Once more in power, she worked untiringly for the betterment of the oer, whose sorrows she knew s0 well, and who had hitherto been no hotier than slaves in the grasping hands of their more powerful neigh-hours. She persuaded the King to clear sium dwellings, to modify. the harsh laws that governed labour con-Tracts, and to ease the stringent and savage punishments then meted out, to all but rich law-breakers, Nell Gwynn, in an endeavour to create a regime where no rian, wor man of child in England should ever lack for food, frst established what, are_new known as soup-kitchens, Her influence over His Majesty was greater than that of any of his Ministers, or any of his high-born rant and jeaned man, his generous impulses were stimulated now to serious effort on behalf of his people. As 'James the Second's' promise to his dying brother, was faithfully kept, He paid Nelly's small debts, year by year, from the Secret Service Fund, fand settled a small estate on he with reversion to her son, the Duke of St. Albans. Her only other child had died in infancy. She led a quiet and retired life, and always wore mour {ing for the royal lover who had been her dearest friend, Her chief interest now Jay in Chelsea Hospital, which Charles had founded in her' name, and which loyal little Nell decreed should be the first hospital for her own sex erected and endowed in England. Neil had it built beside the pond in which her own unhappy mother had come to such a tragic end.
She died—it seemed, of a broken heart—two years after 'King Charles, She was not yet 40. An immense crowd of admirers' attended her funeral at St, Martin's-in-the-Fields, The sermon was preached by that stern, uncompromising Puritan, Thomas Tenison, afterwards Arch bishop of Canterbury, who "said much to her praise." Nell of London was buried In London's heart, No one, neither her rivals nor even the Queen herself, ever have spoken or written any! oraging or spiteful about this une educated child of the streets. Is there another King's mistress in history about whom one can say 80 much? Even the which, a few became into exile, could find no words of @isparagement to level "against this artless, unsophisticated litre sinner. Her King was not the only man who loved her. She was loved by the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.