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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　themselves　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；　hammering　iron；　and　manufacturing　from　it　



instruments　either　for　their　own　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　inspects　the　site　where　a　horde　of　Gypsies　has　



encamped；　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　generally　known；　for；　unless　their　habits　had　become　



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　supposed　that　after　their　arrival　in　civilised　



Europe　they　would　have　retained　and　cherished　them　precisely　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　has　its　head　or　Count；　and　to　



fill　this　office　they　choose　the　most　valiant　and　courageous　



individual　amongst　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　govern　them。　　It　is　he　who　settles　



their　differences　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　



satisfaction　to　their　subjects。　　The　office　was　not　hereditary；　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　insignia　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；　becomes　



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：…











'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　following　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；　



whereupon　they　fled　out　of　the　suburbs；　and　assembled　about　St。　



Mark's；　the　magnificent　mansion　and　hospital　of　the　knights　of　St。　



James；　where　the　ministers　of　justice　attempting　to　seize　them　were　



repulsed　by　force　of　arms；　nevertheless；　all　of　a　sudden；　and　I　



know　not　how；　everything　was　hushed　up。　　At　this　time　they　had　a　



Count；　a　fellow　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　were　



the　principal　people　in　each；　and　the　exact　amount　of　their　



property；　there　was　nothing　relating　to　the　state；　however　secret；　



that　he　was　not　acquainted　with；　nor　did　he　make　a　mystery　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　language　



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；　constitute　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　



improbable　that　the　individual　in　question　was　a　native　of　that　



town；　but　the　truth　is；　at　the　time　we　are　speaking　of；　they　were　



generally　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　erudite　treatises　on　the　subject　ever　



penned；　had　perhaps　adopted　that　idea；　which　possibly　originated　



from　their　speaking　most　of　the　languages　and　dialects　of　the　



Peninsula；　which　they　picked　up　in　their　wanderings。　　That　the　



Gypsy　chief　was　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　afford　them　that　knowledge。　　They　were　



continually　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　ant　cui　rei　haec　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；　



counter…marches；　advances；　and　retreats；　what　was　to　be　attempted　



or　avoided；　what　individuals　were　to　be　admitted　into　the　



fellowship　and　privileges　of　the　Gitanos；　or　who　were　to　be　



excluded　from　their　society；　they　settled　disputes　and　sat　in　



judgment　over　offences。　　The　greatest　crimes；　according　to　the　



Gypsy　code；　were　a　quarrelsome　disposition；　and　revealing　the　



secrets　of　the　brotherhood。　　By　this　code　the　members　were　



forbidden　to　eat；　drink；　or　sleep　in　the　house　of　a　Busno；　which　



signifies　any　person　who　is　not　of　the　sect　of　the　Gypsies；　or　to　



marry　out　of　that　sect；　they　were　likewise　not　to　teach　the　



language　of　Roma　to　any　but　those　who；　by　birth　or　inauguration；　



belonged　to　that　sect；　they　were　enjoined　to　relieve　their　brethren　



in　distress　at　any　expense　or　peril；　they　were　to　use　a　peculiar　



dress；　which　is　frequently　alluded　to　in　the　Spanish　laws；　but　the　



particulars　of　which　are　not　stated；　and　they　were　to　cultivate　the　



gift　of　speech　to　the　utmost　possib