2010 Cat Massacre Document Contat2

HUM 2010: The Medium and the Message
Professor Dennis Bozyk

The Great Cat Massare
The fo!!o"ing aount omes from #io!as Contat$ Anecdotes typo-graphiques oil
1'on voit la description des coutumes, moeurs et usages singuliers des compagnons
imprimeurs, %1&'2( ed) Gi!es Bar*er +,-ford$ 1./00$ 11) 21324) %Paris$ !ate 1&40s(
5fter a day of e-hausting "ork and disgusting food$ the t"o3a11renties retire to
their *edroom$ a dam1 and draughty !ean3to in a orner of the ourtyard) The
e1isode is reounted in the third 1erson$ from the 6ie"1oint of 7erome:
He is so tired and needs rest so des1erate!y that the shak !ooks !ike a 1a!ae to
him) 5t !ast3the 1erseution and misery he has suffered throughout the day ha6e
ome to an end$ and he an re!a-) But no$ some *ede6i!ed ats e!e*rate a "ithes8
sa**ath a!! night !ong$ making so muh noise that they ro* him of the *rief
1eriod of rest a!!otted to the a11renties *efore the 9ourneymen arri6e for "ork
ear!y the ne-t morning and demand admission *y onstant ringing of an inferna!
*e!!) Then the *oys ha6e to get u1 and ross the ourtyard$ shi6ering under their
nightshirts$ in order to o1en the door) Those 9ourneymen ne6er !et u1) #o matter
"hat you do$ you )a!"ays make them !ose their time and they a!"ays treat you as a
!azy good3for3nothing) They a!! for :e6ei!!e) :ight the fire under the au!dron;
<eth "ater for the dunking3troughs; True$ those 9o*s are su11osed to *e done *y
the *eginner a11renties$ "ho !i6e at home$ *ut they don8t arri6e unti! si- or se6en)
Thus e6eryone is soon at "ork=a11renties$ 9ourneymen$ e6eryone *ut the
master and the mistress: they a!one en9oy the s"eetness of s!ee1) That makes
7erome and :e6ei!!e 9ea!ous) They reso!6e that they "i!! not *e the on!y ones to
suffer> they "ant their master and mistress as assoiates) But ho" to turn the
trik? ) $
:e6ei!!e has an e-traordinary ta!ent for imitating the 6oies and the sma!!est
gestures of e6eryone around him) He is a 1erfet ator> that8s the rea! 1rofession
that he has 1iked u1 in the 1rinting sho1) He a!so an 1rodue 1erfet imitations
of the ries of dogs and ats) He deides to !im* from roof to roof unti! he reahes a
gutter ne-t to the *edroom of the *ourgeois and the *ourgeoise) <rom there he an
am*ush them "ith a 6o!!ey of meo"s) @t8s an easy 9o* for him: he is the son of a
roofer and an sram*!e aross roofs !ike a at)
,ur sni1er sueeds so "e!! that the "ho!e neigh*orhood is a!armed) The
"ord s1reads that there is "ithraft afoot and that the ats must *e the agents of
someone asting a s1e!!) @t is a ase for the ure$ "ho is an intimate of the
househo!d and the onfessor of Madame) #o one an s!ee1 any more)
:e6ei!!e stages a sa**ath the ne-t night and the night after that) @f you didn8t
kno" him$ you "ou!d *e on6ined he "as a "ith) <ina!!y$ the master and the
mistress annot stand it any !onger) ABe8d *etter te!! the *oys to get rid of those
ma!e6o!ent anima!s$A they de!are) Madame gi6es them the order$ e-horting them
to a6oid frightening !a grise) That is the name of her 1et 1ussy)
This !ady is im1assioned for ats) Many master 1rinters are a!so) ,ne of them
has t"enty3fi6e) He has had their 1ortraits 1ainted and feeds them on roast fo"!)
The hunt is soon organized) The a11renties reso!6e to make a !ean s"ee1 of
it$ and they are 9oined *y the 9ourneymen) The masters !o6e ats$ so onseCuent!y
they must hate them) This man arms himse!f "ith the *ar of a 1ress$ that one "ith
a stik from the drying3room$ others "ith *room hand!es) They hang saks at the
"indo"s of the atti and the storerooms to ath the ats "ho attem1t to esa1e
*y !ea1ing outdoors) The *eaters are named$ e6erything is organized) :e6ei!!e and
his omrade 7erome 1reside o6er the fete$ eah of them armed "ith an iron *ar
from the sho1) The first thing they go for is !a grise$ Madame8s 1ussy) :e6ei!!e
stuns it "ith a Cuik *!o" on the kidneys$ and 7erome finishes it off)3Then
:e6ei!!e stuffs the *ody in a gutter$ for they don8t "ant to get aught: it is a matter
of onseCuene$ a murder$ "hih must *e ke1t hidden) The men 1rodue terror on
the roofto1s) Deized *y 1ani$ the ats thro" themse!6es into the saks) Dome are
ki!!ed on the s1ot) ,thers are ondemned to *e hanged for the amusement of the
entire 1rinting sho1)
Printers kno" ho" to !augh> it is their so!e ou1ation)
The e-eution is a*out to *egin) They name a hangman$ a troo1 of guards$ e6en
a onfessor) Then they 1ronoune the sentene)
@n the midst of it a!!$ the mistress arri6es) Bhat is her sur1rise$ "hen she sees
the *!oody e-eution; Dhe !ets out a sream> then her 6oie is ut$ *eause she thinks
she sees !a grise$ and she is ertain
that suh a fate has *een reser6ed for her fa6orite 1uss) The "orkers assure her
that no one "ou!d *e a1a*!e of suh a rime: they ha6e too muh res1et for the
house)
The *ourgeois arri6es) A5h; The soundre!s$A he says) A@nstead of "orking$
they are ki!!ing ats)A Madame to Monsieur: AThese "iked men an8t ki!! the
masters$ so they ha6e ki!!ed my 1ussy) Dhe an8t *e found) @ ha6e a!!ed !a grise
e6ery"here) They must ha6e hanged her)A @t seems to her that a!! the "orkers8
*!ood "ou!d not *e suffiient to redeem the insu!t) The 1oor grise$ a 1ussy
"ithout a 1eer;
Monsieur and Madame retire$ !ea6ing the "orkers in !i*erty) The 1rinters
de!ight in the disorder> they are *eside themse!6es "ith 9oy)
Bhat a s1!endid su*9et for their !aughter$ for a belle copie! They "i!! amuse
themse!6es "ith it for a !ong time) :e6ei!!e "i!! take the !eading ro!e and "i!!
stage the 1!ay at !east t"enty times) He "i!! mime the master$ the mistress$ the
"ho!e house$ hea1ing ridiu!e on them a!!) He "i!! s1are nothing in his satire)
5mong 1rinters$ those "ho e-e! in this entertainment are a!!ed jobeurs: they
1ro6ide joberie.
:e6ei!!e reei6es many rounds of a11!ause)
@t shou!d *e noted that a!! the "orkers are in !eague against the masters) @t is
enough to s1eak *ad!y of them %the masters( to *e esteemed *y the "ho!e assem*!y
of ty1ogra1hers) :e6ei!!e is one of those) @n reognition of his merit$ he "i!! *e
1ardoned for some 1re6ious satires against the "orkers)

2010 Cat Massacre Document Contat2

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HUM 2010: The Medium and the Message

Professor Dennis Bozyk

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