Continued Wednesday 30th. April 1783

its Contiquity to the City Pointed it out as a fit Place for
the desired Purpose. Accordingly we find from
Authentic Documents that in the Year 1523 Stephen
Gennings< no role > Merchant Taylor gave Forty Pounds by Will
towards the Purchase of this Hospital and that the Mayor and
Commonally had taken some Steps to Procure it a very short
Time before they derived their right to it from Royal
Mimificence. What were the Revenues which it then enjoyed
does not now appear: it is certain they were indequate
to the Necessities which they were intended to remedy for
five Years after the Royal Grant had passed Letters
Patent were Issued to John White< no role > head Proctor to the
Hospital of Bethelem to solicit Donations within the Counties
of Lincoln and Cambridge the City of London and the Isle
of Ely.

In the intant State of this Charity little other Provision
could be made for the unfortunate Patients than Confinement
and Medical Relief.His Friends if they had ability or the
Parish of which the wretched Lunatic was an Inhabitant
were obliged to Contribute to his support. It remaned for
the judicious benevolence of succeeding Times to Improve the
good work and to supply that Comfortable Subsistence
and tender Care which thro the blessing of the Divine
Providence have restored so many distracted Objects to
their Families and to Society

There is no Account of Donations received before the
Year 1632 At that Period they were not considerable
but the manifest Utility of the Institution and Perhaps the
Detriment which the Public suffered soon Induced them
to Attend to the Security of those Members who thro' the