126 Wiittington and His Cat. 



tington flourished. It was first made an article of commerce from the 

 north to the metropolis in 1381, when Whittington was just of age. 

 Previous to that time its use had been prohibited in London by a proc- 

 lamation of Edward I., issued in 1306. And Prynne gives us the rea- 

 son for the proclamation: 



When brewers, dyers and other artificers using great fires began 

 to use sea coals instead of dry wood and charcoals in and near 

 the city of London the prelates^ nobles, commons, and other people 

 of the realm, resorting thither to Parliament and upon other 

 occasions, with the inhabitants of the city, Southwark, Wapping 

 and East Smithfield, complained thereof twice, one after another, 

 to the king^ as a public nuisance, corrupting the air with its stink 

 and smoke to the great prejudice and detriment of their health. 

 "Whereupon the king first prohibited the burning of sea coal by his 

 proclamation, which being disobeyed by many for their private lucre, 

 the king, upon their second complaint, issued a commission of oyer 

 and terminer to inquire of all such who burned sea coals against his 

 proclamation within the city, or i3arts adjoining to it, and to punish 

 them for their first offense by great fines and ransoms, and for their 

 second offense to demolish their furnaces and kilns wherein they burnt 

 sea coals, and to see his proclamation strictly observed for times to 

 come." 



Dr. BachoSner in a lecture before the Royal Polytechnic Institution 

 mentions the fact that three separate proclamations were issued against 

 the burning of coal, and that it was at last made a capital offense, and 

 a man was actually accused, tried, condemned and put to death for burn- 

 ing coal within the metropolis. Such a statement as this seems almost 

 incredible, and although no record has been found of any convic- 

 tion or execution for such an offense, still we can hardly suppose that 

 it would have been made before such a society without some ground 

 for it. At any rate, these facts show that there was a great source of 

 wealth in the coal trade in those early days, or men would not have 

 been so willing to disobey the royal command ; and all restrictions 

 being removed in Whittington's early manhood, he may have laid the 

 foundation of his wealth with this kind of a cat. 



Again, it is a common thing in the English language for one word 

 to be substituted for another, when both words sound alike, but mean 

 different things; so that it would be no difficult matter to invent the 

 whole story of the cat, the pussy, when there was no other foundation 

 for it than the cat, the coal boat. One example will show this. 



In King Lear, Edgar, disguised as a madman, tells Gloster what he 

 eats and drinks and how he suffers, and closes with the well-known 

 couplet — 



"But mice and rats and such small deer 

 Have been Tom's food for seven long year." 



