After Mr Fitzwarren took away Dick’s cat, even the charms of Alice Fitzwarren were not enough to keep him in that house another day.
What follows is a paraphrase of the famous story of Dick Whittington and His Cat as told in verse by Richard Johnson in his Crowne Garland of Goulden Roses (1612), and in prose by Thomas Heywood in The Famous and Remarkable History of Sir Richard Whittington (1659). Sir Richard Whittington (?1354-1423) was a real historical person, so some notes are added to help separate fact from fiction.
Richard Grafton bids us gaze on the likeness of Sir Richard Whittington, who should be an example to civic dignitaries everywhere.
Early in the reign of Richard II, Richard Whittington (?1354-1423), third son of a Gloucestershire gentleman, came up to London make his way in the world of trade. He amassed a fortune as a textile merchant and financier, was thrice elected Lord Mayor of London, and left a legacy of civic works, churches and welfare that deeply impressed sixteenth-century historian Richard Grafton.