Sir Richard Whittington (sometimes Richard Whytyngdone) (c. 1354–1423) was an English businessman who was Lord Mayor of London. Although he was a real person, there are many stories about his life. According to old stories, he went to London with his cat when he was a young man because he believed that “the streets were paved with gold” (= he thought it was easy to become rich there). At first he was unsuccessful and decided to leave London. But as he was leaving, he thought he heard the word “Turn again, Whittington, Lord Mayor of London” in the sound of the church bells. So he went back and later became Lord Mayor of London three times. His story is often performed in pantomines in the UK, and in these stories the cat is always shown to be very intelligent. There is no evidence, however, that the real Whittington kept a cat, and as the son of gentry he was never very poor.Cool link:
Read Dick Whittington's story:
Dick Whittington and His Cat - an English folktale
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