Chapter V: Front Matter (5)

I am just now come from seeing the tower, monument and St. Paul's
cathedral, (places which I remember to have heard much talk of in
the country, and which scarce any body that comes to London omits
seeing). The tower, which stands by the Thames, is a large strong
building, surrounded with a high wall, about a mile in compass, and
a broad ditch supplied with water out of the River Thames. Round
the outward wall are guns planted, which on extraordinary occasions
are fired. At the entrance, the first thing we saw was a collection
of wild beasts, viz. lions, panthers, tygers [sic], &c. also eagles
and vultures: These are of no sort of use, and kept only for
curiosity and shew. We next went to the mint, (which is in the
tower observe) where we saw the manner of coining money, which is
past my art, especially in the compass of a letter, to describe.
From thence we went to the jewel room, and saw the crown of England,
and other regalia, which are well worth seeing, and gave me a great
deal of pleasure. The next is the horse armory, a grand sight
indeed; here are fifteen of our English monarchs on horseback, all
dressed in rich armour, and attended by their guards; but I think it
not so beautiful as the next thing we saw, which was the small
armory: This consists of pikes, muskets, swords, halberts [sic],
and pistols, sufficient, as they told us, for three-score thousand
men; and are all placed in such different figures, representing the
sun, star and garter, half moons, and such like, that I was greatly
delighted with it; and they being all kept clean and scowered, made
a most brilliant appearance. Hence we went and saw the train of
artillery, in the grand storehouse, as they call it, which is filled
with cannon and mortars, all extremely fine: Here is also a
diving-bell, with other curiosities too tedious to mention; which
having examined, we came away and went to the monument, which was
built in remembrance of the fire of London: It is a curious lofty
pillar, 200 feet high, and on the top a gallery, to which we went by
tedious winding stairs in the inside: from this gallery we had a
survey of the whole city: And here having feasted our eyes with the
tops of houses, ships, and multitude of boats on the River Thames,
we came down and went to St. Paul's Cathedral, which is a most
magnificent pile, and stands on high ground, near the centre of the
city. This noble building struck me with surprise, and is admired
by the whole world, as well for its beautiful architecture as height
and magnitude; it has a grand awful choir, chapel, a dome finely
painted by that masterly hand Sir J. Thornhill, a whispering
gallery, and other curiosities, with which I conclude my first
letter, and am,

Madam,
Your very dutiful son,
JOHN CURIOUS.