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第64节

the hunchback of notre dame-第64节

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ng: 〃Pure magic; Master Jacques!〃 he exclaimed。 〃'Emen…Hétan!'  'Tis the cry of the vampires when they arrive at the witches' sabbath。  ~Per ipsum; et cum ipso; et in ipso~!  'Tis the command which chains the devil in hell。 ~Hax; pax; max~! that refers to medicine。  A formula against the bite of mad dogs。  Master Jacques! you are procurator to the king in the Ecclesiastical Courts: this parchment is abominable。〃

〃We will put the man to the torture once more。  Here again;〃 added Master Jacques; fumbling afresh in his pouch; 〃is something that we have found at Marc Cenaine's house。〃

It was a vessel belonging to the same family as those which covered Dom Claude's furnace。

〃Ah!〃 said the archdeacon; 〃a crucible for alchemy。〃

〃I will confess to you;〃 continued Master Jacques; with his timid and awkward smile; 〃that I have tried it over the furnace; but I have succeeded no better than with my own。〃

The archdeacon began an examination of the vessel。 〃What has he engraved on his crucible?  ~Och! och~! the word which expels fleas!  That Marc Cenaine is an ignoramus! I verily believe that you will never make gold with this!  'Tis good to set in your bedroom in summer and that is all!〃

〃Since we are talking about errors;〃 said the king's procurator; 〃I have just been studying the figures on the portal below before ascending hither; is your reverence quite sure that the opening of the work of physics is there portrayed on the side towards the H?tel…Dieu; and that among the seven nude figures which stand at the feet of Notre…Dame; that which has wings on his heels is Mercurius?〃

〃Yes;〃 replied the priest; 〃'tis Augustin Nypho who writes it; that Italian doctor who had a bearded demon who acquainted him with all things。  However; we will descend; and I will explain it to you with the text before us。〃

〃Thanks; master;〃 said Charmolue; bowing to the earth。 〃By the way; I was on the point of forgetting。  When doth it please you that I shall apprehend the little sorceress?〃

〃What sorceress?〃

〃That gypsy girl you know; who comes every day to dance on the church square; in spite of the official's prohibition! She hath a demoniac goat with horns of the devil; which reads; which writes; which knows mathematics like Picatrix; and which would suffice to hang all Bohemia。  The prosecution is all ready; 'twill soon be finished; I assure you!  A pretty creature; on my soul; that dancer!  The handsomest black eyes!  Two Egyptian carbuncles!  When shall we begin?〃

The archdeacon was excessively pale。

〃I will tell you that hereafter;〃 he stammered; in a voice that was barely articulate; then he resumed with an effort; 〃Busy yourself with Marc Cenaine。〃

〃Be at ease;〃 said Charmolue with a smile; 〃I'll buckle him down again for you on the leather bed when I get home。 But 'tis a devil of a man; he wearies even Pierrat Torterue himself; who hath hands larger than my own。  As that good Plautus saith;


         '~Nudus vinctus; centum pondo;           es quando pendes per pedes~。'


The torture of the wheel and axle!  'Tis the most effectual! He shall taste it!〃

Dom Claude seemed absorbed in gloomy abstraction。  He turned to Charmolue;

〃Master PierratMaster Jacques; I mean; busy yourself with Marc Cenaine。〃

〃Yes; yes; Dom Claude。  Poor man! he will have suffered like Mummol。  What an idea to go to the witches' sabbath! a butler of the Court of Accounts; who ought to know Charlemagne's text; ~Stryga vel masea~!In the matter of the little girl;Smelarda; as they call her;I will await your orders。  Ah! as we pass through the portal; you will explain to me also the meaning of the gardener painted in relief; which one sees as one enters the church。  Is it not the Sower?  Hé! master; of what are you thinking; pray?〃

Dom Claude; buried in his own thoughts; no longer listened to him。  Charmolue; following the direction of his glance; perceived that it was fixed mechanically on the great spider's web which draped the window。  At that moment; a bewildered fly which was seeking the March sun; flung itself through the net and became entangled there。  On the agitation of his web; the enormous spider made an abrupt move from his central cell; then with one bound; rushed upon the fly; which he folded together with his fore antennae; while his hideous proboscis dug into the victim's bead。  〃Poor fly!〃 said the king's procurator in the ecclesiastical court; and he raised his hand to save it。  The archdeacon; as though roused with a start; withheld his arm with convulsive violence。

〃Master Jacques;〃 he cried; 〃let fate take its course!〃 The procurator wheeled round in affright; it seemed to him that pincers of iron had clutched his arm。  The priest's eye was staring; wild; flaming; and remained riveted on the horrible little group of the spider and the fly。

〃Oh; yes!〃 continued the priest; in a voice which seemed to proceed from the depths of his being; 〃behold here a symbol of all。  She flies; she is joyous; she is just born; she seeks the spring; the open air; liberty: oh; yes! but let her come in contact with the fatal network; and the spider issues from it; the hideous spider!  Poor dancer! poor; predestined fly!  Let things take their course; Master Jacques; 'tis fate! Alas!  Claude; thou art the spider!  Claude; thou art the fly also!  Thou wert flying towards learning; light; the sun。 Thou hadst no other care than to reach the open air; the full daylight of eternal truth; but in precipitating thyself towards the dazzling window which opens upon the other world;upon the world of brightness; intelligence; and scienceblind fly! senseless; learned man! thou hast not perceived that subtle spider's web; stretched by destiny betwixt the light and theethou hast flung thyself headlong into it; and now thou art struggling with head broken and mangled wings between the iron antennae of fate!  Master Jacques!  Master Jacques! let the spider work its will!〃

〃I assure you;〃 said Charmolue; who was gazing at him without comprehending him; 〃that I will not touch it。  But release my arm; master; for pity's sake!  You have a hand like a pair of pincers。〃

The archdeacon did not hear him。  〃Oh; madman!〃 he went on; without removing his gaze from the window。  〃And even couldst thou have broken through that formidable web; with thy gnat's wings; thou believest that thou couldst have reached the light?  Alas! that pane of glass which is further on; that transparent obstacle; that wall of crystal; harder than brass; which separates all philosophies from the truth; how wouldst thou have overcome it?  Oh; vanity of science! how many wise men come flying from afar; to dash their heads against thee!  How many systems vainly fling themselves buzzing against that eternal pane!〃

He became silent。  These last ideas; which had gradually led him back from himself to science; appeared to have calmed him。  Jacques Charmolue recalled him wholly to a sense of reality by addressing to him this question: 〃Come; now; master; when will you come to aid me in making gold?  I am impatient to succeed。〃

The archdeacon shook his head; with a bitter smile。  〃Master Jacques read Michel Psellus' '~Dialogus de Energia et Operatione Daemonum~_。'  What we are doing is not wholly innocent。〃

〃Speak lower; master!  I have my suspicions of it;〃 said Jacques Charmolue。  〃But one must practise a bit of hermetic science when one is only procurator of the king in the ecclesiastical court; at thirty crowns tournois a year。  Only speak low。〃

At that moment the sound of jaws in the act of mastication; which proceeded from beneath the furnace; struck Charmolue's uneasy ear。

〃What's that?〃 he inquired。

It was the scholar; who; ill at ease; and greatly bored in his hiding…place; had succeeded in discovering there a stale crust and a triangle of mouldy cheese; and had set to devouring the whole without ceremony; by way of consolation and breakfast。 As he was very hungry; he made a great deal of noise; and he accented each mouthful strongly; which startled and alarmed the procurator。

〃'Tis a cat of mine;〃 said the archdeacon; quickly; 〃who is regaling herself under there with a mouse;〃

This explanation satisfied Charmolue。

〃In fact; master;〃 he replied; with a respectful smile; 〃all great philosophers have their familiar animal。  You know what Servius saith: '~Nullus enim locus sine genio est~;for there is no place that hath not its spirit。'〃

But Dom Claude; who stood in terror of some new freak on the part of Jehan; reminded his worthy disciple that they had some figures on the fa?ade to study together; and the two quitted the cell; to the accompaniment of a great 〃ouf!〃 from the scholar; who began to seriously fear that his knee would acquire the imprint of his chin。




CHAPTER VI。

THE EFFECT WHICH SEVEN OATHS IN THE OPEN AIR CAN PRODUCE。



〃~Te Deum Laudamus~!〃 exclaimed Master Jehan; creeping out from his hole; 〃the screech…owls have departed。  Och! och!  Hax! pax! max! fleas! mad dogs! the devil!  I have had enough of their conversation!  My head is humming like a bell tower。  And mouldy cheese to boot!  Come on!  Let us descend; take the big brother's purse and convert all these coins into bottles!〃

He cast a glance of tenderness a

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