the zincali-第11章

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it　may　have　been　applied　to　them　first　by　the　Spaniards；　in　their　



mutual　dealings　and　communication；　as　a　term　less　calculated　to　



wound　their　feelings　and　to　beget　a　spirit　of　animosity　than　the　



other；　but；　however　it　might　have　originated；　New　Castilian；　in　



course　of　time；　became　a　term　of　little　less　infamy　than　Gitano；　



for；　by　the　law　of　Philip　the　Fourth；　both　terms　are　forbidden　to　



be　applied　to　them　under　severe　penalties。







That　they　were　called　Germans；　may　be　accounted　for；　either　by　the　



supposition　that　their　generic　name　of　Rommany　was　misunderstood　



and　mispronounced　by　the　Spaniards　amongst　whom　they　came；　or　from　



the　fact　of　their　having　passed　through　Germany　in　their　way　to　the　



south；　and　bearing　passports　and　letters　of　safety　from　the　various　



German　states。　　The　title　of　Flemings；　by　which　at　the　present　day　



they　are　known　in　various　parts　of　Spain；　would　probably　never　have　



been　bestowed　upon　them　but　from　the　circumstance　of　their　having　



been　designated　or　believed　to　be　Germans；　…　as　German　and　Fleming　



are　considered　by　the　ignorant　as　synonymous　terms。







Amongst　themselves　they　have　three　words　to　distinguish　them　and　



their　race　in　general：　　Zincalo；　Romano；　and　Chai；　of　the　first　two　



of　which　something　has　been　already　said。







They　likewise　call　themselves　'Cales；'　by　which　appellation　indeed　



they　are　tolerably　well　known　by　the　Spaniards；　and　which　is　merely　



the　plural　termination　of　the　compound　word　Zincalo；　and　signifies；　



The　black　men。　　Chai　is　a　modification　of　the　word　Chal；　which；　by　



the　Gitanos　of　Estremadura；　is　applied　to　Egypt；　and　in　many　parts　



of　Spain　is　equivalent　to　'Heaven；'　and　which　is　perhaps　a　



modification　of　'Cheros；'　the　word　for　heaven　in　other　dialects　of　



the　Gypsy　language。　　Thus　Chai　may　denote；　The　men　of　Egypt；　or；　



The　sons　of　Heaven。　　It　is；　however；　right　to　observe；　that　amongst　



the　Gitanos；　the　word　Chai　has　frequently　no　other　signification　



than　the　simple　one　of　'children。'







It　is　impossible　to　state　for　certainty　the　exact　year　of　their　



first　appearance　in　Spain；　but　it　is　reasonable　to　presume　that　it　



was　early　in　the　fifteenth　century；　as　in　the　year　1417　numerous　



bands　entered　France　from　the　north…east　of　Europe；　and　speedily　



spread　themselves　over　the　greatest　part　of　that　country。　　Of　these　



wanderers　a　French　author　has　left　the　following　graphic　



description：　　（16）







'On　the　17th　of　April　1427；　appeared　in　Paris　twelve　penitents　of　



Egypt；　driven　from　thence　by　the　Saracens；　they　brought　in　their　



company　one　hundred　and　twenty　persons；　they　took　up　their　quarters　



in　La　Chapelle；　whither　the　people　flocked　in　crowds　to　visit　them。　　



They　had　their　ears　pierced；　from　which　depended　a　ring　of　silver；　



their　hair　was　black　and　crispy；　and　their　women　were　filthy　to　a　



degree；　and　were　sorceresses　who　told　fortunes。'







Such　were　the　people　who；　after　traversing　France　and　scaling　the　



sides　of　the　Pyrenees；　poured　down　in　various　bands　upon　the　



sunburnt　plains　of　Spain。　　Wherever　they　had　appeared　they　had　been　



looked　upon　as　a　curse　and　a　pestilence；　and　with　much　reason。　　



Either　unwilling　or　unable　to　devote　themselves　to　any　laborious　or　



useful　occupation；　they　came　like　flights　of　wasps　to　prey　upon　the　



fruits　which　their　more　industrious　fellow…beings　amassed　by　the　



toil　of　their　hands　and　the　sweat　of　their　foreheads；　the　natural　



result　being；　that　wherever　they　arrived；　their　fellow…creatures　



banded　themselves　against　them。　　Terrible　laws　were　enacted　soon　



after　their　appearance　in　France；　calculated　to　put　a　stop　to　their　



frauds　and　dishonest　propensities；　wherever　their　hordes　were　



found；　they　were　attacked　by　the　incensed　rustics　or　by　the　armed　



hand　of　justice；　and　those　who　were　not　massacred　on　the　spot；　or　



could　not　escape　by　flight；　were；　without　a　shadow　of　a　trial；　



either　hanged　on　the　next　tree；　or　sent　to　serve　for　life　in　the　



galleys；　or　if　females　or　children；　either　scourged　or　mutilated。







The　consequence　of　this　severity；　which；　considering　the　manners　



and　spirit　of　the　time；　is　scarcely　to　be　wondered　at；　was　the　



speedy　disappearance　of　the　Gypsies　from　the　soil　of　France。







Many　returned　by　the　way　they　came；　to　Germany；　Hungary；　and　the　



woods　and　forests　of　Bohemia；　but　there　is　little　doubt　that　by　far　



the　greater　portion　found　a　refuge　in　the　Peninsula；　a　country　



which；　though　by　no　means　so　rich　and　fertile　as　the　one　they　had　



quitted；　nor　offering　so　wide　and　ready　a　field　for　the　exercise　of　



those　fraudulent　arts　for　which　their　race　had　become　so　infamously　



notorious；　was；　nevertheless；　in　many　respects；　suitable　and　



congenial　to　them。　　If　there　were　less　gold　and　silver　in　the　



purses　of　the　citizens　to　reward　the　dexterous　handler　of　the　knife　



and　scissors　amidst　the　crowd　in　the　market…place；　if　fewer　sides　



of　fatted　swine　graced　the　ample　chimney　of　the　labourer　in　Spain　



than　in　the　neighbouring　country；　if　fewer　beeves　bellowed　in　the　



plains；　and　fewer　sheep　bleated　upon　the　hills；　there　were　far　



better　opportunities　afforded　of　indulging　in　wild　independence。　　



Should　the　halberded　bands　of　the　city　be　ordered　out　to　quell；　



seize；　or　exterminate　them；　should　the　alcalde　of　the　village　cause　



the　tocsin　to　be　rung；　gathering　together　the　villanos　for　a　



similar　purpose；　the　wild　sierra　was　generally　at　hand；　which；　with　



its　winding　paths；　its　caves；　its　frowning　precipices；　and　ragged　



thickets；　would　offer　to　them　a　secure　refuge　where　they　might　



laugh　to　scorn　the　rage　of　their　baffled　pursuers；　and　from　which　



they　might　emerge　either　to　fresh　districts　or　to　those　which　they　



had　left；　to　repeat　their　ravages　when　opportunity　served。







After　crossing　the　Pyrenees；　a　very　short　time　elapsed　before　the　



Gypsy　hordes　had　bivouacked　in　the　principal　provinces　of　Spain。　　



There　can　indeed　be　little　doubt；　that　shortly　after　their　arrival　



they　made　themselves　perfectly　acquainted　with　all　the　secrets　of　



the　land；　and　that　there　was　scarcely　a　nook　or　retired　corner　



within　Spain；　from　which　the　smoke　of　their　fires　had　not　arisen；　



or　where　their　cattle　had　not　grazed。　　People；　however；　so　acute　as　



they　have　always　proverbially　been；　would　scarcely　be　slow　in　



distinguishing　the　provinces　most　adapted　to　their　manner　of　life；　



and　most　calculated　to　afford　them　opportunities　of　practising　



those　arts　to　which　they　were　mainly　indebted　for　their　



subsistence；　the　savage　hills　of　Biscay；　of　Galicia；　and　the　



Asturias；　whose　inhabitants　were　almost　as　poor　as　themselves；　



which　possessed　no　superior　breed　of　horses　or　mules　from　amongst　



which　they　might　pick　and　purloin　many　a　gallant　beast；　and　having　



transformed　by　their　dexterous　scissors；　impose　him　again　upon　his　



rightful　master　for　a　high　price；　…　such　provinces；　where；　



moreover；　provisions　were　hard　to　be　obtained；　even　by　pilfering　



hands；　could　scarcely　be　supposed　to　offer　strong　temptations　to　



these　roving　visitors　to　settle　down　in；　or　to　vex　and　harass　by　a　



long　sojourn。







Valencia　and　Murcia　found　far　more　favour　in　their　eyes；　a　far　more　



fertile　soil；　and　wealthier　inhabitants；　were　better　calculated　to　



entice　them；　there　was　a　prospect　of　plunder；　and　likewise　a　



prospect　of　safety　and　refuge；　should　the　dogs　of　justice　be　roused　



against　them。　　If　there　were　the　populous　town　and　village　in　those　



lands；　there　was　likewise　the　lone　waste；　and　uncultivated　spot；　to　



which　they　could　retire　when　danger　threatened　them。　　Still　more　



suitable　to　them　must　have　been　La　Mancha；　a　land　of　tillage；　of　



horses；　and　of　mules；　skirted　by　its　brown　sierra；　ever　eager　to　



afford　its　shelter