At the reception of King Philip, in 1553, we are told, "a fellow came slipping upon a cord, as an arrow out of a bow, from Paul's steeple to the ground, and lighted with his head forward on a greate sort of feather bed." This kind of feat remained popular for a long period. William Hutton, the historian, saw a man giving a similar entertainment at Derby, in 1732. Hutton's account of the affair is full of interest, and we cannot do better than quote a few particulars from it. "There are characters," wrote Hutton, "who had rather amuse the world, at the hazard of their lives, for a slender and precarious pittance, than follow an honest calling for an easy subsistence. A small figure of a man, seemingly composed of spirit and gristle, appeared in October, to entertain the town by sliding down a rope. One end of this was to be fixed at the top of All Saints' steeple, and the other at the bottom of St. Michael's, an horizontal distance of 150 yards, which formed an inclined plane extremely steep. A breast-plate of wood, with a groove to fit the rope, and his own equilibrium were to be his security, while sliding down upon his belly, with his arms and legs extended. He could not be more than six or seven seconds in this airy journey, in which he fired a pistol and blew a trumpet. The velocity with which he flew raised a fire by friction, and a bold stream of smoke followed him. He performed this wonderful exploit three successive days, in each of which he descended twice, and marched up once; the latter took him more than an hour, in which he exhibited many surprising achievements, as sitting unconcerned with his arms folded, lying across the rope upon his back, then his belly, his hams, blowing the trumpet, swinging round, hanging by the chin, the hand, the heels, the toe, etc. The rope being too long for art to tighten, he might be said to have danced upon the slack. Though he succeeded at Derby, yet, in exhibiting soon after at Shrewsbury, he fell, and lost his life." He was buried in the churchyard of St. Mary Friars, Shrewsbury, in 1740, and over his remains was placed a tombstone, bearing the following epitaph: "Let this small monument record the name Of CADMAN, and to future times proclaim How, by an attempt to fly from this high spire, Across the _Sabrine_ stream, he did acquire His fatal end. 'Twas not for want of skill, Or courage to perform the task, he fell; No, no, a faulty cord being drawn too tight Hurried his soul on high to take her flight, Which bid the body here beneath, good night." Hogarth immortalised Cadman in one of his most popular pictures.