Skip to main content

Full text of "The Zincali : or, An account of the Gypsies of Spain ; with an original collection of their songs and poetry"

See other formats 


'     HAROLD  B.  LEE  LISRARY 
BRIGHAM  YOUNG  UNiVERSin 
PROVO.  UTAH 


3 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2011  with  funding  from 
Brigham  Young  University 


http://www.archive.org/details/zincalioraccountOOborr 


WILEY  &  PUTNAM 

Respectfully  announce  to  the  Literary  Public,  that  their  arrangements 
for  importing  English  and  other  Books  are  fully  matured  by  the  fa- 
cilities afforded  by  their  London  Agency,  established  some  years  since, 
and  conducted  by  Mr.  PUTNAM,  at  Stationers'  Hall  Court,  Pater, 
noster  Row,  and  they  are  thereby  enabled  to  execute  all  Orders  en- 
trusted  to  their  care,  with  the  utmost  fidelity  and  despatch. 

As  they  are  in  constant  communication  with  the  various  Publish, 
ing  Houses  established  on  the  Continent  of  Europe,  they  are  enabled 
to  undertake  with  certainty  the  supply  of  all  Books  published  in 
France,  Germany,  Italy,  Spain,  &.c. ;  and  in  addition  to  this,  a  well 
selected  stock  of  Classical  and  other  Books  in  the  languages  of  these 
nations  is  constantly  kept  on  hand. 

The  want  of  the  facilities  enumerated  above  has  long  been  felt,  and 
it  will  scarcely  be  necessary  to  point  out  all  the  advantages  which 
they  offer  to  Universities,  Colleges,  Public  Institutions,  Professional 
Gentlemen,  and  Men  of  Letters.  It  will  be  sufficient  to  observe  that 
there  is  no  other  Establishment  peculiarly  devofpd  to  th*^  <?ame  branch 
of  business,  or  maintaining  so  frennent  ^  communication  with  the 
Book-markets  of  Europe. 

t|t  Single  copies  of  European  Books  imported  with  the  same  care 
and  despatch  as  larger  quantities. 

Wiley  &  Putnam's  **  Literary  News-Letter  and  Monthly  Register 
of  New  Books,  Foreign  and  American,"  will  be  forwarded  by  mail, 
gratis,  to  any  persons  furnishing  their  address. 

No.  161  Broadway^  New  York^ 
February,  1842. 


BRITISH    PERIODICALS, 

AT  REDUCED  PRICES. 

"WILEY  &  PUTNAM,  in  consequence  of  the  favourable  ar- 
rangements  they  have  made  with  the  Publishers,  are  now  enabled  to 
supply  the  principal  British  Reviews  and  Magazines  at  the  terms 
named  below.  They  are  made  up  into  parcels  on  the  days  of  publi- 
cation  in  London,  and  despatched  by  Railway  to  Liverpool  or  Bristol, 
to  be  sent  by  the  steamers,  leaving  England  always  by  the  earliest 
and  most  rapid  conveyance  ;  and  are  delivered  by  W.  &  P.  imme. 
diately  on  their  receipt.  When  desired,  they  are  also  put  up  singly  in 
wrappers  with  printed  address,  and  on  their  arrival,  either  at  Boston 
or  New  York,  distributed  with  the  letters.  This  is  the  most  expedi- 
tious mode  of  obtaining  them. 

The  Quarterly  Review,  at $5  per  annum. 

The  Edinburgh  Review,  at 5         ** 

The  British  Critic,  at 5         " 

The  London  and  Westminster  Review,  at 5         " 

The  Foreign  Quarterly  Review,  at 5         *' 

The  British  and  Foreign  Review,  at 5         " 

The  British  and  Foreign  Medical  Review,  at. .  .   5         " 

Blackwood's  Magazine,  at 5         " 

Fraser's  Magazine,  at  6         " 

Monthly  Magazine,  at 6         " 

New  Monthly  Magazine,  at 10         " 

United  Service  Journal,  at 10         *' 

Dullin  University  Magazine,  at  5         " 

t4.t  All  other  Periodicals  can  be  supplied  at  less  than  former  prices, 
complete  lists  of  which  can  be  obtained  at  161  Broadway. 

Orders  from  agents  and  others  may  be  addressed  to  WILEY  & 
PUTNAM,  Neiv  York,  or  at  PaternosLer  Row,  London.  Subscrip- 
tions to  be  paid  in  advance,  and  none  taken  for  less  than  six  months. 
Subscriptions  to  Periodicals  can  be  stopped  only  with  the  January 
and  July  numbers.  Notice  of  the  intention  to  stop  must  be  received 
by  W.  (St/P.  by  the  25th  of  November  and  the  25th  of  May,  in  order 
that  it  may  be  transmitted  to  England  by  the  Steamers  of  the  1st  of 
December  and  the  1st  of  June. 


WILEY   8l   PUTNAM'S 

NEW    PUBLICATIONS, 


THE  LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF  RED  JACKET, 

OR,  SA-GO-YE-WAT-HA ; 

Being  the  Sequel  to  the  History  of  the  Six  Nations.  By  W,  L.  Stone, 
Esq.,  Author  of  the  Life  of  Brandt,  &c.  1  vol.  8vo.,  with  Portrait  en- 
graved by  Danforth,  after  the  Painting  by  "Weir,  and  other  illustrations. 


CATLIN'S  MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  OF  THE 
NORTH  AMERICAN  INDIANS; 

With  upwards  of  400  spirited  etchings,  in  2  vols,  royal  8vo. 

THE  POETRY  AND  HISTORY  OF  WYOMING, 

Containing  Campbell's  Gertrude,  with  a  Biographical  Sketch  of  the 
Author,  by  Washington  Irving,  Esq.,  and  the  History  of  Wyoming, 
from  its  discovery  to  the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  by  Wm.  L. 
Stone,  Esq.  In  one  beautifully  printed  volume,  12mo,  with  nine  fine 
wood  engravings,  executed  in  London. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  AND  REMINISCENCES  OF 

HIS  OWN  TIMES, 

By  John  Trumbull.  With  Portrait  of  the  Author,  from  an  original 
painting  done  by  himself,  and  about  20  engravings  and  maps,  military 
plans,  sketches  of  scenery,  buildings,  costumes,  portraits,  &c.  8vo. 

WOMAN'S  MISSION. 

"  Favour  is  deceitful,  and  beauty  is  vain;  but  a  woman  that  feareth 
the  Lord,  she  shall  be  praised." 


f 


X  vol.  royal  ISmo. 


Wiley  ^  Putnarri's  Nev)  Publications* 

JOURNAL  AND  CORRESPONDENCE  OF 
MISS  ADAMS, 

Daughter  of  John  Adams,  second  President  of  the  United  States. 
Edited  by  her  Daughter.    2  vols.  l2mo. 

A  COMPANION  TO  THE  BOOK  OF  GENESIS. 

By  Samuel  H.  Turner,  D.  D.,  Professor  of  Biblical  Literature  and  In- 
terpreter of  Scripture  in  the  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church,  and  of  the  Hebrew  Language  and  Litera- 
ture in  Columbia  College,  New  York.     In  1  vol.  8vo. 

NOTICES  OF  THE  WAR  IN  1812; 
By  General  John  Armstrong.     In  2  volumes,  12mo. 

ANCIENT  SPANISH  BALLADS, 

HISTORICAL  AND  ROMANTIC. 

Translated,  with  notes,  by  J.  G.  Lockhart,  Esq. 

New  edition,  revised. 

With  a  Preliminary  Essay  on  the  Origin,  A  ntiquity.  Character,  and 
Influence  of  the  Ancient  Ballads  of  Spain  ;  and  an  Analytical  Account, 
with  Specimens,  of  the 

ROMANCE  OF  THE  CID. 

1  vol.  8vo. 

THE  SERMONS  AND  POETICAL  REMAINS  OF 
THE  REV.  BENJ.  D.  WINSLOW,  A.  M. 

Assistant  to  the  Rector  of  St.  Mary's,  Burlington,  N.  J. 
Edited  by  Bishop  Doane.     1  vol.  8vo. 

A  NEW  TALE  OF  A  TUB. 
With  humorous  illustrations.    1  vol.  8yo. 


^   HAROLD  B.  LEE  LIBRARY 
BRiGHAM  YOUNG  UNiVERSm 
PROVO,  UTAH      -^-— 


# 


Wiley  <Sf  Putnam's  New  Publications* 


PASSAIC; 

A  Group  of  Poems  touching  that  River,  with  other  Musings. 
By  Flaccus.     1  vol.  l2mo. 

A  PRACTICAL  TREATISE  ON  THE  DISEASES 
OF  CHILDREN. 

By  James  Stewart.  M.  D.     1  vol.  8vo. 

A  CRITICAL  GRAMMAR  OF  THE  HEBREW 

LANGUAGE. 

By  Isaac  Nordheimer,  Phil.  Doc,  Professor  of  Arabic  and  other  Ori- 
ental Languages  in  the  University  of  New  York.     2  vols.  8vo. 

A  GRAMMATICAL  ANALYSIS  OF 

SELECTIONS  FROM  THE  HEBREW  SCRIPTURES. 

By  the  same  Author.    1  vol.  8vo. 

A  COMPLETE  HEBREW  AND  CHALDEE  CONCORD- 
ANCE TO  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT. 
Together  with  an  Introduction  and  Appendices. 
By  Dr.  Isaac  Nordheimer  and  W.  Wadden  Turner. 

♦»♦  This  work,  in  which  is  also  embodied  a  Hebrew-English  Lexicow, 
Will  be  published  at  short  intervals,  in  9  parts. 

A  HISTORY  OF  THE  CHRISTIAN  CHURCH ; 

From  the  Ascension  of  Jesus  Christ  to  the  Conversion  of  Constantine. 

By  the  Rev.  Edward  Burton. 

With  a  Memoir  of  the  Author,  &c.  Ace.    1  vol.  12mo. 

WAR  AND  PEACE; 

The  Evils  of  the  first,  and  a  Plan  for  preserving  the  last. 
By  William  Jay.    1  vol  l2mo. 


Wiley  Sf  Putnam'' s  New  Publications, 

A  TREATISE  ON  THE  THEORY  AND  PRACTICE 

OF  LANDSCAPE  GARDENING; 

Adapted  to  North  America,  with  a  view  to  the  improvement  of 
Country  Residences. 

By  A.  J.  Downing.     1  vol.  8vo. 

THE  THEORY  OF  HORTICULTURE  ; 

Or  an  Attempt  to  explain  the  Principal  Operations  of  Gardening  upon 
Physiological  Principles.  By  John  Lindley.  First  American  edi- 
tion, with  notes,  &c.  by  Dr.  A.  Gray  and  A.  J.  Downing,  Esq.  With 
numerous  illustrations  on  wood.     1  vol.  12mo. 

LECTURES  ON  AGRICULTURAL  CHEMISTRY 

AND  GEOLOGY; 

Read  before  the  Durham  County  Agricultural  Society  and  the  Members 
of  the  Durham  Farmers'  Club.  By  James  F.  W.  Johnston,  Professor 
of  Chemistry  and  Geology  in  the  University  of  Durham.    Part  I. 

BLACKLOCK'S  TREATISE  ON  SHEEP  ; 

With  the  Best  Means  for  their  Improvement,  General  Management, 
and  the  Treatment  of  their  Diseases. 

With  a  Chapter  on  Wool,  and  History  of  the  Wool  Trade. 

1  vol.  12mo. 


BOSWELL'S  POULTRY- YARD. 

A  Practical  View  of  the  Best  Method  of  Selecting,  Rearing,  and  Breed- 
ing the  various  species  of  Domestic  Fowl.     1  vol.  royal  l8mo. 


A  FLORA  OF  NORTH  AMERICA. 

By  John  Torrey,  M.  D.  and  Asa  Gray,  M.  D.    Vol.  I, 

(Vol.  II.  in  press,) 


Wiley  6f  Putnam^s  New  Publications, 


THE  ZINCALI; 

OR, 

AN  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  GIPSIES  OF  SPAIN. 

WITH  AN  ORIGINAL   COLLECTION  OF  THEIR  SONGS  AND    POETRY. 

By  Geo.  D,  Borrow, 

^Late  Agent  of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society  in  Spain.) 

1  vol.  8vo. 


HINTS    TO    MOTHERS 
ON  THE  MANAGEMENT  OF  THEIR  HEALTH. 

Ry  Thomas  Bull,  M.  D.     1  toI.  l2mo. 

*'  The  mere  reading  of  our  author's  book  will  do  more  good  in  the  way  of  en- 
couraging the  fearful  and  banishing  nervous  anxiety,  than  a  whole  conclave  of  tha 
Wisest  and  most  san.suine  matrons  that  society  can  any  where  bring  together.'' — 
[Monthly  Review.] 


THE  BOOK  WITHOUT  A  NAME. 

By  Lady  Morgan,  and  Sir  Charles  Morgan. 
2  vols.  12mo. 

The  respective  manners  of  the  two  writers  have  been  long  and  familiar- 
ly known  to  the  public ;  the  light  and  piquant  style  in  which  Sir  Charles 
embodies  curious  thoughts  and  valuable  truths  that  are  not  to  be  dis- 
guised or  depreciated  by  the  motley  and  the  more  sober  and  concentra- 
ted tone  of  sarcasm  which  the  Lady  employs  in  the  enforcement  of  kin- 
dred morals.  The  minds  of  the  writers  are  perfectly  wedded — their  sen- 
timents in  complete  harmony ;  and  the  variety  of  style  communicated 
by  the  alternation  of  their  papers,  gives  its  own  charm  to  these  very 
agreeable  volumes. 


FRANCE; 

ITS  KING,  COURT,  AND  GOVERNMENT. 

By  an  American. 
1  vol.  12mo.     Second  Edition. 


Wiley  <^  Putnam^ s  New  Publications, 


WORKS  PREPARING  FOR  PUBLICATION 
BY  WILEY  8l  PUTNAM. 


THE  MISCELLANEOUS  WORKS  OF  MRS.  SOUTHEY. 

(late     CAROLINE     BOWLES.) 
VIZ  : 

1.  CHAPTERS  ON  CHURCHYARDS. 

Churchyards. — Broad  Summerford. — The  Haunted  Churchyard. — 

Andrew  Cleaves. — The  Grave  of  the  Broken  Heart. 

{Now  ready.) 

2.  THE  BIRTH-DAY  AND  OTHER  POEMS. 

**  This  little  poem  contains  the  first  true  poetry  we  have  met  for  many  a  clay,  not 
only  showing  a  poetical  power  in  the  author,  but  developing  it.  Caroli  e  Bowles 
19  not  a  mere  versifier,  who  shadows  forth  some  dim  comm  n-place  thought,  or 
come  indistinct  generalization  of  an  image,  in  empty  words  and  sounding  strain. — 
•  She  looks  round  upon  nature  and  life  with  an  eye  which  nature  bestows  tmly  up. 
on  a  poet '  She  separat.  s  the  e.^  ential  charactei  istics  of  things  from  their  material 
concomitants;  extracting  an  imellectual  beauty  fiom  the  piaines-t,  investing  the 
homeliest  with  attraction,  jiiid  exciting  an  interest  in  ihe  mo.<tP)mple  occurrences 
of  domestic  life,  by  appealing  to  those  deep-rooted  sympathies  which  are  co-ext«n« 
Bive  at  least  with  the  youtliful  experience  of  a  civilized  people.  ' — [Spectator.] 

3.  SOLITARY  HOURS,  &c. 

ELLEN   FITZ-ARTHUR. — THE  WIDOw's   TALE. — TALES    OF    THE    FACTORY, 

&c.,  dec,  &CC. 

"There  is  a  delightful  home  feeling  about  Miss  Bowles'  writings.  They  come 
to  us  charged  with  memories  of  the  hearih  round  which  we  have  drawn  of  a  win- 
ter's night ;  or  of  the  garden  filled  with  fruits  and  fowers,  where  we  have  played 
many  a  sunny  morning,  step  ana  heart  as  ligiit  as  the  wind  that  lifteth  our  hair.'* 
—[Literary  Gazette.] 

•'  Passages  full  of  pure  eloquence,  and  throughout  marked  by  a  cha<:te  morality 
and  deep  feeling,  as  exquisitely  expressed  as  they  are  creditable  to  the  genius  of 
Miss  Bowles.''— [Alls  s.] 


A  NEW  DICTIONARY  OF  CHEMISTRY. 

AND  MATERIA  MEDICA. 

Comprising  all  the  Recent  Discoveries,  with  contributions  from 
original  sources. 

1  Tol.  8vo. 


THE  ZINCALI, 


OR 


AN  ACCOUNT  OF    THE  GYPSIES  OF    SPAIN. 


THE    ZINCALI; 

OR, 

AN      ACCOUNT 

OF   THB 

GYPSIES     OF     SPAIN. 

WITH    AN 
ORIGINAL  COLLECTION  OF  THEIR  SONGS  AND  POETRY. 

BY  GEORGE  BORROW, 

Late  Agent  of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society  in  Spain. 


"  For  that  which  is  unclean  by  nature  thou  canst  entertain  no  hope :  no  washing* 
will  turn  the  Gypsey  white." — Ferdousi. 


TWO  VOLUMES  IN  ONE. 


VOLUME    I. 


NEW-YORK: 
WILEY  AND  PUTNAM,  161  BROADWAY. 

1842. 


PRINTED   BY   WILLtAM  09B0RN, 
83  WILLIAM-STRBET. 


»«,^       ^"^  LIBRARY 
BRIGHAM  YOUNG  UNlVERsrrv 
PROVO.  UTAH 


TO 


THE  RIGHT    HONOURABLE 

THE  EARL  OF  CLARENDON,  G.C.B., 

KEEPER    OF    HER   MAJESTY'.S    PRIVY    SEAL, 
ETC.,    ETC.,    ETC. 

MY    LORD, 

I  FEEL  it  not  only  a  gratification  but  an  honour  to 
be  permitted  to  dedicate  these  volumes  to  your 
Lordship,  the  more  particularly  as  they  are  connect- 
ed with  Spain,  a  country  in  which  it  was  so  fre- 
quently my  fortune  to  experience  such  prompt  and 
salutary  aid  from  your  Lordship  in  the  high  capacity 
of  representative  of  our  Gracious  British  Sovereign. 

The  remembrance  of  the  many  obligations  under 
which  your  Lordship  has  placed  me,  by  your  ener- 
getic and  effectual  interference  in  time  of  need,  will 
ever  in  heartfelt  gratitude  cause  me  to  remain,  with 
unfeigned  sentiments  of  respect, 

My  Lord, 

Your  most  devoted  servant, 

GEORGE  BORROW. 


PREFACE. 


It  is  with  some  diffidence  that  the  author  ven- 
tures to  offer  the  present  work  to  the  public. 

The  greatest  part  of  it  has  been  written  under 
very  peculiar  circumstances,  such  as  are  not  in  gene- 
ral deemed  at  all  favourable  for  literary  composition; 
— at  considerable  intervals,  during  a  period  of 
nearly  five  years  passed  in  Spain, — in  moments 
snatched  from  more  important  pursuits — chiefly  in 
ventas  and  posadas,  whilst  wandering  through  the 
country  in  the  arduous  and  unthankful  task  of  dis- 
tributing the  Gospel  among  its  children. 

Owing  to  the  causes  above  stated,  he  is  aware 
that  his  work  must  not  unfrequently  appear  some- 
what disjointed  and  unconnected,  and  the  style  rude 
and  unpolished:  he  has,  nevertheless, permitted  the 
tree  to  remain  where  he  felled  it,  having,  indeed, 
subsequently  enjoyed  too  little  leisure  to  make  much 
effectual  alteration. 

At  the  same  time  he  flatters  himself  that  the  work 
is  not  destitute  of  certain  qualifications  to  entitle  it 
to  approbation.     The  author's  acquaintance  with  the 


via  PREFACE. 

Gypsy  race  in  general  dates  from  a  very  early  pe- 
riod of  his  life,  which  considerably  facilitated  his  in- 
tercourse with  the  Peninsular  portion,  to  the  eluci- 
dation of  whose  history  and  character  the  present 
volumes  are  more  particularly  devoted.  Whatever 
he  has  asserted,  is  less  the  result  of  reading  than  of 
close  observation,  he  having  long  since  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  Gypsies  are  not  a  people  to  be 
studied  in  books,  or  at  least  in  such  books  as  he 
believes  have  hitherto  been  written  concerning  them. 

Throughout  he  has  dealt  more  in  facts  than  in 
theories,  of  which  he  is  in  general  no  friend.  True 
it  is  that  no  race  in  the  world  affords,  in  many  points, 
a  more  extensive  field  for  theory  and  conjecture 
than  the  Gypsies,  who  are  certainly  a  very  myste- 
rious people  come  from  some  distant  land,  no  mortal 
knows  why,  and  who  made  their  first  appearance  in 
Europe  at  a  dark  period  when  events  were  not  so 
accurately  recorded  as  at  the  present  time. 

But  if  he  has  avoided  as  much  as  possible  touch- 
ino"  upon  subjects  which  must  always,  to  a  certain 
extent,  remain  shrouded  in  obscurity;  for  example, 
the  original  state  and  condition  of  the  Gypsies,  and 
the  causes  which  first  brought  them  into  Europe,  he 
has  stated  what  they  are  at  the  present  day,  what 
he  knows  them  to  be  from  a  close  scrutiny  of  their 
ways  and  habits,  for  which,  perhaps,  no  one  ever 
enjoyed  better  opportunities  ;  and  he  has,  moreover, 
given — not  a  few  words  culled  expressly  for  the  pur- 
pose of  supporting  a  theory,  but  one  entire  dialect  of 
their  language,  collected  with  much  trouble  and  dif- 


PREFACE.  IX 

ficulty ;  and  to  this  he  humbly  calls  the  attention  of 
the  learned,  who,  by  comparing  it  with  certain  lan- 
guages, may  decide  as  to  the  countries  in  which  the 
Gypsies  have  lived  or  travelled. 

With  respect  to  the  Gypsy  rhymes  in  the  second 
volume  he  wishes  to  make  one  observation  which 
cannot  be  too  frequently  repeated,  and  which  he 
entreats  the  reader  to  bear  in  mind  ;  they  are  Gypsy 
compositions,  and  have  little  merit  save  so  far  as  the}^ 
throw  light  on  the  manner  of  thinking  and  speaking 
of  the  Gypsy  people,  or  rather  a  portion  of  them, 
and  as  to  what  they  are  capable  of  effecting  in  the 
way  of  poetry.  It  will,  doubtless,  be  said  that  the 
rhymes  are  trash — even  w^ere  it  so,  they  are  original, 
and  on  that  account,  in  a  philosophic  point  of  view, 
are  more  valuable  than  the  most  brilliant  composi- 
tions pretending  to  describe  Gypsy  life,  but  written 
by  persons  who  are  not  of  the  Gypsy  sect.  Such 
compositions,  however  replete  with  fiery  sentiments, 
and  allusions  to  freedom  and  independence,  are 
certain  to  be  tainted  with  affectation.  Now  in  the 
Gypsy  rhymes  there  is  no  affectation,  and  on  that 
very  account  they  are  different  in  every  respect 
from  the  poetry  of  those  interesting  personages  who 
figure,  under  the  names  of  Gypsies,  Gitanos,  Bohe- 
mians, &c.,  in  novels  and  on  the  boards  of  the 
theatre. 

It  will,  perhaps,  be  objected  to  the  present  work, 
that  it  contains  little  that  is  edifying  in  a  moral  or 
Christian  point  of  view :  to  such  an  objection  the 
author  would  reply,  that  the   Gypsies   are   not  a 


X  PREFACE. 

Christian  people,  and  that  their  morality  is  of  a 
peculiar  kind,  not  calculated  to  afford  much  edifica- 
tion to  what  is  generally  termed  the  respectable 
portion  of  society.  Should  it  be  urged  that  certain 
individuals  have  found  them  very  different  from 
what  they  are  represented  in  these  volumes,  he 
would  frankly  say  that  he  yields  no  credit  to  the 
presumed  fact,  and  at  the  same  time  he  would  refer 
to  the  vocabulary  contained  in  the  second  volume, 
whence  it  will  appear  that  the  words  hoax  and  hocus 
hav^e  been  immediately  derived  from  the  language 
of  the  Gypsies,  who,  there  is  good  reason  to  believe, 
first  introduced  the  system  into  Europe,  to  which 
those  words  belong. 

The  author  entertains  no  ill  will  towards  the 
Gypsies ;  why  should  he,  were  he  a  mere  carnal 
reasoner.'*  He  has  known  them  for  upwards  of 
twenty  years,  in  various  countries,  and  they  never 
injured  a  hair  of  his  head,  or  deprived  him  of  a 
shred  of  his  raiment ;  but  he  is  not  deceived  as  to 
the  motive  of  their  forbearance  :  They  thought  him 
a  Rom,  and  on  this  supposition  they  hurt  him  not, 
their  love  of  "  the  blood,"  being  their  most  distin- 
guishing characteristic.  He  derived  considerable 
assistance  from  them  in  Spain,  as  in  various  in- 
stances they  officiated  as  colporteurs  in  the  distribu- 
tion of  the  Gospel :  but  on  that  account  he  is  not 
prepared  to  say  that  they  entertained  any  love  for 
the  Gospel,  or  that  they  circulated  it  for  the  honour 
of  Tebleque  the  Saviour.  Whatever  they  did  for 
the  Gospel  in  Spain,  was  done  in  the  hope  that 


PREFACE.  XI 

he  whom  they  conceived  to  be  their  brother,  had 
some  purpose  in  view  which  was  to  contribute  to 
the  profit  of  the  Cales,  or  Gypsies,  and  to  terminate 
in  the  confusion  and  plunder  of  the  Busne,  or  Gen- 
tiles. Convinced  of  this,  he  is  too  litde  of  an  en- 
thusiast to  rear,  on  such  a  foundation,  any  fantastic 
edifice  of  hope  which  would  soon  tumble  to  the 
ground. 

The  cause  of  truth  can  scarcely  be  forwarded 
by  enthusiasm,  which  is  almost  invariably  the  child 
of  ignorance  and  error.     The  author  is  anxious  to 
direct  the  attention  of  the  public  towards  the  Gyp- 
sies, but  he  hopes  to  be  able  to  do  so  without  any 
romantic  appeals  in  their  behalf,  by  concealing  the 
truth,  or  by  warping  the  truth  until  it  becomes  false- 
hood.    In  the  following  pages  he  has  depicted  the 
Gypsies  as  he  has  found  them,  neither  aggravating 
their  crimes  nor  gilding  them  with  imaginary  vir- 
tues.    He   has  not  expatiated  on  "  their  gratitude 
towards  good   people,  who  treat  them  kindly  and 
take  an  interest  in  their  welfare  ;"  for  he  believes 
that  of  all  beings  in  the   world  they  are  the  least 
susceptible  of  such  a  feeling.      Nor  has  he  ever 
done  them  injustice  by  attributing  to  them  licentious 
habits,  from  which  they  are,  perhaps,  more  free 
than  any  race  in  the  creation. 


THE    GYPSIES. 


ON    THE    GYPSIES    IN   GENERAL. NAME    AND  LANGUAGE. THE    RUSSIAN 

GYPSIES. GYPSIES      AT      MOSCOW. HUNGARIAN      GYPSIES. ENGLISH 

GYPSIES,  OR  ROMMANY. GYPSY  FORTUNE-TELLERS. GYPSY  JOCKEYS. 

GYPSY  WILL. THURTELL. — GYPSY   CLANS. — CURRAPLE. — GYPSIES  OF 

THE   EAST. — ARTIFICE  OF   TIMOUR. — BISHOP  OP   FORLI. 

I  SHOULD  find  some  difficulty,  if  called  upon,  to 
assign  a  reason  why  the  singular  race  of  whom  I 
am  now  about  to  speak,  has,  throughout  my  life, 
been  that  which  has  most  invariably  interested  me  ; 
for  I  can  remember  no  period  when  the  mentioning 
of  the  name  of  Gypsy  did  not  awaken  feelings 
within  my  mind  hard  to  be  described,  but  in  which 
a  strange  pleasure  predominated. 

The  Gypsies  themselves,  to  whom  I  have  stated 
this  circumstance,  account  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  in- 

VOL.    I.  1 


2  THE    GYPSIES. 

finite  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  particu- 
larly 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  the  natives  of  the  countries  in  which 
they  dwell,  for  example,  England  and  Russia,  Ger- 
many and  Spain. 

Tiie  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 


NAME    AND    LANGUAGE.  6 

known  as  Gypsies  and  Gitanos,  from  a  general  be- 
lief that  they  were  originally  Egyptians,  to  which 
the  two  words  are  tantamount ;  and  in  France  as 
Bohemians,  from  the  circumstance  that  Bohemia 
was  the  first  country  in  civilized  Europe  where  they 
made  their  appearance  ;  though  there  is  reason  for 
supposing  that  they  had  been  wandering  in  the  re- 
mote regions  of  Sclavonia  for  a  considerable  time 
previous,  as  their  language  abounds  with  words  of 
Sclavonic  origin,  which  could  not  have  been  adopted 
in  a  hasty  passage  through  a  wild  and  half-popu- 
lated country. 

But  they  generally  style  themselves  and  the  lan- 
guage 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  any  thing 


THE    GYPSIES. 


about  their  origin.  Scholars  have  asserted  chat  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  they  are  hu- 
man beings,  and  have  immortal  souls  ;  and  it  is  in 
the  humble  hope  of  drawing  the  attention  of  the 
Christian  philanthropists  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.  Petersburgh, 
from  which  they  have  been  banished.  In  most  of 
the  provincial  towns  they  are  to  be  found  in  a  state 
of  half-civilization,  supporting  themselves  by  traffick- 
ing in  horses,  or  by  curing  the  disorders  incidental 


THE    RUSSIAN    GYPSIES.  O 

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  canvass  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  with 
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  expo- 
sure 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  ;  verifying 
the  adage,  that  it  requires  an  angel  to  make  a  demon. 

1* 


6  THE    GYPSIES. 

A  hundred  years,  could  I  live  so  long,  would  not 
efiace  from  my  mind  the  appearance  of  an  aged 
Ziganskie  Attaman,  or  Captain  of  Zigani,  and  his 
grandson,  who  approached  me  on  the  meadow  be- 
fore Novo  Gorod,  where  stood  the  encampment  of  a 
numerous  horde.  The  boy  was  of  a  form  and  face 
which  might  have  entitled  him  to  represent  Astyanax, 
and  Hector  of  Troy  might  have  pressed  him  to  his 
bosom,  and  called  him  his  pride  ;  but  the  old  man 
was,  perhaps,  such  a  shape  as  Milton  has  alluded 
to,  but  could  only  describe  as  execrable — he  wanted 
but  the  dart  and  kingly  crown  to  have  been  mis- 
taken for  the  monster  who  opposed  the  progress  of 
Lucifer,  whilst  careering  in  burning  arms  and  in- 
fernal glory  to  the  outlet  of  his  hellish  prison. 

But  in  speaking  of  the  Russian  Gypsies,  those  of 
Moscow  must  not  be  passed  over  in  silence.  The 
station  to  which  they  have  attained  in  society  in  that 
most  remarkable  of  cities,  is  so  far  above  the  sphere 
in  which  the  remainder  of  their  race  pass  their 
lives,  that  it  may  be  considered  as  a  phenomenon 
in  Gypsy  history,  and  on  that  account  is  entitled  to 
particular  notice. 

Those  who  have  been  accustomed  to  consider  the 
Gypsy  as  a  wandering  outcast,  incapable  of  appre- 
ciating the  blessings  of  a  settled  and  civilized  life, 
or,  if  abandoning  his  vagabond  propensities  and 
becoming  stationary,  as  one  who  never  ascends 
higher  than  the  condition  of  a  low  trafficker,  will 
be  surprised  to  learn,  that  amongst  the  Gypsies  of 
Moscow,  there  are  not  a  few  who  inhabit  stately 


GYPSIES    AT    MOSCOW.  7 

houses,  go  abroad  in  elegant  equipages,  and  are 
behind  the  higher  orders  of  the  Russians  neither 
in  appearance  nor  mental  acquirements.     To  the 
female  part  of  the   Gypsy  colony  of  Moscow,  is  to 
be  attributed  the  merit  of  this  partial  rise  from  de- 
gradation  and   abjectness,  having   from  time   im- 
memorial so  successfully  cultivated  the  vocal  art, 
that  though  in  the  midst  of  a  nation  by  whom  song 
is  more  cherished  and  cultivated,  and  its  principles 
better  understood  than  by  any  other  of  the  civilized 
globe,  the  Gypsy  choirs  of  Moscow  are,  by  the  gene- 
ral voice  of  the  Russian  public,  admitted  to  be  un- 
rivalled in  that  most  amiable  of  all  accomplishments. 
It  is  a  fact,  notorious  in  Russia,  that  the  celebrated 
Catalani  was  so  enchanted  with  the  voice  of  one  of 
these  Gypsy  songsters,  (who,  after  the  former  had 
displayed  her  noble  Italian  talent  before  a  splendid 
audience  at  Moscow,  stepped  forward,  and  with  an 
astonishing  burst  of  almost  angelic  melody,  so  en- 
raptured every  ear  that  even  applause  forgot  its 
duty,)  that  she  tore  from  her  own  shoulders  a  shawl 
of  Cashmire,  which  had  been  presented  to  her  by 
the  Father  of  Rome,  and  embracing  the  Gypsy,  in- 
sisted on  her  acceptance  of  the  splendid  gift,  say- 
ing, that  it  had  been  intended  for  the  matchless 
songster,  which  she  now  perceived  she  herself  was 
not. 

The  sums  obtained  by  these  Gypsy  females  by 
the  exercise  of  their  art,  enable  them  to  support 
their  relatives  in  affluence  and  luxury ;  some  are 
married  to  Russians,  and  no  one  who  has  visited 


8  THE  GYPSIES. 

Russia  can  but  be  aware  that  a  lovely  and  accom- 
plished countess,  of  the  noble  and  numerous  family 
of  Tolstoy,  is  by  birth  a  Zigana,  and  was  originally 
one  of  the  principal  attractions  of  a  Rommany  choir 
at  Moscow. 

But  it  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  the  whole  of  the 
Gypsy  females  at  Moscow  are  of  'this  high  and 
talented  description  ;  the  majority  of  them,  if  not 
entirely  profligate,  are  certainly  not  unimpeachable 
in  their  morals  and  character,  and  obtain  their  live- 
lihood by  singing  and  dancing  at  taverns,  whilst 
their  husbands  in  general  follow  the  occupation  of 
horse-dealing. 

Their  favourite  place  of  resort  in  the  summer 
time  is  Marina  Rotze,  a  species  of  sylvan  garden 
about  two  versts  from  Moscow,  and  thither,  tempted 
by  curiosity,  I  drove  one  fine  evening.  On  my  ar- 
rival, the  Ziganas  came  flocking  out  from  their  little 
tents,  and  from  the  tractir  or  inn  which  has  been 
erected  for  the  accommodation  of  the  public.  Stand- 
ing on  the  seat  of  the  calash,  I  addressed  them  in 
a  loud  voice  in  the  English  dialect  of  the  Rommany, 
of  which  I  have  some  knowledge.  A  shrill  scream 
of  wonder,  was  instantly  raised  and  welcomes  and 
blessings  were  poured  forth  in  floods  of  musical 
Rommany,  though  above  all  predominated  the  cry 
of  Kak  mitute  Tcamama, — or.  How  we  love  you, — for 
at  first  they  mistook  me  for  one  of  their  wandering- 
brethren  from  the  distant  lands,  come  over  the  great 
panee  or  ocean  to  visit  them. 

After  some  conversation  they  commenced  singing, 


GYPSIES    AT    MOSCOW.  9 

and  favored  me  with  many  songs  both  in  Russian 
and  Rom  many ;  the  former  were  modern  popular 
pieces,  such  as  are  accustomed  to  be  sung  on  the 
boards  of  the  theatre  ;  but  the  latter  were  evidently 
of  great  antiquity,  exhibiting  the  strongest  marks  of 
originality,  the  metaphors  bold  and  sublime,  and  the 
metre  differing  from  any  thing  of  the  kind  which  it 
has  been  my  fortune  to  observe  in  Oriental  or  Eu- 
ropean prosody. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable,  and  which  com- 
mences thus : — 

"  Za  niateia  rosherroro  odolata 
Bravintata," 

(or,  Her  head  is  aching  with  grief  as  if  she  had 
tasted  wine,)  describes  the  anguish  of  a  maiden 
separated  from  her  lover,  and  who  calls  for  her 
steed — 

"  Tedjav  manga  gurraoro" — 

that  she  may  depart  in  quest  of  the  lord  of  her  bosom, 
and  share  his  joys  and  pleasures. 

A  collection  of  these  songs,  with  a  translation  and 
vocabulary,  would  be  no  slight  accession  to  litera- 
ture, and  would  probably  throw  more  light  on  the 
history  of  this  race,  than  any  thing  which  has  yet 
appeared,  and  as  there  is  no  want  of  zeal  and  talent 
in  Russia  amongst  the  cultivators  of  every  branch 
of  literature,  and  especially  philology,  it  is  only  sur- 
prising that  such  a  collection  still  remains  a  deside- 
ratum. 

The  religion  which  these  singular  females  exter- 


10 


THE  GYPSIES. 


nally  professed  was  the  Greek,  and  they  mostly  wore 
crosses  of  copper  or  gold ;  but  when  I  questioned 
them  on  this  subject  in  their  native  language,  they 
laughed  and  said  it  was  only  to  please  the  Russians. 
Their  names  for  God  and  his  adversary,  are  Deval 
and  Bengel,  which  differ  little  from  the  Spanish  Un- 
debel  and  Bengi,  which  signify  the  same.  I  will 
now  say  something  of 

THE  HUNGARIAN  GYPSIES,  OR  CHINGANY. 

Hungary,  though  a  country  not  a  tenth  part  so 
extensive  as  the  huge  colossus  of  the  Russian  em- 
pire, whose  tzar  reigns  over  a  hundred  lands,  contains 
pei'haps  as  many  Gypsies,  it  not  being  uncommon 
to  find  whole  villages  inhabited  by  this  race  ;  they 
likewise  abound  in  the  suburbs  of  the  towns.  In 
Hungary  the  feudal  system  still  exists  in  all  its  pris- 
tine barbarity  ;  in  no  country  does  the  hard  hand  of 
this  oppression  bear  so  heavy  upon  the  lower 
classes, — not  even  in  Russia.  The  peasants  of  Rus- 
sia are  serfs,  it  is  true,  but  their  condition  is  envia- 
ble compared  with  that  of  the  same  class  in  the 
other  country  ;  they  have  certain  rights  and  privi- 
leges, and  are  upon  the  whole  happy  and  contented, 
whilst  the  Hungarians  are  ground  to  powder.  Two 
classes  are  free  in  Hungary  to  do  almost  what  they 
please — the  nobility  and — the  Gipsies  ;  the  former 
are  above  the  law— the  latter  below  it :  a  toll  is 
wrung  from  the  hands  of  the  hard-working  labour- 
ers, that  most  meritorious  class,  in  passing  over  a 


HUNGARIAN    GYPSIES.  11 

bridge,  for  example,  at  Pesth,  which  is  not  de- 
manded from  a  well  dressed  person — nor  from  the 
Chingany,  who  have  frequently  no  dress  at  all — and 
whose  insouciance  stands  in  striking  contrast  with 
the  trembling  submission  of  the  peasants.  The 
Gypsy,  wherever  you  find  him,  is  an  incompre- 
hensible being,  but  nowhere  more  than  in  Hungary, 
where,  in  the  midst  of  slavery,  he  is  free,  though 
apparently  one  step  lower  than  the  lowest  slave. 
The  habits  of  the  Hungarian  Gypsies  are  abomi- 
nable ;  their  hovels  appear  sinks  of  the  vilest  poverty 
and  filth,  their  dress  is  at  best  rags,  their  food  fre- 
quently the  vilest  carrion,  and  occasionally,  if  report 
be  true,  still  worse, — on  which  point,  when  speaking 
of  the  Spanish  Gitanos,  we  shall  have  subsequently 
more  to  say  :  thus  they  live  in  filth,  in  rags,  in  naked- 
ness, and  in  merriness  of  heart,  for  nowhere  is  there 
more  of  song  and  dance  than  in  an  Hungarian  Gypsy 
village.  They  are  very  fond  of  music,  and  some  of 
the  Chingany  are  heard  to  touch  the  violin  in  a 
manner  wild,  but  of  peculiar  excellence.  Parties  of 
them  have  been  known  to  exhibit  even  at  Paris. 

In  Hungary,*as  in  all  parts,  they  are  addicted  to 
horse-dealing  ;  they  are  likewise  tinkers,  and  smiths 
in  a  small  way.  The  women  are  fortune-tellers,  of 
course— both  sexes  thieves  of  the  first  water.  They 
roam  where  they  list — in  a  country  where  all  other 
people  are  held  under  strict  surveillance,  no  one 
seems  to  care  about  these  Parias.  The  most  remark- 
able feature,  however,  connected  with  the  habits  of 
the  Chingany,    consists  in  their  foreign  excursions, 


12  THE  GYPSIES 

having  plunder  in  view,  w^hich  frequently  endure  for 
three  or  four  years,  when,  if  no  mischance  has  be- 
fallen them,  they  return  to  their  native  land — rich ; 
where  they  squander  the  proceeds  of  their  dexterity 
in  mad  festivals  :  they  wander  in  bands  of  twelve  or 
fourteen  through  France,  even  to  Rome.  Once,  dur- 
ing my  own  wanderings  in  Italy,  I  rested  at  night- 
fall by  the  side  of  a  kiln,  the  air  being  piercingly 
cold  ;  it  was  about  four  leagues  from  Genoa.  Pre- 
sently arrived  three  individuals  to  take  advantage 
of  the  warmth,  a  man,  a  woman,  and  a  lad.  They 
soon  began  to  discourse — and  I  found  that  they  were 
Hungarian  Gypsies ;  they  spoke  of  what  they  had 
been  doing,  and  what  they  had  amassed  ;  I  think 
they  mentioned  nine  hundred  crowns.  They  had 
companions  in  the  neighbourhood,  some  of  whom 
they  were  expecting;  they  took  no  notice  of  me,  and 
conversed  in  their  own  dialect ;  I  did  not  approve 
of  their  propinquity,  and  rising,  hastened  away. 

When  Napoleon  invaded  Spain,  there  were  not  a 

few   Hungarian    Chingany    in    his   armies :    some 

strange  encounters  occurred  on  the   field  of    battle 

between  these  people  and  the  Spanish  Gitanos,  one 

of  which  is  related  in  the  second  part  of  the  present 

work.     When  quartered  in  the  Spanish  towns  the 

Chingany  invariably   sought   out    their   peninsular 

M  brethren,  to  whom  they  revealed  themselves,  kiss- 

?  ing  and  embracing  most  affectionately:  the  Gitanos 

*  were  astonished  at  the  proficiency  of  the  strangers 

in  thievish  arts,  and  looked  upon  them  almost  in  the 

light  of  superior  beings :  "  They  knew  the  whole 


HUNGARIAN    GYPSIES.  13 

reckoning,"  is  still  a  common  expression  amongst 
them.  There  was  a  Chinganian  soldier  for  some 
time  at  Cordoba,  of  whom  the  Gitanos  of  the  place 
still  frequently  discourse,  whilst  smoking  their  cigars 
dming  winter  nights  over  their  braseros. 

The  Hungarian  Gypsies  have  a  peculiar  accent 
when  speaking  the  language  of  the  country,  by 
which  they  can  be  instantly  distinguished  ;  the  same 
thing  is  applicable  to  the  Gitanos  of  Spain,  when 
speaking  Spanish.  In  no  part  of  the  world  is  the 
Gypsy  language  preserved  better  than  in  Hungary. 

To  the  above  general  remarks  on  the  Hungarian 
Gypsies,  we  shall  add  the  following  particulars,  con- 
nected with  them  and  their  history,  collected  from 
various  sources. 

The  first  Gypsies,  said  to  be  about  3000  in  num- 
ber, made  their  appearance  a.  d.,  1417,  during  the 
reign  of  Sigismond,  emperor  of  the  Romans  and  king 
of  Hungaria,  and  settled  in  Moldavia,  near  Szuesava, 
with  the  permission  of  Alexander,  vojvode  of  that 
country ;  a  greater  number  of  the  adventurers  fol- 
lowed during  the  next  succeeding  years,  making  in- 
cursions into  Wallachia,  Transylvania,  and  Hungary. 
One  band  in  particular,  guided  by  their  vojvode  Las- 
zlo(Ladislaus),  settled  in  the  Zips  (Scepusium),  and 
obtained  from  king  Sigismond,  according  to  Katona, 
A.  D.  1423,  the  writ  of  diploma  or  privilege  of  settling 
near  the  free  and  royal  towns,  (libera  regiaque  urbs, 
in  Hungary,  is  considered  as  the  peculium  regis,  the 
king's  own,)  and  on  the  crown  estates ;  which  pri- 
vilege placed  the  adventurers  under  the  king's  pro- 

VOL.  I.  2 


14  THE    GYPSIES. 

tection.  At  the  same  time  the  king  invested  their' 
vojvode  with  the  power  of  setthng  their  domestic 
quarrels.  Pzay  and  Fridvaldszky  quote  a  diploma 
of  free  migration  of  Wladislaus,  which  was  granted 
to  the  vojvode  Thomas  Bolgaz  and  to  his  twenty- 
five  Gypsies,  living  under  the  same  tents,  whom  the 
king  gave  over  to  Sigismund,  bishop  of  Fimfkirchen, 
for  the  particular  object  of  preparing  cannon  balls 
and  different  kinds  of  weapons. 

The  Hungarian  Gypsies  were,  for  the  most  part, 
the  king's  own  subjects,  but  at  present  they  are 
subject  to  those  nobles  on  whose  estates  they  dwell. 
If  they  had  a  religion  of  their  own  at  any  period, 
they  most  certainly  have  forgotten  it ;  they  generally 
comply  with  the  religious  ceremonies  of  the  place, 
town,  or  village  where  they  settle,  without  caring 
much  about  the  doctrine,  of  which  they  know  little 
or  nothing. 

In  ancient  times  every  tribe  had  in  Hungary  a 
particular  captain  and  judge  ;  in  Transylvania  they 
had  their  vojvode,  to  whom  they  paid  a  tax.  This 
tax  was  fixed  in  1558  by  law  :  "  Vajvodae  Cigano- 
rum  juxta  veterem  consuetudinem  a  singulis  Ciganis 
nonnisi  florenum  unicum  ultra  annum  exigant ;  ad 
Geori^ii  festum  denar.  50,  ad  Michaelis  totidem." 
These  vojvodes  were  freely  chosen  by  them  from 
the  most  distinguished  families,  and  the  new  vojvode 
was  lifted  up  by  the  people  amidst  deafening  ac- 
clamations. They  kept  writs  by  which  they  had 
obtained   privileges    from    several    Transylvanian 


ENGLISH    GYPSIES,    OR    ROMANY.  15 

princes,  and  in  particular  from  the  Batorys.  In 
1588  and  1600  the  dignity  of  a  vojvode  was  abol- 
ished. 

The  Empress  Maria  Theresa  and  Joseph  II.  made 
some  ineffectual  attempts  to  civilize  them.  In  1782 
there  were  in  Hungary  50,000  Gypsies,  according 
to  a  census  taken,  since  that  time  their  number 
is  said  to  have  decreased. 

THE    ENGLISH    GYPSIES,    OR    ROMMANY. 

No  country  appears  less  adapted  for  that  wander- 
ing life,  which  seems  so  natural  to  these  people,  than 
England.  Those  wildernesses  and  forests,  which 
they  are  so  attached  to,  are  not  to  be  found  there  ; 
every  inch  of  land  is  cultivated,  and  its  produce 
watched  with  a  jealous  eye  ;  and  as  the  laws  against 
trampers,  without  the  visible  means  of  supporting 
themselves,  are  exceedingly  severe,  the  possibility 
of  the  Gypsies  existing  as  a  distinct  race,  and  retain- 
ing their  original  free  and  independent  habits,  might 
naturally  be  called  in  question  by  those  who  had  not 
satisfactorily  verified  the  fact.  Yet  it  is  a  truth  that, 
amidst  all  these  seeming  disadvantages,  they  not 
only  exist  there,  but  in  no  part  of  the  world  is  their 
life  more  in  accordance  with  the  general  idea  that 
the  Gypsy  is  like  Cain,  a  wanderer  of  the  earth  ; 
for  in  England  the  covered  cart  and  the  little  tent 
are  the  houses  of  the  Gypsy,  and  he  seldom  remains 
more  than  three  days  in  the  same  place. 

At  present  they  are  considered  in  some  degree  as 


16  THE    GYPSIES. 

a  privileged  people  ;  for,  though  their  way  of  life  is 
unlawful,  it  is  connived  at ;  the  law  of  England 
having  discovered  by  experience,  that  its  utmost 
fury  is  inefficient  to  reclaim  them  from  their  invete- 
rate habits. 

Shortly  after  their  first  arrival  in  England,  which 
is  upwards  of  three  centuries  since,  a  dreadful  per- 
secution was  raised  against  them,  the  aim  of  which 
was  their  utter  extermination,  for  the  being  a  Gypsy 
was  esteemed  a  crime  worthy  of  death,  and  the  gib- 
bets of  England  groaned  and  creaked  beneath  the 
weight  of  Gypsy  carcasses,  and  the  miserable  sur- 
vivors were  literally  obliged  to  creep  into  the  earth 
in  order  to  preserve  their  lives.  But  these  days 
passed  by  ;  their  persecutors  became  weary  of  pur- 
suing them  ;  they  showed  their  heads  from  the  holes 
and  caves  where  they  had  hidden  themselves,  they 
ventured  forth,  increased  in  numbers,  and  each  tribe 
or  family  choosing  a  particular  circuit,  they  fairly 
divided  the  land  amongst  them. 

In  England,  the  male  Gypsies  are  all  dealers  in 
horses,  and  sometimes  employ  their  idle  time  in 
mending  the  tin  and  copper  utensils  of  the  peasant- 
ry ;  the  females  tell  fortunes.  They  generally  pitch 
their  tents  in  the  vicinity  of  a  village  or  small  town 
by  the  road  side,  under  the  shelter  of  the  hedges 
and  trees.  The  climate  of  England  is  well  known 
to  be  favorable  to  beauty,  and  in  no  part  of  the 
world  is  the  appearance  of  the  Gypsies  so  prepos- 
sessing as  in  that  country ;  their  complexion  is  dark, 
but  not  disagreeably  so  ;  their  faces  are  oval,  their 


GYPSY    FORTUNE-TELLERS.  17 

features  regular,  their  foreheads  rather  low,  and 
their  hands  and  feet  small.  The  men  are  taller 
than  the  English  peasantry,  and  far  more  active. 
They  all  speak  the  English  language  with  fluency, 
and  in  their  gait  and  demeanor  are  easy  and  grace- 
ful; in  both  points  standing  in  striking  contrast  with 
the  peasantry,  who  in  speech  are  slow  and  uncouth, 
and  in  manner  dogged  and  brutal. 

The  dialect  of  the  Rommany,  which  they  speak, 
though  mixed  with  English  words,  may  be  consi- 
dered as  tolerably  pure,  from  the  fact  that  it  is  in- 
telligible to  the  Gypsy  race  in  the  heart  of  Russia. 
Whatever  crimes  they  may  commit,  their  vices  are 
few,  for  the  men  are  not  drunkards,  nor  are  the 
women  harlots  ;  there  are  no  two  characters  which 
they  hold  in  so  much  abhorrence,  nor  do  any  words 
when  applied  by  them  convey  so  much  execration 
as  these  two. 

The  crimes  of  which  these  people  were  originally 
accused  were  various,  but  the  principal  were  theft, 
sorcery,  and  causing  disease  among  the  cattle  ;  and 
there  is  every  reason  for  supposing  that  in  none  of 
these  points  they  were  altogether  guiltless. 

With  respect  to  sorcery,  a  thing  in  itself  impos- 
sible, not  only  the  English  Gypsies,  but  the  whole 
race  have  ever  professed  it ;  therefore,  whatever 
misery  they  may  have  suffered  on  that  account, 
they  may  be  considered  as  having  called  it  down 
upon  their  own  heads. 

Dabbling  in  sorcery  is  in  some  degree  the  pro- 
vince of  the  female  Gypsy.     She  affects  to  tell  the 

2* 


18  THE    GYPSIES. 

future,  and  to  prepare  philters  by  means  of  which 
love  can  be  awakened  in  any  individual  towards 
any  particular  object ;  and  such  is  the  credulity  of 
the  human  race,  even  in  the  most  enlightened  coun- 
tries, that  the  profits  arising  from  these  practices 
are  great.  The  following  is  a  case  in  point :  two 
females,  neighbours  and  friends,  were  tried  some 
years  since,  in  England,  for  the  murder  of  their 
husbands.  It  appeared  that  they  were  in  love  with 
the  same  individual,  and  had  conjointly,  at  various 
times,  paid  sums  of  money  to  a  Gypsy  woman  to 
work  charms  to  captivate  his  affections.  Whatever 
little  effect  the  charms  might  produce,  the}'^  were 
successful  in  their  principal  object,  for  the  person  in 
question  carried  on  for  some  time  a  criminal  inter- 
course with  both.  The  matter  came  to  the  know- 
ledge of  the  husbands,  who,  taking  means  to  break 
off  this  connexion,  were  respectively  poisoned  by 
their  wives.  Till  the  moment  of  conviction  these 
wretched  females  betrayed  neither  emotion  or  fear, 
but  then  their  consternation  was  indescribable ;  and 
they  afterwards  confessed  that  the  Gypsy,  who  had 
visited  them  in  prison,  had  promised  to  shield  them 
from  conviction  by  means  of  her  art.  It  is  therefore 
not  surprising  that  in  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth 
centuries,  when  a  belief  in  sorcery  was  supported 
by  the  laws  of  all  Europe,  these  people  were  re- 
garded as  practisers  of  sorcery,  and  punished  as 
such,  when,  even  in  the  nineteenth,  they  still  find 
people  weak  enough  to  place  confidence  in  their 
claims  to  supernatural  power. 


GYPSY    JOCKEYS.  19 

The  accusation  of  producing  disease  and  death 
amongst  the  cattle  was  far  from  groundless.  In- 
deed, however  strange  and  incredible  it  may  sound 
in  the  present  day  to  those  who  are  unacquainted 
with  this  caste,  and  the  peculiar  habits  of  the  Rom- 
manees,  the  practice  is  still  occasionally  pursued  in 
England  and  many  other  countries  where  they  are 
found.  From  this  practice,  when  they  are  not  de- 
tected, they  derive  considerable  advantage.  Poison- 
ing cattle  is  exercised  by  them  in  two  ways  ;  by 
one,  they  merely  cause  disease  in  the  animals,  with 
the  view  of  receiving  money  for  curing  them  upon 
offering  their  services  ;  the  poison  is  generally  ad- 
ministered by  powders  cast  at  night  into  the  man- 
gers in  which  the  animals  feed  :  this  way  is  entirely 
confined  to  the  larger  cattle,  such  as  horses  and 
cows.  By  the  other,  which  they  practise  chiefly  on 
swine,  speedy  death  is  almost  invariably  produced, 
the  drug  administered  being  of  a  highly  intoxicating 
nature,  and  affecting  the  brain.  They  then  apply 
at  the  house  or  farm  where  the  disaster  has  occurred 
for  the  carcass  of  the  animal,  which  is  generally 
given  them  without  suspicion,  and  then  they  feast 
on  the  flesh,  which  is  not  injured  by  the  poison, 
which  only  affects  the  head. 

The  English  Gypsies  are  constant  attendants  at 
the  race-course  ;  what  jockey  is  not  ?  Perhaps 
jockeyism  originated  with  them,  and  even  racing, 
at  least  in  England.  Jockeyism  properly  implies 
the  management  of  a,  whij),  and  the  word  jockey  is 
neither  more  nor  less  than  the  term,  slightly  modi- 


20  THE    GYPSIES. 

fied,  by  which  they  designate  the  formidable  whips 
which  they  usually  carry,  and  which  are  at  present 
in  general  use  amongst  horse-traffickers,  under  the 
title  of  jockey  whips.  They  are  likewise  fond  of 
resorting  to  the  prize  ring,  and  have  occasionally 
even  attained  some  eminence,  as  principals,  in  those 
disgraceful  and  brutalizing  exhibitions,  called  pugi- 
listic combats.  I  believe  a  great  deal  has  been 
written  on  the  subject  of  the  English  Gypsies,  but 
the  writers  have  dealt  too  much  in  generalites  ;  they 
have  been  afraid  to  take  the  Gypsy  by  the  hand, 
lead  him  forth  from  the  crowd,  and  exhibit  him  in 
the  area ;  he  is  well  worth  observing.  When  a  boy 
of  fourteen,  I  was  present  at  a  prize  fight ;  why 
should  I  hide  the  truth  ?  It  took  place  on  a  green 
meadow,  beside  a  running  stream,  close  by  the  old 

church  of  E ,  and  within  a  league  of  the  ancient 

town  of  N ,  the  capital  of  one  of  the  eastern 

counties.  The  terrible  Thurtell  was  present,  lord 
of  the  concourse ;  for  wherever  he  moved  he  was 
master,  and  whenever  he  spoke,  even  when  in 
chains,  every  other  voice  was  silent.  He  stood  on 
the  mead,  grim  and  pale  as  usual,  with  his  bruisers 
around.  He  it  was,  indeed,  who  got  up  the  fight, 
as  he  had  previously  done  with  respect  to  twenty 
others  ;  it  being  his  frequent  boast  that  he  had  first 
introduced  bruising  and  bloodshed  amidst  rural 
scenes,  and  transformed  a  quiet  slumbering  town 
into  a  den  of  Jews  and  metropolitan  thieves.  Some- 
time before  the  commencement  of  the  combat,  three 
men,  mounted  on  wild-looking  horses,  came  dashing 


GYPSY    WILL.  21 

down  the  road  in  the  direction  of  the  meadow,  in 
the  midst  of  which  they  presently  showed  them- 
selves, their  horses  clearing  the  deep  ditches  with 
wonderful  alacrity.  "  That's  Gypsy  Will  and  his 
gang,"  lisped  a  Hebrew  pickpocket ;  "we  shall 
have  another  fight."  The  word  Gypsy  was  always 
sufficient  to  excite  my  curiosity,  and  I  looked  atten- 
tively at  the  new  comers. 

I  have  seen  Gypsies  of  various  lands,  Russian, 
Hungarian  and  Turkish  ;  and  I  have  also  seen  the 
legitimate  children  of  most  countries  of  the  world, 
but  I  never  saw,  upon  the  whole,  three  more  re- 
markable individuals,  as  far  as  personal  appearance 
was  concerned,  than  the  three  English  Gypsies  who 
now  presented  themselves  to  my  eyes  on  that  spot. 
Two  of  them  had  dismounted,  and  were  holding 
their  horses  by  the  reins.  The  tallest,  and,  at  the 
first  glance,  the  most  interesting  of  the  two,  was 
almost  a  giant,  for  his  height  could  not  have  been 
less  than  six  feet  three.  It  is  impossible  for  the 
imagination  to  conceive  any  thing  more  perfectly 
beautiful  than  were  the  features  of  this  man,  and 
the  most  skilful  sculptor  of  Greece  might  have  taken 
them  as  his  model  for  a  hero  and  a  god.  The 
forehead  was  exceedingly  lofty, — a  rare  thing  in  a 
Gypsy  ; — the  nose  less  Roman  than  Grecian, — fine 
yet  delicate  ;  the  eyes  large,  overhung  with  long 
drooping  lashes,  giving  them  almost  a  melancholy 
expression  ;  it  was  only  when  they  were  highly 
elevated  that  the  Gypsy  glance  peered  out,  if  that 
can  be  called  glance  which  is  a  strange  stare,  like 


22 


THE    GYPSIES. 


nothing  else  in  this  world.  His  complexion — a 
beautiful  olive  ;  and  his  teeth  of  a  brilliancy  un- 
common even  amongst  these  people,  who  have  all 
fine  teeth.  He  was  dressed  in  a  coarse  waggoner's 
slop,  which,  however,  was  unable  to  conceal  alto- 
gether the  proportions  of  his  noble  and  Herculean 
figure.  He  might  be  about  twenty-eight.  His  com- 
panion and  his  captain,  Gypsy  Will,  was,  I  think, 
fifty  when  he  was  hanged,  ten  years  subsequently, 
(for  I  never  afterwards  lost  sight  of  him,)  in  the 
front  of  the  jail  of  Bury  St.  Edmonds.  I  have  still 
present  before  me  his  bushy  black  hair,  his  black 
face,  and  his  big  black  eyes,  full  and  thoughtful,  but 
fixed  and  staring.  His  dress  consisted  of  a  loose 
blue  jockey  coat,  jockey  boots  and  breeches  ;  in  his 
hand  a  huge  jockey  whip,  and  on  his  head  (it  struck 
me  at  the  time  for  its  singularity)  a  broad-brimmed, 
high-peaked  Andalusian  hat,  or  at  least  one  very 
much  resembling  those  generally  worn  in  that  pro- 
vince. In  stature  he  was  shorter  than  his  more 
youthful  companion,  yet  he  must  have  measured 
six  feet  at  least,  and  was  stronger  built,  if  possible. 
What  brawn  ! — what  bone  ! — what  legs  !^ — what 
thighs  !  The  third  Gypsy,  who  remained  on  horse- 
back, looked  more  like  a  phantom  than  any  thing 
human.  His  complexion  was  the  colour  of  pale 
dust,  and  of  that  same  colour  was  all  that  pertained 
to  him,  hat  and  clothes.  His  boots  were  dusty  of 
course,  for  it  was  midsummer,  and  his  very  horse 
was  of  a  dusty  dun.  His  features  were  whimsically 
ugly,  most  of  his  teeth  were  gone,  and  as  to  his  age, 


GYPSY    WILL. THURTELL.  23 

he  might  be  thirty  or  sixty.  He  was  somewhat 
lame  and  halt,  but  an  unequalled  rider  when  once 
upon  his  steed,  which  he  was  naturally  not  very 
solicitous  to  quit.  I  subsequently  discovered  that 
he  was  considered  the  wizard  of  the  gang. 

I  have  been  already  prolix  with  respect  to  these 
Gypsies,  but  I  will  not  leave  them  quite  yet.  The 
intended  combatants  at  length  arrived  ;  it  was  neces- 
sary to  clear  the  ring, — always  a  troublesome  and 
difficult  task.  Thurtell  went  up  to  the  two  Gypsies, 
with  whom  he  seemed  to  be  acquainted,  and,  with 
his  surly  smile,  said  two  or  three  words,  which  I, 
who  was  standing  by,  did  not  understand.  The 
Gypsies  smiled  in  return,  and  giving  the  reins  of 
their  animals  to  their  mounted  companion,  immedi- 
ately set  about  the  task  which  the  king  of  the  flash- 
men  had,  as  I  conjecture,  imposed  upon  them  ;  this 
they  soon  accomplished.  Who  could  stand  against 
such  fellows  and  such  whips  ?  The  fight  was  soon 
over — then  there  was  a  pause.  Once  more  Thur- 
tell came  up  to  the  Gypsies  and  said  something — 
the  Gypsies  looked  at  each  other  and  conversed  ; 
but  their  words  had  then  no  meaning  for  my  ears. 
The  tall  Gypsy  shook  his  head — "  Very  well,"  said 
the  other,  in  English,  "  I  will — that's  all." 

Then  pushing  the  people  aside,  he  strode  to  the 
ropes,  over  which  he  bounded  into  the  ring,  flinging 
his  Spanish  hat  high  into  the  air. 

Gypsy  Will. — "  The  best  man  in  England  for 
twenty  pounds  ?" 

ThirtelL — "  I  am  backer." 


24  THE    GYPSIES. 

Twenty  pounds  is  a  tempting  sum, — and  there 
were  men  that  day  upon  the  green  meadow  who 
would  have  shed  the  blood  of  their  own  fathers  for 
the  fifth  6f  the  price.  But  the  Gypsy  was  not  an 
unknown  man,  his  prowess  and  strength  were  noto- 
rious, and  no  one  cared  to  encounter  him.  Some 
of  the  Jews  looked  eager  for  a  moment ;  but  their 
sharp  eyes  quailed  quickly  before  his  savage  glances, 
as  he  towered  in  the  ring,  his  huge  form  dilating, 
and  his  black  features  convulsed  with  excitement. 
The  Westminster  bravos  eyed  the  Gypsy  askance  ; 
but  the  comparison,  if  they  made  any,  seemed  by 
no  means  favourable  to  themselves.  "  Gypsy !  rum 
chap. — Ugly  customer, — alwa3^s  in  training."  Such 
were  the  exclamations  which  I  heard,  some  of  which 
at  that  period  of  my  life  I  did  not  understand. 

No  man  would  fight  the  Gypsy. — ^Yes  !  a  strong 
country  fellow  wished  to  win  the  stakes,  and  was 
about  to  fling  up  his  hat  in  defiance,  but  he  was 
prevented  by  his  friends,  with — "  Fool !  he'll  kill 
you !" 

As  the  Gypsies  were  mounting  their  horses,  I 
heard  the  dusty  phantom  exclaim — 

"  Brother,  you  are  an  arrant  ring-maker  and  a 
horse-breaker  ;  you'll  make  a  hempen  ring  to  break 
your  own  neck  of  a  horse  one  of  these  days." 

They  pressed  their  horses'  flanks,  again  leaped 
over  the  ditches,  and  speedily  vanished,  amidst  the 
whirlwinds  of  dust  which  they  raised  upon  the  road. 

The  words  of  the  phantom  Gypsy  were  ominous. 
Gypsy  Will  was  eventually  executed  for  a  murder 


GYPSY  CLANS. CURRAPLE.  25 

committed  in  his  early  youth,  in  company  with  two 
EngUsh  labourers,  one  of  whom  confessed  the  fact 
on  his  death-bed.  He  was  the  head  of  the  clan 
Young,  which,  with  the  clan  Smith,  or  Curraple, 
still  haunts  two  of  the  eastern  counties. 

The  name  Curraple  is  a  favourite  one  amongst 
the  Gypsies.  It  excited  the  curiosity  of  the  amia- 
ble White,  of  Selbourne,  who  in  one  of  his  letters 
mentions  it  as  pertaining  to  the  clan  Stanley.  He 
conceived  it  to  be  partly  Greek,  from  the  termina- 
tion aple,  or  opZe,  which  put  him  in  mind  of  t^o^^?. 
Curraple,*  however,  means  a  smith — a  name  very 
appropriate  to  a  Gypsy. 

THE    GYPSIES    OF    THE    EAST,    OR    ZINGARRI. 

What  has  been  said  of  the  Gypsies  of  Europe  is, 
to  a  considerable  extent,  applicable  to  their  brethren 
in  the  East,  or  as  they  are  called  Zingarri ;  they 
are  either  found  wandering  amongst  the  deserts  or 
mountains,  or  settled  in  towns,  supporting  them- 
selves by  horse-dealing  or  jugglery,  by  music  and 
song.  In  no  part  of  the  East  are  they  more  numer- 
ous than  in  Turkey,  especially  in  Constantinople, 
where  the  females  frequently  enter  the  harems  of 
the  great,  pretending  to  cure  children  of  "  the  evil 
eye,"  and  to  interpret  the  dreams  of  the  women. 
They  are  not  unfrequently  seen  in  the  coffee-houses, 
exhibiting  their  figures  in  la^scivious  dances  to  the 

*  The  root  is  "  curaw,"  to  strike,  hammer,  &c.     Curraple  is  likewise 
a  legitimate  Sanscrit  word,  signifying  a  sword. 
VOL.    I.  3 


26  THE  GYPSIES. 

tune  of  various  instruments  ;  yet  these  females  are 
by  no  means  unchaste,  however  their  manners  and 
appearance  may  denote  the  contrary,  and  either 
Turk  or  Christian  who,  stimulated  by  their  songs 
and  volujituous  movements,  should  address  them 
with  proposals  of  a  dishonourable  nature,  w^ould,  in 
all  probabiUty,  meet  with  a  decided  repulse. 

Amongst  the  Zingarri  are  not  a  few  who  deal  in 
precious  stones,  and  some  w^ho  vend  jooisons  ;  and 
the  most  remarkable  individual  whom  it  has  been 
my  fortune  to  encounter  amongst  the  Gypsies,  w^he- 
ther  of  the  Eastern  or  Western  world,  was  a  person 
who  dealt  in  both  these  articles.     He  was  a  native 
of  Constantinople,  and  in  the  pursuit  of  his  trade 
had  visited  the  most  remote  and  remarkable  por- 
tions of  the  world.     He  had  traversed  alone  and  on 
foot  the  greatest  part  of  India ;  he  spoke  several 
dialects  of  the  Malay,  and  understood  the  original 
language  of  Java,  that  isle  more  fertile  in  poisons 
than  even  **  far  lolchos  and  Spain."     From  what  I 
could  learn  from  him,  it  appeared  that  his  jewels 
were  in  less  request  than  his  drugs,  though  he  as- 
sured me  that  there  was  scarcely  a  Bey  or  Satrap 
in  Persia  or  Turkey  whom  he  had  not  supplied 
with  both.      I  have   seen  this  individual  in  more 
countries  than  one,  for  he  flits  over  the  world  like 
the  shadow  of  a  cloud,  the  last  time  at  Granada  in 
Spain,  whither  he  had  come  after  paying  a  visit  to 
his  Gitano  brethren  in  the  presidio  of  Ceuta. 

Few  Eastern  authors  have  spoken  of  the  Zingarri, 
notwithstanding  they  have  been  known  in  the  East 


ARTIFICK    OF    TTMOUR.  27 

for  many  centuries  ;  amongst  the  few,  none  has 
made  more  curious  mention  of  them  than  Arabschah, 
in  a  chapter  of  his  Ufe  of  Timour  or  Tamerlane, 
which  is  deservedly  considered  as  one  of  the  three 
classic  works  of  Arabian  literature.  This  passage, 
which,  while  it  serves  to  illustrate  the  craft,  if  not 
the  valor  of  the  conqueror  of  half  the  world,  offers 
some  curious  particulars  as  to  Gypsy  life  in  the  East 
at  a  remote  period,  will  scarcely  be  considered  out 
of  place  if  reproduced  here,  and  the  following  is  as 
close  a  translation  of  it  as  the  metaphorical  style  of 
the  original  will  allow. 

"  There  were  in  Samarcand  numerous  families 
of  Zingarri  of  various  descriptions  ;  some  were 
'wrestlers,  others  gladiators,  others  pugilists.  These 
people  were  much  at  variance,  so  that  hostilities  and 
battling  were  continually  arising  amongst  them. 
Each  band  had  its  chief  and  subordinate  officers  ; 
and  it  came  to  pass  that  Timour  and  the  power 
which  he  possessed  filled  them  with  dread,  for  they 
knew  that  he  was  aware  of  their  crimes  and  disor- 
derly way  of  life.  Now  it  was  the  custom  of  Ti- 
mour on  departing  upon  his  expeditions  to  leave  a 
viceroy  in  Samarcand ;  but  no  sooner  had  he  left 
the  city,  than  forth  marched  these  bands,  and  giv- 
ing battle  to  the  viceroy  deposed  him  and  took  pos- 
session of  the  government,  so  that  on  the  return  of 
Timour  he  found  order  broken,  confusion  reigning, 
and  his  throne  overturned,  and  then  he  had  much 
to  do  in  restoring  things  to  their  former  state,  and 
in  punishing  or  pardoning  the  guilty;  but  no  sooner 


28  THE  GYPSIES 

did  he  depart  again  to  his  wars,  and  to  his  various 
other  concerns,  than  they  broke  out  into  the  same 
excesses,  and  this  they  repeated  no  less  than  three 
times,  and  he  at  length  laid  a  plan  for  their  utter 
extermination,  and  it  was  the  following.  He  com- 
menced building  a  wall,  and  he  summoned  unto 
him  the  people  small  and  great,  and  he  allotted  to 
every  man  his  place,  and  to  ever}^  workman  his 
duty,  and  he  stationed  the  Zingarri  and  their  chief- 
tains apart ;  and  in  one  particular  spot  he  placed  a 
band  of  soldiers,  and  he  commanded  them  to  kill 
whomsoever  he  should  send  to  them  ;  and  having 
done  so,  he  called  to  him  the  heads  of  the  people, 
and  he  filled  the  cup  for  them  and  placed  upon  them 
a  splendid  vest ;  and  when  the  turn  came  to  the 
Zingarri,  he  likewise  pledged  one  of  them,  and  be- 
stowed a  vest  upon  him,  and  sent  him  with  a  mes- 
sage to  the  soldiers,  who,  as  soon  as  he  arrived,  tore 
from  him  his  vest  and  stabbed  him,  pouring  forth 
the  gold  of  his  heart  into  the  pan  of  destruction,* 
and  in  this  way  they  continued  until  the  last  of 
them  was  destroyed  ;  and  by  that  blow  he  extermi- 
nated their  race,  and  their  traces,  and  from  that 
time  forward  there  were  no  more  rebellions  in  Sa- 
marcand." 

It  has  of  late  years  been  one  of  the  favorite  theo- 
ries of  the  learned  that  Timour's  invasion  of  Hin- 
dostan,  and  the  cruelties  committed  by  his  savage 
hordes  in  that  part  of  the  world,  caused   a  vast 

*  An  Eastern  image  tantamount  to  the  taking  away  of  life. 


BISHOP    OF    FORLI.  29 

number  of  Hindoos  to  abandon  their  native  land, 
and  that  the  Gypsies  of  the  present  day  are  the  de- 
scendants of  those  exiles  who  wended  their  weary 
way  to  the  West.  Now  provided  the  above  passage 
in  the  work  of  Arabschah  be  entitled  to  credence, 
the  opinion  that  Timour  was  the  cause  of  the  ex- 
patriation and  subsequent  wandering  life  of  these 
people,  must  be  abandoned  as  untenable.  At  the 
time  he  is  stated  by  the  Arabian  writer  to  have  an- 
nihilated the  Gypsy  hordes  of  Samarcand,  he  had 
but  just  commenced  his  career  of  conquest  and  de- 
vastation, and  had  not  even  directed  his  thoughts 
to  the  invasion  of  India  ;  yet  at  this  early  period  of 
the  history  of  his  life  we  find  families  of  Zingarri 
established  at  Samarcand,  living  much  in  the  same 
manner  as  others  of  the  race  have  subsequently 
done  in  various  towns  of  Europe  and  the  East ;  but 
supposing  the  event  here  narrated  to  be  a  fable,  or 
at  best  a  floating  legend,  it  appears  singular  that,  if 
they  left  their  native  land  to  escape  from  Timour, 
they  should  never  have  mentioned  in  the  Western 
world  the  name  of  that  scourge  of  the  human  race, 
nor  detailed  the  history  of  their  flight  and  suflferings, 
which  assuredly  w^ould  have  procured  them  sympa- 
thy ;  the  ravages  of  Timour  being  already  but  too 
well  known  in  Europe.  That  they  came  from  India 
is  much  easier  to  prove  than  that  they  fled  before 
the  fierce  Mongol. 

Such  people  as  the  Gypsies,  whom  the  Bishop  of 
Forli  in  the  year  1422,  only  sixteen  years  subse- 
quent  to  the    invasion   of  India,   describes    as    a 

3* 


30  THE  GYPSIES. 

"  raging  rabble,  of  brutal  and  animal  propensities,"* 
are  not  such  as  generally  abandon  their  country  on 
foreign  invasion. 

*  Gentcs  hod  niultum  morigeratse,  sed  quasi  bruta  animalia  et  furentes. 
Soo  Vol   xxii.  of  the  Supplement  to  the  works  of  Muratori,  p.  890. 


THE  ZINCALI, 


OR 


AN  ACCOUNT  OF    THE  GYPSIES  OF    SPAIN. 


PART  I. 


THE     ZINC  ALL 


CHAPTER  I. 

OF  THE  SPANISH  GYPSIES  IN  GENERAL. — NAMES. — ARRIVAL. — EGYP- 
TIAN PENITENTS. — PECULIARITIES  OF  SPAIN. — PROVINCES  WHICH 
THE    GYPSIES    PRINCIPALLY   FREQUENTED. 

GiTANOs,  or  Egyptians,  is  the  name  by  which 
the  Gypsies  have  been  most  generally  known  in 
Spain,  in  the  ancient  as  well  as  in  the  modern  pe- 
riod, but  various  other  names  have  been  and  still 
are  applied  to  them  ;  for  example,  New  Castilians, 
Germans,  and  Flemings  ;  the  first  of  which  titles 
probably  originated  after  the  name  of  Gitano  had 
begun  to  be  considered  a  term  of  reproach  and  in- 
famy. They  may  have  thus  designated  themselves 
from  an  unwillingness  to  utter,  when  speaking  of 
themselves,  the  detested  expression  "  Gitano,"  a 
word  which  seldom  escapes  their  mouths  ;  or  it  may 
have  been  applied  to  them  first  by  the  Spaniards, 
in  their  mutual  dealings  and  communication,  as  a 
term  less  calculated  to  wound  their  feelings  and  to 
beget  a  spirit  of   animosity  than  the  other  ;   butj 


34  THE    ZlNCALt. 

however  it  might  have  originated,  New  Castilian, 
in  course  of  time  became  a  term  of  little  less  infamy 
than  Gitano  ;  for,  by  the  law  of  Philip  the  Fourth, 
both  terms  are  forbidden  to  be  applied  to  them  under 
severe  penalties. 

That  they  were  called  Germans,  may  be  ac- 
counted for,  either  by  the  supposition  that  their 
generic  name  of  Rommany  was  misunderstood  and 
mispronounced  by  the  Spaniards  amongst  whom 
they  came,  or  from  the  fact  of  their  having  passed 
through  Germany  in  their  way  to  the  south,  and 
their  bearing  passports  and  letters  of  safety  from 
the  various  German  states.  The  title  of  Flemings, 
by  which  at  the  present  day  they  are  known  in  va- 
rious parts  of  Spain,  would  probably  never  have 
been  bestowed  upon  them  but  from  the  circumstance 
of  their  having  been  designated  or  believed  to  be 
Germans, — as  German  and  Fleming  are  considered 
by  the  ignorant  as  synonymous  terms. 

Amongst  themselves  they  have  three  words  to 
distinguish  them  and  their  race  in  general:  Zincalo, 
Romano,  and  Chai ;  of  the  first  two  of  which  some- 
thing has  been  already  said. 

They  likewise  call  themselves  "  Gales,"  by  which 
appellation  indeed  they  are  tolerably  well  known  by 
the  Spaniards,  and  which  is  merely  the  plural  ter- 
mination of  the  compound  word  Zincalo,  and  signi- 
fies. The  black  men.  Chai  is  a  modification  of  the 
word  Chai,  which,  by  the  Gitanos  of  Estremadura, 
is  applied  to  Egypt,  and  in  many  parts  of  Spain  is 
equivalent  to  "  Heaven,"  and  which  is  perhaps  a 


NAMES. ARRIVAL. EGYPTIAN   PENITENTS.       35 

modification  of  *'  Cheros,"  the  word  for  heaven  in 
other  dialects  of  the  Gypsy  language.  Thus  Chai 
may  denote,  The  men  of  Egypt,  or,  The  sons  of 
Heaven.  It  is,  however,  right  to  observe,  that 
amongst  the  Gitanos,  the  word  Chai  has  frequently 
no  other  signification  than  the  simple  one  of  "  chil- 
dren." 

It  is  impossible  to  state  for  certainty  the  exact 
year  of  their  first  appearance  in  Spain  ;  but  it  is 
reasonable  to  presume  that  it  was  early  in  the  fif- 
teenth century;  as  in  the  year  1417  numerous  bands 
entered  France  from  the  north-east  of  Europe,  and 
speedily  spread  themselves  over  the  greatest  part 
of  that  country.  Of  these  wanderers  a  French 
author  has  left  the  following  graphic  description* : — 

"On  the  17th  of  April,  1427,  appeared  in  Paris 
twelve  penitents  of  Egypt,  driven  from  thence  by 
the  Saracens ;  they  brought  in  their  company  one 
hundred  and  twenty  persons ;  they  took  up  their 
quarters  in  La  Chapelle,  whither  the  people  flocked 
in  crowds  to  visit  them.  They  had  their  ears 
pierced,  from  which  depended  a  ring  of  silver ; 
their  hair  was  black  and  crispy,  and  their  women 
were  filthy  to  a  degree,  and  were  sorceresses  who 
told  fortunes." 

Such  were  the  people  who,  after  traversing  France 
and  scaling  the  sides  of  the  Pyrenees,  poured  down 
in  various  bands  upon  the  sunburnt  plains  of  Spain. 
Wherever  they  had  appeared  they  had  been  looked 
upon  as  a  curse  and   a  pestilence,  and   with   much 

*  As  quoted  by  Hervas :   Catalogo  de  las  Lenguas,  vol.  iii.  p.  306. 


36  THE    ZINCALI. 

reason.  Either  unwilling  or  unable  to  devote  them- 
selves to  any  laborious  or  useful  occupation,  they 
came  like  flights  of  wasps  to  prey  upon  the  fruits 
which  their  more  industrious  fellow  beings  amassed 
by  the  toil  of  their  hands  and  the  sweat  of  their 
foreheads  ;  the  natural  result  being,  that  wherever 
they  arrived,  their  fellow  creatures  banded  them- 
selves against  them.  Terrible  laws  were  enacted 
soon  after  their  appearance  in  France,  calculated  to 
put  a  stop  to  their  frauds  and  dishonest  propensi- 
ties ;  wherever  their  hordes  were  found  they  were 
attacked  by  the  incensed  rustics  or  by  the  armed 
hand  of  justice,  and  those  who  were  not  massacred 
on  the  spot,  or  could  not  escape  by  flight,  were, 
without  a  shadow  of  trial,  either  hanged  on  the  next 
tree,  or  sent  to  serve  for  life  in  the  galleys  ;  or  if 
females  or  children,  either  scourged  or  mutilated. 

The  consequence  of  this  severity,  which,  con- 
sidering the  manners  and  spirit  of  the  time,  is 
scarcely  to  be  wondered  at,  was  the  speedy  disap- 
pearance of  the  Gypsies  from  the  soil  of  France. 

Many  returned  by  the  way  they  came,  to  Ger- 
many, Hungary,  and  the  woods  and  forests  of 
Bohemia,  but  there  is  little  doubt  that  by  far  the 
greatest  portion  found  a  refuge  in  the  Peninsula,  a 
country  which,  though  by  no  means  so  rich  and 
fertile  as  the  one  they  had  quitted,  nor  offering  so 
wide  and  ready  a  field  for  the  exercise  of  those 
fraudulent  arts  for  which  their  race  had  become  so 
infamously  notorious,  was  nevertheless,  in  many 
respects,  suitable  and  congenial  to  them.     If  there 


PECULIARITIES   OF    SPAIN.  37 

were  less  gold  and  silver  in  the  purses  of  the  citizens 
to  reward  the  dexterous  handler  of  the  knife  and 
scissors  amidst  the  crowd  in  the  market  place ;  if 
fewer  sides  of  fatted  swine  graced  the  ample  chim- 
ney of  the  labourer  in  Spain,  than  in  the  neighbour- 
ing country ;  if  fewer  beeves  bellowed  in  the  plains, 
and  fewer  sheep  bleated  upon  the  hills,  there  were 
far  better  opportunities  afibrded  of  indulging  in 
wild  independence.  Should  the  halberded  bands 
of  the  city  be  ordered  out  to  quell,  seize,  or  exter- 
minate them  ;  should  the  alcalde  of  the  village 
cause  the  tocsin  to  be  rung,  gathering  together  the 
villanos  for  a  similar  purpose,  the  wild  sierra  was 
generally  at  hand,  which,  with  its  winding  paths, 
its  caves,  its  frowning  precipices,  and  ragged 
thickets,  would  offer  to  them  a  secure  refuge  where 
they  migh:.  laugh  to  scorn  the  rage  of  their  baffled 
pursuers,  and  from  which  they  might  emerge  either 
to  fresh  districts  or  to  those  which  they  had  left,  to 
repeat  their  ravages  w^hen  opportunity  served. 

After  crossing  the  Pyrenees,  a  very  short  time 
elapsed  before  the  Gypsy  hordes  had  bivouacked 
in  the  principal  provinces  of  Spain.  There  can  in- 
deed be  little  doubt  that,  shortly  after  their  arrival, 
they  made  themselves  perfectly  acquainted  with  all 
the  secrets  of  the  land,  and  that  there  was  scarcely 
a  nook  or  retired  corner  within  Spain,  from  which 
the  smoke  of  their  fires  had  not  arisen,  or  where 
their  cattle  had  not  grazed.  People,  however,  so 
acute  as  they  have  always  proverbially  been,  would 
scarcely  be  slow  in   distinguishing    the  provinces 

VOL.  I.  4 


38  THE    ZINCALI* 

most  adapted  to  their  manner  of  life,  and  most  cal- 
culated to  afford  them  opportunities  of  practising 
those  arts  to  which  they  were  mainly  indebted  for 
their  subsistence  ;  the  savage  hills  of  Biscay,  of 
Galicia,  and  the  Asturias,  whose  inhabitants  were 
almost  as  poor  as  themselves,  which  possessed  no 
superior  breed  of  horses  or  mules,  from  amongst 
which  they  might  pick  and  purloin  many  a  gallant 
beast,  and  having  transformed  by  their  dexterous 
scissors,  impose  him  again  upon  his  rightful  master 
for  a  high  price, — such  provinces,  where,  moreover, 
provisions  were  hard  to  be  obtained,  even  by  pilfer- 
ing hands,  could  scarcely  be  supposed  to  offer  strong 
temptations  to  these  roving  visitors  to  settle  down 
in,  or  to  vex  and  harass  by  a  long  sojourn. 

Valencia  and  Murcia  found  far  more  favour  in 
their  eyes ;  a  far  more  fertile  soil,  and  wealthier 
inhabitants,  were  better  calculated  to  entice  them  ; 
there  was  a  prospect  of  plunder,  and  likewise  a 
prospect  of  safety  and  refuge,  should  the  dogs  of 
justice  be  roused  against  them.  If  there  were  the 
populous  town  and  village  in  those  lands,  there  was 
likewise  the  lone  waste,  and  uncultivated  spot,  to 
which  they  could  retire  when  danger  threatened 
them.  Still  more  suitable  to  them  must  have  been 
La  Mancha,  a  land  of  tillage,  of  horses,  and  of 
mules,  skirted  by  its  brown  sierra,  ever  eager  to 
afford  its  shelter  to  their  dusky  race.  Equally  suit- 
able, Estremadura  and  New  Castile ;  but  far,  far 
more,  Andalusia  with  its  three  kingdoms,  Jaen, 
Granada,  and  Seville,  one  of  which  was  still  pos- 


PROVINCES    THEY    PRINCIPALLY    FREQUENTED.    39 

sessed  by  the  swarthy  Moor — Andalusia,  the  land 
of  the  proud  steed  and  the  stubborn  mule,  the  land 
of  the  savage  sierra  and  the  fruitful  and  cultivated 
plain  :  to  Andalusia  they  hied,  in  bands  of  thirties 
and  sixties  ;  the  hoofs  of  their  asses  might  be  heard 
clattering  in  the  passes  of  the  stony  hills  ;  the  girls 
might  be  seen  bounding  in  lascivious  dance  in  the 
streets  of  many  a  town,  and  the  beldames  standing 
beneath  the  eaves  telling  the  "  buena  ventura"  to 
many  a  credulous  female  dupe  ;  the  men  the  while 
chaffered  in  the  fair  and  market-place  with  the 
labourers  and  chalanes,  casting  significant  glances 
on  each  other,  or  exchanging  a  word  or  two  in  Rom- 
many,  whilst  they  placed  some  uncouth  animal  in 
a  particular  posture  which  served  to  conceal  its 
ugliness  from  the  eyes  of  the  chapman.  Yes,  of  all 
provinces  of  Spain,  Andalusia  was  the  most  fre- 
quented by  the  Gitano  race,  and  in  Andalusia  they 
most  abound  at  the  present  day,  though  no  longer 
as  restless  independent  wanderers  of  the  fields  and 
hills,  but  as  residents  in  villages  and  towns, — espe- 
cially in  Seville. 


CHAPTER  II. 

WANNER  OF  LIFE. PREDATORY  HABITS. THE  TRAVELLER. — JEWS  AND 

GYPSIES. — THE  FORGE. THE  SPARKS. — GYPSY  COUNTS. — MARTIN  DEL 

RIO. FACILITY  IN  SPEAKING  LANGUAGES. — PROVERBS. 

Having  already  stated  to  the  reader  at  what 
period  and  by  what  means  these  wanderers  intro- 
duced themselves  into  Spain,  we  shall  now  cay 
something  concerning  their  manner  of  life. 

It  would  appear  that,  for  many  years  after  their 
arrival  in  the  Peninsula,  their  manners  and  habits 
underwent  no  change  ;  they  were  wanderers,  in 
the  strictest  sense  of  the  word,  and  lived  much  in 
the  same  way  as  their  brethren  exist  in  the  present 
day  in  England,  Russia,  and  Bessarabia,  with  the 
exception  perhaps  of  being  more  reckless,  mis- 
chievous, and  having  less  respect  for  the  laws ;  it 
is  true  that  their  superiority  in  wickedness  in  these 
points  may  have  been  more  the  effect  of  the  moral 
state  of  the  country  in  which  they  were,  than  of  any 
other  operating  cause. 

Arriving  in  Spain  with  a  predisposition  to  every 
species  of  crime  and  villany,  they  were  not  likely 
to  be  improved  or  reclaimed  by  the  example  of  the 
people  with  whom  they  were  about  to  mix ;  nor 


PREDATORY   HABITS.  41 

was  it  probable  that  they  would  entertain  much  re- 
spect for  laws  which,  from  time  immemorial,  have 
principally  served,  not  to  protect  the  honest  and 
useful  members  of  society,  but  to  enrich  those  in- 
trusted with  the  administration  of  them.  Thus,  if 
they  came  thieves,  it  was  not  probable  that  they 
would  become  ashamed  of  the  title  of  thief  in  Spain, 
where  the  officers  of  justice  were  ever  willing  to 
shield  an  offender  on  receiving  the  largest  portion 
of  the  booty  obtained.  If  on  their  arrival  they  held 
the  lives  of  others  in  very  low  estimation,  could  it 
be  expected  that  they  would  become  gentle  as 
lambs  in  a  land  where  blood  had  its  price,  and  the 
shedder  of  blood  was  seldom  executed  unless  he 
was  poor  and  friendless,  and  unable  to  cram  with 
ounces  of  yellow  gold  the  greedy  hands  of  the  pur- 
suers of  blood, — the  alguazil  and  escribano ;  there- 
fore, if  the  Spanish  Gypsies  have  been  more  bloody 
and  more  wolfishly  eager  in  the  pursuit  of  booty 
than  those  of  their  race  in  most  other  regions,  the 
cause  must  be  attributed  to  their  residence  in  a 
country  unsound  in  every  branch  of  its  civil  polity,, 
where  right  has  ever  been  in  less  esteem,  and 
wrong  in  less  disrepute,  than  in  any  other  part  of 
the  world. 

However,  if  the  moral  state  of  Spain  was  not 
calculated  to  have  a  favorable  effect  on  the  habits 
and  pursuits  of  the  Gypsies,  their  manners  were  as 
little  calculated  to  operate  beneficially,  in  any  point 
of  view,  on  the  country  where  they  had  lately  ar- 
rived.    Divided  into  numerous  bodies,  frequently 

4# 


42  THE    ZINCALI. 

formidable  in  point  of  number,  their  presence  was 
an  evil  and  a  curse  in  whatever  quarter  they  di- 
rected their  steps.  As  might  be  expected,  the  la.- 
bourers,  who  in  all  countries  are  the  most  honest, 
most  useful  and  meritcrioi'S  class,  were  the  principal 
sufferers  ;  their  mules  and  horses  were  stolen,  car- 
ried away  to  distant  fairs,  and  there  disposed  of, 
perhaps,  to  individuals  destined  to  be  deprived  of 
them  in  a  similar  manner  ;  whilst  their  flocks  of 
sheep  and  goats  were  laid  under  requisition  to  assuage 
the  hungry  cravings  of  these  thievish  cormorants. 

It  was  not  uncommon  for  a  large  band  or  tribe  to 
encamp  in  the  vicinity  of  a  remote  village  scantily 
peopled,  and  to  remain  there  until,  like  a  flight  of 
locusts,  they  had  consumed  every  thing  which  the 
inhabitants  possessed  for  their  support  ;  or  until 
they  were  scared  away  by  the  approach  of  justice, 
or  by  an  army  of  rustics  assembled  from  the  sur- 
rounding country.  Then  would  ensue  the  hurried 
march  ;  the  women  and  children,  mounted  on  lean 
but  spirited  asses,  would  scour  along  the  plains 
fleeter  than  the  wind  ;  ragged  and  savage  looking 
men,  wielding  the  scourge  and  goad,  would  scamper 
by  their  side  or  close  behind,  whilst  perhaps  a  small 
party  on  strong  horses,  armed  with  rusty  match- 
locks or  sabres,  would  bring  up  the  rear,  threaten- 
ing the  distant  foe,  and  now  and  then  saluting  then 
with  a  hoarse  blast  from  the  Gypsy  horn  : — 

"  0,  when  I  sit  my  courser  bold, 
My  bantling  in  my  rear, 
And  in  my  hand  my  musket  hold —  " 

0  how  they  quake  with  fear." 


THE    TRAVELLER.  43 

Let  us  for  a  moment  suppose  some  unfortunate 
traveller,  mounted  on  a  handsome  mule  or  beast  of 
some  value,  meeting,  unarmed  and  alone,  such  a 
rabble  rout  at  the  close  of  eve,  in  the  vv^Udest  part, 
for  example,  of  La  Mancha ;  we  will  suppose  that 
he  is  journeying  from  Seville  to  Madrid,  and  that 
he  has  left,  at  a  considerable  distance  behind  him, 
the  gloomy  and  horrible  passes  of  the  Sierra  Mo- 
rena ;  his  bosom,  which,  for  some  time  past,  has 
been  contracted  with  dreadful  forebodings,  is  be- 
ginning to  expand  ;  his  blood,  which  had  been  con- 
gealed in  his  veins,  is  beginning  to  circulate  warmly 
and  freely ;  he  is  fondly  anticipating  the  still  distant 
Posada  and  savoury  omelet.  The  sun  is  sinking 
rapidly  behind  the  savage  and  uncouth  hills  in  his 
rear ;  he  has  reached  the  bottom  of  a  small  valley, 
where  runs  a  rivulet  at  which  he  allows  his  tired 
animal  to  drink  ;  he  is  about  to  ascend  the  side  of 
the  hill;  his  eyes  are  turned  upwards;  suddenly  he 
beholds  strange  and  uncouth  forms  at  the  top  of  the 
ascent — the  sun  descending  slants  its  rays  upon  red 
cloaks,  with  here  and  there  a  turbaned  head,  or  long 
streaming  hair.  The  traveller  hesitates,  but  reflect- 
ing that  he  is  no  longer  in  the  mountains,  and  that 
in  the  open  road  there  is  no  danger  of  banditti,  he 
advances.  In  a  moment  he  is  in  the  midst  of  the 
Gypsy  group,  in  a  moment  there  is  a  general  halt ; 
fiery  eyes  are  turned  upon  him  replete  with  an  ex- 
pression which  only  the  eyes  of  the  Roma  possess^ 
then  ensues  a  jabber  in  a  language  or  jargon  which 
is  strange  to  the  ears  of  the  traveller,  at  last  an  ugly 


44  THE    ZINCALI. 

urchin  springs  from  the  crupper  of  a  halting  mule, 
and  in  a  Hsping  accent  intreats  charity  in  the  name 
of  the  Virgin  and  the  Majoro.  The  traveller,  with 
a  faltering  hand,  produces  his  purse,  and  is  pro- 
ceeding to  loosen  its  strings,  but  he  accomplishes 
not  his  purpose,  for  struck  violently  by  a  huge  knot- 
ted club  in  an  unseen  hand,  he  tumbles  headlong 
from  his  mule.  Next  morning  a  naked  corse,  ba- 
smeared  with  brains  and  blood,  is  found  by  an  ar- 
riero ;  and  within  a  week  a  simple  cross  records 
the  event,  according  to  the  custom  of  Spain. 

**  Below  there  in  the  dusky  pass 
Was  wrought  a  murder  dread  ; 
The  murdered  fell  upon  the  grass, 
Away  the  murderer  fled." 

To  many,  such  a  scene  as  above  described,  will 
appear  purely  imaginary,  or  at  least  a  mass  of  ex- 
aggeration, but  many  such  anecdotes  are  related  by 
old  Spanish  writers  of  these  people  ;  they  traversed 
the  country  in  gangs  ;  they  were  what  the  Spanish 
law  has  styled  Abigeos  and  Salteadores  de  Camino, 
cattle-stealers  and  highwaymen ;  though,  in  the  lat- 
ter character,  they  never  rose  to  any  considerable 
eminence.  True  it  is  that  they  would  not  hesitate 
to  attack  or  even  murder  the  unarmed  and  defence- 
less traveller,  when  they  felt  assured  of  obtaining 
booty  with  little  or  no  risk  to  themselves ;  but  they 
were  not  by  constitution  adapted  to  rival  those  bold 
and  daring  banditti  of  whom  so  many  terrible  anec- 
dotes are  related  in  Spain  and  Italy,  and  who  have 
acquired  their    renown  by  the    dauntless    daring 


JEWS    AND    GYPSIES.  45 

which  they  have  invariably  displayed  in  the  pursuit 
of  plunder. 

The  Gypsies,  though  not  cowardly,  and  capable 
of  meeting  death,  when  inevitable,  with  as  much 
resolution  as  any  people  in  the  world,  have  no  ab- 
stract love  for  danger,  and  none  of  that  chivalrous 
spirit  which  is  as  often  found  in  the  bandit  chief  as 
in  the  leader  of  mighty  armies  ;  their  leading  pas- 
sion is  gain,  but  only  by  fraudulent  and  insignificant 
means,  for,  in  general,  their  minds  are  incapable  of 
conceiving  any  great  and  extensive  project.  In 
some  points  they  resemble  the  Jews  ;  they  have 
perhaps  some  of  the  same  feeling  which  has  ever 
prevented  the  latter  from  excelling  as  warriors,  for 
though  their  history  is  the  most  ancient  and  most 
authentic  of  any,  we  can  find  amongst  them  no  cha- 
racter who  has  excelled  in  warlike  qualities,  and  in 
whose  life  and  death  the  poet  would  find  food  for 
his  muse,  if  we  except  Saul  and  his  son  Jonathan, 
the  latter  of  whom  is  the  most  brave  and  amiable, 
and  the  former  the  most  singularly  romantic  cha- 
racter in  the  annals  of  the  Jewish  race.  The  Jew, 
again,  is  equally  rapacious  as  the  Gypsy ;  but  oh, 
what  a  difference  in  the  means  which  he  adopts  for 
satisfying  his  craving  for  gold  !  How  stupendous 
are  his  plans,  and  how  vast  are  the  mental  resources 
which  he  displays  in  putting  them  into  execution  ! 
And  our  wonder  increases  when  we  reflect  that 
some  of  the  very  individuals,  whose  whole  life  and 
energy  seemed  to  be  solely  devoted  to  piling  up  gold 
and  acquiring  fortunes,  which  the  haughtiest  kings 


46  THE    ZINCALI. 

have  envied,  were  men  profoundly  versed  in  learn- 
ing the  most  mystigal,  singular,  and  bewildering, 
learning  in  comparison  with  which  the  lore  of  the 
Buddhists  and  Brahmins  is  simple  and  easy;  such 
is  the  Rabbinical  with  its  dusky  cabala.  The  most 
profound  of  the  Rabbins  was  Abarbenel,  the  Spanish 
Jew,  the  confidant  and  adviser  of  the  most  powerful 
monarchs  of  his  time,  and  who  acquired  at  different 
periods  of  his  life  three  fortunes,  each  so  gigantic, 
as  never  to  have  been  rivalled  by  the  riches  of  any 
one  of  his  brethren,  however  great,  either  before  or 
since. 

Besides  trafficking  in  horses  and  mules,  and  now 
and  then  attacking  and  plundering  travellers  upon 
the  highway,  the  Gypsies  of  Spain  appear,  from  a 
very  early  period,  to  have  plied  occasionally  the 
trade  of  the  blacksmith,  and  to  have  worked  in  iron, 
forming  rude  implements  of  domestic  and  agricul- 
tural use,  which  they  disposed  of,  either  for  provi- 
sions or  money,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  those  places 
where  they  had  taken  up  their  temporary  residence. 
As  their  bands  were  composed  of  numerous  indivi- 
duals, there  is  no  improbability  in  assuming  that  to 
every  member  was  allotted  that  branch  of  labour 
in  which  he  was  most  calculated  to  excel.  The 
most  important,  and  that  which  required  the  greatest 
share  of  cunning  and  address,  was  undoubtedly 
that  of  the  chalan  or  jockey,  who  frequented  the 
fairs  with  the  beasts  which  he  had  obtained  by 
various  means,  but  generally  by  theft.  Highwa}^ 
robbery,    though    occasionally    committed    by    all 


THE    FORGE. THE    SPARKS.  47 

jointly  or  severally,  was  probably  the  peculiar  de- 
partment of  the  boldest  spirits  of  the  gang ;  whilst 
wielding  the  hammer  and  tongs  was  abandoned  to 
those  who,  though  possessed  of  athletic  forms,  were 
perhaps,  like  Vulcan,  lame,  or  from  some  particular 
cause,  moral  or  physical,  unsuited  for  the  other  two 
very  respectable  avocations.  The  forge  was  gene- 
rally placed  in  the  heart  of  some  mountain  abound- 
ing in  wood  ;  the  gaunt  smiths  felled  a  tree,  perhaps 
with  the  very  axes  which  their  own  sturdy  hands 
had  hammered  at  a  former  period  ;  with  the  wood 
thus  procured,  they  prepared  the  charcoal  which 
their  labour  demanded.  Every  thing  is  in  readi- 
ness ;  the  bellows  puff  until  the  coal  is  excited  to  a 
furious  glow  ;  the  metal  hot,  pliant,  and  ductile,  is 
laid  on  the  anvil,  round  which  stands  the  Cyclop 
group,  their  hammers  upraised  ;  down  they  descend 
successively  one,  two,  three,  the  sparks  are  scattered 
on  every  side.     The  sparks — 

"  More  than  a  hundred  lovely  daughters  I  see  produced  at  one  time 
fiery  as  roses,  in  one  moment  they  expire  gracefully  circumvolving."* 

The  anvil  rings  beneath  the  thundering  stroke, 
hour  succeeds  hour,  and  still  endures  the  hard  sul- 
len toil. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  features  in  the  his- 
tory of  Gypsies  is  the  striking  similarity  of  their 

*  We  have  found  this  beautiful  metaphor  both  in  Gypsy  and  Spanish 
it  runs  thus  in  the  former  language : — 

"  Las  Muchis.     (The  Sparks.) 
"  Bus  de  gres  chabalas  orchiris  man  dique  a  yes  chiro  purelar  sistilias 
sata  rujias,  y  or  sisli  carjibal  dinando  trutas  discandas." 


48  THE    ZINCALI. 

pursuits  in  every  region  of  the  globe  to  which  they 
have  penetrated ;  they  are  not  merely  alike  in  limb 
and  in  feature,  in  the  cast  and  expression  of  the 
eye,  in  the  colour  of  the  hair,  in  their  walk  and  gait, 
but  every  where  they  seem  to  exhibit  the  same  ten- 
dencies, and  to  hunt  for  their  bread  by  the  same 
means  as  if  they  were  not  of  the  human  but  rather 
of  the  animal  species,  and  in  lieu  of  reason  were 
endowed  with  a  kind  of  instinct  which  assists  them 
to  a  very  limited  extent  and  no  farther. 

In  no  part  of  the  world  are  they  found  engaged 
in  the  cultivation  of  the  earth,  or  in  the  service  of 
a  regular  master  ;  but  in  all  lands  they  are  jockeys, 
or  thieves,  or  cheats,  and  if  ever  they  devote  them- 
selves to  any  toil  or  trade  it  is  assuredly  in  every 
material  point  one  and  the  same.  We  have  found 
them  above,  in  the  heart  of  a  wild  mountain,  ham- 
mering  iron,  and  manufacturing  from  it  instruments 
either  for  their  ow^n  use  or  that  of  the  neighbouring 
towns  and  villages.  They  may  be  seen  employed 
in  a  similar  manner  in  the  plains  of  Russia,  or  in 
the  bosom  of  its  eternal  forests  ;  and  whoever  in- 
spects the  site  where  a  horde  of  Gypsies  has  en- 
camped, in  the  grassy  lanes  beneath  the  hazel 
bushes  of  merry  England,  is  generally  sure  to  find 
relics  of  tin  and  other  metal,  avouching  that  they 
have  there  been  exercising  the  arts  of  the  tinker  or 
smith.  Perhaps  nothing  speaks  more  forcibly  for 
the  antiquity  of  this  sect  or  caste  than  the  tenacity 
with  which  they  have  uniformly  preserved  their 
peculiar  customs,  since  the  period  of  their  becoming 


GYPSY   COUNTS.  49 

generally  known  ;  for,  unless  their  habits  had  be- 
come a  part  of  their  nature,  which  could  only  have 
been  effected  by  a  strict  devotion  to  them  through 
a  long  succession  of  generations,  it  is  not  to  be  sup- 
posed that  after  their  arrival  in  civilized  Europe 
they  would  have  retained  and  cherished  them,  pre- 
cisely in  the  same  manner,  in  the  various  countries 
where  they  found  an  asylum. 

Each  band  or  family  of  the  Spanish  Gypsies  had 
its  Captain,  or,  as  he  was  generally  designated,  its 
Count.  Don  Juan  de  Quinones,  who,  in  a  small 
volume,  published  in  1632,  has  written  some  details 
respecting  their  way  of  life,  says :  "  They  roam 
about,  divided  into  families  and  troops,  each  of 
which  uas  its  head  or  Count ;  and  to  fill  this  office 
they  choose  the  most  valiant  and  courageous  indivi- 
dual amon'^st  them,  and  the  one  endowed  with  the 
greatest  strength.  He  must  at  the  same  time  be 
crafty  and  sagacious,  and  adapted  in  every  respect 
to  gov'3rn  them.  It  is  he  who  settles  their  differ- 
ences and  disputes,  even  when  they  are  residing  in 
a  place  where  there  is  a  regular  justice.  He  heads 
them  at  night  when  they  go  out  to  plunder  the  flocks, 
or  to  rob  travellers  on  the  highway  ;  and  whatever 
they  steal  or  plunder  they  divide  amongst  them, 
always  allowing  the  captain  a  third  part  of  the 
whole." 

These  Counts  being  elected  for  such  qualities  as 
promised  to  be  useful  to  their  troop  or  family,  were 
consequently  liable  to  be  deposed  if  at  any  time 
their  conduct  was  not  calculated  to  afford  satisfac- 

VOL.    I.  5 


50  THE    ZINCALI. 

tion  to  their  subjects.  The  office  was  not  here- 
ditary, and  though  it  carried  along  with  it  partial 
privileges,  was  both  toilsome  and  dangerous.  Should 
the  plans  for  plunder,  which  it  was  the  duty  of  the 
Count  to  form,  miscarry  in  the  attempt  to  execute 
them  ;  should  individuals  of  the  gang  fall  into  the 
hand  of  justice,  and  the  Count  be  unable  to  devise 
a  method  to  save  their  lives  or  obtain  their  liberty, 
the  blame  was  cast  at  the  Count's  door,  and  he  was 
in  considerable  danger  of  being  deprived  of  his  in- 
signia of  authority,  which  consisted  not  so  much  in 
ornaments  or  in  dress,  as  in  hawks  and  hounds  with 
which  the  Senor  Count  took  the  diversion  of  hunting 
when  he  thought  proper.  As  the  ground  which  he 
hunted  over  was  not  his  own,  he  incurred  some 
danger  of  coming  in  contact  with  the  lord  of  the 
soil,  attended,  perhaps,  by  his  armed  followers. 
There  is  a  tradition,  (rather  apocryphal,  it  is  true,) 
that  a  Gitano  chief,  once  pursuing  this  amusement, 
was  encountered  by  a  real  Count,  who  is  styled 
Count  Pepe.  An  engagement  ensued  between  the 
two  parties,  which  ended  in  the  Gypsies  being 
worsted,  and  their  chief  left  dying  on  the  field. 
The  slain  chief  leaves  a  son,  who,  at  the  instigation 
of  his  mother,  steals  the  infant  heir  of  his  father's 
enemy,  who,  reared  up  amongst  the  Gypsies,  be- 
comes a  chief,  and,  in  process  of  time,  hunting  over 
the  same  ground,  slays  Count  Pepe  in  the  very  spot 
where  the  blood  of  the  Gypsy  had  been  poured 
out.  This  tradition  is  alluded  to  in  the  following 
stanza : — 


MARTIN    DEL    RIO.  51 

"  I  have  a  gallant  mare  in  stall, 
My  mother  gave  that  mare 
That  I  might  seek  Count  Pepe's  hall 
And  steal  his  son  and  heir." 

Martin  Del  Rio,  in  his  "  Tractatus  de  Magia," 
speaks  of  the  Gypsies  and  their  Counts  to  the  fol- 
lowing effect :    "  When,  in  the  year  1584,  I  was 
marching  in  Spain  with  the  regiment,  a  multitude 
of  these  wretches  were    infesting  the   fields.      It 
happened  that    the  feast  of  Corpus  Domini  was 
being  celebrated,  and  they  requested  to  be  admitted 
into  the  town,  that  they  might  dance  in  honour  of 
the  sacrifice,  as  was  customary ;  they  did  so,  but 
about  midday  a  great  tumult  arose  owing  to  the 
many  thefts  which  the  women  committed,  where- 
upon they  fled  out  of  the  suburbs,  and  assembled 
about  St.  Mark's,  the  magnificent  mansion  and  hos- 
pital of  the  knights  of  St.  James,  where  the  minis- 
ters of  justice  attempting  to  seize  them  were  re- 
pulsed by  force  of  arms  ;    nevertheless,  all  of  a 
sudden,   and  I   know    not  how,  every  thing  was 
hushed  up.     At  this  time  they  had  a  Count,  a  fel- 
low who  spoke  the  Castilian  idiom  with  as  much 
purity  as  if  he  had  been  a  native  of  Toledo ;  he 
was  acquainted  with  all  the  ports  of  Spain,  and  all 
the  difficult  and  broken  ground  of  the  provinces. 
He  knew  the  exact  strength  of  every  city,  and  who 
where  the  principal  people  in  each,  and  the  exact 
amount  of  their  property  ;  there  was  nothing  rela- 
ting to  the  state^  however  secret,  that  he  was  not 


52  THE    ZTNCALI. 

acquainted  with  ;  nor  did  he  make  a  mysteiy  of  his 
knowledge,  but  publicly  boasted  of  it." 

From  the  passage  quoted  above,  we  learn  that 
the  Gitanos  in  the  ancient  times  were  considered  as 
foreigners  who  prowled  about  the  country  ;  indeed, 
in  many  of  the  laws  which  at  various  times  have 
been  promulgated  against  them,  they  are  spoken  of 
as  Egyptians,  and  as  such  commanded  to  leave 
Spain,  and  return  to  their  native  country ;  at  one 
time  they  undoubtedly  were  foreigners  in  Spain, 
foreigners  by  birth,  foreigners  by  language ;  but  at 
the  time  they  are  mentioned  by  the  worthy  Del  Rio 
they  were  certainly  not  entitled  to  the  appellation. 
True  it  is  that  they  spoke  a  languuge^  amongst 
themselves,  unintelligible  to  the  rest  of  the  Spaniards, 
from  whom  they  differed  considerably  in  feature 
and  complexion,  as  they  still  do  ;  but  if  being  born 
in  a  country,  and  being  bred  there,  con^  'tute  a 
right  to  be  considered  a  native  of  that  country,  they 
had  as  much  claim  to  the  appellation  of  Spaniards 
as  the  worthy  author  himself.  Del  Rio  mentions 
as  a  remarkable  circumstance,  the  fact  of  the  Gypsy 
Count  speaking  Castilian  with  as  much  purity  as  a 
native  of  Toledo,  whereas  it  is  by  no  means  impro- 
bable that  the  individual  in  question  was  a  nativ3 
of  that  town ;  but  the  truth  is,  at  the  time  we  are 
speaking  of,  they  were  in  general  believed  to  be  not 
only  foreigners,  but  by  means  of  sorcery  to  have 
acquired  the  power  of  speaking  all  languages  with 
equal  facility  ;  and  Del  Rio,  who  was  a  believer  in 
magic,  and  wrote  one  of  the  most  curious  and  eru- 


V 


FACILITY   IN    SPEAKING   LANGUAGES.  53 

dite  treatises  on  the  subject  ever  penned,  had  per- 
haps adopted  that  idea,  which  possibly  orighiated 
from  their  speaking  most  of  the  languages  and  dia^ 
lects  of  the  peninsula,  which  they  picked  up  in 
their  wanderings.  That  the  Gypsy  chief  v^as  so 
well  acquainted  with  every  town  of  Spain,  and  the 
broken  and  difficult  ground,  can  cause  but  little 
surprise,  when  we  reflect  that  the  life  which  the 
Gypsies  led,  was  one  above  all  others  calculated  to 
aflfbrd  them  that  knowledge.  They  were  continu- 
ally at  variance  with  justice,  they  were  frequently 
obliged  to  seek  shelter  in  the  inmost  recesses  of  the 
hills  ;  and  when  their  thievish  pursuits  led  them  to 
the  cities,  they  naturally  made  themselves  acquainted 
with  the  names  of  the  principal  individuals,  in  hopes 
of  plundering  them.  Doubtless  the  chief  possessed 
all  this  species  of  knowledge  in  a  superior  degree, 
as  it  was  his  courage,  acuteness,  and  experience 
alone  which  placed  him  at  the  head  of  his  tribe, 
though  Del  Rio  from  this  circumstance  wishes 
to  infer,  that  the  Gitanos  were  spies  sent  by 
foreign  foes,  and  with  some  simplicity  inquires 
"  Quo  aut  cui  rei  hsec  curiosa  exploratio  ?  nonne 
compescenda  vagamundorum  haec  curiositas,  etiam 
si  solum  peregrini  et  inculpatae  vitae." 

With  the  Counts  rested  the  management  and 
direction  of  these  remarkable  societies  ;  it  was  they 
who  determined  their  marches,  countermarches, 
advances,  and  retreats  ;  what  was  to  be  attempted 
or  avoided  ;  what  individuals  were  to  be  admitted 
into  the  fellowship  and  privileges  of  the  Gitanos, 

5* 


54  THE    ZINCALI. 

or  who  were  to  be  excluded  from  their  society ; 
they  settled  disputes  and  sat  in  judgment  over 
offences.  The  greatest  ciimes,  according  to  the 
Gypsy  code,  were  a  quarrelsome  disposition,  and 
revealing  the  secrets  of  the  brothemood.  By  this 
code  the  members  were  forbidden  to  eat,  drink,  or 
sleep  in  the  house  of  a  Busno,  which  signifies  any 
person  who  is  noL  of  the  sect  of  iliC  Gy;,  sies,  or  to 
marry  out  of  that  sect;  tl  ey  were  likewise  not  to 
teach  the  language  of  Roma  to  any  but  those  who, 
by  birth,  or  inau  uration,  belonged  to  that  sect ; 
they  were  enjoinec  to  relieve  their  brethren  in  dis- 
tress at  any  expense  or  peril ;  they  were  to  use  a 
peculiar  dress,  which  is  frequently  alludec  "^o  in  the 
Spanish  laws,  but  the  particulars  of  which  are  not 
stated  ;  and  they  were  to  cultivate  the  gift  of  speech 
to  the  utmost  possible  extent,  and  never  to  lose  any 
thing  which  might  be  obtained  by  a  loose  and  de- 
ceiving tongue,  to  encourage  which  they  hpd  many 
excellent  proverbs,  for  example — 

"  The  poor  fool  who  closes  his  mouth  never  win- 
neth  a  dollar." 

"  The  river  which  runner  >!  with  sound  bears  along 
with  it  stones  and  water." 


CHAPTER  III. 

EXCESSES    OF    THE    GITANOS. — THE    BOOKSELLER   OF   LOGRONO. 

The  Gitanos  not  unfrequently  made  their  appear- 
ance in  considerable  numbers,  so  as  to  be  able  to 
bid  defiance  to  any  force  which  could  be  assembled 
against  them  on  a  sudden ;  whole  districts  thus  be- 
came a  prey  to  them>  and  were  plundered  and 
devastated. 

It  is  said  that,  in  the  year  1618,  more  than  800  of 
these  wretches  scou-3d  the  country  between  Castile 
and  A.ragon,  committing  the  most  enormous  crimes. 
The  royal  council  despatched  regular  troo]?  :  against 
them,  who  experienced  some  difficulty  in  dispersing 
them. 

But  we  now  proceed  to  touch  upon  an  event 
which  forms  an  era  in  the  history  of  the  Gitanos 
of  Spain,  and  which  for  wildness  and  singularity 
throws  all  other  events  connected  with  them  and 
their  race,  wherever  found,  entirely  into  the  shade. 

THE  BOOKSELLER  OF  LOGRONO. 

About  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century,  there 


56  THE    ZINCALI. 

resided  one  Francisco  Alvarez  in  the  city  of  Logroiio, 
the  chief  town  of  Rioja,  a  province  which  borders 
on  Aragon.  He  was  a  man  above  the  middle  age, 
sober,  reserved,  and  in  general  absorbed  in  thought ; 
he  lived  near  the  great  church,  and  obtained  a  live- 
lihood by  selling  printed  books  and  manuscripts  in 
a  small  shop.  He  was  a  very  learned  man.  and 
was  continually  reading  in  the  books  which  he  was 
in  the  habit  of  selling,  and  some  of  these  books 
were  in  foreign  tongues  and  characters,  so  foreign 
indeed  that  none  but  himself  and  some  of  his  friends, 
the  canons,  could  understand  them  ;  he  was  much 
visited  by  the  clergy,  who  were  his  principal  cus- 
tomers, and  took  much  pleasure  in  listening  to  his 
discourse. 

He  had  been  a  considerable  traveller  in  his  youth, 
and  had  wandered  through  all  Spain,  visiting  the 
various  provinces  and  the  most  remarkable  cities. 

It  was  likewise  said  that  he  had  visited  Italy  and 
Barbary.  He  was,  however,  invariably  silent  with 
respect  to  his  travels,  and  whenever  the  subject  was 
mentioned  to  him,  the  gloom  and  melancholy  in- 
creased which  usually  clouded  his  features. 

One  day,  in  the  commencement  of  autumn,  he 
was  visited  by  a  priest,  with  whom  he  had  long 
been  intimate,  and  for  whom  he  had  always  dis- 
played a  greater  respect  and  liking  than  for  any 
other  acquaintance.  The  ecclesiastic  found  him 
even  more  sad  than  usual,  and  there  was  a  haggard 
paleness  upon  his  countenance  which  alarmed  his 
visitor.     The  good  priest  made  affectionate  inquiries 


THE    BOOKSELLER    OF    LOGRONO.  57 

respecting  the  health  of  his  friend,  and  whether 
any  thing  had  of  late  occurred  to  give  him  uneasi- 
ness ;  adding,  at  the  same  time,  that  he  had  long- 
suspected  that  some  secret  lay  heavy  upon  his 
mind,  which  he  now  conjured  him  to  reveal,  as  life 
was  uncertain,  and  it  was  very  possible  that  he 
might  be  quickly  summoned  from  earth  into  the 
presence  of  his  Maker. 

The  bookseller  continued  for  some  time  in  gloomy 
meditation,  till  at  last  he  broke  silence  in  these 
words  : — "  It  is  true  I  have  a  secret  which  weighs 
heavy  upon  my  mind,  and  which  I  am  still  loth  to 
reveal ;  but  I  have  a  presentiment  that  my  end  is 
approaching,  and  that  a  heavy  misfortune  is  about 
to  fall  upon  this  city :  I  will  therefore  unburden 
myself,  for  it  were  now  a  sin  to  remain  silent. 

"  I  am,  as  you  are  aware,  a  native  of  this  town, 
which  I  first  left  when  I  went  to  acquire  an  educa- 
tion at  Salamanca;  I  continued  there  until  I  became 
a  licentiate,  when  I  quitted  the  university  and 
strolled  through  Spain,  supporting  myself  in  general 
by  touching  the  guitar,  according  to  the  practice  of 
penniless  students  ;  my  adventures  were  numerous, 
and  I  frequently  experienced  great  poverty.  Once, 
whilst  making  my  way  from  Toledo  to  Andalusia 
through  the  wild  mountains,  I  fell  in  with  and  was 
made  captive  by  a  band  of  the  people  called  Gitanos, 
or  wandering  Egypt,  tns ;  they  in  general  lived 
amongst  th.se  wilds,  and  plundered  or  murdered 
every  person  whom  they  met.  I  should  probably 
have  been  assassinated  by  them,  but  my  skill  in 


58  THE    ZINCALI. 

music  perhaps  saved  my  life.  I  continued  with 
them  a  considerable  time,  till  at  last  they  persuaded 
me  to  become  one  of  them,  whereupon  I  was  inau- 
gurated into  their  society  with  many  strange  and 
horrid  ceremonies,  and  having  thus  become  a  Gitano, 
I  went  with  them  to  plunder  and  assassinate  upon 
the  roads. 

"  The  Count  or  head  man  of  these  Gitanos  had 
an  only  daughter,  about  my  own  age  ;  she  was  veiy 
beautiful,  but,  at  the  same  time,  exceedingly  strong 
and  robust ;  this  Gitana  was  given  to  me  as  a  wife 
or  cadjee,  and  I  lived  with  her  several  years,  and 
she  bore  me  children. 

"  My  wife  was  an  arrant  Gitana,  and  in  her  all 
the  wickedness  of  her  race  seemed  to  be  concen- 
trated. At  last  her  father  was  killed  in  an  affray 
with  the  troopers  of  the  Hermandad,  whereupon 
my  wife  and  myself  succeeded  to  the  authority 
which  he  had  formerly  exercised  in  the  tribe.  We 
had  at  first  loved  each  other,  but  at  last  the  Gitano 
life,  with  its  accompanying  wickedness,  becoming 
hateful  to  my  eyes,  my  wife,  who  was  not  slow  in 
perceiving  my  altered  disposition,  conceived  for  me 
the  most  deadly  hatred  ;  apprehending  that  I  medi- 
tated withdrawing  myself  from  the  society,  and 
perhaps  betraying  the  secrets  of  the  band,  she 
formed  a  conspiracy  against  me,  and,  at  one  time, 
being  opposite  the  Moorish  coast,  I  was  seized  and 
bound  by  the  other  Gitanos,  conveyed  across  the 
sea,  and  delivered  as  a  slave  in^o  the  hands  of  the 
Moors. 


i 


THE    BOOKSELLEIR   OP   LOGRONO.  59 

"  I  continued  for  a  long  time  in  slavery  in  various 
patts  of  Morocco  and  Fez,  until  I  v^as  at  length 
redeemed  from  my  state  of  bondage  by  a  missionary 
friar  who  paid  my  ransom.  With  him  I  shortly 
after  departed  for  Italy,  of  which  he  was  a  native. 
In  that  country  I  remained  some  years,  until  a  long- 
ing to  revisit  my  native  land  seized  me,  when  I  re- 
turned to  Spain  and  established  myself  here,  where 
I  have  since  lived  by  vending  books,  many  of  which 
I  brought  from  the  strange  lands  which  I  visited. 
I  kept  my  history,  however,  a  profound  secret, 
being  afraid  of  exposing  myself  to  the  laws  in  force 
against  the  Gitanos,  to  which  I  should  instantly  be- 
come amenable  were  it  once  known  that  I  had  at 
any  time  been  a  member  of  this  detestable  sect. 

"  My  present  wretchedness,  of  which  you  have 
demanded  the  cause,  dates  from  yesterday  ;  I  had 
been  on  a  short  journey  to  the  Augustine  convent, 
which  stands  on  the  plain  in  the  direction  of  Sara- 
gossa,  carrying  with  me  an  Arabian  book,  which  a 
learned  monk  was  desirous  of  seeing.  Night  over- 
took me  ere  I  could  return.  I  speedily  lose  my  way, 
and  wandered  about  until  I  came  near  a  dilapidated 
edifice  w4th  which  I  was  acquainted ;  I  was  about 
to  proceed  in  the  direction  of  the  town,  when  I 
heard  voices  within  the  ruined  walls  ;  I  listened, 
and  recognised  the  language  of  the  abhorred 
Gitanos  ;  I  was  about  to  fly,  when  a  word  arrested 
me.  It  was  Drao,  which  in  their  tongue  signifies 
the  horrid  poison,  with  which  this  race  are  in  the 
habit  of  destroying  the  cattle  ;  they  now  said  that 


60  THE    ZINCALI. 

the  men  of  Logrono  should  rue  the  Drao  which  they 
had  been  casting.  I  heard  no  more,  but  fled. 
What  increased  my  fear  was,  that  in  the  words 
spoken,  I  thought  I  recognised  the  pecuhar  jargon 
of  my  own  tribe  ;  I  repeat,  that  I  believe  some  hor- 
rible misfortune  is  overhanging  this  city,  and  that 
my  own  days  are  numbered." 

The  priest,  having  conversed  with  him  for  some 
time  upon  particular  points  of  the  history  that  he 
had  related,  took  his  leave,  advising  him  to  compose 
his  spirits,  as  he  saw  no  reason  why  he  should  in- 
dulge in  such  gloomy  forebodings. 

The  very  next  day  a  sickness  broke  out  in  the 
town  of  Logrono.  It  was  one  of  a  peculiar  kind ; 
unlike  most  others,  it  did  not  arise  ^3^  slow  and 
gradual  degrees,  but  at  once  appeared  in  full  vio- 
lence, in  the  shape  of  a  terrific  epidemic.  Dizzi- 
ness in  the  head  was  the  first  symptom  ;  then  con- 
vulsive retchings,  followed  by  a  dreadful  struggle 
between  life  and  death,  which  generally  terminated 
in  favour  of  the  grim  destroyer.  The  bodies,  after 
the  spirit  which  animated  them  had  taken  flight, 
were  frightfully  swollen,  and  exhibited  a  dark  blue 
colour,  chequered  with  crimson  spots.  Nothing  was 
heard  within  the  houses  or  the  streets,  but  groans 
of  agony ;  no  remedy  was  at  hand,  and  the  powers 
of  medicine  were  exhausted  in  vain  upon  this  terri- 
ble pest ;  so  that  within  a  few  days  the  greatest 
part  of  the  inhabitants  of  Logrono  had  perished. 
The  bookseller  had  not  been  seen  since  the  com- 
mencement of  this  frisfhtful  visitation. 


THE    BOOKSET.LER    OF    LOGRONO.  61 

Once,  at  the  dead  of  night,  a  knock  was  heard 
at  the  door  of  the  priest,  of  whom  we  have  already 
spoken  ;   the  priest  himself  staggered  to  the  door, 
and  opened  it, — he  was  the  only  one  who  remained 
alive  in  the  house,  and  was  himself  slowly  recover- 
ing from  the  malady  which  had  destroyed  all  the 
other  inmates ;  a  wild  spectral  looking  figure  pre- 
sented itself  to  his  eye — it  was  his  friend,  Alvarez. 
Both  went  into  the  house,  when  the    bookseller, 
glancing  gloomily  on   the   wasted   features  of  the 
priest,  exclaimed,  "  You  too,  I  see,  amongst  others, 
have  cause  to  rue  the  Drao  which  the  Gitanos  have 
cast.     Know,"  he  continued,  "  that  in  order  to  ac- 
complish a  detestable  plan,  the  fountains  of  Logrono 
have  been  poisoned  by  emissaries  of  the  roving 
bands,  who  are  now  assembled  in  the  neighbourhood. 
On  the  first  appearance  of  the  disorder,  from  which 
I  happily  escaped  by  tasting  the  water  of  a  private 
fountain,  which  I  possess  in   my  own  house,  I  in- 
stantly recognised  the  effects  of  the  poison  of  the 
Gitanos,  brought  by  their  ancestors  from  the  isles 
of  the  Indian  sea,  and  instantly  suspecting  their  in- 
tentions, I  disguised  myself  as  a  Gitano,  and  went 
forth  in  the  hope  of  being  able  to  act  as  a  spy  upon 
their  actions.     I  have  been  successful,  and  am  at 
present  thoroughly  acquainted  with  their  designs. 
They  intended,  from  the  first,  to  sack  the  town,  as 
soon  as  it  should  have  been  emptied  of  its  defenders. 
''  Midday,  to-morrow,  is  the  hour  in  which  they 
have  determined  to  make  the  attempt.     There  is  no 
time  to  be  lost ;  let  us,  therefore,  warn  those  of  our 

VOL.  I.  6 


62  THE    ZINCALT. 

townsmen  who  still  survive,  in  order  that  they  may 
make  preparations  for  their  defence." 

Whereupon  the  two  friends  proceeded  to  the 
chief  magistrate,  who  had  been  but  slightly  affected 
by  the  disorder ;  he  heard  the  tale  of  the  bookseller 
with  horror  and  astonishment,  and  instantly  took 
the  best  measures  possible  for  frustrating  the  designs 
of  the  Gitanos  ;  all  the  men  capable  of  bearing 
arms  in  Logrono  were  assembled,  a.nd  weapons  of 
every  description  put  in  their  hands.  By  the  advice 
of  the  bookseller,  all  the  gates  of  the  town  were 
shut,  with  the  exception  of  the  principal  one  ;  and 
the  little  band  of  defenders,  which  barely  amounted 
to  sixty  men,  was  stationed  in  the  great  square,  to 
which,  he  said,  it  was  the  intention  of  the  Gitanos 
to  penetrate  in  the  first  instance,  and  then  dividing 
themselves  into  various  parties,  to  sack  the  place. 
The  bookseller  was,  by  general  desire,  constituted 
leader  of  the  guardians  of  the  town. 

It  was  considerably  past  noon  ;  the  sky  was  over- 
cast, and  tempest  clouds,  fraught  with  lightning  and 
thunder,  were  hanging  black  and  horrid  over  the 
town  of  Logrono.     The  little  troop,  resting  on  their 
arms,  stood  awaiting  the  arrival  of  their  unnatural 
enemies  ;  rage  fired  their  minds  as  they  thought  of 
the  deaths  of  their  fathers,  their  sons,  and  their 
dearest  relatives,   who  had  perished,  not    by  the 
hand  of  God,  but,  like  infected  cattle,  by  the  hellish 
arts  of  Egyptian  sorcerers.    "They  longed  for  their 
appearance,   determined  to    wreak  upon    them    a 
bloody  revenge  ;  not  a  word  was  uttered,  and  pro- 


THE    BOOKSELLER   OF    LOGRONO.  63 

found  silence  reigned  around,  only  interrupted  by 
the  occasional  muttering  of  the  thunder  clouds. 
Suddenly,  Alvarez,  who  had  been  intently  listening, 
raised  his  hand  with  a  significant  gesture  ;  presently, 
a  sound  was  heard — a  rustling  like  the  waving  of 
trees,  or  the  rushing  of  distant  water  ;  it  gradually 
increased,  and  seemed  to  proceed  from  the  nar- 
row street  which  led  from  the  principal  gate  into 
the  square.  All  eyes  were  turned  in  that  direc- 
tion  

That  night  there  was  repique  or  ringing  of  bells 
in  the  towers  of  Logrono,  and  the  few  priests  who 
had  escaped  from  the  pestilence  sang  litanies  to 
God  and  the  Virgin  for  the  salvation  of  the  town 
from  the  hands  of  the  heathen.  The  attempt  of  the 
Gitanos  had  been  most  signally  defeated,  and  the 
great  square  and  the  street  were  strewn  with  their 
corses.  Oh  !  what  frightful  objects  :  there  lay  grim 
men  more  black  than  mulattos  with  fury  and  rage 
in  their  stiffened  features  ;  wild  women  in  extraor- 
dinary dresses,  their  hair,  black  and  long  as  the  tail 
of  the  horse,  spread  all  dishevelled  upon  the  ground ; 
and  gaunt  and  naked  children  grasping  knives  and 
daggers  in  their  tiny  hands.  Of  the  patriotic  troop 
not  one  appeared  to  have  fallen  ;  and  when,  after 
their  enemies  had  retreated  with  bowlings  of  fiend- 
ish despair,  they  told  their  numbers,  only  one  man 
was  missing,  who  was  never  seen  again,  and  that 
man  was  Alvarez. 

In  the  midst  of  the  combat,  the  tempest,  which 
had  for  a  long  time  been  gathering,  burst  over  Lo- 


64  THE    ZINCALI. 

grono  in  lightnings  thunder,  darkness,  and  vehement 
hail. 

A  man  of  the  town  asserted  that  the  last  time  he 
had  seen  Alvarez,  the  latter  was  far  in  advance  of 
his  companions,  defending  himself  desperately 
against  three  powerful  young  heathen,  who  seemed 
to  be  acting  under  the  direction  of  a  tall  woman 
who  stood  nigh,  covered  with  barbaric  ornaments, 
and  wearing  on  her  head  a  rude  silver  crown.* 

Such  is  the  tale  of  the  Bookseller  of  Logrofio, 
and  such  is  the  narrative  of  the  attempt  of  the 
Gitaaos  to  sack  the  town  in  the  time  of  pestilence, 
which  is  alluded  to  by  many  Spanish  authors,  but 
more  particularly  by  the  learned  Francisco  De 
Cordova,  in  his  Didascalia,  one  of  the  most  curious 
and  instructive  books  within  the  circle  of  universal 
literature. 

*  In  the  above  little  tale  the  writer  confesses  that  there  are  many  things 
purely  imaginary ;  the  most  material  point,  however,  the  attempt  to  sack 
the  town  during  the  pestilence,  which  was  defeated  by  the  courage  and 
activity  of  an  individual,  rests  on  historical  evidence  the  most  satisfactory. 
It  is  thus  mentioned  in  the  work  of  Francisco  De  Cordova,  (he  was  sur" 
named  Cordova  from  having  been  for  many  years  canon  in  that  city:) — 

"Annis  praeteritis  luliobrigam  urbem,  vulgo  Logrofio,  pestilent!  labo- 
rantem  morbo,  et  hominibus  vacuam  invadere  hi  ac  diripere^tentarunt, 
perfecissentque  ni  Deus  0.  M.  cuiusdam  bibliopolcc  opera,  in  eorum  ca- 
pita, quam  urbi  moliebantur  pernicicm  avertisset."  Didascalia,  Lugduni? 
1615.     1  vol.  8vo.,  p.  405,  cap.  50. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

GYPSY   COLONIES    IN   VARIOUS    TOWNS    OF    SPAIN. 

The  Moors,  after  their  subjugation,  and  previous 
to  their  expulsion  from  Spain,  generally  resided 
apart,  principally  in  the  suburbs  of  the  towns, 
where  they  kept  each  other  in  countenance,  being 
hated  and  despised  by  the  Spaniards,  and  perse- 
cuted on  all  occasions.  By  this  means  they  pre- 
served, to  a  certain  extent,  the  Arabic  language, 
though  the  use  of  it  was  strictly  forbidden,  and  en- 
couraged each  other  in  the  secret  exercise  of  the 
rites  of  the  Mahometan  religion,  so  that,  until  the 
moment  of  their  final  expulsion,  they  continued 
Moors  in  almost  every  sense  of  the  word.  Such 
places  v/ere  called  Morerias,  or  quarters  of  the 
Moors. 

In  like  manner  there  were  Gitanerias,  or  quarters 
of  the  Gitanos,  in  many  of  the  towns  of  Spain ;  and 
in  more  than  one  instance  particular  barrios  or  dis- 
tricts are  still  known  by  this  name,  though  the 
Gitanos  themselves  have  long  since  disappeared. 
Even  in  the  town  of  Oviedo,  in  the  heart  of  the  As- 
turias,  a  province  never  famous  for  Gitanos,  there 

6* 


66  THE    ZINCALI. 

is  a  place  called  the  Gitaneria,  though  no  Gitano 
has  been  known  to  reside  in  the  town  within  the 
memory  of  man,  nor  indeed  been  seen,  save,  per- 
haps, as  a  chance  visitor  at  a  fair. 

The  exact  period  when  the  Gitanos  first  formed 
these  colonies  within  the  towns  is  not  known  ;  the 
laws,  however,  which  commanded  them  to  abandon 
their  wandering  life  under  penalty  of  banishment 
and  death,  and  to  become  stationary  in  towns,  may 
have  induced  them  first  to  take  such  a  step.  By 
the  first  of  these  laws,  which  was  made  by  Ferdi- 
nand and  Isabella  as  far  back  as  the  year  1499, 
they  are  commanded  to  seek  out  for  themselves 
masters.  This  injunction  they  utterly  disregarded. 
Some  of  them,  for  fear  of  the  law,  or  from  the  hope 
of  bettering  their  condition,  may  have  settled  down 
in  the  towns,  cities,  and  villages  for  a  time,  but  to 
expect  that  a  people  in  whose  bosoms  was  so  deeply 
rooted  the  love  of  lawless  independence,  would 
subject  themselves  to  the  yoke  of  servitude,  from 
any  motive  whatever,  was  going  too  far  :  as  well 
might  it  have  been  expected,  according  to  the  words 
of  the  great  poet  of  Persia,  that  they  would  have 
washed  their  skins  white. 

In  these  Gitanerias,  therefore,  many  Gypsy  fami- 
lies resided,  but  ever  in  the  Gypsy  fashion,  in  filth 
and  in  misery,  with  little  of  the  fear  of  man,  and 
nothing  of  the  fear  of  God  before  their  eyes.  Here 
the  swarthy  children  basked  naked  in  the  sun  before 
the  doors  ;  here  the  women  prepared  love  draughts, 
or  told  the  buena  ventura  ;  and  here  the  men  plied 


GYPSY   COLONIES.  67 

the  trade  of  the  blacksmith,  a  forbidden  occupation, 
or  prepared  for  sale.,  by  disguising  them.;  animals 
stolen  by  themselves  or  their  accomplices.  In  these 
places  were  harboured  the  strange  Gitanos  on  tiicir 
arrival,  and  here  were  discussed  in  the  Rommany 
language,  which,  like  the  Arabic,  was  forbidden 
under  severe  penalties,  plans  of  fraud  and  plunder, 
which  were  perhaps  intended  to  be  carried  into 
effect  in  a  distant  province  and  a  distant  city. 

The  great  body,  however,  of  the  Gypsy  race  in 
Spain  continued  independent  wanderers  of  the 
plains  and  the  mountains,  and  indeed  the  denizens 
of  the  Gitanerias  were  continually  sallying  forth, 
either  for  the  purpose  of  re-uniting  themselves  with 
the  wandering  tribes,  or  of  strolling  about  from  town 
to  town  and  from  fair  to  fair.  Hence  the  continual 
complaints  in  the  Spanish  laws  against  the  Gitanos 
who  have  left  their  places  of  domicil,  from  doing 
which  they  were  indicted,  even  as  they  were  inter- 
dicted from  speaking  their  language  and  following 
the  occupations  of  the  blacksmith  and  horse-dealer, 
to  all  which  they  still  cling  even  to  the  present  day. 

The  Gitanerias  at  evening  fall  were  frequently 
resorted  to  by  individuals  widely  differing  in  station 
from  the  inmates  of  these  places, — we  allude  to  the 
young  and  dissolute  nobility  and  hidalgos  of  Spain. 
This  was  generally  the  time  of  mirth  and  festival, 
and  the  Gitanos,  male  and  female,  danced  and  sang 
in  the  Gypsy  fashion  beneath  the  smile  of  the  moon. 
The  Gypsy  women  and  girls  were  the  principal  at- 
tractions to  these  visitors  ;   wild  and  singular  as 


68  THE    ZINC  ALL 

these  females  are  in  their  appearance,  there  can  be 
no  doubt,  for  the  fact  has  been  frequently  proved, 
that  they  are  capable  of  exciting  passion  of  the  most 
ardent   description,  particularly  in  the  bosoms  of 
those  who  are  not  of  their  race,  which  passion  of 
course  becomes  the  more  violent  when  the  almost 
utter  impossibility  of  gratifying  it  is  known.     No 
females  in  the  world  can  be  more  licentious  in  word 
and  gesture,  in  dance  and  in  song,  than  the  Gitanas ; 
but  there  they  stop  :   and  so  of  old,  if  their  titled 
visitors  presumed  to  seek  for  more,  an  unsheathed 
dagger  or  gleaming  knife  speedily  repulsed  those 
who  expected  that  the  gem  most  dear  amongst  the 
sect  of  the  Roma  was  within  the  reach  of  a  Busno. 
Such  visitors,  however,  were  always  encouraged 
to  a  certain  point,  and  by  this  and  various  other 
means,  the  Gitanos  acquired  connexions  which  fre- 
quently stood  them  in  good  stead  in  the  hour  of 
need.     What  availed  it  to  the  honest  labourers  of 
the  neighbourhood,  or  the  citizens  of  the  town,  to 
make  complaints  to  the  corregidor  concerning  the 
thefts  and  frauds  committed  by  the  Gitanos,  when 
perhaps  the  sons  of  that  very  corregidor  frequented 
the  nightly  dances  at  the  Gitaneria,  and  were  deeply 
enamoured  with    some  of  the  dark-eyed    singing 
girls  ?   What  availed  making  complaints,  when  per- 
haps a  Gypsy  sibyl,  the  mother  of  those  very  girls, 
had  free  admission  to  the  house  of  the  corregidor  at 
all  times  and  seasons,  and  spaed  the  good  fortune 
to  his  daughters,  promising  them  counts  and  dukes, 
and  Andalusian  knights  in  marriage,  or  prepared 


GYPSY    COLONIES.  69 

philters  for  his  lady  by  which  she  was .  always 
to  reign  supreme  in  the  afFectio'is  of  her  husband  ? 
And,  above  all,  what  availed  it  to  the  plundered 
party  to  complain  that  his  mule  or  horse  had  been 
stolen,  when  the  Gitano  robber,  perhaps  the  hus- 
band of  the  sibyl  and  the  father  of  the  black-eyed 
Gitanillas,  was  at  that  moment  actually  in  treaty 
with  my  lord  the  corregidor  himself,  for  supplying 
him  with  some  splendid  thick-maned,  long-tailed 
steed,  at  a  small  price,  to  be  obtained,  as  the  reader 
may  well  suppose,  by  an  infraction  of  the  laws  ? 
The  favour  and  protection  which  the  Gitanos  expe- 
rienced from  people  of  high  rank,  is  alluded  to  in 
the  Spanish  laws,  and  can  only  be  accounted  for  by 
the  motives  above  detailed. 

The  Gitanerias  were  soon  considered  as  public 
nuisances,  on  which  account  the  Gitanos  were  for- 
bidden to  live  together  in  particular  parts  of  the 
town,  to  hold  meetings,  and  even  to  intermarry  with 
each  other ;  yet  it  does  not  appear  that  the  Gitane- 
rias were  ever  suppressed  by  the  arm  of  the  law, 
as  many  still  exist  where  these  singular  beings 
"  marry  and  are  given  in  marriage,"  and  meet  to- 
gether to  discuss  their  affairs,  which,  in  their  opi- 
nion, never  flourish  unless  those  of  their  fellow 
creatures  suffer.  So  much  for  the  Gitanerias,  or 
Gypsy  colonies,  in  the  towns  of  Spain. 


CHAPTER  V. 

EXTRACTS    FROM   ANCIENT    SPANISH    WRITERS. — LA   GITANILLA,  A  TALE 
OF   CERVANTES. — THE   ALONSO    OF   GERONIMO  DE   ALGALA. 

"  It  would  appear  that  the  Gitanos  and  Gitanas 
were  only  sent  into  this  world  to  be  thieves  ;  they 
are  born  thieves  ;  they  are  brought  up  amongst 
thieves,  they  study  to  be  thieves,  and  finally  they 
turn  out  thieves,  going  about  and  making  victims  of 
all  the  world ;  the  love  of  thievery  and  the  practice 
of  thievery  are  in  them  constitutional  maladies, 
which  cleave  to  them  till  the  day  of  their  death." 

These  words,  or  similar  ones,  serve  as  the  exor- 
dium to  the  Gitanilla  or  Gypsy  Girl  of  Cervantes, 
who  immediately  proceeds  to  introduce  his  heroine 
by  saying,  "  An  old  hag  of  this  nation,  who  had 
certainly  taken  the  degree  of  Doctoress  in  the  sci- 
ence of  Cacus,  reared  up  a  young  girl  whom  she 
called  her  grand-daughter,"  &c. 

The  tale  of  "  the  Gypsy  girl"  was  written  by 
Cervantes  in  the  year  1612,  and  stands  the  first  in' 
that  collection  of  beautiful  fictions,  generally  styled 
"  Novelas  Exemplares."  At  the  present  day  the 
Gypsy  is  the  most  popular  perhaps  of  all  the  works 


LA    GITANILLA.  71 

of  Cervantes  amongst  his  countrymen ;  it  being  rare 
to  find  an  individual  who  has  not  read  it  or  heard  it 
read.     Whilst  Cervantes  lived,  few  people  cared 
about  him  or  his  works  ;  it  was  not  till  some  time 
subsequent  to  his  death,  that  Spain  began  to  take 
much  interest  in  either ;  she  then  discovered  that 
she  had  produced  and  permitted  to  starve,  a  won- 
derful genius,  quite  equal  in  his  peculiar  style  to 
Dante  in  his  own.     She  has  lately  "given  him  a 
stone"*  to  whom  she  once  refused  bread,  and  for 
the  last  hundred  years  has  occasionally  occupied 
herself  in  endeavouring  to  investigate  whatever  she 
deems  likely  to  elucidate  his  life  and  writings.     We 
shall  offer  no  opinion  as  to  how  far  she  has  been 
successful  in  her    object,  though   there  are    some 
Spanish  literati,  who  flatter  themselves  that  all  the 
passages  in  the  life  of  Cervantes  are  at  present 
known,  with  the  exception  of  those  which  occurred 
during  a  short  period,  when  he  disappeared  for  a 
time,  and  conjecture  only  is  able  to  follow  his  steps. 
Amongst  other  things  said  of  this  extraordinary 
man,  it  is  asserted  that  he  was  induced  to  write  the 
Gitanilla  from  the  following  circumstance.     Shortly 
after  the  accession  of  Philip  the  Third-  to  the  throne, 
a  Gypsy  girl  appeared  in  the  streets  of  Madrid, 
like   a  wonderful  comet;  she  was  surrounded  by 
many  females  of  the  same  race,  in  whose  company 
she  danced  and  sang ;  she  was,  however,  distin- 

A  statue  of  Cervantes  (not  a  colossal  one)  has  been  placed  before 
the  entrance  to  the  Cortes,  at  Madrid,  in  the  square  generally  termed  the 
Plaza  de  Cervantes. 


72  THE    ZINCALI. 

guished  from  them  all  by  her  almost  celestial  beauty, 
the  grace  of  her  movements,  and  her  surpassing 
powers  of  voice ;  crowds  followed  wherever  she 
went,  blessing  and  applauding  her ;  gold  and  silver 
rained  down  upon  her,  and  even  the  eye  of  royalty 
was  turned  towards  her  with  approbation.  The 
best  poets  of  the  day  made  verses  which  they  en- 
treated her  to  sing.  Many  of  the  young  nobility 
became  passionately  enamoured  of  her,  and  an  ac- 
complished young  courtier  finally  left  the  capital  in 
her  company,  and  for  love  of  her  became  a  Gitano. 
She  was  subsequently  discovered  to  be  the  daughter 
of  a  noble  corregidor,  having  been  stolen  in  her  in- 
fancy by  a  Gypsy  hag,  who  pretended  to  be  her 
grandmother.  She  was  of  course  honourably  united 
to  her  faithful  admirer. 

This  account,  however,  is  neither  more  nor  less 
than  the  outline  of  the  tale  of  Cervantes,  and  there 
is  more  reason  to  suppose  that  it  originated  from  the 
tale,  than  that  the  latter  originated  from  the  pre- 
tended fact.  Child-stealing  has  occasionally  been 
practised  by  Gypsies,  but  never  without  some  im- 
mediate prospect  of  gain  ;  they  do  not  steal  children 
for  the  sake  of  bringing  them  up  as  Gypsies  ;  they 
have  plenty  of  their  own,  and  bread  is  scarce 
amongst  them.  If  those  of  Spain  ever  stole  chil- 
dren, they  were  marketable  children,  not  squalling 
infants,  but  boys  and  girls  of  handsome  features 
and  of  a  certain  age,  who  were  intended  not  to  be 
carried  about  to  betray  them,  but  to  be  sold  to  the 
Moors  of  Barbary.     Child-stealing  is  generally  im- 


LA   GITANILLA,  73 

puted  to  the  Gypsies  of  England,  but  undeservedly; 
they  can  scarcely  support  their  own  offspring,  and 
would  smile  at  the  idea  of  incumbering  themselves 
with  the  children  of  others.  But  their  ancestors 
were  certainly  guilty  of  this  practice,  w^hich  was 
once  highly  profitable,  when  the  white  slave  trade  was 
carried  on  in  the  streets  of  London  itself,  and  hun- 
dreds of  individuals,  *' kidnapped,"  were  annually 
conveyed  from  the  shores  of  England  to  be  sold  to 
the  planters  on  the  banks  of  the  Delaware  ;  but 
here  again  be  it  observed,  that  the  English  Gypsies 
did  not  steal  infants,  but  children  of  sufficient  size 
and  strength  to  support  the  toils  and  hardships  of 
the  servitude  to  which  they  were  destined. 

The  unfounded  idea  that  Gypsies  steal  children 
to  bring  them  up  as  Gypsies,  has  been  the  besetting 
sin  of  authors,  who  have  attempted  to  found  works 
of  fiction*  on  the  way  of  life  of  this  most  singular 
people.  The  Preciosa  of  Cervantes,  and  the  modern 
Esmeralda,  eventually  turn  out  to  be  "  no  Gypsies," 
but  were  stolen  in  their  cradles  and  reared  amongst 
the  wild  children  of  Roma.  By  pursuing  this 
course,  the  writers  only  exhibit  their  incompetence 
to  the  subject  which  they  pretend  to  handle,  but 
which  they  avoid  as  much  as  possible  ;  the  Rom- 
many  of  their  romances  are  invariably  subordinate 

*  Injustice,  we  must  except  two  works,  the  "  Zigani"  of  the  celebrated 
Pusckine,  and  a  beautiful  tale,  published  at  St.  Petersburg}!  about  six 
years  ago,  entitled,  "  Zigani  B'Moskbai,"  (or  the  Gypsies  at  Moscow  ;) 
the  heroines  in  both  ai'e  veritable  Gypsies.  Russia  is  doomed  eventually 
to  effect  a  revolution  in  the  political  world,  perhaps  in  the  literary. 
VOL.    I.  7 


74  THE    ZlNCALIi 

characters,  the  whole  interest  of  the  narratives  being 
engrossed  by  the  adventures  of  people  of  distin- 
guished birth,  v^ho,  by  some  strange  concatenation 
of  events,  become  associated  for  a  period  with  the 
wanderers. 

"  The  Gypsy  Girl,"  notwithstanding  its  popu- 
larity in  Spain,  is  far  from  being  the  best  of  the 
minor  pieces  of  Cervantes  ;  its  chief  merit  consists 
in  the  few  preliminary  lines,  in  which  the  thievish 
character  of  the  Thugs  of  Europe  is  drawn  with 
wonderful  vigour  and  terseness  ;  but  no  sooner  does 
he  cause  his  Gypsies  to  speak,  in  the  course  of  his 
narrative,  than  we  perceive  that,  like  the  hero  and 
heroine,  they  too  are  "  no  Gypsies,"  but  Busne  in 
disguise  ;  what  real  Gypsy  ever  spoke  in  such  a 
strain  as  that  in  which  he  causes  the  old  Gypsy 
chief  to  address  the  young  Hidalgo,  on  his  first 
joining  the  society  ? 

"  We  are  lords  of  the  plains  and  of  the  corn-fields, 
of  the  woods  and  the  mountains,  the  rivers  and  the 
springs  :  the  forests  yield  us  wood  for  nothing ;  the 
trees  fruits  ;  the  vines  grapes ;  the  gardens  pulse ; 
the  fountains  water;  the  rivers  fish,  and  the  parks 
game ;  the  rocks  shade  ;  the  clefts  in  the  hills  fresh 
air,  and  the  caves  houses.  For  us  the  keen  blasts 
of  Heaven  are  gentle  zephyrs,  the  snows  refresh- 
ment ;  our  baths  are  the  rain ;  our  music  the 
thunders ;  our  torches  the  lightning ;  the  stony  earth 
seems  to  us  a  bed  of  the  softest  down  ;  the  tanned 
hide  of  our  bodies  serves  as  an  impenetrable  armour 
to  defend  us.     .....*.     .     The  fear  of 


LA    GITANILLA.  75 

losing  honour  does  not  weary  us,  nor  does  the  de- 
sire of  increasing  it  keep  us  wakeful ;  we  neither 
sustain  factions,  nor  rise  betimes  to  present  peti- 
tions, nor  to  attend  magnates,  nor  to  solicit  favours. 
These  sheds  and  moveable  huts  we  esteem  as 
gilded  roofs  and  sumptuous  palaces  ;  and  our  Fle- 
mish pictures  and  landscapes  are  those  which  nature 
affords  us  in  the  stupendous  hills  and  snowy  pre- 
cipices, wide  spread  meadows,  and  tangled  forests, 
which,  at  every  step,  meet  our  view.  We  are  rustic 
astrologers,  for  as  we  always  sleep  beneath  the 
naked  sky,  we  have  no  difficulty  in  distinguishing 
the  hours  of  the  day  from  those  of  the  night.  We 
behold  how  Aurora  sweeps  away  the  stars  from  the 
heaven,  and  how  accompanied  by  the  dawn,  she 
comes  forth  filling  the  air  with  gladness,  cooling  the 
water  and  bedewing  the  earth ;  and  presently  be- 
hind her  the  sun  gilding  summits,  as  the  poet  hath  it, 
and  cu7iing forests f^^  &c. 

The  above  description  of  Gypsy  life  may  be 
essentially  true,  but  it  is  not  usual  for  Gypsies  to 
talk  of  such  things,  and  least  of  all  in  the  worst 
style  of  Gongora,  as  the  old  Thug  is  made  to  do  by 
the  author  of  "  the  Gypsy  Girl."  Cervantes  was 
more  at  home  in  posadas  and  ventas  than  in  Gypsy 
encampments  amongst  the  sierras,  and  was  better 
acquainted  with  the  ways  of  Picaros  than  the  man- 
ners of  the  Gitanos,  which  he  evidently  only  knew 
by  report ;  there  are  some  who  are  of  opinion  that, 
at  one  period  of  his  life,  that  of  his  temporary  dis- 
appearance, he  officiated  as  alguazil  in  one  or  other 


76  THE    ZTNCALI. 

of  the  second  class  cities  of  Spain.  This  supposi- 
tion appears  byno  means  improbable,  and  if  adopted, 
it  affords  a  clue  to  the  surprising  knowledge  of 
Picaresque  life,  which  he  developes  in  the  extra- 
ordinary story  of  Rinconete  and  Cortadillo.  So 
much  for  Cervantes. 

There  exists  in  the  Spanish  language  a  book,  en- 
titled Alonso,  servant  of  many  masters,  composed 
by  the  Doctor  Geronimo  de  Alcala,  native  of  the 
city  of  Segovia,  who  flourished  about  the  commence- 
ment of  the  seventeenth  century;  perhaps,  with  the 
single  exception  of  the  grand  work  of  Cervantes, 
there  is  no  novel  in  existence  which  can  compete 
with  it  for  grave  quiet  humour,  while  for  knowledge 
of  the  human  mind  and  acute  observation,  we  do 
not  believe  that  its  equal  is  to  be  found.  Gil  Bias, 
which,  by  the  by,  is  a  piratical  compilation  from  the 
Works  of  the  old  Spanish  novelists,  executed,  it  is 
true,  with  great  tact  and  discernment,  sinks  immea- 
surably below  the  Alonso  of  the  Segovian  Doctor, 
who  is  made  to  serve  all  kinds  of  masters,  from  the 
sacristan  of  the  church  in  an  obscure  village  in  Old 
Castile,  to  the  proud  Fidalgo  of  Lisbon;  and  by  the 
generality  of  whom  he  is  discarded  on  account  of 
his  great  talkativeness,  and  the  disposition  which 
he  exhibits  to  criticise  their  failings. 

At  last  he  enters  a  convent  as  donado,  or  lay 
brother,  where,  for  a  long  time,  he  enjoys  the  par- 
ticular favour  of  the  Father  Vicar,  whom,  however, 
he  eventually  offends,  like  the  rest,  by  the  great 
freedom  of  discourse  in  which  he  indulges.     He  is 


ALONSO.  77 

formally  read  out  of  the  society,  and  wanders  about 
until  he  reaches  one  of  those  mountain-forests  for- 
merly abounding  in  Spain,  where  he  falls  into  the 
hands  of  Gitanos,  whom  he  describes  in  a  manner 
which  almost  induces  the  belief  that  the  author  had 
himself  lived  amongst  these  people,  so  true,  so  vivid 
is  the  colouring.     Here  follow  extracts* 

"  I  had  wandered  little  more  than  a  league 
through  the  thickets,  when  I  saw  a  great  quantity 
of  smoke  arising  not  far  from  the  place  where  I 
was,  and  concluding,  like  a  good  philosopher,  that 
where  there  was  smoke  there  must  be  fire,  and  if 
fire  there  must  be  people  to  kindle  it,  I  endeavoured 
to  direct  my  steps  tov/ards  it,  for  it  was  now  near 
nightfall,  and  the  wind  blew  bitterly  keen.  I  had 
no  occasion,  however,  to  walk  very  far,  as  I  sud- 
denly felt  myself  seized  by  the  shoulders ;  where- 
upon turning  my  head,  I  found  myself  in  the  hands 
of  two  men,  not  quite  so  handsome  as  English  or 
Flemings,  but  black  as  mulattos,  badly  dressed,  and 
of  particularly  ill-favoured  countenances.  I  bade 
them  good  evening  with  trepidation  enough  of  heart, 
as  the  Lord  knows,  asking  them  what  they  had  to 
command.  Then  one  of  them,  lisping  a  little,  after 
the  Gitano  fashion,  told  me  that  I  must  go  with  them 
to  their  encampment  to  speak  to  my  lord  the  Conde. 
In  fine  hands  have  I  fallen,  said  I  to  myself,  in 
which  no  doubt  I  shall  prosper ;  a  pretty  night  is 
prepared  for  me  ;  however,  making  a  virtue  of 
necessity,  I  replied,   *  Well,  gentlemen,  wherever 

you  please.'     They  then  led  me  through  the  thick- 

7* 


78  THE    ZINCALI. 

est  of  the  wood,  between  them,  in  order  not  to  lose 
sight  of  me,  and  asked  where  was  the  animal  on 
wh*?h  I  had  come,  and  where  I  had  left  it.  *It 
always  comes  with  me,'  said  I,  *  for,  like  a  devout 
servant  of  San  Francisco,  I  am  a  bad  rider,  and  to 
save  myself  expense,  always  walk.'  In  such  like 
discourse,  we  arrived  at  the  encampment  of  the 
brotherhood,  who  were  already  expecting  us,  being 
fid  vised,  by  the  whistling  of  my  guides,  of  the  prey 
they  were  bringing,  some  time  before  we  arrived. 
At  the  distance  of  more  than  a  stone's  throw,  two 
Gypsy  girls  and  three  lads  advanced  to  receive  us 
with  much  rejoicing,  inquiring  whether  other  pas- 
sengers were  coming.  '  He  comes  alone,'  said  my 
guards,  '  and  if  he  had  delayed  a  little  longer,  we 
should  have  left  our  post,  and  returned  empty 
handed.'  Eager  to  know  how  my  misfortune  would 
end,  I  presently  found  myself  amidst  a  rabble  of 
near  forty  j^eople,  men  and  women,  without  reckon- 
ing boys  of  a  reasonable  age,  who  were  running 
about  amidst  them  as  naked  as  they  were  born. 
They  presented  me  to  the  Count,  a  person  whom 
they  all  respected,  and  w^ho  was  the  judge  i..nd 
governor  of  this  disorderly  society.  He  received 
me  with  no  little  complaisance,  and  caused  me  to 
be  stripped  to  the  shirt,  leaving  me  naked  as  when 
I  left  my  mother's  womb.  My  clothes  were  di- 
vided amongst  the  naked  lads,  and  the  little  money 

I  had   amongst    all So,  without 

muttering  one  execration  or  proffering  one  excuse, 
I  delivered  up  all  my  clothes,  remaining  en  cuerpo  ; 


ALONSO.  79 

only  for  decency's  sake  I  kept  a  bit  of  a  mantle, 
and  even  this  they  would  not  spare  me,  for  a  Gypsy 
woman  coming  up  to  me,  cried,  '  Show  me,  show 
me,  for  with  this  cloth  we  will  warm  the  beliy  of 
little  Antonio,  who  is  almost  dying  with  cold.'  *  It 
is  good  for  nothing,'  I  replied  :  *  for,  although  it  is 
cloth,  it  is  very  old,  torn,  and  threadbare,  with  no 
nap  upon  it.'  '  Nap  or  none,  it  will  do,'  replied  the 
evil  hag,  and  without  waiting  for  further  reply  or 
excuse,  tore  it  away  from  me.  I  wished  at  that 
moment  to  become  a  savage,  that  I  might  cover  my 
nakedness  and  shame  with  my  hair.  But,  without 
doubt,  that  pitiless  woman  had  read  the  canon  of 
Avicena,  which  says :  Etiam  in  vilibus  surama 
virtus  inest.  She  wished  her  ailing  bantling  to  be 
cured  at  my  expense,  caring  nothing  what  harm 

might  befall  me  in  consequence 

"  At  the  cries  of  the  Conde  forth  stepped  Isabel 
with  half  a  goat,  (the  other  half,  as  I  afterwards 
learned,  having  been  eaten  in  the  morning,)  stolen 
according  to  custom  from  the  flocks  of  some  shep- 
herds in  the  neighbourhood  ;  and  asking  no  questions 
as  to  what  death  it  died,  or  as  to  its  tenderness,  they 
put  it  on  a  stick  as  a  spit,  and  all  helping  to  bring 
wood,  of  which  there  was  abundance,  they  made  an 
enormous  fire.  The  goat  was  presently  roasted, 
and  without  asking  for  savoury  sauces,  those  who 
officiated  as  carvers  began  portioning  out  the  meat 
in  certain  wooden  platters.  All  squatted  down 
around  a  sheet,  which,  spread  on  the  ground,  served 
as  a  table  cloth.     The  night  was  very  dark  ;  but 


80  THE    ZINCALI. 

there  was  no  need  of  light,  the  blaze  of  the  fire  be- 
ing sufficient  to  illumine  three  times  more  company 
than  that  present.  Seeing  that  they  were  supping, 
I  went  on  one  side  that  I  migut  not  compel  them  to 
invite  me,  whereupon  a  Gitana,  taking  from  the 
platter  one  or  two  ribs,  called  to  me,  saying,  '  Take 
this  bit  of  meat  and  bread,  that  you  may  not  say  to 
us,  little  good  may  it  do  you.'  I  was  grateful  for  the 
regale,  for  to  tell  the  truth,  as  I  became  warm  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  fire  my  appetite  was  begin- 
ingto  sting,  and  hunger  to  incommode  me  ;  so  I  fell 
to  work  on  my  ribs,  but  notwithstanding  I  had  ca- 
pital teeth,  I  could  make  no  impression,  nor  indeed 
could  the  best  Irish  harrier  have  broken  them,  so 
hard  they  were.  But  my  companions  making  no 
ceremony,  ale  of  their  she-goat  or  he-goat,  just  is  if 
it  were  a  fat  and  tender  capon ^  and  from  time  to 
time  swallowed  down  a  pitcher  of  water,  for  wine 
was  not  used  in  this  fraternity,  being  considered  as 
too  expensive.  I  looked  on  and  praised  the  Lord, 
seeing  that  what  I  could  not  eat  was  so  savoury  and 
palatable  to  these  poor  wretches  ;  for  notwithstand- 
ing their  food  was  carrion,  swallowed  at  so  late  an 
hour,  and  their  drink  not  wine,  but  brackish  hard 
water,  being  enough  to  make  the  most  robust  animal 
burst ;  still  the  old  men,  women,  and  children  were 
strong,  with  hale  colour  on  their  countenances  and 
vigour  in  all  their  actions,  as  much  so  as  if  their 
health  had  been  the  subject  of  their  particular  solici- 
tude. .  .  It  was  already  past  midnight  when  the 
fraternity  began  to  betake  themselves  to  rest,  some  of 


ALONSO.  81 

them  reclining  their  backs  against  the  pine  trees, 
and  others  stretching  themselves  on  any  few  clothes 
which  they  chanced  to  have ;  I,  who  was  beset  by 
imaginations  many  and  various,  served  as  a  vigilant 
sentinel,  tending  the  fire  and  adding  to  it  frequently 
new  materials  that  it  might  not  go  out,  for  without 
its  warmth  I  should  certainly  have  arrived  at  the 
portals  of  death.  I  was  busied  in  this  occupation 
more  than  five  hours,  until  morning  came,  as  slow 
in  giving  its  light  as  desired  by  me.  I  began  to 
take  comfort  when  I  saw  the  darkness  passing  away, 
and  the  sky  chequered  with  different  colours,  and 
forthwith  sought  for  something  to  cover  my  sodden 
flesh,  and  it  pleased  God  to  show  me  some  sheep 
skins,  which,  turned  with  the  wool  inside,  I  com- 
menced fastening  to  my  body  with  some  pieces  of 
cord. 

"  The  sun  was  already  illuming  the  lowest  hills 
when  these  barbarians  began  to  rouse  themselves 
from  their  slumbers.  Gracious  providence  !  though 
it  had  not  left  off  raining,  more  or  less,  for  eleven 
hours,  and  though  they  had  nothing  to  shelter  and 
defend  them  from  the  inclemency  of  the  cold,  they 
had  slept  as  calmly  and  quietly  as  if  on  beds  of 
down.  True  it  is  that  custom  became  to  them  na- 
ture, and  to  remove  them  from  this  species  of  life 
would  have  been  death.  Seeing  that  I  had  made 
of  myself  a  portrait  of  the  Baptist,  with  my  arms 
and  legs  uncovered,  all  who  saw  me  began  to  laugh, 
praising  my  industry,  for  by  accommodating  myself 
to  circumstances  I  had  given  a  proof  of  my  skill ;  it 


82  THE    ZINCALI. 

however  availed  me  but  little,  for  one  of  the  Gitanas, 
uttering  many  cries,  and  threatening  me  with  many 
abusive  words,  bade  me  instantly  take  off  my  new 
dress,  it  being  the  rug  on  which  she  was  wont  to 
sleep.  I  saw  that  she  was  right,  as  I  had  made  my- 
self master  of  another  person's  property,  and  in- 
stantly stripped  myself  of  that  disguise,  remaining 
naked  as  before.  Two  days  I  continued  in  this 
state,  and  might  have  continued  for  many  more  but 
for  the  death  of  a  Gitano,  who  being  very  infirm  and 
excessively  old,  paid  the  debt  to  which  he  was  con- 
demned from  the  moment  of  his  birth. 

'*  Two  fellows  made  a  deep  hole  or  grave,  where 
they  left  the  body  of  the  defunct  uncovered,  cast- 
ing in  with  it  some  loaves  and  a  little  money,  as 
if  he  needed  it  for  the  journey  of  the  next  world. 
Then  the  Gitanas  walked  past,  two  by  two,  with 
hair  dishevelled  and  scratching  their  visages,  and 
she  who  made  her  nails  most  bloody  performed  her 
duty  best,  according  to  their  idea.  In  the  rear 
came  the  men  calling  on  the  saints,  and  principally 
on  the  divine  Baptist,  for  whom  they  entertain  an 
especial  devotion,  entreating  him  with  loud  cries^  as 
if  he  were  deaf,  to  help  the  dead,  and  to  obtain 
pardon  for  his  sins.  When  they  were  hoarse  with 
shouting,  they  were  proceeding  to  cast  the  earth 
over  him  ;  but  I  prayed  them  to  stay  awhile  whilst 
I  said  two  words.  They  granted  my  request,  and 
I  with  the  greatest  humility  addressed  them  in  the 
following  manner 

"  What  I  said  appeared  reasonable  to  all,  and  it 


ALONSO.  83 

was  certainly  strange  that  amongst  so  many  there 
was  none  to  contradict  me.  They  told  me  to  strip 
him  ;  and  I  very  obediently  took  from  the  dead 
man  his  dress,  with  which  I  covered  my  body,  be- 
coming in  garb,  if  not  in  disposition  and  manners, 
like  the  other  Gypsies.  I  returned  the  body  to  its 
grave  ;  and  covering  it  with  earth,  left  it  until  the 
day  of  judgment,  when  it  will  come  forth  to  its  ac- 
count, like  all  the  rest  of  us." 


CHAPTER  VL 

THE    COMUNEROS. GUEVARA. — THE    TWO    PADILLAS. — MARY     PADILLA 

AND    HER    HAG. — CANNIBALISM. FAJARDO. ANECDOTES. CHILD- 
STEALING. — CONNEXION  OF  THE  GITANOS  WITH  THE  MOORS  OF  BARBARY. 

Few  foreigners  have  heard  of  the  Comuneros  of 
Spain  ;  yet  the  civil  war  between  the  Comuneros 
and  Royalists,  or  the  party  of  Carlos  the  First, 
generally  known  in  Europe  by  the  name  of  Charles 
the  Fifth,  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  events  in 
Spanish  history. 

Charles  the  Fifth,  the  Austrian,  who  ascended  the 
throne  of  Spain  a  mere  stripling,  brought  with  him 
a  crowd  of  foreigners,  by  whose  advice  and  opinions 
his  actions,  for  some  years,  were  much  influenced. 
The  rapacity  and  insolence  of  these  followers  highly 
incensed  the  people,  and  especially  the  proud  Cas- 
tilian  nobles.  Resistance  to  the  royal  authority 
was  determined  upon ;  a  league  was  formed,  and 
those  who  composed  it  were  called  Comuneros, 
or  individuals  united  in  a  common  cause.  This 
league  had  its  ramifications  throughout  Spain,  but 
its  focus  was  in  Old  Castile,  and  there  principally 
was  the  battle  fought.  The  Royalists  and  foreigners 
finally  triumphed,  but  in  a  manner  which  did  them 


I 


MARY    PADILLA. GUEVARA.  85 

little  honour.  Their  soldiers  were  fierce  and  savage 
enough  to  all  purpose,  but  their  swords  and  lances 
proved  of  less  service  to  the  royal  cause  than  the 
preaching  and  haranguing  of  certain  friars,  who 
were  sent  amongst  the  Comuneros  for  the  .purpose 
of  breeding  dissension,  in  which  they  to  a  consider- 
able extent  succeeded. 

It  is  said  that  the  Comuneros  wished  to  have 
established  a  kind  of  republic,  after  the  manner  of 
the  Italian  states  :  the  scheme  was  perhaps  chimeri- 
cal, yet  some  of  the  best  and  bravest  spirits  in  Spain 
were  engaged  in  it,  the  most  celebrated  of  whom 
were  Juan  de  Padilla,  and  the  Bishop  of  Zamora. 
The  Comuneros,  who  still  held  together,  were  at 
last  worsted  in  a  decisive  combat  on  the  plains  of 
Villalar,  where  their  chiefs  were  taken  prisoners, 
after  a  desperate  combat,  and  almost  immediately 
executed. 

On  this  latter  occasion,  two  examples  were  offered, 
one  of  heroic  and  generous  feeling,  and  the  other 
of  Christian  resignation,  which  are  perhaps  without 
a  parallel.  Juan  de  Padilla  was  led  forth  to  suffer 
on  the  scaffold  with  one  Juan  Bravo  ;  whereupon 
the  latter,  who  was  a  cavalier  of  Salamanca  and  an 
enthusiastic  Comunero,  begged  of  the  executioner 
to  decapitate  him  first :  t}iat  I  may  not  see  the  best 
gentleman  in  Castile  put  to  death.  On  hearing  which, 
Padilla  exclaimed  :  *'  Heed  not  such  a  trifle,  Juan 
Bravo  ;  yesterday  it  became  us  to  fight  like  gentlemen  ; 
to-day  it  is  our  duty  to  die  like  Christians,'''* 

But  the  most  extraordinary  of  all  the  Comuneros 

VOL.  I.  8 


86  THE    ZI^-CALI. 

was  a  woma?i,  and  this  woman  was  Donna  Maria  de 
Padilla,  the  wife  of  Juan  de  Padilla,  of  whom  we 
have  just  been  speaking.  She  was  a  native  of 
Toledo,  her  maiden  name  was  Pacheco,  and  she  is 
said  to  have  been  a  person  of  great  beauty,  and  of 
mascuhne  understanding  ;  the  worst  enemy  of  her 
husband  and  herself,  Friar  Antonio  Guevara,*  bears 
witness  to  her  energy  ;  for,  in  his  Familiar  Letters,t 
he  says,  that  she  was  the  stay  of  the  cause,  a  title  of 
which  she  proved  herself  well  worthy,  by  holding 
out,  when  all  was  lost ;  and  by  defending  Toledo, 
the  capital  of  New  Castile,  after  the  husband  whom 
she  idolized  had  perished  on  the  scaffold  in  the  ad- 
joining province.  The  latter  part  of  the  life  of  this 
wonderful  woman  is  enveloped  in  a  strange  myster}^ ; 
she  is  said  to  have  incited  her  husband  to  take  a 
principal  part  in  the  rebellion,  (for  rebellion  it  cer- 
tainly was,)  from  motives  of  ambition,  with  which 

*  This  individual  was  originally  a  soldier,  subsequently  a  friar,  and 
finally  Bishop  of  Mondonedo,  to  which  dignity  he  was  advanced  by  the 
Emperor,  for  services  rendered  during  the  rebellion.  He  preached 
against  the  assembled  junta  of  the  Comuneros  at  Villabraxima  ;  and  it  is 
much  to  the  credit  of  those  of  the  league  that  he  was  permitted  to  depart 
alive,  if  he  really  said  only  one  half  of  the  impertinent  things  of  which  he 
himself  boasts  in  bis  letters.  The  Bishop  of  Zamora,  however,  dismissed 
him  with  a  cutting  rebuke,  which  Guevara  had  not  sufficient  sense  to  sup- 
press, but  has  related  to  his  own  immortal  shame.  He  was  a  person  of 
loud  voice,  matchless  impudence,  and  of  exceeding  ignorance.  It  is  be« 
lieved  that  Cervantes  intended  to  represent  Guevara  by  the  insolent  ecclcsi 
astic  at  the  Duke's  table,  who  abuses  the  Don,  and  scolds  the  Duke  for 
tolerating  him. 

t  Epistolas  Familiares.  Salamanca,  1578.  Several  of  these  letters  arc 
addressed  to  the  principal  Comuneros;  amongst  them  is  one  to  Maria  de 
Padilla. 


THE    TWO    PADILLAS.  87 

she  was  inspired,  by  the  discourse  of  a  being — a 
female,  who  was  continually  about  her,  prattling  and 
filling  her  brain  with  fantastic  visions  of  future 
grandeur.  Let  us  see  what  her  enemy  Guevara 
says  on  this  point,  who,  in  a  letter  which  he  ad- 
dressed to  her,  thus  writes  : — 

"  People  likewise  say  of  you,  O  madam,  that  you 
have  about  you  a  tawny  and  frantic  slave,  a  female 
who  is  a  great  sorceress  ;  and  they  say  that  she  has 
said  and  affirmed,  that  within  a  few  days  you  shall 
be  called  high  and  might}^  lady,  and  your  husband 
hiohness." 

It  appears  to  us,  that  this  mad,  tawny  female,.. 
whom  Guevara  calls  a  slave,  was  a  Gypsy,  one  of 
the  sect  of  the  Rom  many,  of  the  husbands  and  wives, 
such  predictions  having  at  all  times  formed  part  of 
the  buena  ventura,  which  they  are  so  fond  of  telling. 

It  is  singular  enough  that  the  Gitanos,  who  have- 
so  few  traditions,  speak  of  Mary  Padilla,  in  one  of 
their  magic  rhymes : — 

"  One  of  these  cheeses  I  will  give  to  Mary  Padilla  and  to  her  company."' 

It  must  be  observed,  however,  that  two  person- 
ages of  the  name  of  Maria  de  Padilla  have  played  a 
part  in  Spanish  history.  The  first  was  the  wife  or 
concubine  of  the  king  Don  Pedro,  and  the  second 
the  Maria  Pacheco,  or  Padilla,  as  she  is  always 
called,  of  whom  we  are  now  speaking.  We  enter- 
tain no  doubt,  however,  and  no  individual  who  at  all 
understands  the  subject  can  entertain  a  doubt,  that 
Maria  Pacheco,  wife  of  Don  Juan  de  Padilla,  is  al- 
luded to  in  this  witch-rhyme  of  the  Gitanos,  and  not 


88  THE    ZINCALI. 

the  wife  of  the  king    Don  Pedro,   who   was   also 
called  Donna  Maria  de  Padilla. 

Maria  Padilla,  the  wife  of  Don  Pedro,  lived  cen- 
turies before  the  arrival  of  the  Gitanos  in  Spain. 
This  alone  is  a  very  strong  argument  for  the  correct- 
ness of  the  opinion  expressed  ;  if  we  consider  what 
slight  knowledge  people  so  illiterate  as  the  Gitanos 
could  have  of  the  unfortunate  wife  of  Don  Pedro, 
and  how  little  any  thing  relati^ng  to  her  was  calcu- 
lated to  interest  ih'isjente  de  behetria — this  disorderly 
rabble — who  during  their  w^hole  sojourn  in  Spain, 
have  thought  of  nothing  but  deceit  and  robbery. 

But  with  respect  to  the  other  Maria,  the  Pacheco 
Padilla,  the  case  is  widely  different.  She  lived  in 
Gypsy  times  ;  and  we  have  little  hesitation  in  be- 
lieving that  she  was  connected  with  this  race — 
fatally  for  herself:  her  slave  !  loray  loca,  tawmj  and 
frantic — what  epithets  can  be  found  more  appli- 
cable to  a  Gypsy,  more  descriptive  of  her  personal 
appearance  and  occasional  demeanour  than  these 
two  ?  And  then  again,  the  last  scene  in  the  life  of 
Padilla,  so  mysterious,  so  unaccountable,  unless  the 
Gitanos  were  concerned,  and  they  unquestionably 
were  flitting  about  the  eventful  stage  at  that  period. 

The  great  majorit}^  of  the  Spanish  towns,  foresee- 
ing perhaps  the  evil  termination  of  the  enterprise, 
abondoned  the  comunidad.  The  commercial  city  of 
Medina  was  burnt  by  the  royal  soldiery  in  their  rage. 
The  fate  of  Olmedo  was  little  better.  After  the 
affair  of  Villalar,  all  the  Comuneros  who  remained 
alive  submitted,  and  all  the  cities  of  Spain  presented 
their  keys  to  the  conquerors,  with  the  exception  of 


THE    TWO    FADILLAS.  89 

Toledo,  where  Maria  Padilla  commanded,  by  the 
express  desire  of  the  Toledans  themselves.  Toledo 
resisted  so  long  as  the  Padilla  thought  fit ;  and  per- 
haps this  city  would  have  chosen  and  imitated  the  fate 
of  Numancia,  if  the  heroic  matron  had  required  such 
a  sacrifice.  But  the  Padilla  loved  Toledo  as  dearly 
as  she  loved  the  cause  for  which  her  husband  had 
fallen  ;  and  perceiving  that  it  was  necessary  either 
to  surrender  or  to  see  Toledo  razed  to  the  ground, 
she  disguised  herself  in  the  dress  of  a  female  j^easaiitr 
or  perhaps  in  that  of  a  Gypsy,  and  leading  her  son 
by  the  hand,  escaped  from  Toledo  one  stormy  night; 
and  from  that  moment  nothing  more  is  known  of  her. 
The  surrender  of  the  town  followed  immediately 
after  her  disappearance. 

We  have  said  that  perhaps  she  disguised  herself 
as  a  Gypsy,  and  we  certainly  believe  that  the  tawny 
and  frantic  slave,  the  mighty  sorceress,  who  haunted 
her,  was  a  genuine  Gitana,  and  that  the  lying  pro- 
phecy attributed  to  her  was  the  baji  or  buena  ventura. 
It  was  quite  in  character  for  this  being  to  assist  her 
mistress,  or  rather  her  victim,  in  making  her  escape, 
not  from  love,  not  from  fidelity,  O  no !  The  Gitana 
had  no  sympathy,  no  pity,  for  the  busnee,  or  her 
fair  boy.  She  and  her  gang,  concealed  amongst  the 
hills,  only  thought  of  the  jewels  which  the  Padilla 
might  bring  with  her. 

One  word  more  on  this  point.  The  place  where 
the  most  noisy  meetings  of  the  Comuneros  were 
held,  was  the  village  of  Villabraxima,  which,  as 
Martin  del  Rio  proves,  (an  excellent  authority  on 

8* 


90  THE    ZINCALI. 

such  a  subject,)  was  one  of  the  most  constant  haunts 
of  the  Gitanos.  It  is  by  no  means  improbable  that 
during  the  events  which  we  have  related  above,  the 
Comuneros  employed  Gitanos  for  the  purpose  of 
conveying  their  correspondence,  and  perhaps  the 
royalists  themselves  made  use  of  these  people — 
people  exactly  suited  for  every  species  of  mysterious 
crime — so  that  the  poor  unfortunate  Padilla,  trusting 
to  make  her  escape  by  means  of  them  and  her 
frantic  slave,  perished  with  her  young  son  b}^  hokkano 
haro. 

If  the  Gitanos  had  any  hand  in  the  disappearance 
and  death  of  the  Padilla,  it  is  the  worst  of  the  many 
evil  actions  which  they  have  committed  in  Spain. 

*'  Los  Gitanos  son  muy  malos  ! — the  Gypsies  are 
very  bad  people,"  said  the  Spaniards  of  old  times. 
They  are  cheats  ;  they  are  highwaymen  ;  they  prac- 
tise sorcery  ;  and,  lest  the  catalogue  of  their  offences 
should  be  incomplete,  a  formal  charge  of  canni- 
balism was  brought  against  them.  Cheats  they 
have  always  been,  and  highwaymen,  and  if  not 
sorcerers,  they  have  always  done  their  best  to  merit 
that  appellation,  by  arrogating  to  themselves  super- 
natural powers  ;  but  that  ihey  were  addicted  to 
cannibalism  is  a  matter  not  so  easily  proved. 

Their  principal  accuser  was  Don  Juan  de  Qui- 
nones,  who,  in  the  work  from  which  we  have  already 
had  occasion  to  quote,  gives  several  anecdotes  illus- 
trative of  their  cannibal  propensities.  Most  of  these 
anecdotes,  however,  are  so  highly  absurd,  that  none 
but  the  very  credulous  could  ever  have  vouchsafed 
hem  the  slightest  credit.     This  author  is  particu- 


CANNIBALISM. FAJARDO.  91 

larly  Ibnd  of  speaking  of  a  certain  juez,  or  judge, 
called  Don  Martin  Fajardo,  who  seems  to  have  been 
an  arrant  Gypsy-hunter,  and  was  probably  a  mem- 
ber of  the  ancient  family  of  the  Fajardos  which 
still  flourishes  in  Estremadura,  and  with  individuals 
of  which  we  are  acquainted.  So  it  came  to  pass 
that  this  personage  was,  in  the  year  1629,  at  Jaraicejo, 
in  Estremadura,  or,  as  it  is  written  in  the  little  book 
in  question,  Zaraizejo,  in  the  capacity  of  judge,  a 
zealous  one  he  undoubtedly  was. 

A  very  strange  place  is  this  same  Jaraicejo,  a 
small  ruinous  town  or  village,  situated  on  a  rising 
ground,  with  a  very  wild  country  all  about  it.  The 
road  from  Badajoz  to  Madrid  passes  through  it ; 
and  about  two  leagues  distant,  in  the  direction  of 
Madrid,  is  the  famous  mountain  pass  of  Mirabete, 
from  the  top  of  which  ^^ou  enjoy  a  most  picturesque 
view  across  the  Tagus,  which  flows  below,  as  far 
as  the  huge  mountains  of  Plasencia,  the  tops  of 
which  are  generally  covered  with  snow. 

So  this  Don  Martin  Fajardo,  judge,  being  at 
Jaraicejo,  laid  his  claw  upon  four  Gitanos,  and  hav- 
ing nothing,  as  it  appears,  to  accuse  them  of,  except 
being  Gitanos,  put  them  to  the  torture,  and  made 
them  accuse  themselves,  which  they  did  ;  for,  on 
the  first  appeal  which  was  made  to  the  rack,  they 
confessed  that  they  had  murdered  a  female  Gypsy 
in  the  forest  of  Las  Gamas,  and  had  there  eaten 
her 

I  am  myself  well  acquainted  with  this,  same 
forest  of  Las  Gamas,  which  lies  between  Jaraicejo 


92  THE    ZINCALI. 

and  Trujillo  ;  it  abounds  with  chestnut  and  cork 
trees,  and  is  a  place  very  well  suited  either  for  the 
purpose  of  murder  or  cannibalism.  It  will  be  as 
well  to  observe  that  1  visited  it  in  company  with  a 
band  of  Gitanos,  who  bivouacked  there,  and  cooked 
their  supper,  which  however  did  not  consist  of 
human  flesh  but  of  a  puchera,  the  ingredients  of 
which  were  beef,  bacon,  garbanzos,  and  berdolaga, 
or  field-pease  and  purslain, — therefore  I  myself  can 
bear  testimony  that  there  is  such  a  forest  as  Las 
Gamas,  and  that  it  is  frequented  occasionally  by 
Gypsies,  by  which  tw^o  points  are  established  by 
far  the  most  important  to  the  history  in  question,  or 
so  at  least  it  would  be  thought  in  Spain,  for  being 
sure  of  the  forest  and  the  Gypsies,  few  would  be 
incredulous  enough  to  doubt  the  facts  of  the  murder 
and  cannibalism 

On  being  put  to  the  rack  a  second  time,  the 
Gitanos  confessed  that  they  had  likewise  murdered 
and  eaten  a  female  pilgrim  in  the  forest  aforesaid ; 
and  on  being  tortured  yet  again,  that  they  had 
served  in  the  same  manner,  and  in  the  same  forest, 
a  friar  of  the  order  of  San  Francisco,  whereupon 
they  we^e  released  from  the  rack  and  executed. 
This  is  one  of  the  anecdotes  of  Quinones. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  moreover,  that  the  said  Fa- 
jarado,  being  in  the  town  of  Montijo,  was  told  by 
the  alcalde,  that  a  certain  inhabitant  of  that  place 
had  some  time  previous  lost  a  mare  ;  and  wander- 
ing about  the  plains  in  quest  of  her  he  arrived  at  a 
place  called  Arroyo  el  Puerco,  where  stood  a  ruined 


CANNIBALISM    ANECDOTES.  93 

house,  on  entering  which  he  found  various  Gitanos 
employed  in  preparing  their  dinner,  which  consisted 
of  a  quarter  of  a  human  body,  which  was  being 
roasted  bfore  a  huge  fire  :  the  result  however  we 
are  not  told  :  whether  the  Gypsies  were  angry  at 
being  disturbed  in  their  cookery,  or  whether  the  man 
of  the  mare  departed  unobserved. 

Quinones,  in  continuation,  states  in  his  book  that 
he  learned  (he  does  not  say  from  whom,  but  pro- 
bably from  Fajardo)  that  there  was  a  shepherd  of 
the  city  of  Gaudix,  who  once  lost  his  way  in  the  wild 
sierra  of  Gadol :  night  came  on,  and  the  wind  blew 
cold  ;  he  wandered  about  until  he  descried  a  light 
m  the  distance,  towards  which  he  bent  his  way,  sup- 
posing it  to  be  a  fire  kindled  by  shepherds  ;  on 
arriving  at  the  spot,  however,  he  found  a  whole 
tribe  of  Gypsies,  who  were  roasting  the  half  of  a 
man,  the  other  half  being  hung  on  a  cork  tree  :  the 
Gypsies  welcomed  him  very  heartily,  and  requested 
him  to  be  seated  at  the  fire  and  to  sup  with  them  ; 
but  he  presently  heard  them  whisper  to  each  other, 
"  this  is  a  fine  fat  fellow,"  from  which  he  suspected 
that  they  were  meditating  a  design  upon  his  body  ; 
whereupon,  feigning  himself  sleepy,  he  made  as  if 
he  were  seeking  a  spot  where  to  lie,  and  suddenly 
darted  headlong  down  the  mountain  side,  and  es- 
caped from  their  hands  without  breaking  his  neck. 

These  anecdotes  scarcely  deserve  comment :  first 
we  have  the  statements  of  Fajardo  the  fool  or  knave 
who  tortures  wretches,  and  then  puts  them  to  death 
for  the  crimes  with  which  they  have  taxed  them- 


94  THE    ZINCALI. 

selves  whilst  undergoing  the  agony  of  the  rack,  pro- 
babl}^  with  the  hope  of  obtaining  a  moment's  respite  ; 
last  comes  the  tale  of  the  shepherd,  who  is  invited 
by  Gypsies  on  a  mountain  at  night  to  partake  of  a 
supper  of  human  flesh,  and  who  runs  away  from 
them  on  hearing  them  talk  of  the  fatness  of  his  own 
body,  as  if  cannibal  robbers  detected  in  their  orgies 
by  a  single  interloper  would  hUve  afforded  him  a 
chance  of  escaping.     Such  tales  cannot  be  true.* 

Cases  of  cannibalism  are  said  to  have  occurred  in 
Hungary  amongst  the  Gypsies  ;  indeed,  the  whole 
race,  in  that  country,  has  been  accused  of  cannibal- 
ism, to  which  we  have  alluded  whilst  speaking  of 
the  Chingany:  it  is  very  probable,  however,  that 
they  were  quite  innocent  of  this  odious  practice,  and 
that  the  accusation  had  its  origin  in  popular  preju- 
dice, or  in  the  fact  of  their  foul  feeding,  and  their 
seldom  rejecting  carrion  or  offal  of  any  description. 

The  Gazette  of  Frankfort  for  the  year  1782,  Nos. 
157  and  207,  states,  that  150  Gypsies  were  impri- 
soned charged  with  this  practice  ;  and  that  the  Em- 
press Teresa  sent  commissioners  to  inquire  into  the 
facts  of  the  accusation,  who  discovered  that  they 
were  true  ;  whereupon  the  Empress  published  a 
law  to  oblige  all  the  Gypsies  in  her  dominions  to  be- 
come stationary,  which,  however,  had  no  effect. 

*  Yet  notwithstanding  that  we  refuse  credit  to  these  particular  narra- 
tions of  Quinoncs  and  Fajardo,  acts  of  cannibalism  may  certainly  have 
been  perpetrated  by  the  Gitanos  of  Spain  in  ancient  times,  when  they 
v/ere  for  the  most  part  semi-savages,  living  amongst  mountains  and  deserts, 
whei-e  food  was  hard  to  be  procured :  famine  may  have  occasionally  com- 
pelled them  to  prey  on  human  flesh,  as  it  has  in  modern  times  compelled 
people  far  more  civilized  than  wandering  Gypsies. 


CANNIBALISM— -CHILD-STEALING.  95 

Upon  this  matter  we  can  state  nothing  on  our 
own  knowledge. 

*'  Los  Gitanos  son  muy  males  ;  lie  van  nines  hur- 
tados  a  Berberia.     The  Gypsies  are  very  bad  peo- 
ple ;  they  steal  children  and  carry  them  to  Barbary, 
where  they  sell  them  to  the  Moors" — so  said  the 
Spaniards  in  old  times.     There  can  be  little  doubt 
that  even  before  the  fall  of  the  kingdom  of  Granada, 
which  occurred  in  the  year  1492,  the  Gitanos  had 
intercourse  with   the  Moors  of  Spain.     Andalusia, 
which  has  ever  been  the  province  where  the  Gitano 
race  has  most  abounded  since  its  arrival,  was,  until 
the  edict  of  Philip  the  Third,  which  banished  more 
than  a  milhon  of  Moriscos  from  Spain,  principally 
peopled  by  Moors,  who  differed  from  the  Spaniards 
both  in  language  and  religion  ;  by  living  even   as 
wanderers  amongst  these  people,  the  Gitanos  natu- 
rally became  acquainted  with  their  tongue,  and  with 
many   of  their   customs,   which   of  course    much 
facilitated  any  connexion  which  they  might  subse- 
quently form  with  the  Barbaresques.     Between  the 
Moors  of  Barbary  and  the  Spaniards  a  deadly  and 
continued  war  raged  for  centuries,  both  before  and 
after  the  expulsion  of   the   Moriscos  from    Spain. 
The  Gitanos,  who  cared  probably  as  little  for  one 
nation  as  the  other,  and  who  have  no  sympathy  and 
affection  beyond  the  pale  of  their  own  sect,  doubt- 
less sided  with  either  as  their  interest  dictated,  offi- 
ciating as  spies  for  both  parties  and  betraying  both. 
It  is  likely  enough  that  they  frequently  passed 
over  to  Barbary  with  stolen  children  of  both  sexes 


96  THE    ZINC  ALL 

whom  they  sold  to  the  Moors,  who  traffic  in  slaves, 
whether  white  or  black,  even  at  the  present  day ; 
and  perhaps  this  kidnapping  trade  gave  occasion  to 
other  relations.  As  they  were  perfectly  acquainted, 
from  their  wandering  life,  with  the  shores  of  the 
Spanish  Mediterranean,  they  must  have  been  of 
considerable  assistance  to  the  Barbary  pirates  in 
their  marauding  trips  to  the  Spanish  coast,  both  as 
guides  and  advisers ;  and  as  it  was  a  far  easier 
matter,  and  afforded  a  better  prospect  of  gain,  to 
plunder  the  Spaniards  than  the  Moors,  a  people 
almost  as  wild  as  themselves,  they  were,  on  that 
account,  and  that  only,  more  Moors  than  Christians, 
and  ever  willing  to  assist  the  former  in  their  forays 
on  the  latter. 

Quifiones  observes :  "  The  Moors  with  whom  they 
hold  correspondence  let  them  go  and  come  without 
any  let  or  obstacle  :  an  instance  of  this  was  seen  in 
the  year  1627,  when  two  galleys  from  Spain  were 
carrying  assistance  to  Mamora,  which  was  then 
besieged  by  the  Moors.  These  galleys  struck  on  a 
shoal,  when  the  Moors  seized  all  the  people  on  board, 
making  captives  of  the  Christians  and  setting  at 
liberty  all  the  Moors,  who  were  chained  to  the  oar ; 
as  for  the  Gypsy  galley-slaves  whom  they  found 
amongst  these  last,  they  did  not  make  them  slaves, 
but  received  them  as  people  friendly  to  them,  and 
at  their  devotion ;  wdnch  matter  was  public  and 
notorious." 

Of  the  Moors  and  the  Gitanos  we  shall  have  occa- 
sion to  say  something  in  the  following  chapter. 


CHAPTER  Vli. 

BARBARY  AND  ITS  TRIBES. — BEN!  AROS. — SIDI  HAMED  AU  MUZA. — THE 
CHILDREN  OF  THE  DAR-BUSHI-FAL,  A  SECT  OF  THIEVES  AND  SORCE- 
RERS, PROBABLY  OF  GYPSY  ORIGIN. 

There  is  no  portion  of  the  world  so  little  known 
as  Africa  in  general;  and  perhaps  of  all  Africa 
there  is  no  corner  with  which  Europeans  are  so 
little  acquainted  as  Barbary,  which  nevertheless  is 
only  separated  from  the  continent  of  Europe  by  a 
narrow  strait  of  four  leagues  across. 

China  itself  has,  for  upwards  of  a  century,  ceased 
to  be  a  land  of  mystery  to  the  civilized  portion  of 
the  world  ;  the  enterprising  children  of  Loyola  hav- 
ing wandered  about  it  in  every  direction,  making 
converts  to  their  doctrine  and  discipline,  whilst  the 
Russians  possess  better  maps  of  its  vast  regions 
than  of  their  own  country,  and  lately,  owing  to  the 
persevering  labour  and  searching  eye  of  my  friend 
Hyacinth,  Archimandrite  of  Saint  John  Nefsky,  are 
acquainted  with  the  number  of  its  military  force  to 
a  man,  and  also  with  the  names  and  residence  of  its 
civil  servants.  Yet  who  possesses  a  map  of  Fez 
and  Morocco,  or  would  venture  to  form  a  conjecture 
as  to  how  many  fiery  horsemen  Abderrahman,  the 

VOL.    I.  9 


98  THE    ZINCALI. 

mulatto  emperor,  could  lead  to  the  field,  were  his 
sandy  dominions  threatened  by  the  Nazarene  ?  Yet 
Fez  is  scarcely  two  hundred  leagues  distant  from 
Madrid,  whilst  Maraks,  the  other  great  city  of  the 
Moors,  and  which  also  has  given  its  name  to  an 
empire,  is  scarcely  farther  removed  from  Paris,  the 
capital  of  civilization :  in  a  word,  we  scarcely  know 
any  thing  of  Barbary,  the  scanty  information  which 
we  possess  being  confined  to  a  few  towns  on  the 
sea  coast ;  the  zeal  of  the  Jesuit  himself  being  in- 
sufficient to  induce  him  to  confront  the  perils  of  the 
interior,  in  the  hopeless  endeavour  of  making  one 
single  proselyte  from  amongst  the  wildest  fanatics 
of  the  creed  of  the  Prophet  Camel-driver. 

Are  v/anderers  of  the  Gypsy  race  to  be  found  in 
Barbary  ?  This  is  a  question  which  I  have  fre- 
quently asked  myself.  Several  respectable  authors 
have,  I  believe,  asserted  the  fact,  amongst  whom 
Adelung,  who,  speaking  of  the  Gypsies,  says,  "Four 
hundred  years  have  passed  away  since  they  de- 
parted from  their  native  land.  During  this  time, 
they  have  spread  themselves  through  the  whole  of 
Western  Asia,  Europe,  and  Northern  Africa."*  But 
it  is  one  thing  to  make  an  assertion,  and  another  to 
produce  the  grounds  for  making  it.  I  believe  it 
would  require  a  far  greater  stock  of  information 
than  has  hitherto  been  possessed  by  any  one  who 
has  written  on  the  subject  of  the  Gypsies,  to  justify 
him  in  asserting  positively,  that  after  traversing  the 
west  of  Europe,  they  spread  themselves  over  North- 

*  Mithndates,  erster  theil.  s.  241. 


BARBARY.  99 

ern  Africa,  though  true  it  is  that  to  those  who  take 
a  superficial  view  of  the  matter,  nothing  appears 
easier  and  more  natural  than  to  come  to  such  a  con- 
clusion. 

Tarifa,  they  will  say,  the  most  western  part  of 
Spain,  is  opposite  to  Tangier,  in  Africa,  a  narrow 
sea  only  running  between,  less  wide  than  many 
rivers.  Bands,  therefore,  of  these  wanderers,  of 
course,  on  reaching  Tarifa,  passed  over  into  Africa, 
even  as  thousands  crossed  the  channel  from  France 
to  England.  They  have  at  all  times  shown  them- 
selves extravagantly  fond  of  a  roving  life.  What 
land  is  better  adapted  for  such  a  life  than  Africa 
and  its  wilds  ?  What  land,  therefore,  more  likely 
to  entice  them  ? 

All  this  is  very  plausible.  It  was  easy  enough 
for  the  Git^nos  to  pass  over  to  Tangier  and  Tetuan, 
from  the  Spanish  towns  of  Tarifa  and  Algeziras. 
In  the  last  chapter  I  have  stated  my  belief  of  the 
fact,  and  that  moreover  they  formed  certain  con- 
nexions with  the  Moors  of  the  coast,  to  whom  it  is 
likely  that  they  occasionally  sold  children  stolen  in 
Spain  ;  yet  such  connexion  would  by  no  means 
have  opened  them  a  passage  into  the  interior  of 
Barbary,  which  is  inhabited  by  wild  and  fierce  peo- 
ple, in  comparison  with  whom  the  Moors  of  the 
coast,  bad  as  they  always  have  been,  are  gentle 
and  civilized. 

To  penetrate  into  Africa,  the  Gitanos  would  have 
been  compelled  to  pass  through  the  tribes  who 
speak  the  Shilha  language,  and  who  are  the  de- 


100  THE    ZTNCALI. 

scendants  of  the  ancient  Numidians.  These  tribes 
are  the  most  untameable  and  warhke  of  mankind, 
and  at  the  same  time  the  most  suspicious,  and  those 
who  entertain  the  greatest  aversion  to  foreigners. 
They  are  dreaded  by  the  Moors  themselves,  and 
have  always  remained,  to  a  certain  degree,  inde- 
pendent of  the  emperors  of  Morocco.  They  are  the 
most  terrible  of  robbers  and  murderers,  and  enter- 
tain far  more  reluctance  to  spill  water,  than  the 
blood  of  their  fellow-creatures  :  the  Bedouins,  also, 
of  the  Arabian  race,  are  warlike,  suspicious,  and 
cruel ;  and  w^ould  not  have  failed  instantly  to  have 
attacked  bands  of  foreign  wanderers,  wherever  they 
found  them,  and  in  all  probability  to  have  exter- 
minated them.  Now  the  Gitanos,  such  as  they 
arrived  in  Barbary,  could  not  have  defended  them- 
selves against  such  enemies,  had  they  even  arrived 
in  large  divisions,  instead  of  bands  of  twenties  and 
thirties,  as  is  their  custom  to  travel.  They  are  not 
by  nature  nor  by  habit  a  warlike  race,  and  would 
have  quailed  before  the  Africans,  who,  unlike  most 
other  people,  engage  in  wars,  from  what  appears  to 
be  an  innate  love  of  the  cruel  and  bloody  scenes 
attendant  on  war. 

It  may  be  said,  that  if  the  Gitanos  were  able  to 
make  their  way  from  the  north  of  India,  from  Mul- 
tan,  for  example,  the  province  which  the  learned 
consider  to  be  the  original  dwelling-place  of  the 
race,  to  such  an  immense  distance  as  the  western 
part  of  Spain,  passing  necessarily  through  many 
wild  lands  and  tribes,  why  might  they  not  have 


BARBARY.  101 

penetrated  into  the  heart  of  Barbary,  and  wherefore 
may  not  their  descenaants  be  still  there  following 
the  same  kind  of  life  as  the  European  Gypsies,  that 
is,  wandering  about  from  place  to  place,  and  main- 
taining themselves  by  deceit  and  robbery  ? 

But  those  who  are  acquainted  but  slightly  with 
the  condition  of  Baibary,  are  aware  that  it  would 
be  less  difficult  and  dangerous  for  a  company  of 
foreigners  to  proceed  from  Spain  to  Multan,  than 
from  the  nearest  sea-port  in  Barbary  to  Fez,  an  in- 
significant distance.  True  it  is,  that,  from  their  in- 
tercourse with  the  Moors  of  Spain,  the  Gypsies 
might  have  become  acquainted  with  the  Arabic 
language,  and  might  even  have  adopted  the  Moorish 
dress  ere  entering  Barbary  ;  and,  moreover,  might 
have  professed  belief  in  the  religion  of  Mahomet ; 
still  they  would  hrve  been  known  as  foreigners, 
and,  on  that  account,  would  have  been  assuredly 
attacked  by  the  people  of  the  interior,  had  they 
gone  amongst  them,  who,  according  to  the  usual 
practice,  would  either  have  massacred  them,  or 
made  them  slaves,  and  as  slaves  they  would  have 
been  separated.  The  mulatto  hue  of  their  coun- 
tenances would  probably  have  insured  them  the 
latter  fate,  as  all  blacks  and  mulattos  in  the  domi- 
nions of  the  Moor  are  properly  slaves,  and  can  be 
bought  and  sold,  unless  by  some  means  or  other 
they  become  free,  in  which  event  their  colour  is  no 
obstacle  to  their  elevation  to  the  highest  employ- 
ments and  dignities,  to  their  becoming  pashas  of 
cities  and  provinces,  or  even  to  their  ascending  the 

9* 


102  THE    ZINCALI. 

throne.     Several  emperors  of  Morocco  have  been 
mulattos. 

Above  I  have  pointed  out  all  the  difficulties  and 
dangers  which  must  have  attended  the  path  of  the 
Gitanos,  had  they  passed  from  Spain  into  Barbary, 
and  attempted  to  spread  themselves  over  that  re- 
gion, as  over  Europe  and  many  parts  of  Asia.  To 
these  observations  I  have  been  led,  by  the  assertion 
that  they  accomplished  this  ;  and  no  proof  of  the 
fact  having,  as  I  am  aware,  ever  been  adduced  ;  for 
who  amongst  those  who  have  made  such  a  state- 
ment, has  seen  or  conversed  with  the  Egyptians  of 
Barbary,  or  had  sufficient  intercourse  with  them,  to 
justify  him  in  the  assertion  that  they  are  one  and 
the  same  people  as '  those  of  Europe,  from  whom 
they  differ  about  as  much  as  the  various  tribes 
which  inhabit  various  European  countries  differ 
from  each  other.  At  the  same  time,  I  wish  it  to  be 
distinctly  understood,  that  I  am  far  from  denying 
the  existence  of  Gypsies  in  various  parts  of  the  in- 
terior of  Barbary.  Indeed,  I  almost  believe  the 
fact,  though  the  informa.tion  which  I  possess  is  by 
no  means  of  a  description  which  would  justify  me 
in  speaking  \vdth  full  certainty ;  I  having  myself 
never  come  in  contact  with  any  sect  or  caste  of  peo- 
ple amongst  the  Moors,  who  not  only  tallied  in  their 
pursuits  with  the  Rommany,  but  who  likewise  spoke 
amongst  themselves  a  dialect  of  the  language  of 
Roma  ;  nor  am  I  aware  that  any  individual  worthy 
of  credit  has  ever  presumed  to  say  that  he  has  been 
more  fortunate  in  these  respects. 


BARBARY.  103 

Nevertheless,  I  repeat  that  I  am  inclined  to  be- 
lieve that  Gypsies  virtually  exist  in  Barbary,  and 
my  reasons  1  shall  presently  adduce ;  but  I  v^ill 
here  observe,  that  if  these  strange  outcasts  did  in- 
deed contrive  to  penetrate  into  the  heart  of  that 
savage  and  inhospitable  region,  they  could  only 
have  succeeded  after  having  become  well  acquainted 
with  the  Moorish  language,  and  when,  after  a  con- 
siderable sojourn  on  the  coast,  they  had  raised  for 
themselves  a- name,  and  were  regarded  with  super- 
stitious fear  ;  in  a  word,  if  they  walked  this  land  of 
peril  untouched  and  unscathed,  it  was  not  that  they 
were  considered  as  harmless  and  inoffensive  people, 
which,  indeed,  would  not  have  protected  them,  and 
which  assuredly  they  were  not ;  it  was  not  that  they 
were  mistaken  for  wandering  Moors  and  Bedouins, 
from  whom  they  differed  in  feature  and  complexion, 
but  because,  wherever  they  went,  they  were  dreaded 
as  the  possessors  of  supernatural  powers,  and  as 
mighty  sorcerers. 

There  is  in  Barbary  more  than  one  sect  of  wan- 
derers, which,  to  the  cursory  observer,  might  easily 
appear,  and  perhaps  have  appeared,  in  the  light  of 
legitimate  Gypsies.  For  example,  there  are  the 
Beni  Aros.  The  proper  home  of  these  people  is  in 
certain  high  mountains  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Te- 
tuan,  but  they  are  to  be  found  roving  about  the 
whole  kingdom  of  Fez.  Perhaps  it  would  be  impos- 
sible to  find,  in  the  whole  of  Northern  Africa,  a  more 
detestable  caste.  They  are  beggars  by  profession, 
but  are  exceedingly  addicted  to  robbervand  murder ; 


104  THE    ZINCALI. 

they  are  notorious  drunkards,  and  are  infamous,  even 
in  Barbary,  for  their  unnatural  lusts  ;  gangs  of  them 
frequently  forcing  their  way  into  villages,  whence 
they  bear  off  all  the  good-looking  male  children. 
They  are,  for  the  most  part  well  made  and  of  comety 
features.  I  have  occasionally  spoken  with  them  ; 
they  are  Moors,  and  speak  no  language  but  the 
Arabic. 

Then  there  is  the  sect  of  Sidi  Hamed  au  Muza,  a 
very  roving  people,  companies  of  whom  are  gene- 
rally to  be  found  in  all  the  principle  towns  of  Bar- 
bary. The  men  are  expert  vaulters  and  tumblers, 
and  perform  wonderful  feats  of  address  with  swords 
and  daggers,  to  the  sound  of  wild  music,  v/hich  the 
women,  seated  on  the  ground,  produce  from  uncouth 
instruments ;  bv  these  means  they  obtain  a  liveli- 
hood. Their  dress  is  picturesque,  scarlet  vest  and 
white  drawers.  In  many  respects  they  not  a  little 
resemble  the  Gypsies  ;  but  they  are  not  an  evil  peo- 
ple, and  are  looked  upon  with  much  respect  by  the 
Moors,  who  call  them  Santons.  Their  patron  saint 
is  Hamed  au  Muza,  and  from  him  they  derive  their 
name.  Their  country  is  on  the  confines  of  the  Sahra, 
or  great  desert,  and  their  language  is  the  Shilhah,  or 
a  dialect  thereof.  They  speak  but  little  Arabic. 
When  I  saw  them  for  the  first  time,  I  believed  them 
to  be  of  the  Gypsy  caste,  but  was  soon  undeceived. 
A  more  wandering  race  does  not  exist,  than  the  chil- 
dren of  Sidi  Hamed  au  Muza.  They  have  even 
visited  France,  and  exhibited  their  dexterity  and 
agility  at  Paris  and  Marseilles. 


CHILDREN    OF    THE    DAR-BUSHI-FAL.  105 

I  will  now  say  a  few  words  concerning  another 
sect  which  exists  in  Barbary,  and  will  here  premise, 
that  if  those  who  compose  it  are  not  Gypsies,  such 
people  are  not  to  be  found  in  North  Africa,  and  the 
assertion  hitherto  believed,  that  they  abound  there, 
is  devoid  of  foundation.  I  allude  to  certain  men 
and  women,  generally  termed  by  the  Moors,  '•  Those 
of  the  Dar-bushi-fal,"  which  word  is  equivalent  to 
prophesying  or  fortune-telling.  They  are  great 
wanderers,,  but  have  also  their  fixed  dwellings  or 
villages,  and  such  a  place  is  called  "  Char  Seharra," 
or  witch-hamlet.  Their  manner  of  life,  in  every  re- 
spect, resembles  that  of  the  Gypsies  of  other  coun- 
tries ;  they  are  wanderers  during  the  greatest  part 
of  the  year,  and  subsist  principally  by  pilfering  and 
fortune-telling.  They  deal  much  in  mules  and  don- 
keys, and  it  is  believed,  in  Barbary,  that  they  can 
change  the  colour  of  any  animal  by  means  of  sorce- 
ry, and  so  disguise  him  as  to  sell  him  to  his  very 
proprietor,  without  fear  of  his  being  recognised. 
This  latter  trait  is  quite  characteristic  of  the  Gyps}?" 
race,  by  whom  the  same  thing  is  practised  in  most 
parts  of  the  world.  But  the  Moors  assert,  that  the 
children  of  the  Dar-bushi-fal  can  not  only  change 
the  colour  of  a  horse  or  a  mule,  but  likewise  of  a 
human  being,  in  one  night,  transforming  a  white  into 
a  black,  after  which  they  sell  him  for  a  slave  ;  on 
which  account  the  superstitious  Moors  regard  them 
with  the  utmost  dread,  and  in  general  prefer  pass- 
ing the  night  in  the  open  fields,  to  sleeping  in  their 
hamlets.     They  are  said  to  possess  a  particular, 


106  THE    ZINCALI. 

language,  which  is  neither  Shilhah  nor  Arabic,  and 
which  none  but  themselves  understand  ;  from  all 
which  circumstances  I  am  led  to  believe,  that  the 
children  of  theDar-bushi-falare  legitimate  Gypsies, 
descendants  of  those  who  passed  over  to  Barbary 
from  Spain.  Nevertheless,  as  it  has  never  been  my 
fortune  to  meet  or  to  converse  with  any  of  this  caste, 
although  they  are  tolerabl}^  numerous  in  Barbary,  I 
am  far  from  asserting  that  they  are  of  Gypsy  race. 
More  enterprising  individuals  than  myself  ma}^ 
perhaps,  establish  the  fact.  Any  particular  language 
or  jargon  which  they  speak  amongst  themselves, 
will  be  the  best  criterion.  The  word  which  they 
employ  for  "  water,"  would  decide  the  point ;  for 
the  Dar-bushi-fal  are  not  Gypsies,  if,  in  their  peculiar 
speech,  they  designate  that  blessed  element  and  ar- 
ticle most  necessary  to  human  existence,  by  aught 
else  than  the  Sanscrit  term  *'  Pani,"  a'word  brought 
by  the  race  from  sunny  Ind,  and  esteemed  so  holy 
that  they  have  never  even  presumed  to  modify  it. 

The  following  is  an  account  of  the  Dar-bushi-fal, 
given  me  by  a  Jew  of  Fez,  who  had  travelled  much 
in  Barbary,  and  which  I  insert  almost  literally  as  I 
heard  it  from  his  mouth.  Various  other  individuals. 
Moors,  have  spoken  of  them  in  much  the  same 
manner. 

*'  In  one  of  my  journeys  I  passed  the  night  in  a 
place  called  Mulai-Jacub  Munsur. 

"  Not  far  from  this  place  is  a  Char  Seharra,  or 
witch-hamlet,  where  dwell  those  of  the  Dar-bushi- 
fal.     These  are  very  evil  people,  and  powerful  en^ 


CHILDREN    OF    THE    DAR-BUSHI-FAL.  107 

chanters  ;  for  it  is  well  known  that  if  any  traveller 
stop  to  sleep  in  their  Char,  they  will  with  their  sorce- 
ries, if  he  be  a  white  man,  turn  him  as  black  as  a 
coal,  and  will  afterwards  sell  him  as  a  negro. 
Horses  and  mules  they  serve  in  the  same  manner, 
for  if  they  are  black,  they  will  turn  them  red,  or  any 
other  colour  which  best  may  please  them  ;  and  al^ 
though  the  owners  demand  justice  of  the  authorities, 
the  sorcerers  always  come  off  best.  They  have  a 
language  which  they  use  among  themselves,  very 
different  from  all  other  languages,  so  much  so  that 
it  is  impossible  to  understand  them.  They  are  very 
swarthy,  quite  as  much  so  as  mulattos,  and  their 
faces  are  exceedingly  lean.  As  for  their  legs,  they 
are  like  reeds  ;  and  when  they  run,  the  devil  him- 
self cannot  overtake  them.  They  tell  Dar-bushi- 
fal  with  flour  ;  they  fill  a  plate,  and  then  they  are 
able  to  tell  you  any  thing  you  ask  them.  They  like- 
wise tell  it  with  a  shoe  ;  they  put  it  in  their  mouth, 
and  then  they  will  reca.ll  to  your  memory  every  ac- 
tion of  your  life.  They  likewise  tell  Dar-bushi-fal 
with  oil ;  and  indeed  are,  in  every  respect,  most 
powerful  sorcerers. 

"  Two  women,  once  on  a  time,  came  to  Fez, 
bringing  with  them  an  exceedingly  white  donkey, 
which  they  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  square 
called  Faz  el  Bali ;  they  then  killed  it,  and  cut  it 
into  upwards  of  thirty  pieces.  Upon  the  ground 
there  was  much  of  the  donkey's  filth  and  dung; 
some  of  this  they  took  in  their  hands,  when  it 
straight  assumed   the   appearance  of  fresh  dates. 


108  THE    ZINCALI. 

There  were  some  people  who  were  greedy  enough 
to  put  these  dates  into  their  mouths,  and  then  they 
found  that  it  was  dung.  These  women  deceived 
me,  amongst  the  rest,  with  a  date ;  when  I  put  it 
into  my  mouth,  lo  and  behold  it  was  the  donkey's 
dung.  After  they  had  collected  much  money  from 
the  spectators,  one  of  them  took  a  needle,  and  ran 
it  into  the  tail  of  the  donkey,  crying,  '  Arrhe  li  dar,' 
(Get  home,)  whereupon  the  donkey  instantly  rose 
up,  and  set  off  running,  kicking  every  now  and  then 
most  furiously ;  and  it  was  remarked,  that  not  one 
single  trace  of  blood  remained  uj)on  the  ground, 
just  as  if  they  had  done  nothing  to  it.  Both  these 
women  were  of  the  very  same  Char  Seharra  which 
I  have  already  mentioned.  They  Hkewise  took 
paper,  and  cut  it  into  the  shape  of  a  peseta,  and  a 
dollar,  and  a  half  dollar,  until  they  had  made  many 
pesetas  and  dollars,  and  then  they  put  them  into 
an  earthen  pan  over  a  fire,  and  when  they  took  them 
out,  they  appeared  just  fresh  from  the  stamp,  and 
with  such  money  these  people  buy  all  they  want. 

"  There  was  a  friend  of  my  grandfather,  who 
came  frequently  to  our  house,  who  was  in  the  habit 
of  making  this  money.  One  day  he  took  me  with 
him  to  buy  white  silk ;  and  when  they  had  shown 
him  some,  he  took  the  silk  in  his  hand,  and  pressed 
it  to  his  mouth,  and  then  I  saw  that  the  silk,  which 
was  before  white,  had  become  green,  even  as  grass. 
The  master  of  the  shop  said,  '  Pay  me  for  my  silk.' 
'  Of  what  colour  was  your  silk  ?'  he  demanded. 
'  White,'  said  the  man  ;  whereupon,  turning  round, 


CHILDREN   OF    THE   DAR-BUSHl-FAL.  109 

he  cried,  *  Good  people,  behold  the  white  silk  is 
green ;'  and  so  he  got  a  pound  of  silk  for  nothing ; 
and  he  also  was  of  the  Char  Seharra. 

"  They  are  very  evil  people  indeed,  and  the 
Emperor  himself  is  afraid  of  them.  The  poor 
wretch  who  falls  into  their  hands  has  cause  to  rue  ; 
they  always  go  badly  dressed,  and  exhibit  every 
appearance  of  misery,  though  they  are  far  from 
being  miserable.     Such  is  the  life  they  lead." 

There  is,  of  course,  some  exaggeration  in  the 
above  account  of  the  Dar-bushi-fal ;   yet  there  is 
little  reason  to  doubt  that  there  is  a  foundation  of 
truth  in  all  the  facts  stated.     The  belief  that  they 
are  enabled,  by  sorcery,  to  change  a  white  into  a 
black  man,  had  its  origin  in  the  great  skill  which 
they  possess  in  altering  the  appearance  of  a  horse 
or  a  mule,   and  giving  it  another  colour.      Their 
changing  white  into  green  silk  is  a  very  simple  trick, 
and  is  accomphshed  by  dexterously  substituting  one 
thing  for  another.     Had  the  man  of  the  Dar-bushi- 
fal  been  searched,  the  white  silk  would  have  been 
found  upon  him.     The  Gypsies,  wherever  they  are 
found,  are  fond  of  this  species  of  fraud*     In  Ger- 
many, for  example,  they  go  to  the  wine  shop  with 
two   pitchers  exactly  similar,    one   in   their  hand 
empty,  and  the  other  beneath  their  cloaks,  filled 
with  water;  when  the  empty  pitcher  is  filled  with 
wine  they  pretend  to  be  dissatisfied  with  the  quality, 
or  to  have  no  money,  but  contrive  to  substitute  the 
pitcher  of  water  in  its  stead,  which  the  wine  seller 
generally  snatches  up  in  anger,  and  pours  the  con- 
voi,.  I.  10 


110  THE    ZINCALI. 

tents  back,  as  he  thinks,  into  the  butt — ^but  it  is  not 
wine  but  water  which  he  pours.  With  respect  to 
the  donkey,  which  appeared  to  be  cut  in  pieces,  but 
which  afterwards,  being  pricked  in  the  tail,  got  up 
and  ran  home,  1  have  little  to  say,  but  that  I  have 
myself  seen  almost  as  strange  things  without  believ- 
ing in  sorcery. 

As  for  the  dates  of  dung,  and  the  paper  money, 
they  are  mere  feats  of  legerdemain. 

I  repeat,  that  if  legitimate  Gypsies  really  exist  in 
Barbary,  they  are  the  men  and  women  of  the  Dar- 
bushi-fal. 


CHAPTER  VIIL 

CHIROMANCY. — TORREBLANCA. — GITANAS. — THE  GITANA  OF  SEVILLE. — 
LA  BUENA  VENTURA. — THE  DANCE. — THE  SONG. — TRICKS  OF  THE 
GITANAS. — THE   WIDOW.— OCCULT   POWERS. 

Chiromancy,  or  the  divination  of  the  hand,  is, 
according  to  the  orthodox  theory,  the  determining 
from  certain  Unes  upon  the  hand  the  quality  of  the 
physical  and  intellectual  powers  of  the  possessor. 

The  whole  science  is  based  upon  the  five  princi- 
pal lines  in  the  hand,  and  the  triangle  which  they 
form  in  the  palm.  These  lines,  which  have  all  their 
particular  and  appropriate  names,  and  the  principal 
of  which  is  called  "  the  line  of  life,"  are,  if  we  may 
believe  those  who  have  written  on  the  subject,  con- 
nected with  the  heart,  with  the  genitals,  with  the 
brain,  with  the  liver  or  stomach,  and  the  head. 
Torreblanca,*  in  his  curious  and  leariaed  book  on 
magic,  observes,  "  In  judging  these  lines  you  must 
pay  attention  to  their  substance,  colour,  and  con- 
tinuance, together  with  the  disposition  of  the  cor- 
respondent member ;  for,  if  the  line  be  well  and 
clearly  described,  and  is  of  a  vivid  colour,  without 
being  intermitted  or  yuncturis  infecta^  it  denotes  the 

*'  Torreblanca  de  Magia,  1678. 


112 


THE    ZTNCALI. 


good  complexion  and  virtue  of  its  member,  accord- 
ing to  Aristotle. 

**  So  that  if  the  line  of  the  heart  be  found  suffi- 
ciently long  and  reasonably  deep,  and  not  crossed 
by  other  accidental  lines,  it  is  an  infallible  sign  of 
the  health  of  the  heart  and  the  great  virtue  of  the 
heart,  and  the  abundance  of  spirits  and  good  blood 
in  the  heart,  and  accordingly  denotes  boldness  and 
liberal  genius  for  every  work." 

In  like  manner,  by  means  of  the  hepatal  line,  it 
is  easy  to  form  an  accurate  judgment  as  to  the  state 
of  a  person's  liver,  and  of  his  powers  of  digestion, 
and  so  on  with  respect  to  all  the  other  organs  of  the 
bod3^ 

After  having  laid  down  all  the  rules  of  chiro- 
mancy with  the  utmost  possible  clearness,  the  sage 
Torreblanca  exclaims  :  ^'  And  with  these  terminate 
the  canons  of  true  and  catholic  chiromancy ;  for  as 
for  the  other  species  by  which  people  pretend  to 
divine  concerning  the  affairs  of  life,  either  past  or 
to  come,  dignities,  fortunes,  children,  events,  chances, 
dangers,  &c.,  such  chiromancy  is  not  only  reprobated 
by  theologians,  but  by  men  of  law  and  physic,  as  a 
foolish,  false,  vain,  scandalous,  futile,  superstitious 
practice,  smelling  much  of  divinery  and  a  pact  with 
the  devil." 

Then,  after  mentioning  a  number  of  erudite  and 
enlightened  men  of  the  three  learned  professions, 
who  have  written  against  such  absurd  superstitions, 
amongst  whom  he  cites  Martin  Del  Rio,  he  falls 
foul  of  the  Gypsy  wives  in  this  manner :   "A  prac- 


TORRE  BLANC  A.  118 

tice  turned  to  profit  by  the  wives  of  that  rabble  of 
abandoned  miscreants  whom  the  Italians  call  Cin- 
gari,  the  Ladns  Egyptians,  and  we  Gitanos,  who, 
notwithstanding  that  they  are  sent  by  the  Turks 
into  Spain  for  the  purpose  of  acting  as  spies  upon 
the  Christian  religion,  pretend  that  they  are  wan- 
dering over  the  world  in  fulfilment  of  a  penance 
enjoined  upon  them,  part  of  which  penance  seems 
to  be  the  living  by  fraud  and  imposition."  And 
shortly  afterwards  he  remarks  :  "  Nor  do  they  de- 
rive any  authority  for  such  a  practice  from  those 
words  in  Exodus,*  *  et  quasi  signum  in  manu  tua,' 
as  that  passage  does  not  treat  of  chiromancy,  but 
of  the  festival  of  unleavened  bread  ;  the  observance 
of  which,  in  order  that  it  might  be  memorable  to 
the  Hebrews,  the  sacred  historian  said  should  be  as 
a  sign  upon  the  hand ;  a  metaphor  derived  from 
those  who,  when  they  wish  to  remember  any  thing, 
tie  a  thread  round  their  finger,  or  put  a  ring  upon 
it ;  and  still  less  I  ween  does  that  chapter  of  Jobt 
speak  in  their  favour,  where  is  written  ^  Qui  in  manu 
hominis  signat,  ut  norint  omnes  opera  sua,'  because 
the  divine  power  is  meant  thereby  which  is  preached 
to  those  here  below  :  for  the  hand  is  intended  for 
power  and  magnitude,  Exod.  chap.  xiv.,j:  or  stands 
for  free  will,  which  is  placed  in  a  man's  hand,  that 

*  Exodus,  chap.  xiii.  v.  9.  "  And  it  shaii  be  for  a  sign  unto  thee  upon 
thy  hand."     Eng.  Trans. 

t   No  chapter  in  the  book  of  Job  contains  any  such  verse. 

+  "  Ahd  the  children  of  Israel  went  out  with  an  high  hand."  Exodus, 
chap.  xiv.  V.  8.     Eng.  Trans. 

10* 


114  THE    ZINC  ALL 

is,  in  his  power.    Wisdom,  chap,  xxxvi.  ^  In  manibus 
abscondit  lucem,"*  &c.  &c.  &c. 

No,  no,  good  Torreblanca,  we  know  perfectly 
well  that  the  witch-wives  of  Multan,  who  for  the 
last  four  hundred  years  have  been  running  about 
Spain  and  other  countries,  telling  fortunes  by  the 
hand,  and  deriving  good  profit  from  the  same,  are 
not  countenanced  in  such  a  practice  by  the  sacred 
volume  ;  we  yield  as  little  credit  to  their  chiromancy 
as  we  do  to  that  which  you  call  the  true  and  catho- 
lic, and  believe  that  the  lines  of  the  hand  have  as 
little  connexion  with  the  events  of  life  as  with  the 
liver  and  stomach,  notwithstanding  Aristotle,  who 
you  forget  was  a  heathen,  and  knew  as  little  and 
cared  as  Uttle  for  the  scriptures  as  the  Gitanos, 
whether  male  or  female,  who  little  reck  what  sanc- 
tion any  of  their  practices  may  receive  from  autho- 
rity, whether  divine  or  human,  if  the  pursuit  enable 
them  to  provide  sufficient  for  the  existence,  how- 
ever poor  and  miserable,  of  their  families  and  them- 
selves. 

A  very  singular  kind  of  women  are  the  Gitanas, 
far  more  remarkable  in  most  points  than  their  hus- 
bands, in  whose  pursuits  of  low  cheating  and  petty 
robbery  there  is  little  capable  of  exciting  much  in- 
terest ;  but  if  there  be  one  being  in  the  world  who, 
more  than  another,  deserves  the  title  of  sorceress, 
(and  where  do  you  find  a  word  of  greater  romance 
and  more  thrilling  interest  ?)  it  is  the  Gypsy  female 
in  the  prime  and  vigour  of  her  age  and  ripeness  of 

*  No  such  verse  is  to  be  found  in  the  book  mentioned. . 


GITANAS.  115 

her  understanding — the  Gypsy  wife,  the  mother  of 
two  or  three  children.     Mention  to  me  a  point  of  de- 
vilry with  which  that  woman  is  not   acquainted. 
She  can  at  any  time,  when  it  suits  her,  show  herself 
as  expert  a  jockey  as  her  husband,  and  he  appears 
to  advantage  in  no  other  character,  and  is  only  elo- 
quent when  descanting  on  the  merits  of  some  par- 
ticular animal ;  but  she  can  do  much  more  ;  she  is 
a  prophetess,  though  she  believes  not  in  prophecy  ; 
she  is  a  physician,  though  she  will  not  taste  her  own 
philters  ;    she  is  a  procuress,  though  she  is  not  to  be 
procured ;  she  is  a  singer  of  obscene  songs,  though 
she  will  suffer  no  obscene  hand  to  touch  her  ;  Lnd 
though  no  one  is  more  tenacious  of  the  little  she  pos- 
sesses, she  is  a  cut-purse  and  a  shop-lifter  whenever 
opportunity  shall  offer. 

In  all  times,  since  we  have  known  any  thing  of 
these  women,  they  have  been  addicted  to  and  fa- 
mous for  fortune-telling  ;  indeed,  it  is  their  only  os- 
tensible  means   of   livelihood,   though   they  have 
various  others  which  they  pursue  more    secretly. 
Where  and  how  they  first  learned  the  practice  we 
know  not ;  they  m.ay  have  brought  it  with  them  from 
the  East,  or  they  may  have  adopted  it,  which  is  less 
likely,  after  their  arrival  in  Europe.     Chiromancy, 
from  the  most  remote  periods,  has  been  practised  in 
all  countries.     Neither  do  we  know,  whether  in  this 
practice  they  were  ever  guided  by  fixed  and  certain 
rules ;  the  probability,  however,  is  that  they  were 
not,  and  that  they  never  followed  it  but  as  a  means 
of  fraud  and  robbery ;  certainly,  amongst  all  the 


116  THE    ZINC  ALL 

professors  of  this  art  that  ever  existed,  no  people 
are  more  adapted  by  nature  to  turn  it  to  account 
than  these  females,  call  them  by  whatever  name 
you  will,  Gitanas,  Ziganas,  Gypsies,  or  Bohemians ; 
their  forms,  their  features,  the  expression  of  their 
countenances  are  ever  wild  and  Sibylline,  frequently 
beautiful,  but  never  vulgar.  Observe,  for  example, 
the  Gitana,  even  her  of  Seville. 

She  is  standing  before  the  portal  of  a  large  house 
in  one  of  the  narrow  Moorish  streets  of  the  capital 
of  Andalusia  :  through  the  grated  iron  door,  she  looks 
in  upon  the  court ;  it  is  paved  with  small  marble 
slabs  of  almost  snowy  whiteness  ;  in  the  middle  is 
a  fountain  distilling  limpid  water,  and  all  around 
there  is  a  profusion  of  macetas,  in  which  flowery 
plants  and  aromatic  shrubs  are  growing,  and  at  each 
corner  there  is  an  orange  tree,  and  the  perfume  of 
the  azahar  may  be  distinguished ;  you  hear  the 
melody  of  birds  from  a  small  aviary  beneath  the 
piazza  which  surrounds  the  court,  which  is  sur- 
mounted by  a  toldo  or  linen  awning,  for  it  is  the 
commencement  of  May,  and  the  glorious  sun  of 
Andalusia  is  burning  with  a  splendour  too  intense 
for  his  rays  to  be  borne  with  impunity.  It  is  a  fairy 
scene  such  as  nowhere  meets  the  eye  but  at  Seville, 
or  perhaps  at  Fez  and  Shiraz,  in  the  palaces  of  the 
Sultan  and  the  Shah.  The  Gypsy  looks  through  the 
the  iron-grated  door,  and  beholds,  seated  near  the 
fountain,  a  richly  dressed  dame  and  two  lovely  de- 
licate maidens  ;  they  are  busied  at  their  morning's 
occupation,  intertwining  with  their  sharp  needles 


THE    GITANA   OF    SEVILLE.  117 

the  gold  and  silk  on  the  tambour ;  several  female 
attendants  are  seated  behind.  The  Gypsy  pulls  the 
the  bell,  when  is  heard  the  soft  cry  of  "  Quien  es  ;" 
the  door,  unlocked  by  means  of  a  string,  recedes 
upon  its  hinges,  when  in  walks  the  Gitana,  the  witch- 
wife  of  Multan,  with  a  look  such  as  the  tiger-cat 
casts  when  she  stealeth  from  her  jungle  unto  the 
plain. 

Yes,  well  may  you  exclaim  "  Ave  Maria  purisima," 
ye  dames  and  maidens  of  Seville,  as  she  advances 
towards  you  ;  she  is  not  of  yourselves,  she  is  not  of 
your  blood,  she  or  her  fathers  have  walked  to  your 
clime  from  a  distance  of  three  thousand  leagues. 
She  has  come  from  the  far  East,  like  the  three  en- 
chanted kings  to  Cologne  ;  but  unlike  them  she  and 
her  race  have  come  with  hate  and  not  with  love. 
She  comes  to  flatter,  and  to  deceive,  and  to  rob,  for 
she  is  a  lying  prophetess,  and  a  she  Thug ;  she  will 
greet  you  with  blessings  which  will  make  your 
hearts  rejoice,  but  your  heart's  blood  would  freeze, 
could  you  hear  the  curses  which  to  herself  she  mur- 
murs against  you  ;  for  she  says,  that  in  her  children's 
veins  flows  the  dark  blood  of  the  "  husbands,"  whilst 
in  those  of  yours  flows  the  pale  tide  of  the  savages," 
and  therefore  she  would  gladly  set  her  foot  on  all 
your  corses  first  poisoned  by  her  hands.  For  all 
her  love — and  she  can  love — is  for  the  Romas  ;  and 
all  her  hate — and  who  can  hate  like  her? — is  for 
the  Busnees  ;  for  she  says  that  the  world  would  be 
a  fair  world  were  there  no  Busnees,  and  if  the  Ro- 
mamiks  could  heat  their  kettles  undisturbed  at  the 


118  THE    ZINC  ALL 

foot  of  the  olive  trees  ;  and  therefore  she  would  kill 
them  all  if  she  could  and  if  she  dared.  She  never 
seeks  the  houses  of  the  Busnees  but  for  the  purpose 
of  prey  ;  for  the  wild  animals  of  the  sierra  do  not 
more  abhor  the  sight  of  man,  than  she  abhors  the 
countenances  of  the  Busnees.  She  now  comes  to 
prey  upon  you  and  to  scoff  at  you.  Will  you  be- 
lieve her  words  ?  Fools  !  do  you  think  that  the  be- 
ing before  ye  has  any  sympathy  for  the  like  of  you  ? 

She  is  of  the  middle  stature,  neither  strongly  nor 
slightly  built,  and  yet  her  every  movement  denotes 
agility  and  vigour.  As  she  stands  erect  before  you, 
she  appears  like  a  falcon  about  to  soar,  and  you  are 
almost  tempted  to  believe  that  the  power  of  volition- 
is  hers  ;  and  were  you  to  stretch  fortk  your  hand 
to  seize  her,  she  would  spring  above  the  house-tops 
like  a  bird.  Her  face  is  oval,  and  her  features  are 
regular  but  somewhat  hard  and  coarse,  for  she  was 
born  amongst  rocks  in  a  thicket,  and  she  has  been 
wind-beaten  and  sun-scorched  for  many  a  year, 
even  like  her  parents  before  her  ;  there  is  many  a 
speck  upon  her  cheek,  and  perhaps  a  scar,  but  no 
dimples  of  love  ;  and  her  brow  is  wrinkled  over, 
though  she  is  yet  young.  Her  complexion  is  more 
than  dark,  for  it  is  almost  that  of  a  mulatto  ;  and  her 
hair,  which  hangs  in  long  locks  on  either  side  of  her 
face,  is  black  as  coal,  and  coarse  as  the  tail  of  a  horse, 
from  which  it  seems  to  have  been  gathered. 

There  is  no  female  eye  in  Seville  can  support  the 
glances  of  hers,  so  fierce  and  penetrating,  and  yet 
so  artful  and  sly,  is  the  expressionof  their  dark  orbs; 


THE    GIT  ANA    OF    SEVILLE.  119 

her  mouth  is  fine  and  almost  delicate,  and  there  is 
not  a  queen  on  the  proudest  throne  between  Madrid 
and  Moscow  who  might  not,  and  would  not,  envy 
the  white  and  even  rows  of  teeth  which  adorn  it, 
which  seem  not  of  pearl  but  of  the  purest  elephant's 
bone  of  Multan.  She  comes  not  alone  ;  a  swarthy 
two-year  old  bantling  clasps  her  neck  with  one  arm, 
its  naked  body  half  extant  from  the  coarse  blanket 
which,  drawn  round  her  shoulders,  is  secured  at  her 
bosom  by  a  skewer.  Though  tender  of  age  it  looks 
wicked  and  sly,  like  a  veritable  imp  of  Roma. 
Huge  rings  of  false  gold  dangle  from  wide  slits  in 
the  lobes  of  her  ears  ;  her  nether  garments  are  rags, 
and  her  feet  are  cased  in  hempen  sandals.  Such  is 
the  wandering  Gitana,  such  is  the  witch-wife  of 
Multan,  who  has  come  lo  spae  the  fortune  of  the 
Sevillian  countess  and  her  daughters. 

"  O  may  the  blessing  of  Egypt  light  upon  your 
head,  j^ou  high-born  lady  !  (May  an  evil  end  over- 
take your  body,  daughter  of  a  Busnee  harlot!)  and 
may  the  same  blessing  await  the  two  fair  roses  of 
the  Nile  here  flowering  by  your  side !  (May  evil 
Moors  seize  them  and  carry  them  across  the  water!) 
O  listen  to  the  words  of  the  poor  woman  who  is 
come  from  a  distant  country  ;  she  is  of  a  wise  peo- 
ple, though  it  has  pleased  the  God  of  the  sky  to 
punish  them  for  their  sins  by  sending  them  to  wan- 
der through  the  world.  They  denied  shelter  to  the 
Majari,  whom  you  call  the  queen  of  heaven,  and  to 
the  Son  of  God,  when  they  flew  to  the  land  of  Egypt, 
before  the  wrath  of  the  wicked  king ;  it  is  said  that 


120  THE    ZINCALI. 

they  even  refused  them  a  draught  of  the  sweet 
waters  of  the  great  river  when  the  blessed  two  were 
athirst.     O  you  will  say  that  it  was  a  heavy  crime ; 
and    truly  so  it   was,   and   heavily  has  the  Lord 
punished  the  Egyptians.     He  has  sent  us  a-wander- 
ing,  poor  as  you   see,  with  scarcely  a  blanket  to 
cover  us.     O,  blessed  lady,  (accursed  be  thy  dead 
as  many  as  thou  mayest  have,)  we  have  no  money 
to  purchase  us  bread  ;  we  have  only  our  wisdom 
with  which  to  support  ourselves  and  our  poor  hungry 
babes ;  when  God  took  away  their  silks  from  the 
Egyptians,  and  their  gold  from  the  Egyptians,  he 
left  them  their  wisdom  as  a  resource  that  they  might 
not  starve.     O  who  can  read  the  stars  like  the  Egyp- 
tians ?  and  who  can  read  the  lines  of  the  palm  like 
the  Egyptians  f     The  poor  woman  read  in  the  stars 
that  there  was  a  rich  ventura  for  all  of  this  goodly 
house,  so  she  followed  the  bidding  of  the  stars  and 
came  to  declare  it.     O,  blessed  lady,  (I  defile  thy 
dead  corse,)  your  husband  is  at  Granada,  fighting 
with  king   Ferdinand   against    the  wild  Corohai ! 
(May  an  evil  ball  smite  him   and  split  his  head  !) 
Within  three  months  he  shall  return  with  twenty 
captive  Moors,  round  the  neck  of  each  a  chain  of 
gold.     (God  grant  that  when  he  enter  the  house  a 
beam  may  fall  upon  him  and  crush  him  !)     And 
within  nine  months  after  his  return  God  shall  bless 
you  with  a  fair  chabo,  the  pledge  for  which  you 
have  sighed  so  long  !     (Accursed  be  the  salt  placed 
in  its  mouth  in  the  church  when  it  is  baptized  !) 
Your  palm,  blessed  lady,  your  palm,  and  the  palms 


THE    DANCE. THE    SONG.  121 

of  all  I  see  here,  that  I  may  tell  you  all  the  rich 
Ventura  which  is  hanging  over  this  good  house  j 
(May  evil  lightning  fall  upon  it  and  consume  it !) 
but  first  let  me  sing  you  a  song  of  Egypt,  that  the 
spirit  of  the  Chowahanee  may  descend  more  plen- 
teously  upon  the  poor  woman." 

Her  demeanour  now  instantly  undergoes  a  change. 
Hitherto  she  has  been  pouring  forth  a  lying  and 
wild  harangue,  without  much  flurry  or  agitation  of 
manner.     Her  speech,  it  is  true,  has  been  rapid, 
but  her  voice  has  never  been  raised  to  a  very  high 
key ;  but  she  now  stamps  on  the  ground,  and  placing 
her  hands  on  her  lips,  she  moves  quickly  to  the 
right  and  left,  advancing  and  retreating  in  a  side- 
long direction.     Her  glances  become  more  fierce 
and  fiery,  and  her  coarse  hair  stands  erect  on  her 
liead,  stiff  as  the  prickles  of  the  hedgehog ;  and 
now  she  commences  clapping  her  hands,  and  utter- 
ing words  of  an  unknown  tongue,  to  a  strange  and 
uncouth  tune.     The  tawny  bantling  seems  inspired 
with  the  same  fiend,  and,  foaming  at  the  mouthy 
utters  wild  sounds,  in  imitation  of  its  dam.     Still 
more  rapid  become  the  sidelong  movements  of  the 
Gitana.     Movements  !  she  springs,  she  bounds,  and 
at  every  bound  she  is  a  yard  above  the  ground.     She 
no  longer  bears  the  child  in  her  bosom  ;  she  pluckg 
it  from  thence,  and  fiercely  brandishes  it  aloft,  till 
at  last,  with  a  yell,  she  tosses  it  high  into  the  air, 
like  a  ball,  and  then,  with  neck  and  head  thrown 
back,  receives  it,  as  it  falls,  on  her  hands  and  breast, 
extracting  a  cry  from  the  terrified  beholders.     Is  it 

VOL.    I.  11 


122  THE    ZINCALI. 

possible  she  can  be  singing  ?  Yes,  in  the  wildest 
style  of  her  people ;  and  here  is  a  snatch  of  the 
song,  in  the  language  of  Roma,  which  she  occasion- 
ally screams. 

*'  En  los  sastos  dc  yesque  plai  me  diquelo, 
Doscusanas  de  sonacai  terclo, — 
Corojai  diquelo  abillar, 
Y  ne  asislo  chapescar,  chapcscar." 

"  On  the  top  of  a  mountain  I  stand, 
"With  a  crown  of  red  gold  in  my  hand, — 
Wild  Moors  come  trooping  o'er  the  lea, 
O  how  from  their  fury  shall  I  flee,  flee,  flee  ? 
O  how  from  their  fury  shall  I  flee  ?" 

Such  was  the  Gitana  in  the  days  of  Ferdinand  and 
Isabella,  and  much  the  same  is  she  now  in  the  days 
of  Isabel  and  Christina. 

Of  the  Gitanas  and  their  practices,  I  shall  have 
much  to  say  on  a  future  occasion,  when  speaking 
of  those  of  the  present  time,  with  many  of  whom 
I  have  had  no  little  intercourse.  All  the  ancient 
Spanish  authors  who  mention  these  women,  speak 
of  them  in  unmeasured  terms  of  abhorrence,  cm- 
ploying  against  them  every  abusive  word  contained 
in  the  language  in  which  they  wrote.  Amongst 
other  vile  names,  they  have  been  called  harlots, 
though  perhaps  no  females  on  earth  are,  and  have 
ever  been,  more  chaste  in  their  own  persons,  though 
at  all  times  willing  to  encourage  licentiousness  in 
others,  from  a  hope  of  gain.  It  is  one  thing  to  be  a 
procuress,  and  another  to  be  a  harlot,  though  the 
former  has  assuredly  no  reason  to  complain,  if  she 


TRICKS    OF    THE    GITANAS.  123 

be  confounded  with  the  latter.  "  The  Gitanas,'* 
says  Doctor  Sancho  de  Moncada,  in  his  discourse 
concerning  the  Gypsies,  which  I  shall  presently  lay 
before  the  reader,  "  are  public  harlots,  common,  as 
it  is  said,  to  all  the  Gitanos,  and  with  dances,  de- 
meanour, and  filthy  songs,  are  the  cause  of  infinite 
harm  to  the  souls  of  the  vassals  of  your  Majesty, 
(Philip  IILj)  as  it  is  notorious  what  infinite  harm 
they  have  caused  in  many  honourable  houses.  The 
married  women  whom  they  have  separated  from 
their  husbands,  and  the  maidens  whom  they  have 
perverted  ;  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  the  places  and  cor- 
ners.' "* 

The  author  of  Alonso,  he  who  of  all  the  old 
Spanish  writers  has  written  most  graphically  con- 
cerning the  Gitanos,  and  I  believe  with  most  cor- 
rectness, puts  the  following  account  of  the  Gitanas, 
and  their  fortune-telling  practices,  into  the  enter- 
taining mouth  of  his  hero  : 

"  O  how  many  times  did  these  Gitanas  carry  me 
along  with  them,  for  being,  after  all,  women,  even 
they  have  their  fears,  and  were  glad  of  me  as  a 
protector  ;  and  so  they  went  through  the  neighbour- 
ing villages,  and  entered  the  houses  a-begging,  giv- 
ing to  understand  thereby  their  poverty  and  neces- 

♦  Prov.  chap.  vii.  vera.  11,  12.  "She  is  lond  and  stubborn  ;  her  feet 
abide  not  in  her  house.  Now  is  she  withour,  now  in  the  streets,  and  lieth 
in  wait  at  every  corner."     Eiig.  Trans. 


124  THE    ZFNCALI. 

sity,  and  then  they  would  call  aside  the  girls,  in 
order  to  tell  them  the  buena  ventura,  and  the  young 
fellows  the  good  luck  which  they  were  to  enjoy, 
never  failing  in  the  first  place  to  ask  for  a  cuarto,  or 
a  real,  in  order  to  make  the  sign  of  the  cross  ;  and 
"with  these  flattering  words,  they  got  as  much  as 
they  con  Id,  although,  it  is  true,  not  much  in  money, 
as  their  harvest  in  that  article  was  generally  slight; 
but  enough  in  bacon  to  afford  subsistence  to  their 
husbands  and  bantlings.  I  looked  on  and  laughed 
at  the  simplicity  of  those  foolish  people,  who,  espe- 
cially such  as  wished  to  be  married,  were  as  satis- 
fied and  content  with  what  the  Gitana  told  them, 
as  if  an  apostle  had  spoken  it." 

The  above  description  of  Gitanas  telling  fortunes 
amongst  the  villages  of  Navarre,  and  which  was 
written  by  a  Spanish  author  at  the  commencement 
of  the  seventeenth  century,  is,  in  every  respect,  ap- 
plicable, as  the  reader  will  not  fail  to  have  observed, 
to  the  English  Gypsy  women  of  the  present  day, 
engaged  in  the  same  occupation  in  the  rural  dis- 
tricts of  England,  where  the  first  demand  of  the 
sibyls  is  invariably  a  sixpence,  in  order  that  they 
may  cross  their  hands  with  silver,  and  where  the 
same  promises  are  made  and  as  easily  believed  ;  all 
which,  if  it  serves  to  confirm  the  opinion  that  in  all 
times  the  practices  and  habits  of  the  Egyptian  race 
have  been,  in  almost  all  respects,  the  same  as  at 
the  present  day,  brings  us  also  to  the  following 
mortifying  conclusion, — that  mental  illumination, 
amongst  the  generality  of  mankind,  has   made  no 


THE    WIDOW.  125 

progress  at  all ;  as  we  observe  in  the  nineteenth 
century  the  same  gross  credulity  manifested  as  in 
the  seventeenth,  and  the  inhabitants  of  one  of  the 
countries  most  celebrated  for  the  arts  of  civilization, 
imposed  upon  by  the  same  stale  tricks  which  served 
to  deceive  two  centuries  before  in  Spain,  a  country 
whose  name  has  long  and  justly  been  considered  as 
synonymous  with  every  species  of  ignorance  and 
barbarism. 

The  same  author,  whilst  speaking  of  these  female 
Thugs,  relates  an  anecdote  very  characteristic  of 
them  ;  a  device  at  which  they  are  adepts,  which  they 
love  to  employ,  and  which  is  generally  attended 
with  success.  It  is  the  more  deserving  attention, 
as  an  instance  of  the  same  description,  attended 
with  very  similar  circumstances,  occurred  within  the 
sphere  of  my  own  knowledge  in  my  own  country* 
This  species  of  deceit  is  st3^1ed,  in  the  peculiar  lan- 
guage of  the  Rommany,  hokkano  haro,  or  the  "great 
trick ;"  it  being  considered  by  the  women  as  their 
most  fruitful  source  of  plunder.  The  story,  as  re- 
lated by  Alonso,  runs  as  follows : 

*' A  band  of  Git^nos  being  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  a  village,  one  of  the  women  went  to  a  house  where 
lived  a  lady  alone.  This  lady  was  a  young  widow, 
rich,  without  children,  and  of  very  handsome  per- 
son. After  having  saluted  her,  the  Gypsy  repeated 
the  harangue  which  she  had  already  studied,  to  the 
effect  that  there  was  neither  bachelor,  widower,  nor 
married  man,  nobleman,  nor  gallant,  endowed  with 
a  thousand  graces,  who  was  not  dying  for  love  of  her;: 

11* 


126  THE    ZINC  ALT. 

and  then  continued ;  '  Lady,  I  have  contracted  a 
great  affection  for  you,  and  since  I  know  that  you 
well  merit  the  riches  you  possess,  notwithstanding 
you  live  heedless  of  your  good  fortune,  I  wish  to  re- 
veal to  you  a  secret.  You  must  know  then,  that  in 
your  cellar  you  have  a  vast  treasure  ;  nevertheless 
you  will  experience  great  difficulty  in  arriving  at  it, 
as  it  is  enchanted,  and  to  remove  it  is  impossible, 
save  and  alone  on  the  eve  of  Saint  John.  We  are 
now  at  the  eighteenth  of  June,  and  it  wants  five  days 
to  the  twenty-third;  therefore,  in  the  meanwhile, 
collect  some  jewels  of  gold  and  silver,  and  likewise 
some  money,  whatever  you  please,  provided  it  be 
not  copper,  and  provide  six  tapers  of  white  or  yel- 
low wax,  for  at  the  time  appointed  I  will  come  with 
a  sister  of  mine,  when  we  will  extract  from  the  cel- 
lar such  abundance  of  riches,  that  you  will  be  able 
to  live  in  a  st^de  which  will  excite  the  envy  of  the 
whole  country.'  The  ignorant  widow,  hearing  these 
words,  put  implict  confidence  in  the  deceiver,  and 
and  imagined  that  she  already  possessed  all  the 
gold  of  Arabia  and  the  silver  of  Potosi. 

"  The  appointed  day  arrived,  and  not  more  punc- 
tual were  the  two  Gypsies,  than  anxiously  expected 
by  the  lady.  Being  asked  whether  she  had  pre- 
pared all  as  she  had  been  desired,  she  replied  in 
the  affirmative,  when  the  Gypsy  thus  addressed  her: 
*  You  must  know,  good  lad}^,  that  gold  calls  forth 
gold,  and  silver  calls  forth  silver ;  let  us  light  these 
tapers,  and  descend  to  the  cellar  before  it  grows  late, 
in  order  that  we  may  have  time  for  our  conjurations.'. 


THE    WIDOW.  127 

Thereupon  the  trio,  the  widow  and  the  two  Gypsies, 
went  down,    and  having   lighted   the   tapers    and, 
placed  them  in  candlesticks  in  the  shape  of  a  circle, 
they  deposited  in  the  midst  a  silver  tankard,  with 
some  pieces  of  eight,  snd  some  corals  tipped  with 
gold,  and  other  jewels  of  small  value.     They  then 
told  the  lady  that  it  was  necessary  for  them  all  to 
return  to  the  staircase  by  which  they  had  descended 
to  the  cellar,  and  there  they  uplifted  their  hands, 
and  remained  for  a  short  time  as  if  engaged  in  prayer. 
"  The  two  Gypsies  then  bade  the  widow  wait  for 
them,  and  descended  again,  when  they  commenced 
holding  a   conversation,    speaking   and   answering 
alternately,  and  akering  their  voices  in  such  a  man- 
ner that  five  or  six  people  appeared  to  be  in  the  cel-- 
lar.     *  Blessed  be  little  Saint  John,'  said  one,  'will 
it  be  possible  to  remove  the  treasure  which  you  keep 
'hidden  here  ?'     *  O  yes,  and  with  little  more  trouble  it 
will  be  yours,'  replied  the  Gypsy  sister,  altering  her 
voice  to  a  thin  treble,  as  if  it  proceeded  from  a  child 
four  or  five  years  old.     In  the  mean  time,  the  lady 
remained  astonished,  expecting  the  promised  riches 
and  the  two  Gitanas  presently  coming  to  her,  said, 
'  Come  up,  lady,  for  our  desire  is  upon  the  point  of 
being  gratified.     Bring  now  the  best  petticoat,  gown, 
and  mantle  which  you  have  in  your  chest,  that  I 
may  dress  myself,  and  appear  in  other  guise  to  what 
I  do  now.'     The  simple  woman,  not  perceiving  the 
trick  they  were  playing  upon  her,  ascended  with 
them  to  the  door-way,. and  leaving  them  alone  went 
to  fetch  the  things  which  they  demanded.     There- ^ 


128  THE    ZINC  ALL 

Upon  the  two  Gypsies,  seeing  themselves  at  libert}^, 
and  having  already  pocketed  the  gold  and  silver 
which  had  been  deposited  for  the  conjuration,  opened 
the  street-door,  and  escaped  with  all  the  speed  they 
could. 

**  The  beguiled  widow  returned  laden  with  the 
clothes,  and  not  finding  those  whom  she  had  left 
waiting,  descended  into  the  cellar,  when  perceiving 
the  trick  which  they  had  played  her,  and  the  rob- 
bery which  they  had  committed  in  stealing  her 
jewels,  she  began  to  cry  and  weep,  but  all  in  vain. 
All  the  neighbours  hastened  to  her,  and  to  them  she 
related  her  misfortune,  which  served  more  to  raise 
laughter  and  jeers  at  her  expense,  than  to  excite 
pity ;  though  the  subtlety  of  the  two  she-thieves 
was  universally  praised.  These  latter,  as  soon  as 
they  had  got  out  of  the  door,  knew  well  how  to  con- 
ceal themselves,  for  having  once  reached  the  moun- 
tain it  was  not  possible  to  find  them.  So  much  for 
their  divination,  their  foreseeing  things  to  come,  their 
power  over  the  secrets  of  nature,  and  their  know- 
ledge of  the  stars." 

The  Gitanas  in  the  olden  time  appear  to  have 
not  unfrequently  been  subjected  to  punishment  as 
sorceresses,  and  with  great  justice,  as  the  abomi- 
nable trade  which  they  have  always  driven  in  phil- 
ters and  decoctions,  certainly  entitled  them  to  that 
appellation,  and  to  the  pains  and  penalties  reserved 
for  those  who  practised  what  is  generally  termed 
"  witchcraft." 

Amongst  the  crimes  laid  to  their  charge,  connected 


OCCULT    POWERS.  129 

with  the  exercise  of  occult  powers,  there  is  one, 
however,  of  which  they  were  certainly  not  capable, 
as  it  is  a  purely  imaginary  one,  though  if  they  were 
ever  punished  for  it,  they  had  assuredly  little  right 
to  complain,  as  the  chastisement  they  met  was  fully 
merited  by  practices  equally  malefic  as  the  crime 
imputed  to  them,  provided  that  were  possible.  It 
was  casting  the  evil  eye. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

THE  EVIL  EYE. — CREDULITY  OF  THE  JEWS  AND  MOORS. — THE  JEWESS 
OF  FEZ, — THE  BIBLE  AND  KEY. — REMEDIES  FOR  THE  EVIL  EYE. — 
THE    TALMUD. — SUPERSTITIONS    OF   THE    NORTH. 

In  the  Gitan#  language,  casting  the  evil  eye  is  ca^DletL 
Querelar  nasula,  which  simply  means  making  sick, 
and  Which,  according  to  the  common  superstition^, 
is  accomplished  by  casting  an  evil  look  at  people, 
especially  children,  who,  from  the  tenderness  of  their 
constitution,  are  supposed  to  be  more  easily  blighted 
than  those  of  a  more  mature  age.  After  receiving 
the  evil  glance,  they  fall  sick,  and  die  in  a  few  hours. 

The  Spaniards  have  very  little  to  say  respecting 
the  evil  eye,  though  the  belief  in  it  is  very  prevalent, 
especially  in  Andalusia,  amongst  the  lower  order?-. 
A  stag's  horn  is  considered  a  good  safeguard,  and 
on  that  account,  a  small  horn,  tipped  with  silver,  Is' 
frequently  attached  to  the  children's  necks  by  means' 
of  .a  cord  braided  from  the  hair  of  a  black  mare's^ 
tail.     Should  the  evil  glance  be  cast,  it  is  imagined 
that  the  horn  receives  it,  and  instantly  snaps  asun- 
der.    Such  horns  may  be  purchased  in  some  of  the 
silversmiths'  shops  at  Seville. 

The  Gitanos  have  nothing  more  to  say  on  this  spe- 


THE    EVIL    EYE. 


131 


cles  of  sorcery  than  the  Spaniards,  which  can  causa 
but  httle  suprise,  when  we  consider  that  they  have 
no  tra(iitions,  and  can  give  no  rational  account  of 
themselves,  nor  of  the  country  from  which  they  come. 

Some  of  the  women,  however,  pretend  to  have  the 
power  of  casting  it,  though  if  questioned  how  they 
accomplished  it,  they  can  return  no  answer.  They 
will  likewise  sell  remedies  for  the  evil  eye,  which 
need  not  be  particularized,  as  they  consist  of  any 
drugs  which  they  happen  to  possess  or  be  acquaint- 
ed with ;  the  prescribers  being  perfectly  reckless 
as  to  the  effect  produced  on  the  patient,  provided 
they  receive  their  paltry  reward. 

I  have  known  these  beings  offer  to  cure  the  glan- 
ders in  a  horse,  (an  incurable  disorder,)  with  the 
very  same  powders  which  they  offer  as  a  specific 
for  the  evil  eye. 

Leaving,  therefore,  for  a  time,  the  Spaniards  and 
Gitanos,  whose  ideas  on  this  subject  are  very  scanty 
and  indistinct,  let  us  turn  to  other  nations  amongst 
whom  this  superstition  exists,  and  endeavour  to  as- 
certain on  what  it  is  founded,  and  in  what  it  consists. 
It  is  current  amongst  all  oriental  people,  whether 
Turks,  Arabs,  or  Hindoos ;  but  perhaps  there  is  no 
nation  in  the  world  amongst  whom  the  belief  is  so 
firmly  rooted,  and  from  so  ancient  a  period,  as  the 
Jews  ;  it  being  a  subject  treated  of,  and  in  the  gra- 
vest manner,  by  the  old  rabbinical  writers  them- 
selves, which  induces  the  conculsion  that  the  super- 
stition of  the  evil  eye  is  of  an  antiquity  almost  as  re- 
mote as  the   origin  of  the  Hebrew  race ;  (and  can 


132  THE    ZINCALI. 

we  go  farther  back?)  as  the  oral  traditions  of  th^ 
Jews,  contained  and  commented  upon  in  what  is 
called  the  Talmud,  are  certainly  not  less  ancient 
than  the  inspired  writings  of  the  Old  Testament,  and 
have  unhappily  been  at  all  times  regarded  by  them 
with  equal,  if  not  greater  reverence. 

The  evil  eye  is  mentioned  in  Scripture,  but  of 
course  not  in  the  false  and  superstitious  sense  ;  evil 
in  the  eye,  which  occurs  in  Prov.  xxiii.  v.  6,  merely 
denoting  niggardness  and  illiberallty.  The  Hebrew 
words  are  ain  ray  and  stand  in  contradistinction  to 
ain  toubi  or  the  benignant  in  eye,  which  denotes  an 
inclination  to  bounty  and  liberality. 

The  Rabbins  have  said,  *'  For  one  person  who  dies 
of  sickness,  there  are  ten  who  die  by  the  evil  eye." 
And  as  the  Jews,  especially  those  of  the  East,  and 
of  Barbary,  place  implicit  confidence  in  all  that  the 
Rabbins  have  written,  we  can  scarcely  wonder  if, 
at  the  present  day,  they  dread  this  visitation  moi*e 
than  the  cholera  or  the  plague.  "  The  leech,"  they 
say,  can  cure  those  disorders,  but  who  is  capable  of 
curing  the  evil  eye?" 

It  is  imagined  that  tliis  blight  is  most  easily  in- 
flicted when  a  person  is  enjoying  himself,  with  little 
or  no  care  for  the  future  ;  when  he  is  reclining  in 
the  sun  before  his  door,  or  when  he  is  full  of  health 
and  spirits,  but  principally  when  he  is  eating  and 
drinking,  on  which  account  the  Jews  and  Moors  are 
jealous  of  the  appearance  of  strangers  when  they 
are  taking  their  meals. 

The  evil  eye  may  be  cast  by  an  ugly  or  ilt- 


CREDULITY   OF    JEWS    AND    MOORS.  133 

favoured  person,  either  designedly  or  not,  and  the 
same  effect  may  be  produced  by  an  inadvertent 
word.     It  is  deemed  very  unlucky  to  say  to  a  per- 
son diverting  himself,  How  merry  you  are ;  or  to 
one  whilst  eating,  How  fat  you  are  ;  as  such  per- 
sons are  said  to  receive  a  sudden  blight,  and  perish. 
Never,  amongst  Jews  or  Mahometans,  nor  indeed 
amongst  any  eastern  people,  stop  to  gaze  on  a  child, 
or  to  caress  it,  for  it  will  be  thought  that  you  are 
about  to  give  it  the  evil  eye.     I  was  acquainted 
^vith  a  very  handsome  Jewess  of  Fez  ;  she  had  but 
one  eye,  but  that  one  was  particularly  brilliant.     Oa 
asking  her  how  she  lost  its  fellow,  she  informed  me 
that  she  was  once  standing  in  the  street  at  night-fallj 
when  she  was  a  little  girl ;  a  Moor  that  was  passing 
hy  suddenly  stopped,  and    said,   '*  Tswac  Ullah, 
(blessed  be  God,)  hov/  beautiful  are  your  eyes,  my 
ohild  !"   whereupon  she  went  into  the  house,  but 
Was  presently  seized  with  a  dreadful  pain  in  the 
4eft  eye,  which  continued  during  the  night,  and  the 
next  day  the  pupil  came  out  of  the  socket.     She 
added  that  she  did  not  believe  the  Moor  had  any 
intention  of  hurting  her,  as    he  gazed  on  her  so 
kindly  ;  but  that  it  was  very  thoughtless  in  him  to 
utter  words  which  are  sure  to  convey  evil  luck.     It 
is  said  to  be  particularly  dangerous  to  eat  in  the 
presence  of  a  woman,  for  the  evil  eye,  if  cast  by  a 
woman,  is  far  more  fatal  and  dijfficult  to  cure  than 
if  cast  by  a  man.     There  are  said  to  be  various 
ways  of  curing  the  evil  eye.     The  following  is  much 
in  vogue  amongst  the  Jews  of  Barbary. 

VOL.  I.  12 


1^  THE    ZINCALI. 

When  any  one  falls  sick  of  the  evil  eye,  he  must 
instantly  call  in  to  his  assistance  the  man  cunning 
in  such  cases.  The  man,  on  coming,  takes  either 
a  girdle  or  a  handkerchief  from  off  his  own  person, 
and  ties  a  knot  at  either  end,  then  he  measures  three 
spans  with  his  left  hand,  and  at  the  end  of  these 
three  he  fastens  a  knot  and  folds  it  three  times 
round  his  head,  pronouncing  this  beraka,  or  bless- 
ing :  "  Ben  porat  Josef,  ben  porat  ali  ain ;"  (Joseph 
is  a  fruitful  bough,  a  fruitful  bough  by  a  well ;)  he 
then  recommences  measuring  the  girdle  or  hand- 
kerchief, and  if  he  finds  three  spans  and  a  half,  in- 
stead of  the  three  which  he  formerly  measured,  he 
is  enabled  to  tell  the  name  of  the  person  who  cast 
the  evil  eye,  whether  male  or  female. 

It  will  be  as  well  to  observe,  in  this  stage  of  the 
process,  that  it  very  much  resembles  the  charm  of 
the  Bible  and  key,  by  which  man}^  persons  in  Eng- 
land still  pretend  to  be  able  to  discover  the  thief 
when  an  article  is  missed.  A  key  is  placed  in  a 
Bible,  at  that  part  which  is  called  Solomon's  Song ; 
the  Bible  and  key  are  then  fastened  strongly  to- 
gether by  means  of  a  ribbon,  which  is  wound  round 
the  Bible,  and  passed  several  times  through  the 
handle  of  the  key,  which  projects  from  the  top  of 
the  book.  The  diviner  then  causes  the  person 
robbed  to  name  the  names  of  any  person  or  persons 
whom  he  may  suspect.  The  two  parties,  the  robbed 
and  the  diviner,  then  standing  up,  support  the  book 
between  them,  the  ends  of  the  handle  of  the  key 
resting  on  the  tips  of  the  fore-fingers  of  the  right 


THE    BIBLE    AND    KEY.  135 

hand.  The  diviner  then  inquires  of  the  Bible 
whether  such  a  one  committed  the  theft,  and  com- 
mences repeating  the  sixth  and  seventh  verses  of 
the  eighth  chapter  of  the  Song ;  and  if  the  Bible 
and  key  turn  round  in  the  mean  time,  the  person 
named  is  considered  guilty.  This  charm  has  been, 
and  still  is,  the  source  of  infinite  mischief,  innocent 
individuals  having  frequently  irretrievably  lost  their 
character  amongst  their  neighbours,  from  recourse 
being  had  to  the  Bible  and  key.  The  slightest  mo- 
tion of  the  finger,  or  rather  of  the  nail,  will  cause 
the  key  to  revolve,  so  that  the  people  named  are 
quite  at  the  mercy  of  the  diviner,  who  is  generally 
a  cheat,  or  professed  conjuror,  and  not  unfrequently 
a  Gypsy.  In  like  manner,  the  Barbary  cunning 
man,  by  a  slight  contraction  of  his  hand,  measures 
three  and  a  half  spans,  where  he  first  measured 
three,  and  then  pretends  to  know  the  person  who 
has  cast  the  evil  eye,  having,  of  course,  first  ascer- 
tained the  names  of  those  with  whom  his  patient 
has  been  lately  in  company. 

When  the  person  who  has  cast  the  evil  eye  has 
been  discovered  by  means  of  the  magical  process 
already  described,  the  mother,  or  wife,  or  sister  of 
the  sufferer  walks  forth,  pronouncing  the  name  of 
the  latter  with  a  loud  voice,  and  making  the  best  of 
her  way  to  the  house  of  the  person  guilty,  takes  a 
little  of  the  earth  from  before  the  front  door  of  the 
house,  and  a  little  from  before  the  door  of  his  or  her 
sleeping  apartment.  Some  of  the  saliva  of  the 
culprit  is  then  demanded,  which  must  be  given  early 


136  THE    ZINCALI. 

in  the  morning  before  breakfast ;  then  the  mother, 
or  the  wife,  or  the  sister,  goes  to  the  oven,  and  takes 
from  thence  seven  burning  coals,  which  are  slaked 
in  water  from  the  bath  in  which  the  women  bathe. 
The  four  ingredients,  earth,  saliva,  coals,  and  water, 
are  then  mixed  together  in  a  dish,  and  the  patient 
is  made  to  take  three  sips,  and  what  remains  is 
taken  to  a  private  place  and  buried,  the  person  who 
buries  it  having  to  make  three  paces  backwards, 
exclaiming,  "  May  the  evil  eye  be  buried  beneath 
the  earth."     Such  are  the  magic  formulae  practised 
when  the  person  who  cast  the  evil  eye  is  known. 
Should  the  cunning  man  be  unable  to  ascertain  who 
the  person  is,  they  take  a  glass,  and  going  to  the 
jjoor,  compel  every  person  who  passes  to  drop  therein 
a  small  portion  of  his  saliva,  which  is  afterwards 
mixed  with  the  water  of  the  bath  in  which  the  burn- 
ing coals  have  been  slaked,  and  either  drank,  as 
above  described,  or  applied  to  the  eye  or  body  of 
the  patient.     The  sick  man  sleeps  that  night  on  his 
left  side,  and,  when  he  arises  in  the  morning,  feels 
himself  cured,  and  will  never  more  be  afflicted  by 
it.     Many  people  carry  papers  about  with  them, 
scrawled  with  hieroglyphics,  which  are  prepared  by 
the  hacumim,  or  sages,  and  sold.     These  papers, 
placed  in  a  little  bag  and  hung  about  the  person, 
are  deemed  infallible  preservatives  from  the  "  ain 
ara." 

Lotus  now  see  what  the  Talmud  itself  says  about 
the  evil  eye.  The  passage  which  we  are  about  to 
quote  is  curious,  not  so  much  from  the  subject  which 


REMEDIES    FOR    THE    EVIL    EYE.  137 

it  treats  of,  as  in  afFording  an  example  of  the  man- 
ner in  which  the  Rabbins  are  wont  to  interpret  the 
Scripture,  and  the  strange  and  wonderful  deductions 
which  they  draw  from  words  and  phrases  apparently 
o£  the  greatest  simplicity. 

*' Whosoever  when  about  to  enter  into  a  city  is 
afraid  of  evil  eyes,  let  him  grasp  the  thumb  of  his 
right  hand  with  his  left  hand,  and  his  left  hand 
thumb  with  his  right  hand,  and  let  him  cry  in  this 
manner :  *  I  am  such,  a  one,  son  of  such  a  one, 
sprung  from  the  seed  of  Joseph ;'  and  the  evil  eyes 
shall  not  prevail  against  him.  Joseph  is  a  fruitful 
hough,  a  fruiful  hough  hy  a  well.,*  &c.  Now  you 
should  not  say  hy  a  well,  but  over  an  eye  A  Rabbi 
Joseph  Bar  Henina  makes  the  following  deduction  : 
and  they  shall  hecome  (the  seed  of  Joseph)  like  fishes 
in  multitude  in  the  midst  of  the  earth  4  Now  the  fishes 
of  the  sea  are  covered  by  the  waters,  and  the  evil 
eye  has  no  power  over  them  ;  and  so  over  those  of 
the  seed  of  Joseph  the  evil  eye  has  no  power." 

I  have  been  thus  diffuse  upon  the  evil  eye,  be- 
cause of  late  years  it  has  been  a  common  practice 
of  writers  to  speak  of  it  without  apparently  pos- 
sessing any  farther  knowledge  of  the  subject  than 
what  may  be  gathered  from  the  words  themselves. 

•  Gen.  xlix.  22. 

t  In  the  original  there  is  a  play  on  words. — It  is  not  necessary  to  enter 
into  particulars  farther  than  to  observe  that  in  the  Hebrew  language  "  ain" 
means  a  well,  and  likewise  an  eye. 

t  Gen.  xlviii.  16.  In  the  English  version  the  exact  sense  of  the  in- 
spired original  is  not  conveyed.  The  descendants  of  Joseph  are  to  in- 
crease like  fish. 

12* 


138  THE    ZINCALI. 

Like  most  other  superstitions,  it  is,  perhaps, 
founded  on  a  physical  reahty. 

1  have  observed,  that  only  in  hot  countries,  where 
the  sun  and  moon  are  particularly  dazzling,  is  the 
belief  in  the  evil  eye  prevalent.  If  we  turn  to 
Scripture,  the  wonderful  book  which  is  capable  of 
resolving  every  mystery,  I  believe  that  we  shall 
presently  come  to  the  solution  of  the  evil  eye. 
^^  The  sun  shall  not  smite  thee  by  day,  nor  the 
moon  by  night."     Ps.  cxxi.  v.  6. 

Those  who  wish  to  avoid  the  evil  eye,  instead  of 
trusting  in  charms,  scrawls,  and  Rabbinical  anti- 
dotes, let  them  never  loiter  in  the  sunshine  before 
the  king  of  day  has  nearly  reached  his  bourne  in 
the  west ;  for  the  sun  has  an  evil,  eye,  and  his^ 
glance  produces  brain  fevers ; .  and  let  them  not 
sleep  uncovered  beneath  the  smile  of  the  moon,  for 
her  glance  is  poisonous,  and  produces  insupportable 
itching  in  the  eye,  and  not  unfrequently  blindness. 

The  northern  nations  have  a  superstition  which, 
bears   some   resemblance   to   the   evil   eye,  when 
allowance  is  made  for  circumstances.     They  have 
no  brilliant  sun  and  moon  to  addle  the  brain,  and' 
poison  the  eye,  but  the  gray  north  has  its  marshes, 
and  fenny  ground,  and  fetid  mists,  which  produce 
agues,  low  fevers,  and  moping  madness,  and  are  as 
fatal  to  cattle  as  to  man.     Such  disorders  are  attri- 
buted to  elves  and  fairies.     This  superstition  still; 
lingers,  in  some  parts  of  England,  under  the  name 
of  elf-shot,  whilst,  throughout  the  north,  it  is  called 
elle-skiod,  and  elle-vild  (fairy  wild.)     It  is  particur- 


SUPERSTITIONS  OF  THE  NORTH.       139 

larly  prevalent  amongst  shepherds  and  cowherds, 
the  people  who,  from  their  manner  of  life,  are  most 
exposed  to  the  effects  of  the  elf-shot.  Those  who 
wish  to  know  more  of  this  superstition,  are  referred 
to  Thieles  Danske  Folkesagn,  and  to  the  notes  o£ 
the  Koempe  Viser,  or  popular  Danish  Ballads. 


CHAPTER  X. 

EXODUS     OF     THE     JEWS*.    THAT     OF     THE    GYPSIES. — INDIFFERENCE   OF 

THE     GITANOS     WITH     RESPECT     TO     RELIGION. EZEKIEL. — TALE    OF 

EGYPTIAN  DESCENT. — QUINONES. — MELCHIOR  OF  GUELAMA. — RELI- 
GIOUS TOLERANCE. — THE  INQUISITOR  OF  CORDOVA. — GITANOS  AND 
MORISCOS. 

When  the  six  hundred  thousand  men,*  and  the 
mixed  multitude  of  women  and  children  went  forth 
from  the  land  of  Egypt,  the  God  whom  they  wor- 
shipped, the  only  true  God,  went  before  them  by 
day  in  a  pillar  of  cloud,  to  lead  them  the  way,  and 
by  night  in  a  pillar  of  fire  to  give  them  light;  this 
God  who  rescued  them  from  slavery,  who  guided 
them  through  the  wilderness,  who  was  their  captain 
in  battle,  and  who  cast  down  before  them  the  strong 
walls  which  encompassed  the  towns  of  their  enemies, 
this  God  they  still  remember,  after  the  lapse  of  more 
than  three  thousand  years,  and  still  worship  with 
adoration  the  most  unbounded.  If  there  be  one 
event  in  the  eventful  history  of  the  Hebrews  which 
awakens  in  their  minds  deeper  feelings  of  gratitude 
than  another,  it  is  the  exodus,  and  that  wonderful 
manifestation  of  olden  mercy  still  serves  them  as  an 

*  Exodus,  chap.  xii.  y.  37,  38. 


EXODUS    OF  THE  JEWS  :    THAT  OF  THE  GYPSIES.    141 

assurance  that  the  Lord  will  yet  one  day  redeem 
and  gather  together  his  scattered  and  oppressed  peo- 
ple. *'  Art  thou  not  the  God  who  brought  us  out  of 
the  land  of  bondage  ?"  they  exclaim  in  the  days  of 
their  heaviest  trouble  and  affliction.  He  who  re- 
deemed Israel  from  the  hand  of  Pharaoh  is  yet  ca- 
pable of  restoring  the  kingdom  and  sceptre  to  Israel. 

If  the  Rommany  trusted  in  any  God  at  the  period 
of  their  exodus,  they  must  speedily  have  forgotten 
him.  Coming  from  Ind,  as  they  most  assuredly  did, 
it  was  impossible  for  them  to  have  known  the  true, 
and  they  must  have  been  followers  (if  they  followed 
any)  either  of  Buddh,  or  Brahmah,  those  tremen- 
dous phantoms  which  have  led,  and  are  likely  still  to 
lead,  the  souls  of  hundreds  of  millions  to  destruction ; 
yet  they  are  now  ignorant  of  such  names,  nor  does  it 
appear  that  such  were  ever  current  amongst  them 
subsequent  to  their  arrival  in  Europe,  if  indeed  they 
ever  were.  They  brought  with  them  no  Indian 
idols,  as  far  as  we  are  able  to  judge  at  the  present 
time,  nor  indeed  Indian  rites  of  observances,  for  no 
traces  of  such  are  to  be  discovered  amongst  them. 

All,  therefore,  which  relates  to  their  original  re- 
ligion is  shrouded  in  mystery,  and  is  likely  so  to  re- 
main. They  may  have  been  idolaters,  or  atheists, 
or  what  they  now  are,  totally  neglectful  of  worship 
of  any  kind ;  and  though  not  exactly  prepared  to 
deny  the  existence  of  a  Supreme  Being,  as  regard- 
less of  him  as  if  he  existed  not,  and  never  mention- 
ing his  name  save  in  oaths  and  blasphemy,  or  in  mo- 
ments of  pain  or  sudden  surprise,  as  they  have  heard 


142  THE    ZINCALI. 

Other  people  do,  but  always  without  any  fixed  belief, 
trust,  or  hope. 

There  are  certainly  some  points  of  resemblance 
between  the  children  of  Roma  and  those  of  Israel 
Both  have  had  an  exodus,  both  are  exiles  and  dis- 
persed amongst  the  gentiles,  by  whom  they  are 
hated  and  despised,  and  whom  they  hate  and  des- 
pise, under  the  names  of  Busnees  and  Goyim  ;  both, 
though  speaking  the  language  of  the  Gentiles,  pos- 
sess a  peculiar  tongue,  which  the  latter  do  not  un- 
derstand, and  both  possess  a  peculiar  cast  of  coun- 
tenance, by  which  they  may,  without  difficulty,  be 
distinguished  from  all  other  nations ;  but  with  these 
points  the  similarity  terminates.  The  Israelites  have 
a  peculiar  religion,  to  whicli  they  are  fanatically 
attached,  the  Romas  have  none,  as  they  invariably 
adopt,  though  only  in  appearance,  that  of  the  peo- 
ple with  whom  they  chance  to  sojourn  ;  the  Israel- 
ites possess  the  most  authentic  history  of  any  peo- 
ple in  the  world,  and  are  acquainted  with  and  de- 
light to  recapitulate  all  that  has  befallen  their  race, 
from  ages  the  most  remote  ;  the  Romas  have  no 
history,  they  do  not  even  know  the  name  of  their 
original  country,  and  the  only  tradition  which  they 
possess,  that  of  their  Egyptian  origin,  is  a  false  one, 
whether  invented  by  themselves  or  others  ;  the  Is- 
raelites are  of  all  people  the  most  wealthy,  the  Romas 
the  most  poor  ;  poor  as  a  Gypsy  being  proverbial 
amongst  some  nations,  though  both  are  equally 
greedy  of  gain  ;  and  finally,  though  both  are  noted  for 
peculiar  craft  and  cunning,  no  people   are   more 


INDIFFERENCE  WITH  RESPECT  TO  RELIGION.   143 

ignorant  than  the  Romas,  whilst  the  Jews  have  al- 
&  ... 

ways  been  a  learned  people,  being  in  possession  of 

the  oldest  literature  in  the  world,  and  certainly  the 
most  important  and  interesting. 

Sad  and  weary  must  have  been  the  path  of  the 
mixed  rabble  of  the  Romas  when  they  left  India's 
sunny  land  and  wended  their  way  to  the  West,  in 
comparison  with  the  glorious  exodus  of  the  Israelites 
from  Egypt,  whose  God  went  before  them  in  cloud 
and  in  fire,  working  miracles  and  astonishing  the 
hearts  of  their  foes. 

Even  supposing  that  they  worshipped  Buddh  or 
Brahmah,  neither  of  these  false  deities  could  have 
accomplished  for  them  what  God  effected  for  his 
chosen  people,  although  it  is  true  that  the  idea  that 
a  Supreme  Being  was  watching  over  them,  in  return 
for  the  reverence  paid  to  his  image,   might  have 
cheered  them   'midst  storm   and  lightning,  'midst 
mountains   and  wildernesses,    'midst   hunger,  and 
drought,  for  it  is  assuredly  better  to  trust  even  in  an 
idol,  in  a  tree,  or  a  stone,  than  to  be  entirely  godless  ; 
and  the  most  superstitious  hind  of  the  Himalayan 
hills  who  trusts  in  the  Grand  Foutsa  in  the  hour  of 
peril  and  danger,  is  more  wise  than  the  most  enlight- 
ened atheist,  who  cherishes  no  consoling  delusion  to 
relieve  his  mind,  oppressed  by  the  terrible  ideas  of 
reality. 

It  is  evident  that  the  Romas  arrived  at  the  con- 
fines of  Europe  without  any  certain  or  rooted  faith, 
for  knowing,  as  we  do,  with  what  tenacity  they  re- 
tain their  primitive  habits  and  customs,  their  sect 


144  THE    ZINCALI. 

being,  in  all  points,  the  same  as  it  was  four  hundred 
years  ago,  it  appears  impossible  that  they  should 
have  forgotten  their  peculiar  god,  if  in  any  peculiar 
god  they  trusted. 

Though  cloudy  ideas  of  the  Indian  deities  might 
be  occasionally  floating  in  their  minds,  these  ideas, 
doubtless,  quickly  passed  away  when  they  ceased 
to  behold  the  pagodas  and  temples  of  Indian  wor- 
ship, and  were  no  longer  in  contact  with  the  enthu- 
siastic adorers  of  the  idols  of  the  East ;  they  passed 
away  even  as  the  dim  and  cloudy  ideas  which  they 
subsequently  adopted  of  the  Eternal  and  His  Son, 
Mary  and  the  saints  would  pass  away  when  they 
ceased  to  be  nourished  by  the  sight  of  chui*ches  and 
crosses  ;  for  should  it  please  the  Almighty  to  recon- 
duct the  Romas  to  Indian  climes,  who  can  doubt 
that  within  half  a  century  they  would  entirely  forget 
all  connected  with  the  religion  of  the  West !     Any 
poor  shreds  of  that  faith  which  they  bore  with  them 
they  would  drop  by  degrees  as  they  would  relin- 
quish their  European  garments  when  they  became 
old,  and  as  they  relinquished  their  Asiatic  ones  to 
adopt  those  of  Europe  ;  no  particular  dress  makes 
a  part  of  the  things  essential  to  the  sect  of  Roma, 
so  likewise  no  particular  god  and  no  particular  re- 
ligion. 

Where  these  people  first  assumed  the  name  of 
Eg}^ptians,  or  where  that  title  was  first  bestowed 
upon  them,  it  is  difficult  to  determine  ;  perhaps, 
however,  in  the  eastern  parts  of  Europe,  where  it 
should  seem  the  grand  body  of  this  nation  of  wan- 


EZEKTEL.  145 

derers  made  a  halt  for  a  considerable  time,  and 
where  they  are  still  to  be  found  in  greater  numbers 
than  in  any  other  part.  One  thing  is  certain,  that 
when  they  first  entered  Germany,  which  they  spee- 
dily overran,  they  appeared  under  the  character  of 
Egyptians,  doing  penance  for  the  sin  of  having  re- 
fused hospitality  to  the  Virgin  and  her  Son,  and,  of 
course,  as  believers  in  the  Christian  faith,  notwith- 
standing that  they  subsisted  by  the  perpetration  of 
every  kind  of  robbery  and  imposition ;  Aventinus 
(Annalibus  Boiorum,  826)  speaking  of  them  says : 
**  Adeo  tamen  vana  superstitio  hominum  mentes, 
velut  lethargus  invasit,  ut  eos  Yiolari  nefas  putet, 
atque  grassari  futari  imponere  passim  sinant." 

This  singular  story  of  banishment  from  Egypt, 
and  wandering  through  the  world  for  a  period  of 
seven  years,  for  inhospitaiity  displayed  to  the  Vir- 
gin, 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  Egyp- 
tians among  the   nations,  and  will  disperse  them 

VOL>   f,  13 


146  THE    ZTNCALI. 

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  na- 
tions, 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  apocry- 
phal 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  dis- 
persed among  the  nations  for  seven  years,  for  hav- 
ing 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  ob- 
serves, it  wa^  esteemed  a  crime  of  the  first  raagni- 


TALE  OF  EGYPTIAN  DESCENT.        147 

t«de  to  offer  any  violence  to  the  Egyptian  pilgrims^ 
who  were  permitted  to  rob  on  the  highway,  to  com- 
mit larceny,  and  to  practise  every  species  of  impo- 
sition 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  Scrip- 
ture; it  probably  originated  amongst  the  priests 
and  learned  men  of  the  east  of  Europe,  who,  start- 
led by  the  sudden  apparition  of  bands  of  people 
Ibreign  in  appearance  and  language,  skilled  in  divi- 
nation and  the  occult  arts,  endeavoured  to  find  in 
Scripture  a  clue  to  such  a  phenomenon ;  the  result 
ef  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  pre- 
sent 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  be- 
neath 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 


148  THE    ZINCALI. 

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  prin- 
cipally 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  Gyp- 
sies ? — a  people  who  pass  their  lives  in  the  open 
fields,  who  are  not  gathered  together,  who  are  dis- 
persed through  the  countries,  who  have  no  idols,  no 
images,  nor  any  fixed  or  certain  religion. 

In  Spain,  the  want  of  religion  amongst  the  Gita- 
nos  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  Quiiiones,  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 


QUINONES." — MET.nHTOR    OF     CTTRT.AMA.  149 

imperfectly.  They  never  partake  of  the  Holy 
Sacraments,  and  though  they  marry  relations  they 
procure  no  dispensations.*  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  F  ajar  do  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,! 
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  ex- 
chanofed  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.  Th^  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  mar- 

*  Quifiones,  p.  11. 

t    The  writer  will  by  no  means  answer  for  the  truth  of  these  statements 
respecting  Gypsy  marriages. 

13* 


150  THE    ZINCALT. 

ried  one  called  Melchora,  who  was  young  and  hand- 
some, 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  re- 
pudiated woman  told  him,  with  an  agony  of  tears, 
that  he  abandoned  her  because  she  was  old,  and 
married  another  because  she  was  young.     Certain 
Gitanos  and  Gitanas  confessed  before  Don  Martin 
Fajardo  that  they  did  not  really  marry,  but  that  in 
their  banquets  and  festivals  they  selected  the  woman 
whom  they  liked,  and  that  it  was  lawful  for  them 
to  have  as  many  as  three  mistresses,  and  on  that 
account  they  begat  so  many  children.     They  never 
keep  fasts  nor  any  ecclesiastical  command.     They 
always  eat  meat,  Friday  and  Lent  not  excepted ; 
the  morning  when  I  seized  those  whom  I  afterwards 
executed,  which  was  in  Lent,  they  had  three  lambs 
which  they  intended  to  eat  for  their   dinner  that 
day." — Quinones,  page  13. 

Although  what  is  stated  in  the  above  extracts,  re- 
specting the  marriages  of  the  Gitanos  and  their  licen- 
tious manner  of  living,  is,  for  the  most  part,  incor- 
rect, there  is  no  reason  to  conclude  the  same  with 
respect  to  their  want  of  religion  in  the  olden  time, 
and  their  slight  regard  for  the  forms  and  observances 
of  the  church,  as  their  behaviour  at  the  present  day 


RELIGIOUS    TOLERANCE.  151 

serves  to  confirm  what  is  said  on  those  points.  From 
the  whole,  we  may  form  a  tolerably  correct  idea 
of  the  opinions  of  the  time  respecting  the  Gitanos  in 
matters  of  morality  and  religion.  A  very  natural 
question  now  seems  to  present  itself,  namely  ;  what 
steps  did  the  government  of  Spain,  civil  and  eccle- 
siastical, which  has  so  often  trumpeted  its  zeal  in  the 
cause  of  what  it  calls  the  Christian  religion,  which 
has  so  often  been  the  scourge  of  the  Jew,  of  the  Ma- 
hometan, and  of  the  professors  of  the  reformed  faith  ; 
what  steps  did  it  take  towards  converting,  punish- 
ing, and  rooting  out  from  Spain,  a  sect  of  demi-athe- 
ists,  who,  besides  being  cheats  and  robbers,  displayed 
the  most  marked  indifference  for  the  forms  of  the 
Catholic  religion,  and  presumed  to  eat  flesh  every 
day,  and  to  intermarry  with  their  relations,  without 
paying  the  vicegerent  of  Christ  here  on  earth  for 
permission  so  to  do  .^ 

The  Gitanos  have  at  all  times,  since  their  first 
appearance  in  Spain,  been  notorious  for  their  con- 
tempt of  religious  observances ;  yet  there  is  no  proof 
that  they  were  subjected  to  persecution  on  that  ac- 
count.    The  men  have  been  punished  as  robbers 
and  murderers,  with  the  gallows  and  the  galleys ; 
the  women,  as  thieves  and  sorceresses,  with  impri- 
sonment, flagellation,  and  sometimes  death  ;  but  as 
a  rabble,  living  without  fear  of  God,  and,  by  so  do- 
ing, aflbrding  an  evil  example  to  the  nation  at  large, 
few  people  gave  themselves  much  trouble  about  them, 
though  they  may  have  occasionally  been  designated 
as  such  in  a  royal  edict,  intended  to  check  their 


152  THE    ZINCALI. 

robberies,  or  by  some  priest  from  the  pulpit,  from 
whose  stable  they  had  perhaps  contrived  to  extract 
the  mule  which  previously  had  the  honor  of  am- 
bling beneath  his  portly  person. 

The  Inquisition,  which  burnt  so  many  Jews  and 
Moors,  and  conscientious  Christians,  at  Seville  and 
Madrid,  and  in  other  parts  of  Spain,  seems  to  have 
exhibited  the  greatest  clemency  and  forbearance  to 
the  Gitanos.  Indeed,  we  cannot  find  one  instance 
of  its  having  interfered  with  them.  The  charge  of 
restraining  the  excesses  of  the  Gitanos,  was  aban- 
doned entirely  to  the  secular  authorities,  and  more 
particularly  to  the  Santa  Hermandad,  a  kind  of 
police  instituted  for  the  purpose  of  clearing  the  roads 
of  robbers.  Whilst  I  resided  at  Cordova,  I  was  ac- 
quainted with  an  aged  ecclesiastic,  who  was  priest 
of  a  village  called  Puente,  at  about  two  leagues'  dis- 
tance from  the  city.  He  was  detained  in  Cordova 
on  account  of  his  political  opinions,  though  he  was 
otherwise  at  liberty.  We  lived  together  at  the  same 
house  ;  and  he  frequently  visited  me  in  my  apartr 
ment. 

This  person,  who  was  upwards  of  eighty  years  of 
age,  had  formerly  been  inquisitor  at  Cordova.  One 
night,  whilst  we  were  seated  together,  three  Gitanos 
entered  to  pay  me  a  visit,  and  on  observing  the  old 
ecclesiastic,  exhibited  every  mark  of  dissatisfaction, 
and,  speaking  in  their  own  idiom,  called  him  SLbali- 
choiv,  and  abused  priests  in  general  in  most  unmeasur- 
ed terms.  On  their  departing,  I  inquired  of  the  old 
man  whether  he,  who  having  been  an  inquisitor, 


THE    INQUISITOR    OF    CORDOVA.  153 

was  doubtless  versed  in  the  annals  of  the  holy  office, 
could  inform  me  whether  the  Inquisition  had  ever 
taken  any  active  measures  for  the  suppression  and 
punishment  of  the  sect  of  the  Gitaiios  :  whereupon  he 
replied,  "  that  he  was  not  aware  of  one  case  of  a 
Gitano  having  been  tried  or  punished  by  the  Inquisi- 
tion ;"  adding  these  remarkable  words  :  '*  The  In- 
quisition always  looked  upon  them  with  too  much 
contempt  to  give  itself  the  slightest  trouble  concern- 
ing them ;  for  as  no  danger  either  to  the  state,  or 
the  church  of  Rome,  would  proceed  from  the  Gitanos, 
it  was  a  matter  of  perfect  indifference  to  the  holy 
office,  whether  they  lived  without  religion  or  not. 
The  holy  office  has  always  reserved  its  anger  for 
people  very  different ;  the  Gitanos  having  at  all  times 
been  Gente  harrata  y  d^s^reciahle,^^ 

Indeed,  most  of  the  persecutions  which  have  arisen 
in  Spain  against  Jews,  Moors,  and  Protestants, 
sprang  from  motives  with  which  fanaticism  and 
bigotry,  of  which  it  is  true  the  Spaniards  have  their 
full  share,  had  very  little  connexion.  Religion  was 
assumed  as  a  mask  to  conceal  the  vilest  and  most 
detestable  motives  which  ever  yet  led  to  the  com- 
mission of  crying  injustice  ;  the  Jews  were  doomed 
to  persecution  and  destruction  on  two  accounts,  their 
great  riches,  and  their  high  superiority  over  the 
Spaniards  in  learning  and  intellect.  Avarice  has 
always  been  the  dominant  passion  in  Spanish  minds, 
their  rage  for  money  being  only  to  be  compared  to 
the  wild  hunger  of  wolves  for  horse-flesh  in  the  time 
of  winter ;;  next  to  avarice,  envy  of  superior. talent  and 


154  THE    ZINCALI; 

accomplishment,  is  the  prevailing  passion.  These 
two  detestable  feelings  united,  proved  the  ruin  of 
the  Jews  in  Spain,  who  were,  for  a  long  time,  an  eye- 
sore, both  to  the  clergy  and  laity,  for  their  great 
riches  and  learning.  Much  the  same  causes  insured 
the  expulsion  of  the  Moriscos,  who  were  abhorred 
for  their  superior  industry,  which  the  Spaniards 
would  not  imitate  ;  whilst  the  reformation  was  kept 
down  by  the  gaunt  arm  of  the  Inquisition,  lest  the 
property  of  the  church  should  pass  into  other  and 
more  deserving  hands.  The  faggot  piles  in  the 
squares  of  Seville  and  Madrid,  which  consumed  the 
bodies  of  the  Hebrew,  the  Morisco,  and  the  Protes- 
tant, were  lighted  by  avarice  and  envy,  and  those 
same  piles  would  likewise  have  consumed  the  Mu- 
latto carcass  of  the  Gitano,  had  he  been  learned  and 
wealthy  enough  to  become  obnoxious  to  the  two 
master  passions  of  the  Spaniards. 

Of  all  the  Spanish  writers  who  have  written  con- 
cerning the  Gitanos,  the  one  who  appears  to  have 
been  most  scandalized  at  the  want  of  religion  ob- 
servable amongst  them,  and  their  contempt  for 
things  sacred,  was  a  certain  Doctor  Sancho  De 
Mono  ad  a. 

This  worthy,  whom  we  have  already  had  occa- 
sion to  mention,  was  Professor  of  Theology  at  the 
University  of  Toledo,  and  shortly  after  the  expul- 
sion of  the  Moriscos  had  been  brought  about  by  the 
intrigues  of  the  monks  and  robbers  who  thronged 
the  court  of  Philip  the  Third,  he  endeavoured  to 
get  up  a  cry  against  the  Gitanos  similar  to  that  with 


GITANOS    AND    MORISCOS.  155 

which  for  the  last  half  century  Spain  had  resounded 
against  the  unfortunate  and  oppressed  Africans,  and 
to  effect  this,  he  published  a  discourse,  entitled 
"  The  Expulsion  of  the  Gitanos,"  addressed  to 
Philip  the  Third,  in  which  he  conjures  that  monarch, 
for  the  sake  of  morality  and  every  thing  sacred,  to 
complete  the  good  work  he  had  commenced,  and 
to  send  the  Gitanos  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  un- 
derstood very  little  of  the  genius  of  his  country- 
men, 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  ex- 
cuse its  many  absurdities,  for  the  sake  of  its  many 
valuable  facts. 


CHAPTER  XL 


THE  EXPULSION  OF   THE  GITANOS  ;   A  DISCOURSE  ADDRESSED  BY  KOCtCTR 
SANCHO  DE   MONCADA   TO   PHILIP   THE    THIRD. 


♦*  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  behooves 
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  con- 
cerning their  origin  are  infinite, 


THE    EXPULSION    OF    THE    GITANOS.  157 

'**  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,  Cihcians,  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  in- 
troduced 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  Gingary  or  Cinli,  because  they  in  every 
respect  resemble  the  bird  cinclo,  which  we  call  in 
Spanish  Motacilla,  or  aguzanieve,  (wag-tail,)  which 
is  a  vagrant  bird  and  builds  no  nest,*  but  broods  in 
those  of  other  birds,  a  bird  restless  and  poor  of 
plumage,  as  Elian  writes. 

*  This  statement  is  incorrect. 
VOL.  I.  14 


158  TBfE    ZlNCTALr. 

**  TliE    aiTANOS    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,* 
Hugiemalars^  and  Dervislars,  of  whom  some  his- 
torians 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,  w^ho  declared  them  to  be  such  in  public 
edicts ;  a  fact  easy  to  be  believed,  when  we  con- 
sider that  they  enter  with  ease  into  the  enemies' 
country,  and  know  the  languages  of  all  nations. 

*'  Secondly,  because  they  are  idle  vagabond  peo- 
ple, who  are  in  no  respect  useful  to  the  kingdom  ; 
without  commerce,  occupation,  or  trade  of  any  de- 
scription ;  and  if  they  have  any  it  is  making  pick- 
locks and  pot-hooks  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: 

*  The  Torlaquis,  (idle  vagabonds,)  Hadgies,  (saints, ^  and  Dervishe*, 
(mendicant  friars,)  of  the  East,  are  Gypsies  neither  by  origin  nor  habits, 
but  are  in  general  people  who  support  themselves  in  idleness  by  practising 
Bpon  the  credulity  and  superstition  of  the  Moslems. 


THE    EXPULSION    OP    THE    GITANOS.  159 

'  Qiios  alicna  juvant,  propriis  habitare  molcstum, 
Fastidit  patrium  non  nisi  no?sc  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  ai'e  publl€  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  what  infinite  harm 
they  have  caused  in  many  honourabl-e  houses,  the 
married  women  whom  they  have  separated  from 
their  husbands,  and  the  maidens  whom  they  have 
perverted  ;  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  tbey  are  accounted 
famous  thieves,  about  which  authors  write  wonder- 
ful 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  ^ack  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 


160  THE    ZINCALl.. 

tribunals,  and  particularly  in  that  of  the  Holy 
Brotherhood;  their  wickedness  ascending  to  such 
a  pitch,  that  they  steal  child ren».  and  carry  them  for 
sale  to  Barbary ;  the  reason  why  the  Moors  call 
them,  in  Arabic,  Raso  cheramj,*  which,  as  Andreas 
Tebetus  writes,  means  master  thieves,  Althou£rU 
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  Quatrei'os,  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  uni- 
versally, and  which  is  confirmed  every  day  by  ex- 
perience ;  and  some  think  that  they  are  called  Cin- 
gary,  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  witch- 
crafts, and  heavy  evils,  both  spiritual  and  corporeal. 

"  Sixthly,  because  very  devout  men  consider 
them  as  heretics,  and  many  as  Gentile  idolaters,  or 

*  In  the  Moorish  Arabic,  revs  al  haramin,  the  literal  meaning  b^ing, 
"  heads  or  captains  of  thieves." 


THE    EXPULSION    OF    THE    GITANOS.  161 

atheists,  without  any  reh'gion,  although  they  exteri- 
orly 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  now  and  then  a  child  for 
form's  sake.  Friar  Jayme  Bleda  produces  a  hun- 
dred signs,  from  which  he  concludes  that  the  Moris- 
cos  were  not  Christians,  all  which  are  visible  in  the 
Gitanos  ;  very  few  are  known  to  baptize  their  chil- 
dren ;  they  are  not  married,  but  it  is  believed  that 
they  keep  the  women  in  common  ;  they  do  not  use 
dispensations,  nor  receive  the  sacranients ;  they  pay 
no  respect  to  images,  rosaries,  bulls,  neither  do  they 
hear  mass,  nor  divine  services  ;  they  never  enter 
the  churches,  nor  observe  fasts.  Lent,  nor  any  eccle- 
siastical precept ;  which  enormities  have  been  at- 
tested 'by  long  experience,  as  ev^ry  person  says. 

"  Finally,  they  practise  every  kind  of  wickedness 
iia  safety,  by  discoursing  amongst  themselves  i^i  a 
language  with  which  they  understand  each  other 
without  being  understood,  which  in  Spain  is  called 
Gerigonza,  which,  as  some  think,  ought  to  be  called 
Cingerionza,  or  language  of  Cingary.  The  king 
our  lord  saw  the  evil  of  such  a  practice  in  the  law 
which  he  enacted  at  Madrid,  in  the  year  1566,  in 
which  he  forbade  the  Arabic  to  the  Moriscos,  as  the 
lase  of  different  languages  amongst  the  natives  of  one 
kingdom  opens  a  door  to  treason^  and  is  a  source  of 
heavy  inconvenience  ;  and  this  is  exemplified  more 
m  the  case  of  the  Gitanos  than  of  any  other  people- 

14* 


162  THE    ZINCALIv 

*^  THE    GITANOS    OUGHT    TO    BE     SEIZED    WHEREVER 

FOUND. 

*'  The  civil  law  ordains  that  vagrants  be  seized 
wherever  they  are  found,  without  any  favour  being 
shown  to  them  ;  in  conformity  with  which,  the 
Gitanos  in  the  Greek  empire  were  given  as  slaves 
to  those  who  should  capture  them ;  as  respectable 
authors  write.  Moreover,  the  emperor,  our  lord, 
has  decreed,  by  a  law  made  in  Toledo,  in  the  year 
1525,  that  the  third  time  they  be  found  wandering  they 
shall  serve  as  slaves  during  their  whole  life  to  those  who 
cajpture  them.  Which  can  be  easily  justified,  inas- 
much as  there  is  no  shepherd  who  does  not  place  bar- 
riers against  the  wolves,  and  does  not  endeavour  to 
save  his  flock,  and  I  have  already  exposed  to  your 
majesty  the  damage  which  the  Gitanos  perpetrate 
in  Spain. 

**  THE      GITANOS      OUGHT      TO      BE      CONDEMNED      TO 

DEATH. 

**  The  reasons  are  many.  The  first,  for  being  spies, 
and  traitors  to  the  crown  ;  the  second,  as  idlers  and 
vagabonds. 

"  It  ought  always  to  be  considered,  that  no  sooner 
did  the  race  of  man  begin,  after  the  creation  of  the 
world,  than  the  important  point  of  civil  policy  arose 
of  condemning  vagrants  to  death  ;  for  Cain  was  cer- 
tain that  he  should  meet  his  destruction  in  wander-- 
ing  as  a  vagabond  for  the  murder  of  Abel.  Ero 
vagus  et  p'ofugus  in  terra :  omnis  igitur  qui  invenerit 
me,  occidet  me.     Now,  the  igitur  stands  here  as  a  na- 


THE    EXPULSION    OF    THE    GITANOS.  163 

tural  consequence  of  vagus  ero  ;  as  it  is  evident,  that 
whoever  shall  see  me  must  kill  me,  because  he  see& 
me  a  wanderer.  And  it  must  always  be  remem- 
bered, that  at  that  time  there  were  no  people  in  the 
world  but  the  parents  and  brothers  of  Cain,  as  St. 
Ambrose  has  remarked.  Moreover,  God,  by  the 
mouth  of  Jeremias,  menaced  his  people,  that  all 
should  devour  them  whilst  they  went  wandering 
amongst  the  mountains.  And  it  is  a  doctrine  enter- 
tained by  theologians,  that  the  mere  act  of  wander- 
ing, without  any  thing  else,  carries  with  it  a  vehe- 
ment suspicion  of  capital  crime.  Nature  herself 
demonstrates  it  in  the  curious  political  system  of 
the  bees,  in  whose  well  governed  republic  the  drones 
are  killed  in  April,  when  they  commence  working. 

"  The  third,  because  they  are  stealers  of  fourfooted 
beasts,  who  are  condemned  to  death  by  the  laws  of 
Spain,  in  the  wise  code  of  the  famous  King  Don 
Alonso  ;  which  enactment  became  a  part  of  the  com- 
mon law. 

"  The  fourth,  for  wizards,  diviners,  and  for  other 
arts  which  they  practise,  which  are  prohibited  under 
pain  of  death  by  the  divine  law  itself.  And  Saul 
is  praised  for  having  caused  this  law  to  be  put  in 
execution  in  the  beginning  of  his  reign  ;  and  the 
Holy  Scripture  attributes  to  the  breach  of  it  (namely, 
his  consulting  the  witch)  his  disastrous  death,  and 
the  transfer  of  the  kingdom  to  David.  The  emperor 
Constantino  the  Great,  and  other  emperors  who 
founded  the  civil  law,   condemned  to  death  those 


164  THE    ZIN€ALI. 

who  should  practise  such  facinorousness, — as  the 
President  of  Tolosa  has  written. 

"  The  last  and  most  urgent  cause  is,  that  they  are 
heretics,  if  what  is  said  be  truth,  and  it  is  the  prac- 
tice of  the  law  in  Spain  to  burn  such. 

"**  THE   GITANOS  ARE  EXPELLED  FROM  THE    COUNTRV 
BY    THE    LAWS   OF    SPAIN. 

"  Firstly,  they  are  comprehended  as  hale  beggars 
in  the  law  of  the  wise  king,  Don  Alonso,  by  which 
he  expelled  all  sturdy  beggars,  as  being  idle  and 
laseless. 

^*  Secondly,  the  law  expels  public  harlots  from  the 
city ;  and  of  this  matter  I  have  already  said  some- 
thing in  my  second  chapter. 

"  Thirdly,  as  people  who  cause  scandal,  and  who, 
as  is  visible  at  the  first  glance,  are  prejudicial  to 
morals  and  common  decency.  Now,  it  is  estab- 
lished by  the  statute  law  of  these  kingdoms,  thcit 
such  people  be  expelled  therefrom  ;  it  is  said  so  in 
the  well  pondered  words  of  the  edict  for  the  expul- 
sion of  the  Moors  : — *  And  forasmuch  as  the  sense 
of  good  and  Christian  government  makes  it  a  matter 
of  conscience  to  expel  from  the  kingdoms  the  things 
which  cause  scandal,  injury  to  honest  subjects,  dan- 
ger to  the  state,  and  above  all,  disloyalty  to  the  Lord 
our  God.'  Therefore,  considering  the  incorrigibility 
of  the  Gitanos,  the  Spanish  kings  made  many  holy 
laws  in  order  to  deliver  their  subjects  from  such 
pernicious  people. 

"  Fourthly,  the  Catholic  princes,  Ferdinand  and 


THE    EXPULSION    OP   THE    GITANOS.  16^ 

Isabella,  by  a  law  which  they  made  in  Medina  del 
Campo,  in  the  year  1494,  and  which  the  emperor 
our  lord  renewed  in  Toledo  in  1523,  and  in  Madrid 
in  1528  and  1534,  and  the  late  king  our  lord,  in  1560, 
banished  them  perpetually  from  Spain,  and  gave 
them  as  slaves  to  whomsoever  should  find  them, 
after  the  expiration  of  the  term  specified  in  the  edict 
—laws  which  are  notorious  even  amongst  strangers. 
The  words  are  : — '  We  declare  to  be  vagabonds, 
and  subject  ta  the  aforesaid  penalty,  the  Egyptians 
and  foreign  tinkers,  who  by  laws  and  statutes  of 
these  kingdoms  are  commanded  to  depart  therefrom  ;: 
and  the  poor  sturdy  beggars,  who,  contrary  to  the 
order  given  in  the  new  edict,  beg  for  alms  and  wan- 
der about.' 

"  THE     LAWS    ARE     VERY    JUST     WHICH    EXPEL  THE 
GITANOS    FROM    THE    STATES. 

"  All  the  doctors,  who  are  of  opinion  that  the 
Gitanos  may  be  condemned  to  death,  would  consider 
it  as  an  act  of  mercy  in  your  majest}^  to  banish  them 
perpetually  from  Spain,  and  at  the  same  time  as. 
exceedingly  just.  Many  learned  men  not  only  con- 
sider that  it  is  just  to  expel  them,  but  cannot  su^ 
ficiently  wonder  that  they  are  tolerated  in  Christian 
states,  and  even  consider  that  such  toleration  is  an 
insult  to  the  kingdoms. 

"  Whilst  engaged  in  writing  this,  I  have  seen  a 
very  learned  memorial,  in  which  Doctor  Salazar  de 
Mendoza  makes  the  same  supplication  to  your  ma- 


i'66  THE    2INCALI. 

jesty  which  is  made  in  this  discourse,  holding  it  to 
be  the  imperious  duty  of  every  good  government. 

"  It  stands  in  reason  that  the  prince  is  bound  to 
watch  for  the  welfare  of  his  subjects,  and  the  wrongs 
which  those  of  your  majesty  receive  from  the  Gita- 
nos  I  have  already  exposed  in  my  second  chapt^er  ; 
it  being  a  point  worthy  of  great  consideration  that 
the  wrongs  caused  by  the  Moriscos  moved  your 
royal  and  merciful  lx)som  to  drive  them  out,  although 
they  were  many,  and  their  departure  would  be  felt 
as  a  loss  to  the  population,  the  commerce,  the  royal 
revenues,  and  agriculture.  Now,  with  respect  to 
the  Gitanos  as  they  are  few,  and  perfectly  useless 
for  every  thing,  it  appears  more  necessary  to  drive 
them  forth,  the  injuries  which  they  cause  being  so 
numerous. 

"  Secondly,  because  the  Gitanos,  as  I  have  already 
said,  are  Spaniards ;  and  as  others  profess  the 
sacred  orders  of  religion,  even  so  do  these  fellows 
profess  gypsying,  which  is  robbery,  and  all  the 
other  vices  enumerated  in  chapter  the  second. 
And  whereas  it  is  just  to  banish  from  the  kingdom 
those  who  have  committed  any  heavy  delinquenc}'', 
it  is  still  more  so  to  banish  those  who  profess  to  be 
injurious  to  alL 

**  Thirdly,  because  all  the  kings  and  rulers  have 
always  endeavoured  to  eject  from  their  kingdoms 
the  idle  and  useless.  And  it  is  very  remarkable, 
that  the  law  invariably  commands  them  to  be  ex- 
pelled, and  the  republics  of  Athens  and  Corintli 
were  accustomed  to  do  so, — casting  them  forth  like 


THE    EXPULSION    OF    THE    GITANOS.  167 

dung,  even  as  Athenseus  writes  : — Nos  genus  hoc 
mortalmm  ejicimus  ex  liac  urbe  velut  jpurgamiJia,  Now 
the  profession  of  the  Gypsy  is  idleness* 

"  Fourthly,  because  the  Gitanos  are  diviners, 
enchanters,  and  mischievous  wretches,  and  the  law 
commands  us  to  expel  such  from  the  state. 

"  In  the  fifth  place,  because  your  majesty,  in  the 
cortes  at  present  assembled,  has  obliged  your  royal 
conscience  to  fulfil  all  the  articles  voted  for  the 
public  service,  and  the  forty-ninth  says  : — '  One  of 
the  things  at  present  most  necessaiy  to  be  done  in 
these  kingdoms,  is  to  afford  a  remedy  for  the  rob- 
beries, plundering  and  murders  committed  by  the 
Gitanos,  who  go  wandering  about  the  country,  steal- 
ing the  cattle  of  the  poor,  and  committing  a  thou- 
sand outrages,  living  without  any  fear  of  God,  and 
being  Christians  only  in  name.  It  is  therefore 
deemed  expedient,  that  your  majesty  command 
them  to  quit  these  kingdoms  within  six  months,  to 
be  reckoned  from  the  day  of  the  ratification  of  these 
presents,  and  that  they  do  not  return  to  the  same 
under  pain  of  death.' 

*'  Against  this,  two  things  may  possibly  be  urged  : 
"  The  first,  that  the  laws  of  Spain  give  unto  the 
Gitanos  the  alternative  of  residing  in  large  towns,: 
w^hich,  it  appears,  would  be  better  than  expelling 
them.  But  experience,  recognised  by  grave  and 
respectable  men,  has  shown  that  it  is  not  well  to 
harbour  these  people ;  for  their  houses  are  dens  of 
thieves,  from  whence  they  prowl  abroad  to  rob  the 
land. 


168  THE   i^lNCALl. 

"  The  second,  that  it  appears  a  pity  to  banish  th^ 
women  and  children.  But  to  this  can  be  opposed 
that  holy  act  of  your  majesty  which  expelled  the 
Moriscos,  and  the  children  of  the  Moriscos,  for  the 
i'^ason  given  in  the  royal  edict.  Whenever  any  de^- 
testable  crime  is  committed  by  any  university,  it  is  well  to 
punish  alL  And  the  most  detestable  crimes  of  all 
are  those  which  the  Gitanos  commit,  since  it  is 
notorious  that  they  subsist  on  what  they  steal ;  and 
as  to  the  children,  there  is  no  law  which  obliges  us 
to  bring  up  wolf-whelps,  to  cause  hereafter  certain 
damage  to  the  flock. 

"IT    HAS    EVER    BEEN    THE     PRACTICE     OF     PRINCES 
TO    EXPEL    THE    GITANOS. 

"  Every  one  who  considers  the  manner  of  your 
majesty's  government  as  the  truly  Christian  pattern, 
must  entertain  fervent  hope  that  the  advice  proffered 
in  this  discourse  will  be  attended  to ;  more  espe- 
cially on  reflecting  that  not  only  the  good,  but  even 
the  most  barbarous  kings  have  acted  up  to  it  in 
their  respective  dominions. 

*'  Pharaoh  was  bad  enough,  nevertheless  he 
judged  that  the  children  of  Israel  were  dangerous 
to  the  state,  because  they  appeared  to  him  to  be 
living  without  any  certain  occupation  ;  and  for  this 
very  reason  the  Chaldeans  cast  them  out  of  Baby- 
lon. Amasis,  King  of  Egypt,  drove  all  the  vagrants 
from  his  kingdom,  forbidding  them  to  return  under 
pain  of  death.  The  Soldan  of  Egypt  expelled  the 
Torlaquis.     The  Moors  did  the  same,  and  Bajazet 


THE    EXPULSION    OF    THE    GITANOS.  169 

cast  them  out  of  all  the  Ottoman  empire,  according 
to  Leo  Clavius. 

"  In  the  second  place,  the  Christian  princes  have 
deemed  it  an  important  measure  of  state. 

"  The  emperor  our  lord,  in  the  German  Diets  of 
the  year  1548,  expelled  the  Gitanos  from  all  his 
empire,  and  these  were  the  words  of  the  decree : — 
*  Zigeuner  quos  compertum  est  proditores  esse,  et 
exploratores  hostium  nusquam  in  imperio  locum 
inveniunto.  In  deprehensos  vis  et  injuria  sine 
fraude  esto.  Fides  publica  Zigeuners  ne  dator, 
nee  data  servator.' 

*'  The  King  of  France,  Francis,  expelled  them 
from  thence  ;  and  the  Duke  of  Terranova,  when 
Governor  of  Milan  for  our  lord  the  king,  obliged 
them  to  depart  from  that  territory  under  pain  of 
death. 

*'  Thirdly,  there  is  one  grand  reason  which  ought 
to  be  conclusive  in  moving  him  who  so  much  values 
himself  in  being  a  faithful  son  of  the  church, — I 
mean  the  example  which  Pope  Pius  the  Fifth  gave 
to  all  the  princes ;  for  he  drove  the  Gitanos  from  all 
his  domains,  and  in  the  year  1568,  he  expelled  the 
Jews,  assigning  as  reasons  for  their  expulsion  those 
which  are  more  closely  applicable  to  the  Gitanos; — 
namely,  that  they  sucked  the  vitals  of  the  state, 
without  being  of  any  utility  whatever ;  that  they 
were  thieves  themselves,  and  harbourers  of  others ; 
that  they  were  wizards,  diviners,  and  wretches,  who 
induced  people  to  believe  that  they  knew  the  future, 

VOL.    I.  15 


170  THE    ZINC  ALL 

which  is  what  the  Gitanos  at  present  do  by  teUing 
fortunes. 

"  Your  majesty  has  already  freed  us  from  greater 
and  more  dangerous  enemies  ;  finish,  therefore,  the 
enterprise  begun,  whence  will  result  universal  joy 
and  security,  and  by  which  your  majesty  will  earn 
immortal  honour.     Amen. 

"  O  Regum  summe,  horum  plura  ne  temnas 
(absit)  ne  forte  tempsisse  Hispaniae  periculosum 
existat." 


CHAPTER  XII. 

VARIOUS  LAWS  ISSUED  AGAINST  THE  SPANISH  GYPSIES,  FROM  THE 
TIME  OF  FERDINAND  AND  ISABELLA,  TO  THE  LATTER  PART  OF  THE 
EIGHTEENTH  CENTURY,  EMBRACING  A  PERIOD  OF  NEARLY  THREE 
HUNDRED    YEARS. 

!pERHAPS  there  is  no  country  in  which  more  laws 
have  been  framed,  having  in  viev/  the  extinction 
and  suppression  of  the  Gypsy  name,  race,  and 
manner  of  life,  than  Spain.  Every  monarch,  during 
a  period  of  three  hundred  years,  appears  at  his 
accession  to  the  throne  to  have  considered  that  one 
of  his  first  and  most  imperative  duties  consisted  in 
suppressing  or  checking  the  robberies,  frauds,  and 
other  enormities  of  the  Gitanos,  with  which  the 
whole  country  seems  to  have  resounded  since  the 
time  of  their  first  appearance. 

They  have,  by  royal  edicts,  been  repeatedly 
banished  from  Spain,  under  terrible  penalties,  un- 
less they  renounced  their  inveterate  habits  ;  and 
for  the  purpose  of  eventually  confounding  them  with 
the  residue  of  the  population,  they  have  been  for- 
bidden, even  when  stationary,  to  reside  together, 
every   family   being    enjoined   to   live   apart,   and 


172  THE    2;iNCALI. 

neither  to  seek,  nor  to  hold  communication  with 
others  of  the  race. 

We  shall  say  nothing  at  present,  as  to  the  wis^ 
dom  which  dictated  these  provisions,  nor  whether 
others  might  not  have  been  devised,  better  calcu- 
lated to  produce  the  end  desired.  Certain  it  is, 
that  the  laws  were  never,  or  very  imperfectly,  put 
in  force,  and  for  reasons  with  which  their  expediency 
or  equity  (which  no  one  at  the  time  impugricd)  had 
no  connexion  whatever. 

It  is  true,  that  in  a  country  like  Spain,  abounding 
in  wildernesses  and  almost  inaccessible  mountains, 
the  task  of  hunting  down  and  exterminating,  or 
banishing  the  roving  bands,  would  have  been  found 
one  of  no  slight  difficulty,  even  if  such  had  ever 
been  attempted  ;  but  it  must  be  remembered,  that 
from  an  early  period  colonies  of  Gitanos  have  ex- 
isted in  the  principal  towns  of  Spain,  where  the 
men  have  plied  the  trades  of  jockeys  and  black- 
smiths, and  the  women  subsisted  by  divination,  and 
all  kinds  of  fraud.  These  colonies  were,  of  course, 
always  within  the  reach  of  the  hand  of  justice,  yet 
it  does  not  appear  that  they  were  more  interfered 
with  than  the  roving  and  independent  bands,  and 
that  any  serious  attempts  were  made  to  break  them 
up,  though  notorious  as  nurseries  and  refuges  of 
crime. 

It  is  a  lamentable  fact,  that  pure  and  uncorrupt' 
justice  has  never  existed  in  Spain,  as  far  at  least  as 
record  will  allow  us  to  judge  ;  not  that  the  prin-. 
ciples  of  justice  have  been  less  understood  than  in 


LAWS    FOR    THE    SUPPRESSION    OF    GITANOS.     173 

Other  countries,  but  because  the  entire  system  of 
justiciary  administration  is  shamelessly  profligate 
and  vile'. 

Spanish  justice  has  invariably  been  a  mockery,  a 
thing  to  be  bought  and  sold,  terrible  only  to  the  fee- 
ble and  innocent,  and  an  instrument  of  cruelty  and 
avarice. 

The  tremendous  satires  of  Le  Sage  upon  Spanish 
corregidors  and  alguazils,  are  true,  even  at  the  pre- 
sent day,  and  the  most  notorious  offenders  can  gene- 
rally escape,  if  able  to  administer  sufficient  bribes 
to  the  ministers*  of  what  is  misnamed  justice. 

The  reader,  whilst  perusing  the  following  extracts 
from  the  laws  framed  against  the  Gitanos,  will  be 
filled  with  wonder  that  the  Gypsy  sect  still  exists  ia 
Spain  contrary  to  the  declared  will  of  the  sovereign 
and  the  nation,  so  often  repeated  during  a  period  of 
three  hundred  years ;  yet  such  is  the  fact,  and  it 
can  only  be  accounted  for  on  the  ground  of  corrup- 
tion. 

It  was  notorious  that  the  Gitanos  had  powerful 
friends  and  favourers  in  every  district,  who  sanc- 
tioned and  encouraged  them  in  their  Gypsy  prac- 
tices. These  their  fautors  were  of  all  ranks  and 
grades,  from,  the  corregidor  of  noble  blood,  to  the  low 
and  obscure  escribano  ;  and  from  the  viceroy  of  the 
province,  to  the  archer  of  the  Hermandad. 

To  the  high  and  noble,  they  were  known  as  Cha-- 
lanes,  and  to  the  plebeian  functionaries,  as  people 

*  A  favourite  saying  amongst  this   class   of  people,  is  the  following 
"  Es  precise  que  cada  uno  coma  de  su  oficio." 

15* 


174  THE    ZINCALI. 

who  notwithstanding  their  general  poverty,  could 
pay  for  protection. 

A  law  was  even  enacted  against  these  protectors 
of  the  Gitanos,  which  of  course  failed,  as  the  execu- 
tion of  the  law  was  confided  to  the  very  delinquents 
against  whom  it  was  directed.  Thus,  the  Gitano 
bought,  sold,  and  exchanged  animals  openly,  though 
he  subjected  himself  to  the  penalty  of  death  by  so 
doing,  or  left  his  habitation  when  he  thought  fit, 
though  such  an  act,  by  the  law  of  the  land,  was 
punishable  with  the  galleys. 

In  one  of  their  songs  they  have  commemorated 
the  impunity  with  which  they  wandered  about : 
The  escribano,  to  whom  the  Gitanos  of  the  neigh- 
bourhood pay  contribution,  on  a  strange  Gypsy  being 
brought  before  him,  instantly  orders  him  to  be  liber- 
ated, assigning  as  a  reason,  that  he  is  no  Gitano^. 
but  a  legitimate  Spaniard  : 

"  I  left  my  house,  and  walked  about, 
They  seized  me  fast,  and  bound  :. 
It  is  a  Gypsy  thief,  they  shout, 
The  Spaniards  here  have  found. 

"  From  out  the  prison  me  they  led, 
Before  the  scribe  they  brought  :• 
It  is  no  Gypsy  thief,  he  saii!,^ 

The  Spaniards  here  have  caught." 

In  a  word,  nothing  was  to  be  gained  by  interfer- 
ing with  the  Gitanos,  by  those  in  whose  hands  the 
power  was  vested  :  but,  on  the  contrar}^  something 
was  to  be  lost.  The  chief  sufferers  were  the  la- 
bourers, and  they  had.no  power  to  right  themselves,. 


LAWS    FOR    THE    SUPPRESSION    OF    GITANOS.       175 

though  their  wrongs  were  universally  admitted,  and 
laws  for  their  protection  continually  being  made, 
which  their  enemies  contrived  to  set  at  nought  ;  as 
will  presently  be  seen. 

The  first  law  issued  against  the  Gypsies  appears 
to  have  been  that  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  at  Me- 
dina Del  Campo,  in  1499.  In  this  edict  they  were 
commanded,  under  certain  penalties,  to  become  sta- 
tionary in  towns  and  villages,  and  to  provide  them- 
selves with  masters  whom  they  might  serve  for  their 
maintenance,  or  in  default  thereof,  to  quit  the  king- 
dom at  the  end  of  sixty  days.  No  mention  is  made 
of  the  country  to  which  they  were  expected  to  be- 
take themselves  in  the  event  of  their  quitting  Spain. 
Perhaps,  as  they  are  called  Egyptians,  it  was  con- 
cluded that  they  would  forthwith  return  to  Egypt ; 
but  the  framers  of  the  law  never  seem  to  have  con- 
sidered what  means  these  Egyptians  possessed  of 
transporting  their  families  and  themselves  across  the 
sea  to  such  a  distance,  or  if  they  betook  themselves 
to  other  countries,  what  reception-  a  host  of  people, 
confessedly  thieves  and  vagabonds,  were  likely  to 
meet  with,  or  whether  it  was  fair  in  the  two  Christian 
lirinces  to  get  rid  of  such  a  nuisance  at  the  expense 
of  their  neighbours.  Such  matters  were  o^f  course 
left  for  the  Gypsies  themselves  to  settle. 

In  this  edict,  a  class  of  individuals  is  mentioned 
in  conjunction  with  the  Gitanos,  or  Gypsies,  but  dis- 
tinguished from  them  by  the  name  of  foreign  tinkers, 
or  Calderos  estrangeros.  By  these,  we  presume, 
"ty-ere  meant  the  Calabrians,  who  are  still  to.be  seen- 


176  THE    ZINCALI. 

upon  the  roads  of  Spain,  wandering  about  from  town 
to  town,  in  much  the  same  way  as  the  itinerant  tinkers 
of  England  at  the  present  day.  A  man  half  a  savage, 
a  haggard  woman,  who  is  generally  a  Spaniard,  a 
wretched  child,  and  still  more  miserable  donkey, 
compose  the  group  ;  the  gains  are  of  course  exceed- 
ingly scanty,  nevertheless  this  life,  seemingly  so 
wretched,  has  its  charms  for  these  outcasts,  who  live 
without  care  and  anxiety,  without  a  thought  beyond 
the  present  hour,  and  who  sleep  as  sound  in  ruined 
posadas  and  ventas,  or  in  ravines  amongst  rocks  and 
pines,  as  the  proudest  grandee  in  his  palace  at  Se- 
ville or  Madrid. 

Don  Carlos  and  Donna  Juanna,  at  Toledo,  1539, 
confirmed  the  edict  of  Medina  del  Campo  against 
the  Egyptians,  with  the  addition,  that  if  any  Egyp- 
tian, after  the  expiration  of  the  sixty  days,  should 
be  found  wandering  about,  he  should  be  sent  to  the 
galleys  for  six  years,  if  above  the  age  of  twenty 
and  under  that  of  fifty,  and  if  under  or  above  those 
years,  punished  as  the  preceding  law  provides. 

Philip  the  Second,  at  Madrid,  1586,  after  com- 
manding that  all  tlie  laws  and  edicts  be  observed, 
by  which  the  Gypsies  are  forbidden  to  wander 
about  and  commanded  to  establish  themselves, 
ordains,  with  the  view  of  restraining  their  thievish 
and  cheating  practices,  that  none  of  them  be  per- 
mitted to  sell  any  thing,  either  within  or  without 
fairs  or  markets,  if  not  provided  with  a  testimony 
signed  by  the  notary  public,  to  prove  that  they  have 
a  settled  residence,  and  where  it  may  be  ;  which. 


LAWS    FOR    THE    SUPPRESSION    OF    GITANOS.     177 

testimony  must  also  specify  and  describe  the  horses, 
cattle,  linen,  and  other  things,  which  they  carry 
forth  for  sale  ;  otherwise  they  are  to  be  punished  as 
thieves,  and  what  they  attempt  to  sell  considered 
as  stolen  property. 

Philip  the  Third,  at  Belem,  in  Portugal,  1619, 
commands  all  the  Gypsies  of  the  kingdom  to  quit 
the  same  within  the  term  of  six  months,  and  never 
to  return,  under  pain  of  death  ;  those  who  should 
wish  to  remain,  are  to  establish  themselves  in  cities, 
towns,  and  villages,  of  one  thousand  families  and 
upwards,  and  are  not  to  be  allowed  the  use  of  the 
dress,  name,  and  language  of  Gypsies,  in  order  that^ 
Jbrasmuch  as  they  are  not  such  by  nation,  this  name  and 
manner  of  life  may  he  for  evermore  confounded  and  for- 
gotten. They  are  moreover  forbidden,  under  the 
same  penalty,  to  have  any  thing  to  do  with  the  buy- 
ing or  selling  of  cattle,  whether  great  or  small. 

The  most  curious  portion  of  the  above  law,  is  the 
passage  in  which  these  people  are  declared  not  to 
be  Gypsies  by  nation.  If  they  are  not  Gypsies, 
who  are  they  then  ?  Spaniards  ?  If  so,  what  right 
had  the  King  of  Spain  to  send  the  refuse  of  his 
subjects  abroad,  to  corrupt  other  lands,  over  which 
he  had  no  jurisdiction  I 

The  Moors  were  sent  bacli  to  Africa,  under  some 
colour  of  justice,  as  they  came  originally  from  that 
part  of  the  world,  but  what  would  have  been  said 
to  such  a  measure,  if  the  edict  which  banished 
them  had  declared  that  they  were  not  Moors,  but 
Spaniards  ? 


178  THE    ZINCALI. 

The  law,  moreover,  in  stating  that  they  are  not 
Gypsies  by  nation,  seems  to  have  forgotten  that 
in  that  case  it  would  be  impossible  to  distinguish 
them  from  other  Spaniards,  so  soon  as  they  should 
have  dropped  the  name,  language,  and  dress  of 
Gypsies.  How,  therefore,  provided  they  were  like 
other  Spaniards,  and  did  not  carry  the  mark  of 
another  nation  on  their  countenances,  could  it  be 
known  whether  or  not  they  obeyed  the  law,  which 
commanded  them  to  live  only  in  populous  towns  or 
villages,  or  how  could  they  be  detected  in  the  bu}^- 
ing  or  selling  of  cattle,  which  the  law  forbids  them 
under  pain  of  death  ? 

The  attempt  to  abolish  the  Gypsy  name  and 
manner  of  life,  might  have  been  made  without  the 
assertion  of  a  palpable  absurdity. 

Philip  the  Fourth,  May  8,  1633,  after  reference 
to  the  evil  lives  and  want  of  religion  of  the  Gypsies, 
and  the  complaints  made  against  them  by  prelates 
and  others,  declares,  "that  the  laws  hitherto  adopted 
since  the  year  1499,  have  been  inefficient  to  restrain 
their  excesses  ;  that  they  are  not  Gypsies  by  origin 
or  nature,  but  have  adopted  this  form  of  life ;"  and 
then,  after  forbidding  them,  according  to  custom, 
the  dress  and  language  of  Gypsies,  under  the  usual 
severe  penalties,  he  ordains : 

"  1st.  That  under  the  same  penalties,  the  afore- 
said people  shall,  within  two  months,  leave  the 
quarters  (barrios)  where  they  now  live  with  the  de- 
nomination of  Gitanos,  and  that  they  shall  separate 
from  each  other,  and  mingle  with  the  other  inhabit^ 


LAWS    FOR   THE    SUPPRESSION   OF    GITANOS.     179 

ants,  and  that  they  shall  hold  no  more  meetings, 
neither  in  public  nor  in  secret ;  that  the  ministers 
of  justice  are  to  observe,  with  particular  diligence, 
how  they  fulfil  these  commands,  and  whether  they 
hold  communication  with  each  other,  or  marry 
amongst  themselves;  and  how  they  fulfil  the  obliga- 
tions of  Christians  by  assisting  at  sacred  worship 
in  the  churches  ;  upon  which  latter  point  they  are 
to  procure  information  with  all  possible  secresy  from 
the  curates  and  clergy  of  the  parishes  where  the 
Gitanos  reside. 

"  2dly.  And  in  order  to  extirpate,  in  every  way, 
the  name  of  Gitanos,  we  ordain  that  they  be  not 
called  so,  and  that  no  one  venture  to  call  them  so, 
and  that  such  shall  be  esteemed  a  very  heavy  injury, 
and  shall  be  punished  as  such,  if  proved,  and  that 
nought  pertaining  to  the  Gypsies,  their  name,  dress, 
or  actions,  be  represented,  either  in  dances  or  in 
any  other  performance,  under  the  penalty  of  two 
years'  banishment,  and  a  mulct  of  fifly  thousand 
maravedis  to  whomsoever  shall  ofiend  for  the  first 
time,  and  double  punishment  for  the  second." 

The  above  two  articles  seem  to  have  in  view  the 
suppression  and  breaking  up  of  the  Gypsy  colonies 
established  in  the  large  towns,  more  especially  the 
suburbs  ;  farther  on,  mention  is  made  of  the  wan- 
dering bands. 

"  4thly.  And  forasmuch  as  we  have  understood 
that  numerous  Gitanos  rove  in  bands  through  vari- 
ous parts  of  the  kingdom,  committing  robberies  in 
uninhabited  places,  and  even  invading  some  small 


180  THE    ZINC  ALL 

villages,  to  the  great  terror  and  danger  of  the  in^ 
habitants,  we  give  by  this  our  law  a  general  com- 
mission to  all  ministers  of  justice,  whether  apper- 
taining to  royal  domains,  lordships,  or  abbatial 
territories,  that  every  one  may,  in  his  district,  pro- 
ceed to  the  imprisonment  and  chastisement  of  the 
delinquents,  and  may  pass  beyond  his  own  jurisdic- 
tion in  pursuit  of  them ;  and  we  also  command  all 
the  ministers  of  justice  aforesaid,  that  on  receiving 
information  that  Gitanos  or  highwaymen  are  prow- 
ling in  their  districts,  they  do  assemble  at  an  ap- 
pointed da}^  and  with  the  necessary  preparation  of 
men  and  arms  they  do  hunt  down,  take,  and  deliver 
them  under  a  good  guard  to  the  nearest  officer  hold- 
ing the  royal  commission." 

Carlos  the  Second  followed  in  the  footsteps  of  his 
predecessors,  with  respect  to  the  Gitanos.  By  a 
law  of  the  20th  of  November,  1G92,  he  inhibits  the 
Gitanos  from  living  in  towns  of  less  than  one  thou- 
sand heads  of  families  (vecinos),  and  pursuing  any 
trade  or  employment,  save  the  cultivation  of  the 
ground  ;  from  going  in  the  dress  of  Gypsies,  or 
speaking  the  language  or  gibberish  which  they  use  ; 
from  living  apart  in  any  particular  quarter  of  the  town ; 
from  visiting  fairs  with  cattle,  great  or  small,  or 
even  selling  or  exchanging  such  at  any  time,  unless 
with  the  testimonial  of  the  public  notary  that  they 
were  bred  within  their  own  houses.  By  this  law 
they  are  also  forbidden  to  have  fire-arms  in  their 
possession. 

So  far  from  being  abashed  by  this  law,  or  the  pre- 


LAWS   FOR   THE    SUPPRESSION   OF    GITANOS.        181 

ceding  one,  the  Gitanos  seem  to  have  increased  in 
excesses  of  every  kind.  Only  three  years  after,  (12th 
June,  1695,)  the  same  monarch  deemed  it  necessary 
to  publish  a  new  law  for  their  persecution  and  chas- 
tisement. This  law,  which  is  exceedingly  severe, 
consists  of  twenty-nine  articles.  By  the  fourth  they 
are  forbidden  any  other  exercise  or  manner  of  life 
than  that  of  the  cultivation  of  the  fields,  in  which 
their  wives  and  children,  if  oF  competent  age,  are  to 
assist  them. 

Of  every  other  office,  employment,  or  commerce, 
they  are  declared  incapable,  and  especially  of  being 
blacksmiths. 

By  the  fifth,  they  are  forbidden  to  keep  horses  or 
mares,  either  within  or  without  their  houses,  or  to 
make  use  of  them  in  any  way  whatever,  under  the 
penalty  of  two  months'  imprisonment  and  the  forfei- 
ture of  such  animals  ;  and  any  one  lending  them  a 
horse  or  a  mare,  is  to  forfeit  the  same,  if  it  be  found 
in  their  possession.  They  are  declared  only  capa- 
ble of  keeping  a  mule,  or  some  lesser  beast,  to  assist 
them  in  their  labour,  or  for  the  use  of  their  families. 

By  the  twelfth,  they  are  to  be  punished  with  six 
years  in  the  galleys,  if  they  leave  the  towns  or  villages 
in  which  they  are  located,  and  pass  to  others,  or 
wander  in  the  fields  or  roads ;  and  they  are  only  to 
be  permitted  to  go  out,  in  order  to  exercise  the  pur- 
suit of  husbandry.  In  this  edict,  particular  mention 
is  made  of  the  favour  and  protection  shown  to  the 
Gitanos,  by  people  of  various  descriptions,  by  means 
of  which  they  had  been  enabled  to  follow  their  man- 

VOL.  I.  16 


182  THE    ZINCALI. 

ner  of  life  undisturbed,  and  to  baffle  the  severity  of 
the  laws  : 

"  Article  16. — And  because  we  understand  that 
the  continuance  in  these  kingdoms  of  those  who  are 
called  Gitanos  has  depended  on  the  favour,  protec- 
tion, and  assistance  which  they  have  experienced 
from  persons  of  different  stations,  we  do  ordain,  that 
whosoever,  against  whom  shall  be  proved  the  fact 
of  having,  since  the  day  of  the  publication  hereof, 
favoured,  received,  or  assisted  the  said  Gitanos,  in 
any  manner  whatever,  whether  within  their  houses 
or  without,  the  said,  person,  provided  he  is  noble, 
shall  be  subjected  to  the  fine  of  six  thousand  ducats, 
the  half  of  which  shall  be  applied  to  our  treasury, 
and  the  other  half  to  the  expenses  of  the  prosecution  ; 
and,  if  a  plebeian,  to  a  punishment  of  ten  years  in  the 
galleys.  And  we  declare,  that  in  order  to  proceed 
to  the  infliction  of  such  fine  and  punishment,  the  evi- 
dence of  two  respectable  witnesses,  without  stain  or 
suspicion,  shall  be  esteemed  legitimate  and  conclu- 
sive, although  they  depose  to  separate  acts,  or  three 
depositions  of  the  Gitanos  themselves,  made  upon  the 
rack,  although  they  relate  to  separate  and  different 
acts  of  abetting  and  harbouring." 

The  following  article  is  curious,  as  it  bears  evi- 
dence to  Gypsy  craft  and  cunning. 

"  Article  18. — And  whereas  it  is  very  difficult  to 
prove,  against  the  Gitanos  the  robberies  and  delin- 
quencies which  they  commit,  partly  because  they 
happen  in  uninhabited  places,  but  more  especially  on 
account  of  the  malice  and  cunning  with  which  they 


LAWS    FOR    THE    SUPPEESSION    OF    GITANOS.       183 

execute  them  ;  we  do  ordain,  in  order  that  they  may 
receive  the  merited  chastisement,  that  to  convict 
in  these  cases,  those  who  are  called  Gitanos,  the  de- 
positions of  the  persons  whom  they  have  robbed  in 
uninhabited  places  shall  be  sufficient,  provided  there 
are  at  least  two  witnesses  to  one  and  the  same  fact, 
and  these  of  good  fame  and  reputation  ;  and  we  also 
declare  that  the  corpus  delicti  may  be  proved  in  the  same 
manner,  in  these  cases,  in  order  that  the  culprits 
may  be  proceeded  against,  and  condemned  to  the 
corresponding  pains  and  punishments.'' 

The  council  of  Madrid  published  a  schedule,  18th 
of  August,  1705,  from  which  it  appears  that  the 
villages  and  roads  were  so  much  infested  by  the 
Gitano  race,  that  there  was  neither  peace  nor  safety 
for  labourers  and  travellers  ;  the  corregidors  and  jus- 
tices are  therefore  exhorted  to  use  their  utmost  en- 
deavour to  apprehend  these  outlaws,  and  to  execute 
upon  them  the  punishments  enjoined  by  the  preced- 
ing law.  The  ministers  of  justice  are  empowered  to 
fire  upon  them  as  public  enemies,  wherever  they 
meet  them,  in  case  of  resistance  or  refusal  to  deliver 
up  the  arms  they  carry  about  them. 

Philip  the  Fifth,  by  schedule,  October  1st,  1726, 
forbade  any  complaints  which  the  Gitanos  might 
have  to  make  against  the  inferior  justices  being 
heard  in  the  higher  tribunals,  and,  on  that  account, 
banished  all  the  Gypsy  women  from  Madrid,  and, 
indeed,  from  all  towns  where  royal  audiences  were 
held,  it  being  the  custom  of  the  women  to  flock  up 
to  the  capital  from  the  small  towns  and  villages, 


184  THE    ZINC  ALL 

under  pretence  of  claiming  satisfaction  for  wrongs 
inflicted  upon  their  husbands  and  relations,  and 
when  there  to  practise  the  art  of  divination,  and  to 
sing  obscene  songs  through  the  streets ;  by  this  law, 
also,  the  justices  are  particularly  commanded  not  to 
permit  the  Gitanos  to  leave  their  places  of  domicile, 
except  in  cases  of  very  urgent  necessity. 

This  law  was  attended  with  the  same  success  as 
the  others ;  the  Gitanos  left  their  places  of  domicile 
whenever  they  thought  proper,  frequented  the  vari- 
ous fairs,  and  played  off  their  jockey  tricks  as  usual, 
or  traversed  the  country  in  armed  gangs,  plundering 
the  small  villages,  and  assaulting  travellers. 

The  same  monarch.  In  October,  published  another 
law  against  them,  from  St.  Lorenzo  of  the  Escurial. 
From  the  words  of  this  edict,  and  the  measures 
resolved  upon,  the  reader  may  form  some  idea  of 
the  excesses  of  the  Gitanos  at  this  period.  They 
are  to  be  hunted  down  with  fire  and  sword,  and 
even  the  sanctity  of  the  temples  is  to  be  invaded  in 
their  pursuit,  and  the  Gitanos  dragged  from  the 
horns  of  the  altar,  should  they  flee  thither  for  refuge. 
It  was  impossible,  in  Spain,  to  carry  the  severity  of 
persecution  farther,  as  the  very  parricide  was  in 
perfect  safety,  could  he  escape  to  the  church.  Here 
follows  part  of  this  law. 

"  I  have  resolved  that  all  the  lord-lieutenants,  in- 
tendants,  and  corregidors  shall  publish  proclama- 
tions, and  fix  edicts,  to  the  eflect  that  all  the  Gitanos 
who  are  domiciled  in  the  cities  and  towns  of  their 
jurisdiction  shall  return  within  the  space  of  fifteen 


LAWS   FOR   THE    SUPPRESSION   OF    GITANOS.     185 

days  to  their  places  of  domicile,  under  penalty  of 
being  declared,  at  the  expiration  of  that  term,  as 
public  banditti,  subject  to  be  fired  at  in  the  event 
of  being  found  with  arms,  or  without  them,  beyond 
the  limits  of  their  places  of  domicile  ;  and  at  the 
expiration  of  the  term  aforesaid,  the  lord-lieutenants, 
intendants,  and  corregidors  are  strictly  commanded, 
that  either  they  themselves,  or  suitable  persons  de- 
puted by  them,  march  out  with  armed  soldiery,  or 
if  there  be  none  at  hand,  with  the  militias  and  their 
officers,  accompanied  by  the  horse  rangers  destined 
for  the  protection  of  the  revenue,  for  the  purpose  of 
scouring  the  whole  district  within  their  jurisdiction, 
making  use  of  all  possible  diligence  to  apprehend 
such  Gitanos  as  are  to  be  found  on  the  public  roads 
and  other  places  beyond  their  domiciliary  bounds, 
and  to  inflict  upon  them  the  penalty  of  death,  for 
the  mere  act  of  being  found. 

"  And  in  the  event  of  their  taking  refuge  in  sacred 
places,  they  are  empowered  to  drag  them  forth,  and 
conduct  them  to  the  neighbouring  prisons  and  for- 
tresses, and  provided  the  ecclesiastical  judges  pro- 
ceed against  the  secular,  in  order  that  they  be  re- 
stored to  the  church,  they  are  at  liberty  to  avail 
themselves  of  the  recourse  to  force,  countenanced 
by  laws  declaring,  even  as  I  now  declare,. that  all 
the  Gitanos,  who  shall  leave  their  allotted  places  of 
abode,  are  to  be  held  as  incorrigible  rebels,  and 
enemies  of  the  public  peace." 

From  this  period,  until  the  year  1780,  various 
other  laws  and  schedules  were  directed  against  the 

16* 


186  THE    ZINCALI. 

Gitanos,  which,  as  they  contain  nothing  very  new 
or  remarkable,  we  may  be  well  excused  from  par- 
ticularizing. In  1783,  a  law  was  passed  by  the 
government,  widely  differing  in  character  from  any 
which  had  hitherto  been  enacted  in  connexion  with 
the  Gitano  caste  or  religion  in  Spain. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

CARLOS   TERCERO. — HIS    LAW   RESPECTING  THE    GITANOS. 

Carlos  Tercero,  or  Charles  the  Third,  ascended 
the  throne  of  Spain  in  the  year  1759,  and  died  in 
1788.  No  Spanish  monarch  has  left  behind  a  more 
favourable  impression  on  the  minds  of  the  generality 
of  his  countrymen  ;  indeed,  he  is  the  only  one  who 
is  remembered  at  all  by  all  ranks  and  conditions ; — 
perhaps  he  took  the  surest  means  for  preventing  his 
name  being  forgotten,  by  erecting  a  durable  monu- 
ment in  every  large  town, — we  do  not  mean  a  pillar 
surmounted  by  a  statue,  or  a  colossal  figure  on 
horseback,  but  some  useful  and  stately  public  edi- 
fice. All  the  magnificent  modern  buildings  which 
attract  the  eye  of  the  traveller  in  Spain,  sprang  up 
during  the  reign  of  Carlos  Tercero, — for  example, 
the  museum  at  Madrid,  the  gigantic  tobacco  fabric 
at  Seville, — ^half  fortress,  half  manufactory, — and 
the  Farol,  at  Corunna.  We  suspect  that  these 
erections,  which  speak  to  the  eye,  have  gained  him 
far  greater  credit  amongst  Spaniards,  than  the  sup- 
port which  he  afforded  to  liberal  opinions,  which 
served  to  fan  the  fiame  of  insurrection  in  the  new 


188  THE    ZINCALI. 

world,  and  eventually  lost  for  Spain  her  transatlan- 
tic empire. 

We  have  said  that  he  left  behind  him  a  favourable 
impression  amongst  the  generality  of  his  country- 
men ;  by  which  we  mean  the  great  body  found  in 
every  nation,  who  neither  think  nor  reason, — for 
there  are  amongst  the  Spaniards  not  a  few  who  de- 
ny that  any  of  his  actions  entitle  him  to  the  gratitude 
of  the  nation.  All  his  thoughts,  say  they,  were 
directed  to  hunting — and  hunting  alone  ;  and  all 
the  days  of  the  year  he  employed  himself  either  in 
hunting  or  in  preparation  for  the  sport.  In  one  ex- 
pedition, in  the  parks  of  the  Pardo,  he  spent  several 
millions  of  reals.  The  noble  edifices  which  adorn 
Spain,  though  built  by  his  orders,  are  less  due  to  his 
reign  than  to  the  anterior  one, — to  the  reign  of  Fer- 
dinand the  Sixth,  who  left  immense  treasures,  a 
small  portion  of  which  Carlos  Tercero  devoted  to 
these  purposes,  squandering  away  the  remainder. 
It  is  said  that  Carlos  Tercero  was  no  friend  to  super- 
stition ;  yet  how  little  did  Spain  during  his  time 
gain  in  religious  liberty.  The  great  part  of  the  na- 
tion remained  intolerant  and  theocratic  as  before, 
the  other  and  smaller  section  turned  philosophic,  but 
after  the  insane  manner  of  the  French  revolutionists, 
intolerant  in  its  incredulity,  and  believing  more  in 
the  "  Encyclopedic,"  than  in  the  gospel  of  the 
Nazarene. 

We  should  not  have  said  thus  much  of  Carlos 
Tercero,  whose  character  has  been  extravagantly 
praised  by  the  multitude,  and  severely  criticised  by 


CARLOS    TERCERO.  189 

the  discerning  few  who  look  deeper  than  the  sur- 
face of  things,  if  a  law  passed  during  his  reign  did 
not  connect  him  intimately  with  the  history  of  the 
Gitanos,  whose  condition  to  a  certain  extent  it  has 
already  altered,  and  over  whose  future  destinies 
there  can  be  no  doubt  that  it  will  exert  considerable 
influence.  Whether  Carlos  Tercero  had  any  thing 
farther  to  do  with  its  enactment  than  subscribing  it 
with  his  own  hand,  is  a  point  difficult  to  determine ; 
the  chances  are  that  he  had  not ;  there  is  damning 
evidence*  to  prove  that  in  many  respects  he  was  a 
mere  Nimrod,  and  it  is  not  probable  that  such  a 
character  would  occupy  his  thoughts  much  with 
plans  for  the  welfare  of  his  people,  especially  such  a 
class  as  the  Gitanos,  however  willing  to  build  pub- 
lic edifices,  gratifying  to  his  own  vanity,  with  the 
money  which  a  provident  predecessor  had  amassed. 
The  law  in  question  is  dated  19th  Sept.  1783. 
It  is  entitled,  "  Rules  for  repressing  and  chastising 
the  vagrant  mode  of  life,  and  other  excesses,  of  those 
who  are  called  Gitanos."  It  is  in  many  respects 
widely  different  from  all  the  preceding  laws,  and 
on  that  account  we  have  separated  it  from  them, 

*  Among  the  archives  of  Simancas  there  are  preserved  various  volumes 
in  4to.  of  manuscript  letters  of  Carlos  Tercero;  they  are  his  correspon- 
dence with  certain  Neapolitan  gentry,  his  friends.  These  letters  (v^^e  have 
read  many)  contain  nothing  more  than  accounts  transmitted  by  the  king 
to  these  individuals,  of  the  wild  boars,  stags,  and  smaller  game,  which  he 
had  slaughtered  in  his  batidas  y  monterias  : — goodly  matters  to  engage 
the  attention  of  a  monarch,  whilst  his  fleets— and  such  fleets  ! — were  being 
burnt  and  sunk,  and  the  most  splendid  empire  in  the  world  was  slipping 
from  his  hands. 


190  THE    ZINCALI. 

deeming  it  worthy  of  particular  notice.  It  is  evi- 
dently the  production  of  a  comparatively  enlightened 
spirit,  for  Spain  had  already  begun  to  emerge  from 
the  dreary  night  of  monachism  and  bigotry,  though 
the  light  which  beamed  upon  her  was  not  that  of  the 
gospel,  but  of  modern  philosophy.  The  spirit,  how- 
ever, of  the  writers  of  the  Ency eloped ie  is  lo  be 
preferred  to  that  of  Torquemada  and  Moncada^  and 
however  deeply  we  may  lament  the  many  grevious 
omissions  in  the  law  of  Carlos  Tercero,  (for  no  pro- 
vision was  made  for  the  spiritual  instruction  of  the 
Gitanos,)  we  prefer  it  in  all  points  to  that  of  Philip 
the  Third,  and  to  the  law  passed  during  the  reign  of 
that  unhappy  victim  of  monkish  fraud,  perfidy,  and 
poison,  Charles  the  Second. 

..  Whoever  framed  the  law  of  Carlos  Tercero  with 
respect  to  the  Gitanos, — and  it  is  possible  that  the 
famous  Count  de  Aranda  dictated  its  provisions, — 
had  sense  enough  to  see  that  it  would  be  impossible 
to  reclaim  and  bring  them  within  the  pale  of  civil- 
ized society,  by  pursuing  the  course  invariably 
adopted  on  former  occasions,— to  see  that  all  the 
menacing  edicts  for  the  last  three  hundred  years, 
breathing  a  spirit  of  blood  and  persecution,  had  been 
unable  to  eradicate  Gitanismo  from  Spain  ;  but,  on 
the  contrary,  had  rather  served  to  extend  it.  Who- 
ever framed  this  law,  was,  moreover,  well  acquainted 
with  the  manner  of  administering  justice  in  Spain, 
and  saw  the  folly  of  making  statutes  which  were 
never  put  into  effect.  Instead,  therefore,  of  relying 
on  corregidors  and  alguazils  for  the  extinction  of  the 
Gypsy  sect,  the  statute  addresses  itself  more  par- 


CARLOS    tERCERO.-— HIS    LAW.  191 

tlcularly  to  the  Gitanos  themselves,  and  endeavours 
to  convince  them  that  it  would  be  for  their  interest 
to  renounce  their  much  cherished  Gitanismo.  Those 
who  framed  the  former  laws  had  invariably  done 
their  best  to  brand  this  race  with  infamy,  and  had 
marked  out  for  its  members,  in  the  event  of  aban- 
doning their  Gypsy  habits,  a  life  to  which  death  it- 
self must  have  been  preferable  in  every  respect. 
They  were  not  to  speak  to  each  other,  nor  to  inter- 
marry, though,  as  they  were  considered  of  an  im- 
pure caste,  it  was  scarcely  to  be  expected  that  the 
other  Spaniards  would  form  with  them  relations  of 
love  or  amity,  and  they  were  debarred  the  exercise 
of  any  trade  or  occupation  but  hard  labour,  for 
which  neither  by  nature  nor  habit  they  were  at  all 
adapted.  The  law  of  Carlos  Tercero,  on  the  con-., 
trary,  flung  open  to  them  the  whole  career  of  arts 
and  sciences,  and  declared  them  capable  of  follow- 
ing any  trade  or  profession  to  which  they  might  please 
to  addict  themselves.  Here  follow  extracts  from  the 
above-mentioned  law. 

"  Art.  1.  I  declare  that  those  who  go  by  the 
name  of  Gitanos  are  not  so  by  origin  or  nature,  nor 
do  they  proceed  from  any  infected  root. 

"  2.  I  therefore  command  that  neither  they  or 
any  one  of  them,  shall  use  the  language,  dress,  or 
vagrant  kind  of  life  which  they  have  followed  unto 
the  present  time,  under  the  penalties  here  below 
contained. 

"  3.  I  forbid  all  my  vassals,  of  whatever  state, 
class,  and  condition  they  may  be,  to  call  or  name 
the  above-mentioned  people  by  the  names  of  Gita- 


192  THE    ZINC  ALL 

nos,  or  New  Castilians,  under  the  same  penalties  to 
which  those  are  subject  who  injure  others  by  word 
or  writing. 

"5.  It  is  my  will  that  those  who  abandon  the 
said  mode  of  life,  dress,  language,  or  jargon,  be 
admitted  to  whatever  offices  or  employments  to 
which  they  may  apply  themselves,  and  likewise  to 
any  guilds  or  communities,  without  any  obstacle  or 
contradiction  being  offered  to  them,  or  admitted 
under  this  pretext  within  or  without  courts  of  law. 

"  6.  Those  who  shall  oppose  and  refuse  the  ad- 
mission of  this  class  of  reclaimed  people  to  their 
trades  and  guilds,  shall  be  mulcted  ten  ducats  for 
the  first  time,  twenty  for  the  second,  and  a  double 
quantity  for  the  third  ;  and  during  the  time  they 
continue  in  their  opposition  they  shall  be  prohibited 
from  exercising  the  same  trade,  for  a  certain  period, 
to  be  determined  by  the  judge,  and  proportioned  to 
the  opposition  which  they  display. 

"7.  I  grant  the  term  of  ninety  days,  to  be  reck- 
oned from  the  publication  of  this  law  in  the  princi- 
pal town  of  every  district,  in  order  that  all  the 
vagabonds  of  this  and  any  other  class  may  retire  to 
the  towns  and  villages  where  they  may  choose  to 
locate  themselves,  with  the  exception,  for  the  pre- 
sent, of  the  capital  and  the  royal  residences,  in 
order  that,  abandoning  the  dress,  language,  and 
behaviour  of  those  who  are  called  Gitanos,  they 
may  devote  themselves  to  some  honest  office,  trade, 
or  occupation,  it  being  a  matter  of  indifference 
whether  the  same  be  connected  with  labour  or  the 
arts. 


CARLOS    TERCERO. HIS    LAW.  193 

"8.  It  will  not  be  sufficient  for  those  who  have 
been  formerly  known  to  follow  this  manner  of  life 
to  devote  themselves  solely  to  the  occupation  of 
shearing  and  clipping  animals,  nor  to  the  traffic  of 
markets  and  fairs,  nor  still  less  to  the  occupation  of 
keepers  of  inns  and  ventas  in  uninhabited  places, 
although  they  may  be  inn-keepers  within  towns, 
which  employment  shall  be  considered  as  sufficient, 
provided  always  there  be  no  well  founded  indica- 
tions of  their  being  delinquents  themselves,  or  har- 
bourers  of  such  people. 

"  9.  At  the  expiration  of  ninety  days,  the  justices 
shall  proceed  against  the  disobedient  in  the  follow- 
ing manner  : — Those  who  having  abandoned  the 
dress,  name,  language,  or  jargon,  association,  and 
manners  of  Gitanos,  and  shall  have  moreover  chosen 
and  established  a  domicile,  but  shall  not  have  de- 
voted themselves  to  any  office  or  employment, 
though  it  be  only  that  of  day-labourers,  shall  be 
considered  as  vagrants,  and  be  apprehended  and 
punished  according  to  the  laws  in  force  against 
such  people,  without  any  distinction  being  made 
between  them  and  the  other  vassals. 

"  10.  Those  who  henceforth  shall  commit  any 
crimes,  having  abandoned  the  language,  dress,  and 
manners  of  Gitanos,  chosen  a  domicile,  and  applied 
themselves  to  any  office,  shall  be  prosecuted  and 
chastised  like  others  guilty  of  the  same  crimes, 
without  any  difference  being  made  between  them. 

"11.  But  those  who  shall  have  abandoned  the 
aforesaid  dress,  language,  and  behaviour,  and  those 

VOL.   I.  17 


194  THE    ZINC  ALL 

who  pretending  to  speak  and  dress  like  the  other 
vassals,  and  even  to  choose  a  domiciliary  residence, 
shall  continue  to  go  forth,  wandering  about  the 
roads  and  uninhabited  places,  although  it  be  with 
the  pretext  of  visiting  markets  and  fairs,  such  peo- 
ple shall  be  pursued  and  taken  by  the  justices,  and 
a  list  of  them  formed,  with  their  names  and  appella- 
tions, age,  description,  with  the  places  where  they 
say  they  reside  and  were  born. 

**  16.  I,  however,  except  from  punishment  the 
children  and  young  people  of  both  sexes  who  are 
not  above  sixteen  years  of  age. 

"  17.  Such,  although  they  may  belong  to  a  family, 
shall  be  separated  from  their  parents  who  wander 
about  and  have  no  employment,  and  shall  be 
destined  to  learn  something,  or  shall  be  placed  out 
in  hospices  or  houses  of  instruction. 

*'  20.  When  the  register  of  the  Git^nos  who  have 
proved  disobedient  shall  have  taken  place,  it  shall 
be  notified  and  made  known  to  them,  that  in  case 
of  another  relapse,  the  punishment  of  death  shall 
be  executed  upon  them  without  remission,  on 
the  examination  of  the  register,  and  proof  being 
adduced  that  they  have  returned  to  their  former 
life." 

What  effect  was  produced  by  this  law,  and 
whether  its  results  at  all  corresponded  to  the  views 
of  those  who  enacted  it,  will  be  gathered  from  the 
following  chapters  of  this  work,  in  which  an  attempt 
will  be  made  to  delineate  briefly  the  present  condi- 
tion of  the  Gypsies  in  Spain. 


THE  ZINCALI, 


OR 


AN  ACCOUNT  OF   THE  GYPSIES  OF    SPAIN. 


PART  IL 


-^ 


THE    ZINCALI. 


PART  II. 

CHAPTER  I. 

BADAJOZ. — THE  GYPSIES. — THE  WITHERED  ARM. — GYPSY  LAW. — TRIM- 
MING AND  SHEARING. — METEMPSYCHOSIS. — PACO  AND  ANTONIO. — 
ANTONIO  AND  THE  MAGYAR. — THE  CHAI. — PHARAOH. — THE  STEEDS 
OF   THE    EGYPTIANS. 

About  twelve  in  the  afternoon  of  the  6th  of  Janu- 
ary, 1836,  I  crossed  the  bridge  of  the  Guadiana,  a 
boundary  river  between  Portugal  and  Spain,  and 
entered  Badajoz,  a  strong  town  in  the  latter  kingdom, 
containing  about  eight  thousand  inhabitants,  sup- 
posed to  have  been  founded  by  the  Romans.  I  in- 
stantly returned  thanks  to  God  for  having  preserved 
me  in  a  journey  of  five  days  through  the  wilds  of 
the  Alemtejo,  the  province  of  Portugal  the  most  in- 
fested by  robbers  and  desperate  characters,  which  I 
had  traversed  with  no  other  human  companion  than 
a  lad,  almost  an  idiot,  who  w^as  to  convey  back  th^ 
mules  which  had  brought  me  from  Aldea  Gallega. 
I  intended  to  make  but  a  short  stay,  and  as  a  dili- 
gence would  set  out  for  Madrid  the  day  next  but  one 
to  my  arrival,  I  purposed  departing  therein  for  the 
capital  of  Spain. 

I  was  standing  at  the  door  of  the  inn  where  I  had 

17* 


198  THE    ZINCALI. 

taken  up  my  temporary  abode  ;  the  weather  was 
gloomy,  and  rain  seemed  to  be  at  hand  ;  I  was  think- 
ing on  the  state  of  the  country  I  had  just  entered, 
which  was  involved  in  bloody  anarchy  and  confu- 
sion, and  where  the  ministers  of  a  religion  falsely 
styled  Catholic  and  Christian  were  blowing  the 
trump  of  war,  instead  of  preaching  the  love-engen- 
dering words  of  the  blessed  Gospel. 

Suddenly  two  men,  wrapped  in  long  cloaks,  came 
down  the  narrow  and  almost  deserted  street ;  they 
were  about  to  pass,  and  the  face  of  the  nearest  was 
turned  full  towards  me  ;  I  knew  to  whom  the  coun- 
tenance which  he  displayed  must  belong,  and  I 
touched  liim  on  the  arm.  The  man  stopped  and 
likewise  his  companion ;  I  said  a  certain  word,  to 
which,  after  an  exclamation  of  surprise,  he  responded 
in  the  manner  I  expected.  The  men  were  Gitanos 
or  Gypsies,  members  of  that  singular  family  or  race 
which  has  diffused  itself  over  the  face  of  the  civil- 
ized globe,  and  which,  in  all  lands,  has  preserved 
more  or  less  its  original  customs  and  its  own  pecu- 
liar language. 

We  instantly  commenced  discoursing  in  the  Span- 
ish dialect  of  this  language,  with  which  I  was  toler- 
ably well  acquainted.  I  asked  my  two  newly 
made  acquaintances  whether  there  were  many  of 
their  race  in  Badajoz  and  the  vicinity  :  they  informed 
me  that  there  were  eight  or  ten  families  in  the  town, 
and  that  there  were 'others  at  Merida,  a  town  about 
six  leagues  distant.  I  inquired  by  what  means  they 
lived,  and  they  replied  that  they  and  their  brethren 


BADAJOZ. — THE    GYPSIES.  199 

principally  gained  a  livelihood  by  trafficking  in  mules 
and  asses,  but  that  all  those  in  Badajoz  were  very 
poor,  with  the  exception  of  one  man,  who  was  ex- 
ceedingly halbalo,  or  rich,  as  he  was  in  possession  of 
many  mules  and  other  cattle.  They  removed  their 
cloaks  for  a  moment,  and  I  found  that  their  under 
garments  were  rags. 

They  left  me  in  haste,  and  went  about  the  town 
informing  the  rest  that  a  stranger  had  arrived  who 
spoke  Rommany  as  well  as  themselves,  who  had  the 
face  of  a  Gitano,  and  seemed  to  be  of  the  "errate," 
or  blood.  In  less  than.half  an  hour  the  street  before 
the  inn  was  filled  with  the  men,  women,  and  children 
of  Egypt;  I  went  out  amongst  them,  and  my  heart 
sank  within  me  as  I  surveyed  them  ;  more  vileness, 
dirt,  and  misery  I  had  never  before  seen  amongst  a 
similar  number  of  human  beings  ;  but  the  worst  of 
all  was  the  evil  expression  of  their  countenances, 
which  spoke  plainly  that  they  were  conversant  with 
every  species  of  crime,  and  it  was  not  long  before  I 
found  that  their  countenances  did  not  belie  them. 
After  they  had  asked  me  an  infinity  of  questions, 
and  felt  my  hands,  face,  and  clothes,  they  retired  to 
their  own  homes. 

That  same  night  the  two  men  of  whom  I  have 
already  particularly  spoken  came  to  see  me  ;  they 
sat  down  by  the  brasero  in  the  middle  of  the  apart- 
ment, and  began  to  smoke  small  paper  cigars.  We 
continued  for  a  considerable  time  in  silence  survey- 
ing each  other.  Of  the  two  Gitanos  one  was  an  el- 
derly man,  tall  and  bony,  with  lean,   skinny,  and 


200  THE    ZINCALI. 

whimsical  features,  though  perfectly  those  of  a 
Gypsy ;  he  spoke  little,  and  his  expressions  were  ge- 
nerally singular  and  grotesque  ;  his  companion,  who 
was  the  man  whom  I  had  first  noticed  in  the  street, 
differed  from  him  in  many  respects ;  he  could 
be  scarcely  thirty,  and  his  figure,  which  was  about 
the  middle  height,  was  of  Herculean  proportions  ; 
shaggy  black  hair,  like  that  of  a  wild  beast,  covered 
the  greatest  part  of  his  immense  head  ;  his  face  was 
frightfully  seamed  with  the  small  pox,  and  his  eyes, 
which  glared  like  those  of  ferrets,  peered  from  be- 
neath bushy  eyebrows  ;  he  wore  immense  mou- 
staches, and  his  wide  mouth  was  garnished  with 
teeth  exceedingly  large  and  white  ;  there  was  one 
peculiarity  about  him  which  must  not  be  forgotten, 
his  right  arm  was  withered,  and  hung  down  from 
his  shoulder  a  thin  sapless  stick,  which  contrasted 
strangely  with  the  huge  brawn  of  the  left.  A  figure 
so  perfectly  wild  and  uncouth  I  had  scarcely  ever 
before  seen.  He  had  now  flung  aside  his  cloak,  and 
sat  before  me  gaunt  in  his  rags  and  nakedness  ;  in 
spite  of  his  appearance,  however,  he  seemed  to  be 
much  the  most  sensible  of  the  two,  and  the  conver- 
sation which  ensued  was  carried  on  chiefly  between 
him  and  myself;  this  man,  whom  I  shall  call  the 
first  Gypsy,  was  the  first  to  break  silence,  and  he 
thus  addressed  me,  speaking  in  Spanish,  broken  with 
words  of  the  Gypsy  tongue. 

First  Gijpsy. — "  Arromali  (In  truth)  I  little  thought 
when  I  saw  the  errafio  standing  by  the  door  of  the 
posada  that  I  was  about  to  meet  a  brother,  one  too 


THE    WITHERED    ARM.  201 

who,  though  well  dressed,  was  not  ashamed  to 
speak  to  a  poor  Gitano ;  but  tell  me,  I  beg  you, 
brother,  from  whence  you  come ;  I  have  heard  that 
you  have  just  arrived  from  Laloro,  but  I  am  sure 
you  are  no  Portuguese  ;  I  have  been  there  myself, 
but  they  are  very  different  from  you  ;  I  rather  take 
you  to  be  one  of  the  Corahai,  for  I  have  heard  say 
that  there  is  much  of  our  blood  there.  You  are  a 
Corahano,  are  you  not  ?" 

Myself. — *'  I  am  no  Moor,  though  I  have  been  in 
the  country ;  I  was  born  in  an  island  in  the  West 
Sea,  called  England,  which  I  suppose  you  have 
heard  spoken  of." 

First  Gypsy. — "Yes,  yes,  I  have  a  right  to  know 
something  of  the  English  ;  I  was  born  in  this  foros, 
and  remember  the  day  when  the  English  hundun- 
ares  clambered  over  the  walls,  and  took  the  town 
from  the  Gabine  ;  well  do  I  remember  that  day, 
though  I  was  but  a  child  !  the  streets  ran  red  with 
blood  and  wine. — Are  there  Gitanos  then  amongst 
the  English  ?" 

Myself. — "  There  are  numbers,  and  so  there  are 
amongst  most  nations  of  the  world." 

Second  Gypsy. — "  Vaya  !  And  do  the  English 
Galore  gain  their  bread  in  the  same  way  as  those 
of  Spain  ?  Do  they  shear  and  trim  ?  Do  they  buy 
and  change  beasts,  and  (lowering  his  voice)  do  they 
now  and  then  chore  a  gras  ?" 

Myself. — ^"  They  do  most  of  these  things  ;  the 
men  frequent  fairs  and  markets  with  horses,  many 
of  which  they  steal,  and  the  women  tell  fortunes 


202  THE    ZTNCALI. 

and  perform  all  kinds  of  tricks,  by  which  they  gain 
more  money  than  their  husbands." 

First  Gypsy. — "  They  would  not  be  callees  if  they 
did  not ;  I  have  known  a  Gitana  gain  twenty  ounces 
of  gold,  by  means  of  the  hokkano  baro,  in  a  few 
hours,  whilst  the  silly  Gypsy,  her  husband,  would 
be  toiling  with  his  shears  for  a  fortnight,  trimming 
the  horses  of  the  Busne,  and  yet  not  be  a  dollar 
richer  at  the  end  of  the  time." 

Myself. — "You  seem  wretchedly  poor;  are  you 
married  ?" 

First  Gypsy. — "  I  am,  and  to  the  best  looking  and 
cleverest  callee  in  Badajoz,  nevertheless  we  have 
never  thriven  since  the  day  of  our  marriage,  and  a 
curse  seems  to  rest  upon  us  both.  Perhaps  I  have 
only  to  thank  myself;  I  was  once  rich,  and  had 
never  less  than  six  borricos  to  sell  or  exchange,  but 
the  day  before  my  marriage  I  sold  all  I  possessed, 
in  order  to  have  a  grand  fiesta  ;  for  three  days  we 
were  merry  enough  ;  I  entertained  every  one  who 
chose  to  come  in,  and  flung  away  my  money  by 
handfuls,  so  that  when  the  affair  was  over  I  had  not 
a  cuarto  in  the  world,  and  the  very  people  who  had 
feasted  at  my  expense  refused  me  a  dollar  to  begin 
again,  so  we  were  soon  reduced  to  the  greatest 
misery.  True  it  is  that  I  now  and  then  shear  a 
mule,  and  my  wife  tells  the  bahi  (fortune)  to  the 
servant  girls  ;  but  these  things  stand  us  in  little 
stead ;  the  people  are  now  very  much  on  the  alert, 
and  my  wife,  with  all  her  knowledge,  has  been 
unable  to  perform  any  grand  trick,  which  would 


THE    WITHERED    ARM.  203 

set  US  up  at  once  ;  she  wished  to  come  to  see  you, 
brother,  this  night,  but  was  ashamed,  as  she  has  no 
more  clothes  than  myself.  Last  summer  our  dis- 
tress was  so  great  that  we  crossed  the  frontier  into 
Portugal ;  my  wife  sang  and  I  played  the  guitar, 
for  though  I  have  but  one  arm,  and  that  a  left  one, 
I  have  never  known  the  want  of  the  other.  At 
Estremoz  I  was  cast  into  prison  as  a  thief  and 
vagabond,  and  there  I  might  have  remained  till  I 
starved  with  hunger ;  my  wife,  however,  soon  got 
me  out ;  she  went  to  the  lady  of  the  corregidor,  to 
whom  she  told  a  most  wonderful  bahi,  promising 
treasures  and  titles,  and  I  wot  not  what ;  so  I  was 
set  at  liberty,  and  returned  to  Spain  as  quick  as  I 
could."  ♦ 

Myself, — "  Is  it  not  the  custom  of  the  Gypsies  of 
Spain  to  relieve  each  other  in  distress?- — it  is  the 
rule  in  other  countries." 

First  Gypsy, — "  El  krallis  ha  nicobado  la  liri  de 
los  Gales, — (The  king  has  destroyed  the  law  of  the 
Gypsies  ;)  we  are  no  longer  the  people  we  were 
once,  when  we  lived  amongst  the  sierras  and  de- 
serts, and  kept  aloof  from  the  Busne ;  we  have  lived 
amongst  the  Busne  till  we  are  become  almost  like 
them,  and  v^e  are  no  longer  brothers,  ready  to  assist 
each  other  at  all  times  and  seasons,  and  very  fre- 
quently the  Gitano  is  the  worst  enemy  of  his 
brother." 

Myself, — "  The  Gitanos,  then,  no  longer  wander 
about,  but  have  fixed  residences  in  the  towns  and 
villages  ?" 


204  THE    ZINCALI. 

First  Gypsy, — "In  the  summer  time  a  few  of  us 
assemble  together,  and  live  about  amongst  the  plains 
and  hills,  and  by  doing  so  we  frequently  contrive  to 
pick  up  a  horse  or  a  mule  for  nothing,  and   some- 
times we  knock  dov/n  a  Eusno  and  strip  him,  but 
it  is  seldom  we  venture  so  far.     We  are  much  looked 
after  by  the  Busne,  who  hold  us  in  great  dread,  and 
abhor  us.     Sometimes,  when  wandering  about,  we 
are  attacked  by  the  labourers,  and  then  we  defend 
ourselves  as  well  as  we  can.     There  is  no  better 
weapon  in  the  hands  of  a  Gitano  than  his  *  cachas,' 
or  shears,  with  which  he  trims   the  mules.     T  once 
snipped  off  the  nose  of  a  Busno,  and  opened  the 
greatest  part  of  his  cheek  in  an  affray  at  which  I 
was  present  up  the  country  near  Trujillo." 
Myself. — "  Have  you  travelled  much  about  Spain  ?'* 
First  Gyjjsey.- — "  Very  little  ;  I  have  never  been 
out  of  this  province  of  Estremadura,  except  last 
year,  as  I  told  you  into  Portugal.     When  we  wan- 
der we  do  not  go  far,  and  it  is  very  rare  that  we 
are  visited  by  our  brethren  of  other  parts.     I  have 
never  been  in  Andalusia,  but  I  have  heard  say  that 
the   Gitanos   are  many  in  Andalusia,  and  are  more 
wealthy  than  those  here,  and  that  they  follow  better 
the  gypsy  law." 

Myself. — "  What  do  you  mean  by  the  gypsy  law  ?" 
First  Gypsy. — "  Wherefore  do  you  ask,  brother? 
You  know  what  is  meant  by  the  law  of  the  Gales 
better  even  than  ourselves." 

Myself — "  I  know  what  it  is  in  England  and  in 
Hungary,  but  I  can  only  give  a  guess  as  to  what  it 
is  in  Spain." 


Gli'SY   LAW.  205 

Both  Gtjp$ie^. — "  What  do  you  consider  it  to  be 
in  Spain  ?" 

Myself, — ^'  Cheating  and  choring  the  Busn6  on  all 
occasions,  and  being  true  to  the  errate  in  life  and 
death." 

At  these  words  both  the  Gitanos  sprang  simulta- 
neously from  their  seats,  and  exclaimed  with  a 
boisterous  shout—**  Chachipe." 

This  meeting  with  the  Gitanos  was  the  occasion 
of  my  remaining  at  Badajoz  a  much  longer  time 
than  I  originally  intended.  I  wished  to  become 
better  acquainted  with  their  condition  and  manners, 
and  above  all  to  speak  to  them  of  Christ  and  his 
word  ;  for  I  was  convinced,  that  should  I  travel  to 
the  end  of  the  universe,  I  should  meet  with  no  peo- 
ple more  in  need  of  a  little  Christian  exhortation, 
and  I  accordingly  continued  at  Badajoz  for  nearly 
three  weeks. 

During  this  time  I  was  almost  constantly  amongst 
them,  and  as  I  spoke  their  language,  and  was  con- 
sidered by  them  as  one  of  themselves,  I  had  better 
opportunity  of  arriving  at  a  fair  conclusion  respect- 
ing their  character  than  any  other  person  could  have 
had,  whether  Spanish  or  foreigner,  without  such  an 
advantage.  I  found  that  their  ways  and  pursuits 
were  in  almost  every  respect  similar  to  those  of 
their  brethren  in  other  countries.  By  cheating  and 
swindling  they  gained  their  daily  bread  ;  the  men 
principally  by  the  arts  of  the  jockey, — by  buying, 
selling,  and  exchanging  animals,  at  which  they  are 
wonderfully  expert ;  and  the  women  by  telling  for- 

VOL.    I.  18 


206  THE    ZINCALI. 

tunes,  selling  goods  smuggled  from  Portugal,  and  by- 
dealing  in  love  draughts  and  diablerie.  The  most 
innocent  occupation  which  I  observed  amongst  them 
was  trimming  and  shearing  horses  and  mules, 
which  in  their  language  is  called  "  monrabar,"  and 
in  Spanish  "  esquilar"  ;  and  even  whilst  exercising 
this  art,  they  not  unfrequently  have  recourse  to  foul 
play,  doing  the  animal  some  covert  injury,  in  hope 
that  the  proprietor  will  dispose  of  it  to  themselves 
at  an  inconsiderable  price,  in  which  event  they  soon 
restore  it  to  health  ;  for  knowing  how  to  inflict  the 
harm,  they  know  likewise  how  to  remove  it. 

Religion  they  have  none  ;  they  never  attend  mass, 
nor  did  I  ever  hear  them  employ  the  names  of  God, 
Christ,  and  the  Virgin,  but  in  execration  and  blas- 
phemy. From  what  I  could  learn,  it  appeared  that 
their  fathers  had  entertained  some  belief  in  me- 
tempsychosis ;  but  they  themselves  laughed  at  the 
idea,  and  were  of  opinion  that  the  soul  perished 
when  the  body  ceased  to  breathe ;  and  the  argu- 
ment which  they  used  was  rational  enough,  as  far 
as  it  impugned  metempsychosis  : — "  We  have  been 
wicked  and  miserable  enough  in  this  life,"  they  said  ; 
"why  should  we  live  again  ?" 

I  translated  certain  portions  of  Scripture  into 
their  dialect,  which  I  frequently  read  to  them  ;  espe- 
.cially  the  parable  of  Lazarus  and  the  Prodigal  Son, 
and  told  them  that  the  latter  had  been  as  wicked  as 
themselves,  and  both  had  suffered  as  much  or  more  ; 
but  that  the  sufferings  of  the  former,  who  always 
looked  forward  to  a  blessed  resurrection,  were  re- 


PACO    AND    ANTONIO.  207 

compensed  by  admission,  in  the  life  to  come,  to  the 
society  of  Abraham  and  the  Prophets,  and  that  the 
latter,  when  he  repented  of  his  sins,  was  forgiven, 
and  received  into  as  much  favor  as  the  just  son. 

They  listened  with  admiration  ;  but,  alas !  not  of 
the  truths,  the  eternal  truths,  I  was  telling  them, 
but  to  find  that  their  broken  jargon  could  be  written 
and  read.  The\only  words  of  assent  to  the  heaven- 
ly doctrine  which  I  ever  obtained,  and  that  rather 
of  the  negative  kind,  were  the  following  from  the 
mouth  of  a  woman: — "  Brother,  you  tell  us  strange 
things,  though  perhaps  you  do  not  lie ;  a  month  since, 
I  would  sooner  have  believed  these  tales,  than  that 
this  day  I  should  see  one  who  could  write  Rom- 
many." 

Two  or  three  days  after  my  arrival,  I  was  again 
visited  by  the  Gypsy  of  the  withered  arm,  who  I 
found  was  generally  termed  Paco,  which  is  the 
diminutive  of  Francisco  ;  he  was  accompanied  by 
his  wife,  a  rather  good-looking  young  woman  with 
sharp  intelligent  features,  and  who  appeared  in 
every  respect  to  be  what  her  husband  had  repre- 
sented her  on  the  former  visit.  She  was  very  poor- 
ly clad,  and  notwithstanding  the  extreme  sharpness 
of  the  weather,  carried  no  mantle  to  protect  herself 
from  its  inclemency, — her  raven  black  hair  depend- 
ed behind  as  far  down  as  her  hips.  Another  Gypsy 
came  with  them,  but  not  the  old  fellow  whom  I  had 
before  seen.  This  was  a  man  about  forty-five, 
dressed  in  a  zamarra  of  sheep  skin,  with  a  high- 
crowned  Andalusian  hat ;  his  complexion  was  dark 


208  THE    ZINCALI. 

as  pepper,  and  his  eyes  were  full  of  sullen  fire.  Tn 
his  appearance  he  exhibited  a  goodly  compound  of 
Gypsy  and  bandit, 

Faco. — "  Laches  chibeses  te  dinele  Undebel ; 
(May  God  grant  you  good  days,  brother.)  This  is 
my  wife,  and  this  is  my  wife's  father." 

Myself. — "  I  am  glad  to  see  them.  What  are  their 
names .'"' 

Paco, — "  Maria  and  Antonio ;  their  other  name 
is  Lopez." 

Myself. — ''  Have  they  no  Gypsy  names  ?" 

Faco. — "  They  have  no  other  names  than  these." 

Myself — "  Then  in  this  respect  the  Gitanos  of 
Spain  are  unlike  those  of  my  country.  Every 
family  there  has  two  names  ;  one  by  which  they  are 
known  to  the  Busne,  and  another  which  they  use 
amongst  themselves." 

Antonio. — "  Give  me  your  hand,  brother !  I 
should  have  come  to  see  you  before,  but  I  have  been 
to  Olivenzas  in  search  of  a  horse.  What  I  have 
heard  of  you  has  filled  me  with  much  desire  to  know 
you,  and  I  now  see  that  you  can  tell  me  many  things 
which  I  am  ignorant  of.  I  am  Zincalo  by  the  four 
sides, — I  love  our  blood,  and  I  hate  that  of  the 
Busne.  Had  I  my  will  I  would  wash  my  face 
every  day  in  the  blood  of  the  Busne,  for  the  Busne 
are  made  only  to  be  robbed  and  to  be  slaughtered ; 
but  I  love  the  Galore,  and  I  love  to  hear  of  things  of  the 
Galore,  especially  from  those  of  foreign  lands  ;  for  the 
Galore  of  foreign  lands  know  more  than  we  of  Spain, 
and  more  resemble  our  fathers  of  old." 


ANTONIO  AND  THE  MAGYAR.         209 

Myself. — "  Have  you  ever  met  before  with  Calor6 
who  were  not  Spaniards  f" 

Antonio. — "  I  will  tell  you,  brother.     I  served  as 
a  soldier  in  the  war  of  the  independence  against  the 
French.     War,  it  is  true,  is  not  the  proper  occupa- 
tion of  a  Gitano,  but  those  were  strange  times,  and 
all  those  who  could  bear  arms  were  compelled  to  go 
forth  to  fight :  so  I  went  with   the  English  armies, 
and  we  chasedv  the   Gabine    unto   the   frontier   of 
France  ;  and  it  happened  once   that  we  joined  in 
desperate  battle,  and  there  was  a  confusion,  and  the 
two  parties  became  intermingled  and  fought  sword 
to  sword  and  bayonet  to  bayonet,  and  a  French  sol- 
dier singled  me  out,  and  we  fought  for  a  long  time, 
cutting,  goring,  and  cursing  each  other,  till  at  last 
we  flung  down  our  arms  and  grappled  ;  long  we 
wrestled,  body  to  body,  but  I  found  that  I  was  the 
weaker,  and  I  fell.     The  French  soldier's  knee  was 
on  my  breast,  and  his  grasp  was  on  my  throat,  and 
he  seized  his  bayonet,  and  he  raised  it  to  thrust  me 
through  the  jaws  ;  and  his  cap  had  fallen  off,  and  I 
lifted  up  my  eyes  wildly  to  his  face,  and  our  eyes 
met,  and  gave  a  loud   shriek,  and  cried  Zincalo, 
Zincalo  !  and  I  felt  him  shudder,  and  he  relaxed 
his  grasp  and  started  up,  and  he  smote  his  forehead 
and  wept,  and  then  he  came  tome  and  knelt  down  by 
my  side,   for  I  was   almost  dead,  and  he   took  my 
hand  and  called  me  Brother  and  Zincalo,  and  he 
produced  his  flask  and  poured  wine  into  my  mouth 
and  I  revived,  and  he  raised  me  up,  and  led  me  from 
the  concourse,  and  we  sat  down  on  a  knoll,  and  the 

18* 


210  THE    ZINCALI. 

two  parties  were  fighting  all  around,  and  he  said, 
'Let  the  dogs  fight,  and  tear  each  other's  throats 
till  they  are  all  destroyed,  what  matters  it  to  the 
Zincali ;  they  are  not  of  our  blood,  and  shall  that  be 
shed  for  them  ?'  So  we  sat  for  hours  on  the  knoll 
and  discoursed  on  matters  pertaining  to  our  people ; 
and  I  could  have  listened  for  years,  for  he  told  me 
secrets  which  made  my  ears  tingle,  and  I  soon  found 
that  I  knew  nothing,  though  I  had  before  considered 
myself  quite  Zincalo ;  but  as  for  him  he  knew  the 
whole  cuenta  ;  the  Bengui  Lango*  himself  could 
have  told  him  nothing  but  what  he  knew.  So  we 
sat  till  the  sun  went  down  and  the  battle  was  over, 
and  he  proposed  that  we  should  both  flee  to  his  own 
country  and  live  there  with  the  Zincali ;  but  my 
heart  failed  me  ;  so  we  embraced,  and  he  departed 
to  the  Gabine,  whilst  I  returned  to  our  own  batta- 
lions." 

Myself, — "  Do  you  know  from  what  country  he 
came  ?" 

Antonio. — "  He  told  me  that  he  was  a  Mayoro." 
Myself, — "  You  mean  a  Magyar  or  Hungarian." 
Antonio. — "  Just  so ;  and  I  have  repented  ever 
since  that  I  did  not  follow  him." 
Myself.—''  Why  so  ?" 

Antonio. — "  I  will  tell  you  :  the  king  has  destroyed 
the  law  of  the  Gales,  and  has  put  disunion  amongst 
us.  There  was  a  time  when  the  house  of  every 
Zincalo,  however  rich,  was  open  to  his  brother, 
though  he  came  to  him  naked  ;  and  it  was  then  the 

*  The  lame  devil :  Asmodeus. 


THE    CHAI.  211 

custom  to  boast  of  the  '  errate.'  It  is  no  longer  so 
now  :  those  who  are  rich  keep  aloof  from  the  rest, 
will  not  speak  in  Calo,  and  will  have  no  dealings 
but  with  the  Busne.  Is  there  not  a  false  brother  in 
this  foros,  the  only  rich  man  among  us,  the  swine, 
the  balichow  ?  he  is  married  to  a  Busnee  and  he 
would  fain  appear  as  a  Busno  !  Tell  me  one  thing, 
has  he  been  to  see  you  ?  The  white  blood,  I  know 
he  has  not ;  he  was  afraid  to  see  you,  for  he  knew 
that  by  Gypsy  law  he  was  bound  to  take  you  to  his 
house,  and  feast  you  whilst  you  remained  like  a 
prince,  like  a  crallis  of  the  Gales,  as  I  believe  you 
are,  even  though  he  sold  the  last  gras  from  the  stall. 
Who  have  come  to  see  you,  brother  ?  Have  they 
not  been  such  as  Paco  and  his  wife,  wretches  with- 
out a  house,  or,  at  best,  one  filled  with  cold  and  po- 
verty ;  so  that  you  have  had  to  stay  at  a  mesuna,  at 
a  posada  of  the  Busne  ;  and,  moreover,  what  have 
the  Gales  given  you  since  you  have  been  residing 
here  ?  Nothing,  I  trow,  better  than  this  rubbish, 
which  is  all  I  can  offer  you,  this  Meligrana  de  los 
Bengues." 

Here  he  produced  a  pomegranate  from  the  pocket 
of  his  zamarra,  and  flung  it  on  the  table  with  such 
force  that  the  fruit  burst,  and  the  red  grains  were 
scattered  on  the  floor. 

The  Gitanos  of  Estremadura  call  themselves  in 
general  Ghai  or  Chabos,  and  say  that  their  original 
country  was  Ghal  or  Egypt.  I  frequently  asked 
them  what  reason  they  could  assign  for  calling 
themselves  Egyptians,  and  whether  they  could  re- 


212  THE    ZINC  ALL 

member  the  names  of  any  places  in  their  supposed 
father  land,  but  I  soon  found  that,  like  their  brethren 
in  other  parts  of  the  world,  they  were  unable  to 
give  any  rational  account  of  themselves,  and  pre- 
served no  recollection  of  the  places  where  their 
forefathers  had  wandered  ;  their  language,  however, 
to  a  considerable  extent,  solved  the  riddle,  the  bulk 
of  which  being  Hindui,  pointed  out  India  as  the 
birth-place  of  their  race,  whilst  the  number  of  Per- 
sian, Sclavonian,  and  modern  Greek  words  with 
which  it  is  chequered,  spoke  plainly  as  to  the  coun- 
tries through  which  these  singular  people  had  wan- 
dered before  they  arrived  in  Spain. 

They  said  that  they  believed  themselves  to  be 
Egyptians,  because  their  fathers  before  them  be- 
lieved so,  who  must  know  much  better  than  them- 
selves. They  were  fond  of  talking  of  Egypt  and 
its  former  greatness,  though  it  was  evident  that  they 
knew  nothing  farther  of  the  country  and  its  history 
than  what  they  derived  from  spurious  biblical 
legends  current  amongst  the  Spaniards  ;  only  from 
such  materials  could  they  have  composed  the  fol- 
lowing account  of  the  manner  of  their  expulsion 
from  their  native  land. 

"  There  was  a  great  king  in  Egypt,  and  his  name 
was  Pharaoh.  He  had  numerous  armies,  with 
which  he  made  war  on  all  countries,  and  conquered 
them  all.  And  when  he  had  conquered  the  entire 
world,  he  became  sad  and  sorrowful ;  for  as  he 
delighted  in  war,  he  no  longer  knew  on  what  to 
employ  himself.     At  last  he  bethought  him  of  mak- 


PHARAOH. THE  STEEDS  OF  THE  EGYPTIANS.    213 

ing  war  on  God  ;  so  he  sent  a  defiance  to  God, 
daring  him  to  descend  from  the  sky  with  his  angels, 
and  contend  with  Pharaoh  and  his  armies  ;  but  God 
said,  I  will  not  measure  my  strength  with  that  of  a 
man.  But  God  was  incensed  against  Pharaoh,  and 
resolved  to  punish  him  ;  and  he  opened  a  hole  in 
the  side  of  an  enormous  mountain,  and  he  raised  a 
raging  wind,  and  drove  before  it  Pharaoh  and  his 
armies  to  that  hole,  and  the  abyss  received  them, 
and  the  mountain  closed  upon  them ;  but  whosoever 
goes  to  that  mountain  on  the  night  of  St.  John,  can 
hear  Pharaoh  and  his  armies  singing  and  yelling 
therein.  And  it  came  to  pass,  that  when  Pharaoh 
and  his  armies  had  disappeared,  all  the  kings  and 
the  nations  which  had  become  subject  to  Egypt 
revolted  against  Egypt,  which,  having  lost  her  king 
and  her  armies,  was  left  utterly  without  defence ; 
and  they  made  war  against  her,  and  prevailed 
against  her,  and  took  her  people  and  drove  them 
forth,  dispersing  them  over  all  the  world.'* 

So  that  now,  say  the  Chai,  "Our  horses  drink  the 
waters  of  the  Guadiana."- — (Apilyela  gras  Chai  la 
panee  Lucalee.) 

"  THE    STEEDS    OF    THE    EGYPTIANS    DRINK    THE 
WATERS    OF    THE    GUADIANA. 

"  The  region  of  Chai  was  our  dear  native  soil, 
Where  in  fulness  of  pleasure  we  lived  without  toil; 
Till  dispers'd  through  all  lands,  't  was  our  fortune  to  be — 
Our  steeds,  Guadiana,  must  now  drink  of  thee. 


2J4  THE    ZINC  ALL 

"  Once  kings  came  from  far  to  kneel  down  at  our  gate, 
And  princes  rejoic'd  on  our  meanest  to  wait; 
But  now  who  so  mean  but  would  scorn  our  degree — 
Our  steeds,  Guadiana,  must  now  drink  of  thee. 

"  For  the  Undebel  saw,  from  his  throne  in  the  cloud,  ♦  [ 

That  our  deeds  they  were  foolish,  our  hearts  they  were  proud ; 
And  in  anger  he  bade  us  his  presence  to  flee — 
Our  steeds,  Guadiana,  must  now  drink  of  thee.  M 

"  Our  horses  should  drink  of  no  river  but  one  ; 
It  sparkles  through  Chal,  'neath  the  smile  of  the  sun  ; 
But  they  taste  of  all  streams  save  that  only,  and  see — 
Apilyela  gras  Chai  la  panee  Lucalee." 


CHAPTER  11. 

MADRID. — GYPSY  WOMEN. GRANADA. GYPSY  SMITHS. — PEPE  CONDE. 

SEVILLE.  TRIANA.  CORDOVA. HORSES.  THE    ESQUILADOR. 

CHARACTERISTIC    EPISTLE. — CATALONIA,    ETC. 

In  Madrid  the  Gitanos  chiefly  reside  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  the  "  mercado,"  or  the  place  where 
horses  and  other  animals  are  sold, — in  two  narrow 
and  dirty  lanes,  called  the  Calle  de  la  Comadre  and 
the  Callejon  de  Lavapies.  It  is  said,  that  at  the 
beginning  of  last  century,  Madrid  abounded  with 
these  people,  who  by  their  lawless  behaviour  and 
dissolute  lives,  gave  occasion  to  great  scandal ;  if 
such  were  the  case,  their  numbers  must  have  con- 
siderably diminished  since  that  period,  as  it  would 
be  difficult  at  any  time  to  collect  fifty  throughout 
Madrid.  These  Gitanos  seem,  for  the  most  part,  to 
be  either  Valencians,  or  of  Valencian  origin,  as  they 
in  general  either  speak  or  understand  the  dialect  of 
that  province  ;  and  whilst  speaking  their  own  pecu- 
liar jargon,  the  Rommany,  are  in  the  habit  of  mak- 
ing use  of  many  Valencian  words  and  terms. 

The  manner  of  life  of  the  Gitanos  of  Madrid 
differs  in  no  material  respect  from  that  of  their 
brethren  in  other  places.     The  men,  every  market 


216  THE    ZINCALI. 

day,  are  to  be  seen  on  the  skirts  of  the  mercado, 
generally  with  some  miserable  animal ;  for  example, 
a  foundered  mule,  or  galled  borrico,  by  means  of 
which  they  seldom  fail  to  gain  a  dollar  or  two, 
either  by  sale  or  exchange.  It  must  not,  however, 
be  supposed  that  they  content  themselves  with  such 
paltry  earnings.  Provided  they  have  any  valuable 
animal,  which  is  not  unfrequently  the  case,  they 
invariably  keep  such  at  home  snug  in  the  stall,  con- 
ducting thither  the  chapman,  should  they  find  any, 
and  concluding  the  bargain  with  the  greatest  secrecy. 
Their  reasons  for  this  conduct  are  manifold.  In  the 
first  place,  a  deadly  feud  exists  between  the  Gitanos 
and  the  chalanes,  or  jockeys  of  Spanish  blood,  by 
whom  the  former  are  not  unfrequently  ejected  from 
the  fair  by  force  of  palos  or  cudgels,  verifying  the 
old  adage,  that  two  of  a  trade  are  sure  to  quarrel. 
The  chalanes  in  this  violence  are  to  a  certain  extent 
countenanced  by  law  ;  for  though  by  the  edict  of 
Carlos  the  Third,  the  Gitanos  were  in  other  respects 
placed  upon  an  equality  with  the  rest  of  the  Spa- 
niards, they  were  still  forbidden  to  obtain  their  live- 
lihood by  the  traffick  of  markets  and  fairs. 

Another  reason  for  the  secrecy  that  they  practise 
in  these  cases,  is  the  fact,  that  animals  of  this  de- 
scription are  generally  obtained  by  dishonest  means, 
and  would  probably  be  recognised  were  they  pub- 
licly exposed  for  sale.  The  stealing,  concealing, 
and  receiving  animals  when  stolen,  is  an  inveterate 
Gypsy  habit,  and  is  perhaps  the  last  from  which 
the  Gitano  will  be  reclaimed,  or  will  only  cease 


MADRID.-^GYPSY    WOMEJ^.  217 

when  the  race  has  become  extinct.  In  the  prisons 
of  Madrid,  either  in  that  of  the  Saladero,  or  De  la 
Corte,  there  are  never  less  than  a  dozen  Gitanos 
immured  for  stolen  horses,  or  mules  being  found  in 
their  possession,  which  themselves  or  their  connex- 
ions have  spirited  away  from  the  neighbouring  vil- 
lages, or  sometimes  from  a  considerable  distance. 
I  say  spirited  away,  for  so  well  do  they  take  their 
measures,  and  watch  their  opportunity,  that  they 
are  seldom  or  never  taken  in  the  fact. 

The  Madrilenian  Gypsy  women  are  indefatigable 
in  the  pursuit  of  prey,  prowling  about  the  town  and 
the  suburbs  from  morning  till  night,  entering  houses 
of  all  descriptions,  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest ; 
telling  fortunes,  or  attempting  to  play  off  various 
kinds  of  Gypsy  tricks,  from  which  they  derive 
much  greater  profit,  and  of  which  we  shall  pre- 
sently have  occasion  to  make  particular  mention. 

We  have  already  stated  that  the  Gypsy  women 
in  general  are  far  more  remarkable  beings  than  the 
men,  whose  pursuits,  those  of  the  jockey  and  the 
horse-stealer,  are  low  and  mean,  possessing  nothing 
capable  of  strongly  captivating  the  imagination, — 
not  so  what  regards  the  females  ;  and  those  of 
Madrid  yield  to  none  in  Spain  in  those  qualities  on 
which  a  good  Calli  prizes  herself  The  boldness, 
acuteness,  and  subtlety  of  some  of  these  women  are 
truly  wonderful,  and  their  self-possession  is  so  great, 
that  they  pass  unharmed  through  dangers,  which 
would  be  fatal  to  others  educated  in  a  school  less 
stern  and  hard  than  Gypsy  life  in  Spain. 

VOL.    I.  19 


218  THE    ZINCALI. 

From  Madrid  let  us  proceed  to  Andalusia,  cast- 
ing a  cursory  glance  on  the  Gitanos  of  that  country. 
I  found  them  very  numerous  at  Granada,  which  in 
the  Gitano  language  is  termed  Meligrana.  Their 
general  condition  in  this  place  is  truly  miserable, 
far  exceeding  in  wretchedness  the  state  of  the  tribes 
of  Estremadura.  It  is  right  to  state  that  Granada 
itself  is  the  poorest  city  in  Spain  ;  the  greatest  part 
of  the  population,  which  exceeds  sixty  thousand, 
passing  their  days  in  beggary  and  nakedness,  and 
the  Gitanos  share  in  the  general  distress. 

Many  of  them  reside  in  caves  scooped  in  the  sides 
of  the  ravines  which  lead  to  the  higher  regions  of 
the  Alpujarras,  on  a  skirt  of  which  stands  Granada. 
A  common  occupation  of  the  Gitanos  of  Granada 
is  working  in  iron,  and  it  is  not  unfrequent  to  find 
these  caves  tenanted  by  Gypsy  smiths  and  their 
families,  who  ply  the  hammer  and  forge  in  the 
bowels  of  the  earth.  To  one  standing  at  the  mouth 
of  the  cave,  especially  at  night,  they  afibrd  a  pic- 
turesque spectacle.  Gathered  round  the  forge,  their 
bronzed  and  naked  bodies,  illuminated  by  the  flame, 
appear  like  figures  of  demons ;  while  the  cave,  with 
its  flinty  sides  and  uneven  roof,  blackened  by  the 
charcoal  vapours  which  hover  about  it  in  festoons, 
seems  to  offer  no  inadequate  representation  of 
fabled  purgatory.  Working  in  iron  was  an  occupa- 
tion strictly  forbidden  to  the  Gitanos  by  the  ancient 
laws,  on  what  account  does  not  exactly  appear ; 
though,  perhaps,  the  trade  of  the  smith  was  con- 
sidered as  too  much  akin  to  that  of  the  chalan  to  be 


GRANADA. GYPSY  SMITHS.         219 

permitted  to  them.  The  Gypsy  smith  of  Granada 
is  still  a  chalan,  even  as  his  brother  in  England  is  a 
jockey  and  tinker  alternately. 

Whilst  speaking  of  the  Gitanos  of  Granada,  we 
cannot  pass  by  in  silence  a  tragedy  which  occurred 
in  this  town  amongst  them,  some  fifteen  years  ago, 
and  the  details  of  which  are  known  to  every  Gitano 
in  Spain,  from  Catalonia  to  Estremadura.  We  al- 
lude to  the  murder  of  Pindamonas  by  Pepe  Conde. 
Both  these  individuals  were  Gitanos  ;  the  latter  was 
a  celebrated  contrabandista,  of  whom  many  remark- 
able tales  are  told.  On  one  occasian  having  com- 
mitted some  enormous  crime,  he  fled  over  to  Bar- 
bary  and  turned  Moor,  and  was  employed  by  the 
Moorish  Emperor  in  his  wars,  in  company  with  the 
other  renegade  Spaniards,  whose  grand  depot  or 
presidio  is  the  town  of  Agurey  in  the  kingdorn  of 
Fez.  After  the  lapse  of  some  years,  when  his  crime 
was  nearly  forgotton,  he  returned  to  Granada, 
where  he  followed  his  old  occupations  of  contra- 
bandista and  chalan.  Pindamonas  was  a  Gitano 
of  considerable  wealth,  and  was  considered  as  the 
most  respectable  of  the  race  at  Granada,  amongst 
whom  he  possessed  considerable  influence.  Be- 
tween this  man  and  Pepe  Conde  there  existed 
a  jealousy,  especially  on  the  part  of  the  latter, 
who,  being  a  man  of  proud  untameable  spirit, 
could  not  well  brook  a  superior  amongst  his  own 
people.  It  chanced  one  day  that  Pindamonas  and 
other  Gitanos  amongst  whom  was  Pepe  Conde, 
were  in  a  coffee-house.     After  they  had  all  partaken 


220  THE    ZINCALI. 

of  some  refreshment  they  called  for  the  reckoning, 
the  amount  of  which  Pindamonas  insisted  on  dis- 
charging. It  will  be  necessary  here  to  observe, 
that  on  such  occasions  in  Spain,  it  is  considered  as 
a  species  of  privilege  to  be  allowed  to  pay,  which 
is  an  honor  generally  claimed  by  the  prhicipal  man 
of  the  party.  Pepe  Conde  did  not  fail  to  take  um- 
brage at  the  attempt  of  Pindamonas,  which  he  con- 
sidered as  an  undue  assumption  of  superiority,  and 
put  in  his  own  claim  ;  but  Pindamonas  insisted, 
and  at  last  flung  down  the  money  on  the  table, 
whereupon  Pepe  Conde  instantly  unclasped  one  of 
those  terrible  Manchegan  knives  which  are  general- 
ly carried  by  the  contrabandistas,  and  with  a  fright- 
ful gash  opened  the  abdomen  of  Pindamonas,  who 
presently  expired. 

After  this  exploit,  Pepe  Conde  fled,  and  was  not 
seen  for  some  time.  The  cave,  however,  in  which 
he  had  been  in  the  habit  of  residing  was  watched, 
as  a  belief  was  entertained  that  sooner  or  latter  he 
would  return  to  it,  in  the  hope  of  being  able  to  re- 
move some  of  the  property  contained  in  it.  This 
belief  was  well  founded.  Early  one  morning  he 
was  observed  to  enter  it,  and  a  band  of  soldiers  was 
instantly  despatched  to  seize  him.  This  circum- 
stance is  alluded  to  in  a  Gypsy  stanza : — 

*'  Fly,  Pepe  Conde,  seek  the  hill ; 
To  flee  's  thy  only  chance  ; 
With  bayonets  fixed,  thy  blood  to  spill, 
See  soldiers  four  advance." 

And  before  the  soldiers  could   arrive  at  the  cave, 


PEPE    CONDE.  221 

Pepe  Conde  had  discovered  their  approach  and  fled, 
endeavouring  to  make  his  escape  amongst  the  rocks 
and  berrancos  of  the  Alpujarras.  The  soldiers  instant- 
ly pursued,  and  the  chase  continued  a  considerable 
time.  The  fugitive  was  repeatedly  summoned  to 
surrender  himself,  but  refusing,  the  soldiers  at  last 
fired,  and  four  balls  entered  the  heart  of  the  Gypsy 
contrabandista  and  murderer. 

Once  at  Madrid  I  received  a  letter  from  the  sis- 
ter's son  of  Pindamonas,  dated  from  the  prison  of 
the  Saladero.  In  this  letter  the  writer,  who  it  ap- 
pears was  in  durance  for  stealing  a  pair  of  mules, 
craved  my  charitable  assistance  and  advice,  and 
possibly  in  the  hope  of  securing  my  favour,  forward- 
ed some  uncouth  lines  commemorative  of  the  death 
of  his  relation,  and  commencing  thus: — 

"  The  death  of  Pindamonas  filled  all  the  world  with  pain; 
At  the  coffee-house's  portal,  by  Pepe  he  was  slain." 

The  faubourg  of  Triana,  in  Seville,  has,  from  time 
immemorial,  been  noted  as  a  favourite  residence  of 
the  Gitanos,  and  here,  at  the  present  day,  they  are 
to  be  found  in  greater  number  than  in  any  other 
town  in  Spain.  This  faubourg  is  indeed  chiefly  in- 
habited by  desperate  characters,  as,  besides  the 
Gitanos,  the  principal  part  of  the  robber-population 
of  Seville  is  here  congregated  ;  perhaps  there  is  no 
part  even  of  Naples  where  crime  so  much  abounds, 
and  the  law  is  so  little  respected  as  at  Triana,  the 
character  of  whose  inmates  was  so  graphically  de- 

19* 


222  THE    ZINCALI. 

lineated  two  centuries  and  a  half  back  by  Cervantes, 
in  one  of  the  most  amusing  of  his  tales.* 

\  In  the  vilest  lanes  of  this  suburb,  amidst  dilapi- 
dated walls  and  ruined  convents,  exists  the  grand 
colony  of  Spanish  Gitanos.     Here  they  may  be  seen 

.1  wielding  the  hammer ;  here  they  may  be  seen  trim- 
ming the  fetlocks  of  horses,  or  shearing  the  backs  of 
mules  and  borricos  with  their  cachas  ;  and  from 
hence  they  emerge  to  ply  the  same  trade  in  the 
town,  or  to  officiate  as  terceros,  or  to  buy,  sell,  or 
exchange  animals  in  the  mercado,  and  the  women 
to  tell  the  bahi  through  the  streets,  even  as  in  other 
parts  of  Spain,  generally  attended  by  one  or  two 
tawny  bantlings  in  their  arms  or  by  their  sides  ; 
whilst  others,  with  baskets  and  chafing-pans,  pro- 
ceed to  the  delightful  banks  of  the  Len  Baro,t  by  the 
Golden  Tower,  where,  squatting  on  the  ground  and 
kindling  their  charcoal,  they  roast  the  chestnuts 
which,  when  well  prepared,  are  the  favourite  bonne 
bouche  of  the  Sevillians  ;  whilst  not  a  few,  in  league 
with  the  contraband istas,  go  from  door  to  door 
offering  for  sale  prohibited  goods  brought  from  the 
English  at  Gibraltar.  Such  is  Gitano  life  at  Seville, 
such  it  is  in  the  capital  of  Andalusia. 

It  is  the  common  belief  of  the  Gitanos  of  other  pro- 
vinces that  in  Andalusia  the  language,  customs, 
habits,  and  practices  peculiar  to  their  race  are  best 
preserved.     This  opinion,  which  probably  originated 

*  Rinconete  and  Cortadillo. 

t  The  great  river,  or  Guadalquivir. 


SEVILLE. TRIANA.  223 

from  the  fact  of  their  being  found  in  greater  num- 
bers in  this  province  than  in  any  other,  may  hold 
good  in  some  instances,  but  certainly  not  in  all.  In 
various  parts  of  Spain,  I  have  found  the  Gitanos  re- 
taining their  primitive  language  and  customs  better 
than  in  Seville,  where  the^^  most  abound  ;  indeed  it 
is  not  plain  that  their  number  has  operated  at  all 
favourably  in  this  respect.  At  Cordova,  a  town  at 
the  distance  of  twenty  leagues  from  Seville,  which  , 
scarcely  contains  a  dozen  Gitano  families,  I  found 
them  living  in  much  more  brotherly  amity,  and  che- 
rishing in  a  greater  degree  the  observances  of  their 
forefathers. 

I  shall  long  remember  these  Cordovese  Gitanos, 
by  whom  I  was  very  well  received,  but  always  on 
the  supposition  that  I  was  one  of  their  own  race. 
They  said  that  they  never  admitted  strangers  to 
their  houses  save  at  their  marriage  festivals,  when 
they  flung  their  doors  open  to  all,  and  save  occasion- 
ally people  of  influence  and  distinction,  who  wished 
to  hear  their  songs  and  converse  with  their  women ; 
but  they  assured  me,  at  the  same  time,  that  these 
they  invariably  deceived,  and  merely  made  use  of 
as  instruments  to  serve  their  own  purposes.  As  for 
myself,  I  was  admitted  without  scruple  to  their  pri- 
vate meetings,  and  was  made  a  participator  of  their 
most  secret  thoughts.  During  our  intercourse,  some 
remarkable  scenes  occurred  :  one  night  more  than 
twenty  of  us,  men  and  women,  were  assembled  in 
a  long  low  room  on  the  ground  floor,  in  a  dark  alley 
or  court  in  the  old  gloomy  town  of  Cordova.     After 


224  THE    ZINCALI. 

the  Gitanos  had  discussed  several  jockey  plans,  and 
settled  some  private  bargains  amongst  themselves, 
we  all  gathered  round   a  huge  brasero  of  flaming- 
charcoal,   and  began  conversing  sohre  las  cosas  de 
Egijpto,  vi^hen  I  proposed  that,  as  we  had  no  better 
means  of  amusing  ourselves,  we  should  endeavour 
to  turn  into  the  Calo  language  some  piece  of  devo- 
tion, that  we  might  see  whether  this  language,  the 
gradual   decay  of  which  I  had   frequently  heard 
them  lament,  was  capable  of  expressing  any  other 
matters  than  those  which  related  to  horses,  mules, 
and  Gypsy  traffic.     It  was  in  this  cautious  manner 
that  I  first  endeavoured  to  divert  the   attention  of 
these  singular  people  to  matters  of  eternal  import- 
ance.    M}^  suggestion  was  received  with  acclama- 
tions, and  we  forthwith  proceeded  to  the  translation 
of  the  Apostle's  creed.     I  first  recited  in  Spanish, 
in  the  usual  manner  and  without  pausing,  this  noble 
confession,  and  then  repeated  it  again,  sentence  by 
sentence,  the  Gitanos  translating  as  I  proceeded. 
They  exhibited  the  greatest  eagerness  and  interest 
in  their  unwonted  occupation,  and  frequently  broke 
into  loud  disputes  as  to  the  best  rendering — many 
being  offered  at  the  same  time.     In  the  meanwhile, 
I  wrote  down  from  their  dictation,  and  at  the  con- 
clusion I  read  aloud  the  translation,  the  result  of  the 
united  wisdom  of  the  assembly,  whereupon  they  all 
raised  a  shout  of  exultation,  and  appeared  not  a 
little  proud  of  the  composition. 

Cordova  has  always  been  celebrated  for  its  steeds  ; 
the  best  breeding  horses  in  the  whole  of  Spain 


CORDOVA.  225 

being  found  in  the  stalls  of  the  large  landed  pro- 
prietors in  the  neighbourhood.  These  animals  are 
of  unequalled  beauty  in  their  way  ;  their  colour  is 
in  general  a  glossy  black,  their  manes  bushy  and 
silky  and  of  a  great  length,  whilst  their  tails  trail 
upon  the  ground,  and  seem  a  forest  of  waving  hair ; 
they  are  invariably  broad  chested  and  round  in 
their  quarters,  and  their  embonpoiJit^  which  is  re- 
markable, is  considered  their  chief  ornament. 

The  Spaniards  consider  these  horses  as  the 
genuine  descendants  of  the  steeds  of  the  Moorish 
conquerors  of  Spain, — that  terrific  cavalry,  who 
dyed  the  waters  of  the  Guadalete  with  the  blood 
of  the  Goths.  This,  however,  is  a  gross  error  ;  no 
two  animals  can  be  more  unlike  than  the  Moorish 
and  Andalusian  horse  ;  the  first  being  far  from 
handsome,  and  the  mane  and  tail  scanty  and  of  a 
wiry  quality,  instead  of  exhibiting  the  rich,  glorious 
redundancy  of  the  Andalusian.  The  Moorish  horse, 
again,  (we  speak  of  those  of  high  caste,)  is  a  furious, 
savage  creature,  whom  it  is  frequently  necessary  to 
chain,— indefatigable  in  the  course,  and  never  rest- 
ing but  on  its  legs ;  whilst  the  Andalusian  is  gentle 
and  docile,  and  will  follow  its  keeper  like  a  dog, 
and  though  of  great  swiftness  for  a  short  distance, 
is  soon  blown  and  fatigued,  and  when  seeking  re- 
pose, will  cast  itself  on  its  side  like  a  human  being. 
These  beautiful  animals,  which  are  a  mixture  of 
many  breeds,  are  nurtured  with  the  greatest  deli- 
cacy, and  their  slightest  wants  and  ailments  attended 
to.     Nothing  is  more  deserving  of  remark  in  Spanish 


226  THE    ZINCALI. 

grooming,  than  the  care  exhibited  in  clipping  and 
trimming  various  parts  of  the  horse,  where  the 
growth  of  hair  is  considered  as  prejudicial  to  the 
perfect  health  and  cleanliness  of  the  animal ;  par- 
ticular attention  being  always  paid  to  the  pastern, 
that  part  of  the  foot  which  lies  between  the  fetlock 
and  the  hoof,  to  guard  against  the  arestin,  that 
cutaneous  disorder  which  is  the  dread  of  the  Spanish 
groom,  on  which  account  the  services  of  a  skilful 
esquilador  are  continually  in  requisition. 

The  esquilador,  when  proceeding  to  the  exercise 
of  his  vocation,  generally  carries  under  his  arm  a 
small  box  containing  the  instruments  necessary,  and 
which  consist  principally  of  various  pairs  of  scissors, 
and  the  acidl,  two  short  sticks,  tied  together  with 
whipcord  at  the  end,  by  means  of  which  the  lower 
lip  of  the  horse,  should  he  prove  restive,  is  twisted, 
and  the  animal  reduced  to  speedy  subjection.  In 
the  girdle  of  the  esquilador  are  stuck  the  large 
scissors  called  in  Spanish  tijeras,  and  in  the  Gypsy 
tongue  cachasj  with  which  he  principally  works. 
He  operates  upon  the  backs,  ears,  and  tails  of  mules 
and  borricos,  which  are  invariably  sheared  quite 
bare,  that  if  the  animals  are  galled,  either  by  their 
harness  or  the  loads  which  they  carry,  the  wounds 
may  be  less  liable  to  fester,  and  be  more  easy  to 
cure.  Whilst  engaged  with  horses,  he  confines 
himself  to  the  feet  and  ears.  The  esquiladores  in 
the  two  Castiles,  and  in  those  provinces  where  the 
Gitanos  do  not  abound,  are  for  the  most  part  Ara- 
gonese  ;  but  in  the  others,  and  especially  in  Anda- 


HORSES. THE  ESQUILADOR.         227 

lusia,  they  are  of  the  Gypsy  race.  The  Gitanos 
are  wonderfully  expert  in  the  use  of  the  cachas, 
which  they  handle  in  a  nianner  practised  nowhere 
but  in  Spain ;  and  with  this  instrument  the  poorer 
class  principally  obtain  their  bread. 

In  one  of  their  couplets  allusion  is  made  to  this 
occupation  in  the  following  manner  : — 

"  I'll  rise  to-morrow  bread  to  earn, 
For  hunger's  worn  me  grim ; 
Of  all  I  meet  I'll  ask  in  turn, 
If  they've  no  beasts  to  trim." 

Sometimes,  whilst  shearing  the  foot  of  a  horse, 
exceedingly  small  scissors  are  necessary,  for  the 
purpose  of  removing  fine  solitary  hairs  ;  for  a  Spa- 
nish groom  will  tell  you  that  a  horse's  foot  behind 
ought  to  be  kept  as  clean  and  smooth  as  the  hand 
of  a  senora  ;  such  scissors  can  only  be  procured  at 
Madrid.  My  sending  two  pair  of  this  kind  to  a 
Cordovese  Gypsy,  from  whom  I  had  experienced 
much  attention  whilst  in  that  city,  was  the  occasion 
of  my  receiving  a  singular  epistle  from  another 
whom  I  scarcely  knew,  and  which  I  shall  insert  as 
being  an  original  Gypsy  composition,  and  in  some 
points  not  a  little  characteristic  of  the  people  of 


whom  I  am  now  writing. 


"SENOR  DON  JORGE, 


"  Cordova,  20th  day  January,  1837. 


"  After  saluting  you  and  hoping  that  you  are  well, 
I  proceed  to  tell  you  that  the  two  pair  of  scissors 
arrived   at  this  town  of  Cordova  with  him  whom 


228  THE    ZINC  ALL 

you  sent  them  by ;  but,  unfortunately,  they  were 
given  to  another  Gypsy,  whom  you  neither  knew 
nor  spoke  to  nor  saw  in  your  life  ;  for  it  chanced 
that  he  who  brought  them  was  a  friend  of  mine, 
and  he  told  me  that  he  had  brought  two  pair  of  scis- 
sors which  an  Englishmen  had  given  him  for  the 
Gypsies  ;  whereupon  I,  understanding  it  was  your- 
self, instantly  said  to  him,  ^  Those  scissors  are  for 
me  ;'  he  told  me,  however,  that  he  had  already 
given  them  to  another,  and  he  is  a  Gypsy  who  was 
not  even  in  Cordova  during  the  time  you  were. 
Nevertheless,  Don  Jorge,  I  am  very  grateful  for 
your  thus  remembering  me,  although  I  did  not  re- 
ceive your  present,  and  in  order  that  you  may  know 
who  I  am,  my  name  is  Antonio  Salazar,  a  man  pit- 
ted with  the  small-pox,  and  the  very  first  who  spoke 
to  you  in  Gordo  v^a  in  the  posada  where  you  were  ; 
and  you  told  me  to  come  and  see  you  next  day  at 
eleven,  and  I  went,  and  we  conversed  together 
alone.  Therefore  I  should  wish  you  to  do  me  the 
favor  to  send  me  scissors  for  trimming  beasts, — good 
scissors,  mind  you, — such  would  be  a  very  great 
favor,  and  I  should  be  ever  grateful,  for  here  in 
Cordova  there  are  none,  or  if  there  be  they  are  good 
for  nothing.  Senor  Don  Jorge,  you  remember  I 
told  you  that  I  was  an  esquilador  by  trade,  and  only 
by  that  I  got  bread  for  my  babes.  Senor  Don 
Jorge,  if  you  do  send  me  the  scissors  for  trimming, 
pray  write  and  direct  to  the  alley  De  la  Londiga, 
No.  28,  to  Antonio  Salazar,   in  Cordova.     This  is 


CHARACTERISTIC    EPISTLE.  229 

what  I  have  to  tell  you,  and  do  you  ever  command 
your  trusty  servant,  who  kisses  your  hand  and  is 
eager  to  serve  you. 

"  Antonio  Salazar." 

FIRST     COUPLET. 

'*  That  I  may  clip  and  trim  the  beasts,  a  pair  of  cachas  grant, 
If  not,  I  fear  my  luckless  babes  will  perish  all  of  want. 

SECOND  COUPLET. 

"  If  thou  a  pair  of  cachas  grant,  that  I  my  babes  may  feed, 
m  pray  to  the  Almighty  God,  that  thee  he  ever  speed." 

It  is  by  no  means  my  intention  to  describe  the  ex- 
act state  and  condition  of  the  Gitanos  in  every  town 
and  province  where  they  are  to  be  found  ;  perhaps, 
indeed,  it  will  be  considered  that  I  have  already 
been  more  circumstantial  and  particular  than  the 
case  required.  The  other  districts  which  they  in- 
habit are  principally  those  of  Catalonia,  Murcia,  and 
Valencia  ;  and  they  are  likewise  to  be  met  with  in 
the  Basque  provinces,  where  they  are  called  Egip- 
cioac  or  Egyptians.  What  I  next  purpose  to  occu- 
py myself  with,  are  some  general  observations  on 
the  habits,  and  the  physical  and  moral  state  of  the 
Gitanos  throughout  Spain,  and  of  the  position  which 
they  hold  in  society. 


VOL.  I.  20 


CHAPTER  III. 

GENERAL  REMARKS  ON  THE  PRESENT  STATE  OF  THE    GITANOS. — EFFECTS 

OF    EDUCATION. INEFFICIENCY    OF     THE    OLD    LAWS. PROSPECTS    OF 

THE     GITANOS. — PARTIAL    REFORMATION. DECLINE     OF     THE    GYPSY 

SECT. FAIR    OF     LEON. — LOVE     OF     RACE. — GYPSY    EXECUTED. — NU- 
MERICAL   DECREASE. 

Already,  from  the  two  preceding  chapters,  it 
will  have  been  perceived  that  the  condition  of  the 
Gitanos  in  Spain  has  been  subjected  of  late  to  con- 
siderable modification.  The  words  of  the  Gypsy 
of  Badajoz  are  indeed,  in  some  respects,  true  ;  they 
are  no  longer  the  people  that  they  were  ;  the  road& 
and ''despoblados"  have  ceased  to  be  infested  by 
them,  and  the  traveller  is  no  longer  exposed  to  much 
danger  on  their  account ;  they  at  present  confine 
themselves,  for  the  most  part,  to  towns  and  villages, 
and  if  they  occasionally  wander  abroad  it  is  no 
longer  in  armed  bands,  formidable  for  their  numbers, 
and  carrying  terror  and  devastation  in  all  directions, 
bivouacking  near  solitary  villages  and  devouring  the 
substance  of  the  unfortunate  inhabitants,  or  occa- 
sionally threatening  even  large  towns,  as  in  the  sin- 
gular case  of  Logrono,  mentioned  by  Francisco  de 
Cordova.     The   Gitanos  no  longer  dream  of  com- 


GENERAL    REMARKS.  231 

mitting  excesses  such  as  these,  and  the  reader  may 
be  excused  for  demanding  whether,  in  the  change 
which  has  taken  place,  their  minds  and  morals  have 
not  been  improved  as  well  as  modified  of  late  years  ; 
and  what  have  been  the  means  employed,  or  the  ac- 
cidental causes  which  have  led  to  such  a  result. 
We  shall  therefore,  as  briefly  as  possible,  afford  as 
much  elucidation  on  these  points  as  the  sphere  of 
our  knowledge  will  permit. 

The  Gitanos  have,  to  a  considerable  degree,  re- 
nounced their  wandering  habits,  and  their  name  is 
no  longer  a  sound  of  terror  to  the  peaceable  traveller. 
By  residing  in  towns  they  have  insensibly  become 
more  civilized  than  their  ancestors,  who  passed  the 
greatest  part  of  their  time  amongst  the  deserts  and 
mountains  ;  their  habits  and  manners  are  less  fero- 
cious, for  all  wandering  tribes  may  be  ranked 
amongst  the  savage  people  of  the  earth,  whose  very 
reason  is  little  better  than  a  brute  instinct,  and 
who,  indeed,  in  other  respects,  are  but  very  few  de- 
grees superior  to  the  brute  creation.  The  culture  of 
their  minds  has  not  been  entirely  neglected,  and  up- 
on the  whole  their  education  and  acquirements  are 
not  inferior  to  those  of  the  lower  classes  of  the  Spa- 
niards. Ifis  not  uncommon  to  find  amongst  the  men, 
especially  of  the  rising  generation,  individuals  able 
to  read  and  write  in  a  manner  by  no  means  contemp- 
tible. It  is  true  that  amongst  the  w^omen  such  in- 
stances do  not  occur,  but  then  the  great  majority  of 
the  female  part  of  the  Spanish  population  itself  is  en- 
tirely uneducated  ;  many  females,  even  of  respecta- 


232  THE    ZINCALI. 

ble  station,  being  quite  ignorant  of  letters,  whilst 
those  of  inferior  grade  are  as  iUiterate  as  the  Gita- 
nas.  It  is  probable  that  the  Spanish  Gypsies  have 
had  their  full  share  of  the  improvement  in  mental 
education,  which  during  the  present  century  has 
been  going  on  in  Spain,  where  formerly  learning  of 
any  kind  was  entirely  confined  to  the  nobility,  to  the 
priesthood,  and  the  legal  class.  Had  the  ancient 
laws  continued  in  force,  which  branded  the  Gitanos 
as  an  impure  caste,  and  which  placed  them  at  an 
immeasurable  distance  from  other  members  of  so- 
ciety in  Spain,  it  is  dijSScult  to  conceive  that  they 
would  have  participated  in  this  advance  of  educa- 
tion ;  the  schools  would  have  been  most  assuredly 
closed  against  their  children,  and  notwithstanding 
that  they  invariably  found  numerous  individuals  to 
protect  and  encourage  them  in  their  unlawful  practi- 
ces and  avocations,  which  made  them  the  pests  of 
society,  they  would  hardly  have  found  minds  philan- 
thropic enough  to  interpose  for  the  purpose  of  pro- 
curing them  the  means  of  eventually  redeeming  the 
race  from  the  state  of  degradation  in  which  it  gro- 
velled ;  nor  is  it  probable  that  the  Gitanos  them- 
selves would  have  made  any  considerable  sacrifices  to 
obtain  that  end.  But  on  being  declared  on  a  level  with 
the  other  Spaniards,  they  naturally  enough  were  de- 
sirous of  becoming  part  cipators  in  any  advantages 
within  the  reach  of  the  Spaniards  in  general,  though 
certainly  with  no  intention  of  becoming,  in  any  re- 
spect, worse  Gypsies  than  they  had  hitherto  been, 
or  of  abandoning   one    point   of  their   Gitanismo. 


EFFECTS    OF    EDUCATION.  233 

There  is  no  sect  in  the  world  which  professes  igno- 
rance, or  amongst  whose  members  ignorance  is  con- 
sidered an  advantage  ;  there  are  sects  of  murderers, 
for  example,  the  Maravars  of  Ind ;  there  are  sects 
of  thieves,  for  example,  the  thugs  of  the  East,  and 
the  Gypsies  of  Europe  ;  yet  neither  Maravar  nor 
Gypsy  would  be  expelled  from  these  societies  for  the 
fact  of  being  able  to  read  or  write,  which  would  be 
considered  as  any  thing  but  disqualification  ;  yet 
certain  it  is  that,  provided  education  were  more 
generally  extended,  there  would  be  fewer  thugs  and 
Gypsies,  as  it  is  only  from  the  uneducated  orders 
that  such  people  arise. 

To  acquire  only  the  rudiments  of  education  it  is 
necessary  to  subject  the  mind  to  a  species  of  dis- 
cipline which,  in  most  cases,  exerts  a  salutary  in- 
fluence over  the  human  being ;  education,  however 
slight,  never  yet  made  an  individual  reckless,  but 
has  sobered  many,  and  preserved  them  from  crime 
by  opening  their  eyes  to  the  consequences  of  evil 
actions. 

Has  Gitanismo,  which  is  the  Gypsy  sect,  in- 
creased in  Spain  during  the  last  seventy  years  ? 
The  answer  is  comprised  within  a  monosyllable, 
and  that  a  decided  negative.  The  Gitanos  are  not 
so  numerous  as  in  former  times,  witness  those  bar- 
rios in  various  towns  still  denominated  Gitanerias, 
but  from  whence  the  Gitanos  have  disappeared 
even  like  the  Moors  from  the  Morerias  ;  nor  are  the 
Gitanos  of  the  present  day  so  daring,  nor  their  ex- 
cesses so  flagrant  as  in  former  times,  witness  the 

18* 


234  THE    ZINCALI. 

total  suspension  of  those  edicts  which  were  conti- 
nually being  fulminated  against  them  from  the  throne 
and  the  cortes.  At  present  neither  their  actions 
nor  their  numbers  can  create  much  reasonable 
ground  for  apprehension,  however  dishonest  and 
knavish  they  may  be,  which  facts  lead  us  to  the 
conclusion  that  Gitanismo  is  declining  in  Spain,  and 
we  shall  now  proceed  to  investigate  the  causes  of 
that  decline. 

One  thing  is  certain  in  the  history  of  the  Gitanos, 
that  the  sect  flourished  and  increased  so  long  as  the 
law  recommended  and  enjoined  measures  the  most 
harsh  and   severe   for  its   suppression  ;  the  palmy 
days  of  Gitanismo  were  those  in   which   the   caste 
was  proscribed  and  its  members,  in  the  event  of  re- 
nouncing their   Gypsy  habits,  had  nothing  further 
to  expect  than  the   occupation  of  tilling  the  earth, 
a  dull,  hopeless  toil ;  then  it  was  that  the   Gitanos 
paid  tribute  to  the  inferior  ministers  of  justice,  and 
were    engaged   in  illicit   connexion   with   those   of 
higher  station,  and  by  such  means  baffled  the   law, 
whose  vengence  rarely  fell  upon  their  heads ;  and 
then  it  was  that  they  bid  it  open  defiance,  retiring 
to  the  deserts  and  mountains,  and  living  in  wild  in- 
dependence by  rapine  and   shedding  of  blood  ;  for 
as  the  law  then  stood  they  would  lose  all  by  resign- 
ing their  Gitanismo,  whereas  by  clinging  to  it  they 
lived  either  in  the   independence  so  dear  to  them, 
or  beneath  the  protection  of  their  confederates.     It 
would  appear  that  in   proportion  as  the  law  was 
harsh  and  severe,   so  was  the  Gitano  bold  and  se- 


INEFFICIENCY    OF    THE    OLD    LAWS.  235 

cure.  The  fiercest  of  these  laws  was  the  one  of 
Phihp  the  Fifth,  passed  in  the  year  1745,  which 
commands  that  the  refractory  Gitanos  be  hunted 
down  with  fire  and  sword ;  that  it  was  quite  ineffi- 
cient is  satisfactorily  proved  by  its  being  twice  re- 
iterated, once  in  the  year  46,  and  again  in  49,  which 
would  scarcely  have  been  deemed  necessary  had  it 
quelled  the  Gitanos.  This  law,  with  some  unim- 
portant modifications,  continued  in  force  till  the 
year  83,  when  the  famous  edict  of  Carlos  Tercero 
superseded  it.  Will  any  feel  disposed  to  doubt 
that  the  preceding  laws  had  served  to  foster  what 
they  were  intended  to  suppress,  when  we  state  the 
remarkable  fact,  that  since  the  enactment  of  that 
law,  as  humane  as  the  others  were  unjust,  we  have 
heard  nothing  more  of  the  Gitanos  from  official  quarters  ; 
they  have  ceased  to  play  a  distinct  jpart  in  the  history  of 
Spain  ;  and  the  law  no  longer  speaks  of  them  as  a  dis- 
tinct people  ?  The  caste  of  the  Gitanos  still  exists, 
but  is  neither  so  extensive  nor  so  formidable  as  a 
century  ago,  when  the  law  in  denouncing  Gitanismo 
proposed  to  the  Gitanos  the  alternatives  of  death 
for  persisting  in  their  profession  or  slavery  for 
abandoning  it. 

There  are  fierce  and  discontented  spirits  amongst 
them,  who  regret  such  times,  and  say  that  Gypsy 
law  is  now  no  more,  that  the  Gypsy  no  longer 
assists  his  brother,  and  that  union  has  ceased 
among  them.  If  this  be  true,  can  better  proof  be 
adduced  of  the  beneficial  workins:  of  the  later  law  ^ 
A  blessing  has  been  conferred  on  society,  and  in 


236  THE    ZINCALI. 

a  manner  highly  creditable  to  the  spirit  of  modern 
times  ;  reform  has  been  accomplished,  not  by  per- 
secution, not  by  the  gibbet  and  the  rack,  but  by 
justice  and  tolerance.  The  traveller  has  flung  aside 
his  cloak,  not  compelled  by  the  angry  buffeting  of 
the  north  wind,  but  because  the  mild  benignant 
weather  makes  such  a  defence  no  longer  necessary. 
The  law  no  longer  compels  the  Gitanos  to  stand 
back  to  back,  on  the  principle  of  mutual  defence, 
and  to  cling  to  Gitanismo  to  escape  from  servitude 
and  thraldom. 

Taking  every  thing  into  consideration,  and  view- 
ing the  subject  in  all  its  bearings  with  an  impartial 
glance,  we  are  compelled  to  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  the  law  of  Carlos  Tercero,  the  provisions  of 
which  were  distinguished  by  justice  and  clemency, 
has  been  the  principal  if  not  the  only  cause  of  the 
decline  of  Gitanismo  in  Spain.  Other  causes,  of 
which  we  are  not  aware,  may  have  had  their  effect, 
and  it  must  be  remembered,  that  during  the  last 
seventy  years>  a  revolution  has  been  progressing  in 
Spain,  slowly,  it  is  true,  and  such  a  revolution  may 
have  affected  even  the  Gitanos.  Some  value  ought 
to  be  attached  to  the  opinion  of  the  Gitanos  them- 
selves on  this  point,  who  allude  to  the  influence 
which  the  law  of  Carlos  Tercero  has  exerted  over 
their  condition  in  the  saying  which  has  become  pro- 
verbial amongst  them  :  *'  El  Crallis  ha  nicobado  la 
liri  de  los  Cales." 

By  the  law,  the  whole  career  of  the  arts  and 


PROSPECTS    OF    THE    GITANOS.  237 

sciences  is  now  open  to  them.     Have  they  availed 
themselves  of  this  privilege? 

Up  to  the  present  period  but  little.  What  more 
could  be  expected  ?  Some  of  these  Gypsy  chalanes, 
these  bronzed  smiths,  these  wild  looking  esquiladors 
can  read  or  write  in  the  proportion  of  one  man  in 
three  or  four;  what  more  can  be  expected?  Would 
you  have  the  Gypsy  bantling,  born  in  filth  and 
misery,  'midst  mules  and  borricos,  amidst  the  mud 
of  a  choza  or  the  sand  of  a  barranco,  grasp  with 
its  swarthy  hands  the  crayon  and  easel,  the  com- 
pass, or  the  microscope,  or  the  tube  which  renders 
more  distinct  the  heavenly  orbs,  and  essay  to  be- 
come a  Murillo,  or  a  Feijoo,  or  a  Lorenzo  de  Hervas, 
as  soon  as  the  legal  disabilities  are  removed  which 
doomed  him  to  be  a  thievish  jockey  or  a  sullen  hus- 
bandman ?  Much  will  have  been  accomplished,  if, 
after  the  lapse  of  a  hundred  years,  one  hundred 
human  beings  shall  have  been  evolved  from  the 
Gypsy  stock,  who  shall  prove  sober,  honest,  and 
useful  members  of  society, — that  stock  so  degraded, 
so  inveterate  in  wickedness  and  evil  customs,  and 
so  hardened  by  brutalizing  laws.  Should  so  many 
beings,  should  so  many  souls  be  rescued  from  tem- 
poral misery  and  eternal  woe ;  should  only  the  half 
of  that  number,  should  only  the  tenth,  nay,  should 
only  one  poor,  wretched  sheep  be  saved,  there  will 
be  joy  in  heaven,  for  much  will  have  been  accom- 
plished on  earth,  and  those  tremendous  lines  will 
have  been  falsified  v^hich  made  Mahmoud  tremble 
on  his  throne. 


238  THE    ZINCALI. 

"  For  the  root  that's  unclean,  hope  if  you  can  ; 
No  washing  e'er  whitens  the  black  Zigan : 
The  tree  that's  bitter  by  birth  and  race, 
If  in  paradise  garden  to  grow  you  place. 
And  water  it  free  with  nectar  and  wine, 
From  streams  in  paradise  meads  that  shine, 
At  the  end  its  nature  it  still  declares, 
For  bitter  is  all  the  fruit  it  bears. 
If  the  egg  of  the  raven  of  noxious  breed 
You  place  'neath  the  paradise  bird,  and  feed 
The  splendid  fowl  upon  its  nest, 
With  immortal  figs,  the  food  of  the  blest, 
And  give  it  to  drink  from  Silsibel,* 
Whilst  life  in  the  egg  breathes  Gabriel, 
A  raven,  a  raven,  the  egg  shall  bear. 
And  the  fostering  bird  shall  waste  its  care." 

Ferdousi. 

The  principal  evidence  which  the  Gitanos  have 
hitherto  given  that  a  partial  reformation  has  been 
effected  in  their  habits,  is  the  relinquishment,  in  a 
great  degree,  of  that  w^andering  life  of  which  the  an- 
cient laws  were  continually  complaining,  and  which 
was  the  cause  of  infinite  evils,  and  tended  not  a  lit- 
tle to  make  the  roads  insecure. 

Doubtless,  there  are  those  who  will  find  some  dif- 
ficulty in  believing  that  the  mild  and  conciliatory 
clauses  of  the  law  in  question  could  have  much  effect 
in  weaning  the  Gitanos  from  this  inveterate  habit, 
and  will  be  more  disposed  to  think  that  this  relin- 
quishment was  effected  by  energetic  measures  re- 
sorted to  by  the  government,  to  compel  them  to  re- 
main in  their  places  of  location.  It  does  not  appear, 
however,  that  such  measures  were  ever  resorted  to* 

*  A  fountain  in  Paradise. 


PARTIAL    REFORMATION*  239 

Energy,  indeed,  in  the  removal  of  a  nuisance,  is 
scarcely  to  be  expected  from  Spaniards,  under  any 
circumstances.  All  we  can  say  on  the  subject,  with 
certainty,  is,  that  since  the  repeal  of  the  tyrannical 
laws,  wandering  has  considerably  decreased  among 
the  Gitanos. 

Since  the  law  has  ceased  to  brand  them,  they  ap- 
pear to  have  come  nearer  to  the  common  standard 
of  humanity,  and  their  general  condition  to  have  been 
ameliorated.  At  present,  only  the  very  poorest,  the 
parias  of  the  race,  are  to  be  found  wandering  about 
the  heaths  and  mountains,  and  this  only  in  the  sum- 
mer time,  and  their  principal  motive  according  to 
their  own  confession,  is  to  avoid  the  expense  of  house 
rent ;  the  rest  remain  at  home,  following  their  avo- 
cations, unless  some  immediate  prospect  of  gain, 
lawful  or  unlawful,  calls  them  forth ;  and  such  is  fre- 
quently the  case.  They  attend  most  fairs,  women 
and  men,  and  on  the  way  frequently  bivouack  in  the 
fields,  but  this  practice  must  not  be  confounded  with 
systematic  wandering. 

Gitanismo,  therefore,  has  npt  been  extinguished, 
only  modified  ;  but  that  modification  has  been  effect- 
ed within  the  memory  of  n>an,  whilst  previously 
near  four  centuries  elapsed, Tluriu^which  no  reform 
had  been  produced  amongst  them  by  the  various 
measures  devised,  all  of  which  were  distinguished 
by  an  absence,  not  only  of  true  policy,  but  of  com- 
mon sense;  it  is  therefore  to  be  hoped,  that  if  the 
Gitanos  are  abandoned  to  themselves,  by  which  we 
mean  no  arbitrary  laws  are  again  enacted  for  their 


240  THE    ZINCALIi 

extinction,  the  sect  will  eventually  c6ase  to  be,  and 
its  members  become  confounded  with  the  residue  of 
the  population  ;  for  certainly  no  Christian,  nor  mere- 
ly philanthropic  heart,  can  desire  the  continuance  of 
any  sect  or  association  of  people,  whose  fundamen- 
tal principle  seems  to  be  to  hate  all  the  rest  of  man- 
kind, and  to  live  by  deceiving  them ;  and  such  is 
the  practice  of  the  Gitanos. 

During  the  last  five  years,  owing  to  the  civil  wars, 
the  ties  which  unite  society  have  been  considerably 
relaxed  ;  the  law  has  been  trampled  under  foot,  and 
the  greatest  part  of  Spain  overrun  with  robbers  and 
miscreants,  who,  under  pretence  of  carrying  on  par- 
tisan warfare,  and  not  unfrequently  under  no  pre- 
tence at  all,  have  committed  the  most  frightful  ex- 
cesses, plundering  and  murdering  the  defenceless. 
Such  a  state  of  things  would  have  afforded  the  Gita- 
nos a  favourable  opportunity  to  resume  their  former 
kind  of  life,  and  to  levy  contributions  as  formerly, 
wandering  about  in  bands.  Certain  it  is,  however, 
that  they  have  not  sought  to  repeat  their  ancient  ex- 
cesses, taking  advantage  of  the  troubles  of  the  coun- 
try ;  they  have  gone  on,  with  a  few  exceptions, 
quietly  pursuing  that  part  of  their  system  to  which 
they  still  cling,  their  jockeyism,  which,  though  based 
on  fraud  and  robbery,  is  far  preferable  to  wandering 
brigandage,  which  necessarily  involves  the  frequent 
shedding  of  blood.  Can  better  proof  be  adduced, 
that  Gitanismo  owes  its  decline,  in  Spain,  not  to 
force,  not  to  persecution,  not  to  any  want  of  oppor- 
tunity of  exercising  it,  but  to  other  causes,  to  one  of 


DECLINE    OF    THE    GYPSY    SECT.  241 

which  we  have  already  distinctly  pointed,  the  con- 
ferring on  the  Gitanos  the  rights  and  privileges  of 
other  subjects. 

We  have  said  that  the  Gitanos  have  not  much 
availed  themselves  of  the  permission,  which  the  law 
grants  them,  of  embarking  in  various  spheres  of  life. 
They  remain  jockeys,  but  they  have  ceased  to  be 
wanderers  ;  and  the  grand  object  of  the  law  is  ac- 
complished. The  law  forbids  them  to  be  jockeys,  or 
to  follow  the  trade  of  trimming  and  shearing  animals, 
without  some  other  visible  mode  of  subsistence. 
This  provision,  except  in  a  few  isolated  instances, 
they  evade,  and  the  law  seeks  not,  and  perhaps 
wisely,  to  disturb  them,  content  with  having  achiev- 
ed so  much.  The  chief  evils  of  Gitanismo  which 
still  remain,  consist  in  the  systematic  frauds  of  the 
Gypsy  jockeys,  and  the  tricks  of  the  women.  It  is 
incurring  considerable  risk,  to  purchase  a  horse,  or 
a  mule,  even  from  the  most  respectable  Gitano,  with- 
out a  previous  knowledge  of  the  animal  and  his  for- 
mer possessor,  the  chances  being  that  he  is  either 
diseased,  or  stolen  from  a  distance  ;  and  even  the 
sale  of  a  horse  to  a  Gitano  should  be  carefully  avoid- 
ed, or  the  owner  will,  to  a  certainty,  at  the  conclu- 
sion of  the  bargain,  find  himself  most  miserably 
duped  and  cheated. 

The  Gitanos  in  general  are  very  poor,  a  pair  of 
large  cachas  and  various  scissors  of  a  smaller  de- 
scription constituting  their  whole  capital ;  occasion- 
ally a  good  hit  is  made,  as  they  call  it,  but  the  mo- 
ney does  not  last  long,  being  quickly  squandered  in 

VOL.   I.  21 


242  THE    ZTNCALI. 

feasting  and  revelry.  He  who  has  habitually  in  his 
house  a  couple  of  donkeys  is  considered  a  thriving 
Gitano ;  there  are  some,  however,  who  are  wealthy 
in  the  strict  sense  of  the  word,  and  carry  on  a  very 
extensive  trade  in  horses  and  mules.  These,  occa- 
sionally, visit  the  most  distant  fairs,  traversing  the 
greatest  part  of  Spain.  There  is  a  celebrated  cattle- 
fair  held  at  Leon,  on  St.  John's,  or  Midsummer  day, 
and  on  one  of  these  occasions,  being  present,  I  ob- 
served a  small  family  of  Gitano,  consisting  of  a  man 
of  about  fifty,  a  female  of  the  same  age,  and  a  hand- 
some young  Gypsy,  who  was  their  son ;  they  were 
richly  dressed  after  the  Gypsy  fashion,  the  men 
wearing  zam arras  with  massy  clasps  and  knobs  of 
silver,  and  the  woman  a  species  of  riding  dress  with 
much  gold  embroidery,  and  having  immense  gold 
rings  attached  to  her  ears.  They  came  from  Murcia, 
a  distance  of  one  hundred  leagues  and  upwards. 
Some  merchants,  to  whom  I  was  recommended,  in- 
formed me  that  they  had  credit  on  their  house  to  the 
amount  of  twenty  thousand  dollars. 

They  experienced  rough  treatment  in  the  fair, 
and  on  a  very  singular  account:  immediately  on 
their  appearing  on  the  ground  the  horses  in  the  fair, 
which,  perhaps,  amounted  to  three  thousand,  were 
seized  with  a  sudden  and  universal  panic ;  it  was 
one  of  those  strange  incidents  for  which  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  assign  a  rational  cause ;  but  a  panic  there 
was  amongst  the  brutes,  and  a  mighty  one  ;  the 
horses  neighed,  screamed,  and  plunged,  endeavour- 
ing to  escape  in  all  directions  ;  some  appeared  ab- 


FAIR    OF    LEON.  243 

solutely  possessed,  stamping  and  tearing,  their 
manes  and  tales  stiffly  erect,  like  the  bristles  of  the 
wild  boar — many  a  rider  lost  his  seat.  When  the 
panic  had  ceased,  and  it  did  cease  almost  as  sud- 
denly as  it  had  arisen,  the  Gitanos  were  forthwith 
accused  as  the  authors  of  it ;  it  was  said  that  they 
intended  to  steal  the  best  horses  during  the  confu- 
sion, and  the  keepers  of  the  ground,  assisted  by  a 
rabble  of  chalanes,  who  had  their  private  reasons 
for  hating  the  Gitanos,  drove  them  off  the  field  with 
sticks  and  cudgels.  So  much  for  having  a  bad 
name. 

These  wealthy  Gitanos,  when  they  are  not 
ashamed  of  their  blood  or  descent,  which  is  rarely 
the  case,  and  are  not  addicted  to  proud  fancies,  or 
"  barbales,"  as  they  are  called,  possess  great  influ- 
ence with  the  rest  of  their  brethren,  almost  as  much 
as  the  rabbins  amongst  the  Jews ;  their  bidding  is 
considered  law,  and  the  other  Gitanos  are  at  their 
devotion.  On  the  contrary,  when  they  prefer  the 
society  of  the  Busne  to  that  of  their  own  race,  and 
refuse  to  assist  their  less  fortunate  brethren  in 
poverty  or  in  prison,  they  are  regarded  with  un- 
bounded contempt  and  abhorrence,  as  in  the  case 
of  the  rich  Gypsy  of  Badajoz,  and  are  not  unfre- 
quently  doomed  to  destruction,  such  characters  are 
mentioned  in  their  couplets  : 

"  The  Gypsy  fiend  of  Manga  mead, 
Who  never  gave  a  straw, 
He  would  destroy  for  very  greed, 
The  good  Egyptian  law. 


S44  THE    ZINCALI. 

*'  The  false  Juanito  day  and  nigh-t 
Had  best  with  caution  go  ; 
The  Gypsy  carles  of  Yeira  height 
Have  sworn  to  lay  him  low." 

However  some  of  the  Gitanos  may  complain 
that  there  is  no  longer  union  to  be  found  amongst 
them,  there  is  still  much  of  that  fellow-feeling 
which  springs  from  a  consciousness  of  proceeding 
from  one  common  origin,  or,  as  they  love  to  term 
it,  "blood."  At  present  their  system  exhibits  less 
of  a  commonwealth  than  when  they  roamed  in 
bands  amongst  the  wilds,  and  principally  subsisted 
by  foraging,  each  individual  contributing  to  the 
common  stock,  according  to  his  success.  The  in- 
terests of  individuals  are  now  more  distinct,  and 
that  close  connexion  is  of  course  dissolved  which 
existed  when  they  wandered  about,  and  their  dan- 
gers, gains,  and  losses  were  felt  in  common ;  and  it 
can  never  be  too  often  repeated  that  they  are  no 
longer  a  proscribed  race,  with  no  rights  nor  safety 
save  what  they  gained  by  a  close  and  intimate 
union.  Nevertheless,  the  Gitano,  though  he  natu- 
rally prefers  his  own  interest  to  that  of  his  brother, 
and  envies  him  his  gain  when  he  does  not  expect 
to  share  in  it,  is  at  all  times  ready  to  side  with  him 
against  the  Busno,  because  the  latter  is  not  a  Gitano, 
but  of  a  different  blood,  and  for  no  other  reason. 
When  one  Gitano  confides  his  plans  to  another,  he 
is  in  no  fear  that  they  will  be  betrayed  to  the  Busno, 
for  whom  there  is  no  sympathy,  and  when  a  plan 
is  to  be  executed  which  requires  co-operation,  they 


LOVE    OF   RACE.  245 

seek  not  the  fellowship  of  the  Busne  but  of  each 
other,  and  if  successful  share  the  gain  like  brothers. 
As  a  proof  of  the  fraternal  feeling  which  is  not 
unfrequently  displayed  amongst  the  Gitanos,  I  shall 
relate  a  circumstance  w4iich  occurred  at  Cordova 
a  year  or  two  before  I  first  visited  it.     One  of  the 
poorest  of  the  Gitanos  murdered  a  Spaniard  with 
the  fatal  Manchegan  knife  ;  for  this  crime  he  was 
seized,  tried,  and  found  guilty.     Blood-shedding  in 
Spain  is  not  looked  upon  with  much  abhorrence, 
and  the  life  of  the  culprit  is  seldom  taken,  provided 
he  can  offer  a  bribe  sufficient  to  induce  the  notary 
public  to  report  favourably  upon  his  case  ;  but  in 
this  instance  money  was  of  no  avail ;  the  murdered 
individual  left  behind    him   powerful  friends    and 
connexions,  who  were  determined  that  justice  should 
take  its  course.     It  was  in  vain  that  the  Gitanos 
exerted  all  their  influence  with   the   authorities  in 
behalf  of  their  comrade,   and  such    influence  was 
not  slight ;  it  was  in  vain  that  they  oflfered  extrava- 
gant sums  that   the   punishment  of  death   might  be 
commuted  to  perpetual  slavery  in  the   dreary  pre- 
sidio of  Ceuta ;  I  was  credibly  informed  that  one 
of  the  richest  Gitanos,  by  name  Fruto,  offered  for 
his  own  share  of  the  ransom  the  sum  of  five  thou- 
sand crowns,   whilst  there  was   not  an  individual 
but  contributed    according  to    his   means — nought 
availed  and  the  Gypsy  was  executed   in  the  Plaza. 
The  day  before   the  execution,  the   Gitanos,  per- 
ceiving that  the  fate  of  their  brother  was  sealed, 
one    and   all   quitted  Cordova,  shutting    up    their 

21* 


246  THE    ZINCALI. 

houses  and  carrying  with  them  their  horses,  their 
mules,  their  borricos,  their  wives  and  families,  and 
the  greatest  part  of  their  household  furniture.  No 
one  knew  whither  they  directed  their  course,  nor 
were  they  seen  in  Cordova  for  some  months,  when 
they  again  suddenly  made  their  appearance  ;  a  few, 
however,  never  returned.  So  great  was  the  horror 
of  the  Gitanos  at  what  had  occurred,  that  they  were 
in  the  habit  of  saying  that  the  place  was  cursed  for 
evermore,  and  when  I  knew  them  there  were  many 
amongst  them  who,  on  no  account,  would  enter  the 
Plaza  which  had  witnessed  the  disgraceful  end  of 
their  unfortunate  brother. 

The  position  which  the  Gitanos  hold  in  society 
in  Spain  is  the  lowest,  as  might  be  expected ;  they 
are  considered  at  best  as  thievish  chalans,  and  the 
women  as  half  sorceresses,  and  in  every  respect 
thieves ;  there  is  not  a  wretch,  however  vile,  the 
outcast  of  the  prison  and  the  presidio,  who  calls 
.  himself  Spaniard,  but  would  feel  insulted  by  being 

^  termed  Gitano,  and   would  thank  God  that  he  is 

not ;  and  yet,  strange  to  say,  there  are  numbers, 
and  those  of  the  higher  classes,  who  seek  their  com- 
pany, and  endeavour  to  imitate  tKeir  manners  and 
way  of  speaking.  The  connexions  which  they  form 
with  the  Spaniards  are  not  many ;  occasionally 
some  wealthy  Gitano  marries  a  Spanish  female,  but 
to  find  a  Gitana  united  to  a  Spaniard  is  a  thing  of 
the  rarest  occurrence,  if  it  ever  takes  place.  It  is, 
of  course,  by  intermarriage  alone  that  the  two  races 
yrill  ever  commingle,  and  before  that  event  is  brought 


GYPSY    EXECUTED.  247 

about,  much  modification  must  take  place  amongst 
the  Gitanos,  in  their  manners,  in  their  habits,  in 
their  affections,  and  their  dislikes,  and,  perhaps, 
even  in  their  physical  peculiarities ;  much  must  be 
forgotten  on  both  sides,  and  every  thing  is  forgotten 
in  the  course  of  time. 

Considerable  difficulties  oppose  themselves  to  the 
attempt  of  forming  a  correct  census  of  the  Gitano 
population  of  Spain.  Some  writers,  we  believe, 
have  estimated  the  number  at  sixty  thousand,  or 
thereabouts  ;  this  might  possibly  be  a  fair  estimate 
at  former  periods,  but  it  would  hardly  hold  good  at 
the  present  day,  when,  from  the  opportunities  which 
we  have  had  of  observing  them,  we  should  say  that 
their  number  cannot  exceed  forty  thousand,  of  which 
about  one  third  are  to  be  found  in  Andalusia  alone. 
We  have  already  expressed  our  belief  that  the  caste 
has  diminished  of  latter  years  ;  whether  this  dimi- 
nution was  the  result  of  one  or  many  causes  com- 
bined ;  of  a  partial  change  of  habits,  of  pestilence 
or  sickness,  of  war  or  famine,  or  of  a  freer  inter- 
course with  the  Spanish  population,  we  have  no 
means  of  determining,  and  shall  abstain  from  offer- 
ing conjectures  on  the  subject. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

ILLUSTRATIONS  OF  GYPSY  CHARACTER. — THE  GYPSY  INNKEEPER  OF 
TARIFA. — THE  GYPSY  SOLDIER  OF  VALDEPENAS. 

In  the  autumn  of  the  year  1839,  I  landed  at- 
Tarifa,  from  the  coast  of  Barbary.  I  arrived  in  a 
small  felouk  laden  with  hides  for  Cadiz,  to  which 
place  I  was  myself  going.  We  stopped  at  Tarifa 
in  order  to  perform  quarantine,  which,  however, 
turned  out  a  mere  farce,  as  we  were  all  permitted 
to  come  on  shore  ;  the  master  of  the  felouk  having 
bribed  the  port  captain  with  a  few  fowls.  We 
formed  a  motley  group.  A  rich  Moor  and  his  son, 
a  child,  with  their  Jewish  servant  Yusouf,  and  my- 
self with  my  own  man  Hayim  Ben  Attar,  a  Jew. 
After  passing  through  the  gate,  the  Moors  and  their 
domestic  were  conducted  by  the  master  to  the  house 
of  one  of  his  acquaintance,  where  he  intended  they 
should  lodge  ;  whilst  a  sailor  was  despatched  with 
myself  and  Hayim  to  the  only  inn  which  the  place 
afforded.  I  stopped  in  the  street  to  speak  to  a  per- 
son whom  I  had  known  at  Seville.  Before  we  had 
concluded  our  discourse,  Hayim,  who  had  walked 
forward,  returned,  saying,  that  the  quarters  were 
good,  and  that  we  were  in  high  luck,  for  that  he 


THE    GYPSY    INNKEEPER.  249 

knew  the  people  of  the  inn  were  Jews.  **  Jews,'* 
said  I,  "here  in  Tarifa,  and  keeping  an  inn,  I  should 
be  glad  to  see  them."  So  I  left  my  acquaintance 
and  hastened  to  the  house.  We  first  entered  a 
stable,  of  which  the  ground  floor  of  the  building 
consisted,  and  ascending  a  flight  of  stairs  entered 
a  very  large  room,  and  from  thence  passed  into  a 
kitchen,  in  which  were  several  people.  One  was  a 
stout,  athletic,  burly  fellow  of  about  fifty,  dressed 
in  a  buff  jerkin  and  dark  cloth  pantaloons.  His 
hair  w^as  black  as  a  coal  and  exceedingly  bushy, 
his  face  much  marked  from  some  disorder,  and  his 
skin  as  dark  as  that  of  a  toad.  A  very  tall  woman 
stood  by  the  dresser,  much  resembling  him  in  fea- 
ture, with  the  same  hair  and  complexion,  but  with 
more  intelligence  in  her  eyes  than  the  man,  wha 
looked  heavy  and  dogged.  A  dark  woman,  whom 
I  subsequently  discovered  to  be  lame,  sat  in  a 
corner,  and  two  or  three  swarthy  girls,  from  fifteen 
to  eighteen  years  of  age,  were  flitting  about  the 
room.  I  also  observed  a  wicked  looking  boy,  who 
might  have  been  called  handsome,  had  not  one  of 
his  eyes  been  injured.  "Jews  !"  said  I,  in  Moorish,, 
to  Hayim,  as  I  glanced  at  these  people  and  about 
the  room  ;  "  these  are  not  Jews,  but  children  of  the 
Dar-bushi-fal." 

"  List  to  the  Corohai,"  said  the  tall  woman  in 
broken  Gypsy  slang ;  "  hear  how  they  jabber, 
(hunelad  como  chamulian,)  truly  we  will  make 
them  pay  for  the  noise  they  raise  in  the  house." 
Then  coming  up  to  me,  she  demanded  with  a  shout, 


250  THE    ZINCALI. 

fearing  otherwise  that  T  should  not  understand, 
whether  I  would  not  wish  to  see  the  room  where  I 
was  to  sleep.  I  nodded :  whereupon  she  led  me 
out  upon  a  back  terrace,  and  opening  the  door  of  a 
small  room,  of  which  there  were  three,  asked  me 
if  it  would  suit.  "  Perfectly,"  said  I,  and  returned 
with  her  to  the  kitchen. 

"  O,  what  a  handsome  face  !  what  a  royal  per- 
son !"  exclaimed  the  whole  family  as  I  returned,  in 
Spanish,  but  in  the  whining,  canting  tones  peculiar 
to  the  Gypsies,  when  they  are  bent  on  victimising. 
"  A  more  ugly  Busno  it  has  never  been  our  chance 
to  see,"  said  the  same  voices  in  the  next  breath, 
speaking  in  the  jargon  of  the  tribe.  "  Won't  your 
Moorish  Royalty  please  to  eat  something?"  said  the 
tall  hag.  "  We  have  nothing  in  the  house  ;  but  I 
will  run  out  and  buy  a  fowl,  which  I  hope  may 
prove  a  royal  peacock  to  nourish  and  strengthen 
you."  "  I  hope  it  may  turn  to  drow  in  your  en- 
trails," she  muttered  to  the  rest  in  Gypsy.  She 
then  ran  down,  and  in  a  minute  returned  with  an 
old  hen,  which,  on  my  arrival,  I  had  observed  below 
in  the  stable.  "  See  this  beautiful  fowl,"  said  she, 
*'  I  have  been  running  over  all  Tarifa  to  procure  it 
for  your  kingship  ;  trouble  enough  I  have  had  to 
obtain  it,  and  dear  enough  it  has  cost  me.  I  will 
now  cut  its  throat."  "  Before  you  kill  it,"  said  I, 
**  I  should  wish  to  know  what  you  paid  for  it,  that 
there  may  be  no  dispute  about  it  in  the  account." 
*'  Two  dollars  I  paid  for  it,  most  valorous  and  hand- 
some sir ;  two  dollars  it  cost  me,  out  of  my  own 


THE    GYPSY    INNKEEPER.  251 

quisobi — out  of  my  own  little  purse."  I  saw  it  was 
high  time  to  put  an  end  to  these  zalamerias,  and 
therefore  exclaimed  in  Gitano,  "You  mean  two 
brujis  (reals,)  O  mother  of  all  the  witches,  and  that 
is  twelve  cuartos  more  than  it  is  worth."  "  Ay 
Dios  mio,  whom  have  we  here  ?"  exclaimed  the 
females.  *'  One,"  I  replied,  "  who  knows  you  well 
and  all  your  ways.  Speak  !  am  I  to  have  the  hen 
for  two  reals  f  if  not,  I  shall  leave  the  house  this 
moment."  "  O  yes,  to  be  sure,  brother,  and  for 
nothing  if  you  wish  it,"  said  the  tall  woman,  in 
natural  and  quite  altered  tones;  *'  but  why  did  you 
enter  the  house  speaking  in  Corohai  like  a  Bengui  ? 
We  thought  you  a  Busno,  but  we  now  see  that  you 
are  of  our  religion;  pray  sit  down  and  tell  us  where 
you  have  been." 

Myself. — "  Now,  my  good  people,  since  I  have 
answered  your  questions,  it  is  but  right  that  you 
should  answer  some  of  mine  ;  pray  who  are  you  ^ 
and  how  happens  it  that  you  are  keeping  this  inn  ?" 

Gypsij  Hag. — "  Verily,  brother,  we  can  scarcely 
tell  you  who  we  are.  All  we  know  of  ourselves  is, 
that  we  keep  this  inn,  to  our  trouble  and  sorrow,  and 
that  our  parents  kept  it  before  us  ;  we  were  all  born 
in  this  house,  where  I  suppose  we  shall  die." 

Myself, — "  Who  is  the  master  of  the  house,  and 
whose  are  these  children  ?" 

Gypsy  Hag. — "  The  master  of  the  house  is  the 
fool,  my  brother,  who  stands  before  you  without  say- 
ing a  word ;  to  him  belong  these  children,  and  the 
.cripple  in  the  chair  is  his  wife,  and  my  cousin.     He 


252  THE    ZINCALI. 

has  also  two  sons  who  are  grown  up  men  ;  one 
is  a  chumajarri  (shoemaker),  and  the  other  serves  a 
tanner." 

Myself. — "  Is  it  not  contrary  to  the  law  of  the 
Cales  to  follow  such  trades  ?" 

Gypsy  Hag. — "  We  know  of  no  law,  and  little  of 
the  Cales  themselves.  Ours  is  the  only  Calo  family 
in  Tarifa,  and  we  never  left  it  in  our  lives,  except 
occasionally  to  go  on  the  smuggling  lay  to  Gibraltar. 
True  it  is  that  the  Cales  when  they  visit  Tarifa  put 
up  at  our  house,  sometimes  to  our  cost.  There  was 
one  Rafael,  son  of  the  rich  Fruto  of  Cordova,  here 
last  summer,  to  buy  up  horses,  and  he  departed  a 
baria  and  a  half  in  our  debt ;  however,  I  do  not 
grudge  it  him,  for  he  is  a  handsome  and  clever  chabo 
— a  fellow  of  many  capacities.  There  was  more 
than  one  Busno  had  cause  to  rue  his  coming  to 
Tarifa." 

Myself. — "  Do  you  live  on  good  terms  with  the 
Busne  of  Tarifa  ?" 

Gypsy  Hag. — "  Brother,  we  live  on  the  best  terms 
with  the  Busne  of  Tarifa ;  especially  with  the  errays. 
The  first  people  in  Tarifa  come  to  this  house,  to 
have  their  baji  told  by  the  cripple  in  the  chair  and 
by  myself.  I  know  not  how  it  is,  but  we  are  more 
considered  by  the  grandees  than  the  poor,  who  hate 
and  loathe  us.  When  my  first  and  only  infant  died, 
for  I  have  been  married,  the  child  of  one  of  the  prin- 
cipal people  was  put  to  me  to  nurse,  but  I  hated  it 
for  its  white  blood,  as  you  may  well  believe.  It 
never  throve,  for  I  did  it  a  private  mischief,  and 
though  it  grew  up  and  is  now  a  youth,  it  is — mad.'' 


THE    GYPSY    INNKEEPER.  253 

Myselp — "  With  whom  will  your  brother's  chil- 
dren marry  ?     You  say  there  are  no  Gypsies  here." 

Gypsy  Hag. — "Ay  de  mi  hermano!  It  is  that 
which  grieves  me.  I  would  rather  see  them  sold  to 
the  Moors  than  married  to  the  Busne.  When  Ra- 
fael was  here  he  wished  ta persuade  the  chumajarri 
to  accompany  him  to  Cordova,  and  promised  to  pro- 
vide for  him,  and  to  find  him  a  wife  among  the 
Callees  of  that  town  ;  but  the  faint  heart  would  not, 
though  I  myself  begged  him  to  comply.  As  for  the 
curtidor  (tanner),  he  goes  every  night  to  the  house 
of  a  Busnee  ;  and  once,  when  I  reproached  him  with 
it,  he  threatened  to  marry  her.  I  intend  to  take  my 
knife,  and  to  wait  behind  the  door  in  the  dark,  and 
when  she  comes  out  to  gash  her  over  the  eyes.  I 
trow  he  will  have  little  desire  to  wed  with  her  then." 

Myself. — "  Do  many  Busne  from  the  country  put 
up  at  this  house  ?" 

Gyjjsy  Hag. — "  Not  so  many  as  formerly  brother; 
the  labourers  from  the  Campo  say  that  we  are  all 
thieves ;  and  that  it  is  impossible  for  any  one  but  a 
Calo,  to  enter  this  house  without  having  the  shirt 
stripped  from  his  back.  They  go  to  the  houses  of 
their  acquaintance  in  the  town,  for  they  fear  to  enter 
these  doors.  I  scarcely  know  why,  for  my  brother 
is  the  veriest  fool  in  Tarifa.  Were  it  not  for  his 
face,  I  should  say  that  he  is  no  Chabo,  for  he  cannot 
speak,  and  permits  every  chance  to  slip  through  his 
fingers.  Many  a  good  mule  and  borrico  have  gone 
out  of  the  stable  below,  which  he  might  have  secured, 

VOL.  I.  22 


254  THE    ZINCALI. 

had  he  but  tongue  enough  to  have  cozened  the 
owners.  But  he  is  a  fool,  as  I  said  before  ;  he  can- 
not speak,  and  is  no  Chabo. 

How  far  the  person  in  question,  who  sat  all  the 
while  smoking  his  pipe,  with  the  most  unperturbed 
tranquillity,  deserved  the  character  bestowed  upon 
him  by  his  sister,  will  presently  appear.  It  is  not 
my  intention  to  describe  here  all  the  strange  things 
I  both  saw  and  heard  in  this  Gypsy  inn.  Several 
Gypsies  arrived  from  the  country  during  the  six  days 
that  I  spent  within  its  walls;  one  of  them,  a  man, 
from  Moron,  was  received  with  particular  cordiality, 
he  having  a  son,  whom  he  was  thinking  of  betroth- 
ing to  one  of  the  Gypsy  daughters.  Some  females 
of  quality  likewise  visited  the  house  to  gossip,  like 
true  Andalusians.  It  was  singular,  to  observe  the 
behaviour  of  the  Gypsies  to  these  people,  espe- 
cially that  of  the  remarkable  woman  some  of  whose 
conversation  I  have  given  above.  She  whined,  she 
canted,  she  blessed,  she  talked  of  beauty,  of  colour, 
of  eyes,  of  eye-brows,  and  pestanas,  (eyelids,)  and 
of  hearts  which  were  aching  for  such  and  such  a 
lady.  Amongst  others,  came  a  very  fine  woman, 
the  widow  of  a  colonel  lately  slain  in  battle  ;  she 
brought  with  her  a  beautiful  innocent  little  girl,  her 
daughter,  between  three  and  four  years  of  age.  The 
Gypsy  appeared  to  adore  her;  she  sobbed,  she  shed 
tears,  she  kissed  the  child,  she  blessed  it,  she  fondled 
it.  I  had  my  eye  upon  her  countenance,  and  it 
brought  to  my  recollection  that  of  a  she-w^olf,  which 
I  had  once  seen  in  Russia,  playing  with  her  whelp 


ITHE    Gt^PSY    INNKEEPER.  S55 

beneath  a  birch-tree.  "  You  seem  to  love  that  child 
very  much,  O,  my  mother^"  said  I  to  her,  as  the 
lady  was  departing. 

Gyimj  Hag,-^^^  No  lo  camelo  hi  jo  !  1  do  not  love 
it,  O  my  son,  I  do  tiot  love  it  ;  I  love  it  so  much, 
that  I  wish  it  may  break  its  leg  as  it  goes  down 
stairs,  and  its  mother  also." 

On  the  evening;  of  the  fourth  dav,  I  was  seated  on 
the  stone  bench  at  the  stable  door,  taking  the  fresco  5 
the  G^^psy  innkeeper  sat  beside  me,  smoking  his 
pipe,  and  silent  as  usual ;  presently  a  man  and  wo- 
man with  a  borrico,  or  donkey,  entered  the  portal. 
I  took  little  or  no  notice  of  a  circumstance  so  slight, 
but  I  was  presently  aroused  by  hearing  the  Gypsy's 
pipe  drop  upon  the  ground  :  I  looked  at  him,  and 
scarcely  recognised  his  face.  It  was  no  longer  dull, 
black,  and  heavy,  but  was  lighted  up  with  an  ex- 
pression so  extremely  villanous,  that  I  felt  uneasy. 
His  eyes  were  scanning  the  recent  comers,  especi- 
ally the  beast  of  burden,  which  was  a  beautiful 
female  donkey.  He  was  almost  instantly  at  their 
side,  assisting  to  remove  its  housings,  and  the  alfor- 
jas,  or  bags.  His  tongue  had  become  unloosed,  as 
if  by  sorcery  ;  and  far  from  being  unable  to  speak, 
he  proved  that,  when  it  suited  his  purpose,  he  could 
discourse  with  wonderful  volubility.  The  donkey 
was  soon  tied  to  the  manger,  and  a  large  measure 
of  barley  emptied  before  it,  the  greatest  part  of 
which  the  Gypsy  boy  presently  removed,  his  father 
having  purposely  omitted  to  mix  the  barley  with  the 
straw,  with  which  the  Spanish  mangers  are  always 


256  THE    ZINCALI. 

kept  filled.  The  guests  were  hurried  up  stairs  as 
soon  as  possible.  I  remained  below,  and  subse- 
quently strolled  about  the  town  and  on  the  beach. 
It  was  about  nine  o'clock  when  I  returned  to  the  inn 
to  retire  to  rest ;  strange  things  had  evidently  been 
going  on  during  my  absence.  As  I  passed  through 
the  large  room,  on  my  way  to  my  apartment,  lo,  the 
table  was  set  out  with  much  wine,  fruits,  and  viands. 
There  sat  the  man  from  the  countr}'-,  three  parts  in- 
toxicated ;.the  Gypsy,  already  provided  with  another 
pipe,  sat  on  his  knee,  with  his  I'ight  arm  most  affec- 
tionately round  his  neck  ;  on  one  side  sat  the  chuma- 
jarri  drinking  and  smoking  ;  on  the  other,  the  tanner. 
Behold,  poor  humanit}^,  thought  I  to  myself,  in  the 
hands  of  devils  ;  in  this  manner  are  human  souls  en- 
snared to  destruction  by  the  fiends  of  the  pit.  The 
females  had  already  taken  possession  of  the  woman 
at  the  other  end  of  the  table,  embracing  her,  and 
displaying  every  mark  of  friendship  and  affection. 
I  passed  on,  but  ere  I  reached  my  apartment,  I  heard 
the  words  mule  and  donkey.  ''  Adios,"  said  I,  for 
I  but  too  well  knew  what  was  on  the  carpet. 

In  the  back  stable  the  Gypsy  kept  a  mule,  a  most 
extraordinary  animal,  which  was  employed  in  brings 
ing  water  to  the  house,  a  task  which  it  effected  with 
no  slight  difficulty;  it  was  reported  to  be  eighteen 
years  of  age  ;  one  of  its  eyes  had  been  removed  by 
some  accident,  it  was  foundered,  and  also  lame,  the 
result  of  a  broken  leg.  This  animal  was  the  laugh- 
ing-stock of  all  Tarifa  ;  the  Gypsy  grudged  it  the 
very  straw  on  which  alone  he  fed  it,  and  had  re- 


THE    GYPSY    INNKEEPER.  257 

peatedly  offered  it  for  sale  at  a  dollar,  which  he 
could  never  obtain.  During  the  night  there  was 
much  merriment  going  on,  and  I  could  frequently 
distino-uish  the  voice  of  the  Gypsy  raised  to  a  bois- 
terous pitch.  In  the  morning,  the  Gypsy  hag  en- 
tered my  apartment,  bearing  the  breakfast  of  my- 
self and  Hayim.  ^'  What  were  you  about  last 
night  f"  said  1. 

*'  We  were  bargaining  with  the  Busno,  evil  over- 
take him,  and  he  has  exchanged  us  the  ass,  for  the 
mule  and  the  reckoning,"  said  the  the  hag,  in  whose 
countenance  triumph  was  blended  with  anxiety. 

''  Was  he  drunk  when  he  saw  the  mule  ?"  I  de- 
manded. 

'*  He  did  not  see  her  at  all,  O  my  son,  but  we  told 
him  we  had  a  beautiful  mule,  worth  any  money, 
which  we  were  anxious  to  dispose  of,  as  a  donkey 
suited  our  purpose  better.  We  are  afraid  that  when 
he  sees  her  he  will  repent  his  bargain,  and  if  he 
calls  off  within  four-and-twenty  hours,  the  exchange 
is  null,  and  the  justicia  will  cause  us  to  restore  the 
ass  ;  we  have,  however,  already  removed  her  to  our 
huerta  out  of  the  town,  where  we  have  hid  her  below 
the  ground.  Dios  sabe  (God  knows)  how  it  will 
turn  out." 

When  the  man  and  the  woman  saw  the  lame, 
foundered,  one-eyed  creature,  for  which  and  the 
reckoning  they  had  exchanged  their  own  beautiful 
borrica,  they  stood  confounded.  It  was  about  ter^ 
in  the  morning,  and  they  had  not  altogether  re- 
covered from  the  fumes  of  the  wine  of  the  preceding 

23* 


258  THE    ZINC  ALL 

night;  at  last  the  man,  with  a  frightful  oath,  ex- 
claimed to  the  innkeeper,  ''Restore  njy  donkey, 
you  Gypsy  villain." 

"It  cannot  be,  brother,"  replied  the  latter,  "your 
donkey  is  by  this  time  three  leagues  from  here ;  I 
sold  her  this  morning  to  a  man  I  do  not  know,  and 
I  am  afraid  I  shall  have  a  hard  bargain  with  her, 
for  he  only  gave  two  dollars,  as  she  was  unsound. 
O,  you  have  taken  me  in,  I  am  a  poor  fool,  as  they 
call  me  here,  and  you  understand  much,  very  much, 
baribu."* 

"  Her  value  was  thirty-five  dollars,  thou  demon," 
said  the  countryman,  "  and  the  justicia  will  make 
you  pay  that." 

"  Come,  come,  brother,"  said  the  G3^psy,  "  all 
this  is  mere  conversation,  you  have  a  capital  bar- 
gain, to-day  the  mercado  is  held,  and  you  shall  sell 
the  mule,  I  will  go  with  you  myself.  O,  you  under- 
stand baribu  ;  sister,  bring  the  bottle  of  anise ;  the 
senor  and  the  senora  must  drink  a  copita."  After 
much  persuasion,  and  many  oaths,  the  man  and 
woman  were  weak  enough  to  comply;  when  they 
had  drank  several  glasses,  they  departed  for  the 
market^  the  Gypsy  leading  the  mule.  In  about  two 
hours  they  returned  with  the  wretched  beast,  but 
not  exactly  as  they  went ;  a  numerous  crowd  fol- 
lowed, laughing  and  hooting.  The  man  was  now 
frantic,  and  the  woman  yet  more  so.  They  forced 
their  way  up  stairs  to  collect  their  baggage,  which 
they  soon  effected,  and  were  about  to  leave  the 

*  A  Gypsy  word,  signifying  "exceeding  much." 


THE    GYPSY    INNKEEPER.  259 

house,  vowing  revenge.  Now  ensued  a  truly  terrific 
scene,  there  were  no  more  blandishments ;  the  Gypsy- 
men  and  women  were  in  arms,  uttering  the  most 
friohtful  execrations  ;  as  the  woman  came  down 
stairs,  the  females  assailed  her  like  lunatics ;  the 
cripple  poked  at  her  with  a  stick,  the  tall  hag  clawed 
at  her  hair,  whilst  the  father  Gypsy  walked  close 
beside  the  man,  his  hand  on  his  clasp-knife,  look- 
ing like  nothing  in  this  world  :  the  man,  however, 
on  reaching  the  door,  turned  to  him  and  said  : 
"  Gypsy  demon,  my  borrica  by  three  o'clock-^or 
you  know  the  rest,  the  justicia."     ..... 

The  Gypsies  remained  filled  with  rage  and  disap- 
pointment ;  the  hag  vented  her  spite  on  her  brother. 
"  'Tis  your  fault,"  said  she  ;  "  fool !  you  have  no- 
tongue  ;  you  a  chabo,  you  can't  speak  ;"  whereas, 
within  a  few  hours,  he  had  perhaps  talked  more 
than  an  auctioneer  during  a  three  days'  sale  :  but 
he  reserved  his  words  for  fitting  occasions,  and  now 
sat  as  usual,  sullen  and  silent,  smoking  his  pipe. 

The  man  and  woman  made  their  appearance  at 
three  o'clock,  but  they  came — intoxicated  ;  the 
Gypsy's  eyes  glistened — blandishment  was  again 
had  recourse  to.  "Come  and  sit  down  with  the 
cavalier  here,"  whined  the  family  ;  "  he  is  a  friend 
of  ours,  and  will  soon  arrange  matters  to  your  satis- 
faction." I  arose,  and  went  into  the  street ;  the 
hag  followed  me.  "  Will  you  not  assist  us,  brother, 
or  are  you  no  chabo?"  she  muttered. 

"I  will  have  nothing  to  do  with  your  matters," 
$aid  Ic 


260  THE    ZINCALI.  * 

"I  know  who  will,"  said  the  hag,  and  hurried 
down  the  street. 

The  man  and  woman,  with  much  noise,  de- 
manded their  donkey ;  the  innkeeper  made  no  an- 
swer, and  proceeded  to  fill  up  several  glasses  with 
the  anisado.  In  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  the 
Gypsy  hag  returned  with  a  young  man,  well 
dressed,  and  with  a  genteel  air,  but  with  something 
wild  and  singular  in  his  eyes.  He  seated  himself 
by  the  table,  smiled,  took  a  glass  of  liquor,  drank 
part  of  it,  smiled  again,  and  handed  it  to  the  coun- 
tryman. The  latter  seeing  himself  treated  in  this 
friendly  manner  by  a  caballero,  was  evidently  much 
flattered,  took  off  his  hat  to  the  new  comer,  and 
drank,  as  did  the  woman  also.  The  glass  was 
filled,  and  refilled,  till  they  became  yet  more  intoxi- 
cated. I  did  not  hear  the  young  man  say  a  word  : 
he  appeared  a  passive  automaton.  The  Gypsies, 
however,  spoke  for  him,  and  were  profuse  of  com- 
pliments. It  was  now  proposed  that  the  caballero 
should  settle  the  dispute  ;  a  long  and  noisy  conver- 
sation ensued,  the  young  man  looking  vacantly  on  :, 
the  strange  people  had  no  money,  and  had  already 
run  up  another  bill  at  a  wine  house  to  which  they 
had  retired.  At  last  it  was  proposed,  as  if  by  the 
young  man,  that  the  Gypsy  should  purchase  his 
own  mule  for  two  dollars,  and  forgive  the  strangers 
the  reckoning  of  the  preceding  night.  To  this  they 
agreed,  being  apparently  stultified  with  the  liquor, 
and  the  money  being  paid  to  them  in  the  presence 


THE    GYPSY    SOLDIER.  26 J 

of  witnesses,  they  thanked  the  friendly  mediatory 
and  reeled  away. 

Before  they  left  the  town  that  niglit,  they  had 
contrived  to  spend  the  entire  two  dollars,  and  the 
woman,  who  first  recovered  her  senses,  was  bitterly 
lamenting  that  they  had  permitted  themselves  to  be 
despoiled  so  cheaply  o^  a  p^enda  tan  2^reciosa,  as  was 
the  donkey.  Upon  the  whole,  however,  I  did  not 
much  pity  them.  The  woman  was  certainly  not 
the  man's  wife.  The  labourer  had  probably  left 
his  village  with  some  strolling  harlot,  bringing  with 
him  the  animal  which  had  previously  served  to  sup- 
port himself  and  famil}^ 

I  believe  that  the  Gypsy  read,  at  the  first  glance, 
their  history,  and  arranged  matters  accordingly. 
The  donkey  was  soon  once  more  in  the  stable,  and 
that  night  there  was  much  rejoicing  in  the  Gypsy  inn. 

Who  was  the  singular  mediator?  He  was  neither 
more  nor  less  than  the  foster  child  of  the  Gypsy 
hag,  the  unfortunate  being  whom  she  had  privately 
injured  in  his  infancy.  After  having  thus  served 
them  as  an  instrument  in  their  villany,  he  was  told 
to  go  home 

THE    GYPSY    SOLDIER    OF    VALDEPENAS. 

It  was  at  Madrid  one  fine  afternoon  in  the  begin- 
ning of  March,  1838,  that,  as  I  was  sitting  behind 
my  table  in  a  cabinete,  as  it  is  called,  of  the  third 
floor  of  No.  16  in  the  Calle  De  Santiago,  having 
just  taken  my  meal,  my  hostess  entered  and  in- 
formed me  that  a  military  officer  wished  to  speak 


^63  >ifHE    ^tNCALt. 

to  me,  adding,  in  an  under  tone,  that  he  looked  a 
strange  guest.  I  was  acquainted  with  no  military 
officer  in  the  Spanish  service ;  but  as  at  that  time 
I  expected  daily  to  be  arrested  for  having  distri™ 
buted  the  Bible,  I  thought  that  very  possibly  this 
officer  might  have  been  sent  to  perform  that  piece 
of  duty.  I  instantly  ordered  him  to  be  admitted^ 
whereupon  a  thin  active  figure,  somewhat  above 
the  middle  height,  dressed  in  a  blue  Uniform,  with 
a  long  sword  hanging  at  his  side,  tripped  into  the 
room.  Depositing  his  regimental  hat  on  the  groundj 
he  drew  a  chair  to  the  table,  and  seating  himself, 
placed  his  elbows  on  the  board,  and  supporting  his 
face  with  his  hands,  confronted  me,  gazing  stedfastly 
upon  me,  without  uttering  a  word.  I  looked  no 
less  wistfully  at  him,  and  was  of  the  same  opinion 
as  my  hostess,  as  to  the  strangeness  of  my  guest* 
He  was  about  filty,  with  thin  flaxen  hair  covering 
the  sides  of  his  head,  which  at  the  top  was  entirely 
bald.  His  eyes  were  small,  and,  like  ferrets',  red 
and  fiery.  His  complexion  like  a  brick,  a  dull  red, 
chequered  with  spots  of  purple.  "  May  I  inquire 
your  name  and  business,  Sir?"  I  at  length  demanded. 

Sir  anger. -^^''  My  name  is  Chalc^co  of  Valdepefias  ; 
in  the  time  of  the  French  I  served  as  bragante 
fighting  for  Ferdinand  Vll.  I  am  now  a  captain 
on  half  pay  in  the  service  of  Donna  Isabel ;  as  for 
my  business  here  it  is  to  speak  with  you.  Do  you 
know  this  book.f*" 

Myself. — "  This  book  is  Saint  Luke's  Gospel  in 
the  Gypsy  language  ;  how  can  this  book  concern 
you?" 


THE    GYPSY    SOLDIER.  263 

Stranger, — "  No  one  more.  It  is  in  the  language 
of  my  people." 

Myself. — "  You  do  not  pretend  to  say  that  you 
are  a  Calo  ?" 

Stranger. — "  I  do !  I  am  Zincalo,  by  the  mother's 
side.  My  father,  it  is  true,  was  one  of  the  Busne, 
but  I  glory  in  being  a  Calo,  and  care  not  to  acknow- 
ledge other  blood." 

Myself. — "  How  became  you  possessed  of  that 
book  .?" 

Stranger. — "  I  was  this  morning  in  the  Prado, 
where  I  met  two  women  of  our  people,  and  amongst 
other  things  they  told  me  that  they  had  a  Gabicote 
in  our  language.  I  did  not  believe  them  at  first, 
but  they  pulled  it  out,  and  I  found  their  words  true. 
They  then  spoke  to  me  of  yourself,  and  told  me 
where  you  live,  so  I  took  the  book  from  them  and 
am  come  to  see  you." 

Myself. — "  Are  you  able  to  understand  this  book?" 

Stranger. — *•  Perfectly,  though  it  is  written  in 
very  crabbed  language  :*  but  I  learnt  to  read  Calo 
when  very  young.  My  mother  was  a  good  Calli, 
and  early  taught  me  both  to  speak  and  read  it. 
She  too  had  a  Gabicote,  but  not  printed  like  this, 
and  it  treated  of  a  different  matter." 

Myself — "  How  came  your  mother,  being  a  good 
Calli,  to  marry  one  of  a  different  blood  ?" 

Stranger. — "  It  was  no  fault  of  hers  ;  there  was 
no  remedy.  In  her  infancy  she  lost  her  parents, 
who  were  executed ;  and  she  was  abandoned  by 

•  "  Lengua  muy  cerr4da." 


264  THE    ZINCALl* 

all,  till  my  father,  taking  compassion  on  her,  brought 
her  up  and  educated  her  :  at  last  he  made  her  his 
wife,  though  three  times  her  age.  She,  however, 
remembered  her  blood  and  hated  my  father,  and 
taught  me  to  hate  him  likewise,  and  avoid  him. 
When  a  boy,  I  used  to  stroll  about  the  plains,  that 
I  might  not  see  my  father;  and  my  father  would 
follow  me  and  beg  me  to  look  upon  him,  and  would 
ask  me  what  I  wanted ;  and  I  would  reply.  Father, 
the  only  thing  I  w'ant  is  to  see  you  dead." 

Myself. — "  That  was  strange  language  from  a 
child  to  its  parent." 

Strajiger. — "It  was, — but  you  know  the  couplet,* 
which  says,  '  I  do  not  wish  to  be  a  lord — I  am  by 
birth  a  Gypsy  ; — I  do  not  wish  to  be  a  gentleman — 
I  am  content  with  being  a  Calo  !'  " 

MijscJf. — "  I  am  anxious  to  hear  more  of  your 
history,  pray  proceed." 

Stranger. — "  When  I  was  about  twelve  years  old 
my  father  became  distracted,  and  died.  I  then 
continued  with  my  mother  for  some  years  ;  she 
loved  me  much,  and  procured  a  teacher  to  instruct 
me  in  Latin.  At  last  she  died,  and  then  there  was 
a  pleyto  (lawsuit.)  I  took  to  the  sierra  and  became 
a  highwayman  : — but  the  wars  broke  out.  My 
cousin  Jara,  of  Valdepenas,  raised  a  troop  of  bra- 
gantes.t      I  enlisted   with  him    and   distinguished 

*  ♦'  No  camclo  ser  eray,  es  Calo  mi  nacimiento 

No  camelo  ser  eray,  con  ser  Calo  me  contento." 
t  Armed  partisans,  or  guerillas  on  horseback  :  they  waged  a  war  of 
extermination  against  the  French,  but  at  the  same  time  plundered  their 
countrymen  without  scruple. 


THE    GYPSY    SOLDIER.  265 

myself  very  much;  there  is  scarcely  a  man  or 
woman  in  Spain  but  has  heard  of  Jara  and  Chaleco. 
I  am  now  captain  in  the  service  of  Donna  Isabel — I 
am  covered  with  wounds — lam — ugh!  ugh!  ugh! — " 

He  had  commenced  coughing,  and  in  a  manner 
which  perfectly  astounded  me.  I  had  heard  hoop- 
ing coughs,  consumptive  coughs,  coughs  caused  by 
colds  and  other  accidents,  but  a  cough  so  horrible 
and  unnatural  as  that  of  the  Gypsy  soldier,  I  had 
never  witnessed  in  the  course  of  my  travels.  In  a 
moment  he  was  bent  double,  his  frame  writhed  and 
laboured,  the  veins  of  his  forehead  were  frightfully 
swollen,  and  his  complexion  became  black  as  the 
blackest  blood  ;  he  screamed,  he  snorted,  he  barked, 
and  appeared  to  be  on  the  point  of  suffocation, — ^j^et 
more  explosive  became  the  cough  ;  and  the  people 
of  the  house,  frightened,  came  running  into  the  apart- 
ment. I  cried,  "  The  man  is  perishing,  run  instant- 
ly for  a  surgeon  !"  He  heard  me,  and  with  a  quick 
movement  raised  his  left  hand  as  if  to  countermand 
the  order  ;— another  struggle,  then  one  mighty  throe, 
which  seemed  to  search  his  deepest  intestines  ;  and 
he  remained  motionless,  his  head  on  his  knee.  The 
cough  had  left  him,  and  within  a  minute  or  two  he 
again  looked  up. 

"  That  is  a  dreadful  cough,  friend,"  said  I,  when 
he  was  somewhat  recovered.  "  How  did  you  get  it.'*'* 

Gijps7j  Soldier. — "  I  am — shot  through  the  lungs 
— brother !  Let  me  but  take  breath,  and  I  will  show 
you  the  hole — -the  agujero." 

He  continued  with  me  a  considerable  time,  and 

VOL.  I.  23 


266  THE    ZINCALI* 

showed  not  the  slightest  disposition  to  depart ;  the 
cough  returned  twice,  but  not  so  violently  ; — at 
length,  having  an  engagement,  I  arose,  and  apolo- 
gising, told  him  I  must  leave  him.  The  next  day 
he  came  again  at  the  same  hour,  but  he  found  me 
not,  as  I  was  abroad  dining  with  a  friend.  On  the 
third  day,  however,  as  I  was  sitting  down  to  dinner, 
in  he  walked,  unannounced.  I  am  rather  hospita- 
ble than  otherwise,  so  I  cordially  welcomed  him, 
and  requested  him  to  partake  of  my  meal.  "  Con 
mucho  gusto,"  he  replied,  and  instantly  took  his 
place  at  the  table.  I  was  again  astonished,  for  if 
his  cough  was  frightful  his  appetite  was  yet  more  so. 
He  ate  like  a  wolf  of  the  sierra ; — soup,  puchero, 
fowl  and  bacon  disappeared  before  him  in  a  twinkling. 
I  ordered  ia  cold  meat,  which  he  presently  des- 
patched ;  a  large  piece  of  cheese  was  then  produced. 
We  had  been  drinking  water. 

**  Where  is  the  wine?"  said  he. 

**  I  never  use  it,"  1  replied. 

He  looked  blank.  The  hostess,  however,  who 
was  present  waiting,  said,  "If  the  gentleman  wish 
for  wine,  1  have  a  bota  nearly  full  which  I  will  in- 
stantly fetch." 

The  skin  bottle,  when  full,  might  contain  about 
four  quarts.  She  filled  him  a  very  large  glass,  and 
was  removing  the  skin,  but  he  prevented  her,  say- 
ing, "  Leave  it,  my  good  woman  ;  my  brother  here 
will  settle  with  you  for  the  little  I  shall  use." 

He  now  lighted  his  cigar,  and  it  w^as  evident  that 
he  had  made  good  his  quarters.     On  the  former 


THE    GYPSY    SOLDIER.  267 

occasion  I  thought  his  behaviour  sufficiently  strange, 
but  I  liked  it  still  less  on  the  present.  Every  fifteen 
minutes  he  emptied  his  glass,  which  contained  at 
least  a  pint ;  his  conversation  became  horrible.  He 
related  the  atrocities  which  he  had  committed  when 
a  robber  and  bragante  in  La  Mancha.  "  It  was  our 
custom,"  said  he,  "to  tie  our  prisoners  to  the  olive 
trees,  and  then,  putting  our  horses  to  full  speed,  to 
tilt  at  them  with  our  spears."  As  he  continued  to 
drink  he  became  waspish  and  quarrelsome  :  he  had 
hitherto  talked  Castilian,  but  he  would  now  only 
converse  in  Gypsy  and  in  Latin,  the  last  of  which 
languages  he  spoke  with  great  fluency,  though  un- 
grammatically. He  told  me  that  he  had  killed  six 
men  in  duels  ;  and,  drawing  his  sword,  fenced  about 
the  room.  I  saw  by  the  manner  in  which  he  han- 
dled it,  that  he  was  master  of  his  weapon.  His 
cough  did  not  return,  and  he  said  it  seldom  afflicted 
him  when  he  dined  well.  He  gave  me  to  under- 
stand that  he  had  received  no  pay  for  two  years. 
"  Therefore  you  visit  me,"  thought  L  At  the  end 
of  three  hours,  perceiving  that  he  exhibited  no  signs 
of  taking  his  departure,  I  arose,  and  said  I  must 
again  leave  him.  "  As  you  please,  brother,"  said 
he  ;  "  use  no  ceremony  with  me,  I  am  fatigued  and 
will  wait  a  little  while."  I  did  not  return  till  eleven 
at  night,  when  my  hostess  informed  me  that  he  had 
just  departed,  promising  to  return  next  day.  He 
had  emptied  the  bota  to  the  last  drop,  and  the  cheese 
produced  being  insufficient  for  him,  he  sent  for  an 
entire  Dutch  cheese  on  my  account;  part  of  which 
he  had  eaten  and  the  rest  carried  away.     I  now  saw 


268  THE    ZINCALI. 

that  I  had  formed  a  most  troublesome  acquaintance, 
of  whom  it  was  highly  necessary  to  rid  myself,  if 
possible  ;  I  therefore  dined  out  for  the  next  nine 
days. 

For  a  week  he  came  regularly  at  the  usual  hour, 
at  the  end  of  which  time  he  desisted  ;  the  hostess 
was  afraid  of  him,  as  she  said  that  he  was  a  brujo 
or  wizard,  and  only  spoke  to  him  through  the  wicket. 

On  the  tenth  day  I  was  cast  into  prison,  where  I 
continued  several  weeks.  Once,  during  my  confine- 
ment, he  called  at  the  house,  and  being  informed  of 
my  mishap,  drew  his  sword,  and  vowed  with  horri- 
ble imprecations  to  murder  the  prime  minister  Ofalia, 
for  having  dared  to  imprison  his  brother.  On  my 
release,  I  did  not  revisit  my  lodgings  for  some  days, 
but  lived  at  an  hotel.  I  returned  late  one  afternoon, 
with  my  servant  Francisco,  a  Basque  of  Hernani, 
who  had  served  me  with  the  utmost  fidelity  during 
my  imprisonment,  which  he  had  voluntarily  shared 
with  me.  The  first  person  I  saw  on  entering  was 
the  Gypsy  soldier,  seated  by  the  table,  whereon 
were  several  bottles  of  wine  which  he  had  ordered 
from  the  tavern,  of  course  on  my  account.  He  was 
smoking,  and  looked  savage  and  sullen;  perhaps  he 
was  not  much  pleased  with  the  reception  he  had  ex- 
perienced. He  had  forced  himself  in,  and  the 
woman  of  the  house  sat  in  a  corner  looking  upon 
him  with  dread.  I  addressed  him,  but  he  would 
scarcely  return  an  answer.  At  last  he  commenced 
discoursing  with  great  volubility  in  Gypsy  and  Latin. 
I  did  not  understand  much  of  what  he  said.  His 
Words  were  wild  and  incoherent,  but  he  repeatedly 


THE    GYPSY    SOLDIER.  269 

threatened  some  person.  The  last  bottle  was  now- 
exhausted — he  demanded  more.  I  told  him  in  a 
gentle  manner  that  he  had  drank  enough.  He 
looked  on  the  ground  for  some  time,  then  slowly,  and 
somewhat  hesitatingly,  drew  his  sword  and  laid  it 
on  the  table.  It  was  become  dark.  I  was  not 
afraid  of  the  fellow,  but  I  wished  to  avoid  anything 
unpleasant.  I  called  to  Francisco  to  bring  lights, 
and  obeying  a  sign  which  I  made  him,  he  sat  down 
at  the  table.  The  Gypsy  glared  fiercely  upon  him 
— Francisco  laughed,  and  began  with  great  glee  to 
talk  in  Basque,  of  which  the  Gypsy  understood  not 
a  word.  The  Basques,  like  all  Tartars,*  and  such 
they  are,  are  paragons  of  fidelity  and  good  nature  ; 
they  are  only  dangerous  when  outraged,  when  they 
are  terrible  indeed.  Francisco  to  the  strength  of  a 
giant  joined  the  disposition  of  a  lamb.  He  was  be- 
loved even  in  the  patio  of  the  prison,  where  he  used 
to  pitch  the  bar  and  wrestle  with  the  murderers 
and  felons,  always  coming  off  victor.  He  continued 
speaking  Basque.  The  Gypsy  was  incensed  ;  and, 
forgetting  the  languages  in  which,  for  the  last  hour, 
he  had  been  speaking,  complained  to  Francisco  of 
his  rudeness  in  speaking  any  tongue  but  Gastilian. 
'  The  Basque  replied  by  a  loud  carcajada,  and  slightly 
touched  the  Gypsy  on  the  knee.  The  latter  sprang 
up  like  a  mine  discharged,  seized  his  sword,  and, 
retreating  a  few  steps,  made  a  desperate  lunge  at 
Francisco. 

*  The  Basques  speak  a  Tartar  dialect  which  strikingly  resembles  the 
Mongolian  and  the  Mandchou. 

22* 


270  THE    ZINCALI. 

The  Basques,  next  to  the  Pasiegos,*  are  the  best 
cudgel-players  in  Spain,  and  in  the  world.  Fran- 
cisco held  in  his  hand  part  of  a  broomstick,  which 
he  had  broken  in  the  stable,  whence  he  had  just  as- 
cended. With  the  swiftness  of  lightning  he  foiled 
the  stroke  of  Chaleco,  and,  in  another  moment,  with 
a  dexterous  blow,  struck  the  sword  out  of  his  hand, 
sending  it  ringing  against  the  wall. 

The  Gypsy  resumed  his  seat  and  his  cigar.  He 
occasionally  looked  at  the  Basque.  His  glances 
were  at  first  atrocious,  but  presently  changed  their 
expression,  and  appeared  to  me  to  become  prying 
and  eagerly  curious.  He  at  last  arose,  picked  up 
his  sword,  sheathed  it,  and  walked  slowly  to  the 
door,  when  there  he  stopped,  turned  round,  ad- 
vanced close  to  Francisco,  and  looked  him  steadfastly 
in  the  face.  "  My  good  fellow,'*  said  he,  "  1  am  a 
Gypsy,  and  can  read  baji.  Do  you  know  where  you 
will  be  at  this  time  to-morrow  ?"t  Then  laughing 
like  a  hyena,  he  departed,  and  I  never  saw  him 
again. 

At  that  time  on  the  morrow,  Francisco  was  on  his 
death-bed.  He  had  caught  the  jail  fever,  which 
had  long  raged  in  the  Carcel  de  la  Corte,  where  1 
was  imprisoned.  In  a  few  days  he  was  buried,  a 
mass  of  corruption,  in  the  Campo  Santo  of  Madrid. 

*  A  small  nation  or  rather  sect  of  contrabandistas,  who  inhabit  the  valley 
of  Pas  amitlst  the  mjountains  of  Santander  ;  they  carry  long  sticks,  in  the 
handling  of  which  they  are  uneqallcd.  Armed  with  one  of  these  sticks,  a, 
smuggler  of  Pas  has  been  known  to  beat  off  two  mounted  dragoons. 

t  The  hostess,  Maria  Diaz,  and  her  son  Juan  Jose  Lopez  were  present 
mben  the  outcast  uttered  these  prophetic  words. 


CHAPTER  V. 

VARIOUS    POINTS    CONNECTED  WITH    THE    GITANOS. DRESS. — PHYSICAL 

CHARACTERISTICS. — THE    GYPSY   GLANCE. — EXTRACTS    FROM    A     SPA- 
NISH   WORK. 

The  Gitanos,  in  tbeir  habits  and  manner  of  life^ 
are  much  less  cleanly  than  the  Spaniards.  The. 
hovels  in  which  they  reside  exhibit  none  of  tho. 
neatness  which  is  observable  in  the  habitations  of^  ^  / 
even  the  poorest  of  the  other  race.  The  floors  are^ 
unswept,  and  abound  with  filth  and  mud,  and  iQ 
their  persons  they  are  scarcely  less  vile.  Inatten^ 
tion  to  cleanliness  is  a  characteristic  of  the  Gypsies^ 
in  all  parts  of  the  worl4» 

The  Bishop  of  Forli,  as  far  back  as  1422,  gives^ 
evidence  upon  this  point,  and  insinuates  that  they^ 
carried  the  plague  with  them  ;  as  he  observes  that  i^ 
raged  with  peculiar  violence  the  year  of  their  ap^ 
pearance  at  Forlkt^ 

At  the  present  day  they  are  almost  equally  dis*^ 
gusting,  in  this  respect,  in  Hungary,  England,  and 
Spain.      Amongst  the    richer   Gitanos,    habits    of 
greater  cleanliness  of  course  exist  than   amongst 

*  l^odem  anno  precipue  fuit  pestis  seu  mortalitas  Forlivio. 


272  THE    ZTNCALI. 

the  poorer.  An  air  of  sluttishness,  however,  per- 
vades their  dwellings,  which,  to  an  experienced 
eye,  would  sufficiently  attest  that  the  inmates  were 
Gitanos,  in  the  event  of  their  absence. 

What  can  be  said  of  the  Gypsy  dress,  of  which 
such  frequent  mention  is  made  in  the  Spanish  laws, 
and  which  is  prohibited  together  with  the  Gypsy 
language  and  manner  of  life  ?  Of  whatever  it 
might  consist  in  former  days,  it  is  so  little  to  be  dis- 
tinguished from  the  dress  of  some  classes  amongst 
the  Spaniards,  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  de- 
scribe the  difference.  They  generall}^  wear  a  high 
peaked,  narrow  brimmed  hat,  a  zamarra  of  sheep- 
skin in  winter,  and,  during  summer,  a  jacket  of 
brown  cloth  ;  and  beneath  this  they  are  fond  of  ex- 
hibiting a  red  plush  waistcoat,  something  after  the 
fashion  of  the  English  jockeys,  with  numerous  but- 
tons and  clasps.  A  faja,  or  girdle  of  crimson  silk, 
surrounds  the  waist,  where,  not  unfrequently,  are 
stuck  the  cachas  which  we  have  already  described. 
Pantaloons  of  coarse  cloth  or  leather  descend  to  the 
knee ;  the  legs  are  protected  by  woollen  stockings, 
and  sometimes  by  a  species  of  spatterdash,  either 
of  cloth  or  leather ;  stout  high-lows  complete  the 
equipment. 

Such  is  the  dress  of  the  Gitanos  of  most  parts  of 
Spain.  But  it  is  necessary  to  remark  that  such 
also  is  the  dress  of  the  chalanes,  and  of  the  mule- 
teers, except  that  the  latter  are  in  the  habit  of  wear- 
ing broad  sombreros  as  preservatives  from  the  sun. 
This  dress  appears  to  be  rather  Andalusian  thaa 


DRESS.  273 

Gitano ;  and  yet  it  certainly  beseems  the  Gitano 
better  than  the  chalan  or  muleteer.  He  wears  it 
with  more  easy  negligence  or  jauntiness,  by  which 
he  may  be  recognised  at  some  distance,  even  from 
behind. 

It  is  still  more  difficult  to  say  what  is  the  pecu- 
liar dress  of  the  Gitanas  ;  they  wear  not  the  large 
red  cloaks  and  immense  bonnets  of  coarse  beaver 
which  distinguish  their  sisters  of  England  ;  they 
have  no  other  head  gear  than  a  handkerchief,  which 
is  occasionally  resorted  to  as  a  defence  against  the 
severity  of  the  weather ;  their  hair  is  sometimes 
confined  by  a  comb,  but  more  frequently  is  per- 
mitted to  stray  dishevelled  down  their  shoulders  ; 
they  are  fond  of  large  ear-rings  whether  of  gold, 
silver,  or  metal,  resembling  in  this  respect  the  pois- 
sardes  of  France.  There  is  little  to  distinguish 
them  from  the  Spanish  women  save  the  absence  of 
the  mantilla,  which  they  never  carry.  Females  of 
fashion  not  unfrequently  take  pleasure  in  dressing 
a  la  Gitana,  as  it  is  called,  but  this  female  Gypsy 
fashion,  like  that  of  the  men,  is  more  properly  the 
fashion  of  Andalusia,  the  principal  characteristic  of 
which  is  the  saya,  which  is  exceedingly  short,  with 
many  rows  of  flounces. 

True  it  is  that  the  original  dress  of  the  Gitanos, 
male  and  female,  whatever  it  was,  may  have  had 
some  share  in  forming  the  Andalusian  fashion, 
owing  to  the  great  number  of  these  wanderers  who 
found  their  way  to  that  province  at  an  early  period. 
The  Andalusians    are  a  mixed   breed   of  various 


274  THE    ZINCALI. 

nations,  Romans,  Vandals,  Moors  ;  perhaps  there  is 
a  slight  sprinkling  of  Gypsy  blood  in  their  veins, 
and  of  G3^psy  fashion  in  their  garb. 

The  Giianos  are,  for  the  most  part,  of  the  middle 
size,  and  the  proportions  of  their  frames  convey  a 
powerful  idea  of  strength  and  activity  united  ;  a 
deformed  or  weakly  object  is  rarely  found  amongst 
them  in  persons  of  either  sex  ;  such  probably  perish 
in  their  infancy,  unable  to  support  the  hardships 
and  privations  to  which  the  race  is  still  subjected 
from  its  great  poverty,  and  these  same  privations 
have  given  and  still  give  a  coarseness  and  harshness 
to  their  features,  which  are  all  strongly  marked  and 
expressive.  Their  complexion  is  by  no  means  uni- 
form, save  that  it  is  invariably  darker  than  the 
general  olive  hue  of  the  Spaniards  ;  not  unfrequently 
countenances  as  dark  as  those  of  Mulattos,  present 
themselves,  and  in  some  few  instances  of  almost 
negro  blackness.  Like  most  people  of  savage  an- 
cestry, their  teeth  are  white  and  strong ;  their 
mouths  are  not  badly  formed,  but  it  is  in  the  eye 
more  than  in  any  other  feature  that  they  differ  from 
other  human  beings. 

There  is  something  remarkable  in  the  eye  of  the 
Rommany  ;  should  his  hair  and  complexion  become 
fair  as  those  of  the  Swede  or  the  Finn,  and  his  jockey 
gait  as  grave  and  ceremonious  as  that  of  the  native  of 
Old  Castile,  were  he  dressed  like  a  king,  a  priest, 
or  a  warrior,  still  would  the  Gitano  be  detected  by 
his  eye,  should  it  continue  unchanged.  The  Jew 
is  known  by  his  eye,  but  then  in  the  Jew  that  fea- 


THE    GYPSY    GLANCE.  275 

ture  is  peculiarly  small ;  the  Chinese  has  a  remarka- 
ble eye,  but  then  the  eye  of  the  Chinese  is  oblong, 
and  even  with  the  face,  which  is  flat ;  but  the  eye 
of  the  Gitano  is  neither  large  nor  small,  and  exhibits 
no  marked  difference  in  its  shape  from  eyes  of  the 
common  cast.  Its  peculiarity  consists  chiefly  in  a 
strange  staring  expression,  which  to  be  understood 
must  be  seen,  and  in  a  thin  glaze,  which  steals  over 
it  when  in  repose,  and  seems  to  emit  phosphoric  light. 
That  the  Gypsy  eye  has  sometimes  a  peculiar  effect, 
we  learn  from  the  following  stanza  : 

"  A  Gypsy  stripling's  glossy  eye 
Has  pierced  my  bosom's  core, 
A  feat  no  eye  beneath  the  sky 
Could  e'er  eifect  before." 

The  following  passages  are  extracted  from  a  Span- 
ish work,*  and  cannot  be  out  of  place  here,  as  they 
relate  to  those  matters  to  which  we  have  devoted 
this  chapter. 

*  This  work  is  styled  Historia  de  los  Gitanos,  by  J.  M ,  published 

at  Barcelona  in  the  year  1832  ;  it  consists  of  93  very  small  and  scantily 
furnished  pages.  Its  chief,  we  might  say  its  only  merit,  is  the  style,  which 
is  fluent  and  easy.  The  writer  is  a  theorist,  and  sacrifices  truth  and 
probability  to  the  shrine  of  one  idea,  and  that  one  of  the  most  absurd  that 
ever  entered  the  head  of  an  individual.  He  endeavours  to  persuade  his 
readers  that  the  Giianos  are  the  descendants  of  the  Moors,  and  the  great- 
est part  of  his  work  is  a  history  of  those  Africans,  from  the  time  of  their 
arrival  in  the  Peninsula  till  their  expatriation  by  Philip  the  Third.  The 
Gildnos  he  supposes  to  be  various  tribes  of  wandering  Moors,  who  baffled 
pursuit  amidst  the  fastnesses  of  hills',  he  denies  that  they  are  of  the  same 
race  and  origin  as  the  Gypsies,  Bohemians,  &c.,  of  other  lands,  though  he 
affords  no  proof,  and  is  confessedly  ignorant  of  the  Gitano  language,  the 
only  criterion. 

To  this  work  we  shall  revert  on  a  future  occasion. 


_j  276  THE    ZINCALI. 

*'  The  Gitanos  have  an  olive  complexion  and  very 
marked  physiognomy  ;  their  cheeks  are  prominent, 
their  lips  thick,  their  eyes  vivid  and  black ;  their 
hair  is  long,  black,  and  coarse,  and  their  teeth  very 
white.  The  general  expression  of  their  physiogno- 
my is  a  compound  of  pride,  slavish ness,  and  cun- 
ning. They  are,  for  the  most  part,  of  good  stature, 
well  formed,  and  support  with  facihty  fatigue  and 
every  kind  of  hardship.  When  they  discuss  any 
matter,  or  speak  among  themselves,  whether  in 
Catalan,  in  Castilian,  or  in  Germania,  which  is  their 
own  peculiar  jargon,  they  always  make  use  of  much 
gesticulation,  which  contributes  to  give  to  their  con- 
versation and  to  the  vivacity  of  their  physiognomy  a 
certain  expression,  still  more  penetrating  and  cha* 
racteristic. 

"When  a  Gitano  has  occasion  to  speak  of  some 
business  in  which  his  interest  is  involved,  he  redou- 
bles his  gestures  in  proportion  as  he  knows  the  ne- 
cessity of  convincing  those  who  hear  him,  and  fears 
their  impassibility.  If  any  rancorous  idea  agitate 
him  in  the  course  of  his  narrative  ;  if  he  endeavour 
to  infuse  into  his  auditors  sentiments  of  jealousy, 
vengeance,  or  any  violent  passion,  his  features  be-^ 
come  exaggerated)  and  the  vivacity  of  his  glances, 
and  the  contraction  of  bis  lips,  show  clearly,  and  in 
an  imposing  manner,  the  foreign  origin  of  the  Gita- 
nos and  all  the  customs  of  barbarous  people.  Even 
his  very  smile  has  an  expression  hard  and  disagreea- 
ble. One  might  almost  say  that  joy  in  him  is  a 
forced''sentiment,  and  that  like  unto  the  savage  man, 
sadness  is  the  dominant  feature  of  his  physiognomy. 


0 


EXTRACTS,    ETC.  277 

**  The  Gitana  is  distinguished  by  the  same  com- 
plexion, and  almost  the  same  features.  In  her  frame 
she  is  as  well  formed,  and  as  flexible  as  the  Gitano. 
Condemned  to  suffer  the  same  privations  and  wants, 
her  countenance,  when  her  interest  does  not  oblige 
her  to  dissemble  her  feelings,  presents  the  same  as- 
pect of  melancholy,  and  shows  besides,  with  more 
energy,  the  rancorous  passions  of  which  the  female 
heart  is  susceptible.  Free  in  her  actions,  her  car- 
riage, and  her  pursuits,  she  speaks,  vociferates,  and 
makes  more  gestures  than  the  Gitano,  and,  in  imita- 
tion of  him,  her  arms  are  in  continual  motion,  to  give 
more  expression  to  the  imagery  with  which  she  ac- 
companies her  discourse ;  her  whole  body  contributes 
to  her  gesture,  and  to  increase  its  force  ;  endeavour- 
ing b}^  these  means  to  sharpen  the  effect  of  language 
in  itself  insufficient ;  and  her  vivid  and  disordered 
imagination  is  displayed  in  her  appearance  and 
attitude. 

"  When  she  turns  her  hand  to  any  species  of  la- 
bour, her  hurried  action,  the  disorder  of  her  hair, 
which  is  scarcely  subjected  by  a  little  comb,  and 
her  propensity  to  irritation,  show  how  little  she  loves 
toil,  and  her  disgust  for  any  continued  occupation. 

"  In  her  disputes,  the  air  of  menace  and  high 
passion,  the  flow  of  words,  and  the  facility  with  which 
she  provokes  and  despises  danger,  indicate  manners 
half  barbarous,  and  ignorance  of  other  means  of  de- 
fence. Finally,  both  in  males  and  females,  their 
physical  constitution,  colour,  agility,  and  flexibility, 
reveal  to  us  a  caste  sprung  from  a  burning  clime, 

yoL.  I.  24 


278  THE    ZINCALI. 

and  devoted  to  all  those  exercises  which  contribute 
to  evolve  bodily  vigour,  and  certain  mental  faculties. 

**  The  dress  of  the  Gitano  varies  with  the  country 
which  he  inhabits.  Both  in  Rousillon  and  Cata- 
lonia, his  habihments  generally  consist  of  jacket, 
waistcoat,  pantaloons,  and  a  red  faja  which  covers 
part  of  his  waistcoat ;  on  his  feet  he  wears  hempen 
sandals,  with  much  ribbon  tied  round  the  leg  as 
high  as  the  calf;  he  has,  moreover,  either  woollen 
or  cotton  stockings ;  round  his  neck  he  wears  a 
handkerchief,  carelessly  tied ;  and  in  the  winter  he 
uses  a  blanket  or  mantle  with  sleeves,  cast  over  the 
shoulder ;  his  head  is  covered  with  the  indispensable 
red  cap,  which  appears  to  be  the  favourite  ornament 
of  many  nations  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Mediterranean 
and  Caspian  Sea. 

**  The  neck  and  the  elbows  of  the  jacket  are 
adorned  with  pieces  of  blue  and  yellow  cloth  em- 
broidered with  silk,  as  well  as  the  seams  of  the 
pantaloons ;  he  wears,  moreover,  on  the  jacket  or 
the  waistcoat,  various  rows  of  silver  buttons,  small 
and  round,  sustained  by  rings  or  chains  of  the  same 
metal.  The  old  people,  and  those  who  by  fortune, 
or  some  other  cause,  exercise,  in  appearance,  a  kind 
of  authority  over  the  rest,  are  almost  always  dressed 
in  black  or  dark  blue  velvet.  Some  of  those  who 
affect  elegance  amongst  them,  keep  for  holidays  a 
complete  dress  of  sky-blue  velvet,  with  embroidery 
at  the  neck,  pocket-holes,  armpits,  and  in  all  the 
seams;  in  a  word,  with  the  exception  of  the  turban, 
this  was  the  fashion  of  dress  of  the  ancient  Moors 


EXTRACTS,    ETC.  279 

of  Granada,  the  only  difference  being  occasioned 
by  lime  and  misery." 

"  The  dress  of  the  Gitanas  is  very  varied  :  the 
young  girls,  or  those  who  are  in  tolerably  easy  cir- 
cumstances, generally  wear  a  black  bodice  laced 
up  with  a  string,  and  adjusted  to  their  figure,  and 
contrasting  with  the  scarlet-coloured  saya,  which 
only  covers  a  part  of  the  leg ;  their  shoes  are  cut 
very  low,  and  are  adorned  with  little  buckles  of 
silver;  the  breast,  and  the  upper  part  of  the  bodice, 
are  covered  either  with  a  white  handkerchief,  or 
one  of  some  vivid  colour  ;  and  on  the  head  is  worn 
another  handkerchief,  tied  beneath  the  chin,  one  of 
the  ends  of  wdiich  falls  on  the  shoulder,  in  the  man- 
ner of  a  hood.  When  the  cold  or  the  heat  permit, 
the  Gitana  removes  the  hood,  without  untying  the 
knots,  and  exhibits  her  long  and  shining  tresses 
restrained  by  a  comb.  The  old  women,  and  the 
very  poor,  dress  in  the  same  manner,  save  that  their 
habiliments  are  more  coarse,  the  colours  less  in  har- 
mony, and  more  disorder  in  their  array.  Amongst 
them  misery  appears  beneath  the  most  revolting 
aspect ;  wdiilst  the  poorest  Gitano  preserves  a  cer- 
tain deportment  w^hich  would  make  his  aspect  sup- 
portable, if  his  unquiet  and  ferocious  glance  did  not 
inspire  us  with  aversion." 


CHAPTER  VI. 

CERTAIN  TRICKS  AND  PRACTISES  OF  THE  GYPS Y  FEMALKS. — THE  liAHI.-^ 
HOKKANO  B.A.RO.  — USTILAR  PASTKSAS. —  S  HOPLU'TING. — DRAG.— THK 
LOADSTONE. THE    ROOT   OF    THF.    GOOD    BARON. 

Whilst  their  husbands  are  engaged  in  their  jockey 
vocation,  or  in  wielding  the  cachas,  the  Callees,  or 
Gypsy  females,  are  seldom  idle,  but  are  endeavoui^ 
ing,  by  various  means,  to  win  all  the  money  they 
can.  The  richest  nrnongst  them  are  generally  con- 
trabandistas,  and  in  the  large  towns  go  from  house 
to  house  with  prohibited  goods,  especially  silk  and 
cotton,  and  occasionally  with  tobacco.  They  like- 
wise purchase  cast  oft'  female  wearing  apparel, 
which,  w^hen  vamped  up  and  emJDellished,  they 
sometimes  contrive  to  sell  as  new,  with  no  incon- 
siderable profit. 

Gitanas  of  this  description  are  of  the  most  re- 
spectable class ;  the  rest,  provided  they  do  not  sell 
roasted  chestnuts,  or  esteras,  which  are  a  species 
of  mat,  seek  a  livelihood  by  differ  rent  tricks  and 
practices,  more  or  less  fraudulent,  for  example  : — 

La  Bahi,  or  fortune-telling,  which  is  called  in 
Spanish,  Liiena  venUcra. — This  way  of  extracting 
moaey  frDiii  thecredulityof  dupes^ Jsj^  of  all  those 


GYPSY    PRACTICES. THE    BAHI.  281 

practised  by  the  Gypsies,  the  readiest  and  most 
e.asy ;  promises  are  the  only  capital  requisite,  and 
the  whole  art  of  fortune-telling  consists  in  properly 
adapting  these  promises  to  the  age  and  condition  of 
the  parties  who  seek  for  information.  The  Gitanas 
are  clever  enough  in  the  accomplishment  of  this, 
and  in  most  cases  afford  perfect  satisfaction.  Their 
practice  chiefly  lies  amongst  females,  the  portion  of 
the  human  race  most  given  to  curiosity  and  credulity. 
To  the  young  maidens  they  promise  lovers,  hand- 
some invariably,  and  sometimes  rich ;  to  wives 
children,  and  perhaps  another  husband  ;  for  their 
eyes  are  so  penetrating,  that  occasionally  they  will 
develop  your  most  secret  thoughts  and  wishes ;  to 
the  old,  riches — and  nothing  but  riches  ;  for  they 
have  sufficient  knowledge  of  the  human  heart  to  be 
aware  that  avarice  is  the  last  passion  that  becomes 
extinct  within  it.  These  riches  are  to  proceed 
either  from  the  discovery  of  hidden  treasures,  or 
from  across  the  water  ;  from  the  Americas,  to  which 
the  Spaniards  still  look  with  hope,  as  there  is  no 
individual  in  Spain,  however  poor,  but  has  some 
connexion  in  those  realms  of  silver  and  gold,  at 
whose  death  he  considers  it  probable  that  he  may 
succeed  to  a  brilliant  '*  herencia."  The  Gitanas,  in 
the  exercise  of  this  practice,  find  dupes  almost  as 
readily  amongst  the  superior  classes,  as  the  veriest 
dregs  of  the  population.  It  is  their  boast,  that  the 
best  houses  are  open  to  them;  and  perhaps  in  the 
space  of  one  hour,  they  will  spae  the  bahi  to  a 
duchess,  or  countess,  in  one  of  the  hundred  palaces 

24* 


282  THE    ZINCALf. 

of  Madrid ;  and  to  half  a  dozen  of  the  lavanderas 
engaged  in  pnrifvnng  the  linen  of  the  capital,  beneath 
the  willows  which  droop  on  the  banks  of  the  mur" 
muring  Manzanares.     One  great  advantage  which 
the  Gypsies  possess  over  all  other  people,  is  an  utter 
absence  of  mauvaise  hontc  ;  their  speech  is  as  fluent, 
and  their  eyes,  as  unabashed,  in   the  presence   of 
royalty,  as  before  those  from  whom  they  have  nothing 
to  hope  or  fear;  the  result  being,  that  most  minds 
quail  before  them,  and  tliey  play  with  what  would 
be  fatal  to  others.      There   were  two  Gitanas   at 
Madrid,  and  probably  they  are   there  still.      The 
name  of  one  was  Pepita  and  the  other  was  called 
La   Chicharona ;  the    first   was    a    spare,    shrewd 
witch-like  female,  about  fifty,  and  was  the  mother- 
in-law  of  La  Chicharona,  who  was  remarkable  for 
her  stoutness.     These  women  subsisted  entirely  by 
fortune-telling  and  swindling.     It  chanced  that  the 
son  of  Pepita,  and  husband  of  Chicharona,  having 
spirited  away  a  horse,  was  sent  to  the  presidio  of 
Malaga  for  ten  years  of  hard  labour.     This  misfor- 
tune caused  inexpressible  affliction  to  his  wife  and 
mother,  who  determined    to  exert  every  effort  to 
procure  his  liberation.     The  readiest   way  which 
occurred  to  them,  w^as  to  procure  an  interview  with 
the   Queen  Regent  Christina,  whom   tliey  doubted 
not  would   forthwith   pardon   the  culprit,  provided 
they  had  an  opportunity  of  assailing  her  with   their 
Gypsy   discourse  ;   for,    to   use   their   own    words, 
*'  they  well  knew  what  to  say."     I  at  that   time 
lived  close  by  the  palace,  in  the  street  of  Santiago, 


GYPSY    PRACTICES. THE    BAHI.  283 

and  daily,  for  the  space  of  a  month,  saw  them  bend- 
ing their  steps  in  that  direction.  ^ 
One  day,  they  came  to  me  in  a  great  hurry,  with 
a  strange  expression  on  both  their  countenances. 
"  We  have  seen  Christina,  hijo,"  (my  son,)  said 
Pepita  to  me. 

"  Within  the  palace  ?"  I  inquired. 
"Within  the  palace,  O  child  of  my  garlochin," 
answered  the  sibyl :  "  Christina  at  last  saw  and 
sent  for  us,  as  I  knew  she  would ;  I  told  her  '  Bahi,* 
and  Chicharona  danced  the  Romalis  (Gypsy  dance) 
before  her." 

"  What  did  you  tell  her  ?" 

"  I  told  her  many  things,"  said  the  hag,  "  many 
things  which  1  need  not  tell  you  :  know,  however, 
that  amongst  other  things,  I  told  her  that  the  chabori 
(little  queen)  w^ould  die,  and  then  she  would  be 
Queen  of  Spain.  I  told  her,  moreover,  that  within 
three  years  she  would  marry  the  son  of  the  King  of 
France,  and  it  was  her  bahi  to  die  Queen  of  France 
and  Spain,  and  to  be  loved  much,  and  hated  much." 
"  And  did  you  not  dread  her  anger,  when  you 
told  her  these  things  ?" 

"  Dread  her,  the  Busnee  r"  screamed  Pepita : 
*-*  No,  my  child,  she  dreaded  me  far  more  ;  I  looked 
at  her  so— and  raised  my  finger  so — and  Chicharona 
clapped  her  hands,  and  the  Busnee  believed  all  I 
said,  and  was  afraid  of  me  :  and  then  I  asked  for 
the  pardon  of  my  son,  and  she  pledged  her  word 
to  see  into  the  matter,  and  when  we  came  away, 
she  gave  me  this  baria  of  gold,  and  to  Chicharona 


284  THE    ZINCALI. 

this  other,  so  at  all  events  we  have  hokkanoed  the 
queen.  May  an  evil  end  overtake  her  body,  the 
Busnee  !'* 

Though  some  of  the  Gitanas  contrive  to  subsist 
by  fortune-telling  alone,  the  generality  of  them 
merely  make  use  of  it  as  an  instrument  towards 
the  accompHshment  of  greater  things,  the  immediate 
gains  are  scanty  ;  a  few  cuartos  being  the  utmost 
which  they  receive  from  the  majority  of  their  cus- 
tomers. But  the  bahi  is  an  excellent  passport  into 
houses,  and  when  they  spy  a  convenient  opportunity, 
they  seldom  fail  to  avail  themselves  of  it.  It  is 
necessary  to  watch  them  strictly,  as  articles  fre- 
quently disappear  in  a  mysterious  manner,  whilst 
Gitanas  are  telling  fortunes.  The  bahi,  moreover, 
is  occasionally  the  prelude  to  a  device  which  we 
shall  now  attempt  to  describe,  and  which  is  called 
Hokkano  Baro,  or  the  great  trick,  of  which  we  have 
already  said  something  in  the  former  part  of  this 
work.  When  the  Gitana  has  met  some  credulous 
female,  whom  she  suspects  to  be  wealthy,  she  will 
address  her  in  much  the  way  as  she  of  yore  is 
represented  to  have  addressed  the  widow,  in  the 
History  of  Alonso  ;  telling  her  that  she  will  disclose 
to  her  a  way  by  means  of  w^hich  both  may  make 
their  fortunes.  It  is  neither  more  nor  less  than,  at 
a  certain  hour  and  place,  to  deposit  a  sum  of  money, 
the  more  the  better ;  as  the  Gitana  says,  that  if  not 
looked  at  until  a  certain  time,  it  will  increase  a 
thousand  fold.  Some  of  our  readers  will  have  diffi- 
culty in  believing  that  any  people  can  be  found  suffi- 


I 


GYPSY  PRACTICES. HOKKANO  BARO.     285 

ciently  credulous  to  allow  themselves  to  be  duped 
by  a  trick  of  this  description,  the  grossness  of  the 
intended  fraud  seeming  too  palpable.  Experience, 
however,  proves  the  contrary.  The  deception  is 
frequently  practised  at  the  present  day,  and  not 
only  in  Spain  but  in  England — enlightened  Eng- 
land— and  in  France  likewise  ;  an  instance  being 
given  in  the  memoirs  of  Vidocq,  the  late  celebrated 
head  of  the  secret  police  of  Paris,  though,  in  that 
instance,  the  perpetrator  of  the  fraud  was  not  a 
Gypsy.  The  most  subtle  method  of  accomplishing 
the  hokkano  baro  is  the  following: — 

When  the  dupe  has  been  induced  to  consent  to 
make  the  experiment,  the  Gitana  demands  of  her 
whether  she  has  in  the  house  some  strono- chest,  with 
a  safe  lock  and  key.  On  receiving  an  affirmative 
answer,  she  will  request  to  see  all  the  gold  and  sil- 
ver, of  any  description,  which  she  may  chance  to 
have  in  her  possession.  The  money  is  shown  her  ; 
and  when  the  Gitana  has  carefully  inspected  and 
counted  it,  she  produces  a  white  handkerchief,  say- 
ing: <'  Lady,  I  give  you  this  handkerchief  which  is 
blessed.  It  is  now  necessary  that  you  place  in  it 
your  gold  and  silver,  tying  it  with  three  knots.  I 
will  then  depart  for  three  days,  when  I  will  return. 
In  the  mean  time  you  must  keep  the  bundle,  which 
contains  your  treasure,  beneath  your  pillow,  per- 
mitting no  one  to  go  near  it,  and  observing  the  great- 
est secrecy,  otherwise  the  money  will  take  wings 
and  fly  away.  Ever}?-  morning  during  the  three  days 
it  will  be  well  to  open  the  bundle,  for  your  own  sa- 


286  THE    ZINCALI. 

tisfaction,  to  see  that  no  misfortune  has  befallen  your 
treasure  ;  be  always  careful,  however,  to  fasten  it 
again  with  three  knots.  On  my  return,  we  will 
place  the  bundle,  after  having  inspected  it,  in  the 
chest,  which  you  shall  yourself  lock,  retaining  the 
key  in  your  possession.  But,  thenceforward,  for 
three  weeks,  you  must  by  no  means  unlock  the  chest, 
nor  touch  the  treasure,  but  pray  night  and  morning 
to  San  Antonio  that  it  be  multiplied,  otherwise  it  will 
fly  away." 

The  Gitana  departs,  and,  during  the  three  days, 
prepares  a  bundle  as  similar  as  possible  to  the  one 
which  contains  the  money  of  her  dupe,  save  that  in- 
stead of  gold  ounces,  dollars,  and  plate,  its  contents 
consist  of  copper  money  and  pewter  articles  of  little 
or  no  value.  With  this  bundle  concealed  beneath 
her  cloak,  she  returns  at  the  end  of  three  days  to 
her  intended  victim.  The  bundle  of  real  treasure 
is  produced  and  inspected,  and  again  tied  up  by  the 
Gitana,  who  then  requests  the  other  to  open  the  chest, 
which  done,  she  formally  places  a  bundle  in  it ;  but, 
in  the  meanwhile,  she  has  contrived  to  subtitute  the 
fictitious  for  the  real  one.  The  chest  is  then  locked, 
the  lady  retaining  the  key.  The  Gitana  promises  to 
return  at  the  end  of  three  weeks,  to  open  the  chest, 
assurins:  the  ladv  that  if  it  be  not  unlocked  till  that 
period,  it  will  be  found  filled  with  gold  and  silver ; 
but  threatening  that,  in  the  event  of  her  injunctions 
being  disregarded,  the  money  deposited  will  vanish. 
She  then  walks  off  with  great  deliberation,  bearing 


GYPSY  PRACTICES. HOKKANO  BARO.     287 

away  the  spoil.     It  is  needless  to  say  that  she  never 
returns. 

There  are  other  ways  of  accomplishing  the  hok- 
kano  baro.     The  most  simple,  and  indeed  the  most 
generally  used  by  the  Gitanas,  is  to  persuade  some 
simple  individual  to  hide  a  sum  of  money  in  the 
earth,  which  they  afterwards  carry  away.     A  case  of 
this  description  occurred  within  my  own  knowledge, 
at  Madrid,  towards  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1837. 
There  was  anotorious  Gitana,  of  the  name  of  Aurora ; 
she  was  about  forty  years  of  age,  a  Valencian  by 
birth,  and  immensely  fat.     This  amiable  personage, 
by  some  means,  formed  the  acquaintanceof  a  wealthy 
widow  lady;  and  was  not  slow  in   attempting  to 
practise  the  hokkano  baro  upon  her.     She  succeeded 
but   too   well.     The    widow,  at   the  instigation  of 
Aurora,  buried  one  hundred  ounces  of  gold,  beneath 
a  ruined  arch  in  the  field,  at  a  short  distance  from 
the  wall  of  Madrid.     The  inhumation  was  effected 
at  night  by  the  widow  alone.     Aurora  was  however 
on  the  watch,  and,  in  less  than  ten  minutes  after  the 
widow  had  departed,  possessed  herself  of  the  trea- 
sure ;  perhaps  the  largest  one  ever  acquired  by  this 
kind  of  deceit.     The  next  day  the  widow  had  cer- 
tain misgivings,  and,  returning  to  the  spot,  found  her 
money  gone.     About  six  months  after  this  event,  I 
was  imprisoned  in  the  Carcel  de  la  Corte,  at  Madrid, 
and  there  I  found  Aurora,  who  was  in  durance  for 
defrauding  the  widow.     She  said  that  it  had  been 
her  intention  to  depart  for  Valencia  with  the  "  barias," 
as  she  styled  her  plunder,  but  the  widow  had  dis- 


288  THE    ZINCALI. 

covered  the  trick  too  soon,  and  she  bad  been  arrest* 
ed.  She  added,  however,  that  she  had  contrived  to 
conceal  the  greatest  part  of  the  properly,  and  that 
she  expected  her  bberation  in  a  few  days,  having 
been  prodigal  of  bribes  to  the  "justicia."  In  effect, 
her  liberation  took  place  sooner  than  my  own. 
Nevertheless,  she  had  little  cause  to  triumph,  as  be- 
fore she  left  the  prison  she  had  been  fleeced  of  the 
last  cuarto  of  her  ill-gotten  gain,  by  alguazils  and 
escribanos,  \vho,  she  admitted,  understood  hokkano 
baro  much  better  than  herself. 

When  I  next  saw  Aurora,  she  informed  me  that 
she  was  once  more  on  excellent  terms  with  the 
widow,  whom  she  had  persuaded  that  the  loss  of  the 
money  was  caused  by  her  own  imprudence,  in  look- 
ing for  it  before  the  appointed  time  ;  the  spirit  of  the 
earth  having  removed  it  in  anger*  She  added  that 
her  dupe  was  quite  disposed  to  make  another  ven- 
ture, by  which  she  hoped  to  retrieve  her  former  loss. 

Usdlar  2^(^stesas, — Under  this  head  may  be  placed 
various  kinds  of  theft  committed  by  the  Gitanas. 
The  meaning  of  the  words  is  stealing  with  the  hands  ; 
but  the}^  are  more  generally  applied  to  the  filching 
of  money  by  dexterity  of  hand,  when  giving  or  re- 
ceiving change.  For  example  :  a  Gitana  will  en- 
ter a  shop,  and  purchase  some  insignificant  article, 
tendering  in  payment  a  bariaor  golden  ounce.  The 
change  being  put  down  before  heron  the  counter,  she 
counts  the  money,  and  complains  that  she  has  re- 
ceived a  dollar  and  several  pesetas  less  than  her 
due.     It  seems  impossible  that  there  can  be  any 


GYPSY    PRACTICES. USTILAR    PASTESAS.       289 

fraud  on  her  part,  as  she  has  not  even  taken  the 
money  in  her  hand,  but  merely  placed  her  fingers 
upon  it ;  pushing  it  on  one  side.  She  now  asks  the 
merchant  what  he  means  by  attempting  to  deceive 
the  poor  woman.  The  merchant,  supposing  that  he 
has  made  a  mistake,  takes  up  the  money,  counts  it, 
and  finds  in  effect  that  the  just  sum  is  not  there.  He 
again  hands  out  the  change,  but  there  is  now  a  greater 
deficit  than  before,  and  the  merchant  is  convinced 
that  he  is  dealing  with  a  witch.  The  Gitana  now 
pushes  the  money  to  him,  uplifts  her  voice,  and 
talks  of  the  justicia.  Should  the  merchant  become 
frightened,  and,  emptying  a  bag  of  dollars,  tell  her 
to  pay  herself,  as  has  sometimes  been  the  case,  her 
utmost  hopes  will  be  gratified,  as  she  will  contrive, 
by  means  which  baffle  the  possibihty  of  detection,  to 
convey  at  least  five  or  six  dollars  into  her  sleeves, 
when  she  will  depart  with  much  vociferation,  declar- 
ing that  she  will  never  again  enter  the  shop  of  so 
cheating  a  picaro. 

Of  all  the  Gitanas  at  Madrid,  Aurora  the  fat  was, 
by  their  own  confession,  the  most  dexterous  at  this 
species  of  robbery  ;  she  having  been  known,  in 
many  instances,  whilst  receiving  change  for  an  ounce, 
to  steal  the  whole  value,  which  amounts  to  sixteen 
dollars.  It  was  not  without  reason  that  merchants 
in  ancient  times  were,  according  to  Martin  del  Rio, 
advised  to  sell  nothing  out  of  their  shops  to  Gitanas 
as  they  possessed  an  infallible  secret  for  attracting 
to  their  own  purses  from  the  coffers  of  the  former 
the  money  with  which  they  paid  for  the  articles  they 
VOL.  I.  26 


290  THE    ZINCALI. 

purchased.  This  secret  consisted  in  stealing  a  pas-» 
tesas,  which  they  still  practise.  Many  accounts  of 
witchcraft  and  sorcery,  which  are  styled  old  women's 
tales,  are  perhaps  equally  well  founded.  Real  ac- 
tions have  been  attributed  to  wrong  causes — thus 
the  seeming  absurdity. 

Shoplifting,  and  other  kinds  of  private  larceny,  are 
connected  with  stealing  a  pastesas,  for  in  all  dex- 
terity of  hand  is  required.  Many  of  the  Git£lnas  of 
Madrid  are  provided  with  large  pockets,  or  rather 
sacks,  beneath  their  gowns,  in  which  they  stow 
away  their  plunder.  Some  of  these  pockets  are  ca- 
pacious enough  to  hold,  at  one  time,  a  dozen  yards 
of  cloth,  a  Dutch  cheese,  and  a  bottle  of  wine.  No- 
thing that  she  can  eat,  drink,  or  sell,  comes  amiss  to 
a  veritable  Gitana  ;  and  sometimes  the  contents  of 
her  pocket  would  afford  materials  for  an  inventory 
far  more  lengthy  and  curious  than  the  one  enumerat- 
ing the  effects  found  on  the  person  of  the  man  moun- 
tain at  LiUiput. 

Drao,  or  Drow. — By  this  word  is  meant  the  veno- 
mous preparation  which  the  Gitanos  were  in  the 
habit  of  flinging  into  the  mangers  of  the  cattle,  for 
the  purpose  of  causing  sickness  and  death.  I  say 
wercy  as  there  is  reason  for  believing  that  the  prac- • 
tice  has  ceased,  at  least  to  a  very  considerable  ex- 
tent. Few  know  how  to  prepare  it,  though  all  speak 
of  the  practice  as  common  amongst  their  forefathers  ; 
it  is  said,  that  it  was  the  province  of  the  women  to 
compound  the  ingredients  of  the  drao,  which  an- 
swered many  purposes,  all  unlawful ;  the  stalls  and 


GYPSY  PRACTICES. DRAG.  291 

Stables  were  visited  secretly,  and  the  provender 
of  the  animals  poisoned,  who  at  once  fell  sick ; 
speedily  appeared  the  Gitanos,  offering  their  services 
to  the  labourers,  on  the  condition  of  no  cure  no  pay, 
and,  when  these  were  accepted,  the  malady  was 
speedily  removed. 

The  manner  in  which  they  pretended  to  effect  the 
cure  was  curious  ;  they  used  no  medicines,  only 
charms,  which  consisted  of  small  variegated  beans, 
called  in  their  language  "  bobis,"*  dropped  in  the 
mangers,  though  they  doubtless  administered  pri- 
vately a  real  and  efficacious  remedy.  By  this 
means  they  fostered  the  idea,  already  prevalent, 
that  they  were  people  possessed  of  supernatural 
gifts  and  powers,  who  could  remove  diseases  with- 
out having  recourse  to  medicine.  By  means  of  drao, 
they  likewise  procured  themselves  food  ;  poisoning 
swine,  as  their  brethren!  n  England  still  do,  and  then 
feasting  on^the  flesh,  which  was  abandoned  as  worth 
less  :  witness  one  of  their  own  songs  : 

"  By  Gypsy  drow  the  porker  died, 
I  saw  him  stiff  at  evening  tide, 
But  I  saw  him  not  when  morning'  shone, 
For  the  Gypsies  ate  him  flesh  and  bone." 

By  Drao  also  they  could  avenge  themselves  on 
their  enemies  by  destroying  their  cattle,  without 
incurring  a  shadow  of  suspicion.  Revenge  for  in- 
juries, real  or  imaginary,  is  sweet  to  all  unconverted 
minds  ;  to  no  one  more  than  the  Gypsy,  who,  in  all 

*  A  Russian  word  signifying  beans. 


292  THE    ZINCALI. 

parts  of  the  world,  is,  perhaps,  the  most  revengeful 
of  human  beings. 

Vidocq  in  his  memoirs  states,  that  having  formed 
a  connexion  with  an  individual  whom  he  subse- 
quently discovered  to  be  the  captain  of  a  band  of 
Walachian  Gypsies,  the  latter,  whose  name  was 
Caroun,  wished  Vidocq  to  assist  in  scattering  cer- 
tain powders  in  the  mangers  of  the  peasants' cattle ; 
Vidocq,  from  prudential  motives,  refused  the  em- 
ployment. There  can  be  no  doubt  that  these  pow- 
ders were,  in  substance,  the  drao  of  the  Spanish 
Gitanos. 

La  Bar  Lachi,  or  the  Loadstone. — If  the  Gitanos 
in  general  be  addicted  to  any  one  superstition,  it  is 
certainly  with  respect  to  this  stone,  to  which  they 
attribute  all  kinds  of  miraculous  powers.  There 
can  be  no  doubt,  that  the  singular  property  which 
it  possesses  of  attracting  steel,  by  filling  their  un- 
tutored minds  with  amazement,  first  gave  rise  to 
this  veneration,  which  is  carried  beyond  all  reason-  _ 
able  bounds.  m 

They  believe  that  he  who  is  in  possession  of  it  1 
has  nothing  to  fear  from  steel  or  lead,  from  fire  or 
water,  and  that  death  itself  has  no  power  over  him. 
The  Gypsy  contrabandistas  are  particularly  anxious 
to  procure  this  stone,  which  they  carry  upon  their 
persons  in  their  expeditions  ;  they  say,  that  in  the 
event  of  being  pursued  by  the  jaracanallis,  or 
revenue  officers,  whirlwinds  of  dust  will  arise  and 
conceal  them  from  the  view  of  their  enemies  ;  the 
horse-stealers  say  much  the  same  thing,  and  assert 


GYPSY    PRACTICES. THE    LOADSTONE.         293 

that  they  are  uniformly  successful,  when  they  bear 
about  them  the  precious  stone.  But  it  can  effect 
much  more.  Extraordinary  things  are  said  of  its 
power  in  exciting  the  amorous  passions,  and,  on  this 
account,  it  is  in  great  request  amongst  the  Gypsy 
hags ;  all  these  women  are  procuresses,  and  find 
persons  of  both  sexes  weak  and  wicked  enough  to 
make  use  of  their  pretended  knowledge  in  the  com- 
position of  love  drauglits  and  decoctions.  In  the 
case  of  the  loadstone,  however,  there  is  no  pretence, 
the  Gitanas  believing  all  they  say  respecting  it,  and 
still  more ;  this  is  proved  by  the  eagerness  with 
which  they  seek  to  obtain  the  stone  in  its  natural 
state,  which  is  somewhat  difficult  to  accomplish. 

In  the  museum  of  natural  curiosities  at  Madrid, 
there  is  a  large  piece  of  loadstone  originally  ex- 
tracted from  the  American  mines.  There  is  scarcely 
a  Gitana  in  Madrid  who  is  not  acquainted  with  this 
circumstance,  and  who  does  not  long  to  obtain  the 
stone,  or  a  part  of  it ;  its  being  placed  in  a  royal 
museum,  serving  to  augment,  in  their  opinion,  its 
real  value.  Several  attempts  have  been  made  to 
steal  it,  all  of  which,  however,  have  been  unsuc- 
cessful. The  Gypsies  seem  not  to  be  the  only  peo- 
ple who  envy  royalty  the  possession  of  this  stone. 
Pepita,  the  old  Gitana,  of  whose  talent  at  telling 
fortunes  such  honourable  mention  has  already  been 
made,  informed  me  that  a  priest,  who  w^as  muy 
enamorado  (in  love)  proposed  to  her  to  steal  the 
loadstone,  offering  her  all  his  sacerdotal  garments 
in  the  event  of  success  ;  whether  the  singular  re-- 

2,5* 


294  THE    ZINCALI. 

ward  that  was  promised  had  but  slight  temptations 
for  her,  or  whether  she  feared  that  her  dexterity 
was  not  equal  to  the  accomplishment  of  the  task, 
we  know  not,  but  she  appears  to  have  declined 
attempting  it.  According  to  the  Gypsy  account, 
the  person  in  love,  if  he  wish  to  excite  a  corres- 
ponding passion  in  another  quarter  by  means  of  the 
loadstone,  must  swallow,  iii  aguardiente^  a  small  por- 
tion of  the  stone  pulverized,  at  the  time  of  going 
to  rest,  repeating  to  himself  the  following  magic 
rhyme  : 

"  To  the  Mountain  of  Olives  one  morning  I  hied^ 
Three  little  black  goats  before  me  I  spied, 
Those  three  little  goats  on  three  cars  I  laid, 
Black  cheeses  three  from  their  milk  I  made; 
The  one  I  bestow  on  the  loadstone  of  power. 
That  save  me  it  may  from  all  ills  that  lower; 
The  second  to  Mary  Padilla  I  give, 
And  to  all  the  witch  hags  about  her  that  live; 
The  third  I  reserve  for  Asmodeus  lame, 
That  fetch  me  he  may  whatever  I  name." 

La  raiz  del  buen  Baron,  or  the  root  of  the  good 
Baron. — On  this  subject  we  cannot  be  very  explicit. 
It  is  customary  with  the  Gitanas  to  sell,  under  this 
title,  various  roots  and  herbs,  to  unfortunate  females 
who  are  desirous  of  producing  a  certain  result; 
these  roots  are  boiled  in  white  wine,  and  the  abomi- 
nable decoction  is  taken  fasting.  I  was  once  shown 
the  root  of  the  good  baron,  which,  in  this  instance, 
appeared  to  be  parsley  root.  By  the  good  baron  is 
meant  his  Satanic  majesty,  on  whom  the  root  is  very 
appropriately  fathered. 


CHAPTER  VIL 

THE    LACHA   OF    THE    GITANAS. THE  DICLE. — GYPSY   BETROTHMENTS. 

DON  ALVARO. — THE  SCRUTINY. — THE  MARRIAGE  FESTIVAL. —  EASTERN 

JEWS. — THEIR  WEDDINGS. — THE  GITANA  OF  CORDOVA. THE  ITALIAN 

AND    THE    GYPSY. 

It  is  impossible  to  dismiss  the  subject  of  the 
Spanish  Gypsies,  without  offering  some  remarks  on 
their  marriage  festivals.  There  is  nothing  which 
they  retain  connected  with  their  primitive  rites  and 
principles,  more  characteristic  perhaps  of  the  sect 
of  the  Rom  many,  of  the  sect  of  the  husbands  and 
wives,  than  all  which  relates  to  the  marriage  cere- 
mony, which  gives  the  female  a  protector,  and  the 
man  a  helpmate,  a  sharer  of  his  joys  and  sorrows. 
The  Gypsies  are  almost  entirely  ignorant  of  the 
grand  points  of  morality  ;  they  have  never  had 
sufficient  sense  to  perceive  that  to  lie,  to  steal,  and 
to  shed  human  blood  violently,  are  crimes  which 
are  sure,  eventually,  to  yield  bitter  fruits  to  those 
who  perpetrate  them  ;  but  on  one  point,  and  that 
one  of  no  little  importance  as  far  as  temporal  happi- 
ness is  concerned,  they  are  in  general  wiser  than 
those  who  have  had  far  better  opportunities  than 
such  unfortunate  outcasts,  of  regulating  their  steps, 


S96  THE    ZINCALI. 

and  distinguishing  good  from  evil.  They  know  that 
chastity  is  a  jewel  of  high  price,  and  that  conjugal 
fidelity  is  capable  of  occasionally  flinging  a  sunshine 
even  over  the  dreary  hours  of  a  life  passed  in  the 
contempt  of  almost  all  laws,  whether  human  or 
divine. 

There  is  a  word  in  the  Gypsy  language  to  which 
those  who  speak  it  attach  ideas  of  peculiar  reve- 
rence, far  superior  to  that  connected  with  the  name 
of  the  Supreme  Being,  the  creator  of  themselves 
and  the  universe.  This  word  is  Ldchay  which  with 
them  is  the  corporeal  chastity  of  the  females  ;  we 
say  corporeal  chastit}^  for  no  other  do  they  hold  in 
the  slightest  esteem ;  it  is  lawful  amongst  them,  nay 
praiseworthy,  to  be  obscene  in  look,  gesture,  and 
discourse,  to  be  accessaries  to  vice,  and  to  stand  by 
and  laugh  at  the  worst  abominations  of  the  Busne, 
provided  their  Ldcha  ye  tnipos,  or  corporeal  chastity, 
remains  unblemished.  The  G3^psy  child,  from  her 
earliest  years,  is  told  by  her  strange  mother,  that  a 
good  Calli  need  only  dread  one  thing  in  this  world, 
and  that  is  the  loss  of  Lacha,  in  comparison  with 
which  that  of  life  is  of  little  consequence,  as  in  such 
an  event  she  will  be  provided  for,  but  what  provi- 
sion is  there  for  a  Gypsy  who  has  lost  her  Lacha. 
"  Bear  this  in  mind,  my  child,"  she  will  say,  "  and 
now  eat  this  bread,  and  go  forth  and  see  what  you 
can  steal."  She  is,  however,  by  no  means  content 
with  advice  and  exhortation.  She  has  recourse  to 
other  means  for  securing  her  daughter's  Lacha. 
There   is   another   word   in  the   Gypsy  language,. 


THE  LACHA. GYPSY  BETROTHMENTS.    297 

Dicle,  and  this  word  is  closely  connecled  with 
Lacha,  indeed  is  inseparable  from  it  in  unmarried 
females ;  for  to  lose  their  Dicle  is  tantamount  to 
losing  Lacha.  Reasons  which  may  easily  be  judged, 
render  it  impossible  for  us  to  be  very  explicit  on 
this  point ;  it  will  be  permitted  to  us,  however,  to 
state,  that  no  females  in  the  world  wear  their  in- 
terior drapery  in  the  same  manner  as  the  Gitanas  : 
and  this  drapery  or  Dicle  of  the  female  children  is 
invariably  fastened  by  their  mothers  after  a  peculiar 
and  singular  fashion,  and  is  never  removed,  but 
continually  inspected  by  the  latter  until  the  day 
previous  to  marriage.  The  Dicle,  therefore,  is  the 
seal  of  the  Lacha. 

A  Gyps}^  girl  is  generally  betrothed  at  the  age 
of  fourteen  to  the  youth  whom  her  parents  deem  a 
suitable  match,  and  who  is  generally  a  few  years 
older  than  herself.  Marriage  is  invariably  preceded 
by  betrothment ;  and  the  couple  must  then  wait 
two  years  before  their  union  can  take  place,  accord- 
ing to  the  law  of  the  Gales.  During  this  period 
it  is  expected  that  they  treat  each  other  as  common 
acquaintance  ;  they  are  permitted  to  converse,  and 
even  occasionally  to  exchange  slight  presents.  One 
thing,  however,  is  strictly  forbidden,  and  if  in  this 
instance  they  prove  contumacious,  the  betrothment 
is  instantly  broken  and  the  pair  are  never  united, 
and  thenceforward  bear  an  evil  reputation  amongst 
their  sect.  This  one  thing,  is  going  into  the  campo 
in  each  other's  company,  or  having  any  rendezvous 
beyond  the  gate  of  the   city,   town,  or   village,  in 


298  THE    ZINCALI. 

which  they  dwell.     Upon  this  point  we  can  perhaps 
do  no  better  than  quote  one  of  their  own  stanzas : — 

"  Thy  sire  and  mothor  wrath  and  hate 
Have  vowed  against  us,  love! 
The  first,  first  night  that  from  the  gate 
We  two  together  rove." 

With  all  the  other  Gypsies,  however,  and  with 
the  Busne  or  Gentiles,  the  betrothed  Icmale  is  al- 
lowed the  freest  intercourse,  going  whither  she  will, 
and  returning  at  all  times  and  seasons.  With  re- 
spect to  the  Busne,  indeed,  the  parents  are  invari- 
ably less  cautious  than  with  their  own  race,  as  they 
conceive  it  next  to  an  impossibility  that  their  child 
should  lose  her  Lacha  by  any  intercourse  with  the 
white  blood;  and  true  it  is  that  experience  has  proved 
that  their  confidence  in  this  respect  is  not  altogether 
idle.  The  Gitanas  have  in  general  a  decided  aver- 
sion to  the  white  men  ;  some  few  instances,  how- 
ever, to  the  contrary  are  said  to  have  occurred,  and 
by  far  the  most  remarkable  is  the  following  one  : — 

At  the  beginning  of  the  present  century  there  re- 
sided near  Ciudad  Real,  in  la  Mancha,  a  certain  Don 
Alvaro  Muiioz,  a  celebrated  "  ganadero"  or  proprie- 
tor of  cattle  ;  and  from  his  dehesas,  and  those  of  his 
ancestors  for  more  than  one  hundred  years,  had 
proceeded  the  fiercest  and  most  terrible  bulls,  ani- 
mals which  the  bravest  toreros  of  Madrid  and  Seville 
never  encountered  in  the  circus  without  trembhng 
and  fear.  This  cavalier,  at  the  time  we  are  speak- 
ing of,  was  about  two  and  twenty,  handsome  of  fea- 
ture, noble  of  carriage,  the   best  jinete  in  all  La 


1)0N    ALVARO.  299 

Mancha,  and  invariably  possessed  of  the  best  horses, 
for  he  was  passionately  fond  of  good  steeds.     His 
generosity  and  frankness  were  proverbial,  so  that  no 
gentleman  ever  expressed    an  admiration  for  any 
thing  which  he  possessed,  but  he  instantly  presented 
it  to  him,  and  this  not  in  mere  compliment,  without 
washing  or  expecting  the  gift  to  be  received,  as  is 
but  too  customary  in  Spain,  but  from  overflowing 
generosity  and  bounty  of  heart.     There   was  one 
steed   which  he   particularly  cherished,   the   finest 
horse  in  Spain,  a  genuine  Cordovese  hy  the  four  sides  ^ 
for  which  he  had  paid  twenty  thousand  reals.     It 
chanced    one   day  whilst   his    steed   was  standing 
splendidly  caparisoned  in  the  court  yard,  that  a  ca- 
valier passed  by  the  cortijo  of  Don  Alvaro  Munoz, 
and  stopped  to  survey  the  horse.     An  exclamation 
expressive   of  admiration  of  the  splendid   animal 
escaped  him.     Don  Alvaro  heard  him,  and  when 
the  cavalier  had  passed  by  on  his  w^ay,  he  despatched 
a  servant  after  him   with  the   horse,  which  he  re* 
quested  him  to  accept.     The  cavalier  astonished, 
returned,  and  inquired  the  reason  of  so  extraordinary 
and    splendid   an   offer  to  an  unknown   individual. 
Don  Alvaro's  answer  was  the  following.     "  No  gen- 
tleman shall  ever  admire  any  thing  which  I  possess 
without  having  it  instantly  placed  at  his   disposal," 
and  warmly  pressed  the  stranger  to  receive  the  ani- 
mal.    But  the  latter,  who  was  a  person  of  noble 
birth,  begged  leave  to  refuse  the  offer,  and  passed  on 
his  way,  which  was  to  Madrid. 

At  this  time  there  were  several  Gypsy  families 


300  THE    ZINCALI. 

residing  in  the  town  of  Ciudad  Real.  As  they  were 
people  of  very  evil  character,  and  were  much  looked 
after  by  the  authorities,  they  experienced  considera- 
ble obstacles  in  carrying  on  their  Gypsy  traffick. 
They  were  in  need  of  some  powerful  protector; 
and,  knowing  that  Don  Alvaro  enjoyed  great  autho- 
rity in  the  neighbourhood,  they  endeavoured,  by 
every  artifice  in  their  power,  to  secure  his  good 
graces,  and  soon  succeeded,  by  the  knowledge  which 
they  displayed  in  curing  the  diseases  to  which  horses 
are  subject,  and  by  improving  the  beauty  of  the 
favourite  steeds  of  Don  Alvaro. 

"  But  he  was  chiefly  induced  to  favour  them  from 
the  extraordinary  impression  which  he  had  received 
from  the  beauty  of  a  young  girl,  the  daughter  of  one 
of  the  principal  Gypsies.  This  girl,  who  was  called 
Maria,  was  in  her  sixteenth  year,  and  had  been  be- 
trothed for  a  considerable  time  to  one  Simproffe,  a 
Gypsy,  whose  parents  were  considered  rich.  He 
was  the  ugliest  fellow  of  his  caste,  not  only  in  La 
Mancha,  but  in  all  Spain.  He  was  tuerto  or  one- 
eyed,  and  was,  moreover,  manco,  or  maimed  ;  his 
left  hand  having  been  bit  off  in  an  encounter  with  one 
of  the  bulls  of  Don  Alvaro.  When  the  Gypsies  saw 
how  enamoured  the  cavalier  was  of  the  eyes  of 
Maria,  they  persuaded  her  to  use  all  her  influence 
with  him  for  their  benefit ;  and,  indeed,  in  a  short 
time,  through  her  means,  the  Gypsies  enjoyed  many 
privileges  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Ciudad  Real,  so 
that  many  came  from  afar  and  settled  there,  in  order 
to  share  in  the  good  fortune  of  their  brethren. 


DON    ALVARO.  301 

But  the  parents  of  Maria  never  dreamt  of  a  pos- 
sible contingency.  They  would  not  permit  her  to 
pass  the  gate  of  the  town  with  the  ugly  Simprofie, 
but  encouraged  her  every  day  to  visit  alone  the 
cortijo  of  the  gallant  Don  Alvaro,  in  order  that  she 
might  request  something  farther  for  their  advantage. 
One  morning,  however,  shortly  before  she  was  to 
have  been  married  to  Simprofie,  there  was  a  terrible 
uproar  in  Ciudad  Real  amongst  the  Gypsies,  and 
the  mother  of  Maria  ran  through  the  town  with  dis- 
hevelled hair,  screaming,  "  El  Bengue  ha  nicobado  la 
Idcha  de  min  chaiJ''' 

From  that  moment,  no  one  knew  what  became  of 
Maria ;  but  she  is  said  to  have  been  carried  behind 
the  stony  mountains  which  skirt  the  pass  of  Lapice, 
and  to  have  there  perished  a  victim  beneath  the 
cachas  of  her  friends  and  relations.  The  Gypsies 
did  not  long  enjoy  the  protection  of-  Don  Alvaro ; 
for  the  disappearance  of  Maria  changed  the  favour 
which  he  formerly  displayed  to  them  into  bitter 
hate  and  direst  persecution.  He  drove  them  from 
Ciudad  Real,  after  having  killed  the  maimed  and 
one-eyed  Simprofie  with  is  own  hand  ;  and,  not  con- 
tent with  this,  hunted  them  up  and  down,  and,  at 
length,  succeeded  in  driving  them  through  the  pass 
which  leads  into  Andalusia.  From  that  time  there 
have  been  few  or  no  Gypsies  seen  in  La  Mancha, 
and  especially  at  Ciudad  Real. 

A  short  time  previous  to  the  expiration  of  the  term 
of  the  betrothment,  preparations  are  made  for  the 
Gypsy  bridal.     The  wedding  day  is  certainly  an 

TOL.    I.  26 


302  THE    ZINCALI* 

eventful  period  in  the  life  of  every  individual,  as  he 
takes  a  partner  for  better  or  for  worse,  whom  he  is 
bound  to  cherish  through  riches  and  poverty ;  but 
to  the  Gypsy  particularly  the  wedding  festival  is  an 
important  affair.  If  he  is  rich,  he  frequently  be- 
comes poor,  before  it  is  terminated  ;  and  if  he  is 
poor,  he  loses  the  little  which  he  possesses,  and 
must  borrow  of  his  brethren ;  frequently  involving 
himself  throughout  life,  to  procure  the  means  of 
giving  a  festival ;  for  without  a  festival,  he  could 
not  become  a  Rom,  that  is  a  husband,  and  would 
cease  to  belong  to  the  sect  of  Rommany.  But, 
before  the  festival  begins,  a  singular  scrutiny 
is  performed,  the  subject  of  which  is  the  be- 
trothed girl ;  and  here  ngain  we  cannot  be  very 
explicit  .... 

This  scrutiny  is  connected  with  the  dicle  and  the 
lacha  of  the  girl ;  and,  to  ascertain  the  point  in 
question,  four  matrons  are  appointed,  relations  of 
the  contracted  parties — two  on  the  part  of  the  bride- 
groom, two  on  the  part  of  the  bride.  A  rigorous 
examination  ensues,  in  which  a  handkerchief  of 
finest  French  cambric  takes  a  leading  part.  Should 
the  bride  be  pronounced  blameless  by  these  female 
inquisitors,  the  bridal  takes  place  the  next  day ;  but 
should  they  discover  that  she  has  proved  frail,  the 
chances  are  that  she  will  be  made  away  with  pri- 
vately, and  in  a  manner  which  will  leave  no  trace 
behind. 

There  is  a  great  deal  of  what  is  wild  and  bar- 
barous attached  to  these  festivals.     I  shall  never 


THE    SCRUTINY.  303 

forget  a  particular  one  at  which  I  was  present. 
After  much  feasting,  drinking  and  yelling,  in  the 
Gypsy  house,  the  bridal  train  sallied  forth — a  frantic 
spectacle.  First  of  all  marched  a  villanous  jockey- 
looking  fellow,  holding  in  his  hands,  uplifted,  a  long 
pole,  at  the  top  of  which  fluttered  in  the  morning 
air — what?  the  mysterious  dicle,  and  yet  more 
mysterious  handkerchief  of  cambric — the  latter  un- 
spotted— for,  otherwise,  there  would  have  been  no 
bridal,  and  the  betrothed  girl  would  perhaps  ere 
then  have  been  a  corse.  Then  came  the  betrothed 
pair,  followed  by  their  nearest  friends ;  then  a  rabble 
rout  of  Gypsies,  screaming  and  shouting,  and  dis- 
charging guns  and  pistols,  till  all  around  rang  with 
the  din,  and  the  village  dogs  barked.  On  arriving 
at  the  church  gate,  the  fellow  who  bore  the  pole 
stuck  it  into  the  ground  with  a  loud  huzza,  and  the 
train,  forming  two  ranks,  defiled  into  the  church  on 
either  side  of  the  pole  and  its  strange  ornaments. 
On  the  conclusion  of  the  ceremony,  they  returned, 
in  the  same  manner  in  which  they  had  come. 

Throughout  the  day  there  was  nothing  going  on 
but  singing,  drinking,  feasting,  and  dancing  ;  but 
the  most  singular  part  of  the  festival  was  reserved 
for  the  dark  night.  Nearly  a  ton  weight  of  sweet- 
meats had  been  prepared,  at  an  enormous  expense — 
not  for  the  gratification  of  the  palate,  but  for  a  pur- 
pose purely  Gypsy.  These  sweetmeats  of  all  kinds, 
and  of  all  forms,  but  principally  yemas,  or  yolks  of 
eggs  prepared  with  a  crust  of  sugar,  (a  delicious 
bonne  bouche,)  were  strewn  on  the  floor  of  a  large 


304  THE    ZINCALI. 

room,  at  least  to  the  depth  of  three  inches.  Into 
this  room,  at  a  given  signal,  tripped  the  bride  and 
bridegroom  dancing  romdlis,  followed  amain  by  all 
the  Gitanos  and  Gitanas,  dajicing  romdlis.  To  con- 
vey a  slight  idea  of  the  scene,  is  almost  beyond  the 
power  of  words.  In  a  few  minutes  the  sweetmeats 
were  reduced  to  a  powder,  or  rather  to  a  mud,  and 
the  dancers  were  soiled  to  the  knees  with  sugar, 
fruits,  and  yolks  of  eggs.  Still  more  terrific  became 
the  lunatic  merriment.  The  men  sprang  high  into 
the  air,  neighed,  brayed,  and  crowed  ;  whilst  the 
Gitanas  snapped  their  fingers  in  their  own  fashion, 
louder  than  castanets,  distorting  their  forms  into  all 
kinds  of  obscene  attitudes,  and  uttering  words  to 
repeat  which  were  an  abomination.  In  a  corner  of 
the  apartment  capered  the  while  Sebastianillo,  a  con- 
vict Gypsy  from  Melilla,  strumming  the  guitar  most 
furiously,  and  producing  demoniacal  sounds  which 
had  some  resemblance  to  Malbrun  (Malbrouk,)  and 
as  he  strummed,  repeating  at  intervals  the  Gypsy 
modification  of  the  song. 

"  Chala  Malbrun  chinguerur, 
Birandon,  birand6n,  birandera — 
Chala  Malbrun  chingucrdr, 
No  se  bus  trutera — 
No  se  bus  truterd. 
No  se  bus  trutera. 

"  La  romi  que  Ic  rnmela, 
Birantlon,  birandon,"  &c. 

The  festival  endures  three  days,  at  the   end  of 
which  the  greatest  part  of  the  property  of  the  bride- 


THE  MARRIAGE  FESTIVAL.  305 

groom,  even  if  he  were  previously  in  easy  circum- 
stances, has  been  wasted  in  this  strange  kind  of 
riot  and  dissipation.  Paco,  the  Gypsy  of  Badajoz, 
attributed  his  ruin  to  the  extravagance  of  his  mar- 
riage festival ;  and  many  other  Gitanos  have  con- 
fessed the  same  thing  of  themselves.  They  said 
that  throughout  the  three  days  they  appeared  to  be 
under  the  influence  of  infatuation,  having  no  other 
wish  or  thought  but  to  make  away  with  their  sub- 
stance ;  some  have  gone  so  far  as  to  cast  money  by 
handfuls  into  the  street.  Throughout  the  three  days 
all  the  doors  are  kept  open,  and  all  comers,  whether 
Gypsies  or  Busne  welcomed  with  a  hospitality  which 
knows  no  bounds. 

In  nothing  do  the  Jews  and  Gitanos  more  re- 
semble each  other  than  in  their  marriages,  and  most 
points  connected  therewith.  In  both  sects  there  is 
a  betrothment:  amongst  the  Jews  for  seven,  amongst 
the  Gitanos  for  a  period  of  two  years.  In  both  there 
is  a  wedding  festival,  which  endures  amongst  the 
Jews  for  fifteen,  and  amongst  the  Gitanos  for  three 
days,  during  which,  on  both  sides,  much  that  is 
singular  and  barbarous  occurs,  which,  however,  has 
perhaps  its  origin  in  antiquity  the  most  remote. 
But  the  wedding  ceremonies  of  the  Jews  are  far 
more  complex  and  allegorical  than  those  of  the 
Gypsies,  a  more  simple  people.  The  Nazarene 
gazes  on  these  ceremonies  with  mute  astonishment; 
the  washing  of  the  bride — the  painting  of  the  face 
of  herself  and  her  companions  with  chalk  and  car- 
mine ^-her  ensconcing  herself  within  the  curtains 

26* 


306  THE    ZINCALI. 

of  the  bed  with  her  female  bevy,  whilst  the  bride- 
groom hides  himself  within  his  apartment  with  the 
youths  his  companions — her  envelopement  in  the 
white  sheet,  in  which  she  appears  like  a  corse,  the 
bridegroom's  going  to  sup  with  her,  when  he  places 
himself  in  the  middle  of  the  apartment  with  his 
eyes  shut,  and  without  tasting  a  morsel.  His  going 
to  the  synagogue,  and  then  repairing  to  breakfast 
with  the  bride,  where  he  practises  the  same  self- 
denial — the  washing  of  the  bridegroom's  plate  and 
sending  it  after  him,  that  he  may  break  his  fast — ■ 
the  binding  his  hands  behind  him — his  ransom  paid 
by  the  bride's  mother — the  visit  of  the  sages  to  the 
bridegroom — the  mulct  imposed  in  case  he  repent — 
the  killins:  of  the  bullock  at  the  house  of  the  bride- 
groom — the  present  of  meat  and  fowls,  meal  and 
spices,  to  the  bride — the  gold  and  silver — that  most 
imposing  part  of  the  ceremony,  the  walking  of  the 
bride  by  torchlight  to  the  house  of  her  betrothed, 
her  eyes  fixed  in  vacancy,  whilst  the  youths  of  her 
kindred  sing  their  wild  songs  around  her — the  cup 
of  milk  and  the  spoon  presented  to  her  by  the  bride- 
groom's mother — the  arrival  of  the  sages  in  the 
morn — the  reading  of  the  Ketuba — the  night — the 
half  enjoyment — the  old  woman — the  tantahzing 
knock  at  the  door — and  then  the  festival  of  fishes, 
which  concludes  all,  and  leaves  the  jaded  and 
wearied  couple  to  repose  after  a  fortnight  of  perse- 
cution. 

Strange  are  the  marriage  ceremonies  of  the  Jews, 
and  much  there  is  in  them  that  is  incomprehensible, 


EASTERN    JEWS. THEIR    WEDDINGS.  307 

even  to  those  who  can  read  the  book  of  elucidation, 
the  Zohar,  {iucus  a  non  hccndo,)  but  strange  as  they 
are,  they  are  upon  the  whole  less  singular  than  those 
of  the  Gypsies,  solely  from  the  absence  of  two  ob- 
jects which  flutter  about  in  the  bridals  of  the  latter 
— these  are  the  dicle  and  the  cambric  handkerchief. 
The  Jews,  like  the  Gypsies,  not  unfrequently  ruin 
themselves  by  the  riot  and  waste  of  their  marriage 
festivals.    Throughout  the  entire  fortnight,  the  houses, 
both  of  bride  and  bridegroom,  are  flung  open  to  all 
comers  ; — feasting  and  song  occupy  the  day — feast- 
ing and  song  occupy  the  hours  of  the  night,  and  this 
continued  revel  is  only  broken  by  the  ceremonies  of 
which  we  have  endeavoured  to  convey  a  faint  idea. 
In  these  festivals  the  sages  or  ulcjnma  take  a  distin- 
guished part,  doing  their  utmost  to  ruin  the  contract- 
ed parties,  by  the  wonderful  despatch  which  they 
make  of  the  fowls  and  viands,  sweetmeats  andstrong 
waters  provided  for  the  occasion. 

After  marriage  the  Gypsy  females  generally  con- 
tinue faithful  to  their  husbands  through  life  ;  giving 
evidence,  in  one  respect  at  least,  of  the  good  effects 
which  the  exhortations  of  their  mothers  in  early  life, 
and  the  use  of  the  dicle  have  produced.  Of  course 
licentious  females  are  to  be  found  both  amongst  the 
matrons  and  the  unmarried  ;  but  such  instances  are 
rare,  and  must  be  considered  in  the  light  of  excep- 
tions to  a  principle.  The  Gypsy  women,  (I  am 
speaking  of  those  of  Spain,)  as  far  as  corporeal  chas- 
tity goes,  are  very  paragons ;  but  in  other  respects 
— alas  !    an   anecdote  or   two  will  best  depicture 


308  THE    ZINCALI. 

what  ihey  are.     At  the  commencement  of  the  year 
1838,  I  was  visited  in  Madrid  by  a  Gypsy  woman 
from  Cordova — her  husband  had  been  sent  to  the 
Presidio  of  Melilla,  I  think  for  a  robbery  of  mules 
as  usual ;  she  departed  for  Madrid  to  try  what  she 
could  do  to  effect  his  liberation.     The  distance  was 
two  hundred  miles  ;  she  had  two  children  which 
she  brought  with   her  in   paniers   upon  a  donkey. 
Whilst  passing  through  La  Mancha  she  was  met  by 
robbers,  who  took  from  her  the  donkey,  the  greatest 
part  of  her  dress,   and   all  the  money  which  they 
could  find  about  her.     But  this  did  not  satisfy  them, 
and  they  were  proceeding  to  commit  another  crime, 
whereupon  she   fell  on  her  knees,  and  in  a  frantic 
manner  told  them  that  all  kind  of  blessings  should 
await  them  if  they  desisted  ;  but  if,  on  the  contrary^ 
they  committed  the  proposed  violence,  all  the  worst 
curses  which  the   Gypsy  devil  could  hurl  upon  them 
should  be  their  lot ;  and  that  in  less  than  a  month 
they  should  be  carrion  for  the  grajos  (rooks).     She 
added  that  if  they  acceded  to  her  prayer,  she  had 
power  to  reward  them  on  the  spot.     Even  the  des- 
peradoes of  La  Mancha  were  abashed  by  her  man- 
ner, and  not  uninfluenced,  perhaps,  by  her  latter 
words,  vowed  by  the  Virgin  and  Santo  Christo  to 
let   her  alone  ;   whereupon    she    produced    several 
pieces  of  gold  which  she  had  concealed  by  a  Gypsy 
artifice,  and  giving  it  them  she  was  permitted  to 
pass  on.     She  arrived  at  Madrid  with  her  children, 
whom  she  had  been  compelled  to  carry  the  greatest 
part  of  the  way.     Their  state  was  wretched,  haU' 


THE    GITANA    OF    CORDOVA.  309 

Starved  and  naked;  they  procured,  however,  some 
relief  from  the  Gitanos.  Well,  this  faithful  and  ex- 
emplary wife,  this  affectionate  mother,  this  miracle 
of  corporeal  chastity  had  scarcely  recovered  from 
the  fatigue  of  her  journey,  when  she  commenced  ex- 
hibiting the  other  and  worst  side  of  her  character  by 
plying  the  arts  of  the  fortune-teller,  the  shoplifter, 
and  the  procuress.  True  it  is  that  all  the  while  she 
thought  of  nothing  but  to  obtain  a  sufficient  sum  to 
make  up  her  loss,  with  which  she  hoped  to  bribe 
some  notary  public  to  report  favourably  the  case  of 
her  husband.  To  raise  money  she  depended  chiefly 
on  bringing  couples  together  ;  in  other  words,  pur- 
veying for  vice.  She  even  made  her  propositions 
to  myself,  I  will  not  say  with  what  result.  In  the 
same  house,  however,  lived  an  Andalusian  cavalier, 
rich  and  gay,  and  to  him  she  next  resorted  wdth  the 
same  proffers.  Now  the  Gypsy,  though  tawny,  sun- 
burnt, and  ill  dressed,  was  rather  good  looking,  and 
the  Andalusian  was  upon  the  whole  much  taken 
with  her  :  she  told  him  that  if  he  would  employ  her, 
she  would  engage  to  procure  for  him  within  two 
days  any  lady  with  whom  he  might  chance  to  be 
captivated.  The  Andalusian,  however,  soon  gave 
her  to  understand  that  he  liked  no  one  better  than 
herself,  and  that  she  might  easily  earn  any  thing  she 
asked  for.  He  showed  her  two  ounces  of  gold,  a 
far  larger  sum  than  what  she  had  lost  by  the  thieves  ; 
she  at  first  affected  to  consider  him  in' jest,  and  be- 
gan to  enumerate  other  women  far  more  handsome 
than  herself  who  would  be  at  his  disposal ;  but  per- 


810  THE    ZINCALI. 

ceiving  him  growing  too  pressing,  she  suddenly 
struck  him  in  the  face,  and,  with  a  bitter  malediction, 
asked  him  if  he  thought  she  was  one  of  the  Pallias,* 
that  he  ventured  to  hope  he  should  be  able  to  cor- 
rupt her  lacha  ye  trupos,  or  corporeal  chastity. 

At  Granada,  in  the  year  1836,  it  w^as  my  chance 
to  become  acquainted  with  an  individual,  an  Italian, 
who  officiated  as  a  kind  of  valet  de  place.  This 
person  had  received  a  good  education,  and  in  many 
respects  was  a  very  sensible  man  ;  he  was  about 
fifty  years  of  age,  and  had  entered  Spain  with  the 
armies  of  Napoleon ;  his  manners  were  highly  cor- 
rupt, and  instead  of  affording  the  information  ex- 
pected from  a  person  in  his  situation,  he  would  talk 
of  nothing  but  his  *'  bonnes  fortunes."  A  casualty 
induced  us  to  speak  of  the  G3^psy  women,  but  here 
he  shook  his  head,  and  said,  that  he  had  never  ex- 
perienced difficulty  with  any  women  but  the  "  Mal- 
dette  Zingarinelle."  "  They  are  possessed  with  a 
fiend,"  he  added  ;  '*  I  was  acquainted  with  one  at 
Jaen,  she  lived  alone,  her  husband  having  been 
transported  :  she  supported  herself  entirely  by  offici- 
ating as  procuress  for  the  canons  of  the  cathedral ; 
she  was  upwards  of  forty,  but  w^as  nevertheless  a 
*  bella  e  magnifica  Rufiana.'  I  became  enamoured 
of  her,  and  we  were  very  good  friends.  I  soon  pro- 
posed the  matter  to  her  ;  but  she  said  it  could  never, 
never  be.'  '  Why  not,  woman,'  said  I,  '  is  that 
matter  worse  than  to  carry  on  your  present  trade  ?' 
<  You  are  a  fool,  foreigner,'  she  replied,  '  you  know 

*  Women  who  are  not  Gypsies  5  Span'sh  females. 


THE    ITALIAN    AND    THE    GYPSY.  311 

nothing  of  the  ways  of  our  people  :  there  is  a  gulf 
between  us  which  neither  of  us  can  pass.'*  I  saw 
it  was  no  use,  and  said  no  more  on  the  subject." 

Had  this  individual,  who  was  a  confirmed  boaster, 
told  me  of  a  conquest  effected  by  him  over  the  Gita- 
na,  I  should  have  entirely  disbelieved  him,  but  as 
he  detailed  a  defeat  which  he  had  experienced,  I 
placed  implicit  confidence  in  his  words. 

It  were  easy  to  accumulate  examples  of  this  kind, 
but  enough  has  been  said  on  the  subject. 

*  This  unhappy  and  very  wicked  prrson  understood  the  Scriptures  well, 
and  spoke  Latin  admirably.  Instead  of  giving  the  exact  words  of  the 
Git6.na,  he  paraphrased  them  in  a  quotation  from  the  vulgate. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

ATTEMPTS  MADE  TO  PROPAGATE  THE    SCRIPTURE  AMONGST  THEGITANOS. 

THE    INWARD  MONITOR. — THE  ONE-EYED  GITANA. — PEPA    AND    CHI- 

CHARONA. THE    GYPSY    CONGREGATION. 

As  I  did  not  visit  Spain  with  the  express  purpose 
of  labouring  among  the  Gitanos,  nor  indeed  had  them 
at  all  in  view  in  my  visit  to  that  country,  I  could 
only  devote  a  portion  of  my  time,  and  that  a  slight 
one,  in  endeavouring  to  remove  the  extreme  igno- 
rance under  which  they  laboured  with  regard  to  the 
most  common  points  of  rehgion,  and  of  interesting 
the  minds  of  these  strange  people  in  the  subject.  It 
will  be  as  well  to  observe,  at  the  commencement, 
that  I  can  scarcely  flatter  myself  with  having  expe- 
rienced any  success  in  my  endeavours  ;  indeed  I 
never  expected  any,  or  at  least  any  which  I  myself 
could  hope  to  witness  ;  I  knew  too  well  the  nature 
of  the  ground  on  which  I  was  casting  seed  ;  true  it 
is  that  it  may  not  be  lost,  and  that  it  may  even- 
tually spring  up  in  this  or  that  direction,  as  barley 
has  dropped  from  the  cerements  of  a  mummy,  and 
has  sprung  up,  and  displayed  vitality  after  lying 
choked  and  hidden  for  two  thousand  years.  It  is 
not,  however,  my  intention  to  fill  up  this  chapter 


THE    INWARD    MONITOR.  313 

"with  reflection,  entertaining  a  belief  that  a  simple 
narration  of  facts  will  be  far  more  agreeable  and  in- 
structive. 

it  has  been  said,  that  there  is  a  secret  monitor, 
or  conscience,  within  every  heart,  which  immedi- 
ately upbraids  the  individual  on  the  commission  of 
a  crime  ;  this  may  be  true,  but  certainly  the  monitor 
within  the  Gitano  breast  is  a  very  feeble  one,  for 
little  attention  is  ever  paid  to  its  reproofs.  With 
regard  to  conscience,  be  it  permitted  to  observe, 
that  it  varies  much  according  to  climate,  country, 
and  religion  ;  perhaps  nowhere  is  it  so  terrible  and 
strong  as  in  England ;  I  need  not  say  why.  Amongst 
the  English,  I  have  seen  many  individuals  stricken 
low,  and  broken-hearted,  by  the  force  of  conscience  ; 
but  never  amongst  the  Spaniards  or  Italians  ;  and  I 
never  yet  could  observe  that  the  crimes  which  the 
<jitanos  were  daily  and  hourly  committing,  occa- 
sioned them  the  slightest  uneasiness. 

One  important  discovery  I  made  among  them  • 
it   was,  that   no  individual,  however  wicked  and 
hardened,   is   utterly  godless.      Call  it  superstition, 
if  you  will,  still  a  certain  fear  and   reverence  of 
something  sacred  and  supreme  would  hang  about 
them.     I  have  heard  Gitanos  stiffly  deny  the  exist- 
ence of  a  Deity,  and  express  the  utmost  contempt 
for  every  thing  holy ;  yet  they  subsequently  never 
failed  to  contradict  themselves,  by  permitting  some 
expression  to  escape  which  belied  their  assertions, 
and  of  this  I  shall  presently  give  a  remarkable  in- 
stance. 

VOL.  I.  27 


314  THE    ZINCALI. 

I  found  the  women  much  more  disposed  to  listen 
to  any  thing  I  had  to  say  than  the  men,  who  were 
in  general  so  taken  up  with  their  traflBck,  that  they 
could  think  and  talk  of  nothing  else ;  the  women, 
too,  had  more  curiosity,  and  more  intelligence ;  the 
conversational  powers  of  some  of  them  I  found  to 
be  very  great,  and  yet  they  were  destitute  of  the 
slightest  rudiments  of  education,  and  were  thieves 
by  profession.  At  Madrid  I  had  regular  conversa- 
ziones, or,  as  they  are  called  in  Spanish,  tertulias, 
with  these  women,  who  generally  visited  me  twice 
a  week  ;  they  were  perfectly  unreserved  towards 
me  with  respect  to  their  actions  and  practices, 
though  their  behaviour,  when  present,  was  invari- 
ably strictly  proper.  I  have  already  had  cause  to 
mention  Pepa,  the  sibyl,  and  her  daughter-in-law, 
Chicharona;  the  manners  of  the  first  were  some- 
times almost  elegant,  though,  next  to  Aurora,  she 
was  the  most  notorious  she-thug  in  Madrid;  Chicha- 
rona was  good-humoured,  like  most  fat  personages. 
Pepa  had  likewise  two  daughters,  one  of  whom,  a 
very  remarkable  female,  was  called  La  Tuerta, 
from  the  circumstance  of  her  having  but  one  eye, 
and  the  other,  who  was  a  girl  of  about  thirteen,  La 
Casdami,  or  the  scorpion,  from  the  malice  which 
she  occasionally  displayed. 

Pepa  and  Chicharona  were  invariably  my  most 
constant  visitors.  One  day  in  winter  they  arrived 
as  usual ;  the  One-eyed  and  the  Scorpion  following 
behind. 


THE    ONE-EYED.  315 

Myself.—'^  1  am  glad  to  see  you  Pepa  ;  what  have 
you  been  doing  this  morning  i*" 

Pepa, — "I  have  been  telling  baji,  and  Chicharona 
has  been  stealing  a  pastesas  ;  we  have  had  but  little 
success,  and  have  come  to  warm  ourselves  at  the 
brasero.  As  for  the  One-eyed.,  she  is  a  very  slug- 
gard, (holgazana,)  she  will  neither  tell  fortunes  nor 
steal." 

27ie  One-cijcd. — "  Hold  your  peace,  mother  of  the 
Bengues  ;  I  will  steal,  when  I  see  occasion,  but  it 
shall  not  be  a  past(^sas,  and  I  will  hokkawar  (de- 
ceive,) but  it  shall  not  be  by  telling  fortunes.  If  I 
deceive,  it  shall  be  by  horses,  by  jockeying.*  If  I 
steal,  it  shall  be  on  the  road — I'll  rob.  You  know 
already  what  I  am  capable  of,  yet  knowing  that, 
you  would  have  me  tell  fortunes  like  yourself,  or 
steal  like  Chicharona.  Me  dinela  conche  (it  fills 
me  with  fury)  to  be  asked  to  tell  fortunes,  and  the 
next  Busnee  that  talks  to  me  of  bajis  I  will  knock 
all  her  teeth  out." 

The  Scorjnon, — *'  My  sister  is  right ;  I,  too,  would 
sooner  be  a  salteadora  (highwaywoman,)  or  a 
chalana  (she-jockey,)  than  steal  with  the  hands,  or 
tell  bajis." 

Ml/self. — "  You  do  not  mean  to  say,  O  Tuerta, 
that  you  are  a  jockey,  and  that  you  rob  on  the  high- 
way," 

The  One-eyed. — "  I  am  a  chalana,  brother,  and 
many  a  time  I  have  robbed  upon  the  road,  as  all 
our  people  know.     I  dress  myself  as  a  man,  and 

*  For  medio  de  chalanerias. 


316  THE    ZINCALI'. 

go  forth  with  some  of  them.     I  have  robbed  alone^ 
in  the  pass  of  the  Guadarama,  with  my  horse  and 
escopeta.     I  alone  once  robbed  a  cuadrilla  of  twenty 
Gallegos,  who  were  returning  to  their  own  country, 
after  cutting  the  harvests  of  Castile ;    I  stripped 
them  of  their  earnings,   and  could  have  stripped 
them  of  their  very  clothes  had  I  wished,  for  they 
were  down  on  their  knees  like  cowards.     I  love  a 
brave  man,  be  he  Busno  or  Gypsy.     When  I  was 
not  much  older  than  the  Scorpion,  I  went  with  seve- 
ral others  to  rob  the  cortijo  of  an  old  man  ;  it  was 
more  than  twenty  leagues  from  here.     We  broke  in 
at  midnight,  and  bound  the  old  man  :  we  knew  he 
had  money ;  but  he  said  no,  and  would  not  tell  us 
where  it  was  ;  so  we  tortured  him,  pricking  him 
with  our  knives  and  burning  his  hands  over  the 
lamp  ;  all,  however,  would  not  do.     At  last  I  said, 
*  Let  us  tr}'  the  pimientos ;  so  we  took  the  green . 
pepper  husks,  pulled  open  his  eyelids,  and  rubbed 
the  pupils  with  the  green  pepper  fruit.     That  was 
the  worst  pinch  of  all.     Would  you  believe  it  f  the 
old  man  bore  it.     Then  our  people  said,  'Let  us 
kill  him,'  but  I  said,  no,  it  were  a  pity  :  so  we  spared 
him,  though  we  got  nothing.     I  have  loved  that  old 
man  ever  since  for  his  firm  heart,  and  should  have 
wished  him  for  a  husband.'' 

The  Scorpion.^^^  Ojala,  that  I  had  been  in  that 
cortijo,  to  see  such  sport !" 

Myself,—''  Do  you  fear  God,  O  Tuerta  f" 
The  One-eyed, — ?"  Brother,  I  fear  nothing." 
Mtjself, — "  Do  you  believe  in,  God,  O  Tuerta  ?" 


THE    ONE-EYED  317 

The  One-eyed, — "  Brother,  I  do  not ;  I  hate  all 
connected  with  that  name ;  the  whole  is  folly  ;  me 
dinela  conche.  If  I  go  to  church,  it  is  but  to  spit  at 
the  images.  I  spat  at  the  bulto  of  Maria  this  morn- 
ing ;  and  I  love  the  Corojai,  and  the  Londone,*  be- 
cause they  are  not  baptized." 

Mi/se/f. — "You,  of  course,  never  say  a  prayer.*' 

The  One-eyed. — "  No,  no  ;  there  are  three  or  four 

old  words,  taught  me  by  some  old  people,  which  I 

sometimes  say  to  myself;  I  believe  they  have  both 

force  and  virtue." 

Myself. — "  I  would  fain  hear  ;  pray  tell  me  them." 
The  One-eyed. — "  Brother,  they  are  words  not  ta 
be  repeated." 

Myself. — "  Why  not  ?" 

The  One-eyed. — "  They  are  holy  words,  brother." 
Myself — ''  Holy !     You   say  there  is  no  God  ;  if 
there  be  none,  there  can  be  nothing  holy ;  pray  tell 
me  the  words,  O  Tuerta." 

The  One-eyed. — "  Brother,  1  dare  not." 
Myself. — "  Then  you  do  fear  something." 
The  One-eijed. — ''  Not  I" — 

'  Sahoca  Enrecar  Maria  Ereria,'''\ 
and  now  1  wish  I  had  not  said  them." 

Myself — "  You  are  distracted,  O  Tuerta  :  the 
words  say  simply,  'Dwell  within  us,  blessed  Maria.* 
You  have  spitten  on  her  bulto  this  morning  in  the 

*  The  English. 

t  These  words  are  very  ancient,  and  were,  perhaps,  used  by  the  cat- 
Kest  S[)anish  Gypsies  ;  they  diflfer  much  from  the  language  of  the  preseuit 
day,  and  a,t:e  q^nite  unintelligible  to  the  modern  Gitanos.^ 

27* 


318  THE    ZINC  ALL 

church,  and  now  you  are  afraid  lo  repeat  four  words,, 
amongst  which  is  her  name." 

The  One-eyed. — "  I  did  not  understand  them  ;  but 
I  wish  I  had  not  said  them.'' 

•  ••••••••• 

I  repeat,  that  there  is  no  individual,  however  har- 
dened, who  is  utterly  godless. 

The  reader  will  have  already  gathered  from  the 
conversations  reported  in  this  volume,  and  especially 
from  the  last,  that  there  is  a  wide  difference  between 
addressing  Spanish  Gitanos  and  Gitanas  and  Eng- 
lish peasantry:  of  a  certainty  what  will  do  well  for 
the  latter,  is  calculated  to  make  no  impression  on 
these  thievish,  half  wild  people..  Try  them  with 
the  Gospel,  I  hear  some  one  cry,  which  speaks  to 
all :  I  did  try  them  with  the  Gospel,  and  in  their 
own  language.  I  commenced  with  Pepa  and  Chi- 
charona.  Determined  that  they  should  understand 
it,  I  proposed  that  they  themselves  should  translate 
it.  They  could  neither  read  nor  write,  which,  how- 
ever, did  not  disqualify  them  from  being  translators. 
I  had  myself  previously  translated  the  whole  Testa- 
ment into  the  Spanish  Rommany,  but  I  was  desir- 
ous to  circulate  amongst  the  Gitapos,  a  version  con- 
ceived in  the  exact  language  in  which  they  express, 
their  ideas.  The  women  made  no  objection,  they 
were  fond  of  our  tertulias,  and  they  likewise  rec- 
koned on  one  small  glass  of  Malaga  wine,  with 
which  1  invariably  presented  them.  Upon  the  whole,, 
they  conducted  themselves  much  better  than  could 
have/ been  expected.     We  commenced  with  Saint. 


PEPA    AND    CHICHARONA.  319 

Luke  :  they  rendering  into  Rommany  the  sentences 
which  I  delivered  to  them  in  Spanish.  They  pro- 
ceeded as  far  as  the  eighth  chapter,  in  the  middle 
of  which  they  broke  down.  Was  that  to  be  won- 
dered at  ?  The  only  thing  which  astonished  me 
was,  that  1  had  induced  two  such  strange  beings  to 
advance  so  far  in  a  task  so  unwonted,  and  so  entire- 
ly at  variance  with  their  habits,  as  translation. 

These  chapters  I  frequently  read  over  to  them, 
explaining  the  subjiect  in  the  best  manner  I  was  able. 
They  said  it  was  lacho,  and  jucal,  and  misto,  all 
of  which  words  express  approval  of  the  quality  of  a 
thing.  Were  they  improved,  were  their  hearts 
softened  by  these  Scripture  lectures  ?  I  know  not. 
Pepa  committed  a  rather  daring  theft  shortly  after- 
wards, which  compelled  her  to  conceal  herself  for  a 
fortnight ;  it  is  quite  possible,  however,  that  she  may 
remember  the  contents  of  those  chapters  on  her 
death-bed,  if  so,  will  the  attempt  have  been  a  futile 


one : 


I  completed  the  translation,  supplying  deficien- 
cies from,  my  own  version,  begun  at  Badajoz  in  1836. 
This  translation  I  printed  at  Madrid  in  1838  ;  it  was 
the  first  book  which  ever  appeared  in  Rommany, 
and  was  called  "  Embeo  e  Majaro  Lucas,"  or  Gos- 
pel of  Luke  the  Saint.  I  likewise  published,  simul- 
taneously, the  same  Gospel  ia  Basque,  which,  how- 
ever, I  had  no  opportunity  of  circulating. 

The  Gitanos  of  Madrid  purchased  the  G3'psy 
Luke  freely  :  many  of  the  men  understood  it,  and 
prized  it  highly,  induced  of  course  more  by  the  Ian- 


S20  THE    ZINCALI. 

guage  than  the  doctrine ;  the  women  were  particu- 
larly anxious  to  obtain  copies,  though  unable  to  read  ; 
but  each  wished  to  have  one  in  her  pocket,  espe- 
cially when  engaged  in  thieving  expeditions,  for  they 
all  looked  upon  it  in  the  light  of  a  charm,  which 
would  preserve  them  from  all  danger  and  mischance ; 
some  even  went  so  far  as  to  say,  that  in  this  respect 
it  was  equally  efficacious  as  the  Bar  Lachi,  or  load- 
stone, which  they  are  in  general  so  desirous  of  pos- 
sessing. Of  this  Gaspel*  five  hundred  copies  were 
printed,  the  greatest  part  of  which  I  contrived  to 
circulate  amongst  the  Gypsies  in  various  parts ;  I 
cast  the  book  upon  the  waters  and  left  it  to  its 
destiny. 

I  have  counted  seventeen  Gitanas  assembled  at 
one  time  in  my  apartment  in  the  Calle  de  Santiago- 
in  Madrid  ;  for  the  first  quarter  of  an  hour  we 
generally  discoursed  upon  indifferent  matters,  when,, 
by  d'egrees,  I  guided  the  subject  to  religion  and  the 
state  of  souls.  I  finally  became  so  bold  that  I  ven- 
tured to  speak  against  their  inveterate  practices, 
thieving  and  lying,  telling  fortunes,  and  stealing  a 
pastesas ;  this  was  touching  upon  delicate  ground, 
and  I  experienced  much  opposition  and  much  femi- 
nine clamour.      I  persevered,  however,  and    they 

♦  It  was  speedily  prohibited,  together  with  the  Basque  Gospel  ;  by  a 
royal  ordonnance,  however,  which  appeared  in  the  gazette  of  Madrid  in 
August,  1838,  every  public  library  in  the  kingdom  was  empowered  to  pur-> 
chase  two  copies  in  both  languages,  as  the  works  in  question  were  allowed 
to  possess  some  merit  in  a  literary  point  of  vieto.  In  the  Basque  transla- 
tion I  was  assisted  by  an  ingenious. gentleman,  a  native  of  the  province  ofj 
Guipuzcoa, 


THE    GYPSY    CONGREGATION.  221 

^Liially  assented  to  all  I  said,  not  that  I  believe  that 
my  words  made  much  impression  upon  their  hearts* 
In  a  few  months  matters  were  so  far  advanced  that 
they  would  sing  a  hymn  ;  I  wrote  one  expressly  for 
them  in  Rommany,  in  which  their  own  wild  couplets 
were,  to  a  certain  extent,  imitated. 

The  people  of  the  street  in  which  I  lived,  seeing 
such  numbers  of  these  strange  females  continually 
passing  in  and  out,  were  struck  with  astonishment, 
and  demanded  the  reason.  The  answers  which 
they  obtained  by  no  means  satisfied  them.  *'  Zeal  for 
the  conversion  of  souls, — the  souls  too  of  Gitanas, — 
disparate  !  the  fellow  is  a  bribon.  Besides  he  is 
an  Englishman,  and  is  not  baptized  ;  what  cares  he 
for  souls  ?  They  visit  him  for  other  purposes..  He 
makes  base  ounces,  which  they  carry  away  and 
circulate.  Madrid  is  already  stocked  with  false 
money."  Others  were  of  opinion  that  we  met  for 
purposes  of  sorcery  and  abomination.  The  Spa- 
niard has  no  conception  that  other  springs  of  action 
exist  than  interest  or  villany. 

My  little  congregation,  if  such  I  may  call  it,  con- 
sisted entirely  of  women  ;  the  men  seldom  or  never 
visited  me  save  they  stood  in  need  of  something 
which  they  hoped  to  obtain  from  me.  This  cir- 
cumstance I  litde  regretted,  their  manners  and  con- 
versation being  the  reverse  of  interesting.  It  must 
not,  however,  be  supposed  that,  even  with  respect 
to  the  women,  matters  went  on  invariably  in  a 
smooth  and  satisfactory  manner.  The  following 
little  anecdote  will  show  what  slight  dependence 


322  THE    ZINCALI. 

can  be  placed  upon  them,  and  how  disposed  they 
are  at  all  times  to  take  part  in  what  is  grotesque 
and  malicious.  One  day  they  arrived,  attended  by 
a  Gypsy  jockey  whom  I  had  never  previously  seen. 
We  had  scarcely  been  seated  a  minute,  when  this 
fellow,  rising,  took  me  to  the  window,  and  without 
any  preamble  or  circumlocution,  said, — "  Don  Jorge, 
you  shall  lend  me  two  barias"  (ounces  of  gold.) 
"Not  to  your  whole  race,  my  excellent  friend," 
said  I ;  "  are  you  frantic  ?  Sit  down  and  be  dis- 
creet." He  obeyed  me  literally,  sat  down,  and 
when  the  rest  departed,  followed  with  them.  We 
did  not  invariably  meet  at  my  own  house,  but  occa- 
sionally at  one  in  a  street  inhabited  by  Gypsies. 
On  the  appointed  day  I  went  to  this  house,  where  I 
found  the  women  assembled ;  the  jockey  was  also 
present.  On  seeing  me  he  advanced,  again  took 
me  aside,  and  again  said, — "  Don  Jorge,  you  shall 
lend  me  two  barias."  I  made  him  no  answer,  but 
at  once  entered  on  the  subject  which  brought  me 
thither.  I  spoke  for  some  time  in  Spanish  ;  I  chose 
for  the  theme  of  my  discourse  the  situation  of  the 
Hebrews  in  Egypt,  and  pointed  out  its  similarity  to 
that  of  the  Gitanos  in  Spain.  I  spoke  of  the  power 
of  God,  manifested  in  preserving  both  as  separate 
and  distinct  people  amongst  the  nations  until  the 
present  day.  I  warmed  with  my  subject.  I  sub- 
sequently produced  a  manuscript  book,  from  which 
I  read  a  portion  of  Scripture,  and  the  Lord's  Prayer 
and  Apostle's  Creed,  in  Rommany.  When  I  had 
concluded  I  looked  around  nae, 


THE    GYPSY   CONGREGATION.  323 

The  features  of  the  assembly  were  twisted,  and 
the  eyes  of  all  turned  upon  me  with  a  frightful 
squint;  not  an  individual  present  but  squinted,— 
the  genteel  Pepa,  the  good-humoured  Chicharona, 
the  Casdami,  &c.,  &c.,  all  squinted.  The  Gypsy 
fellow,  the  contriver  of  the  burla,  squinted  worst 
of  all.     Such  are  Gypsies. 


END    OF    VOL.    I. 


THE    ZINCALI; 

OR, 

AN      ACCOUNT 

OF   THE 

GYPSIES     OF     SPAIN 

WITH   AN 
ORIGINAL  COLLECTION  OF  THEIR  SONGS  AND  POETRY. 

BY  GEORGE  BORROW, 

Late  Agent  of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society  in  Spain. 


"  For  that  which  is  unclean  by  nature  thou  canst  entertain  no  hope ;  no  washing 
will  turn  the  Gypsey  white." — Ferdousi. 


TWO  VOLUMES  IN  ONE. 


VOLUME    IL 


NEW-YORK: 
WILEY  AND  PUTNAM,  161  BROADWAY. 

1842. 


PRINTED  BY  WILLIAM  OSBORN, 
88  WILLIAM-STRKET, 


THE  ZINCALI, 


OR 


AN  ACCOUNT  OF   THE  GYPSIES  OF   SPAIN. 


PART  III. 


THE    ZINCALI. 


PART  III. 


CHAPTER  L 


THE    POETRY    OF    THE    GITANOS. 


There  is  no  nation  in  the  world,  however  exalted 
or  however  degraded,  but  is  in  possession  of  some 
peculiar  poetry,  by  which  it  expresses  its  peculiar 
ideas  of  religion  or  morality,  depicts  the  manner  of 
life  to  which  it  is  addicted,  or  in  which  it  embodies 
its  traditions,  if  any  it  possess.  If  the  Chinese,  the 
Hindoos,  the  Greeks,  and  the  Persians,  those  splendid 
and  renowned  races,  have  their  moral  lays,  their 
mythologic  epics,  their  tragedies,  and  their  immortal 
love  songs,  so  also  have  the  wild  and  barbarious 
tribes  of  Soudan,  and  the  wandering  Esquimaux, 
their  ditties,  which,  however  insignificant  in  com- 
parison with  the  compositions  of  the  former  nations, 
still  are  entitled  in  every  essential  point  to  the  name 
of  poetry  ;  if  poetry  mean  those  creations  of  the 
mind  in  which  it  seeks  for  solace  and  recreation  from 
the  cares,  distresses,  and  anxieties  to  which  mortality 
is  subject. 

The  Gypsies  too  have  their  poetry.  Of  that  of  the 
Russian  Zigani  we  have  already  said  something, 
and  hope  on  a  future  occasion  to  be  enabled  to  say 

2.8* 


THE    ZINCALI. 


yet  more  ;  for,  though  the  present  work  is  devoted  to 
the  Spanish  Gypsies,  we  are  wiUing  to  confess  that 
they  afford  a  subject  by  no  means  so  extensive  and 
interesting  as  their  brethren  of  Sclavonia,  to  whom 
we  should  assuredly  have  turned  our  attention  in 
preference,  had  position  and  circumstances  brought 
us  so  much  and  so  continually  in  contact  with  them 
as  with  the  Zincali  of  Spain.  It  has  always  been 
our  opinion,  and  we  believe  that  in  this  we  are  by 
no  means  singular,  that  in  nothing  can  the  character 
of  a  people  be  read  with  greater  certainty  and  exact- 
ness than  in  its  songs.  How  truly  do  the  warlike 
ballads  of  the  Northmen  and  the  Danes>  ihehdrapas 
and  Tcampe  visers,  depict  the  character  of  the  Goth  ; 
and  how  equally  do  the  songs  of  the  Arabians,  re- 
plete with  homage  to  the  one  high,  uncreated,  and 
eternal  God,  "  the  fountain  of  blessing,"  "  the  only 
conqueror,"  lay  bare  to  us  the  mind  of  the  Moslem 
of  the  desert,  whose  grand  characteristic  is  religious 
veneration  and  uncompromising  zeal  for  the  glory  of 
the  Creator. 

The  poetry  of  the  Spanish  Gypsies  is,  in  almost 
every  respect,  such  as  might  be  expected  to  origin- 
ate among  people  of  their  class :  a  set  of  Thugs, 
subsisting  by  cheating  and  villany  of  every  descrip- 
tion ;  hating  the  rest  of  the  human  species,  and 
bound  to  each  other  by  the  bands  of  common  origin, 
language,  and  pursuits.  The  themes  of  this  poetry 
are  the  various  incidents  of  Gitanolife — cattle-steal- 
ing, prison  adventures,  assassination,  revenge,  with 
allusions  to  the  peculiar  customs  of  the  race  of  Roma. 


THEIR   POETRY.  7 

Here  we  behold  a  swine  running  down  a  hill,  call- 
ing to  the  Gypsy  to  steal  him,  which  he  will  most 
assuredly  accomplish  by  means  of  his  intoxicating 
drao — a  Gypsy  reclining  sick  on  the  prison  floor,  be- 
seeches his  wife  to  intercede  with  the  alcayde  for 
the  removal  of  the  chain  whose  v/eight  is  bursting 
his  body — the  moon,  arises,  and  two  Gypsies,  who 
are  about  to  steal  a  steed,  perceive  a  Spaniard  and 
instantly  flee.  Sometimes  expressions  of  wild  power 
and  romantic  interest  occur.  The  swarthy  lover 
threatens  to  slay  his  betrothed,  even  a?^  the  feet  of 
Jesus  should  she  prove  unfaithful.  And  another 
hopes  to  bear  away  a  beauty  of  Spanish  race,  by  the 
magic  sound  of  a  word  of  Rommany  whispered  in 
her  ear  at  the  window. 

Amongst  these  effusions  are  even  to  be  found  ten- 
der and  beautiful  thoughts  ;  for  Thugs  and  Gitanos 
have  their  moments  of  gentleness.  True  it  is  that 
such  are  few  and  far  between,  as  a  flower  or  a  shrub 
are  here  and  there  seen  springing  up  from  the  inter- 
stices of  the  rugged  and  frightful  rocks  of  which  the 
Spanish  sierras  are  composed  :  a  wicked  mother  is 
afraid  to  pray  to  the  Lord  with  her  own  lips,  and 
calls  on  her  innocent  babe  to  beseech  him  to  restore 
peace  and  comfort  to  her  heart — an  imprisoned  youth 
appears  to  have  no  earthly  friend  on  whom  he  can 
rely,  save  his  sister,  and  wishes  for  a  messenger  to 
carry  unto  her  the  tale  of  his  sufferings,  confident 
that  she  would  hasten  at  once  to  his  assistance. 
And  what  can  be  more  touching  than  the  speech  of 


8  THE    ZINCALI. 

the  relenting  lover  to  the  fair  one  whom  he  has 
outraged  ? 

"  Extend  to  me  the  hand  so  small, 
Wherein  I  see  thee  weep, 
For  O  thy  balmy  tear-drops  all 
I  would  collect  and  keep  !" 

This  Gypsy  poetry  consists  of  quartets  or  rather 
couplets,  but  two  rhymes  being  discernible  and  those 
generally  imperfect,  the  vowels  alone  agreeing  in 
sound.  Occasionally,  however,  sixains  or  stanzas 
of  six  lines,  are  to  be  found,  but  this  is  of  rare  oc- 
currence. The  thought,  anecdote  or  adventure  de- 
scribed, is  seldom  carried  beyond  one  stanza,  in 
which  every  thing  is  expressed  which  the  poet 
wishes  to  impart.  This  feature  will  appear  singular 
to  those  who  are  unacquainted  with  the  character  of 
the  popular  poetry  of  the  south,  and  are  accustomed 
to  the  redundancy  and  frequently  tedious  repetition 
of  a  more  polished  muse.  It  will  be  well  to  inform 
such  that  the  greatest  part  of  the  poetry  sung  in  the 
south,  and  especially  in  Spain,  is  extemporary.  The 
musican  composes  it  at  the  stretch  of  his  voice, 
whilst  his  fingers  are  tugging  at  the  guitar ;  which 
style  of  composition  is  by  no  means  favourable  to  a 
long  and  connected  series  of  thought.  Of  course, 
the  greatest  part  of  this  species  of  poetry  perishes 
as  soon  as  born.  A  stanza,  however,  is  sometimes 
caught  up  by  the  by-standers,  and  committed  to  me- 
mory ;  and,  being  frequently  repeated,  makes  in 
time,  the  circuit  of  the  country.  For  example,  the 
stanza  about  Coruncho  Lopez,  which  was  originally 


THEIR   POETRY.  ^ 

made  at  the  gate  of  a  venta  by  a  Miquelet,*  who 
was  conducting  the  said  Lopez  to  the  galleys  for  a 
robbery.  It  is  at  present  sung  through  the  whole  of 
the  peninsula,  however  insignificant  it  may  sound  to 
foreign  ears : — 

"  Coruncho  Lopez,  gallant  lad, 

A  smuggling  he  would  ride ; 
He  stole  his  father's  ambling  prad, 
And  therefore  to  the  galleys  sad 

Coruncho  now  I  guide." 

The  couplets  of  the  Gitanos  are  composed  in  the 
same  ofF-hand   manner,  and   exactly  resemble  in 
metre  the   popular   ditties  of  the  Spaniards.      In 
spirit,  however,  as  well  as  language,  they  are  in 
general  widely  different,  as  they  mostly  relate  to 
the  Gypsies  and  their  affairs,  and  not  unfrequently 
abound   with  abuse   of  the  Busne   or   Spaniards. 
Many  of  these  creations  have,  like  the  stanza  of 
Coruncho  Lopez,  been  wafted  over  Spain  amongst 
the  Gypsy  tribes,  and  are  even  frequently  repeated 
by  the  Spaniards  themselves  ;  at  least,  by  those 
who  affect  to  imitate  the  phraseology  of  the  Gitanos. 
Those  which  appear  in  the  present  collection,  con- 
sist partly  of  such  couplets,  and  partly  of  such  as 
we  have  ourselves  taken  down,   as  soon  as  they 
originated,  not  unfrequently  in  the  midst  of  a  circle 
of  these  singular  people,   dancing  and  singing  to 
their  wild  music.     In  no  instance  have  they  been 

*  A  species  of  gendarme  or  armed  policeman.  The  Miquelets  have 
existed  in  Spain  for  upwards  of  two  hundred  years.  They  are  called  Mi- 
quelets, from  the  name  of  their  original  leader.  They  are  generally 
Axagonese  by  nation,  and  reclaimed  robbers. 


10  THE    ZINCALI. 

subjected  to  modification  ;  and  the  English  transla- 
tion is,  in  general,  very  faithful  to  the  original,  as 
will  easily  be  perceived  by  referring  to  the  lexicon. 
To  those  who  may  feel  disposed  to  find  fault  with 
or  criticize  these  songs,  we  have  to  observe,  that  the 
present  work  has  been  written  with  no  other  view 
than  to  depict  the  Gitanos  such  as  they  are,  and  to 
illustrate  their  character  ;  and,  on  that  account,  we 
have  endeavoured,  as  much  as  possible,  to  bring 
them  before  the  reader,  and  to  make  them  speak 
for  ^themselves.  They  are  a  half  civilized,  unlet- 
tered people,  proverbial  for  a  species  of  knavish 
acuteness,  which  serves  them  in  lieu  of  wisdom. 
To  place  in  the  mouth  of  such  beings  the  high-flown 
sentiments  of  modern  poetry  would  not  answer  our 
purpose,  though  several  authors  have  not  shrunk 
from  such  an  absurdity. 

These  couplets  have  been  collected  in  Estrema- 
dura  and  New  Castile,  in  Valencia  and  Andalusia ; 
the  four  provinces  where  the  Gitano  race  most 
abounds.  We  wish,  however,  to  remark,  that  they 
constitute  scarcely  a  tenth  part  of  our  original  glean- 
ings, from  which  we  have  selected  one  hundred  of 
the  most  remarkable  and  interesting. 

The  language  of  the  originals  will  convey  an 
exact  idea  of  the  Rommany  of  Spain,  as  used  at 
the  present  day  amongst  the  Gitanos  in  the  fairs, 
when  they  are  buying  and  selUng  animals,  and 
wish  to  converse  with  each  other  in  a  way  unin- 
telligible to  the  Spaniards.  We  are  free  to  confess 
that  it  is  a  mere  broken  jargon,  but  it  answers  the 


THEIR   POETRY.  11 

purpose  of  those  who  use  it ;  and  it  is  but  just  to 
remark  that  many  of  its  elements  are  of  the  most 
remote  antiquity,  and  the  most  illustrious  descent, 
as  will  be  shown  hereafter.  We  have  uniformly 
placed  the  original  by  the  side  of  the  translation  ; 
for  though  unwilling  to  make  the  Gitanos  speak  in 
any  other  manner  than  they  are  accustomed,  we  are 
equally  averse  to  have  it  supposed  that  many  of  the 
thoughts  and  expressions  which  occur  in  these  songs, 
and  which  are  highly  objectionable,  originated  with 
ourselves. 


POESIAS  DE  LOS  GITANOS. 


r. 


Me  ligueron  al  vero, 

Por  medio  de  una  estaripel, 

Le  penelo  a  mi  romi, 

Que  la  mequelo  con  mi  chabore. 


II. 


Abillelo  del  vero, 
Dique  a  mi  chabori, 
He  penado  a  mi  romi : 
lo  me  cbalo  de  aqui. 

III. 

Cuando  me  blejelo  en  mi  gra, 

Mi  cbabori  al  atras, 

Ustilelo  io  la  pusca,  jj 

Empiezan  daranar.  " 

IV. 

Manguela  cbabori, 
Si  estas  en  gracia  de  Undebel, 
Que  me  saiga  araquerarme, 
Descanso  a  mi  suncue. 

V. 

El  cbuquel  de  Juanito 
Bien  puede  cbalar  con  cuidao, 
Que  los  Cales  de  Lleira 
Le  quieren  dinar  un  pucazo. 


RHYMES  OF  THE  GITANOS. 


1. 


Unto  a  refuge  me  they  led, 
To  save  from  dungeon  drear; 

Then  sighing  to  my  wife  I  said : 
I  leave  my  baby  dear. 


II. 


Back  from  the  refuge  soon  I  sped, 
My  child's  sweet  face  to  see ; 

Then  sternly  to  my  wife  I  said, 
You've  seen  the  last  of  me. 


III. 


O  when  I  sit  my  courser  bold, 
My  bantling  in  my  rear, 

And  in  my  hand  my  musket  hold, 
O  how  they  quake  with  fear. 


IV. 


Pray  little  baby,  pray  the  Lord, 
Since  guiltless  still  thou  art, 

That  peace  and  comfort  he  afford 
To  this  poor  troubled  heart. 


V. 


The  false  Juanito,  day  and  night* 
Had  best  with  caution  go, 

The  Grypsy  carles  of  Yeira  height, 
Have  sworn  to  lay  him  low. 

VOL.    II.  2 


14  THE    ZINCALI. 

VI. 

Nueve  bejis  hace  hoy 
Que  clialaste  de  mi  quer, 
Abillar  a  Santo  Christo, 
A  difiarle  cuenta  a  Undebel. 

VII. 

Mai  fin  terele  el  Crallis, 
Que  lo  caquero, 
Ligueru  a  mi  batus  y  min  dai, 
y  me  mequelo. 

VIII. 

Sinaron  en  una  bal 
Unos  pocO"  de  randes, 
Con  las  puscas  en  las  pates, 
Pa  marar  a  Undebel. 

IX. 

Por  aquel  luchipen  abajo, 
Abillela  un  balicboro, 
Abillela  ix  goli  goli : 
Ustilame  Caloro. 


El  gate  de  mi  trupo, 
No  se  muchobela  en  pani, 
Se  muchobela  con  la  rati, 
De  Juanito  Rali. 

XI. 

He  costunado  en  mi  gra. 
Con  Juanito  Rali, 
Al  sicobar  por  Fulicha, 
Un  pucazo  io  le  di. 

xti. 

Al  pinr^  de  Jezunvais 
Me  abillelo  matarar 
La  gachi  que  llo  camelo. 
Si  abillela  nansala. 


RHYMES.  15 

VI. 

Nine  years  are  past  since  this  abode 

Thou  left'st  to  grief  a  prey, 
And  took'st  to  Christ  the  heavenward  road, 

To  him  account  to  pay. 

VII. 

Upon  the  king  may  evils  pour, 

Such  ills  from  him  I've  borne, 
From  me  my  parents  lov'd  he  tore, 

I  now  am  left  forlorn. 

VIII. 

Within  a  garden  rav'd  and  yell'd 

A  desperate  robber  horde, 
And  in  their  hands  they  muskets  held, 

To  shoot  their  God  and  Lord. 

IX. 

There  runs  a  swine  down  yonder  hill, 

As  fast  as  e'er  he  can. 
And  as  he  runs  he  crieth  still. 

Come  steal  me,  Gypsy  man. 

X. 

I  wash'd  not  in  the  limpid  flood. 
The  shirt  which  binds  my  frame ; 

But  in  Juanito  Ralli's  blood, 
I  bravely  wash'd  the  same. 

XI. 

I  sallied  forth  upon  my  gray. 

With  him  my  hated  foe, 
And  when  we  reach'd  the  narrow  way, 

I  dealt  a  dagger  blow. 

XII. 

To  blessed  Jesus'  holy  feet, 

I'd  rush  to  kill  and  slay 
My  plighted  lass  so  fair  and  sweet, 

Should  she  the  wanton  play. 


16  THE    ZINCALI. 

XIII. 

Cuando  paso  por  I'ulicha, 
Yebo  el  estaehe  blejo, 
Para  que  no  penele  tun  dai 
De  que  camelo  io. 

XIV. 

No  te  chibele  beldolaia, 
A  recogerte  una  fremi; 
Quo  no  es  el  julia  mas  rico, 
Ni  la  bal  mas  baii. 

XV. 

He  mangado  la  pani, 

No  ine  la  camelaron  dinar; 

He  cbalado  a  la  ulicba, 

Y  me  he  chibado  a  dustilar. 

XVI. 

He  mangado  una  poca  yaque, 
No  me  la  camelaron  dinar, 
El  gate  de  mi  trupo, 
Si  io  les  camelare  dinar. 

XVII. 

Najeila  Pepe  Conde, 
Que  te  abillelan  a  marar, 
Abillelan  cuatro  jundunares, 
Con  ]a  bayoneta  cala'. 

XVIII. 

El  Bengue  de  Manga  verde, 
Nunca  camela  dinar, 
Que  la  ley  de  los  Cales 
La  camela  nicabar. 

XIX. 

Chalando  por  una  ulicha 
He  dica'o  una  mulati, 

Y  a  mi  me  araquero  : 
Garabelate  Calori. 


RHYMES.  17 

XIII. 

I  slouch  my  beaver  o'er  my  brow, 

As  down  the  street  I  rove, 
For  fear  thy  mother  keen  should  know 

That  I  her  daughter  love. 

XIV. 

The  purslain  weed  thou  must  not  sow, 

If  thou  wouldst  fruit  obtain, 
As  poor  would  be  the  garden's  show, 

As  would  the  gardener's  gain. 

XV. 

I  for  a  cup  of  water  cried, 

But  they  refus'd  my  pray'r  ; 
Then  straight  into  the  road  I  hied, 

And  fell  to  robbinof  there. 


o 


XVI. 

I  ask'd  for  fire  to  warm  my  frame. 
But  they'd  have  scorn'd  my  pray'r, 

If  I,  to  pay  them  for  the  same. 
Had  stripp'd  my  body  bare. 

XVII. 

Fly  Pepe  Conde,  seek  the  hill, 

To  flee's  thy  only  chance, 
With  bayonets  fix'd  thy  blood  to  spill, 

See  soldiers  four  advance. 

XVIII. 

The  Gypsy  fiend  of  Manga  mead. 

Who  never  gave  a  straw. 
He  would  destroy,  for  very  greed, 

The  good  Egyptian  law. 

XIX. 

I  walk'd  the  street,  and  there  I  spied 

A  goodly  gallows-tree, 
And  in  my  ear  methought  it  cried  i 
Gypsy,  beware  of  me. 
2* 


If  THE    ZINCALI. 

XX. 

He  chalado  a  la  cangri, 
A  araquerar  con  Undebel, 
Al  tiempo  de  sicobarme, 
Alache  pansche  cliules. 

XXI. 

lo  me  cbale  a  mi  quer, 
En  buscar  de  mi  romi, 
La  topisare  orobando, 
Por  medio  de  mi  cbabori. 

XXII. 

Me  cbalo  por  una  rochime, 
A  buscarme  mi  bien  senal ; 
Me  tope  con  Undebel, 

Y  me  peno  :  Aonde  chalas  ? 

XXIII. 

Abillaron  a  un  gao 
Unos  poco  de  Cales, 
Con  la  cbaboeia  orobando, 
Porque  no  terelaban  lo  hates, 
Pa  difiarles  que  jaraar, 

Y  maraban  Undebel. 

XXIV. 

El  crallis  en  su  trono, 
Me  mando  araquerar ; 
Como,  aromali,  me  camelaba, 
Ahora  su  real  me  beta. 

XXV. 

He  cbalado  por  un  dru, 
He  dicado  una  rand^, 
A  las  goles  que  difiaba, 
He  pejado  Undebel. 

XXVI. 

El  crallis  anda  najando, 
Que  lo  camelo  marar; 
Ha  ampenado  las  chabes, 
Que  no  los  tenga  dustilar. 


RHYMES.  19 

XX. 

The  church  I  enter'd,  thither  bound 

With  God  discourse  to  hold, 
And  when  I  left  it,  lo,  1  found 

A  prize — five  crowns  of  gold. 

XXI. 

I  bounded  through  my  cottage  door, 

My  partner  to  embrace, 
And  lo,  1  found  her  weeping  o'er 

My  dying  infant's  face. 

XXII. 

I  spurr'd  my  courser  o'er  the  ford, 

Afar  my  luck  I'd  try, 
Encounter'd  me  my  God  and  Lord, 

And  said,  where  dost  thou  hie  1 

xxiir. 

There  came  adown  the  village  street, 

With  little  babes  that  cry. 
Because  they  have  no  crust  to  eat, 

A  Gypsy  company; 
And  as  no  charity  they  meet, 

They  curse  the  Lord  on  high. 

XXIV. 

I  spoke,  'twas  at  the  king's  command, 

And  as  I  spoke  he  smil'd 
Benign,  and  now,  by  all  the  land, 

Your  Highness  I  am  styl'd. 

XXV. 

Along  the  pathway  as  I  trod, 

A  beggar  met  my  eye. 
And  at  her  cries  the  Almighty  God 

Descended  from  the  sky. 

XXVI. 

The  king  in  fear  before  me  runs, 

Because  I  him  would  slay. 
He  bears  with  him  his  little  ones, 

Lest  hands  on  them  I  lay. 


20  THE    ZINCALI. 

XXVII. 

El  erajai  de  Villa  Franca 
Ha  mandiserado  araquerar, 
Que  la  ley  de  los  Cales, 
La  camela  nicabar. 

XXVIII. 

Abillela  el  erajai 
Por  el  dru  de  Zabuncha, 
El  chororo  de  Facuudo 
Ha  comenzado  najar. 

XXIX. 

Me  chalo  de  mi  quer, 
En  I'ulicha  m'ustilaron ; 
Ampenado  de  los  Busn^s, 
Este  Calo  ha  sinado. 

XXX. 

Me  sicobaron  del  estaripel, 
Me  ligu^ron  al  libano  ; 
Ampenado  de  los  Busn^s 
Esto  Calo  no  ha  sinado. 

XXXI. 

Toda  la  erachi  pirando 
Emposuno,  emposuno, 
Con  las  acais  pincherando 
Para  dicar  el  Busno 
Que  le  dinele  con  el  chulo. 

xxxir. 

No  hay  quien  liguerele  las  nuevas 

A  la  chabori  de  min  dai, 

Que  en  el  triste  del  veo 

Me  sinelan  nicabando  la  metep^  1 

XXXIII. 

Sinamos  jatanes  y  les  peno 
Que  se  sicobelen  por  abri, 
Que  camelo  araquerar 
Con  esta  romi. 


RHYMES.  21 

XXVII. 

The  priest  of  Villa  Franca  bold 

Proclaimeth  far  and  wide, 
That  he  the  law  which  Gypsies  hold 

Is  bent  to  set  aside. 

xxvin. 

And  see  adown  the  road  doth  prance 

The  priest  in  full  array, 
In  fear  before  his  countenance 

Facundo  runs  away. 

XXIX. 

I  left  my  house  and  walk'd  about, 
They  seized  me  fast  and  bound ; 

It  is  a  Gypsy  thief,  they  shout, 
The  Spaniards  here  have  found. 

XXX. 

From  out  the  prison  me  they  led, 
Before  the  scribe  they  brought ; 

It  is  no  Gypsy  thief,  he  said, 

The  Spaniards  here  have  caught. 

XXXI. 

Throughout  the  night,  the  dusky  night, 

I  prowl  in  silence  round, 
And  with  my  eyes  look  left  and  right, 

For  him,  the  Spanish  hound. 
That  with  my  knife  I  him  may  smite, 

And  to  the  vitals  wound. 

xxxir. 

Will  no  one  to  the  sister  bear 

News  of  her  brother's  plight, 
How  in  this  cell  of  dark  despair, 

To  cruel  death  he's  dight. 

xxxiii. 
We  all  are  met,  a  sign  I  make. 

That  they  abroad  should  steal. 
For  to  this  maid  my  mind  to  break, 

So  sore  inclin'd  1  feel. 


22  THE    ZINCALI. 

XXXIV. 

Me  ha  penado  que  gustisaraba 
Un  estache  de  Laloro  ; 
'L.aver  chibes  por  la  tasala 
Chalo  a  la  tienda  y  lo  q^uirio. 

XXXV. 

Le  sacaron  a  mulabar 
Entre  cuatro  jundunares; 
Ha  penado  la  Crallisa 
Que  no  marela  a  nadie. 

XXXVI. 

Por  la  ulicha  van  beando 
Vasos  finos  de  cristal  ; 
Dai  merca  mangue  uno, 
Que  lo  camelo  estrenar. 

XXXVII. 

No  camelo  romi 
Que  camela  chinoro  ; 
Ciialo  por  las  cachimanis 
Beando  el  peuacoro. 

XXXVIII. 

Undebel  de  chinoro 
Se  guillo  con  los  Cales ; 
Y  sinelando  el  varo 
Le  mataron  los  gaches. 

XXXIX. 

No  cameles  a  gaches 
Por  mucho  que  se  aromanen, 
Que  al  fin  ila  por  partida 
Te  reverdisce  la  rati. 

XL. 

Dela  estaripel  me  sicobelaron 

Blejo  un  gel ; 

Por  toda  la  polvorosa 

Me  zuran  el  barandel. 


RHYMES.  23 

XXXIV. 

She  told  me  she  would  gladly  wear 

A  hat  of  Portuo^al  ; 
To-morrow's  morn  'twill  be  my  care 

To  buy  one  at  the  stall. 

XXXV. 

The  youth  to  execution  went, 

Held  fast  by  soldiers'  hands  ; 
The  queen  proclaimed  him  innocent; 

And  freed  him  from  his  bands. 

XXXVI. 

Within  the  street  they're  selling,  see, 

Vases  of  crvstal  fine  ; 
Dear  mother,  purchase  one  for  me=— 

I'll  fill  it  up  with  wine. 

XXXVII. 

I  hate  a  wife  who  sits  at  home 

A-fondling  aye  her  child  ; 
Unto  the  brandy  shops  I  roam, 

And  drink  till  1  am  wild. 

XXXVIII. 

The  Lord,  as  e'en  the  Gentiles  state, 

By  Egypt's  race  was  bred, 
And  when  he  came  to  man's  estate, 

His  blood  the  Gentiles  shed. 

XXXIX. 

O  never  with  the  Gentiles  wend, 

Nor  deem  their  speeches  true  \ 
Or  else,  be  certain,  in  the  end, 

Thy  blood  wilMose  its  hue, 

XL. 

From  out  the  prison  me  they  bore, 

Upon  an  ass  they  plac'd. 
And  scourg'd  me  till  I  dripp'd  with  gore, 

As  down  the  road  it  pac'd. 


24  THE    ZINCALI. 

XL  I. 

Me  sicobelan  dela  estaripel 
Me  ]iQ:ueron  al  veto 
Ustilada  una  pusca 
Un  puscazo  les  dino. 

XLir. 

He  abillado  de  Madrilati 
Con  mucha  pena  y  dolor, 
Porque  ha  penado  el  Crallis : 
Marad  a  ese  Calo. 

XLIII. 

Ya  estan  los  Cales  balbales 
Cada  uno  en  sus  queres, 
Y  tosares  los  pobrecitos 
Los  llevan  al  jurepe. 

XLIV. 

La  puri  de  min  dai 
La  curaron  los  randes, 
Al  abillar  a  la  Meligrana 
Pa  manguelarme  metepe. 

XLV. 

Que  el  encarcelamiento  de  Undebel 
No  causo  tanto  dolor, 
Cuando  se  guillaba  La  Majari 
Atras  de  su  Chaboro. 

XLVI. 

Sinaron  en  un  paluno 
Unos  poco  de  Cales  ; 
Se  ban  sicobado  najando 
Por  medio  del  baraie. 

XLVII. 

Empunandome  '1  estache 
La  plata  para  salir, 
Me  curelan  los  solares — 
Uslile  la  churi. 


RHYMES.  25 

XLI. 

They  bore  me  from  the  prison  nook, 

They  bade  me  rove  at  large ; 
When  out  I'd  come  a  gun  I  took, 

And  scathed  them  with  its  charge. 

XLII. 

From  out  Madrid  1  wretch  have  fled 

With  many  a  tear  and  sigh, 
Because  the  cruel  king  has  said — 

This  Gypsy  he  shall  die. 

XLIII. 

Within  his  dwelling  sits  at  ease 

Each  wealthy  Gypsy  churl, 
While  all  the  needy  ones  they  seize 

And  into  prison  hurl. 

XLIV. 

My  mother,  ag'd,  afflicted  dame. 

By  thieves  beset  was  she, 
To  high  Granada  as  she  came 

From  bondage  me  to  free. 

XLV. 

For  oh  !  the  imprisonment  of  God 

Awak'd  not  grief  more  wild 
In  blessed  Mary  as  she  trod 

Behind  her  heavenly  child. 

XL  VI. 

Of  Gypsy  folk  a  scanty  few 

Into  the  wood  had  stray'd, 
But  out  in  hurry  soon  they  fleW 

Before  the  fierce  alcayde. 

XLVII. 

My  hat  and  mantle  on  I  cast. 

To  sally  forth  I  thought, 
Then  by  the  greaves  they  seiz'd  me  fast, 

And  I  my  dagger  caught. 
roL.  I.  3 


26  THE    ZINCALI. 

XLVIII. 

Me  costuTie  la  cbori 
Para  chalar  a  Laloro, 
Al  nacar  de  la  pani 
Abillo  obusno, 

Y  el  chuquel  a  largo  me  chibo. 

XLIX. 

Empefiete  romi 

Con  el  carcelero, 

Que  me  nicobele  este  gran  sase, 

Porque  me  merelo. 

L. 

Tositos  los  correos 
Te  diuelan  recado, 

Y  tu  me  tenelas  en  el  rinconcillo 
De  los  olvidados. 

LI. 

Si  min  dai  abillara 
A  dicar  a  su  men, 
lo  le  penara  que  fudra 
Con  Dios  Undebel. 

LII. 

Me  ardiiielo  a  la  muralla 

Y  le  penelo  al  jil, 

Que  me  querelaron  un  tumbacillo 
De  acero  y  de  marfil. 

LIII. 

Ducas  tenela  min  dai 
Ducas  tenelo  yo, 
Las  de  min  dai  io  siento 
Las  de  mangue  no. 

LIV. 

Si  pasaras  por  la  cangri 
Trin  berjis  despues  de  mi  mular, 
Si  ataqueras  por  min  nao 
Respondiera  mi  cocal. 


RHYMES.  27 

XLVIII. 

My  mule  so  bonny  I  bestrode, 

To  Portugal  I'd  flee, 
And  as  1  o'er  the  water  rode 

A  man  came  suddenly  ; 
And  he  his  love  and  kindness  showed 

By  setting  his  dog  on  me. 

XLIX. 

O  wife,  beseech  the  prison  lord 

That  he  this  chain  remove, 
For  I  shall  perish  overpower'd 

Unless  he  clement  prove. 

L. 

Each  post  that  leaves  the  village  gate 

My  message  forth  doth  bear, 
But  still  forgotten  here  I  wait, 

And  wither  and  despair. 

LI. 

Sir  Cavalier,  ray  mother  dear 

Must  come  and  visit  you, 
That  mother  dear,  Sir  Cavalier, 

The  face  of  Grod  may  view. 

LII. 

I'll  climb  the  wall  which  to  were  th  there, 

And  to  the  winds  I'll  cry; 
They've  built  for  me  a  tomb  so  fair 

Of  steel  and  ivory. 

LIII. 

My  mother  has  of  griefs  a  store, 

And  I  have  got  my  own  ; 
Full  keen  and  sore  I  hers  deplore. 

But  ne'er  for  mine  I  moan. 

LIV. 

When  I  in  grave  three  years  have  lain, 

If  thou  shouldst  pass  thereby, 
And  but  to  breathe  my  name  shouldst  deign, 

My  dead  bones  would  reply. 


28  THE    ZINCALI* 

LV. 

lo  no  tenelo  batu 

Ni  dai  tampoco, 

lo  tenelo  un  planelillo, 

Y  le  llaman  el  loco. 

LVI. 

Si  tu  te  romandifiaras 

Y  io  lo  supiera, 

lo  vestiria  todo  min  trupos 
De  bayeta  negra. 

LVII. 

Si  io  no  t*endicara 

En  una  semana — 

Como  aromali  Flamenca  de  Roma 

Me  rincondenara. 

LVIIl. 

Flamenca  de  Roma 
Si  tu  sinaras  mia, 
Te  metiera  entre  viere 
Por  sari  la  vida. 

LIX. 

Difiame  el  pate 

Por  donde  orobaste, 

A  recoger  la  pani  delas  acais 

Que  tu  derramaste. 

LX. 

El  gate  de  mi  trupo 
No  se  muchobela  en  pani, 
Se  muchobela  con  la  rati 
Que  ha  chibado  mi  romi. 

LXI. 

No  sinela  su  men  min  dai 
La  que  me  chiiido, 
Que  sinando  io  chinorillo 
Se  liguero  y  me  meco. 


I 


RHYMES.  29 

LV. 

Sire  nor  mother  me  caress, 

For  I  have  none  on  earth ; 
One  little  brother  I  possess, 

And  he's  a  fool  by  birth. 

LYI. 

If  thou  another  man  shouldst  wed, 

And  1  the  same  should  know, 
In  mourning  clad,  from  foot  to  head, 

For  ever  I  would  go. 

LVII. 

Unless  within  a  fortnight's  space 

Thy  face,  O  maid,  1  see, 
Flamenca  of  Egyptian  race 

My  lady  love  shall  be. 

LVIII. 

Flamenca  of  Egyptian  race, 

If  thou  wert  only  mine. 
Within  a  bonny  crystal  case 

For  life  I'd  thee  enshrine. 

LIX. 

Extend  to  me  the  hand  so  small, 

Wherein  I  see  thee  weep. 
For  O  thy  balmy  tear-drops  all 

I  would  collect  and  keep. 

LX, 

I  wash'd  not  in  the  limpid  flood 

The  goodly  shirt  I  bear, 
I  wash'd  it  in  the  streaming  blood 

Of  my  betrothed  fair. 

LXI. 

Thou'rt  not,  sweet  dame  who  smil'st  so  mild, 

The  mother  me  who  bore, 
She  left  me  whilst  a  little  child. 

And  fled  and  came  no  more. 

3# 


30  THE    ZTNCALI. 

LXII. 

Tosarias  las  man  an  as 
Clue  io  me  ardinelo, 
Con  la  pani  de  mis  acais 
La  chichi  me  muchobelo. 

LXIII. 

Tu  patii  y  tun  dai 
Me  publican  cliinga, 
Como  la  rachi  mu  chalemos 
Afuera  d'este  gau. 

LXIV. 

Abillelate  a  la  dicani, 
Que  io  voy  te  penelar 
Una  buchi  en  Calo, 
Y  despues  te  liguerar. 

LXV. 

Unas  acais  callardias 

Me  ban  vencido, 

Como  aromali  no  me  vencen  otras 

De  cayque  nacido. 

Lxvr. 

Como  camelas  que  te  mequele 
Si  en  su  men  tuve  una  chabori, 
Que  cada  vez  que  abillelo 
Le  penara  en  Germani. 

Lxvir. 

Undebel  me  ha  castigado 
Con  esa  romi  tan  fea, 
Que  nastisarelo  liguerarla 
Adonde  los  busne  la  vean. 

Lxviir. 

Esta  rachi  no  abillelan 
Dai  los  Cales  ; 
Es  senal  que  ban  chalado 
A  los  durotunes. 


RHYMES.  31 

LXII. 

Each  morning  when  from  bed  I  rise, 

'Tis  then  I  lave  my  face 
With  tears,  which  from  my  wretched  eyes 

Begin  to  flow  apace. 

LXIII. 

Thy  sire  and  mother  wrath  and  hate 

Have  vow'd  against  me,  love  ! 
The  first,  first  night  that  from  the  gate 

We  two  together  rove. 

LXIV. 

Come  to  the  window,  sweet  love,  do, 

And  I  will  whisper  there. 
In  Rommany,  a  word  or  two, 
And  thee  far  off  will  bear. 

LXV. 

A  Gypsy  stripling's  sparkling  eye 

Has  pierced  my  bosom's  core  ; 
A  feat  no  eye  beneath  the  sky 

Could  e'er  effect  before. 

LXVI. 

Dost  bid  me  from  the  land  begone, 

And  thou  with  child  by  me  *? 
Each  time  I  come,  the  little  one 

I'll  greet  in  Rommany. 

LXVII. 

With  such  an  ugly,  loathly  wife 

The  Lord  has  punish'd  me, 
I  dare  not  take  her  for  my  life 

Where'er  the  Spaniards  be. 

LXVIII. 

This  night  abroad  the  Gypsies  stay, 

O  mother,  that's  a  sign 
They've  to  the  shepherds  ta'en  their  way, 

To  steal  the  lambkins  fine. 


32  THE    ZINCALI. 

LXIX. 

Un  chibe  los  Cales 

Han  gastado  olibeas  de  seda, 

Y  acana  por  sus  desgracias 
Gasten  saces  con  cadenas. 

LXX. 

Esta  gran  duca 

Ha  ardifielado  al  cielo, 

Que  Undebel  de  los  tres  cayes 

Lo  ponga  en  su  remedio. 

LXXI. 

Tres  vezes  te  he  araquerado 

Y  no  camelas  abillar; 

Si  io  me  vuelvo  a  araquerarte 
Mi  trupos  ban  de  marar. 

Lxxir. 

Alia  arribita 

Mararon  no  cbanelo  quien ; 
El  mulo  cayo  en  la  truni 
El  maraol  se  pusu  a  huir. 

LXXIII. 

Sinaron  en  unos  bures 
Unos  poco  de  randes, 
Aguardisarando  q'abillara 
La  Crallisa  y  los  parnes. 

LXXIV. 

Chalo  para  mi  quer 
Me  tope  con  el  meripe  ; 
Me  peno,  adonde  chalas  1 
Le  pene,  para  mi  quer. 

LXXV. 

lo  no  camelo  ser  eray 
Que  es  Calo  mi  nacimiento  ; 
lo  no  camelo  ser  eray 
Con  ser  Calo  me  contento. 


i 


RHYMES.  33 

LXIX. 

Brown  Egypt's  race  in  days  of  old 

Were  wont  silk  hose  to  wear, 
But  for  their  sins  so  manifold 

They  now  must  fetters  bear. 

LXX. 

That  spirit,  long  oppress'd  with  grief, 
Hath  scap'd  and  heavenward  flown, 

In  hope  the  Lord  will  grant  relief 
Who  builds  in  heaven  his  throne. 

LXXI. 

I've  called  thee  thrice  in  anxious  strain, 

But  thou  dost  not  appear, 
And  sh(iuld  I  raise  my  voice  again 

Thy  kinsmen  me  would  hear. 

Lxxir. 

Above  there,  in  the  dusky  pass. 

Was  wrought  a  murder  dread; 
The  murder'd  fell  upon  the  grass, 

Away  the  murderer  fled. 

Lxxin. 

The  thieves,  the  thieves  are  on  the  watch 

Amid  the  hills  so  green  ; 
They're  on  the  watch  that  they  may  catch 

The  treasure  and  the  queen. 

LXXIV. 

Towards  my  home  I  bent  my  course, 

Then  death  to  me  drew  nigh. 
And  where  art  bound  1  he  bellow'd  hoarse^ 
Home,  home,  was  my  reply. 

LXXV. 

O  I  am  not  of  gentle  clan, 

I'm  sprung  from  Gypsy  tree, 
And  I  will  be  no  gentleman, 

But  an  Egyptian  free. 


34  THE    ZINCALI. 

LXXVI. 

La  filimicha  esta  puesta, 

Y  en  ella  un  chindobaro, 
Pa  mulabar  una  lendriz 
due  echantan  estardo. 

LXXVII. 

El  reo  con  sus  chineles 
Le  sacan  del'  estaripel, 

Y  le  alum  bran  con  las  velas 
De  la  gracia  CJndebel. 

LXXVIII. 

El  baro  jil  me  jafiela 

Los  chobares  me  dan  tormento 

lo  me  chalo  al  baro  quer, 

Y  ote  alivio  a  mi  cuerpo. 

LXXIX. 

Si  tu  clialas  por  rulicha 

Y  rachelas  con  mi  romi, 
Pen  que  mangue  monrabelo 
Que  querele  yaque  a  la  peri. 

LXXX. 

Mango  me  chalo  a  mi  quer 

Y  te  mequelo  un  color, 
Si  abillelas  con  mangue 
Te  difielo  mi  carlo. 

LXXX  I. 

La  tremucha  se  ardela 
Guillabela  el  caloro: 
Chasa  mangue,  acai 
Abillela  obusno. 

LXXXII. 

Abillela  la  rachi 

Y  io  no  puedo  pirar, 
lo  me  chalo  mirando 
Q'  abillele  un  jundunar 

Y  me  camele  marar. 


RHYMES.  35 

LXXVI. 

The  gallows  grira  they've  raised  once  more, 

The  hangman  ready  stands, 
And  all  to  slay  a  partridge  poor 

That's  fallen  in  their  hands. 

LXXVII, 

'Twixt  soldier  now  and  alguazil 

The  culprit  forth  they  bear. 
Whilst  him  with  grace  divine  to  fill 

The  holy  tapers  glare. 

LXXVIII. 

I'm  bitten  by  the  frosty  air. 

The  fleas  about  me  swarm  : 
Unto  the  great  house  I'll  repair, 

And  there  myself  I'll  warm. 

LXXIX. 

If  down  the  street,  my  friend,  thou  stray, 

And  my  dear  wife  thou  meet, 
I'm  plying,  say,  the  shears  all  day. 

That  she  the  pot  may  heat. 

LXXX. 

I  hasten  home,  but  leave  with  thee 

A  portion  of  my  heart, 
But  if  thou  home  wilt  come  with  me 

The  whole  I  will  impart. 

LXXXI. 

On  high  arose  the  moon  so  fair, 

The  Gypsy  'gan  to  sing  : 
I  see  a  Spaniard  coming  there, 

I  must  be  on  the  wing. 

LXXXII. 

The  night  descends,  yet  I'm  afraid 

Abroad  my  face  to  show  ; 
I  fear  to  meet  a  soldier  blade, 

Who'd  kill  me  at  a  blow. 


36 


THE    ZINCALI. 

LXXXTIT. 

Este  quer  jandela  rninchi, 
Acai  no  abillele  la  salipen  ; 
Mi  batus  camela  a  tun  dai 
Mango  me  chalo  a  mi  quer. 

LXXXIV. 

La  romi  que  se  abillela 
Debajo  delos  portales, 
No  s'abillela  con  tusa, 
Que  s'abillela  con  mangue. 

LXXXV. 

Tapa  chabea  las  chuchais. 
Que  las  dica  el  bufio  ; 
Que  las  digue  6  no  las  digue 
A  el  chabe  lo  camelo  io. 

LXXXVI. 

Esta  rachi  voy  de  pirar 
A  dinar  mule  a  un  errajai, 

Y  me  chapesgue  de  mi  pasma 
A  los  pindies  del  oclay. 

LXXXVII. 

La  romi  que  io  camelo, 
Si  otro  me  la  camelara, 
Sacaria  la  chuli 

Y  la  fila  le  cortara, 

O  el  me  la  cortara  a  mi. 

Lxxxviir, 

Esos  calcos  que  tenelas 
En  tus  pulidos  pindres, 
No  se  los  dines  a  nadie, 
Que  me  costaron  el  parnes. 

LXXXIX. 

Corojai  en  grastes 
Majares  en  pindre, 
Al  tomar  del  quer  lacho 
Del  proprio  Undebel. 


RHYMES.  37 

LXXXIII. 

This  house  of  harlotry  doth  smell, 

I  flee  as  from  the  pest ; 
Your  mother  likes  my  sire  too  well  j 

To  hie  me  home  is  best. 

LXXXIV. 

That  lass  with  cheek  of  rosy  Ivue 

That's  entering  now  the  gate, 
She  does  not  come  to  visit  you, 

She  comes  on  me  to  wait. 

LXXXV. 

O  daughter,  hide  thy  breasts,  for  shame, 

For  them  the  boy  can  see, — 
And  if  he  can,  or  cannot,  Dame, 

That  boy  is  lov'd  by  me. 

LXXXVI. 

This  night,  to  dog  the  priest  I  go, 

And  shed  his  priestly  gore. 
Then  I  will  haste  myself  to  throw 

The  monarch's  feet  before. 

LXXXVII. 

The  girl  I  love  more  dear  than  life 

Should  other  gallant  woo, 
I'd  straight  unsheath  my  dudgeon  knife 

And  cut  his  weasand  through. 
Or  he,  the  conqueror  in  the  strife, 

The  same  to  me  should  do. 

Lxxxvni. 
The  shoes,  O  girl,  which  thou  dost  bear 

On  those  white  feet  of  thine, 
To  none  resign  for  love  or  pray'r, 

They're  bought  with  coin  of  mine. 

LXXXIX. 

On  horseback  fought  the  bloody  Moors, 

On  foot  the  Christian  clan, 
What  time  were  gain'd  the  holy  towers 

Where  God  once  dwelt  with  man. 

VOL.    II.  4 


38  THE    ZINCALI. 

XC. 
Mas  que  io  me  guillelo 
Por  tu  bundal, 
Al  dicar  tu  cbaboreia 
Me  dinela  canrea. 

xci. 

Te  chibelas  en  I'ulicba 
Querelando  el  sobindoij 
Abillela  el  barete, 

Y  te  diibela  estardo. 

XCII. 

Voy  dicando  tus  parlachas, 
Para  pod^r  las  quinar, 
Para  chibar  las  bucha, 
Sin  que  chanele  tun  dai. 

XCIII. 

Me  ardifielo  de  tasala 
A  orotarme  que  jalar, 
A  tosare  Busne  puchando, 
Si  tenelan  que  monrabar. 

XCIV. 

Un  caloro  chororo 
Se  vino  por  jundunar, 
Se  najo  con  los  jalleri, 

Y  le  mandaron  unglabar. 

xcv. 

Retirate  a  la  cangri 

Mira  que  abillela  el  chinel, 

Mira  no  te  jongabe 

Y  te  lleve  al  estaripel. 

xcvi. 

Chalo  a  la  beia  de  Clunes 
A  manguelar  mi  metepe ; 
Los  erais  de  la  beia 
Me  difiaron  estaripel. 


RHYMES.  39 

XC. 

Whene'er,  and  that's  full  frequently, 

I  past  your  portal  go, 
And  there  your  naked  babes  espy, 

I  feel  at  heart  so  low. 

xci. 

Within  the  street  thou  down  bast  lain 

To  slumber  in  the  ray. 
And  yonder  comes  the  justice  train, 

Who'll  thee  in  prison  lay. 

XCII. 

To  spy  thy  window,  love,  I  go. 

For  I  would  creep  in  there. 
And  out  to  thee  thy  things  would  throw. 

Thy  mother  not  aware. 

xciir. 

I'll  rise  to-morrow  bread  to  earn, 

For  hunger's  worn  me  grim, 
Of  all  I  meet  I'll  ask  in  turn 

If  they've  no  beasts  to  trim. 

xciv. 

The  Gypsy  bold  himself  enroll'd 

As  soldier  of  the  king, 
But  he  deserted  with  the  gold, 

And  therefore  he  must  swing. 

xcv. 

Seek,  seek  the  church,  thou'st  broke  the  law, 

The  alguazil  I  spy  ; 
He  comes  on  thee  to  set  his  claw 

And  drag  to  custody. 

xcvi. 

I  ran  to  Clune's  judgment  seat 

My  forfeit  life  to  crave  ; 
The  judges  rose  upon  their  feet,  j 

And  chains  and  dungeon  gave.  1 


40  TH£    ZINCALI. 


XCVII. 

A  la  burda  de  su  men 

Abillela  un  pobre  lango  mango, 

Pirando  del  vero, — 

No  permita  su  majaro  lacho 

Que  su  men  se  abillele, 

En  semejante  curelo. 

XCVIII. 

Mango  me  chalo  pirar 
Por  el  naisaro  baro, 
En  estes  andaribeles, 
Al  cben  de  los  pallardos. 

xcix. 

Un  Corayai  me  penelu 
Que  camelaba  Undeber  y  mangue  ; 
Y  io  le  he  penelado 
Tute  camarelas  ser  chuquer. 
c. 

El  eray  guillabela 
El  eray  obusno ; 
Q'abillele  Romanela, 
No  abillele  Caloro, 

CI. 

La  chimutra  se  ardela, 
A  pas-erachi ; 
El  Calo  no  abillela 
Abillela  la  romi. 


RHYMES.  41 

XCVII. 

I  come  a-begging  to  your  gate, 

A  maim'd  and  crippled  wight, 
From  out  the  prison  thrust  of  late 

In  rags  and  tatters  dight ; 
May  thy  blest  saint  from  such  a  fate 

Protect  thee,  good  Sir  Knight. 

XCVIII. 

I  leave  my  home  and  haste  to  roam 

In  yonder  bark  of  pride. 
To  lands  far  o'er  the  salt  sea  foam, 

Where  foreign  nations  bide. 

XCIX. 

One  day  a  bearded  Moor  did  vow 

He  lov'd  the  Lord  and  me ; 
And  I  replied  with  frowning  brow. 

Thou  lov'st  a  dog  to  be. 

Loud  sang  the  Spanish  cavalier, 

And  thus  his  ditty  ran  : — 
God  send  the  Gypsy  lassie  here, 

And  not  the  Gypsy  man. 

CI. 

At  midnight,  when  the  moon  began 

To  show  her  silver  flame, 
There  came  to  him  no  Gypsy  man. 

The  Gypsy  lassie  came. 


4* 


CHAPTER  II. 

SPURIOUS  GYPSY    POETRY   OF  ANDALUSIA. 

The  Gitanos,  abject  and  vile  as  they  have  ever 
been,  have  nevertheless  found  admirers  in  Spain,  indi- 
viduals who  have  taken  pleasure  in  their  phraseology, 
pronunciation,  and  way  of  life  ;  but  above  all,  in 
the  songs  and  dances  of  the  females.  This  desire 
for  cultivating  their  acquaintance  is  chiefly  preva- 
lent in  Andalusia,  where,  indeed,  they  most  abound  ; 
and  more  especially  in  the  town  of  Seville,  the  ca- 
pital of  the  province,  where,  in  the  barrio  or  Fau- 
bourg of  Triana,  a  large  Gitano  colony  has  long 
flourished,  with  the  denizens  of  which  it  is  at  all 
times  easy  to  have  intercourse,  especially  to  those 
who  are  free  of  their  money,  and  are  willing  to  pur- 
chase such  a  gratification  at  the  expense  of  dollars 
and  pesetas. 

When  we  consider  the  character  of  the  Andalu- 
sians  in  general,  we  shall  find  little  to  surprise  us  in 
this  predilection  for  the  Gitanos.  They  are  an  in- 
dolent frivolous  people,  fond  of  dancing  and  song, 
and  sensual  amusements.  They  live  under  the 
most  glorious  sun  and  benign  heaven  in  Europe,  and 
their  country  is  by  nature  rich  and  fertile,  yet  in  no 


SPURIOUS    GYPSY   POETRY.  43 

province  of  Spain  is  there  more  beggary  and  misery  ; 
the  greatest  part  of  the  land  being  uncultivated,  and 
producing  nothing  but  thorns  and  brushwood,  afford- 
ing in  itself  a  striking  emblem  of  the  moral  state  of 
its  inhabitants. 

Though  not  destitute  of  talent,  the  Andalusians 
are  not  much  addicted  to  intellectual  pursuits,  at 
least  in  the  present  day.  The  person  in  most  es- 
teem among  them  is  invariably  the  greatest  7najo 
and  to  acquire  that  character  it  is  necessary  to  ap- 
pear in  the  dress  of  a  Merry  Andrew,  to  bully,  swag- 
ger, and  smoke  continually,  to  dance  passably,  and 
to  strum  the  guitar.  They  are  fond  of  obscenity  and 
what  they  term  j^icardiasi  Amongst  them  learning 
is  at  a  terrible  discount,  Greek,  Latin,  or  any  of  the 
languages  generally  termed  learned,  being  con- 
sidered in  any  light  but  accomplishments,  though 
not  so  the  possession  of  thieves'  slang  or  the  dialect 
of  the  Gitanos,  the  knowledge  ofa  few  words  of  which 
invariably  creates  a  certain  degree  of  respect,  as  in- 
dicating that  the  individual  is  somewhat  versed  in 
that  kind  of  life  or  trato  for  which  alone  the  Anda- 
lusians have  any  kind  of  regard. 

In  Andalusia  the  Gitano  has  been  studied  by 
those  who,  for  various  reasons,  have  mingled  with 
the  Gitanos.  It  is  tolerably  well  understood  by  the 
chalanes,  or  jockeys,  who  have  picked  up  many 
words  in  the  fairs  and  market-places  which  the  for- 
mer frequent.  It  has,  however,  been  cultivated  to 
a  greater  degree  by  other  individuals,  who  have 
sought  the  society  of  the  Gitanos  from  a  zest  for 


44  THE    ZINCALI. 

their  habits,  their  dances,  and  their  songs  ;  and  such 
individuals  have  belonged  to  all  classes,  amongst  them 
noblemen  and  members  of  the  priestly  order. 

Perhaps  no  people  in  Andalusia  have  been  more 
addicted  in  general  to  the  acquaintance  of  the  Gita- 
nos  than  the  friars,  and  pre-eminently  amongst  these 
the  half  jockey,  half  religious  personages  of  the  Car- 
tujan  convent  at  Xeres.  This  community,  now  sup- 
pressed, was,  as  is  well  known,  in  possession  of  a 
celebrated  breed  of  horses,  which  fed  in  the  pas- 
tures of  the  convent,  and  from  which  they  derived 
no  inconsiderable  part  of  their  revenue.  These  re- 
verend gentlemen  seem  to  have  been  much  better 
versed  in  the  points  of  a  horse  than  in  points  of  the- 
ology, and  to  have  understood  thieves'  slang  and 
Gitano  far  better  than  the  language  of  the  Vulgate. 
A  chalan,  who  had  some  knowledge  of  the  Gitano, 
related  to  me  the  following  singular  anecdote  in  con- 
nexion with  this  subject. 

He  had  occasion  to  go  to  the  convent,  having 
been  long  in  treaty  with  the  friars  for  a  steed 
which  he  had  been  commissioned  by  a  nobleman 
to  buy  at  any  reasonable  price.  The  friars,  how- 
ever, were  exorbitant  in  their  demands.  On  arriv- 
ing at  the  gate,  he  sang  to  the  friar  who  opened  it,  a 
couplet  which  he  had  composed  in  the  Gypsy  tongue, 
in  which  he  stated  the  highest  price  which  he 
was  authorized  to  give  for  the  animal  in  question  ; 
whereupon  the  friar  instantly  answered  in  the  same 
tongue  in  an  extemporary  couplet  full  of  abuse  of 
him  and  his  employer,  and  forthwith  slammed  the 
door  in  the  face  of  the  disconcerted  jockey. 


SPURIOUS    GYPSY   POETRY.  45 

An  Augustine  friar  of  Seville,  called,  we  believe. 
Father  Man  so,  who  lived  some  twenty  years  ago, 
is  still  remembered  for  his  passion  for  the  Gitanos  ; 
he  seemed  to  be  under  the  influence  of  fascination, 
and  passed  every  moment  that  he  could  steal  from 
his  clerical  occupations,  in  their  company.  His 
conduct  at  last  became  so  notorious  that  he  fell 
under  the  censure  of  the  Inquisition,  before  which 
he  was  summoned;  whereupon  he  alleged,  in  his 
defence,  that  his  sole  motive  for  following  the  Gita- 
nos was  zeal  for  their  spiritual  conversion.  Whether 
this  plea  availed  him  we  know  not;  but  it  is  pro- 
bable that  the  Holy  Oflice  dealt  mildly  with  him  ; 
such  offenders,  indeed,  had  never  much  to  fear  from 
it.  Had  he  been  accused  of  liberalism,  or  search- 
ing into  the  Scriptures,  instead  of  connexion  with 
the  Gitanos,  we  should,  doubtless,  have  heard  either 
of  his  execution  or  imprisonment  for  life  in  the  cells 
of  the  cathedral  of  Seville. 

Such  as  are  thus  addicted  to  the  Gitanos  and 
their  language,  are  called,  in  Andalusia,  Los  del' 
Aficion,  or  those  of  the  predilection.  These  people 
have,  during  the  last  fifty  years,  composed  a  spuri- 
ous kind  of  Gypsy  literature :  we  call  it  spurious 
because  it  did  not  originate  with  the  Gitanos,  who 
are,  moreover,  utterly  unacquainted  with  it,  and  to 
whom  it  would  be  for  the  most  part  unintelligible. 
It  is  somewhat  difficult  to  conceive  the  reason  which 
induced  these  individuals  to  attempt  such  composi- 
tions;  the  only  probable  one  seems  to  have  been  a 
desire  to  display  to  each  other  their  skill  in  the  Ian- 


46  THE    ZINCALI. 

guage  of  their  predilection.  It  is  right,  however, 
to  observe,  that  most  of  these  compositions,  with 
respect  to  language,  are  highly  absurd,  the  greatest 
liberties  being  taken  with  the  words  picked  up 
amongst  the  Gitanos,  of  the  true  meaning  of  which, 
the  vcTiters,  in  many  instances,  seem  to  have  been 
entirely  ignorant.  From  what  we  can  learn,  the 
composers  of  this  literature  flourished  chiefly  at 
the  commencement  of  the  present  century :  Father 
Manso  is  said  to  have  been  one  of  the  last.  Many 
of  their  compositions,  which  are  both  in  poetry  and 
prose,  exist  in  manuscript  in  a  compilation  made 
by  one  Luis  Lobo.  It  has  never  been  our  fortune 
to  see  this  compilation,  which,  indeed,  we  scarcely 
regret,  as  a  rather  curious  circumstance  has  aflforded 
us  a  perfect  knowledge  of  its  contents. 

Whilst  at  Seville,  chance  made  us  acquainted 
with  a  highly  extraordinary  individual,  a  tall,  bony, 
meagre  figure,  in  a  tattered  Andalusian  hat,  ragged 
en pote,  and  still  more  ragged  pantaloons,  and  seem- 
ingly between  forty  and  fifty  years  of  age.  The 
only  appellation  to  which  he  answ^ered  was  Manuel. 
His  occupation,  at  the  time  we  knew  him,  was  sell- 
ing tickets  for  the  lottery,  by  which  he  obtained  a 
miserable  livelihood  in  Seville  and  the  neigfhbour- 
ing  villages.  His  appearance  was  altogether  wild 
and  uncouth,  and  there  was  an  insane  expression 
in  his  eye.  Observing  us  one  day  in  conversation 
with  a  Gitana,  he  addressed  us,  and  we  soon  found 
that  the  sound  of  the  Gitano  language  had  struck  a 
chord  which   vibra^ted  through   the   depths  of  his 


SPURIOUS    GYPSY    POETRY.  47 

soul.      His  history  was  remarkable  ;  in  his  early 

youth  a  manuscript  copy  of  the  compilation  of  Luis 

Lobo  had  fallen  into  his  hands.     This  book  had  so 

taken  hold  of  his  imagination,  that  he  studied  it 

night  and  day  until  he  had  planted  it  in  his  memory 

from  beginning  to  end  ;  but  in  so  doing,  his  brain, 

like  that  of  the  hero  of  Cervantes,  had  become  dry 

and  heated,  so  that  he  was  unfitted  for  any  serious 

or  useful  occupation.     After  the  death  of  his  parents 

he  wandered   about  the  streets  in  great  distress, 

until  at  last  he  fell  into  the  hands  of  certain  toreros 

or  bull-fighters,  who  kept  him  about  them,  in  order 

that   he   might  repeat  to  them   the    songs  of  the 

AJicion,     They  subsequently  carried  him  to  Madrid, 

where,  however,  they  soon  deserted  him  after  he 

had  experienced  much  brutahty  from  their  hands. 

He  returned  to  Seville,  and  soon  became  the  inmate 

of  a  madhouse,  where  he  continued  several  years. 

Having  partially  recovered  from  his  malady  he  was 

liberated,  and  wandered  about  as  before.     During 

the  cholera  at  Seville,  when  nearly  twenty  thousand 

human  beings  perished,  he  was  appointed  conductor 

of  one  of  the  death-carts,  which  went  through  the 

streets  for  the  purpose  of  picking  up  the  dead  bodies. 

His  perfect  inofFensiveness  eventually  procured  him 

friends,  and  he  obtained  the  situation  of  vendor 

of  lottery  tickets.     He  frequently  visited  us,  and 

would  then  recite  long  passages  from  the  work  of 

Lobo.     He  was  wont  to  say  that  he  was  the  only 

one  in  Seville,  at  the  present  day,  acquainted  with 

the  language  of  the  Aficion  ;  for  though  there  were 


48  THE    ZINCALI. 

many  pretenders,  their  knowledge  was  confined  to 
a  few  words. 

From  the  recitation  of  this  individual,  we  wrote 
down  the  Brijindope,  or  Deluge,  and  the  poem  on 
the  plague  which  broke  out  in  Seville  in  the  year 
1800.  These,  and  some  songs  of  less  consequence, 
constitute  the  poetical  part  of  the  compilation  in 
question ;  the  rest,  which  is  in  prose,  consisting 
chiefly  of  translations  from  the  Spanish,  of  pro- 
verbs and  religious  pieces. 


i 


BRIJINDOPE -THE  DELUGE. 

A  POEM. 


IN  TWO  PARTS. 


VOL.   II. 


BRIJINDOPE. 


BROTOBA  PAJIN. 

Dajirando  presimelo 
Abillar  la  pelabru  ; 

Y  manguelarle  camelo 
A  la  Belufii  de  otarpe, 
N^u  inerique  sos  terelo 
De  soscabar  de  siarias, 
Persos  menda  ne  chanelo 
5ata  riiquillar  de  ondoba, 

Y  andial  lo  fendi  grobelo 
Sin  utilarme  misto  : 
i!Vlen  crejete  orobibelo 
Dicando  trincba  benira 
3ata  aocana  nacardelo, 
Delos  chiros  naquelaos. 

Y  aocana  man  presimelo 
On  sandani  de  Ostebe 

Y  desquero  day  darabemos, 
Sos  sin  nonrro  longono  : 
Jinare  lo  sos  cbanelo, 
Sasta  Ostebe  se  abicbola 

Y  le  penelo  a  Noyme  : 
Tran  quifiado  soscabelo ; 
les  Estarica  queraras, 
Sos  or  surdan  dicabelo 
Tran  najabao^  y  andial 
Quera  lo  sos  man  te  pendo, 
Sos  se  ennagren  persos  man 
La  Janro  en  la  Bas  terelo  : 


\ 


THE  DELUGE. 


PART  THE  FIRST. 

I  WITH  fear  and  terror  quake, 
Whilst  the  pen  to  write  I  take  ; 
I  will  utter  many  a  pray'r 
To  the  heaven's  Regent  fair, 
That  she  deign  to  succour  me, 
And  I'll  humbly  bend  my  knee; 
For  but  poorly  do  I  know 
With  my  subject  on  to  go ; 
Therefore  is  my  wisest  plan 
Not  to  trust  in  strength  of  man. 
I  my  heavy  sins  bewail, 
Whilst  I  view  the  wo  and  wail 
Handed  down  so  solemnly 
In  the  books  of  times  gone  by. 
Onward,  onward,  now  I'll  move 
In  the  name  of  Christ  above, 
And  his  Mother  true  and  dear, 
She  who  loves  the  wretch  to  cheer. 
All  I  know,  and  all  I've  heard 
I  will  state — how  God  appear'd. 
And  to  Noah  thus  did  cry ; 
Weary  with  the  world  am  I ; 
Let  an  ark  by  thee  be  built. 
For  the  world  is  lost  in  guilt ; 
And  when  thou  hast  built  it  well. 
Loud  proclaim  what  now  I  tell : 
Straight  repent  ye,  for  your  Lord 
In  his  hand  doth  hold  a  sword. 


52  THE    ZINCALI. 

Y  Noyme  pendaba  a  golis  : 
Sos  se  ennagreis  os  penelo, 
Sos  dico  saro  or  surdan 
Najabao  y  lo  prejeiio  ; 
Ostebe  nulo  dichaba, 

Per  lo  trincha  lo  penelo. 

Y  saros  se  sarrasiran  : 
Sos  duquipen  dicobelo  ! 
Los  Brochabos  le  bucharan 
E  nonro  Bato,  y  diquelo 

A  saros  persibaraos  : 
La  Erandia  la  dicobelo 
Bartrabe  de  su  costuri 

Y  or  E  raj  ay — presimelo 
A  jinar  sata  Oslebe 
Yes  minricla  dicliabelo 
Sar  yes  simaches  bare — 
Sin  trincha  dan  sos  terelo 
Dicando  los  Lariandeses 
Tran  bares  sos  me  merelo, 
Dicando  saro  or  surdan 
Tran  jurun^  dan  terelo, 

Y  ne  camelara  menda, 
Trincha  sata  orobibelo, 
Chalabear  la  pelabru 
On  la  opuchen  sos  terelo 
De  soscabar  libanando — 
Per  los  barbanes  junelo 
Butes  benges  balogando, 
Pendando  a  golis  bares 
Ochardilo  terelamos  ; 
Aocanasin  la  ocana 
Sosque  sinastra  queramos, 
Dajiralo  sos  pufiis 
Dicar  las  queles  petrando, 
A  butes  las  chibiben 

Les  nicaba  merelando, 
Persos  los  cotos  bares 
A  butes  guilla  marando  ; 
Ne  sindo  lo  chorro  ondoba, 
Sos  aocana  presimando 
Las  minrriclas  bus  pafii 


THE    DELUGE.  53 

And  good  Noah  thus  did  call : 
Straight  repent  ye,  one  and  all, 
For  the  world  with  grief  I  see 
Lost  in  vileness  utterly. 
God's  own  mandate  I  but  do, 
He  hath  sent  me  unto  you. 
Laugh'd  the  world  with  bitter  scorn, 
I  his  cruel  sufferings  mourn  ; 
Brawny  youths  with  furious  air 
Drag  the  Patriarch  by  the  hair; 
Lewdness  governs  every  one  : 
Leaves  her  convent  now  the  nun, 
And  the  monk  abroad  I  see 
Practising  iniquity. 
Now  I'll  tell  how  God,  intent 
To  avenge,  a  vapour  sent, 
With  full  many  a  dreadful  sign — 
Mighty,  mighty  fear  is  mine  : 
As  I  hear  the  thunders  roll, 
Seems  to  die  my  very  soul ; 
As  I  see  the  world  o'erspread 
All  with  darkness  thick  and  dread ; 
I  the  pen  can  scarcely  ply 
For  the  tears  which  dim  my  eye, 
And  o'ercome  with  grievous  wo, 
Fear  the  task  I  must  forego 
I  have  purpos'd  to  perform. — 
Hark,  I  hear  upon  the  storm 
Thousand,  thousand  devils  fly. 
Who  with  awful  bowlings  cry : 
Now's  the  time,  and  now's  the  hour, 
We  have  license,  we  have  power 
To  obtain  a  glorious  prey. — 
I  with  horror  turn  away ; 
Tumbles  house  and  tumbles  wall ; 
Thousands  lose  their  lives  and  all. 
Voiding  curses,  screams,  and  groans, 
For  the  beams,  the  bricks,  and  stones 
Bruise  and  bury  all  below — 
Nor  is  that  the  worst,  I  trow, 
For  the  clouds  begin  to  pour 
Floods  of  water,  more  and  more, 
5* 


54  THE    ZINCALI. 


On  or  surdan  techescando, 

De  chibel  y  de  rachi  nardian  tesumiando. 

Sos  perplejo  tranbare  ! 

Saros  a  Ostebe  acarando 

A  nonrria  day  y  Erani — 

Chi  de  ondoba  ne  molando, 

Per  socabar  Ostebe 

Sar  los  murciales  sustifiaos. 

O  heiiira  tran  bare 

A  golis  saros  pendando  ; 

Chapescando  nasti  chanan 

De  or  rifian  sos  dicando 

Fliraa  a  flima  bus  pajes  ; 

La  chen  se  cha  pirrandando  : 

Se  quimpifia  la  sueste 

Sos  niquilla  chapescando, 

E  isna  longono  caute ; 

Bute  pafii  biijindando  ; 

Saros  los  perifuyes 

De  los  jebis  niquillando  : 

Or  jabuno  y  jabufii 

On  toberjeli  guillando  ; 

La  Julistraba  y  chaplica 

Se  encaloraan  per  lo  sasto  ; 

Chiribito  y  tejuni, 

Y  oripatia  pirelando, 

Ne  chanan  sosque  chibarse, 

Y  se  muquelan  tasaos. 
Gollori,  braco  y  braqui — 
Los  jurus  catabranando, 

Y  or  batane  y  Jabuni, 
On  or  chasno  an  sustifiao 
Bajilache  y  Balufii, 

Los  duis  se  an  cataneaos  : 
Chelendres  y  Bombardos, 
De  or  rifian  chapescando  ; 
La  sorjia  sar  los  chabales, 
Tramisto  cha  platanando ; 
Or  chinoje  y  Jeriiii, 
Choro  y  choria  acareando, 
La  andalula  y  or  Jojoy, 
Per  or  dron  cataneaos  ; 


THE    DELUGE.  55 

Down  upon  the  world  with  might, 
Never  pausing  day  or  night. 
Now  in  terrible  distress 
Ail  to  God  their  cries  address, 
And  his  Mother  dear  adore, — 
But  the  time  of  grace  is  o'er, 
For  the  Almighty  in  the  sky 
Holds  his  hand  upraised  on  high. 
Now's  the  time  of  madden'd  rout 
Hideous  cry,  despairing  shout; 
Whither,  whither  shall  they  fly? 
For  the  danger  threat'ningly 
Draweth  near  on  every  side, 
And  the  earth,  that's  opening  wide, 
Swallows  thousands  in  its  womb. 
Who  would  'scape  the  dreadful  doom. 
Of  dear  hope  exists  no  gleam, 
Still  the  water  down  doth  stream ; 
Ne'er  so  little  a  creeping  thing, 
But  from  out  its  hole  doth  spring  : 
See  the  mouse,  and  see  its  mate 
Scour  along,  nor  stop  nor  wait ; 
See  the  serpent  and  the  snake. 
For  the  nearest  highlands  make; 
The  tarantula  I  view, 
Emmet  small,  and  cricket  too, 
All  unknowing  where  to  fly. 
In  the  stifling  waters  die. 
See  the  goat  and  bleating  sheep, 
See  the  bull  with  bellowings  deep. 
And  the  rat  with  squealings  shrill, 
They  have  mounted  on  the  hill : 
See  the  stag,  and  see  the  doe. 
How  together  fond  they  go  : 
Lion,  tiger-beast,  and  pard. 
To  escape  are  striving  hard : 
Followed  by  her  little  ones, 
See  the  hare  how  swift  she  runs  : 
Asses  he  and  she,  a  pair, 
Mute  and  mule  with  bray  and  blare, 
And  the  rabbit  and  the  fox, 
Hurry  over  stones  and  rocks, 


56 


THE    ZINCALI. 


Los  grates  y  los  gadujos, 
De  chapescar  tesumiaron- 
On  yes  pray  se  catanan, 
Y  aoter  catane  mucaron  ; 
Escotria  en  I'avel  pajin, 
Pendare  lo  sos  queraron. 


THE    DELUGE.  57 

With  the  grunting  hog  and  horse, 
Till  at  last  they  stop  their  course — 
On  the  summit  of  the  hill 
All  assembled  stand  they  still ; 
In  the  second  part  I'll  tell, 
Unto  them  what  there  befell. 


BRIJINDOPE. 


REBLANDUY  PAJIN. 

Bus  muque  la  avel  pajin, 
Dine  careraa  a  or  surdan 
De  pendar  sata  giiillu 
Or  janbri  sar  la  Pastia, 
La  Creraen  y  or  Piribicho, 
Saros  se  guillan  aotar, 
On  la  Pray  se  catanan  ; 
Bus  dicaron  abillar 
Or  Bispibi  y  Coligote, 

Y  la  Anis  sar  la  Macha ; 
Or  Chilindrote  y  Lore, 

Y  or  Cacarabi  apala; 
Ballestero  y  Ballestera, 
Curraco  tramisto  cba  ; 
Catacolla  y  Escobicbe 
Balogan  per  or  barban  ; 
Ne  berjan  sosque  urdifarse, 
Per  soscabar  or  surdan 
Saro  perdo  de  pafii  ; 

Se  petran  y  se  tasaban  : 
"Guillemos  a  monrro  Bate!" 
Sos  la  Estarica  pirranda, 
Chibelando  enrre  a  saros 
Perifuyes  y  los  garaba, 
De  cata  yesque  yes  cro  ; 
Tramisto  chibelo  aotar 
Desquero  sueste,  y  cotria 
La  Estarica  la  panda. 


THE  DELUGE. 


PART  THE  SECOND. 

When  I  last  did  bid  farewell, 
I  proposed  the  world  to  tell, 
Higher  as  the  Deluge  flow'd, 
How  the  frog  and  how  the  toad, 
With  the  lizard  and  the  efte, 
All  their  holes  and  coverts  left, 
And  assembled  on  the  height ; 
Soon"!  ween  appear'd  in  sight 
All  that's  wings  beneath  the  sky, 
Bat  and  swallow,  wasp  and  fly, 
Gnat  and  sparrow,  and  behind 
Comes  the  crow  of  carrion  kind  ; 
Dove  and  pigeon  are  descried. 
And  the  raven  fiery-eyed, 
With  the  beetle  and  the  crane, 
Flying  on  the  hurricane : 
See  they  find  no  resting-place, 
For  the  world's  terrestrial  space 
Is  with  water  cover'd  o'er, 
Soon  they  sink  to  rise  no  more  : 
"  To  our  father  let  us  flee  !" 
Straight  the  ark-ship  openeth  he, 
And  to  every  thing  that  lives 
Kindly  he  admission  gives, ; 
Of  all  kinds  a  single  pair, 
And  the  members  safely  there 
Of  his  house  he  doth  embark. 
Then  at  once  he  shuts  the  ark  ; 


60  THE    ZINCALI. 

De  saros  ha  chibelado, 

Y  garabaos  aotar. 

On  los  sastos  de  la  pray 
La  pafii  begorea  olar ; 
Naquelao  bin  chibeles, 
La  Estarica  sustifia, 
La  legera  aupre  y  aostele, 
Sata  yes  buchi  basta. 
Diquemos  sos  duquipen, 
Per  la  pafii  nonabar 
Trincha  los  drupos  mules, 
Sos  ne  se  asislan  jinar  ! 
O  duquipen  tran  bare, 
Sos  se  tasabo  or  surdan. 
Aunsos  nasti  sin  saro, 
Flimas  se  muquelaran. 
Pa  en  camelando  Ostebe 
Linbidien  a  perbarar 
Avel  sueste  bufendi, 
Pa  querar  derno  surdan 
Sos  archaben  a  Ostebe. 

Y  aocana  canbro  pendar, 
Sueste  de  andoba  chiro, 
Ennagrabarse,  y  dicar 
Sos  oclinde  sia  pam 
Aocana  sen  bus  basta  : 
Sos  pendan  los  Manjaros 
Se  remarara  or  surdan 
On  llaquele  retablejiendo, 

Y  flacha  se  querara. 
A  la  Estarica  linbidio 
Sos  pira  per  or  surdan 
Najabada,  y  Ostebe 
Los  camela  listramar : 
Yes  callico  pirrandaron 
Yesque  besfii  per  dicar 
De  otarpe  la  simachi ; 
Pa  orondar  or  surdan 
Subliman  la  Ballestera; 

Y  a  las  duis  canas  le  an 
Yesque  corbi  de  eruquel, 
On  or  punsabo  alala. 


THE  DELUGE.  61 

Every  thing  therein  has  pass'd, 
There  he  keeps  them  safe  and  fast. 
O'er  the  mountain's  topmost  peak 
Now  the  raging  waters  break. 
Till  full  twenty  days  are  o'er, 
'Midst  the  elemental  roar, 
tip  and  down  the  ark  forlorn, 
Like  some  evil  thing,  is  borne  : 
O  what  grief  it  is  to  see 
Swimming  on  the  enormous  sea 
Human  corses  pale  and  white, 
More,  alas  !  than  I  can  write  : 
O  what  grief,  what  grief  profound. 
But  to  think  the  world  is  drown'd; 
True  a  scanty  few  are  left, 
All  are  not  of  life  bereft, 
So  that,  when  the  Lord  ordain. 
They  may  procreate  again, 
In  a  world  entirely  new, 
Better  people  and  more  true, 
To  their  Maker  who  shall  bow; 
And  1  humbly  beg  ye  now, 
Ye  in  modern  times  who  wend, 
That  your  lives  ye  do  amend  ; 
For  no  wat'ry  punishment, 
But  a  heavier  shall  be  sent ; 
For  the  blessed  saints  pretend 
That  the  latter  world  shall  end 
To  tremendous  fire  a  prey^ 
And  to  ashes  sink  away. 
To  the  Ark  1  now  go  back, 
Which  pursues  its  dreary  track, 
Lost  and  'wilder'd  till  the  Lord 
In  his  mercy  rest  accord. 
Early  of  a  morning^  tide 
They  unclosed  a  window  wide, 
Heaven's  beacon  to  descry, 
And  a  gentle  dove  let  fly, 
Of  the  world  to  seek  some  trace. 
And  in  two  short  hours'  space 
It  returns  with  eyes  that  glow, 
In  its  beak  an  olive  bough. 
VOL.   II.  6 


62 


THE    ZINCALI. 


Pendan  diiielando  golis, 
"  Sos  terelamos  surdan.'* 
Begorean  a  yes  pray  ; 

Y  bus  se  dican  aotar, 
Saros  panelan  on  Chen 
De  siarias  per  dinar 
Las  sardanis  a  Ostebe  ; 

Y  se  camelan  guillar 
Yesque  lacri  y  yesque  lacru, 
A  perbarar  or  surdan, 

A  or  sichen  Corajafio. — 
Avel  cro  tramisto  cha 
A  la  clien  del  Gabine  ; 
Saros  guillan  andial 
Querando  nevel  sueste. 
Ondoba  pancbabaras, 
Sos  lo  muco  libanado 
Nonrro  Bato,  y  andial 
Abillo  de  yesque  avel 
Pa  enjulle  per  or  surdan. 
Man  soscabo  manguelando 
Estormen  palibanar 
A  saros  lo  sos  chanaren 
Chipi  Cayi  araquerar; 

Y  la  Debel  de  Inerique 
Me  dine  la  sard  ana, 
Sos  me  quera  far.silaja, 
E  ochipa.     Anaraiiia. 


THE    DELUGE.  63 

With  a  loud  and  mighty  sound, 

They  exclaim:  "  The  world  we've  found." 

To  a  mountain  nigh  they  drew, 

And  when  there  themselves  they  view, 

Bound  they  swiftly  on  the  shore, 

And  their  fervent  thanks  outpour, 

Lowly  kneeling  to  their  God  ; 

Then  their  way  a  couple  trod, 

Man  and  woman,  hand  in  hand, 

Bent  to  populate  the  land, 

To  the  Moorish  region  fair — 

And  another  two  repair 

To  the  country  of  the  Gaul ; 

In  this  manner  wend  they  all, 

And  the  seeds  of  nations  lay, 

I  beseech  ye'll  credence  pay. 

For  our  father,  high  and  sage, 

Wrote  the  tale  in  sacred  page, 

As  a  record  to  the  world, 

Record  sad  of  vengeance  hurl'd. 

I,  a  low  and  humble  wight, 

Beg  permission  now  to  write 

Unto  all  that  in  our  land 

Tongue  Egyptian  understand. 

May  our  Virgin  Mother  mild 

Grant  to  me,  her  erring  child, 

Plenteous  grace  in  every  way, 

And  success.     Amen  I  say. 


LA  RETREQUE. 
THE   PESTILENCE. 


A    POEM    COMMEMOKATIVE    OF    TflE    PLAGUE    WHICH    BROKE    OUT 
AT    SEVILLE    IN    THE    YEAR    1800. 


LA  RETREQUE. 


Man  camelo  libanar, 
Pa  enjalle  on  chipi  Cale, 
Saro  lo  SOS  chundeo 
On  caba  Foro  bare. 

On  or  brege  de  ostor  gres, 
On  macara  llacuno, 
Tenblesquero  sustifio 
La  bate  tabastorre 
Sar  ies  griba  tranbare, 
Difielando  ajabelar 
Sos  camelaba  Hilar 
Jina  de  monria  puchel. 
Pa  difielar  irsimen 
Man  camelo  libanar. 

Dajirando  on  la  retreque 
Se  ennagro  saro  or  surdan 
Y  aocana  sen  bus  bastas 
On  or  surdan  los  crejetes, 
Per  socabar  la  sueste 
Chanoi'gaos  de  Ostebe, 
Sata  unga  la  beriben 
Se  udicara  raerelao  ; 
Per  ondoba  e  libanao 
Pa  enjalle  on  chipi  Cale. 

De  niquillar  a  la  olicha 
Difielaba  duquipen, 
On  dicar  trincha  mule 
Sueste  on  la  ferminiclia  : 


THE  PESTILENCE. 


I'm  resolved  now  to  tell, 
In  the  speech  of  Gypsy-land, 
All  the  horror  that  befell 
In  this  city  huge  and  grand. 

In  the  eighteenth  hundred  year 
In  the  midst  of  summer  tide, 
God,  with  man  dissatisfied, 
His  right  hand  on  high  did  rear, 
With  a  rigor  most  severe  ; 
Whence  we  well  might  understand 
He  would  strict  account  demand 
Of  our  lives  and  actions  here. 
The  dread  event  to  render  clear 
Now  the  pen  I  take  in  hand. 

At  the  dread  event  aghast, 

Straight  the  Avorld  reformed  its  course 

Yet  is  sin  in  greater  force, 

Now  the  punishment  is  past ; 

For  the  thought  of  God  is  cast 

All  and  utterly  aside, 

As  if  death  itself  had  died. 

Therefore  to  the  present  race 

These  memorial  lines  I  trace 

In  old  Egypt's  tongue  of  pride. 

As  the  streets  you  wander'd  through 
How  you  quail'd  with  fear  and  dread, 
Heaps  of  dying  and  of  dead 
At  the  leeches'  door  to  view. 


68  THE    ZINCALI. 

Flimas  a  la  banbanicha 
Guillan  a  tapillar  mol, 
Per  soscabar  nasalos — 
Dinelaba  alangari  : 
Sian  canrrias  y  PuFiis 
Saro  lo  SOS  chundeo. 

La  sueste  a  or  drobardo 
Guillan  orobibelando 
Per  la  olicha  manguelando 
Estormen  a,  or  Eraiio  ; 
Y  los  cangallos  perdos 
Mustifiando  los  mules 
Bartrabes  a  oltarique — 
Sos  duquipen  sia,  Erais, 
Ne  dicar  ies  Arajay 
On  caba  foro  bare. 


THE     PESTILENCE. 


6a 


To  the  tavern  O  how  few 
To  regale  on  wine  repair  ; 
All  a  sickly  aspect  wear. 
3ay  what  heart  such  sights  could  brook- 
Wail  and  woe  where'er  you  look — 
Wail  and  woe  and  ghastly  care. 

Plying  fast  their  rosaries, 

See  the  people  pace  the  street, 

And  for  pardon  God  entreat 

Long  and  loud  with  streaming  eyes» 

And  the  carts  of  various  size, 

Pil'd  with  corses,  high  in  air, 

To  the  plain  their  burden  bear, 

O  what  grief  it  is  to  me 

Not  a  friar  or  priest  to  see 

In  this  city  huge  and  fair^ 


I 


THE  PRAISE  OF  BUDDH 


METEMPSYCHOSIS. 


It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  apologize  for  the  in- 
sertion, in  this  place,  of  the  following  poem,  which 
contains  the  creed  of  the  Buddhists.  In  many  por- 
tions of  the  present  work,  allusion  has  been  made  to 
the  w^ant  of  any  fixed  or  certain  religious  opinions 
amongst  the  Gypsies,  since  their  appearance  in 
Europe.  Of  their  original  religion,  whatever  it  was, 
no  vestige  seems  to  remain,  save  some  vague  ideas 
of  metempsychosis,  which  are  still  occasionally  to 
be  found  amongst  them  in  England  and  in  Russia, 
and  the  remembrance  of  which  has  not  altogether 
disappeared  from  those  of  Spain.  India  is  the  pro- 
per home  of  that  superstition,  from  whence,  by  the 
transmigration  of  nations,  or  by  other  circumstances, 
it  was  conveyed,  at  an  early  period,  to  more  wes- 
terly regions,  where  it  subsequently  fell  into  total 
discredit.  i\t  present  no  trace  of  it  is  found  in  the 
West,  except  amongst  the  Gypsies,  whose  arrival 
dates  from  a  very  modern  period. 

This  attachment  of  the  Gypsy  race  to  metempsy- 
chosis, or  even  their  remembrance  of  it,  is  one  of  the 
distin^uishins:  marks  of  their  Indian  extraction.  It 
pertains  as  much  to  India,  as  do  their  complexions, 
and  the  broken  jargon  w^hich  they  speak :  it  con- 
nects them   with   Buddh  and  Brahma.     The  wild 

VOL.    II.  7 


•>C 


74  l-HE    ZINCALl. 

dream  of  spiritual  wandering  through  millions  of 
ages,  even  through  calaps,  when  the  world  itself  goes 
to  wreck,  till,  by  enormous  penance  and  mortifica- 
tion, the  state  is  attained  where  there  is  no  pain,  no 
birth,  and  no  death,  forms  an  essential  part  of  the 
two  great  religious  systems  of  India.  It  is  with  the 
view  of  affording  the  reader  some  idea  of  what  the 
original  religion  of  the  Gypsies  may  possibly  have 
been,  that  we  lay  before  him  a  synopsis  of  Buddhism, 
contained  in  a  brief  but  singularly  comprehensive 
hymn  to  Buddh,  or,  as  he  is  called  by  the  Tartars, 
the  Great  Foutsa,  who  seems  to  have  been  the  father 
of  religious  imposture,  and  whose  system  was  sub- 
sequently modified  by  Brahma  for  the  worse. 

The  Gypsies  know  not  Buddh  by  name,  but  they 
unconsciously  acknowledge  him  when  the}^  declare, 
as  they  have  been  known  to  do,  that  it  is  useless  to 
execute  them  as  they  cannot  die ;  for  such  doctrine 
is  his  own,  and  from  him  it  sprang.  In  the  following 
hymn  the  transmigration  of  souls  is  distinctly  alluded 
to  :  the  human  or  dragon  spirit,  bereft  of  kindred, 
solitary  and  desolate,  may  discover  the  spot  where 
its  parents  and  kindred  have  been  born  again,  and 
rejoin  them  by  paying  reverence  to  Buddh — as  indi- 
vidual Gypsies  have  said,  that  however  the  souls  of 
their  race  may  go  a-wandering  they^re  sure  to  re- 
join each  other  at  last.  This  hymn  is  chaunted  in 
their  respective  languages  by  Buddhists  of  most 
lands,  by  the  Chinese  and  Cingalese,  by  the  Mon- 
golians, and  by  the  present  lords  of  China,  the 
Mandchou  Tartars,  and  it  is  from  the  Mandchou 
that  the  present  version  has  been  made. 


POEM. 


EELATING   TO    THE    WORSHIP    OF    THE    GREAT    FOUTSA    OR    BUDDH. 


Should  I  Foutsa's  force  and  glory, 

Earth's   protector,  all  unfold, 
Through  more  years  would  last  my  story, 

Than  has  Ganges'  sands  of  gold. 
Him  the  fitting  reverence  showing. 

For  a  moment's  period,  brings 
Ceaseless  blessing,  overflowing, 

Unto  all  created  things. 
If  from  race  of  man  descended, 

Or  from  dragon's  kingly  line, 
Thou  dost  dread,  when  life  is  ended, 

Deep  in  sin  to  sink  and  pine — 
If  thou  seek  great  Foutsa  ever, 

With  a  heart  devoid  of  guile, 
He  the  mists  of  sin  shall  sever, 

All  before  thee  bright  shall  smile. 
Whosoe'er  his  parents  losing, 

From  his  earliest  infancy, 
Cannot  guess,  with  all  his  musing, 

Where  their  spirits  now  may  be  ; 
He  who  sister  dear  nor  brother. 

Since  the  sun  upon  him  shone. 
And  of  kindred  all  the  other 

Shoots  and  branches  ne'er  has  known — 
If  of  Foutsa  Grand  the  figure 

He  shall  shape  and  colour  o'er, 
•Gaze  upon  it  rapt  and  eager. 

And  with  fitting  rites  adore. 


76  THE    ZINCALI. 

And  through  twenty  days  shall  utter 

The  dread  name  with  reverent  fear;. 
Foutsa  huge  of  form  shall  flutter 

Round  about  him  and  appear, 
And  to  him  the  spot  discover 

Where  his  kindred  breathe  again, 
And  though  evils  whelm  them  over. 

Straight  release  them  from  their  pain. 
If  that  man,  uncliang'd  still  keeping, 

From  backsliding  shall  refrain, 
He,  by  Foutsa  touch'd  when  sleeping, 

Shall  Biwangarit's  title  gain. 
If  to  Bouddi's  elevation 

He  would  win,  and  from  the  three 
Confines  dark  of  tribulatiron 

Soar  to  light  and  liberty ; 
When  a  heart  with  kindness  glowing 

He  within  him  shall  descry, 
To  Grand  Foutsa's  image  going, 

Let  him  gaze  attentively  ; 
Soon  his  every  wish  acquiring 

He  shall  triumph  glad  and  fain, 
And  the  shades  of  sin  retiring 

Never  more  his  soul  restrain. 
Whosoever  bent  on  speedmg 

To  that  distant  shore,  the  home 
Of  the  wise,  shall  take  to  reading 

The  all-wondrous  Soudra*  tome  ; 
If  that  study  deep  beginning. 

No  fit  preparation  made, 
Scanty  shall  he  find  his  winning, 

Straight  forgetting  what  he's  read  ; 
Whilst  he  in  the  dark  subjection 

Shall  of  shadowing  sin  remain, 
Soudra's  page  of  full  perfection 

How  shall  he  in  mind  retain  ] 
Unto  him  the  earth  who  blesses, 

Unto  Foutsa,  therefore  he 
Drink  and  incense,  food  and  dresses 

Should  up-off'er  plenteously  ; 

*  The  Sacred  Codex  of  tlje  Buddhists.,  wliich  contains  the  canons  of 
their  religion. 


THE    PRAISE    OF    BUDDH.  77 

And  the  fountain's  limpid  liquor 

Pour  Grand  Foutsa's  face  before, 
Drain  himself  a  cooling  beaker 

When  a  day  and  night  are  o'er; 
Tune  his  heart  to  high  devotion  ; 

The  five  evil  things  eschew, 
Lust  and  flesh  and  vinous  potion, 

And  the  words  which  are  not  true  ; 
Living  thing  abstain  from  killing 

For  full  twenty  days  and  one  ; 
And  meanwhile  with  accents  thrilling 

Mighty  Foutsa  call  upon — 
Then  of  infinite  dimension 

Foutsa's  form  in  dreams  he'll  see, 
And  if  he  with  fix'd  attention, 

When  his  sleep  dissolv'd  shall  be, 
Shall  but  list  to  Soudra's  volume. 

He,  through  thousand  ages  flight, 
Shall  of  Soudra's  doctrine  solemn 

Ne'er  forget  one  portion  slight ; 
Yes,  a  soul  so  richly  gifted 

Every  child  of  man  can  find. 
If  to  mighty  Foutsa  lifted 

He  but  keep  his  heart  and  mind. 
He  who  views  his  cattle  falling 

Unto  fierce  disease  a  prey. 
Hears  his  kindred*  round  him  brawling. 

Never  ceasing  night  nor  day. 
Who  can  find  no  rest  in  slumber 

From  excess  of  grief  and  pain. 
And  whose  prayers,  in  countless  number 

Though  they  rise,  are  breathed  in  vain — - 
To  earth  favouring  Foutsa's  figure 

If  but  reverence  he  shall  pay, 
Dire  misfortune's  dreadful  rigour 

Flits  for  ever  and  for  aye  : 
No  domestic  broils  distress  him, 

And  of  nought  he  knows  the  want ; 

*  Literally,  in  lohose  house  bones  are  breaking  and  cuts  occurring 
coiitinually.  In  the  metaphorical  language  of  the  Chinese  and  Tartars, 
who  profess  the  Buddhic  religion,  the  flesh  and  bone  of  a  man  stand  for 
his  kindred, 

7* 


78  THE    ZINCALI. 

Cattle,  corn,  and  riches  bless  him, 

Which  the  favouring  demons  grant. 
Those,  who  sombre  forests  threading, 

Those,  who  sailing  ocean's  plain, 
Fain  would  wend  their  way  undreading 

Evil  poisons,  beasts,  and  men, 
Evil  spirits,  demons,  javals. 

And  the  force  of  evil  winds. 
And  each  ill,  which  he  who  travels 

In  his  course  so  frequent  finds, — 
Let  them  only  take  their  station 

'Fore  the  form  of  Foutsa  Grand,^ 
On  it  gaze  with  adoration. 

Sacrifice  with  reverent  hand, 
And  within  the  forest  gloomy. 

On  the  mountain  or  the  vale, 
On  the  ocean  wide  and  roomy, 

Them  no  evil  shall  assail. 
Thou,  who  every  secret  knowest, 

Foutsa,  hear  my  heartfelt  pray'r  ; 
Thou,  who  earth  such  favour  showest, 

How  shall  I  thy  praise  declare  ? 
If  with  cataract's  voice  the  story 

1  through  million  calaps  roar, 
Yet  of  Foutsa's  force  and  glory 

I  may  not  the  sum  outpour. 
Whosoe'er  the  title  learning 

Of  the  earth's  protector  high. 
Shall  whene'er  his  form  discerning, 
'  On  it  gaze  with  steadfast  eye. 

And  at  times  shall  offer  dresses, 

Offer  fitting  drink  and  food. 
He  ten  thousand  joys  possesses, 

And  escapes  each  trouble  rude  ,* 
Who  so  into  deed  shall  carry 

Of  the  law  each  precept,  he 
Through  all  lime  alive  shall  tarry. 

And  from  birth  and  death  be  free. 
Foutsa,  thou,  who  best  of  any 

Knovv'st  the  truth  of  what  I've  told, 
Spread  the  tale  through  regions  many 

As  the  Ganges'  sands  of  >2:old. 


ON  THE 


LANGUAGE  OF  THE  GITANOS, 


ON  THE 

LANGUAGE  OF  THE  GITANOS. 


"  lam  not  very  willing  that  any  language  should  be  totally  extinguished  ; 
th'e  similitude  and  derivation  of  languages  afford  the  most  indubitable  proof 
of  the  traduction  of  nations,  and  tlie  genealogy  of  mankind,  they  add  often 
physical  certainty  to  historical  evidence  of  ancient  migrations,  and  of  tlie 
revolutions  of  ages  which  left  no  written  monuments  behind  them." 

Johnson. 

The  speech  of  the  Gitanos,  as  it  at  present  exists 
in  Spain,  though  scarcel}?-  entitled  to  the  appellation 
of  a  language,  was,  nevertheless,  at  one  period,  the 
same  which  the  first  wanderers  of  the  Romanian 
sect  brought  with  them  into  Europe  from  the  remote 
regions  of  the  East.  It  may  now  be  termed  with 
more  propriety  the  ruins  of  a  language  than  the  lan- 
guage itself,  enabling,  however,  in  its  actual  state, 
the  Gitanos  to  hold  conversations  amongst  them- 
selves, the  import  of  which  is  quite  dark  and  mys- 
terious to  those  who  are  not  of  their  race,  or  by  some 
means  have  become  acquainted  with  their  vocabu- 
lary. The  relics  of  this  tongue,  singularly  curious 
in  themselves,  must  be  ever  particularly  interesting 
to  the  philological  antiquarian,  inasmuch  as  they 
enable  him  to  arrive  at  a  satisfactory  conclusion  re- 


82  THE    ZINCALI. 

specting  the  origin  of  the  Gypsy  race.  During  the 
latter  part  of  the  last  century,  the  curiosity  of  some 
learned  individuals,  particularly  Greilman,  Richard- 
son, and  Marsden,  induced  them  to  collect  many 
words  of  the  Romanian  language,  as  spoken  in  Ger- 
many, Hungary,  and  England,  which,  upon  analyz- 
ing, they  discovered  to  be  in  general  either  pure 
Sanscrit  or  Hundustani  words,  or  modifications 
thereof;  these  investigations  have  been  continued  to 
the  present  time  by  men  of  equal  curiosity  and  no 
less  erudition,  the  result  of  which  has  been  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  fact  that  the  Gypsies  of  those  coun- 
tries are  the  descendants  of  a  tribe  of  Hindus,  who, 
for  some  particular  reason,  had  abandoned  their  na- 
tive country.  In  England,  of  late,  the  Gypsies  have 
excited  particular  attention ;  but  a  desire  far  more 
noble  and  laudable  than  mere  antiquarian  curiosity 
has  given  rise  to  it,  namely,  the  desire  of  propaga- 
ting the  glory  of  Christ  amongst  those  who  know  him 
not,  and  of  saving  souls  from  the  jaws  of  the  infer- 
nal wolf.  It  is,  however,  with  the  Gypsies  of  Spain, 
and  not  with  those  of  England  and  other  countries, 
that  we  are  now  occupied,  and  we  shall  merely  men- 
tion the  latter  so  far  as  they  may  serve  to  elucidate 
the  case  of  the  Gitanos,  their  brethren  by  blood  and 
language.  Spain  for  many  centuries  has  been  the 
country  of  error;  she  has  mistaken  stern  and  savage 
tyranny  for  rational  government ;  base,  low,  and 
grovelling  superstition  for  clear,  bright,  and  soul- 
ennobling  religion  ;  sordid  cheating  she  has  con- 
sidered as  the  path  to  riches  ;  vexatious  persecution 


THE    LANGUAGE    OF    THE    GITANOS.  83 

as  the  path  to  power  ;  and  the  consequence  has  been 
that  she  is  now  poor  and  powerless,  a  pagan  amongst 
the  pagans,  with  a  dozen  kings,  and  with  none* 
Can  we  be  surprised,  therefore,  that,  mistaken  in 
poUcy,  reh'gion,  and  moral  conduct,  she  should  have 
fallen  into  an  error  on  points  so  naturally  dark  and 
mysterious  as  the  history  and  origin  of  those  remark- 
able people,  whom  for  the  last  four  hundred  years 
she  has  supported  under  the  name  of  Gitanos?  The 
idea  eutertained  at  the  present  day  in  Spain  respect- 
ing this  race  is,  that  they  are  the  descendants  of  the 
Moriscos  who  remained  in  Spain,  wandering  about 
amongst  the  mountains  and  wildernesses,  after  the 
expulsion  of  the  great  body  of  the  nation  from  the 
country  in  the  time  of  Philip  the  Third,  and  that  they 
form  a  distinct  body,  entirely  unconnected  with  the 
wandering  tribes  known  in  other  countries  by  the 
names  of  Bohemians,  Gypsies,  &c.  This,  like  all 
unfounded  opinions,  of  course  originated  in  ignorance 
which  is  always  ready  to  have  recourse  to  conjec- 
ture and  guess-w^ork,  in  preference  to  travelling 
through  the  long,  mountainous,  and  stony  road  of  pa- 
tient investigation;  it  is,  however,  an  error  far  more 
absurd  ant  I  more  destitute  oitenable  grounds  than  the 
ancient  belief  that  the  Gitanos  were  Egyptians,, 
which  they  themselves  have  always  professed  to  be, 
and  wliicii  the  original  written  documents  which 
they  brought  with  them  on  their  first  arrival  in  wes- 
tern Europe,  and  which  bore  the  signature  of  the 
king  of  Bt)hemia,  expressly  stated  them  to  be.  The 
only  clue  to  arrive  at  any  certainty  respecting  their 


84  THE    ZINCALt. 

origin,  is  the  language  which  they  still  speak 
amongst  themselves  ;  but  before  we  can  avail  our- 
selves of  the  evidence  of  this  language,  it  will  be 
necessary  to  make  a  few  remarks  respecting  the 
principal  languages  and  dialects  of  that  immense 
tract  of  countr}^  peopled  by  at  least  eighty  millions 
of  human  beings,  generally  known  by  the  name  of 
Hindustan,  two  Persian  words  tantamount  to  the 
land  of  Ind,  oi*,  the  land  watered  by  the  river  Indus. 
The  most  celebrated  of  these  languages  is  the 
Samskrida,  or,  as  it  is  known  in  Europe,  the  Sans- 
crit, which  is  the  language  of  religion  of  all  those 
nations,  amongst  whom  the  faith  of  Brahma  has 
been  adopted ;  but  though  the  language  of  religion, 
by  which  we  mean  the  tongue  in  which  the  religious 
books  of  the  Brahmanic  sect  were  originally  written 
and  are  still  preserved,  it  has  long  since  ceased  to 
be  a  spoken  language  ;  indeed,  history  is  silent  as 
to  any  period  when  it  was  a  language  in  common 
use  amongst  any  of  the  varioustribesof  the  Hindus; 
its  knowledge,  as  far  as  reading  and  writing  it 
went,  having  been  entirely  confined  to  the  priests  of 
Brahma,  or  Brahmans,  until  within  the  last  half 
century,  when  the  British,  having  subjugated  the 
w^hole  of  Hindustan,  caused  it  to  be  openly  taught 
in  the  colleges  which  they  established  for  the  in- 
struction of  their  youth  in  the  languages  of  the 
country.  Though  sufficiently  difficult  to  acquire, 
principally  on  account  of  its  prodigious  richness  in 
synonymcs,  it  is  no  longer  a  sealed  language,  its 
laws,  structure,  and  vocabulary  being  sufficiently 


THE    LANGUAGE    OF    THE    GITANOS.  85 

well  known  by  means  of  numerous  elementary 
works,  adapted  to  facilitate  its  study.  It  has  been 
considered  by  several  famous  philologists  as  the 
mother  not  only  of  all  the  languages  of  Asia,  but 
of  all  others  in  the  world.  So  wild  and  preposter- 
ous an  idea,  however,  only  serves  to  prove  that  a 
devotion  to  philology,  whose  principal  object  should 
be  the  expansion  of  the  mind  by  the  various  trea- 
sures of  learning  and  wisdom  which  it  can  unlock, 
sometimes  only  tends  to  its  bewilderment,  by  caus- 
ing it  to  embrace  shadow^s  for  reality.  The  most 
that  can  be  allowed,  in  reason,  to  the  Sanscrit,  is 
that  it  is  the  mother  of  a  certain  class  or  family  of 
languages,  for  example,  those  spoken  in  Hindustan, 
with  which  most  of  the  European,  whether  of  the 
Sclavonian,  Gothic,  or  Celtic  stock,  have  some  con- 
nexion. True  it  is  that  in  this  case  we  know  not 
how  to  dispose  of  the  ancient  Zend,  the  mother  of 
the  modern  Persian,  the  language  in  which  were 
written  those  writings  generally  attributed  to  Zer- 
duscht,  or  Zoroaster,  whose  affinity  to  the  said 
tongues  is  as  easily  established  as  that  of  the  Sans- 
crit, and  which,  in  respect  to  antiquity,  may  well 
dispute  the  palm  with  its  Indian  rival.  Avoiding, 
however,  the  discussion  of  this  point,  we  shall  con- 
tent ourselves  with  observing,  that  closely  connected 
with  the  Sanscrit,  if  not  derived  from  it,  are  the 
Bengali,  the  high  Hindustani,  or  grand  popular  lan- 
guage of  Hindustan,  generally  used  by  the  learned 
in  their  intercourse  and  writings,  the  languages  of 
Multan,  Guzerat,  and  other  provinces,  without  men- 
VOL.  ir.  8 


86  THE    ZINCALi. 

tioning  the  mixed  dialect  called  Mongolian  Hindus- 
tani, a  corrupt  jargon  of  Persian,  Turkish,  Arabic, 
and  Hindu  words,  first  used  by  the  Mongols,  after 
the  conquest,  in  their  intercourse  with  the  natives. 
Many  of  the  principal  languages  of  Asia  are  totally 
unconnected  with  the  Sanscrit,  both  in  words  and 
grammatical  structure  ;  these  are  mostly  of  the 
great  Tartar  family,  at  the  head  of  which  there  is 
good  reason  for  placing  the  Chinese  and  Tibetian. 

Bearing  the  same  analogy  to  the  Sanscrit  tongue, 
as  the  Indian  dialects  specified  above,  we  find  the 
Rommany,  or  speech  of  the  Roma,  or  Zincali,  as 
they  style  themselves,  known  in  England  and  Spain 
as  Gypsie's  and  Gitanos.  This  speech,  wherever  it 
is  spoken,  is,  in  all  principal  points,  one  and  the 
same,  though  more  or  less  corrupted  by  foreign 
words,  picked  up  in  the  various  countries  to  which 
those  who  use  it  have  penetrated.  One  remarkable 
feature  must  not  be  passed  over  without  notice, 
namely,  the  very  considerable  number  of  pure 
Sclavonic,  or  Russian  words,  which  are  to  be  found 
imbedded  within  it,  whether  it  be  spoken  in  Spain 
or  Germany,  in  England  or  Italy  ;  from  which  cir- 
cumstance we  are  led  to  the  conclusion,  that  these 
people,  in  their  way  from  the  East,  travelled  in  one 
large  compact  bod\%  and  that  their  route  lay  through 
the  steppes  of  Russia,  where  they  probabl}^  tarried  m 
for  a  considerable  period,  as  nomade  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    LANGUAGE    OF    THE    GITANOS.  87 

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  Gypsy  nation,  or  at  least  the  Spanish 
branch  thereof,  understood  the  Greek  language  well, 
and  that,  besides  their  own  Indian  dialect,  they 
occasionally  used  it  in  Spain  for  considerably  up- 
wards of  a  century  subsequent  to  their  arrival,  as 
amonsfst  them  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;  that  ihej  did  under- 
stand 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,  we  believe,  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.  El  Estudioso  Cortesano  was  reprinted  at 
Alcala  in  1587,  from  which  edition  we  now  copy. 

"Who  are  the  Gitanos  f  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  ihey  are  termed  Ciani.  They 
pretend  that  they  came  from  Lower  Egypt,  and 


88  a?HE    ZINCALl. 

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  per- 
son, 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  pen- 
ance was  already  expired  ;  he  spoke  to  them  in  the 
Egyptian  tongue  ;  they  said,  however,  that  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,*  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  forma- 
tion of  the  dialects  of  India,  as  at  present  spoken. 

The  modern  Persian,  as  has  been  already  ob- 
served, is  a  daughter  of  the  ancient  Zend,  and,  as 

*  A  very  unfair  inference ;  that  some  of  the  Gypsies  did  not  under- 
stand the  author  when  he  spoke  Romaic,  was  no  proof  that  their  0Y.a 
private  language  was  a  feigned  one,  iriveutcd  for  thievish  purposes. 


THE    LANGUAGE    OF    THE    GITANOS.  89 

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  rehgion  of 
Mahomet,  unfortunately  introduced  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  Alex- 
ander, had  enjoyed  repose  from  external  aggression, 
had  been  ruled  by  its  native  princes,  and  been  per- 
mitted by  Providence  to  exercise,  without  control 
or  reproof,  the  degrading  superstitions,  and  the  un- 
natural and  bloody  rites  of  a  religion,  at  the  forma- 
tion 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  426th  year  of  the  Hageira,  we  read  of  the  de- 
struction of  the  great  Butkban,  or  image-house  of 
Sumnaut,  by  the  armies  of  the  far-conquering  Mah- 
moud,  when  the  dissevered  heads  of  the  Brahmans 

8* 


90  THE    ZINCALI. 

rolled  down  the  steps  of  the  gigantic  and  Babel-like 
temple  of  the  great  image — 

It  is  not  our  intention  to  follow  the  conquests  of  the 
Mahometans  from  the  daysof  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, 
to  a  considerable  extent  abashed  and  humbled  be- 
fore the  bright  rising  sun  of  Islam.  The  Persian 
language,  which  the  conquerors*  of  whatever  de- 
nomination 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 
bad  previously  been  unl^nown.  As  the  language 
of  the  court,  it  was  of  course  studied  and  acquired 
by  all  those  natives  whose  wealth,  rank,  and  influ- 
ence necessarily  brought  them  into  connexion  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 

*  Of  all  these,  the  most  terrible,  and  whose  sway  endured  for  the 
longest  period,  were  the  Mongols,  as  they  were  called  :  few,  however,  of 
his  original  Mongolian  warriors  followed  Timour  in  the  invasion  of  India. 
His  armies  latterly  appear  to  have  consisted  chiefly  of  Turcomans  and 
Persians.  It  was  to  obtain  popularity  amongst  these  soldiery  that  he 
abandoned  the  old  religion  of  the  steppes,  a  kind  of  fetish,  or  sorcery,  and 
became  a  Mahometan. 


THE    LANGUAGE    OF    THE    GITANOS.  91 

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  prin- 
cipal dialects  of  Hindustan,  on  which  account,  as 
well  as  for  the  assistance  which  it  affords  in  com- 
munication 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  subse- 
quent 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  Rom- 
many  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  Grellman  and  others  have  sup- 
posed, or  whether,  as  is  much  more  probable,  they 
were  a  thievish  caste,  hke  some  others  still  to  be 
found  in  Hindustan,  who  fled  westward,  either  from 
the  vengeance  of  justice,  or  in  pursuit  of  plunder, 
their  speaking  Persian  is  alike  satisfactorily  ac- 
counted  for.      With  the  view  of  exhibiting  how 


92 


THE    ZINCALI. 


closely  their  language  is  connected  with  the  San- 
scrit and  Persian,  we  subjoin  the  first  ten  numerals 
in  the  three  tongues,  those  of  the  Gypsy  according 
to  the  Hungarian  dialect,  as  quoted  in  the  Mithri- 
dates  of  Adelung,  vol.  i.  page  246. 


Gypsy. 

Persian. 

Sanscrit. 

1 

Jek 

Ek 

Ega 

2 

Dui 

Du 

Dvaya 

3 

Trin 

Se 

Trey  a 

4 

Schtar 

Chehar 

Tschatvar 

5 

Pansch 

Pansch 

Pantscha 

6 

Tschov 

Schesche 

Schasda 

7 

Efta 

Heft 

Sapta 

8 

Ochto 

Hescht 

Aschta 

9 

Enija 

Nu 

Nava 

10 

Dosch 

De 

Dascha 

It  v.^ould  be  easy  for  us  to  adduce  a  thousand 
instances,  as  striking  as  the  above,  of  the  affinit}- 
of  the  Gypsy  tongue  to  the  Persian  Sanscrit  and 
the  Indian  dialects,  but  we  have  not  space  for 
further  observation  on  a  point  which  long  since  has 
been  sufficiently  discussed  by  others  endowed  with 
abler  pens  than  our  own  ;  but  having  made  these 
preliminary  remarks,  which  we  deemed  necessary 
for  the  elucidation  of  the  subject,  we  now  hasten  to 
speak  of  the  Gitano  language  as  used  in  Spain,  and 
to  determine,  by  its  evidence,  (and  we  again  repeat, 
that  the  language  is  the  only  criterion  by  which  the 
question  can  be  determined,)  how  far  the  Gitanos 
of  Spain  are  entitled  to  claim  connexion  with  the 


THE    LANGUAGE    OF    THE    GITANOS.  93 

tribes,  who,  under  the  names  of  Zigani,  &c.,  are  to 
be  found  in  various  parts  of  Europe,  following,  in 
general,  a  life  of  wandering  adventure,  and  prac- 
tisinsf  the  same  kind  of  thievish  arts  which  enable 
those  in  Spain  to  obtain  a  livelihood  at  the  expense 
of  the  more  honest  and  industrious  of  the  commu- 
nity. 

The  Gitanos  of  Spain,  as  already  stated,  are 
generally  believed  to  be  the  descendants  of  the 
Moriscos,  and  have  been  asserted  to  be  such  in 
printed  books.*     Now  they  are  known  to  speak  a 

*  For  example,  in  the  Historia  de  los  Gitanos,  of  which  we  have  had 
occasion  to  speak  in  the  first  part  of  the  present  work  :  amongst  other 
things  tlie  author  says,  p.  95,  "'If  there  exist  any  similitude  of  customs 
between  the  Gitanos  and  the  Gypsies,  the  Zigeuners,  the  Zingari,  and 
the  Bohemians,  they  (ihe  Gitanos)  cannot,  however,  be  confounded  with 
these  nomade  castes,  nor  the  same  origin  be  attributed  to  them.  .... 
All  that  we  shall  find  in  common  between  these  people  will  be,  that  the 
one,  (the  Gypsies,  &c.,)  arrived  fugitives  from  the  heart  of  Asia  by  the 
steppes  of  Tartary,  at  the  beginning  of  the  fifteenth  century,  whilst  the 
Gitanos,  descended  from  the  Arab  or  Morisco  tribes,  came  from  the  coast 
of  Africa  as  conquerors  at  the  beginning  of  the  eighth." 

He  gets  rid  of  any  evidence  with  respect  to  the  origin  of  the  Gitanos 
which  their  language  might  be  capable  of  affording,  in  the  followmg 
summary  manner:  "As  to  the  particular  jargon  which  they  use,  any 
investigation  which  people  might  pretend  to  make  would  be  quite  use- 
less; in  the  first  place,  on  account  of  the  reserve  which  they  exhibit  on 
this  point,  and  secondly,  because,  in  the  event  of  some  being  found  suffi- 
ciently communicative,  the  information  which  they  could  impart  would 
lead  to  no  advantageous  result,  owmg  to  their  extreme  ignorance." 

It  is  scarcely  worth  while  to  offer  a  remark  on  reasoning  which  could 
only  emanate  from  an  understanding  of  the  very  lowest  order, — so  the 
Gitanos  are  so  extremely  ignorant,  that  however  frank  they  might  wish 
to  be,  they  would  be  unable  to  tell  the  curious  inquirer  the  names  for 
bread  and  water,  meat  and  salt,  in  their  own  peculiar  tongue— for,  assu- 
redly, had  they  sense  enough  to  afford  that  slight  quantum  of  informa- 
tion, it  would  lead  to  two  very  advantageous  results,  by  proving,  first* 
that  they  spoke  the  same  language  as  the  Gypsies,  &c.,  and  were  con- 


94 


THE    ZINCALI. 


language  or  jargon  amongst  themselves,  which  the 
other  natives  of  Spain  do  not  understand  ;  of  course, 
then,  supposing  them  to  be  of  Morisco  origin,  the 
words  of  this  tongue  or  jargon,  which  are  not  Spa- 
nish, are  the  rehcs  of  the  Arabic  or  Moorish  tongue 
once  spoken  in  Spain,  which  they  have  inherited 
from  their  Moorish  ancestors.  Now  it  is  well  known, 
that  the  Moorish  of  Spain  was  the  same  tongue  as 
that  spoivcn  at  present  by  the  Moors  of  Barbary, 
from  which  country  Spain  was  invaded  by  the 
Arabs,  and  to  which  they  again  retired  w^hen  unable 
to  maintain  their  ground  against  the  armies  of  the 
Christians.  We  will  therefore  collate  the  numerals 
of  the  Spanish  Gitano  wdth  those  of  the  Moorish 
tongue,  preceding  both  with  those  of  the  Hungarian 
G3'psy,  of  which  we  have  already  made  use,  for 
the  purpose  of  making  clear  the  affinity  of  that 
language  to  the  Sanscrit  and  Persian.  By  this 
collation  we  shall  at  once  perceive  whether  the 
Gitano  of  Spain  bears  most  resemblance  to  the 
Arabic,  or  the  Rommany  of  other  lands. 


1 

Hungarian 
Gypsy. 

Jek 

Spanish 
Gitdno. 

Ye  que 

Moorish 
Arabic. 

Wahud 

2 

Dui 

Dui 

Snain 

3 

Trin 

Trin 

Slatza 

4 

Schtar 

Estar 

Arba 

5 

Pansch 

Pansche 

Khamsa 

sequently  the  same  people — and  secondly,  that  they  came  not  from  th« 
coast  of  Northern  Africa,  where  only  Arabic  and  Shilhah  are  spoken, 
but  from  the  heart  of  Asia,  three  words  of  the  four  being  pure  Sanscrit. 


THE    LANGUAGE    OF    THE    GITANOS.  95 

Hangarian  Spanish  Moorish 

Gypsy.  Gitano.  Arabic. 

6  Tschov  Job.  Zoi  Seta 

7  Efta  Hefta  Sebea 

8  Ochto  Otor  Sminia 

9  Enija  Esnia.  (Nu.  Pers,)  Tussa 
10  Dosch  Deque  Aschra 

We  believe  the  above  specimens  will  go  very  far 
to  change  the  opinion  of  those  who  have  imbibed 
the  idea  that  the  Gitanos  of  Spain  are  the  descend- 
ants of^Moors,  and  are  of  an  origin  different  from 
that  of  the  wandering  tribes  of  Rommany  in  other 
parts  of  the  world,  the  specimens  of  the  two  dialects 
of  the  Gypsy,  as  far  as  they  go,  being  so  strikingly 
similar,  as  to  leave  no  doubt  of  their  original  identity, 
whilst,  on  the  contrary,  with  the  Moorish,  neither  the 
one  nor  the  other  exhibit  the  slightest  point  of  simi- 
larity or  connexion.  But  with  these  specimens  we 
shall  not  content  ourselves,  but  proceed  to  give  the 
names  of  the  most  common  things  and  objects  in  the 
Hungarian  and  Spanish  Gitano,  collaterally,  with 
their  equivalents  in  the  Moorish  Arabic  ;  from  which 
it  will  appear  that  whilst  the  former  are  one  and  the 
same  language,  they  are  in  every  respect  at  variance 
with  the  latter.  When  we  consider  that  the  Persian 
has  adopted  so  many  words  and  phrases  from  the 
Arabic,  we  are  at  first  disposed  to  w^onder  that  a 
considerable  portion  of  these  words  are  not  to  be  dis- 
covered in  every  dialect  of  the  Gypsy  tongue,  since 
the  Persian  has  lent  it  so  much  of  its  vocabulary. 
Yet  such  is  by  no  means  the  case,  as  it  is  very  un- 


96  THE    ZINCALI. 

common,  in  any  one  of  these  dialects,  to  discover 
words  derived  from  the  Arabic.  Perhaps,  however, 
the  following  consideration  will  help  to  solve  this 
point.  The  Gitanos,  even  before  they  left  India, 
were  probably  much  the  same  rude,  thievish,  and 
ignorant  people,  as  they  are  at  the  present  day. 
Now  the  words  adopted  by  the  Persian  from  the 
Arabic,  and  which  it  subsequently  introduced  into 
the  dialects  of  India,  are  sounds  representing  objects 
and  ideas  with  which  such  a  people  as  the  Gitnos 
could  necessarily  be  but  scantily  acquainted,  a  peo- 
ple whose  circle  of  ideas  only  embraces  physical 
objects,  and  who  never  communed  with  their  own 
minds,  nor  exerted  them,  but  in  devising  low  and 
vulgar  schemes  of  pillage  and  deceit.  Whatever 
is  visible  and  common  is  seldom  or  never  repre- 
sented by  the  Persians,  even  in  their  books,  by  the 
help  of  Arabic  words :  the  sun  and  stars,  the  sea 
and  river,  the  earth,  its  trees,  its  fruits,  its  flowers, 
and  all  that  it  produces  and  supports,  are  seldom 
named  by  them  by  other  terms  than  those  which 
their  own  language  is  capable  of  affording  ;  but  in 
expressing  the  abstract  thoughts  of  their  minds, 
and  they  are  a  people  who  think  much  and  well, 
they  borrow  largely  from  the  language  of  their  re- 
ligion— the  Arabic.  We  therefore,  perhaps,  ought 
not  to  be  surprised,  that  in  the  scanty  phraseology 
of  the  Gitanos,  amongst  so  much  Persian,  we  find  so 
little  that  is  Arabic ;  had  their  pursuits  been  less 
vile,  their  desires  less  animal,  and  their  thoughts 
less  circumscribed,  it  would  probably  have  been 


THE    LANGUAGE    OF    THE    GITANOS. 


97 


•otherwise;  but  from  time  immemorial  they  have 
shown  themselves  a  nation  of  petty  thieves,  horse 
■traffickers,  and  the  like,  without  a  thought  of  the 
morrow,  being  content  to  provide  against  the  evil  of 
the  passing  day. 

"The  following  is  a  comparison  of  words  in  the 
three  languages. 


Hungarian 
Gypsy. 

Spanish 
Gitdno. 

Moorish 
Arabic. 

Bone 

Cokalos 

Cocal 

Adorn 

City 
Day 

Drink  (to) 
Ear 

Forjus 
Dives 
Piava 
Kan 

Foros 
Chibes 
Piyar 
Can 

Beled 
Youm 
Yeschrab 
Oothin 

Eye 
Feather 

Jakh 
For 

Aquia 
Porumia 

Ein 
Risch 

Fire 
Fish 

Vag 
Maczo 

Yaque 
Macho 

Afia 
Hutz 

Foot 
Gold 

Pir 

Sonkai 

Piro,  pindro 
Sonacai 

Rjil 
Dahab 

Great 
Hair 

Baro 
Bala 

Baro 

Bal 

Quibir 
Schar 

He,  pron. 
Head 

Wow 
Tschero 

0 

Jero 

Hu 
Ras 

House 

Ker 

Quer 

Dar 

Husband 
Lightning 
Love  (to) 

Rom 

Molnija 

Camaba 

Ron 

Maluno 

Camelar 

Zooje 

Brak 

Yehib 

Man 
Milk 

Manusch 
Tud 

Manu 
Chuti 

Rajil 
Helib 

Mountain 

Bar 

Bur 

mjibil 

VOL.    II. 

9 

^ 

THE 

ZmCAlA, 

Hungarian 
Gypsy. 

Spanish 
Gitano. 

Moaneh 
Arabic. 

Mouth 

Mui 

Mui 

Fum 

Name 

Nao 

Nao 

Ism 

Night 

Rat 

Rachi 

Lila 

Nose 

Nakh 

Naqui 

Munghar 

Old 

Puro 

Puro 

Shaive 

Red 

Lai 

Lalo 

Hamr 

Salt 

Lon 

Lon 

Mela 

Sing 

Gjuvvawa 

Gilyabar 

Iganni 

Sun 

Cam 

Can 

Schems 

Thief 

Tschor 

Chore 

Haram 

Thou 

Tu 

Tucue 

Antsi 

Tongue 

Tscbib 

Cbipe 

Lsan 

Tooth 

Dant 

Dani 

Sinn 

Tree 

Karscht 

Caste 

Schizara 

Water 

Pani 

Pani 

Ma 

Wind 

Barbar 

Barban 

Ruhk 

We  shall  offer  no  further  observations  respecting 
the  affinity  of  the  Spanish  Gitano  to  the  other  dia- 
lects, as  we  conceive  we  have  already  afforded  suf- 
ficient proof  of  its  original  identity  with  them,  and 
consequently  shaken  to  the  ground  the  absurd  opi- 
nion that  the  Gitanos  of  Spain  are  the  des  endants  of 
the  Arabs  and  Moriscos.  We  shall  now  conclude 
with  a  few  remarks  on  the  present  state  of  the  Gitano 
language  in  Spain,  where,  perhaps,  within  the  course 
of  a  few  years,  it  will  have  perished,  without  leaving 
a  vestige  of  its  having  once  existed  ;  and  where,  per- 
haps, the  singular  people  who  speak  it  are  likewise 
doomed  to  disappear,  becoming  sooner  or  later  en- 


THE    LANGUAGE    OF    THE    GITANOS.  99 

gulfed  and  absorbed  in  the  great  body  of  the  nation, 
amongst  whom  they  have  so  long  existed  a  separate 
and  peculiar  class. 

Though  the  words  or  apart  of  the  words  of  the 
original  tongue  still  remain,  preserved  by  memory 
amongst  the  Gitanos,  its  grammatical  peculiarities 
have  disappeared,  the  entire  language  having  been 
modified  and  subjected  to  the  rules  of  Spanish  gram- 
mar, with  which  it  now  coincides  in  syntax,  in  the 
conjugation  of  verbs,  and  in  the  declension  of  its 
nouns.  Were  it  possible  or  necessary  to  collect  all 
the  relics  of  this  speech,  they  would  probably  amount 
to  four  or  five  thousand  words ;  but  to  effect  such 
an  achievement,  it  would  be  necessary  to  hold  close 
and  long  intercourse  with  almost  every  Gitano  in 
Spain,  and  to  extract  from  them,  by  various  means, 
the  information  which  they  might  be  individually 
capable  of  afl^ording ;  for  it  is  necessary  to  state  here, 
that  though  such  an  amount  of  words  may  still  exist 
amongst  the  Gitanos  in  general,  no  single  individual 
of  their  sect  is  in  possession  of  one  third  part  thereof, 
and  indeed  we  may  add,  those  of  no  single  city  or 
province  of  Spain  ;  nevertheless  all  are  in  possession, 
more  or  less  of  the  language,  so  that,  though  of  dif- 
ferent provinces,  they  are  enabled  to  understand 
each  other  tolerably  well,  when  discoursing  in  this 
their  characteristic  speech.  Those  who  travel  most 
are  of  course  best  versed  in  it,  as,  independent  of 
the  words  of  their  own  village  or  town,  they  acquire 
others  by  intermingling  with  their  race  in  various 
places.     Perhaps  there  is  no  part  of  Spain  Avhere  it 


100  THE    ZINCALI. 

is  spoken  better  than  in  Madrid,  which  is  easily  ac-^ 
counted  for  by  the  fact,  that  Madrid,  as  the  capital,. 
has  always  been  the  point  of  union  of  the  Gitanos,. 
from  all  those  provinces  of  Spain  w^here  they  are  to 
be  found.  It  is  least  of  all  preserved  in  Seville,  not- 
withstanding that  the  Gitano  population  is  very  con- 
siderable, consisting,  however,  almost  entirely  of 
natives  of  the  place.  As  may  well  be  supposed,  it- 
is  in  all  places  best  preserved  amongst  the  old  peo- 
ple, especially  the  females,  their  children  being  com*- 
paratively  ignorant  of  it,  as  perhaps  they  themselves 
are  in  comparison  with  their  own  parents,  which 
naturally  leads  us  to  the  conclusion  that  the  Gitano 
language  of  Spain  is  at  the  last  stage  of  it-s  existence, 
an  idea  which  has  been  our  main  instigator  to  the 
present  attempt  to  collect  its  scanty  remains,  and  by 
the  assistance  of  the  press,  rescue  it  in  some  degree 
from  destruction.  It  will  not  be  amiss  to  state  here, 
that  it  is  only  by  listening  attentively  to  the  speech 
of  the  Gitanos,  whilst  discoursing  amongst  them- 
selves, that  an  acquaintance  with  their  dialect  can 
be  formed,  and  by  seizing  upon  all  unknown  words 
as  they  fall  in  succession  from  their  lips.  Nothing 
can  be  more  useless  and  hopeless  than  the  attempt 
to  obtain  possession  of  their  vocabulary  by  inqui- 
ring of  them  how  particular  objects  and  ideas  are 
styled  in  the  same,  for  with  the  exception  of  the 
names  of  the  most  common  things,  they  are  totally 
incapable,  as  a  Spanish  writer  has  observed,  of 
yielding  the  required  information,  owing  to  their 
great  ignorance,  the  shortness  of  their  memories,  or 


THE    LANGUAGE    OF    THE    GITANOS.  101 

rather  the  state  of  bewilderment  to  which  their 
minds  are  brought  by  any  question  which  tends  to 
bring  their  reasoning  faculties  into  action,  though  not 
unfrequently  the  very  words  which  have  been  in 
vain  required  of  them,  will,  a  minute  subsequently, 
proceed  inadvertently  from  their  mouths. 

We  now  take  leave  of  their  language.  When 
wishing  to  praise  the  proficiency  of  any  individual 
in  their  tongue,  they  are  in  the  habit  of  saying, 
**  He  understands  the  seven  jargons."  In  the  Gos- 
pel which  we  have  printed  in  this  language,  and  in 
the  dictionary  which  we  have  compiled,  we  have 
endeavoured,  to  the  utmost  of  our  ability,  to  deserve 
that  comphment;  and  at  all  times  it  will  afford  us 
sincere  and  heartfelt  pleasure  to  be  informed  that 
any  Gitano,  capable  of  appreciating  the  said  little 
works,  has  observed,  whilst  reading  them  or  hear- 
ing them  read :  It  is  clear  that  the  writer  of  these 
books  understood 

The  Seven  Jargons. 


EOBBER  LANGUAGE. 


I 


ON 

ROBBER  LANGUAGEr 

OR,    AS    IT    IS    CALLED    IN.    SPAIN,    GERMANIA. 


**  So  I  went  with  them  to  a  music  booth,  where  they  made  me  ahnost 
drunk  with  gin,  and  began  to  talk  their  Flash  Language,  which  I  did 
not  then  understand." — Narrative  of  the  Exploits  of  Henry  Simms,  exe- 
cuted at  Tyburn,  1746. 

"  Hablaronse  los  dos  en  Germania,  de  lo  qual  resulto  darme  un  abra90, 
y  ofrecerseme." — Quevedo.     Vida  del  gran  Tacano. 

Having  in  the  preceding  article  endeavoured  to 
afford  all  necessary  information  concerning  the  Rom- 
many,  or  language  used  by  the  Gypsies  amongst 
themselves,  we  now  propose  to  turn  our  attention 
to  a  subject  of  no  less  interest,  but  which  has 
hitherto  never  been  treated  in  a  manner  calculated 
to  lead  to  any  satisfactory  result  or  conclusion  ;  on 
the  contrary,  though  philosophic  minds  have  been 
engaged  in  its  consideration,  and  learned  pens  have 
not  disdained  to  occupy  themselves  with  its  details, 
it  still  remains  a  singular  proof  of  the  errors  into 
which  the  most  acute  and  laborious  writers  are  apt 
to  fall,  when  they  take  upon  themselves  the  task  of 
writing  on  matters  which  cannot  be  studied  in  the 


106  THE    ZINCALI. 

closet,  and  on  which  no  information  can  be  received 
by  mixing  in  the  society  of  the  wise,  the  lettered, 
and  the  respectable,  but  which  must  be  investigated 
in  the  fields,  and  on  the  borders  of  the  highways, 
in  prisons,  and  amongst  the  dregs  of  society.  Had 
the  latter  system  been  pursued  in  the  matter  now 
before  us,  much  clearer,  more  rational,  and  more 
just  ideas  would  long  since  have  been  entertained 
respecting  the  Germania,  or  language  of  thieves. 

In  most  countries  of  Europe  there  exists,  amongst 
those  who  obtain  their  existence  by  the  breach  of 
the  law,  and  by  preying  upon  the  fruits  of  the 
labours  of  the  quiet  and  orderly  portion  of  society, 
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," 
&c.  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  lan- 
guage, and  asserted  to  be  the  speech  of  those  wan- 
derers who  have  so  long  infested  Europe  under  the 
name  of  Gitanos,  &c.  How  far  this  belief  is  founded 
injustice  we  shall  now  endeavour  to  show,  with  the 


ROBBER   LANGUAGE.  107 

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  pur- 
poses 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  connexion 
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  wher- 
ever 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 
analyze    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 


108  THE    ZINCALI-. 

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 
every  where  upon  the  same  principle — that  of  meta- 
phor, 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  EngHsh  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  dis- 
tant. It  is,  of  course,  impossible  to  state  with  cer- 
tainty 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  ap- 


4 


ROBBER    LANGUAGE.  109 

pears  to  point  out  Italy  as  its  birth-place  ;  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  particu- 
lar country,  applied  in  a  metaphorical  sense,  ex- 
hibits a  considerable  sprinkhng  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  sup- 
pose that  in  any  country  they  were  ever  capable  of 
having  recourse  to  foreign  languages,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  enriching  any  peculiar  vocabulary  or  phrase- 
ology which  they  might  deem  convenient  to  use 
among  themselves  ;  nevertheless,  by  associating 
with  foreign  thieves,  either  exiled  from  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  tlie  languages  used  by  their 
foreign  associates,  from  whom  at  the  same  time 
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 

VOL.  II.  10 


110  THE    ZTNCALI. 

kind,  whether  those  whose  tenclenc}^  was  the  benefit 
or  improvenaent  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  multi- 
tudes of  its  children,  who  lived  by  fraud  and  cun- 
ning. Therefore,  when  a  comprehensive  view  of 
the  subject  is  taken,  there  appears  to  be  little  im- 
probabiUty  in  supposmg,  that  not  only  were  the 
ItaUans  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  the  less  civilized 
countries  of  Europe. 

It  is  here,  however,  necessary  to  state,  that  in  the 
robber  jargon  of  Europe,  elements  of  another  lan- 
guage 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  vocabu- 
lary 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  particu- 
lar 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 


ROBBER    LANGUAGE.  Ill 

the  former.     Certain  words,  however,  of  the  Rom- 
many  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  aUiances  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  the 
Gypsies  forsaken  or  forgotten  their  native   tongue, 
and  in  its  stead  adopted  the  '*  Germania,"  "Red 
Italian,"  or  robber  jargon,  notwithstanding  that  they 
preserve  their  native  language  in  a  state  of  more  or 
less  purity.     We  are  induced  to  make  this  state- 
ment from  an  assertion  of  the   celebrated  Lorenzo 
Hervas,  who,  in  the  3d  vol.  of  his  "  Catalogo  de  las 
lenguas,"  trat.  3.  cap.  vi.  p.  311,  expresses  himself 
to  the  following  effect :  "  The   proper  language   of 
the  Gitanos,  neither  is  nor  can  be  found  amongst 
those  who  scattered  themselves  through  the  western 
kingdoms  of  Europe,  but  only  amongst  those  who 
remained  in  the  eastern,  where  they  are  still  to  be 
found.     The  former  were  notably  divided  and  dis- 
united, receiving  into  their  body  a  great  number  of 
European  outlaws,  on  which  account  the  language 
in  question  was  easily  adulterated  and  soon  perished. 
In  Spain,  and  also  in  Italy,  the  Gitanos  have  totally 
forgotten  and   lost  their  native   language  ;  yet  stil 
wishing  to  converse  with  each  other  in  a  language 
unknown  to  the  Spaniards  and  Italians,  they  have 


112  THE    ZINCALI. 

invented  some  words,  and  have  transformed  manv 
others  by  changing  the  signification  which  properly 
belongs  to  them  in  Spanish  and  Italian."  In  proof 
of  which  assertion  he  then  exhibits  a  small  number 
of  words  of  the  "  Red  Italian,"  or  allegorical  tongue 
of  the  thieves  of  Italy. 

It  is  much  to  be  lamented  that  a  man  like  Hervas, 
so  learned,  of  such  acknowledged,  and  upon  the 
whole  well-earned  celebinty.  should  have  helped  to 
propagate  three  such  flagrant  errors  as  are  contained 
in  the  passage  above  quoted.  1st.  That  the  Gypsy 
language,  within  a  very  short  period  after  the  arrival 
of  those  who  spoke  it  in  the  western  kingdoms  of 
Europe,  became  corrupted,  and  perished  by  the  ad- 
mission of  outlaws  into  the  Gypsy  fraternity.  2ndly. 
That  the  Gypsies,  in  order  to  supply  the  loss  of  their 
native  tongue,  invented  some  words,  and  modified 
others,  from  the  Spanish  and  Italian.  3rdly.  That 
the  Gypsies  of  the  present  day  in  Spaia  and  Italy 
speak  the  allegorical  robber  dialect.  Concerning 
the  first  assertion,  namely,  that  the  Gypsies  of  the 
west  lost  their  language  shortly  after  their  arrival, 
by  mixing  with  the  outlaws  of  those  parts,  we  be- 
lieve that  its  erroneousness  will  be  sufficiently  es- 
tablished by  the  publication  of  the  present  volume, 
which  contains  a  dictionary  of  the  Spanish  Gitano, 
which  we  have  proved  to  be  the  same  language  in 
most  points  as  that  spoken  by  the  eastern  tribes. 
There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  Gypsies  have  at  va- 
rious times  formed  alliances  with  the  robbers  of  par- 
ticular countries^  but  that  they  ever  received  theiaa 


ROBBER   LANGUAGE.  113 

in  considerable  numbers  into  their  fraternity,  as 
Hervas  has  stated,  so  as  to  become  confounded  with 
them,  the  evidence  of  our  eye-sight  precludes  the 
possibility  of  believing.  If  such  were  the  fact,  why 
do  the  Italian  and  Spanish  Gypsies  of  the  present 
day  still  present  themselves  as  a  distinct  race,  dif- 
fering from  the  other  inhabitants  of  the  west  of  Europe 
in  feature,  colour,  and  constitution  ?  Why  are  they 
in  whatever  situation  and  under  whatever  circum- 
stances, to  be  distinguished,  like  Jews,  from  the 
other  children  of  the  Creator  ?  But  the  question  in- 
volves an  absurdity  ;  and  it  is  scarcely  necessary  to 
state  that  the  Gypsies  of  Spain  and  Italy  have  kept 
themselves  as  much  apart,  or  at  least  have  as  little 
mingled  their  blood  with  the  Spaniards  and  Italians 
as  their  brethren  in  Hungaria  and  Transylvania  with 
the  inhabitants  of  those  countries,  on  which  accoun^ 
they  still  strikingly  resemble  them  in  manners,  cus- 
toms and  appearance.  The  most  extraordinary  as- 
sertion of  Hervas  is  perhaps  his  second,  namely, 
that  the  Gypsies  have  invented  particular  words  to 
supply  the  place  of  others  which  they  had  lost.  The 
absurdity  of  this  supposition  nearly  induces  us  to 
believe  that  Hervas,  who  has  written  so  much  and 
so  laboriously  on  language,  was  totally  ignorant  of 
the  philosophy  of  his  subject.  There  can  be  no 
doubt,  as  we  have  before  admitted,  that  in  the  rob- 
ber jargon,  whether  spoken  in  Spain,  Italy  or  Eng- 
land, there  are  many  words  at  whose  etymology  it 
is  very  difficult  to  arrive  ;  yet  such  a  fact  is  no  ex- 
cuse for  the  adoption  of  the  opinion  that  these  words 

10* 


114  THE    ZINC  ALL 

are  of  pure  invention.  A  knowledge  of  the  Rom- 
many  proves  satisfactorily  that  many  have  been  bor- 
rowed from  that  language,  whilst  many  others  may 
be  traced  to  foreign  tongues,  especially  the  Latin 
and  Italian.  Perhaps  one  of  the  strongest  grounds 
for  concluding  that  the  origin  of  language  was  di- 
vine, is  the  fact  that  no  instance  can  be  adduced  of 
the  invention,  we  will  not  say  of  a  language,  but 
even  of  a  single  word  that  is  in  use  in  society  of  any 
kind.  Although  new  dialects  are  continually  being 
formed,  it  is  only  by  a  system  of  modification,  by 
which  roots  almost  coeval  with  time  itself  are  con- 
tinually being  reproduced  under  a  fresh  appearance, 
and  under  new  circumstances.  The  third  assertion 
of  Hervas  as  to  the  Gitanos  speaking  the  allegorical 
language  of  which  he  exhibits  specimens,  is  entitled 
to  about  equal  credence  as  the  two  former.  The 
truth  is,  that  the  entire  store  of  erudition  of  the 
learned  Jesuit,  and  he  doubtless  was  learned  to  a  re- 
markable degree,  was  derived  from  books,  either 
printed  or  manuscript.  He  was  aware,  from  the 
then  recent  publication  of  Grellman,  that  the  Gyp- 
sies of  Germany  and  Hungaria  spoke  among  them- 
selves a  language  differing  from  the  rest  of  the  Euro- 
pean ones,  specimens  of  which  he  compared  with 
various  vocabularies,  which  have  long  been  in  exis- 
tence, of  the  robber  jargon  of  Spain  and  Italy  ;  which 
jargon,  by  some  unaccountable  fatuity,  has  been  con- 
sidered as  belonging  to  the  Gitanos,  but  lie  never 
gave  himself  the  trouble  to  verify  whether  this  jar- 
gon was  intelligible  to  the  Gypsies  of  the  respective 


ROBBER    LANGUAGE.  115 

countries  ;  had  he  done  so,  he  would  have  found  it 
about  the  same  degree  as  unintelligible  to  them,  as 
the  words  in  the  vocabulary  of  Grellman  would  have 
proved  if  quoted  to  thieves.  With  respect  to  the 
Gitanos  of  Spain,  it  will  be  sufficient  to  observe  that 
they  speak  the  language  of  the  present  volume, 
whilst  the  Gitanos  of  Italy,  who  are  generally  to  be 
found  existing  in  a  half  savage  state  in  the  various 
ruined  castles,  relics  of  the  feudal  times,  with  which 
Italy  abounds,  speak  a  dialect  very  similar,  and 
about  as  much  corrupted.  There  are,  however,  to 
be  continually  found  in  Italy  roving  bands  of  Rom- 
many,  not  natives  of  the  country,  who  make  trien- 
nial excursions  from  Moldavia  and  Hungaria  to 
France  and  Italy,  for  the  purpose  of  plunder  ;  and 
who,  if  they  escape  the  hand  of  justice,  return  at  the 
expiration  of  that  period  to  their  native  regions,  with 
the  booty  they  have  amassed  by  the  practice  of  those 
thievish  arts,  perhaps  at  one  period  peculiar  to  their 
race,  but  at  present,  for  the  most  part,  known  and 
practised  by  thieves  in  general.  These  bands, 
however,  speak  the  pure  G3^psy  language,  with  all 
its  grammatical  peculiarities.  It  is  evident,  however, 
that  amongst  neither  of  these  classes  had  Hervas 
pushed  his  researches,  which,  had  he  done,  it  is 
probable  that  his  investigations  would  have  resulted 
in  a  work  of  a  far  different  character  from  the  con- 
fused, unsatisfactory,  and  incorrect  details  of  which 
is  formed  his  essay  on  the  language  of  the  Gypsies. 
Having  said  thus  much  concerning  the  robber 
language  in  general,  we  shall  now  proceed  to  offer 


116 


THE    ZINCALl. 


some  specimens  of  it,  in  order  that  our  readers  may 
be  better  able  to  understand  its  principles.  We 
shall  commence  with  the  Italian  dialect,  which  there 
is  reason  for  supposing  to  be  the  prototype  of  the 
rest.  For  this  purpose  we  avail  ourselves  of  some 
of  the  words  adduced  by  Hervas,  as  specimens  of 
the  language  of  the  Gitanos  of  Italy.  "  I  place 
them,"  he  observes,  ''  with  the  signification  which 
the  greater  number  properly  have  in  Italian." 


Robber  jargon 
of  Italy. 

Proper  signification 
of  the  words. 

A 

C  Ale 

Wings 

Arm 

\  Barbacane 

Barbican 

Belly 

Fagiana 

Pheasant 

Devil 

Rabuino 

Perhaps         Rahhin, 
which,     in      He- 
brew, is  Master 

Earth 

Calcosa 

Street,  road 

Eye 

Balco 

Balcony 

Father 

Grimo 

Old,  wrinkled 

Fire 

Presto 

Quick 

God 

Anticrotto 

Probably  Antichrist 

Hair 

Prusa* 

C  Elmo 

Helmet 

Head 

<  Borellat 

(  Chiurla:: 

Heart 

Salsa 

Sauce 

*  Possibly  from  the  Russian  Boloss,  which  has  the  same  significalior;. 
t  Basque,  Burua. 
X  Sanscrit,  Schira. 


ROBBER    LANGUAGE. 


117 


Man 


Moon 

Night 

Nose 

Sun 


Tongue 


Water 


Robber  jargon 
of  Italy. 

Osmo 


Mocoloso  di  Sant' 

Alto 
Brunamaterna 
Gambaro 
RufFo    cli    Sant' 

Alto 
Serpentina 
Danosa 
Lenza 
Vetta* 


Proper  signification 
of"  the  words. 

From  the  Italian 
uomo,  which  is 
man 

Wick  of  the  firma- 
ment 

Mother-brown 

Crab 

Red  one  of  the  fir- 
mament 

Serpent-like 

Hurtful 

Fishing-net 

Top,  bud 


The  Germania  of  Spain  may  be  said  to  divide 
itself  into  two  dialects,  the  ancient  and  modern. 
Of  the  former  there  exists  a  vocabulary,  published 
first  by  Juan  Hidalgo,  in  the  year  1609,  at  Barce- 
lona, and  reprinted  in  Madrid,  1773.  Before  no- 
ticing this  work,  it  will  perhaps  be  advisable  to  en- 
deavour to  ascertain  the  true  etymology  of  the  word 
Germania,  which  signifies  the  slang  vocabulary,  or 
robber  language  of  Spain.  We  have  no  intention 
to  embarrass  our  readers  by  offering  various  con- 
jectures respecting  its  origin  ;  its  sound,  coupled 
with  its  signification,  affording  sufficient  evidence 
that  it  is  but  a  corruption  of  Rommany,  which  pro- 

These  two  words,  which  Hervas  supposes  to  be  Italian  used  in  an 
improper  sense,  are  probably  of  quite  another  origin.  Len,  in  Gitano 
signifies  "  river,"  whilst  vadi  in  Russian  is  equivalent  to  water. 


J  18  THE    ZINCALI. 

perly  denotes  the  speech  of  the  Roma  or  Gitanos. 
The  thieves  who  from  time  to  time  associated  with 
this  wandering  people,  and  acquired  more  or  less 
of  their  language,  doubtless  adopted  this  term 
amongst  others,  and,  after  modifying  it,  applied  it 
to  the  peculiar  phraseology  which,  in  the  course  of 
time,  became  prevalent  amongst  them.  The  dic- 
tionary of  Hidalgo  is  appended  to  six  ballads,  or 
romances,  by  the  same  author,  written  in  the  Ger- 
manian  dialect,  in  which  he  describes  the  robber 
life  at  Seville  at  the  period  in  wdiich  he  lived.  All 
of  these  romances  possess  their  pecuhar  merit,  and 
will  doubtless  always  be  considered  valuable,  and 
be  read,  as  faithful  pictures  of  scenes  and  habits 
which  now  no  longer  exist.  In  the  prologue,  the 
author  states  that  his  principal  motive  for  publishing 
a  work  written  in  so  strange  a  language  was,  his 
observing  the  damage  which  resulted  from  an  igno- 
rance of  the  Germania,  especially  to  the  judges  and 
ministers  of  justice,  whose  charge  it  is  to  cleanse 
the  public  from  the  pernicious  gentry  who  use  it. 
It  will  be  necessary  to  observe  here,  that  Hidalgo 
speaks  of  this  language  as  the  language  of  the 
thieves  as  it  in  reality  is,  but  neither  in  his  preface, 
nor  in  the  romances  themselves,  utters  one  syllable 
which  could  lead  his  readers  to  conclude  that  it  was 
used  by  the  Gitanos,  concerning  whom  he  is  per- 
fectly silent  throughout  his  work.  His  editor,  how- 
ever, of  1779,  has  fallen  into  that  error,  and,  as  an 
appendix  to  the  work,  has  reprinted  the  discourse 
of  Doctor  Sancho  Moncada,  Professor  of  Theology 


ROBSER   LANGTJAGE.  IID 

at  the  University  of  Toledo,  addressed  to  Philip  the 
Third,  concerning  the  expulsion  of  the  Gitanos  ;  the 
consequence  of  which  has  been  that,  at  the  present 
day,  the  vocabulary  of  Hidalgo  is  generally  con- 
sidered in  Spain  to  consist  of  the  genuine  relics  of 
the  Gitano,  and  the  romances  in  Germania  to  be 
written  in  the  Rom  many,  or  speech  of  the  Gitanos. 
By  far  the  greatest  part  of  the  vocabulary  consists 
of  Spanish  words  used  allegorically,  which,  are, 
however,  intermingled  with  many  others,  most  of 
which  may  be  traced  to  the  Latin  and  Italian,  others 
to  the  Sanscrit  or  Gitano,  Russian,  Arabic,  Turkish, 
Greek,  and  German  languages.*  This  circum- 
stance, which  at  first  may  strike  the  reader  as  sin- 
gular, and  almost  incredible,  will  afford  but  slight 
surprise,  when  he  takes  into  consideration  the  pecu- 
liar circumstances  of  Spain  during  the  sixteenth  and 
seventeenth  centuries.  Spain  was  at  that  period 
the  most  powerful  monarchy  in  Europe,  her  foot 
reposed  upon  the  Low  Countries,  whilst  her  gigantic 
arms  embraced  a  considerable  portion  of  Italy. 
Maintaining  always  a  standing  army  in  Flanders 
and  in  Italy,  it  followed,  as  a  natural  consequence, 
that  her  Miquelets  and  soldiers  became   tolerably 

*  It  is  not  our  intention  to  weary  the  reader  with  prolix  specimens  ; 
nevertheless,  in  corroboration  of  what  we  have  asserted,  we  shall  take 
the  liberty  of  offering  a  few.  Piar,  to  drink,  (p.  188,)  is  Sanscrit,  fiava. 
Basilea,  gallows,  (p.  158,)  is  Russian,  beciliiz.  Caramo,  wine,  and 
gurapo,  galley,  (p.  162-176,)  Arabic,  haram  (which  literally  signifies 
that  which  is  forbidden)  and  grab.  Iza,  (p.  279,)  harlot,  Turkish,  kize. 
Harton,  bread,  (p.  177,)  Greek,  arfos.  Guido,  good,  and  hurgamandera 
harlot,  (p.  177-8,")  German,  gut  and  hure.  Tiple,  wine,  (p.  197,)  is  the 
same  as  the  English  word  tipple,  Gypsy,  tapillar. 


120  THE    ZINCALI. 

conversant  with  the  languages  of  those  countries  ; 
and,  in  course  of  time,  returning  to  their  native 
land,  not  a  few,  especially  of  the  former  class,  a 
brave  and  intrepid,  but  always  a  lawless  and  dis- 
solute species  of  soldiery,  either  fell  in  or  returned 
to  evil  society,  and  introduced  words  which  they 
had  learnt  abroad  into  the  robber  phraseology ; 
whilst  returned  galley-slaves,  from  Algiers,  Tunis, 
and  Tetuan,  added  to  its  motley  variety  of  words 
from  the  relics  of  the  broken  Arabic  and  Turkish, 
which  they  had  accpired  during  their  captivity. 
The  greatest  part  of  the  Germania,  how^ever,  re- 
mained strictly  metaphorical,  and  we  are  aware  of 
no  better  means  of  conveying  an  idea  of  the  prin- 
ciple on  which  it  is  formed,  than  by  quoting  from 
the  first  romance  of  Hidalgo,  where  particular 
mention  is  made  of  this  jargon  : — 

"  A  la  cama  llama  Blanda 
Donde  soman  en  poblado. 
A  la  Fresada  Vellosa, 
Quemucho  vello  ha  criado. 
Dice  a  la  sabana  Alba 
Porque  cs  alba  en  sumo  grado. 
A  la  camisa  Carona, 
Al  jubon  llama  apretado  : 
Dice  al  Sayo  Tapador 
Porque  le  lleva  lapado. 
Llama  a  los  znpalos  Duros, 
Que  las  piedras  van  pisando. 
A  la  capa  llama  nuve, 
Dice  al  ^Sombrero  Texado. 
Respeto  llama  a  la  Espada, 
Que  por  ella  es  respetado. 
Al  meson  llama  Sospecho 
Porque  del  Guro  es  mirado. 


ROBBER    LANGUAGE.  121 

Llama  al  Bodegon  Registro, 

Do  el  dinero  es  registrado. 

A  la  Taberna  Alegria, 

Que  alegra  al  mas  enojado, 

A  los  reales  Coniento, 

Q,ue  el  que  los  tiene  es  preciado." 

Hidalgo,  p.  21-3. 

After  these  few  remarks  on  the  ancient  Germania 
of  Spain,  we  nowproceedto  the  modern,  which  differs 
considerably  from  the  former.     The  principal  cause 
of  this  difference  is  to  be  attributed  to  the  adoption 
by  the  Spanish  outlaws,  in  latter  years,  of  a  con- 
siderable number  of  words  belonging  to,  or  modified 
from,  the  Roramany,  or  language   of  the   Gilanos. 
The  Gitanos  of  Spain,  during  the  last  half  century, 
having,  in  a  great  degree,  abandoned  the  wandering 
habit  of  life  which  once  constituted  one  of  their  most 
remarkable  peculiarities,  and  residing,  at  present, 
more  in  the  cities  than  in  the  fields,  have  come  into 
closer  contact  with  the  great  body  of  the  Spanish 
nation  than  was  in  former  days  their  practice.     From 
their  living  thus  in  towns,  their  language  has  not  only 
undergone  much  corruption,  but  has  become,   to  a 
slight  degree,  known  to  the  dregs  of  society,  amongst 
whom  they  reside.     The  thieves'  dialect  of  the  pre- 
sent day  exhibits,   therefore,  less  of  the  allegorical 
language  preserved  in  the  pages  of  Hidalgo  than  of 
the  Gypsy  tongue.     It  must  be  remarked,  however, 
that   it  is   very  scant}^,  and  that  the  whole  robber 
phraseology  at  present  used  in  Spain  barely  amounts 
to  two  hundred  words,  which  are  utterly  insufficient 
to  express  the  very  limited  ideas  of  the  outcasts 

VOL.    II.  11 


122 


THE    ZINCALI. 


who  avail  themselves  of  it.  As  our  readers  may 
perhaps  entertain  some  curiosity  respecting  this  dia- 
lect, w^e  subjoin  a  small  vocabulary,  compiled  in  the 
prison  of  Madrid.  In  this  vocabulary,  some  of  the 
allegorical  words  of  Hidalgo  will  be  observed, 
though  the  greater  part  consists  of  Gitano  words 
modified,  and  not  unfrequently  used  in  a  wrong 
sense. 


Abillar 

To  have 

Agarabar 

To  seize 

Alajai 

Friar 

Ala  res 

Pantaloons 

Aquerar 

To  say 

Aplacerarse 

To  be 

Arriar 

To  send 

Baril 

Judge 

Barria 

Ounce  of  gold 

Bastes 

Hands 

Bato,  Bata 

Father,  Mother 

Bero 

Galley 

Bola 

Street 

Burda 

Gate 

Calcos 

Shoes 

Camalinches 

Buttons 

Cargar 

To  take 

Clais 

Eyes 

Coba 

Moulh 

Coba 

Talk,  fun       ' 

Colgandero 

Walch 

Culebra 

Girdle 

ROBBER   LANGUAGE. 


123 


Cha 

Yes 

Chai 

Woman 

Charros 

Fetters 

Chima 

Head 

Cliiscon 

Dungeon 

Chivel 

Village 

Chilli 

Knife 

Chulo 

Good 

Dinar 

To  give 

Estabo 

Robbery 

Estaro 

Prison 

Estache 

Hat 

Falda 

Clothes,  linen 

Fila 

Face 

Fihpichi 

Jacket 

Filar 

To  see 

Filotear 

To  recognise 

Filoteo 

Recognition 

Gache 

Man 

Gao 

Madrid 

Gitana 

Twelve  ounces  of  bread 

small  pound 

Jardin 

Court  of  the  prison 

Jaula 

Chapel 

Junar 

To  learn 

Jundo 

Soldier 

Liban 

Ink 

Libanadora 

Pen 

Libanar 

To  write 

Libano 

Notary  Public 

Lima 

Shirt 

'A 

THE    ZINCALf. 

Manro 

Bread 

Maque 

In  Spanish  Cardjo,  an  oath 

Monro 

An  adult 

Mosquete 

Dollar 

Muy 

Tongue 

Nacle 

Light 

Nel 

No 

Nibel 

God 

Nube 

Cloak 

Palo  ma 

Billet,  note 

Papiri 

Paper 

Pela 

Peseta 

Pelusera 

Blanket 

Pefia 

Brandy 

Pesquivar 

To  like 

Picudos 

Field  pease 

Pili 

Cigar 

Pinos 

Teeth 

Pinres 

Feet 

Piano,  plana 

Brother,  sister 

Pusca 

Pistol 

Quile 

Mentula 

Recafii 

Window 

Rumi 

Harlot 

Safe 

Handkerchief 

Sarto 

Serjeant 

Tarpe 

Heaven. 

I 


Concerning  the  Germania  of  France,  or  "  Argot,' ^ 
as  it  is  called,  it  is  unnecessary  to  make  many  ob- 
servations, as  what  has  been  said  of  the  language 


ROBBER    LANGUAGE.  125 

of  Hidalgo  and  the  Red  Italian,  is  almost  in  every 
respect  applicable  to  it.  As  early  as  the  middle  of 
the  sixteenth  century,  a  vocabulary  of  this  jargon 
was  published  under  the  title  of  "  Langue  des 
Escrocs,"  at  Paris.  Those  who  wish  to  study  it  as 
it  at  present  exists,  can  do  no  better  than  consult 
"  Les  Memoires  de  Vidocq,"  where  a  multitude  of 
words  in  Argot  are  to  be  found,  and  also  several 
songs,  the  subjects  of  which  are  thievish  adventures. 
The  first  vocabulary  of  the  "  Cant  Language," 
or  English  Germania,  appeared  in  the  year  1680, 
appended  to  the  life  of  **  The  English  Rogue,"  a 
work  which,  in  many  respects,  resembles  the  his- 
tory of  Guzman  D'Alfarache,  though  it  is  written 
with  considerably  more  genius  than  the  Spanish 
novel,  every  chapter  abounding  with  remarkable 
adventures  of  the  robber  whose  life  it  pretends  to 
narrate,  and  which  are  described  with  a  kind  of 
ferocious  energy,  which,  if  it  do  not  charm  the 
attention  of  the  reader,  at  least  enslaves  it,  hold- 
ing it  captive  with  a  chain  of  iron.  Amongst  his 
other  adventures,  the  hero  falls  in  with  a  Gypsy 
encampment,  is  enrolled  amongst  the  fraternity,  and 
is  allotted  a  "  mort,"  or  concubine  ;  a  barbarous 
festival  ensues,  at  the  conclusion  of  which  an  epitha- 
lamium  is  sung  in  the  Gypsy  language,  as  it  is  called 
in  the  work  in  question.  Neither  the  epithalamium, 
however,  nor  the  vocabulary,  are  written  in  the  lan- 
guage of  the  English  Gypsies,  but  in  the  "  Cant," 
or  allegorical  robber  dialect,   which    is    sufficient 


126  THE    ZtNCAMv 

proof  that  the  writer,  however  well  acquainted  with 
thieves  in  general,  their  customs  and  manners  of 
life,  was  in  respect  to  the  Gypsies  profoundly  igno- 
rant.    His  vocabulary,  however,  has  been  always 
accepted  as  the   speech   of  the  English  Gypsies, 
whereas  it  is  at  most  entitled  to  be  considered  as 
the  peculiaT  speech  of  the  thieves  and  vagabonds 
of  his  time.     The  cant  of  the  present  day,  which, 
though  it  differs  in  some  respects  from  the  voca- 
bulary already  mentioned,  is  radically  the  same,  is 
used  by  the  greatest  part  of  those  who  live  in  open 
defiance  of  the  law,  or  obtain  their  livelihood  by 
means  which  morality  cannot  sanction  ;  it  is  used 
not  only  in  the  secret  receptacles  of  crime,  but  on 
the  race-course,   and  in  the  "  ring,"   where  those 
tremendous  beings,  the   pugilists  of  England,  dis- 
play their   prowess  and   ferocity.     It  is,  moreover, 
much  cultivated  by  the  young  and  debauched  aris- 
tocracy of  England,  whose  pride  it  is   to  converse 
with  the  pugilists  of  the   ring,  and  the  jockeys  of 
the  race-course,  in  their  own  vulgar  and  disgusting 
jargon,  resembling,  in  this  point,  the   Grandees  of 
Spain,  who  are  not  ashamed  to  receive   into  their 
palaces,   and  to  feast  at   their  tables,  the  ruffian 
Toreros  of  Andalusia.     As  a  specimen  of  the  cant 
of  England,  we  shall  take   the  liberty  of  quoting 
the  cpithalamium  to  which  we  have  above  alluded. 

Bing  out,  Inen  morts,  and  tour  and  tour, 
Bing  out,  bien  morts  and  tour; 
For  all  your  duds  are  bing'd  awast 
The  bien  cove  hath  the  loure. 


ROBBER   LANGUAGE.  127 

1  met  a  dell,  I  view'd  her  well, 

She  was  benship  to  my  watch  ;  'f 

So  she  and  I  did  stall  and  cloy 

Whatever  we  could  catch. 

This  doxy  dell  can  cut  ben  whid's, 
And  wap  well  for  a  win, 
And  prig  and  cloy  so  benshiply, 
All  dajsy-ville  within. 

The  hoyle  was  up ,  we  had  good  luck, 
In  frost  for  and  in  snow  ; 
When  they  did  seek,  then  we  did  creep 
And  plant  in  roughman's  low. 

Which  may  be  thus  translated  into  Spanish. 

Fuera:  alcamlno:  vos,  laebuenasmuchachas;  fuera  ;  alcamino:  para 
dar  una  vuelta ;  pues  que  todas  vuestras  alhajas  estan  empenadas,  y  el 
Tabernero  tiene  el  dinero. 

Me  tope  con  una  moza  y  despues  de  considerarla  con  atencion  parecio 
bien  a  mis  ojos  ;  compafiia  hecha,  nos  pusimos  a  trabajar,  enganando,  y 
robando  todo  lo  que  nos  era  po?ible. 

Esta  moza-ramera  tiene  el  don  del  bienhablar,  y  sabe  trocar  sns  jeneros, 
siempre  con  la  ganancia  de  algun  cuarto;  sabe  pillar  y  bribonear  divina- 
mente  dentro  de  los  pceblecitos  del  campo. 

Al  fin  concluimos  nuestro  juego,  despues  de  tener  mucha  suerte  en  el 
tiempo  de  la  escarcha  y  de  la  nieve,  principiando  la  justicia  a  buscarnos, 
fuimos  a  agazaparnos  en  unas  oscuras  cuevas  de  la  tierra. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  dilate  further  upon  the 
Germania  in  general  or  in  particular ;  we  believe 
that  we  have  achieved  the  task  which  we  marked 
out  for  ourselves,  and  have  conveyed  to  our  readers 
a  clear  and  distinct  idea  of  what  it  is.  We  have 
shown  that  it  has  been  erroneously  confounded  with 
the  Rommany,  or  Gitano  language,  with  which  it 
has  nevertheless  some  points  of  similarity.  The  two 
languages,  are,  at  the  present  day,  used  for  the  same 


12S  THE    ZINCALI. 

purpose,  namely,  to  enable  habitual  breakers  of  the 
law  to  carry  on  their  consultations  with  more  secresy 
and  privacy  than  by  the  ordinary  means.  Yet,  it 
must  not  be  forgotten,  that  the  thieves'  jargon  was 
invented  for  that  purpose,  whilst  the  Rommany, 
originally  the  proper  and  only  speech  of  a  particular 
nation,  has  been  preserved  from  falling  into  entire 
disuse  and  oblivion,  because  adapted  to  answer  the 
same  end.  It  was  impossible  to  treat  of  the  Rom- 
many in  a  manner  calculated  to  exhaust  the  subject, 
and  to  leave  no  ground  for  future  cavilling,  without 
devoting  a  considerable  space  to  the  consideration 
of  the  other  dialect,  on  which  account  we  hope  we 
shall  be  excused  many  of  the  dry  details  which  we 
have  introduced  into  the  present  essay.  There  is 
a  link  of  connexion  between  the  history  of  the  Roma, 
or  wanderers  from  Hindustan,  who  first  made  their 
appearance  in  Europe  at  the  commencement  of  the 
fifteenth  century,  and  that  of  modern  roguery.  Many 
of  the  arts  which  the  Gypsies  proudly  call  their  own, 
and  which  were  perhaps  at  one  period  peculiar  to 
them,  have  become  divulged,  and  are  now  practised 
by  the  thievish  gentry  who  infest  the  various  Eu- 
ropean states,  a  result  which,  we  may  assert  with 
confidence,  was  brought  about  by  the  alliance  of  the 
Gypsies  being  eagerly  sought  on  their  first  arrival 
by  the  thieves,  who,  at  one  period,  were  less  skilful 
than  the  former  in  the  ways  of  deceit  and  plunder  ; 
which  kind  of  association  continued  and  held  good, 
until  the  thieves  had  acquired  all  they  wished  to 
learn,  when  both  parties  retired  to  their  proper  and 


ROBBER    LANGUAGE.  129 

most  congenial  orbits,  the  Gypsies  to  the  fields  and 
plains,  so  dear  to  them  from  the  vagabond  and  no- 
made  habits,  which  had  become  identified  with  their 
nature,  and  the  thieves  and  vagabonds  of  European 
origin  to  the  towns  and  cities.  Yet  from  this  tem- 
porary association  were  produced  two  results  ;  Eu- 
ropean fraud  became  sharpened  by  coming  into  con- 
tact with  Asiatic  craft,  whilst  European  tongues,  by 
imperceptible  degrees,  became  recruited  with  va- 
rious words,  (some  of  them  w^onderfully  expressive,) 
many  of  which  have  long  been  stumbling-stocks  to 
the  philologist,  who,  whilst  stigmatizing  them  as 
words  of  mere  vulgar  invention,  or  of  unknown 
origin,  has  been  far  from  dreaming  that  a  little  more 
research  or  reflection  would  have  proved  their  affin- 
ity to  the  Sclavonic,  Persian,  or  Romaic,  or  per- 
haps to  the  mysterious  object  of  his  veneration,  the 
Sanscrit,  the  sacred  tongue  of  the  palm-covered  re- 
gions of  Ind;  words  originally  introduced  into  Eu- 
rope by  objects  too  miserable  to  occupy  for  a  mo- 
ment his  lettered  attention, — the  despised  denizens, 
of  the  tents  of  Roma. 


THE 

ZINCALI. 


VOCABULARY 


OF 


THEIR  LANGUAGE. 


i 


ADVERTISEMENT 


TO   THE 


VOCABULARY. 


The  Gypsy  words  in  this  Collection  are  written 
according  to  the  Spanish  orthography  :  and  their  pro- 
nunciation is  the  Spanish ;  the  rules  for  which  need 
not  be  laid  down,  the  Spanish  language  being  at  pre- 
sent very  extensively  cultivated  in  Europe,  and  a 
knowledge  of  it  considered  as  forming  part  of  a 
liberal  education. 

The  words  pointed  out  as  derivatives,  though  toler- 
ably numerous,  are  to  be  considered  merely  in  the 
light  of  specimens  of  what  may  be  accomplished. 
We  are  within  compass,  when  stating,  that  there 
are  hundreds  of  words  in  this  Vocabulary  which  we 
could  as  easily  have  traced  to  the  Sanscrit,  Modern 
Greek,  Sclavonian,  &c. — and  have  forborne  ;  it  be- 
ing our  belief  that  the  general  scholar  will  peruse 
the  following  columns  with  increased  interest,  on 
perceiving  that  many  roots  have  been  left  in  the  soil, 
which  will  not  fail  to  reward  his  patient  research. 

To  those  who  may  feel  inclined,  in  some  instances, 

VOL.   II.  12 


134  ADVERTISEMENT. 

to  call  in  question  the  correctness  of  our  derivations, 
we  wish  to  observe,  that  in  order  to  form  an  opinion 
on  this  point,  it  is  necessary  to  be  well  acquainted 
with  the  manner  in  which  not  only  the  Gitanos,  but 
the  lower  orders  of  the  Spaniards  themselves,  are  in 
the  habit  of  changing  and  transposing  letters.  In 
some  provinces,  the  liquids  are  used  indifferently  for 
each  other — I  for  r,  r  for  n  and  Z,  y  for  llj  and  vice 
versa.  With  respect  to  the  Gitanos,  they  not  only 
confuse  the  liquids,  but  frequently  substitute  the  I 
for  the  d:  for  example  they  have  changed  the  Per- 
sian duriya,  *' the  sea,"  into  luriya ;  and  in  their 
word  for  "  thunder,"  have  afforded  a  curious  instance 
how  the  change  of  a  letter  may  render  it  difficult  to. 
trace  a  word  to  its  etymon  :  unacquainted  with  this 
habit  of  theirs,  no  one  would  venture  to  derive  luriari, 
their  term  for  "  thunder,"  from  the  Sanscrit ;  yet 
when  spelt  and  pronounced  dman^diS  it  ought  to  be, 
the  difficulty  at  once  vanishes:  durian  being  twin 
brother  to  the  Celtic  darian  which  is  clearly  allied  to 
the  Danish  tordoi,  the  German  doimer,  the  English 
thunder,  which  latter  is  but  a  slight  modification  of 
the  Sanscrit  f?it?ra.  They  likewise  occasionally  con- 
found a  liquid  with  a  labial ;  saying,  lomhardo  or  bom- 
hardo  indifferently,  which  word  in  their  language 
signifies  "  a  lion." 

We  shall  offer  no  examples  as  to  their  manner  of 


TO    THE    VOCABULARY.  135 

transposing  letters  ;  but  content  ourselves  with  ob- 
serving, that  nothing  is  more  common  than  such  trans- 
positions. With  all  its  faults,  we  recommend  this 
Vocabulary  to  the  Reader,  assuring  him  that  it  con- 
tains the  elements  of  the  speech  of  a  most  extraordi- 
nary people,  the  Spanish  Gypsies — a  speech  which, 
if  this  memento  preserve  it  not,  must  speedly  be  lost, 
and  consigned  to  entire  oblivion — a  speech  which 
we  have  collected  in  its  last  stage  of  decay,  at  the 
expense  of  much  labour  and  peril,  during  five  years 
spent  in  unhappy  Spain — Spain,  which  we  have 
traversed  in  all  directions,  mindful  of  the  proverb — 

Chuquel  sos  pirela 
Cocal  ter^a.. 


THE     ZINCALI. 


VOCABULARY  OF  THEIR  LANGUAGE. 


AbatIco,  s.?n..  Father.  Padre.  Vid. 

Batu. 
Abelar,    v.  a.     To   have,    possess. 

Tener.     Sans.  Ava.* 
Abertune,  *.  a.    Foreigner,  foreign. 

Fornstero. 
Aberurar,  v.  n.    To  repent.     Arre- 

pentir^e. 
Abicholar,  u.?i.  To  appear.  Parecer. 
Abillelar,   v.  n.    To   come.    Venir. 

Pers   Amdan.  Hin.  Ana, 
Abri,   adv.     Out,   abroad.     Fiiera. 

Pers.  Badar.  Sans.  Vahira. 
Acaba,  pron.  dem.  '^i'his.  Este. 
Acana,   adv.   Now.    Ahoia.    Pers. 

Acnun.  Sans.  Adhnna. 
Acarar,  v.  a.  To  call.  Llamar. 
Acatan,  adv.  Hither.  Aca. 
Achibes,  adv.  To-day.   Hoy.  Hin. 

Ajhi. 
Achinclar,  v.  a.  To  cut.  Cortar, 
Achogornar,  v.  n.  To  assist.  Acudir. 
Acoi,  adv.  Here.  Aqu\- 
Acores,  s.  pi.  Nuts,  Nueces.    Mod. 

Gr.  KupiSi . 
Ajojoy,  s.  m.  A  hare.  Liibre, 
Ajoro,  s.  m.  Friday.  Viernes. 
Ajua,  if.  m.  Halter.  Cabestro. 
Alachar,  v.  n.  To  meet.  Encontrar. 


Alala,  5,  f.    Joy.    Alegria.     Sans. 

Ullasa. 
Alangari,  5.,/.  Grief,  sorrow.  Pesar. 
Alao,  5.  m.  Word.  Palabra. 
Alcarran,  s.  TO.  Drone.  Zangano. 
Alcorabisar,  v.  a.  To  arrive  at.  Al- 

canzar. 
Alendarse,   v.  r.   To  rejoice.    Ale- 

grarse.  Sans.  Ananda. 
Alialy,   s.  f.   Temper,   disposition. 

Genio. 
Alicali,  s.  f.  Time,  turn.  Vez. 
Ali^ata,  s  f.  Side.  Lado. 
Aligat.iS,  adv.  Just  by.  Al  lado. 
Aljeiiique,  s.  f.  Fountain.  Fuente. 
Almeualle.  s.f.  Almond.  Almendra. 
Almensalle,  s.f.  Table.  ?-le3a. 
Amal,    s.   m.   Companion.    Com- 

panero. 
Ama'a,   s.  ./.    Companion.     Com- 

paiiera. 
Amartelar,  v.  n.  To  wither.    Mar- 
ch) tar. 
Amini,  s.f.  Anvil.  Ayunque. 
Amolar,  v.  n.  To  be  vi'orth.  Val€r. 
Ampio,   s.  m.    Oil.    Oleo,   aceyte* 

Sans.  Abbyaujana. 
Ampio   raajaro,    Holy  oil.     Santo 

oleo. 


*  As  there  are  no  Sanscrit  types  in  this  country,  and  no  Arnbic  of  the  proper 
size,  we  have  been  cunipelled  to  put  our  author's  Sanscrit.  Persian,  and  Araf)ic 
etymologies  m  Roman  characters;  whicii  to  tiie  majoritx  of  readers  will  be  rather 
a  subject  of  felicitation  than  of  regret.  In  so  doing  we  haye  followed  the  usual 
and  most  convenient  course,  iiiving  tlie  Engli>h  souiil  to  the  consonant.*,  and  the 
Italian  to  ihe  vowels.  In  Shemitish  words  ilio  combinations  witli  h  are  to  be  pro- 
nounce.I  as  follows:  6/tlike  v,  dh  like  th  in  thine  th  like  ih  in  thin,  and  khWknch  in 
Germ;in,  or  the  (ireek  A! ;  but  in  words  from  the  Sanscrit,  Hindostanee,  &c.  the  firat 
letter  of  the  combination  retains  its  hard  sound,  which  is  simply  followed  by  an 
aspirate;  thus  bh  i^  to  be  proaounced  as  in  abhor,  dh  as  in  mad-house,  &c.  The 
long  vowels  are  designated  by  an  acute  accent.  An  apostrophe  (')  represents  the 
Shemitish  letter  Ayin.  A  few  additional  etymologies  are  placed  between  brackets. 
— Am.  Ed. 

VOL.  II.  A 


♦2 


THE    ZINCALI. 


Amucharse,    v.    r.    To    intoxicate 

oneself,  Emborracharse. 
Amular,  v.   a.  To   hang,    execute, 

strangle.     Ahorcar,  dar  garrote. 
An,  s.  pi  Things,  matters.  Cosas. 

Mod.  Gr.  OP  (being  existence). 
Anacar,    v.   impers.     To    happen. 

Suceder. 
Anarania  )  adv.    Amen,    so    be   it. 
Anariana  )      Amen,  asi  sea. 
Andandula,  5.  ^.  Fox.  Raposa. 

ISdIar  \  «*■  Thus.  Asi. 
Andingla,  s.  f.  Girth.  Cincha. 
Andoba,  pron  dcm.   This.  Este. 
Andoriles,   s.  pL.  Strings,  garters. 

Ligjs. 
Andre,  adv.  prep.  In,  within.  En, 

dentro.      Pers.    Andar.      Sans. 

Antare. 
Andfique,  adv.  Whither.  Adonde. 
Anduyo,  s,  in.  Lamp.  Velun. 
Anglal,   adv.  Before,  forward.  De- 

lanie.    Hin.  Age. 
Anglano,  *.  m.  A  publican.  Pubii- 

cano. 
Angrunio,  *.   m.  Lock,  bolt.  Cer- 

rojo.      Sans.     Argala.     [Germ. 

Riegel.] 
AnL'Ui,  s.  /.  Honey.    Miel.     PerS' 

Angbin. 
Angusli,  s. ./".  Finger.  Dedo.  Pers. 

Angusht.  Sans.  Agru,  Anguri- 
Anffustro,    s.    m.    A  ring.    AniUo. 

Pers.  Angushtari.    Sans.  Angu- 

riya. 
Anjella,  prep.  Before.  Antes. 
Anjelo,  s.  m.  Desire.  Deseo. 
Anis,  s  f.  Wasp.  Avis()a. 
Anro,   s.  m.    Egg.    Huevo.   Sans. 

Anda.      Both   in    Sanscrit    and 

Gypsy,  this  word  signifies  a  tes- 
ticle. 
Ansul,  adj.  Sick.  Enfermo. 
Aocana.    Vid.  Acana. 
Aopler,  V.  a.  To  open.  Abrir. 
Aoiar,  adv.  Yonder.  Alia. 
Aoter,  adv.  There.  Alii. 
Apajenar,  v-  a.  To  approach.  Acer- 
car. 
Apala,  prep.  Behind.  Detras.  Sans. 

Apara.  [Fr.  Apres.] 
Aparati,  s.  f.  Cloud.  Nube.     Pers. 

Abar. 
Apenar,  v.  a.    To    take.     Tomar. 

Hiu.  Pana. 


Apuchelar,   v.  n.    To  live,   dwell. 

Vivir,  habitar.  Sans.  Fiji. 
Apucheris,  s.  pi.   The  living.  Los 

vivos. 
Aquia,  8.  f.   The  eye.   Ojo.  S&ns. 

Akshi.     Germ.  Auge. 
Aquinbilaneto,  s.  m.    Attendance, 
accompaniment.       Acompana- 
mignto. 
Aquirimen,  5.  y.  Affection.  Aficion. 
Aquirindoy,  adj.  Affected.    Aficio- 
nado. 
Aracate,  a.  rn..  Guard.  Guarda. 
Aracatear,  v.  a.  To  guard.  Guardar. 
Arachi,  adv.  Last  night.  Anoche. 
Arajambi,  5.  f.      Under-petticoat. 

Zagalejo. 
Arajay,  s.  ?n.  Friar.  Frayle.  Arab, 

Ralieb. 
Araperar,    v.    a.      To    remember. 

Acordar. 
Arapuchi,  s  f.  Tortoise.  Galapago. 

Sans.   Kachchhapa,  Krodapada. 

Rus.  Cherepakia. 
Araquerar,   v.  a.     To  speak,  talk, 

tall.     Hablar,    Uamar.       Sans. 

Rata. 
Araquerepenes,    s.    pi.      Sayings. 

Dichos. 
Arara,  s.f.  Pledge.  Prenda. 
.Aravi,  adj.  Pregnant.  Preiiada. 
Arasno,  s.  vx.  Fear.  Miedo. 
Arate,  s.  m.  Blood.  Sangre. 
Archabar  v.  a.    To  serve.    Servir. 

Sans.  Abhichara,  Parichara,  (ser- 
vant). 
...        "]    V.  a.  To  raise.  Levan- 
Ardelar     I      ^.j.    g^^^  Aroliana. 

Ardinelar  i     (^'^i^g)'      9^^(^^»    ^^^ 
Ardmejarj      (i„oh,  exalted). 

Ardoria,  s.  f.  Vein.  Vena.  [Lat. 
Arteria.] 

Arispejal,  s.  m.  Metal.  Metal, 
Sans.  Ara  (brass);  Pitala  (yel- 
low) ;  literally,  yellow  brass. 

Arite,  s.  m.  Lentil.   Lenteja. 

Arjaiia,  s    f.  Salad.  Ensalida. 

Armensalle,  adj.  Free.  Lilire. 

Arouiali,  adv.  Verily,  indeed.  En 
verdad. 

Aruje,  s.  m.  Wolf.  Lobo.  Hin. 
Bheruha. 

Asaselarse,  v.  r.  To  rejoice,  to 
laugh.  Alegrarse,  reirse.  Hin. 
Hansna. 

Asirios,  pron-  pi  Those.  Aquellos. 


VOCABULARY    OF    THEIR    LANGUAGE. 


#3 


Asislable,  adj.  Powerful.  Poderoso. 
Asislar,  v.  a.    To  be  able.     Poder. 

Vid.  Astisar. 
Asisnastri,  s.^.  Apprentice.  Apren- 

diz. 
Asisprole,  s.  m.  Brass.  Bronce. 
Asnao,  s.  m.    Name,   word.     Vid. 

Alao. 
Asparabar,  v.  a.     To  break,   tear. 

Romper,  lacerar.   Gr.  (TTraoao-o-w. 
Astis,  a.  Possible.   Posible. 
Astisar,  v.  a.  To  be  able.  Poder. 
Astra,    s.  f.     Moon,    star.     Luna. 

Estrella.      \Sans.     Tara,    Zend 

Stara.      Gr.  daTf}p.'\ 
Atelis,  adv.  Below.     Aba  jo.     Vid, 

Ostt'le.     Turk.  Altandeh.    Hin 

Tule. 
Aterni,   s.  a.    Dead-born.    Nacido 

mueito.     This  word  in  Sanscrit 

s\gn\i\es  pregnant :  Udarin. 
Atudiesalle,   s.   m.     Steel:    rather 

iron.  Acero.  Sans.  Ayasa. 
Avel  )  adj.  Other,   another,   Otro. 
Aver  \    Sans.  Apara.  Arab.  Ghair. 
Aunsos,  conj.  Although.  Aunqne. 
Aupre,  adv.    Above.    Arriba.    [Gr. 

vnep.  Germ.  Ueber.  Eng.  Over.] 
Ayes,  adv.  Yet,  nevertheless.  Atin. 
Ayore,  adv.   Above.   Arriba.     [See 

Aupre.] 
Azia,    s.  f.    Mill.    Molino.    Pers. 

Asya. 
Azimache,  3. ./.  Sign.  Sena. 

B. 

Babiiiar,  v.  a.  To  extinguish. 
Apaj^ar. 

Bachildoy,  s.y.  Loose-hair.  Melena. 

Bacria,  s.f.  A  goat.  Cabra. 

Bajanbar,  v.  a.  To  touch.  Tocar. 
Hin.  Pukurna. 

Bajatia,  s.  f.  A  bell.  Campana.  A 
derivative  from  the  preceding 
word. 

B^ji,  s,  f.  Luck,  fortune.  Suerte, 
Ventura. — Penar  baji,  "  to  tell 
fortunes,"  Decir  la  buena  ven- 
tura.  Sans.  Bhagaya.  Pers. 
Bakht.  Instead  of  this  word,  the 
English  Gypsies  make  use  of  a 
derivative  from  the  Sclavonian, 
dukkerin.  In  their  dialect,  to  tell 
fortunes  is  "  penaw  dukkerin." 

Bajilache,  s.  nn.  Deet,  venison. 
Venado. 


Bajin,  s.  in.  Event.  Caso. — Bajine, 
"  that  which  has  happened." 
Acaecido. 

Bajuma,  s. ./".  Bug.  Chinche. 

Bal,  s.  /".  Garden,  kitchen-garden. 
Jardin,  huerta.  Sans.  Vela. 

Bal,  s. /.  Hair.  Pelo.  Sans.  Bala. 
Gr.iAiXoi.   MjL  Gr.  fxtWi. 

Balbalo,  adj.  Rich,  strong.  Rico, 
fuerte.  \i-'ers.  Pahlu.  Sans.  Ba- 
la vag. 

Baliba,  s.  f.  Bacon.  Tocino. 

Balicho,  s.  m.  Hog.  Mariano. 
Sans.  Balin.  Hin.  Barah. 

Ballesiera,  s.  f.  Pigeon.  Paloma. 
Mod.  Gr.  nepiarepa. 

Ballestero,  s.  m.  Cock-pigeon. 
Palomo. 

Balogar,  v.  a.  To  fly.  Volar. 

Balunes,  s.  p^.  Pantaloons.  Panta- 
lones. 

Baluill,  s.  f.  Wild-goat,  chamois. 
Corza,  gamuza, 

)  s.  f.  Shop,   cellar; 

Bambanicha  I     also  Gallows.  Bo- 

Banbanicha   f     tica,  bodega,  tam- 
J      bien,  horca. 

Bar,  s.  f.  Stone.  Piedra.  Hin. 
Puthur. 

Bar  lachi,  s.  /.  The  loadstone.  La 
piedra  iman. — Connected  with 
this  word  there  is  a  kind  of  magic 
rhyme,*  used  by  the  Gypsy 
women  in  their  incantations;  it 
runs  as  follows: 

En  gI  beji  d'Olivete  entrisare, 
Trin  braquia  callardia  encontrisar^, 
En  trin  bedos  las  ordenisare, 

Y  trin  quiralis  callardia  nicobe  : 
Yeque  se  lo  dinelo  a  la  bar  lachi 
Pura  que  mc  nicobele  de  merip^  ; 

Y  'laver  se  lo  diilelo  a  Padilla  romi 
Con  saria  su  suesti ; 

Y  '1  aver  al  Bengui  lango 

Para  que  m'otorguisarele  lo  que  camelo 
yo. 

Baraca,  s.  f.  Winter.  Invierno. 
Barader,  s.  m.  Justice  of  peace,  a 

person    of  authority.      Alcalde, 

hombre  principal. 
Barandi,  s.  f.  Ba$k,  shoulder.  Es- 

palda. 
Barani,  s.f.  Galley.  Galera. 

*  Of  this  rhyme  there  is  a  translatioa 
■\u  the  first  volume. 


*4 


THE    ZINCALI* 


Barbalu,  s.  m.  Physician.   Medico. 
Barban,   s.  m.   Wind,  air.   Viento, 

ayre.    Vid.  Bear.   Sans.  Pradha- 

vana,  Pavana. 
Barchala,    s.    /.     Knobbed    stick. 

Porra. 
BardadI,  adj.  Empty.  Vaclo. 
Bardi,  s./".  Prison.  Carcel. 
Bardon,  s.  in  Reason.  Razon. 
Bardroy,  adj.  Green.  Verde.  Sans. 

Bharira. 
Barendafii,    s.  f.    Stone.    Piedra. 

Vid.  Bar. 
Bares  del  mol,  71.  p.  Val  de  peiias  ; 

literally,  "Therocksof  the  wine," 

Penas  del  vino. 
Bargaiia,  s.  f.  War.  Guena.  Pers. 

Perkhash. 
Baribu,  adj.  Much.  Mucho.  Sans, 

Puru. 
Baricuntus,  s.  m.   The  Captain  or 

Count  of  a  band  of  Gitanos, — a 

governor;   literally,    The   Great 

Count.     El  Capitan  6  Conde  de 

una  tropa  de  Jitanos, — goberna- 

dor. 
Baro.    adj. ;    pi.    bareles ;    Great. 

Grande.  Hin.  Bura. 

^^^^^\   ^n.  p.  John.  Juan. 
Barsane,  ) 

Barsamia,  adv.  Enough.  Bastante. 
Bartrabe,    adv.    Witliout.     Fueia. 

Moorish  Arabic^  Barra. 
Bartrabes,  adv.   Contrariwise.    Al 

reves. 
Bas,  s.  /. ;  pi.  hastes  ;  The  hand. 

Mano.  Pers.  Bazti. 
Basno,  s.  m.  Cock.    Gallo.    Sans. 

Puchchhinu. 
Bastardo,     s.    a.     Affliction,     evil, 

prison.  Afliccion,  mal,  carcel.  The 

proper  signification  of  this  word 

is  probably  slavery.     Pers.  Pa- 

rastari. 
Bastarre.  5.  /.  The  right-hand.  La 

derecha. 
BsLSiOyudj.  Evil.  Malo,  v.  Bastardo. 
Basya,  5. /I  Sleeve.  Manga. 
Batane,  s.  m.  Calf.  Becerro. 
P        )s.in.;  pZ.  batuces  ;  Father. 
^^^^>     Padre.  From  the  Russian 
^atu  >      word,  hatuschka. 
Bato  Majoro,  The  Holy  Father,  the 

Pope.  El  Padre  Santo. 
Bausa'.e,  s.f.  Cause.  Causa. 


Bayopio,  adj.  Maimed,  one-handed 

Manco. 
Bazin,  pron.  dem.  pi.  mas.  These. 

Esios. 
B;izan,  pron.  dem.  pi.  fern,.  These. 

Estas. 
Beao,    s.  7?j.  A  lord,   a  gentleman. 

Sefior,  caballero.    Turk.  Beg. 
Hear        >5.  m.    Wind,  air.    Viento, 
Bearbal  \      ayre.     Hin.  Bara. 
Beda,  s.  f.  Manner,  way,  custom. 

Manera,  costumbre. 
Bedar     \  v.  a.  To  Teach.  Ensefiar. 
Bedelar  >       It    has     many    other 

meanint!s;  e.g.  Bedar  or  yaque, 

"To  light  the  fire."     Encender 

fuego. —  Bedar  or   chiros  ;     "To 

pass  the  lime  :"  Pasar  el  tiempo, 

&c. 
Bededemulo,  "Funeral of  ihedead." 

El  enlierro  de  un  diuinto. 
Bedora  )  s.  f.  A  girl,  virgin.     Mu- 
Bedorl  )      chacha,  virjen. 
Bedoro,  s.  vi.  Boy,  youth.  Mucha- 

cho,  joven.  Arab.  Badr. 
Bedrajami,  s.   m.   Giant.     Jigante. 

Pers.    Bahadar,    [strong    man]. 

Sans.  Patli,  Vikramin. 

Bejanbi,  s.  ,f.  Fault,  crime.    Delito. 

Bejari,  s.f  Female  lizard.  Lagarta- 
Lagartija. 

Bejelar,  v.  ,n.  To  take  a  seat, 
Asentar. 

Belga,  adv.  There.  Alii. 

Bella,  s.f.  War.  Guerra. 

Beluili,  s.f.  A  calash.  Calesa. 

Beluni,  s.f  Queen.  Reyna.  Pers. 
Banu.  Sans.  Battinl.  [Welsh, 
Brenhines.] 

Bengue  )  s.  in.    Devil,    evil  spirit. 

Bengui  \  Demonio,  esplritu  malo. 
Sans.  Panka,  i.  e.  mud,  bog.  Ac- 
cording to  the  Hindoo  mytholo- 
gy, there  is  a  hell  of  mud,  called 
Bengraprabha:  the  Bengues  of 
the  Gypsies  appear  to  be  the 
tenants  of  this  hell.  The  Russian 
Bog  (God),  and  the  English 
nursery  demon.  Bogey,  are  pos- 
sibly derived  from  the  same  San- 
scrit root. 

Benseni,  s.  f.  Audience    Audiencia. 

Beo,  s.  m.  Las  partes  vergonzosafj 


VOCABULARY  OF  THEIR  LANGUAGE. 


#5 


de    una    mujer.     Sans.    Bhaga. 

Hiti.  Bhug. 
BeOjS.  m.  Prison.  Carcel. 
Berabar,  v.  a.  To  save.  Salvar. 
Berallas,  5.  f.  pi.  Bee-hives.    Col- 

inenas. 
Beralll,  s.f.  Galley.  Galera. 
Berbal,  s.  m.  Picture.   Cuatlro. 
Berbel,  s.  m.  Looking-glass.  Espejo. 
Berbirincha.  s./.  Star-lizard.  Sala- 

manquesa. — The  proper  meaning 

is  squirrel^  which  is  an   animal 

rarely  found  in  Spain.  Mod.  Gr. 

/3£p(3ij)LT^a.     Anlilla. 
Berdacuiii,  s.  f.  Window.  Ventana. 
Berdeji,  5.  ?«..  Lizard.     Lagarto. 
Berdi,  s.  f.  Q,uarrel.  dispute.  Riiia. 

Perhaps  from  the  Scandinavian 

word  Barda^  "to  fight." 
Berdo,  5.  m.  A  ship.     Navio.    Vid. 

Bero. 
Berdoche,  s.  m.  Coach.     Coche. 
Beribu,  s.  /.  Multitude.     Multitiid. 

Vid.  Baribii. 
Beriga,  s.f.  Chain.  Cadena.    Rus. 

Veriga. 
Berilli,  s.f.  Wasp.  Avispa.     Hin. 

Birnee. 
Berjar,  v.  a.  To  find.     Hallar. 
Berji,   s.   to.  A   year.     Ano.     Hin. 

Burukh. 
Bero,   s.  to.  Galley ;    garrison    to 

which  criminals  are  sent  for  hard 

labour.     Galera,  presidio.    Sans. 

Padara. 
Berquero,  s.m.  Wen.  Lohanillo. 
Berrandaha,  s.  f.   Stone.     Piedra. 

Vid.  Barendaui. 
Berrinches,  s.  pi.  Lemons.  Limones. 
Bersaii,  s.  Spy.     Espla. 
Berseji,  s.f  War,  quarrel.   Guerra, 

riiia. 
Berseli,  adj.  Coarse,  rude.     Basto. 
Berteleri,  s.f.  Appellation.     Apela- 

cion.     Perhaps    Word,  from  the 

Sanscrit. 
Beruni,  5../.  Balcony.     Balcun. 
BesUi,  s.f.  War,  dispute.     Guerra, 

quimera.      Vid.  Bella. 
Besfii,    s.  ,/.    Window.      Ventana. 

Pers.  Bin  (seeing). 
Bestale  >  s.     Seat,     chair,    saddle, 
Besti      \      bench.  Silla,  banco. 
Bestelar,  v.  a.  To  sit.  Asenfar. 
Bestipen,  s.f.  Wealth,  riches.     Ri- 

queza. 

A 


Bestique,  par.  Seated.     Asentado. 
Beylo,  adj.  Single,  singular.    Solo, 

unico. 
Bian,  adj.   Twenty-three.     Veinte 

y  tres. 
Bica,  s-  f.  Chair.  Silla. 
Bichabar,  15.  a.    To  send.    Envlar, 

Hin.     Bhejwa'd.       Sans.    Visa, 

Vikshepa  (casting.) 
Bichola,  s.f  Likeness,  simiUtude. 

Semejanza. 
Bicholar,  v.  n.  To  appear.  Parecer, 

Vid.  Abicholar. 
Biere,  s,  to.  Glass.  Vidrio. 
Bifi,  s.f  Snow.  Nieve.  Pers.  Barf. 
Bigorear,  v.  a.  To  arrive.  L'^egar. 
Binar,  v.  a.  To  sell.  Vender.  Sans. 

Vikrayana      (selling).     Panana. 

(sale).  Hin.  Bikna.   Arab.    Bai. 
Bique,  s.  m.  Edict,  Cartel. 
Biruquero,  s.  vi.  Carpenter.     Car- 

pintero. 
Bis,  adj.  Twenty.  Veinte.  Hin.  Bis. 
Bisarar,  v.  a.  To  owe.     Deber, 
Bisinia,  s.f  Pasture-ground.     De- 

hesa. 
Bisna,    s.  /.    Sale.     Venta.     Vid. 

Binar. 
Bispapaio,     s.    to.     Grandfather. 

Abuelo. 
Bispibi,  5../.  Hornet.     Avispon. 
Blani,  s.f.  Jacket.     Chaqueta. 
Blejo,  adj.  Slouched.     Sesgo. 
i^oltes,  s.pZ.  Beans.     Habas.    Rxis. 

Boby.     Hin.  Lobiya. 
Boltani,  s.f.  Turn.     Vuelta. 
Bonbachi,  s.f.  Pipe.     Pipa. 
Bombardo,  «•  TO. Lion.  Leon.  Hin. 

Bubur. 
Bomboi,  adj.  Foolish.     Tonlo. 
Boqui    \  s.  f   Hunger,    famine. — 
Boquis  \  Hambre.     Hin.  Bhukh. 
Bordani,  s.f.  Tower,  castle.  Torre, 

Castillo. 
Bordeles,  s.  pi.  Christians.    Cris- 

tianos. 
Bosnansibla,  s.f.  Confidence.  Con- 

fianza.   Query,  Possibility.  Rus. 

Vosmojgnost. 
Bostan,  s.  tn.  Linen.    Lienzo. 
Bostan,  adj.  Weak,  feeble.     Flojo. 

IZ^Zy  \   -  »•  A  bear.    Oso. 

BrabanI,    adj.   Valiant.    Valiente. 

[Fr.  Brave.J 
Bruco,  s.  TO.  Mutton.    Carnero. 


*6 


THE    ZINCALl. 


Bracuni,  s.f.  A  sheep.     Oveja. 
Braga-lachi,  Much  shame.   Mucha 

verguenza. 
Bragante,  adj.  Made  of  straw.  Pa- 

jizo. 
Brajata,  s./.  Necessity.  Necesidad. 
Braji,   s  /.    Sheep.     Oveja.     Pers. 

Barah. 
Brajial,  s.  m.  Hospital.     Hospital. 
Breji,  5.  m.  Field,  mountain.  Cam- 

po,  monte.     Hin.  Bur  (a  desert.) 
Brequejo,  adj.  par.  Obliged.  Obh- 

gado. 
Brequenar,  v.  a.  Defend,  defender. 
Bresban,    adj.     Blessed.     Bendito. 

Possibly  that  which  is  connected 

with  Brahman  or  Brahma. 
Bretegeli,  s.f.  pi.  Delights.    Deli- 

cias. 
Brichardilar,  V.  a.  To  ask,  implore. 

Rogar. 

a.   To   bear,    sufTer. 


A    break,     rupture. 


Bricholar,  v. 

Padecer. 
Bridaque,    s 

Quiebra. 

Bridaquelar,  v.  a.  To  break.     Rom- 
per, quebrar. 
Brijindal,  s.  Rain,  shower.  Lluvia. 

Pers.Baran.  »S  .7i.<;.  Purana.  Mod. 

Gr.  I3p:)yf]. 
Brijindar,  v-  n-  To  rain.     Llover- 
Brijindope,  *.   m.   Deluge,  mighty 

rain.     Diluvio. 
Brijindobio,  s.  m.  Hunchback.  Jo- 

robado.     Sans.  Bhangura. 
Brinda,  s. /.  A  pear.     Pora,  fruta. 
Brinsela,  s.f.  Bottle.     Botelln. 
Brinza,  s.  ./I  Flesh,  meat.     Came. 
Broba   )  s.  f  Pom[jion,    calabash. 
Brobia  ^      Calabaza. 
Brochabo,  s.   m.    Boy,    lad.     Mu- 

chacho. 
Brodelo,  s.   and  adj.  Third,  third 

party,  mediator,  i'ercero. 
Brojuchi,  s.f.  Pink,  flower,  Clavel. 
Brondo,  conj-  But,  yet.  Pero. 
Brono   Alieiiicato,  n.    pr.    Poniius 

Pilate.  Poiicio  Pilato. 
Bros,    adj.   pron.      Your,     yours. 

Vuestro. 
Brosibaiia,  s.  f.    Bramble.    Zarza. 

Hin.  Bhur-band. 
Brostildan,  s.  m.  Mayor,  justice  of 

peace.  Alcalde. 
Brote,  s.  m.  Can;el.  Camello. 


Brotobo      \    adj.    First.    Primerc., 

Brotoboro  )      Gr.  irpwrog. 

Brotomuchi,  s.  /.  The  spring.  Pri- 
mavera. 

Brotomucho,  s.  m.  First-cousin. 
Primo-hermano. 

Brucharno,  s.  m.  A  shot.  Tiro. 

Bruchino,  s.  m.  Dried  cod-fish. 
Bacallao. 

Brudilar,  v.  d.  To  answer.  Contes- 
tar,  responder.     Vid.  Rudilar. 

Bruja,  s f  The  Holy  Brotherhood, 
La  Santa  Hermandad.  This 
word  is  a  cant  term  (Bruja,  in 
Spanish,  means  a  witch),  and 
does  not  properly  belong  to  the 
Gitano  language. 

Crujx,  s.f.  A  real,  a  Spanish  coin. 
Un  real. 

Bruiii,  s.f  A  she-goat.  Cabra. 

Bruilito,  5.  m.  A  kid.  Cabrito. 

Bucharar,  v.  a.  To  shoot.  Tirar. — ■ 
This  word  has  numerous  signifi- 
cations; e.  g.  Bucharar  la  baste, 
"To  extend  the  hand  :"  Extender 
la  mano. — Me  bucharela  Ferrate, 
"My  blood  beats."  Me  arde  la 
sangre.  Sans.  Vikshepa.  Vid. 
Bichabar. 

Buchi,  s.  f  Any  thing,  the  public 
executioner.  Cualquiera  cosa,  el 
verdugo. 

Bucos,  s.  m.  Liver.  Higado.  Sans. 
Bukka  (heart). 

Bufa,  s.f.  Crib,  manger.  Pest-bre. 

Bufdire,  s.  m.  A  king's  evidence, 
informer,  cat.  SoplOn,  gato. 

Biifendi,  adv.  Better,  (From  bus, 
"  more,"  and  fendi,  *'  good.") 
MejOr. 

Bujcndi,  s.  m.  Catamite.  Bujarron. 

Bujibio,  s.  m.  Hunchback.  Joro- 
bado. 

s.     The    anus,    orificio. 
Sans.    Ptit.    Phalaka. 
Hin.  Bil. 

BuUas,  s.f.  pi.  Grey  hairs.  Canas. 

Bundal,  s.  f  Gate,  door.  Puerta. 
Vid.  Burda. 

Buque,  s.  m.  Point.  Punto.  Sans. 
Makada  (peak). 

Buqucpe,  s.  Account,  information 
given  to  the  ministers  of  justice. 
Cuenta  dada  a  la  justicia.  Arab., 
Woktif. 


Bui 
BuUati 


VOCABULARY    OF    THEIR   LANGUAGE. 


Bur,  s.  m.  Mountain.  Montana. 
Rus.  Bugor. 

Burda,  s.  f.  Gale,  door.  Puerta. 
Sans.  Puradvvdra,  (of  a  town). 
Hhi.  Bur. 

Burlo,  s.  VI.  Play,  sport.  Juego. 

Bus,  adv.  and  conj.  More,  but,  yet. 
Mas,  pero. 

Bus,  adv.  When.  Cuando. 

Busiie,  adj.  Sweet.  Dulce. 

Busno,  s.  m.  A  gentile,  a  savage, 
every  person  who  is  not  of  the 
Gypsy  sect.  Jentil,  salvaje;  asi 
Hainan  los  Jitanos  al  que  no  es 
dela  sangre  de  ellos. — The  Eng- 
lish Gypsies  make  use  of  tlie 
word  Tororo  in  this  sense,  which 
signifies  what  is  poor  and  pitiful : 
See  Chororo.  The  root  of  Busno 
is  probably  the  Sans.  Purusha 
(a  man  in  general)  or  Pukkasa 
an  impure  person,  "  Busurrnati," 
in  the  Russian  tongue,  signifies, 
'•  A  heathen." 

Busne,  5.  pi.  The  Gentiles,  savages. 
Los  Jentiles,  los  salvajes. 

Busnos,  s.  pL  Torments,  pains. 
Tormentos. 

Busorala,  adj.  Ripe.  Maduro. 

Buste,  s.  f.  'I'he  act  of  sticking  or 
joining  together.  Pegadura.  Ptrs. 
Bastah. 

Butacole,  adj.  Yellow.  Amarillo. 
Sans.  Pitala. 

Butanar,  v.  a.  To  drain,  spill, 
scatter.  Derramar, 

g";l^'  I  adv.  More.  Mas. 
Butre,  S 

Butron,  s.  m.  Abyss,  a  deep  hole. 

Abismo,    hoyo    profundo.     This 

word  is  evidently  derived  from 

the  Sanscrit  Avada.   Alod.    Gr. 

i3vd6s.     English,  Pit. 

C. 
Caba,  pron.  dem.  This.  Este.   Vid. 

Acaba. 
Cabana,  s.f.  Tomb,  grave.  Sepul- 

tura.     Moorish.  Arab.   Cawar. 
Cabanar,  v.  a.  To  bury.  Enierrar. 

Mod.     Gr.    (TKOLTtTW. 

Cacabi,  s.  f.    A   kettle.    Caldera. 

This  word  is  pure  Greek,  KaKKafSrj. 
Cacaluni,  s.f.  Species  of  earthen 

pan.  Cazuela. 
Cacarabi,    s.  m.   A  crow.    Grajo. 


Sans.     Kaka,    Karava.       [Lat. 

Corvus  ] 
Cachas,  s.f.  pi.  Scissors.   Tijeras. 

Sans.  Katraro. 
Cachicalli,   s.f   Female  relation. 

Parienta. 
Cachimani,    s.   f     Brandy-shop, 

tavern.   Aquardienteria,   laberna. 

Query.   The    seller    of   brandy, 
from,  Kasya,   a    kind  of  liquor. 

Has.    Q,uass,  and  Manuj,  man. 
Cafi,  s.  /.  Nail.  Clavo.    Mod.  Gr. 

Kap(p'i. 
Cajuco,  adj.  Deaf.  Sordo. 
Cajuguy,  s.f  File.  Lima. 
Caiabea,  s.f  Lie,  falsehood.  Men- 

tira.     Arab.  Khelaf. 
Calabear,  v.  a.  To  lie.  Mentir. 
Calafresa,  s.  f  Chitterlings.  Asa- 
dura. 
Calas,  s.  pi.  The  Gypsies.  Jitanos. 

Vid  Calo. 
Calisen,s./!  Death.  Muerte.  Sans. 

Kala. 
CaUicaste,  adv.  Yesterday.  Ayer. 
Callico,  s.  m.    Dawn.   Madrugada. 

Sans.  Kalya. 
Callardo,  adj.  Black.  Negro. 
Calo      ?^'  "^'  ^  ^yP^y'  ^  black. 
Caloro  C      J"^"°'  ljoi"bre  negro. 

3      Sans.  Kala.  Hin.  id. 
Calli,  s.  /.  A   Gypsy  woman.    Ji- 

tana.  # 

Calochin,  s.  m.    Heart.    Corazon. 

Properly,    liver.     Sans.   Kalah- 

kanjana. 
Cal Irabu,  s.   m.  Convict-garrison. 

Presidio. 
Calumbrico,  s.  m.  Understanding. 

Entendimiento.     Sans.   Kalan- 

clika.       Mod.    Gr.    Kara\ajj/3dvu)y 

to  "understand." 
Cam  Is.m.  Sun.  Sol.  Hin. Khan. 
Can   S      Sans.  Khamani. 
Camaranchas,   s.f.  pi.    Buttons. 

Botones. 
Cambani,  s.f.  Shop.  Tienda. 
Caml)rai,s.  7^1.  Dog.  Perro.  [Arab. 

Calb.] 
r-imhrl       ?  ^^^J'  •^^^«    Pregnant. 
Ca"nb::,bi  I  l^^^'-  '''"'-  G"- 

Camelar,  v.  a.  To  love.  Amar.  Sans. 

Kama,  Kama    (Love,  Cupid.) 
Cameni,  s  f  Shop.  Tienda.  Pers. 

Carkhaneh.      The   root    is    the 


8* 


THE    ZINCALT. 


Sans.    Karmnian    (work,    ac- 
tion). 
Camuchi,  s.   Heel-bone.  Zancajo. 
Cana,  s.f.  Hour.  Hora. 
Cana,  s.f.  A  Bell.  Campana. 
Canbrar,    v.   a.    To   love.    Amar. 

Vid.  Camelar. 
Canbuter,  s.  m.  Sorcerer,  wizard. 

Hechicero.      Sans.    Karmmana 

(magic).     Russ.  Caldtin. 
Canche,  s.  m.  Saturday.  Sabado. 
Candon,  J?,  m.  Companion.  Com- 

panero. 
Candorry,  s.  m.   Christian.   Cris- 

tiano. 
Cangallo.    s.    m.      Wagon,    carl. 

Carro.     Properly,    one    that    is 

tilted  from  Kambala  (a  blanket). 
Cangri,  s.f.  Church,  lylesia.  The 

literal    meaning    appears   to   be 

Toicer.     Pers.  Cungurah. 
Cangrias,  s.f.  -pi.  Heels  of  shoes. 

Tapas  deles  zapatos. 
Canguelar,  v.  a.  To  fear.  Temer. 

Sans.  Kampana  (trenjbling). 
Canguelo,  s.  m.  Fear.  Temor. 
Cani,  s.f  Ear.  Oreja.  Sans.  Kama. 

Hin.  Kaun. 
Canrea,  s.,/.  Pity.  Lastima.  Sans. 

Karuna.     Hin.  Kuruna. 
Canriano,  s.  m.  Summer.  Verano. 

Mod.  Gr.  KoKoKuiQi. 
Canrias,  s./.  p/.  Troubles.  Fatigas. 
Canro,  s.  m.  Neck.  Pescuezo. 
Canucho,  s.  m.  Heel- bone,  stupid 

person.  Zancajo. 
Caiii,  s.f  Hen   Gallina. 
Caiiismi,  s.f  Forge.  Fragua. 
Capirima,    s.  f     Aloe.    La    Pita. 

Mod.  Gr,  KUTTTiipt. 
CapuchOjS.  m.  Child's  cap.  Capillo. 
Car,    s.    771.    Heat.    CaK'ir.    Sans. 

Khara.     Arab.  Kharr. 
Carbe,  s.  m.  Dike.  MalecOn. 
Carema,    s.   /.     Word.    Palabra. 

Arab.  Calam. 
Carjibar,  v.  a.  To  finish.  Fenecer. 
Carlo,   s.   m.      Heart.     Corazon. 

Arab.  Kalb. 
Carmujon,  s.  in.  Mouse.  Raton. 
Carobi,  s.f  Staple,  ring.  Argolla. 

Query,   bracelet.     Sans.  Kara- 

bhtishana. 
Cartacaya,    s.    f.      Stork,    heron. 

Cigiiena.     Sans.  Karetu. 
Cartrabar,  v.  a.  To  load.  Cargar. 


Casabo,  s.  m.  Liver.  Hlgado. 
Cascaile,  s.  m.  Avaricious,  stingy. 

Pers.  Gursneh  (hungry). 
Cascaiie,  s.  m.  Tuesday :  according 

to     others,    Thursday,     Martes, 

Jueves. 
Casian,   s.f  Wood,  timber.    Ma- 
dera. 
Casidazo,  s.  m.  March,  month  of 

Marzo. 
Casinoben,   s.   tyi.    Hell.  Infierno. 

Literally,  A  blaze,  conflagration. 

Mod.  Gr.  KavcTii.iov. 
Caste,  s.  m.   A  stick.    Palo.     The 

true  meaning    is,  Tree.     Sans. 

Kachchha  (wood).    Pers.  Eghaj. 

Hin.  Gachh. 
Caste-randador,  s.  m.  A  working- 
stick,  i.  e.  a  plough.  Arado. 
Casto,  5.  m.  Hammer.  Martillo. 
Castorro,  s.  m.  Hat.  Sombrero. 
Castumba,   s.  f    The  province  of 

Castile.     Castilla. 
Cata,  adi.  Every.  Cada. 
Catabranar,  v.  n.  To  roar.  Bramar. 
Catacolla,  s.  f  Stork,  crane.  Ci- 

guefia. 
Caianar  >  r.  a.  Toassemhle.  Jun- 
Catafiar )    tar.  Hin.  Ckhuthan-k. 
Catane,  pi.  Catanes,  adj.   United, 

assembled.  Junto,  juntos. 
Catesca,  s.f  Spot,  mark.  Pinta. 
Caute,  adj.'  None,  not  one.  Ningun. 

ninguno. 
Cayes,  s.  pZ,  Heavens.  Cielos. 
Cayque,  s.  m.  Nobody.  Nadie. 
Ccnde,  s.f  Light.  Luz. 
Cengarica,   s.    f     Desire.     Gana. 

Sans.  Kanksha.     Pers.  Khater 

khdh.     Hill.  Ghana  (to  desire). 
Ciria,  s.f.  Passover,  Easter.  Pascua. 
Ciria,  s.f.  Garlick.  Ajo.  Hin.  Seer. 

Vid.  Sar. 
Claby,  s.  f  Earthen  pan,  pipkin. 

Cazuela. 
Clariro,  s.  m.  Dawn.  Madrugada. 

Vid.  Calhco. 
Clasma,  s.f  Queen.  Reyna.   Vid. 

Cralllsa. 
Clemaco,  s.  m.  Hunter.  Cazdur. 
Clichi,   s.  f    Key.     Llavo.     Rus. 

Clootch.     The  root  is  Sanscrit, 

Kilaka(bolt.) 
Clonel,  s.  m.  Pink.  Clavel. 
Cobadrar,  v.  n.  To  bark.     Ladrar, 

Arab.  Kawwaha.     Rus.  Gabli. 


VOCABULARY    OF    THEIR    LANGUAGE. 


■9 


Cobler,  s.  m.  Elbow.  Codo.  Sans. 
Kurppara. 

Cocal,  s.  m.  Bone.  Hueso.  Mod. 
Or.  KOKKaXov.  Sans.  Kulya. 

Cocalis,  pi.    Bones.  Huesos. 

Cocal  ie  LubanO.  Bone  of  the 
navel.     Hueso  del  enipeyne. 

Cochoco,  s.  m.  Evergreen  oak. 
Encina. 

Cochoiilera,  s../.  Oil-cruse.  Alcuza. 

Coco,  5.  7n.  Nut.     JNuez 

Cocole,  s.  m.  Number.     Numero. 

Coin,  pron.  rel.  Who.  Q,uien.  Hin. 
Kaun. 

Colcoro,  adj.  Alone.  Solo. 

Coligote,  s.  VI.  Bat.  Murcielago. 

Combo,  adj.  Dumb.  Mudo.  Savs. 
Muka. 

Concbe,  s.  m.  Anger.     Coraje. 

Condari,  s.  f.  Beam.  Viga.  Hin. 
Kandee.     Sans.  Kanda. 

Contique, s.  m.  Neighbour.  Vecino. 

Copiemande,  s.  m.  Coward,  Co- 
barde. 

Coracaiio,  s.  m.  Guard.  Guarda. 

Corajai,  s.  pi.  The  Moors.  Los 
Moros.  Probably  derived  from 
the  word  Kurreh,  a  term  of  exe- 
cration and  contempt  loo  fre- 
quently employed  by  the  com- 
mon Moors  in  their  discourse. 

Corajaiio,  s.  &  adj.  Moor,  Moorish. 
Moro,  Moruno. 

Corbo,  adj  Strange.     Eslraiio. 

Colby,  s.  /.  Branch,  shoot,  sprig. 
Rama. 

Corcorria  s.f.  Solitude.  Soledad. 
Vid.  Colcoro. 

Cori,  s.f.  Island.     Isla. 

Coria,  s.J".  Large  jar.     Tinaja. 

Corio,  s.  in.  An  ochavo,  a  small 
brass  coin.     Ochavo. 

Coripen,  s.  /.  Trouble,  affliction. 
Tribulaciun,  afliciun. 

Cormuili,  adj.  Some.     Alguno. 

Cornes,  s.  pi.  Buskins.  Botlnes. 
[Gr.  KoQ6^voi.~^ 

Cornicha,  s.f.  Basket.  Espuerta. 
Sans.  Karanda. 

Coro,  s.  m.  Pitcher.  Cantaro.  Hin. 
Ghurola. 

Corpichi,  s.  /.  Rice.  Arruz.  Sans. 
Ktir. 

Corroro,  adj.  One-eyed.     Tuerto. 

Costini,  s.  f.  Tax  levied  on  horses 
sold  at  fairs.    Alcabala.    Liter- 


ally, '*  The  mounting,"  or  "  tax 

paid  for  mounting."     Vid.  Cos- 

tunar. 
Cosiipen,.9.7n.  The  summer. Verano. 
Costunar.  13  n.  To  mount.  Montar. 

Pers  Khastan. 
Cosifiri,  s.  Convent.  Convento. 
Cotur  s.  m.  A  piece.  Pedazo.  Arab. 

Ket'at. 
Cotila,  adv.  Immediately.  Luego. 
Coyme,  s.  m.  Farm-house.  Cortijo. 
Crallis,  s.  m.  King.  Rey.  Fromthe 

Sdavonian  word  Krai. 
Crallisa,  s.f.  Queen.    Reyna. 
Crejete,  s.  pi.  Sms.  Pecados.  Rus. 

Graike. 
Cremen,   s.  f.    Worm.    Lombriz. 

Sans.  Krinii- 
Criscote,  5.  to.  A  book.  Libro.   Vid. 

Gabicote. 
Crisirne,  n.  pr.  Christ.     Christo. 
Cro,  s.  m.  Pair.     Par. 
Cuarlnda,  s.f.  Lent.  Cuaresma. 
Cucaila,  s.f.  Millet,   panic-grass. 

Panoja.     Saiis.  Kangu. 
Cuchiyo,  s.  w.  Sedge.     Esparto. 
Cudo,  s.  TO.   Mill.    Molino.    Hin. 

Kolhoo. 
Cuehi,   s.  f.  Cave.    Cueva.    Sans. 

Gahana. 
Cuji,  s.f.  Rose.    Rosa.  Pers.  Gul. 
Culana,  s.f.  Bell-  Campana.  Sans. 

Kala  (to  sound).    Bus.  Kolokol. 
Culeo,  s.  TO.  Sunday.     Domingo. 
Cumorra,    s.  f.     Hall,    chamber. 

Sala.  Hin.  Cumra.  Germ.  Ram- 
mer. 
Cundus,  s.  in.  Count,  lord.  Conde. 

Mod.  Gr.  KovTrjs. 
Curar,  v.  a.  To  strike,   do,  work. 

Pegar,     hacer,     trabajar.     Hin. 

Gurhna. 
Curda,  s^.  /.  Drunkenness.     Borra- 

chera. 
Curebay,  s.  f.  Bit  of  a  bridle.     Bo- 

cado  de  freno.     »S'an5.  Kaviya. 
Curelo,  s.  to.  Trouble,  pain.  Traba- 

jo,  pena. 
Curolamiento,   s.   to.     Carpenter's 

plane.  Cepillo  de  carpintero. 
Curoro,  s.  m.  Colt.     Potro.     Hin. 

Koorru. 
Curque,  s.  m.    Sunday.  Dominga. 

Modern  Greek  KvptaKr]. 
Curraco,    «.    to.   Raven.   Cuervo, 

Sa7is.  Kakala. 


*10 


THE    ZINCALI. 


Currandea,    s.  f.  Flat  roof  of   a  i 

house,  terrace.  Azotea. 
Currandl,  s. /.  Veil.  Mantilla. 
Curratido,  s.  m.  A  hammer.   Mar- 

tiilo. 
Curriel,  s.  m.  Trade,  business.  Ofi- 

cio.    Sans.  Karaua. 

CH. 

Chabel,  s.  m.  Son.  Hijo. 
Chabo      Is.    m.   A   boy,  a    child- 
Chaboro  S      Muchacho,  nino.     In 
the  English   dialect,  iZhab  :  e-  g- 
Rominany  Chab,  "A  Gypsy  boy" 
or  "fellow;"    whence   the    cant 
expression,    Rum    Chap.    Arab. 
Shab.  Sans.  Arbha. 
Chabori,  s-f-  A  jjirl.  Muchacha- 
Chachipe.  s.  /.  Truth.    Verdaii. — 
This    word    which   the   English 
Gypsies      pronounce      Tsatsipe 
seems  to  be  a  compound  of    the 
Sanscrit    Sat,     which    signifies 
"  True,"  and  the  word  of  Sanscrit 
origin;   C/iipe,  "a  tongue."   Cka- 
cliipe,  therefore  is,  liierally,  "  True 
tongue." 
Chai,  s.  pi.  Children,  fellows,  Gyp- 
sies. Ninos,  muchachos.  Jitanos. 
Vid.  Chabo. 
Chaja,  s.f.  Cabbage.  Col. 
Chajamen,  s.  /.  Prudence,  bashful- 
ness.     Recato,     limidez.      Pers. 
Sharm.  [Eng.  Shame.] 
Chalabear,  v.  a.  To  move.    Mov6r. 

Sans.  Kshwela.  Rus.  Kolcbat. 
Chalar,    v.   n.    To   walk,    to    go. 

Andar,  ir.   Sans.  Kshwela. 
Chalendre,    s.    m.    Tiger.     Tigre. 

Sans.  Sardula.   Pers.  Shir. 
Chalchiben,  s.  m.  Steel  for  striking 

fire.  Eslabon. 
Challas,  s.  pi.  Ear-rings.  Zarcillos. 
Challu,  .9./.  Lie.  Mentira. 
Chalorgar,  s.  m.  Altar.  Altar.  Pers. 

Keblah  gah.   Sans.  Chatwara. 
Chamuliar,  r.  a.  To  speak.  Hablar. 

Sans.  Sambhasha  (discourse). 
Chan,  s.  m.  Cloth.    Paiio.     Sans. 

Achchhadnna. 
Chancle,  s./.  Knee.  Rodilla.  Sans. 

Janu.   [La/.  Genu  ] 
Chando,  s.  <^  adj.   Wise,   a  sage. 

Sabio,  doctor,  [frer.  Kundiar.l 
Chanelar,  v.  a.  n.  To  know.  Saber. 
Pers.  Shenaftan. 


Chaneo,  s.  m.  Ring.  Anillo. 
Changanar,    v.  a.  n.    To  awake. 
Despertar.     Sans.    Jagri.     Hin. 
Jugana. 
Changane,  adj.  Awake.  Despierto. 

Sans.  Jagarin. 
Changero,  adj.  False,  Falso. 
Chanispar,  v.  a.  n.  Exhale,  breathe, 

inspire.  Espirar. 
Chanispero,  s.  m.   Spirit.  Espiritu. 
Chanorgar,  v.  a.  To  forget.  Olvidar. 
Chantar,  v.  a.  To  plant.  Plantar. 
Chaomo,  s.  m.   VVmier.    Invierno. 

Pers.  Sarma. 
Chapardo,  s.  m.  Tinder.  Yesca. 
Chapesca,  s.f.  Fliglit.  Fuga. 
Chapescar,  v.  n.  To  flee.  Huir. 
Chaplesca,  s  f.  Serpent.  Serpiente. 
Char,  s.  m.  Heaven.  Cielo.     Sans. 

Swar.  Pers.  Charkh. 
Char,   s.  m.  Egypt;    according  to 
the     dialect    of     Estremadura. 
Esiipto  ;  segun  el  dialecto  de  los 
Jitanos  Estremenos. 
Char,  s.f.   Grass.    Yerba.    Pers. 

Geyah. 
Charabaro,  adj.  Sad.  Triste. 
Charaburi,  s.f  Sadness.  Tristeza. 
Chardl,  s.  f.  A  fair,  market.  Feria. 

Vid.  Chiti. 
Charnique,s./'.  Life.  Vida.  Hin.  Jan. 
Charipc,s./ Bed,  bedstead.  Cama. 
Hin.   Charpoy.    Modern  Greeks 
KpefSf^ari. 
Chasar,  v.  n.  To  pass.  Pasar. 
Chaseos,  s.  m.  Exercise.   Ejercicio. 
Chasilar,  v.  a.  To  sup.  Cenar. 
Chaii,   s.  f  A  fair.     Feria.     Hin. 

Chhetr." 
Chavo,  s.  m.  A  plate.  Plato. 
Chaute,  n.  p.  The  fortress  of  Ceuta. 

Ceuta. 
Che,    s.  f.    Scab.     Tina.      Sana. 

Kachchhfi.  Hin.  Khaj. 
Chen,  s.  f.   Earth,    land.     Tierra. 

[Gr.  y'^l\   Vid.  Chim. 
Chepo,  s.  m.  Breast,  bosom.   Seno, 

pecho.  Pe7*s.  Jayb. 
Cherdillas,   s.  pi.   The  stars.     Las 

estrellas. 
Cherdino,  s.  m.  The  morning-star. 

Lucero. 
Cherja,  s.  f.  Bag,  bundle.  Halda. 
Chetalli,  s.f  Olive.  Oliva. 
Cheti,  s.f  Olive-oil.  Aceyte. 
Chi,  s.f.  <f-  adx).  Nothing.  Nada, 


VOCABULARY  OF  THEIR  LANGUAGE. 


*11 


s.  Life.  Vida. 


Chiaca,  s.f.  Table.   Mesa. 
Chial)al6,  s.  m.  Cigar.  Cigarro. 
Chibar,  v.  a.  To  cast,  shoot.  Echar. 
Sans.  Kshipa.   This  verb  is  used 
in  many  senses. 
Chibarse    a  penar,    To  begin    to 

speak.    Comenzar  a  hablar. 
Chibar  lacho,   To  make  well,  to 

cure.  Curar,  sanar. 
Chibar  sermon,  To  preach.  Predi- 

car. 
Chibel.   Vid.  Chibes. 
Chibel,  s.  m.  A  river.    Rio.    Pers. 

Jui. 
Chiheiar,  v.  a.  Vid.  Chibar. 
Chibes,  s.  m.    Day.     Dia.     Sans. 

Divasa.   Hin.  Dewus. 
Ciiibiben 
Chibos 
Chieato,  s.  m.   Uncle.    Tio,    Hin. 

Chucha. 
Chiche,  s./!  Face.  Cara. 
Chichi,  s.  Nothing.  Nada.   Query. 

Anytliing-  Pers.  Chizi. 
Chichoji,  s.  Cat.  Gato. 
Chiguay,  s.  m.  Louse.  Piojo. 
Childar,  v.  a.  To  put,  place.  Poner, 

meter. 
Childo,    par.    pas.     Put,     placed. 

Metido,  puesto. 
Chilindrote,  s.  m.   Sparrow.    Gor- 

rion.   Hin.  Chiriya. 
Chim,    5.  m.    Kmadom,    country. 

Reyno,  tierra.  Sans.  Kshma. 
Chiinoni,  s.f.  Any  thing.  Cualquier 

cosa. 
^,.        ,  ~-      )  s.    Glory.      Gloria. 
Chimudani      f      ^^^^^    Sambha- 
Chmiusolano  ^      ^^^^ 

Chimuyar,  v.  a.  Vid.  Chamnliar. 
Chirntiira,  s../^  Moon.  Luna.  Arab. 

Kamr.    Sans.  Kautnudipati. 
Chinaora,  s.f.   Sickle.  Hoz.     Vid. 

Chiiielar. 
Chindar,  f.  a.  To  hangup,  Colgar. 
Chindar,  v.  a.  To   bear,   produce. 

Parir.  Sans.  Jani,  (birth).     Hin. 

Junna.      [^Gr.  yrvvdcj.'] 
Chinday.    s.  f.    Mother.    Madre. 

Sans.  Janitwa. 
Chindo  )  s.    &  adj.    Blind, 

Chindoquendo  S  blind  man.  Cie^o. 

Sans.  And  ha.    Hin.    Chtindhia, 

(blear-eyed). 
Chindoma,   s.   m.    Butcher.    Car- 

nicero.     Sans.  Sunavata. 


Chinel  ?  s.  to.  A  person  of  official 

Chino  5      rank.    Hombre  de  gra- 

duacion,  oficial.     Derived  from 

the  Russian, Chin,  "Rank." 

Chinelar,  T.  a.  To  cut,  reap.  Cortar, 

segar. 
Chingabar,  s.  m.  Pin.  Alfiler. 
Chingrar,  v.  a.    To  fight.  Pelear, 

renir. 
Chingaripen,    s.  m.    War,    battle. 
Guerra,    combate.     Sans.    San- 
gara.     Pers.  Jang. 
Chinobaro,   s.  m.  High-constablej 
governor.    Alguacil    mayor,  go- 
bernador.   Vid.  Chino  and  Bare. 
Chinoje,  *  m.  He-ass.   Burro. 
Chinoro,  adj.  Small,  Utile.  Pequeno. 
»Sa77s.Kanika,  Kanishta ;  whence 
likewise  the  English  cant  word 
Kinehin. 
Chipalo,  s.  m.  Blacksmith.  Herrero. 

Sans.  Kapila  (dark,  tawny). 
Chipe,    s.  ./.     Truth  (improperly.) 

Verdad. 
rw  )  s.  f.  Tongue.  Lengua. 
>;f!'^®  }  Sans.  Jihwa.  Hin.  Jlhh: 
^^^'P*  >  Pers.  Zaban. 
Chipen.  s.  f  Life.  Vida.  Sans. 
JIvana.  Pers.  Jan.  Hin.  Jee. 
Chique,  s.f.  Earth,  oround.  Tierra, 

suelo.     Sans.  Idika. 
Chiqui,    s.    f.     Butter.     Maniica. 

Hin.  Ghee. 
Chirdabar,  v.  a.  To  cut.  Cortar. 
Chirdo,  adj.  Short.  Cor  to. 
Chiribito,  s    m.  A  cricket.  Grille. 

Sans.  Chirika. 
Chuiclo,   *.   m.    A  fowl,   chicken. 
Polio.     Proper!]/,  A  bird.    Ave. 
Hin.  Chiriya. 
Chirijiiiiar,   v.   a.   n.    To  advance. 

Adelantar.     Hin.  Churhaiia. 
Chirijimen,    par.    pas.    Advanced. 
Adelan'ado. 

Chirinda?^'->^-   -^^   7^"^^/     ^^ 
Chinnga^      Ch?na.  ^-^"''''^^ 

Chiro     )s.m.TH^^e.Tiempo.  Sans. 
Chircs  C      Chirasya   (lung    time). 

)       Mod.   Gr.  Kaipog. 
Chirriria,  s.  f  Bit  of  thread,  lint. 

Mota.     Sans.  Chora  (ra^i. 
Chismar,  v.  a.    To  spit.  Escuplr. 

/Sans.  Smarasawa  (saliva). 

ChileLr  I  ^^^-  ^^'''^^^'- 


12* 


THE    ZINCALI* 


Chitin6,s.m.  Passport.  Pasaporfe. 
Cho,  s../.  Barley,  febada.  Pers.in. 
Chobar     >  v.  a.    To  wash.  Lavar. 
Chobelar  \      Pers.  Shuyidari. 
Chocorono,  s.  in.  A  remedy.  Re- 

medio. 
Chocoronar,  v.  a.  To  remedy.  Re- 

mediar. 
nv,  ■'  )^'  f'  Petticoat.  Saya, 

r>u^-   A       }-   enaguas   Sans.Gha- 
Chojmda     ^   1^^^ -j.^^  sdtaka. 

Chon,    s.  ./.    Beard,   chm.    Barba. 

Mod.  Gr.  ytveiov. 
Choneria,  s. /.  Barber's  shop.  Bar- 

beila. 
Chonero,   s.  m.  Barber.    Barbero. 

Sans.  Chandila. 
Chono,  s.  m.  Month.  Mes.     Hin. 

Chand. 
Chopala,  s.  f.    HiU,  lent.    Choza. 

Savs.    Skula.     Hin.    Chuppur. 

Italian,  Capanna. 
Chopon,  s.  m.  Uiiince.  Membrillo. 
Chor,  s.  m.  Thief.  Ladron.    Sans. 

Chaura.     Hin.  Chor. 
Chori,  s.f.  Knife.  Ciichillo,  navaja. 

Sans.   Chiiuro.     Hin.   Chooree. 

Mod.  Gr   fiaxaipi. 
Chorl,    s.  f.    Mule.    Mula.     Hin. 

Khuchur. 
Choro.  s.  &  adj.  Thief,    thievish, 

evih  Ladron,  malo. 
Chororo,  adj.  Poor,  Pobre.    Sans. 

Kshudra.     Hin.  yhor. 
Chorripen,  s.f.  Evil,  wickedness. 

Maldad. 
Chotiar,  v.   a.    To   spit.    Escupir. 

Sans.  Nishffita  (s{)iiting). 
Chova,s. /.  Hand.  Mano.     Sans. 

Charpata    (,the     palm).       [Heb. 

Caph.] 
ChuajanI,  s.  f.  Witch,   sorceress. 

Bruja,  hechicera.  profetisa.  Scms. 

Sanvanana.    Hin.  Syana.  Rus. 

Charobnitza. 
Chubc,  s.  m.  Louse.     Piojo.    Sans. 

Kiiibha.  Hin.  Jun. 
Chubalo,  s.  m.  Ciyar.     Cigarro. 
Chucha,  s.  /.  Breast,  pap.     Pecho. 

Sans.     Kucha. 
Chuchipon,  s.    m.     Suet,    grease. 

Sebo. 
Chuchiri,  s.f.  Fat.  Gordfira. 
Chuchuquelar,  s./.  Oil-cruse.    Al- 

cuza. 


Chuli    ?  5.  m.  A  dollar.    Un  duro. 


luli    ) 
lulo  \ 


Chulo  ^      un  peso  fuerte. 

Chulo,  s.  m.  A  knife.    Un  cuchillo. 

Hin.  Chulhoo. 
C hullo,   adj.  Fat.    Gordo.     Sans. 

Sthula.  Hin.  Chuodhur. 
Chumasconas,   s.  ./.  Harlot.     Ra- 

mera.     Savs.  Smara  (love.) 
Chumajari,  s  m   Shoemaker.    Za- 

patero.       Sans.    Charmmakara. 
Chumajayal,  s.  f.  Grinders.  Muelas. 
Chumia,  s.f  Time,  turn.     Vez. 
Cliundear,    v.    imp.    To    happen. 

Suceder.     Hin.  Ho-chooka- 
Churigalipen,  s.  f  What   is  ugly, 

heavy.  Cosa  fea,  pesada.     Hin. 

Choonna. 
Chungalo  )  ac//.  Ugly,  heavy.  Feo, 
Chungo     ^      pesado.  Pers.  Tang. 
Chupardelar,    v.    n.    I'o    stumble. 

Tropezar. 
Chupendi,  s.  f.  A  kiss.  Beso.  Sans. 

Chumbana  (kissing.)  Hin.  Choo- 

ma. 
Chuque   )  s.  m.  Dog.   Perro.  Sans> 
Chuquel  )      Kukura  Basque,  Cha- 

curra.  Pers.   Sag, 
Churdani,s./.  Fancy,  presumption. 

Fantasia. 
Churdina,  s.f.  Dagger-blow.  Puii- 

alada. 
Churrilli,  s.  f.  Nit.  Liendre. 
Chusno,  s.  m.  Hillock.    Cerro. 
Ciiuti,  s.  f    Milk.     Lecho.     Sans. 

Dugdha,  Duh.  Hin  Dudh. 
Chuvias,  s  pi.  Fisty-cuffs.Puiiadas. 

D. 

Dabastro.     Vid.  Drabaro. 

Dai   )  s.     f     Mother,      {properly, 

Day  5      "Nurse")    Madre.     Pers. 

Dayah.    Mod.  Gr.  Beta. 
Dnjiralo,  s.  m.  Trembling.  Temblor. 
Dajirar,  v.  n.  To  tremble.  Temblar, 

^'^'   ^sm.  Fear.  Temor.  Mod.Gr. 

J:''^"  C     6ti\ia.  Sans.  Dara. 
Dar  3 

D  nbilar,  v.  a.  To  chew.  Mascar. 
Dandesquero,  s.  m.  Lamp,  candle- 

Candll. 
Dani,  s.  pi.  Teeth.  Dientes.   Sans. 

Danta. 
Darabar,  v. a.  To  praise,  {properly^ 

"  to  fear.")     Alabar.  temer. 
Daranar,  v.  n.  To  fear.  Temer. 


VOCABULARY  OF  THEIR  LANGUAGE. 


13 


Darano,  v.  n.  Fearful,  Temeros  o 
Dari,   s.  f.    Thread,   line.     Hilera. 

Vid.  Dori. 
Debel,   s.   ra.   God.     Dios.     Sans. 

Div  (lieaven),  Deva  (deity). 
Debla,  s.f.  TheVirgin.  (Goddess.) 

La  Virjen.     Diosa. 
Debleschinday,  The  Motherof  God. 

Madrede  Dios.    Vid.  Debel,  and 

Chinday. 
Debus,  adv.  Over  and  above.     D«- 

rnas. 
Delnle.  par.  Presented.  Presentado. 
Dalune,  s.f.  Sickle.     Hoz. 
Depletnande,    adv.     For    nothing. 

Debalde. 
Deque,  s.  m.  Ten.  Diez.  Mod.  Gr. 

SsKa.    Prrs.  Dab. 
Demo,  adj.   Ncw.  Nuevo.     Sans. 

Taruiia. 
Desparugar,  v.  a.  To  return  a  thing 

bartered.     Destrocar. 
Desqiiero,  pron.    pers.   injiec.     Of 

him,  his.  iJel,  su.  Hin.    Iska. 
Desquifiar,  v.  n.  To  rest.  Descansar. 
Desiechescar,  v.  a.  To  undo.   Des- 

hacer. 
Diflr,    I',    a.    To   see.    Ver,    mirar. 

Pers.  Didan. 
Dicani,  s.f.  Window.  Ventana. 
Dicar,  v   a.     To  see-     Ver.     Sans. 

Iksha. 
Dictiabar,  r.  a.  To  send.  Mandar. 

Vi.d.  Bic   abar- 
Dicio,  S'  lU'  Handkerchief,   clout. 

Paiiiieli),  paiial. 
Dilia,  s.f  Lettuce.    LechMga. 
Dinaste,'s.  m.  Glass.  Vidiio. 
Ditiehj,    5.  d^   adj.    Fool.     Tonto. 

Pers.  l;lv\anah. 
Dim,  5./.  Pound.    Libra. 
Dinar      )  v.  a.  To  give-  Dar.  Mod- 
Dine.lar  \      Gr.  ciivw.  Hin    Deua. 
Dinaior,  s.m.  Doctor.     Doctor. 
Dinople,    s.    m.    Harm,     damage. 

Dano. 
Discoii.  .9.  m.  Disciple.     Discipulo. 
Disde,  adv    Until.   Ha^ta. 
Docurdauza,  s.  f  Mistress.  Maes- 

tra 
Doeuido.   s.  m.  Master.     Tilaestro. 

Sans.  Thhkkura.  Hin.  Thakur. 
Doj  Is.  f  Fault.  ('id()a.  Suns. 
Doji  S  i>oslia.  Hin.  Dokh. 
Dori,  s.f  Hope.  Soga.  Pers.  Dati 
Doscut^ana,  s.f  A  crown.  Corona. 
VOL.  11. 


Dosta,  adv.  Enough.  Basta.  From 
the  Russian  verb,  Dostat,  "  to 
suffice."     Sans.  Tashii. 

Drabaro,  s.  m.  Rosary.  Rosario. — 
Dra'iarar  or  drabaro:  "To  tell 
one's  beads,"  Rezar  el  rosario. 
This  word  is  compounded  of 
"dal"and  "baro;"  literally,  "a 
thing  of  great  fear"  or  "sanctity." 

Drabuco.  adj.  Flat.  Chato. 

Dracay,  s  f  pi.  Grapes.  Uvas. 
Sans.  Diaksha. 

Dranii,  s.  f   Week.  Semana. 

Drama,  s.  Ink.  Tinta. 

Drao,  6\  m.  Poison.  Veneno.  The 
Gitanos  apply  this  word  lo  a  cer- 
tain noxious  preparation,  which 
they  are  in  the  habit  of  casting 
in  ihe  mangers  of  cattle,  to  cause 
sickness  and  death.  Pers.  Zahr 
(poison).      Vid   Grao. 

Draute.    Vid.  Drante. 

Drtscos,  s.  pi.  C'orns.  Callos. 

Dioba,  s.  f.  Leather-bag  for  wine. 
Boia. 

Droji,  s  f  Rind,  peel.     Cascara. 

Dronialis,  s.  pi.  Carriers,  muleteers, 
men  of  the  road.  Arrieros,  via- 
jeros. 

Dron  )  s.  m.  Road.  Camino.    Pers. 

Drun  \  Diirund.  Mod.  Gr.Spojxog. 
Hin.  Duhur. 

Dron-grugi  ?  fi.    Royal   road,   like' 

Dnmji  \     wise    a     Footpath. 

Camino  real,  vereda. 

Drupos,  s.  m.  Body.     Cuerpo. 

Dua    ^s/ Pain,  grief. Pena.  Sans. 

Duga  ^      Tuda  (to  pain). 

Dubela,  s.  f.  Cup.  Tasa.  Pers. 
Peyaleh. 

Ducano,  ac//.  Compassionate.  Com. 
pasivo. 

Dili,  adj.  Two.  Dos.  Pers.  Dti. 

Diijo,  adj.  Wroth  in  spirit,  angry. 
Enojado.      Vid.  Duquende. 

'"*Uiiien,  s.  rn.  Loin.     Loaio. 

Dundili.^  s  m.  Lamp    Velon. 

Duneo,  s.  m    Sunday.  Domingo. 

[)undiin,  s.f.  Light.  Luz. 

Duqueles,  s.  pi.  Dobloons.  Dob- 
lones. 

Duquende.  5.   m.  A   spirit,   ghost. 
Duende.       Prom    the    Russian, 
D  tok,   "  a  spirit ;"  which  is  itself 
derived  from  the  Sans.  Dhlika. 

Duquendio,  s.  m.  Master,  a  princi- 


*14 


THE    ZINCALI. 


pal  person  amongst  the  Gitanos. 

Maestro,  hoinbre  principal  enire 

los  Jitanos. 
Duquip'  n,  s  m.  Grief.  Dolor. 
Dur,  adv.  Far.  Lejos.  Sans.  Dura. 

Pers    D6r. 
Durlin,  s.  m.  Police-archer.    Cor- 

cheie. 
Durotunes,  5.  pi.  Shepherds,  herds- 
men. Pastoies.  Hin.  D.iooniiur. 
Dusulilo,  sm.  Uruiikaid.  Horracho. 
Dui,  6'./.  Litrht.  Luz.  Sans.  Dyuti. 

hin.    Vol.       Moorish    Arabic, 

Dow. 

E. 
E,  gen.  sin.  of  thr  article  O.    Jene- 

iivo  singular  dt  I  ariii'ulo  O. 
I'-'fia,    adj.    Seven.     Siete.     Pers. 
^  Haft.      Or.  iTTTa. 
^^re^Won^aoj.  Las^t.  'Ultimo. 

mbeo,  s.  m.  Book.  Libro.     Hin. 

Brd. 

Emposuno,  adv.  Attentively.  Aten- 

tameiite. 
Enbrota,    s.  /.    Trunk,    proboscis. 

1  rompa. 
Enc;iio:iiar,  r.a.  To  mount,  ascend. 

Sublr.  Sans,  Uniiaya  (raising) 
Enilc,  ac/r.  prep.  Since,  alter,  fiom 

Desde 
Enyejeri,  s.  m.  Asparagus.  Espar- 

rai,'0.     Sans.  Indivara. 
Enjallar,     v.    n.      To     remember. 

'.cordar. 
Enjall',5/.  Memory.  Menioria. 
Enniigrar,  v.  a.  To  repair.  Ennien- 

dar. 
Enorme,  s.  m.  Rnemy.   Enemigo. 
Enpirrf.s.  pi.  Ftiotiuen,  infantry, 

!ii!)orers.     Prcnes. 
Enre     )  a(/i?.  Wiilnn.  Dentro    Gr. 
Eniiin   \    EvS'v.      \_Lat.  intra.] 
Enrecar,  VViihin  us     En  nosotros; 

c.    cr.     Sabnca     eniecar     Maiia 

ereira!  "Dwell  wiibin  us,  Bltssed 

Mary  !" 
Enrrar,    v.   n.    To  enter.    Entrar. 
Eneinia>-ha,  s/   Kn^i-fii.  F.tiseiia. 
Enia,  ar/jf.  JNine.  INiieve.  Mod.  Ur. 

ivvra. 
F|)ic6n,s.  /  Corner.     Esquina. 
Erajay,  5.771.  Friar.  Frayle      ^''' 

Ar.ijny. 
Erajanii,  s/.  Dressof  afriar.  Habito 

de  fraile. 
Erajarda,    s.  /.    Bramble,   thistle.  I 


Vid. 


Zarza,  cardo.   Pers.  Khar.  Hin* 

Jardar. 
Erandia,  s  f.  Nun.  Monja. 
Eraiii,  s.,/.  Lady.  Stnont. 
Erano,  s.  m.  Lord,  master.  Senor. 

Sans.  Bharanda.     Pus.  Bareen. 
Eray,   s.    m.    Gentleman,  knight. 

Caballeio.     Hin.  Rae. 
Erdicha,  s.  /.   Poverty.    Pobreza. 

Vid.  Ziih'a. 
Eres,  s.  pi.  Men  not  of  the  Gypsy 

caste:    "  Hombres    que  no  son 

Jitanos." 
Kter)o,  adj.  Blessed.  Bendito. 
Erescare,  adj.  Blue.  A/ul. 
Eresia,  s.  f.  Vine,    vineyard.  Vid, 

Vina      Pers. KdiZ.    Savs  Trirah- 

nara  (grape). 
Eriche,  s.  m.  Pig,  swine   Marrano. 
Eriili^s,  s.  pi.   Hogs.  Martatios. 
Krisinicn,  s.f,  Blt-ssmg.  Benduion. 
Erradt-ras,     s.   pi.    Lettuces.    Le- 

chugas. 
Eru         )  s.   m.  Olive  tree.    Olivo. 
I  rncpiel  \       Mod.  Gr.  tXaia. 
Erucar,  s.  m.  Olive- i:ronnd.  Olivar. 
I'>S(ranii,    s.  f.    Siaircase,    ladder. 

Escala. 
Escobiche,  s.  m.  Beetle.  Escarabajo. 
Et-den.     s.     'Yen.     Dicz,    properly 

D(  que,  q.  v. 
Esdi'o  y  ye?qn<'.  Eleven.  Once. 
Fsdcn  y  (!uis,  Twi  Ive.  Dree. 
Eb-dtn  y  triri,  Tliirtem.  Tiece. 
E.<den    y     ot^tar,     Fourietn.     Ca- 

t6r(  e. 
Esden  y  panohe,  Fifteen.  Quince. 
E.-dtii  y  jobe,  Sixteen.  Diez  y  seis. 
Esden  y  ester,   Seventeen.  Diez  y 

siete. 
Esden  y  ostor.  Eighteen.  Diez   y 

r)eho. 
Esden    y  esne,  Nineteen.    Diez   y 

nueve. 
Et-nr,    adj.    Nine.     Nueve.     Vid. 

Enia. 
Esiierdi,  s.   INinety.  Noventa. 
Ef-<Maie,  adj.  Extreme.  E:^llemo. 
E^pajuo,    s.   m.    Fright,    wonder. 

Espanto. 
Et^pandador,  e.  m.  Gorge  of  a  hill. 

r>arranco. 
E.spariabar.      Vid.  Asparabar. 
Es|  arrusar,  v  a.  To   bide.  Escon- 

der.     S'ans.  Apavarana  (conceal- 
ment). 


Vocabulary  of  their  language. 


15 


Sspibias,    s.    -pi.    Chesnuts.    Cas- 

tanas. 
Espirabia,  sf.  Leech.  Sanguijuela. 

Sans.  Asrapa. 
Espi)rl)oria,  s.f.  Onion.  Cebolla. 
Esprejaiio,  s.  ?«,.   Mulatto.  Mulaio. 
Espurria,  s./.  Gut.  Tripa. 
Esi>usifia,  s  ./.  Spur.  Espiiela. 
Estach'^  s.    m.    Hat.    JSombrero. 

From  the  .\rab.  Tnj(a  cruv/n). 
Estar,  adj.  Pour.  Cuairo. 
Estcliica,  s.f.  Ark,  chest.     Area. 

Vid.  Jestari. 
Estardi,  adj.  Forty.  Cuarenta. 
Estardo,  s.  &  adj.  Prisoner,   cap- 
tive.   Preso.     Arab,    and    Htb. 

A  sir. 
Estaripel,    5.  /.    Prison.    Carcel. 

Arab.  Asirl. 
Esterdi,  ac(/    Seventy.  Seienta. 
Estcmar,  v.   a.   To   pardon.    Per- 

donar. 
S'stoni^ri,  s.  /.  A    weight,   dollar. 

Pes). 
Estonquelar,  v.  a.  To  weigh.  Pesar. 
Estonquele,  s.  m.  A  weight.  Peso. 
Estonqueleta,    s.  f.    Small    silver 

coin.     Peseta. 
Estoriar,  v.  r.  To  be  tired.  Rendlr. 
Esloriel,  adj.  Fatigued,  worn   up. 

Rendido.     Sans.  Avasada  (wea- 
riness}. 
Estorm  'n,  s.f.  Pardon,  remission. 

ReniiSion. 
Estuche,  s.  m.    Sword.    Espada. 

Sans.  Asidhenu  (knife),  Asi. 

F. 

Fachoyi,  s.f.  Grub,  insect.  Vicho, 

vichueio. 
Facorro,  5.  m.  Halt.  Alio.    Q.uere- 

larfacorro,  To  halt.  Haceralto. 
Farafais,  s.  ;;/.   Buttons.    Botones. 
Farsilaj/1,  5./.  Fault.  Falta. 
Feda,s../.  VVay,  path.  Camino. 
Felicba,  s.f  Tower  (prison).  Torre, 

Moilf^rn  Greek,  (pv\a\-r}. 
Fermentar,  s.  f  Penitence.  Peni- 

tencia. 
FemJo,   fendi,  adj.    Good.   Bueno, 

bucna. 
Fermicha,  s.f.  Tower.  Torre. 
Feter,  adv.  Better.  Mejor.     Pcrs. 

Bah  tar. 
Fiafo,  s.  m.  Slecl  for  striking  fire. 

Eslabon. 


Fili,  s.f  Face,  Cara. 

Fill,  s.f  Jacket.  Chaqugta. 

Filiiiilcha,  s.f.    Gallows.    Horca. 

lius.  Biceliiza. 
Fingule,  5.  m.  Kind  of  Gnat.  Ca- 

L'arropa. 
Fire,  i\  pi.  Sparrows.  Gorriones, 
Flacha,  s.f.  Ashes,  Ceniza.  Hin. 

Rakh. 
Flamar,  s>  m.  Jest.  Chanza, 
Floja,  s.f.  Account.  Cuenta. 
Floripi,  5/.  Mass.  Misa. 
Fondela,  s.f.  Tavern.  Taverna. 
Foio    ^s.  m.  City.  Ciudad.     Sans. 
Foros  S      Puri.     Hin.  Pur. 
Fracaso,  s.  m.  Hog.  El  puerco. 
Fracasia,  s.f  Low.  La  puerca. 
Frasardo,  s.  rn.  Tiled  Roof.  Ttjado. 
Fresiei/o,  s.  m.  Gulf.  Golfo.  Prom 

the  Sans.  Asihaga  (deep). 
Fresiego    e     Bomt»ard6,    Gulf    of 

Lyons.     Golfo  de  Leon. 

Aunson  guilles 

Y  te  cliolies 

Ell  e  fresiego 

E  Bombardo — 

Nasli  iiicabas 

K  quichardila 

Sos  sar  meuda 

Te  petro. 
"  Although  thou  go  and  wash  thee 
in  the  GuU'of  Lyons,  thou  wilt  not  get 
rid  of  tliestaiii  whicli  thou  didst  obtain 
through  me  (which  with  me  fell  to 
thee";. 

Frima,  adv.  Little.  Poco. — "  Frima, 

friraa,"    "  By  degrees,"   "  Poco 

a  poco." 
Fronsaperar,  v.  a.  n.  To  wait,  to 

hope.  Esperar. 
Frujeria,  s.f.  Fruit.  Fruta. 
Fufu,  e.  m.  A  welL  Pozo. 
Fiil,s.  7n.  Dung.  Esiiercol.    Sans. 

Mala.     Hin.  Mul. 
Fulalo,  5. 771.  A  dirty  fellow.  Hom- 

bre  dispreciable. 
Fulani,  s.f.  Dirtiness.  Suciedad. 
Furl,  s.f  Jacket.  Chaqueta. 
Full,    5.  f    Pudendum    muliebre. 

Hin.  Furj. 
Furnia,  s.f  Cave.  Cueva. 
Furune,  s../.  Favor,  grace.  Favor, 

gracia. 

G. 
Gabicote,  s.  m.  Book.  Libro.  Arab. 

Ketab. 


16 


THE    ZINCALI* 


Gabine,  s.  m.  Frenchman,  French. 
Frances. 

Gabuiio,  s.  m.  Mouse.  Raton. 

Gachapla,  s.  f.  Couplet,  catch. 
Copla. 

Cachaien,  s.  Cup,  brasier.  Copa. 

Gachinbarta,  sf.  Goodness,  right- 
eousness.    Rectittad,  justicia- 

Gacho,  s.  m.  A  gentleman.  Cabal- 
lero. — Properly,  Any  kind  of  per- 
son who  is  nor  a  Gypsy  :  "  Cual- 
quier  hombre  quo  no  sea  Jiiano." 

Gae,  s.  711.  VVine-press.  Lagar. 

Gay^eres  (  ^^^-  ^'^ays.  Siempre. 
Galisarda,  s.  f.  Hunger.  Ilanibre. 

Rus   Golod. 
Gancibe,  s.f.  Avarice.  Avaricia. 
Gandi,   s.  f.    Smell.  Olor.     Sans. 

Gandha.     Hin.  Gund. 
Gandias,    s.   pi.     Dross,    siftings. 

Granzas. 
Ganisardar.  v.  a.  To  gain.  Ganar. 
Gao,  s.  in.  Town,  village.  Pueblo. 

Sans.  Karvvada.  Pers.  Cui.  In 

the  Thieves'  language,  this  word 

is  applied  to  Madrid. 
Garabelar, »  To  be  onone'sguard, 

to  iruard.  Guardar. 
Garapaiia,  s.  f.  Thanks.  Gracias- 

Arab.  'Arefat. 
Garibardo,  adj.    Wounded,  full  of 

sores.  Llagado. 
Garipe,  5.  Scab.  Postilla. 
Garlochin,  s.  m.   Heart.    Corazon. 

Vid.  Carlochin. 
Gate,  s.  m.  Shirt.  Camisa.  Proper- 
ly, A  cloth  round    the    middle. 

Sans.  Kadirra. 
Gavin,  s.  f.  France.  Francia. 
Gel,  s.  m.  Ass.  Burro. 
Geliche,  s.  m.  Cord.  Cordel. 
Geremancha,  s.  f  Shop.  Tienda. 
Gerjeres.    Vid  Guerere. 
Gerinel,  n.  p.  Michael.  Miguel. 
Gi,  s.  m   Wheat.  Trigo. 
Gilo,  s.  Kind  of  rope.  Soga. 
Gimona,  s.  f.  Hunting-cap.    Mon- 

tera. 
Ginar,    v.    a.    To  count.     Contar. 

Sans.  Gana.  Hin.  Ginna. 
Gingiar,  v.  n.  To  smell.  Oler. 
Girelar,  v.  n.  To  laugh.  Reir.  Hin. 

Khilkhilana. 
Give.  s.f.  Snow.  Nieve. 


Giyabar,  t.  a.  To  relate.  Confar. 
Gland  iseo,   s.  &  adj.   A   gallant. 

Gallant.  Galante. 
Glandi,  s.f.  A  knife.  Cuchillo. 
Gloriban,  s.  m.  Idler.  Holgazan. 
Gola,  8.  f.  Order.  Orden. 
Golberi,  s.  f.  Crop,  harvest.  Cose- 

cha. 
Gole,  e.  f.   Shout,  cry.    Voz,  grito, 

Hin.  Ghooloo.  Rus.  Gulos. 
Gulipen,  s.f.  Health.  Salud. 
Golisarelar,  v.  n.  To  smell.  Oler. 
Golli,*./  Black  pudding  MorciUa. 

Hin.  Gulyul. 
GoUori,  s  m.  Male  animal.  Macho. 
Goneles,   s.  m.    Garments,    linen. 

Vesiidos,  ropa.  Sans.  Gonl.  Rum, 

Gune. — These  words  in  the  San- 
scrit  and    Russian   tongues   are 

solely  applied  to  the  habiliments 

of  a  begnar. 
Gono,  s.  m.  A  sack.    Saco,   costal. 

Hin.  Gon. 
Gorberl,  5.  m.  Farmer.  Cosechero. 
Gorbio,  *.  771.  A  swelling.   BCllo. 
Gorbi.  s.m.  Ox.  Buey.    Sans.  Ga- 

varaja  (bull). 
Gorobar,  v.  n.   To  howl,   AuHay. 

Vid   Cobadrar. 
Gorotune,  s.  m.    Native  of  Estre- 

madura.  Estremeno. 
Goruy,  s.  m.  Ox.  Buey.  Fi<i.  Gorbi. 
Gozoni,*/.  Young  mare.  Potranca. 
Gra,  s.  m.  Horse.    Caballo.    Sans. 

Kharu.  Hin.  Ghora. 
Grajuiio,  adj.  Dirty.  Sdcio. 
Granajina,  s.  /.   Species  of  plant. 

Berengena. 
Gtanar,  v.  n.  To  bray.  Rebuzniir. 
Grani,  s.f.  Mare.  Yegua. 
Grao,  s.m.  Poison.  Veneno.  Sans. 

Gara. 
Gras     )  5.  ?n.  Horse.  Caballo.  Vid. 
Grasie  \      Gra. 
Grateriza,  s.f.  Stable.  Cuadra. 
Grejelo,  adj.  Certain.  Cwrto. 
Grejeri,  s.  Asparagus.    Esparrago. 
Gres,  s.  Hundred.  Ciento. 
Gres,  prep.  adv.  Before.  Antes. 
GresdeiiS,  s.  m.  Stove.  Anafe. 
Gresone,  p.  n.  Jesus  Christ.    J6su 

Christo. 
Grestis,  s.  pi.  Breeches.  CalzOnea. 
Grey,  s.  m.  Century.  Siglo. 
Griba,  s.  f  Rigour.  Rigor. 


VOCABULARY    OF    THEIR    LANGUAGE. 


*17 


Gribule,  ac//.  Rigorous.  Rigoroso. 
Grimpar,   v.  n.   To  least,  pledge. 

Brindar. 
Gris,  s.  m.  Cold.  Frio. 
Grobelar,   v.  a.  To  repair,  govern. 

Componer,   gobernar. 
Grodogopo,  adj.  Wounded.  Estro- 

peado. 
Gronichen,   *.  /.    Manured  earth. 

Tierra  estercolada. 
Groni,  s.f.  Dung-heap.  Estercolero, 
Grose,    ».   m.    Forest,    mountain. 

Monte.  Tins.  Goia. 
Grucha,  s.f.  Cloth.   Tela. 
Guachedre,  s.  Manger.  Pesebre. 
Guajalote,  s.  tn.   Turkey,   peacock. 

Pavo.    Sans.   Garabrata,    Gala- 

vrata. 
Gucanar,   v.  a.  To  open.     Abrir. 

Hin.  Kuhna. 
Guchiba,  s.f.  Stable.  Cuadra. 
Guel,  s.  m.  Donkey,  ass.    Borrico, 

asno. 
Guel,  s.f  Itch.  Sarna. 
Gnergere,  5.  m.  Tuesday.    Martes. 
Gui,  s.  f.  Wheat.  Trigo. 
Guillabar,  v.  a.   To  sing.    Cantar. 

Sans.  Kheli  (a  song).    Hin.  Gu- 

wiiya. 
Guillar,  v.  n.  To  go,  to  walk.    Ir, 

pasear.  Rus.  Gulliat. 
Guillopio,  adj.  Maimed.  Manco. 
G\x\a,s.f.  Wave-  Onda. 
Gule,  s.  m.  Must,  sirup.  Arrope. 
Guhipe,   s.   m.   Cotton.     Algodon. 

Sans.  Sthulapalia. 
Guribano,  s.  m.  Silence.  Silencio. 
Gurabano,  s.  m.  Pastry  cook.  Bol- 

lero. 
Guruju,  s.  m.  Dissolute  fellow.  Tu- 

nante. 
Gusto,  s.  m.  Goose.   Ganso. 

H. 

Haccuno,  s.  m.  Summer.   Verano. 

Hambo,  s.  Tn.  One  who  is  not  a 
Gypsy.  El  que  no  es  Jitano 

Harero,  s.  m.  Plum-tree.  Ciruelo- 

Helo,  s.  m.  Hog.  Marrano.  Sans. 
Kola.  Moor.  Arab.  Haltaf. 

Henira,  s.f.  Misforiune.  Desgracia. 

Heta,  adj.  Named.  Nombrado  — 
This  word  appears  to  be  derived 
from  the  same  root  as  the  English 
"hight,"  and  the  "  hedte''  of  the 
Danes  and  Scandinavians. 


Horipaquia,  s.f.  Ant,  emmet.  Hor- 
miga. 

Ibrain,  s.  m.  February.  Febrero. 

Iclene,  adj.  Celebrated.  Celebre. 
Nus.  Slavnoy.     [Lat  Inclytus.] 

le,  properly  the  genitive  singular 
of  the  article  O  ;  also  the  accusa- 
tive :  it  frequently  serves  for  the 
nominative ;  e.  g.  le  pray  the 
mountain  ;  le  ran  the  rod ;  le 
trujacai  the  grapes. — Propria- 
mente  el  jenitlvo  singular  del  ar- 
ticuloO;  tanibien  el  acusativo  : 
frecuentemente  slrve  por  el  nomi- 
naiivo. 

lege,  s.f.  Mass.  Misa. 

l*?que,  adj.  One.  Uno.  Sans.  Eka. 
[Pers.'Yak.] 

leru,  s.  771.  Wolf.  Lobo. 

Its,  gen.  pi.  of  the  article  O.  Jen^ 
pi.  del  art7culo  O. 

les,  adj.  One.  Uno. 

lesano,  5.  m.  Bacon.  Tocino. 

lescotiia,  adv.  Imniediately.  Luggo. 
Vid.  Escotrla. 

lesdra,  s.f.  The  left-hand.  Mano 
izquierda- 

lesque.      Vid.  leque. 

lesque  avel,  One  to  another.  Uno 
a  otro. 

Iiiclobo,  s.  771.  Hermitage.  Ermita. 

Inericar,  v.  a.  To  protect,  shelter. 
Amparar. 

Inerin,  s,  m.  January.  Enero. 

Inerique,  s.  m.  Protection,  shelter. 
Aiiiparo. 

Ingodine,  adj.  Gluttonous.  Goloso. 

Ingrodile,  adj.  Impossible.  Im- 
posible. 

Inica,  adj.  Doting.  Chocho. 

Inolobi,  s.  m.  Hermit.  Ermitano. 
Rus.  Inokk  (monk). 

Irismen,  s.  m.  Information.  Aviso. 

Isicon,  s.  Tn.  Corner.  Esquina. 

Isnabar,  r.  a.  To  have.  Haber. 
Isna,  "There  is."  Hay. 

lu,  5.  7H.  Paper.  Papel.  Hin.  Ruq, 
tparchment). 

lusmito,  s.  771.  Smith.  Herrador. 

J. 

Jaba,  s.f.  Harlot.  Ramera.  Sana. 

Kavera.     Moorish,  Kabbah. 
Jabillar,  v.  a.  To  understand.  En,^ 

tender. 


B 


18 


THE    ZINCALI* 


Jabuiii,  s.f.  Rat.  Rata. 
Jachapen,  5.  Food.  Comida.  Sans. 

Kasipu.     Hin.  Khaja. 
Jacharar,  v.  a.  To  burn.  Quemar. 

Sans.  Ch(ira. 
Jachari,  s.f.  Conflagration,  blaze. 

Incendio. 
Jal,  s.  m.  Rope  tied  round  the  neck. 

Dogal. 
Jalar,  v.  a   To  eat.  Comer.   Sans. 

Gala. 
Jalares,  5.  pZ.  Breeches.  Calzones. 
Jamar,  v.  a.  To  eat.  Comer.  Sans. 

Chamya  (food).     Hin.  Khaiia. 
Jamachfari )  s.  ./.  Strawberry-iree. 
Jamadiiri    \     Madroiio. 
Jamaco,    s.   m.    Apricot.    Albari- 

coque. 
Janbri,  s.  771.  Toad.  Sapo. 
Jandeblaban,  s.   m.   Proverb.  Re- 

fran. 
Jandojo,  s.  nx.  Sin.  Pecido. 
Jandorro,  s.  7;i.  Money.  Dinero. 
Janreles,  s.  jpl.  The  genitals.  Los 

jenitales. 

^^"'^'o  J  s.  771.  Sabre.  Sible. 
Janro  S 

s.f.  Virgin.   Virjen.     Sans. 
Kani.     {Sans.  Jani.  Rus. 
I      Jena.      Gr.  ywr]  woman.] 
Japuiie,  s,  771.   Soap.  Jabon. 
Jar,    5.    m.    Heat.    Crdor.     Sans. 

Khara.    {Arab.  Kharr.   Old  Ger. 

Har.] 
Jara,  s.f.  Ounce  of  gold.  Onza  de 

oro. 
Jaracailales,  s.  pi.  Guards,  ofRcers 

of  the  revenue.     Guardas,  cara- 

bineroa. 
Jarambelis,  s.  pi.  Rags.  Trapos. 
Jarami,  s.f  Jacket.  Chaqueta. 
Jarando,     s.     7n.      Pool,    puddle. 

Charco. 
Jardani,  pr.  n.  John.  Juan. 
Jarima,  s.f  Crumb,  migaja. 
Jarrumbo,  s.  tti    Sieve.  Harnero. 
Jarsia,  s.f.  Justice.  Justicia. 
Jayere,  s.  m.  Money.  Dinero. 
Jayro,  adj.  Dry.  Seco. 
Jebe  }  s.    Hole.    Agujero.      Sans. 
Jebi  )      Gavaksha.    JHln.  Beh. 
Jebilen,  s.  m.  Hole,  well.  Pozo. 
Jele,  s.f.  Pope.  Soga. 
Jell,  s.f  Love.  Amor. 
Jenebel,  s.  771.  Cloak.  Capote. 


Jan  a 
Jani 


Jeni,  8.  f.  She-ass.  Burra. 

Jeralli,  s./.  Hunting-cap.  Montera.. 

Jerami,  s./.  Bracelet.  Manilla. 

Jerardo,  s.  771.  Hell.  Infierno. 

Jerias,  s.  pi.  Legs.  Pi6rnas. 

Jerini,  s.f  She-ass.  Burra. 

Jero,  s.  771.  Head.  Cabeza.     Sans. 

Sira. 
Jeroro,  s.  771.  He-ass.  Burro. 
Jeroscosa,  s.  f.  Crown  of  the  head. 

MoUera. 
Jerqueni,  s.f.  Fountain.  Fuente. 
Jerrmnbro,  s.  m.  Muleteer.  Arriero. 
Jesame,  s.f.  Waistcoat.  Chupa. 
Jestari,   s.  f.    Chest.    Area.     Gr, 

KlOTr]. 

Jeiayo,   s.   771.    Lackey,    footman. 

Lacayo. 
Jctro,  ac/j.  Another.  Otro. 
Jiideha,  s.f.  Soup.     Sopa. 
Jichanca,     s.   /.     Gypsy-woman. 

Jitana. 
Jichanco,  &•.  77i.  Gypsy-man.  Jitano,. 
Jil,  5.  771.  Cold.  Frio.  Sans.  Sitala 

\Lat.  Gelidus,  adj. J 
Jil,  5.  m.  Wheat.  Trigo. 
Jimilo,  s.  771.  Sigh.    Suspiro.   {Lat. 

Gemitus.J 
j  Jinar,  v  a.  To  count,  reckon.  Con- 
tar.      Vld.  Ginar. 
Jinco,  adj.  Deep.  Hondo. 
Jindo,  adj.   Dirty.     Sncio.     Sans. 

Gundaka    (dirt.) 
Jiiiar,  v.  n.  To  exonerate  the  belly. 

Descargar     el     vientre.     Sans. 

Havna.     Mod.  Gr.  -yivM. 
Jir,  s.  m.  Cold.  Frio.    Vid.  Jil. 
.iircar,  r.  71.  To  shiver.     Tiritar. 
Jire,  adj.pron.  Your,  yours.  Vu6s- 

tro. 
Jiribar,  v.  a.  To   cook  victuals,  to 

curry.     Guisar.    Vid.   Querabar. 
Jirirde,  adj.  Thin.  Delgado. 
Jitarrorro,  s.  777.  Rag.  Trapo. 
Job,  adj.  Six.    Seis. 
Joberdi,  s.  Sixty.     Sesenta. 
Jojabar,  v.  a.  To  deceive  Enganar. 
Sans.      Kuh^ka.     (deception;) 
whence  also  the  English  Hoax, 
Hocus. 
Jojana,  s. ./.    Deceit,  lie.    Engano, 

Men  lira.     Sans.    Ktihana.  Hin. 

Jhooth. 

JojeTiaS  (-.^.Captain.  Capitan, 


VOCABULARY    OF    THEIR    LANGUAGE. 


19 


Jojuy,  t.  m.  Hare,  rabbit.     Liebre, 

conejo. 
Jolili.  5. /.  Earth,  country.    Tierra, 

pais.     Saus.  Kula. 
Jollin,  5.  m.  Anger,  rage.     Coraje. 

Hin.  Julun. 
Jonsabar,   v.  a.  To  tie,  bind.  Atar. 

Hin.  .Jukumar. 
Jorgarse,   v.   r.  To  divert  oneself. 

Divertirse. 
Jorosnosco,     adj.     Hoary,    grey. 

Canudo. 
Jorpoy,  s.  m.  Wool.  Lana.  Arab. 

Tsuf. 
Jostia,  s.f.  Disputa. 
Jotisarar,  v.  a.  To  approach.  Acer- 
car. 
Jubeni,  s. ./.  Sale.     Venta. 
Jubichen,  s.  m.  Gaspacho. 
Jucal,  adj.  Lovely,  j^enerous.  Her- 

inoso,  generoso.    Sans.  Prakula. 

Sukala.    Hin    Shukeela. 
Jucali,./em.  of  the  preceding.  Her- 

niosa,  &c. 
Juco,  adj.    Lean.    Delgado.    fern. 

Juqui. 
Juica,  s.  f.  Cradle.     Cuna. 
Julabar,  v.  a.  To   sweep.     Barrer. 

Sans.  Khalapu.  (sweeper.) 
Julabay,  s.  J^.  A  broom.  Escoba. 
Julani,  s.  f.  Mistress.  Ama. 
Julay,  s.   VI.  Master.  Amo.  Sans. 

Kulika  (head  of  a  family.) 
Julistraba,  s.f.  Serpent.     Culebra. 

Sans.  Kalasnrpa  (black  snake.) 
Jumeri,   5.  f.  Bread.    Pan.    Sans. 

Sumana  (wheal).  Pers.  Gondam. 

[Arab.  Khamir,  leaven.] 
Junar,  v.  a.    To  hear,  listen.     Oir, 

escnchar.     Pers. 
Jundro,  s.  ?n.  Tube,  pipe.  Cafion. 
Jundro  de  la  pusca,  Barrel  of  a  gun. 

Canon  de  la  escopeta. 
Jundunar,  s.  m.  Soldier.    Soldado. 

Sans.  Kandira  (an  archer, )yro?7i 

Kanda  (an  arrow.) 
Junius,    s.    m.  A  lamb.     Cordero. 

Mod.  Gr.  apvi. 
Juntuno,  s.  ■m.  Listener,  scoundrel. 

Escuchador,  bribon.  Vid.  Junar. 
Jurdl  s.  /  Gunpowder.     Polvora. 

Sans.  Kshoda. 
Jurepe,  s.    m.   Prison,  tribulation. 

Carcel,  tribulacion. 
Juri,  s.  f.  File.  Lima. 

Juribani,  s.  /.  A  cow.    Vaca. 


Jurnio,  s.  m.  A  rope.  Soga.  Hin. 
Joorna  (to  tie.)  "  Chibar  un  jur- 
nio en  el  aver  pinre." — When  an 
animal  is  lame  in  one  foot,  the 
Gypi-ies  are  in  the  habit  of  driving 
a  nail  into  the  other,  by  which 
they  frequently  deceive  the  chap- 
man :  for  when  a  horse  is  lame  in 
both  feet,  it  is  diflficult  to  perceive 
that  he  is  lame  at  all,  the  paces 
being  equal.  This  trick  is  ex- 
pressed by  the  above  phrase; 
which  means,  literally,  "  7'o  cast 
a  rope  into  the  other  foot.'''' 

Jurtibar,  s.  m.  September.  Sep- 
tiembre. 

Juru,  s.  m.  A  hull.     Toro. 

Jurune,  adj.  Dark,  obscure.  Os- 
ctiro. 

Jusfi,  s.  f.  Girdle.     Faja. 

Justia,  s.  f.  Pinchbeck.  Tumbaga. 

Juter  >  s.  Vinegar.     Vinagre  Mod. 

Juti     S       Gr.  '^v6i..  [Lat.  Acetum.] 

Jutia,  s.f.  Needle.  Agtija.  Suchi. 
Hin.  Suja. 


Labelar,  v.  a.  To  sing,  to   speak. 

Cantar,    hablar.      Sar.s.    Lapa. 

Mod.  Gr.  \ayui.  Ger.  Lnllen. 
Lacha,    *.    /.      Shame,    modesty. 

Verguenza.  Sans.  LagL'a. 
Lachinguel,  adj.  Lonii.  Largo. 
Lachipe,  s.f.  Silk,  Seda. 
Lachipen,  s.f.  Goodness.  Bondad. 
Lacho,   fern.    Lachi,   adj.     Good. 

Bueno.     Hin.   Achchha.     Sans. 

Ruchira  (beautiful). 
Labane,  s.    Purple,    a    red    cloak. 

Pfirpura,  capa  encarnada. 
Lacro,    s.   m.     Servant.      Criado. 

Sans.  Loka  (a  man).  Hin.  Larka 

(lad,  boy). 
Lalo,  adj.  Red,  purple.    Rojo,  pur- 

pureo.      Sans.      Lohita      Pers. 

Lai 
Laloro,  Portugal,  "  The  red  landJ' 

Tierra  bermeja,  i.  e.  Portugal. 
Lalore,  s.  m.  A  Portuguese.  Por- 

tugues. 
Lanbar,  s.  m.  Law-suit.  Pleyto. 
Lanbio  >  s.  Farming-man,  laborer. 
Lanbro  S     iiperador. 
Lanchicol.    s.    m.    Charcoal-dust. 

Cisco. 
Landari,  s.f  Ribbon.  Cinta. 


*20 


THE    ZINCALT. 


Lanelar,  v.  a.  To  bring.  Traer. 
Hin.  Lana. 

Langar,  s.  m.  Coal.  Carbon. 

Lango,  adj.  Lame  Cojo.  Sans. 
Langa.     Pers.  Lang. 

Lariiiuear,  v.  n.  To  liaip.  Cojear. 
\_Pers.  Langidan.] 

Laniiuiio,  s.  7;i.  Thigh.  RIuslo. 

Languro,  s.  m.  Back- door.  Postigo. 

Lao,  s.  m.  A  word.  Palabra.  Sans. 
Lapa  (speaking).  Rus.  Slobo. 
See  Labelar. 

Larpa,  s.f.  A  blow.  Golpe. 

Lebale,  s.  m.  Flint.  Pedernal. 

Leberbeiia,  s../.  Public  walk  plant- 
ed with  elms.  Alameda. 

Legrente,  s.  m.  A  gallant.  Galan. 

Lei,  s.  m.  The  world.  Mundo. 

Lembresque,S;/-  Lie,  error.  Mentira. 

Lemiire,  v   Limitren. 

Len,  s.f.  River.  Rio. 

Lendriz,  s  ./.  Partridge.  Perdiz. 

Leprelere,  s.  OT.  Parsley    Perejil. 

Leprenlero,  f.  m.  Glazed  pan. 
Lebrillo. 

Lerenes,  s.  pi.  Letters.  Letras. 

Li,  s.  /.  Paper,  a  letter.  Papel, 
carta.     Sans.  Lipi. 

Libanar,  v.  a.  To  write.  Escribir. 
Sans.  Likha.     Hin.  Likha. 

Libano,  5.  m.  Notary  Piiblic.  Es- 
cribano.  Sans.  Liplkara.  Hin. 
Likhunhara. 

Licliri,  s/.  Lantern.  Linterna. 

Liganda,"  s.f.  Tassel.   Borla. 

Liguerar,  v'.  a.  To  carry.  Llevar. 

Lilibuto,  s.  m.  Sale,  despatch,  bu- 
reau. Despacho. 

Lillar,  v.  a.  To  take.  Tomar. 

Lillax,  pr.  n.  Thomas.  Toinas.— 
This  is  one  of  the  many  ridiculous 
words  manufactured  by  the 
"  Aficion"  of  Seville.  Lillar,  in 
Gypsy,  sifinifying,  "  to  take,"  in 
Spanish  7"'cwnar,  they,  by  slightly 
modifying  the  word,  have  at- 
tempted to  make  it  serve  for 
"  Tomas,"  or  "  Thomas :" 
whereby,  unwittingly,  they  have 
converted  an  Apostle  into  a  thief 
or  shop-lifter ;  for  such  is  Lillax, 
accoriing  to  the  principle  of  the 
Gypsy  tongue.  In  like  manner, 
from  Lon,  "salt,"  in  Spanish 
Sal,  they  have  coined  Londilla 
for  "parlour,"  because  in  Spa- 


nish it  is  called  Sala ;  whereas 
the  proper  meaning  of  Londilla 
is  a  "  salt-cellar." 

Lilo,  s.  VI.  Fool,  madman.  Loco. 
Sans.  L\gu.     M.  G.  XwAos. 

Lima,  s.f  Wood.  Leila. 

Lima,  s.f.  Shirt.  Camisa. 

Limbidiar  }  v.  a.  n.  To  return.  Vol- 

Linbidiar   )      ver. 

Limitren,  s.  w.  Monday.  Ltlnes. 

Limutra,  5.  f  Public  walk.  Ala- 
meda. 

Linaste,  s.  m.  Motive.  Motivo. 

T  •  ^  ,-  ^s.  m.  Fool,  iiznorantper- 
.ipendi    f   ^Qj^_  TontJ,  ignorante. 

i^inpenai  ^   ^^^^  ^^  \coU7rat6cj. 

Liquia,  s.  f  Nit.  Liendre.  Sans^ 
Likslia.     Hiyi.  Leikh. 

Lirenar,  v.  a.  To  read.  Leer. 

lArestres,s.pl.  Lt-tters.  Letras. 

Liri,  s.f  Law,  Ley. 

Lirione,  adj.  Light.  Lijero. 

Liripio,  s.  m.  Lead.  PlOino.  Sans. 
Trapula. 

Listrabar  ?  v.  a.  To  free.  Libertar, 

Listramar  >      Iibrar. 

Listrabea,  s.f.  Livery.  Librea. 

Liter,  s.  m.   Inscription.  Letrero. 

Litinguagi,  s.  /.  Dispute,  law- suit.. 
Pleyto. 

Lofi,  s  f  Navel.  Ombligo. 

r°l^>5.  m.  Love-apple.  Tomate. 

Lombardo,  s.  m.  Lion,  the  province 
of  Leon.  Leon.    Vid  Bombardo.. 

Lon,  s.f  Salt.  Sal.  Sans.  Lavana. 
Hin.  Lon. — Ha  perddo  la  lon 
chingaripen,  "  the  salt  of  quarrel 
has  fallen  ;"  a  proverbial  expres- 
sion of  the  Gypsies  when  they 
chance  to  drop  salt,  which  they 
consider  to  be  a  prognostic  of 
strife. 

Londilla,  s.f  Parlour,  hall.  Sala. 

Londe,  prep.  For,  by.  Por. 

Londone,  s.  m.  Englishman.  In- 
gles.— This  word  is  derived  from 
"  London,"  which  the  Spaniards 
in  general  consider  to  be  synony- 
mous with  England. 

Longono,  s.  m.  Comfort.  Con- 
suelo. 

Lorampio,  s.  m.  A  watch.  Relox. 

Lore,  s.  m.  Gnat.  Mosquito. 

Loria,  s.f.  The  sea.  El  mar.  Pers. 
Darya,/rom  the  /Sans.  ToyjadhL 


VOCABULARY    OF    THEIR    LANGUAGE. 


^21 


Loriazo,  s.  m.  March.  Pvlarzo. 

Luandar,  v.  a.  To  hang  up,  weigh. 
Colgar. 

Luas,  s.  pi.  Pegetaa,  coins.  Pe- 
setas. 

Lucali,  *.  /.  The  river  Guadiana. 
La  Guadiana. — This  wor  I  seems 
to  be  derived  from  Ju'utl,  q.  v. 

Luchardo,  *.  m.  Steel  l<jr  striking 
fire.  Eslabon. 

Luchipei),  s.  f.  CHfl^  declivity. 
Cu^sia. 

Lucrarre,  *.  Large  jar.  Tinaja. 

Luey,  s.  m.  Wolf.  Lobo.  Greek, 
'XvKog.    {^Fr.  Loup.] 

Lull,  s,  /.  Basket.  Espuerta.  Ilin. 
Duliya. 

Lumi        3 

Lumia      >*.  J^.  Harlot.  Ramera. 

Lumiaca  ) 

Lunbeid,  s.  m.  Lantern.  Farol. 

Luno,  5.  m.  Sickle.  Hoz.  Sans. 
Lavanaka,  Lavana. 

Luquindone,  s.  m.  Cypress-tree. 
Cipres. 

Lurco,  5  m.  Well.  Pozo. 

Luriandez,  s  f.  Thunder.  Trueno. 
It  is  probable  that  this  word 
bprung  from  the  same  root  as  the 
Celtic  f)aran,  which  it  very  much 
resembles;  which  root  seems  to 
have  been  the  iSanscrit  Indra, 
from  wliich  the  Gothic  "  thun- 
der," "donner,"  &c.,  are  more 
immediately  derived.  Lur,  in  old 
Danish,  signifies,  "  a  horn." 

Luricaiii,  s  /'.  Guest-house.  Posada. 

LIuslu,  s.  w.  Water-parsnep.  Berro. 

M. 

Maas,  s.  f.  Meat,  flesh.  Carne. 
Sans.  Mansa.  Rus.  Miaso. 

Maasengoro,  s.  m.  A  butcher.  Car- 
nicero. 

Maasquero,  s.  m.  Shambles,  public 
market-place.  Carniceria,  plaza 
pliblica. 

Macache,  adj.  Dull.   Torpe. 

Macolotende,  s.  m.  The  abode  of 
the  fish,  i.  c.  the  sea  El  mar.^ 
This  word  is  compounded  from 
the  Sanscrit  Machchha  (fish) 
and  Alava  (abode),  and  is  one  of 
those  beautiful  metaphorical 
terras  for   the  great  deep  with 


which    "  the   divine    language'^ 

abounds. 
Macota,  s.f.  Drop.  Gota. 
Mach  1,  ■<?./.  Fly.    Mosca.    Sans, 

Makshika. 
Machican  }      ^    ^      .    r<^,  ^ 
Machico    5  ^-^^  A  cat.  Gato. 

MachingHiio    ?  e.  7n.    A   drunkard, 
iVIacliargarno  )      Borracho. 
Machiro,  s.  vi.  Witness.  Testigo. 
Macho,   s.    m.    Fish.     Pez.    Sans. 

Machchha.   Hin.  Muchee. 
Machunu,  s.f.  Fish-market.    Pes- 

caderia. 
Madoy,  s  m.  A  clove  for  eatings 

Clavo  de  comer. 
Majara,  adj.  Half,  middle.    MediOj 

Sans.  Madhya. 
Majara-chibel,  s.  Mid-day.   Medio-^ 

dia.  Sans.  Divamadhya. 
Majaros,  -s,  m.  pL  The  saints.    LoS 

Santos. 
Miijari,  5.  f.   The  beatic  one,  t.  e. 

The  Vir2in.  LaVirjen. 
Mnjaro,  adj.  Holy.    Santo.    Mod. 

Or.  iJUKiipiog. 
Mai,  s.  m.  Comrade.  Companero. 
Malabar,  r.  a. To  rob.  Roba,r.  iSan§. 

Matucha. 
Maluno,  s.  m.  Lightning.    Relam- 

pag(x      Sans.    Mahotka.      Rus. 

Molnia. 
Mamucha,    5.  /.     Short   carbine. 

Tercerola. 
Man,  pron.pers.l.  lo.  Pers.  Man, 
Manchiii.  s.  m.  Treasure    Tesoro. 
Manc'ay,  «.  m.  Prince,    Principe, 

Sans.  Madanalaya. 
Manclayi,  s.f.  Princess.  Princesa, 
Mancon,  s.  m.  Hedge-hog.    Erizo. 

Mod.  Gr   £;^rj/oj. 
Mandela,  5./.  Cloak.   Capa. 
Mans,  s.  /;    Meat,   flesh.     Carnq. 

Vid.  Maas.  Hin.  Mans. 
Mangue,  the  accusative  of  the  pron. 

pers.  Man.   El  acusativo  del  pro, 

pers.  Man. 
ManL'uelar,  v.  a.  n.  To  entreat,  beg. 
j      Pedir,  roirar    Sans.  Vanika  (beg- 
I      gar).  Hin.  Manana. 
I  Manpori,  s.  f  Tail.'  Cola. 
Manricli,  s.f.  Kind  of  cake.  Torta, 
Manro,  s.  m.  Bread.    Pan.    In   the 
Gypsy  dialect  of  England,  MorvQ, 

Hin.  Roti. 


'*2'2 


Tl-itE    :^INCALt. 


Manronas,  s.  pi.  Bags  (for  bread). 

Alforjas. 
Mansenqaere,  s.  f.     Meat,    flesh. 

Came.    Vid.  Maas,  mang. 
Mantroji,  s.  f.  Wrist    Mun<-ca. 
Manu      1$.    m      Man.     Hombre. 
Manup"  ^      From  the  Sans  Manu. 

i.  e.  Menu,  "  theflrsi  man,"  "the 

creator  of  the  world,"   and  "the 

giver  of  pohtlcal  institutes." 
Manus,  s.  m.  A  man.  Hombre-    In 

this  form  it  is  liktwii=e  found  in 

XheSans  Mana:^ha.  IHn.  Viands. 
Manus.'ilo,  adj.   Valiant,  powerful. 

Valienie,  poderoso. 
Manusardi,  s.  /    Woman.    Mujer. 

Sans.  Manu.-hi. 
Maqueo,  s.  m.   Halter.    Cabestro. 

Arab.  MeUwad  (rope). 
Marahear,  v.  a.  To  grind.  Moler. 
Marumfios,  5.771.  Fennel.  Hinojo. 
Maiar,  v.  a   To  kill.  MatJir. 
Maraol,  s.  7n.  Assassin    Asesino. 
Marcu'i,  5.  m.  Csit.    Gato.     Sans. 

Marj^.ra^ 
Marelar,  r.  a.  To  kill.  Matar.  Pers. 

Mirandan. 
Marniulli,  s.f.  Wax.    Cera.    Pers. 

Miiin. 
Marmuya,  s.f.  Ball.  Bala. 
Marn,  s.  m.  Man.    Hombre.   Pers. 

Mard. 
Masvaro,      *.  m.      Flesh- market. 

Plaza  de  la  carne. 
Mastrongcs, fi.p/.  Wrists.  Munccas. 
Masuiie,  s   Skirt.    F"'al(ia. 
Matipen,  s.f  Drunkenness.  Borra- 

cherla.     Sans.     Madi   (to   make 

drunk).  Pers.  Masti. 
Mato,  adj.  &  part.  Drunk,  drunken. 

Boriacho. 
Matobar,  v.  a.  To  intoxicate.    Em- 

borrachar.  Mod.  Or.  jicdvM. 
Matogarno,  s.  m.  Drunkard.    Bor- 

ifdcho. 
Meelfa,  s  f.  Measure.  Medida. 
Mclalo,  s.  VI  A  mt  asure  of  wine,  a 

drunkard.  Medida  de  vino  :  lam- 

bien,  b.)rracho. 
Mebizrana,  s.f.  A  pomegranate,  The 

ciiyof  Granada.  Granada  fruta, 

tambien,   h  ciudad   de  Granada. 

From  the  Italian,  Melagrana. 
.Men,  pror?.  7: cs.  Mine.    Mi. 
Men,  s.  Person,    honour.   Persona, 

honor. — Su  men,     "your   lord- 


ship."   listed.    From  the  Sans-. 

Mana  (to  honour,  re.'^pect). 
Menbrerico,  s  m.  Purgatory.    Pur- 

galorio. 
Mencha,   s. ./.  Pudendum  feminae. 

Hin.  Cliicha. 
Menda,  pron.  pers  I.  lo. 
Mehderi,  s. ./.  Phial.  Limefa. 
Mendesquero,  adv.  Less.  Menos. 
Ment-alle,  s.f.  Table.  Mesa. 
Mequelar,   v.  a.  To   leave,   let  go» 

Dejar,  Sans.  Moksliu.    Moorish^ 

Ihalli. 
Merdipen,  s.f.  Wound.  Matadura. 
Merdo,  adj.  Sick.    Enfermo. 
Mericha,  s.f  Bushel.  Fanega, 
Meiiclen,5.  /.  Yard,  court.  CorraL 
Merinao,  adj.  An  immortal.  Sans. 

Marnt. 
Meripen,    s.  f    Death.      Muerte. 

Sans.  Marana  Arab.  Maradz. 
Mermelli,  5. /.  A  taper.     Vela. 
Mestt  pen,*. /.  Life.     Vida. 
Meslina,  s.f.  Guest-house.  Posiida 
Milan,  s.  m.  One  thou?-and.     Mil. 
Miliyo,  s.  m.  Heart.     Corazon. 
Mil  la,  s.  /.  League.     Legua.  Pers. 

Mil. 
Minchabar,  v.  a.  To  produce,  bring 

forth.     Parir. 
Minchi,   s.  f  Pudendum   feminae. 

In   the  English  dialect,  Mitchi. 

Sans.  Mad  a  nay  ad  ha. 
Minchoro,  s.  m.    The  bully  of   a 

prostitute-     El  qnerido,  6  rufian 

de  una  mujer  publica. 
Minrio,  pron.  poss.  Mine.   Mio. 
Mmrricia,    s.    f     Cloud.      Nube. 

Sans   Mudira. 
Mnindia,  adv.  In   the  meanwhile. 

Mientras. 
Mist  OS,  adv.  Well.     Bien. 
Moehi,  s. /.  Doublet.     Coleto. 
Mochiquti,  s.  iMallet.     Mazo. 
Mill.  s.  rn.  Wine.     Vino.     A  pure 

Persian  icord. 
Mollafi,  s.f  Grape.     Uva. 
Monborico,  s.  (^  adj.  Violet.  Mora- 
do. 
Monrabar,   v.    a.    To  clip,    shear. 

Esquilar.      Vid.  Munrabar. 
Monro,  s.  m.     A    friend.     Amigo, 

Sans.  Vandhu. 
Morchas,  s.    Skin,  hide.     Pellejo. 

Hin.  Mushk. 
J  xMorquilen,  s  m.  Meatula. 


VOCABULARY    OF    THEIR    LANGUAGE. 


*23 


Moscabis,  adj.  Enamoured.     Ena- 

moiado. 
Mosiarban,  5.  m.  A  traveller.     Via- 

jante.     Arab.  Mosafer. 
Mostipelo,  s.  m.  Farm-house.  Cor- 

tiju. 
Mu.  j)Ton.  pers.  pi.  We,  ourselves, 

Nosotros. 
Muchi,  5.  /  Spark.  Chispa- 
Muchubelar,  r.  a.  To  wash.  Lavar. 

Vid.  Chobelar.     Sans.  Marjju. 
Muclar,  r  n.  To  hold  one's  tongue. 

Callar. 
Muclar,  v.  n.     To  void  urine.   Ori- 

Par. 
Mui,     s.    f.    Mouth,    faco.     Boca, 

cara.     De  niamui.   In  front,   De 

fiente.       Sans.      Muklia     Hin. 

Pdiikh. 
Mularil,  adj    Sad.  Triste. 
Mulaii,  s. ,/.  The  gallows.  Horca. 
Mulili),    ad].     Mortal.     Mortal. — 

Cri'jete    miilcla,    "  mortal    sin.'" 

Pecado,  "moi  tal." 
Mulo,  s.  TO.  A  dead  man.     Muer- 

to.     Ptrs.  M  or  all. 
Munel.T.  s  f  Cap.  Gorra. 
Murnnbar,  r.    a.    To    clip,   shear. 

Ksqinlar. 
Munrjabiicor,  5.  w.  A  shearer.     Es- 

qiiilauOr. 
Muquelar,  v.  a.  To  leave,  abandon. 

Dcjar.      Vid.  Mequilar. 
Murcia,  s  f.  Arm.  Brazo. 
Murciales.  s.  pi.  Arms.   Btazos. 
Miirciali,   s.  f.     A  sweet  (irink    of 

wine,  water,  sucjar,  &c.  Misiela. 
Mureo,  s.  ni    A  wall.     Pared. 

?J""^^'    {adj.  Dear.  Caro. 

Mus,   conj.   But,  yet.     Pero.    \Fr. 

Mais  ] 
Musile,  adj.  Dumb.     Mudo. 
Musley,  s.  m.  Lamp.     Candil. 
Mustiuar,  v.  a.  To  extract,  pull  out. 

S:iCa  . 
Mnirar,  v.  n.  To  void  urine.  Orinar. 

Sans.  Miltra.  Hln.  Miitna. 

N. 
Na,  adv.  No.    Sans,  and  Pers.  Na. 

[^Wdsk  an  •  A.  Sax.  id.] 
IN'acar,  v.  n.  T  )  pass.      Pasar. 
Nacanlclar,  v.  a.  To  read.     Leer. 
Nacicar,    V.    a.    To    grind,    whet. 

Amular. 


Nacle,  s.  ^  Fire.  Candela. 
Nafre,  5.  TO.  Thread.     Hilo. 
Naguerindoy,  s.  f.  Idle  discourse, 

conversation.     Conversaciun. 
Najiibar,    v.  a.    To    lose.     Perd^r. 

Sans.  Nakka  (to  destroy). 
Najar,  v.   n.  To  flee.    Huir.     Hin. 

Nathna. 
Najipen.  s.  f.  Loss,  perdition.  Per- 

dida,  perciicion. 
Nrijira,  s.f.  Banner,  Bandera. 
Nariai,  adv.  No. 
Nansu,  adj.  Pleasant.  Chtisco. 
Nao,     s.    m,.      Name.     Nombre. 

[  Welsh  Flnw.] 
Naqui'.ar,    v.   n.    To  pass.    Pasar. 

Vid.  Nacar. 
Naqui,  s.  f.  Nostril.  Nariz.    Sans, 

Narkudaka.     //in.Nakh. 
Nardi.'in,  a(iy.  Never.  Nunca, 
Narsichisle,  s.  ?«.  A  dwarf   Enano. 

Sans.     Nara  (man),       IN'ichais 

(low). 
Nasaio,    adj.     Sick,    infirm.     En- 

leinio- 
Nasal lipen,  s.f.  Sickness.     Enfer- 

niedad.     Mod.  Gr.  vdaevna. 
Nasti,  adv.  No. 
Nasul)re,    s.    to.    November.    No- 

viemUre. 
Nasula,  s.  /.  The  evil  eye.  Mai  de 

ojo. 
Nausardan,  arf;.  Vile.  Vil. 
Nc,  adv.  No,  not.     Sans.  Nahi. 
Nebel,   adj.  New.  Nuevo.     Sans, 

Navina. 
Nebt),   adj.    New.   Nuevo.     Sans. 

Nava. 
Neb<'r6,   adj.    Small,  young.     Pe- 

queno,  joven. 
Necaute,  adj.  None,  not  one.  Nin- 

gun. 
Nicabar,  v.  a.  To  takeawayj  steal. 

Quitar,  tobar. 
Nielioheiar.  v.  n.  To  appear.  Pa- 

recer. 
Niiiuillar,  v.  n.  To  go  out.  Salir. 

IJin.  Nikulna. 
Nil  I  lit,    s.    TO.    Turkey,    peacock. 

Pavo. 
Ninelo,  s.  m.  Fool,  ninny.  Tonto. 
Nislo,  a/j.  Prompt,  quick.  Pronto. 
Nivcl,  s.f   Hay.   llaya. 
Notlabar,  v.  n.  To  swim.  Nadar. 
Nonrro,   pron.  pass.    Our.    Nues* 

tro. 


*;■ 


24 


THE    ZINCALI. 


Noques,    s.    pi.    horns.     Cuernos 

Has.  RogD;. 
Norical,  s.  Snail.  Caracul. 
Norungarse,  v.  r.    To    be  angry. 

Enojarse. 
Noningy,  adj.  Angry.  Enojado. 
Nostaro,  s.  m.  Small  coin.  Cuar- 

tlllo. 
Nostu,  S.771.  Small  coin.  Cuarto. 
Noyme,  n-  pr.  Noah.  Noe, 
Nu,  prun.  pers.  ace  sin.  Me.  Me. 
Nu,  adj.  Nine   Nueve.   J-'ers.  Nuh. 
Nuca,  Sy  f.  Mother-in-law.  Suegra. 
Nunufibe.s.  m.  July.  JTxlio. 
Nutibe,  s.  m.  June.  Junio. 

O. 

O,  art.  def.  The.  El.— ex.  gr.  "  0 

can,"  The  sun.  El  sol. 
O,  pron.  pers.  He.  El.  Pos.  O. 
Oben  s.  VVmter.  Invierno.     Sans. 

Hainiana. 
Obiseina,  s/   Scabbard.  Vayna. 
Ocajanaycha,  s./.  Hat.  Cabana. 
Ocana,  s.f.   Huur.  Hora. 
Ocananuuia,  s./.  Prayer.  Oracion. 
Ochnrdilo,   s.   m.    Permission,  Li- 

cen*ia.     Um  Choottee. 
Oclii,   s.f.  Soul,  spirit.  Alma,  es- 

plniu.     Hin.  Jee. 
Ochipa,  s.f.   Portune.  Fortfina. 
Ochon,  s.  7n.   Moiiili.  IMis. 
Oclajita,  s./.   Estate.   Hacienda. 
Oclaye,  s.  m.  King.  Rey. 
Oc\mde,  adv.  Then.  Entonces. 
Ocrianse,  s.  Ant.  Hormiga. 
Odisilo,  s.  m.  Vice.  Vicio. 
Odoros,    s.    pi.    Jealous    fancies. 

Zelos. 
Ogouio,  s.m.  Stomach.  Esiomago. 

Sans.  Anga(l)ody),     //in.  Ojh. 
Ojalie.sar,  v.   a.  To  pardon.     Per- 

donar. 
Ojarar,  v.  n.  To  remember.  Acor- 

dar. 
Ojonibn,  s.  m.  Stomach.  EstOmago. 
Olacerar,  r.  rt.  To  C(jst.  Cosiar. 
Olajay,  s.f  Eurse.  Maldi<ion. 
Oletiaiachi,  s, /.  Midnight.  Media- 

nOciie. 
Oleua.  s/.  Roof  tile.  Teja. 
Olib  as,  s-  pi.    Stockings.  Medias. 

Rus.  Obubh  (shoes  and  stock- 
ings). 
Ollfha,  5.  /.  Street.    Calle.     Vid. 

Uhcha. 


Olilo,  s.  m.  Heart.  Corazon. 
Ollarub,  5.  m.   Wolf.   Lobo. 
Oitaiique,  5.  m.  Plain.  Campo. 
Olune,  s.  S'ckle.  Hoz. 
Oman,    s.    m.    Hole,    pit.     Hoyo, 

agujero.      Sans.    Avada.     Rus. 

Obnian  (deceit,  artifice). 
Omito,  5.  vn.  Farrier.  Albeytar. 
On,  pren.  in.   En. 
Onchuilao,  adj.  Having  the  dropsy. 

Hidropico. 
Onchullar,  v.  n.  v.  a.  To  grow  fat, 

to  fatt  n    Enizordar. 
Ondila,  s.f  Wing.  Ala. 
Ondinaino,  5.  m.  Elm.  Alamo. 
Ondoba,  pron.  dem.  This.  Este. 
Ondolaya,  pron.   pers.  fern.  She. 

Ella. 
Ori(i(>le.  pron.  pers.  mas.   He.  El. 
OndciqucI,  pron.  dem.  That.  Aquel. 
Onrr.  s,  s  J'.   Skirt.  Falda. 
Opeiisa,  s./.  Salad.  Ensalada. 
Opoy,  s.  Pupil  of  ihe  eye.  Niiiadcl 

ojo. 
Opr^,  adv.  Above.  Enclma.    Hin. 

Con  pur.      Gr.  vt:c(). 
0[)ucher,  s.  f.  Occasion.  Ocasion. 
Or       Vid.  O. 

Oranfiion,  s.  m.   Watch.  Reli'ij. 
Ora>-ta,  *, /'•  Play,  comedy.  Come- 

dia 
Or  bnjando,  *.  m.  Drum.    Tambor. 

Literally,     The    tbit)g     that    is 

touched  or  beaten.   Vid.  Pajab^r. 
Orcajaiii,  s. /.  Cage    Jaula. 
Orchiri,  s. /.  Be;iuty.    Hermosfira. 
Oril,  s.f  Fig.  Higo.  Sans.  Avaro- 

bin. 
Orioz,  s.m.  Wolf.  Lobo. 
Orobar,    v.  n.    To  weep.     Llorar. 

Sans.      Ruda,       Hin      Rowuya 

(weepint*). 
Orubrero, '5.  m-  Thought.    Pensa- 

niiento. 
Orocana,  s.f.  Foot  path.   Senda. 
Orondar,  v.  a.  To  set  k.  Euscar. 
Orojiate,  s.f  Ant.  Hormiga. 
Oj  op  ilia,  s.f  Leaf,   tloja.    Proba- 
bly from  the  Sanscrit  compound 

Gurupaira  {\nrce  leaf). 
Oropatiara,   interject.   God    grant. 

Ojala. 
Oropendola,  s  /.  VVill.  Volunlad. 
Oropera,  s.f.  Company.  Compania. 
Oroi;ielar,  v.  a.  To  suck  the  breast. 

Mamar.— Coin    ne    orobiela    ne 


VOCABULARY   OF    THEIR   LANGUAGE. 


'25 


oropiela,  "  He  who  does  not  weep  I 

doesiiotsuck." — Gypsy  Proverb. 
Orosqiie,    s.  m.     Cooper.      Cu!>re. 

Properly,  Brass.  Sans.  AraUu  In. 
Oroiar,  v.  a.  To  seek.  Buscar.    Vid. 

Oroiidar. 
Orpacliirinia,  5.y.  Patience.  Pacien- 

cia. 
Orialamo,  5  m.  Plain,  field.  Campo 
Orteli,  5  /  Love.  Amor. 
Oiiiji.  s.f.  Rind,  husk    Cas.ara. 
Or2ii;a,  s  f.  Har  lot.   Kaniera 
Ospanto,  5.  m.  Pumpion,  calabash. 

Oalal»a.za. 
Osperfiinia,  5../.  Spice    Rspecia. 
Ostabar,  %■>.  a.  Rob.   Kobar. 
Osiallque,  s.  Plain,  field.   Campo 
Oste,     til.    hon.     Your     worship. 

Usied.  pi.  Ostelende. 
Ostebel,   *.   m.    God.    Dios.     Vid. 

Debel.    - 
Osteiiriiia,  s  f.  Goddess,  the  Virgin. 

Diosa,  la  Vlrjien. 
Oslele  >  adv   U   der,  below.  Abajo. 
Ostely  S      Sans  Ailhasiat 
Oslilar,  V.  a.  'Vo  rcib.  Robar. 
Ostilador,  s.  m.  Robber,  thief.    La- 

dion. 
Ostniar,  v.  a.  n.  To  awake.    Des- 

periar. 
Ostor,  adj.  Right.  Ocho. 
Ostordi,    adj.    Kighty.      Oohenta. 

Pers.  Hash  tad. 
Osuncho,  s  m.  Pleasure    Placer. 
Osune.  adj  Obscure,  dark  0:?curo. 
Otal,  5.  m  Tlie  hi^av.  ns.     El  cielo. 
Oiaii,  adv.  Already.  Ya. 
Oiarpp,s.r.M.  The  heavens.  El  cielo. 
Oie,  adv.  There,  yon^ler.  Alli,  aila. 

Hin.  Uilie. 
Ottmbroli!'»,  s.  m.  Heart.  Corazun. 
Oioba,  pron.  dem.  Teat.  Aqiel. 
Otollojo.  adj   '['ame.  Mansa. 
Oto,  adj'  iMgiit.  echo.    F/>y.  Ostor. 
Otorbar,  s.  m.  October.  Ociuuie. 
Oygue,   s.  m.  Lodging  iox  soldiers. 

Cuarlel. 
OzTndi,  .«.  /.  Hempen  sandal.    Al- 

pargatn. 

P. 
Pa,  prep.  For.    Para. 
Pacuaio,  ndj.    Handsome,    pretty. 
B'»niio.  — The    Gypsies    have    a 
trick,   which    they  rmploy  when 
iJK^y  v.'ish  to  get  rid  of  an  animal 
with  an  ugly  neck  and  head:  they 
VOL.   II. 


place  him  in  an  attitude  by  which 

his  uglmess  is  partly  concealed 

from  the  chajiman,  which  they 

call    De  p  cuaro.    The   word  is 

pure  Persian,  Pacrti.    [Lat.  Pul- 

cher  ] 
Pac  habelar,  v.  a.  To  believe.  Creer. 

Sans.  Puja  (to  reverence). 
Pai^bandra,   s.  ./.    The   festival  of 

Easter    Pascua. 
Pacharracar,  v.  a.  To  sow.    Sem- 

brar. 
Pachatrar,  v.  a.  To  pound,  break  to 

pieces.    Machacar. 
Pachi,  s.  }.   Modesty,  honour,  vir- 
ginity.     Verguenza,     virjinidad. 

Sans.  Puja 
Pachibalo,ac//  Honest,  honourable. 

Hojirado. 
Pachibar,  r.  a.  To  honour.  Honrar. 

Rus.  Pachitat. 
Pticiumachi,   s.  f.    Foot  and   leg. 

Pata. 
Pat  i.uno,    adj.    Modest,    bashfiiL 

Vergonzoso. 
Paillo,  5  tn  One  who  is  not  a  Gyp- 
sy. El  que  po  es  Jitano. 
Pajahar.v.i/  To  touch,  feel.  Tocar, 

t(  ntar.   Sans.  Priclia. 
Pajanbo.  s.f.  'I'ernptation.    Tenta- 

cion. 
Pajandi,    5.  f.    Guitar.     Guitarra,. 

Literally,     The    thing     that    is 

touched  cr  played  upon. 
Paj  n"d6,  s.  m.  Watch,    Reloj. 
Pajilas,  5  A  ball.    Pelota. 
Pajin,   s.  f.    Part.     Parte.     Sans. 

Paksha. 
Pajorias,  5.  pi.  Ribs.  Costlllas. 
Pajumi,  s  /  Flea.  Pulga. 
Palabear.  v.  a.   To  shave.    Afetar. 

Sans.  Pulyula  (to  cut). 
Palal,  adv   B«^hind.  Atras,  detras. 
Palaro.    Vid.  Pajardo. 
Palchandia,  5.  ./.  Carnival.    Car- 

nestolendas. 
Paid  urn,  5.  m.   Hunchback.    Joro- 

bado, 
Palife,  adj.    Exqui.site.     EsquisitOc 

Sans.  Pelnva  {delicate). 
Palomias,  s.  pi.  Hips.  Caderas. 
Paluli,  s./.  Acorn.  BellOta.    Pers. 

Palid      Arab.   BalKii. 
Palnno,  s.  m    A  wood,  farm-house* 
Bosque,  tandVien  corlijo.     Sana. 

Palla  (kind  of  shed.) 


*26 


THE    ZINCALIr 


Panchabar.     Vid.  Pi^chabelar. 

Paiiche,  adj.  Five.  Cinco.  Pers. 
Panj. 

Pancherdi,  adj.  Fifty.  Cincuenta. 

Pandar,  v.  a.    Vid.  Pandelar. 

Pandela,  s.f.  Frying-pan.  Sarten. 
Ital.  Pad  el  la. 

Pandelar,  v.  a.  To  inclose,  to  tie,  to 
shut.  Atar,  cerrar.  Sans.  Van- 
dha.     Pers.  Payvvandan. 

Pandipen,  5.  m.  Dungeon,  prison. 
Calabuzo,  carccl. 

Panelar,  v.  n.  To  leap,  jump.  Sal- 
tar.     Sans.  Plava. 

Pani,  s.  /.  Water.  Agua.  Sans. 
Paniya,  Pavana.  Hin.  Panie. 

Panlscara,  s.  f.  Water-melon.— 
Sandla. 

Pansiberarse,  r.  r.  To  live  in  con- 
cubinage.    Auiancebarse. 

Pantaluno,  s.  m.  A  Frenchman. 
Frances. — This  is  a  cant  word, 
and  not  Gypsv 

Pani,  s.  /.    Vid.  Pnui. 

Papajuy,  s.f.  Parable.  Parabola. 

Paparuiii,  s.  f.  Grandmother. 
Abuela. 

Papimia,  s.  /.  Flea.    Pulga. 

Papiri,  s.  Paper.  Papel. 

Paque,  adv.  Near  at  hand.  Cerca. 

Paquilli,  s.  /.  Silver.     Plata. 

Parabar,  v.  a.  n.  To  break.  Parlir, 
romper. 

Parafii,  s.  f.  Broom.  Escuba.  Hin. 
Burhni. 

Paratute,  s.  m.  Rest.  Descanso. 
Sans.  Parajata  (adopted,  nour- 
ished.) 

Parauco,  s.  m.  Care.  Cuidado. 
See  the  last. 

Parbarar,  v.  a.  To  nurse,  educate. 
Criar.  Sans.  Parajata  (adopted). 
Pers.  Parwardan. 

Parbaraura,  s.  f.  A  child,  infant. 
Criatura. 

Parchandi,  s.  f.  Easter.  Pascua. 
Vid.  Pachandra. 

Parchandrero,  adj.  Ragged,  sloven- 
ly.   Despilfarrado. 

Parcharique,  adj  Obstinate.  Por- 
fiado. 

Pardy,  s.f.   Tinder.    Yesca. 

Pariolar,  v.  n.  To  rage.  Rabiar. 

Paripen,  s.  m.  Danger.  Pellgro. 

Parlacha,  s.  /.  Windovi^.  Ventana. 


Parlaora,  s.  f.  A  letter.  Carfa. 

Parne,  *.  m.  White  or  silver  money, 
Dineros  blancos,  i.  e.  Deplata. 

Parno,  adj.  White.  Bianco.  Sans, 
Pandu. 

Paruji,  s.  f.  Leaf.  Hoja. 

Parracha,  s.  y.  Wave.  Onda. 

Parrotobar,  v.  n.  To  fast.  Ayunar. 

Parta,  s.f  Ribbon.  Cinta. 

Parugar,  v,  a.  To  exchange,  barter. 
Camhiar,  trocar.  Sans.  Parivatta 
(exchange),  Paraspara  (inter- 
changing). 

Paruipen,  s.  m.  Exchange,  barter. 
Cambio. 

Paruni,  s.f  Grandmother.  Abuela. 

Pas,  ac/J.  Half.  JMedio.  Pas-chibe, 
Hall-day,  i.  e.  Noon,  Medio-dia. 
In  like  manner,  the  English  Gyp- 
sies say,  Pas-korauni,  "Half-a- 
crown,"  &c. 

Pasabia,  £f. /.  Strength.     Fuerza. 

Pas-calJico,  s.  w.  The  day  after  to- 
morrow.    Pasado  manana. 

Pas-jiile,  Half  drunk.  Medio  bor- 
racho. 

Pa-q'ie,  s.  f  The  half.  Milad. 
Sans.  Bliafza. 

Pastia,  s.  f.  Frog.  Rana.  \Arab. 
DzafJa'.] 

Pastimache,  s.f.  F'ootstcp.  Pisada. 

Pusuno,  s.  m.  Farm-house.  Cor- 
tijo. 

Patupire,  s.  Staircase.  Escalera. 
Sans.  Pad  (a  fool). 

Pavi,  s.  /.  Nostril.    Narlz. 

Pea,  s./.  Ch:iir,  Saddle.     Silla. 

Pebuldorico,  adj.  Catholic.  Catoli- 
co. — Cangri  Pebuldorica  y  Re- 
buldorica,  "Cathohc  and  Apos- 
tolic Church." 

Pecalis,  5.  /.  French  silk.  Seda 
Francesa. 

Pechisla,  s.  m.  Sexton.     Sacristan. 

Peco,  adj.  Roasted.  Asado.  Sans. 
Pakka  from  Pacha  (to  cook). 
Pers.  Pokhtan.  Pus.  Petsch 
roven). 

Pelanbru,  s. /.  Pen.  Pluma. 

Pele,  s.  pi.  Eggs,  the  genitals. 
Hu6vos,  los  jenitales.  Sans. 
Pela. 

Pen,  A  particle  frequently  used  in 
the  Gypsy  language  in  the  forma- 
tion of  nouns  ;  e.  g.   Chungali- 


VOCABULARY    OF    THEIR    LANGUAGE. 


*27 


pen,    "ugliness,"   or  "an    ugly 

thing;"  in  which  word  the  parti- 
cle Pen  is  affixed  to  Chungalo, 

"ugly."     Una  particuia  do   que 

frecuentemente  se  sirve  en  Jita- 

no  para  la  formacion  de  substan- 

tivos. 
Penar,  v.  a.  To  say,  speak.     Decir, 

hablar.     Hin.  Bo  In  a. 
Penchabar,  v.  n.  To  think.  Pensar. 

Hin.  Bicharna. 
Pendar.     Vld.  Penar. 
Pendebre,  s.  m.  December.     Dici- 

embre. 
Penebri,  s. /.  Root.     Ralz. 
Ptniche,  s.  m.     The  Holy  Ghost. 

El  Espiritu  Santo.  Gr.  ITvfu/ca. 
Penascoro   ?  s.  m.  Brandy.  Aguar- 
Peiiaquero  \      diente    (fire-drink). 

Sans.    Pana    (drinking),     Agira 

(fire). 
Peilaspe,  s.  m.  Blunderbuss.    Tra- 

buco. 
Pepedro,  s.  m.  Plain,  field.  Campo. 
Peperes,  s.  m.  Pepper.     Pimiento. 

Sa7is.  Pippali. 
Per,  prep'  For,  by.     Por. 
Perar,  v.  n.  To  fall.     Caer.    Hin. 

Purnar. 
Perbarar,  v,  a.  To  create.  Criar. 
Perbaraor,  s.  m.  Creator.  Criador. 
Percara,  s.f.  Tongue.  Lengua. 
Perdifie,  s.f.  Musket.  Escopeta. 
Perdineles,  5.  pi.  Musketeers.  Es- 

copetcros. 
Perdo,  adj.  Full.  Lleno. 
Perdobal,  s.  m.  A  debauchee.  Tu- 

nante. 
Perdoripe,  adj.  Pull.  Lleno. 
Perelalo,  adj.  Full.  Lleno.     Sans. 

Ptirita. 
Perfine,  adj.  Necessary.    Preciso. 

Mod.  Gr.  Trpinei. 
PergenamientOjS.  ra.  Feeling,  grief. 

Sentimiento. 
Pergenar,  v.  a.  To  feel.  Sentlr. 
Perguleto,    s.   m.    Pdgrini.    Pere- 

grino. 
Peiifuye,  s.  m.   Worm,  reptile. 
Perimlola,  s.  f.  Bali.  Bola.  Sans. 

Parii/iandala,  Pinda.  Hin.  Pinda. 
Peris,  n  p.  Cadiz. 
Perma,  s.f.  Yolk  of  Egg.  Yema. 
Pernasi,  s.f.  Salad-  Ensalada. 
Perpello,  s.  m.  Calf.  Becerro. 
Pferpelo,  5.  m.  Peach.  Melocoton. 


Perpenl,  s.f.  Bridge.  Puente. 
Perplche,  s.  m.  Cat.  G;ito. 
Perplejo,  s.  m.  Fright.  Susio. 
Persibarao,  adj.  Living  in  concu- 

bmage.  Amaiicebado. 
Persibararse,  v.  r.  To  live  in  con- 
cubinage. Amancebarse. 
Persjjfuye,    s.    ?n.     Worm,    reptile. 

Blcho.      Vld.  Perifuye. 
Persine,  adj.  Savage,  fierce.  Bravo. 
Pcrsos,  conjunc'  Because.  Porque. 
Perlo,  s.  771.   Bolt.  Cerrojo, 
Pertraba, s.y.  Knapsack.  Mochilao 
Pespuro,  s.  m.  Pepper.  Pimiento. 
Pet-quibar,  v.  a.  n.  To  taste,  enjoy. 

Gustar. 
Pesquilar,  v.  a.  To  deceive.  Enga- 

nar. 
Pesquital,  s.  m.  Pleasure.  Placer, 

gusto. 
Petali,  s.f.  Horse-shoe.  Herradura. 

Mod.  Gr.  TiiToKov. 
Petallas,  s.  pi.  Horse-shoes.  Her- 

raduras. 
Petalli,    s.  f.    Lodging.    Posada. 

Mod.  Gr.  (rTrnTi  (0.  house). 
Petano,  sf.  m.  Calf,  Becerro. 
Petra,  s.  f  A  fall.  Caida.     Sans. 

Patayalu. 
Peujo,     3.     m.    He-goat.    Macho 

cabrio. 
Pichibibi,  s.f.  Linnet.  Jilguero. 
Pichiscas,  s./.  Cough.  Tos.  Sans. 

Vikshava.  Mod.  Gr.  SrjX'^S' 
Pico,  s.  m.  Shoulder.  Hombro. 
Picon,   n.    p.    La    Mancha. — This 

word  seems   to    belong    to   the 

Germania,  or  cant  dialect. 
Piltra,  s.f.  Bed.  Cama. 
Pilvo.  adj.  Bald.  Calvo. 
Pincherar,  v.  a.  r.  To  know,  to  be 

acquainted  with.  Conocer.  Hin. 

Puli-channa. 
Pindorri,    s.  /,     Girl,    lass.     Mu- 

chacha. 
Pindorro,  s.  m.  Boy,  lad.  Mucha- 

cho. 
Pindrabar,   v.  a.    To  open.  Abrir. 

Hin.  Bihurna. 
Pindro  }  s.m.  Foot.  Pie.  pi.  Pinres. 
Pmro    )      \^Sans.  Pad.] 
Pinre-bustaro,   The  right  foot.  El 

derecho. 
Pin  re-can.    The    left    foot.    El  iz- 

quierdo. 
Pinnular,  v.  a.  To  paint.  Pintar. 


♦28 


THE    ZINCALI. 


Pinpore,  s.  m.  Lip.  Labio. 

Pinsorra,  s.f.  Crab-louse.  Ladilla. 

Pipindorio,  n.  p.  AniOnio. 

Pipochi,  s.f.  Block,  stock    Cepo. 

Pirabar,  v.  r.  a.  To  copulate,  to 
heat.  Copular,  calentar.  Mod. 
Gr.nvpiovcj.  Sans.  Pallava  (l<)%'e). 

Pirando,  s.  in.  Lover,  libidin.)us 
person.  .Amante,  hombre  libido- 
noso.     Sans.  Paradanka. 

Pirar,  v.  n.  To  walk-  Anoar.  Pro- 
perly, To  fly.     Pers.  PaiiJan. 

Pin,  s./.  Earthen  pot.  011a.  Sana. 
Piihara. 

Piribicha,  s.  f.  Female  lizard.  La- 
garta      Vid.  Betbirlncha. 

Pinbicho,  5.  m.  Lizard.  Lagarto. 

PirO,  s.  m.  Foot.  Pie.  Vid. 
Pinro. 

Pisabai-,  s.  pi.  Buckles.  Hebillas. 

Pispindi,  s.  f.  Pepper-plant.  Pi- 
mien  to. 

Pispiri,  s.f.  Pepper.  Pimienta. 

Pispirdcha.  s.  f.  Widow.  Viuda. 

Pista,    s.   f.    Account.     Cuenta. — 

"  Duiar  pisia."  "To  giveaccoani," 
Dar  cuenta. 

Pita,  s.  f.  Drink,  beverage.  Bebida. 
Rus.'?\\\€. 

Piuli,  s.f.  Widow.  Vitida.  Pers. 
BiwaK. 

Piyar,  v.  a.  To  drink.  Beber.  Sans. 
Pivati.     Hln.  Piya-k. 

Placo,  s.  m.  Tobacco.  Tabaco.  Li- 
terally, Dust,  powder.  Rus. 
Prak. 

Plai,  s  /.  A  mountain.  Sierra, 
montavia. 

Plajista,  s.  m.  Smuggler  of  tobacco. 
Contrabandista  de  tabaco. 

Plal     is.  7n.  Brother.  Hermano. — 

Plan    >     The  first  of  these  words 

Piano  3  is  neither  more  nor  less 
than  the  Enullsh  Pal,  a  cant  ex- 
pression much  in  use  amongst 
thieves,  which  signifies  a  com- 
rade or  brother  in  villany. 

Plani,  s  ./.  Sister.  Hermana.  Sans. 
Bhgani. 

Plasarar,  v.  a.  To  pay.  Pagar. 
Rus.   Plaiit. 

Plasianar,  v  a.  To  follow,  to  pur- 
sue. Seguir.  Sans.  Prasth^na 
(march). 

Plasiani,  s.  /  A  company,  a  band 
of  people  pursuing  thieves.  Com- 


s.  f.  Ducat.  DucSdo. 


paiila,   caterva  que  sigtie  a  la- 
drones. 

Platamugion  r- ^'^'^-  ^^^^' 
Piaiesq  ,ero,  s.  m.  Court.  Patio. 
Platilla,  s.f.  Straw.     Paja. 
Playi,  s  /.  Importunity.     Porfia. 
Plescari,  adj.  Clear.     Claro. 
Pluhi,  s. ,/.  Silver.  Plkia  {properly, 

Rupi).     Sans.  Raui>>a.j 
Pluco,  adj.  Strange,  rude.  Fantas- 

lico,  basto.  Rus  Plok. 
Po,  s.  m.  Belly.  Vienire. 
Pol)a,  s.  f  Apple.  Manzana.  [Lat. 

Pomum.] 
Pobaiio,  s.  m.  Apple-tree.     Manza- 

no. 
Podya 
Poloya 
Polvorosa,  s.  ^.  Road,  way.  Cami- 

no. — This  is  a  cant  expression, 

and  does  not   properly  belong  to 

the  Gypsy  language. 
Pomi,  s.  /.  Silver.     Plata. 
P.inde.-^quero,  s.   m.    Poniif,   chief. 

Poniitice,  cabo. 
Pondoiie,  s.  m.  Mattress.  Colchon. 
Poquinar,   v.    a.  To  pay.     Pagar. 

Hin.  Pukrana. 
Por,  s.  f.  Feather.     Pluma.  Pers. 

Par.  'Rus.  Pero.    [Heb.  Ebher, 

pinion.] 
Porescaro,  s.   m.    Governor  of   a 

town.      Gobernador    de   tiudad. 

Sans.  Pnri  (city),  Kara  (lord). 
Pori  s.f.  Tail      Cola. 
Porias,  s.    pi.  Bowels.     Entraiias. 

Sans.  Puriiat. 
Porsurni,  s. ./".  Onion.     Cebolla. 
Pos,    s.     Belly.      Barilga.      \Rus. 

Puzo.  Ger.  Baiich  ] 
Posilati,     adv.    Compulsively,     by 

force.     Por  fuerza. 
Posian,  s.   m.   Skin.    Piel.     Pers. 

Pust.  Also,  Liiun,  Lieiizo.     Pro- 
perly, The  skin  or  hide  m  which 

sinuHiiled  goods  are  wrapped. 
Postani,  s.    f.    Parcel  of  smuggled 

goods.     C'lntiabando. 
Poste,  s.  m.  Bosom.    Pecho. 
Po?uno,  s.  m.  Court,  yard.  Corral. 
Potosi,  $.   Botiotnless  abyss.  Abis- 

imo    sin    fondo      Vid.     ButrOn. 

Also.  A  pocket,  Faltriqiiera. 
Prachindo,  a^;.  Diriy  Sucio.  i'V-07?j 

the  Sans.  Raja  (dustj. 


VOCABULARY  OF  THEIR  LANGUAGE. 


*29 


Prasni,   5.  ./.    A     family,   a  tribe. 

Familia,   tribu.     Sans.   Prastita 
crowded,  swarming). 
Pray,  5,    /.    Mountain.    Montana. 

Vid.  Piai. 
Pr6,  prep.  For.  Por. 
Prelumina,  s./.  Week.   Semana. 
Presas,  conjunc.  Because.  Porque. 
Presimelar,  v.  a.  To  begin.  Empe- 
zar.     Sans.    Prastavana  (begin- 
ning.) 
Prestani,    s.   f.     Pasture-ground, 

meadow.     Dehesa. 
Prevarengue,   s.    Hell.      Infierno. 

Sans.  Fratapana. 
Fritingina,  .9.  f.  Week.     Semana. 
Probosquero,  s.  m.  Herald,   com- 
mon crier.     Pregonero. 
Prochibar,  v.  a.  To  offer.     Ofrecer. 
Protobolar,  v.  a.  To  cure.     Curar. 
Prulano,  s.  to.  Hedgehog.      Erizo. 
Prumi,  s. ./.   Beard,  chin.     Barba. 
Prusiatifii,  s. ./.  Pisiola. 
Pucanar,  u.  a.  Proclaim.  Pregonar. 

Hin.  Pukarnar. 
Pucano,   s.  m.    Herald,    common 

crier.     Pregonero. 
Puchabar  >  v.  a.  To  question.  Pre- 
Pucharar  )       guntar.     Prachchha 

Hin.  Puclina. 
Puchel,  s.  f.  Life.     Vida. 
PujumI,  s.  f.  Flea.     Fulga. 
Pul,  *.  m.  A  bridge.   Puente.    This 

word   is  pure    Persian.     Sans. 

Pali. 
Fumen,  s.  in.  Shoulder.     Hombro. 
Puni,    s.  f.    Trouble,    affliction. — 

Pena. 
Punsabo,  s.  m.  Beak.    Pico. 
Pur,  at'v.  When.  Cuando. 
Purelar,  v.  n.  To  be  born.  Nacer. 
Puro,  adj.  Old.  Viejo.  Sans.  Pura. 

Pers.  PIr. 
Pus.    s.   m.    Straw.    Paja.     Hin. 

Bhusa. 
Pusabar,  v.  a.  To  prick.  Picar. 
Pusca,  s.  f.     Musket.    Escopgta. 

Rus.  Pushca, 
Puscali,  5.  /.  Pen,  feather.  Pluma. 
Putar,   s.  TO.  Well.    Pozo.     Sans. 

Patala. 
Puy,  s.  Straw.     Paja. 

a. 

Q,uejelano,  adj.  Open,  clear,  unin- 
cumbered.   Raso. 


Q,uejena,5^Custom-house.Aduana. 
Quejesa,  s.  f.  Silk.     Seda.     Sans. 

Kauseya. 
Quelalla,  s.  f.  Egg-plant.     Beren- 

gena. 
Quelar,  v.  n.    To  dance.    Baylar. 

Sans.  Kela  (to  sport). 
Q-uelaii,  s.f.  A  rial,  coin.    Real. 
Q,uele,  s.  in.  Dance.  Bayle. 
Quelebao,  s.  ?n.  Dancer.  Baylador. 
Queliben,  s.f.  Declaration.  Decla- 

racion. 
Quer,  s.  m.    House.    Casa.  Sans. 

Agar  a.  Hin.  Ghur. 
Querabar,  v.  a.  To  cook.     Guisar. 

Vid.  Jiribar.  Hin.  Kurna. 
Q-uerar      }  v.  a.  To  do,  make.  Ha- 
Querelar  )      cer.  Pers.  Kardan. 
Gtuerelar  nasula,  To  cast  the  evil 

eye.     Aojar. 
Querdi,  par.  pass.  Done.     Hecho. 

Pers.  Kardeh. 
Querescaro,  5.  to.  Steward,  butler. 

Mayordomo. 
Querisar,  r.  a.  To  scratch.  Aranar. 
Gtuerlo,  s.  m.  Neck,  throat.     Pea- 

cuezo.    Sans.  Gala.  Pers.  Galti. 

Rus.  Gorlo. 
Querosto,  .s.  m.  August.  Agosto. 
Gluichardila,  s.f.  Stain.  Mancha. 
Gtuichardino,    adj.     Tight,     hard, 

mean.  Apretado. 
Quichi,  adj.  adv.  As  many  as,  con- 
cerning.      Cuanto.— On    quichi, 

"Inasmuch."   En  cuanto. 
Q-uicia,  s.f.  Basket.   Espuerta. 
Q,uiguinibe,  s.  m.  A  cook.  Cocinero. 
duijari,  s.f.  Stirrup.  Estrlbo. 
Q^uilen,  s.  Mentula. 
Q,uillaba,  s.f.  Prune.  Ciruela. 
Q-uimbila,  s  f  Company.  Compania. 
Quimbilo,  s,  to.  Companion.  Com- 

paiiero. 
Quimpinar,    v.  a.     To     swallow. 

Tragar. 
(iuimuqui,  s.f.  Gimlet.  Barrena, 
Gtuinar,   v.  a.  To   buy.     Comprar, 

Hin.  Kinna.  [Arab.  Kana.] 
duinate,  s.  m.  Cheese.  Queso. 
Gtuinciia,  s.  f  A  species  of  bean. 

Abichuela. 
Quinguina,  s.f.  Kitchen.  Cocina. 
Quiiiao,  adj.  Tired.  Cansado. 
Q,uiquiria,  s.f  Bug.  Chinche.  Hin, 
Khut-kira.    Mod.  Gr.Kopis. 


^30 


THE    ZINCALI. 


duira      )  s.  f.    Cheese.      Queso. 
Gluiralis  \      Mod.  Gr.  rvpl. 
duiria,  s.  f.  Ant.   Hormiga. 
Quiribi,  s.f.  Godmother.  Coraadre. 
Quiribo,   s.  in.    Godfather.    Com- 

padre. 
Q,uirindia,  adj.  Most  holy  (female). 

Samislii.a. — " Dibla  quirindia," 

J' Most  blessed  Virgin."     Mar, a 

Santlsima. 
Quibij^../. Purse.  Bols.".  Pers.Kisch. 
Quisobu,  s.  m.  Money-bag,  pouch. 

Bolsillo. 

R. 

Raco,  s.  m.  A  crab.  Cangrejo.  Rus. 
Rak. 

Ractiar,  v.  a.  n.  To  meet.    Encon- 

trar. 
Rachi,  5.  /  Night.    Noche.    Sans. 

Ratri.    Hin.  Rat. 
Ran,  s.  /.    Rod.     Vara,— Without 

doubt,  one  and  the  same  with  the 

Bengalic /?a/an,  Sanscrit  Ralha; 

whence   the  Enghsh    Rod^   and 

German  Rulhe. 
Randar,  v  a.  To  Rob.  Robar. 
Randar,  v.  a.  To  write.  Escribir. 
Rande,  5.  m.  Thief,  Ladron.    Pers. 

Rend. 
Randmar,  v.  n.  To  work,  labour. 

Labrar. 
Randifiipen,  s.  f.  A  writing.  Escri- 

tura. 
Rapipocha,  s.f.  A  fox.  Zorra. 
Rapipoche,  s.  m.  Dungeon.    Cala- 

bozo. 
Rasajel,  adj.  Oppressed.  Oprimido. 
Rastrajel,  adj.  Miserable.  Miserable. 
Rati,  s.f.    Blood.     Sangre.     Sans. 

Raktr.  Rus.  Rnda. 
Rebardroy,  s.  f.  Obstinacy,  rebel- 
liousness. Rebeldia. 
Reblandani,  s.  f.  Sione.  Piedra. 
Reblandete,  s.  m.  Mat,  clout.   Pal- 

lete. 
Reblanduy,  adj.  Second.  Segundo. 
Reblantequere,  6.  m.  Jomt.  Coyun- 

tdra. 
Rebrino,  s.  tn.  Respect.  Respeto. 
Rebuldorico,  adj.  Apostolic.   Apos- 

tolico. 
Retafa,  s.f.  Heat.  Calor. 
Recardi,  adj.  Dragged  along.    Ar- 

rastrado. 
Reche,  s.  Cane,  reed.  Cana. 


Rechibilly,  s.  f.  A  little  net.    Rede- 

cilla. 
Rechipatis,  adj.  Naked.    Desn6do, 

en  cueros. 
Rechitar,   v.  a.   To  patch,   mend. 

Remeiidar. 
Redundis,  s.  pi.  Chick-peas.     Gar- 

baiizos. 
Rejflendre,  s.rn.  A  proverb.  Refran. 
Rejonisa,  s  /.  Dough.  Masa. 
Keiichi,  s.f  Net.  Red. 
Relii,  s.f.  Inclosure.  Cercado. 
Remacha,  s.  f.  Procuress.      Alca- 

hueta. 
Remarar,  r.  a.  n.  To  finish.  Rema- 

tar,  acabar. 
Rendfpe.  adj.  Round.  Redondo. 
Repaiii,  s.f.  Turnip,  radish    Nabo. 

Sans.   Hariiparna.       Mod.    Gr. 

fianai'i.  [^Ger.  Ruben.] 
Repaiii,  s.y.  Brandy.    Aguardiente. 
Repurtiar,  v.  a.  To  resuscitate.  Re- 

sucitar. 
Resaronomo,  adj.  Cheap.    Barato. 
Resis,  s. ./.  Cabbage.   Col. 
Iteiamo,  5.  m.  Cloak.  Capote. 
Retejo.  adj.  Content,  merry.    Con- 
ten  to. 
Retreque,  s.f  Pestilence,  plague. 

Pesie. 
Reutilar,  v.  a.  To  withdraw.    Re- 

tirar. 
Reyi,  s.  /.    Dust.    Polvo.     Sana. 

Raja.  Pers.  Rayg. 
Riai>,  s.f  Damsel.  Doncella. 
Rifian,  s.  m.  Danger.  Peilgro. 
Rilar,  V.  n.  To  belch.  Peer. 
Rilo,  s.  m.  Belching.  Pedo. 
Rilli,  s.  /.  Wax.  C6ra. 
Rin  s.f.  Kngme  for  drawing  water. 

Nona.     Properly,  A  river-    Ice- 
landic, Rin. 
Rinballar,  v.  a    To  pull  up  by  the 

roots.  Arrancar. 
Ro.    Vid.  Rom. 
Rocamblo.  s.  m.  A  friend.  Amigo. 

Sans.  Raksha  (protecting). 
Rochimel,  s.  m.  River.  Rio.    Mod. 

Gr.  f/viiKi. 
Roi,  s.  /.    Flour.    Harina,    Hin. 

Rui. 
Rom,  s  f  Spoon.  Cuchara. 
Rolli,  s.f.  Spoon.  Cuchara. 
Rom,  s.  TO.  A  husband,  a  married 

man,  a  Gypsy.    Maiif'o,  hombre 

casado,  un  Jitano.    «Sans.  Rama. 


VOCABULARY  OF  THEIR  LANGUAGE. 


^31 


Roma,  B.  pi.  The  Husbands ;  the 

generic    name  oi  ihe   nation    or 

sect  of  the  Gypsies.  Los  maridos, 

i.  e.  nombre  jenerico  de  la  nacion 

6  secta  de  los  Jiianos. 
Roml,  5.  /.  A  married  woman,  a 

female    Gypsy.    Mujer    casada, 

Jitana. 
Ronialis,    s.  /.    A    Gypsy  dance. 

Daiiza  Jiiaiia. 
Romandinar,    v.    n.    To    marry. 

Casar. 
Romandinipen,   s.  f.    A   marriage, 

bridal.    Casamienio. 
Romaiii,  s.  /    The  Rommany  or 

Gypsy  language.  Lengua  de  los 

Jiianos. 
Romani-chal,    s.    Gypsy-grass,   a 

species   of  plant.     La    yerba   de 

los  Jiianos,  una  planta. 
Romuy,  s.f.  Tne  face.  La  cara. 
Roscorre,  s-  w.  Lamb.   Cordero. 
Rotuni,  s.  /.  Mouth.  Boca.    JRus. 

Rot. 
Rudelar,  v.  a.  n.  To  answer.     Re- 

sponder,  contestar. 
Rujia,  5./.  Rose.  Rosa. 
Rulisarra,  s.f.  Knee.  Rodilla. 
Rullipate,    s.  /.     Wheel.     Rueda. 

Sans.  Rathapada. 
Rulliiaoar,  v.  a.   To   turn    upside 

down.  Trastornar. 
Rullitaque.      Vid.  Rullipate. 
Rumijele,    s.     m.     Pilgrim ;     also, 

Rosemary.  Romero. 

S. 

Sabocar,  v.  a.  To  inhabit.  Habitar. 
Sans.  Sabha  (house). 

Saces,  s.  pi.  Irons,  chains.  Ca- 
denas. 

Safacoro,  n.  p.  The  city  of  Seville. 
Sevilla. 

Salamisto,  s.  m.  Physician.  Me- 
dico. 

Salchuyo,  5.  m.  Anvil.  Yunque. 

Salquero,  s.  m.  A  glass.  Vaso. 

Salvaiii,  s  f.  A  long  sausage. 
Longaniza. 

Sampuiil,  s  ,/.  Soap.  Jabon.  Pro- 
perly, The  Hindoo  sliampooing 
or  rubbing.  Sans.  Savahana. 
Mod.  Gr.  (jaTtovi'i.  Germ.  Seife, 
<&c. 

Sane,  s.  m.  Sausage.  Chorlzo. 


Sapumetelli,  s.f  Trumpet.  Trom- 

peta.     Nod.  Gr.  cd^TTiyya. 
Sar,   s.   m.   Iron.    Hierro.     Sans. 

Sarana. 
Sar,  prep.  With.  Con. 
Sar,    s.    m.    Gar  lick.    A  jo.     Hin. 

Seer. 
Saraballi,  s   f.  Money,  coin.  Mo- 

neda.     Arab.  Lzarb. 
Saracate,    5.    in.    Tailor.     Sastre. 

Sans.  Saucliika 
Saray,  s.  m.  Sergeant.  Sarjento. 
Saiballeri,      adj.      Convalescent. 

Convahcienie. 
Sardaiia,  s  f  Favour.  Gracia. 
Sardt  nar,  r.  a.  To  condemn.  Con- 

denar. 
Sanlo,  5.  m.  Brandy.  Aguardiente. 

Sans.  Sandhana. 
Sarmenda,    With    me.    Conmigo. 

Vid'  Sar,  menda. 
Sarmune,    adj.      Prompt,     quick. 

Prunio.      Sans.       Sambhama. 

(haste). 
Saiu,      adj.     All.     Todo.       Sans, 

Sarvva.     Pers.  Sayr. 
Saro  asisilable,  All-powerful.  Todo 

podeiuso. 
Sarplar,  v.  a.  To  pass  judgment. 

Juzgar. 
Saiquere,  s.  m.  Glass,  cup.  Vaso. 

Sans.  Saraka.     Pers.  Say  bar. 
Sarquerin,  s.m.  Large  pan.  Bacin. 
Sarracaiin,  s.  m.  Huckster.  Rega- 

ton. 
Sarrasirar,  r.n.  To  laugh.  Reir. 
Sursale,  With  him.  Con  el.     Vid. 

Sar. 
Sarsos,  So  that.   Con  que.     Vid. 

Sar,  SOS. 
Sana,  adv.  How,  as,  why.  Cumo. 
Sas,  s.  m.    Iron.    Hierro.    Sans. 

Ayasa. 
Sasta,  adv.  As,  how,  until.  Como, 

hasta.     Sans.  Saddasa. 
Sasie,  adj.  High,  tall.  Alto.  Sans. 

Sada  ((.-rest). 
Sabieji,  s.f  Complaint.  Queja. 
Sastri,  s.  Relation.  Pariente. 
S.-it,  prep.  With.  Con.  /Sons.  Saha. 
Sata,  adv.  As,  how.  Como.      Vid. 

Sana,  Sasta. 
Saullo,  s.  m.  Colt.  Potro. 
Segritin,  adj.fcm.  Last.  'Ultima. 
Segriion,  adj.  m.  Last.  'Ultimo. 
Segron,  s.  m.  Fruit,  benefit.  Fruto- 


^32 


THE    ZINCALI. 


Selvant  s.f.  Buffet.  Bofetada. 

Semtiche,  s.  m.  Monkey.  Mlco. 

Senjen,  s.  pi.  Spaniards.  Espa- 
iioles. 

Sentalli,  s.f.  Front.  Fr^nte. 

Seneba,  s.  Fowl,  pigeon. 

Serdaiii,  s.f.  Razor.  Navaja. 

Sersen,  n.  p.  Spain.  Espaiia, 

Servani,  s.f.  Pilchard.  Sardina. 

Serviche,  5.  m.  Morning-star.  Lu- 
cero.  Seems  to  be  the  Sanscrit 
Saptajihvva,  one  of  the  names  of 
Agni,  the  personification  of  Fire. 

Sesu,  n.  adj.  Spaniard,  Spanish. 
Espauol. —  Sesi,  "  Spanish  wo- 
man," Espnfiola. 

Sestroji.  s.  /.  Shell,  husk.  Cas- 
cara. 

Siarias,  s.  pi  Knees.  Rodillas. 

Sibica,  s.  f  Trumpet,  proboscis. 
Trompa. 

Sicha,  5.  /.  Female  monkey.  Mona. 
[Fr.  Smge]. 

Sichen,  5.  m.  Kingdom.  Reyno. 

Side,  s.  m.  Age,  century.    Siglo. 

Sicobar,  r.  a.  To  extract,  pull  out. 
Sacar.    Properly,  To  lift.    Mod. 

Gr.  GriK(')vOi). 

Sila,  s.  f.  Strength.  Fuerza. 
Sillofi.'s/.  Thorn.  Esj  Ina.     Sans. 

Sdla  (pm,  spit).  Hin.  Sfil. 
Silno,  adj.  Strong.     Fuerte.    Rus. 

Silnoy. 
Simache  >  s.    Sign.    Senal.       Gr. 
Sirnachi  \      crijuiov. 
Simbres,  s.  pi.  Eye-brows.  Cejas. 
Simprofie,  n.  p.  Joseph.  Jose. 
Sinar,  v.  n.  To  be.   Ser,  Eslar.  ^ 
Sinastra,  s.f  Capture,  prize.  Presa. 
Sinastro,  s.  m.   Prisoner.    Preso. 

Sans.  Sandita. 
Sincarfial,  s.  m.  Slave.  Esclavo. 
Sinchule,   s.  m.  Roll  of  tobacco, 

cigar.  Cigarro. 
Singa,  s.f  Singing,  music.  Canlar. 

mtisica. 
Singe,  s.  m.  Horn.  Cuerno.  Sans. 

Sringa.  Hin.  Sing. 
Singo,  adv.  Q.uick.  De  priesa.  Sans. 

Sankshu. 
Sinpalomi,   adj.  Peeled.     Decorti- 
cated. Pelado. 
Sirbalo,  s.  m.  Thimble.  Dedal. 
Sirguedes  )  s.      m.       Wednesday. 
Sirquedis  \     Miercoles. 


Siroque,  s.  m.  Hemp.  Canamo. 

Siscabelar,  v.  a.  To  teach.  Ensenar. 

Siscunde,  s.  m.  Wednesday.  Mier- 
coIgs# 

Sisla,  s.f  Vid.  Sila. 

Sisli,  s./.  Moment.  Momento.— Or 
sisli,  "At  the  moment,"  Al  mo- 
mento. 

Sistiiiui,  s.  Girdle.  Cenidor.  Sans. 
Saptaka. 

Sitacoria,  s  f  Kind  of  tax,  carved 
work.   Talla. 

Sitaescorial,  s.  /.  Unglazed  jug. 
Alcarraza. 

Sixtiliar,  v.  a.  To  kindle.  Encender. 

Soba,  s.f  Nightmare.  Pesadilla. 

Sobadrar,  v.  a.  To  sweat.  Sudar. 

Sobelar,  v.  n.  To  sleep.  Dormlr. 
Sails.  Sanvesa  (sleeping). 

Sobindoy,  5.  Sleep.  Dormidura. 
Perhaps  the  proper  signification 
of  this  uord  is,  Dream,  vision. 
Prom  the  Russian  Snobideiiie. 

Socabar,  r.  a.  n.  To  inhabit,  dwell. 
Habitar,  morar.  Also,  To  be, 
Estar.     Vid.  Sabocar,  Soscabar. 

Socreterin,  s.f.  Synagogue.    Sina- 

Sodimiar,  v.  a.  To  sweat.  Sudar. 

Sofanar,  v.  n.  To  travel,  go.  Viajar, 
ir.  Arab.  Safara. 

Solaja,  s.f.  Curse.  Maldicion. — 
Ctiibar  una  solaja,  "To  curse." 
Maldecir.   Vid.  Olajay. 

Solares,  s.  pi.  Pantaloons,  trowsers. 
Pantalones. 

Solares,  s.  pi.  Powers.  Poderes. 
S'ans.  Sihaura  (power). — I  found 
this  word  in  a  translation,  appa- 
rently ancient,  of  a  church  eanti- 
cle,  which  a  Cordovese  Gypsy 
repeated  to  me;  and  which  runs 
as  follows : — 

MajaroUndeb^I!     "Holy  God!" 
Majaro  SolaresI      "  Holy  Powers!" 
Wajaro  Merinao!     "  Holy  Immortals!" 
Listrabanos,Eran6,  "Save  us  Lord," 
De  o  saro  bastardo  I "  From  all  affliction!" 

Solgia,  s.  f  Hare.    Liebre.    Sans. 

Siilika.  Arab.  Soklialat. 
Solibari,  s.f  Bridle.  Freno.  Mod. 

Gr.  cvWriiSapi. 
Solter,  5.  m.  Notary  Public.  Escri' 
bano. 


VOCABULARY    OF    THEIR    LANGUAGE. 


*33 


Sonacai,  s.  Gold.   Oro.    Sans.  Ka- 

nakn.   Pers.  Tanka. 
Soiisane,  5.  m.  Sausage.  Chorlzo. 
Li-nsi,  .<;•/.  Mouth.   Boca. 
Sonsibelar,  v.  n.   To  keep  silence 

(hold  the  mouth).  Callar. 
Sorinbo,    adj.     Serious,    dejected. 

Serio. 
Soripa,  s.  f.  Wood.  Lena. 
Sornar,   v.  n.  To  sleep.     Dormir. 

Hiv.  S  jna. 
Soronje,  adj.  Sorrowful.    Aflijido. 
Soronji,  s  f.  Sorrow.  Afliccion. 
Sos,   pron.  rel-    Who,    that.    Q,ue. 

[Gr.  o"s.] 
Soscabas,r.a.  n.  To  inhabit,  dwell. 

Habitar. 
Sosi,  s.  Court,  yard.  Corral. 
Sosimbo,  5.  m  Oven.   Horno. 
Sosiinbres,  s.  pi.  Eye-lashes.     Pes- 

lafias. 
Soso,  s.  m.  Tranquillity.    Sosiego. 
Sosque,  adv.  VVhure.  Donde. 
Sotagaji,  s.  J^.  Jujube,   fruit  of  the 
jujube.  Azufayfa.  Sans.  Suvlryya. 
Subliuiar.   v.  a.  To  set  at  liberty, 

loose    Soltar. 
Sudo,  adv.  Ableep.  Durmiendo. 
Sueti,  s.  f.  World,  people.  Mundo, 

jente. —  This  uord  is  pure  Rus- 
sian. 
Sugerilar,  v.  a.  To  put.  Poner. 
Sugilla,  s.f.  Justice.    Jusiicia 
Sulando,  adj.  Loose,  light,   easy. 

Suelto. 
Sulastraba,  i-.  f.   Chain,    shackle. 

Cadena.    Arab.  Selselat.    Sans. 

Srinkhala. 
Suiiii,  5    f    Broth,   soup.     Caldo. 

Mod.  Gr.  ^ovu'i.  Sans.  Supa. 
Sumuquelar,  v.  a.  To  cement,  join. 

Pegar. 
Sunc-ai,  s.f.  Spirit,  soul.    Espiritu, 

alma. 
Sundilar,  v.  n.  To  Descend.    De- 
scender. 
Sungalo,  5.  m.    Traitor,   he-goat. 

Traidor,  cabron. 
Sungar,   v.  a.   To  betray,  inform 

against.  Soplar. 
-Sungelar,  r.  n.  To  stink.  Heder. 
Sunglo,  s.  m.  Melon.  Melon. 
Suiipacel,  adv.  Near.  Cerca.  Sans. 

Samipa. 
Suiabi,   adj.    Fine.    Fino.     Sajis. 

Saru. 


Surdan,  s  f.  World.  Mundo.  Sans. 

Sansara. 
Surde,     adj.    Buff- coloured.    An- 

teado. 
Surdete,    s.    m.     World.    Mundo. 

Sans.  Sarisrili. 
Surdinar,  v.  a  v.  r.   To  raise,  stand 

up.  Levaniar. 
Susalar,   v.   a.   To   satisfy.  Satis- 

facer. 
Susiilar,  v.  a.  v.  r.  To  detain,  to  be 

detained.  Detener.     Hln.   Soos- 

tana  (to  rest). 
Susiiry,  s.  /.  Lot,  fortune.  Suerte. 
Sans.     Susthata     (happiness). 
Hin.  Sitari. 


Tn,  conjunc.  And.  Y.— Chulo  ta- 

pnque,     '*  Dollar    and    a    half," 

Uuro  y  medio. 
Tabastorre,  s.  ./.  The  right  hand. 

Manederecha.   Sans.  Avasavy a. 
Tabumari,  s.  m.  May.  Mayo.  Sans. 

Tapana. 
Taciini,  s.f.  A  kind  of  leather  case. 

Petaca. 
TnjunI  s.f.   Box.  Caja. 
Tniabi,  s.J^I  Sedge.  Esparto. 
T.daions,   s.  pi.    Garments.   Ves- 

tidos.     Sans.  Chela. 
Tanbubian,    s.    m.    Horse-jockey. 

Chalan. 
Tandal,  s.  m.  Court,  yard.  Patio. 
Tangl -,  s.  m.  April.  Ahrll. 
Tapillar,   v.  a.    To    drink.    Bebef. 

Vid.  Pixar. 
Tiiquibaque,  s.  Ramrod.  Baqueta. 
Tarpe,  5.  m.  Heaven.  Cielo.  Sans. 

Devapaiha,  Div. 
Taiquino,    5.  m.    Parable.    Para- 
bola. 
Tasabar,  v.  a.  To  choak,  suffocate. 

Ahogar. 
Tas-ala,  s./.  Evening.  Tarde.  Sans. 

Saya. 
Tasalar,  v.  n.  To  delay.  Tardar. 
Tasar.      Vid.  Tasabar. 
Tasarbani,  s.  m    Mason.  Albanil. 
Tai-arden,  adv.  Late    Tarde. 
Tasquino,  s.  m    Million-  Millun. 
T.iii,  s.f.  Fever.  Calenttira.  Sans. 

Tapaka. 
Tati  bari,  s.f  The  great  or  putrid 

fever.     Calentrira  maligna. 
Tato,  5.  m.  Bread.  Pan. 


*34 


THE    ZINCALI. 


Tebleque,  God,  the  Saviour.  Dius, 

Jesus. 
Techafao,  adj.  Beni,  crooked.  Aga- 

chado. 
Techescar,  v.  a.  To  cast.  Echar. 
Techorde,  adj.  Weak,  infirm.  In- 

valido. 
Tejuili,  s.f.  Tarantula.  Tarantula. 
Telejeni,  s.f.  Mat.  Estera. 
Tellorre,s.  m.  Minister.  Ministro. 
Tememblero,    adv.    Early.    Tem- 

prono. 
Tempanu,    s.    m.    Piece,    portion. 
Pedazo.  Sans.  Danima  (to  divide). 
Tereiar,  v-  a.  To  hold,   have,  pos- 
sess.   Tener.       Sans.    Dnarana 

(holding). 
Ternaciba,  s^  f.    Rage,    madness. 

Rabia. 
Ternasibel,  s.  m.    Worth,  valour. 

Valor,  valentia.    Sans.  Dhanara. 
Terneja,  adj.  Valiant.  Valiente. 
Ternoro,  adj.  Young,  new.  Joven, 

nuevo.     Pers. Tar. 
Terrepleco,  5.  m.  End,  boundary. 

Terrnino. 
Terraiii,  s-f.  Scratch.  Arano. 
Tesquelo,     s.     m.      Grandfather. 

Abuelo. 
Tesquera,    s.  f.   Front,    forehead. 

Frente. 
Tesquinso,  adj.  Sour.  Agrio.  Pers. 

Tez. 
Tesumiar,  v.  n.  To  slop.  Parar. 
Tibay,  adj.  Stiff,  firm.  Tieso. 
Tiliche,  s.  m.  Lover.  Amante. 

TiSufn  '  I  '^^^  ^^"^^-  ^^'^™°- 
Tinbalo,  s.  m.  Musician.  Mlisico. 

Sans.  Tandava  (dancing). 
Tirabafii,  s.  m.  Shoe.  Zapato. 
Tirajai,    s.    pi.     Shoes.    Zapatos. 

Sans.  Tadatrana. 
Tirajero,  s-  m.  Shoe-maker.  Zapa- 

tero. 
Tiro,  pron.  vos.  Thme.  Tu. — Fern. 

Tiri.     Ilin.  Tera. 
Torbergeli,   s.  f.    A    plain,    desert 

place,  mountainous  region.  Cam- 

po,  despohlado,  serrania.     Sans. 

Dhara. 
Tornasiba.  s.  f.  Rage,  anger.  Rabia. 
TornasiUe,   s.   m.    Pride,    passion. 

Sr.berbia. 
Tosinbo,    s     m.     Circumvolution, 

wheel.  Torno. 


Toto,  5.  m.  Cheese.  Queso.  Pro- 
perly,  Curdled  milk.  Sans.  Dadhi, 
Trabare,  So  great.  Tan  grande. 
Traisne,  s.  m.  The  post,   courier. 

Correo.     Sans.  Taraswin. 
Tramalar,  v.  a.  To   tie,   trammel. 

Atar. 
Tran,  adv.  comp.  So  much.  Tan. 
Tran-flima,  ado.  So  little,  neither. 

Tampoco. 
Tiani,  s.f.  Mouth.  Mes. 
Traquias,    s.    pi.     Grapes.     Uvas. 

Sans.  Draksha.      Vid.  Dracay. 
Tramistos,  conjunc.  adv.  Also,  as 

well.  Ta.n''ien. 
Trasardo,  s  ni.  Tiled  roof.  Tejado. 
Trebefia,  s.f.  A  star.  Estrella. 
Tromendo,  s.  m.  Danger.  Peligro. 

— This  word  appears  to  belong  to 

the  cant,  or  robber  jargon. 
Tremucha,    s.   /.     Moon.     Ltina. 

Sans.  Chandramas. 
Trianda,     adj.     Thirty.     Treinta. 

Mod,  Gr.  rpiavTa. 
Trijul,  s.  f.  The  cross.     La  cruz. 

Hin.  Trisool. — Q,uerrlar  la  trijtil, 

"  To  make  the  sign  of  the  cross," 

Persignarse. 
Triman,  s.f.  Alms,    charity.    Li- 

mosna. 
Trin,  adj.  Three.     Tres. 
Trin,  adj.  So  much  so.    Tinto. 
Troecane,  s.  f.  Work,  deed-    Obra. 
Tro.ifaron,   s.     m.   Stock,    trunk. 

Tronco. 
Trostis,  adj.  Educated,  nourished. 

Criado,      alimentado. — A     child 

that  has  lost  its  parents,  and  iS 

adopted     by    other     people,    is 

'^rrostis. 
Trujan,  s.  m.  Tobacco.    Tabaco. 
Trujutapucherido,  adj.    Conceived. 

Coiieeb'ido. 
Trnni,  s. /.  Floor,  ground.     Suelo. 
Triipo,  s.  m.  Body.  Cuerpo.     Rus. 

Trup. 
Truta,  s.  X-  Return.     Vuelta. 
Trutar,  v.  a.  n.  To  return,     Volver. 
Tucue,    pron.     pers.     Thou.     Tu. 

Pers.  T(i. 
Tumbardo,  s.  m.  Purgatory.    Pur- 

gatorio. 
Tun,  pron.  pos.  Thy,  thine.     Tu. 
Tuix'iico,    adj.    Muddy,    turbid. — 

Turbio. 
'  Tunia,  s.  f  Cave.  Cueva. 


VOCABULARY   OF    THEIR   LANGUAGE. 


^35 


Tuni,  s.  f.    Apothecary's  shop. — 

Botica. 
Tuni,  s.  f.  Oil- flask.     Alcuza. 
Turrio,  s.  m.  Castle.  Castillo. 
Turra,  s.  f.  Nail,  claw.    Una. 
Tusnl,  s.  /.  Earthen  jar.     Betija. 
Tuyaio,  adj.  Bad,  evil.    Malo. 


Vea,  s.  f.  Garden,  kitchen-garden. 
Jardin,  huerta. 

Velar,  v.  a.  To  cut.     Cortar. 

Verable,  adj.  Everlasting.  Sempi- 
tenio. 

Visabi,  s.  /.  Debt.     Deiida. 

Vriardao,  par.  pas.  Dressed,  adorn- 
ed, Vestido,  adornado. 

U. 

Uchagardi,  s.  /.  Star,  Esticlla. 

Uch'j,  s.  f.  Tongue.    Lengua. 

Udicare,  v.  def.  Might  or  should 
have.     Hubiere. 

Ulandar,  v.  a.  To  hang  up.  Colgar. 

Ulandi,  s.  f.  Hook  to  hang  things 
upon.     Colgadero. 

Ulaque,  s.  One  of  the  districts  into 
which  a  town  is  divided.  Barrio. 

Ulicha,  s.  /.  Street.  Caile.  Rus. 
Ulitza. 

Ulilla,  n.  p.  Seville.     Sevilla. 

Ulique,  5.  Festival.  Fiesta. 

Ululo,  adj.  Angry.     Enojado. 

Uluya,  5. /.  Fame.     Fama. 

Uncho,  A  particle,  which  the  Gyp- 
sies of  Estremadura  are  in  the 
habit  of  affixing  to  Spanish 
words,  in  order  to  disguise  them, 
and  to  prevent  their  being  easily 
understood ;  e.  g.  Favoruncho, 
"favour;"  Gozuncho,  "  joy," 
&c.— Particula  que  los  Jitanos 
de  Estremadtira,  suelen  posponer 
a  palabras  Castellanas,  para  dis- 
frazarlas,  y  que  no  se  les  entienda 
facilmente. 

Undabilar,  v.  a.  To  chew.  Mascar. 

Un-debel,  s.  m.  God.  Dios. — The 
first  syllable  of  this  word  seems 
to  be  the  Om  of  the  Buddhists 
and  Brahmins,  which  is  one  of 
the  names  of  the  Deity:  and  is 
the  commencement  of  that  mys- 
terious sentence,  Om  ma  ni  hat 


si  khom ;  which,  according  to  the 
creed  of  the  followers  of  the 
Grand  Lama,  contains  the  es- 
sence of  all  prayer ;  and  by  the 
constant  repetition  of  which,  they 
hope  to  obtain  the  title  of  Bivan- 
garit,  and  to  ascend  to  the  ele- 
vation of  Bouddh. 

Unga,  adv.  Yea,  truly,  yes.  Si.  In 
the  English  dialect^  Auka.  Sans* 
Tryania. 

Ungachoba,  ff.  y.  Syllable.  Silaba; 

Ungla,  s,  f.  Nail,  claw.  Una.  [Lat. 
Ungula.] 

Unglabar,  v.  a.  To  seize,  to  hang. 
Agarrar,  ahorcar. 

Ununique.  s.  f.  Confession,  Confe- 
sion. 

Urapero,  adj.  Prudent.  Cuerdo, 
prudente. 

Urdifar,  v.  a.  To  put.     Poner. 

Urdifiar,  v.  a.  To  kindle.  Encender. 

Urdiiii,  s. /.  Fancy,  presumption. 
Fantasia. 

Urjiyar,  v.  a.  To  suffer.     Sufrir. 

Ustdar,  V.  a.  To  take,  to  steal.  To- 
mar,  robar. 

Usur,  s.  m.  Smoke.  Humo. 

Uyi.  s.f.  Sugar.  Aztlcar.  SanS' 
Ikshu  (sugar-cane.) 

Y. 

Yaque     )  s.  m.  Fire.  Fuego,  iiim- 
Yaquero  )      bre.  Sans.  Agira.  Hin. 

Ag.  [Rus.  Ogin.    Lat.  Ignis]. 
Ybucho,  5.  m.  Jew.     Judlo. 
Ye-ref,  s.  m.  The  colour,  form.    El 

color,  la  figura. 
Yeru,  s.  m.  Wolf.  Lobo. 
Ylo,  s.  ?n.  Soul.  Alma.    Vid.  Olilo. 

Sans.  Ligu. 
Yustique,  s.  m.  Girdle,  belt.  Ceni- 

dor. 

Z. 

Zamborino,  *.  m.  Pumpkin,  cala- 
bash.    Oalabaza. 

Zarapia,  5.  f.  The  itch.  Sarna. 

Zerecin,s.  m.  Sausage.  Salchichon. 

Zermaila,  s.  f.  Curse.  Maldicion. 
Sans.  Sapana. 

Zi,  s.f.  Hen.  Gallina. 

Zibaora,  s.  f.  Needle.     Aguja. 

Zin-calo,  s.  m.  Gypsy.    Jitano. 


MISCELLANIES 


IN    THE 


GITANO      LANGUAGE. 


VOL.    II. 


ADVERTISEMENT. 


It  is  with  the  view  of  preserving  as  many  as  pos- 
sible of  the  monuments  of  the  Spanish  Gypsy  tongue 
that  the  author  inserts  the  following  pieces ;  they 
are  for  the  most  part,  whether  original  or  translated, 
the  productions  of  the  "  Aficion"  of  Seville,  of  whom 
something  has  been  said  in  the  Preface  to  the  Spu- 
rious Gypsy  Poetry  of  Andalusia  ;  not  the  least  re- 
markable, however,  of  these  is  a  genuine  Gypsy  com- 
position, the  translation  of  the  Apostles'  Creed  by 
the  Gypsies  of  Cordova,  made  under  the  circum- 
stances detailed  in  the  second  part  of  the  first  volume. 
To  all  have  been  affixed  translations,  more  or  less 
literal,  to  assist  those  who  may  wish  to  form  some 
acquaintance  with  the  Gitano  language. 


COTOPvRES  ON  CHIPE  CALLI. 


Bato  Nonrro  sos  socabas  on  o  tarpe,  manjirificado 
quejesa  tute  acnao;  abillanos  or  tute  sichen,  y 
querese  tute  orependola  andial  on  la  chen  sata  on  o 
tarpe  ;  or  manrro  nonrro  de  cata  chibel  dinanoslo 
sejonia,  y  estormenanos  nonrrias  bisauras  andial  sata 
gaberes  estormenamos  a  nonrrosbisaraores  ;  y  nasti 
nes  muques  petrar  on  la  bajanb6,  bus  listrabanos  de 
chorre. — Anarania. 

Panchabo  on  Ostebe  Bato  saro-asisilable,  Per- 
baraor  de  o  tarpe  y  la  chen,  y  on  Gresone  desquero 
Beyio  Chabal  nonrrio  Erano,  sos  guillo  sar-trujata- 
pucherido  per  troecane  y  sardafia  de  or  Chanispero 
Manjaro,  y  purelo  de  Manjari  ostelinda  debla; 
Bricholo  ostele  de  or  asislar  de  Brono  Alienicato ; 
guillo  trejuficao,  mule  y  cabafiao ;  y  sundilo  a  los 
casinobes,*  y  a  or  brodelo  chibel  repurelo  de  enrre 
los  mules,  y  encalomo  a  los  otarpes,  y  soscabela 
bestique  a  la  tabastorre  de  Ostebe  Bato  saro-asisil- 
able, ende  aoter  a  de  abillar  a  sarplar  a  los  Apuch- 
eris  y  mules.  Panchabo  on  or  Chanispero  Manjaro', 
la  Manjari  Cangari  Pebuldorica  y  Rebulddrica,  la 

♦  V.  Casinohen  in  Lexicon. 


MISCELLANIES. 


Father  our,  who  dwellest  in  the  heaven,  sancti- 
fied become  thy  name  ;  come-to-us  the  thy  kingdom, 
and  be-done  thy  will  so  in  the  earth  as  in  the  heaven  ; 
the  bread  our  of  every  day  give-us-it  to-day,  and  par- 
don-us  our  debts  so  as  we-others  pardon  (to)  our 
debtors;  and  not  let  us  fall  in  the  temptation,  but 
deliver-us  from  wickedness. — Amen. 

I  believe  in  God,  Father  all-powerful,  creator  of 
the  heaven  and  the  earth,  and  in  Christ  his  only  Son 
our  Lord,  who  went  con-ceived  by  deed  and  favour 
of  the  Spirit  Holy,  and  born  of  blessed  goddess  di- 
vine ;  suffered  under  (of)  the  might  of  Bronos  Alieni- 
catos  ;*  went  crucified,  dead  and  buried;  and  de- 
scended to  the  conflagrations,  and  on  the  third  day 
revivedt  from  among  the  dead,  and  ascended  to  the 
heavens,  and  dwells  seated  at  the  right-hand  of  God, 
Father  all-powerful,  from  there  he-has  to  come  to 
impeach  (to)  the  living  and  dead.  I  beheve  in  the 
Spirit  Holy,  the  Holy  Church  Catholic  and  Apostolic, 

*  By  these  two  words,  Pontius  Pilate  is  represented,  but  whence  they 
are  derived  I  know  not. 
t  Reborn. 


*42  THE    ZINCALI. 

Erunon  de  los  Manjaros,  or  Estormen  de  los  crejetes, 
la  repurelo  de  la  manseriquere  y  la  chibiben  verable. 
— Anarania,  Tenbleque. 

OCANAJIMIA  A  LA  DEBLA. 

O  Debla  quirindia,  Day  de  saros  los  Bordeles  on 
coin  panchabo  :  per  los  duquipenes  sos  naquelastes 
a  or  pindre  de  la  trejul  de  tute  Chaborro  majaro- 
lisimo  te  manguelo,  Debla,  me  alcorabises  de  tute 
chaborro  or  estormen  de  sares  las  dojis  y  crejetes 
SOS  menda  udicare  aquerao  on  andoba  surdete. — 
Anarania,  Tebleque. 

Ostebe  te  berarbe  Ostelinda !  perdoripe  sirles  de 
sardafia ;  or  Erano  sin  sartute  ;  bresban  tute  sirles 
enrre  sares  las  rumiles,  y  bresban  sin  or  frujejo  de 
tute  po. — Tebleque. 

Manjari  Ostelinda,  da}^  de  Ostebe,  brichardila  per 
gaberes  crejetaores  aocana  y  on  la  ocana  de  uonrra 
beriben  ! — Anarania,  Tebleque. 

Chimuclani  or  Bato,  or  Chabal,  or  Chanispero 
manjaro  ;  sata  siaonor  presimelo,  aocana,  y  gajeres : 
on  los  sides  de  los  sides. — Anarania. 

OR  CREDO. 

SARTA    LJ    CHIBELARON    LOS    CALES    DE    CORDOVATI. 

Pacliabelo  en  Un-debel  batu  tosaro-baro,  que  ha 
querdi  el  char  y  la  chique  ;  y  en  Un-debel  chinoro 
su  unico  chaboro  erano  de  amangue,  que  chalo  en 
el  trupo  de  la  Majari  por  el  Duquende  Majoro,  y 
abio  del  veo  de  la  Majari ;  guillo  curado  debajo  de  la 


MISCELLANIES.  *43 

the  communion  of  the  saints,  the  remission  of  the  sins, 
the  re-birth  of  the  flesh,  and  the  life  everlasting. — 
Amen,  Jesus. 

PRAYER  TO  THE  VIRGIN. 

0  most  holy  Virgin,  Mother  of  all  the  Christians, 
in  whom  I  believe  :  for  the  agony  which  thou  didst 
endure  at  the  foot  of  the  cross  of  thy  most  blessed 
Son,  I  entreat  thee.  Virgin,  that  thou  w^ilt  obtain  for 
me,  from  thy  Son,  the  remission  of  all  the  crimes 
and  sins  which  I  may  have  committed  in  this  world. 
Amen,  Jesus. 

God  save  thee,  Maria  !  full  art  thou  of  grace ; 
the  Lord  is  with  thee ;  blessed  art  thou  amongst 
all  women,  and  blessed  is  the  fruit  of  thy  womb. 
Jesus. 

Holy  Maria,  mother  of  God,  pray  for  us  sin- 
ners, now  and  in  the  hour  of  our  death ! — Amen. 
Jesus. 

Glory  (to)  the  Father,  the  Son,  (and)  the  Holy 
Ghost ;  as  was  in  the  beginning,  now,  and  for  ever  : 
in  the  ages  of  the  ages. — Amen. 

THE  CREED. 

TRANSLATED    BY   THE    GYPSIES   OF   CORDOVA. 

1  believe  in  God  the  Father  all-great,  who  has 
made  the  heaven  and  the  earth  ;  and  in  God  the 
young,  his  only  son,  the  Lord  of  us,  who  went  into 
the  body  of  the  blessed  (maid)  by  (means  of)  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  came  out  of  the  womb  of  the  blessed ; 


*44  THE    ZINCALI. 

sila  de  Pontio  Pilato  el  chiriobaro ;  guillo  mulo  y 
garabado ;  se  chalo  a  las  jacharis  ;  al  trin  chibe  se 
ha  sicobado  de  los  mules  al  char ;  sinela  bejado  a 
las  baste  de  Un-debel  barrea ;  y  de  ote  abiara  a 
juzgar  a  los  mules  y  a  los  que  no  lo  sinelan  ;  pach- 
ab^loen  el  Majaro  ;  laCangri  Majari  barea  ;  el  jalar 
de  los  Majaries  ;  lo  meco  de  los  grecos  ;  la  resurec- 
cion  de  la  maas,  y  la  ochi  que  no  marela. 


REJELENDRES. 

Or  soscabela  juco  y  terable  garipe  on  le  sin 
perfine  anelar  relichi. 

Bus  yes  manupe  cha  machagarno  le  pendan 
chuchipon  los  brochabos. 

Sacais  sos  ne  dicobelan  calochin  ne  bridaquelan. 

Coin  terelare  trasardos  e  dinastes  nasti  le  buchare 
berrandanas  a  desquero  contique. 

On  sares  las  cachimanes  de  Sersen  abillen  reches. 

Bus  mola  yes  chirriclo  on  la  ba  sos  gres  balo- 
gando. 

A  Ostebe  brichardilando  y  sar  or  mochique  difie- 
lando. 

Bus  mola  quesar  jero  de  gabuno  sos  manpori  de 
bombardo. 

Dicar  y  panchabar,  sata  penda  Manjaro  Lillar. 

Or  esorjie  de  or  narsichisle  sin  chismar  lachin- 
gu^h 


MISCELLANIES.  *45 

he  was  tormented  beneath  the  power  of  Pontius 
Pilate,  the  great  Alguazil ;  was  dead  and  buried  ; 
he  went  (down)  to  the  fires  ;  on  the  third  day  he 
raised  himself  from  the  dead  unto  the  heaven  ;  he  is 
seated  at  the  major  hand  of  God ;  and  from  thence 
he  shall  come  to  judge  the  dead  and  those  who  are 
not  (dead).  I  believe  in  the  blessed  one;  in  the 
church  holy  and  great;  the  banquet  of  the  saints ; 
the  remission  of  sins;  the  resurrection  of  the  flesh, 
and  the  life  which  does  not  die. 

PROVERBS. 

He  who  is  lean  and  has  scabs  needs  not  carry 
a  net* 

When  a  man  goes  drunk  the  boys  say  to  him 
"  suet."t 

Eyes  which  see  not  break  no  heart. 

He  who  has  a  roof  of  glass  let  him  not  fling  stones 
at  his  neighbour. 

Into  all  the  taverns  of  Spain  may  reeds  come. 

A  bird  in  the  hand  is  worth  more  than  a  hundred 
flying. 

To  God  (be)  praying  and  with  the  flail  plying. 

It  is  worth  more  to  be  the  head  of  a  mouse  than 
the  tail  of  a  lion. 

To  see  and  to  believe,  as  Saint  Thomas  says. 
The  extremef  of  a  dwarf  is  to  spit  largely. 

♦  Poverty  is  always  avoided. 

t  A  drunkard  reduces  himself  to  the  condition  of  a  hog. 

t  The  most  he  can  do. 


*46  THE    2TNCALI. 

Las  queles  mistos  grobelas  :  per  macarachibel  la 
piri  y  de  rachi  la  operisa. 

Aunsos  me  dicas  vriardao  de  jorpoy  ne  sirlo  braco. 

Chachip^  con  jujana — Calzones  de  buchi  y  medias 
de  lana. 

Chuquel  sos  pirela  cecal  terela. 

Len  SOS  sonsi  bela  pani  6  reblandani  terela* 


ODORES  YE  TILICHE. 

Dica  Calli  sos  linastes  terelas,  plasarandote  misto 
men  calochin  desquiilao  de  trinchas  pufiis  y  canrrias, 
sata  anjella  terelaba  dicando  on  los  chorres  naque- 
ios  sos  me  tesumiaste,  y  andial  reutila  a  men 
Jell,  dinela  gao  a  sos  mend  a  orobibele ;  men  puni 
sin  trincha  per  la  quimbila  novel  de  yes  manu 
barbalo  ;  sos  saro  se  muca  per  or  jandorro.  Lo 
SOS  bus  prejeno  Calli  de  los  Bengorros  sin  sos 
nu  muqueis  per  yes  manu  barbalo.  .  On  tute 
orchiri  nu  chismo,  tramisto  on  coin  te  araquera,  sos 
menda  terela  men  nostus  pa  avel  sos  me  camela  bus 
SOS  tute. 


MISCELLANIES.  *47 

Houses  well  managed : — at  mid-day  the  stew- 
pan,*  and  at  night  salad. 

Although  thou  seest  me  dressed  in  wool  I  am  no 
sheep. 

Truth  with  falsehood — Breeches  of  silk  and  stock- 
ings of  wool.t 

The  dog  who  walks  finds  a  bone. 

The  river  which  makes  a  noise|  has  either  water 
or  stones. 


THE  LOVER'S  JEALOUSY. 

Reflect,  O  Callee  !||  what  motives  hast  thou  (now 
that  my  heart  is  doting  on  thee,  having  rested  awhile 
from  so  many  cares  and  griefs  which  formerly  it  en- 
dured, beholding  the  evil  passages  which  thou  prepa- 
redst  for  me  ;)  to  recede  thus  from  my  love,  giving 
occasion  to  me  to  weep.  My  agony  is  great  on  ac- 
count of  thy  recent  acquaintance  with  a  rich  man  : 
for  every  thing  is  abandoned  for  money's  sake.  What 
I  most  feel,  O  Callee,  of  the  devils  is,  that  thou  aban- 
donest  me  for  a  rich  man.  .  .  Ispit  upon  thy  beauty, 
and  also  upon  him  who  converses  with  thee,  for  I  keep 
my  money  for  another  who  loves  me  more  than  thou. 

♦  The  puchero,  or  pan  of  glazed  earth,  in  which  bacon,  beef,  and  gar- 
banzos  are  stewed. 

t  Truth  contrasts  strangely  with  falsehood  ;  this  is  a  genuine  Gypsy 
proverb,  as  are  the  two  which  follow;  it  is  repeated  throughout  Spain 
without  being  understood. 

X  In  the  original  wears  a  mouth ;  the  meaning  is,  ask  nothing,  gain 
nothing. 

II  Female  Gypsy. 


*48  THE    ZINCAtl. 

OR  PERSIBARARSE  SIN  CHORO. 

Gajeres  sin  corbo  rifian  soscabar  yes  manu  per- 
sibarao,  per  sos  saro  se  linbidian  odoros  y  beslli,  y 
per  esegriton  apuchelan  on  sardafia  de  saros  los 
Benjes,  techescando  grejos  y  olajais — de  sustiri  sos 
lo  resaronomo  niquilla  murmo ;  y  andial  lo  fendi  sos 
terelamos  de  querar  sin  techescarle  yes  sulibari  a  or 
Jell,  y  ne  panchabar  on  caute  manusardi,  persos 
trutan  a  yesque  lili. 

LOS  CHORES. 

On  grejelo  chiro  begoreo  yesque  berbanilla  de 
chores  a  la  burda  de  yes  mostipelo  a  oleba  rachi — 
Andial  sos  la  prejenaron  los  cambrais  presimelaron 
a  cobadrar  ;  sar  andoba  linaste  changano  or  lanbro, 
se  sustino  de  la  charipe  de  lapa,  untilo  la  pusca,  y 
niquillo  platanando  per  or  platesquero  de  or  mosti- 
pelo a  la  burda  sos  socabelaba  pandi,  y  per  orjobi  de 
la  clichi  chibelo  or  jundro  de  la  pusca,  le  diiio  pes- 
quibo  a  or  langute,  y  le  sumuquelo  yes  bruchasno  on  la 
lesquera  a  or  Jojerian  de  los  ostilaores  y  lo  techesco 
de  or  grate  a  ostele.  Andial  sos  los  debus  quimbilos 
dicobelaron  a  desquero  Jojerian  on  chen  sar  las 
canrriales  de  la  Beriben,  lo  chibelaron  espusifias  a 
los  grastes,  y  niquillaron  chapescando,  trutando  la 
romuy  apala,  per  bausale  de  las  machas  6  almedalles 
de  liripio.  ^ 


MISCELLANIES.  *49 

THE  EVILS  OF  CONCUBINAGE. 

It  is  always  a  strange  danger  for  a  man  to  live 
in  concubinage,  because  all  turns  to  jealousy  and 
quarrelling,  and  at  last  they  live  in  the  favour  of  all 
the  devils,  voiding  oaths  and  curses  :  so  that  what 
is  cheap  turns  out  dear.  So  the  best  we  can  do,  is 
to  cast  a  bridle  on  love,  and  trust  to  no  woman,  for 
they*  make  a  man  mad. 

THE  ROBBERS. 

On  a  certain  time  arrived  a  band  of  thieves  at  the 
gate  of  a  farm-house  at  midnight.  So  soon  as  the 
dogs  heard  them  they  began  to  bark,  which  causingt 
the  labourer  to  awake,  he  raised  himself  from  his 
bed  with  a  start,  took  his  musket,  and  went  running 
to  the  court-yard  of  the  farm-house  to  the  gate,  which 
was  shut,  placed  the  barrel  of  his  musket  to  the  ke}'- 
hole,  gave  his  finger  its  desire, J  and  sent  a  bullet 
into  the  forehead  of  the  captain  of  the  robbers,  cast- 
ing him  down  from  his  horse.  Soon  as  the  other 
fellows  saw  their  captain  on  the  ground  in  the  agonies 
of  death,  they  clapped  spurs  to  their  horses,  and 
galloped  off  fleeing,  turning  their  faces  back  on  ac- 
count of  the  flies||  or  almonds  of  lead. 

*  Women  understood. 

t  With  that  motive  awoke  the  labourer.     Orig. 

\  Gave  its  pleasure  to  the  finger,  i.  e.  his  finger  was  itching  to  draw 
the  trigger,  and  he  humoured  it- 

II  They  feared  the  shot  and  slugs,  which  are  compared,  and  not  badly, 
to  flies  and  almonds. 

VOL.  II.  E 


COTOR  YE  GABICOTE  MAJARO. 


OR     SOS     SARO    LO     HA     CHIBADO     EN      CHIPE     CALLI    OR   RANDADOR    DE 
OCONOS    PAPIRIS   AUNSOS    NARDIAN    LO    HA   DINADO   AL    SURDETE. 


Y  soscABANDO  dicando  dico  los  Barbalos  sos 
techescaban  desqueros  mansis  on  or  Gazofilacio  ;  y 
dico  tramisto  yesque  pispiricha  chorrorita,  sos 
techescaba  duis  chinorris  saraballis,  y  penelo  :  en 
chachipe  os  penelo,  sos  caba  chorrorri  pispiricha  a 
techescao  bus  sos  sares  los  aveles  :  persos  saros  on- 
dobas  ban  techescao  per  los  mansis  de  Ostebe,  de  lo 
SOS  les  costuna ;  bus  caba  e  desquero  chorrorri  a 
techescao  saro  or  susalo  sos  terelaba.  Y  pendo  a 
cormufiis,  sos  pendaban  del  cangaripe,  soscabelaba 
uriardao  de  orchiris  berrandanas,  y  de  denes :  Cabas 
buchis  SOS  dicais,  abillaran  chibeles,  bus  ne  muque- 
lara  berrandana  costune  berrandana,  sos  ne  quesesa 
demarabea.  Y  le  prucharon  y  pendaron  :  Docurdo, 
bus  quesa  ondoba  ?  Y  sos  simachi  abicara  bus  on- 
doba  presimare  ?  Ondole  ponelo :  Dicad,  sos  nasti 
queseis  jonjabaos ;  persos  butes  abillaran  on  men 
acnao,  pendando :  man  sirlo,  y  or  chiro  soscabela 
pajes :  Garabaos  de  guillelar  apala  de  ondolayos  : 
y  bus  junureis  barganas  y  sustines,  ne  os  espajueis; 


SPECIMEN  OF  THE  GOSPEL. 

FROM   THE    author's     UNPUBLISHED     TRANSLATION    OF   THE    NEW 

TESTAMENT. 


And  whilst  looking  he  saw  the  rich  who  cast  their 
treasures  into  the  treasury  ;  and  he  saw  also  a  poor 
widow,  who  cast  two  small  coins,  and  he  said  :  In 
truth,  I  tell  you,  that  this  poor  widow  has  cast  more 
than  all  the  others  ;  because  all  those  have  cast,  as 
offerings  to  God,  from  that  which  to  them  abounded  ; 
but  she  from  her  poverty  has  cast  all  the  substance 
which  she  had.  And  he  said  to  some,  who  said  of 
the  temple,  that  it  was  adorned  with  fair  stones,  and 
with  gifts :  These  things  which  ye  see,  days  shall 
come,  when  stone  shall  not  remain  upon  stone,  which 
shall  not  be  demolished.  And  they  asked  him  and 
said  :  Master,  when  shall  this  be  ?  and  what  sign 
shall  there  be  when  this  begins  ?  He  said  :  See, 
that  ye  be  not  deceived,  because  many  shall  come 
in  my  name,  saying  :  I  am  (he),  and  the  time  is  near : 
beware  ye  of  going  after  them  :  and  when  ye  shall 
hear  (of)  wars  and  revolts  do  not  fear  ;  because  it  is 
needful  that  this  happen  first,  for  the  end  shall  not 
be  immediately.     Then  he  said  to  them  :  Nation 


*52  THE    ZlNCALi. 

persos  sin  perfine  sos  ondoba  chundee  brotobo,  bus 
nasti  quesa  escotria  or  egresiton.  Oclinde  les  pen- 
daba  :  se  sustinara  sueste  sartra  sueste,  y  sichen 
sartra  sichen,  y  abicara  bareles  dajiros  de  chenes 
per  los  gaos,  y  retreques  y  bocatas,  y  abicara  bu- 
cbengeres  espajuis,  y  bareles  simacbis  de  oiarpe  : 
bus  anjella  de  saro  ondoba  os  sinastraran  y  preguil- 
laran,  enregandoos  a  la  Socreteria,  y  los  ostardos, 
y  OS  legeraran  a  los  Oclayes,  y  a  los  Baquedunis, 
per  men  acnao  :  y  ondoba  os  chundearaon  chachipe. 
Terelad  pus  suraji  on  bros  garlochines  de  ne  orobrar 
anjella  sata  abicais  de  brudilar,  persos  man  os  dinare 
rotuni  y  chanar,  la  sos  ne  asislaran  resistir  ne  sartra 
pendar  saros  bros  enormes.  Y  quesareis  enregaos 
de  bros  batos,  y  opranos,  y  sastris,  y  monrrores,  y 
queraran  merar  a  cormufii  de  averes ;  y  os  cange- 
laran  saros  per  men  acnao  ;  bus  ne  carjibara  ies  bal 
de  bros  jeros.  Sar  bras  opachirima  avelareis  bras 
orchis :  pus  bus  dicareis  a  Jerusalen  relli,  oclinde 
chanad  sos  desquero  petra  soscabela  pajes  ;  oclinde 
los  soscabelan  on  la  Chutea,  chapesguen  a  los  tober- 
jelis  ;  y  los  que  on  macara  de  ondolaya,  niquillense  ; 
y  lo  sos  on  los  oltariques,  nasti  enrren  on  ondolaya ; 
persos  ondoba  sen  chibeles  de  Abilla?a,  pa  soschun- 
deen  sares  las  buchis  soscabelan  libanas  ;  bus  isna 
de  las  araris,  y  de  las  sos  dinan  de  oropielar  on 
asirios  chibeles  ;  persos  abicara  bare  quichartura  cos- 
tuiie  la  chen,  e  guillara  pa  andoba  Gao ;  y  petraran 
a  surabi  de  janrro  ;  y  quesan  legeraos  sinastros  a 
sares  las  chenes,  y  Jerusalen  quesa  omana  de  los 
suestiles,  sasta  sosquejesenlos  chiros  delas  sichenes ; 


MISCELLANIES.  *58 

shall  rise  against  nation,  and  country  against  country, 
and  there  shall  be  great  tremblings  of  earth  among 
the  towns,  and  pestilences  and  famines  ;  and  there 
shall  be  frightful  things,  and  great  signs  in  the 
heaven  :  but  before  all  this  they  shall  make  ye  cap- 
tive, and  shall  persecute,  delivering  ye  over  to  the 
synagogue,  and  prisons  ;  and  they  shall  carry  ye  to 
the  kings,  and  the  governors,  on  account  of  my 
name  :  and  this  shall  happen  to  you  for  truth.  Keep 
then  firm  in  your  hearts,  not  to  think  before  how  ye 
have  to  answer,  for  I  will  give  you  mouth  and  wis- 
dom, which  all  your  enemies  shall  not  be  able  to 
resist,  or  contradict.  And  ye  shall  be  delivered  over 
by  your  fathers,  and  brothers,  and  relations,  and 
friends,  and  they  shall  put  to  death  some  of  you  ; 
and  all  shall  hate  you  for  my  name  ;  but  not  one 
hair  of  your  heads  shall  perish.  With  your  patience 
ye  shall  possess  your  souls  :  but  when  ye  shall  see 
Jerusalem  surrounded,  then  know  that  its  fall  is  near; 
then  those  who  are  in  Judea,  let  them  escape  to  the 
mountains ;  and  those  who  are  in  the  midst  of  her, 
let  them  go  out ;  and  those  who  are  in  the  fields,  let 
them  not  enter  into  her ;  because  those  are  days  of 
vengeance,  that  all  the  things  w^hich  are  written  may 
happen  ;  but  alas  to  the  pregnant  and  those  who  give 
suck  in  those  days,  for  there  shall  be  great  distress 
upon  the  earth,  and  it  shall  move  onward  against 
this  people  ;  and  they  shall  fall  by  the  edge  of  the 
sword  ;  and  they  shall  be  carried  captive  to  all  the 
countries,  and  Jerusalem  shall  be  trodden  by  the 
nations,  until  are  accomplished  the  times  of  the  na- 


*54  THE    ZINCALI. 

y  abicara  simaches  on  or  orcan,  y  on  la  chimutia,  3^ 
on  las  uchurganis  ;  y  on  la  chen  chalabeo  on  la 
sueste  per  or  dan  sos  bausalara  la  loria  y  desqueros 
gulas  ;  muquelando  los  romares  bifaos  per  dajiralo 
de  las  buchis  sos  costune  abillaran  a  saro  or  surdete ; 
persos  los  solares  de  los  otarpes  quesan  sar-chala- 
beaos  ;  y  oclinde  dicaran  a  or  Chaboro  e  Manii  abillar 
costune  yesque  minrricla  sar  baro  asislar  y  Chimu- 
solano  :  bus  presimelaren  a  chundear  caba  buchis, 
dicad,  y  sustinad  bros  jeros,  persos  pajes  soscabela 
bras  redencion. 


MISCELLANIES.  *55 

tions ;  and  there  shall  be  signs  in  the  sun,  and  in  the 
moon,  and  in  the  stars ;  and  in  the  earth  trouble  of 
nations  from  the  fear  which  the  sea  and  its  billows 
shall  cause  ;  leaving  men  frozen  with  terror  of  the 
things  which  shall  come  upon  all  the  world  ;  be- 
cause the  powers  of  the  heavens  shall  be  shaken  ; 
and  then  they  shall  see  the  Son  of  Man  coming  upon 
a  cloud  with  great  power  and  glory  :  when  these 
things  begin  to  happen,  look  ye,  and  raise  your  heads, 
for  your  redemption  is  near. 


THE    END. 


1 


WILEY  AND  PUTNAM'S 


NEW  PUBLICATIONS. 


MHS.    SOUTHSTr'S   "WORKS. 

I. 

CHAPTERS   ON  CHURCHYARDS. 

XL 

SOLITARY  HOURS: 
THE    BIRTHDAY CHILDHOOD THE    WIDOw's    TALE. 

III. 
ELLEN  FITZ-ARTHUR ;  TALES  OF  THE  FACTORY, 

&c.  &c. 


*'  All  who  read  thy  writings  must  be  thy  friends  ;  and  all  lovers  of  nature  mosi 
ftel,  as  they  peruse  them,  that  few  have  painted  its  beauties  with  a  more  delicato 
hand  of  truth."— [Blackwood's  Magazine.] 

"  We  do  not  remember  any  recent  author  whose  poetry  is  so  unmiiedly  native  j 
end  this  English  complexion  constitutes  one  of  its  characteristic  charms.  No 
purer  models  of  our  genuine  home  feeling  and  language  could  be  placed  in  a 
young  foreigner's  hands  than  Mrs.  Southey's  Works.  Moreover,  her  versifica* 
lion,  especially  in  her  two  later  volumes,  is  not  only  generally  correct,  but,  in  so* 
veral  instances,  of  very  great  beauty  and  perfection.  In  her  latest  poem,  "The 
Birthday,'  she  has  attained  to  a  still  higher  excellence  of  style."— [Quarterly  B«> 
view,  October  1340.J 


Wiley  <^  Putnam'' s  New  Publications. 
THE   ZINCALI  ; 

OR, 

AN  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  GYPSIES  OF  SPAIN. 

WITH    AN    ORIGINAI,    COT.T.KCTrON    OP    THKIR    SONGS    AND    POETRY. 

BY    GEORGE    BORROW, 

Late  Agent  of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society  in  Spain. 

In  2  vols.  12mo. 

"  A  strange  book  this,  on  a^trange  subject,  written  byastrange  man — the  only 
living  man  competent  to  write  such  a  book, — The  volumes  contain  fine  materials 
for  romance,  and  some  even  for  history  ;  informaiion  collected  from  the  ends  of 
the  earth,  and  exhibiteil  without  pretension  or  parade. 

"  Not  less  isolated  than  the  Jews — not  less  scattered  over  the  face  of  the  Globe, — 
without  knowledge,  without  reputation,  without  opulence,  the  Gypsies  have  main- 
tained themselves  for  centuries,  not  alone  in  the  wild  wastes  or  gloomy  solitudes  of 
the  Earth,  but  in  the  very  heart  of  civilization  and  of  society.  They  seem  so  to 
have  accommodated  themselves  to  the  necessities  of  their  position,  so  to  have 
avoided  becoming  obnoxious  to  opinion,  that  legislation  has  long  passed  by  them 
unconcerned.  Taking  no  part  in  the  drama  of  history,  exercising  no  influence  upon 
political  events,  the  annalist  has  not  honoured  them  with  a  share  of  his  regard — 
the  philologist  has  appeared  little  aware  that  their  supposed  jargon  presents  mat- 
ter for  much  reflection  as  to  their  origin,  their  migrations,  and  the  strange  vicissi- 
tudes through  which  they  have  passed  ;  nor  has  the  literary  student  ever  inquired 
what  fragments  of  popular  and  traditional  poetry  were  preserved  in  the  minds  anrl 
memories  of  the  Gypsies.  Mr.  Borrow  will  have  rendered  no  small  service,  iftlio 
poetry,  the  proverbs,  the  anecdotes,  the  traits  of  character,  the  stories,  the  tradi- 
tions, which  he  has  collected  together,  should  lead  to  new  and  wider  inquiries  on 
luiy  of  these  matters.'' — [Westminster  Review.] 


HINTS    TO    MOTHERS, 

FOR  THE  MANAGEMENT  OF  THEIR  HEALTH. 

BY  THOMAS  BULL,  M.  D., 

From  the  Third  London  Edition.     With  Additions. 
In  1  vol.  l2mo. 

"  This  little  volume  is  the  benevolent  contribution  of  good  ssnse  and  profession' 
al  skill,  to  the  well  being  of  those  who  have  the  strongest  claims  on  our  sympa- 
thy. Unfortunately  a  vast  mass  of  erroneous  notions  exists  in  the  class  to  whom 
it  is  addressed  ;  to  which,  and  to  the  concealment  prompted  by  delicacy,  until  the 
lime  for  medical  aid  is  gone  by,  we  are  indebted  for  very  much  of  the  danger  and 
suffering  incident  to  the  periods  they  are  destined  to  pass  through.  Dr.  Bull,  in 
the  true  spirit  of  a  physician  and  a  gentleman,  has  by  his  perspicuous  statements 
removed  the  first,  and  by  his  judicious  and  simple  directions,  anticipated  the  last  of 
those  fruitful  sources  of  evil.  There  is  no  mother  that  will  not  be  heartily  thank- 
ful that  this  book  ever  fell  into  her  hands:  and  no  husband  who  should  not  present 
it  to  his  wife.  We  cannot  urge  its  value  too  strongly  on  all  whom  it  concerns." — 
[Eclectic  Review.] 

"  We  never  read  any  popular  treatise,  or  directions  rather,  that  bear  more 
strongly  the  stamp  of  scientific  and  experimental  knowledge.  The  mere  reading 
of  our  Author's  book  will  do  more  good  in  the  way  of  encouraging  the  fearful, 
and  banishing  nervous  anxiety,  than  a  whole  conclave  of  the  wisest  and  mostsaQ. 
guine  matrons  that  society  can  anywhere  bring  together." — [Monthly  Review*] 


Wiley  <^  Puinavi's  New  Publications, 


ANCIENT   SPANISH    BALLADS: 

HISTORICAL    AND    ROMANTIC. 
TRANSLATED,    WITH    NOTES,    BY    J.  G.  LOCKHART,    ESQ. 

A  New  Edition,  revised.  With  an  Introductory  Essay  on  the  Origin, 
Antiquity,  Character,  and  Influence  of  the  Ancient  Ballads  of  Spain: 
and  an  Analytical  Account,  with  Specimens,  of  the 

ROMANCE    OF    THE   CID. 


CONTENTS 


The  Lamentation  of  Don  Roderick. 

The  Penitence  of  Don  Roderick. 

The  March  of  Bernardo  del  Carpio. 

The  Complaint  of  the  Count  Saldana. 

The  Funeral  of  the  Count  Saldana. 

The  E^^cape  of  Count  Fernan  Gonzales. 

The  Vengeance  of  Mudara. 

The  Wedding  of  the  Lady  Theresa. 

The  Excommunication  of  the  Cid. 

The  Murder  of  ihe  Master. 

The  Deatli  of  Queen  Blanche. 

The  Death  of  Don  Pedro. 

The  Avenging  Chjlde. 

The  Proclamation  of  King  Henry. 

The  Death  of  Alonzo  of  Aguilar. 

The  Departure  of  King  Sebastian. 

The  Bull  Fight  of  Gazul. 

The  Zegri's  Bride. 

The  Lamentation  for  Celin, 

The  Moor  Calaynos. 

The  Escape  of  Gayferos. 

The  Lady  A  Ida's  Dream. 

The  Admiral  Guarinos. 

The  Lady  of  the  Tree. 

Song  for  the  morning  of  the  day  of  St. 

John  the  Baptist. 
The  Song  of  the  Galley. 
The  Wandering  Knight's  Song. 


The  Captive  Knight  and  the  Blackbird* 
Bernardo  and  Alplionso. 
The  Maiden  Tribute. 
The  Seven  Heads. 
The  Young  Cid. 
Ximena  demands  Vengeance. 
The  Cid  and  the  five  Moorish  Kings. 
The  Cut's  Courtship. 
The  Ci'l's  Wedding. 
The  Cid  and  the  Leper. 
Bavieca. 

Garci  Perez  de  Varga. 
The  Pounder. 
The  Lord  of  Butrago. 
The  King  of  Arragon. 
The  Vow  of  Reduan. 
The  Fhirht  from  Granada. 
The  Bridal  of  Andalla. 
Zara's  Ear  Rings. 
Melisendra. 
Count  Arnaldos. 
Juliana. 
Serenade. 
Valladolid. 
Dragut,  the  Corsair. 
Count  Alarcos  and  the  Infant  Soliza. 
The  Romance  of  the  Cid,  in  twelve 
parts. 


•'  Mr.  Lockhart  has  conjured  up  a  boundless  succession  of  scenes  and  actors,  who 
pass  before  our  view  in  a  Banquo  class  : — Bernardo,  the  hero  of  Roncevalles,  the 
personified  principle  of  the  immemorial  inveterate  resistance  of  Spaniards  against 
the  invading  Gaul — when  Christian  and  Moor  forgot  their  own  mutual  hatred  and 
death-strnggle,  in  the  more  absorbing  common  abhorrence  of  France.  The  Cid — 
"  my  Cid,  he  who  was  born  in  a  gooit  hour  !  *  the  honor  of  Spain' — the  type  and 
epitome  of  her  national  character,  whose  horse,  sword,  beard,  every  part,  parcel, 
and  particular,  has  been  made  the  theme  of  a  poem.  Poor  Blanche  !  in  her  lone- 
ly prison,  sighing  like  Mary  Stuart  for  her  lost,  her  much  loved  France,  and  mur- 
dered by  her  wayward  husband,  Don  Pedro — then  comes  his  hour  of  retribution, 
the  fratricidal  wrestling  at  Montiel  ;  the  bloody  civil  wars,  the  Roses  and  Bo»-- 
worths  of  Spain — anon  the  scene  shifts  to  Granada,  to  the  fairy  Aihambra,  to  the 
banquet  of  beauty, — the  fountaiJi,  jereed,  and  tournament.  Then  dark-coming 
calamities  cast  their  shadows  over  joy  and  pomp;  aery  of  woe  from  Alhama,  a 
hurrying  and  stirring  in  the  city,  a  saddling  of  steeds,  a  buckling  on  of  armour,  a 
riding  up  and  down  ; — the  contest,  the  defeat,  the  triumph  of  the  cross,  the  fall  of 
the  crescent,  never  to  rise  again.  Then  is  heard  the  'last  sigh  of  the  Moor,' a* 
descending  from  the  hillock  ofPadul,  his  water-standing  eyes  looked  their  last 
farewell  at  those  red  towers,  his  paradise  on  earth,  now  lost  for  ever.  Then  mur- 
mur out  the  plaintive  ditties  of  fallen  Granada,  those  Morisco  wails  which  were  for- 
bidden to  be  sung,  lest  the  tear  that  they  called  up  should  be  brushed  away  by  the 
clenched  hand, which  passed  rapidly  over  the  brow  to  grasp  the  Bword  of  rerengo." 


Wiley  <5»  Putnam's  New  Publications, 


LIBRARY  FOR  THE  YOUNG. 


TALES  OF  THE  KINGS  OF  ENGLAND. 

Stories  of  Camps  and  Battlefields,  Wars  and  Victories;  from  the  Old 
Historians,  By  Stbphen  Percy.  With  numerous  Engravings  on 
Wood,  by  Butler.     75c. 


STORIES  ILLUSTRATIVE  OF  THE  INSTINCT 
OF  ANIMALS; 

Their  Character  and  Habits.      By  Thomas  Bingley.     Embellished 
with  Engi'avings  from  Drawings,  by  Landseer.    75c. 


TALES  ABOUT  TRAVELLERS: 

Their  Perils,  Adventures,  and  Discoveries.     By  Thoms    Bingley. 
Embellished  with  Engravings.     75  c. 


T.N  PRESS. 

WILLIAM  TELL,  THE  HERO  OF 

SWITZERLAND; 

From  the  French  of  M.  Florian.    With  a  Memoir  of  the  Author.    To 
which  is  added, 

HOFER,  THE  TYROLESE. 

By  the  Author  of  Claudine,  &c.,  6cc.    Handsomely  bound  in  1  volume, 
euid  illustrated  with  Engravings. 


THE  YOUNG  NATURALIST'S  RAMBLES 
THROUGH  MANY  LANDS; 

Containing  an  Account  of  the  principal  Animals  and  Birds  of  both  tho 
Old  and  New  Continents,  with  Anecdotes. 


DAWNINGS  OF  GENIUS  ; 

OR, 

THE  EARLY  LIVES  OF  SOME  EMINENT  PERSONS 

OF  THE  LAST  CENTURY. 

By  Anne  Pratt,  Author  of  "Flowers  and  their  Associations,**  flco 
Embellished  with  Engravings. 


i 


k 


THE 
ZINCALI, 

OR 

AN  ACCOUNT 

OF  THE  GYPSIES 

OF  SPAIN. 


PATE  DUE 


JUN  L 

n  1  onm 

AP" 

II  1  /UUJ 

mi' 

1993 

NOV  2  fl  1999 

MP''  1  n  roar 

MiiK  4  \  mi 

'""o  V  6  uVf 

flpp  n  q  ""in? 

iii-i    I  W  llm" 

N; 

OCT  0  9  im 

OCJ  2  0  ?mi 

Brigham  Young  University 

innlinu    '^°"^'^   UNIVERSITY 


3   U97  00665  4245 


iiO' 


'AKKnt.OJ.''.'.K>K'M 


VA 


W: 


*.H« 


»  i  I  i  t  I  t  4  { 


Y.'>'.'''.''',',%'\%'i'i'i 

V/. '.'/.%  ,'//;', .  .V.'j".  .V,V,V.' 

1   .    >    >    ,  .    •   4    ,    t    1   t    I    i    4    .    i    >    t    4  t,i    t    f  .    I 


.  t  <  .  ,  <  .  <  ,  t  I  ft  <  11  1^ 
.  <  •  ,  a'<  f  •  <  i  •  t%  J  •  r  1% 
1  •  1  4  I  •  1  >  «  I  I  I  <  J  ■..•  <  i 


v:^ 

/» 

1 « 

I  4,4  J  i  4*4  4^ 


i  •   <   t  ' 


'^!.*'^v•^^^:'^^^^^^•4^^!>Ii>:^ 


'I'i  j't'*'/!  1  J  J  4  4  i'l  J'i  4  «  *'S  *  I'Mif  <ji<.f 


'tf. 


\f:'.-r 


»X'X*^' 


,f-*.V.W4^,Wi+.'i^ 


'M(^. 


m^ 


H,» ' » *  »>,*A»  ^O.i  •.♦/.♦>;^<AWi 


'^♦^^ 


mmmmm 


'J.K* 


^Jlh^sJl^ 


^m 


^^^^^^^^Hl'.'/. 

J  <  4  > 

'.*.'.',' 

'.*.'//, '.'.'j 

^^^^^^^^^^n '*'''' ' 

1  «  •'» 

1  J  .1  i 

14  '  « 

4  4    •    •    1    <    ' 

v!*/'  ''**''vXv! 

^^^^^^^^B|tjti«iti 

WijiJ 

1 

/?iviv:>. 

»'»V'*4V4'4'.Vt'j  /l 
<  i'i  <  •  4  «  1    i  1  J  4  4 

;v;':v:v;v:v;;:^: 

.       '.\   .  /v-i  .*'   *>  i  4 

!  •  '  ■•  ','  ft  '"»  •  '.'■ 

w'''v;;lt?:ji!^ 


I  4  4,»  ,  V4'* 


>.•?'♦.♦ 


^>.«^*. 


,^^^^^^^^V4^•A*;>v,v 


-i^^y: 


4  4  1  la   1   I  4^  I 


y*} 


4,1  i  4  1   «  <  1  4  .4  4* 

ili:::l:i?::pii:llil^B