Chapter 7 Notre Dame Cathedral (1) Volume 1 Hall (6)

The cardinal laughed out loud. "To tell you the truth, even the board of trustees would do it in such a situation. What do you say, Guillaume Rim?" "Your Excellency," replied Guillaume Lime, "we have been spared the half-play, and we shall know. It is all well and good." "Can these dirty tricks be allowed to continue?" asked the pawn. "Go on, go on," the cardinal replied. "I don't care. I can use this time to read the Book of Hours." The pawn walked to the side of the stand, waved his hand to tell everyone to be quiet, and shouted loudly:

"Citizens, villagers, and common people, some of you have requested to restart the performance, while others have requested not to perform it. In order to meet the demands of these two groups of people, His Excellency Bishop ordered the performance to continue from where it left off." It is true that only two groups of people have to be accommodated.But both the author and the audience hold a grudge against the cardinal. So the people in the play resumed their discourse, and Gringoire hoped that the audience would at least listen to the rest of his play.But this hope, like his other fantasies, was soon dashed.The audience reluctantly fell silent, but Gringoire did not realize that at the moment when the cardinal gave the order to continue the performance, the stands were far from full, so after the arrival of the Flemish envoys, they suddenly The retinue came again, and in this way, interspersed with Gringoire's masterful dialogue, the screams from the prison gate, announcing their names and identities, seriously affected the performance, and it was a disaster.You may wish to imagine that a play is being performed, and between two rhymes, often even between two half-sentences before and after a line of poetry, a prison gate suddenly screams strangely, always seeming to be interjecting, such as:

"Monsieur Jacques Charmollu, the king's prosecutor to the Inquisition!" "John de Allais, Steward of the Royal Stables, Guard of the Knights of the Night Watch in the City of Paris!" "My lord Galio de Genoac, knight, lord of Prussac, master of the king's artillery!" "Monsieur de Joux-Laguier, Inspector of Forests and Hydrographies of the National and Champagne and Brie Departments of our Monarch!" "Louis de Gravel, knight, vassal and valet of the king, commander of the French navy, guard of Vincent's Garden!" "Monsieur Denis le Mercier, superintendent of the Paris Institute for the Blind!" The list goes on and on.

This became more and more unbearable. This bizarre accompaniment made it difficult to continue the play.But what annoyed Gringoire especially was that he couldn't pretend to turn a blind eye. His masterpiece was getting better and better, but no one wanted to listen to it.Indeed, the ingenious structure and the twists and turns of the plot are really immeasurable.Just as the people in the opening four plays were lamenting and terrified, Venus, dressed in a gorgeous cloak embroidered with the coat of arms of the city of Paris, came to see them in person with the light steps of a goddess, and asked to marry the promised woman. To marry the heir of the peerless beauty.At this time, there was a roar of thunder from the dressing room, and Jupiter expressed his support for the marriage.Seeing that the goddess was about to win, she said bluntly that she was going to marry her heir as his wife.Unexpectedly, a young girl dressed in snow-white damask and holding a daisy (obviously, this is the incarnation of the Flemish princess) came to compete with Venus for the heir.The plot changes suddenly, twists and turns.After some disputes, Venus, Margaret and the people behind the scenes unanimously agreed to submit the matter to the Holy Mother for fair judgment.Another wonderful character in the play is Don Padel, King of Mesopotamia.However, with so many interruptions in the show, it is unclear what role this role played.All of this is climbing up that ladder.

However, it was all over.No one cares about these kinds of exquisite works, no one understands them.As soon as the cardinal walked in, it seemed as if there was an invisible magic thread that pulled all eyes from the marble platform to the stands, and from the south end of the hall to the west.No amount of remedies can free the audience from the grip of this magic.All eyes were still on there, and the newcomers, with their goddamn names, their looks, their outfits, continued to distract the audience.This is so sad!Except for Gisgate and Lienard, Gringoire who pulled their sleeves and turned their heads sometimes, and the patient big fat man at his side, this poor miracle drama was completely abandoned to one side. Don't listen to a word, don't look at anyone.Gringoire saw only the silhouettes of the audience.

Seeing the stage on which he could live forever, the stage on which his poems can be eulogized forever, collapse one by one, how bitter and bitter it is!Think again about the people who couldn't wait to listen to his masterpiece, and almost rose up to rebel against the pawn!Now the play is played, but no one pays attention.But this same play received such unanimous applause at the beginning of the play!The ups and downs of people's hearts are really fickle!Think about the few headhunters of pawns, they almost lost their lives!well!If he could get back that sweet moment, Gringoire would go through fire and water willingly!The rough monologue of the prison gate finally stopped.Everyone was present, and Gringoire breathed a sigh of relief.The actors played it lifelike.But it never occurred to him that Mr. Coppenol, the hosiery merchant, suddenly rose to his feet, and Gringoire, in the midst of all attention, heard his infamous speech:

"Gentlemen and gentlemen of the citizens of Paris, I don't know what the hell we're doing here. Of course I saw a few people in that corner over there, on that platform, who looked like they were going to fight. I don't know Is it what you call a miracle drama, it's so boring! They just grind their teeth and never move. I've been waiting for a quarter of an hour for them to punch in the head, waiting for nothing. Just swearing and hurting Yes, that's a coward. You should call in some London or Rotterdam fist fighters, that'd be great! You'll see the blows that can be heard in the square. But look at some of them, how pitiful they are They should at least give us a Moorish dance, or any masquerade! That's not what I was told. I was promised some madman's day, the election of the Madman Pope. We also had elections in Ghent Mad Pope, we're not far behind in this matter, damn it! Here's how we do it. We gather together, in a big, chaotic crowd, like here. Then each takes his turn turning his head from a large Go through the hole and make faces at the others. Whichever face is the ugliest and gets the cheers of the crowd, he's elected as the Madman Pope. That's it. It's fun! Do you want to choose your Pope the way we came home? It can't be so disgusting as listening to these chattering fellows. Anyone who wants to stick his head out of the window to make a ghost, whoever wants to participate. What do you think, gentlemen of the town? There is plenty, and we can have a good laugh in the Flemish way. We've got ugly faces enough, and we can hope to pick a top grotesque."

Gringoire could not wait to pay him back.But for a moment he was speechless from astonishment, exasperation, and indignation.Besides, this kind of citizen is very happy to be called a gentleman. He enthusiastically agrees with the proposal of the popular hosier. Kong, I wish I could have a cloak to cover my head like Agamemnon described by Timonte. five quasimodo In an instant, everything was ready, and it was done according to Coppenol's idea.Citizens, students, and court clerks joined hands.The chapel opposite the marble table was chosen as the stage for the grimace.A pane of glass in the handsome petaled lattice window above the lintel was smashed, revealing a round hole in the stone frame, through which it was agreed that each contestant would put his head out.I don't know where I got two large wine barrels, and stacked them casually. As long as I climbed on the barrels, I could reach the round hole.

In order to keep the fresh and complete impression of the grotesque, it is also stipulated that each candidate—whether male or female (because a female pope may be elected) must first cover his head and hide in the chapel until the next day. Until the official appearance.After a while, the chapel was full of contestants, and the door of the chapel was closed. Coppenall orders everything, directs everything, arranges everything from his seat.Amid the uproar, the cardinal felt no better than Gringoire, and he was also in a panic. He said that he had something to do and that he had to go to vespers, so he took all his troops and left the scene early.When he arrived, the crowd was very excited, but now that he left, no one was moved.Guillaume Rim was the only one who noticed the bishop's flight.The public's attention, like the sun moving, started at one end of the hall, paused for a moment in the middle, and has now moved to the other end.Marble tables and brocade tribunes had their time, and now it's the turn of the Louis XI chapel.From now on, it's time to mess around here.There were only Flemish and untouchables in the room.

The Oddity Contest has begun.The first face exposed through the window, the eyelids rolled up, turned blood red, the mouth was open into a bloody mouth, and the forehead was wrinkled like the imperial cavalry boots on our feet. Everyone burst into uncontrollable laughter, If Homer was alive, he would regard these villagers as gods after hearing about it.After all, isn't this hall exactly Mount Olympus, and no one knows this better than poor Jupiter described by Gringoire.Then came the second, and the third, and then another, and then another.The laughter, the merry stomping of feet, was constant, rising and falling.This scene gives people a special feeling of euphoria, with a kind of intoxicating and bewildering power, which can only be felt but cannot be described. It is difficult to convey to our readers today, the readers of our salons.Readers, please imagine: a series of faces appearing one after another, in various shapes and shapes, ranging from triangles to trapezoids, from cones to polyhedrons, and various geometric figures; the range of expressions that one might expect; the ages represented by this succession of faces, from the wrinkled newborn baby to the wrinkled and dying old woman; Shepherd gods to Beelzebub, the king of ghosts; also the profile shapes of all animals, from grins to sharp beaks, from pig heads to horse faces.Imagine, gentlemen, that all the heads of the columns of the Pont Neuf in Paris, those nightmares that were turned to stone by Germain Piron, come to life one by one, and come to you in turn, staring at you with burning eyes. You see; imagine, too, the various masks of the Carnival of Venice, one after the other under your pince-nez; in a word, a kaleidoscope of human faces!

The orgies became more and more Flemish.If Tenier paints and depicts it, it can only give a very incomplete impression.Please imagine again the scene of the Dionysian battle by Salvador Roza.No student, no ambassador, no citizen, no man, no woman, no longer exists; neither Clopin Trouilleur, Gilles Leconi, Marie "Four Leifres", Robin Puspin, for one thing or another, was gone; there was only a miasma, a dissoluteness, everything had disappeared.The whole hall was just a melting pot of impudence and frolic, with gaping mouths, eyes blazing with lightning, faces full of ugliness, and everyone putting on airs.Everything is clamoring, everything is howling.One by one, the hideous and strange faces came to the opening of the petal lattice window, and the teeth were clenched. How many strange faces are there, just like how many sticks thrown into the raging fire.From the tumbling and seething crowd, like the steam in a boiler, came out a noisy, ear-piercing, sharp, and shrill sound, hissing like the wings of mosquitoes and flies. "Wow! God damn it!" "Look at that face!" "Worthless!" "Next!" "Gilmette Morelpi, look at that bull's head. It's only two horns short. It's not your husband!" "Another one!" "Beast! What kind of grimace is that?" "Ho la hey! It's a deception! Just show him what he really is!" "Damn Perrette Galbot! Thanks to her for doing it!" "Absolute! Absolutely!" "I'm smothered!" "Look at this one, the ears can't stick out!" Etc., etc. Still, justice should be done to our old friend John.In the midst of this dance of demons, he was seen on the top of the post, like a midshipman on a jib-sail.He was furious, he moved his body wildly, opened his mouth wide and wide, and uttered an inaudible cry, which was not drowned out by the noise of the crowd, however loud it was, but probably reached the height of the crowd. The audible limit of screeching sound is twelve thousand vibrations according to Soffer's calculation, and eight thousand vibrations according to Biot's calculation. As for Gringoire, after the initial depression had passed, his composure returned. He straightened up, not bowing his head to bad luck, and said to the actors and those talking machines for the third time: "Keep acting!" Wanted to go to the window of the chapel and show off my skills, if only to make faces and amuse myself with this ungrateful mob.But after thinking about it: "That's not okay, it's a shame for us, don't worry about it! We must fight to the end!" He repeatedly warned himself: "Poetry has a huge influence on the people, and I want to draw them back. .Wait and see who beats who, is it grimace or literature?" well!He was left alone to watch his masterpiece! Even worse than before, all he saw now was the backs of everyone. I was wrong.The patient big fat man whom he had consulted in a critical moment just now was still facing the stage.As for Gisgate and Lienard, they had already fled. The faithfulness of this one and only spectator moved Gringoire from the bottom of his heart, and he approached him, shook his arm lightly, and spoke to him, for the good man had fallen asleep leaning against the railing. caught. "Thank you, sir," said Gringoire. "Sir, thank you for what?" The fat man yawned and replied. "I can see what bores you," went on the poet. "It's the loud noise that keeps you from listening freely. But don't worry: your name will live on forever! May I ask your name?" "Renault Chateau, Keeper of the Seal of the Château de Paris, at your service." "Sir, you are the only representative of the Muse here." "You are too polite, sir." The seal-keeper of the small castle replied. "Only you have the honor of listening to the play, what do you think?" Gringoire went on. "Ho! Ho!" The obese seal official replied, half asleep and half awake, but he was actually a little rambling. Gringoire could only be satisfied with this admiration, for their conversation was suddenly interrupted by thunderous applause and earth-shaking cheers.The Mad Pope has been elected! "Definitely! Absolutely! Absolutely!" The people from all directions shouted together. Sure enough, at this moment, the grotesque protruding from the round hole in the petaled lattice window was dazzling and wonderful.The carnival has stimulated the imagination of the people. What is the most ideal grotesque face? At this time, a miraculous and incomparably ugly face suddenly appeared, dazzled the audience, and it was a sure thing to win the championship in one fell swoop.Monsieur Coppenol applauded himself; Clopin Trouyff, who had as ugly a face as could be called, entered the contest, and was obliged to bow down.We are also ashamed of ourselves.We do not want to describe to the examiner here the tetrahedron nose, the horseshoe-shaped mouth, the tiny left eye blocked by thatched brown eyebrows, the right eye completely covered by a large tumor, the The upper and lower rows of incomplete teeth that looked like castle butts, the pulp-stained lips with a single ivory incisor exposed above, the split jaw, especially the kind that covered it all. The expression is sly, astonished, and sad.If possible, I would like to ask the judges to put all this together and think about it! The audience cheered unanimously.Everyone rushed to the chapel, and someone lifted the blessed mad pope out.At this time, everyone looked at him and were beyond surprised: it turned out that this strange face turned out to be his real face!Rather, his whole person is a grimace.A big head with reddish-brown hair erected; between two shoulders stands a huge hunchback, corresponding to the protruding chicken breast in the front; Only the knees can barely close together. Viewed from the front, it looks like two crescent-shaped scythes, only the handles are joined together; wide feet, huge palms; moreover, such a deformed body has an indescribable Terrible posture: energetic, vigorous and agile, with extraordinary courage.Both strength and beauty come from harmony, which is the result of the eternal law, but this is the exception, the exception is bizarre!This is the pope that the madmen have just chosen. This is simply a giant that was smashed and welded together indiscriminately.