Jacobs ladder, or, The devout souls ascention to Heaven, in prayers, thanksgivings, and praises in four parts ... : with graces and thanksgivings : illustrated with sculptures / by Jo. Hall.

Vpon the Lamentable fire in Lon∣don, begun Sept. 2. 1666.

O Let us ne'r forget, that dreadful day, That in sad ruins, did our City lay; When as that blazing, and prodigious Fire, Without remorse, or pitty, did conspire, To lay it all in ashes; which to some, Did represent, the dreadful day of doom. When all the world, with fire consum'd shall be, And time shall give place to eternity, Those mighty flames, that were our Con∣quering foes, Were far too great for Mortals to oppose: The furious Flames ride on, with full carreer,

[illustration]

London in Flames

And no repulse, do either feel, or fear; Fling down strong structures, both of stone, and wood, And proudly scorn their power should be withstood. Th' fire marches on, roars, murmurs, rends, and raves, Burying in ruins, Sepulchers and Graves; And with a perverse, envious mind is bent, Not to leave standing, one fair Monument. That angry Majesty, which in the year, Six hundred sixty five, by death did clear, So many Thousands, by the Pestilence; And from, their habitations, sent them thence: In sixty six, a woe as great did make, And did the Houses, from the dwellers take. So this most ancient City, ruined fell, And scarce can any story parallel, In any Age, or Country, Town, or Nation, So sudden, and so great a Devastation; As in three fatal days, to ruinate, To spoil, consume, destroy, depopulate. A Place so Famous, so renouned for Glory; That 'twas the Mirrour, both of Age and Story.

THis lamentable Fire began Sept. 2. 1666. about one a clock in the morning in a Bakers house in Pudd••ng-Lane near Fish-street Hill London, which raged extreamly (be∣ing blown with a strong North-East wind) so that despising all means used for its extinguishing, it spread far and wide, sometimes with, and against the Wind, and so continued for the space of near four days, till it had burnt down thirteen thousand two hundred houses which stood upon 337 acres of ground within the walls and 63 acres and 3 rod without, be∣sides 89 Parish Churches, the most spacio••s Cathedral of St. Paul, six consecrated Chappels, the Royal Ex∣change, the great Guild-Hall, the Custom-house, many magnificent Halls of Companys, several principal City-gates, and other publick Edifi∣ces; which was accompanied with the loss of vast quantities of rich household-stuff, and goods of all sorts, but especially of 4 or 5 sorts

of commodities, viz. Books (of which alone were lost near the value of 150 thousand pounds) Tobacco, Sugar, Wines, and Plumbs, being heavy goods, so that the whole loss is com∣puted by an ingenious person to be nine millions and nine hundred thou∣sand pounds, and yet by Gods pro∣vidence not above six or eight per∣sons were burnt in this vast Incendy.