"It was out of the citie, yet in the view of the citie, only
divided by a delicate river: there was many handsome buildings,
and many hearty neighbours, yet at the first foundation it was
renowned for nothing so much as for the memory of that famous
amazon _Longa Margarita_, who had there for many yeeres kept a
famous _infamous_ house of open hospitality."

According to Vaughan's _Golden Grove_, 1608,--

"Long Meg of Westminster kept alwaies twenty courtizans in her
house, whom, by their pictures, she sold to all commers."

From these extracts the occupation of Long Meg may be readily guessed
at. Is it then likely that such a detestable character would have been
buried amongst "goodly friars" and "holy abbots" in the cloisters of our
venerable abbey? I think not: but I leave considerable doubts as to
whether Meg was a real personage.--Query. Is she not akin to Tom Thumb,
Jack the Giant-killer, Doctor Rat, and a host of others of the same
type?

The stone in question is, I know, on account of its great size, jokingly
called "Long Meg, of Westminster" by the vulgar; but no one, surely,
before Mr. Cunningham, ever _seriously_ supposed it to be her
burying-place. Henry Keefe, in his _Monumenta Westmonasteriensa_, 1682,
gives the following account of this monument:--

"That large and stately plain black marble stone (which is
vulgarly known by the name of _Long Meg of Westminster_) on the
north side of _Laurentius_ the abbot, was placed there for