the hunchback of notre dame-第1节

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The　Hunchback　of　Notre　Dame

by　Victor　Hugo




PREFACE。



A　few　years　ago；　while　visiting　or；　rather；　rummaging　about　Notre…Dame；　the　author　of　this　book　found；　in　an　obscure　nook　of　one　of　the　towers；　the　following　word；　engraved　by　hand　upon　the　wall：

　　　　　　　~ANArKH~。


These　Greek　capitals；　black　with　age；　and　quite　deeply　graven　in　the　stone；　with　I　know　not　what　signs　peculiar　to　Gothic　caligraphy　imprinted　upon　their　forms　and　upon　their　attitudes；　as　though　with　the　purpose　of　revealing　that　it　had　been　a　hand　of　the　Middle　Ages　which　had　inscribed　them　there；　and　especially　the　fatal　and　melancholy　meaning　contained　in　them；　struck　the　author　deeply。

He　questioned　himself；　he　sought　to　divine　who　could　have　been　that　soul　in　torment　which　had　not　been　willing　to　quit　this　world　without　leaving　this　stigma　of　crime　or　unhappiness　upon　the　brow　of　the　ancient　church。

Afterwards；　the　wall　was　whitewashed　or　scraped　down；　I　know　not　which；　and　the　inscription　disappeared。　　For　it　is　thus　that　people　have　been　in　the　habit　of　proceeding　with　the　marvellous　churches　of　the　Middle　Ages　for　the　last　two　hundred　years。　　Mutilations　come　to　them　from　every　quarter；　from　within　as　well　as　from　without。　　The　priest　whitewashes　them；　the　archdeacon　scrapes　them　down；　then　the　populace　arrives　and　demolishes　them。

Thus；　with　the　exception　of　the　fragile　memory　which　the　author　of　this　book　here　consecrates　to　it；　there　remains　to…day　nothing　whatever　of　the　mysterious　word　engraved　within　the　gloomy　tower　of　Notre…Dame；nothing　of　the　destiny　which　it　so　sadly　summed　up。　　　The　man　who　wrote　that　word　upon　the　wall　disappeared　from　the　midst　of　the　generations　of　man　many　centuries　ago；　the　word；　in　its　turn；　has　been　effaced　from　the　wall　of　the　church；　the　church　will；　perhaps；　itself　soon　disappear　from　the　face　of　the　earth。

It　is　upon　this　word　that　this　book　is　founded。

March；　1831。




TABLE　OF　CONTENTS。



VOLUME　I。

BOOK　FIRST。

I。　　　　The　Grand　Hall　II。　　　Pierre　Gringoire　III。　　Monsieur　the　Cardinal　IV。　　　Master　Jacques　Coppenole　V。　　　　Quasimodo　VI。　　　Esmeralda

BOOK　SECOND。　I。　　　　From　Charybdis　to　Scylla　II。　　　The　Place　de　Grève　III。　　Kisses　for　Blows　IV。　　　The　Inconveniences　of　Following　a　Pretty　Woman　through　　　　　　　　　the　Streets　in　the　Evening　V。　　　　Result　of　the　Dangers　VI。　　　The　Broken　Jug　VII。　　A　Bridal　Night

BOOK　THIRD。　I。　　　　Notre…Dame　II。　　　A　Bird's…eye　View　of　Paris

BOOR　FOURTH。　I。　　　　Good　Souls　II。　　　Claude　Frollo　III。　　Immanis　Pecoris　Custos；　Immanior　Ipse　IV。　　　The　Dog　and　his　Master　V。　　　　More　about　Claude　Frollo　VI。　　　Unpopularity

BOOK　FIFTH。　I。　　　　Abbas　Beati　Martini　II。　　　This　will　Kill　That

BOOK　SIXTH。　I。　　　　An　Impartial　Glance　at　the　Ancient　Magistracy　II。　　　The　Rat…hole　III。　　History　of　a　Leavened　Cake　of　Maize　IV。　　　A　Tear　for　a　Drop　of　Water　V。　　　　End　of　the　Story　of　the　Cake





BOOK　FIRST。






CHAPTER　1。

THE　GRAND　HALL。



Three　hundred　and　forty…eight　years；　six　months；　and　nineteen　days　ago　to…day；　the　Parisians　awoke　to　the　sound　of　all　the　bells　in　the　triple　circuit　of　the　city；　the　university；　and　the　town　ringing　a　full　peal。

The　sixth　of　January；　1482；　is　not；　however；　a　day　of　which　history　has　preserved　the　memory。　　There　was　nothing　notable　in　the　event　which　thus　set　the　bells　and　the　bourgeois　of　Paris　in　a　ferment　from　early　morning。　　It　was　neither　an　assault　by　the　Picards　nor　the　Burgundians；　nor　a　hunt　led　along　in　procession；　nor　a　revolt　of　scholars　in　the　town　of　Laas；　nor　an　entry　of　〃our　much　dread　lord；　monsieur　the　king；〃　nor　even　a　pretty　hanging　of　male　and　female　thieves　by　the　courts　of　Paris。　　Neither　was　it　the　arrival；　so　frequent　in　the　fifteenth　century；　of　some　plumed　and　bedizened　embassy。　It　was　barely　two　days　since　the　last　cavalcade　of　that　nature；　that　of　the　Flemish　ambassadors　charged　with　concluding　the　marriage　between　the　dauphin　and　Marguerite　of　Flanders；　had　made　its　entry　into　Paris；　to　the　great　annoyance　of　M。　le　Cardinal　de　Bourbon；　who；　for　the　sake　of　pleasing　the　king；　had　been　obliged　to　assume　an　amiable　mien　towards　this　whole　rustic　rabble　of　Flemish　burgomasters；　and　to　regale　them　at　his　H？tel　de　Bourbon；　with　a　very　〃pretty　morality；　allegorical　satire；　and　farce；〃　while　a　driving　rain　drenched　the　magnificent　tapestries　at　his　door。

What　put　the　〃whole　population　of　Paris　in　commotion；〃　as　Jehan　de　Troyes　expresses　it；　on　the　sixth　of　January；　was　the　double　solemnity；　united　from　time　immemorial；　of　the　Epiphany　and　the　Feast　of　Fools。

On　that　day；　there　was　to　be　a　bonfire　on　the　Place　de　Grève；　a　maypole　at　the　Chapelle　de　Braque；　and　a　mystery　at　the　Palais　de　Justice。　　It　had　been　cried；　to　the　sound　of　the　trumpet；　the　preceding　evening　at　all　the　cross　roads；　by　the　provost's　men；　clad　in　handsome；　short；　sleeveless　coats　of　violet　camelot；　with　large　white　crosses　upon　their　breasts。

So　the　crowd　of　citizens；　male　and　female；　having　closed　their　houses　and　shops；　thronged　from　every　direction；　at　early　morn；　towards　some　one　of　the　three　spots　designated。

Each　had　made　his　choice；　one；　the　bonfire；　another；　the　maypole；　another；　the　mystery　play。　　It　must　be　stated；　in　honor　of　the　good　sense　of　the　loungers　of　Paris；　that　the　greater　part　of　this　crowd　directed　their　steps　towards　the　bonfire；　which　was　quite　in　season；　or　towards　the　mystery　play；　which　was　to　be　presented　in　the　grand　hall　of　the　Palais　de　Justice　（the　courts　of　law）；　which　was　well　roofed　and　walled；　and　that　the　curious　left　the　poor；　scantily　flowered　maypole　to　shiver　all　alone　beneath　the　sky　of　January；　in　the　cemetery　of　the　Chapel　of　Braque。

The　populace　thronged　the　avenues　of　the　law　courts　in　particular；　because　they　knew　that　the　Flemish　ambassadors；　who　had　arrived　two　days　previously；　intended　to　be　present　at　the　representation　of　the　mystery；　and　at　the　election　of　the　Pope　of　the　Fools；　which　was　also　to　take　place　in　the　grand　hall。

It　was　no　easy　matter　on　that　day；　to　force　one's　way　into　that　grand　hall；　although　it　was　then　reputed　to　be　the　largest　covered　enclosure　in　the　world　（it　is　true　that　Sauval　had　not　yet　measured　the　grand　hall　of　the　Chateau　of　Montargis）。　The　palace　place；　encumbered　with　people；　offered　to　the　curious　gazers　at　the　windows　the　aspect　of　a　sea；　into　which　five　or　six　streets；　like　so　many　mouths　of　rivers；　discharged　every　moment　fresh　floods　of　heads。　　The　waves　of　this　crowd；　augmented　incessantly；　dashed　against　the　angles　of　the　houses　which　projected　here　and　there；　like　so　many　promontories；　into　the　irregular　basin　of　the　place。　　In　the　centre　of　the　lofty　Gothic*　fa？ade　of　the　palace；　the　grand　staircase；　incessantly　ascended　and　descended　by　a　double　current；　which；　after　parting　on　the　intermediate　landing…place；　flowed　in　broad　waves　along　its　lateral　slopes；the　grand　staircase；　I　say；　trickled　incessantly　into　the　place；　like　a　cascade　into　a　lake。　　The　cries；　the　laughter；　the　trampling　of　those　thousands　of　feet；　produced　a　great　noise　and　a　great　clamor。　　From　time　to　time；　this　noise　and　clamor　redoubled；　the　current　which　drove　the　crowd　towards　the　grand　staircase　flowed　backwards；　became　troubled；　formed　whirlpools。　This　was　produced　by　the　buffet　of　an　archer；　or　the　horse　of　one　of　the　provost's　sergeants；　which　kicked　to　restore　order；　an　admirable　tradition　which　the　provostship　has　bequeathed　to　the　constablery；　the　constablery　to　the　~maréchaussée~；　the　~maréchaussée~　to　our　~gendarmeri~　of　Paris。


*　　The　word　Gothic；　in　the　sense　in　which　it　is　generally　employed；　is　wholly　unsuitable；　but　wholly　consecrated。　　Hence　we　accept　it　and　we　adopt　it；　like　all　the　rest　of　the　world；　to　characterize　the　architecture　of　the　second　half　of　the　Middle　Ages；　where　the　ogive　is　the　principle　which　succeeds　the　architecture　of　the　first　period；　of　which　the　semi…circle　is　the　father。


Thousands　of　good；　calm；　bourgeois　faces　thronged　the　windows；　the　doors；　the　dormer　windows；　the　roofs；　gazing　at　the　palace；　gazing　at　the　populace；　and　asking　nothing　more；　for　many　Parisians　content　themselves　with　the　spectacle　of　the　spectators；　and　a　wall　behind　which　something　is　going　on　becomes　at　once；　for　us；　a　very　curious　thing　indeed。

If　it　could　be　granted　to　us；　the　men　of　1830；　to　mingle　in　thought　with　those　Parisians　of　the　fifteenth　century；　and　to　enter　with　them；　jostled；　elbowed；　pulled　about；　into　that　immense　hall　of　the　palace；　which　was　so　cramped　on　that　sixth　of　January；　1482；　the　spectacle　would　not　be　devoid　of　either　interest　or　charm；　and　we　should　have　about　us　only　things　that　were　so　old　that　they　would　seem　new。

With　the　reader's　consent；　we　will　endeavor　to　retrace　in　thought；　the　impression　which　he　would　have　experienced　in　company　with　us　on　crossing　the　threshold　of　that　grand　hall；　in　the　midst　of　that　tumultuous　crowd　in　surcoats；　short；　sleeveless　jackets；　and　doublets。

And；　first　of　all；　there　is　a　buzzing　in　the　ears；　a　dazzlement　in　the　eyes。　　Above　our　heads　is　a　double　ogive　vault；　panelled　with　wood　carving；　painted　azure；　and　sown　with　golden　fleurs…de…lis；　beneath　our　feet　a　pavement　of　black　and　white　marble；　alternating。　　A　few　paces　distant；　an