the zincali-第64章

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embedded　within　it；　whether　it　be　spoken　in　Spain　or　Germany；　in　



England　or　Italy；　from　which　circumstance　we　are　led　to　the　



conclusion；　that　these　people；　in　their　way　from　the　East；　



travelled　in　one　large　compact　body；　and　that　their　route　lay　



through　some　region　where　the　Sclavonian　language；　or　a　dialect　



thereof；　was　spoken。　　This　region　I　have　no　hesitation　in　asserting　



to　have　been　Bulgaria；　where　they　probably　tarried　for　a　



considerable　period；　as　nomad　herdsmen；　and　where　numbers　of　them　



are　still　to　be　found　at　the　present　day。　　Besides　the　many　



Sclavonian　words　in　the　Gypsy　tongue；　another　curious　feature　



attracts　the　attention　of　the　philologist　…　an　equal　or　still　



greater　quantity　of　terms　from　the　modern　Greek；　indeed；　we　have　



full　warranty　for　assuming　that　at　one　period　the　Spanish　section；　



if　not　the　rest　of　the　Gypsy　nation；　understood　the　Greek　language　



well；　and　that；　besides　their　own　Indian　dialect；　they　occasionally　



used　it　for　considerably　upwards　of　a　century　subsequent　to　their　



arrival；　as　amongst　the　Gitanos　there　were　individuals　to　whom　it　



was　intelligible　so　late　as　the　year　1540。







Where　this　knowledge　was　obtained　it　is　difficult　to　say；　…　perhaps　



in　Bulgaria；　where　two…thirds　of　the　population　profess　the　Greek　



religion；　or　rather　in　Romania；　where　the　Romaic　is　generally　



understood；　that　they　DID　understand　the　Romaic　in　1540；　we　gather　



from　a　very　remarkable　work；　called　EL　ESTUDIOSO　CORTESANO；　written　



by　Lorenzo　Palmireno：　　this　learned　and　highly　extraordinary　



individual　was　by　birth　a　Valencian；　and　died　about　1580；　he　was　



professor　at　various　universities　…　of　rhetoric　at　Valencia；　of　



Greek　at　Zaragossa；　where　he　gave　lectures；　in　which　he　explained　



the　verses　of　Homer；　he　was　a　proficient　in　Greek；　ancient　and　



modern；　and　it　should　be　observed　that；　in　the　passage　which　we　are　



about　to　cite；　he　means　himself　by　the　learned　individual　who　held　



conversation　with　the　Gitanos。　（66）　　EL　ESTUDIOSO　CORTESANO　was　



reprinted　at　Alcala　in　1587；　from　which　edition　we　now　copy。







'Who　are　the　Gitanos？　　I　answer；　these　vile　people　first　began　to　



show　themselves　in　Germany；　in　the　year　1417；　where　they　call　them　



Tartars　or　Gentiles；　in　Italy　they　are　termed　Ciani。　　They　pretend　



that　they　come　from　Lower　Egypt；　and　that　they　wander　about　as　a　



penance；　and　to　prove　this；　they　show　letters　from　the　king　of　



Poland。　　They　lie；　however；　for　they　do　not　lead　the　life　of　



penitents；　but　of　dogs　and　thieves。　　A　learned　person；　in　the　year　



1540；　prevailed　with　them；　by　dint　of　much　persuasion；　to　show　him　



the　king's　letter；　and　he　gathered　from　it　that　the　time　of　their　



penance　was　already　expired；　he　spoke　to　them　in　the　Egyptian　



tongue；　they　said；　however；　as　it　was　a　long　time　since　their　



departure　from　Egypt；　they　did　not　understand　it；　he　then　spoke　to　



them　in　the　vulgar　Greek；　such　as　is　used　at　present　in　the　Morea　



and　Archipelago；　SOME　UNDERSTOOD　IT；　others　did　not；　so　that　as　all　



did　not　understand　it；　we　may　conclude　that　the　language　which　they　



use　is　a　feigned　one；　（67）　got　up　by　thieves　for　the　purpose　of　



concealing　their　robberies；　like　the　jargon　of　blind　beggars。'







Still　more　abundant；　however；　than　the　mixture　of　Greek；　still　more　



abundant　than　the　mixture　of　Sclavonian；　is　the　alloy　in　the　Gypsy　



language；　wherever　spoken；　of　modern　Persian　words；　which　



circumstance　will　compel　us　to　offer　a　few　remarks　on　the　share　



which　the　Persian　has　had　in　the　formation　of　the　dialects　of　



India；　as　at　present　spoken。







The　modern　Persian；　as　has　been　already　observed；　is　a　daughter　of　



the　ancient　Zend；　and；　as　such；　is　entitled　to　claim　affinity　with　



the　Sanscrit；　and　its　dialects。　　With　this　language　none　in　the　



world　would　be　able　to　vie　in　simplicity　and　beauty；　had　not　the　



Persians；　in　adopting　the　religion　of　Mahomet；　unfortunately　



introduces　into　their　speech　an　infinity　of　words　of　the　rude　



coarse　language　used　by　the　barbaric　Arab　tribes；　the　immediate　



followers　of　the　warlike　Prophet。　　With　the　rise　of　Islam　the　



modern　Persian　was　doomed　to　be　carried　into　India。　　This　country；　



from　the　time　of　Alexander；　had　enjoyed　repose　from　external　



aggression；　had　been　ruled　by　its　native　princes；　and　been　



permitted　by　Providence　to　exercise；　without　control　or　reproof；　



the　degrading　superstitions；　and　the　unnatural　and　bloody　rites　of　



a　religion　at　the　formation　of　which　the　fiends　of　cruelty　and　lust　



seem　to　have　presided；　but　reckoning　was　now　about　to　be　demanded　



of　the　accursed　ministers　of　this　system　for　the　pain；　torture；　and　



misery　which　they　had　been　instrumental　in　inflicting　on　their　



countrymen　for　the　gratification　of　their　avarice；　filthy　passions；　



and　pride；　the　new　Mahometans　were　at　hand　…　Arab；　Persian；　and　



Afghan；　with　the　glittering　scimitar　upraised；　full　of　zeal　for　the　



glory　and　adoration　of　the　one　high　God；　and　the　relentless　



persecutors　of　the　idol…worshippers。　　Already；　in　the　four　hundred　



and　twenty…sixth　year　of　the　Hegeira；　we　read　of　the　destruction　of　



the　great　Butkhan；　or　image…house　of　Sumnaut；　by　the　armies　of　the　



far…conquering　Mahmoud；　when　the　dissevered　heads　of　the　Brahmans　



rolled　down　the　steps　of　the　gigantic　and　Babel…like　temple　of　the　



great　image　…







＇Text　which　cannot　be　reproduced　…　Arabic？＇







（This　image　grim；　whose　name　was　Laut；



Bold　Mahmoud　found　when　he　took　Sumnaut。）







It　is　not　our　intention　to　follow　the　conquests　of　the　Mahometans　



from　the　days　of　Walid　and　Mahmoud　to　those　of　Timour　and　Nadir；　



sufficient　to　observe；　that　the　greatest　part　of　India　was　subdued；　



new　monarchies　established；　and　the　old　religion；　though　far　too　



powerful　and　widely　spread　to　be　extirpated；　was　to　a　considerable　



extent　abashed　and　humbled　before　the　bright　rising　sun　of　Islam。　　



The　Persian　language；　which　the　conquerors　（68）　of　whatever　



denomination　introduced　with　them　to　Hindustan；　and　which　their　



descendants　at　the　present　day　still　retain；　though　not　lords　of　



the　ascendant；　speedily　became　widely　extended　in　these　regions；　



where　it　had　previously　been　unknown。　　As　the　language　of　the　



court；　it　was　of　course　studied　and　acquired　by　all　those　natives　



whose　wealth；　rank；　and　influence　necessarily　brought　them　into　



connection　with　the　ruling　powers；　and　as　the　language　of　the　camp；　



it　was　carried　into　every　part　of　the　country　where　the　duties　of　



the　soldiery　sooner　or　later　conducted　them；　the　result　of　which　



relations　between　the　conquerors　and　conquered　was　the　adoption　



into　the　popular　dialects　of　India　of　an　infinity　of　modern　Persian　



words；　not　merely　those　of　science；　such　as　it　exists　in　the　East；　



and　of　luxury　and　refinement；　but　even　those　which　serve　to　express　



many　of　the　most　common　objects；　necessities；　and　ideas；　so　that　at　



the　present　day　a　knowledge　of　the　Persian　is　essential　for　the　



thorough　understanding　of　the　principal　dialects　of　Hindustan；　on　



which　account；　as　well　as　for　the　assistance　which　it　affords　in　



communication　with　the　Mahometans；　it　is　cultivated　with　peculiar　



care　by　the　present　possessors　of　the　land。







No　surprise；　therefore；　can　be　entertained　that　the　speech　of　the　



Gitanos　in　general；　who；　in　all　probability；　departed　from　



Hindustan　long　subsequent　to　the　first　Mahometan　invasions；　



abounds；　like　other　Indian　dialects；　with　words　either　purely　



Persian；　or　slightly　modified　to　accommodate　them　to　the　genius　of　



the　language。　　Whether　the　Rommany　originally　constituted　part　of　



the　natives　of　Multan　or　Guzerat；　and　abandoned　their　native　land　



to　escape　from　the　torch　and　sword　of　Tamerlane　and　his　Mongols；　as　



Grellmann　and　o