the zincali-第26章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！




from　St。　Lorenzo；　of　the　Escurial。　　From　the　words　of　this　edict；　



and　the　measures　resolved　upon；　the　reader　may　form　some　idea　of　



the　excesses　of　the　Gitanos　at　this　period。　　They　are　to　be　hunted　



down　with　fire　and　sword；　and　even　the　sanctity　of　the　temples　is　



to　be　invaded　in　their　pursuit；　and　the　Gitanos　dragged　from　the　



horns　of　the　altar；　should　they　flee　thither　for　refuge。　　It　was　



impossible；　in　Spain；　to　carry　the　severity　of　persecution　farther；　



as　the　very　parricide　was　in　perfect　safety；　could　he　escape　to　the　



church。　　Here　follows　part　of　this　law：…







'I　have　resolved　that　all　the　lord…lieutenants；　intendants；　and　



corregidors　shall　publish　proclamations；　and　fix　edicts；　to　the　



effect　that　all　the　Gitanos　who　are　domiciled　in　the　cities　and　



towns　of　their　jurisdiction　shall　return　within　the　space　of　



fifteen　days　to　their　places　of　domicile；　under　penalty　of　being　



declared；　at　the　expiration　of　that　term；　as　public　banditti；　



subject　to　be　fired　at　in　the　event　of　being　found　with　arms；　or　



without　them；　beyond　the　limits　of　their　places　of　domicile；　and　at　



the　expiration　of　the　term　aforesaid；　the　lord…lieutenants；　



intendants；　and　corregidors　are　strictly　commanded；　that　either　



they　themselves；　or　suitable　persons　deputed　by　them；　march　out　



with　armed　soldiery；　or　if　there　be　none　at　hand；　with　the　



militias；　and　their　officers；　accompanied　by　the　horse　rangers；　



destined　for　the　protection　of　the　revenue；　for　the　purpose　of　



scouring　the　whole　district　within　their　jurisdiction；　making　use　



of　all　possible　diligence　to　apprehend　such　Gitanos　as　are　to　be　



found　on　the　public　roads　and　other　places　beyond　their　domiciliary　



bounds；　and　to　inflict　upon　them　the　penalty　of　death；　for　the　mere　



act　of　being　found。







'And　in　the　event　of　their　taking　refuge　in　sacred　places；　they　are　



empowered　to　drag　them　forth；　and　conduct　them　to　the　neighbouring　



prisons　and　fortresses；　and　provided　the　ecclesiastical　judges　



proceed　against　the　secular；　in　order　that　they　be　restored　to　the　



church；　they　are　at　liberty　to　avail　themselves　of　the　recourse　to　



force；　countenanced　by　laws　declaring；　even　as　I　now　declare；　that　



all　the　Gitanos　who　shall　leave　their　allotted　places　of　abode；　are　



to　be　held　as　incorrigible　rebels；　and　enemies　of　the　public　



peace。'







From　this　period；　until　the　year　1780；　various　other　laws　and　



schedules　were　directed　against　the　Gitanos；　which；　as　they　contain　



nothing　very　new　or　remarkable；　we　may　be　well　excused　from　



particularising。　　In　1783；　a　law　was　passed　by　the　government；　



widely　differing　in　character　from　any　which　had　hitherto　been　



enacted　in　connection　with　the　Gitano　caste　or　religion　in　Spain。















CHAPTER　XII















CARLOS　TERCERO；　or　Charles　the　Third；　ascended　the　throne　of　Spain　



in　the　year　1759；　and　died　in　1788。　　No　Spanish　monarch　has　left　



behind　a　more　favourable　impression　on　the　minds　of　the　generality　



of　his　countrymen；　indeed；　he　is　the　only　one　who　is　remembered　at　



all　by　all　ranks　and　conditions；　…　perhaps　he　took　the　surest　means　



for　preventing　his　name　being　forgotten；　by　erecting　a　durable　



monument　in　every　large　town；　…　we　do　not　mean　a　pillar　surmounted　



by　a　statue；　or　a　colossal　figure　on　horseback；　but　some　useful　and　



stately　public　edifice。　　All　the　magnificent　modern　buildings　which　



attract　the　eye　of　the　traveller　in　Spain；　sprang　up　during　the　



reign　of　Carlos　Tercero；　…　for　example；　the　museum　at　Madrid；　the　



gigantic　tobacco　fabric　at　Seville；　…　half　fortress；　half　



manufactory；　…　and　the　Farol；　at　Coruna。　　We　suspect　that　these　



erections；　which　speak　to　the　eye；　have　gained　him　far　greater　



credit　amongst　Spaniards　than　the　support　which　he　afforded　to　



liberal　opinions；　which　served　to　fan　the　flame　of　insurrection　in　



the　new　world；　and　eventually　lost　for　Spain　her　transatlantic　



empire。







We　have　said　that　he　left　behind　him　a　favourable　impression　



amongst　the　generality　of　his　countrymen；　by　which　we　mean　the　



great　body　found　in　every　nation；　who　neither　think　nor　reason；　…　



for　there　are　amongst　the　Spaniards　not　a　few　who　deny　that　any　of　



his　actions　entitle　him　to　the　gratitude　of　the　nation。　　'All　his　



thoughts；'　say　they；　'were　directed　to　hunting　…　and　hunting　alone；　



and　all　the　days　of　the　year　he　employed　himself　either　in　hunting　



or　in　preparation　for　the　sport。　　In　one　expedition；　in　the　parks　



of　the　Pardo；　he　spent　several　millions　of　reals。　　The　noble　



edifices　which　adorn　Spain；　though　built　by　his　orders；　are　less　



due　to　his　reign　than　to　the　anterior　one；　…　to　the　reign　of　



Ferdinand　the　Sixth；　who　left　immense　treasures；　a　small　portion　of　



which　Carlos　Tercero　devoted　to　these　purposes；　squandering　away　



the　remainder。　　It　is　said　that　Carlos　Tercero　was　no　friend　to　



superstition；　yet　how　little　did　Spain　during　his　time　gain　in　



religious　liberty！　　The　great　part　of　the　nation　remained　



intolerant　and　theocratic　as　before；　the　other　and　smaller　section　



turned　philosophic；　but　after　the　insane　manner　of　the　French　



revolutionists；　intolerant　in　its　incredulity；　and　believing　more　



in　the　ENCYCLOPEDIE　than　in　the　Gospel　of　the　Nazarene。'　（41）







We　should　not　have　said　thus　much　of　Carlos　Tercero；　whose　



character　has　been　extravagantly　praised　by　the　multitude；　and　



severely　criticised　by　the　discerning　few　who　look　deeper　than　the　



surface　of　things；　if　a　law　passed　during　his　reign　did　not　connect　



him　intimately　with　the　history　of　the　Gitanos；　whose　condition　to　



a　certain　extent　it　has　already　altered；　and　over　whose　future　



destinies　there　can　be　no　doubt　that　it　will　exert　considerable　



influence。　　Whether　Carlos　Tercero　had　anything　farther　to　do　with　



its　enactment　than　subscribing　it　with　his　own　hand；　is　a　point　



difficult　to　determine；　the　chances　are　that　he　had　not；　there　is　



damning　evidence　to　prove　that　in　many　respects　he　was　a　mere　



Nimrod；　and　it　is　not　probable　that　such　a　character　would　occupy　



his　thoughts　much　with　plans　for　the　welfare　of　his　people；　



especially　such　a　class　as　the　Gitanos；　however　willing　to　build　



public　edifices；　gratifying　to　his　vanity；　with　the　money　which　a　



provident　predecessor　had　amassed。







The　law　in　question　is　dated　19th　September　1783。　　It　is　entitled；　



'Rules　for　repressing　and　chastising　the　vagrant　mode　of　life；　and　



other　excesses；　of　those　who　are　called　Gitanos。'　　It　is　in　many　



respects　widely　different　from　all　the　preceding　laws；　and　on　that　



account　we　have　separated　it　from　them；　deeming　it　worthy　of　



particular　notice。　　It　is　evidently　the　production　of　a　



comparatively　enlightened　spirit；　for　Spain　had　already　begun　to　



emerge　from　the　dreary　night　of　monachism　and　bigotry；　though　the　



light　which　beamed　upon　her　was　not　that　of　the　Gospel；　but　of　



modern　philosophy。　　The　spirit；　however；　of　the　writers　of　the　



ENCYCLOPEDIE　is　to　be　preferred　to　that　of　TORQUEMADA　AND　MONCADA；　



and　however　deeply　we　may　lament　the　many　grievous　omissions　in　the　



law　of　Carlos　Tercero　（for　no　provision　was　made　for　the　spiritual　



instruction　of　the　Gitanos）；　we　prefer　it　in　all　points　to　that　of　



Philip　the　Third；　and　to　the　law　passed　during　the　reign　of　that　



unhappy　victim　of　monkish　fraud；　perfidy；　and　poison；　Charles　the　



Second。







Whoever　framed　the　law　of　Carlos　Tercero　with　respect　to　the　



Gitanos；　had　sense　enough　to　see　that　it　would　be　impossible　to　



reclaim　and　bring　them　within　the　pale　of　civilised　society　by　



pursuing　the　course　invariably　adopted　on　former　occasions　…　to　see　



that　all　the　menacing　edicts　for　the　last　three　hundred　years；　



breathing　a　spirit　of　blood　and　persecution；　had　been　unable　to　



eradicate　Gitanismo　from　Spain；　but　on　the　contrary；　had　rather　



served　to　extend　it。　　Whoever　framed　this　law　was；　moreover；　well　



acquainted　with　the　manner　of　administering　justice　in　Spain；　and　



saw　the　folly　of　making　statutes　which　were　never　put　into　effect。　　



Instead；　therefore；　of　relying　on　corregidors　and　alguazils　for　the　



extinction　of　the　Gypsy　sect；　the　statute　addresses　itself　more　



particularly　to　the　Gitanos　themselves；　and　endeavours　to　convince　



them　that　it　would　be　for　their　interest　to　renounce　their　much　



cherished　Gitanismo。　　Those　who　framed　the　former　laws　had　



invariably　done　their　best　to　brand　this　race　with　infamy；　and　had　



marked　out　for　its　members；　in　the　event　of　abandoning　their　Gypsy　



habits；　a　life　to　which　death　itself　must　have　been　preferable　in　



every　respect。　　They　were　not　to　speak　to　each　other；　nor　to　



intermarry；　though；　as　they　were　considered　of　an　impure　caste；　it　



was　scarcely　to　be　expected　that　the　other　Spaniards　would　form　



with　them　relations　of　love　or　amity；　and　they　were　debarred　the　



exercise　of　any　trade　or　occupation　but　hard　labour；　for　which　



neither　by　nature　nor　habit　they　were　at　all　adapted。　　The　law　of　



Carlos　Tercero；　on　the　contrary；　flung　open　to　them　the　whole　



career　of　arts　and　sciences；　and　declared　them　capable　of　following　



any　trade　or　profession　to　which　they　might　please　to　addict　



themselves。　　Here　follow　extracts　from　the　above…mentioned　law：…







'Art。　1。　　I　declare　that　those　who　go　by　the　name　of　Gitanos　are　



not　so　by　origin　or　nature；　nor　do　they　proceed　from　any　infected　



root。







'2。　　I　therefore　command　that　neither　they；　nor　any　one　of　them　



shall　use　the　language；　dress；　or　vagrant　kind　of　life　which　they　



have　followed　unto　the　present　time；　under　the　penalties　here　below　



contained。







'3。　　I　forbid　all　my　vassals；　of　whatever　state；　class；　and　



condition　they　may　be；　to　call　or　name　the　above…mentioned　people　



by　the　names　of　Gitanos；　or　new　Castilians；　under　the　same　



penalties　to　which　those　are　subject　who　injure　others　by　word　or　



writing。







'5。　　It　is　my　will　that　those　who　abandon　the　said　mode　of　life；　



dress；　language；　or　jargon；　be　admitted　to　whatever　offices　or　



employments　to　which　they　may　apply　themselves；　and　likewise　to　any　



guilds　or　communities；　without　any　obstacle　or　contradiction　being　



offered　to　them；　or　admitted　under　this　pretext　within　or　without　



courts　of　law。







'6。　　Those　who　shall　oppose　and　refuse　the　admission　of　this　class　



of　reclaimed　people　to　their　trades　and　guilds　shall　be　mulcted　ten　



ducats　for　the　first　time；　twenty　for　the　second；　and　a　double　



quantity　for　the　third；　and　during　the　time　they　continue　in　their　



opposition　they　shall　be　prohibited　from　exercising　the　same　trade；　



for　a　certain　period；　to　be　determined　by　the　judg