96 THE FIRESIDE SPHINX 



streaming on the wind. The ancient Burgundians 

 adopted the cat as their heraldic device, to intimate 

 an abhorrence of servitude ; and Clotilde, the fair 

 and saintly Burgundian wife of Clovis, had blazoned 

 on her armorial bearings a cat sable springing at a 

 mouse. The same symbol served many a noble 

 house. The Katzen family carried an azure shield, 

 with a cat argent holding a rat. The Chetaldie 

 family of Limoges carried two cats argent on an 

 azure shield. The princely Delia Gatta of Naples 

 bore a cat — a splendid cat couchant — on their 

 crest ; and in Scotland the well-known cognizance 

 of the Clan Chattan was a wild-cat, with the signifi- 

 cant motto, " Touch not the cat but " (i. c. without) 

 " the glove." Of a truth, Cervantes strayed not so 

 far into extravagance when he wrote of the " ever 

 victorious and never vanquished " Timonel of Car- 

 cajona, Prince of New Biscay, who carried upon 

 his shield a golden cat, with the expressive motto, 

 " Miau," in honour of his lady, the beautiful and 

 peerless Miaulina, daughter of the great Alfeniquen 

 of the Algarve. 



More peaceful memories cling around the an- 

 cient sign-boards, on which Pussy was ever a favour- 

 ite figure. " La Maison du CJiat qui Pclote," and 

 " La Maison du Chat qui Piche" commended 

 themselves especially to French merchants ; and 

 M. Champfleury sadly regrets the disappearance of 



