there was a miller1 who left no * estate to the three sons2 he had than his mill,3 his ass,4 and his cat.5 the partition was soon made. neither scrivener6 nor attorney7 was sent for. they would soon have eaten up all the poor patrimony.8 the eldest had the mill, the second the ass, and the youngest nothing but the cat.9 the poor young fellow was quite comfortless at having so poor a lot.
"my brothers," said he, "may get their living handsomely enough by joining their stocks together; but for my part, when i have eaten up my cat,10 and made me a muff of his skin,11 i must die of hunger."
the cat, who heard all this, but made as if he did not, said to him with a grave and serious air:12
"do not thus afflict yourself, my good *. you have nothing else to do but to give me a bag13 and get a pair of boots14 made for me that i may scamper through the dirt and the brambles, and you shall see that you have not so bad a portion in me as you imagine."
the cat's * did not build very much upon what he said. he had often seen him play a great many cunning tricks to catch rats and mice,15 as when he used to hang by the heels, or hide himself in the meal, and make as if he were dead; so that he did not altogether despair of his affording him some * in his miserable condition. when the cat had what he asked for he booted himself very gallantly, and putting his bag about his neck, he held the strings of it in his two forepaws and went into a warren16 where was great abundance of rab*ts. he put bran and sow-thistle into his bag, and stretching out at length, as if he had been dead, he waited for some young rab*ts, not yet acquainted with the deceits of the world, to come and rummage his bag for what he had put into it.
scarce was he lain down but he had what he wanted. a rash and foolish young rab*t jumped into his bag, and monsieur puss, immediately drawing close the strings, took and killed him without pity.17 proud of his prey, he went with it to the palace and asked to speak with his majesty.18 he was shown upstairs into the king's apartment, and, * a low r*rence,19 said to him:
"i have brought you, sir, a rab*t of the warren, which my noble lord the marquis of carabas"20 (for that was the title which puss was pleased to give his *) "has commanded me to present to your majesty from him."
"tell thy *," said the king, "that i thank him and that he does me a great deal of pleasure."
another time he went and hid himself among some standing corn, holding still his bag open, and when a brace of partridges ran into it he drew the strings and so caught them both. he went and made a present of these to the king,21 as he had done before of the rab*t which he took in the warren. the king, in like manner, received the partridges with great pleasure, and ordered him some money for drink.
the cat continued for two or three months22 thus to carry his majesty, from time to time, * of his *'s taking. one day in particular, when he knew for certain that he was to take the air along the river-side,23 with his daughter, the most beautiful princess in the world,24 he said to his *:
"if you will follow my advice your fortune is made. you have nothing else to do but go and wash yourself in the river, in that part i shall show you, and leave the rest to me."
the marquis of carabas did what the cat advised him to, without knowing why or wherefore. while he was washing the king passed by, and the cat began to cry out:
"*! *! 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 *, he commanded his 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 * was washing, there came by some rogues, who went off with his clothes, though he had cried out: "thi*s! thi*s!" s*ral 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 suits25 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 somewhat tender glances but she fell in love with him to distraction. the king would needs have him come into the coach and take part of the airing. the cat, quite overjoyed to see his * begin to succeed, marched on before, and, meeting with some countrymen, who were mowing a meadow,26 he said to them:
"good people, you who are mowing, if you do not tell the king that the meadow you mow belongs to my lord marquis of carabas, you shall be chopped as small as herbs for the pot."27
the king did not fail asking of the mowers to whom the meadow they were mowing belonged.
"to my lord marquis of carabas," answered they altogether, for the cat's threats had made them terribly afraid.
"you see, sir," said the marquis,28 "this is a meadow which n*r fails to yield a plentiful harvest *ry year."
the * cat,29 who went still on before, met with some reapers,30 and said to them:
"good people, you who are reaping, if you do not tell the king that all this corn belongs to the marquis of carabas, you shall be chopped as small as herbs for the pot."
the king, who passed by a moment after, would needs know to whom all that corn, which he then saw, did belong.
"to my lord marquis of carabas," replied the reapers, and the king was very well pleased with it, as well as the marquis, whom he congratulated thereupon. the * cat, who went always before, said the same words to all he met, and the king was astonished at the vast estates of my lord marquis of carabas.
monsieur puss came at last to a stately castle, the * of which was an ogre,31 the richest had *r been known; for all the lands which the king had then gone over belonged to this castle. the cat, who had taken care to *rm himself who this ogre was and what he could do, asked to speak with him, saying he could not pass so near his castle without having the honor of paying his respects to him.
the ogre32 received him as civilly as an ogre could do, and made him sit down.