the zincali-第30章

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packing　after　the　Moriscos。







Whether　this　discourse　produced　any　benefit　to　the　author；　we　have　



no　means　of　ascertaining。　　One　thing　is　certain；　that　it　did　no　



harm　to　the　Gitanos；　who　still　continue　in　Spain。







If　he　had　other　expectations；　he　must　have　understood　very　little　



of　the　genius　of　his　countrymen；　or　of　King　Philip　and　his　court。　　



It　would　have　been　easier　to　get　up　a　crusade　against　the　wild　cats　



of　the　sierra；　than　against　the　Gitanos；　as　the　former　have　skins　



to　reward　those　who　slay　them。　　His　discourse；　however；　is　well　



worthy　of　perusal；　as　it　exhibits　some　learning；　and　comprises　many　



curious　details　respecting　the　Gitanos；　their　habits；　and　their　



practices。　　As　it　is　not　very　lengthy；　we　here　subjoin　it；　hoping　



that　the　reader　will　excuse　its　many　absurdities；　for　the　sake　of　



its　many　valuable　facts。















CHAPTER　X















'SIRE；







'The　people　of　God　were　always　afflicted　by　the　Egyptians；　but　the　



Supreme　King　delivered　them　from　their　hands　by　means　of　many　



miracles；　which　are　related　in　the　Holy　Scriptures；　and　now；　



without　having　recourse　to　so　many；　but　only　by　means　of　the　



miraculous　talent　which　your　Majesty　possesses　for　expelling　such　



reprobates；　he　will；　doubtless；　free　this　kingdom　from　them；　which　



is　what　is　supplicated　in　this　discourse；　and　it　behoves　us；　in　the　



first　place；　to　consider











'WHO　ARE　THE　GITANOS？











'Writers　generally　agree　that　the　first　time　the　Gitanos　were　seen　



in　Europe　was　the　year　1417；　which　was　in　the　time　of　Pope　Martinus　



the　Fifth　and　King　Don　John　the　Second；　others　say　that　Tamerlane　



had　them　in　his　camp　in　1401；　and　that　their　captain　was　Cingo；　



from　whence　it　is　said　that　they　call　themselves　Cingary。　　But　the　



opinions　concerning　their　origin　are　infinite。







'The　first　is　that　they　are　foreigners；　though　authors　differ　much　



with　respect　to　the　country　from　whence　they　came。　　The　majority　



say　that　they　are　from　Africa；　and　that　they　came　with　the　Moors　



when　Spain　was　lost；　others　that　they　are　Tartars；　Persians；　



Cilicians；　Nubians；　from　Lower　Egypt；　from　Syria；　or　from　other　



parts　of　Asia　and　Africa；　and　others　consider　them　to　be　



descendants　of　Chus；　son　of　Cain；　others　say　that　they　are　of　



European　origin；　Bohemians；　Germans；　or　outcasts　from　other　nations　



of　this　quarter　of　the　world。







'The　second　and　sure　opinion　is；　that　those　who　prowl　about　Spain　



are　not　Egyptians；　but　swarms　of　wasps　and　atheistical　wretches；　



without　any　kind　of　law　or　religion；　Spaniards；　who　have　introduced　



this　Gypsy　life　or　sect；　and　who　admit　into　it　every　day　all　the　



idle　and　broken　people　of　Spain。　　There　are　some　foreigners　who　



would　make　Spain　the　origin　and　fountain　of　all　the　Gypsies　of　



Europe；　as　they　say　that　they　proceeded　from　a　river　in　Spain　



called　Cija；　of　which　Lucan　makes　mention；　an　opinion；　however；　not　



much　adopted　amongst　the　learned。　　In　the　opinion　of　respectable　



authors；　they　are　called　Cingary　or　Cinli；　because　they　in　every　



respect　resemble　the　bird　cinclo；　which　we　call　in　Spanish　



Motacilla；　or　aguzanieve　（wagtail）；　which　is　a　vagrant　bird　and　



builds　no　nest；　（37）　but　broods　in　those　of　other　birds；　a　bird　



restless　and　poor　of　plumage；　as　AElian　writes。











'THE　GITANOS　ARE　VERY　HURTFUL　TO　SPAIN











'There　is　not　a　nation　which　does　not　consider　them　as　a　most　



pernicious　rabble；　even　the　Turks　and　Moors　abominate　them；　amongst　



whom　this　sect　is　found　under　the　names　of　Torlaquis；　（38）　



Hugiemalars；　and　Dervislars；　of　whom　some　historians　make　mention；　



and　all　agree　that　they　are　most　evil　people；　and　highly　



detrimental　to　the　country　where　they　are　found。







'In　the　first　place；　because　in　all　parts　they　are　considered　as　



enemies　of　the　states　where　they　wander；　and　as　spies　and　traitors　



to　the　crown；　which　was　proven　by　the　emperors　Maximilian　and　



Albert；　who　declared　them　to　be　such　in　public　edicts；　a　fact　easy　



to　be　believed；　when　we　consider　that　they　enter　with　ease　into　the　



enemies'　country；　and　know　the　languages　of　all　nations。







'Secondly；　because　they　are　idle　vagabond　people；　who　are　in　no　



respect　useful　to　the　kingdom；　without　commerce；　occupation；　or　



trade　of　any　description；　and　if　they　have　any　it　is　making　



picklocks　and　pothooks　for　appearance　sake；　being　wasps；　who　only　



live　by　sucking　and　impoverishing　the　country；　sustaining　



themselves　by　the　sweat　of　the　miserable　labourers；　as　a　German　



poet　has　said　of　them：…











〃Quos　aliena　juvant；　propriis　habitare　molestum；



Fastidit　patrium　non　nisi　nosse　solum。〃











They　are　much　more　useless　than　the　Moriscos；　as　these　last　were　of　



some　service　to　the　state　and　the　royal　revenues；　but　the　Gitanos　



are　neither　labourers；　gardeners；　mechanics；　nor　merchants；　and　



only　serve；　like　the　wolves；　to　plunder　and　to　flee。







'Thirdly；　because　the　Gitanas　are　public　harlots；　common；　as　it　is　



said；　to　all　the　Gitanos；　and　with　dances；　demeanour；　and　filthy　



songs；　are　the　cause　of　continual　detriment　to　the　souls　of　the　



vassals　of　your　Majesty；　it　being　notorious　that　they　have　done　



infinite　harm　in　many　honourable　houses　by　separating　the　married　



women　from　their　husbands；　and　perverting　the　maidens：　　and　



finally；　in　the　best　of　these　Gitanas　any　one　may　recognise　all　the　



signs　of　a　harlot　given　by　the　wise　king；　they　are　gadders　about；　



whisperers；　always　unquiet　in　places　and　corners。







'Fourthly；　because　in　all　parts　they　are　accounted　famous　thieves；　



about　which　authors　write　wonderful　things；　we　ourselves　have　



continual　experience　of　this　fact　in　Spain；　where　there　is　scarcely　



a　corner　where　they　have　not　committed　some　heavy　offence。







'Father　Martin　Del　Rio　says　they　were　notorious　when　he　was　in　Leon　



in　the　year　1584；　as　they　even　attempted　to　sack　the　town　of　



Logrono　in　the　time　of　the　pest；　as　Don　Francisco　De　Cordoba　writes　



in　his　DIDASCALIA。　　Enormous　cases　of　their　excesses　we　see　in　



infinite　processes　in　all　the　tribunals；　and　particularly　in　that　



of　the　Holy　Brotherhood；　their　wickedness　ascending　to　such　a　



pitch；　that　they　steal　children；　and　carry　them　for　sale　to　



Barbary；　the　reason　why　the　Moors　call　them　in　Arabic；　RASO　



CHERANY；　（39）　which；　as　Andreas　Tebetus　writes；　means　MASTER　



THIEVES。　　Although　they　are　addicted　to　every　species　of　robbery；　



they　mostly　practise　horse　and　cattle　stealing；　on　which　account　



they　are　called　in　law　ABIGEOS；　and　in　Spanish　QUATREROS；　from　



which　practice　great　evils　result　to　the　poor　labourers。　　When　they　



cannot　steal　cattle；　they　endeavour　to　deceive　by　means　of　them；　



acting　as　TERCEROS；　in　fairs　and　markets。







'Fifthly；　because　they　are　enchanters；　diviners；　magicians；　



chiromancers；　who　tell　the　future　by　the　lines　of　the　hand；　which　



is　what　they　call　BUENA　VENTURA；　and　are　in　general　addicted　to　all　



kind　of　superstition。







'This　is　the　opinion　entertained　of　them　universally；　and　which　is　



confirmed　every　day　by　experience；　and　some　think　that　they　are　



caller　Cingary；　from　the　great　Magian　Cineus；　from　whom　it　is　said　



they　learned　their　sorceries；　and　from　which　result　in　Spain　



（especially　amongst　the　vulgar）　great　errors；　and　superstitious　



credulity；　mighty　witchcrafts；　and　heavy　evils；　both　spiritual　and　



corporeal。







'Sixthly；　because　very　devout　men　consider　them　as　heretics；　and　



many　as　Gentile　idolaters；　or　atheists；　without　any　religion；　



although　they　exteriorly　accommodate　themselves　to　the　religion　of　



the　country　in　which　they　wander；　being　Turks　with　the　Turks；　



heretics　with　the　heretics；　and；　amongst　the　Christians；　baptizing　



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