the zincali-第15部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！




had　no　effect。







Upon　this　matter　we　can　state　nothing　on　our　own　knowledge。







After　the　above　anecdotes；　it　will　perhaps　not　be　amiss　to　devote　a　



few　lines　to　the　subject　of　Gypsy　food　and　diet。　　I　believe　that　it　



has　been　asserted　that　the　Romas；　in　all　parts　of　the　world；　are　



perfectly　indifferent　as　to　what　they　eat；　provided　only　that　they　



can　appease　their　hunger；　and　that　they　have　no　objection　to　



partake　of　the　carcasses　of　animals　which　have　died　a　natural　



death；　and　have　been　left　to　putrefy　by　the　roadside；　moreover；　



that　they　use　for　food　all　kinds　of　reptiles　and　vermin　which　they　



can　lay　their　hands　upon。







In　this　there　is　a　vast　deal　of　exaggeration；　but　at　the　same　time　



it　must　be　confessed　that；　in　some　instances；　the　habits　of　the　



Gypsies　in　regard　to　food　would　seem；　at　the　first　glance；　to　



favour　the　supposition。　　This　observation　chiefly　holds　good　with　



respect　to　those　of　the　Gypsy　race　who　still　continue　in　a　



wandering　state；　and　who；　doubtless；　retain　more　of　the　ways　and　



customs　of　their　forefathers　than　those　who　have　adopted　a　



stationary　life。　　There　can　be　no　doubt　that　the　wanderers　amongst　



the　Gypsy　race　are　occasionally　seen　to　feast　upon　carcasses　of　



cattle　which　have　been　abandoned　to　the　birds　of　the　air；　yet　it　



would　be　wrong；　from　this　fact；　to　conclude　that　the　Gypsies　were　



habitual　devourers　of　carrion。　　Carrion　it　is　true　they　may　



occasionally　devour；　from　want　of　better　food；　but　many　of　these　



carcasses　are　not　in　reality　the　carrion　which　they　appear；　but　are　



the　bodies　of　animals　which　the　Gypsies　have　themselves　killed　by　



casting　drao；　in　hope　that　the　flesh　may　eventually　be　abandoned　to　



them。　　It　is　utterly　useless　to　write　about　the　habits　of　the　



Gypsies；　especially　of　the　wandering　tribes；　unless　you　have　lived　



long　and　intimately　with　them；　and　unhappily；　up　to　the　present　



time；　all　the　books　which　have　been　published　concerning　them　have　



been　written　by　those　who　have　introduced　themselves　into　their　



society　for　a　few　hours；　and　from　what　they　have　seen　or　heard　



consider　themselves　competent　to　give　the　world　an　idea　of　the　



manners　and　customs　of　the　mysterious　Rommany：　　thus；　because　they　



have　been　known　to　beg　the　carcass　of　a　hog　which　they　themselves　



have　poisoned；　it　has　been　asserted　that　they　prefer　carrion　which　



has　perished　of　sickness　to　the　meat　of　the　shambles；　and　because　



they　have　been　seen　to　make　a　ragout　of　boror　（SNAILS）；　and　to　



roast　a　hotchiwitchu　or　hedgehog；　it　has　been　supposed　that　



reptiles　of　every　description　form　a　part　of　their　cuisine。　　It　is　



high　time　to　undeceive　the　Gentiles　on　these　points。　　Know；　then；　O　



Gentile；　whether　thou　be　from　the　land　of　the　Gorgios　（20）　or　the　



Busne　（21）；　that　the　very　Gypsies　who　consider　a　ragout　of　snails　a　



delicious　dish　will　not　touch　an　eel；　because　it　bears　resemblance　



to　a　SNAKE；　and　that　those　who　will　feast　on　a　roasted　hedgehog　



could　be　induced　by　no　money　to　taste　a　squirrel；　a　delicious　and　



wholesome　species　of　game；　living　on　the　purest　and　most　nutritious　



food　which　the　fields　and　forests　can　supply。　　I　myself；　while　



living　among　the　Roms　of　England；　have　been　regarded　almost　in　the　



light　of　a　cannibal　for　cooking　the　latter　animal　and　preferring　it　



to　hotchiwitchu　barbecued；　or　ragout　of　boror。　　'You　are　but　half　



Rommany；　brother；'　they　would　say；　'and　you　feed　gorgiko…nes　（LIKE　



A　GENTILE）；　even　as　you　talk。　　Tchachipen　（IN　TRUTH）；　if　we　did　not　



know　you　to　be　of　the　Mecralliskoe　rat　（ROYAL　BLOOD）　of　Pharaoh；　we　



should　be　justified　in　driving　you　forth　as　a　juggel…mush　（DOG　



MAN）；　one　more　fitted　to　keep　company　with　wild　beasts　and　Gorgios　



than　gentle　Rommanys。'







No　person　can　read　the　present　volume　without　perceiving；　at　a　



glance；　that　the　Romas　are　in　most　points　an　anomalous　people；　in　



their　morality　there　is　much　of　anomaly；　and　certainly　not　less　in　



their　cuisine。







'Los　Gitanos　son　muy　malos；　llevan　ninos　hurtados　a　Berberia。　　The　



Gypsies　are　very　bad　people；　they　steal　children　and　carry　them　to　



Barbary；　where　they　sell　them　to　the　Moors'　…　so　said　the　Spaniards　



in　old　times。　　There　can　be　little　doubt　that　even　before　the　fall　



of　the　kingdom　of　Granada；　which　occurred　in　the　year　1492；　the　



Gitanos　had　intercourse　with　the　Moors　of　Spain。　　Andalusia；　which　



has　ever　been　the　province　where　the　Gitano　race　has　most　abounded　



since　its　arrival；　was；　until　the　edict　of　Philip　the　Third；　which　



banished　more　than　a　million　of　Moriscos　from　Spain；　principally　



peopled　by　Moors；　who　differed　from　the　Spaniards　both　in　language　



and　religion。　　By　living　even　as　wanderers　amongst　these　people；　



the　Gitanos　naturally　became　acquainted　with　their　tongue；　and　with　



many　of　their　customs；　which　of　course　much　facilitated　any　



connection　which　they　might　subsequently　form　with　the　



Barbaresques。　　Between　the　Moors　of　Barbary　and　the　Spaniards　a　



deadly　and　continued　war　raged　for　centuries；　both　before　and　after　



the　expulsion　of　the　Moriscos　from　Spain。　　The　Gitanos；　who　cared　



probably　as　little　for　one　nation　as　the　other；　and　who　have　no　



sympathy　and　affection　beyond　the　pale　of　their　own　sect；　doubtless　



sided　with　either　as　their　interest　dictated；　officiating　as　spies　



for　both　parties　and　betraying　both。







It　is　likely　enough　that　they　frequently　passed　over　to　Barbary　



with　stolen　children　of　both　sexes；　whom　they　sold　to　the　Moors；　



who　traffic　in　slaves；　whether　white　or　black；　even　at　the　present　



day；　and　perhaps　this　kidnapping　trade　gave　occasion　to　other　



relations。　　As　they　were　perfectly　acquainted；　from　their　wandering　



life；　with　the　shores　of　the　Spanish　Mediterranean；　they　must　have　



been　of　considerable　assistance　to　the　Barbary　pirates　in　their　



marauding　trips　to　the　Spanish　coasts；　both　as　guides　and　advisers；　



and　as　it　was　a　far　easier　matter；　and　afforded　a　better　prospect　



of　gain；　to　plunder　the　Spaniards　than　the　Moors；　a　people　almost　



as　wild　as　themselves；　they　were；　on　that　account；　and　that　only；　



more　Moors　than　Christians；　and　ever　willing　to　assist　the　former　



in　their　forays　on　the　latter。







Quinones　observes：　　'The　Moors；　with　whom　they　hold　correspondence；　



let　them　go　and　come　without　any　let　or　obstacle：　　an　instance　of　



this　was　seen　in　the　year　1627；　when　two　galleys　from　Spain　were　



carrying　assistance　to　Marmora；　which　was　then　besieged　by　the　



Moors。　　These　galleys　struck　on　a　shoal；　when　the　Moors　seized　all　



the　people　on　board；　making　captives　of　the　Christians　and　setting　



at　liberty　all　the　Moors；　who　were　chained　to　the　oar；　as　for　the　



Gypsy　galley…slaves　whom　they　found　amongst　these　last；　they　did　



not　make　them　slaves；　but　received　them　as　people　friendly　to　them；　



and　at　their　devotion；　which　matter　was　public　and　notorious。'







Of　the　Moors　and　the　Gitanos　we　shall　have　occasion　to　say　



something　in　the　following　chapter。















CHAPTER　VI















THERE　is　no　portion　of　the　world　so　little　known　as　Africa　in　



general；　and　perhaps　of　all　Africa　there　is　no　corner　with　which　



Europeans　are　so　little　acquainted　as　Barbary；　which　nevertheless　



is　only　separated　from　the　continent　of　Europe　by　a　narrow　strait　



of　four　leagues　across。







China　itself　has；　for　upwards　of　a　century；　ceased　to　be　a　land　of　



mystery　to　the　civilised　portion　of　the　world；　the　enterprising　



children　of　Loyola　having　wandered　about　it　in　every　direction　



making　converts　to　their　doctrine　and　discipline；　whilst　the　



Russians　possess　better　maps　of　its　vast　regions　than　of　their　own　



country；　and　lately；　owing　to　the　persevering　labour　and　searching　



eye　of　my　friend　Hyacinth；　Archimandrite　of　Saint　John　Nefsky；　are　



acquainted　with　the　number　of　its　military　force　to　a　man；　and　also　



with　the　names　and　places　of　residence　of　its　civil　servants。　　Yet　



who　possesses　a　map　of　Fez　and　Morocco；　or　would　venture　to　form　a　



conjecture　as　to　how　many　fiery　horsemen　Abderrahman；　the　mulatto　



emperor；　could　lead　to　the　field；　were　his　sandy　dominions　



threatened　by　the　Nazarene？　　Yet　Fez　is　scarcely　two　hundred　



leagues　distant　from　Madrid；　whilst　Maraks；　the　other　great　city　of　



the　Moors；　and　which　also　has　given　its　name　to　an　empire；　is　



scarcely　farther　removed　from　Paris；　the　capital　of　civilisation：　　



in　a　word；　we　scarcely　know　anything　of　Barbary；　the　scanty　



information　which　we　possess　being　confined　to　a　few　towns　on　the　



sea…coast；　the　zeal　of　the　Jesuit　himself　being　insufficient　to　



induce　him　to　confront　the　perils　of　the　interior；　in　the　hopeless　



endeavour　of　making　one　single　proselyte　from　amongst　the　wildest　



fanatics　of　the　creed　of　the　Prophet　Camel…driver。







Are　wanderers　of　the　Gypsy　race　to　be　found　in　Barbary？　　This　is　a　



question　which　I　have　frequently　asked　myself。　　Several　respectable　



authors　have；　I　believe；　asserted　the　fact；　amongst　whom　Adelung；　



who；　speaking　of　the　Gypsies；　says：　　'Four　hundred　years　have　



passed　away　since　they　departed　from　their　native　land。　　During　



this　time；　they　have　spread　themselves　through　the　whole　of　Western　



Asia；　Europe；　and　Northern　Africa。'　（22）　　But　it　is　one　thing　to　



make　an　assertion；　and　another　to　produce　the　grounds　for　making　



it。　　I　believe　it　would　require　a　far　greater　stock　of　information　



than　has　hitherto　been　possessed　by　any　one　who　has　written　on　the　



subject　of　the　Gypsies；　to　justify　him　in　asserting　positively　that　



after　traversing　the　west　of　Europe；　they　spread　themselves　over　



Northern　Africa；　though　true　it　is　that　to　those　who　take　a　



superficial　view　of