the hunchback of notre dame-第73节

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So　saying；　he　pointed　to　the　little　goat；　who；　on　seeing　Charmolue　gesticulating；　had；　in　point　of　fact；　thought　it　appropriate　to　do　the　same；　and　had　seated　himself　on　his　haunches；　reproducing　to　the　best　of　his　ability；　with　his　forepaws　and　his　bearded　head　the　pathetic　pantomine　of　the　king's　procurator　in　the　ecclesiastical　court。　　This　was；　if　the　reader　remembers；　one　of　his　prettiest　accomplishments。　　This　incident；　this　last　proof；　produced　a　great　effect。　　The　goat's　hoofs　were　tied；　and　the　king's　procurator　resumed　the　thread　of　his　eloquence。

It　was　very　long；　but　the　peroration　was　admirable。　　Here　is　the　concluding　phrase；　let　the　reader　add　the　hoarse　voice　and　the　breathless　gestures　of　Master　Charmolue；

〃~Ideo；　domni；　coram　stryga　demonstrata；　crimine　patente；　intentione　criminis　existente；　in　nornine　sanctoe　ecclesioe　Nostroe…　Domince　Parisiensis　quoe　est　in　saisina　habendi　omnimodam　altam　et　bassam　justitiam　in　illa　hac　intemerata　Civitatis　insula；　tenore　proesentium　declaremus　nos　requirere；　primo；　aliquamdam　pecuniariam　indemnitatem；　secundo；　amendationem　honorabilem　ante　portalium　maximum　Nostroe…Dominoe；　ecclesioe　cathedralis；　tertio；　sententiani　in　virtute　cujus　ista　styrga　cum　sua　capella；　seu　in　trivio　vulgariter　dicto~　la　Grève；　~seu　in　insula　exeunte　in　fluvio　Secanoe；　juxta　pointam　juardini　regalis；　executatoe　sint~！〃*


*　The　substance　of　this　exordium　is　contained　in　the　president's　sentence。


He　put　on　his　cap　again　and　seated　himself。

〃Eheu！〃　sighed　the　broken…hearted　Gringoire；　〃~bassa　latinitas~bastard　latin！〃

Another　man　in　a　black　gown　rose　near　the　accused；　he　was　her　lawyer。The　judges；　who　were　fasting；　began　to　grumble。

〃Advocate；　be　brief；〃　said　the　president。

〃Monsieur　the　President；〃　replied　the　advocate；　〃since　the　defendant　has　confessed　the　crime；　I　have　only　one　word　to　say　to　these　gentlemen。　　Here　is　a　text　from　the　Salic　law；　'If　a　witch　hath　eaten　a　man；　and　if　she　be　convicted　of　it；　she　shall　pay　a　fine　of　eight　thousand　deniers；　which　amount　to　two　hundred　sous　of　gold。'　May　it　please　the　chamber　to　condemn　my　client　to　the　fine？〃

〃An　abrogated　text；〃　said　the　advocate　extraordinary　of　the　king。

〃Nego；　I　deny　it；〃　replied　the　advocate。

〃Put　it　to　the　vote！〃　said　one　of　the　councillors；　〃the　crime　is　manifest；　and　it　is　late。〃

They　proceeded　to　take　a　vote　without　leaving　the　room。　The　judges　signified　their　assent　without　giving　their　reasons；　they　were　in　a　hurry。　　Their　capped　heads　were　seen　uncovering　one　after　the　other；　in　the　gloom；　at　the　lugubrious　question　addressed　to　them　by　the　president　in　a　low　voice。　　The　poor　accused　had　the　appearance　of　looking　at　them；　but　her　troubled　eye　no　longer　saw。

Then　the　clerk　began　to　write；　then　he　handed　a　long　parch…　ment　to　the　president。

Then　the　unhappy　girl　heard　the　people　moving；　the　pikes　clashing；　and　a　freezing　voice　saying　to　her；〃Bohemian　wench；　on　the　day　when　it　shall　seem　good　to　our　lord　the　king；　at　the　hour　of　noon；　you　will　be　taken　in　a　tumbrel；　in　your　shift；　with　bare　feet；　and　a　rope　about　your　neck；　before　the　grand　portal　of　Notre…Dame；　and　you　will　there　make　an　apology　with　a　wax　torch　of　the　weight　of　two　pounds　in　your　hand；　and　thence　you　will　be　conducted　to　the　Place　de　Grève；　where　you　will　be　hanged　and　strangled　on　the　town　gibbet；　and　likewise　your　goat；　and　you　will　pay　to　the　official　three　lions　of　gold；　in　reparation　of　the　crimes　by　you　committed　and　by　you　confessed；　of　sorcery　and　magic；　debauchery　and　murder；　upon　the　person　of　the　Sieur　Phoebus　de　Chateaupers。　　May　God　have　mercy　on　your　soul！〃

〃Oh！　　'tis　a　dream！〃　she　murmured；　and　she　felt　rough　hands　bearing　her　away。




CHAPTER　IV。

~LASCIATE　OGNI　SPERANZA~LEAVE　ALL　HOPE　BEHIND；　YE　WHO　ENTER　HERE。



In　the　Middle　Ages；　when　an　edifice　was　complete；　there　was　almost　as　much　of　it　in　the　earth　as　above　it。　　Unless　built　upon　piles；　like　Notre…Dame；　a　palace；　a　fortress；　a　church；　had　always　a　double　bottom。　　In　cathedrals；　it　was；　in　some　sort；　another　subterranean　cathedral；　low；　dark；　mysterious；　blind；　and　mute；　under　the　upper　nave　which　was　overflowing　with　light　and　reverberating　with　organs　and　bells　day　and　night。　　Sometimes　it　was　a　sepulchre。　　In　palaces；　in　fortresses；　it　was　a　prison；　sometimes　a　sepulchre　also；　sometimes　both　together。　　These　mighty　buildings；　whose　mode　of　formation　and　vegetation　we　have　elsewhere　explained；　had　not　simply　foundations；　but；　so　to　speak；　roots　which　ran　branching　through　the　soil　in　chambers；　galleries；　and　staircases；　like　the　construction　above。　　Thus　churches；　palaces；　fortresses；　had　the　earth　half　way　up　their　bodies。　The　cellars　of　an　edifice　formed　another　edifice；　into　which　one　descended　instead　of　ascending；　and　which　extended　its　subterranean　grounds　under　the　external　piles　of　the　monument；　like　those　forests　and　mountains　which　are　reversed　in　the　mirror…like　waters　of　a　lake；　beneath　the　forests　and　mountains　of　the　banks。

At　the　fortress　of　Saint…Antoine；　at　the　Palais　de　Justice　of　Paris；　at　the　Louvre；　these　subterranean　edifices　were　prisons。　The　stories　of　these　prisons；　as　they　sank　into　the　soil；　grew　constantly　narrower　and　more　gloomy。　　They　were　so　many　zones；　where　the　shades　of　horror　were　graduated。　　Dante　could　never　imagine　anything　better　for　his　hell。　　These　tunnels　of　cells　usually　terminated　in　a　sack　of　a　lowest　dungeon；　with　a　vat…like　bottom；　where　Dante　placed　Satan；　where　society　placed　those　condemned　to　death。　　A　miserable　human　existence；　once　interred　there；　farewell　light；　air；　life；　~ogni　speranza~every　hope；　it　only　came　forth　to　the　scaffold　or　the　stake。　　Sometimes　it　rotted　there；　human　justice　called　this　〃forgetting。〃　　Between　men　and　himself；　the　condemned　man　felt　a　pile　of　stones　and　jailers　weighing　down　upon　his　head；　and　the　entire　prison；　the　massive　bastille　was　nothing　more　than　an　enormous；　complicated　lock；　which　barred　him　off　from　the　rest　of　the　world。

It　was　in　a　sloping　cavity　of　this　description；　in　the　~oubliettes~　excavated　by　Saint…Louis；　in　the　~inpace~　of　the　Tournelle；　that　la　Esmeralda　had　been　placed　on　being　condemned　to　death；　through　fear　of　her　escape；　no　doubt；　with　the　colossal　court…house　over　her　head。　　Poor　fly；　who　could　not　have　lifted　even　one　of　its　blocks　of　stone！

Assuredly；　Providence　and　society　had　been　equally　unjust；　such　an　excess　of　unhappiness　and　of　torture　was　not　necessary　to　break　so　frail　a　creature。

There　she　lay；　lost　in　the　shadows；　buried；　hidden；　immured。　Any　one　who　could　have　beheld　her　in　this　state；　after　having　seen　her　laugh　and　dance　in　the　sun；　would　have　shuddered。　Cold　as　night；　cold　as　death；　not　a　breath　of　air　in　her　tresses；　not　a　human　sound　in　her　ear；　no　longer　a　ray　of　light　in　her　eyes；　snapped　in　twain；　crushed　with　chains；　crouching　beside　a　jug　and　a　loaf；　on　a　little　straw；　in　a　pool　of　water；　which　was　formed　under　her　by　the　sweating　of　the　prison　walls；　without　motion；　almost　without　breath；　she　had　no　longer　the　power　to　suffer；　Phoebus；　the　sun；　midday；　the　open　air；　the　streets　of　Paris；　the　dances　with　applause；　the　sweet　babblings　of　love　with　the　officer；　then　the　priest；　the　old　crone；　the　poignard；　the　blood；　the　torture；　the　gibbet；　all　this　did；　indeed；　pass　before　her　mind；　sometimes　as　a　charming　and　golden　vision；　sometimes　as　a　hideous　nightmare；　but　it　was　no　longer　anything　but　a　vague　and　horrible　struggle；　lost　in　the　gloom；　or　distant　music　played　up　above　ground；　and　which　was　no　longer　audible　at　the　depth　where　the　unhappy　girl　had　fallen。

Since　she　had　been　there；　she　had　neither　waked　nor　slept。　In　that　misfortune；　in　that　cell；　she　could　no　longer　distinguish　her　waking　hours　from　slumber；　dreams　from　reality；　any　more　than　day　from　night。　　All　this　was　mixed；　broken；　floating；　disseminated　confusedly　in　her　thought。　　She　no　longer　felt；　she　no　longer　knew；　she　no　longer　thought；　at　the　most；　she　only　dreamed。　　Never　had　a　living　creature　been　thrust　more　deeply　into　nothingness。

Thus　benumbed；　frozen；　petrified；　she　had　barely　noticed　on　two　or　three　occasions；　the　sound　of　a　trap　door　opening　somewhere　above　her；　without　even　permitting　the　passage　of　a　little　light；　and　through　which　a　hand　had　tossed　her　a　bit　of　black　bread。　　Nevertheless；　this　periodical　visit　of　the　jailer　was　the　sole　communication　which　was　left　her　with　mankind。

A　single　thing　still　mechanically　occupied　her　ear；　above　her　head；　the　dampness　was　filtering　through　the　mouldy　stones　of　the　vault；　and　a　drop　of　water　dropped　from　them　at　regular　intervals。　　She　listened　stupidly　to　the　noise　made　by　this　drop　of　water　as　it　fell　into　the　pool　beside　her。

This　drop　of　water　falling　from　time　to　time　into　that　pool；　was　the　only　movement　which　still　went　on　around　her；　the　only　clock　which　marked　the　time；　the　only　noise　which　reached　her　of　all　the　noise　made　on　the　surface　of　the　earth。

To　tell　the　whole；　however；　she　also　felt；　from　time　to　time；　in　that　cesspool　of　mire　and　darkness；　something　cold　passing　over　her　foot　or　her　arm；　and　she　shuddered。

How　long　had　she　been　there？　　She　did　not　know。　　She　had　a　recollection　of　a　sentence　of　death　pronounced　somewhere；　aga