About the year ****, Edward Strong built the ornaments or lanthorn upon the fquare tower of Christ Church, in London *. The ftone-work of Mr. Draper's houfe, at ****, in Surry. About the year the ornaments or lanthorn upon the fquare tower of St. Vedalt, Folter-lane Church. *, Edward he built About the year Strong, jun. built the lanthorn on the fquare tower of St. Stephen's, Walbrock Church. And, at the fame time, he built the lanthorn on the fquare tower of St. Michael's Royal Church, on Collegehill. Alfo, at the fame time, built the lanthorn on the fquare tower of St. James, Garlick-hill Church. Alfo rebuilt the upper part of the tower and repaired several parts of the body of the Church of St. Chriftopher's, in Threadneedle-ftreet. In the year 1715, took down the great old tower of St. Michael's, in * This Church was finished 1704. Sir Nicholas Brembar, Lord Mayor of London, was buried in this Church 1386. Before the diffolution of religious houfes, this was the Church of the Grey Friars. Weaver ftates, that it was honoured with the fepulture of four Queens, four Ducheffes, four Counteffes, one Duke, two Earls, eight Barons, and about thirtyfive Knights. But in contemplating the lifts of the burials in this place, I find, that thofe of perfons of rank and high diftin&tion were much more numerous, and that, from the elablishment having long been fuppofed to have been endued with peculiar fanctity, and the prayers of the holy brotherhood with peculiar efficacy, its vaults and cemetaries were long the receptacles of the most diftinguilhed families both in Court and City. †This tower escaped the ravages of the fire of London, although the body of the Church was confumed. It was re built in the year 1723. With regard to the old teeple, or bell-tower of the old Church, it was begun in 1421, and had a ring of fix good bells, one of which was called Rus, being the gift of William Rus, Alderman and Goldsmith, about the year 1421. This bell was rung nightly at eight o'clock, and otherwite for knels and peals, and, what is extraordinary, was rung by one man for a hundred years. Stow has a story of a violent tempeft of thunder and lightning, which happened while the men were ringing thefe bells on St. James's night. A ghoft alfo appeared, in the form of "an ugly fhapen fight, coming in at the South window, and lighted on the North. For fear of this, they" (the men)" all fell down, and lay as dead for the time, letting the bells ring and ceafe of their own accord." This ghoft, after exceedingly damaging the fteeple, left upon the tones of the North window, which feemed like butter printed and ferat, the print of a lion's claw deeply indented," for, conti nues Stow, "I have feen it oft, and put a feather or fmail tick into the holes where the claws had entered" (the tone) "three or four inches deep !" St. 2660 10 2 1201 14 9 46118 7 O £ s. d. fcribed with Arabic characters, you find yourself in a street that leads directly to the Bazar, which you naturally hurry through as falt as poffible, 1967 16 4 becaufe the whole of it is inhabited by Armenians, who are either tanners, curriers, or the manufacturers of a great variety of leathern articles. You then turn the corner on your right hand, which introduces you into an5 other street, equally fpacious and gay, being inhabited by bowyers, fletchers, armourers, feather-dreffers, and, in fact, man and horfe milliners. You are now at the corner of the grand piazza, called the Meydan, and, afcending a flight of fteps, arrive at a gallery, in which, tuck by the fide of each other, like the boxes upon their fhelves, live all the druggifts and apothecaries. 5 21216 19315 8786 8 5 7 2 5 30000 O £. 156844 11 I In private trade by T.S., from the year 1667 till June 1681, in doing work in rebuilding the City, and felling ftone to others, and at the fame time fold great quantities to Windfor Cattle, it can hardly be fuppofed that he dealt for lefs than 1000l. per annum In private trade by E. S., from the year 1681 till the year 1706, in felling Portland, Burford, and Purbeck ftone to others, and ufing it in other private trade for about twenty-five years, fuppofing that trade might amount to about 5ool. per annum By this computation, which cannot be very much mittaken, fince all the first part is very certain, it appears we only have dealt for 14000 12500 O 183344 0 Whether this mode of building in Perfia was practifed antecedent to the date of our city of Chefter? whether the architect of the Meydan had ever caft his eye upon our Royal Exchange ? or taken an excurfion in Covent Gar den? is too curious a difquifition, and too ufeful a fpeculation, to be entered upon without more confideration, more time, more paper, and more patience, than can, in the prefent instance, be devoted to it. In fact, it contains the germe from which one day may spring a folio; and I, alas! am at prefent confined to a few pages in the European Magazine. This exordium was begun, continued, and ended, at the door of the fhop of Nadir, the Apothecary, which, it is well known, was fituated in that part of the gallery which overlooks the Bazar, and, in an oblique direction, glances at the famous fountain of Sha Abbas, which ftands at the North correr. Nadir was a man of literature, of fcience, and, which was ftill better, of honour and integrity; but he was a fingular being, and would in a metropolis lefs polite than Ifpahan, have been denominated "a queer fellow;" for he fhrunk from fociety, was devoted to contemplation and ftudy, and, which was much worfe, he was poor. The beauty of one of the finest days of a Perfian autumn had induced Nadir to ceafe from his labour, (or, rather, as he had no particular occafion for them, his amujement,) in pounding a few coarte drugs in an old mortar with a broken pettie, and leaving his thop door wide open, without any fear of being robbed, even had not the police of the city been fo good as it actually was, to cross the gallery, and lean upon the balustrade, from which he had the pleasure of obferving a moft plentiful market in the most difinterested point of view, as he had not money sufficient to enable him to become the purchafer of the fmallest article. In this ftate of mind and pocket, the unfortunate Apothecary was deftined to behold baskets of the choiceft fruit, of the most exquifite viands of every defcription, piles of the finest bread, cakes, and confectionary, pails of milk, and jars of honey, carried away, as the faying is," under his very nofe;" and as nothing is fo likely to produce an appetite as having fuch a profpect without the means to gratify our defires, he found his inward man fo affected with a gaftric fenfation, that he called to a venerable matron, ancient as the arch upon which his fhop refted, and ordered her to bring him fome refreshment, exclaiming, at the fame time, "Wretch that I am! with tate and fenfibility to enjoy the good things of this world, yet, in the prefent inftance, they vanish from before me, like the vifionary banquets of the promised paradife from the grasp of the fceptical Heb, and I am condemned, by the unfortunate falubrity of the place wherein I have fettled, to live upon rice and water like a Bramin!" "And you have fo little of the former left," faid the old woman, as the prefented him with a plate of the ali. ment and a glafs of the menftruum, that without we have fpeedily a fresh fupply, I forefee that you will be reduced to live upon your own medicines." "You do not talk like an Apothecary," faid Nadir, "if you expect that I could exift upon them in the way you fuggeft." "It is a lamentable thing," fhe replied, "that you can neither take them yourfelf, nor get any one else to do it. At this inftant a perfon in the drefs of a Mahometan Faquir (which being a fect that afpires fometimes to the dignity of Moullah, are more regular in their apparel than the other, who profeis to be the difciples of Brumma,) food before them; and hearing this colloquy betwixt the old woman and her matter, faid, "You are mistaken, for I hope the whole world will take his medicines, if this is the learned Apothecary Nadir, whofe fame, wafted on the wings of the four winds, has reached me in my retreat in the Dia mond Mountains, which you know lic to the Ealt of Golconda." "I know very little about the mat, ter," faid Nadir; "Diamond Moun tains and Golconda are names connected with riches; therefore I hope that my fame, which it appears from your statement is a far greater traveller than my perfon, has met with more fuccefs in the world." "Son!" faid the Faquir, "never repine at the difpenfations of Providence!" At the appellation Son, the Apothe cary looked earnestly in the face of the Faquir, and replied: "Father! though you are at least half a century younger than my felf, as you appear in a religi ous habit, which I judge to be confiderably older than the wearer, your phrase is correct. So having adjusted this weighty matter, I fhould enquire if, medically or morally, I can afford you any affiftance ?" 66 Medically," " cried the Faquir, "I think you may. I find myself tired and faint!" Set out the arm-chair, Tamira !” faid Nadir. "Lean upon me, most venerable Father: So! now let me look at your tongue." "My tongue!" "Yes!" returned the Apothecary. "Good! I am perfectly fatisfied. This examination will be complete when I have felt your pulfe-One-two-three -So! fo! fo!" do "Well!" faid the Faquir, "What you think of my cafe ?" "A very common one among my patients. I fear I have fcarcely enough of one fort of medicine left to furnish for it a fingle dofe. However, though I am labouring under the fame ditorder, hofpitality obliges me to relieve you. Here! fwallow this plate of rice !" "Rice!" faid the Faquir; "I am not much used to feed upon rice!" "No!" he continued: "Why I thought your vows obliged you to eac nothing elfe, except you were fenfually inclined to ornament your dish with a garnith of herbs. The Conduit, over the way, of our once fublime and im mortal Sultan, who died at the age of thirty, will fupply us with plenty of water. You need not use any difcretion with refpect to drinking." "Then "Then it seems to be your opinion that I want nothing but food?" "Solid and liquid: you want nothing elfe, depend upon it.' It is a pity to ftarve in the midft of a market." "That was exactly my idea," faid Nadir, "when you entered the gallery.' Why then did you not avail your felf of this opportunity to purchase?" "Alas! venerable Father," returned Nadir, "I had not come from Golconda." "I understand you: you had not the means," faid the Faquir. "I have!" he continued, and unbuckling his girdle, produced a long leathern purle. "In this there are fifteen Tomans. I am under no reftrictive vows; therefore let this ancient matron defcend into the market before it be too late, and purchase what foever you with. I am weary; I fhall tarry in this city fome time; therefore, Son, I mean to follow your prefcription, and, in order to fill up the vacuum in my exhausted fyftem, to eat, drink, and enjoy myself.” "What is your name?" faid Nadir. "Ifmael," returned the Faquir. "Then, good Ifmael," he continued, "though you might probably enjoy yourself with your fifteen Tomans, a fum I hardly believed to have been in the exchequer, what muft become of me? It is impoffible that I can partake." "Why?" "For this reafon: I am a man, moft reverend father Ifmael! that, as you may perceive, has lived long in the world, devoted to ftudy, fond of contemplating the works of art and the wonders of nature. I have confequently, in my researches, not fuffered the human fyftem to be unexplored. In fact, I have examined it both phyfically and ethically. With this propenfion of mind, you will not wonder that I am poor; but you will wonder when I inform you, that I ftill am the poffeffor of two gems more valuable than any that your mines of Golconda can boat; thefe, I fear, would be fullied, if I were to accept your favours." What gems ?" "I mean," continued Nadir, "my piety and my honour. You, Ifmael, are, however you may have attempted to difguife that circumstance, a very young man; therefore, when you preduce fuch immenfe riches, and with to apply them in favour of fo flight an acquaintance, I, who am apt to look below the furface of things, may very well doubt the correctnefs of their acquifition." "You think," faid Ifmael, "that this paltry purse contains immense riches! I could very eafily produce fifty times the fum! Nay, start not, Nadir! I honour you for your delicacy as much as I do for your fagacity. To piety and honour I am as much devoted as yourfelf: I therefore know, that thefe virtues produce in the human mind a generofity of thinking and acting, which frequently rifes fuperior even to the general dictates of frigid caution, contracted philofophy, or commercial calculation. I feek you as an adviser: I addrefs you as a friend: receive thefe Tomans! as a loan if you please let me place others in your hands for fecurity: banish fufpicion, and have the generosity to believe me for the moment to be what I appear. Let this evening be devoted to reft on my part, to relaxation from the fatigues of ftudy on yours: a fhort time will probably explain the motives that induced me to feek this inter view." "At which of the four caravanfaries in the Bazar do you lodge ?" faid Na dir. "I have no lodging in Ifpahan," replied Ifinael; "and as I will fairly ftate to you, that from the profeffional inquiutiveness of their keepers, and the officers of the police ftationed at thofe places, with respect to strangers, it would be extremely inconvenient to go to either of them, I hope you will fuffer me to lodge with you." "But your habit," faid Nadir. "My habit," continued Ifmael, may cover me in your houfe, but it would probably difcover me there; therefore I hope you will comply with my request." "That," faid Nadir, "is prefuming a good deal upon my credulity: I am inclined to trust you; but, alas! although I have rooms, they are unfurnifhed, confequently I have no accom modations; however, Abud my neighbour has, where I will be aniwerable for your fafety." Whether the appearance and franknefs of the Faquir; whether the means of indulging his appetite, which the Tomans, Tomins, Aill lying on the counter, prefented; or that curiofity which is natural to the Perfians, and was alfo profeffionally incident to Nadir; whether one or all thefe caufes operated is uncertain. The Sage of Zulpha, who firit recorded this ftory, was not, like many European fages, gifted with that omnifcient power which enabled them in a moment to pervade the recefies and develope the foldings of the human heart. He, therefore, has not ftated more than he knew; which was, that the Apothecary placed the To. mans in his till, which till that time had never enclofed the twentieth part of fo much wealth, and fubftra&ting one from the heap, he gave it to Tamira, telling her to halten to the market, and purchase materials for an enter tainment worthy of a guest who feemed pofeed of the riches of Golconda and the generolity of Aurengzebe. Here let us paufe a little, in order, in the first instance, to mention that ufeful, but too much neglected, part of the haman fpecies, who are never courted except upon the ftimulations of pain, or at the fuggeftions of interest, and whom in Europe, at least out of their hearing, we have agreed to term Old Women, and in the fecond, to obferve, that this appellation has been known to take a wider range, and mount to fituations in which no female, old or young, except Pope Joan or Joan of Arc, ever fat or acted: It has, to continue this fpeculation, been known to have been applied to the Judicial Bench of Perfia, to the Justice Seat, nay to places till more folemn and facred, fuch as the Heads of Colleges of Derviles, &c.; and in Europe, alfo, we have heard of Old Women at the Heads of Houles, of Courts, of Armies, of Adminiftrations, of Municipalities, &c.: but the Persian biftorian had heard nothing of this, he has therefore only mentioned the refpect which is paid to the ancient part of the fair-fex in their proper #ations; and further, that Tamira, for integrity, for fidelity, and affection to her maiter, for experience in domeftic concerns, and general fagacity, was an excellent reprefentative of all the old women in Ipahan. She had, after an education in the house of Abud, defcended like an heirloom to honeft Nadir from his father, a phylician of great genius, little prac VOL. XLVI. JULY 1804. tice, and much humility, as appears by his only making his fon an apothe cary. We should never have been able to afcertain her age, had the not in the heat of a medical difpute, the only dif putes which the ever had with her maf ter, faid, the well remembered the erection of the obelisk which they had every day before their eyes, to commemorate the recovery of Sha Sefi from intemper ance. Nadir, therefore, whom the had, by the threwdness of her obfervations and the fagacity of her interrogatories in his profeffion, both picqued and puz zled, malicioufly calculated the period in which the had been acquiring this experience; he found that forty-fix years had paffed fince the event which the obelisk recorded; which, added to the age fhe was when the came into the poffetion of his father, fixed her's at near feventy. Tamira, however the might have acquired her medical skill, muft, from the frugality of the board of Nadir, have certainly become a cook by infpiration or intuition. But no matter to what or whom he was obliged for her culinary fcience, it is certain that the was one of "the beft cooks in Ipahan. Of this the now gave a fpecimen; for while we have been digreding, and Nadir, with the fage Ifmael, were engaged in the difcullion of general topics in the fhop, the had, under the influence of the Toman we have mentioned, furnished fuch an entertainment as never had before been feen in the house of Nadir, nor indeed of his ancestors. The honeft Apothecary, when he entered the eating room, was thunderftruck at the fight of the variety of viands fpread before him, and the tatte that was difplayed in their difpofition. "Reverend Father," faid he to the young Faquir, "I fear that these temp. tations to fenfual indulgence will leave the ftings of remorte, if not the confequences ofintemperance, behind them." "Son!" cried Ifinael, "fear nothing, but as our Prophet ordains, eat and live!" Hofpitality is the virtue of the Perfians. It came into the head of Nadir, just as he was fitting down to table, that as he had been obliged to his neighbour Abud for many a dinner, he ought to fend for him to partake of this. The Faquir, as Abud was to be his landlord, had no objection. A flave D of |