[v] The instruments used by the Chinese for marking time, act either by fire or water. Those that act by water, somewhat resemble our large hour-glasses: those by fire, are composed of sweet smelling powder, made up into a sort of match.[3] Leo Africanus, in his Histoire Naturelle des Indes, &c. p. 327, says of the merchants of Agades, that they kept great numbers of armed slaves for their security, and mentions that their caravans—“sont tous vexÉz de divers peuples du desert, comme de ceux qu’on appelle communÉment BohÉmiens, ou Egyptiens.”[16] Beytrage zum Reichs Postreuter, St. 71. 1782. “On the 21st of August there was a dreadful execution at Frauenmark in the Hortenser country. Thirteen delinquents, Gipseys, who had existed twelve years by robbing on the highway, and were accustomed to eat the bodies of those they had murdered, were brought to punishment. Four of them were women, who were beheaded; of the remaining nine men, six were hanged, two were broken on the wheel, and the leader of this inhuman gang was quartered alive. It is said that one hundred and fifteen more, of these European cannibals, remain in the county gaols.” See Appendix.[19] Hamburgh. Neue Zeitung, 151. St. 1782. “Hungary, 4th of September.—The following is to be added concerning the murderers and man-eaters. Forty of these miscreants have already undergone their deserved punishment, in three separate places. Some, as lately communicated, were broken upon the wheel from below upwards; two of the most atrocious were quartered alive; and the remainder, one hundred and fifteen in number, will shortly be proceeded against in the same manner. This band has existed twenty-one years, and in the course of that time sacrificed eighty-four people to their cruelty. Every feeling mind must be struck with horror at the infernal rage of these European cannibals, on hearing their confession—that once at a wedding they killed three people, whom they ate with their guests, in the greatest festivity and joy! They prefer the flesh of a young person from sixteen to eighteen years old. They burnt the bones, which, according to their account, make excellent coals. A life-guard man of the country undertook to secure and succeeded in taking their harumpascha or leader. This cannibal hero was magnificently dressed, and wore ornaments in his cap to the value of six thousand guilders.”

Frankfurter Staats Ristretto, Nr. 157. 1782. “Donau Strohm, 29th September.—We mention with horror, that besides those inhuman wretches who have already been put to the sword in Hungary, there are one hundred and fifty still in chains; and some thousands more are, with good foundation, suspected. They are all Gipseys. Maria Theresa had given orders that all these human vermin should be driven from their holes, and compelled to live in villages: but that wise regulation was not enforced, and the evil is now grown to such a height as scarcely to be remedied without a total extirpation of them.”

Hamburgh. Unpartheiisch. Correspondent. Nr. 159. 1782. “Hungary, 22d September.—Besides those Gipsey cannibals which were executed on the 22d of August, at Fraumark, there were fifteen of these barbarians put to death on the twenty-fourth at Kameza; and on the twenty-sixth, thirteen more at Esabrag. In the former place were seven women beheaded, five men hanged, two broken alive on the wheel, and one quartered alive. At the latter place seven women were beheaded, four men hanged and two broken on the wheel. Many still remain in confinement; among whom is one who acted as priest, and married people for two groschens a time. Their harumpascha, who, as we lately advised, was taken by a very simple stratagem, cannot yet be brought to any confession of his crimes.”

Frankfurter Staats Ristretto, Nr. 207. 1782. “Donau Strohm, 24th December.—Not long ago it was published, that forty-five of the men-eaters had been executed in Hungary. One hundred and fifty still remain in prison, whose sentence has, by express orders from court, been respited. Her majesty, not thinking it possible that the people in confinement could have been guilty of such enormous crimes, sent a commissary thither from court to examine minutely into the affair. On his return it was confirmed that they were really men-eaters; and that there are actually among them sons who have killed and eaten their own fathers.”[29] About sixty years ago, ladies of the first quality in Petersburgh used to be guilty of somewhat the same kind of irregularity. They had begun to adopt the French modes in dress; but, as Salmon says, did not well know how to manage them. “Wherefore,” he continues, “one must not be surprised, notwithstanding all the state of a Petersburgh lady, to meet one of them in summer, at which season they use the English straw hats, magnificently dressed in damask, ornamented with gold, silver, lace, and ribbands, walking barefooted, carrying her slippers in her hand.”[51] The college of Mons was established in 1748, by the Empress Theresa. In the seventh article of the Instructions granted, the Gipseys were allowed the privilege of washing for gold.[87] It is reported in Hungary, that a Gipsey alphabet is somewhere preserved; but nobody ever has seen or ever will see it, for it probably never existed: as these people did not bring the art of writing from their own country; where they belong to a class of people who, by express laws, are prohibited from receiving any kind of instruction.[88] Poetry and Music are in equal esteem among the Transalpine Wallachians, who have consigned over these two amiable sisters to the licentiousness of slaves—Gipseys. These alone sing, play, rhyme—for we cannot allow the appellation of poems to obscene hobbling verses, put together at the moment. By way of sample take the following couplet:

Mitidika, Mitidika, wiÉn Üng quÁtsch!
Ba nu, Ba nu, n’ am tsche fÁtsch.

This tsche fÁtsch, which should be tsche se fak, is a monstrous perversion of language. But the Gipsey wanted a rhyme for quatsch; so directly, with a bold poetical licence, he changes the first person of the conjunctive for the third of the indicative mood. Thus this little composition, in question and answer, which should be,

Little one, Little one, come from thence!
No, no, no, no, I have nothing to do (there).

he changes to, I have nothing, what do you?[89] Sulzer, with respect to their timidity, says: “A Gipsey requires to have been a long time in the army before he can meet an enemy’s balls with decent soldier’s resolution; or to be an experienced robber, before he can take a traveller’s purse, without having first, from a bush, either killed or disabled him.” There is a proverb in Transylvania, that “You may drive fifty Gipseys before you with a wet rag.” Thicknesse found the Gipseys exactly the same in Spain.[89a] There are a number of serious pagination errors in the book. Pages 1–98 are numbered correctly, but what should be page 99 is numbered 89, with the numbering continuing 89–121. Following this the page number changes to 132 and continues 132–179, when it changes to 182, 183, 182 (again), 183, 186, 187, 186 (again), 187 (again), 190, 191, 190 (again), 191 (again), 194 and then normally to the end of the book. In this transcription the page numbers are as per the book.—DP.[113] Wilhelm Dilick, in his Heszischen Chronik. Seit 229. beyn Jahr 1414, certainly does say that they arrived during the same year in the Hessian territories; and Fabricius, in Annalibb. Misn. says they were driven from Meissen in 1416. But Calvisius contradicts Fabricius, and has corrected his date, putting 1418 for 1416. And with regard to Dilich, there must either have been a mistake in the manuscript from which he composed, or he must have read wrong; there being no mention made of Gipseys in any of the public prints till three years afterwards, viz. 1417. It is absurd to suppose they should remain invisible to every other person both in and out of Germany, at the same time they appeared to the editor of Dilich’s intelligence.[132] But we have more than circumstantial proof of the existence of these safe-conducts, as besides a later, but here very pertinent, order of the former great Hungarian count Thurzo, given in the year 1616, remarkable for its serious and humane contents, an older one, granted in the earliest age of the Gipseys, is still extant. It is written on paper, and was brought by those who were at Regenspurgh in 1423. Andreas Presbyter copied it into his six-years Journal, which was in the possession of Oefelius.[137] The eastern division of the present kingdom of Tunis.[138] Zichen, Zigier, or Zincher, among the ancients, called in the earliest times AchÆans, dwelt in the country now inhabited by the Circassians.[139] The torlaques are Mahometan monks, who, under the pretence of holiness, are guilty of the most flagrant excesses. Bajazet the Second banished them from the Turkish empire in 1494. The kalendars, who are likewise monks, wander about in Heathen, as the Gipsy’s do in Christian, countries. Faquirs are religious fanatics, and rove about in Mahometan and Heathen countries, like the most atrocious robbers and villains. Anquetil says, the Faquirs in India go pilgrimages to Jagrenat, to the amount of several thousand. On their return from 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 honours due to a general. With regard to strolling and thieving, the Faquirs and Gipseys agree exactly. But this proves nothing concerning the extraction of the latter.[141] The cause of this persecution was a dreadful plague, which, in the year 1348, raged all over Europe. This calamity was attributed to the Jews, who were accused of having poisoned the wells and water-springs, in order to exterminate the Christians. Never did any description of people experience greater oppression and misery than what were suffered by the Jews of that time. All the gaols and prisons were crowded with them; they were put to the rack in every judicial court. The day was scarcely long enough for the execution of the poor condemned wretches; nor were the nights ever dark, by reason of the continual fires which were kept burning every-where, to consume them at the stake. Vast numbers, who had escaped the rigour of the tribunals, fell a sacrifice to popular fury. They were suffocated in bogs, slaughtered like flies, and destroyed by other summary means. There was no distinction made of age or sex: the same unrelenting fate pursued men and women, children and grey-headed, without exception. To all this was added the plague, which attacked the Jews as well as the Christians. Under such circumstances, it is no wonder if such as could escape from a persecution so dreadful, and unmerited, really did secret themselves in the most retired corners.[154] Sultan Selim had drawn out his troops against Persia, with the determination, if not to conquer the country entirely, at least to do them all the mischief he could; for which reason his tremendous army was already, in 1517, encamped near Aleppo. GÄwri, the Circassian Sultan in Egypt, when he heard of this enterprise, being fearful that after Selim had accomplished his intentions respecting Persia, he might attack him, sent ambassadors, to offer his assistance against the Persians. Selim accepted it, and GÄwri immediately collected his forces. As the two armies lay near each other, it so happened that some Circassians attacked, and plundered, some loaded camels, which were going to Selim’s camp. Selim, who looked upon this as an affront, instantly resolved to leave the Persians quiet for the present, and to draw his sword against his ally. This he accordingly did, and GÄwri, being betrayed by two of his generals, was defeated, and fell in the action. Those who escaped from the battle fled to Kahire, where they related what had passed; and a general assembly being convened, they immediately proceeded to the election of a new king, Tumanbey. He marched to attack Selim once more, was defeated, and having experienced various reverses of fortune, at last fell into his hands. Selim was so charmed with his understanding, that he not only granted him his freedom, but intended to appoint him viceroy over Egypt. However, before this event took place, people began to talk freely concerning their hopes, that when Selim should have withdrawn, Tumanbey, with the remaining Circassians and Arabians, might be able to drive his troops out of Egypt, and reinstate the Circassians in their former dominion. These reports came to Selim’s knowledge; yet his confidence was so great, that he at first did not entertain any suspicion of Tumanbey. But at length, when they continued, and even increased, he ordered the unhappy man to be arrested, and hanged under one of the gates of Kahire. On which occasion, like a true barbarian, he made use of the following words: “How great my favour was towards him, I have sufficiently proved; the effects of his partisans’ conversation, let the wretch himself experience.” With him not only ended the government of the Circassians in Egypt, after it had continued 286 years, but, by command of Selim, they were for several days left to the mercy of their conquerors, who treated them with the greatest cruelty.[161] Griselini always mistakes Troglodytes for a particular national appellation, which is just as if we were to suppose Nomades to be the name of a people.[190] For a comparison of the Gipsey language at different periods, see (A), Appendix.