Mention must also be made of the "Albion,' "which was situated in Little Russell Street next door to Hooper's Pharmacy. This was a tavern of some considerable repute in the 'sixties, but must not be confounded with an hotel of the same name in Aldersgate Street, E.C., which was one of the most celebrated hotels in the City.

CHAPTER VII

Bow Street and Wellington Street-Sir Walter ScottCelebrated inhabitants-The Cock Tavern and riot --Wycherley: his marriage-Dr. John Radcliffe: his eccentricities-The old and modern police-stationsThe Metropolitan Police Force-Charlotte ClarkeLawlessness of the streets-Execution in Bow Street -Sir John Fielding, the first stipendiary magistrate— Crown Court and the Scottish Church-Broad Court -Macklin and Mrs. Woffington-The Wrekin-Hart Street (now Floral Street).

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Bow STREET was constructed in 1637, and has been described by Strype as running in the shape of a bent bow," from which shape it took its name. He also described it as being " open and large, with very good houses, well inhabited, and resorted unto by gentry for lodgings, as are most of the other streets in this parish." Bow Street did not originally connect Long Acre with the Strand; in order to gain access to the latter thoroughfare it was necessary to pass down Brydges Street, now renamed

Catherine Street. The street that received the name of Wellington Street in 1844 was originally Charles Street, so named after Charles I. Here Barton Booth, the actor who sustained the rôle of the original Cato in Addison's play of that name, died in 1733.

It is difficult to believe that Bow Street was once a fashionable locality; yet Dryden, in his epilogue of "King Arthur," wrote the following words, which were spoken by Mrs. Bracegirdle, "From fops and wits and cits and Bow Street beaux," etc. Sir W. Scott once remarked that a letter from Bow Street in his day would have been more alarming than otherwise, which shows that the then most important building in the street was the police office. Reference is made to this later. The narrow part of the street between Long Acre and Floral Street was once named Bow Court. At the corner of Broad Court is a branch of the London City & Midland Bank, over which are the offices of Messrs. Garcia, Jacobs & Co., fruit brokers. At No. 8 Bow Street a tobacconist's shop, kept by a Mr. Harris, the boundaries of St. Paul's,

Covent Garden, and St. Martin's-in-theFields adjoin, this house being situated partially in both parishes.

Robert Harley, the great minister, afterwards created Earl of Oxford, was born here in 1661; and Fielding, the novelist, occupied the house in this street on whose. site was subsequently erected the first Bow Street police-station. Here he wrote "Tom Jones." On the east side was the Cock Tavern, kept by a woman known as Oxford Kate. It was here that a disgraceful riot occurred, caused by the disorderly conduct of Sir Charles Sedley, Bart., Lord Buckhurst, and Sir Thomas Ogle, who stripped and exposed themselves in indecent postures to the passers-by. Their conduct so incensed the crowd that a determined attack was made upon the place. The authors of the disturbance were tried before Lord Chief Justice Foster of the King's Bench. Pepys states that "His Lordship and the rest of the Bench did all of them roundly give him a most high reproof; my Lord Chief Justice saying that it was for him and such wicked wretches as he was, that God's anger and

judgments hung over us -calling him Sirrah! many times. It seems that they have bound him to his good behaviour, (there being no law against him for it,) for £5,000."

Another writer states he was fined £500, and that Sedley, together with the other culprits, employed Killigrew and another courtier to intercede with the King for a mitigation of the sentence. Tradition, however, relates that, instead of exerting themselves on behalf of their friends, these latter actually begged the amount for their own use, and extorted it to the last halfpenny.

Sedley was the author of several plays, and was also the father of the Countess of Dorchester, mistress of James II.

Opposite the Cock lived Richard, Earl of Dorset, and also Wycherley, the dramatist. Charles II. visited the latter here, and, finding him in ill-health, advised him to go abroad, furnishing him with a sum of money for that purpose. Wycherley followed the King's advice. On his return his peregrinations led him to Tunbridge Wells, where he met, fell in love with, and married the young Countess of Drogheda.