Dick Whittington and His Cat

I remembered a charming story I read long ago in a book of English fairy tales. It’s about a small boy who sent his cat to a far eastern country, got lots of money for it, and became famous as a merchant and Lord Mayor of London.

In real life, of course, it wasn’t as spectacular—but it was still interesting. Richard Whittington (c. 1354–1423). He wasn’t poor: the younger son of a good family, so he was sent to London to engage in trade. Whittington sold textiles and did it so successfully that he became one of the most influential people in London, and he was also a great benefactor—thanks to his money, several hospitals, cleaning facilities, and other useful things were built during his lifetime and after his death. And the story about the cat appeared later, at the very beginning of the 17th century, and became a popular plot for performances. There is a version that it was an English adaptation of a Persian fairy tale about a poor boy who amassed a fortune with the help of his cat (apparently, this same fairy tale inspired Charles Perrault). Unfortunately, I don’t know that tale, so I can’t say anything more.