START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DISSERTATION ON THE GIPSEYS*** Transcribed from the William Ballintine 1807 edition by David Price, email ccx074@pglaf.org, using scans from the British Library. [Picture: Book cover] DISSERTATION ON THE GIPSEYS: REPRESENTING THEIR _MANNER OF LIFE_, _SICKNESS_, _DEATH_, _& BURIAL_, _FAMILY ECONOMY_, _RELIGION_, _OCCUPATIONS & TRADES_, _LANGUAGE_, _MARRIAGES & EDUCATION_, _SCIENCES & ARTS_, _&c._ _&c._ _&c._ WITH AN HISTORICAL ENQUIRY CONCERNING THEIR _ORIGIN & FIRST APPEARANCE IN EUROPE_. * * * * * * * * * * FROM THE GERMAN OF H. M. G. GRELLMANN. * * * * * * * * * * LONDON: PRINTED BY WILLIAM BALLINTINE, _Duke-street_, _Adelphi_, _Strand_: SOLD BY EFFINGHAM WILSON, OPPOSITE THE CHAPTER COFFEE-HOUSE, ST. PAULâS. 1807. ADVERTISEMENT. THE following Dissertation has already appeared in an English dress, having been, some years since, translated by the late M. Raper, Esq. F.R.S. and A.S. for the purpose, as he states in his preface, of affording âsuch of his countrymen as were unacquainted with the German language an opportunity of learning from what part of the world it is probable the Gipseys came among us.â The original work, and Mr. Raperâs translation, are burthened with many notesâGreek, Latin, French, German, Englishâshewing the sources whence the information was derived, most of which, for obvious reasons, are omitted in the present edition; such only being retained as were thought indispensable, or particularly interesting. _July_, 1807. CONTENTS. INTRODUCTION P. 1 SECTION THE FIRST. DESCRIPTION OF THE GIPSEYS, THEIR MANNER OF LIFE, THEIR CUSTOMS, AND PROPERTIES. CHAPTER I. Page _Various Appellations of these People_ 1 CHAPTER II. _On the Dispersion of the Gipseys_, _and their Numbers in 3 Europe_ CHAPTER III. _The Properties of their Bodies_ 10 CHAPTER IV. _On their Food and Beverage_ 15 CHAPTER V. _On the Dress of the Gipseys_ 25 CHAPTER VI. _On the Family Economy of the Gipseys_ 31 CHAPTER VII. _Their Occupations and Trades_ 38 CHAPTER VIII. _On their Marriages and Education_ 61 CHAPTER IX. _On their Sickness_, _Death_, _and Burial_ 68 CHAPTER X. _Political Regulations peculiar to the Gipseys_ 72 CHAPTER XI. _On the Religion of the Gipseys_ 79 CHAPTER XII. _Their Language_, _Sciences_, _and Arts_ 83 CHAPTER XIII. _Character and Capacities of the Gipseys_; _whether they 89 are an Advantage or a Detriment to States_ CHAPTER XIV. _Concerning the Toleration of the Gipseys by the different 93 States of Europe_ CHAPTER XV. _Essay on the Improvement of the Gipseys_ 102 SECTION THE SECOND. ON THE ORIGIN OF THE GIPSEYS. CHAPTER I. _The first Appearance of Gipseys in Europe_ 109 CHAPTER II. _On the Sanctity_, _Passports_, _and Difference of the 117 former from the latter Gipseys_ CHAPTER III. _Presumed Origin of the Gipseys_ 137 CHAPTER IV. _On the Egyptian Descent of the Gipseys_ 147 CHAPTER V. _The Gipseys come from Hindostan_ 170 CHAPTER VI. _The Gipseys are of the Caste called Suders_ 199 SUPPLEMENT 209 INTRODUCTION. THE Gipseys are a singular phenomenon in Europe; whether we contemplate their habitations, attend at their meals, or merely look in their faces, they always appear particular, and we are each moment struck with something new and extraordinary. What appears most worthy of remark is, that neither time, climate, nor example, has, in general, hitherto, made any alteration. For the space of between three and four hundred years, they have gone wandering about, like pilgrims and strangers: they are found in eastern and western countries, as well among the rude as civilised, the indolent as active, people: yet they remain ever, and in all places, what their fathers wereâGipseys. Africa makes them no blacker, nor Europe whiter: they neither learn to be lazy in Spain, nor diligent in Germany: in Turkey, Mahomet, and among Christians, Christ, remain equally without adoration. Around, on every side, they see fixed dwellings, with settled inhabitants; they, nevertheless, proceed in their own way, and continue, for the most part, unsocial wandering robbers. When we search for similar cases, among all the different people who have quitted their mother country, and inhabited a foreign one, we do not meet with a single instance that exactly agrees with that of the Gipseys. History certainly does record accounts of people that have migrated, and remained the same in a strange country; but then this constancy has been on account of religion, either permitted by the regents, or maintained by their victorious arms: though this last circumstance has existed much less frequently than might be imagined. Many instances have occurred in which, the people subdued being more enlightened than their conquerors, the latter have adopted the manners of the former. The Romans became Greeks on the conquest of Greece; and the Franks assumed the manners of the Gauls when in possession of their country: the Mantcheous vanquished the Chinese; but Chinese customs prevailed over those of the Mantcheous. How, then, does it happen that the Gipseys, who never either established their manners and customs by force, or obtained any toleration from governments under which they lived, remain unchanged, and resemble each other exactly, in every place? There are two causes, to which this coincidence is principally owing: one is the place whence they originate, with their consequent mode of thinking; the other arises from the circumstances which have hitherto attended their situation. The Gipseys are unquestionably of eastern origin, and have eastern notions. There is a principle inherent in uncivilised people, particularly those of Oriental countries, which occasions them to be strongly attached to their own habits: hence every custom, every conception, which has once been current among them, be it ever so pernicious or ridiculous, is invariably preserved; or any affection which has once predominated in their minds, retains its dominion even for ages. Innovations do not easily succeed with people living in a state bordering on that of nature; the least deviation from custom is observed, and often resented with impetuosity. For any new thing to take root it must either be introduced by cunning and force, or be attended with the most favourable circumstances. This latter was the case with Christianity. Providence had called Greeks and Romans into the east, and, by innumerable vicissitudes, had rendered that country ripe for further instruction: then came the great SowerâCHRIST scattered the seed, and it prospered. Mahomet, on the contrary, before he became strong enough to enforce conviction with the sword, brought about his purpose by art: knowing that the weak side of his countrymen was their veneration for every thing handed down from their forefathers, he gave his new religion the colouring of antiquity. Mahomet says, âWe have swerved from the religion of our founder Abraham, and have introduced novelties among us. Abraham worshipped only one God; we have many Gods. I am sent to retrench these novelties, and to bring you back to the religion of your forefathers.â This was the first ground on which he went. When the Ishmaelite would not acquiesce in the charge of having fallen off from Abrahamâs religion, Mahomet proceeded: âYe are illiterate people; ye have no books: the inhabitants of the neighbouring countries have books, which contain the religion of Abraham.â The Arabians applied to the Jews and Christians, for information on this head; and as the event turned in favour of the pretended prophet, they yielded without contradiction. Mahomet proceeded in teaching, and again appealed to the people with books: the Arabians, too, continued asking questions, being more tractable whenever his assertions were confirmed; but when the contrary happened, a dispute arose, in which the prophet could only get the better by defending the antiquity of his madness at the expence of truth, accusing both the Jews and Christians with having falsified their books. The same means that helped Mahomet with the Arabians, have been, in latter times, very serviceable to the Jesuits, in China. How would these cunning fathers have obtained admission for their religion among the Chinese, had they not referred to Confucius, in aid of their doctrines? These are only instances of changes in religion; but the case is precisely the same in other things. In the eastern nations, no improvement is adopted, be it of what kind it may, merely because it is an improvement. The Chinese are acquainted with the use of glass; yet their mirrors are always made of metal, and their windows of oyster-shells. Mechanical watches have been for ages used at the court of Pekin; but the bulk of the nation depend upon fire and water. {v} It is evident from the above, that the Gipseys, by reason of their eastern origin, and consequent way of thinking, are not easily made to change their principles and habits. When we further consider the circumstances under which these people have hitherto existed, we want nothing more to make us comprehend why they have remained, to the present time, what they were at their first arrival in Europe. Figure to yourself a person, in whom custom, and deep-rooted affections, are the only, and at the same time strong, impulses to action; in whose soul no new unwonted thoughts arise, in consequence of his own reflections, nor find easy admittance when proposed by others:âleave this man entirely to himself; do not permit any of those means to be used which are requisite to give a new turn to his ideas, and deep-rooted prejudices:âhe must necessarily remain the same; and his latest posterity will continue like him: this is exactly the case with the Gipseys. Unused to reflect, fettered by habits, they arrived in our quarter of the globe. No state has, hitherto, done any thing for the express purpose of instructing or reforming them; except the Empress Theresa, by her regulations, which were never put in execution. On their first arrival, they procured passports, and free quarters, by their holy lies. They dispersed, begged, deceived the common people, by fortune telling: they stole: and for a long time no attention was paid to them. At last the evil grew too enormous; the complaints against them became so loud, that government was constrained to take official notice of them. Exemplary punishments were judged necessary: hanging and beheading were not sufficiently efficacious; and it was then thought expedient to banish them;âa proceeding more likely to render them worse than better, and even in other respects liable to many objections; still the custom has prevailed, down to the latest times. The neighbour, to whom these unpolished guests were sent, sooner or later, followed the same method of disengaging the evil, till, in the end, they were persecuted by almost all kingdoms and governments. Many states afterwards relaxing in their severity, the Gipseys were suffered to creep in, a few at a time, and were permitted to remain quiet: yet every one of them stood in fear, innocent or guilty, lest he might be taken unawares, merely because he was Gipsey, and delivered over to the executioner. They had been accustomed, in their own country, to live remote from cities and towns: now they became still more uniformly inhabitants of the forests, and outcasts; as, in consequence of the search which was made after them, or at least threatened to be made, they judged themselves to be more secure in deserts and concealment, than they would have been if frequenting places of established abode, and having free intercourse with the civilised inhabitants: whereby they were divested of the most, perhaps only, probable means of inducing them to change their manners. And yet, had they not sequestered themselves from other people, or had they been more inclined to mix in society, it is not likely, without some direct interference of government, that they would have been rendered better. There were two great obstacles to be surmounted:âfirst, by mere intercourse, it would have been, generally speaking, difficult to eradicate the prejudices and customs from their Oriental minds: secondly, being Gipseys, people would not willingly have established any correspondence with them. Let us reflect how different they are from Europeans: the one is white, the other black;âthis clothes himself, the other goes half naked;âthis shudders at the thought of eating carrion, the other regales on it as a dainty. Moreover these people are famed, and were even from their first appearance in Europe, for being plunderers, thieves, and incendiaries: the European, in consequence, not merely dislikes, but hates them. For the reasons above stated, the Gipseys have been, at different periods, driven from all the countries of Europe; and only a few simple people occasionally made a nearer acquaintance, in order to consult them on matters of superstition. Such is the state of what has been done, and attempted, for the improvement of the Gipseys; whereas, so soon as it was discovered that they were strangers, who thought of nothing less than of returning into their own country, if any plan had been acted upon for their reformation, and only half the wise regulations left behind by the Empress Theresa in her states for the management of these people been adopted, and duly enforced, they would long ago have been divested of the rude nature of their ancestors, and have ceased to be the uncultivated branches of a wild stock. On the contrary, having always been either left to themselves or persecuted, it could not be otherwise, but that they must remain for ever, and in all places, the same. Perhaps it is reserved for our age, in which so much has been attempted for the benefit of mankind, to humanise a people who, for centuries, have wandered in error and neglect: and it may be hoped, that while we are endeavouring to ameliorate the condition of our African brethren, the civilisation of the Gipseys, who form so large a portion of humanity, will not be overlooked. It cannot be denied, that, considering the multitude of them, their reform must be an object of very serious consideration to many states. Suppose, according to a rough estimate, that the Gipseys in Hungary and Transylvania, including the Banat, amount to upwards of one hundred thousand; what a difference would it not make, in those countries, if one hundred thousand inhabitants, mostly loungers, beggars, cheats, and thieves, who now reap where they have not sown, consuming the fruits of othersâ labour, were to become industrious useful subjects! Their reformation would be a difficult task, as the attempts made by the Empress Theresa evinced:âa boy (for you must begin with children, and not meddle with the old stock, on whom no efforts will have effect) would frequently seem in the most promising train to civilisation; on a sudden his wild nature would appear, a relapse follow, and he became a perfect Gipsey again. But the measure is not, therefore, impossible: Was not the case precisely the same with the Saxons, whom Charles the Great converted to Christianity? Let the state resolving to appropriate the Gipsey tribe only persevere in its endeavours; some effect will be gained on the second generation, and with the third or fourth, the end will certainly be accomplished. By an attentive observation, we may perceive that the Gipseys are endued with very good capacities, which promise to make a profitable return, for much trouble bestowed upon them. In the first Section one attempt, made on this speculation, is produced, and it is hoped it will be found sufficiently complete, to exhibit the leading features of their character. The origin of the Gipseys has remained a perfect philosopherâs stone till a late period. For more than two hundred years, people have been anxious to discover who these guests were, that, under the name of Gipseys, came, unknown and uninvited, into Europe, in the fifteenth century, and have chosen to remain here ever since. No enquirer ever broached an opinion that met with his successorâs approbation; a fourth scarcely heard what a third had said, before he passed sentence and advanced something new. We have no reason to wonder at the miscarriage of these enquiries, which were neither more nor less than a collection of conjectures founded on imaginary proofs and partial speculation.âAn author set to work, to discover a country whence the Gipseys came, or a people to whom they could belong; he found out a place which had been named, for instance, Zeugitana, or a people who bore some faint resemblance to the Gipseys. As one coal lights another, so these two similarities became perfectly applicable to the people whose origin he was seeking; he stopped here, and published his discovery. Several investigators laid their foundation on hearsay, and unauthenticated evidence; they then endeavoured to assist this testimony by modelling the extraneous circumstances which could not be passed over, in order to make them coincide; if, notwithstanding all this, difficulties still occurred, they borrowed Alexanderâs sword, and cut the knot which no milder means could undo. That this has been the mode of proceeding hitherto, will be frequently proved in the course of the work. Even had the imagination not magnified any thing, nor modelled circumstances agreeably to its own fancy, yet the following, which is taken for granted, â_that two people resembling each other in one or two particulars_, _must be descended from the same stock_,â is an over-hasty conclusion. In the first place, reject that the most different nations may agree in some points; further, make the allowance for various parts of the world producing inhabitants of similar shape and colour;âWhat, then, remains to prove that the Gipseys are descended from any one of the people from whom they have been traced? There are no records, or historical sources, leading to a direct discovery of the origin of the Gipseys; those which have been thought so, are not genuine. Nothing, therefore, remains, but to seek the truth, through circuitous tracks; by this means, it may certainly be found. A man must not go to tombstones, recently erected, in German church-yards, nor adduce a single custom, or the name of a country bearing a resemblance to that of Gipsey, as grounds of proof; and, on the other hand, overlook a hundred difficulties, or even positive contradictions. But if _the language of the Gipseys_, _their name_, _the conformation of their bodies and minds_, _their customs and religious principles_, _mark a country where it is possible for them to have been indigenous_; _when History and Chronology corroborate the supposition_, _and there is not any other country in the world to which the Gipseys_, _all these particulars taken together_, _could belong_; then the country, where these circumstances meet, must, in all probability, be their true mother country. Whether their Hindostan origin has so much in its favour, is more than we dare venture to affirm; as it is very possible for the judgment to be so deceived, that we may believe what does not, in fact, exist. However, on perusing the subsequent pages, our readers will judge if, like our predecessors, we have erred, or have discovered the truth. SECTION I. DESCRIPTION OF THE GIPSEYS, THEIR MANNER OF LIFE, THEIR CUSTOMS AND PROPERTIES. CHAPTER I. _Various Appellations of these People_. IT is not uncommon for the same people to be called by different names, in different nations; such is the case with the Gipseys. The French received their first accounts of them from Bohemia; which occasioned their giving them the name of Bohemians (_BohÃ©miens_); the Dutch, supposing they came from Egypt, called them Heathens (_Heydens_). In Denmark, Sweden, and some parts of Germany, Tartars were thought of: the Moors and Arabians, perceiving the propensity the Gipseys have to thieving, adopted the name _Charami_ (robbers) for them. In Hungary, they were formerly called Pharaohites (_Pharaoh nepek_, Pharaohâs people); and the vulgar, in Transylvania, continue that name for them. The English do not differ much from these latter (calling them EgyptiansâGipseys); any more than the Portuguese and Spaniards (_Gitanos_). The Clementines, in Smyrnia, use the appellation _Madjub_; and the inhabitants of the lesser Bucharia, that of _Diajii_. The name of Zigeuner has obtained the most general adoption: the Gipseys are so called not only in all Germany, Italy, and Hungary (_Tzigany_), but frequently in Transylvania, Wallachia, and Moldavia (_Cyganis_). Moreover the Turks, and other eastern nations, have no other than this name for them (_TschingenÃ©s_); and perhaps the before-cited Diajii of the Bucharians may be the very same. It has been said, they call themselves Moors; but that is false; Moor is only an adjunct, not the name of any people: it is really a pity, since this name would have been so fair a pretence to make Amorites of them, as some writers have done! It is not by any means proved, that the modern Greeks called them _Athingans_; this opinion is supported more by the arbitrary assertions of some learned men, than by real facts: which is also the case with the rest of the catalogue of names that have been dispersed, in various treatises on the origin of the Gipseys; as will be hereafter demonstrated. CHAPTER II. _On the Dispersion of the Gipseys_, _and their Numbers in Europe_. THE numerous hordes of Gipseys, widely dispersed over the face of the earth, are incredible. They wander about in Asia; in the interior part of Africa, they plunder the merchants of Agades; {3} and, like locusts, have overrun most of the countries of Europe. America seems to be the only part of the world where they are not known; no mention appearing to be made of them by authors who have written on that quarter of the globe. It would be superfluous to dilate on the history of those in Asia and Africa, as we have no minute accounts of them; we shall therefore confine ourselves to those in Europe. There are but few countries, here, which are entirely free from Gipseys; although, for centuries, every state has been endeavouring to rid itself of them. Under King Henry VIII, and in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, they suffered a general persecution in England: there are, nevertheless, great numbers still to be found there. About thirty years ago, they even threatened to set the town of Northampton on fire, because the magistrates had arrested some of their young people, whose release they solicited in vain: several of the ringleaders were hanged: they had in the mean time shewn plainly, that their race was very far from being annihilated. It is not uncommon, in the county of Bedford particularly, to see them lying in byplaces, to the number of forty or fifty together: but they are cautious how they travel about in companies, and are rarely seen in towns or villages but by one at a time. Spain, especially the southern provinces, contains so many of these people, that they rove about in large troops, threatening to plunder and murder travellers whom they happen to meet in lonely places: at a distance from the cities, and where no place of refuge is near, danger is always to be apprehended. Swinburne rates their number very high; he asserts, that the loss of the Gipseys would immediately be perceived by the apparent diminution of population. Now as Spain contains eleven millions of people, how considerable a draft must there be to render it perceptible! Twiss also mentions a great many, but sums up a determinate number, 40,000; which is certainly considerable, but probably twice twenty, or even twice forty, thousand too few;âunless we charge Swinburne, and others, with having greatly exaggerated;âeven admitting, that he means to be understood as speaking of the southern provinces only. In France, before the revolution, there were but few, for the obvious reason, that every Gipsey who could be apprehended, fell a sacrifice to the police. Lorrain and Alsatia were indeed exceptions; they being very numerous there, especially in the forests of Lorrain. Here they seem to have met with milder treatment; yet, according to the assurances of a traveller, many of them were to be found in the gaols of Lorrain. They increased the more in this district, in consequence of their having been very assiduously looked after, and driven from the dominions of a late Duke of Deuxponts, whither his successor would not suffer them to return. They were universally to be found in Italy, insomuch that even Sicily and Sardinia were not free. But they were most numerous in the dominions of the church; probably because _there_ was the worst police, with much superstition: by the former they were left undisturbed, and the latter enticed them to deceive the ignorant, as it afforded them an opportunity of obtaining a plentiful contribution by their fortune-telling, and enchanted amulets. There was a general law throughout Italy, that no Gipsey should remain more than two nights in any one place: by this regulation, it is true, no place retained its guest long; but no sooner was one gone, than another came in his room: it was a continual circle, and quite as convenient to them as a perfect toleration would have been. Italy rather suffered than benefited by this law; as, by keeping these people in constant motion, they would do more mischief there than in places where they were permitted to remain stationary. They are very scarce in many parts of Germany; as well as in Switzerland and the Low-countries. A person may live many years in Upper Saxony, or in the districts of Hanover and Brunswic, without seeing a single Gipsey: when one happens to stray into a village, or town, he occasions as much disturbance as if the black gentleman with his cloven foot had appeared; he frights children from their play, and draws the attention of the older people; till the police officers get hold of him, and make him again invisible. In other provinces, on the contrary, particularly on the Rhine, a Gipsey is a very common sight. Some years ago there were such numbers of them in the dutchy of Wirtemburg, that they seen lying about every where: but as, according to custom, they either lived by thieving, by fortune-telling or other tricks, plundering the illiterate people of their money, the government ordered detachments of soldiers to drive them from their holes and lurking-places throughout the country; and then transported the congregated swarm, in the same manner as they were treated by the Duke of Deuxponts, as before related. In Poland and Lithuania, as well as in Courland, there is an amazing number of Gipseys. Their wayvode in Courland is distinguished from the principals of hordes in other countries; being not only very much respected by his own people, but, even by the Courland nobility, is esteemed a man of high rank, and is frequently to be met with at entertainments and card parties in the first families, where he is always a welcome guest. His dress is uncommonly rich, in comparison with others of his tribe; generally silk in summer, and constantly velvet in winter. The common Gipseys, on the contrary, are, in every particular, exactly like their brethren in other countries: even with regard to religion, they shew the same levity and indifference;âthey suffer their children to be several times baptised; now they profess themselves to be Catholics, then Lutherans, and presently after nothing at all. That they are to be found in Denmark, and Sweden, is certain, but how numerous they are in those countries we cannot affirm; and therefore proceed to the south-east of Europe. The countries in this part seem to be the general rendezvous of the Gipseys: their number amounts in Hungary, according to a probable statement, to upwards of 50,000; and in the districts of the Banat, Grisellini assures us, that when Count Clary occupied the situation of president, they were reckoned at 5500: yet they appear to be still more numerous in Transylvania. It is not only Mr. Benko, a German writer, who says they swarm upon the land like locusts, but we have also certain calculation, wherein their numbers are estimated at between 35 and 36,000. Cantemir says, the Gipseys are dispersed all over Moldavia, where every baron has several families of them subject to him: in Wallachia, and the Sclavonian countries, they are quite as numerous. In Wallachia and Moldavia they are divided into two classesâthe princely, and bojarish: the former, according to Sulzer, amounts to many thousands; but that is trifling, in comparison with the latter, as there is not a single bojar in Wallachia who has not at least three or four of them for slaves; the rich have often some hundreds each, under their command. Bessarabia, all Tartary, Bulgaria, Greece, and Romania, swarm with them; even in Constantinople they are innumerable. In Romania, a large tract of Mount HÃ¦mus, which they inhabit has acquired from them the name _Tschenghe Valkan_ (Gipsey Mountain). This district extends from the city Aydos, quite to Philippopolis, and contains more Gipseys than any other province in the Turkish empire. From what has been advanced, the reader will be enabled to form some conception, how considerable a class of people the Gipseys are in Europe; independent of their numbers in Egypt, and some parts of Asia. If we could obtain an exact estimate of them in the different countries, or if the unsettled life of these people did not render it extremely difficult, perhaps impossible, to procure such information, the immense number would probably greatly exceed what we have any idea of. At a moderate calculation, without being extravagant, they might be reckoned at between 7 and 800,000. What a serious matter of consideration when we reflect, that the greatest part of these people are idlers, cheats, and thieves! What a field does this open for the contemplation of governments!âBut more of this in another place. CHAPTER III. _The Properties of their Bodies_. HAD the Gipseys made but a temporary appearance, and we could only be acquainted with them from the publications of former centuries, it would be difficult to entertain any other idea than that they were a herd of monsters and beelzebubs. We find in those books frequent mention of a _savage people_, _black horrid men_. But now that they have continued to our time, and we have an opportunity of seeing, with our own eyes, how they are formed, and what appearance they make, they are so fortunate as to have authors who commend their beauty, and take great pains to set forth their advantages; though many, indeed most of the moderns, their colour and looks being the same, perfectly agree with the writers of past centuries, in their accounts of them. Both parties may be in the right, when we consider, that what appears beautiful in the eyes of one person, is possibly ugly and deformed in the eyes of another: this depends entirely upon habit and familiarity. For this reason, the dark brown, or olive coloured, skin of the Gipseys, with their white teeth appearing between their red lips, may be a disgusting sight to an European, unaccustomed to such objects. Let us only ask, As children, have we not, at some time or other, run affrighted from a Gipsey? The case will be entirely altered, if we divest ourselves of the idea that a black skin is disagreeable. Their white teeth; their long black hair, on which they pride themselves very highly, and will not suffer to be cut off; their lively black rolling eyes;âare, without dispute, properties which must be ranked among the list of beauties, even by the modern civilised European world. They are neither overgrown giants, nor diminutive dwarfs: their limbs are formed in the justest proportion. Large bellies are, among them, as uncommon as hump-backs, blindness, or other corporeal defects. When Grisellini asserts that the breasts of the Gipsey women, at the time of their nursing, increase to a larger size than the child they support, it is an assertion destitute of proof, and parallel with many other arguments he adduces to prove the Gipseys are Egyptians. Probably he may have confounded himself, by thinking of the Hottentots; the circumstance above mentioned being true of them, though not of the Gipseys. Every Gipsey is naturally endued with agility, great suppleness in, and the free use of, his limbs: these qualities are perceptible in his whole deportment, but in an extraordinary degree whenever he happens to be surprised in an improper place: in the act of thieving, with a stolen goose or fowl in his hand, he runs off so nimbly, that, unless his pursuer be on horseback, the Gipsey is sure to escape. These people are blessed with an astonishingly good state of health. Neither wet nor dry weather, heat nor cold, let the extremes follow each other never so quickly, seems to have any effect on them. Gipseys are fond of a great degree of heat; their supreme luxury is, to lie day and night so near the fire, as to be in danger of burning: at the same time they can bear to travel in the severest cold bareheaded, with no other covering than a torn shirt, or some old rags carelessly thrown over them, without fear of catching cold, cough, or any other disorder. By endeavouring to discover the causes of these bodily qualities of the Gipseys, we find them, or at least some of them, very evidently arising from their education and manner of life. They are lean; but how should they be corpulent? as they are seldom guilty of excess in eating or drinking; for if they get a full meal to-day, they must not repine should they be under the necessity of keeping fast to-morrow and the next day. They have iron constitutions, because they have been brought up hardily. The pitiless mother takes her three-months-old child upon her back, and wanders about in fair or foul weather, in heat or cold, without troubling her head what may happen to it. When a boy attains the age of three years, his lot becomes still harder. While an infant, and his age reckoned by weeks and months, he was at least wrapped up closely in rags; but now, deprived even of these, he is, equally with his parents, exposed to the rigour of the elements, for want of covering: he is now put to trial how far his legs will carry him, and must be content to travel about, with, at most, no other defence for his feet than thin socks. Thus he grows up, and acquires his good health by hardship and misery. We may as easily account for the colour of the Gipseyâs skin. The Laplanders, Samoieds, as well as the Siberians, likewise, have brown yellow-coloured skins, in consequence of living, from their childhood, in smoke and dirt, in the same manner as the Gipseys: these would, long ago, have been divested of their swarthy complexions, if they had discontinued their filthy mode of living. Only observe a Gipsey from his birth, till he reaches manâs estate; and you must be convinced that their colour is not so much owing to their descent, as to the nastiness of their bodies. In summer, the child is exposed to the scorching sun; in winter, it is shut up in a smoky hut. It is not uncommon for mothers to smear their children over with a black ointment, and leave them to fry in the sun or near the fire. They seldom trouble themselves about washing, or other modes of cleaning themselves. Experience also shews us, that the dark colour of the Gipseys, which is continued from generation to generation, is more the effect of education, and manner of life, than descent. Among those who profess music in Hungary, or serve in the Imperial army, where they have learnt to pay more attention to order and cleanliness, there are many to be found whose extraction is not at all discernible in their colour; though they had, probably, remained to the age of twelve or fourteen years under the care of their filthy parents; and must necessarily, when they first adopted a different mode of life, have borne the marks of the dirt contracted during this period. How much less, then, should we be able to distinguish a Gipsey if taken when a child from its sluttish mother, and brought up under some cleanly person! By the same reasoning we may account for their white teeth and sound limbs; namely, from their manner of life. The former are evidences of their spare diet: the latter prove them to have been reared more according to the dictates of nature, than those of art and tenderness. CHAPTER IV. _On their Food and Beverage_. THOSE Gipseys who are more connected with civilised people are not remarkable in their diet; though it is to be observed of them, that they are by no means particular in their cookery. The others, on the contrary, have their table furnished in a very irregular and extraordinary way. Sometimes they fast, or at best have only bread and water to subsist upon: at other times they regale on fowls and geese. The greatest luxury to them is, when they can procure a roast of cattle that have died of any distemper. It is the same to them, whether it be the carrion of a sheep, hog, cow, or other beast, horse-flesh only excepted: they are so far from being disgusted with it, that to eat their fill of such a meal is to them the height of epicurism. When any person censures their taste, or shews surprise at it, they answer, âThe flesh of a beast which God kills, must be better than that of one killed by the hand of man:â they therefore embrace every opportunity of getting such dainties. That they take carrion from the laystalls, as is affirmed of the Gipseys in Hungary, is not probable, any more than that they eat horse flesh. But if a beast out of a herd die, and they find it before it become rotten and putrefied; or if a farmer give them notice of a cow dead in the stable; they proceed, without hesitation, to get possession of the booty. They are particularly fond of animals that have been destroyed by fire; therefore, whenever a conflagration has happened, either in town or country, the next day the Gipseys, from every neighbouring quarter, assemble, and draw the suffocated, half consumed, beasts out of the ashes. Men, women, and children, in troops, are extremely busy, joyfully carrying the flesh home to their dwellings: they return several times, provide themselves plentifully with this roast meat, and gluttonise in their huts as long as their noble fare lasts. Their manner of dressing this delicious food is curious:âthey boil or roast what is intended for the first day; if they have more than they can devour at once, the remainder is either dried in the sun, or smoked in their huts, and eaten without any further preparation. Something might here be introduced concerning their relish for human flesh, and the instances which some years ago happened in Hungary might be adduced as proofs, {16} were it not likely to be objected, that these examples are at variance with common experience, as well as with the old accounts handed down to us concerning these people. We shall, therefore, not insist on this accusation: but entirely give up the point of Gipseys being men-eaters, except just hinting, that it would be expedient for governments to be watchful. But the instances in Hungary do not appear, by any means, so casual and uncommon as people may imagine.âWhat, according to the strictest examination, has been done, not by _one_, but _many_; not by _ten_, but even _two hundred_, and perhaps by _thousands_; not _yesterday_ and _to-day_, but _many years back_; finally, not _by the whole body together_, but _single parties by themselves_, _in different places_: Shall these things be deemed only casual excesses? Should it be asserted, in addition to this, that eating human flesh is in practice and allowed, in the country whence they originate; we might with greater probability mention this shocking fact, of feeding on human flesh, as a prevailing custom among the Gipseys. This circumstance is expressly mentioned in histories: which assure us, that among the particular class of people from whom the Gipseys sprung, it is a long-established custom for the nearest relations and friends to kill and eat each other. It is unnecessary to bring proof of it in this place, as it belongs to the second section: let it suffice just to have hinted the matter, in order that it may be known towards what people we are to look for the origin of the Gipseys. As to the objection, that among all the crimes with which they have been charged, in the older writings, _eating human flesh_ is not positively alledged against them, it may be obviated by more than one answer. In the first place, let it be observed, history relates, and the event in Hungary confirms, that they murder one another; further, consider their wandering mode of life; lastly, that they generally abide in byplaces: and all may be easily accounted for. A hundred fathers may sacrifice their children to their voluptuousness, and the crime still remain concealed. The absent person is not missed; as nobody watches over a family continually in motion, and every-where a stranger. Just as unlikely is it, that information should be given to government. There is no reason to suppose any of their own people would think it their duty to inform; as, not being contrary to their usual practice, they do not esteem it wrong. It is very possible for them to have destroyed many other people, without the circumstances being recorded in the courts of justice, or noticed in the annual publications. Who ever thought to enquire of them after any traveller that, far distant from his own country, might have fallen into their hands and been cut off? Or how are the remains of the poor victim to be traced, if they devour what is eatable, and burn the bones? {19} Those Hungarian wretches have, according to their own account, for twelve years gratified their horrid cravings, undiscovered by the magistrates, in a country where the police is by no means bad: perhaps they might have continued unsuspected for ever, had they not laid their unlucky hands on the people of the country, thereby bringing on a strict enquiry, and rendering the discovery more easy. Nor do the older writings seem to be entirely silent on this head; at least there is an appearance of something of the kind in them. Many authors mention the Gipseys stealing people, and accuse them particularly of lying in wait for young children. Others again deny this, saying, that the Gipseys have brats enough of their own, and therefore have not the least reason to covet strange children. How does the matter look, if we suppose they did not want to rear these children, but to sacrifice them to their inordinate appetite?âand the Hungarian intelligence expressly says, they were particularly fond of young subjects. What renders the truth of this accusation in the old writings suspicious, is, that before even a single Gipsey had set his foot in Europe, the Jews lay under the same imputation. Perhaps in this, as in many other instances, the calumny invented against the Jews might be afterwards transferred to the Gipseys. This alone considered, the imputation of kidnapping children might become doubtful; but then occurs the weighty circumstance, that it has been judicially proved in England; and, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, an act of parliament was passed on the occasion. Enough of this; let people reason upon the cannibal appetite of the Gipseys as they please, there will always remain ground for suspicion. After having shewn how little delicate they are in satisfying their appetites, we should scarcely expect to find them squeamish with regard to articles of diet that are highly esteemed among civilised people. But Griselini gives a long catalogue of things which, he says, are disagreeable to a Gipseyâs palate; among which, he particularly mentions beans and onions, red bream, pearch, lampreys, with every kind of wild-fowl. Whereas the fact is, Gipseys not only eat beans and onions, but are very fond of them; and as for the red bream, pearch and lampreys, pheasants, partridges, &c. their only reason for abstaining from them is, the difficulty of procuring them: in which they are not singular; many other people being in the same predicament. The Gipseys are not much accustomed to baking of bread; that is an article which they usually buy, beg or steal, or go entirely without. If by chance they do bake, the business is performed quite in the eastern method:âa wood fire is made on the ground, which soon becomes embers; in the mean time the mother kneads her dough, forms it into small cakes, lays them on the hot ashes, and thus they are baked. To eat with a knife and fork, is no part of a Gipseyâs politeness; nor is a table or plate thought necessary: even a dish is frequently dispensed with. The whole kitchen and table apparatus consists of an earthen pot, an iron pan (which is also used as a dish), a knife, and a spoon. When the meal is ready, all the family sit around the pot or pan, the boiled or roast is divided into pieces, on which they fall-to; their teeth and fingers serving them for knives and forks, as does the ground for table and plates. The common beverage of the Gipseys is water; now and then beer, when it costs them nothing. Wine is too expensive, nor is it particularly grateful to them. The case is very different when brandy comes in question, of which they are immoderately fond. They feel great pleasure in intoxicating themselves; which being easiest and soonest effected with brandy, it is in their esteem the only liquor worth purchasing: all they can earn goes that way: and whenever by chance they become possessed of a penny, it is expended at the first house where brandy is to be met with. Every christening, wedding, or other occasion of rejoicing, is solemnised with brandy: if they have plenty of it, they, as it were, drive the world before them; each trying, by screaming or holloing, to express his felicity and consummate happiness. But, however great the thirst the Gipseys have for brandy, it is even exceeded by their immoderate love of tobacco. This is not, as might be supposed, peculiar to the men; for the women sometimes exceed them in it: and they not only smoke it, but chew and swallow the very leaves and stalks, with great avidity. That it may sooner reach its place of destination, and stimulate the gums and tongue more forcibly, they use a pipe not longer than ones finger: this pipe is made of wood, for economical reasonsâas it absorbs the moisture, and thereby becomes a very great Gipsey delicacy; for having smoked it as long as they choose, they gnaw it with astonishing greediness, till not a splinter remains. It is immaterial, whether the pipe be smoked by the person himself or another, to bring it to the proper degree of perfection: he accepts it, as a valuable present, from any body; and is so chary of it, that it frequently lasts him many days. The Gipsey will abstain from food for more than a day, when he can procure a leaf of tobacco, or a piece of his pungent pipe, which he chews, drinks a little water, and is happy. This surely exceeds every thing that has been related of the most famous smoker! CHAPTER V. _On the Dress of the Gipseys_. IT cannot be expected that the description of the dress of a set of people whose whole economy belongs to the class of beggars, should exhibit any thing but poverty and want. The first of them that came to Europe appeared ragged and miserableâunless we perhaps allow their leaders to have been an exception;âin like manner their descendants have continued for hundreds of years, and still remain. This is particularly remarkable in the countries about the mouth of the Danube, which abound with Gipseys; namely, Transylvania, Hungary, and Turkey in Europe, where they dress even more negligently than in other parts. The Gipseys consider a covering for the head as perfectly useless: the wind will not easily blow his hat off, who never wears any thing of the kind, excepting when he has a mind to make a figure, and even then a rough cap usually supplies its place. During the winter, if the female Gipseys do not knit socks, which those in Moldavia and Wallachia do, with wooden needles, he winds a couple of rags round his feet, which in summer are laid aside as unnecessary. He is not better furnished with linen, as the women neither spin, sew, nor wash. For want of change, what he once puts on his body, remains till it falls off of itself. His whole dress often consists of only a pair of breeches and a torn shirt. We are not to suppose, from what is said above, that the Gipseys
{'title': 'Dissertation on the Gipseys by Heinrich Moritz Gottlieb Grellmann', 'source': 'Project Gutenberg', 'lang': 'en'}