The Infant's Skull; Or, The End of the World. A Tale of the Millennium — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
The Infant's Skull; Or, The End of the World. A Tale of the Millennium
John Stuart Mill · en
This is how our journey ended: Following my father's wishes and also
with the purpose of drawing near Britanny, we marched towards Anjou,
where we arrived on the territory of the seigneur Guiscard, Count of the
region and castle of Mont-Ferrier. All travelers who passed over his
territory had to pay tribute to his toll-gatherers. Poor people, unable
to pay, were, according to the whim of the seigneur's men, put through
some disagreeable, or humiliating, or ridiculous performance: they were
either whipped, or made to walk on their hands, or to turn somersaults,
or kiss the bolts of the toll-gatherer's gate. As to the women, they
were subjected to revolting obscenities. Many other people as penniless
as ourselves were thus subjected to indignity and brutality. Desirous of
sparing my father and my wife the disgrace, I said to the bailiff of the
seigniory who happened to be there: "The castle I see yonder looks to me
weak in many ways. I am a skillful mason; I have built a large number of
fortified donjons; employ me and I shall work to the satisfaction of
your seigneur. All I ask of you is not to allow my father, wife and
children to be maltreated, and to furnish us with shelter and bread
while the work lasts." The bailiff accepted my offer gladly, seeing that
the mason, who was killed during the last war against the castle of
Mont-Ferrier, had not yet been replaced, and besides I furnished ample
evidence of knowing how to build. The bailiff assigned us to a hut where
we were to receive a serf's pittance. My father was to cultivate a
little garden attached to our hovel, while Nominoe, then old enough to
be of assistance, was to help me at my work which would last until
winter. We contemplated a journey to Britanny after that. We had lived
here five months when, three days ago, I lost my father.
* * * * *