Historical remarks on the ancient and present state of the Cities of London and Westminster. With an account of the most considerable occurrences, revolutions and transactions, as to wars, fires, plagues, etc., which have happened in and about these cities for above nine hundred years past, till the year 1681 / By Richard Burton [pseud].

  • R. B., approximately 1632-approximately 1725.
Date:
1810
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Historical remarks on the ancient and present state of the Cities of London and Westminster. With an account of the most considerable occurrences, revolutions and transactions, as to wars, fires, plagues, etc., which have happened in and about these cities for above nine hundred years past, till the year 1681 / By Richard Burton [pseud]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    return to his Judaism, whereupon the King sent for his son, and com- manded him without more ado to return to the religion of his nation. But the young man answered, he wondered His Majesty would use such words, for being a Christian, he should rather persuade him to Christianity, with which answer the King was so confounded, that he commanded the young man out of his presence ; but his father finding the King could do no good upon his son, required his money again, nay, (saith the King) I have taken pains enough for us, and yet that thou mayest see how kindly I will deal, you shall have one half, and you cannot in confidence deny me the other half, and so dismissed him. And now, as we are treating on the Jews, it may not be amiss to add all at once, what we read concerning them in this city. In the year 1235, the nineteenth year of Henry III. seven Jews were brought before the King at Westminster, who had stolen a boy, and kept him private from the sight of any, but their own Nation, for a whole year, and had circumcised him, intending also to have cruci- fied him at the solemnity of Easter, as they themselves confessed before the King, upon which they were convicted, and their bodies and goods remained at the King’s pleasure. In the thirty-ninth year of this King, November 29, 102 Jews were brought from Lincoln to Westminster, and there accused for crucifying a child of eight years old, named Hugh. These Jews were upon examinarion sent to the Tower of London; the murder being discovered by the diligent search of the mother of the child ; upon which eighteen of them were hanged and the other remained long in prison. In the reign of Henry II. the number of Jews throughout England was very great, yet Avheresoever they dwelt, they were commanded not to bury their dead any where but in London, which being many times inconvenient to bring dead bodies from remote places, the King gave them liberty to bury in the same place where they lived In the year 1189, at the coronation of Richard I. son of Henry II. at Westminster, a great disaster befel the Jews, for King Richard not favoring them as his father had done, had given a strict charge that no Jew should be a spectator of the solemnity, yet several Jews (as though it had been the crowning of King Herod) would needs be pressing in, and the officers appointed refusing they should enter, there arose a quarrel, which proceeded from words to blows, whereby many Jews were hurt, and some slain ; and thereupon a report was suddenly spread abroad, that the King had commanded to have all the Jews destroyed; upon which it is incredible what rifling there was in an instant, of the Jews houses, and cutting their throats, and though the King signified by