A Historical Survey of the Customs, Habits, & Present State of the Gypsies Part 6

"Query 4th. _Are any of their children taught to read_, _and what proportion of them_? _With any anecdotes respecting their customs and conduct_.

"D. Education being obtained at a cheaper rate, the Gypsies in general, give their male children as good a one, as is bestowed on those of the labouring people and farm servants in the neighbourhood; such as reading, writing, and the first principles of arithmetic. They all apply to the clergyman of the parish for baptism to their children, and a strong superst.i.tious notion universally prevails with them, that it is unlucky to have an unchristened child long in the house. Only a very few ever attend divine service, and those as seldom as they can, just to prevent being refused as sponsors at their children's baptism.

"They are in general, active and lively, particularly when engaged in field sports; or in such temporary pursuits as are agreeable to their habits and dispositions; but are dest.i.tute of the perseverance necessary for a settled occupation, or even for finis.h.i.+ng what a moderate degree of continued labour, would enable them to accomplish in a few weeks."

NOTES

_By_ WM. SMITH, _intended to elucidate his answers to the Queries_ A _and_ B, _on their licentious liberty_.

"I remember that about 45 years ago, being then apprentice to a writer, who was in use to receive the rents as well as the small duties of Kirk Yetholm, he sent me there with a list of names, and a statement of what was due; recommending me to apply to the landlord of the public-house, in the village, for any information or a.s.sistance which I might need.

"After waiting a long time, and receiving payment from most of the feuers, or rentallers, I observed to him that none of the persons of the names of Faa, Young, Blythe, Fleckie, &c. who, stood at the bottom of the list for small sums, had come to meet me, according to the notice given by the Baron Officer; and proposed sending to inform them that they were detaining me, and to request their immediate attendance.

"The landlord, with a grave face, inquired whether my master had desired me to ask money from those men. I said, not particularly; but they stood on the list. "So, I see," said the landlord, "but had your master been here himself, he did _not dare to ask money from them_, _either as rent_, _or feu duty_.-_He knows that it is as good as if it were in his pocket_.

_They will pay when their own time comes_, _but do not like to pay at a set time with the rest of the Barony_; _and still less to be craved_."

"I accordingly returned without their money, and reported progress. I found that the landlord was right; my master said with a smile, that it was unnecessary to send to them, after the previous notice from the Baron Officer; it was enough if I had received the money, if offered.-Their rent and feu duty was brought to the office in a few weeks. I need scarcely add, those persons all belonged to the tribe.

"Another instance of their licentious, independent spirit, occurs to me.

The family of Niddry always gave a decent, annual remuneration to a Baron Baillie, for the purpose of keeping good order within their Barony of Town Yetholm. The person whom I remember first in possession of that office, was an old man called Doctor Walker, from his being also the village surgeon; and from him I had the following anecdote:-

"Between Yetholm and the border farms in Northumberland, there were formerly, as in most border situations, some uncultivated lands called the _Plea lands_, or _Debateable lands_, the pasturage of which was generally eaten up by the Sorners and vagabonds on both sides of the marches.

"Many years ago, Lord Tankerville and some other of the English borderers, made their request to Sir David Bennet, and the late Mr.

Wauchope of Niddry, that they would accompany them at a _riding_ of the Plea lands, who readily complied with their request. They were induced to this, as they understood that the Gypsies had taken offence, on the supposition that they might be circ.u.mscribed in the pasture for their shelties and a.s.ses, which they had held a long time, partly by stealth, and partly by violence.

"Both threats and entreaties were employed to keep them away; and, at last, Sir David obtained a promise from some of the heads of the gang, that none of them should show their faces on the occasion.

"They, however, got upon the hills at a little distance, whence they could see every thing that pa.s.sed. At first they were very quiet. But when they saw the English Court Book Spread out on a cus.h.i.+on before the clerk, and apparently taken in a line of direction, interfering with what they considered to be their privileged ground, it was with great difficulty that the most moderate of them, could restrain the rest from running down, and taking vengeance, even in sight of their own Lord of the Manor.

"They only abstained for a short time, and no sooner had Sir David, and the other gentleman taken leave of each other in the most polite and friendly manner, as border chiefs are wont to do, since border feuds ceased, and had departed to a sufficient distance, than the clan, armed with bludgeons, pitch-forks, and such other hostile weapons as they could find, rushed down in a body; and before the chiefs on either side had reached their home, there was neither English tenant, horse, cow, nor sheep left upon the premises.

"Notes on Answers C and D.

"_Peculiar cast of_ GYPSEY FEATURES, _every where distinguishable_, &c.

"When first I knew any thing about the colony, old Will Faa was king, or leader, and had held the sovereignty for many years.

"Meeting at Kelso with Mr. Walter Scott, whose discriminating habits and just observations I had occasion to know from his youth, and at the same time seeing one of my Yetholm friends in the horse market, I merely said to Mr. Scott, "Try to get before that man with the long drab coat, look at him on your return, and tell me whether you ever saw him, and what you think of him." He was so good as to indulge me; and rejoining me said without hesitation, "I never saw the man that I know of; but he is one of the Gypsies of Yetholm, that you told me of several years ago." I need scarcely say that he was perfectly correct.

"The descendants of Faa, now take the name of _Fall_, from the Messrs.

Falls, of Dunbar, who, they pride themselves in saying, are of the same stock and lineage. When old Will Faa was upwards of eighty years of age, he called on me at Kelso, in his way to Edinburgh, telling that he was going to see the Laird, the late Mr. Nesbit, of Dirleton, as he understood that he was very unwell, and himself being now old, and not so stout as he had been, he wished to see him once more before he died.

"The old man set out by the nearest road, which was by no means his common practice. Next market-day, same of the farmers informed me, that they had been in Edinburgh, and seen Will Faa upon the bridge; (the south bridge was not then built;) that he was tossing about his old brown hat, and huzzaing with great vociferation, that he had seen the Laird before he died. Indeed Will himself had no time to lose, for having set his face homewards by the way of the sea coast, to vary his route, as is the general custom of the gang, he only got the length of Coldingham, when he was taken ill, and died.

"His death being notified to his friends at Yetholm, they and their acquaintance at Berwick, Spittal, Horncliff, &c. met to pay the last honours to their old leader. His obsequies were continued three successive days and nights, and afterwards repeated at Yetholm, whither he was brought for interment. I cannot say that the funeral rites were celebrated with decency and sobriety, for that was by no means the case.

This happened in the year 1783, or 1784, and the late Mr. Nesbit did not long survive."

William Dymock, W. S. Edinburgh, distinguished in the profession of the law, by his sound judgment and strict integrity, having had the perusal of the preceding report from William Smith, gives the following testimony concerning that account: "Baillie Smith's report is quite graphical, correct truth, and correctly expressed.-It is useful as showing, that the parties of Tinklers are great detachments from one colony."

With this, accords Sir John Sinclair's observation in his Statistical Account of Scotland, Vol. II. p. 124, when describing the village of Eaglesham, he remarks: "There is no magistrate nearer than four miles, and the place is oppressed with gangs of Gypsies, commonly called Tinklers, or st.u.r.dy beggars."

Before receiving the very interesting report from William Smith, the author of this Survey was entirely at a loss to determine what was become of the descendants of John Faw, who styled himself Lord and Earl of Little Egypt; and with a numerous retinue entered Scotland in the reign of Queen Mary, as stated in Section the 5th.-His complaint of his men refusing to return home with him, might be only a feint, invented to cover his design of continuing in the country; for there does not appear to be any traces in history of the banishment of Faw-gang, or of their quitting Scotland.-But in the above cited report, we find at the head of the Tinklers a Will Faa, in whose name there is only a variation of one letter from that of his distinguished predecessor; and that in reference to this origin, he a.s.serts the _Falls_ of Dunbar to be of the same stock and lineage.

SECTION VII.

On the origin of the Gypsies

Various are the conjectures which have been indulged, and the coincidences which have been sought for, in order to obtain a solution of the query, _What race of people are the Gypsies_?

Whoever is disposed to refer to Continental writers, may see more than thirty different opinions started on this subject, founded on no better authority than some similarity of appellation, garb, complexion, or unsettled way of life.

They were sometimes _Torlaques_, _Kalendars_, or _Faquirs_. The Torlaques are Mahometan Monks, who under the pretence of holiness, are guilty of the most flagrant excesses. Bajazet the 2d, banished them from the Turkish empire in 1494. The Kalendars wander about in heathen countries, as the Gypsies do among Christians. The Faquirs are religious fanatics; and rove about in heathen and mahometan countries, like the most atrocious robbers. Anquetil says, the Faquirs in India go a pilgrimage to Jagrenat; they plunder such villages and cities as lie in their way; they form considerable bodies about a mile from Jagrenat, where they choose themselves a leader, to whom they pay all the attention due to a general.

With regard to strolling and thieving, the Faquirs and Gypsies agree exactly. Thomasius, Griselini, and the English geographer Salmon, imagined that when Sultan Selim conquered Egypt in 1517, several of the natives refusing to submit to the Turkish yoke, revolted under one Zinganeus.

But we have already adverted to authentic doc.u.ments for the proof, that they were in Germany, Italy, and France, near a century before the conquest of Egypt by Selim.

Yet the belief that Gypsies were of Egyptian origin is parallel with their existence in Europe. It arose from the report circulated by the first of them, that they were pilgrims from Egypt; and this statement was not only adopted by the common people, but here, and there, obtained credit among men of learning. Grellmann observes, that had this opinion not been received at a time when almost every thing was taken upon trust, with little examination; had it not been propagated by the first Gypsies, and then obtained a sanction, it would have been impossible for it to have gained such general acceptation, or to have maintained itself to the present times. Till the 17th century, the Egyptian descent of the Gypsies rested entirely on tradition. Afterwards, Aventin, Krantz, and Miinster openly contradict it.

Aventin relates that they wished it to be thought they came from that country, but that, in his time, nothing was known concerning them, but what came from their own mouths; those who accounted them Egyptians, rested their belief entirely on the veracity of their informants.

This is collected with greater certainty from Krantz and Miinster, for they declare expressly, that every thing which could be discovered by any other means than their own a.s.sertions, contradicted, rather than confirmed their Egyptian descent. But it is not merely that their Egyptian descent is entirely dest.i.tute of proof, the most circ.u.mstantial evidence can be adduced against it.

Their language differs entirely from the Coptic, and their customs, as Ahasuerus Fritsch has remarked, are diametrically opposite to the Egyptian; but what is, if possible, of greater weight, they wander about in Egypt, like strangers, and _there_, as in other countries, form a distinct people.

The testimony of Bellonius is full and decisive on the point. He states; "No part of the world, I believe, is free from those banditti, wandering about in troops; whom we, by mistake, call Gypsies, and Bohemians. When we were at Cairo, and the villages bordering on the Nile, we found troops of these strolling thieves sitting under palm-trees; and they are _esteemed foreigners_ in _Egypt_."

Aventin expressly makes Turkey their original place of rendezvous; and this furnishes a reason for the south east parts of Europe being the most crowded with them. If all that came to Europe pa.s.sed by this route, it accounts for a greater number remaining in those countries, than in others to which they would have a much longer travel; and before their arrival at which, their hordes might be much divided.

It is a just a.s.sertion, that one of the most infallible methods of determining the origin of a people, would be the discovery of a country in which their language is that of the natives. It is a fact incontrovertibly established, that besides the Gypsies speaking the language of the country in which they live, they have a general one of their own, in which they converse with each other.

Not knowing any speech correspondent with the Gypsies, some have been ready to p.r.o.nounce it a mere jargon; not considering how extravagant a surmise it would be, that a people rude, uncivilized, and separated hundreds of miles from each other, have invented a language. Others who are better informed on the subject, allow that the language brought into Europe with the Gypsies, was really vernacular, of some country; but suppose it is so disguised and corrupted, partly by design, and partly by advent.i.tious events, through length of time, and the continued wandering of these people, that it must be considered a new language, and now used by the Gypsies only.

That it is the dialect of some particular part of the globe, though no longer pure, as in the country whence it originated, is an opinion which has obtained the greatest concurrence among the learned. Grellmann says, had a German listened a whole day to a Gypsey conversation, he would not have comprehended a single expression. It must doubtless appear extraordinary, that the language of a people who had lived for centuries in Europe, should have remained so much a secret: but it was not easy to gain information from the Gypsies concerning it. Acquainted, by tradition, with the deception their predecessors practised on coming into Europe, they are suspicious; and fearing an explanation might be dangerous to themselves, they are not disposed to be communicative.-But how was it possible for the learned of former centuries, to be competent to the investigation, who had not the aids which now so copiously occur to the historical etymologist?

Many dialects have been discovered, and our knowledge of others greatly increased, within the last fifty or sixty years. During that time, not only the literary treasures of the furthest north have been opened to us, but we have become acquainted with many of the oriental languages; and even eastern idioms are becoming familiar to us. We need not therefore be surprised, that before this period, the most learned were unable to point out the country in which the Gypsey language was spoken. The Gypsies have no writing peculiar to themselves, in which to give a specimen of the construction of their dialect.