the zincali-第28章

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kind　of　robbery　and　imposition；　Aventinus　（ANNALES　BOIORUM；　826）　



speaking　of　them　says：　　'Adeo　tamen　vana　superstitio　hominum　



mentes；　velut　lethargus　invasit；　ut　eos　violari　nefas　putet；　atque　



grassari；　furari；　imponere　passim　sinant。'







This　singular　story　of　banishment　from　Egypt；　and　Wandering　through　



the　world　for　a　period　of　seven　years；　for　inhospitality　displayed　



to　the　Virgin；　and　which　I　find　much　difficulty　in　attributing　to　



the　invention　of　people　so　ignorant　as　the　Romas；　tallies　strangely　



with　the　fate　foretold　to　the　ancient　Egyptians　in　certain　chapters　



of　Ezekiel；　so　much　so；　indeed；　that　it　seems　to　be　derived　from　



that　source。　　The　Lord　is　angry　with　Egypt　because　its　inhabitants　



have　been　a　staff　of　reed　to　the　house　of　Israel；　and　thus　he　



threatens　them　by　the　mouth　of　his　prophet。







'I　will　make　the　land　of　Egypt　desolate　in　the　midst　of　the　



countries　that　are　desolate；　and　her　cities　among　the　cities　that　



are　laid　waste　shall　be　desolate　forty　years：　　and　I　will　scatter　



the　Egyptians　among　the　nations；　and　will　disperse　them　through　the　



countries。'　　Ezek。；　chap。　xxix。　v。　12。　　'Yet　thus　saith　the　Lord　



God；　at　the　end　of　forty　years　will　I　gather　the　Egyptians　from　the　



people　whither　they　were　scattered。'　v。　13。







'Thus　saith　the　Lord；　I　will　make　the　multitude　of　Egypt　to　cease；　



by　the　hand　of　Nebuchadnezzar；　king　of　Babylon。'　　Chap。　xxx。　v。　10。







'And　I　will　scatter　the　Egyptians　among　the　nations；　and　disperse　



them　among　the　countries；　and　they　shall　know　that　I　am　the　Lord。'　



Chap。　　xxx。　v。　26。







The　reader　will　at　once　observe　that　the　apocryphal　tale　which　the　



Romas　brought　into　Germany；　concerning　their　origin　and　wanderings；　



agrees　in　every　material　point　with　the　sacred　prophecy。　　The　



ancient　Egyptians　were　to　be　driven　from　their　country　and　



dispersed　amongst　the　nations；　for　a　period　of　forty　years；　for　



having　been　the　cause　of　Israel's　backsliding；　and　for　not　having　



known　the　Lord；　…　the　modern　pseudo…Egyptians　are　to　be　dispersed　



among　the　nations　for　seven　years；　for　having　denied　hospitality　to　



the　Virgin　and　her　child。　　The　prophecy　seems　only　to　have　been　



remodelled　for　the　purpose　of　suiting　the　taste　of　the　time；　as　no　



legend　possessed　much　interest　in　which　the　Virgin　did　not　figure；　



she　and　her　child　are　here　introduced　instead　of　the　Israelites；　



and　the　Lord　of　Heaven　offended　with　the　Egyptians；　and　this　legend　



appears　to　have　been　very　well　received　in　Germany；　for　a　time　at　



least；　for；　as　Aventinus　observes；　it　was　esteemed　a　crime　of　the　



first　magnitude　to　offer　any　violence　to　the　Egyptian　pilgrims；　who　



were　permitted　to　rob　on　the　highway；　to　commit　larceny；　and　to　



practise　every　species　of　imposition　with　impunity。







The　tale；　however；　of　the　Romas　could　hardly　have　been　invented　by　



themselves；　as　they　were；　and　still　are；　utterly　unacquainted　with　



the　Scripture；　it　probably　originated　amongst　the　priests　and　



learned　men　of　the　east　of　Europe；　who；　startled　by　the　sudden　



apparition　of　bands　of　people　foreign　in　appearance　and　language；　



skilled　in　divination　and　the　occult　arts；　endeavoured　to　find　in　



Scripture　a　clue　to　such　a　phenomenon；　the　result　of　which　was；　



that　the　Romas　of　Hindustan　were　suddenly　transformed　into　Egyptian　



penitents；　a　title　which　they　have　ever　since　borne　in　various　



parts　of　Europe。　　There　are　no　means　of　ascertaining　whether　they　



themselves　believed　from　the　first　in　this　story；　they　most　



probably　took　it　on　credit；　more　especially　as　they　could　give　no　



account　of　themselves；　there　being　every　reason　for　supposing　that　



from　time　immemorial　they　had　existed　in　the　East　as　a　thievish　



wandering　sect；　as　they　at　present　do　in　Europe；　without　history　or　



traditions；　and　unable　to　look　back　for　a　period　of　eighty　years。　　



The　tale　moreover　answered　their　purpose；　as　beneath　the　garb　of　



penitence　they　could　rob　and　cheat　with　impunity；　for　a　time　at　



least。　　One　thing　is　certain；　that　in　whatever　manner　the　tale　of　



their　Egyptian　descent　originated；　many　branches　of　the　sect　place　



implicit　confidence　in　it　at　the　present　day；　more　especially　those　



of　England　and　Spain。







Even　at　the　present　time　there　are　writers　who　contend　that　the　



Romas　are　the　descendants　of　the　ancient　Egyptians；　who　were　



scattered　amongst　the　nations　by　the　Assyrians。　　This　belief　they　



principally　found　upon　particular　parts　of　the　prophecy　from　which　



we　have　already　quoted；　and　there　is　no　lack　of　plausibility　in　the　



arguments　which　they　deduce　therefrom。　　The　Egyptians；　say　they；　



were　to　fall　upon　the　open　fields；　they　were　not　to　be　brought　



together　nor　gathered；　they　were　to　be　dispersed　through　the　



countries；　their　idols　were　to　be　destroyed；　and　their　images　were　



to　cease　out　of　Noph！　　In　what　people　in　the　world　do　these　



denunciations　appear　to　be　verified　save　the　Gypsies？　…　a　people　



who　pass　their　lives　in　the　open　fields；　who　are　not　gathered　



together；　who　are　dispersed　through　the　countries；　who　have　no　



idols；　no　images；　nor　any　fixed　or　certain　religion。







In　Spain；　the　want　of　religion　amongst　the　Gitanos　was　speedily　



observed；　and　became　quite　as　notorious　as　their　want　of　honesty；　



they　have　been　styled　atheists；　heathen　idolaters；　and　Moors。　　In　



the　little　book　of　Quinones'；　we　find　the　subject　noticed　in　the　



following　manner：…







'They　do　not　understand　what　kind　of　thing　the　church　is；　and　never　



enter　it　but　for　the　purpose　of　committing　sacrilege。　　They　do　not　



know　the　prayers；　for　I　examined　them　myself；　males　and　females；　



and　they　knew　them　not；　or　if　any；　very　imperfectly。　　They　never　



partake　of　the　Holy　Sacraments；　and　though　they　marry　relations　



they　procure　no　dispensations。　（35）　　No　one　knows　whether　they　are　



baptized。　　One　of　the　five　whom　I　caused　to　be　hung　a　few　days　ago　



was　baptized　in　the　prison；　being　at　the　time　upwards　of　thirty　



years　of　age。　　Don　Martin　Fajardo　says　that　two　Gitanos　and　a　



Gitana；　whom　he　hanged　in　the　village　of　Torre　Perojil；　were　



baptized　at　the　foot　of　the　gallows；　and　declared　themselves　Moors。







'They　invariably　look　out；　when　they　marry；　if　we　can　call　theirs　



marrying；　for　the　woman　most　dexterous　in　pilfering　and　deceiving；　



caring　nothing　whether　she　is　akin　to　them　or　married　already；　（36）　



for　it　is　only　necessary　to　keep　her　company　and　to　call　her　wife。　　



Sometimes　they　purchase　them　from　their　husbands；　or　receive　them　



as　pledges：　　so　says；　at　least；　Doctor　Salazar　de　Mendoza。







'Friar　Melchior　of　Guelama　states　that　he　heard　asserted　of　two　



Gitanos　what　was　never　yet　heard　of　any　barbarous　nation；　namely；　



that　they　exchanged　their　wives；　and　that　as　one　was　more　comely　



looking　than　the　other；　he　who　took　the　handsome　woman　gave　a　



certain　sum　of　money　to　him　who　took　the　ugly　one。　　The　licentiate　



Alonzo　Duran　has　certified　to　me；　that　in　the　year　1623…4；　one　



Simon　Ramirez；　captain　of　a　band　of　Gitanos；　repudiated　Teresa　



because　she　was　old；　and　married　one　called　Melchora；　who　was　young　



and　handsome；　and　that　on　the　day　when　the　repudiation　took　place　



and　the　bridal　was　celebrated　he　was　journeying　along　the　road；　and　



perceived　a　company　feasting　and　revelling　beneath　some　trees　in　a　



plain　within　the　jurisdiction　of　the　village　of　Deleitosa；　and　that　



on　demanding　the　cause　he　was　told　that　it　was　on　account　of　Simon　



Ramirez　marrying　one　Gitana　and　casting　off　another；　and　that　the　



repudiated　woman　told　him；　with　an　agony　of　tears；　that　he　



abandoned　her　because　she　was　old；　and　married　another　because　she　



was　young。　　Certainly　Gitanos　and　Gitanas　confessed　before　Don　



Martin　Fajardo　that　they　did　not　really　ma