“If there was a small but confident Muslim community in London, then larger numbers of Englismen could be found living across the Ottoman Empire, as Matar shows in Islam in Britain, 1558 – 1685. British travelers regularly brought back tales of their compatriots who had “crossed over” and were now prospering in Ottoman service: one of the most powerful Ottoman eunuchs during the sixteen century, Hasan Aga, was the former Samson Rowlie from Great Yarmouth….”

William Dalrymple, The Truth About Muslims, The New York Review of Books, November 4, 2004, page 34.

I find it ironic that the guy's English name was Samson, considering that in the original version of the biblical story, Delilah cut off a lot more than Samson's hair. Talk about following in the footsteps of your namesake, yah?