Chapter 20: Angel wearing cat ears (Part 1)
March 1348, southern France, Port of Marseille
The bright and brilliant spring light once again fell on the romantic land of Provence, but it could not clear away the gloom in people's hearts.
Although they are bathed in the warm sunshine, the hearts of most people are as cold as ice cellars - although the vegetation, birds and animals are thriving, human beings, as the spirit of all things, are falling by the thousands, like winter The ants died one after another. .
Since January this year, the plague known as the Black Death has swept across this land, leaving corpses strewn in the fields and depopulated everywhere it goes. The epidemic is getting worse as the temperature rises. Especially in Marseille, where the Black Death first landed, this city with a population of about 80,000 actually carried out 57,000 corpses in just one month! And in the next month, people continued to die in pain with black spots all over their bodies.
(Don’t underestimate this population size. At that time, Europeans mainly stayed in the countryside, and cities were quite small. More than 20,000 people were considered a metropolis. Venice, the largest, had only 200,000 people, London only had a population of 50,000, and Paris had a population of 150,000. With a population of 80,000 and 80,000, Marseille was already the second largest city in France at that time - although Provence had not yet been fully integrated into France, and the Marseilles at that time did not necessarily consider themselves French)
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In the face of an unprecedentedly severe plague, the doctors and priests of this era were all helpless, and could not even find out what the source of the plague was.
(Of course modern people know that the Black Death is the plague, but Europeans in the Middle Ages knew nothing about it, and it was not confirmed until hundreds of years later.)
Compared with the overwhelming deaths that follow one after another, the more terrifying problem is the collapse and confusion of people's hearts.
In fact, large-scale deaths have never been uncommon in human history, but if they die in wars and massacres, the survivors will work hard to survive and take revenge, and at the same time they will naturally vent their resentment on the murderers and enemies; if They died of famine. Hungry people will do whatever it takes to get food to fill their stomachs, and direct their overwhelming anger at the wealthy people who hoard food, drive up food prices, and are unkind to get rich...
However, in the face of this unprecedented plague called the Black Death, although relatives, wives, children, and friends fell one by one, the surviving humans could not find anyone to hate - the rich and the poor were equally precarious, and any power and wealth are meaningless in the face of death... Faced with such "everyone is equal" death, people become hysterical in despair, extremely fragile, and full of resentment not knowing where to vent. The medical knowledge of this era was not yet able to correctly determine the cause of the disease, but terrified people needed to find an explanation for the disaster to free themselves from boundless despair.
Therefore, under this unfortunate external pressure, some inner catharsis can be said to have naturally appeared in this city...
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"...Woo-woo--"
As the sun gradually rose, the loud trumpet sounded again in front of the long-silent cathedral in Marseille Port.
A moment later, six fully armed soldiers, holding halberds in their hands, long swords on their waists, and wearing cloaks with cross patterns, walked out of the copper-clad door of the church that opened loudly, dragging out a figure in ragged clothes and staggering steps.
Although Marseille is now empty of all ten rooms, the square in front of the church is still filled with thousands of Marseille citizens watching the excitement - for this precarious, lifeless and desperate life, setting fire to the Scenes of human tragedy are really exciting entertainment.
Seeing the guy in the tattered linen shirt being escorted out, a commotion broke out among the onlookers. Everyone was shaking their fists and sending out a wave of boos and curses at the criminal who had just been accused of being a wizard, the former gentleman:
"...Look! That guy is the evil wizard! It was he who colluded with the evil spirits in the east and brought this plague!"
"...He is nominally a member of the Knights Hospitaller of Rhode Island, but in fact he is secretly raising evil cats and practicing blasphemous witchcraft!"
"...Oh God! A wizard who sneaked into the Knights Hospitaller?! Is this guy sent by Satan to destroy the world?"
"...Oh! You damned devil! Accept your retribution and go to hell!"
"...Kill him! Chop him up! Burn this blasphemous bitch!"
……
Amidst the roaring crowds, Knight Levi walked barefoot on the cobbled square in embarrassment, with a real sense of infinite malice. The armor and accessories that once belonged to him had long been stripped away by the jailers. Wearing only a tattered linen shirt, his hands and feet were heavily shackled. A thick iron chain extended from the collar around his neck and was pulled into the hands of the soldier in front.
In just one day, he was no longer a revered knight, but an evil "wizard" that everyone could kill!
——Although Lord Levi actually really wants to be a savior, and has really started to take action...
No matter how excited the citizens in the square were, the six soldiers continued their work silently. They roughly dragged Levi to the pyre, tied the heinous heretic wizard with iron chains to the stake, and then struggled to carry him. Heavy oil drums pour expensive grease on the firewood.
While they were preparing for the burning, a bald priest stood up, holding a scroll in hand, and read out the charges of Knight Livy to the citizens of the city - under normal circumstances, the Inquisition had no right to judge a nobleman without authorization. But the Bishop of Marseille planned to do something special this time.
According to the contents of this parchment, the knight Levi was accused of making a deal with the devil, sacrificing human beings in exchange for the magic of witchcraft, concocting poison from frogs, snakes and scorpions, and then poisoning the air. He caused the current great plague. In addition, he also raised a magical beast called a cat in the manor and fed the cats with human flesh to summon evil spirits... Because of these crimes that make people feel ridiculous at first sight, he was sentenced to death.
But the citizens of Marseille did not raise any objections to this, only fanatical abuse and ridicule spread - although everyone knew that the plague was first transmitted from that group of Genoese merchant ships, but in this warm atmosphere On the execution ground, no one had any intention of exposing the truth in public.
This situation, which is almost crazy in common sense, is exactly what the so-called "model Christians" of this era should be like - just like the previous "witch hunts", this heresy trial is just a good show of bullying, and it is harmful to the weak. The cruel execution of the so-called "wizard", in the eyes of these civilians who suffered from poverty and longed for entertainment, was really a wonderful performance that allowed them to temporarily forget their pain. Bringing this "sacred ceremony" to a climax and enjoying it is also a proof of one's devout faith. As for whether the accusation is true or not, it is something that no one cares about at all.
At this time, this torture also has the meaning of a pressure relief valve - the horrific Black Death destroyed cities, tore apart families, and caused relatives to abandon each other in a very short period of time. No doctor can cure it, no power can resist it. But people will still be angry, crazy, scared, crying, and want to do something in this disaster. If this accumulated madness cannot be effectively channeled, the city will become a powder keg, and as long as an accidental spark breaks out, it will be wiped out in a devastating explosion.
Therefore, the church needs to introduce a "suspected criminal" to bear all the sins and use his blood to free people from despair and rage-in the final analysis, this burning is actually just a religious ceremony, and the role played by Levi Knight , just like animals slaughtered during sacrifices.
While the charges were being read out, more and more people got the news, walked out of their homes, and crowded into the square, on the roofs, on the trees, on the balconies, on the shoulders of others... People everywhere came to watch the excitement. Such a noisy scene is just like the grand spectacle of beheading at Caishikou in Chinese Qing Palace dramas. It is also witnessed by thousands of people. In order to grab a good seat on the street to watch, the rich even spend a lot of money
——Human beings are the most complex creatures on the planet. The benevolent sympathizer and the cruel murderer are often two faces of the same person.
Finally, the long list of charges was read out, and the time was approaching noon. The Bishop of Marseille, who had been shut up for many days, appeared in front of the citizens again, wearing his most luxurious brocade clothes. He first made the sign of the cross, then held a torch with his own hand and lit the pyre at Levi's feet.
As the blazing flames ignited, the people who had been excited for a long time suddenly fell into madness. They cheered, jumped, and cheered. They were glad that they had the opportunity to enjoy such a rare grand occasion, but no one sympathized with Wu. The prisoner who helped him paid attention to his pain and struggle. There was only one bloody word swirling in everyone's mind - "Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Seeing himself falling into a sea of fire, Levi, who was gagged, began to struggle desperately, but the thick iron chains tied him to the pillar, unable to move... Deep despair and fear surged into his heart, but he couldn't To end the pain immediately, we can only accept the reality of death step by step...
At the same time, the Bishop of Marseille on the side rubbed his hands and watched casually as the prisoner was engulfed in a sea of fire. As the leader of this tragedy, he certainly knew very well that even if he burned this guy who was labeled a wizard, the plague would not stop, but at least it gave people a reason to deceive themselves: the root of the disaster had been eliminated. Got it! This makes them feel that everything around them still has hope of getting better - that's enough!
As for what will happen in the future...that is really only God knows.
He curled his lips and was about to turn around and go back to the church... However, at the next moment, an unexpected change occurred in the square:
Almost without warning, a burst of magnificent music that was as smooth as a clear spring, yet still solemn and holy, sounded very suddenly.
At the same time, the bright golden light, far more brilliant than the scorching summer sun, also lit up over the square, making everyone unable to open their eyes.
Although nothing could be seen when illuminated by this light, the bishop immediately realized that something unexpected seemed to have happened!
Then, he heard an incredible term. "...Angel! It's an angel! An angel is coming!!!"