"Cinderella" is that of the story of a
beautiful woman named Rhodope, who, whilst bathing, an eagle flew away
with one of her slippers to Egypt, and dropped it in the lap of the King
as he sat at Memphis on the judgment seat. The King was so attracted by
the smallness and beauty of the slipper that he fell in love with the
wearer, and afterwards made her his wife.

In Tuscany, Persia, Norway, Denmark, Russia, the story of "Dick
Whittington" is well known. In all probability, like many other fairy
tales, its origin was from a Buddhist source. The English version, that
the Lord Mayor Whittington was the poor ill-used boy he is represented
to have been in the popular tale seems quite impossible, since according
to Stow (mentions Mr. Clouston) he was the son of Sir Richard
Whittington, Knight. The story was current in Europe in the thirteenth
century. In the chronicle of Albert, Abbot of the Convent of St. Mary of
Slade, written at that period, it is related that there were two
citizens of Venice, one of whom was rich, the other poor. It fortuned
that the rich man went abroad to trade, and the poor man gave him as his
venture two cats, the sale of which, as in our tale of the renowned
"Dick Whittington," procured him great wealth.

On September 21st, 1668, Pepys makes mention in his diary of going to
Southwark Fair, and of seeing the puppet show of "Whittington," which he
says "was pretty to see." A Pantomime on the subject was also given by
Rich early in the eighteenth century.

In Tuscany, the "Dick Whittington" story runs that in the fifteenth
century, a Genoese merchant, who presented two cats to the King, was
rewarded by him with rich presents.

In Norway, a poor boy, having found a box full of silver money under a
stone, emptied the box and its contents into a lake--one piece, however,
floated, which he kept, believing it to be _good_. His mother, hearing
of this, thrust him out of doors; and he eventually obtained employment
in a merchant's house. The merchant, having to make a voyage to foreign
parts, he asked each of his servants what he should "venture" for him.
The poor boy offered all he had, the silver penny, of which he was still
the possessor. With this the merchant purchased a cat, and sailed away,
but the vessel in which he was in was driven out of her course on to the
shores of a strange country. The merchant going ashore went to an inn,
and, in a room, he saw the table laid for dinner, with a long rod