the zincali-第27章

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FOLKESAGN；　and　to　the　notes　of　the　KOEMPE…VISER；　or　popular　Danish　



Ballads。















CHAPTER　IX















WHEN　the　six　hundred　thousand　men；　（34）　and　the　mixed　multitude　of　



women　and　children；　went　forth　from　the　land　of　Egypt；　the　God　whom　



they　worshipped；　the　only　true　God；　went　before　them　by　day　in　a　



pillar　of　cloud；　to　lead　them　the　way；　and　by　night　in　a　pillar　of　



fire　to　give　them　light；　this　God　who　rescued　them　from　slavery；　



who　guided　them　through　the　wilderness；　who　was　their　captain　in　



battle；　and　who　cast　down　before　them　the　strong　walls　which　



encompassed　the　towns　of　their　enemies；　this　God　they　still　



remember；　after　the　lapse　of　more　than　three　thousand　years；　and　



still　worship　with　adoration　the　most　unbounded。　　If　there　be　one　



event　in　the　eventful　history　of　the　Hebrews　which　awakens　in　their　



minds　deeper　feelings　of　gratitude　than　another；　it　is　the　exodus；　



and　that　wonderful　manifestation　of　olden　mercy　still　serves　them　



as　an　assurance　that　the　Lord　will　yet　one　day　redeem　and　gather　



together　his　scattered　and　oppressed　people。　　'Art　thou　not　the　God　



who　brought　us　out　of　the　land　of　bondage？'　they　exclaim　in　the　



days　of　their　heaviest　trouble　and　affliction。　　He　who　redeemed　



Israel　from　the　hand　of　Pharaoh　is　yet　capable　of　restoring　the　



kingdom　and　sceptre　to　Israel。







If　the　Rommany　trusted　in　any　God　at　the　period　of　THEIR　exodus；　



they　must　speedily　have　forgotten　him。　　Coming　from　Ind；　as　they　



most　assuredly　did；　it　was　impossible　for　them　to　have　known　the　



true；　and　they　must　have　been　followers　（if　they　followed　any）　



either　of　Buddh；　or　Brahmah；　those　tremendous　phantoms　which　have　



led；　and　are　likely　still　to　lead；　the　souls　of　hundreds　of　



millions　to　destruction；　yet　they　are　now　ignorant　of　such　names；　



nor　does　it　appear　that　such　were　ever　current　amongst　them　



subsequent　to　their　arrival　in　Europe；　if　indeed　they　ever　were。　　



They　brought　with　them　no　Indian　idols；　as　far　as　we　are　able　to　



judge　at　the　present　time；　nor　indeed　Indian　rites　or　observances；　



for　no　traces　of　such　are　to　be　discovered　amongst　them。







All；　therefore；　which　relates　to　their　original　religion　is　



shrouded　in　mystery；　and　is　likely　so　to　remain。　　They　may　have　



been　idolaters；　or　atheists；　or　what　they　now　are；　totally　



neglectful　of　worship　of　any　kind；　and　though　not　exactly　prepared　



to　deny　the　existence　of　a　Supreme　Being；　as　regardless　of　him　as　



if　he　existed　not；　and　never　mentioning　his　name；　save　in　oaths　and　



blasphemy；　or　in　moments　of　pain　or　sudden　surprise；　as　they　have　



heard　other　people　do；　but　always　without　any　fixed　belief；　trust；　



or　hope。







There　are　certainly　some　points　of　resemblance　between　the　children　



of　Roma　and　those　of　Israel。　　Both　have　had　an　exodus；　both　are　



exiles　and　dispersed　amongst　the　Gentiles；　by　whom　they　are　hated　



and　despised；　and　whom　they　hate　and　despise；　under　the　names　of　



Busnees　and　Goyim；　both；　though　speaking　the　language　of　the　



Gentiles；　possess　a　peculiar　tongue；　which　the　latter　do　not　



understand；　and　both　possess　a　peculiar　cast　of　countenance；　by　



which　they　may；　without　difficulty；　be　distinguished　from　all　other　



nations；　but　with　these　points　the　similarity　terminates。　　The　



Israelites　have　a　peculiar　religion；　to　which　they　are　fanatically　



attached；　the　Romas　have　none；　as　they　invariably　adopt；　though　



only　in　appearance；　that　of　the　people　with　whom　they　chance　to　



sojourn；　the　Israelites　possess　the　most　authentic　history　of　any　



people　in　the　world；　and　are　acquainted　with　and　delight　to　



recapitulate　all　that　has　befallen　their　race；　from　ages　the　most　



remote；　the　Romas　have　no　history；　they　do　not　even　know　the　name　



of　their　original　country；　and　the　only　tradition　which　they　



possess；　that　of　their　Egyptian　origin；　is　a　false　one；　whether　



invented　by　themselves　or　others；　the　Israelites　are　of　all　people　



the　most　wealthy；　the　Romas　the　most　poor　…　poor　as　a　Gypsy　being　



proverbial　amongst　some　nations；　though　both　are　equally　greedy　of　



gain；　and　finally；　though　both　are　noted　for　peculiar　craft　and　



cunning；　no　people　are　more　ignorant　than　the　Romas；　whilst　the　



Jews　have　always　been　a　learned　people；　being　in　possession　of　the　



oldest　literature　in　the　world；　and　certainly　the　most　important　



and　interesting。







Sad　and　weary　must　have　been　the　path　of　the　mixed　rabble　of　the　



Romas；　when　they　left　India's　sunny　land　and　wended　their　way　to　



the　West；　in　comparison　with　the　glorious　exodus　of　the　Israelites　



from　Egypt；　whose　God　went　before　them　in　cloud　and　in　fire；　



working　miracles　and　astonishing　the　hearts　of　their　foes。







Even　supposing　that　they　worshipped　Buddh　or　Brahmah；　neither　of　



these　false　deities　could　have　accomplished　for　them　what　God　



effected　for　his　chosen　people；　although　it　is　true　that　the　idea　



that　a　Supreme　Being　was　watching　over　them；　in　return　for　the　



reverence　paid　to　his　image；　might　have　cheered　them　'midst　storm　



and　lightning；　'midst　mountains　and　wildernesses；　'midst　hunger　and　



drought；　for　it　is　assuredly　better　to　trust　even　in　an　idol；　in　a　



tree；　or　a　stone；　than　to　be　entirely　godless；　and　the　most　



superstitious　hind　of　the　Himalayan　hills；　who　trusts　in　the　Grand　



Foutsa　in　the　hour　of　peril　and　danger；　is　more　wise　than　the　most　



enlightened　atheist；　who　cherishes　no　consoling　delusion　to　relieve　



his　mind；　oppressed　by　the　terrible　ideas　of　reality。







But　it　is　evident　that　they　arrived　at　the　confines　of　Europe　



without　any　certain　or　rooted　faith。　　Knowing；　as　we　do；　with　what　



tenacity　they　retain　their　primitive　habits　and　customs；　their　sect　



being；　in　all　points；　the　same　as　it　was　four　hundred　years　ago；　it　



appears　impossible　that　they　should　have　forgotten　their　peculiar　



god；　if　in　any　peculiar　god　they　trusted。







Though　cloudy　ideas　of　the　Indian　deities　might　be　occasionally　



floating　in　their　minds；　these　ideas；　doubtless；　quickly　passed　



away　when　they　ceased　to　behold　the　pagodas　and　temples　of　Indian　



worship；　and　were　no　longer　in　contact　with　the　enthusiastic　



adorers　of　the　idols　of　the　East；　they　passed　away　even　as　the　dim　



and　cloudy　ideas　which　they　subsequently　adopted　of　the　Eternal　and　



His　Son；　Mary　and　the　saints；　would　pass　away　when　they　ceased　to　



be　nourished　by　the　sight　of　churches　and　crosses；　for　should　it　



please　the　Almighty　to　reconduct　the　Romas　to　Indian　climes；　who　



can　doubt　that　within　half　a　century　they　would　entirely　forget　all　



connected　with　the　religion　of　the　West！　　Any　poor　shreds　of　that　



faith　which　they　bore　with　them　they　would　drop　by　degrees　as　they　



would　relinquish　their　European　garments　when　they　became　old；　and　



as　they　relinquished　their　Asiatic　ones　to　adopt　those　of　Europe；　



no　particular　dress　makes　a　part　of　the　things　essential　to　the　



sect　of　Roma；　so　likewise　no　particular　god　and　no　particular　



religion。







Where　these　people　first　assumed　the　name　of　Egyptians；　or　where　



that　title　was　first　bestowed　upon　them；　it　is　difficult　to　



determine；　perhaps；　however；　in　the　eastern　parts　of　Europe；　where　



it　should　seem　the　grand　body　of　this　nation　of　wanderers　made　a　



halt　for　a　considerable　time；　and　where　they　are　still　to　be　found　



in　greater　numbers　than　in　any　other　part。　　One　thing　is　certain；　



that　when　they　first　entered　Germany；　which　they　speedily　overran；　



they　appeared　under　the　character　of　Egyptians；　doing　penance　for　



the　sin　of　having　refused　hospitality　to　the　Virgin　and　her　Son；　



and；　of　course；　as　believers　in　the　Christian　faith；　



notwithstanding　that　they　subsisted　by　the　perpetration　of　every　



kind　of　robbery　and　imposition；　Aventinus　（ANNALES