The Hardy Boys Mystery Stories 23 страница

The С rown Jewels

Every year, millions of visitors come to the Tower of London to see the Crown Jewels*. The Crown Jewels have been kept in the Tower since 1303 after they were stolen from Westminster Abbey. Luckily, that time most of the Crown Jewels were found shortly afterwards and put in the Tower.

Although there have been a few attempts to steal the Crown Jewels from the Tower, none of them have succeeded. But the name of one of the thieves has remained in the British history. He was Thomas Blood.

On the 9^th May, 1660, Thomas Blood, dressed as a priest, came to the Tower. He came with three well-dressed young men.

Thomas Blood had already been to the Tower a few days earlier. He was with a woman whom he introduced as his ‘wife’. When they were walking round the Tower, the ‘wife’ pretended to feel unwell and fainted. Talbert Edwards, who was Master of the Jewel Houseand lived in the Jewel House with his family, took the woman upstairs to his family’s rooms. He also asked his wife to help the fainted lady. In an hour or so the lady felt better and left the Tower with her ‘husband’.

On the second visit, Thomas Blood, again dressed as a priest, brought a present for Edwards' wife for her help and attention to his ‘wife’. He gained the confidence of the Master of the Jewel House, Talbot Edwards, and asked him to show the Crown Jewels to his friends. Talbot Edwards agreed and took them to the room where the Crown Jewels were kept. Suddenly Blood took out a hammer from under his priest’s dress and struck the Master on the head. Talbert Edwards fell down and fainted. Thomas Blood took the king's crown and made it flat with the hammer in order to put the crown into a large pocket of his priest dress. The other three men took other royal jewels and hid them in their pockets.

By chance, Talbert Edwards’ son, Wythe, arrived at the Tower earlier than expected. He found his father lying unconscious and bleeding. Wythe raised the alarm. Though Thomas Blood and his gang had left the jewel room, they were caught when they were getting out of the Tower. The broken crown and the jewels were found with them.

A report was immediately sent to the king, and Charles II sent for Thomas Blood. The king wanted to talk to the thief who had done such a wicked crime. The end of the story is unbelievable. Thomas Blood was not punished. Moreover, Blood was awarded a pension of £500 a year. At the same time the Master of the Jewel House Talbot Edwards was dismissed for his carelessness. Later, he died in misery.

Since Thomas Blood's attempt in 1600 up to the present date, there have been no attempts to steal the jewels. Nowadays the priceless collection is open for the public to view and the Crown Jewels are considered to be the most well-guarded treasures in the world. They are kept in the Tower and are guarded by the Yeomen Warders, commonly known as the Beefeaters.

*the Crown Jewels – драгоценности из королевской казны

The Great Plague* of London

The Black Death arrived in Europe by sea in October 1347 when 12 trading ships came to an Italian port after a long voyage across the Black Sea. A crowd of people gathered on the docks to greet the ships. Soon the smiles changed into a horrifying surprise. Most of the sailors aboard the ships were dead, and those who were still alive were fatally ill. They had a high temperature, couldn’t eat and suffered from pain. The sailors were covered in black swellings which gave their illness its name: the Black Death. The Italian authorities made the ‘death ships’ and their sailors leave the port, but it was too late. Over the next five years, the mysterious Black Death (or the plague) would kill almost one-third of the European population.

The Black Death first appeared in Britain in 1348. Since that time the British islands were never totally free of plague.

In the year 1665 the Black Death came to the city of London, even though King Charles II had tried to prevent the epidemic of plague and had forbidden any trade with Holland, where there was a great plague epidemic. Despite the safety measures, in the early spring of 1665 thousands of people died in the poor parts of London. At first the government didn’t pay much attention to this fact. But as the spring turned into a hot summer, the number of deaths rose and panic set in.

The rich aristocracy and royal family left the capital for their houses in the country. They were followed by the merchants, and the lawyers. By June the roads were full with people who wanted to escape London. The Lord Mayor ordered to close the city gates to anyone who did not have a certificate of health. By mid July over 1,000 deaths per week were reported in the city. It was said that dogs and cats spread the disease. By the Lord Mayor’s order, more than 40,000 dogs and 200,000 cats were killed in London. The real effect of this was that the population of the rats, who were the plague carriers, increased. The Black Death began to spread more rapidly.
Anyone who was in constant contact with plague victims, such as doctors, nurses and inspectors, had to carry coloured sticks outdoors so that they could be easily seen and avoided. When one person in a house caught the plague, the house was closed until 40 days after the victim had either recovered or died (usually the latter). The members of the family were not allowed to leave the house either. Special guards were put at the door to see that no one got out.

Throughout the summer the death rate grew till it reached 6,000 people per week in August. From there the disease very slowly went down until the winter. However, King Charles II decided that it was safe to return to the capital only in February of 1666. How many died? It is hard to say. It was said that 100,000 people had died in and around London, though the figure may have been much higher. The Black Death was the worst and the last of the epidemics in Great Britain.

*a plague - чума