The Life and Death of Richard Yea-and-Nay

Sì che a bene sperar mi era cagione Di quella fera alla gaietta pelle. Inf. i. 41. NEW YORK THE MACMILLAN COMPANY LONDON; MACMILLAN & CO., LTD. 1901 Set up and electrotyped October, 1900. Reprinted November, December, twice, 1900; January, February, twice, 1901 Norwood Press J.B. Cushing & Co.—Berwick & Smith Norwood Mass. U.S.A. TO HIS FRIEND EDMUND GOSSE (ALWAYS BENEVOLENT TO HIS INVENTION) THIS CHRONICLE OF ANJOU AND A NOBLE LADY IS DEDICATED BY M.H.
I like this good man's account of leopards, and find it more pertinent to my matter than you might think. Milo was a Carthusian monk, abbot of the cloister of Saint Mary-of-the-Pine by Poictiers; it was his distinction to be the life-long friend of a man whose friendships were few: certainly it may be said of him that he knew as much of leopards as any one of his time and nation, and that his knowledge was better grounded.
'Your leopard,' he writes, 'is alleged in the books to be offspring of the Lioness and the Pard; and his name, if the Realists have any truth on their side, establishes the fact. But I think he should be called Leolupé, which is to say, got by lion out of bitch-wolf, since two essences burn in him as well as two sorts. This is the nature of the leopard: it is a spotted beast, having two souls, a bright soul and a dark soul. It is black and golden, slim and strong, cat and dog. Hunger drives a dog to hunt, so the leopard; passion the cat, so the leopard. A cat is sufficient unto himself, and a leopard is so; but a dog hangs on a man's nod, and a leopard can so be beguiled. A leopard is sleek as a cat and pleased by stroking; like a cat he will scratch his friend on occasion. Yet again, he has a dog's intrepidity, knows no fear, is single-purposed, not to be called off, longanimous. But the cat in him makes him wary, tempts him to treacherous dealing, keeps him apart from counsels, advises him to keep his own. So the leopard is a lonely beast.' This is interesting, and may be true. But mark him as he goes on.