Augusta Triumphans Or, the Way to Make London the Most Flourishing City in the Universe

A spirited appeal from an early‑18th‑century citizen, this work laments the waning of learning and the spread of vice across the capital. Through a blend of earnest observation and sharp wit, the author argues that London’s own fortunes depend on reviving education, morality and public health. He sketches a portrait of a city whose genteel youth drift aimlessly to distant universities, while its streets teem with the consequences of unchecked indulgence.

The pamphlet rolls out a series of practical reforms: a new university to keep scholars at home, a hospital for abandoned children, an academy of sciences linked to Christ’s Hospital, and stricter oversight of madhouses and gambling houses. It also proposes curbing street prostitution, limiting gin consumption, and improving safety against robbery. Written with a frank, conversational tone, the essay invites listeners to share in a historical vision of how one man hoped to make London the most flourishing city in the universe.