King Arthur and the Cat

From Jane, Lady Wilde’s Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms, and Superstitions of Ireland, King Arthur and the Cat:

While on the subject of cats, the curious and interesting legend of “King Arthur’s Fight with the Great Cat” should not be passed over; tor though not exactly Irish, yet it is at least, Celtic, and belongs by affinity to our ancient race. It is taken from a prose romance of the fifteenth century, entitled, “Merlin; or, The Early Life of King Arthur,” recently edited, from the unique Cambridge Manuscript, by Mr. Wheatly.

Merlin told the king that the people beyond the Lake of Lausanne greatly desired his help, “for there repaireth a devil that destroyeth the country. It is a cat so great and ugly that it is horrible to look on.” For one time a fisher came to the lake with his nets, and he promised to give our Lord the first fish he took. It was a fish worth thirty shillings; and when he saw it so fair and great, he said to himself softly, “God shall not have this; but I will surely give Him the next.” Now, the next was still better, and he said, “Our Lord may wait yet awhile; but the third shall be His without doubt.” So he cast his net, but drew out only a little kitten, as black as any coal.

Follow the link to find out how our King Arthur dispatched of this devilish she-cat, though I will hint the cat seems to have a llittle in common with Monty Python’s Black Knight.

As for Baxter, pictured here, though he is black, he likes his window sill too well to put any energy into being demonic.

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