DISPOSITIONS OF CATS. 



arisen from these animals nestling about infants in cradles and beds, simply to procure warmth. Cats 

 are particularly solicitous to be comfortably plsiri-d sis to temperature : hence in winter, they lie very 

 near the fire ; and in a more genial season, the following fact occurred : 



The celebrated Charles James Fox was, one day, walking up Bond-street, with the Prince of 

 Wales (afterwards George IV.), when he laid a wager with his royal highness that he would see the 

 greater number of cats as they went onwards, though the prince might take which side of the street lie 

 liked. On arriving at the top, Mr. Fox won his wager, having seen thirteen cats, while the prince had 

 not observed one, which led him to ask how this was. Mr. Fox replied "Your royal highness took, 

 of course, the sJuidy side of the street, as the more agreeable j I knew that the sunny side would be 

 left to me, and that is the one that cats always prefer." 



In ancient mythology there is a story of Galanthis a better sort of person, by the way, than 

 many of her contemporaries being changed into a cat, and that Hecate chose her compassionately as 

 her attendant. That the animal acted a conspicuous part in the witchcraft of former times, when 



" 'Twas infamy to serve a hag, 

 Cats were thought imps, her broom a nag," 



there is abundant evidence. Thus James I. was supposed to be the special object of the wrath of the 

 whole sisterhood, and all the powers of darkness to be in league to prevent the completion of his union 

 with the princess of Denmark. Whilst a favouring gale forwarded the rest of the fleet, the royal pair 

 were vexed with storms, and the ship that carried the queen sprang a leak. Nor was the mischief 

 confined to royalty, for the loss of a passage-boat, between Leith and Kinghorne, was attributed to the 

 war of elements raised on this occasion. We slightly modernise a specimen of one of these conjurations : 

 " Agnes Sampson, Janet Campbell, John Fean, Geilic Duncan, and Meg Dyer, baptised a cat in 

 the weaver's house, in the manner following : First, two of them held one finger in the one side of the 

 chimney cruik, and one other held one other finger in the other side, the two ends of the fingers meet- 

 ing together. Then they put the cat thrice through the lynkis of the cruik, and passed it thrice under 

 the chimney. Thereafter at Beigie Todi's house, they knit to the four feet of the cat four joints of men ; 

 which being done, the said Janet fetched it to Leith ; and about midnight, she and two persons of the 

 name of Luikchop, and two wives called Stobeis, came to the pier-head, and saying these words, ' See 

 that there be no deceit among us,' and they cast the cat in the sea, so far as they might, which swam 

 over and came again, and they that were in the panis cast in another cat in the sea at eleven o'clock ; 

 after which, by their sorcery and enchantments, the boat perished betwixt Leith and Kinghorne." 



Addison, when walking with Sir Roger de Coverley, by the side of one of his woods, was applied 

 to by an old woman for charity. He found afterwards from his host that she had the reputation of a 

 witch all over the country ; that her lips were observed to be always in motion ; and that there was 

 not a switch about her house which her neighbours did not believe had carried her several hundreds of 

 miles. He thus describes a visit they paid to her hovel : " Upon our first entering, Sir Roger winked 

 to me, and pointed to something that stood behind the door, which, upon looking that way, I found to 

 be an old broom-staff. At the same time he whispered me in the ear to take notice of a tabby cat 

 that sat in the chimney-corner, which, as the old knight told me, lay under as bad report as Moll 

 White herself ; for, besides that Moll is said often to accompany her in the same shape, the cat 

 reported to have spoken twice or thrice in her life, and to have played several pranks above the capa- 

 city of an ordinary cat." The grotesque engraving, on page 94, reminds us of the notion that long 

 prevailed that cats were witches, and that witches, transformed into cats, met together for the eel 

 tion of their orgies. 



At the close of the last century, a person, calling himself Dr. Katterfelto, continued 

 through England, accompanied by his wife and daughter, two black attendants, and two or throe I 

 cats, usually called his "devils." All were packed together in a huge old coach or caravan, winch 

 contained besides his stock of apparatus, half-quack and half-conjuror as he was, as Cowpei 



" With his hair on end 

 At his own wonders, wondering for his bread." 



On reaching any town where he intended to exhibit, his two sable assistants, dn-ssrd in antiquated 

 green liveries, went through the streets, blowing trumpets, and expatiating on the marvels to b,- ]>. , 



