an accursed race-第4章

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towards　the　door；　and　might　enter　any　house　in　which　they　saw　a　loaf

in　this　position；　and　carry　it　away　with　them。　　About　thirty　years

ago；　there　was　the　skeleton　of　a　hand　hanging　up　as　an　offering　in　a

Breton　church　near　Quimperle；　and　the　tradition　was；　that　it　was　the

hand　of　a　rich　Cagot　who　had　dared　to　take　holy　water　out　of　the

usual　benitier；　some　time　at　the　beginning　of　the　reign　of　Louis　the

Sixteenth；　which　an　old　soldier　witnessing；　he　lay　in　wait；　and　the

next　time　the　offender　approached　the　benitier　he　cut　off　his　hand；

and　hung　it　up；　dripping　with　blood；　as　an　offering　to　the　patron

saint　of　the　church。　　The　poor　Cagots　in　Brittany　petitioned　against

their　opprobrious　name；　and　begged　to　be　distinguished　by　the

appelation　of　Malandrins。　　To　English　ears　one　is　much　the　same　as

the　other；　as　neither　conveys　any　meaning；　but；　to　this　day；　the

descendants　of　the　Cagots　do　not　like　to　have　this　name　applied　to

them；　preferring　that　of　Malandrin。



The　French　Cagots　tried　to　destroy　all　the　records　of　their　pariah

descent；　in　the　commotions　of　seventeen　hundred　and　eighty…nine；　but

if　writings　have　disappeared；　the　tradition　yet　remains；　and　points

out　such　and　such　a　family　as　Cagot；　or　Malandrin；　or　Oiselier；

according　to　the　old　terms　of　abhorrence。



There　are　various　ways　in　which　learned　men　have　attempted　to　account

for　the　universal　repugnance　in　which　this　well…made；　powerful　race

are　held。　　Some　say　that　the　antipathy　to　them　took　its　rise　in　the

days　when　leprosy　was　a　dreadfully　prevalent　disease；　and　that　the

Cagots　are　more　liable　than　any　other　men　to　a　kind　of　skin　disease；

not　precisely　leprosy；　but　resembling　it　in　some　of　its　symptoms；

such　as　dead　whiteness　of　complexion；　and　swellings　of　the　face　and

extremities。　　There　was　also　some　resemblance　to　the　ancient　Jewish

custom　in　respect　to　lepers；　in　the　habit　of　the　people；　who　on

meeting　a　Cagot　called　out；　〃Cagote？　Cagote？〃　to　which　they　were

bound　to　reply；　〃Perlute！　perlute！〃　　Leprosy　is　not　properly　an

infectious　complaint；　in　spite　of　the　horror　in　which　the　Cagot

furniture；　and　the　cloth　woven　by　them；　are　held　in　some　places；　the

disorder　is　hereditary；　and　hence　（say　this　body　of　wise　men；　who

have　troubled　themselves　to　account　for　the　origin　of　Cagoterie）　the

reasonableness　and　the　justice　of　preventing　any　mixed　marriages；　by

which　this　terrible　tendency　to　leprous　complaints　might　be　spread

far　and　wide。　　Another　authority　says；　that　though　the　Cagots　are

fine…looking　men；　hard…working；　and　good　mechanics；　yet　they　bear　in

their　faces；　and　show　in　their　actions；　reasons　for　the　detestation

in　which　they　are　held：　　their　glance；　if　you　meet　it；　is　the

jettatura；　or　evil…eye；　and　they　are　spiteful；　and　cruel；　and

deceitful　above　all　other　men。　　All　these　qualities　they　derive　from

their　ancestor　Gehazi；　the　servant　of　Elisha；　together　with　their

tendency　to　leprosy。



Again；　it　is　said　that　they　are　descended　from　the　Arian　Goths　who

were　permitted　to　live　in　certain　places　in　Guienne　and　Languedoc；

after　their　defeat　by　King　Clovis；　on　condition　that　they　abjured

their　heresy；　and　kept　themselves　separate　from　all　other　men　for

ever。　　The　principal　reason　alleged　in　support　of　this　supposition　of

their　Gothic　descent；　is　the　specious　one　of　derivation；Chiens

Gots；　Cans　Gets；　Cagots；　equivalent　to　Dogs　of　Goths。



Again；　they　were　thought　to　be　Saracens；　coming　from　Syria。　　In

confirmation　of　this　idea；　was　the　belief　that　all　Cagots　were

possessed　by　a　horrible　smell。　　The　Lombards；　also；　were　an

unfragrant　race；　or　so　reputed　among　the　Italians：　　witness　Pope

Stephen's　letter　to　Charlemagne；　dissuading　him　from　marrying　Bertha；

daughter　of　Didier；　King　of　Lombardy。　　The　Lombards　boasted　of

Eastern　descent；　and　were　noisome。　　The　Cagots　were　noisome；　and

therefore　must　be　of　Eastern　descent。　　What　could　be　clearer？　　In

addition；　there　was　the　proof　to　be　derived　from　the　name　Cagot；

which　those　maintaining　the　opinion　of　their　Saracen　descent　held　to

be　Chiens；　or　Chasseurs　des　Gots；　because　the　Saracens　chased　the

Goths　out　of　Spain。　　Moreover；　the　Saracens　were　originally

Mahometans；　and　as　such　obliged　to　bathe　seven　times　a…day：　　whence

the　badge　of　the　duck's　foot。　　A　duck　was　a　water…bird：　　Mahometans

bathed　in　the　water。　　Proof　upon　proof！



In　Brittany　the　common　idea　was；　they　were　of　Jewish　descent。　　Their

unpleasant　smell　was　again　pressed　into　service。　　The　Jews；　it　was

well　known；　had　this　physical　infirmity；　which　might　be　cured　either

by　bathing　in　a　certain　fountain　in　Egyptwhich　was　a　long　way　from

Brittanyor　by　anointing　themselves　with　the　blood　of　a　Christian

child。　　Blood　gushed　out　of　the　body　of　every　Cagot　on　Good　Friday。

No　wonder；　if　they　were　of　Jewish　descent。　　It　was　the　only　way　of

accounting　for　so　portentous　a　fact。　　Again；　the　Cagots　were　capital

carpenters；　which　gave　the　Bretons　every　reason　to　believe　that　their

ancestors　were　the　very　Jews　who　made　the　cross。　　When　first　the　tide

of　emigration　set　from　Brittany　to　America；　the　oppressed　Cagots

crowded　to　the　ports；　seeking　to　go　to　some　new　country；　where　their

race　might　be　unknown。　　Here　was　another　proof　of　their　descent　from

Abraham　and　his　nomadic　people：　　and；　the　forty　years'　wandering　in

the　wilderness　and　the　Wandering　Jew　himself；　were　pressed　into　the

service　to　prove　that　the　Cagots　derived　their　restlessness　and　love

of　change　from　their　ancestors；　the　Jews。　　The　Jews；　also；　practised

arts…magic；　and　the　Cagots　sold　bags　of　wind　to　the　Breton　sailors；

enchanted　maidens　to　love　themmaidens　who　never　would　have　cared

for　them；　unless　they　had　been　previously　enchantedmade　hollow

rocks　and　trees　give　out　strange　and　unearthly　noises；　and　sold　the

magical　herb　called　bon…succes。　　It　is　true　enough　that；　in　all　the

early　acts　of　the　fourteenth　century；　the　same　laws　apply　to　Jews　as

to　Cagots；　and　the　appellations　seem　used　indiscriminately；　but　their

fair　complexions；　their　remarkable　devotion　to　all　the　ceremonies　of

the　Catholic　Church；　and　many　other　circumstances；　conspire　to　forbid

our　believing　them　to　be　of　Hebrew　descent。



Another　very　plausible　idea　is；　that　they　are　the　descendants　of

unfortunate　individuals　afflicted　with　goitres；　which　is；　even　to

this　day；　not　an　uncommon　disorder　in　the　gorges　and　valleys　of　the

Pyrenees。　　Some　have　even　derived　the　word　goitre　from　Got；　or　Goth；

but　their　name；　Crestia；　is　not　unlike　Cretin；　and　the　same　symptoms

of　idiotism　were　not　unusual　among　the　Cagots；　although　sometimes；　if

old　tradition　is　to　be　credited；　their　malady　of　the　brain　took

rather　the　form　of　violent　delirium；　which　attacked　them　at　new　and

full　moons。　　Then　the　workmen　laid　down　their　tools；　and　rushed　off

from　their　labour　to　play　mad　pranks　up　and　down　the　country。

Perpetual　motion　was　required　to　alleviate　the　agony　of　fury　that

seized　upon　the　Cagots　at　such　times。　　In　this　desire　for　rapid

movement；　the　attack　resembled　the　Neapolitan　tarantella；　while　in

the　mad　deeds　they　performed　during　such　attacks；　they　were　not

unlike　the　northern　Berserker。　　In　Bearn　especially；　those　suffering

from　this　madness　were　dreaded　by　the　pure　race；　the　Bearnais；　going

to　cut　their　wooden　clogs　in　the　great　forests　that　lay　around　the

base　of　the　Pyrenees；　feared　above　all　things　to　go　too　near　the

periods　when　the　Cagoutelle　seized　on　the　oppressed　and　accursed

people；　from　whom　it　was　then　the　oppressors'　turn　to　fly。　　A　man　was

living　within　the　memory　of　some；　who　married　a　Cagot　wife；　he　used

to　beat　her　right　soundly　when　he　saw　the　first　symptoms　of　the

Cagoutelle；　and；　having　reduced　her　to　a　wholesome　state　of

exhaustion　and　insensibility；　he　locked　her　up　until　the　moon　had

altered　her　shape　in　the　heavens。　　If　he　had　not　taken　such　decided

steps；　say　the　oldest　inhabitants；　there　is　no　knowing　what　might

have　happened。



From　the　thirteenth　to　the　end