Page:Letters of Life.djvu/177

Rh period, is one prompted by my favorite quadruped and quondam companion, the cat, written in the quaint orthography of the ancient English style:

Ye dogge hath many admirers, ye catte but few. He followeth manne, and is praised by him. She stayeth in-doors with the women, who have not much to do with the penne, so her good deeds have little chance of being written down. Moreover, she is not treated in any way to encourage them. In the very days of her innocent kittendom, the waddling babe or the cross child do seize her up by the back or throat, dragging her hither and thither, until her eyes start out with pain. Her piteous mewings they heed not; yea, when she reposeth by the fire at night, rude boys do pull her tail, and none reproveth. If she venture to go forth into the streets they caste stones at her, or belabour her with sticks. She hath great hatred of the dogge; so he must needs be sette upon her with clapping of handes and shoutes. She draweth up her bodie like a ball, and enlargeth her tail marvellously, and spitteth at him with all her might. If, peradventure, there be a tree near, it is good lucke, for she saveth herself by climbing whither he cannot come. Yet if he chanceth to shake her poore carcase in pieces, who careth? "It is only a dead catte." Now by reason of this fierce tyranny and