+ 
464 Extracts from the Portfolio of a Man of Letters. 
swered the Caliph. ‘ But above all, for 
those who return good for evil,” adds 
the slave. ‘I set thee at liberty,” 1 
joins the Caliph, ‘and give thee eh 
dinars,’ 
KING CHARLES’S EXECUTIONER, 
., Ludlow informs us, in his Memoirs, that 
Capt. William Hewlet was, soon after the 
restoration, accused and tried for behead- 
ing the late king, or at least for being 
one of those who stood masked upon the 
scaffold during his execution. Many 
witnesses of credit then deposed that 
Gregory Bandon, the common hangman, 
nad confessed that he was the king’s 
executioner; but notwithstanding’ this, 
the jury found Hewlet guilty. The court 
however being convinced of his inno- 
cence, procured his pardon. 
AN ATTEMPT TO CONVERT THE POPE. 
John Perrot, a fanatical quaker, tra- 
velled to Rome about the year 1655, for 
the purpose of attempting the conversion 
of the pope. His project, however, was 
tendered abortive by the “ holy inquisi- 
- tion,” who soon made bim-their — 
‘ but after many examinations, considering 
him as a madman, he was released ; and 
after his return home, published a Peer 
entitled, ‘ Battering Rams against 
Rome.” , 
SIDNEY’S ARCADIA. 
A sixth book was added to that once 
- much admired romance, by Richard, the 
son of sir Henry Belling, knight, a native 
of Ireland, whose mca are aitixed to 
it in those editions of. the Arcadia in 
which it has been introdeced. This in- 
genious author died at Dublin in 1677. 
BRIDEWELL, 
Was granted by Edward VI. ‘a short 
time previous to his decease, for a work- 
house “for the poor and idle persons of 
‘the citie of London,” and was endowed 
by him with lands of the value of seven 
huudred marks, which belonged to the 
hospital of the Savoy: the beds and 
bedding I:kewise belonging to the said 
hospital, were transferred to Bridewell. 
j MOOR GATE, 
Was erected by Thomas Fawkner, 
who was lord mayor of London in 1514. 
le-for this purpose made a breach in 
the city wall ‘“‘upposite the moor.” He 
also caused the city ditches to be 
cleansed, and the public cloaca to be 
removed from the moor and erected 
_ within the city “ «pon Walbrook.” 
CHRIS®’S HOSPITAL, 
‘On the 23d of November, 1552, 
children were first admitted into Christ’s 
hospital, whieh had previously belonged 
fJune-f; 
to the grey friars; and on the same day 
the hospital of St. Thomas in Sou-h- 
wark, was opened for the reception of 
the sick and infirm. Qn the following 
Christmas-day, the lord mayor and al- 
dermen rode in procession from Lau- 
rence-lane to St. Paul’s, fuliowed by the 
children of Christ’s hospital, whose num- 
cr amounted to three hundred and 
forty, and who were preceded by the 
masters, the physicians, and the sur- 
geons, belonging to the establishment, © 
The priory (now the hospital) of St. 
Bartholomew, which was contiguous to 
that of the grey friars, was originally 
founded by a minstrel, whose name was 
Reior, of whose history it would be in- 
teresting to collect some particulars, if 
any are preserved. 
ROBIN HOOD AND LITTLE JOHN. 
“Tn the time of Richard I.” says 
Stow, “ Robin Hood and Little John re- 
mained in the woods despoiling the goods 
of tl. rich. This Robin entertained an 
hundred tall men and good archers with 
such spoils as he got, upon whom four 
hundred men, were they never so strong, 
durst not give the onset. Poor men’s 
goods he spared, abundantly relieving 
them with what he got from abbies, and: 
the houses of rich earls.” 
MULBERRY TREES. 
These were first planted in England in 
the year 1608, by Francis Verton, alas 
‘Forest, a native of Picardy, for the pur- 
pose of rearing silk-worms for the pro- 
duction of silk for the loom. Great at- 
feution had been paid to the cultivation 
of the mulberry-tree, and the propagation 
of silk-worms in France, for upwards of - 
twenty years, and it was deemed prac= - 
ticable. by Verton and others, to intro- 
duce here that valuable insect and its 
favourite food. Many thousands of. 
young trees were therefore distributed 
throughout the kingdom ; while at Green- 
wich a plantation was made, and a suit- 
able stuck of silk-worms maintained, 
(under the immediate inspection of 
James I.) from the produce of which a 
picce of taffety was manufactured. Wil- 
hain Stallendge spared neither trouble 
hor expevse in bringing English silk to _ 
perfection; and both Verton ‘and himself 
were constituted, by patent, .the sole 
vendors of these trees. As Shakespeare 
died in 1616, hts memorable mulberry- 
tree was probably planted at the aboves 
mentioned distribution. 
IRISH PERSECUTION PREVENTED. 
It is related in the papers of Richard 
earl of Cork, that towards the conclusion 
Q 
