the zincali-第3章

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not　dui　palor　（9）；　this　man　is　no　Roman；　I　believe　him　to　be　a　Jew；　



he　has　the　face　of　one；　besides；　if　he　were　a　Rom；　even　from　



Jericho；　he　could　rokra　a　few　words　in　Rommany。'







Now　the　Gypsy　had　been　in　the　habit　of　seeing　German　and　English　



Jews；　who　must　have　been　separated　from　their　African　brethren　for　



a　term　of　at　least　1700　years；　yet　he　recognised　the　Jew　of　Fez　for　



what　he　was　…　a　Jew；　and　without　hesitation　declared　that　he　was　



'no　Roman。'　　The　Jews；　therefore；　and　the　Gypsies　have　each　their　



peculiar　and　distinctive　countenance；　which；　to　say　nothing　of　the　



difference　of　language；　precludes　the　possibility　of　their　having　



ever　been　the　same　people。







MARCH　1；　1843。















NOTICE　TO　THE　FOURTH　EDITION















THIS　edition　has　been　carefully　revised　by　the　author；　and　some　few　



insertions　have　been　made。　　In　order；　however；　to　give　to　the　work　



a　more　popular　character；　the　elaborate　vocabulary　of　the　Gypsy　



tongue；　and　other　parts　relating　to　the　Gypsy　language　and　



literature；　have　been　omitted。　　Those　who　take　an　interest　in　these　



subjects　are　referred　to　the　larger　edition　in　two　vols。　（10）















THE　GYPSIES　…　INTRODUCTION















THROUGHOUT　my　life　the　Gypsy　race　has　always　had　a　peculiar　



interest　for　me。　　Indeed　I　can　remember　no　period　when　the　mere　



mention　of　the　name　of　Gypsy　did　not　awaken　within　me　feelings　hard　



to　be　described。　　I　cannot　account　for　this　…　I　merely　state　a　



fact。







Some　of　the　Gypsies；　to　whom　I　have　stated　this　circumstance；　have　



accounted　for　it　on　the　supposition　that　the　soul　which　at　present　



animates　my　body　has　at　some　former　period　tenanted　that　of　one　of　



their　people；　for　many　among　them　are　believers　in　metempsychosis；　



and；　like　the　followers　of　Bouddha；　imagine　that　their　souls；　by　



passing　through　an　infinite　number　of　bodies；　attain　at　length　



sufficient　purity　to　be　admitted　to　a　state　of　perfect　rest　and　



quietude；　which　is　the　only　idea　of　heaven　they　can　form。







Having　in　various　and　distant　countries　lived　in　habits　of　intimacy　



with　these　people；　I　have　come　to　the　following　conclusions　



respecting　them：　　that　wherever　they　are　found；　their　manners　and　



customs　are　virtually　the　same；　though　somewhat　modified　by　



circumstances；　and　that　the　language　they　speak　amongst　themselves；　



and　of　which　they　are　particularly　anxious　to　keep　others　in　



ignorance；　is　in　all　countries　one　and　the　same；　but　has　been　



subjected　more　or　less　to　modification；　and　lastly；　that　their　



countenances　exhibit　a　decided　family　resemblance；　but　are　darker　



or　fairer　according　to　the　temperature　of　the　climate；　but　



invariably　darker；　at　least　in　Europe；　than　those　of　the　natives　of　



the　countries　in　which　they　dwell；　for　example；　England　and　Russia；　



Germany　and　Spain。







The　names　by　which　they　are　known　differ　with　the　country；　though；　



with　one　or　two　exceptions；　not　materially　for　example；　they　are　



styled　in　Russia；　Zigani；　in　Turkey　and　Persia；　Zingarri；　and　in　



Germany；　Zigeuner；　all　which　words　apparently　spring　from　the　same　



etymon；　which　there　is　no　improbability　in　supposing　to　be　



'Zincali；'　a　term　by　which　these　people；　especially　those　of　Spain；　



sometimes　designate　themselves；　and　the　meaning　of　which　is　



believed　to　be；　THE　BLACK　MEN　OF　ZEND　OR　IND。　　In　England　and　Spain　



they　are　commonly　known　as　Gypsies　and　Gitanos；　from　a　general　



belief　that　they　were　originally　Egyptians；　to　which　the　two　words　



are　tantamount；　and　in　France　as　Bohemians；　from　the　circumstance　



that　Bohemia　was　one　of　the　first　countries　in　civilised　Europe　



where　they　made　their　appearance。







But　they　generally　style　themselves　and　the　language　which　they　



speak；　Rommany。　　This　word；　of　which　I　shall　ultimately　have　more　



to　say；　is　of　Sanscrit　origin；　and　signifies；　The　Husbands；　or　that　



which　pertaineth　unto　them。　　From　whatever　motive　this　appellation　



may　have　originated；　it　is　perhaps　more　applicable　than　any　other　



to　a　sect　or　caste　like　them；　who　have　no　love　and　no　affection　



beyond　their　own　race；　who　are　capable　of　making　great　sacrifices　



for　each　other；　and　who　gladly　prey　upon　all　the　rest　of　the　human　



species；　whom　they　detest；　and　by　whom　they　are　hated　and　despised。　　



It　will　perhaps　not　be　out　of　place　to　observe　here；　that　there　is　



no　reason　for　supposing　that　the　word　Roma　or　Rommany　is　derived　



from　the　Arabic　word　which　signifies　Greece　or　Grecians；　as　some　



people　not　much　acquainted　with　the　language　of　the　race　in　



question　have　imagined。







I　have　no　intention　at　present　to　say　anything　about　their　origin。　　



Scholars　have　asserted　that　the　language　which　they　speak　proves　



them　to　be　of　Indian　stock；　and　undoubtedly　a　great　number　of　their　



words　are　Sanscrit。　　My　own　opinion　upon　this　subject　will　be　found　



in　a　subsequent　article。　　I　shall　here　content　myself　with　



observing　that　from　whatever　country　they　come；　whether　from　India　



or　Egypt；　there　can　be　no　doubt　that　they　are　human　beings　and　have　



immortal　souls；　and　it　is　in　the　humble　hope　of　drawing　the　



attention　of　the　Christian　philanthropist　towards　them；　especially　



that　degraded　and　unhappy　portion　of　them；　the　Gitanos　of　Spain；　



that　the　present　little　work　has　been　undertaken。　　But　before　



proceeding　to　speak　of　the　latter；　it　will　perhaps　not　be　amiss　to　



afford　some　account　of　the　Rommany　as　I　have　seen　them　in　other　



countries；　for　there　is　scarcely　a　part　of　the　habitable　world　



where　they　are　not　to　be　found：　　their　tents　are　alike　pitched　on　



the　heaths　of　Brazil　and　the　ridges　of　the　Himalayan　hills；　and　



their　language　is　heard　at　Moscow　and　Madrid；　in　the　streets　of　



London　and　Stamboul。











THE　ZIGANI；　OR　RUSSIAN　GYPSIES











They　are　found　in　all　parts　of　Russia；　with　the　exception　of　the　



government　of　St。　Petersburg；　from　which　they　have　been　banished。　　



In　most　of　the　provincial　towns　they　are　to　be　found　in　a　state　of　



half…civilisation；　supporting　themselves　by　trafficking　in　horses；　



or　by　curing　the　disorders　incidental　to　those　animals；　but　the　



vast　majority　reject　this　manner　of　life；　and　traverse　the　country　



in　bands；　like　the　ancient　Hamaxobioi；　the　immense　grassy　plains　of　



Russia　affording　pasturage　for　their　herds　of　cattle；　on　which；　and　



the　produce　of　the　chase；　they　chiefly　depend　for　subsistence。　　



They　are；　however；　not　destitute　of　money；　which　they　obtain　by　



various　means；　but　principally　by　curing　diseases　amongst　the　



cattle　of　the　mujiks　or　peasantry；　and　by　telling　fortunes；　and　not　



unfrequently　by　theft　and　brigandage。







Their　power　of　resisting　cold　is　truly　wonderful；　as　it　is　not　



uncommon　to　find　them　encamped　in　the　midst　of　the　snow；　in　slight　



canvas　tents；　when　the　temperature　is　twenty…five　or　thirty　degrees　



below　the　freezing…point　according　to　Reaumur；　but　in　the　winter　



they　generally　seek　the　shelter　of　the　forests；　which　afford　fuel　



for　their　fires；　and　abound　in　game。







The　race　of　the　Rommany　is　by　nature　perhaps　the　most　beautiful　in　



the　world；　and　amongst　the　children　of　the　Russian　Zigani　are　



frequently　to　be　found　countenances　to　do　justice　to　which　would　



require　the　pencil　of　a　second　Murillo；　but　exposure　to　the　rays　of　



the　burning　sun；　the　biting　of　the　frost；　and　the　pelting　of　the　



pitiless　sleet　and　snow；　destroys　their　beauty　at　a　very　early　age；　



and　if　in　infancy　their　personal　advantages　are　remarkable；　their　



ugliness　at　an　advanced　age　is　no　less　so；　for　then　it　is　



loathsome；　and　even　appalling。







A　hundred　years；　could　I　live　so　long；　would　not　efface　from　my　



mind　the　appearance　of　an　aged　Ziganskie　Attaman；　or　Captain　of　



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