Contat's account of the cat massacre
6606
6605
<
div
>
The
following
account
comes
from
Nicolas
Contat
,
Anecdotes
typo
-
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
graphiques
ou
I
'
on
voit
la
description
des
coutumes
,
moeurs
et
usages
singu
-
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
Hers
des
compagnons
imprimeurs
,
ed
.
Giles
Barber
(
Oxford
,
1980
),
pp
.
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
51
-
53
.
After
a
day
of
exhausting
work
and
disgusting
food
,
the
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
two
apprentices
retire
to
their
bedroom
,
a
damp
and
draughty
lean
-
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
to
in
a
corner
of
the
courtyard
.
The
episode
is
recounted
in
the
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
third
person
,
from
the
viewpoint
of
Jerome
:
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
He
is
so
tired
and
needs
rest
so
desperately
that
the
shack
looks
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
like
a
palace
to
him
.
At
last
the
persecution
and
misery
he
has
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
suffered
throughout
the
day
have
come
to
an
end
,
and
he
can
relax
.
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
But
no
,
some
bedeviled
cats
celebrate
a
witches
'
sabbath
all
night
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
long
,
making
so
much
noise
that
they
rob
him
of
the
brief
period
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
of
rest
allotted
to
the
apprentices
before
the
journeymen
arrive
for
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
work
early
the
next
morning
and
demand
admission
by
constant
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
ringing
of
an
infernal
bell
.
Then
the
boys
have
to
get
up
and
cross
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
the
courtyard
,
shivering
under
their
nightshirts
,
in
order
to
open
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
the
door
.
Those
journeymen
never
let
up
.
No
matter
what
you
do
,
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
you
always
make
them
lose
their
time
and
they
always
treat
you
as
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
a
lazy
good
-
for
-
nothing
.
They
call
for
Leveille
.
Light
the
fire
un
-
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
der
the
cauldron
!
Fetch
water
for
the
dunking
-
troughs
!
True
,
those
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
jobs
are
supposed
to
be
done
by
the
beginner
apprentices
,
who
live
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
at
home
,
but
they
don
'
t
arrive
until
six
or
seven
.
Thus
everyone
is
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
soon
at
work
—
apprentices
,
journeymen
,
everyone
but
the
master
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
and
the
mistress
:
they
alone
enjoy
the
sweetness
of
sleep
.
That
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
makes
Jerome
and
Leveille
jealous
.
They
resolve
that
they
will
not
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
be
the
only
ones
to
suffer
;
they
want
their
master
and
mistress
as
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
associates
.
But
how
to
turn
the
trick
?
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
Leveille
has
an
extraordinary
talent
for
imitating
the
voices
and
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
the
smallest
gestures
of
everyone
around
him
.
He
is
a
perfect
actor
;
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
that
'
s
the
real
profession
that
he
has
picked
up
in
the
printing
shop
.
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
He
also
can
produce
perfect
imitations
of
the
cries
of
dogs
and
cats
.
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
He
decides
to
climb
from
roof
to
roof
until
he
reaches
a
gutter
next
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
to
the
bedroom
of
the
bourgeois
and
the
bourgeoise
.
From
there
he
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
can
ambush
them
with
a
volley
of
meows
.
It
'
s
an
easy
job
for
him
:
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
102Workers
Revolt
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
he
is
the
son
of
a
roofer
and
can
scramble
across
roofs
like
a
cat
.
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
Our
sniper
succeeds
so
well
that
the
whole
neighborhood
is
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
alarmed
.
The
word
spreads
that
there
is
witchcraft
afoot
and
that
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
the
cats
must
be
the
agents
of
someone
casting
a
spell
.
It
is
a
case
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
for
the
cure
,
who
is
an
intimate
of
the
household
and
the
confessor
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
of
Madame
.
N
o
one
can
sleep
any
more
.
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
Leveille
stages
a
sabbath
the
next
night
and
the
night
after
that
.
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
If
you
didn
'
t
know
him
,
you
would
be
convinced
he
was
a
witch
.
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
Finally
,
the
master
and
the
mistress
cannot
stand
it
any
longer
.
div
>
<
br
><
div
>"
We
'
d
better
tell
the
boys
to
get
rid
of
those
malevolent
animals
,"
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
they
declare
.
Madame
gives
them
the
order
,
exhorting
them
to
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
avoid
frightening
la
grise
.
That
is
the
name
of
her
pet
pussy
.
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
This
lady
is
impassioned
for
cats
.
Many
master
printers
are
also
.
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
One
of
them
has
twenty
-
five
.
He
has
had
their
portraits
painted
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
and
feeds
them
on
roast
fowl
.
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
The
hunt
is
soon
organized
.
The
apprentices
resolve
to
make
a
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
clean
sweep
of
it
,
and
they
are
joined
by
the
journeymen
.
The
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
masters
love
cats
,
so
consequently
they
must
hate
them
.
This
man
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
arms
himself
with
the
bar
of
a
press
,
that
one
with
a
stick
from
the
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
drying
-
room
,
others
with
broom
handles
.
They
hang
sacks
at
the
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
windows
of
the
attic
and
the
storerooms
to
catch
the
cats
who
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
attempt
to
escape
by
leaping
outdoors
.
The
beaters
are
named
,
ev
-
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
erything
is
organized
.
Leveille
and
his
comrade
Jerome
preside
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
over
the
fete
,
each
of
them
armed
with
an
iron
bar
from
the
shop
.
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
The
first
thing
they
go
for
is
la
grise
,
Madame
'
s
pussy
.
Leveille
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
stuns
it
with
a
quick
blow
on
the
kidneys
,
and
Jerome
finishes
it
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
off
.
Then
Leveille
stuffs
the
body
in
a
gutter
,
for
they
don
'
t
want
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
to
get
caught
:
it
is
a
matter
of
consequence
,
a
murder
,
which
must
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
be
kept
hidden
.
The
men
produce
terror
on
the
rooftops
.
Seized
by
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
panic
,
the
cats
throw
themselves
into
the
sacks
.
Some
are
killed
on
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
the
spot
.
Others
are
condemned
to
be
hanged
for
the
amusement
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
of
the
entire
printing
shop
.
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
Printers
know
how
to
laugh
;
it
is
their
sole
occupation
.
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
The
execution
is
about
to
begin
.
They
name
a
hangman
,
a
troop
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
of
guards
,
even
a
confessor
.
Then
they
pronounce
the
sentence
.
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
In
the
midst
of
it
all
,
the
mistress
arrives
.
What
is
her
surprise
,
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
when
she
sees
the
bloody
execution
!
She
lets
out
a
scream
;
then
her
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
voice
is
cut
,
because
she
thinks
she
sees
la
grise
,
and
she
is
certain
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
103THE
GREAT
CAT
MASSACRE
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
that
such
a
fate
has
been
reserved
for
her
favorite
puss
.
The
work
-
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
ers
assure
her
that
no
one
would
be
capable
of
such
a
crime
:
they
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
have
too
much
respect
for
the
house
.
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
The
bourgeois
arrives
.
"
Ah
!
The
scoundrels
,"
he
says
.
"
Instead
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
of
working
,
they
are
killing
cats
."
Madame
to
Monsieur
:
"
These
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
wicked
men
can
'
t
kill
the
masters
,
so
they
have
killed
my
pussy
.
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
She
can
'
t
be
found
.
I
have
called
la
grise
everywhere
.
They
must
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
have
hanged
her
."
It
seems
to
her
that
all
the
workers
'
blood
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
would
not
be
sufficient
to
redeem
the
insult
.
The
poor
grise
,
a
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
pussy
without
a
peer
!
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
Monsieur
and
Madame
retire
,
leaving
the
workers
in
liberty
.
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
The
printers
delight
in
the
disorder
;
they
are
beside
themselves
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
with
joy
.
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
What
a
splendid
subject
for
their
laughter
,
for
a
belle
copie
!
They
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
will
amuse
themselves
with
it
for
a
long
time
.
Leveille
will
take
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
the
leading
role
and
will
stage
the
play
at
least
twenty
times
.
He
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
will
mime
the
master
,
the
mistress
,
the
whole
house
,
heaping
ridi
-
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
cule
on
them
all
.
He
will
spare
nothing
in
his
satire
.
Among
print
-
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
ers
,
those
who
excel
in
this
entertainment
are
called
jobeurs
:
they
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
provide
joberie
.
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
Leveille
receives
many
rounds
of
applause
.
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
It
should
be
noted
that
all
the
workers
are
in
league
against
the
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
masters
.
It
is
enough
to
speak
badly
of
them
[
the
masters
]
to
be
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
esteemed
by
the
whole
assembly
of
typographers
.
Leveille
is
one
of
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
those
.
In
recognition
of
his
merit
,
he
will
be
pardoned
for
some
div
>
<
br
><
div
>
previous
satires
against
the
workers