The bailiff, seeing that fresh plots against Grandier were being formed, sent for him and warned him that Barre had come over from Chinon the day before, and had resumed his exorcisms at the convent, adding that it was currently reported in the town that the mother superior and Sister Claire were again tormented by devils. The news neither astonished nor discouraged Grandier, who replied, with his usual smile of disdain14, that it was evident his enemies were hatching new plots against him, and that as he had instituted proceedings15 against them for the former ones, he would take the same course with regard to these. At the same time, knowing how impartial16 the bailiff was, he begged him to accompany the doctors and officials to the convent, and to be present at the exorcisms, and should any sign of real possession manifest itself, to sequester17 the afflicted18 nuns at once, and cause them to be examined by other persons than Mignon and Barre, whom he had such good cause to distrust.
The bailiff wrote to the king’s attorney, who, notwithstanding his bias19 against Grandier, was forced to see that the conclusions arrived at were correct, and having certified20 this in writing, he at once sent his clerk to the convent to inquire if the superior were still possessed. In case of an affirmative reply being given, the clerk had instructions to warn Mignon and Barre that they were not to undertake exorcisms unless in presence of the bailiff and of such officials and doctors as he might choose to bring with him, and that they would disobey at their peril21; he was also to tell them that Grandier’s demands to have the nuns sequestered22 and other exorcists called in were granted.
Mignon and Barre listened while the clerk read his instructions, and then said they refused to recognise the jurisdiction23 of the bailiff in this case; that they had been summoned by the mother superior and Sister Claire when their strange illness returned, an illness which they were convinced was nothing else than possession by evil spirits; that they had hitherto carried out their exorcisms under the authority of a commission given them by the Bishop24 of Poitiers; and as the time for which they had permission had not yet expired; they would continue to exorcise as often as might be necessary. They had, however, given notice to the worthy25 prelate of what was going on, in order that he might either come himself or send other exorcists as best suited him, so that a valid26 opinion as to the reality, of the possession might be procured27, for up to the present the worldly and unbelieving had taken upon themselves to declare in an off-hand manner that the whole affair was a mixture of fraud and delusion28, in contempt of the glory of God and the Catholic religion. As to the rest of the message, they would not, in any way prevent the bailiff and the other officials, with as many medical men as they chose to bring, from seeing the nuns, at least until they heard from the bishop, from whom they expected a letter next day. But it was for the nuns themselves to say whether it was convenient for them to receive visitors; as far as concerned themselves, they desired to renew their protest, and declared they could not accept the bailiff as their judge, and did not think that it could be legal for them to refuse to obey a command from their ecclesiastical superiors, whether with relation to exorcism or any other thing of which the ecclesiastical courts properly took cognisance. The clerk brought this answer to the bailiff, and he, thinking it was better to wait for the arrival of the bishop or of fresh orders from him, put off his visit to the convent until the next day. But the next day came without anything being heard of the prelate himself or of a messenger from him.
Early in the morning the bailiff went to the convent, but was not admitted; he then waited patiently until noon, and seeing that no news had arrived from Dissay, and that the convent gates were still closed against him, he granted a second petition of Grandier’s, to the effect that Byre and Mignon should be prohibited from questioning the superior and the other nuns in a manner tending to blacken the character of the petitioner29 or any other person. Notice of this prohibition30 was served the same day on Barre and on one nun7 chosen to represent the community. Barre did not pay the slightest attention to this notice, but kept on asserting that the bailiff had no right to prevent his obeying the commands of his bishop, and declaring that henceforward he would perform all exorcisms solely31 under ecclesiastical sanction, without any reference to lay persons, whose unbelief and impatience32 impaired33 the solemnity with which such rites34 should be conducted.
The best part of the day having gone over without any sign of either bishop or messenger, Grandier presented a new petition to the bailiff. The bailiff at once summoned all the officers of the bailiwick and the attorneys of the king, in order to lay it before them; but the king’s attorneys refused to consider the matter, declaring upon their honour that although they did not accuse Grandier of being the cause, yet they believed that the nuns were veritably possessed, being convinced by the testimony35 of the devout36 ecclesiastics37 in whose presence the evil spirits had come out. This was only the ostensible38 reason for their refusal, the real one being that the advocate was a relation of Mignon’s, and the attorney a son-in-law of Trinquant’s, to whose office he had succeeded. Thus Grandier, against whom were all the ecclesiastical judges, began to feel as if he were condemned39 beforehand by the judges of the royal courts, for he knew how very short was the interval between the recognition of the possession as a fact and the recognition of himself as its author.
Nevertheless, in spite of the formal declarations of the king’s advocate and attorney, the bailiff ordered the superior and the lay sister to be removed to houses in town, each to be accompanied by a nun as companion. During their absence from the convent they were to be looked after by exorcists, by women of high character and position, as well as by physicians and attendants, all of whom he himself would appoint, all others being forbidden access to the nuns without his permission.
The clerk was again sent to the convent with a copy of this decision, but the superior having listened to the reading of the document, answered that in her own name and that of the sisterhood she refused to recognise the jurisdiction of the bailiff; that she had already received directions from the Bishop of Poitiers, dated 18th November, explaining the measures which were to be taken in the matter, and she would gladly send a copy of these directions to the bailiff, to prevent his pleading ignorance of them; furthermore, she demurred40 to the order for her removal, having vowed41 to live always secluded43 in a convent, and that no one could dispense44 her from this vow42 but the bishop. This protest having been made in the presence of Madame de Charnisay, aunt of two of the nuns, and Surgeon Mannouri, who was related to another, they both united in drawing up a protest against violence, in case the bailiff should insist on having his orders carried out, declaring that, should he make the attempt, they would resist him, as if he were a mere45 private individual. This document being duly signed and witnessed was immediately sent to the bailiff by the hand of his own clerk, whereupon the bailiff ordered that preparations should be made with regard to the sequestration, and announced that the next day, the 24th November, he would repair to the convent and be present at the exorcisms.
The next day accordingly, at the appointed hour, the bailiff summoned Daniel Roger, Vincent de Faux, Gaspard Joubert, and Matthieu Fanson, all four physicians, to his presence, and acquainting them with his reasons for having called them, asked them to accompany him to the convent to examine, with the most scrupulous46 impartiality47, two nuns whom he would point out, in order to discover if their illness were feigned48, or arose from natural or supernatural causes. Having thus instructed them as to his wishes, they all set out for the convent.
They were shown into the chapel49 and placed close to the altar, being separated by a grating from the choir50, in which the nuns who sang usually sat. In a few moments the superior was carried in on a small bed, which was laid down before the grating. Barre then said mass, during which the superior went into violent convulsions. She threw her arms about, her fingers were clenched51, her cheeks enormously inflated52, and her eyes turned up so that only the whites could be seen.
The mass finished, Barre approached her to administer the holy communion and to commence the exorcism. Holding the holy wafer in his hand, he said—
“Adora Deum tuum, creatorem tuum” (Adore God, thy Creator).
The superior hesitated, as if she found great difficulty in making this act of love, but at length she said—
“Adoro te” (I adore Thee).
“Quem adoras?” (Whom dost thou adore?)
“Jesus Christus” (Jesus Christ), answered the nun, quite unconscious that the verb adorn53 governs accusative.
This mistake, which no sixth-form boy would make, gave rise to bursts of laughter in the church; and Daniel Douin, the provost’s assessor, was constrained54 to say aloud—
“There’s a devil for you, who does not know much about transitive verbs.”
Barre perceiving the bad impression that the superior’s nominative had made, hastened to ask her—
“Quis est iste quem adoras?” (Who is it whom thou dost adore?)
His hope was that she would again reply “Jesus Christus,” but he was disappointed.
“Jesu Christe,” was her answer.
Renewed shouts of laughter greeted this infraction55 of one of the most elementary rules of syntax, and several of those present exclaimed:
Barre pretended not to hear, and next asked what was the name of the demon1 who had taken possession of her. The poor superior, who was greatly confused by the unexpected effect of her last two answers, could not speak for a long time; but at length with great trouble she brought out the name Asmodee, without daring to latinise it. The exorcist then inquired how many devils the superior had in her body, and to this question she replied quite fluently:
“Sex” (Six).
The bailiff upon this requested Barre to ask the chief devil how many evil spirits he had with him. But the need for this answer had been foreseen, and the nun unhesitatingly returned—
“Quinque” (Five).
This answer raised Asmodee somewhat in the opinion of those present; but when the bailiff adjured57 the superior to repeat in Greek what she had just said in Latin she made no reply, and on the adjuration58 being renewed she immediately recovered her senses.
The examination of the superior being thus cut short, a little nun who appeared for the first time in public was brought forward. She began by twice pronouncing the name of Grandier with a loud laugh; then turning to the bystanders, called out—
“For all your number, you can do nothing worth while.”
As it was easy to see that nothing of importance was to be expected from this new patient, she was soon suppressed, and her place taken by the lay sister Claire who had already made her debut59 in the mother superior’s room.
Hardly had she entered the choir than she uttered a groan60, but as soon as they placed her on the little bed on which the other nuns had lain, she gave way to uncontrollable laughter, and cried out between the paroxysms—
“Grandier, Grandier, you must buy some at the market.”
Barre at once declared that these wild and whirling words were a proof of possession, and approached to exorcise the demon; but Sister Claire resisted, and pretending to spit in the face of the exorcist, put out her tongue at him, making indecent gestures, using a word in harmony with her actions. This word being in the vernacular61 was understood by everyone and required no interpretation62.
“Grandier.”
But Barre by repeating his question gave her to understand that she had made a mistake, whereupon she corrected herself and said—
“Elimi.”
Nothing in the world could induce her to reveal the number of evil spirits by whom Elimi was accompanied, so that Barre, seeing that it was useless to press her on this point, passed on to the next question.
“Duplex” (Double), returned Sister Claire.
This horror of the ablative, when the ablative was absolutely necessary, aroused once more the hilarity65 of the audience, and proved that Sister Claire’s devil was just as poor a Latin scholar as the superior’s, and Barre, fearing some new linguistic66 eccentricity67 on the part of the evil spirit, adjourned68 the meeting to another day.
The paucity69 of learning shown in the answers of the nuns being sufficient to convince any fairminded person that the whole affair was a ridiculous comedy, the bailiff felt encouraged to persevere70 until he had unravelled71 the whole plot. Consequently, at three o’clock in the afternoon, he returned to the convent, accompanied by his clerk, by several magistrates72, and by a considerable number of the best known people of Loudun, and asked to see the superior. Being admitted, he announced to Barre that he had come to insist on the superior being separated from Sister Claire, so that each could be exorcised apart. Barre dared not refuse before such a great number of witnesses, therefore the superior was isolated73 and the exorcisms begun all over again. Instantly the convulsions returned, just as in the morning, only that now she twisted her feet into the form of hooks, which was a new accomplishment74.
Having adjured her several times, the exorcist succeeded in making her repeat some prayers, and then sounded her as to the name and number of the demons in possession, whereupon she said three times that there was one called Achaos. The bailiff then directed Barre to ask if she were possessed ‘ex pacto magi, aut ex Aura voluntate Dei’ (by a pact with a sorcerer or by the pure will of God), to which the superior answered
“Non est voluutas Dei” (Not by the will of God).
Upon this, Barre dreading75 more questions from the bystanders, hastily resumed his own catechism by asking who was the sorcerer.
“Urbanus,” answered the superior.
“Est-ne Urbanus papa” (Is it Pope Urban?), asked the exorcist.
“Grandier,” replied the superior.
“Quare ingressus es in corpus hujus puellae” (Why did you enter the body of this maiden76?), said Barre.
“Propter praesentiam tuum” (Because of your presence), answered the superior.
At this point the bailiff, seeing no reason why the dialogue between Barre and the superior should ever come to an end, interposed and demanded that questions suggested by him and the other officials present should be put to the superior, promising77 that if she answered three of four such questions correctly, he, and those with him, would believe in the reality of the possession, and would certify78 to that effect. Barre accepted the challenge, but unluckily just at that moment the superior regained79 consciousness, and as it was already late, everyone retired80.
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1
demon
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| n.魔鬼，恶魔 | |
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demons
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| n.恶人( demon的名词复数 )；恶魔；精力过人的人；邪念 | |
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lulled
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| vt.使镇静，使安静（lull的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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nuns
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| n.（通常指基督教的）修女， （佛教的）尼姑( nun的名词复数 ) | |
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nun
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| n.修女，尼姑 | |
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conning
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| v.诈骗，哄骗( con的现在分词 )；指挥操舵( conn的现在分词 ) | |
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tormented
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| 饱受折磨的 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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judicial
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| adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的 | |
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applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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disdain
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| n.鄙视，轻视；v.轻视，鄙视，不屑 | |
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proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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impartial
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| adj.(in,to)公正的，无偏见的 | |
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sequester
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| vt.使退隐，使隔绝 | |
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afflicted
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| 使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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bias
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| n.偏见，偏心，偏袒；vt.使有偏见 | |
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certified
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| a.经证明合格的；具有证明文件的 | |
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peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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sequestered
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| adj.扣押的；隐退的；幽静的；偏僻的v.使隔绝，使隔离( sequester的过去式和过去分词 )；扣押 | |
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jurisdiction
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| n.司法权，审判权，管辖权，控制权 | |
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bishop
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| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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valid
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| adj.有确实根据的；有效的；正当的，合法的 | |
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27
procured
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| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 )；拉皮条 | |
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28
delusion
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| n.谬见，欺骗，幻觉，迷惑 | |
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petitioner
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| n.请愿人 | |
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prohibition
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| n.禁止；禁令，禁律 | |
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solely
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| adv.仅仅，唯一地 | |
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impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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impaired
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| adj.受损的；出毛病的；有（身体或智力）缺陷的v.损害，削弱( impair的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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34
rites
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| 仪式，典礼( rite的名词复数 ) | |
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testimony
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| n.证词；见证，证明 | |
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devout
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| adj.虔诚的，虔敬的，衷心的 (n.devoutness) | |
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ecclesiastics
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| n.神职者，教会，牧师( ecclesiastic的名词复数 ) | |
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ostensible
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| adj.(指理由)表面的，假装的 | |
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condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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demurred
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| v.表示异议，反对( demur的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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vowed
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| 起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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vow
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| n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓 | |
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secluded
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| adj.与世隔绝的；隐退的；偏僻的v.使隔开，使隐退( seclude的过去式和过去分词) | |
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44
dispense
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| vt.分配，分发；配(药)，发(药)；实施 | |
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45
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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46
scrupulous
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| adj.审慎的，小心翼翼的，完全的，纯粹的 | |
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impartiality
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| n. 公平, 无私, 不偏 | |
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48
feigned
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| a.假装的，不真诚的 | |
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chapel
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| n.小教堂，殡仪馆 | |
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choir
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| n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱 | |
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51
clenched
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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52
inflated
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| adj.（价格）飞涨的；（通货）膨胀的；言过其实的；充了气的v.使充气（于轮胎、气球等）( inflate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）膨胀；（使）通货膨胀；物价上涨 | |
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adorn
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| vt.使美化，装饰 | |
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constrained
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| adj.束缚的,节制的 | |
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infraction
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| n.违反；违法 | |
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reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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57
adjured
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| v.（以起誓或诅咒等形式）命令要求( adjure的过去式和过去分词 )；祈求；恳求 | |
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58
adjuration
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| n.祈求，命令 | |
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debut
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| n.首次演出，初次露面 | |
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groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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vernacular
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| adj.地方的，用地方语写成的；n.白话；行话；本国语；动植物的俗名 | |
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interpretation
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| n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理 | |
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conjured
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| 用魔术变出( conjure的过去式和过去分词 )； 祈求，恳求； 变戏法； （变魔术般地） 使…出现 | |
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pact
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| n.合同，条约，公约，协定 | |
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hilarity
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| n.欢乐；热闹 | |
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linguistic
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| adj.语言的，语言学的 | |
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eccentricity
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| n.古怪，反常，怪癖 | |
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adjourned
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| （使）休会， （使）休庭( adjourn的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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paucity
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| n.小量，缺乏 | |
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persevere
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| v.坚持，坚忍，不屈不挠 | |
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unravelled
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| 解开，拆散，散开( unravel的过去式和过去分词 )； 阐明； 澄清； 弄清楚 | |
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magistrates
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| 地方法官，治安官( magistrate的名词复数 ) | |
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isolated
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| adj.与世隔绝的 | |
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accomplishment
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| n.完成，成就，（pl.）造诣，技能 | |
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75
dreading
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| v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的现在分词 ) | |
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76
maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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77
promising
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| adj.有希望的，有前途的 | |
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78
certify
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| vt.证明，证实；发证书(或执照)给 | |
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79
regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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