gether
with their rent in fee, permissions, and mortgages, were all seized by
the king." Old Jewry, and Jewin Street, Aldersgate, where their
burial-ground was, still preserve a dim memory of their residence among
us. There used to be a tradition in England that the Jews buried much of
their treasure here, in hopes of a speedy return to the land where they
had suffered so much, yet where they had thriven. In spite of the edict
of banishment a few converted Jews continued to reside in England, and
after the Reformation some unconverted Jews ventured to return. Rodrigo
Lopez, a physician of Queen Elizabeth's, for instance, was a Jew. He was
tortured to death for being accused of designing to poison the Queen.

No. 8, Old Jewry was the house of Sir Robert Clayton, Lord Mayor in the
time of Charles II. It was a fine brick mansion, and one of the grandest
houses in the street. It is mentioned by Evelyn in the following
terms:--"26th September, 1672.--I carried with me to dinner my Lord H.
Howard (now to be made Earl of Norwich and Earl Marshal of England) to
Sir Robert Clayton's, now Sheriff of London, at his own house, where we
had a great feast; it is built, indeed, for a great magistrate, at
excessive cost. The cedar dining-room is painted with the history of the
Giants' war, incomparably done by Mr. Streeter, but the figures are too
near the eye." We give on the previous page a view of the garden front
of this house, taken from an old print. Sir Robert built the house to
keep his shrievalty, which he did with great magnificence. It was for
some years the residence of Mr. Samuel Sharp, an eminent surveyor.

In the year 1805 was established, by a proprietary in the City, the
London Institution, "for the advancement of literature and the diffusion
of useful knowledge." This institution was temporarily located in Sir
Robert Clayton's famous old house. Upon the first committee of the
institution were Mr. R. Angerstein and Mr. Richard Sharp. Porson, the
famous Greek scholar and editor of Euripides, was thought an eligible
man to be its principal librarian. He was accordingly appointed to the
office by a unanimous resolution of the governors; and Mr. Sharp had the
gratification of announcing to the Professor his appointment. His
friends rejoiced. Professor Young, of Glasgow, writing to Burney about
this time, says:--"Of Devil Dick you say nothing. I see by the
newspapers they have given him a post. A handsome salary, I hope, a