Life In Grub Street

Up to the seventeenth century Grub street was on the outskirts of London. It was a street tenanted by bowyers, fletchers, makers of bow-strings, and everything else that appertained to archery. Later on John Fox lived in Grub street, though he did not write his famous "Book of Martyrs" there. Fox's residence in Grub street occurred about 1572. John Speed, the tailor archeeologist, was a resident of Grub street, where he was famous as the most responsible parent, having a family of twelve sons and six daughters. Grub street of old and Milton street today is noted for its great number of allevs and courts. From Grub street issued such famous old literary skits as: "Jack the Giant Killer," -'ïom Hickathrift," "The Wise Men of Gotham," and scores of others now a part of every boy's library. Probably literary men first began to popúlate Grub street in any numbers during Cromwell 's time. Then a great number of seditious and libelous pamphlets were circulated, and ae the authors, for safety, had to seek obscure living places, they found a fitting retreat in the maze of alleys which webbed the Grub street section. At any rate, says the Collector, by the commencement of the eighteenth century Grub street had become quite notorious as the poor authors quarter of London. All the authors but a very f avored few were poor then. The life of a Grub-street author was that of a modern tramp, only he did more work and obtained fewer square meals.