Chapter 6. The Father of the Marshalsea

           

           Thirtyyearsagotherestood,afewdoorsshortofthechurchofSaintGeorge,intheboroughofSouthwark,ontheleft-handsideofthewaygoingsouthward,theMarshalseaPrison.Ithadstoodtheremanyyearsbefore,anditremainedtheresomeyearsafterwards;butitisgonenow,andtheworldisnonetheworsewithoutit.

           Itwasanoblongpileofbarrackbuilding,partitionedintosqualidhousesstandingbacktoback,sothattherewerenobackrooms;environedbyanarrowpavedyard,hemmedinbyhighwallsdulyspikedattop.Itselfacloseandconfinedprisonfordebtors,itcontainedwithinitamuchcloserandmoreconfinedjailforsmugglers.Offendersagainsttherevenuelaws,anddefaulterstoexciseorcustomswhohadincurredfineswhichtheywereunabletopay,weresupposedtobeincarceratedbehindaniron-plateddoorclosingupasecondprison,consistingofastrongcellortwo,andablindalleysomeyardandahalfwide,whichformedthemysteriousterminationoftheverylimitedskittle-groundinwhichtheMarshalseadebtorsbowleddowntheirtroubles.

           Supposedtobeincarceratedthere,becausethetimehadratheroutgrownthestrongcellsandtheblindalley.Inpracticetheyhadcometobeconsideredalittletoobad,thoughintheorytheywerequiteasgoodasever;whichmaybeobservedtobethecaseatthepresentdaywithothercellsthatarenotatallstrong,andwithotherblindalleysthatarestone-blind.

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