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* CAST ALIO. 293 CASTE. a large faniUy to sujjport, until in 1553 he was appointed professor of Greek literature. Among his writinys may be mentioned Dc Uwrcticis, a treatise which argues against the right of the nuigistrate to punish heretical opinions, and « hich produced a reply from Bcza ; a Latin version of the Bible, pubiislied in 1551, and dedi- cated to Edward "1. of England: and a Kreneh translation of the Bible, dedicated to Henry II. of France. Consult his Life, by Buisson (Paris, IMI-'I. CASTA'NEA. See Chestnut. CAS'TANETS (Fr. cnntaguette, from Lat. castiiHKi. chestnut, so called from the shape). A musical instrument of percussion, usually in the form of two hollow nutshells, which are tied together by a band fastened on the thumb, and struck by the fiigers to produce a rattling sound in keeping with the rliythm of the music. The castanets were introduced into Spain by the Moors, where they retain the name of cas- tanuelas, from their resemblance to the form of the chestnut. The castanets are now much used in the ballet and in the opera. CASTANOS, ka-sta'nyfis, Dox Fbancisco Xamlk iiK, Duke of Bay'len (C.175G-1852) . A celebrated Spanish general. He was born in Jladrid, and after receiving a military training in Germany entered the Spanish Army and served with distinction in the campaign of 1794 against the French. When the French invaded Spain, Castaiios received the command of a division of the Spanish army, and on July 22, 1S08, com- pelled 20,000 French under General Dupont to surrender at Baylen. It is asserted, however, by some, that the merit of this success belongs more to Aloys Reding, a Swiss by birth, and the sec- ond in command. In November of the same year CastaCos was in turn defeated by the French at Tudela. Upon the arrival of Wellington he was again placed at the head of the Spanish army, which he led, under Wellington, in the important battles of Albuera, .Salamanca, and Vitoria, in the last of which particularlv he distinguished him- self. In 1815 he was placed at the head of 80,000 troops destined to invade France, some of which had already crossed the frontier when the news came of the battle of Waterloo. Although he was not a favorite with the Court politicians, his talents could not be overlooked. In 1825 he was called to the State Council, where he be- came a decided opponent of the Carlist party. Castanos was made Duke of Baylen in 18.33, and in 1843 became the guardian of Queen Isabella. He subsequently returned to his estates, and died at the age of 96. CASTATIA. A collection of love verses, writ- ten by William llabington to his wife, Lucy, daughter of William Herbert, first Baron Powis. They were published anonymously, in two parts, quarto, in lfi34. A second edition, with additions, appeared in 1035, duodecimo; and a third, with still further additions, including the character of The Holy Man, was published in 140, duodecimo. Modem editions are by Elton (Bristol. 1811)) and .rber, in EiiiiVmh Ueprints (London, 1870), The poems themselves are avowedly formal and dispassionate, and are ad- dressed variously to the 'chaste Castara' and to the author's personal friends and patrons. CASTE, kiUt. In a general sense, an heredi- tar division or arrangement of societv on the basis of occupation or other arbitrary condition; specifically, a class or grade so establislied, par- ticularly among the Hindus. The word is not native to India, where the distinctions are best developed, and where the term was first applied specifically as well as in its more general' sense, but is probably Portuguese (the earliest Occi- dental colonists in the Deccan and some other portions of India were from Portugal), in which language it denotes family, strain, breed, or race, the Portuguese (and Spanish) form being casta, the feminine of custo (Latin, cast us, pure). Among earlier English writers the form was cast, used in the sense of aspect or mode (as in 'cast of countenance'), or perhaps in the archaic sense of breed, derived from a stockbreeder's term still colloquial in England; indeed, there is some question whether the English term is not prior to the Portuguese. The Sanskrit term is rerna, signifying 'color,' and denoted originally, no doubt, the distinction between the lighter-complexioned Aryan invaders who entered India from the northwest, and the dark- skinned or colored aborigines whom they sub- jugated or drove onward before them. This fact throws considerable light on the origin of the social distinctions so highly developed in India and certain other countries. In any case the Occidental term is s_aionymous with 'chaste' (early French and modern English), and hence connotes purity, continence, freedom from taint, exelusiveness, and in general the attributes of race sense or ethnocentric sentiment. The four great castes of India — the Brahmans, or Priests, the Wairiors, the Husbandmen, and the Serfs, are as old in fact, if not in name, as the ancient sacred collection of hymns known as the Rig- Veda (cf. R.-V, 10, 90, 12; 8, 35, 10-18). The s.vstem, however, in its developed form is not sharply defined until the so-called period of Brahmanism. (See India, section Heliywii.) The division of an early community into priests, warriors, and agriculturists or third estate, is a natural one, and is found likewise in ancient Persia, The fourth caste in India came into being when the invading Aryans subjugated the natives and made them captives or slaves. They allowed them to become a part of the body poli- tic, but they denied them all religious rights and privileges which the three Aryan castes en- joyed. Disregarding minor subdivisions, the four Hindu castes, commonly recognized, are as follows : ( 1 ) The Brahman ok Sacerdotal Class. At the head of the elaborated Hindu caste system stands the Brahman, or Brahmin, the priest, in Sanskrit Brahmann, a term synoiniiious with sanctity and exaltation. The legendary account of Manu (q.v.) says that this class issued from the mouth of the god Brahma, at the moment of creation. The business of the Brahmans, through their knowledge of the sacred Vedas, is to per- form sacrifices for themselves and others and to give spiritual guidance to the rest of mankind, which has to rely on them for the favor of the gods. The Brahmans are the chief of all created beings, and other mortals enjoy life through them. They are to be treated with the most l)rc)friund respect, even by kings. The person of a Brahman is sacred: and it is his iirivilege to enjoy almost all immunities and exemptions. Special rules, on the other hand, are laid down