London (England) -- History -- 17th century; London (England) -- Social life and customs -- 17th century
And your Petitioners and loyal Subjects shall ever pray, etc.”
The fanatical temper of the people as regards the Catholics was shown
in their attack upon the Spanish Ambassador’s house in Bishopsgate
Street:—
“Upon the twenty-ninth of April the first tumultuous disorder (of
these Times) happened in London, when a great number of Apprentices
and others beset the Spanish Ambassador’s house in Bishopsgate
Street, threatening to pull it down, and to kill the Ambassador,
for permitting English papists to frequent his Chapel. For the
appeasing of this Commotion, the Lord-Mayor immediately repaired
to the Ambassador’s, where with much difficulty he prevailed
upon the Populace to disperse and return home. His Lordship had
no sooner allayed the fury of the Multitude, than he entered the
Ambassador’s House, and, being met by that Minister, was desired
to drop the point of the City Sword that was carried before him,
acquainting him, That he was then in a Place where the King of
Spain, his Master, had Jurisdiction; which the Mayor complying
with, the Ambassador told him that he had never seen so barbarous
an attempt; and desired to know whether this could justly be called
a civilized Nation, where the Laws of Nations and Hospitality were
so horribly violated? The Mayor replied, That the Rioters were the
very Refuse of the People, therefore entreated his Excellency not
to impute the Sedition to the City: to which the Ambassador smartly
answered, That he hardly knew how to call that a City, or even a
Society of Rational Creatures, which was seemingly divested both of
Humanity and Government.
[Illustration: THE TRUE MANER OF THE EXECUTION OF THOMAS EARLE OF
STRAFFORD. LORD Lieutenant of Ireland. upon Towerhill, the 12^{th} of
May, 1641.
From a contemporary Dutch print. E. Gardner’s Collection.]
[Illustration: THOMAS WENTWORTH, FIRST EARL OF STRAFFORD (1593–1641)
From the portrait by Sir Anthony Van Dyck.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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