the golden bough-第224章

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confirmed；　if　not　established；　by　a　very　curious　and　interesting　account　of　the　way　in　which　the　Saturnalia　was　celebrated　by　the　Roman　soldiers　stationed　on　the　Danube　in　the　reign　of　Maximian　and　Diocletian。　The　account　is　preserved　in　a　narrative　of　the　martyrdom　of　St。　Dasius；　which　was　unearthed　from　a　Greek　manuscript　in　the　Paris　library；　and　published　by　Professor　Franz　Cumont　of　Ghent。　Two　briefer　descriptions　of　the　event　and　of　the　custom　are　contained　in　manuscripts　at　Milan　and　Berlin；　one　of　them　had　already　seen　the　light　in　an　obscure　volume　printed　at　Urbino　in　1727；　but　its　importance　for　the　history　of　the　Roman　religion；　both　ancient　and　modern；　appears　to　have　been　overlooked　until　Professor　Cumont　drew　the　attention　of　scholars　to　all　three　narratives　by　publishing　them　together　some　years　ago。　According　to　these　narratives；　which　have　all　the　appearance　of　being　authentic；　and　of　which　the　longest　is　probably　based　on　official　documents；　the　Roman　soldiers　at　Durostorum　in　Lower　Moesia　celebrated　the　Saturnalia　year　by　year　in　the　following　manner。　Thirty　days　before　the　festival　they　chose　by　lot　from　amongst　themselves　a　young　and　handsome　man；　who　was　then　clothed　in　royal　attire　to　resemble　Saturn。　Thus　arrayed　and　attended　by　a　multitude　of　soldiers　he　went　about　in　public　with　full　license　to　indulge　his　passions　and　to　taste　of　every　pleasure；　however　base　and　shameful。　But　if　his　reign　was　merry；　it　was　short　and　ended　tragically；　for　when　the　thirty　days　were　up　and　the　festival　of　Saturn　had　come；　he　cut　his　own　throat　on　the　altar　of　the　god　whom　he　personated。　In　the　year　A。D。　303　the　lot　fell　upon　the　Christian　soldier　Dasius；　but　he　refused　to　play　the　part　of　the　heathen　god　and　soil　his　last　days　by　debauchery。　The　threats　and　arguments　of　his　commanding　officer　Bassus　failed　to　shake　his　constancy；　and　accordingly　he　was　beheaded；　as　the　Christian　martyrologist　records　with　minute　accuracy；　at　Durostorum　by　the　soldier　John　on　Friday　the　twentieth　day　of　November；　being　the　twenty…fourth　day　of　the　moon；　at　the　fourth　hour。

Since　this　narrative　was　published　by　Professor　Cumont；　its　historical　character；　which　had　been　doubted　or　denied；　has　received　strong　confirmation　from　an　interesting　discovery。　In　the　crypt　of　the　cathedral　which　crowns　the　promontory　of　Ancona　there　is　preserved；　among　other　remarkable　antiquities；　a　white　marble　sarcophagus　bearing　a　Greek　inscription；　in　characters　of　the　age　of　Justinian；　to　the　following　effect：　Here　lies　the　holy　martyr　Dasius；　brought　from　Durostorum。　The　sarcophagus　was　transferred　to　the　crypt　of　the　cathedral　in　1848　from　the　church　of　San　Pellegrino；　under　the　high　altar　of　which；　as　we　learn　from　a　Latin　inscription　let　into　the　masonry；　the　martyr's　bones　still　repose　with　those　of　two　other　saints。　How　long　the　sarcophagus　was　deposited　in　the　church　of　San　Pellegrino；　we　do　not　know；　but　it　is　recorded　to　have　been　there　in　the　year　1650。　We　may　suppose　that　the　saint's　relics　were　transferred　for　safety　to　Ancona　at　some　time　in　the　troubled　centuries　which　followed　his　martyrdom；　when　Moesia　was　occupied　and　ravaged　by　successive　hordes　of　barbarian　invaders。　At　all　events　it　appears　certain　from　the　independent　and　mutually　confirmatory　evidence　of　the　martyrology　and　the　monuments　that　Dasius　was　no　mythical　saint；　but　a　real　man；　who　suffered　death　for　his　faith　at　Durostorum　in　one　of　the　early　centuries　of　the　Christian　era。　Finding　the　narrative　of　the　nameless　martyrologist　thus　established　as　to　the　principal　fact　recorded；　namely；　the　martyrdom　of　St。　Dasius；　we　may　reasonably　accept　his　testimony　as　to　the　manner　and　cause　of　the　martyrdom；　all　the　more　because　his　narrative　is　precise；　circumstantial；　and　entirely　free　from　the　miraculous　element。　Accordingly　I　conclude　that　the　account　which　he　gives　of　the　celebration　of　the　Saturnalia　among　the　Roman　soldiers　is　trustworthy。

This　account　sets　in　a　new　and　lurid　light　the　office　of　the　King　of　the　Saturnalia；　the　ancient　Lord　of　Misrule；　who　presided　over　the　winter　revels　at　Rome　in　the　time　of　Horace　and　Tacitus。　It　seems　to　prove　that　his　business　had　not　always　been　that　of　a　mere　harlequin　or　merry…andrew　whose　only　care　was　that　the　revelry　should　run　high　and　the　fun　grow　fast　and　furious；　while　the　fire　blazed　and　crackled　on　the　hearth；　while　the　streets　swarmed　with　festive　crowds；　and　through　the　clear　frosty　air；　far　away　to　the　north；　Soracte　showed　his　coronal　of　snow。　When　we　compare　this　comic　monarch　of　the　gay；　the　civilised　metropolis　with　his　grim　counterpart　of　the　rude　camp　on　the　Danube；　and　when　we　remember　the　long　array　of　similar　figures；　ludicrous　yet　tragic；　who　in　other　ages　and　in　other　lands；　wearing　mock　crowns　and　wrapped　in　sceptred　palls；　have　played　their　little　pranks　for　a　few　brief　hours　or　days；　then　passed　before　their　time　to　a　violent　death；　we　can　hardly　doubt　that　in　the　King　of　the　Saturnalia　at　Rome；　as　he　is　depicted　by　classical　writers；　we　see　only　a　feeble　emasculated　copy　of　that　original；　whose　strong　features　have　been　fortunately　preserved　for　us　by　the　obscure　author　of　the　Martyrdom　of　St。　Dasius。　In　other　words；　the　martyrologist's　account　of　the　Saturnalia　agrees　so　closely　with　the　accounts　of　similar　rites　elsewhere　which　could　not　possibly　have　been　known　to　him；　that　the　substantial　accuracy　of　his　description　may　be　regarded　as　established；　and　further；　since　the　custom　of　putting　a　mock　king　to　death　as　a　representative　of　a　god　cannot　have　grown　out　of　a　practice　of　appointing　him　to　preside　over　a　holiday　revel；　whereas　the　reverse　may　very　well　have　happened；　we　are　justified　in　assuming　that　in　an　earlier　and　more　barbarous　age　it　was　the　universal　practice　in　ancient　Italy；　wherever　the　worship　of　Saturn　prevailed；　to　choose　a　man　who　played　the　part　and　enjoyed　all　the　traditionary　privileges　of　Saturn　for　a　season；　and　then　died；　whether　by　his　own　or　another's　hand；　whether　by　the　knife　or　the　fire　or　on　the　gallows…tree；　in　the　character　of　the　good　god　who　gave　his　life　for　the　world。　In　Rome　itself　and　other　great　towns　the　growth　of　civilisation　had　probably　mitigated　this　cruel　custom　long　before　the　Augustan　age；　and　transformed　it　into　the　innocent　shape　it　wears　in　the　writings　of　the　few　classical　writers　who　bestow　a　passing　notice　on　the　holiday　King　of　the　Saturnalia。　But　in　remoter　districts　the　older　and　sterner　practice　may　long　have　survived；　and　even　if　after　the　unification　of　Italy　the　barbarous　usage　was　suppressed　by　the　Roman　government；　the　memory　of　it　would　be　handed　down　by　the　peasants　and　would　tend　from　time　to　time；　as　still　happens　with　the　lowest　forms　of　superstition　among　ourselves；　to　lead　to　a　recrudescence　of　the　practice；　especially　among　the　rude　soldiery　on　the　outskirts　of　the　empire　over　whom　the　once　iron　hand　of　Rome　was　beginning　to　relax　its　grasp。

The　resemblance　between　the　Saturnalia　of　ancient　and　the　Carnival　of　modern　Italy　has　often　been　remarked；　but　in　the　light　of　all　the　facts　that　have　come　before　us；　we　may　well　ask　whether　the　resemblance　does　not　amount　to　identity。　We　have　seen　that　in　Italy；　Spain；　and　France；　that　is；　in　the　countries　where　the　influence　of　Rome　has　been　deepest　and　most　lasting；　a　conspicuous　feature　of　the　Carnival　is　a　burlesque　figure　personifying　the　festive　season；　which　after　a　short　career　of　glory　and　dissipation　is　publicly　shot；　burnt；　or　otherwise　destroyed；　to　the　feigned　grief　or　genuine　delight　of　the　populace。　If　the　view　here　suggested　of　the　Carnival　is　correct；　this　grotesque　personage　is　no　other　than　a　direct　successor　of　the　old　King　of　the　Saturnalia；　the　master　of　the　revels；　the　real　man　who　personated　Saturn　and；　when　the　revels　were　over；　suffered　a　real　death　in　his　assumed　character。　The　King　of　the　Bean　on　Twelfth　Night　and　the　mediaeval　Bishop　of　Fools；　Abbot　of　Unreason；　or　Lord　of　Misrule　are　figures　of　the　same　sort　and　may　perhaps　have　had　a　similar　origin。　Whether　that　was　so　or　not；　we　may　conclude　with　a　fair　degree　of　probability　that　if　the　King　of　the　Wood　at　Aricia　lived　and　died　as　an　incarnation　of　a　sylvan　deity；　he　had　of　old　a　parallel　at　Rome　in　the　men　who；　year　by　ye