lect08-第3节

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Durrow；　Kells；　Swords；　Drumcliff；　and　other　houses　in　Ireland


founded　by　Columba；　as　well　as　of　the　parent　monastery　of　Hy；　and


the　〃family　of　Colum…kille〃　was　composed　of　the　congregations　or


inmates　and　dependants　of　all　those　monasteries。　The　families；


therefore；　of　such　monasteries　as　Clomacnois　or　Durrow　might


muster　a　very　respectable　body　of　fighting　men。'　Let　me　add；　that


there　is　very　good　evidence　that　these　'families　of　the　saints'


were　occasionally　engaged　in　sanguinary　little　wars。　But；　'in


general'　（I　now　quote　again　from　Dr　Todd）；　'the　〃family〃　meant


only　the　monks　or　religious　of　the　house。'


　　　　It　will　be　obvious　to　you　that　this　application　of　the　same


name　to　all　these　complicated　sets　of　relations　is　every　now　and


then　extremely　perplexing；　but　the　key　to　the　difficulty　is　the


conception　of　the　kindred　branching　off　in　successive　generations


from　the　common　stock；　planting　themselves　occasionally　at　a


distance；　but　never　altogether　breaking　the　bond　which　connected


them　with　their　original　family　and　chief。　Nothing；　let　me


observe；　can　be　more　curious　than　the　way　in　which；　throughout


these　artificial　structures；　the　original　natural　principle　upon


which　they　were　modelled　struggles　to　assert　itself　at　the


expense　of　the　imitative　system。　In　all　the　more　modern　guilds；


membership　always　tended　to　become　hereditary；　and　here　we　have


the　Brehon　law　striving　to　secure　a　preference；　in　elections　to


the　Abbacy；　to　the　actual　blood…relatives　of　the　sainted　founder。


The　ecclesiastical　rule；　we　know；　required　election　by　the　monks；


but　the　Corus　Bescna　declares　that；　on　a　vacancy；　the　'family　of


the　saint'　（which　here　means　the　founder's　sept）；　if　there　be　a


qualified　monk　among　them；　ought　to　be　preferred　in　elections　to


the　Abbacy　　'though　there　be　but　a　psalm…singer　of　them；　if　he


be　fit；　he　shall　have　it。'　And　it　proceeds　to　say　that；　if　no


relative　or　tribesman　of　the　saint　be　qualified；　the　Abbacy　shall


go　to　some　member　of　the　tribe　which　originally　granted　the　land。


　　　　A　very　modern　example　of　this　plasticity　of　the　notion　of


kinship　has　recently　been　brought　to　my　notice。　The　co…villagers


of　an　Indian　village　call　themselves　brothers；　although；　as　I


have　frequently　observed；　the　composition　of　the　community　is


often　artificial　and　its　origin　very　miscellaneous。　The


appellation；　at　the　same　time；　is　distinctly　more　than　a　mere


word。　Now；　some　of　the　Christian　missionaries　have　recently　tried


an　experiment　which　promises　to　have　much　success；　and　have


planted　in　villages　converts　collected　from　all　sorts　of


different　regions。　Yet　these　persons；　as　I　am　informed；　fall　into


a　'brotherhood'　quite　as　easily　and　talk　the　language　and　assume


the　habits　appropriate　to　it　quite　as　naturally　as　if　they　and


their　forefathers　had　been　members　from　time　immemorial　of　this


peculiarly　Indian　association；　the　village…community。


　　　　There　is；　however；　another　set　of　phenomena　which　belong　to


the　same　class；　but　which　seem　to　me　to　have　been　much


misunderstood。　When　men；　under　the　influence　of　the　cast　of


thought　we　are　discussing；　are　placed　in　circumstances　which


naturally　breed　affection　and　sympathy；　or　when　they　are　placed


in　a　relation　which　they　are　taught　to　consider　especially


sacred；　not　only　their　words　and　ideas　but　their　feelings；


emotions；　and　prejudices　mould　themselves　on　the　pattern　of　those


which　naturally　result　from　consanguinity。　We　have；　I　believe；　a


striking　example　of　the　process　in　the　history　of　the　Christian


Church。　You　know；　I　dare　say；　that　Spiritual　Relationship　or　the


tie　between　a　sponsor　and　a　baptized　person；　or　between　Sponsors；


or　even　between　the　sponsors　and　the　family　of　the　baptized；


became　by　degrees　the　source　of　a　great　number　of　prohibitions


against　intermarriage；　which　stood　on　the　same　level　with　those


based　on　affinity；　and　almost　with　those　founded　on


consanguinity。　The　earliest　evidence　we　have　that　this　order　of


ideas　was　stirring　the　Christian　community　is；　I　believe；　a


Constitution　of　Justinian　in　the　Code　（v。　4。　26）；　which　forbids


the　marriage　of　the　sponsor　with　the　baptized；　but　the


prohibitions　were　rapidly　extended　by　the　various　authorities


which　contributed　to　the　Canon　law；　and　were　finally　regulated


and　somewhat　narrowed　by　the　Council　of　Trent。　Nowadays；　I　am


told　that　they　merely　survive　formally　in　the　Roman　Catholic


Church；　and　that　dispensations　relaxing　them　are　obtainable　as　of


course。　The　explanation　of　the　system　by　technical　theologians　is


that　it　is　based　on　the　wish　to　give　a　peculiar　sacredness　to　the


bond　created　by　sponsorship；　and　this　I　believe　to　be　a　true


account　of　its　origin。　But　I　do　not　believe　that　Spiritual


Relationship；　a　structure　based　on　contract；　would　in　every　stage


of　thought　have　assimilated　itself　to　natural　relationship。　The


system　developed　itself　just　when　Christianity　was　being　diffused


among　races　whose　social　organisation　was　founded　on　kinship；　and


I　cannot　but　think　that　their　ideas　reacted　on　the　Church。　With


such　races　a　very　sacred　tie　was　necessarily　of　the　nature　of　a


family　tie；　and　carried　with　it　the　same　associations　and　the


same　order　of　feeling。　I　do　not；　therefore；　consider　that　such


terms　as　Gossipred；　Godfather；　Godson　　to　which　there　are


counterparts　in　several　languages　　were　created　by　the　theory


of　Spiritual　Relationship；　but　rather　that　they　mark　the　process


by　which　that　theory　was　formed。


　　　　It　seems　to　me　accordingly　in　the　highest　degree　natural　that


Spiritual　Relationship；　when　introduced　into　a　tribal　society


like　that　of　the　ancient　Irish；　should　closely　assimilate　itself


to　blood…relationship。　We　know　in　fact　that　it　did　so；　and　that


the　stringency　of　the　relation　and　the　warmth　of　the　affections


which　it　produced　moved　the　scorn；　the　wrath；　and　the


astonishment　of　several　generations　of　English　observers；


deriving　their　ideas　from　a　social　order　now　become　very　unlike


that　of　Ireland。　But　by　the　side　of　Gossipred；　or　Spiritual


Relationship；　there　stood　another　much　more　primitive


institution；　which　was　extraordinarily　developed　among　the


ancient　Irish；　though　not　at　all　peculiar　to　them。　This　was


Fosterage；　the　giving　and　taking　of　children　for　nurture。　Of　the


reasons　why　this　practice；　now　known　to　have　been　widely　diffused


among　Aryan　communities；　should　have　had　an　exceptional


importance　and　popularity　in　ireland；　we　can　say　little　more　than


that　they　probably　belong　to　the　accidents　of　Irish　history　and


of　Irish　social　life。　But　of　the　fact　there　is　no　doubt。　An


entire　sub…tract　in　the　Senchus　Mor　is　devoted　to　the　Law　of


Fosterage；　and　sets　out　with　the　greatest　minuteness　the　rights


and　duties　attaching　to　all　parties　when　the　children　of　another


family　were　received　for　nurture　and　education。　It　is　classed；


with　Gossipred；　as　one　of　the　anomalies　or　curses　of　Ireland　by


all　her　English　critics；　from　Giraldus　Cambrensis　in　the　twelfth


century　to　Spenser　in　the　sixteenth。　It　seemed　to　them　monstrous


that　the　same　mother's　milk　should　produce　in　Ireland　the　same


close　affections　as　did　common　paternity　in　their　own　country。


The　true　explanation　was　one　which　is　only　now　dawning　On　us。　It


was；　that　Fosterage　was　an　institution　which；　though　artificial


in　its　commencements；　was　natural　in　its　operations；　and　that　the


relation　of　foster…parent　and　foster…child　tended；　in　that　stage


of　feeling；　to　become　indistinguishable　from　the　relation　of


father　and　son。


　　　　The　form　of　Fosterage　which　has　most　interest　for　the　modern


enquirer　is　called　by　the　Translators　of　the　Brehon　tracts


Literary　Fosterage。　It　was　an　institution　nearly　connected　with


the　existence　of　the　Brehon　Law　Schools；　and　it　consists　of　the


various　relations　established　between　the　Brehon　teacher　and　the


pupils　he　received　into　his　house　for　instruction　in　the　Brehon


lore。　However　it　may　surprise　us　that　the　connection　between


Schoolmaster　and　Pupil　was　regarded　as　peculiarly　sacred　by　the


ancient　Irish；　and　as　closely　resembling　natural　fatherhood；　the


Brehon　tracts　leave　no　room　for　doubt　on　the　point。　It　is


expressly　laid　down　that　it　created　the　same　Patria　Potestas　as


actual　paternity；　and　the　literary　fosterfather；　though　he


teaches　gratuitously；　has　a　claim　through　life　upon　portions　of


the　property　of　the　literary　foster…son。　Thus　the　Brehon　with　his


pupils　constituted　not　a　school　in　our　sense　but　a　true　family。


While　the　ordinary　foster…father　was　bound　by　the　law　to　give


education　of　some　kind　to　his　foster…children　　to　the　sons　of


chiefs　instructions　in　riding；　shooting　with　the　bow；　swimming；


and　chess…playing；　and　instruction　to　their　daughters　in