Page:Mother goose's fairy tales (2).pdf/19

 Carabas did what the Cat adviſed, without knowing why or wherefore.

While he was waſhing, the king paſſed by, and the cat began to cry out as loud as he could, "Help, help, my Lord Marquis of Carabas is going to be drowned." At this noiſe the king put his head out of the coach-window, and finding it was the Cat who had ſo often brought him ſuch good game, he commanded the guards to run immediately to the aſſiſtance of his lordſhip the marquis of Carabas.

While they were drawing the poor Marquis out of the river, the Cat came up to the coach and told the king, that, while his maſter was waſhing, there came by ſome rogues who went off with his clothes, though he had cried out Thieves, thieves, ſeveral times, as loud as he could. This cunning Cat had hidden them under a great ſtone. The king immediately commanded the officers of his wardrobe to run and fetch one of his beſt ſuits for the lord Marquis of Carabas.

The king careſſed him after a very extraordinary manner, and as the fine clothes he had given him, extremely ſet off his good mien, (for he was well made and very handſome in his perſon) the king's daughter took a secret inclination to him, and the Marquis of Carabas had no ſooner caſt two or three reſpectful and tender glances, but ſhe fell in love with him to diſtraction. The king would have him come into his coach; and take a part of the airing. The Cat overjoyed to ſee his project begin to ſucceed, marched on before, and meeting with ſome countrymen, who were mowing a meadow, he ſaid to them, "Good people, if you do not tell the king, that the meadow you mow belongs to the Marquis of Caralas, you shall be chopped as ſmall as herbs for the pot."

The king did not fail aſking the mowers to