the zincali-第67章

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a　particular　jargon　or　dialect；　in　which　the　former　discuss　their　



schemes　and　plans　of　plunder；　without　being　in　general　understood　



by　those　to　whom　they　are　obnoxious。　　The　name　of　this　jargon　



varies　with　the　country　in　which　it　is　spoken。　　In　Spain　it　is　



called　'Germania'；　in　France；　'Argot'；　in　Germany；　'Rothwelsch；'　or　



Red　Italian；　in　Italy；　'Gergo'；　whilst　in　England　it　is　known　by　



many　names；　for　example；　'cant；　slang；　thieves'　Latin；'　etc。　　The　



most　remarkable　circumstance　connected　with　the　history　of　this　



jargon　is；　that　in　all　the　countries　in　which　it　is　spoken；　it　has　



invariably；　by　the　authors　who　have　treated　of　it；　and　who　are　



numerous；　been　confounded　with　the　Gypsy　language；　and　asserted　to　



be　the　speech　of　those　wanderers　who　have　so　long　infested　Europe　



under　the　name　of　Gitanos；　etc。　　How　far　this　belief　is　founded　in　



justice　we　shall　now　endeavour　to　show；　with　the　premise　that　



whatever　we　advance　is　derived；　not　from　the　assertions　or　opinions　



of　others；　but　from　our　own　observation；　the　point　in　question　



being　one　which　no　person　is　capable　of　solving；　save　him　who　has　



mixed　with　Gitanos　and　thieves；　…　not　with　the　former　merely　or　the　



latter；　but　with　both。







We　have　already　stated　what　is　the　Rommany　or　language　of　the　



Gypsies。　　We　have　proved　that　when　properly　spoken　it　is　to　all　



intents　and　purposes　entitled　to　the　appellation　of　a　language；　and　



that　wherever　it　exists　it　is　virtually　the　same；　that　its　origin　



is　illustrious；　it　being　a　daughter　of　the　Sanscrit；　and　in　



consequence　in　close　connection　with　some　of　the　most　celebrated　



languages　of　the　East；　although　it　at　present　is　only　used　by　the　



most　unfortunate　and　degraded　of　beings；　wanderers　without　home　and　



almost　without　country；　as　wherever　they　are　found　they　are　



considered　in　the　light　of　foreigners　and　interlopers。　　We　shall　



now　state　what　the　language　of　thieves　is；　as　it　is　generally　



spoken　in　Europe；　after　which　we　shall　proceed　to　analyse　it　



according　to　the　various　countries　in　which　it　is　used。







The　dialect　used　for　their　own　peculiar　purposes　amongst　thieves　is　



by　no　means　entitled　to　the　appellation　of　a　language；　but　in　every　



sense　to　that　of　a　jargon　or　gibberish；　it　being　for　the　most　part　



composed　of　words　of　the　native　language　of　those　who　use　it；　



according　to　the　particular　country；　though　invariably　in　a　meaning　



differing　more　or　less　from　the　usual　and　received　one；　and　for　the　



most　part　in　a　metaphorical　sense。　　Metaphor　and　allegory；　indeed；　



seem　to　form　the　nucleus　of　this　speech；　notwithstanding　that　other　



elements　are　to　be　distinguished；　for　it　is　certain　that　in　every　



country　where　it　is　spoken；　it　contains　many　words　differing　from　



the　language　of　that　country；　and　which　may　either　be　traced　to　



foreign　tongues；　or　are　of　an　origin　at　which；　in　many　instances；　



it　is　impossible　to　arrive。　　That　which　is　most　calculated　to　



strike　the　philosophic　mind　when　considering　this　dialect；　is　



doubtless　the　fact　of　its　being　formed　everywhere　upon　the　same　



principle　…　that　of　metaphor；　in　which　point　all　the　branches　



agree；　though　in　others　they　differ　as　much　from　each　other　as　the　



languages　on　which　they　are　founded；　for　example；　as　the　English　



and　German　from　the　Spanish　and　Italian。　　This　circumstance　



naturally　leads　to　the　conclusion　that　the　robber　language　has　not　



arisen　fortuitously　in　the　various　countries　where　it　is　at　present　



spoken；　but　that　its　origin　is　one　and　the　same；　it　being　probably　



invented　by　the　outlaws　of　one　particular　country；　by　individuals　



of　which　it　was；　in　course　of　time；　carried　to　others；　where　its　



principles；　if　not　its　words；　were　adopted；　for　upon　no　other　



supposition　can　we　account　for　its　general　metaphorical　character　



in　regions　various　and　distant。　　It　is；　of　course；　impossible　to　



state　with　certainty　the　country　in　which　this　jargon　first　arose；　



yet　there　is　cogent　reason　for　supposing　that　it　may　have　been　



Italy。　　The　Germans　call　it　Rothwelsch；　which　signifies　'Red　



Italian；'　a　name　which　appears　to　point　out　Italy　as　its　



birthplace；　and　which；　though　by　no　means　of　sufficient　importance　



to　determine　the　question；　is　strongly　corroborative　of　the　



supposition；　when　coupled　with　the　following　fact。　　We　have　already　



intimated；　that　wherever　it　is　spoken；　this　speech；　though　composed　



for　the　most　part　of　words　of　the　language　of　the　particular　



country；　applied　in　a　metaphorical　sense；　exhibits　a　considerable　



sprinkling　of　foreign　words；　now　of　these　words　no　slight　number　



are　Italian　or　bastard　Latin；　whether　in　Germany；　whether　in　Spain；　



or　in　other　countries　more　or　less　remote　from　Italy。　　When　we　



consider　the　ignorance　of　thieves　in　general；　their　total　want　of　



education；　the　slight　knowledge　which　they　possess　even　of　their　



mother　tongue；　it　is　hardly　reasonable　to　suppose　that　in　any　



country　they　were　ever　capable　of　having　recourse　to　foreign　



languages；　for　the　purpose　of　enriching　any　peculiar　vocabulary　or　



phraseology　which　they　might　deem　convenient　to　use　among　



themselves；　nevertheless；　by　associating　with　foreign　thieves；　who　



had　either　left　their　native　country　for　their　crimes；　or　from　a　



hope　of　reaping　a　rich　harvest　of　plunder　in　other　lands；　it　would　



be　easy　for　them　to　adopt　a　considerable　number　of　words　belonging　



to　the　languages　of　their　foreign　associates；　from　whom　perhaps　



they　derived　an　increase　of　knowledge　in　thievish　arts　of　every　



description。　　At　the　commencement　of　the　fifteenth　century　no　



nation　in　Europe　was　at　all　calculated　to　vie　with　the　Italian　in　



arts　of　any　kind；　whether　those　whose　tendency　was　the　benefit　or　



improvement　of　society；　or　those　the　practice　of　which　serves　to　



injure　and　undermine　it。　　The　artists　and　artisans　of　Italy　were　to　



be　found　in　all　the　countries　of　Europe；　from　Madrid　to　Moscow；　and　



so　were　its　charlatans；　its　jugglers；　and　multitudes　of　its　



children；　who　lived　by　fraud　and　cunning。　　Therefore；　when　a　



comprehensive　view　of　the　subject　is　taken；　there　appears　to　be　



little　improbability　in　supposing；　that　not　only　were　the　Italians　



the　originators　of　the　metaphorical　robber　jargon；　which　has　been　



termed　'Red　Italian；'　but　that　they　were　mainly　instrumental　in　



causing　it　to　be　adopted　by　the　thievish　race　in　various　countries　



of　Europe。







It　is　here；　however；　necessary　to　state；　that　in　the　robber　jargon　



of　Europe；　elements　of　another　language　are　to　be　discovered；　and　



perhaps　in　greater　number　than　the　Italian　words。　　The　language　



which　we　allude　to　is　the　Rommany；　this　language　has　been；　in　



general；　confounded　with　the　vocabulary　used　among　thieves；　which；　



however；　is　a　gross　error；　so　gross；　indeed；　that　it　is　almost　



impossible　to　conceive　the　manner　in　which　it　originated：　　the　



speech　of　the　Gypsies　being　a　genuine　language　of　Oriental　origin；　



and　the　former　little　more　than　a　phraseology　of　convenience；　



founded　upon　particular　European　tongues。　　It　will　be　sufficient　



here　to　remark；　that　the　Gypsies　do　not　understand　the　jargon　of　



the　thieves；　whilst　the　latter；　with　perhaps　a　few　exceptions；　are　



ignorant　of　the　language　of　the　former。　　Certain　words；　however；　of　



the　Rommany　have　found　admission　into　the　said　jargon；　which　may　be　



accounted　for　by　the　supposition　that　the　Gypsies；　being　themselves　



by　birth；　education；　and　profession；　thieves　of　the　first　water；　



have；　on　various　occasions；　formed　alliances　with　the　outlaws　of　



the　various　countries　in　which　they　are　at　present　to　be　found；　



which　association　may　have　produced　the　result　above　alluded　to；　



but　it　will　be　as　well　here　to　state；　that　in　no　country　of　Europe　



have　th