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5. There were burnt at London, A.D. 1666, above 13,000 houses,
which being but a fifth part of the whole, the whole number of
houses in the said year were above 65,000; and whereas the ordinary
burials of London have increased between the years 1666 and 1686,
above one-third the total of the houses at London, A.D. 1686, must
be about 87,000, which A.D. 1682, appeared by account to have been
84,000.
6. Monsieur Moreri, the great French author of the late
geographical dictionaries, who makes Paris the greatest city in the
world, doth reckon but 50,000 houses in the same, and other authors
and knowing men much less; nor are there full 7,000 houses in the
city of Dublin, so as if the 50,000 houses of Paris, and the 7,000
houses in the city of Dublin were added together, the total is but
57,000 houses, whereas those of London are 87,000 as aforesaid, or
as 6 to 9.
7. As for the shipping and foreign commerce of London, the common
sense of all men doth judge it to be far greater than that of Paris
and Rouen put together.
8. As to the wealth and gain accruing to the inhabitants of London
and Paris by law-suits (or La chicane) I only say that the courts of
London extend to all England and Wales, and affect seven millions of
people, whereas those of Paris do not extend near so far. Moreover,
there is no palpable conspicuous argument at Paris for the number
and wealth of lawyers like the buildings and chambers in the two
Temples, Lincoln's Inn, Gray's Inn, Doctors' Commons, and the seven
other inns in which are chimneys, which are to be seen at London,
besides many lodgings, halls, and offices, relating to the same.
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