, behind the houses in the same street.

The Court of Faculties and Dispensations; empowers any one to do that which in law he could not otherwise do, viz. To marry without the publication of banns; to succeed a father in an ecclesiastical benefice; to hold two or more benefices, incompatible, &c. agreeable to an act of parJiament, passed 25 Hen. VIII. c. 21. The chief officer of this court is stiled Magister ad Facultates; under whom is a register and his clerks.

The Court of Admiralty, erected in the reign of king Edward III. and in former times kept in Southwark. This court belongs to the lord high admiral of England, and takes cognizance of the death or maihem of any person murdered on the high seas. Here also are cognizable all matters relating to seamens wages, &c. The judge of this court must be a civilian, and is called Supreme Curie Admiralitatis Anglie Locum Tenens Juder; under whom is a register, and a marshal, who carries a silver oar before the judge; besides an advocate and proctor. This court is held in the hall of Doctors Commons, where the other civil courts are kept; except in the trial of pirates, and crimes committed at sea; on which causes the Admiralty Court sits at the sessions house in the Old Bailey.

To these may be added the Court of Delegates. In this court appeals lie from any of the former courts: whose sentence or decree is generally deemed to be final. But the king has it in his power to grant a commission of review under the broad seal, for the delegates to consider and judge again, what has been decreed in the court of delegates.

The practitioners in these courts are Advocates and

Proctors.

The Advocates are doctors of the civil law, and are retained as counsellors or pleaders. To which practice they are admitted by a fiat from the archbishop, and then by the judge of the court, who assigns each advocate his place or seat in the court, which he is always to keep, when he

pleads,

pleads. If the judge and advocates be of Oxford, they, in court, wear scarlet robes and hoods lined with taffata; but if they be of Cambridge, they wear white meniver and round black velvet caps.

The Proctors, otherwise Procurators, exhibit their proxies for their clients, and make themselves parties for them, and draw up and give pleas, or libels and allegations in their behalf; produce witnesses, prepare causes for sentence, and attend the advocates with the proceedings. They cannot act without the archbishop's fiat. And they wear black robes and hoods, lined with fur.

The terms, or times for pleading and ending of causes in the civil courts, differ very little from the term times of the common law. The court of arches sits first in the morning. The court of admiralty sits in the afternoon of the same day and the prerogative court always sits in the afternoon.

To this account of Doctors Commons, we must add its library, which is a spacious room, well stocked with books, especially in civil law and history. Sir John Gibson, knight, chancellor to archbishop Grindal, and judge of the Prerogative Court, ancestor to James Gibson, Esq. town clerk of the city of London, gave his whole library for the use of the college; and the library, since his time, has been in a constant state of increase from the circumstance that every archbishop and bishop at their confirmation, present 201. and upwards for the purpose of buying books for this library.

The present college was built upon the ruins of the house given by Dr. Harvey, and burnt down in the general conflagration in 1666: on which occasion the business of the institution was transferred to, and carried on at Exeter Change, in the Strand, till the new college was finished in a more convenient and elegant manner.

The site of the college, as originally belonging to the church of St. Paul, was conveyed by the dean and chapter to the civilians in 1783, and they vested the freehold and fee simple of Doctors' Commons in that body for 1051. per annum, clear of all taxes.

Adjoining to the gate of this college on Bennet's Hill, was the CAMERA DIANE, of which we have made mention in the preceding part of this work *.

At the bottom of this hill is situated the parish church of ST. BENEDICT, VULGARLY ST. BENNET, PAUL'S WHARF,

THIS church in 1181, belonged to the canons of St. Paul's, and paid a rent to them of two marks, by the hand of Richard Chamberlain; to the syndols twelve-pence, to the archdeacon twelve-pence, and had a cemetery.

It was consumed by the late fire in 1666; and again reedified and finished in the year 1682; built of brick and stone, the outsides having the ornament of several festoons carved in stone, round the church.

It is of the Corinthian order, the roof within is quadrangular, being supported by four pillars and seven pilasters, with their architrave, frieze and cantaliever cornice.

It is enriched with fret-work; well wainscoted eight feet high; on the north and west sides are galleries handsomely carved; and the pews are of oak.

The altar-piece is lofty. Between the upper part of the Commandments is a seraph; and on each side a cherub; * Vol I. p. 28.