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ee it ORIGIN OF THE CITY 35 London retained a certain importance. Its situation made it very accessible for merchant ships. In those days a ship could leave London and sail almost to Dover without encountering any open sea. Dropping down the Thames with the ebb-tide, it entered the Wantsum at Reculvers, and emerged at Sand- tehime |! i)) ii) wich, if not at Rich- | HUT SRA * u ő smooth passage down to the South Foreland. Notwithstanding this mer cantile importance of London, its de- ALDERMAN’S WALK, BISHOPSGATE STREET fences were suffered to fall into decay, and the Danes repeatedly broke in and robbed the citizens. At length their depredations became too great to be borne, and London was abandoned, and, as Stow tells us, lay desolate from 839, except when the invaders camped within the
