Nor would it be just...to omit the fondness which he shewed for animals which he had taken under his protection. I never shall forget the indulgence with which he treated Hodge, his cat: for whom he himself used to go out and buy oysters, lest the servants having that trouble should take a dislike to the poor creature.He also let Hodge climb up on his chest, which upset Boswell the cat-hater. On another occasion, Johnson was talking of a loony young nobleman who was "running about town shooting cats"; falling then into a "sort of kindly reverie, he bethought himself of his own favorite cat, and said, 'But Hodge shan't be shot; no, no Hodge shall not be shot.'" What a sweet image that is, and the most tenderness I remember seeing an Englishman express towards an animal before the 20th century.
I also now want to call a cat Hodge, but my Dinah could never learn to ignore a new name so perfectly.
No comments:
Post a Comment