![]() ![]() ![]() He wrote on the supposed medicinal qualities of cats where he believed that the flesh of a wild cat could be placed on the limbs of people suffering from gout and that the bile of a wild cat, if ingested, was good for facial pains or tics.īut throughout most of medieval history the book reveals that cat is mostly revered. In another section, one Albertus Magnus is revealed as anything but a cat lover. And beware well not to leave open books at night where cats can come.’ Cursed be the pesty cat that urinated over this book during the night in Deventer and because of it many others too. The scribe ended up leaving the last page empty, all except for an etching of a cat, then wrote a curse to the creature with the following words: ‘Here is nothing missing, but a cat urinated on this during a certain night. More personally, a 14th century scribe found one of his manuscripts utterly ruined by kitty piddle from a four-legged visitor the evening before. At the Place de la Greve, a site for executions, a pyre was erected and one to two dozen cats in bags were hung from it. ![]() John the Baptist’s day (24th June, summer solstice), there was a citywide celebration involving cats. The feline was commonly sacrificed as a ritual scapegoat in popular celebrations across Europe. Treasured as pets, fearless mouse hunters, focus of many fables and religions and, of course, with links to witchcraft and magic, the cat’s historical life is rich, wild and fraught with danger.įor example, in Paris in 1268, domesticated cats were in grave danger of being captured by cat skinners, who would sell their furs. It gives us insights into all walks of ancient cat life as well as looking at admirers of the feline form – even cat haters too. It’s well-known that the cat has been revered in many cultures through the ages, but the 15th century manuscript spoiled by inky paw prints inside this fascinating opus reveals that the animal’s mischievousness has never waned.įull of amusing and informative historical facts, Cats in Medieval Manuscripts is a cat lovers’ delight. ![]()
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