etc.) arrived fugitives from the heart of Asia by the steppes of
Tartary, at the
beginning of the fifteenth century, while 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
following
summary manner: 'As to the particular jargon which they
use, any
investigation which people might
pretend to make would be
quite
useless; 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
sufficiently communicative, the information which
they could
impart would lead to no
advantageous result, owing 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,
assuredly, had they sense enough to afford that
slight quantum of information, it would lead to two very
advantageous results, by proving, first, that they spoke the same
language as the Gypsies, etc., and were
consequently the same
people - and
secondly, that they came not from the coast of
Northern Africa, where only Arabic and Shillah are
spoken, but from
the heart of Asia, three words of the four being pure Sanscrit.
(72) As given in the MITHRIDATES of Adelung.
(73) Possibly from the Russian BOLOSS, which has the same
signification.
(74) Basque, BURUA.
(75) Sanscrit, SCHIRRA.
(76) 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.
(77) 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, PIAVA. Basilea,
gallows, (p. 158,) is Russian,
BECILITZ. Caramo, wine, and gurapo,
galley, (pp. 162, 176,)
Arabic, HARAM (which
literally signifies that which is forbidden)
and GRAB. Iza, (p. 179,) harlot, Turkish, KIZE. Harton, bread,
(p. 177,) Greek, ARTOS. Guido, good, and hurgamandera, harlot,
(pp. 177, 178,) German, GUT and HURE. Tiple, wine, (p. 197,) is
the same as the English word tipple, Gypsy, TAPILLAR.
(78) This word is pure Wallachian ([Greek text which cannot be
reproduced]), and was brought by the Gypsies into England; it means
'booty,' or what is called in the present cant language, 'swag.'
The Gypsies call booty 'louripen.'
(79) Christmas,
literally Wine-day.
(80) Irishman or
beggar,
literally a dirty squalid person.
(81) Guineas.
(82) Silver teapots.
(83) The Gypsy word for a certain town.
(84) In the Spanish Gypsy
version, 'our bread of each day.'
(85) Span., '
forgive us our debts as we
forgive our debtors.'
(86) Eng., 'all evil FROM'; Span., 'from all ugliness.'
(87) Span., 'for thine.'
(88) By Hungary is here meant not only Hungary proper, but
Transylvania.
(89) How many days made come the gentleman hither.
(90) How many-year fellow are you.
(91) Of a grosh.
(92) My name shall be to you for Moses my brother.
(93) Comes.
(94) Empty place.
(95) V. CASINOBEN in Lexicon.
(96) By these two words, Pontius Pilate is represented, but whence
they are derived I know not.
(97) Reborn.
(98) Poverty is always avoided.
(99) A
drunkard reduces himself to the condition of a hog.
(100) The most he can do.
(101) The puchero, or pan of glazed earth, in which bacon, beef,
and garbanzos are stewed.
(102) 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.
(103) In the
original WEARS A MOUTH; the meaning is, ask nothing,
gain nothing.
(104) Female Gypsy,
(105) Women UNDERSTOOD.
(106) With that
motive awoke the labourer. ORIG.
(107) Gave its pleasure to the finger, I.E. his finger was itching
to draw the
trigger, and he humoured it.
(108) They feared the shot and slugs, which are compared, and not
badly, to flies and almonds.
(109) Christmas,
literally Wine-day.
(110) Irishman or
beggar,
literally a dirty squalid person.
(111) Guineas.
(114) Silver tea-pots.
(115) The Gypsy word for a certain town.
(116) As given by Grellmann.
(117) The English Gypsies having, in their
dialect, no other term
for ghost than mulo, which simply means a dead person, I have been
obliged to
substitute a
compound word. Bavalengro signifies
literally a wind thing, or FORM OF AIR.
End