Whittington And His Cat (1)

In the reign of the famous King Edward III. there was a little boy
called Dick Whittington, whose father and mother died when he was very
young. As poor Dick was not old enough to work, he was very badly off;
he got but little for his dinner, and sometimes nothing at all for
his breakfast; for the people who lived in the village were very poor
indeed, and could not spare him much more than the parings of potatoes,
and now and then a hard crust of bread.

Now Dick had heard a great many very strange things about the great city
called London; for the country people at that time thought that folks
in London were all fine gentlemen and ladies; and that there was singing
and music there all day long; and that the streets were all paved with
gold.

One day a large waggon and eight horses, all with bells at their heads,
drove through the village while Dick was standing by the sign-post. He
thought that this waggon must be going to the fine town of London; so
he took courage, and asked the waggoner to let him walk with him by the
side of the waggon. As soon as the waggoner heard that poor Dick had
no father or mother, and saw by his ragged clothes that he could not be
worse off than he was, he told him he might go if he would, so off they
set together.

So Dick got safe to London, and was in such a hurry to see the fine
streets paved all over with gold, that he did not even stay to thank the
kind waggoner; but ran off as fast as his legs would carry him, through
many of the streets, thinking every moment to come to those that were
paved with gold; for Dick had seen a guinea three times in his own
little village, and remembered what a deal of money it brought in
change; so he thought he had nothing to do but to take up some little
bits of the pavement, and should then have as much money as he could
wish for.

Poor Dick ran till he was tired, and had quite forgot his friend the
waggoner; but at last, finding it grow dark, and that every way he
turned he saw nothing but dirt instead of gold, he, sat down in a dark
corner and cried himself to sleep.

Little Dick was all night in the streets; and next morning, being very
hungry, he got up and walked about, and asked everybody he met to give
him a halfpenny to keep him from starving; but nobody stayed to answer
him, and only two or three gave him a halfpenny; so that the poor boy
was soon quite weak and faint for the want of victuals.

In this distress he asked charity of several people, and one of them
said crossly: "Go to work, for an idle rogue." "That I will," says Dick,
"I will to go work for you, if you will let me." But the man only cursed
at him and went on.

At last a good-natured looking gentleman saw how hungry he looked. "Why
don't you go to work my lad?" said he to Dick. "That I would, but I do
not know how to get any," answered Dick. "If you are willing, come along
with me," said the gentleman, and took him to a hay-field, where Dick
worked briskly, and lived merrily till the hay was made.

After this he found himself as badly off as before; and being almost
starved again, he laid himself down at the door of Mr. Fitzwarren,
a rich merchant. Here he was soon seen by the cook-maid, who was an
ill-tempered creature, and happened just then to be very busy dressing
dinner for her master and mistress; so she called out to poor Dick:
"What business have you there, you lazy rogue? there is nothing else but
beggars; if you do not take yourself away, we will see how you will like
a sousing of some dish-water; I have some here hot enough to make you
jump."

Just at that time Mr. Fitzwarren himself came home to dinner; and when
he saw a dirty ragged boy lying at the door, he said to him: "Why do
you lie there, my boy? You seem old enough to work; I am afraid you are
inclined to be lazy."

"No, indeed, sir," said Dick to him, "that is not the case, for I would
work with all my heart, but I do not know anybody, and I believe I am
very sick for the want of food."

"Poor fellow, get up; let me see what ails you." Dick now tried to rise,
but was obliged to lie down again, being too weak to stand, for he had
not eaten any food for three days, and was no longer able to run about
and beg a halfpenny of people in the street. So the kind merchant
ordered him to be taken into the house, and have a good dinner given
him, and be kept to do what work he was able to do for the cook.

Little Dick would have lived very happy in this good family if it had
not been for the ill-natured cook. She used to say: "You are under me,
so look sharp; clean the spit and the dripping-pan, make the fires, wind
up the jack, and do all the scullery work nimbly, or--" and she would
shake the ladle at him. Besides, she was so fond of basting, that when
she had no meat to baste, she would baste poor Dick's head and shoulders
with a broom, or anything else that happened to fall in her way. At last
her ill-usage of him was told to Alice, Mr. Fitzwarren's daughter, who
told the cook she should be turned away if she did not treat him kinder.

The behaviour of the cook was now a little better; but besides this Dick
had another hardship to get over. His bed stood in a garret, where there
were so many holes in the floor and the walls that every night he was
tormented with rats and mice. A gentleman having given Dick a penny for
cleaning his shoes, he thought he would buy a cat with it. The next day
he saw a girl with a cat, and asked her, "Will you let me have that cat
for a penny?" The girl said: "Yes, that I will, master, though she is an
excellent mouser."

Dick hid his cat in the garret, and always took care to carry a part of
his dinner to her; and in a short time he had no more trouble with the
rats and mice, but slept quite sound every night.

Soon after this, his master had a ship ready to sail; and as it was the
custom that all his servants should have some chance for good fortune as
well as himself, he called them all into the parlour and asked them what
they would send out.

They all had something that they were willing to venture except poor
Dick, who had neither money nor goods, and therefore could send nothing.
For this reason he did not come into the parlour with the rest; but Miss
Alice guessed what was the matter, and ordered him to be called in. She
then said: "I will lay down some money for him, from my own purse;" but
her father told her: "This will not do, for it must be something of his
own."

When poor Dick heard this, he said: "I have nothing but a cat which I
bought for a penny some time since of a little girl."

"Fetch your cat then, my lad," said Mr. Fitzwarren, "and let her go."

Dick went upstairs and brought down poor puss, with tears in his eyes,
and gave her to the captain; "For," he said, "I shall now be kept awake
all night by the rats and mice." All the company laughed at Dick's odd
venture; and Miss Alice, who felt pity for him, gave him some money to
buy another cat.

This, and many other marks of kindness shown him by Miss Alice, made the
ill-tempered cook jealous of poor Dick, and she began to use him more
cruelly than ever, and always made game of him for sending his cat to
sea.

She asked him: "Do you think your cat will sell for as much money as
would buy a stick to beat you?"

At last poor Dick could not bear this usage any longer, and he thought
he would run away from his place; so he packed up his few things, and
started very early in the morning, on All-hallows Day, the first of
November. He walked as far as Holloway; and there sat down on a stone,
which to this day is called "Whittington's Stone," and began to think to
himself which road he should take.

While he was thinking what he should do, the Bells of Bow Church, which
at that time were only six, began to ring, and their sound seemed to say
to him:

"Turn again, Whittington, Thrice Lord Mayor of London."

"Lord Mayor of London!" said he to himself. "Why, to be sure, I would
put up with almost anything now, to be Lord Mayor of London, and ride in
a fine coach, when I grow to be a man! Well, I will go back, and think
nothing of the cuffing and scolding of the old cook, if I am to be Lord
Mayor of London at last."

Dick went back, and was lucky enough to get into the house, and set
about his work, before the old cook came downstairs.

We must now follow Miss Puss to the coast of Africa. The ship with the
cat on board, was a long time at sea; and was at last driven by the
winds on a part of the coast of Barbary, where the only people were the
Moors, unknown to the English. The people came in great numbers to see
the sailors, because they were of different colour to themselves, and
treated them civilly; and, when they became better acquainted, were very
eager to buy the fine things that the ship was loaded with.

When the captain saw this, he sent patterns of the best things he had to
the king of the country; who was so much pleased with them, that he
sent for the captain to the palace. Here they were placed, as it is the
custom of the country, on rich carpets flowered with gold and silver.
The king and queen were seated at the upper end of the room; and a
number of dishes were brought in for dinner. They had not sat long, when
a vast number of rats and mice rushed in, and devoured all the meat in
an instant. The captain wondered at this, and asked if these vermin were
not unpleasant.

"Oh yes," said they, "very offensive, and the king would give half his
treasure to be freed of them, for they not only destroy his dinner, as
you see, but they assault him in his chamber, and even in bed, and
so that he is obliged to be watched while he is sleeping, for fear of
them."

The captain jumped for joy; he remembered poor Whittington and his
cat, and told the king he had a creature on board the ship that would
despatch all these vermin immediately. The king jumped so high at the
joy which the news gave him, that his turban dropped off his head.
"Bring this creature to me," says he; "vermin are dreadful in a court,
and if she will perform what you say, I will load your ship with gold
and jewels in exchange for her."

The captain, who knew his business, took this opportunity to set forth
the merits of Miss Puss. He told his majesty; "It is not very convenient
to part with her, as, when she is gone, the rats and mice may destroy
the goods in the ship--but to oblige your majesty, I will fetch her."

"Run, run!" said the queen; "I am impatient to see the dear creature."

Away went the captain to the ship, while another dinner was got ready.
He put Puss under his arm, and arrived at the place just in time to
see the table full of rats. When the cat saw them, she did not wait for
bidding, but jumped out of the captain's arms, and in a few minutes laid
almost all the rats and mice dead at her feet. The rest of them in their
fright scampered away to their holes.

The king was quite charmed to get rid so easily of such plagues, and the
queen desired that the creature who had done them so great a kindness
might be brought to her, that she might look at her. Upon which the
captain called: "Pussy, pussy, pussy!" and she came to him. He then
presented her to the queen, who started back, and was afraid to touch
a creature who had made such a havoc among the rats and mice. However,
when the captain stroked the cat and called: "Pussy, pussy," the queen
also touched her and cried: "Putty, putty," for she had not learned
English. He then put her down on the queen's lap, where she purred and
played with her majesty's hand, and then purred herself to sleep.

The king, having seen the exploits of Mrs. Puss, and being informed that
her kittens would stock the whole country, and keep it free from rats,
bargained with the captain for the whole ship's cargo, and then gave him
ten times as much for the cat as all the rest amounted to.

The captain then took leave of the royal party, and set sail with a fair
wind for England, and after a happy voyage arrived safe in London.

One morning, early, Mr. Fitzwarren had just come to his counting-house
and seated himself at the desk, to count over the cash, and settle the
business for the day, when somebody came tap, tap, at the door. "Who's
there?" said Mr. Fitzwarren. "A friend," answered the other; "I come to
bring you good news of your ship _Unicorn_." The merchant, bustling up
in such a hurry that he forgot his gout, opened the door, and who should
he see waiting but the captain and factor, with a cabinet of jewels, and
a bill of lading; when he looked at this the merchant lifted up his eyes
and thanked Heaven for sending him such a prosperous voyage.

They then told the story of the cat, and showed the rich present
that the king and queen had sent for her to poor Dick. As soon as the
merchant heard this, he called out to his servants:

"Go send him in, and tell him of his fame;
Pray call him Mr. Whittington by name."

Mr. Fitzwarren now showed himself to be a good man; for when some of
his servants said so great a treasure was too much for him, he answered:
"God forbid I should deprive him of the value of a single penny, it is
his own, and he shall have it to a farthing." He then sent for Dick,
who at that time was scouring pots for the cook, and was quite dirty. He
would have excused himself from coming into the counting-house, saying,
"The room is swept, and my shoes are dirty and full of hob-nails." But
the merchant ordered him to come in.

Mr. Fitzwarren ordered a chair to be set for him, and so he began to
think they were making game of him, at the same time said to them: "Do
not play tricks with a poor simple boy, but let me go down again, if you
please, to my work."

"Indeed, Mr. Whittington," said the merchant, "we are all quite in
earnest with you, and I most heartily rejoice in the news that these
gentlemen have brought you; for the captain has sold your cat to the
King of Barbary, and brought you in return for her more riches than I
possess in the whole world; and I wish you may long enjoy them!"

Mr. Fitzwarren then told the men to open the great treasure they had
brought with them; and said: "Mr. Whittington has nothing to do but to
put it in some place of safety."

Poor Dick hardly knew how to behave himself for joy. He begged his
master to take what part of it he pleased, since he owed it all to his
kindness. "No, no," answered Mr. Fitzwarren, "this is all your own; and
I have no doubt but you will use it well."

Dick next asked his mistress, and then Miss Alice, to accept a part of
his good fortune; but they would not, and at the same time told him
they felt great joy at his good success. But this poor fellow was too
kind-hearted to keep it all to himself; so he made a present to the
captain, the mate, and the rest of Mr. Fitzwarren's servants; and even
to the ill-natured old cook.

After this Mr. Fitzwarren advised him to send for a proper tailor and
get himself dressed like a gentleman; and told him he was welcome to
live in his house till he could provide himself with a better.

When Whittington's face was washed, his hair curled, his hat cocked, and
he was dressed in a nice suit of clothes he was as handsome and genteel
as any young man who visited at Mr. Fitzwarren's; so that Miss Alice,
who had once been so kind to him, and thought of him with pity, now
looked upon him as fit to be her sweetheart; and the more so, no doubt,
because Whittington was now always thinking what he could do to oblige
her, and making her the prettiest presents that could be.

Mr. Fitzwarren soon saw their love for each other, and proposed to join
them in marriage; and to this they both readily agreed. A day for the
wedding was soon fixed; and they were attended to church by the Lord
Mayor, the court of aldermen, the sheriffs, and a great number of the
richest merchants in London, whom they afterwards treated with a very
rich feast.

History tells us that Mr. Whittington and his lady liven in great
splendour, and were very happy. They had several children. He was
Sheriff of London, thrice Lord Mayor, and received the honour of
knighthood by Henry V.

He entertained this king and his queen at dinner after his conquest of
France so grandly, that the king said "Never had prince such a subject;"
when Sir Richard heard this, he said: "Never had subject such a prince."

The figure of Sir Richard Whittington with his cat in his arms, carved
in stone, was to be seen till the year 1780 over the archway of the old
prison of Newgate, which he built for criminals.