46 ROUND THE YEAR 



Record Commissioners, dates from the early part of 

 the tenth century. Some, if not all, of the following 

 extracts, probably belong to that time : 



" The worth of a cat and her qualities, this is. 

 i. The worth of a kitten, from the night it is kittened 

 until it shall open its eyes, is a legal penny. 2. And 

 from that time, until it shall kill mice, two legal 

 pence 3. And after it shall kill mice, four legal 

 pence ; and so it always remains. 4. Her qualities 

 are to see, to hear, to kill mice, to have her claws 

 entire, to rear and not to devour her kittens ; and if 

 she be bought, and be deficient in any one of those 

 qualities, let one-third of her worth be returned." 



The worth of a cat was, according to an old Welsh 

 law, to be estimated thus : the cat was to be held 

 by the end of the tail, with her nose touching an even 

 floor. Wheat was then to be poured over her, until the 

 end of her tail was hidden. " And afterwards this 

 was altered, and there was fixed upon her four legal 

 pence." 



" Three animals which reach their worth at a year : 

 a sheep, a cat, and a cur." 



" This is the complement of a lawful hamlet : 

 nine buildings, and one plough, and one kiln, and 

 one churn, and one cat, and one cock, and one bull, 

 and one herdman." 



" Whoever shall sell a cat, is to answer for her not 

 going a-caterwauling every moon ; and that she have 

 ears, eyes, teeth and nails ; and being a good 

 mouser." l 



1 Ancient Laws and Institutes of Wales, pp. 136, 283, 426, 

 495, 743- 



