THE two Temples, which is now a place for the ftut
dents of the common Iaw» was firft bnUded by th^
Icnights templets, which came into England in the tin^e of
king H. the firft^ as Mr. Stow in. his furvey of ]^ondoa
faatb fet down ; and at fiurft their temple was builded in

Holboura


7 8 The Antiquity of Places

Holbourn by SouthamptOQ houfe ; but after thqr left that
place and builded a new temple by the river of Thames,
this was their chief houfe, which they builded after the
form of the temple near unto the fepulcbre of our Lord at
Jerufalem.
Thefe templers were at the firft fo poor as they had bnt
one houfe to ferve two of them, in token whereof they
gave in their feal two men riding on one horfe, but after*
wards, they grew fo rich and therewithal fo proud, that all
the templers in England, as alfo in all other parts of
ChriAendome, were fuppreflied in the year of our Lord
1308. being the 2. £. 2.
And by a council holden at Vienna their lands were given
unto the knights of St. John of Jerufaiem ; thefe knights
had their chief houfe in England by Weft Smithfield, and
they in the reign of K« Edw. 3. granted the new Temple
for the yearly rent of ten pounds by the year unto the ftu-
dents of the common law of England, in whofe poflfeffion
the fame hath ever fmce remained. Thefe two boufes I
take to be the ancienteft,of all the inns of court ordai|ie4
for the fludents of the "conamon law.
!tt


N ^ XXVIL

Of the Antiquity, Ufe, and Privilege of
Places for Students and Profeflbrs of the
common* Laws of England,

By Mr, AVhitlocic.
