New-York tribune., 1899-08-20
THE RACE OF THE CAGOTS.
A FRENCH PEOPLE DETESTED BY THEIR
NEIGHBORS-NO GROUND FOR
THEIR PERSECUTION


From The Cornhill Magazine
The first historical mention Of the Cagots dates
from about the eleventh century. Their ORIGIN
is very uncertain. as several authors nave PEI
theories on the subject, which all amount IN the
end to very much the same ttlng-pure surnuo'-
What was a Cagot? Was he q foreigner: was
he an atheist? Nothing or the kind. ne WIS
a Frenchman a good Catholic, eXactiy d9 o.ne's
were What was the matter with hm, then
He was a Cagot. One Is reminded OF the oia
rhyme Of DR.. Fell There was dislike out no
reason When one knows no real reason ths
obvious course is to invent one. or severai, ana
this is what the pure race, as they calied theih-
selves did First end foremost. they SAID the
Cagots were Iepers-that they descended, in fact.
from Gehaz and that therefore they were an
accursed race 1t was bad enough 10 oe
a leuar even without the cutWerd and VislDie
signs but there a great deal more to be said
against the Cagots. Their breath was detesta-
bic and poisonous; they had no lobe TO thelr
ears; they were born with talls, Wh'ch thet
cunning mothers instantly pinched on; thet
skin was whittier. their hair falrer, their ey'S
buer than good Frenchrn1ns had any rsnt ~
le They were SorcererS ana "aIIochS. .h'y
had the evil eye; the unnatural neat OF uher
body was such that if Cagot held some grass
or fruit in his hand it dried up ana "lChet'i
and even in winter he could bear no covering Oh
his bed. They were speedily Ilcentous, Hpt
tempered. covetous, naughty 5nfulIy proud anu
pretentious. At certain phases or the moon
their skin became red and scaly obllging theh
to use a decOction OF ivy leaves with when %
bathe it The moon was also responslDie lor
kind Of derium which seized on the CdSoIS'
causing them to rush wildly about as II thry
were mad These outbreaks were called the
Cagoutee, and seem-if ii be true that ih'y
ever eXisted-to correspond TO the NeapoiI'dh
taIantella.
All these facts proved that the Cagots were
dangerous and terrible people. who must not be
allowed to consider themselves equal 70 theIt
purer brethren, but must be constantly r--
minded Of their inferior condition. a duty Whl'n
the pious countryfok undertook and carried put
with great conscientiousness. helped by IA" anu
Church. A CagOt was forbidden 10 carr any
weapon Of defence, which in those days or Dipol
and iron reduced a man at once 20 the condition
Of serf and made ii impossible Tor MIN 10 hod
his own against the brutal and clustering man
at arms The churches could not be closed 10
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 hed'l
TO pass through There was a special Casoi
holy water stoup, and an imaginary llne or
boundary in the church. across which no Cagpt
might venture. The cOnsecrated wafer was hed
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 CaSpt,
although these poor people seem to have been
most anxious to perform their religious duties
The Church never appears 10 have tired 10
soften their hard lot; on the contrary the ptrS'S
were careful TO prevent The curse that Welgheh
upon them from falling INTO abeyance. Even 80
late as the eighteenth century We read that
seigneur of Lourbes having insisted upon mar
rying Cagot. his brother who was cure or
Lourbes. had his estates cOnfscated. by virtue
Of an old law which reduced any one marry ing
a Cagot to the same condition. To this day the
descendants of this couple peasants.
1t took five CagOts 10 witness against one
pure man. They were obliged to wear a piece
of cloth sewn the front Of their dress; in
some parts this shaped like a ducks foot
and was either red or yellow. They had to eat
the meat condemned bad in the markets,
privilege which they seem 10 have shared with
the lcpers. TO whom they were constantly and
so unjustly likened. for We find in an old statute
of the time Of Robert III of Scotland the follow
ing pleasing provision: 1t is statute. that gif
any man brings to the market corrupt swine OF
salmOnd to be saudi they sable taken to the
Baillies; and incontnent without any question,
sable send tO the Upper folk and Slr
there be no Upper folk. they sable destroyed
alluterlie"
GTlRDSUENS "POPK PIE" CAPS.