an accursed race-第4节

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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　of　the　nineteenth　century；　there　are

facts　enough　to　prove　the　universal　abhorrence　in　which　this

unfortunate　race　was　held；　whether　called　Cagots；　or　Gahets　in

Pyrenean　districts；　Caqueaux　in　Brittany；　or　Yaqueros　Asturias。　　The

great　French　revolution　brought　some　good　out　of　its　fermentation　of

the　people：　　the　more　intelligent　among　them　tried　to　overcome　the

prejudice　against　the　Cagots。



In　seventeen　hundred　and　eighteen；　there　was　a　famous　cause　tried　at

Biarritz　relating　to　Cagot　rights　and　privileges。　　There　was　a

wealthy　miller；　Etienne　Arnauld　by　name；　of　the　race　of　Gotz；

Quagotz；　Bisigotz；　Astragotz；　or　Gahetz；　as　his　people　are　described

in　the　legal　document。　　He　married　an　heiress；　a　Gotte　（or　Cagot）　of

Biarritz；　and　the　newly…married　well…to…do　couple　saw　no　reason　why

they　should　stand　near　the　door　in　the　church；　nor　why　he　should　not

hold　some　civil　office　in　the　commune；　of　which　he　was　the　principal

inhabitant。　　Accordingly；　he　petitioned　the　law　that　he　and　his　wife

might　be　allowed　to　sit　in　the　gallery　of　the　church；　and　that　he

might　be　relieved　from　his　civil　disabilities。　　This　wealthy　white

miller；　Etienne　Arnauld；　pursued　his　rights　with　some　vigour　against

the　Baillie　of　Labourd；　the　dignitary　of　the　neighbourhood。

Whereupon　the　inhabitants　of　Biarritz　met　in　the　open　air；　on　the

eighth　of　May；　to　the　number　of　one　hundred　and　fifty；　approved　of

the　conduct　of　the　Baillie　in　rejecting　Arnauld；　made　a　subscription；

and　gave　all　power　to　their　lawyers　to　defend　the　cause　of　the　pure

race　against　Etienne　Arnauld〃that　stranger；〃　who；　having　married　a

girl　of　Cagot　blood；　ought　also　to　be　expelled　from　the　holy　places。

This　lawsuit　was　carried　through　all　the　local　courts；　and　ended　by

an　appeal　to　the　highest　court　in　Paris；　where　a　decision　was　given

against　Basque　superstitions；　and　Etienne　Arnauld　was　thenceforward

entitled　to　enter　the　gallery　of　the　church。



Of　course；　the　inhabitants　of　Biarritz　were　all　the　more　ferocious

for　having　been　conquered；　and；　four　years　later；　a　carpenter；　named

Miguel　Legaret；　suspected　of　Cagot　descent；　having　placed　himself　in

the　church　among　other　people；　was　dragged　out　by　the　abbe　and　two　of

the　jurets　of　the　parish。　　Legaret　defended　himself　with　a　sharp

knife　at　the　time；　and　went　to　law　afterwards；　the　end　of　which　was；

that　the　abbe　and　his　two　accomplices　were　condemned　to　a　public

confession　of　penitence；　to　be　uttered　while　on　their　knees　at　the

church　door；　just　after　high…mass。　　They　appealed　to　the　parliament

of　Bourdeaux　against　this　decision；　but　met　with　no　better　success

than　the　opponents　of　the　miller　Arnauld。　　Legaret　was　confirmed　in

his　right　of　standing　where　he　would　in　the　parish　church。　　That　a

living　Cagot　had　equal　rights　with　other　men　in　the　town　of　Biarritz

seemed　now　ceded　to　them；　but　a　dead　Cagot　was　a　different　thing。

The　inhabitants　of　pure　blood　struggled　long　and　hard　to　be　interred

apart　from　the　abhorred　race。　　The　Cagots　were　equally　persistent　in

claiming　to　have　a　common　burying…ground。　　Again　the　texts　of　the　Old

Testament　were　referred　to；　and　the　pure　blood　quoted　triumphantly

the　precedent　of　Uzziah　the　leper　（twenty…sixth　chapter　of　the　second

book　of　Chronicles）；　who　was　buried　in　the　field　of　the　Sepulchres　of

the　Kings；　not　in　the　sepulchres　themselves。　　The　Cagots　pleaded　that

they　were　healthy　and　able…bodied；　with　no　taint　of　leprosy　near

them。　　They　were　met　by　the　strong　argument　so　difficult　to　be

refuted；　which　I　quoted　before。　　Leprosy　was　of　two　kinds；

perceptible　and　imperceptible。　　If　the　Cagots　were　suffering　from　the

latter　kind；　who　could　tell　whether　they　were　free　from　it　or　not？

That　decision　must　be　left　to　the　judgment　of　others。



One　sturdy　Cagot　family　alone；　Belone　by　name；　kept　up　a　lawsuit；

claiming　the　privilege　of　common　sepulture；　for　forty…two　years；

al