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straight on the right, to the Thames:
the fifth, straight on the left, to Hatton
Garden and Clerkenwell: the sixth,
straight backwards to Temple Bar: the
seventh, obliquely on the right, to the
walks of the Temple: and the eigth,
obliquely on the left, to Cursitor's alley.
Passing down Fleet street, at the bot-
tom of which the ditch was to be ren-
dered a beautiful canal, passable by as
many bridges as there were streets to
cross it, and leaving Ludgate prison on the
left side of the street; where a triumphal
arch was to be formed, instead of the
gate, in honour of King Charles II. the
founder of the new city: St. Paul's was
to be situated where it is at present, and
surrounded by a triangular piazza.
On leaving that cathedral on the left, a
straight street was to extend directly to the
Tower, adorned all the way, at proper
distances, with parish churches; and
leaving that edifice to the right, the other
great branch was to lead to the Royal
Exchange, which was to be seated in the
middle of a piazza, between two great
streets; the one from Ludgate leading to
the south front, and another from Hol-
born, thro' Newgate, and thence straight
to the north front of the Exchange.
This noble scheme was demonstrated to
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be practicable, without the infringement
of any man's property; for, by leaving out
the church-yards, &c. which were to be
removed out of town, there would have
been sufficient room both for the augmen-
tation of the streets, the disposition of the
churches, halls, and all public buildings,
and to have given every proprietor full sa-
tisfaction: for though few of them would
have been seated upon exactly the very
same ground they possessed before the fire,
yet none would have been thrust at any
considerable distance from it: but the
obstinacy of great part of the citizens, in
refusing to recede from the right of re-
building their houses on the old founda-
tions, was an unsurmountable obstacle to
the execution of this noble scheme. Pa-
rentalia.
Soon after this, Sir John Evelyn pro-
duced another plan, in which he proposed
that some of the deepest vallies should be
filled up, or at least made with less sudden
declivities. That a new and spacious
key should run from the Tower to the
Temple, and extend itself as far as the
low water mark; by which means the
channel of the river would be kept con-
stantly full; the irregularity and deformity
of the stairs, and the dirt and nastiness left
at every ebb would also be prevented.
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