From: "Alice Turner" <akt@attglobal.net>
Subject: (whorl) Revelation-BOTLS
Date: Tue, 29 May 2001 15:15:51 

This is from -Grace Abounding-, the autobiography of John (-Pilgrim's
Progress-) Bunyan. This happens on a Sunday: "as I was in the midst of a
game of Cat, and having struck it one blow from the Hole, just as I was
about to strike it the second time, a Voice did suddenly dart from
Heaven into my Soul, which said, -Wilt thou leave thy sins and go to
Heaven, or have thy sins and go to Hell?- At this I was put to an
exceeding Maze. Wherefore, leaving my Cat upon the ground, I looked up
to Heaven, and was as if I had, with the Eyes of my understanding, seen
the Lord Jesus looking down on me, as being very hotly displeased with
me, and as if he did severely threaten me with some grievous Punishment
for these and other my ungodly Practices."

Bunyan is famously Protestant, of course, but very famous too. Leaving
aside the accusatory nature of his revelation, doesn't it seem more than
coincidence that Silk, too, should be struck just in the middle of a
game? The game is called "tip-cat" according to the OED and is played
thus: A small piece of wood tapering at each end, used in the game of
tip-cat, etc.; it is hit at one end by the cat-stick, and made to spring
from the ground, and then driven away by a side stroke. Bunyan is among
the citations.

-alga


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