It was in the City of London, and during the second year of the Civil War, that the first illustrated newspaper came into existence. _The Weekly News_ had attempted on only one occasion to illustrate the news of the day, but the _Mercurius Civicus_ frequently gave illustrations, and it is therefore entitled to be ranked as the first illustrated newspaper. It is true that most of the engravings it contains are portraits, and sometimes the same woodcut is used to represent more than one person. Besides portraits of the King and Queen, there are portraits of the chief generals and commanders engaged in the war. There are Prince Rupert, the Lord General, Sir Thomas Fairfax, the Marquis of Huntley, Sir Edward Deering, General Lesley, Lord Inchiquin, Lord Digby, Sir W. Waller, the Earl of Warwick, and others. '_The Mercurius Civicus, London's Intelligencer, or Truth impartially related from thence to the whole kingdom, to prevent misinformation, from Thursday July 13 to Thursday July 20, 1643_,' is the full title of No. 8; and it is curious to notice how nearly a portion of the title--_London's Intelligencer_--corresponds to the _London News_. It was a peculiar feature of the early newspapers that they were announced as being published 'to prevent misinformation,' or for the 'correction of false reports'--not so much for the diffusion of truth as for the correction of falsehood. [Illustration: CHARLES I. AND HIS QUEEN, FROM 'MERCURIUS CIVICUS,' 1643.] On the front page of Number 8 of the _Mercurius Civicus_ are small portraits of Charles I. and his Queen, engraved on wood. Over the woodcut is a sort of table of contents, thus:--'The King and Queen conjoyned, the Kentish news related, our Forces are united, A publique Fast appointed.' On the preceding page is given a facsimile of the cut of the King and Queen. [Illustration: WEAPON CALLED A ROUNDHEAD, FROM 'MERCURIUS CIVICUS,' 1643.] Similar portraits occur in other numbers, as well as several ornamental letters; but there is in Number 11 a very interesting illustration of the news of the hour. It is a woodcut of a weapon said to be intended for use against the Roundheads, and the following account is given of it:--'In the Danish Ship lately taken by the Earle of Warwicke, near Newcastle, were found Armes compleat for 5000 foot and for 500 horse, 500 barrels of Gunpowder, Great store of Match and Lead, beside a thousand of those weapons which the Papists call Round-heads, for that with them they intended to bring the Round-heads into subjection. Many such weapons were long since found in divers Papists' houses in Lancashire; it is a weapon with an ovall or round top, stuck full of iron spikes. The forme whereof for better satisfaction is here set downe.' Then follows a representation of the weapon, of which a facsimile is given on the opposite page. The same cut is reprinted in other numbers. [Illustration: PORTRAIT OF PRINCE RUPERT, FROM 'MERCURIUS CIVICUS,' 1644.]