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THE　GYPSIES　OF　THE　EAST；　OR　ZINGARRI











What　has　been　said　of　the　Gypsies　of　Europe　is；　to　a　considerable　



extent；　applicable　to　their　brethren　in　the　East；　or；　as　they　are　



called；　Zingarri；　they　are　either　found　wandering　amongst　the　



deserts　or　mountains；　or　settled　in　towns；　supporting　themselves　by　



horse…dealing　or　jugglery；　by　music　and　song。　　In　no　part　of　the　



East　are　they　more　numerous　than　in　Turkey；　especially　in　



Constantinople；　where　the　females　frequently　enter　the　harems　of　



the　great；　pretending　to　cure　children　of　'the　evil　eye；'　and　to　



interpret　the　dreams　of　the　women。　　They　are　not　unfrequently　seen　



in　the　coffee…houses；　exhibiting　their　figures　in　lascivious　dances　



to　the　tune　of　various　instruments；　yet　these　females　are　by　no　



means　unchaste；　however　their　manners　and　appearance　may　denote　the　



contrary；　and　either　Turk　or　Christian　who；　stimulated　by　their　



songs　and　voluptuous　movements；　should　address　them　with　proposals　



of　a　dishonourable　nature；　would；　in　all　probability；　meet　with　a　



decided　repulse。







Among　the　Zingarri　are　not　a　few　who　deal　in　precious　stones；　and　



some　who　vend　poisons；　and　the　most　remarkable　individual　whom　it　



has　been　my　fortune　to　encounter　amongst　the　Gypsies；　whether　of　



the　Eastern　or　Western　world；　was　a　person　who　dealt　in　both　these　



articles。　　He　was　a　native　of　Constantinople；　and　in　the　pursuit　of　



his　trade　had　visited　the　most　remote　and　remarkable　portions　of　



the　world。　　He　had　traversed　alone　and　on　foot　the　greatest　part　of　



India；　he　spoke　several　dialects　of　the　Malay；　and　understood　the　



original　language　of　Java；　that　isle　more　fertile　in　poisons　than　



even　'far　Iolchos　and　Spain。'　From　what　I　could　learn　from　him；　it　



appeared　that　his　jewels　were　in　less　request　than　his　drugs；　



though　he　assured　me　that　there　was　scarcely　a　Bey　or　Satrap　in　



Persia　or　Turkey　whom　he　had　not　supplied　with　both。　　I　have　seen　



this　individual　in　more　countries　than　one；　for　he　flits　over　the　



world　like　the　shadow　of　a　cloud；　the　last　time　at　Granada　in　



Spain；　whither　he　had　come　after　paying　a　visit　to　his　Gitano　



brethren　in　the　presidio　of　Ceuta。







Few　Eastern　authors　have　spoken　of　the　Zingarri；　notwithstanding　



they　have　been　known　in　the　East　for　many　centuries；　amongst　the　



few；　none　has　made　more　curious　mention　of　them　than　Arabschah；　in　



a　chapter　of　his　life　of　Timour　or　Tamerlane；　which　is　deservedly　



considered　as　one　of　the　three　classic　works　of　Arabian　literature。　　



This　passage；　which；　while　it　serves　to　illustrate　the　craft；　if　



not　the　valour　of　the　conqueror　of　half　the　world；　offers　some　



curious　particulars　as　to　Gypsy　life　in　the　East　at　a　remote　



period；　will　scarcely　be　considered　out　of　place　if　reproduced　



here；　and　the　following　is　as　close　a　translation　of　it　as　the　



metaphorical　style　of　the　original　will　allow。







'There　were　in　Samarcand　numerous　families　of　Zingarri　of　various　



descriptions：　　some　were　wrestlers；　others　gladiators；　others　



pugilists。　　These　people　were　much　at　variance；　so　that　hostilities　



and　battling　were　continually　arising　amongst　them。　　Each　band　had　



its　chief　and　subordinate　officers；　and　it　came　to　pass　that　Timour　



and　the　power　which　he　possessed　filled　them　with　dread；　for　they　



knew　that　he　was　aware　of　their　crimes　and　disorderly　way　of　life。　　



Now　it　was　the　custom　of　Timour；　on　departing　upon　his　expeditions；　



to　leave　a　viceroy　in　Samarcand；　but　no　sooner　had　he　left　the　



city；　than　forth　marched　these　bands；　and　giving　battle　to　the　



viceroy；　deposed　him　and　took　possession　of　the　government；　so　that　



on　the　return　of　Timour　he　found　order　broken；　confusion　reigning；　



and　his　throne　overturned；　and　then　he　had　much　to　do　in　restoring　



things　to　their　former　state；　and　in　punishing　or　pardoning　the　



guilty；　but　no　sooner　did　he　depart　again　to　his　wars；　and　to　his　



various　other　concerns；　than　they　broke　out　into　the　same　excesses；　



and　this　they　repeated　no　less　than　three　times；　and　he　at　length　



laid　a　plan　for　their　utter　extermination；　and　it　was　the　



following：…　He　commenced　building　a　wall；　and　he　summoned　unto　him　



the　people　small　and　great；　and　he　allotted　to　every　man　his　place；　



and　to　every　workman　his　duty；　and　he　stationed　the　Zingarri　and　



their　chieftains　apart；　and　in　one　particular　spot　he　placed　a　band　



of　soldiers；　and　he　commanded　them　to　kill　whomsoever　he　should　



send　to　them；　and　having　done　so；　he　called　to　him　the　heads　of　the　



people；　and　he　filled　the　cup　for　them　and　clothed　them　in　splendid　



vests；　and　when　the　turn　came　to　the　Zingarri；　he　likewise　pledged　



one　of　them；　and　bestowed　a　vest　upon　him；　and　sent　him　with　a　



message　to　the　soldiers；　who；　as　soon　as　he　arrived；　tore　from　him　



his　vest；　and　stabbed　him；　pouring　forth　the　gold　of　his　heart　into　



the　pan　of　destruction；　（14）　and　in　this　way　they　continued　until　



the　last　of　them　was　destroyed；　and　by　that　blow　he　exterminated　



their　race；　and　their　traces；　and　from　that　time　forward　there　were　



no　more　rebellions　in　Samarcand。'







It　has　of　late　years　been　one　of　the　favourite　theories　of　the　



learned；　that　Timour's　invasion　of　Hindostan；　and　the　cruelties　



committed　by　his　savage　hordes　in　that　part　of　the　world；　caused　a　



vast　number　of　Hindoos　to　abandon　their　native　land；　and　that　the　



Gypsies　of　the　present　day　are　the　descendants　of　those　exiles　who　



wended　their　weary　way　to　the　West。　　Now；　provided　the　above　



passage　in　the　work　of　Arabschah　be　entitled　to　credence；　the　



opinion　that　Timour　was　the　cause　of　the　expatriation　and　



subsequent　wandering　life　of　these　people；　must　be　abandoned　as　



untenable。　　At　the　time　he　is　stated　by　the　Arabian　writer　to　have　



annihilated　the　Gypsy　hordes　of　Samarcand；　he　had　but　just　



commenced　his　career　of　conquest　and　devastation；　and　had　not　even　



directed　his　thoughts　to　the　invasion　of　India；　yet　at　this　early　



period　of　the　history　of　his　life；　we　find　families　of　Zingarri　



established　at　Samarcand；　living　much　in　the　same　manner　as　others　



of　the　race　have　subsequently　done　in　various　towns　of　Europe　and　



the　East；　but　supposing　the　event　here　narrated　to　be　a　fable；　or　



at　best　a　floating　legend；　it　appears　singular　that；　if　they　left　



their　native　land　to　escape　from　Timour；　they　should　never　have　



mentioned　in　the　Western　world　the　name　of　that　scourge　of　the　



human　race；　nor　detailed　the　history　of　their　flight　and　



sufferings；　which　assuredly　would　have　procured　them　sympathy；　the　



ravages　of　Timour　being　already　but　too　well　known　in　Europe。　　That　



they　came　from　India　is　much　easier　to　prove　than　that　they　fled　



before　the　fierce　Mongol。







Such　people　as　the　Gypsies；　whom　the　Bishop　of　Forli　in　the　year　



1422；　only　sixteen　years　subsequent　to　the　invasion　of　India；　



describes　as　a　'raging　rabble；　of　brutal　and　animal　propensities；'　



（15）　are　not　such　as　generally　abandon　their　country　on　foreign　



invasion。















THE　ZINCALI　OR　AN　ACCOUNT　OF　THE　GYPSIES　OF　SPAIN　…　PART　I















CHAPTER　I















GITANOS；　or　Egyptians；　is　the　name　by　which　the　Gypsies　have　been　



most　generally　known　in　Spain；　in　the　ancient　as　well　as　in　the　



modern　period；　but　various　other　names　have　been　and　still　are　



applied　to　them；　for　example；　New　Castilians；　Germans；　and　



Flemings；　the　first　of　which　titles　probably　originated　after　the　



name　of　Gitano　had　begun　to　be　considered　a　term　of　reproach　and　



infamy。　　They　may　have　thus　designated　themselves　from　an　



unwillingness　to　utter；　when　speaking　of　themselves；　the　detested　



expression　'Gitano；'　a　word　which　seldom　escapes　their　mouths；　or　



it　may　have　been　applied　to　them　first　by　the　Sp