the golden bough-第220章

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he　King　of　the　Yearsif　the　arbitrament　of　the　dice　should　go　against　him。　It　is　true　that　the　conditions　under　which　the　question　is　now　put　to　the　hazard　have　reduced　the　offer　to　an　idle　form。　But　such　forms　are　no　mere　mushroom　growths；　springing　up　of　themselves　in　a　night。　If　they　are　now　lifeless　formalities；　empty　husks　devoid　of　significance；　we　may　be　sure　that　they　once　had　a　life　and　a　meaning；　if　at　the　present　day　they　are　blind　alleys　leading　nowhere；　we　may　be　certain　that　in　former　days　they　were　paths　that　led　somewhere；　if　only　to　death。　That　death　was　the　goal　to　which　of　old　the　Tibetan　scapegoat　passed　after　his　brief　period　of　licence　in　the　market…place；　is　a　conjecture　that　has　much　to　commend　it。　Analogy　suggests　it；　the　blank　shots　fired　after　him；　the　statement　that　the　ceremony　often　proves　fatal；　the　belief　that　his　death　is　a　happy　omen；　all　confirm　it。　We　need　not　wonder　then　that　the　Jalno；　after　paying　so　dear　to　act　as　deputy…deity　for　a　few　weeks；　should　have　preferred　to　die　by　deputy　rather　than　in　his　own　person　when　his　time　was　up。　The　painful　but　necessary　duty　was　accordingly　laid　on　some　poor　devil；　some　social　outcast；　some　wretch　with　whom　the　world　had　gone　hard；　who　readily　agreed　to　throw　away　his　life　at　the　end　of　a　few　days　if　only　he　might　have　his　fling　in　the　meantime。　For　observe　that　while　the　time　allowed　to　the　original　deputythe　Jalnowas　measured　by　weeks；　the　time　allowed　to　the　deputy's　deputy　was　cut　down　to　days；　ten　days　according　to　one　authority；　seven　days　according　to　another。　So　short　a　rope　was　doubtless　thought　a　long　enough　tether　for　so　black　or　sickly　a　sheep；　so　few　sands　in　the　hour…glass；　slipping　so　fast　away；　sufficed　for　one　who　had　wasted　so　many　precious　years。　Hence　in　the　jack…pudding　who　now　masquerades　with　motley　countenance　in　the　market…place　of　Lhasa；　sweeping　up　misfortune　with　a　black　yak's　tail；　we　may　fairly　see　the　substitute　of　a　substitute；　the　vicar　of　a　vicar；　the　proxy　on　whose　back　the　heavy　burden　was　laid　when　it　had　been　lifted　from　nobler　shoulders。　But　the　clue；　if　we　have　followed　it　aright；　does　not　stop　at　the　Jalno；　it　leads　straight　back　to　the　pope　of　Lhasa　himself；　the　Grand　Lama；　of　whom　the　Jalno　is　merely　the　temporary　vicar。　The　analogy　of　many　customs　in　many　lands　points　to　the　conclusion　that；　if　this　human　divinity　stoops　to　resign　his　ghostly　power　for　a　time　into　the　hands　of　a　substitute；　it　is；　or　rather　was　once；　for　no　other　reason　than　that　the　substitute　might　die　in　his　stead。　Thus　through　the　mist　of　ages　unillumined　by　the　lamp　of　history；　the　tragic　figure　of　the　pope　of　BuddhismGod's　vicar　on　earth　for　Asialooms　dim　and　sad　as　the　man…god　who　bore　his　people's　sorrows；　the　Good　Shepherd　who　laid　down　his　life　for　the　sheep。

4。　On　Scapegoats　in　General

THE　FOREGOING　survey　of　the　custom　of　publicly　expelling　the　accumulated　evils　of　a　village　or　town　or　country　suggests　a　few　general　observations。

In　the　first　place；　it　will　not　be　disputed　that　what　I　have　called　the　immediate　and　the　mediate　expulsions　of　evil　are　identical　in　intention；　in　other　words；　that　whether　the　evils　are　conceived　of　as　invisible　or　as　embodied　in　a　material　form；　is　a　circumstance　entirely　subordinate　to　the　main　object　of　the　ceremony；　which　is　simply　to　effect　a　total　clearance　of　all　the　ills　that　have　been　infesting　a　people。　If　any　link　were　wanting　to　connect　the　two　kinds　of　expulsion；　it　would　be　furnished　by　such　a　practice　as　that　of　sending　the　evils　away　in　a　litter　or　a　boat。　For　here；　on　the　one　hand；　the　evils　are　invisible　and　intangible；　and；　on　the　other　hand；　there　is　a　visible　and　tangible　vehicle　to　convey　them　away。　And　a　scapegoat　is　nothing　more　than　such　a　vehicle。

In　the　second　place；　when　a　general　clearance　of　evils　is　resorted　to　periodically；　the　interval　between　the　celebrations　of　the　ceremony　is　commonly　a　year；　and　the　time　of　year　when　the　ceremony　takes　place　usually　coincides　with　some　well…marked　change　of　season；　such　as　the　beginning　or　end　of　winter　in　the　arctic　and　temperate　zones；　and　the　beginning　or　end　of　the　rainy　season　in　the　tropics。　The　increased　mortality　which　such　climatic　changes　are　apt　to　produce；　especially　amongst　ill…fed；　ill…clothed；　and　ill…housed　savages；　is　set　down　by　primitive　man　to　the　agency　of　demons；　who　must　accordingly　be　expelled。　Hence；　in　the　tropical　regions　of　New　Britain　and　Peru；　the　devils　are　or　were　driven　out　at　the　beginning　of　the　rainy　season；　hence；　on　the　dreary　coasts　of　Baffin　Land；　they　are　banished　at　the　approach　of　the　bitter　Arctic　winter。　When　a　tribe　has　taken　to　husbandry；　the　time　for　the　general　expulsion　of　devils　is　naturally　made　to　agree　with　one　of　the　great　epochs　of　the　agricultural　year；　as　sowing；　or　harvest；　but；　as　these　epochs　themselves　naturally　coincide　with　changes　of　season；　it　does　not　follow　that　the　transition　from　the　hunting　or　pastoral　to　the　agricultural　life　involves　any　alteration　in　the　time　of　celebrating　this　great　annual　rite。　Some　of　the　agricultural　communities　of　India　and　the　Hindoo　Koosh；　as　we　have　seen；　hold　their　general　clearance　of　demons　at　harvest；　others　at　sowing…time。　But；　at　whatever　season　of　the　year　it　is　held；　the　general　expulsion　of　devils　commonly　marks　the　beginning　of　the　new　year。　For；　before　entering　on　a　new　year；　people　are　anxious　to　rid　themselves　of　the　troubles　that　have　harassed　them　in　the　past；　hence　it　comes　about　that　in　so　many　communities　the　beginning　of　the　new　year　is　inaugurated　with　a　solemn　and　public　banishment　of　evil　spirits。

In　the　third　place；　it　is　to　be　observed　that　this　public　and　periodic　expulsion　of　devils　is　commonly　preceded　or　followed　by　a　period　of　general　license；　during　which　the　ordinary　restraints　of　society　are　thrown　aside；　and　all　offences；　short　of　the　gravest；　are　allowed　to　pass　unpunished。　In　Guinea　and　Tonquin　the　period　of　license　precedes　the　public　expulsion　of　demons；　and　the　suspension　of　the　ordinary　government　in　Lhasa　previous　to　the　expulsion　of　the　scapegoat　is　perhaps　a　relic　of　a　similar　period　of　universal　license。　Amongst　the　Hos　of　India　the　period　of　license　follows　the　expulsion　of　the　devil。　Amongst　the　Iroquois　it　hardly　appears　whether　it　preceded　or　followed　the　banishment　of　evils。　In　any　case；　the　extraordinary　relaxation　of　all　ordinary　rules　of　conduct　on　such　occasions　is　doubtless　to　be　explained　by　the　general　clearance　of　evils　which　precedes　or　follows　it。　On　the　one　hand；　when　a　general　riddance　of　evil　and　absolution　from　all　sin　is　in　immediate　prospect；　men　are　encouraged　to　give　the　rein　to　their　passions；　trusting　that　the　coming　ceremony　will　wipe　out　the　score　which　they　are　running　up　so　fast。　On　the　other　hand；　when　the　ceremony　has　just　taken　place；　men's　minds　are　freed　from　the　oppressive　sense；　under　which　they　generally　labour；　of　an　atmosphere　surcharged　with　devils；　and　in　the　first　revulsion　of　joy　they　overleap　the　limits　commonly　imposed　by　custom　and　morality。　When　the　ceremony　takes　place　at　harvest…time；　the　elation　of　feeling　which　it　excites　is　further　stimulated　by　the　state　of　physical　wellbeing　produced　by　an　abundant　supply　of　food。

Fourthly；　the　employment　of　a　divine　man　or　animal　as　a　scapegoat　is　especially　to　be　noted；　indeed；　we　are　here　directly　concerned　with　the　custom　of　banishing　evils　only　in　so　far　as　these　evils　are　believed　to　be　transferred　to　a　god　who　is　afterwards　slain。　It　may　be　suspected　that　the　custom　of　employing　a　divine　man　or　animal　as　a　public　scapegoat　is　much　more　widely　diffused　than　appears　from　the　examples　cited。　For；　as　has　already　been　pointed　out；　the　custom　of　killing　a　god　dates　from　so　early　a　period　of　human　history　that　in　later　ages；　even　when　the　custom　continues　to　be　practised；　it　is　liable　to　be　misinterpreted。　The　divine　character　of　the　animal　or　man　is　forgotten；　and　he　comes　to　be　regarded　merely　as　an　ordinary　victim。　This　is　especially　likely　to　be　the　case　when　it　is　a　divine　man　who　is　killed。　For　when　a　nation　becomes　civilised；　if　it　does　not　drop　human　sacrifices　altogether；　it　at　least　selects　as　victims　only　such　wretches　as　would　be　put　to　death　at　any　rate。　Thus　the　killing　of　a　god　ma