" hallowen, to the said Maistre Gilbert, and his Successors, that they in the seid Parish of Seint Andrew to the said Mastre John and his Successors, that they in the said Parish of Seint Petre, and to the seid John Maistre, [of the seid Hospital] and his Successors; that they within the foresaid Parrish of our Ladie of Colchirche, in the which the said House of S. Thomas is sette; may ordeyne, create, establish, and sett a Person sufficientlie lerned in Gramer, to hold and exercise a Schole in the same Science of Gramer, and it there to teche to al that will learne. "

" And that everiche of the said Maistre, Maistre William, Maistre Gilbert, Maistre John, and John Neel, Maistre; such Schole Maistre so bi him sett, and everiche of their Successors, such Scolemaistre by him, or bi any of his Predecessors so established and sett, speciallie as is above rehercid, may in his own Parich or Place remove, and another in his Place substitute, and sett, as often as any of the said Persones, or their Successors semith, [and] the Cause reasonable so requireth. "

" And so to do ich of the said Persones and their Successors, as often as it happenyth any of the said Scoles to be voyd of a Scolemaistre in any manner wyse, to the honour of God, and encreasying of Vertue. "

" Responsio. The Kyng wille, that it be do, as it is desired; so that it be done bi thadvyse of the Ordinary, therelles of the Archbishope of Canterbury for the time being."

Nine Years after, viz. 34. H. 6. were Five other Schools set up in other Churches in London, by the Care of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Bishop of London, confirmed by the King's Letters Patents; to wit, one within the Church Yard of St. Pauls, a Second at the Collegiate Church of St. Martins Le Grand, another at St. Mary de Arcubus, that is Bow-Church in Cheapside, another at St. Dunstans in the East, and the Fifth at the Hospital of St. Anthonies, and no more.

This was done for this good End, to check and suppress other smaller Schools of late set up by ignorant and illiterate Grammar Masters, which did the Youth more harm than good, as the Kings Letters Patents did hint, which were as follow:

"Rex omnibus ad quos, &c. Sciatis, quod cum venerabiles in Christo Patres, Archiepiscopus Cantuariensis & Episcopus London. Ex eorum provida & innata prudentia magnas abusiones infra Civitatem nostram London. Temporibus diuturnis frequentatas & usitatas, [emendare volentes] considerantes quod quam plures & diverse personæ in arte Grammaticali minus sufficienter instructi [instructæ] scolas communes grammaticales, pueros nonnullos, & corum amicos ipsos ad Scolas exhibentes nequiter defraudando, infra eandem civitatem temere presumpserunt, quinque duntaxat Scolas grammaticales, & non plures infra Civitatem predictam statuerint & ordinaverint, unam vid. infra cimiterium Ecclesie Scti. Pauli, aliam infra Ecclesiam nostram Collegiatam Sancti Martini Magni, tertiam in Ecclesia Be. Marie de Arcubus, quartam in Ecclesia sancti Dunstani in Oriente, & quintam in hospitali nostro sancti Antonij civitatis nostre predicte: Quas per eorum Literas patentes sufficentes declaraverunt, prout in eisdem plenius apparet. "

" NOS de gratia nostra speciali premissa considerantes, ad omnia predicta firmiter fienda & observanda, nostrum regium assensum adhibuimus & favorem. Et hoc omnibus quoroum interest innotescimus per presentes. Damus autem [Mandatum] singulis ligeis nostris, civitatis nostre predicte, quod nec ipsi nec eorum aliquis, perturbent nec impetant, perturbet nec impetat, magistros Scolarum predict. quovis modo in hac parte, sed potius eis assistant & subveniant quantum in se existat. In cujus, &c. T. R. apud Westm. 6. die Maij."

There was also an Act of Parliament to confirm this.

All these antient Schools are long since dissolved and vanished, except St. Anthonies which outlasted the rest; but better are established in their Rooms. For the Difference between these and our later Schools is, that though these were publick and common Schools, yet were not free; only such Boys as were hopeful, and their Parents poor, were exhibited to, and their Schooling paid for by the voluntary good Will of Noble Men and Merchants, and the Richer Sort of Citizens. But the Schools of later Times, which we call Free-Schools, do much exceed them, in that they are Houses founded by pious Men, and a Yearly competent Maintenance settled upon the Teachers, on condition to teach such a Number of the Children of the Parish, where they are built, freely without taking any Salary or Reward from their Parents of Friends.

Of this latter and more modern sort of Schools, the City now hath these following, viz. that near St. Pauls, that near Mercers Chapel, both belonging to the Company of Mercers; that near Canning-street, belonging to the Merchant Taylors Company; one in Ratcliff, one in Barking Parish, one in White Chappel, one in Cripplegate Parish: Others belonging to Hospitals; two in Southwark, besides many more maintained by the Societies for Reformation of Manners. To which add several others in the neighbouring City of Westminster, to be mentioned particularly when we come to the Description of that City. But before we take any further notice of any of these Schools, let us first make some Mention of old St. Anthonies.

That of St. Anthonies, though it be now extinct, yet for the Antiquity and Fame of it, when it stood, in this our Perambulation, we are bound to go and visit even in the Ruins of it. It was situate in Broadstreet-Ward, in the Parish of St. Benet Fink, and near the Place where the French Church now stands in Thredneedle Street. This School was large and fair, and (before St. Paul's School was founded) of the chiefest Account in London; and many eminent Scholars were bred up in it, of which Sir Thomas More was one, whose Master was named Nicholas Holt, a Man of Fame and Learning in those Days. The School was part of an Hospital well endowed, dedicated to St. Anthony of Vienna, which at length Edward IV. annexed and appropriated to the Collegiate Church of Windsor, to enjoy the same with all the Estate thereunto belonging, to their proper use, when it should become void by Death, Resignation, or otherwise. The Revenues of the School being at length embezzelled, it is now come to nothing: Yet it was in being in the beginning of Q. Elizabeth's Time, when one Hilton, a grave and good Man was Master. But more of the Antiquities of this School may be read when we come to Broadstreet Ward.

The next Foundation appointed for the Education of Youth, both for Antiquity and Repute, is that called St. Pauls School, Built and well Endowed by an excellent Pious and Learned Clergyman, Dr. John Colet, K. Henry the VIIIth's esteemed Chaplain, Dean of St. Pauls, the only surviving Son of Sir Henry Colet, Knt. Citizen and Mercer of London, and twice Lord Maior of the