The Catholic World Volume Iii Part 99

Translated from the French

"G.o.d BLESS YOU!"

BY JEROME DUMOULIN.

"Thank you, master Jerome!" my reader replies; "yes, to be sure, may G.o.d bless me! But I have not sneezed, that I know of, for a quarter of an hour, at least; and _apropos de quoi_ do you say that? or rather, why and wherefore do they always say so to people who sneeze? I suspect that you want to talk about it, and, in fact, I should not be displeased to hear you discuss for a little while this odd custom; so begin, master Jerome."

Very well, dear reader, such is my idea, and I think you will not find uninteresting the little history of it which I intend to give; and I a.s.sure you beforehand, that if I fail to convince you, you must be very difficult.

Settle it first in your mind, that in whatever you may have heard heretofore upon this subject, there was not one word of truth. Among the most probable histories of this kind is that of a pestilence, which in the time of Pope Saint Gregory, ravaged Italy, the peculiar characteristic of which was to cause the sick person to die suddenly by sneezing. When the patient sneezed, which was for him, the pa.s.sage from life to death, the a.s.sistants gave him this fraternal benediction, saying to him, "G.o.d bless you!" which was the equivalent or translation of _Requiescat in pace_. This account, I repeat, would be much more acceptable, if it were not contradicted by a positive fact, namely, that the use of the expression is many centuries anterior to Pope Saint Gregory; anterior even to the Christian era, and borrowed, of course, from the pagans, as I am about to prove from authentic testimony.

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But in the first place, let us remark that in the highest antiquity sneezing was a circ.u.mstance in regard to which they drew auguries, especially if a person sneezed many times consecutively. Xenophon relates that one of his corporals having sneezed, he drew from it a good augury by a process of reasoning which I did not quite understand, but which his troops, apparently, found sufficiently conclusive. Going back again some eight centuries, we find in the "Odyssey" an adventure of the same kind, but more droll. In the eighteenth book of this poem, the divine Homer relates that one day Telemachus began to sneeze in such a manner as to shake the whole house. That put madam Penelope in good humor, who calling her faithful Eumacus the swineherd: "Do you hear, old fellow," she said; "he is well cared for! and what an augury of happiness the G.o.ds have given us. Jupiter has spoken by the nose of my dear Telemachus, and he announces to us that we are about to be freed from these scamps of gallants who bore me with their pursuits, and who beside put to sack our poor civil list; for every hour our cattle, goats, and little pigs, which you love like so many children, are sacrificed to the voracity of these rascals. Now, my good fellow, I have an idea: go you to the door of the palace, where for some days I have seen that beggar that you know. Take him from me these pantaloons and this shirt, which I am sure he needs very much; and promise him beside a magnificent frock-coat, which he will have only if he shall answer in a satisfactory manner the questions which I shall propose." In fact the good queen suspected that the ragged peasant might be the wise Ulysses in disguise. But let us proceed with our subject.

In the second chapter of his twenty-eighth book, the elder Pliny expresses himself thus: _Cur sternumentis salutamus? Quod etiam Tiberium Caesarem in vehiculo exegisse tradunt, et aliqui nomine quoque consalutare religiosius putant._ Thus the custom was already established among the Romans of wishing health and good fortune to persons who sneezed, and the last word but one of the phrase indicates that this wish had a religious character. In many authors health is wished to persons who sneeze; _salvere jubentur_, is the consecrated expression, which corresponds to "G.o.d guard you;" and according to the pa.s.sage cited above, it appears that when Tiberius, driving in his chariot, sneezed, then, and only then, the populace were obliged to cry. _Long live the emperor!_ a formula which included the impetration of life and health by the protection of the G.o.ds. This custom existed then at the time of Pliny, and going back still further among the Romans, let us see what we find. Here then is a story extracted from the "Veterum Auctorum Fragmenta,"' and inserted by Father Strada in his "Prolusiones Academicae." I give a free translation, it is true, but I will guarantee the perfect exact.i.tude of the substance, and of the formulas.

One day when Cicero was present at a performance at the Roman opera, the ill.u.s.trious orator began to sneeze loudly. Immediately all rose, senators and plebeians, and each one taking off his hat, they cried to him from all parts of the house: "G.o.d bless you! _Omnes a.s.surrexere--salvere jubentes_." Upon which three young men, named severally Fannius, Fabalus, and Lemniscus, leaning upon their elbows in one of the boxes, began the interchange of a succession of absurd remarks, and finally started the question of the origin of this custom. Each gave his own opinion, and the three agreed at once that the usage dated back as far as Prometheus. It was then, at Rome, a common tradition of very ancient date, as we see, according to some, even as ancient as the epoch of the tower of Babel. {595} But if they were agreed as to the groundwork, they embellished their canvas in very different fashions. The stories related by Fannius, and by Fabalus I will spare you for the sake of brevity and for other reasons; contenting myself only with the version of Lemniscus, which will suffice for our object.

Following then, this respectable authority: The son of j.a.petus moulded, as every one knows, with pipe-clay, a statue which he proposed to animate with celestial fire, and his work finished, he put it into a stove in order that it should dry sufficiently; but the heat was very great, and acted so well, or so ill, that independently of other damages, the nose of the work became cracked and shrunken in a manner very unfortunate for a nose which had the slightest self-consciousness. When the artist returned to the stove and saw this stunted nose, he began to swear like a pagan as he was; but perceiving that the flat-nose gained nothing thereby, he took the wiser part of re-manipulating the organ, adding thereto fresh clay, and in order to facilitate the work of restoration, he conceived the idea of inserting a match in one of the nostrils of his manikin. But the mucous membrane, already provided with sensibility and life, was irritated at the contact of the sulphuric acid, and the consequence was such a tremendous sneezing that all the teeth, not yet quite solid in the jaw, sprang out into the face of the operator. Dismayed by this deluge of meteors, and expecting to see his little man get out of order from top to bottom "Ah!" cried Prometheus, "may Jupiter protect you!"--_Tibi Jupiter adsit!_ "And from this you see two things,"

continued Lemniscus: "First, why they always say to people who sneeze, 'May Jupiter a.s.sist you!' and also, why this morning, in a similar case, I said nothing at all to this old mummy Crispinus, since from time immemorial his last tooth has taken flight. He might sneeze like an old cat without the slightest danger to his jaw."

Here terminates the colloquy of our young men. I am far from intending to guarantee the contents, either as to the conduct and exploits of Prometheus, or the misfortunes of his little man, since I have not under my eye the authentic records; but what follows incontestably from this recital, is, that at the time of Cicero, the usage of which we speak was already very ancient, since they traced it back to one of the most ancient heroes of fable. But moreover, and this it is which renders this pa.s.sage particularly precious, we find in it the precise form of salutation which other pa.s.sages contain in the generic phrase--_salvere jubent_. This formula consists in these three words: _Tibi Jupiter adsit!_ I do not intend to say that this wish and this deprecatory formula were only used in the special case of which we speak. Undoubtedly, in a thousand other circ.u.mstances, persons addressed each other as a mark of good will. _Deus tibi faveat! Dii adsint! Tibi adsit Jupiter!_ etc, etc.; but in the special case of sneezing, the phrase was obligatory among persons of gentle breeding.

Now, reader, attention! and will you enter into a Roman school, in the time of Camillus or Coriola.n.u.s? There we shall find in the midst of about fifty pupils, an honest preceptor bearing the name of Stolo, or Volumnus, or Pomponius, perhaps. Very well, let it be Pomponius. Now on a certain day the good man began to sneeze, but magisterially, and in double time, following the form still used among the moderns, that is to say, he emitted this nasal interjection----_ad----sit_! which you have observed and practised a thousand times. Upon which one of the young rogues, remarking the h.o.m.ophony of the thing with one of the three words of the deprecatory formula which he had heard in numberless cases, added, in a mocking tone--_tibi Jupiter!_and instantly all the crowd repeated in chorus after him, _ad--sit--tibi Jupiter_.

Here you have, dear reader, the solution of the enigma. But let us observe the sequel. What did master {596} Pomponius under the fire of this gay frolic? Somewhat astonished at first, he immediately recovered himself, and took the thing in good part; and being something of a wag himself, that style of benediction suited his humor. I see him now running his glance along the restless troops, raising the right hand, then the fore-finger, which he carries to his nose, then calming their terrors by these soothing words:

Fear not, my little friends: You often have committed Offenses much more grave.

Ah well! how often and whenever I shall happen to make--_ad---sit!_ Cry you all: _Jupiter adsit!_

You will not suppose that the little boys failed in this duty. From the school of Pomponius it pa.s.sed through all the line of the university establishments, and improving upon it, the children saluted with--_Jupiter ad----sit_!----first the heads of their cla.s.ses, then fathers, mothers, and all respectable persons. The elders failed not to imitate the little ones: it permeated the whole of society. Then came Christianity, which changed _Jupiter_ into _G.o.d_; and the formula, _Jupiter protect you!_ was naturally transformed into _G.o.d bless you!_

Thus it is verified that this formula is of Roman origin; and if anything is simple, natural, and manifest, it is its derivation from the physiological phenomena with which it is connected, and of which it represents phonetically the energetic expression. If any of my readers can find a better explanation of it, I beg him to address me his memorandum by telegraph.

I owe you now the quotation from the "Anthology," which I promised above. Among the Greek epigrams of all epochs, of which this collection is composed, there is one which relates precisely to the custom of which we speak. The _Zeu Soson_ of this epigram is the translation of the _Jupiter adsit_ of the Latins. I say the translation and not the original. For this is not one of those fragments which may be of an epoch anterior to that in which we have placed, and in which we have a right to place master Pomponius and his little adventure. In extending their empire over the countries of the Greek tongue, the Romans imported there a great number of their customs and social habits: the _Jupiter adsit_ must have been of this number, and therefore we find it under Greek pens. I dare not venture here upon the Greek text of the "Anthology," which would perhaps frighten our fair readers, and I give only the Latin translation in two couplets:

Dic cur Sulpicius nequeat sibi mungere nasum?

Causa est quod naso sit minor ipsa ma.n.u.s.

Cur sibi sternutans, non clamat, Jupiter adsit?

Non nasum audit qui distat ab aure nimis.

Very well! I yet have scruples in regard to my Latin, which may not be understood by some of the ladies and especially by the bachelors of the bifurcation. Therefore, to put it into good French verse, I have had recourse to the politeness of our friend Pomponius, and the excellent man has willingly given the following translation of the second distich, which alone relates to the circ.u.mstance:

On demande pourquoi notre voisin Sulpice Eternue, et jamais ne dit: Dien _me_ benisse!

Serait-ce, par hasard, qu'll n'entend pas tres-blen?

Du tout, l'oreille est bonne et fonctionne a merveille; Mais son grand nez s'en va--si loin de son oreille, Que quand il fait--_ad--sit!_ celle-ce n'entend rien.

You demand why our neighbor Sulpice Sneezes and never says, G.o.d bless _me_!

It is, perhaps, because he does not hear well: Not at all, his ear is good, and acts to a marvel; But his great nose goes away--so far from his ear, That when he makes--_ad--sit!_ this last hears nothing.

This epigram, undoubtedly, is not much more than two thousand years old; and why may it not have been written by Pomponius the ancient?

For the Pomponius of our day, to him also, "how often and whenever,"

he shall sneeze--and without that even, G.o.d bless him!

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[ORIGINAL.]

THEREIN.

A SONG.

I know a valley fair and green, Wherein, wherein, A dear and winding brook is seen, Therein; The village street stands in its pride With a row of elms on either side, Therein; They shade the village green.

In the village street there is an inn.

Wherein, wherein, The landlord sits in bottle-green, Therein.

His face is like a glowing coal, And his paunch is like a swelling bowl; Therein Is a store of good ale, therein.

The inn has a cosy fireside.

Wherein, wherein, Two huge andirons stand astride, Therein.

When the air is raw of a winter's night, The fire on the hearth shines bright Therein.

'Tis sweet to be therein.

The landlord sits in his old arm-chair Therein, therein; And the blaze shines through his yellow hair Therein.

There cometh lawyer Bickerst.i.th, And the village doctor, and the smith.

Therein Full many a tale they spin.

They talk of fiery Sheridan's raid Therein, therein; And hapless Baker's ambuscade Therein; The grip with which Grant throttled Lee, And Sherman's famous march to the sea.

Therein Great fights are fought over therein.

The landlord has a daughter fair Therein, therein.

In ringlets falls her glossy hair Therein.

When they speak in her ear she tosses her head; When they look in her eye she hangs the lid, Therein.

She does not care a pin.

I know the maiden's heart full well.

Therein, therein, Pure thoughts and holy wishes dwell Therein.

I see her at church on bended knee; And well I know she prays for me Therein.

Sure, that can be no sin.

Our parish church has a holy priest, Therein, therein.