the golden bough-第96节

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mit　to　him；　and　consider　him　as　being　as　much　their　sovereign　as　they　did　their　former　prince；　and　obey　his　orders　implicitly。　The　people　of　Bengal　say；　'We　are　faithful　to　the　throne；　whoever　fills　the　throne　we　are　obedient　and　true　to　it。'　A　custom　of　the　same　sort　formerly　prevailed　in　the　little　kingdom　of　Passier；　on　the　northern　coast　of　Sumatra。　The　old　Portuguese　historian　De　Barros；　who　informs　us　of　it；　remarks　with　surprise　that　no　wise　man　would　wish　to　be　king　of　Passier；　since　the　monarch　was　not　allowed　by　his　subjects　to　live　long。　From　time　to　time　a　sort　of　fury　seized　the　people；　and　they　marched　through　the　streets　of　the　city　chanting　with　loud　voices　the　fatal　words；　The　king　must　die！　When　the　king　heard　that　song　of　death　he　knew　that　his　hour　had　come。　The　man　who　struck　the　fatal　blow　was　of　the　royal　lineage；　and　as　soon　as　he　had　done　the　deed　of　blood　and　seated　himself　on　the　throne　he　was　regarded　as　the　legitimate　king；　provided　that　he　contrived　to　maintain　his　seat　peaceably　for　a　single　day。　This；　however；　the　regicide　did　not　always　succeed　in　doing。　When　Fern？o　Peres　d'Andrade；　on　a　voyage　to　China；　put　in　at　Passier　for　a　cargo　of　spices；　two　kings　were　massacred；　and　that　in　the　most　peaceable　and　orderly　manner；　without　the　smallest　sign　of　tumult　or　sedition　in　the　city；　where　everything　went　on　in　its　usual　course；　as　if　the　murder　or　execution　of　a　king　were　a　matter　of　everyday　occurrence。　Indeed；　on　one　occasion　three　kings　were　raised　to　the　dangerous　elevation　and　followed　each　other　in　the　dusty　road　of　death　in　a　single　day。　The　people　defended　the　custom；　which　they　esteemed　very　laudable　and　even　of　divine　institution；　by　saying　that　God　would　never　allow　so　high　and　mighty　a　being　as　a　king；　who　reigned　as　his　vicegerent　on　earth；　to　perish　by　violence　unless　for　his　sins　he　thoroughly　deserved　it。　Far　away　from　the　tropical　island　of　Sumatra　a　rule　of　the　same　sort　appears　to　have　obtained　among　the　old　Slavs。　When　the　captives　Gunn　and　Jarmerik　contrived　to　slay　the　king　and　queen　of　the　Slavs　and　made　their　escape；　they　were　pursued　by　the　barbarians；　who　shouted　after　them　that　if　they　would　only　come　back　they　would　reign　instead　of　the　murdered　monarch；　since　by　a　public　statute　of　the　ancients　the　succession　to　the　throne　fell　to　the　king's　assassin。　But　the　flying　regicides　turned　a　deaf　ear　to　promises　which　they　regarded　as　mere　baits　to　lure　them　back　to　destruction；　they　continued　their　flight；　and　the　shouts　and　clamour　of　the　barbarians　gradually　died　away　in　the　distance。

When　kings　were　bound　to　suffer　death；　whether　at　their　own　hands　or　at　the　hands　of　others；　on　the　expiration　of　a　fixed　term　of　years；　it　was　natural　that　they　should　seek　to　delegate　the　painful　duty；　along　with　some　of　the　privileges　of　sovereignty；　to　a　substitute　who　should　suffer　vicariously　in　their　stead。　This　expedient　appears　to　have　been　resorted　to　by　some　of　the　princes　of　Malabar。　Thus　we　are　informed　by　a　native　authority　on　that　country　that　in　some　places　all　powers　both　executive　and　judicial　were　delegated　for　a　fixed　period　to　natives　by　the　sovereign。　This　institution　was　styled　Thalavettiparothiam　or　authority　obtained　by　decapitation。　It　was　an　office　tenable　for　five　years　during　which　its　bearer　was　invested　with　supreme　despotic　powers　within　his　jurisdiction。　On　the　expiry　of　the　five　years　the　man's　head　was　cut　off　and　thrown　up　in　the　air　amongst　a　large　concourse　of　villagers；　each　of　whom　vied　with　the　other　in　trying　to　catch　it　in　its　course　down。　He　who　succeeded　was　nominated　to　the　post　for　the　next　five　years。

When　once　kings；　who　had　hitherto　been　bound　to　die　a　violent　death　at　the　end　of　a　term　of　years；　conceived　the　happy　thought　of　dying　by　deputy　in　the　persons　of　others；　they　would　very　naturally　put　it　in　practice；　and　accordingly　we　need　not　wonder　at　finding　so　popular　an　expedient；　or　traces　of　it；　in　many　lands。　Scandinavian　traditions　contain　some　hints　that　of　old　the　Swedish　kings　reigned　only　for　periods　of　nine　years；　after　which　they　were　put　to　death　or　had　to　find　a　substitute　to　die　in　their　stead。　Thus　Aun　or　On；　king　of　Sweden；　is　said　to　have　sacrificed　to　Odin　for　length　of　days　and　to　have　been　answered　by　the　god　that　he　should　live　so　long　as　he　sacrificed　one　of　his　sons　every　ninth　year。　He　sacrificed　nine　of　them　in　this　manner；　and　would　have　sacrificed　the　tenth　and　last；　but　the　Swedes　would　not　allow　him。　So　he　died　and　was　buried　in　a　mound　at　Upsala。　Another　indication　of　a　similar　tenure　of　the　crown　occurs　in　a　curious　legend　of　the　deposition　and　banishment　of　Odin。　Offended　at　his　misdeeds；　the　other　gods　outlawed　and　exiled　him；　but　set　up　in　his　place　a　substitute；　Oller　by　name；　a　cunning　wizard；　to　whom　they　accorded　the　symbols　both　of　royalty　and　of　godhead。　The　deputy　bore　the　name　of　Odin；　and　reigned　for　nearly　ten　years；　when　he　was　driven　from　the　throne；　while　the　real　Odin　came　to　his　own　again。　His　discomfited　rival　retired　to　Sweden　and　was　afterwards　slain　in　an　attempt　to　repair　his　shattered　fortunes。　As　gods　are　often　merely　men　who　loom　large　through　the　mists　of　tradition；　we　may　conjecture　that　this　Norse　legend　preserves　a　confused　reminiscence　of　ancient　Swedish　kings　who　reigned　for　nine　or　ten　years　together；　then　abdicated；　delegating　to　others　the　privilege　of　dying　for　their　country。　The　great　festival　which　was　held　at　Upsala　every　nine　years　may　have　been　the　occasion　on　which　the　king　or　his　deputy　was　put　to　death。　We　know　that　human　sacrifices　formed　part　of　the　rites。

There　are　some　grounds　for　believing　that　the　reign　of　many　ancient　Greek　kings　was　limited　to　eight　years；　or　at　least　that　at　the　end　of　every　period　of　eight　years　a　new　consecration；　a　fresh　outpouring　of　the　divine　grace；　was　regarded　as　necessary　in　order　to　enable　them　to　discharge　their　civil　and　religious　duties。　Thus　it　was　a　rule　of　the　Spartan　constitution　that　every　eighth　year　the　ephors　should　choose　a　clear　and　moonless　night　and　sitting　down　observe　the　sky　in　silence。　If　during　their　vigil　they　saw　a　meteor　or　shooting　star；　they　inferred　that　the　king　had　sinned　against　the　deity；　and　they　suspended　him　from　his　functions　until　the　Delphic　or　Olympic　oracle　should　reinstate　him　in　them。　This　custom；　which　has　all　the　air　of　great　antiquity；　was　not　suffered　to　remain　a　dead　letter　even　in　the　last　period　of　the　Spartan　monarchy；　for　in　the　third　century　before　our　era　a　king；　who　had　rendered　himself　obnoxious　to　the　reforming　party；　was　actually　deposed　on　various　trumped…up　charges；　among　which　the　allegation　that　the　ominous　sign　had　been　seen　in　the　sky　took　a　prominent　place。

If　the　tenure　of　the　regal　office　was　formerly　limited　among　the　Spartans　to　eight　years；　we　may　naturally　ask；　why　was　that　precise　period　selected　as　the　measure　of　a　king's　reign？　The　reason　is　probably　to　be　found　in　those　astronomical　considerations　which　determined　the　early　Greek　calendar。　The　difficulty　of　reconciling　lunar　with　solar　time　is　one　of　the　standing　puzzles　which　has　taxed　the　ingenuity　of　men　who　are　emerging　from　barbarism。　Now　an　octennial　cycle　is　the　shortest　period　at　the　end　of　which　sun　and　moon　really　mark　time　together　after　overlapping；　so　to　say；　throughout　the　whole　of　the　interval。　Thus；　for　example；　it　is　only　once　in　every　eight　years　that　the　full　moon　coincides　with　the　longest　or　shortest　day；　and　as　this　coincidence　can　be　observed　with　the　aid　of　a　simple　dial；　the　observation　is　naturally　one　of　the　first　to　furnish　a　base　for　a　calendar　which　shall　bring　lunar　and　solar　times　into　tolerable；　though　not　exact；　harmony。　But　in　early　days　the　proper　adjustment　of　the　calendar　is　a　matter　of　religious　concern；　since　on　it　depends　a　knowledge　of　the　right　seasons　for　propitiating　the　deities　whose　favour　is　indispensable　to　the　welfare　of　the　community。　No　wonder；　therefore；　that　the　king；　as　the　chief　priest　of　the　state；　or　as　himself　a　god；　should　be　liable　to　deposition　or　death　at　the　end　of　an　astronomical　period。　When　the　great　luminaries　had　run　their　course　on　high；　and　were　about　to　renew　the　heavenly　race；　it　might　well　be　thought　that　the　king　should　renew　his　divine　energies；　or　prove　them　unabated；　under　pain　of　making　room　for　a　more　vigorous　successor。　In　Southern　India；　as　we　have　seen；　the　king's　reign　and　life　terminated　with　the　revolution　of　the　planet　Jupiter　round　the　sun。　In　Greece；　on　the　other　hand；　the　king's　fate　seems　to　have　hung　in　the　balance　at　the　end　of　every　eight　years；　ready　to　fly　up　and　kick　the　beam　as　soon　as　the　opposite　scale　was　loaded　with　a　falling　star。

Whatever　its　origin　may　have　been；　the　cycle　of　eight　years　appears　to　have　coincided　with　the　normal　length　of　the　king's　reign　in　other　parts　of　Greece　besides　Sparta。　Thus　Minos；　king　of　Cnossus　in　Crete；　whose　great　palace　has　been　unearthed　in　recent　years；　is　said　to　have　held　office　for　periods　of　eight　years　together。　At　the　end　of　each　period　he　retired　for　a　season　to　the　oracular　cave　on　Mount　Ida；　and　there　communed　with　his　divine　father　Zeus；　giving　him　an　account　of　his　kingship　in　the　years　that　were　past；　and　receiving　from　him　instructions　for　his　guidance　in　those