E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Rat, Cat, and Dog.
“The Rat, the Cat, and Lovell the Dog,
Rule all England under the hog.”
The Rat, i.e. Rat-cliff; the Cat, i.e. Cat-esby; and Lovel the dog, is Francis, Viscount Lovel, the king’s “spaniel.” The hog or boar was the crest of Richard III. William Collingham, the author of this rhyme (1413), was put to death for his pregnant wit.
The Rat, i.e. Rat-cliff; the Cat, i.e. Cat-esby; and Lovel the dog, is Francis, Viscount Lovel, the king’s “spaniel.” The hog or boar was the crest of Richard III. William Collingham, the author of this rhyme (1413), was put to death for his pregnant wit.
