An Accursed Race.docx
- 文档编号:11213888
- 上传时间:2023-02-25
- 格式:DOCX
- 页数:15
- 大小:28.08KB
An Accursed Race.docx
《An Accursed Race.docx》由会员分享,可在线阅读,更多相关《An Accursed Race.docx(15页珍藏版)》请在冰豆网上搜索。
AnAccursedRace
AnAccursedRacebyElizabethGaskellWehaveourprejudicesinEngland.Or,ifthatassertionoffendsanyofmyreaders,Iwillmodifyit:
wehavehadourprejudicesinEngland.WehavetorturedJews;wehaveburntCatholicsandProtestants,tosaynothingofafewwitchesandwizards.WehavesatirizedPuritans,andwehavedressed-upGuys.But,afterall,I
donotthinkwehavebeensobadasourContinentalfriends.Tobesure,ourinsularpositionhaskeptusfree,toacertaindegree,fromtheinroadsofalienraces;who,drivenfromonelandofrefuge,stealintoanotherequallyunwillingtoreceivethem;andwhere,forlongcenturies,theirpresenceisbarelyendured,andnopainsistakentoconcealtherepugnancewhichthenativesof"pureblood"
experiencetowardsthem.
ThereyetremainsaremnantofthemiserablepeoplecalledCagotsinthevalleysofthePyrenees;intheLandesnearBourdeaux;and,stretchinguponthewestsideofFrance,theirnumbersbecomelargerinLowerBrittany.Evennow,theoriginofthesefamiliesisawordofshametothemamongtheirneighbours;althoughtheyareprotectedbythelaw,whichconfirmedthemintheequalrightsofcitizensabouttheendofthelastcentury.Beforethentheyhadlived,forhundredsofyears,isolatedfromallthosewhoboastedofpureblood,andtheyhadbeen,allthistime,oppressedbycruellocaledicts.
Theyweretrulywhattheywerepopularlycalled,TheAccursedRace.
Alldistincttracesoftheiroriginarelost.EvenatthecloseofthatperiodwhichwecalltheMiddleAges,thiswasaproblemwhichnoonecouldsolve;andasthetraces,whicheventhenwerefaintanduncertain,havevanishedawayonebyone,itisacompletemysteryatthepresentday.Whytheywereaccursedinthefirstinstance,whyisolatedfromtheirkind,nooneknows.Fromtheearliestaccountsoftheirstatethatareyetremainingtous,itseemsthatthenameswhichtheygaveeachotherwereignoredbythepopulationtheylivedamongst,whospokeofthemasCrestiaa,orCagots,justaswespeakofanimalsbytheirgenericnames.Theirhousesorhutswerealwaysplacedatsomedistanceoutofthevillagesofthecountry-folk,whounwillinglycalledintheservicesoftheCagotsascarpenters,ortilers,orslaters--tradeswhichseemedappropriatedbythisunfortunaterace--whowereforbiddentooccupyland,ortobeararms,theusualoccupationsofthosetimes.Theyhadsomesmallrightofpasturageonthecommonlands,andintheforests:
butthenumberoftheircattleandlive-stockwasstrictlylimitedbytheearliestlawsrelatingtotheCagots.Theywereforbiddenbyoneacttohavemorethantwentysheep,apig,aram,andsixgeese.Thepigwastobefattenedandkilledforwinterfood;thefleeceofthesheepwastoclothethem;butifthesaidsheephadlambs,theywereforbiddentoeatthem.Theironlyprivilegearisingfromthisincreasewas,thattheymightchooseoutthestrongestandfinestinpreferencetokeepingtheoldsheep.AtMartinmastheauthoritiesofthecommunecameround,andcountedoverthestockofeachCagot.Ifhehadmorethanhisappointednumber,theywereforfeited;halfwenttothecommune,halftothebaillie,orchiefmagistrateofthecommune.
Thepoorbeastswerelimitedastotheamountofcommonwhichtheymightstrayoverinsearchofgrass.Whilethecattleoftheinhabitantsofthecommunemightwanderhitherandthitherinsearchofthesweetestherbage,thedeepestshade,orthecoolestpoolinwhichtostandonthehotdays,andlazilyswitchtheirdappledsides,theCagotsheepandpighadtolearnimaginarybounds,beyondwhichiftheystrayed,anyonemightsnapthemup,andkillthem,reservingapartofthefleshforhisownuse,butgraciouslyrestoringtheinferiorpartstotheiroriginalowner.Anydamagedonebythesheepwas,however,fairlyappraised,andtheCagotpaidnomoreforitthananyothermanwouldhavedone.
DidaCagotleavehispoorcabin,andventureintothetowns,eventorenderservicesrequiredofhiminthewayofhishewasbidden,byallthemunicipallaws,tostandbyandrememberhisrudeoldstate.
InallthetownsandvillagesthelargedistrictsextendingonbothsidesofthePyrenees--inallthatpartofSpain--theywereforbiddentobuyorsellanythingeatable,towalkinthemiddle(esteemedthebetter)partofthestreets,tocomewithinthegatesbeforesunrise,ortobefoundaftersunsetwithinthewallsofthetown.Butstill,astheCagotsweregood-lookingmen,and(althoughtheyborecertainnaturalmarksoftheircaste,ofwhichIshallspeakby-and-by)werenoteasilydistinguishedbycasualpassers-byfromothermen,theywerecompelledtowearsomedistinctivepeculiaritywhichshouldarresttheeye;and,inthegreaternumberoftowns,itwasdecreedthattheoutwardsignofaCagotshouldbeapieceofredclothsewedconspicuouslyonthefrontofhisdress.Inothertowns,themarkofCagoteriewasthefootofaduckoragoosehungovertheirleftshoulder,soastobeseenbyanyonemeetingthem.Afteratime,themoreconvenientbadgeofapieceofyellowclothcutoutintheshapeofaduck'sfoot,wasadopted.IfanyCagotwasfoundinanytownorvillagewithouthisbadge,hehadtopayafineoffivesous,andtolosehisdress.Hewasexpectedtoshrinkawayfromanypasser-by,forfearthattheirclothesshouldtoucheachother;orelsetostandstillinsomecornerorby-place.IftheCagotswerethirstyduringthedayswhichtheypassedinthosetownswheretheirpresencewasbarelysuffered,theyhadnomeansofquenchingtheirthirst,fortheywereforbiddentoenterintothelittlecabaretsortaverns.Eventhewatergushingoutofthecommonfountainwasprohibitedtothem.Faraway,intheirownsqualidvillage,therewastheCagotfountain,andtheywerenotallowedtodrinkofanyotherwater.ACagotwomanhavingtomakepurchasesinthetown,wasliabletobefloggedoutofitifshewenttobuyanythingexceptonaMonday--adayonwhichallotherpeoplewhocould,kepttheirhousesforfearofcomingincontactwiththeaccursedrace.
InthePaysBasque,theprejudices--andforsometimethelaws--ranstrongeragainstthemthananywhichIhavehithertomentioned.TheBasqueCagotwasnotallowedtopossesssheep.Hemightkeepapigforprovision,buthispighadnorightofpasturage.Hemightcutandcarrygrassfortheass,whichwastheonlyotheranimalhewaspermittedtoown;andthisasswaspermitted,becauseitsexistencewasratheranadvantagetotheoppressor,whoconstantlyavailedhimselfoftheCagot'smechanicalskill,andwasgladtohavehimandhistoolseasilyconveyedfromoneplacetoanother.
TheracewasrepulsedbytheState.Underthesmalllocalgovernmentstheycouldholdnopostwhatsoever.AndtheywerebarelytoleratedbytheChurch,althoughtheyweregoodCatholics,andzealousfrequentersofthemass.Theymightonlyenterthechurchesbyasmalldoorsetapartforthem,throughwhichnooneofthepureraceeverpassed.Thisdoorwaslow,soastocompelthemtomakeanobeisance.Itwasoccasionallysurroundedbysculpture,whichinvariablyrepresentedanoak-branchwithadoveaboveit.Whentheywereoncein,theymightnotgototheholywaterusedbyothers.
Theyhadabenitieroftheirown;norweretheyallowedtoshareintheconsecratedbreadwhenthatwashandedroundtothebelieversofthepurerace.TheCagotsstoodafaroff,nearthedoor.Therewerecertainboundaries--imaginarylinesonthenaveandintheisleswhichtheymightnotpass.InoneortwoofthemoretolerantofthePyreneanvillages,theblessedbreadwasofferedtotheCagots,theprieststandingononesideoftheboundary,andgivingthepiecesofbreadonalongwoodenforktoeachpersonsuccessively.
WhentheCagotdied,hewasinterredapart,inaplotburying-groundonthenorthsideofthecemetery.UndersuchlawsandprescriptionsasIhavedescribed,itisnowonderthathewasgenerallytoopoortohavemuchpropertyforhischildrentoinherit;butcertaindescriptionsofitwereforfeitedtothecommune.Theonlypossessionwhichallwhowerenotofhisownracerefusedtotouch,washisfurniture.Thatwastainted,infectious,unclean--fitfornonebutCagots.
Whensuchwere,foratleastthreecenturies,theprevalentusagesandopinionswithregardtothisoppressedrace,itisnotsurprisingthatwereadofoccasionaloutburstsofferociousviolenceontheirpart.IntheBasses-Pyrenees,forinstanceitisonlyaboutahundredyearssince,thattheCagotsofRehouilhesroseupagainsttheinhabitantsoftheneighbouringtownofLourdes,andgotthebetterofthem,bytheirmagicalpowersasitissaid.ThepeopleofLourdeswereconqueredandslain,andtheirghastly,bloodyheadsservedthetriumphantCagotsforballstoplayatninepinswith!
Thelocalparliamentshadbegun,bythistime,toperceivehowoppressivewasthebanofpublicopinionunderwhichtheCagotslay,andwerenotinclinedtoenforcetoosevereapunishment.Accordingly,thedecreeoftheparliamentofToulousecondemnedonlytheleadingCagotsconcernedinthisaffraytobeputtodeath,andthathenceforwardandforevernoCagotwastobepermittedtoenterthetownofLourdesbyanygatebutthatcalledCapdet-pourtet:
theywereonlytobeallowedtowalkundertherain-gutters,andneithertosit,eat,nordrinkinthetown.Iftheyfailedinobservinganyoftheserules,theparliamentdecreed,inthespiritofShylock,thatthedisobedientCagotsshouldhavetwostripsofflesh,weighingnevermorethantwoouncesa-piece,cutoutfromeachsideoftheirspines.
Inthefourteenth,fifteenth,andsixteenthcenturiesitwasconsiderednomoreacrimetokillaCagotthantodestroyobno
- 配套讲稿:
如PPT文件的首页显示word图标,表示该PPT已包含配套word讲稿。双击word图标可打开word文档。
- 特殊限制:
部分文档作品中含有的国旗、国徽等图片,仅作为作品整体效果示例展示,禁止商用。设计者仅对作品中独创性部分享有著作权。
- 关 键 词:
- An Accursed Race