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They　brought　with　them　no　Indian　idols；　as　far　as　we　are　able　to　



judge　at　the　present　time；　nor　indeed　Indian　rites　or　observances；　



for　no　traces　of　such　are　to　be　discovered　amongst　them。







All；　therefore；　which　relates　to　their　original　religion　is　



shrouded　in　mystery；　and　is　likely　so　to　remain。　　They　may　have　



been　idolaters；　or　atheists；　or　what　they　now　are；　totally　



neglectful　of　worship　of　any　kind；　and　though　not　exactly　prepared　



to　deny　the　existence　of　a　Supreme　Being；　as　regardless　of　him　as　



if　he　existed　not；　and　never　mentioning　his　name；　save　in　oaths　and　



blasphemy；　or　in　moments　of　pain　or　sudden　surprise；　as　they　have　



heard　other　people　do；　but　always　without　any　fixed　belief；　trust；　



or　hope。







There　are　certainly　some　points　of　resemblance　between　the　children　



of　Roma　and　those　of　Israel。　　Both　have　had　an　exodus；　both　are　



exiles　and　dispersed　amongst　the　Gentiles；　by　whom　they　are　hated　



and　despised；　and　whom　they　hate　and　despise；　under　the　names　of　



Busnees　and　Goyim；　both；　though　speaking　the　language　of　the　



Gentiles；　possess　a　peculiar　tongue；　which　the　latter　do　not　



understand；　and　both　possess　a　peculiar　cast　of　countenance；　by　



which　they　may；　without　difficulty；　be　distinguished　from　all　other　



nations；　but　with　these　points　the　similarity　terminates。　　The　



Israelites　have　a　peculiar　religion；　to　which　they　are　fanatically　



attached；　the　Romas　have　none；　as　they　invariably　adopt；　though　



only　in　appearance；　that　of　the　people　with　whom　they　chance　to　



sojourn；　the　Israelites　possess　the　most　authentic　history　of　any　



people　in　the　world；　and　are　acquainted　with　and　delight　to　



recapitulate　all　that　has　befallen　their　race；　from　ages　the　most　



remote；　the　Romas　have　no　history；　they　do　not　even　know　the　name　



of　their　original　country；　and　the　only　tradition　which　they　



possess；　that　of　their　Egyptian　origin；　is　a　false　one；　whether　



invented　by　themselves　or　others；　the　Israelites　are　of　all　people　



the　most　wealthy；　the　Romas　the　most　poor　…　poor　as　a　Gypsy　being　



proverbial　amongst　some　nations；　though　both　are　equally　greedy　of　



gain；　and　finally；　though　both　are　noted　for　peculiar　craft　and　



cunning；　no　people　are　more　ignorant　than　the　Romas；　whilst　the　



Jews　have　always　been　a　learned　people；　being　in　possession　of　the　



oldest　literature　in　the　world；　and　certainly　the　most　important　



and　interesting。







Sad　and　weary　must　have　been　the　path　of　the　mixed　rabble　of　the　



Romas；　when　they　left　India's　sunny　land　and　wended　their　way　to　



the　West；　in　comparison　with　the　glorious　exodus　of　the　Israelites　



from　Egypt；　whose　God　went　before　them　in　cloud　and　in　fire；　



working　miracles　and　astonishing　the　hearts　of　their　foes。







Even　supposing　that　they　worshipped　Buddh　or　Brahmah；　neither　of　



these　false　deities　could　have　accomplished　for　them　what　God　



effected　for　his　chosen　people；　although　it　is　true　that　the　idea　



that　a　Supreme　Being　was　watching　over　them；　in　return　for　the　



reverence　paid　to　his　image；　might　have　cheered　them　'midst　storm　



and　lightning；　'midst　mountains　and　wildernesses；　'midst　hunger　and　



drought；　for　it　is　assuredly　better　to　trust　even　in　an　idol；　in　a　



tree；　or　a　stone；　than　to　be　entirely　godless；　and　the　most　



superstitious　hind　of　the　Himalayan　hills；　who　trusts　in　the　Grand　



Foutsa　in　the　hour　of　peril　and　danger；　is　more　wise　than　the　most　



enlightened　atheist；　who　cherishes　no　consoling　delusion　to　relieve　



his　mind；　oppressed　by　the　terrible　ideas　of　reality。







But　it　is　evident　that　they　arrived　at　the　confines　of　Europe　



without　any　certain　or　rooted　faith。　　Knowing；　as　we　do；　with　what　



tenacity　they　retain　their　primitive　habits　and　customs；　their　sect　



being；　in　all　points；　the　same　as　it　was　four　hundred　years　ago；　it　



appears　impossible　that　they　should　have　forgotten　their　peculiar　



god；　if　in　any　peculiar　god　they　trusted。







Though　cloudy　ideas　of　the　Indian　deities　might　be　occasionally　



floating　in　their　minds；　these　ideas；　doubtless；　quickly　passed　



away　when　they　ceased　to　behold　the　pagodas　and　temples　of　Indian　



worship；　and　were　no　longer　in　contact　with　the　enthusiastic　



adorers　of　the　idols　of　the　East；　they　passed　away　even　as　the　dim　



and　cloudy　ideas　which　they　subsequently　adopted　of　the　Eternal　and　



His　Son；　Mary　and　the　saints；　would　pass　away　when　they　ceased　to　



be　nourished　by　the　sight　of　churches　and　crosses；　for　should　it　



please　the　Almighty　to　reconduct　the　Romas　to　Indian　climes；　who　



can　doubt　that　within　half　a　century　they　would　entirely　forget　all　



connected　with　the　religion　of　the　West！　　Any　poor　shreds　of　that　



faith　which　they　bore　with　them　they　would　drop　by　degrees　as　they　



would　relinquish　their　European　garments　when　they　became　old；　and　



as　they　relinquished　their　Asiatic　ones　to　adopt　those　of　Europe；　



no　particular　dress　makes　a　part　of　the　things　essential　to　the　



sect　of　Roma；　so　likewise　no　particular　god　and　no　particular　



religion。







Where　these　people　first　assumed　the　name　of　Egyptians；　or　where　



that　title　was　first　bestowed　upon　them；　it　is　difficult　to　



determine；　perhaps；　however；　in　the　eastern　parts　of　Europe；　where　



it　should　seem　the　grand　body　of　this　nation　of　wanderers　made　a　



halt　for　a　considerable　time；　and　where　they　are　still　to　be　found　



in　greater　numbers　than　in　any　other　part。　　One　thing　is　certain；　



that　when　they　first　entered　Germany；　which　they　speedily　overran；　



they　appeared　under　the　character　of　Egyptians；　doing　penance　for　



the　sin　of　having　refused　hospitality　to　the　Virgin　and　her　Son；　



and；　of　course；　as　believers　in　the　Christian　faith；　



notwithstanding　that　they　subsisted　by　the　perpetration　of　every　



kind　of　robbery　and　imposition；　Aventinus　（ANNALES　BOIORUM；　826）　



speaking　of　them　says：　　'Adeo　tamen　vana　superstitio　hominum　



mentes；　velut　lethargus　invasit；　ut　eos　violari　nefas　putet；　atque　



grassari；　furari；　imponere　passim　sinant。'







This　singular　story　of　banishment　from　Egypt；　and　Wandering　through　



the　world　for　a　period　of　seven　years；　for　inhospitality　displayed　



to　the　Virgin；　and　which　I　find　much　difficulty　in　attributing　to　



the　invention　of　people　so　ignorant　as　the　Romas；　tallies　strangely　



with　the　fate　foretold　to　the　ancient　Egyptians　in　certain　chapters　



of　Ezekiel；　so　much　so；　indeed；　that　it　seems　to　be　derived　from　



that　source。　　The　Lord　is　angry　with　Egypt　because　its　inhabitants　



have　been　a　staff　of　reed　to　the　house　of　Israel；　and　thus　he　



threatens　them　by　the　mouth　of　his　prophet。







'I　will　make　the　land　of　Egypt　desolate　in　the　midst　of　the　



countries　that　are　desolate；　and　her　cities　among　the　cities　that　



are　laid　waste　shall　be　desolate　forty　years：　　and　I　will　scatter　



the　Egyptians　among　the　nations；　and　will　disperse　them　through　the　



countries。'　　Ezek。；　chap。　xxix。　v。　12。　　'Yet　thus　saith　the　Lord　



God；　at　the　end　of　forty　years　will　I　gather　the　Egyptians　from　the　



people　whither　they　were　scattered。'　v。　13。







'Thus　saith　the　Lord；　I　will　make　the　multitude　of　Egypt　to　cease；　



by　the　hand　of　Nebuchadnezzar；　king　of　Babylon。'　　Chap。　xxx。　v。　10。







'And　I　will　scatter　the　Egyptians　among　the　nations；　and　disperse　



them　among　the　countries；　and　they　shall　know　that　I　am　the　Lord。'　



Chap。　　xxx。　v。　26。







The　reader　will　at　once　observe　that　the　apocryphal　tale　which　the　



Romas　brought　into　Germany；　concerning　their　origin　and　wanderings；　



agrees　in　every　material　point　with　the　sacred　prophecy。　　The　



ancient　Egyptians　were　to　be　driven　from　their　country　and　



dispersed　amongst　the　nations；　for　a　period　of　forty　years；　for　



having　been　the　cause　of　Israel's　backsliding；　and　for　not　having　



known　the　Lord；　…　the　modern　pseudo…Egyptians　are　to　be　dispersed　



among　the　nations　for　seven　years；　for　having　denied　hospitality　to　



the　Virgin　and　her　child。　　The　prophecy　seems　only　to　have　been　



remodelled　for　the　purpose　of　suiting　the　taste　of　the　time；　as　no　



legend　possessed　much　interest　in　which　the　Virgin　did　not　figure；　



she　and　her　child　are　here　introduced　instead　of　the　Israelites；　



and　the　Lord　of　Heaven　offended　with　the　Egyptians；　and　this　legend　



appears　to　have　been　very　well　received　in　Germany；　for　a　time　at　



least；　for；　as　Aventinus　observes；　it　was　esteemed　a　crime　of　the　



first　magnitude　to　offer　any　violence　to　the　Egyptian　pilgrims；　who　



were　permitted　to　rob　on　the　highway；　to　commit　larceny；　and　to　



practise　every　species　of　imposition　with　impunity。







The　tale；　however；　of　the　Romas　could　hardly　have　been　invented　by　



themselves；　as　they　were；　and　still　are；　utterly　unacquainted　with　



the　Scripture；　it　probably　originated　amongst　the　priests　and　



learned　men　of　the　east　of　Europe；　who；　startled　by　the　sudden　



apparition　of　bands　of　people　foreign　in　appearance　and　language；　



skilled　in　divination　and　the　occult　arts；　endeavoured　to　find　in　



Scripture　a　clue　to　such　a　phenomenon；　the　result　of　which　was；　



that　the　Romas　of　Hindustan　were　suddenly　transformed　into　Egyptian　



penitents；　a　title　which　they　have　ever　since　borne　in　various　



parts　of　Europe。　　There　are　no　means　of　ascertaining　whether　they　



themselves　believed　from　the　first　in　this　story；　they　most　



probably　took　it　on　credit；　more　especially　as　they　could　give　no　



account　of　themselves；　there　being　every　reason　for　supposing　that　



from　time　immemorial　they　had　existed　in　the　East　as　a　thievish　



wandering　sect；　as　they　at　present　do　in　Europe；　without　history　or　



traditions；　and　unable　to　look　back　for　a　period　of　eighty　years。　　



The　tale　moreover　answered　their　purpose；　as　beneath　the　garb　o