The history and antiquities of London, Westminster, Southwark, and other parts adjacent ... Continued to the present time / by Thomas Wright.
- Thomas Allen
- Date:
- 1839
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: The history and antiquities of London, Westminster, Southwark, and other parts adjacent ... Continued to the present time / by Thomas Wright. Source: Wellcome Collection.
446/504 page 430
![own confession, that he was hired for it by a Frenchman of Roane, and that he did with a stick reach in a fire-ball in at a window of the house; whereas the master of the house, who is the king^’s baker, and his son, and daughter, do all swear there was no such window, and that the fire did not begin thereabouts. Yet the fellow, who, though a mopish besotted fellow, did not speak like a madman, did swear that he did fire it; and did not this like a madman : for being tried on purpose, and landed with his keeper at the Tower wharf, he could carry the keeper to the very house.'* Huberts confession was, to a certain extent, corroborated by the evidence of Farryner, the baker, who stated to the committee that it was impossible it should happen in his house by acci- dent ; for he had, after twelve of the clock that night, gone through every room thereof, and found no fif^e but in one chim- ney, where the room was paved with bricks, which fire he dili- gently raked up in embers. He was then asked whether ‘ no window or door might let in wind to disturb those coals V He affirmed there was no possibility for any wind to disturb them ; and that it was absolutely set on fire on purpose.”t In addition to the presumed insanity of Hubert, another ground has been taken to destroy the effect of his confession ; and which, indeed, were it properly substantiated, would be most decisive. This will be found in Echard, who states, that “ Laurence Pe- terson, the master of the ship that brought Hubert over [from Stockholm], upon his examination some time after, declared, that the said Hubert did not land till two days after the fire.”J If this is to be depended on, we must doubt Lord Clarendon’s state- ment, respecting his pointing out the site of the house when the fire commenced, and thus negative the idea that the city was set on fire purposely. Mr. Brayley remarks, that Bishop Burnet has some singular passages relating to the city having been intentionally burnt, though he concludes with saying, ‘ that the diversity of opinions was so great that he must leave the matter under the same un- certainly in which he found it.’ He slates, that after the Eng- lish had burnt the Isle of Ely, “ some came to De Witt,” whom Mr. Fox has characterized as ‘ the wisest, best, and most truly patriotic minister that ever appeared upon the public stage:’§and “ offered a revenge, that if they were assisted, ‘ they would set London on firebut he rejected the proposition, and said that he would not make the breach wider, nor the quarrel irreconcileabie. —He made no further reflections on the matter till the city was burnt; then he began to suspect there had been a design, and that they had intended to draw him into it, and to lay the odium of it * Pepys’ Diary, ii. 21, t Clar. Life, p. 9. t Hist, of England § Life of James IL](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b29310775_0446.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
