224 LOVERS OF CATS. 



revealed to him in a vision that in the world to come he 

 should have equal share of beatitude with that Pontiff; but 

 this scarcely contented him, and he thought some compen- 

 sation was his due, inasmuch as the Pope enjoyed immense 

 wealth in this present life, and he himself had nothing he could 

 call his own save one pet cat. But in another vision he was 

 censured ; his worldly detachment was not so entire as he 

 imagined, and that Gregory would with far greater equa- 

 nimity part with his vast treasures than he could part with 

 his beloved puss." 



Cats Endowed by La Belle Stewart. — One of the 

 chief ornaments of the Court of St. James', in the reign of 

 Charles II., was "La Belle Stewart," afterwards the Duchess 

 of Richmond, to whom Pope alluded as the ''Duchess of 

 R." in the well-known hne : 



Die and endow a college or a cat. 



The endowment satirised by Pope has been favourably 

 explained by Warton. She left annuities to several female 

 friends, with the burden of maintaining some of her cats — 

 a delicate way of providing for poor and probably proud 

 gentlewomen, without making them feel that they owed 

 their livelihood to her mere liberality. But possibly there 

 may have been a kindliness of thought for both, deeming 

 that those who were dear friends would be most likely to 

 attend to her wishes. 



Ml Samuel Pepys had at least a gentle nature as 

 regards animals, if he was not a lover of cats, for in his Diary 

 occurs this note as to the Fire of London, i666 : 



" September <^th. — Thence homeward having passed 

 through Cheapside and Newgate Market, all burned ; and 

 seen Antony Joyce's house on fire. And took up (which 

 I keep by me) a piece of glass of Mercer's chapel in the 

 street, where much more was, so melted and buckled with 

 the heat of the fire like parchment. I did also see a poor 

 cat taken out of a hole in a chimney, joining the wall of the 

 Exchange, with the hair all burned off its body and yet 

 alive." 



