The History of London Part 22

~Holy Sepulchre~: the burial place of our Lord at Jerusalem, to rescue which from the Turks was the object of the Crusades.

20. ST. BARTHOLOMEW'S HOSPITAL.

~Endowment~: money given for the permanent support of an inst.i.tution, such as a church, hospital, or school.

~Hospitaller~: one in charge of a hospital. The term is generally applied to the Knights of St. John, who built a hospital for sick Crusaders at Jerusalem.

~shambles~: a slaughter-house.

~Whittington~, originally an apprentice in London, became a wealthy mercer, thrice Lord Mayor, and knighted. He died in 1423, without children, and left his wealth for public objects, such as the one in the text.

~Dissolution of the religious houses~, carried out by Henry VIII. in 1536-1540 for the sake of the plunder they afforded.

~Chloroform~: a colourless liquid which when inhaled produces complete insensibility to pain.

~Norman windows~: that is, built in a style introduced by the Normans.

The rounded tops of doors and windows maybe seen in the ill.u.s.tration on p. 44.

~lanthorn~: a raised construction on the roof, with horn or gla.s.s sides to give light.

~clinical~: in attendance at the bedside of patients.

~residential college~: where they reside or dwell.

~convalescent hospital~: where those who have had some illness may get quite well and strong again.

21. THE TERROR OF LEPROSY.

~Leprosy~: a terrible disease of the skin and blood, once prevalent in Europe, now mostly confined to the East.

~lazar~: a leper; one suffering from a foul disease like Lazarus in St.

Luke xvi.

~congregate~: flock together, crowd with.

~stringent~: strict.

~statutes~: rules or laws.

~Book of the Jewish Law~: that is, the book Leviticus.

~ulcerates~: is afflicted with ulcers or sores.

~Ma.s.s~: the celebration of the Lord's Supper in the Roman Catholic Church.

~Burton Lazars~: a village one mile from Melton Mowbray, in Leicestershire. Here, on account of its excellent sulphur springs, the chief leper-hospital was established in the reign of Stephen.

~hereditary~: transmitted from parents to children.

22. THE TERROR OF FAMINE.

~24 shillings a quarter~: this is not far from the present price of wheat, which gives us cheap bread. But in 1257 24_s._ would be equivalent to at least 20_l._ in our money.

~retainers~: those in the service of a n.o.bleman and wearing his livery and badge.

~Hanseatic merchants~: merchants trading with the Hanse cities in Germany (among which was Hamburg) who had formed a league for self-protection about the twelfth century.

~granary~: a place for storing up grain or corn.

23. ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL. PART I.

~460 feet~: the loftiest spire in England, that of Salisbury Cathedral, is about 404 feet.

~its length was at least 600 feet~: the present cathedral, the third on the site, is 500 feet long.

~shrine~: a receptacle for relics and other sacred things. (The word means a 'chest.')

~aisle~ (p.r.o.nounced _[=i]le_) is the side or wing of a church.

~scribe~: a writer. In those early times so few people could read or write that men often had to have recourse to professional writers.

~deed~: a written doc.u.ment relating to some legal transaction.

~conveyance~: a writing legally transferring from one person to another property, especially houses and land.

~Humphrey Duke of Gloucester~ was the youngest brother of Henry V., on whose death he was made regent in England in 1422. He died in 1447.

~St. Cuthbert~ was a monk, missionary, and bishop of Lindesfarne, an island off the coast of Northumberland, where he died in 687 A.D., and was buried in Durham Cathedral.

~sacristy~: a room adjoining a church where sacred vessels, vestments, &c. are kept.

24. ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL. PART II.

~Inigo Jones~ (born 1572, died 1652) was a celebrated architect.

~Portico~: a row of columns in front of a building.

~Exchange~: a building where merchants meet to transact business.

~nave~: the main body of a church, the aisles being on each side of the nave.

~King Charles II. returned~ at the Restoration in 1660.