Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-26
RACE OF THE .GAGOTs.
a French People Detested and Per-
secuted by Their Neighbors.


secuted by Their Neighbour.
From the CorEhill Magazine. go
The first historical mention Of the Cagots
dates from about the eleventh century.
Their origin is very uncertain, as several
authors have pet theories on the subject,
which all amount in the end to very much
the same thing-pure surnise. What was
a Cagot? Was he a foreigner; was he an
atheist? Nothing of the kind. He was
Frenchman. a good Catholic, exactly as
others were. What was the matter with
him. then? He was Cagot. One is re-
minded Of the old rhyme Of DR.. Fell. There
was dislike. but no reason. When one
knows no real reason fher obvious course
Is to invent one, or several. and this is
what the pure race; as theys called them
selves, did. First and foremost, they said
the Cagots were lepers-that they de-
scended, In fact. from GehaZi, and that
therefore. they were an accHrsed race
1t was bad enough to be Ieper,
even without the outward and visible
signs but there was a great deal more
to be said against the Cagots. Their breath
was detestable and poisonous; they had no
lobe TO their ears; they were born with
tails, which their cunning mothers instant
ly pinched off: their skin was whittier, their
hair fairer,s their eyes bluer than a good
Frenchman's had any right to be- They
We're sorcerers and warlocks; they had the
was such that1tf' d Cagot held some grass
or fruit in his hand 1t dried UP and wither-
ed, ana even in winter he could bear no
covering on his bed. They were specially
Ecentious, hot tempered, covetous haugh-
ty, sinfully proud and pretentious At GER
tain phases of the moon their skin be-
came red and scaly, obligtng them to use
decoction of ivy leaves with which to
bathe 1t. The moon was also responsible
for a kind of delirium which seized on the
Cagots causing them to rush wildly about
as II they were mad. These outbreaks
were called the Cagoutelle. and seem-if it
be true that they ever existed-to corre-
spond to the Neapoltan tarantella
All these facts proved that the Cagots
were dangerous and terrible people. who
must not be allowed to consider themselves
equal to their purer brethren, but must be
constantly reminded Of their inferior con-
dition, duty which the pious countryfolk
undertook and carried out with great con-
scientiousness, helped by law and church.
A Cagot was forbidden to carry any
weapon of defense which in those days of
blood and iron reduced a man at once to
the. condition of serf. and made 1t impos-
sible for him to hold his own against the
brutal and clustering man at arms. The
churches could not be closed to them but
the priests forced them to enter the holy
place by a separate door. so low that the
accursed ones were forced to bend their
heads to pass through There. was a sne
clal Cagot holy water stoup, and an imaei-
nary line or boundary in the church, across
winch no tagot might venture. The con-
secrated water was held out to them on
a long wooden fork by the priest standing
on his own side Of the boundary. No priest
would receive the confession Of a Cagot
although these poor people seem to have
been most anxious to perform their re-
ligtous duties. The church never appears
to have tried to soften their hard lot: on
the contrary the priests were careful to
present the curse that weighed upon them
from falling into allegiance Even so late as
the eighteenth century we read that
seigneur Of Lourbes having insisted upon
marrying a Cagot. his brother. who was
of Lourbes. had his estates confscated by
virtue OF an old law which reduced any
one one marrying a Cagot ~ Ae same condi-
ton To this day the hSss6hdants of this
couple are peasants. skS ~
1t took five Cagots TO Witness against
one pure" man. TheE TIRE obliged to
wear piece of cloth sleA ON the front
OF their dress; In sopEos Rarts this was
shaped like ducks fuSE TAnd was either
red or yellow. They hStaX eat the meat
condemned as bad In IT, rkets a priyi-
lege which they seem to haze shared with
the lepers, to whom thest. were so constant
ly and so unjustly nksskGEfor we find in
an old statute of the sNlh2sof Robert III
of Scotland the following Szeasing provis-
lon: 1t Is statute. that 8if4<ny man brings
to the market corrupt pytine or salmond
to be saudi. they sable takeA to the Baillies;
and monument without Nany question.
sable send to the Upper folk. . and
gif there be no Upper foIk they sable de-
StrOyed alluterlie'