wild wales-第123部分
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copies; the profits of which would go towards the support of the
holy society for casting out unclane spirits; to which he himself
belonged。 Well; the people showed that they were plased by a loud
shout; and went away longing for the next Sunday when I was to be
presented to them without a divil in me。 Five times the next week
did I go to the priest's house; to be read to; and be sprinkled;
and have cloths put upon me; in order that the work of casting out
the last divil; which it seems was stronger than all the rest;
might be made smooth and aisy; and on the Saturday I came to have
the last divil cast out; and found his riverince in full
canonicals; seated in his aisy chair。 'Daughter;' said he when he
saw me; 'the work is nearly over。 Now kneel down before me; and I
will make the sign of the cross over your forehead; and then you
will feel the last and strongest of the divils; which have so long
possessed ye; go out of ye through your eyes; as I expect you will
say to the people assembled in the chapel to…morrow。' So I put
myself on my knees before his reverence; who after muttering
something to himself; either in Latin or Shanna Gailey … I believe
it was Latin; said; 'Look me in the face; daughter!' Well; I
looked his reverence in the face; and there I saw his nose looking
so large; red; and inviting that I could not resist the temptation;
and before his reverence could make the sign of the cross; which
doubtless would have driven the divil out of me; I made a spring at
it; and seizing hold of it with forefinger and thumb; pulled hard
at it。 Hot and inctious did it feel。 Oh; the yell that his
reverence gave! However; I did not let go my hold; but kept
pulling at the nose; till at last to avoid the torment; his
reverence came tumbling down upon me; causing me by his weight to
fall back upon the floor。 At the yell which he gave; and at the
noise of the fall; in came rushing his reverence's housekeeper and
stable…boy; who seeing us down on the floor; his reverence upon me
and my hand holding his reverence's nose; for I felt loth to let it
go; they remained in astonishment and suspense。 When his
reverence; however; begged them; for the Virgin's sake; to separate
him from the divil of a woman; they ran forward; and having with
some difficulty freed his reverence's nose from my hand; they
helped him up。 The first thing that his reverence did; on being
placed on his legs; was to make for a horse…whip; which stood in
one corner of the room; but I guessing how he meant to use it;
sprang up from the floor; and before he could make a cut at me; ran
out of the room; and hasted home。 The next day; when all the
people for twenty miles round met in the chapel; in the expectation
of seeing me presented to them a purified and holy female; and
hearing from my mouth the account of the miracle which his
reverence had performed; his reverence made his appearance in the
pulpit with a dale of gould bater's leaf on his nose; and from the
pulpit he told the people how I had used him; showing them the
gould bater's leaf on his feature; as testimony of the truth of his
words; finishing by saying that if at first there were seven
devils; there were now seven times seven within me。 Well; when the
people heard the story; and saw his nose with the bater's leaf upon
it; they at first began to laugh; but when he appealed to their
consciences; and asked them if such was fitting tratement for a
praist; they said it was not; and that if he would only but curse
me; they would soon do him justice upon me。 His reverence then
cursed by book; bell; and candle; and the people; setting off from
the chapel; came in a crowd to the house where I lived; to wrake
vengeance upon me。 Overtaking my son by the way; who was coming
home in a state of intoxication; they bate him within an inch of
his life; and left him senseless on the ground; and no doubt would
have served me much worse; only seeing them coming; and guessing
what they came about; though I was a bit intoxicated myself; I
escaped by the back of the house out into the bog; where I hid
myself amidst a copse of hazels。 The people coming to the house;
and not finding me there; broke and destroyed every bit of
furniture; and would have pulled the house down; or set fire to it;
had not an individual among them cried out that doing so would be
of no use; for that the house did not belong to me; and that
destroying it would merely be an injury to the next tenant。 So the
people; after breaking my furniture and ill…trating two or three
dumb beasts; which happened not to have been made away with; went
away; and in the dead of night I returned to the house; where I
found my son; who had just crawled home covered wit bruises。 We
hadn't; however; a home long; for the agents of the landlord came
to seize for rent; took all they could find; and turned us out upon
the wide world。 Myself and son wandered together for an hour or
two; then; having a quarrel with each other; we parted; he going
one way and I another。 Some little time after I heard that he was
transported。 As for myself; I thought I might as well take a leaf
out of the woman's book who had been the ruin of me。 So I went
about bidding people give me alms for the glory of God; and
threatening those who gave me nothing that the mass should never
comfort them。 It's a dreadful curse that; honey; and I would
advise people to avoid it even though they give away all they have。
If you have no comfort in the mass; you will have comfort in
nothing else。 Look at me: I have no comfort in the mass; for as
soon as the priest's bell rings; I shouts and hoorahs; and performs
tumblings before the blessed corpus; getting myself kicked out of
chapel; and as little comfort as I have in the mass have I in other
things; which should be a comfort to me。 I have two sons who ought
to be the greatest comfort to me; but are they so? We'll see … one
is transported; and of course is no comfort to me at all。 The
other is a sodger。 Is he a comfort to me? Not a bit。 A month ago
when I was travelling through the black north; tumbling and
toppling about; and threatening people with my prayer; unless they
gave me alms; a woman; who knew me; told me that he was with his
regiment at Cardiff; here in Wales; whereupon I determined to go
and see him; and crossing the water got into England; from whence I
walked to Cardiff asking alms of the English in the common English
way; and of the Irish; and ye are the first Irish I have met; in
the way in which I asked them of you。 But when I got to Cardiff
did I see my son? I did not; for the day before he had sailed with
his regiment to a place ten thousand miles away; so I shall never
see his face again nor derive comfort from him。 Oh; if there's no
comfort from the mass there's no comfort from anything else; and he
who has the evil prayer in the Shanna Gailey breathed upon him;
will have no comfort from the mass。 Now; honey; ye have heard the
story of Johanna Colgan; the bedivilled woman。 Give her now a
dacent alms and let her go!〃
〃Would you consider sixpence a decent alms?〃
〃I would。 If you give me sixpence; I will not say my prayer over
ye。〃
〃Would you give me a blessing?〃
〃I would not。 A bedivilled woman has no blessing to give。〃
〃Surely if you are able to ask people to give you alms for the
glory of God; you are able to give a blessing。〃
〃Bodderation! are ye going to give me sixpence?〃
〃No! here's a shilling for you! Take it and go in peace。〃
〃There's no pace for me;〃 said Johanna Colgan; taking the money。
〃What did the monstrous female say to me? 'Biaidh an taifrionn gan
sholas duit a bhean shalach。' (23) This is my pace … hoorah!
hoorah!〃 then giving two or three grotesque topples she hurried
away in the direction of Merthyr Tydvil。
CHAPTER CVI
Pen y Glas … Salt of the Earth … The Quakers' Yard … The
Rhugylgroen。
AS I proceeded on my way the scenery to the south on the farther
side of the river became surprisingly beautiful。 On that side
noble mountains met the view; green fields and majestic woods; the
latter brown it is true; for their leaves were gone; but not the
less majestic for being brown。 Here and there were white farm…
houses: one of them; which I was told was called Pen y Glas; was a
truly lovely little place。 It stood on the side of a green hill
with a noble forest above it; and put me wonderfully in mind of the
hunting lodge; which Ifor Hael allotted as a retreat to Ab Gwilym
and Morfydd; when they fled to him from Cardigan to avoid the rage
of the Bow Bach; and whose charming appearance made him say to his
love:…
〃More bliss for us our fate propounds
On Taf's green banks than Teivy's bounds。〃
On I wandered。 After some time the valley assumed the form of an
immense basin; enormous mountains composed its sides。 In the
middle rose hills of some altitude; but completely overcrowned by
the mountains around。 These hills exhibited pleasant inclosures;
and were beautifully dotted with white farm…houses。 Down below
meandered the Taf; its reaches shining with a silver…like
splendour。 The whole together formed an exquisite picture; in
which there was much sublimity; much still quiet life; and not a
little of fantastic fairy loveliness。
The sun was hastening towards the west as I passed a little cascade
on the left; the waters of which; after running under the road;
tumbled down a gully into the river。 Shortly afterwards meeting a
man I asked him how far it was to Caerfili。
〃When you come to the Quakers' Yard; which is a little way further
on; you will be seven miles from Caerfili。〃
〃What is the Quakers' Yard?〃
〃A place where the people called Quakers bury their dead。〃
〃Is there a village near it?
〃There is; and the village is called by the same name。〃
〃Are there any Quakers in it?〃
〃Not one; nor in the neighbourhood; but there are some; I believe;
in Cardiff。〃
〃Why do they bury their dead there?〃
〃You should ask them; not me。 I know nothing about them; and don