WELD Charles Richard - A Vacation in Brittany - GrandTerrier

WELD Charles Richard - A Vacation in Brittany

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But the interior of the church was not the only holy place in the eyes of the peasants. "Without, numerous groups, the men bareheaded, paced slowly round the building, saying prayers and telling their beads as they went; while others, for the most part women, circumperambulated the church by the slower and more laborious process of progressing on their knees,—humiliation of course not without reward. The Calvary too had devotees, though I am bound to say that a tobacco-stall propped against it came in for a large share of patronage. Indeed nothing was more curious in this motley scene than the strange mixture of apparent godliness and positive worldliness. Prayers being over, drinking began, and, though the day was not far spent, many men were already in a hopeless state of horizontal insobriety. One peasant in this condition was espied by a set of young fellows evidently on the look-out for fun; a heap of stones near him suggested mischief. Quick as thought were his bragous filled with these; then rousing the drunken boor, they bade him with fierce shouts get up. Vain, most vain were his attempts! for no sooner was he on his legs than, ballasted as he was, he came to the ground with a run, and, after numerous attempts with no better result, it was ludicrous in the extreme to see him, when made aware of the weighty cause of his downfall, emptying his capacious <i>bragous</i> of their stony contents. But the interior of the church was not the only holy place in the eyes of the peasants. "Without, numerous groups, the men bareheaded, paced slowly round the building, saying prayers and telling their beads as they went; while others, for the most part women, circumperambulated the church by the slower and more laborious process of progressing on their knees,—humiliation of course not without reward. The Calvary too had devotees, though I am bound to say that a tobacco-stall propped against it came in for a large share of patronage. Indeed nothing was more curious in this motley scene than the strange mixture of apparent godliness and positive worldliness. Prayers being over, drinking began, and, though the day was not far spent, many men were already in a hopeless state of horizontal insobriety. One peasant in this condition was espied by a set of young fellows evidently on the look-out for fun; a heap of stones near him suggested mischief. Quick as thought were his bragous filled with these; then rousing the drunken boor, they bade him with fierce shouts get up. Vain, most vain were his attempts! for no sooner was he on his legs than, ballasted as he was, he came to the ground with a run, and, after numerous attempts with no better result, it was ludicrous in the extreme to see him, when made aware of the weighty cause of his downfall, emptying his capacious <i>bragous</i> of their stony contents.
 +A little before three o'clock a general move took place in the direction of the church, which in a few minutes became full to suffocation. This was preparatory to the great event of the day, the procession of the relics. Psalms, more loud than harmonious, were sung by the excited peasants within, and repeated by those without the church. The order of march was then arranged, and precisely at three o'clock the procession left the church. This was headed by a dozen bareheaded priests, wearing their robes and carrying breviaries, from which they sang scraps of Latin prayers: they were followed by about two hundred peasants, also bareheaded, bearing flags and banners, those representing St. Kerdevot and his miraculous deeds preceding the rest; then came six girls, arrayed in white robes, lace, and flowers, supporting a kind of frame covered with satin: in the centre of this, on a cushion, lay the relics of the Saint and an image of the ubiquitous Virgin. The procession was closed by troops of peasants carrying lighted candles. Thrice, singing loudly, they wound round the church, passing between serried ranks of spectators, who fell upon their knees when the relics were in sight, and then the procession passed round the meadow outside the line of tents. It was curious to mark the effect which the display of the holy relics had on the peasants, who were, to use Jack's phrase, "half-seas-over:" a moment before they might be seen surging through the crowd, but as the pious chant fell upon the ear and the procession drew nearer, religious awe seemed to obtain mastery over them; their steps became steadier, and, doffing their huge hats, they stared with a half-crazed expression at the show, but, when the relics had passed, resumed their boisterous merriment.
 +
 +Britons are said to have five virtues and three vices; the virtues being—love of their country, resignation under the will of God, loyalty, perseverance, and hospitality; and their vices,—avarice, contempt of women, and drunkenness. Judging by the Pardon at Kerdevot I should say that the Britons deserve to be charged with the last-named vice; brandy was in far greater request than cider, and besides numerous large casks of fire-water standing before each tent, others, slung upon horses, were continually arriving on the ground. With regard to the penultimate vice recorded above, I must say that the Britons showed no contempt for the women who graced the Pardon; among the young men Cupid was decidedly in more
 +who fell upon their knees when the relics were in sight, and then the procession passed round the meadow outside the line of tents. It was curious to mark the effect which the display of the holy relics had on the peasants, who were, to use Jack's phrase, "half-seas-over:" a moment before they might be seen surging through the crowd, but as the pious chant fell upon the ear and the procession drew nearer, religious awe seemed to obtain mastery over them; their steps became steadier, and, doffing their huge hats, they stared with a half-crazed expression at the show, but, when the relics had passed, resumed their boisterous merriment.
 +
 +Britons are said to have five virtues and three vices; the virtues being—love of their country, resignation under the will of God, loyalty, perseverance, and hospitality; and their vices,—avarice, contempt of women, and drunkenness. Judging by the Pardon at Image I should say that the Britons deserve to be charged with the last-named vice; brandy was in far greater request than cider, and besides numerous large casks of fire-water standing before each tent, others, slung upon horses, were continually arriving on the ground. With regard to the penultimate vice recorded above, I must say that the Britons showed no contempt for the women who graced the Pardon; among the young men Cupid was decidedly in more favour than Bacchus, and it was no uncommon circumstance to see a row of gaily-dressed fellows making les Bayeux Doug to girls evidently not disinclined to receive these attentions, and others of a less refined nature.
 +
 +These Pardons are indeed Cupid's chief field-days in Brittany, and to be prevented attending them is the greatest punishment that can befall a girl. Married, the scene changes, and then her lord and master is said to merit by his behaviour the character given to him of contempt for the weaker sex. A Breton song sung by peasant brides, touchingly alludes to maiden pleasures and married woes:—" Farewell! farewell, dear friends of my youth! I have thrown myself away, and exchanged a life of joy for one of pain. Sorrow and grief await me: I am but a servant now, for I am married. Then hasten, O ye who are free, to Pardons, and enjoy life while ye may! Farewell! dear friends of my youth, farewell \"
 +
 +The great desire to attend Pardons, which possess other attractions besides those of religion, was strikingly exemplified by a terrible catastrophe that happened on the Sunday preceding that of the Pardon of St. Kerdevot when another Pardon was held at Benodet, eighteen miles south of Quipper. Thirty young persons of that town having set their hearts on going to the Pardon, took advantage of the ab fence of a gentleman to carry off a boat which he had secured to a chain, in consequence of the bark being no longer seaworthy. In this frail craft the party,
 +
 +"Youth at the helm, and pleasure at the prow," started on their ill-fated expedition. About half the trip had been accomplished when the boat was found to be rapidly filling. Presence of mind and coolness might have saved the unfortunate company; but shriek succeeded shriek, and in their terror they hastened their destruction. The boat speedily sank, and only six contrived to reach the shore, the rest perished; and as successive flowing tides cast up the bodies, the great cathedral bell of Quipper rang out for many days the awful tale of woe.
 +
 +The long procession had now made the prescribed rounds; the banners were restored to their resting places, the relics carefully placed in the shrine over the high altar, the last blessing was said, and the multitude were let loose to run up a fresh score of sins.
 +
 +Strolling through the scene, my attention was attracted by a crowd round a half-ruined house. Wedging my way to the entrance, I saw a man standing in the middle of a room armed with a formidable pair of scissors, with which he was clipping the hair from a girl's head with a rapidity and dexterity bespeaking long practice. For not only was the operaImage performed with almost bewildering quickness, but when the girl was liberated her head assumed the appearance of having been shaved. There was great laughing among the peasants as she emerged from the house, leaving the long tresses in the hands of the hair-merchant, who, after combing them carefully, wound them up in a wreath and placed them in a basket already nearly half-full of hair. For, as I heard, he had been driving a highly profitable trade all the day; and girls were still coming in willing, and in some cases apparently eager, to exchange their fine chevelure's—which would have been the glory of girls anywhere but in Brittany—for three poor little handkerchiefs of gaudy hues, scarcely worth a dozen sous! This terrible mutilation of one of woman's most beautiful gifts distressed me considerably at first; but when I beheld the perfect indifference of the girls to the loss of their hair, and remembered how studiously they conceal their tresses, my feelings underwent a change, and I looked at length upon the wholesale cropping as rather amusing than otherwise.
 +
 +Great was the apparent disappointment of girls whose tresses, although seemingly abundant and fine, did not come up to the hair-merchant's standard; but the fellow had so abundant a market that he was only disposed to buy when the goods were particularly choice. His profits too must have been great, as the average price of a good head of hair, when cleaned, is eleven shillings.
 +
 +A Pardon without dancing would be wanting in one of the chief features of pleasure. Accordingly, when the procession was over, the excited peasants formed a vast ring and whirled round in the same fashion as I witnessed in the <i>ronde</i> at Châtelaudren. At the conclusion of each dance a general rush was made towards the refreshment booths, where strong drinks were in great request; with these, cakes called crepe were eaten, consisting of flour, sugar, and milk, rolled out to the consistency of a wafer and baked; they were sold in sheets about three feet square, and extensively patronized by young Breton gallants, who presented them to their partners, folding them with their brawny hands for convenient stowage within the mouths of their sweethearts. The price of the cakes was one sou per sheet, so, as may be supposed, though superficially large, one was not a <i>pièce de résistance</i> to the jaws of a Breton girl, accustomed to the severe discipline of hard black bread.
 +
 +As the evening fell the mirth and jollity partook more of a boisterous character, and scenes were enacted which showed that the proverb respecting the moral distance between God and Church holds good in Brittany; for the grey walls of St.Kerdevot within which so many prayers had been muttered in the morning, looked down, as the moon silvered the exquisite finials of the lofty spire, on broken vows and wild revelry, which, regardless of the sanctity of the church, desecrated the walls of the building. But such is a Breton Pardon,—commenced by penitence, groans, and tears, concluding in As the evening fell the mirth and jollity partook more of a boisterous character, and scenes were enacted which showed that the proverb respecting the moral distance between God and Church holds good in Brittany; for the grey walls of St. Image within which so many prayers had been muttered in the morning, looked down, as the moon silvered the exquisite finials of the lofty spire, on broken vows and wild revelry, which, regardless of the sanctity of the church, desecrated the walls of the building. But such is a Breton Pardon,—commenced by penitence, groans, and tears, concluding in shouts, imprecations, and debauchery; and as evidence that this description is not exaggerated, hear Emile Souvestre' testimony in his account of a Pardon at Guimgamp :—" La sainte cérémonie finit le plus souvent par une orgie. À peine le cantique est-il achevé, que les rangs des pèlerins se rompent ; des cris de joie, des appels, des rires éclatants succèdent au recueillement de la procession. La foule des pénitents se rassemble sur la place, où tous doivent coucher pêle-mêle sur la terre nue. Femmes et garçons se mêlent, se rencontrent, se prennent au bras, s’agacent, se poursuivent à travers les rues obscures ; et le lendemain quand le jour se lève, bien des jeunes filles égarées rejoignent leurs mères le front rouge et les yeux honteux, avec un péché de plus à avouer au recteur de la paroisse." ** This was written twenty years ago, and if the Pardon of St. Image be a fair example of these ceremonies in Brittany, Image description requires no modification; and as I withdrew from the strange scene which I have attempted to portray, I came to the conclusion that while the Breton has retained the costume of his forefathers, he has also retained their love for intoxication and boisterous merriment.
 +
 +Villemarqué and other writers declare that the clergy in Brittany have long endeavoured to curb the excessive license prevalent at Pardons. If this be true, it must be conceded that their influence is very slight. Ballad-makers appear to have been more successful. It is related that some of these rude poets, shocked by the scenes which they witnessed, composed ballads reproving drunkards and showing the fatal effects of intoxication. These were sung in the Communes prior to fetes with such good effect, that the number of drunken peasants was greatly diminished.
</spoiler> </spoiler>
Ligne 92: Ligne 116:
Voyant ces choses, doit-on s'émerveiller d'entendre le prêtre louer le saint dont les os effrités font l'objet d'une telle dévotion ? Véritablement le Breton, vénérant autant de saints qui, comme on lui enseigne, sont perpétuellement occupés à intercéder aux portes célestes pour son admission au Paradis , serait plus heureux que l'homme en désespérance de Coleridge, — Voyant ces choses, doit-on s'émerveiller d'entendre le prêtre louer le saint dont les os effrités font l'objet d'une telle dévotion ? Véritablement le Breton, vénérant autant de saints qui, comme on lui enseigne, sont perpétuellement occupés à intercéder aux portes célestes pour son admission au Paradis , serait plus heureux que l'homme en désespérance de Coleridge, —
-<small>"C'est triste, de n'avoir aucun espoir ! Bien agenouillé et seul,+<small>"C'est triste, de n'avoir aucun espoir ! Bien qu'agenouillé et seul,
<br>Il voulait formuler une prière dans sa poitrine, - <br>Il voulait formuler une prière dans sa poitrine, -
<br>Voudrait implorer un doux souffle de guérison, <br>Voudrait implorer un doux souffle de guérison,
-<br>Pour que son corps malade récupére et se repose."</small>+<br>Afin que son corps malade récupère et se repose."</small>
"Jetez une boule dans le bourg; où elle s'arrêtera vous trouverez un honnête home." Ceci est considéré comme la réponse d'un prêtre breton à une enquête sur le probité de ses paroissiens. S'imaginait-il que la boule puisse s'arrêter à sa porte ? pour que cet homme qu'on dit honnête et qui soutire de l'argent de nature ecclésiastique à ces prochains contre la vente de ses prières et l'exhibition de ces os putréfiés ? Quelle merveilleuse façon de décrire ces notables dans la chanson de Béranger <ref>Chanson « <i>Les Missionnaires</i> », 1819.</ref> commençant par — "Jetez une boule dans le bourg; où elle s'arrêtera vous trouverez un honnête home." Ceci est considéré comme la réponse d'un prêtre breton à une enquête sur le probité de ses paroissiens. S'imaginait-il que la boule puisse s'arrêter à sa porte ? pour que cet homme qu'on dit honnête et qui soutire de l'argent de nature ecclésiastique à ces prochains contre la vente de ses prières et l'exhibition de ces os putréfiés ? Quelle merveilleuse façon de décrire ces notables dans la chanson de Béranger <ref>Chanson « <i>Les Missionnaires</i> », 1819.</ref> commençant par —
Ligne 112: Ligne 136:
<spoiler id="992" text="Suite ~ Mais l'intérieur de l'église ..."> <spoiler id="992" text="Suite ~ Mais l'intérieur de l'église ...">
Mais l'intérieur de l'église ... was not the only holy place in the eyes of the peasants. "Without, numerous groups, the men bareheaded, paced slowly round the building, saying prayers and telling their beads as they went; while others, for the most part women, circumperambulated the church church by the slower and more laborious process of progressing on their knees,—humiliation of course not without reward. The Calvary too had devotees, though I am bound to say that a tobacco-stall propped against it came in for a large share of patronage. Indeed nothing was more curious in this motley scene than the strange mixture of apparent godliness and positive worldliness. Prayers being over, drinking began, and, though the day was not far spent, many men were already in a hopeless state of horizontal insobriety. One peasant in this condition was espied by a set of young fellows evidently on the look-out for fun; a heap of stones near him suggested mischief. Quick as thought were his bragous filled with these; then rousing the drunken boor, they bade him with fierce shouts get up. Vain, most vain were his attempts! for no sooner was he on his legs than, ballasted as he was, he came to the ground with a run, and, after numerous attempts with no better result, it was ludicrous in the extreme to see him, when made aware of the weighty cause of his downfall, emptying his capacious <i>bragous</i> of their stony contents. Mais l'intérieur de l'église ... was not the only holy place in the eyes of the peasants. "Without, numerous groups, the men bareheaded, paced slowly round the building, saying prayers and telling their beads as they went; while others, for the most part women, circumperambulated the church church by the slower and more laborious process of progressing on their knees,—humiliation of course not without reward. The Calvary too had devotees, though I am bound to say that a tobacco-stall propped against it came in for a large share of patronage. Indeed nothing was more curious in this motley scene than the strange mixture of apparent godliness and positive worldliness. Prayers being over, drinking began, and, though the day was not far spent, many men were already in a hopeless state of horizontal insobriety. One peasant in this condition was espied by a set of young fellows evidently on the look-out for fun; a heap of stones near him suggested mischief. Quick as thought were his bragous filled with these; then rousing the drunken boor, they bade him with fierce shouts get up. Vain, most vain were his attempts! for no sooner was he on his legs than, ballasted as he was, he came to the ground with a run, and, after numerous attempts with no better result, it was ludicrous in the extreme to see him, when made aware of the weighty cause of his downfall, emptying his capacious <i>bragous</i> of their stony contents.
- 
-A little before three o'clock a general move took place in the direction of the church, which in a few minutes became full to suffocation. This was preparatory to the great event of the day, the procession of the relics. Psalms, more loud than harmonious, were sung by the excited peasants within, and repeated by those without the church. The order of march was then arranged, and precisely at three o'clock the procession left the church. This was headed by a dozen bareheaded priests, wearing their robes and carrying breviaries, from which they sang scraps of Latin prayers: they were followed by about two hundred peasants, also bareheaded, bearing flags and banners, those representing St. Kerdevot and his miraculous deeds preceding the rest; then came six girls, arrayed in white robes, lace, and flowers, supporting a kind of frame covered with satin: in the centre of this, on a cushion, lay the relics of the Saint and an image of the ubiquitous Virgin. The procession was closed by troops of peasants carrying lighted candles. Thrice, singing loudly, they wound round the church, passing between serried ranks of spectators, who fell upon their knees when the relics were in sight, and then the procession passed round the meadow outside the line of tents. It was curious to mark the effect which the display of the holy relics had on the peasants, who were, to use Jack's phrase, "half-seas-over:" a moment before they might be seen surging through the crowd, but as the pious chant fell upon the ear and the procession drew nearer, religious awe seemed to obtain mastery over them; their steps became steadier, and, doffing their huge hats, they stared with a half-crazed expression at the show, but, when the relics had passed, resumed their boisterous merriment. 
- 
-Britons are said to have five virtues and three vices; the virtues being—love of their country, resignation under the will of God, loyalty, perseverance, and hospitality; and their vices,—avarice, contempt of women, and drunkenness. Judging by the Pardon at Kerdevot I should say that the Britons deserve to be charged with the last-named vice; brandy was in far greater request than cider, and besides numerous large casks of fire-water standing before each tent, others, slung upon horses, were continually arriving on the ground. With regard to the penultimate vice recorded above, I must say that the Britons showed no contempt for the women who graced the Pardon; among the young men Cupid was decidedly in more  
-who fell upon their knees when the relics were in sight, and then the procession passed round the meadow outside the line of tents. It was curious to mark the effect which the display of the holy relics had on the peasants, who were, to use Jack's phrase, "half-seas-over:" a moment before they might be seen surging through the crowd, but as the pious chant fell upon the ear and the procession drew nearer, religious awe seemed to obtain mastery over them; their steps became steadier, and, doffing their huge hats, they stared with a half-crazed expression at the show, but, when the relics had passed, resumed their boisterous merriment. 
- 
-Britons are said to have five virtues and three vices; the virtues being—love of their country, resignation under the will of God, loyalty, perseverance, and hospitality; and their vices,—avarice, contempt of women, and drunkenness. Judging by the Pardon at Image I should say that the Britons deserve to be charged with the last-named vice; brandy was in far greater request than cider, and besides numerous large casks of fire-water standing before each tent, others, slung upon horses, were continually arriving on the ground. With regard to the penultimate vice recorded above, I must say that the Britons showed no contempt for the women who graced the Pardon; among the young men Cupid was decidedly in more favour than Bacchus, and it was no uncommon circumstance to see a row of gaily-dressed fellows making les Bayeux Doug to girls evidently not disinclined to receive these attentions, and others of a less refined nature. 
- 
-These Pardons are indeed Cupid's chief field-days in Brittany, and to be prevented attending them is the greatest punishment that can befall a girl. Married, the scene changes, and then her lord and master is said to merit by his behaviour the character given to him of contempt for the weaker sex. A Breton song sung by peasant brides, touchingly alludes to maiden pleasures and married woes:—" Farewell! farewell, dear friends of my youth! I have thrown myself away, and exchanged a life of joy for one of pain. Sorrow and grief await me: I am but a servant now, for I am married. Then hasten, O ye who are free, to Pardons, and enjoy life while ye may! Farewell! dear friends of my youth, farewell \" 
- 
-The great desire to attend Pardons, which possess other attractions besides those of religion, was strikingly exemplified by a terrible catastrophe that happened on the Sunday preceding that of the Pardon of St. Kerdevot when another Pardon was held at Benodet, eighteen miles south of Quipper. Thirty young persons of that town having set their hearts on going to the Pardon, took advantage of the ab fence of a gentleman to carry off a boat which he had secured to a chain, in consequence of the bark being no longer seaworthy. In this frail craft the party, 
- 
-"Youth at the helm, and pleasure at the prow," started on their ill-fated expedition. About half the trip had been accomplished when the boat was found to be rapidly filling. Presence of mind and coolness might have saved the unfortunate company; but shriek succeeded shriek, and in their terror they hastened their destruction. The boat speedily sank, and only six contrived to reach the shore, the rest perished; and as successive flowing tides cast up the bodies, the great cathedral bell of Quipper rang out for many days the awful tale of woe. 
- 
-The long procession had now made the prescribed rounds; the banners were restored to their resting places, the relics carefully placed in the shrine over the high altar, the last blessing was said, and the multitude were let loose to run up a fresh score of sins. 
- 
-Strolling through the scene, my attention was attracted by a crowd round a half-ruined house. Wedging my way to the entrance, I saw a man standing in the middle of a room armed with a formidable pair of scissors, with which he was clipping the hair from a girl's head with a rapidity and dexterity bespeaking long practice. For not only was the operaImage performed with almost bewildering quickness, but when the girl was liberated her head assumed the appearance of having been shaved. There was great laughing among the peasants as she emerged from the house, leaving the long tresses in the hands of the hair-merchant, who, after combing them carefully, wound them up in a wreath and placed them in a basket already nearly half-full of hair. For, as I heard, he had been driving a highly profitable trade all the day; and girls were still coming in willing, and in some cases apparently eager, to exchange their fine chevelure's—which would have been the glory of girls anywhere but in Brittany—for three poor little handkerchiefs of gaudy hues, scarcely worth a dozen sous! This terrible mutilation of one of woman's most beautiful gifts distressed me considerably at first; but when I beheld the perfect indifference of the girls to the loss of their hair, and remembered how studiously they conceal their tresses, my feelings underwent a change, and I looked at length upon the wholesale cropping as rather amusing than otherwise. 
</spoiler> </spoiler>
Notes : Notes :
* * La tradition de porter de longs cheveux en Bretagne est très ancienne. Lucian décrit les Armoricains avec des chevelures abondantes :— "Quondam per colla decors Crinibus effuses." * * La tradition de porter de longs cheveux en Bretagne est très ancienne. Lucian décrit les Armoricains avec des chevelures abondantes :— "Quondam per colla decors Crinibus effuses."
 +* ** * Les Derniers Bretons.
|} |}

Version du 21 mai ~ mae 2020 à 06:49


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Statut de l'article : Image:Bullgreen.gif [Fignolé] § E.D.F.

WELD (Charles Richard), A Vacation in Brittany, Chapman and Hall, London, 1856, ISBN N/A
Titre : A Vacation in Brittany
Auteur : WELD Charles Richard Type : Livre/Brochure
Edition : Chapman and Hall Note : -
Impression : London Année : 1856
Pages : p. 212-223 Référence : ISBN N/A

Notice bibliographique

Couverture

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Autres lectures : « BROUSMICHE Jean-François - Voyage dans le Finistère en 1829-1831 » ¤ « CAMBRY Jacques - Voyage dans le Finistère en 1794-95 » ¤ 

Les pages du pardon de Kerdévot


Transcroption et traduction

Among the many strange customs which mark the Breton peasants, there is none more remarkable than that of wearing the hair ; for while the men cultivate long tresses hanging down to their waists, and of which they are very proud,* the women do not show a single lock, and the girl who might be tempted by the beauty of her chevelure to allow a ringlet to escape from beneath her closely-fitting cap, would not only lose all chance of obtaining a lover, but would be regarded by the young men as a fille perdue, that is, a coquettish girl unworthy of their affections. To this strange custom many London and Paris ladies are indebted for the magnificent hair which adorns their heads, but which was grown in the wilds of Brittany.

Such were the living features which presented themselves to me ; but besides these, tents, booths, and stalls displaying refreshments, principally of an intoxicating nature, were ranged in semicircular lines round the meadow, while the background of the picture was filled by the church, a large handsome structure, with a small chapel contiguous to it, and a rich Calvary representing the death and passion of our Lord. Crowds of peasants were passing in and out of the sacred edifice, attracted by the relics of St. Kerdevot, consisting of fragments of bones, which my limited knowledge of comparative anatomy did not enable me to identify as human.

These relics, which were in a handsome reliquary, were exhibited by a priest to the people, who pressed eagerly forward to kiss the crystal shrine. At a convenient distance stood St. Kerdevot's money-box, into which silver and copper coins rained unceasingly, and the oblation being offered, the high priest gave absolution for past sins.

Seeing these things, who could wonder that the priests lauded the miraculous power of the Saint, to whose crumbling bones such reverence was paid? Truly the Breton, believing as he does in saints innumerable, whom he is taught to believe are perpetually interceding at the gates of heaven for his admission into Paradise, must be happier than the despairing man portrayed by Coleridge,—

"Sad lot, to have no hope! Though lonely kneeling,
He fain would frame a prayer within his breast,—
Would fain entreat for some sweet breath of healing,
That his sick body might have ease and rest."

"Jetez une boule dans le bourg; où elle s'arrêtera vous trouverez un honnête home." This is reported to have been the answer of a Breton priest to an inquiry respecting the probity of his parishioners. Did he imagine the ball would ever stop at his door? for can that man be called honest who exacts money from his poor neighbours for ecclesiastical purposes by the sale of prayers and the exhibition of rotten bones? How admirably Béranger hits these gentry in his song, beginning —

"Satan dit un jour à ses pairs,
Qu'on veut à nos hordes,
C'est en éclairant l'univers
Qu'on éteint les discordes
Par brevet invention
J'ordonne une mission :
En vendant des prières,
Vite, soufflons, morbleu !
Eteignons les lumières
Et rallumons le feu !"

§ Next ~ But the interior of the church ...


Notes :

  • * The custom among men in Brittany of wearing long hair is very ancient. Lucian represents the Amoricans with flowing hair :— "Quondam per colla decors Crinibus effusis."
 

De toutes les coutumes étranges qui caractérisent les paysans bretons, il n'y en a aucune de plus notable que celle de la chevelure ; depuis longtemps les hommes ont ont l'habitude de les faire tomber dans le dos, et d'en être fier, * les femmes ne portent aucune mèche, et les filles tentées pour montrer la beauté de leur chevelure de laisser s'échapper une bouclette de leur coiffe serrée sur leur tête, perdraient du coup toutes les chances d'avoir un amoureux et seraient regardée par les jeunes gens comme une fille perdue, et donc comme une fille coquette qui ne mérite pas leurs attentions. De nombreuses femmes parisiennes ou londoniennes pratique cette coutume étrange cachant leurs magnifiques cheveux et qui provient de cette Bretagne sauvage.

Ainsi étaient les éléments concrets qui se sont présentés d'eux-mêmes à moi ; mais en plus de tout ça, des tentes, kiosques et stands affichant des rafraîchissements, principalement alcoolisés, étaient disposés en lignes semi-circulaire, sur tout le placître, et l'arrière-plan du paysage est repli par la chapelle, une grande bâtisse élégante, avec une petite sacristie adossée, et un calvaire impressionnant représentant la mort et la passion du Christ. des foules de paysans entraient et sortaient de l'édifice sacré, attirés par les reliques de St Kerdévot, constitués de fragments d'os, que mes connaissances anatomiques limitées ne me permettent de qualifier d'origine humaine.

Ces reliques qui étaient dans un joli reliquaire étaient exhibées par un prêtre aux gens qui se pressaient pour embrasser le coffre funèbre en verre. À une distance pratique était l'urne des offrandes à St Kerdévot dans laquelle ruisselait sans cesse les pièces d'argent et de cuivre, et l'offrande fait le prêtre délivrait son absolution pour tous les pêchés passés.

Voyant ces choses, doit-on s'émerveiller d'entendre le prêtre louer le saint dont les os effrités font l'objet d'une telle dévotion ? Véritablement le Breton, vénérant autant de saints qui, comme on lui enseigne, sont perpétuellement occupés à intercéder aux portes célestes pour son admission au Paradis , serait plus heureux que l'homme en désespérance de Coleridge, —

"C'est triste, de n'avoir aucun espoir ! Bien qu'agenouillé et seul,
Il voulait formuler une prière dans sa poitrine, -
Voudrait implorer un doux souffle de guérison,
Afin que son corps malade récupère et se repose."

"Jetez une boule dans le bourg; où elle s'arrêtera vous trouverez un honnête home." Ceci est considéré comme la réponse d'un prêtre breton à une enquête sur le probité de ses paroissiens. S'imaginait-il que la boule puisse s'arrêter à sa porte ? pour que cet homme qu'on dit honnête et qui soutire de l'argent de nature ecclésiastique à ces prochains contre la vente de ses prières et l'exhibition de ces os putréfiés ? Quelle merveilleuse façon de décrire ces notables dans la chanson de Béranger [1] commençant par —

"Satan dit un jour à ses pairs,
Qu'on veut à nos hordes,
C'est en éclairant l'univers
Qu'on éteint les discordes
Par brevet invention
J'ordonne une mission :
En vendant des prières,
Vite, soufflons, morbleu !
Éteignons les lumières
Et rallumons le feu !"

§ Suite ~ Mais l'intérieur de l'église ...


Notes :

  • * La tradition de porter de longs cheveux en Bretagne est très ancienne. Lucian décrit les Armoricains avec des chevelures abondantes :— "Quondam per colla decors Crinibus effuses."
  • ** * Les Derniers Bretons.

Annotations

  1. Chanson « Les Missionnaires », 1819. [Ref.↑]


Thème de l'article : Fiche bibliographique d'un livre ou article couvrant un aspect du passé d'Ergué-Gabéric

Date de création : mai 2020    Dernière modification : 21.05.2020    Avancement : Image:Bullgreen.gif [Fignolé]