The History of Sir Richard Whittington | Page 9

stock.
CHAP. IV.
How the bitter jade of a cook maid encreasing her cruelty towards him
he grew weary of his service, and was running away on All-Hallow's
day; but upon hearing the ringing of Bow bells came back again. Also
how the merchant abroad disposed of his cat.

CHAP. V.
Of the great riches received for Whittington's cat more than for all the
goods in the ship; on the arrival of which his master sent for him
upstairs by the title of Mr. Whittington, and the excuses he made, and
how he distributed part of his wealth to his fellow-servants giving the
ill-natur'd cook maid 100l.
CHAP. VI.
How Mr. Whittington, being genteely dress'd, became, to all
appearance, a very comely, proper person; how Mrs. Alice, his master's
daughter, fell in love with him, and, by her father's consent, married
him; and also how he was chosen sheriff of London.
CHAP. VII.
How he was thrice elected Lord Mayor of London; how he entertain'd
King Henry V. in his return from the conquest of France: with an
account of his buildings for pious and charitable uses, great liberality to
the poor, his death, burial, and epitaph.
EPITAPH.
Here lies Sir Richard Whittington, thrice mayor,
And his dear wife, a
virtuous, loving pair;
Him fortune rais'd to be belov'd and great,
By
the adventure only of a cat.
Let none who read of God's great love
despair,
Who trusts in Him of him He will take care;
But growing
rich chuse humbleness, not pride,
Let these dead persons' virtues be
your guide.
The following reprint of a later version of the chap-book is almost
identical with a large number of editions:
THE
ADVENTURES

OF
SIR RICHARD WHITTINGTON,
WHO WAS
THREE TIMES
LORD MAYOR OF LONDON.
And the Surprising History of his
CAT,
TO WHICH IS ADDED
THE CALEDONIAN, A POEM.
_Banbury:
Printed and sold by J. Cheney, in the High Street._

THE
HISTORY
OF
WHITTINGTON.

Dick Whittington was a very little boy when his father and mother died;
little indeed, that he never knew them, nor the place where he was born.
He strolled about the country as ragged as a colt, till he met with a
waggoner who was going to London, and who gave him leave to walk
all the way by the side of his waggon without paying anything for his
passage, which pleased little Whittington very much, as he wanted to
see London badly, for he had heard that the streets were paved with
gold, and he was willing to get a bushel of it; but how great was his

disappointment, poor boy! when he saw the streets covered with dirt
instead of gold, and found himself in a strange place, without a friend,
without food, and without money.
Though the waggoner was so charitable as to let him walk up by the
side of the waggon for nothing, he took care not to know him when he
came to town, and the poor boy was, in a little time, so cold and so
hungry that he wished himself in a good kitchen and by a warm fire in
the country.
In this distress he asked charity of several people, and one of them bid
him "Go to work for an idle rogue." "That I will," says Whittington,
"with all my heart; I will work for you if you will let me."
The man, who thought this favoured of wit and impertinence (tho' the
poor lad intended only to show his readiness to work), gave him a blow
with a stick which broke his head so that the blood ran down. In this
situation, and fainting for want of food, he laid himself down at the
door of one Mr. Fitzwarren, a merchant, where the cook saw him, and,
being an ill-natured hussey, ordered him to go about his business or she
would scald him. At this time Mr. Fitzwarren came from the Exchange,
and began also to scold at the poor boy, bidding him to go to work.
Whittington answered that he should be glad to work if any body would
employ him, and that he should be able if he could get some victuals to
eat, for he had had nothing for three days, and he was a poor country
boy, and knew nobody, and nobody would employ him.
He then endeavoured to get up, but he was so very weak that he fell
down again, which excited so much compassion in the merchant that he
ordered the servants to take him in and give him some meat and drink,
and let him help the cook to do any dirty work that she had to set him
about. People are too apt to reproach those who beg with being idle, but
give themselves no concern to put them in the way of getting