The antiquities of Canterbury. Or a survey of that ancient citie, with the suburbs, and cathedrall Containing principally matters of antiquity in them all. Collected chiefly from old manuscripts, lieger-bookes, and other like records, for the most part, never as yet printed. With an appendix here annexed: wherein (for better satisfaction to the learned) the manuscripts, and records of chiefest consequence, are faithfully exhibited. All (for the honour of that ancient metropolis, and his good affection to antiquities) sought out and published by the industry, and goodwill of William Somner.

Of what antiquity this Ditch is (I confesse) I cannot well tell. In the Survey of our City in Doomsday Booke, * 1.1 I meet with Fossatum Civitatis, but in what sense I doe not well know. For whether the City-Ditch be there inten∣ded, or some siege rather or beleaguering of the City (for that sense the word Fossatum also carries:) it is to me some question. Eleven of those Burgeses (saith Doomsday) that were in Canterbury in the Confessors time, Vastati sunt in Fossato Civitatis. If it had beene said eleven Burgeses houses or mansions were so laid wast, it had beene some∣what plaine. It might have beene supposed their Vasta∣tion had beene to make way for the Ditch. But you see what the words are. Either there is a figure in them, or the Ditch is not so old. If so old, neglected afterwards. For Queene Alianor's letters before presented, speake of fortifying the City, not onely muris, but fossatis too, as in want of both.

This our Ditch (it seemes) was originally of a great * 1.2 breadth, 150. foot over, as I find by the records of a suite commenced by the City against Archbishop Peckham, in the reigne of Ed. 1. the 18. yeare, who charging upon the Archbishop (but erroneously, the Jury finding it not his, but his Tenents fact) for incroching upon the City-ditch, and streightning of it with houses built upon it a∣bout Westgate, to the Cities great damage and annoy∣ance, in regard that the River running through that part

of the ditch, many times overflowed the banks, to the great detriment of the Town-wall, make challenge to a ditch of 150 foot broad in these words. Praeterea dicunt quòd ubi Dominus Rex habere debet & antecessores sui habere consueverunt fossatum circuens murum Civitatis praed. quod quidem fossatum debet continere extra murum illum centum & quinquaginta pedes latitudinis &c. A breadth which the d 1.3 present ditch, I think, in no part shews. But no marvell; for, as the wall, so the ditch too is in these dayes much negle∣cted. Little more then halfe the wall is now in-ditched, the rest being either swerved, or else filled up, and in ma∣ny parts builded upon; nay, the wall it self in some places easily scalable, what with piles and stacks of wood in some, what with housing and the like in other parts of it; a thing fatall unto some by the fall of the wall (Robert Quilter, De∣nis Tiler and Ioane London, being killed by the fall of a part of the wall in Ridingate-ward, as they sate in the said Ioanes house e 1.4 (and both very unseemly and dangerous also for the City. What sayes the Civil law in this case? Aedisi∣cia (the words of the law) quae vulgò parapetasia nuncupant, vel siqua alia opera moenibus vel publicis operibus ita sociata co∣haerent, ut ex iis incendium vel insidias vicinitas reformidet, aut angustentur spatia platearum, vel minuat' porticibus la∣titudo, dirui ac prosterni praecipimus, &c. * 1.5

Every well contrived city should have a Pomoerium. And what is that? The law Lexicon shall tell you. Pomoerium lo∣cus erat, tam intrà, quam extra murum urbis, quem antiqui in condendis urbibus augurato consecrabant, neque in eo ullum fieri aedificium patiebantur g 1.6 &c. Felinus the Canonist more suc∣cinctly defines it thus. Pomoerium (saith he) est locus ad in∣tra & extra, quo aedificare non licet h 1.7. But what respect we a Pomoerium? were it a Pomoerium, haply it would be better lookt unto. Witnesse the so much planting of the ditch in divers parts. What a shame is it for us in the mean time, that a little profit should banish all our care in this kinde,

and to see the greedinesse of a small advantage to bee a meanes (as it is) to betray the City at once both to danger and deformity? But I may forbeare Censure: for I despaire of its regard in these dayes, wherein Meum and Tuum, the private profit of some few, is with too many more conside∣rable then bonum & interesse publicum, the common good of many; which if it finde any regard, it is but base and secundary, like that of Vertue, post nummos. So much for the Ditch.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Ditch about the City how ancient.
• * 1.2

  Breadth of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Ditch.
• d 1.3

  Liber Camerae) ••atis Cant.
• e 1.4

  Crown-rolls. Anno 17. Ed. 1.
• * 1.5

  Aedisicium 13 deoperibus publicis. Pooe••ium.
• g 1.6

  Calvini Lexi∣con in verb. Po∣moerium.
• h 1.7

  DER scriptis c. Rodulphus num. 23.