On the Egyptian Descent of the Gipseys.
Thebelief that Gipseys are of Egyptian origin, is parallel with the existence of these people in Europe. It arose from the report circulated by the first of them who arrived here that they were pilgrims from Egypt; and this statement has not only been universally adopted by the common people, but has also, here and there, obtained credit among men of learning. Had this opinion not been received at a time when every thing was taken upon trust without examination; had it not been propagated every-where by the first Gipseys, and obtained the sanction of time in following ages; it would have been impossible for it to have gained such general acceptation, or to have maintained itself even to the latest times.
Till the seventeenth century, the Egyptian descent of the Gipseys rested entirely on tradition. Thomasius was the first who endeavoured to establish this matter on satisfactory evidence. Those who, since him, have supported the same opinion, are principally the Englishman Salmon; and, lately, Signor Griselini. Before their vouchers are produced, it will be proper to mention thatThomasius speaks only of the Gipseys who travelled about Europe during the first seven years after their arrival; for he thinks that, after seven years were elapsed, these, excepting a very few, returned home again, and after their retreat the present set was produced, as has been already described. In this particular, he differs entirely from the other two writers, making the latter Gipseys a distinct race of people from those who first arrived. On the contrary, Salmon, as well as Griselini, consider the Gipseys that are now wandering in Europe, and with truth, as lineal descendants of the former, consequently bring them all from Egypt.
Thomasius says: “The first Gipseys never would allow themselves to be any people but Egyptians; asserting always, that the Lesser Egypt was their mother country: and they deserve credit, as they were an honourable worthy set of people.” One observation will be sufficient in reply:—Among the oldest writers who, prior to Stumpf, mention the Gipseys, not one seems to be acquainted with their worth. But Thomasius himself discovered the weakness of his first argument, and therefore hastens to another. “Be this as it may,” he proceeds, “they were in the earliest times, when doubtless something more certain was extant, always looked upon as Egyptians: so that it does not become us, wholive two hundred years later, positively to reject what was at that time generally assented to.” Our author was not aware that this kind of reasoning proves too much; for by the same mode of arguing, every antiquated error, every ridiculous superstition, may be defended. If this be admitted, Satan gets his cloven foot again, of which modern unbelief had bereft him. Thus, Christian Thomasius acted unjustifiably when he laid violent hands on witches and sorcerers, and put an end to their existence, though credited from the highest antiquity. Thomasius imagines there were other proofs, beside the Gipseys’ own assertions, that they were Egyptians; this supposition, however, not only has nothing to support it, but is openly contradicted by Aventin, Kranz, and Münster. It is not authenticated because the chronicles universally mention it as a saying of the Gipseys, whenever they speak of their coming from Egypt. It is confuted by Aventin, who rejects their Egyptian descent; at the same time he alledges, that they wished to be thought from that country. In his time, nothing was known concerning them, but what came from their own mouths: and those who thought them Egyptians, rested their belief entirely on the veracity of their informants. This is collected with greater certainty from Kranz and Münster; for these declare expressly, that every thing which could be discovered, by any othermeans than their own assertions, contradicted rather than confirmed their Egyptian descent. Yet Thomasius has more proofs; he cites the resemblance between the Gipseys and the inhabitants of the Lesser Egypt, whence they say they came. But many people lay this difficulty in his way, that the name of Lesser Egypt is not to be found in any system of geography, but is a mere invention of the Gipseys. He rests his opinion on that of Vulcanius, who looks upon Nubia to be the Lesser Egypt, and thinks, for what reason does not appear, that the Nubians themselves called their country by that name. These are the similarities:—Nubians, as well as Gipseys, confess themselves Christians; both lead a wandering life, and both are of a dark brown complexion: to which some resemblances in shape between the Gipseys and Egyptians are introduced in general terms. Whether there be any affinity in their languages he leaves undetermined, because, he says, he knows nothing about it. That the name of Zigeuner is the same as Egyptian, and the former is derived from the latter, he proves in the following ingenious manner: “The Spaniards—who, instead of Egyptaner, call them Gitanos—have cut off the first syllable. Our forefathers, who exceeded the Spaniards in the art of mangling names, have rejected two syllables, and, instead of Egyptianer, first called them Cianer, afterwards, in order to fillup the chasm betweenianda, Ciganer. Further, as we, instead of Italianer, say Italiener, we have also changed Ciganer into Cigener; and at last, as people in Upper Germany are very fond of diphthongs, Cigeuner, or Zigeuner, has been produced.” Now, if any thing can be proved by all this, in the same manner the several opinions quoted in the former chapter are likewise established. And yet, after all, who will say, that, instead of Egyptier, Egyptianer, whence Cianer, Ciganer, and thus progressively through all the changes, Zigeuner may be produced? With regard to the denomination of Lesser Egypt, ranked under the list of Gipsey fables, and brought as evidence to overset Thomasius’s system, because Egypt never was divided into Greater and Smaller, it is nevertheless a true geographical name, though certainly not to be found in the treatises on geography: it however appears in the title of a Turkish emperor. A declaration of war, made by Achmet IV. against John Casimir, king of Poland, in 1652, begins with the following words: “I sultan, a king and son of the Turkish emperor, a soldier of the God of the Greeks and Babylonians—king of the Greater and Lesser Egypt.” The Gipseys have therefore, in this instance, been falsely accused of a fiction: but whether by this Lesser Egypt, Lower Egypt be understood, cannot be determined.
Salmon believes the Gipseys to be Mamelukes, who were obliged to quit Egypt in 1517, when the Turkish emperor conquered this country, and thereby put an end to the Circassian government. They are reputed to have acquired the name of Zigeuner, or in the Turkish language Zinganies, from a Captain Zinganeus, who was very active in opposing the Turks. How all this is proved, will best appear from his own words: “They had no occasion for any testimony to shew they were of Egyptian descent. The blackness of their skin clearly indicated from what part they came. What confirms me, in my belief of this intelligence, concerning the origin of the Gipseys, is an act of Parliament, passed in the twenty-seventh year of the reign of Henry VIII.—that is, fourteen years after the victory obtained by Selim emperor of the Turks over Egypt—in which are the following words:Whereas certain outlandish people,who do not profess any craft or trade,whereby to maintain themselves;but go about,in great numbers,from place to place,using insidious underhand means to impose on his Majesty’s subjects,making them believe that they understand the art of foretelling to men and women their good or ill fortune,by looking in their hands,whereby they frequently defraud people of their money;likewise are guilty of thefts and highway robberies:it is hereby ordered,thatthe said vagrants,commonly called Egyptians,in case they remain one month in the kingdom,shall be proceeded against as thieves and rascals,and on the importation of any such Egyptian,he(the importer)shall forfeit40l.. . .for every trespass.” He then quotes another act, passed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, wherein the Gipseys are also called Egyptians.
From the blackness of their skins, therefore, with the official use of the name Egyptian, Salmon first draws the inference that they were really Egyptians: then, because the first decree published against the Gipseys in England was fourteen years after Selim’s conquest of Egypt, that they were Mamelukes. There is not any connection to be discovered in either conclusion. The Parliament used in the act the word Egyptian, because it was universally current in England. Whether the Gipseys were Egyptians or not, was a question of learning, totally irrelevant with the intention of the order; nor could it be determined by any juridical decree.
There is still less reason for supposing them Mamelukes who had travelled from Egypt on its being taken by Selim in 1517, and tracing their name from one of their leaders: as both they and their name were known in Europe at least a hundred years preceding the fall of Gäwry; or beforeTumanbai, the latest hope of the Mamelukes, was hanged.[154]
Griselini advances numerous reasons in support of his opinion, and would certainly go a great way towards determining the Egyptian origin of the Gipseys, if, as in most investigations, more did not depend upon the quality than the number of the proofs. Yet he does not suppose them to be genuine Egyptians; and for this reason, because the greatest number of those resemblances which he has sought between Egyptians and Gipseys, intendedto prove the latter descended from the former, are not applicable to the question. Besides, he finds himself under the necessity of looking for foreign helps; and what he cannot make coincide with the Egyptians, he meets with among the Ethiopians and Troglodytes: these he introduces promiscuously, kneads the whole together, and determines the Gipseys to be a mixture of Ethiopians, Egyptians, and Troglodytes. This very circumstance, even before his reasons are considered,renders the matter very suspicious. By the same means, it would not be very difficult to shew that the Italians are, in part, on account of their nastiness, Ostiacks; in part, because of their superstition, and admiration of magnificent edifices, Egyptians; and lastly, in part, for their dastardly treacherous revenge, Chinese.
Griselini begins his comparisons with the disposition of the Gipseys. He says,—
“They are inclined to melancholy, and are desperate in the first emotions of their anger:—Ammianus Marcellinus describes the Egyptians, of his time, in nearly the same terms.“With regard to religion,” he proceeds, “the Gipseys of the Banat always conform to that which prevails in the village, be it the Roman-catholic or the Illyrian Greek. They have not the least comprehension of either; in which ignorance they perfectly resemble the Wallachians—except that they observe the strict fasts of the Greek church with more exactness. The Wallachians separate from their wives only during the last days of the great fasts: the Gipseys, on the contrary, avoid their society from the beginning to the end; also on the Ascension of the Blessed Virgin, in Advent, and especially all vigils.—Apuleius, and other writers of antiquity, take particular notice of the Egyptian fasts, whosestrictness consisted chiefly in this, that the man held himself obliged to refrain from his consort’s bed.“But, beside these solemn fasts, the Gipseys of the Banat observe a degree of temperance, and a choice in their diet, even on those days when all kinds of food are permitted. They abstain from frogs and tortoises; wherein they accord with the Wallachians, Räizes, and other Christians of the Greek church. Moreover, they refrain from some kinds of river fish, viz. the red-scaled bream, perch, and lampreys; of which it is known that, among the Egyptians, the race of Likopolis and Tagaroriopolis refused to taste. The Gipseys are adverse to all feathered game, and particularly to birds of prey. The stork, when he deigns to build on their wretched huts, is highly esteemed by them:—one of these birds, like its relation ibis, was an object of worship, with other symbolical Egyptian deities.“Of four-footed animals, the Gipseys are most fond of swine’s flesh, particularly salted.—The Egyptians likewise consumed a great number of these creatures, though they looked upon their herds and keepers to be unclean.“The Gipseys hang up large onions in their dwellings, but do not eat them.—Besides that the Egyptians honoured them, as well as many other vegetables, we are informed by DiodorusSiculus, that by the regulations relating to diet, observed in the different Egyptian provinces, onions were prohibited in some, but allowed in others.“Like the old Egyptians, the Gipseys cannot bear the smell of beans; although their neighbours, the Wallachians, eat them with pleasure.“When I was at Denta, in the district of Csakowa, curiosity led me into a Gipsey hut. The first object which arrested my attention was a young man covered with the itch, whose mother was feeding him with the boiled flesh of a small snake, on a dirty earthen plate.—In the same manner the Egyptians used the flesh of snakes, as the mildest and most effectual remedy for the elephantiasis.“It is well known that, even to this day, fowls and others of the feathered tribe are hatched by art in Egypt.—I must confess I was not a little surprised when, in July, 1775, I went into a Gipsey hut before Karansebes, to find an old woman engaged in hatching geese and ducks eggs, in horse-dung. This was exactly the method of the old Egyptians.“From all which has hitherto been produced, as well as that the Gipseys of the Banat, and others dispersed over the rest of Europe, declare themselves to be from Egypt, it is highly probable that they are of Egyptian origin. But seea nearer resemblance. So long ago as in Ælian’s time, the Egyptians were famous for their patience in enduring all kinds of torture; and would rather expire on the rack, than be brought to confession; which is a striking trait in the character of the Gipseys. When this equivocal means of learning the truth, the torture, was practised in the imperial royal hereditary dominions, several instances may be remembered of the Gipseys suffering themselves to be torn to pieces sooner than acknowledge crimes, even when the magistrates had the most indisputable proofs of them.”
“They are inclined to melancholy, and are desperate in the first emotions of their anger:—Ammianus Marcellinus describes the Egyptians, of his time, in nearly the same terms.
“With regard to religion,” he proceeds, “the Gipseys of the Banat always conform to that which prevails in the village, be it the Roman-catholic or the Illyrian Greek. They have not the least comprehension of either; in which ignorance they perfectly resemble the Wallachians—except that they observe the strict fasts of the Greek church with more exactness. The Wallachians separate from their wives only during the last days of the great fasts: the Gipseys, on the contrary, avoid their society from the beginning to the end; also on the Ascension of the Blessed Virgin, in Advent, and especially all vigils.—Apuleius, and other writers of antiquity, take particular notice of the Egyptian fasts, whosestrictness consisted chiefly in this, that the man held himself obliged to refrain from his consort’s bed.
“But, beside these solemn fasts, the Gipseys of the Banat observe a degree of temperance, and a choice in their diet, even on those days when all kinds of food are permitted. They abstain from frogs and tortoises; wherein they accord with the Wallachians, Räizes, and other Christians of the Greek church. Moreover, they refrain from some kinds of river fish, viz. the red-scaled bream, perch, and lampreys; of which it is known that, among the Egyptians, the race of Likopolis and Tagaroriopolis refused to taste. The Gipseys are adverse to all feathered game, and particularly to birds of prey. The stork, when he deigns to build on their wretched huts, is highly esteemed by them:—one of these birds, like its relation ibis, was an object of worship, with other symbolical Egyptian deities.
“Of four-footed animals, the Gipseys are most fond of swine’s flesh, particularly salted.—The Egyptians likewise consumed a great number of these creatures, though they looked upon their herds and keepers to be unclean.
“The Gipseys hang up large onions in their dwellings, but do not eat them.—Besides that the Egyptians honoured them, as well as many other vegetables, we are informed by DiodorusSiculus, that by the regulations relating to diet, observed in the different Egyptian provinces, onions were prohibited in some, but allowed in others.
“Like the old Egyptians, the Gipseys cannot bear the smell of beans; although their neighbours, the Wallachians, eat them with pleasure.
“When I was at Denta, in the district of Csakowa, curiosity led me into a Gipsey hut. The first object which arrested my attention was a young man covered with the itch, whose mother was feeding him with the boiled flesh of a small snake, on a dirty earthen plate.—In the same manner the Egyptians used the flesh of snakes, as the mildest and most effectual remedy for the elephantiasis.
“It is well known that, even to this day, fowls and others of the feathered tribe are hatched by art in Egypt.—I must confess I was not a little surprised when, in July, 1775, I went into a Gipsey hut before Karansebes, to find an old woman engaged in hatching geese and ducks eggs, in horse-dung. This was exactly the method of the old Egyptians.
“From all which has hitherto been produced, as well as that the Gipseys of the Banat, and others dispersed over the rest of Europe, declare themselves to be from Egypt, it is highly probable that they are of Egyptian origin. But seea nearer resemblance. So long ago as in Ælian’s time, the Egyptians were famous for their patience in enduring all kinds of torture; and would rather expire on the rack, than be brought to confession; which is a striking trait in the character of the Gipseys. When this equivocal means of learning the truth, the torture, was practised in the imperial royal hereditary dominions, several instances may be remembered of the Gipseys suffering themselves to be torn to pieces sooner than acknowledge crimes, even when the magistrates had the most indisputable proofs of them.”
Thus far has been to prove the Egyptian descent of the Gipseys. What follows is against it; and, from the similarity of their condition, is to convince us that they are of Æthiopian and Troglodytish origin.
“According to the most authentic writers, the Egyptians were solicitous to build themselves convenient habitations. They lived decently; and their attention to cleanliness, in the observance of certain rules of health, was so general, that even the peasants, and the lowest classes of people in the nation, were no exception to it.—The residences of the Gipseys in the Banat present a very different picture. . . . Miserable dwellings, consisting, partly of thorns and straw packed together, and partly of holes, ten ortwelve feet deep, dug in the earth. Taken in this point of view, the Gipseys have more the appearance of being related to the hordes of Æthiopians and Troglodytes.“Among the ancient Egyptians, agriculture was in high esteem; as it still is among the present Copts, their true descendants.—The Gipseys, on the contrary, are the worst, and most careless farmers: another argument for their being Ethiopians and Troglodytes.“These and other African hordes, employ themselves in collecting gold out of the river sand;—in like manner, the Marosch, Nera, and other streams, have induced the Gipseys to become goldwashers.“An inclination for strolling, to which the Egyptians were so very adverse, is the particular propensity of the Gipseys in general; nor are those of the Banat exempt from it.“The more artful, particularly of the other sex, go about from house to house, where they tell fortunes, cast nativities, discover thefts, and pretend they possess remedies, to which they ascribe wonders and infallible cures. These nostrums consist, chiefly, of roots, amulets, certain small stones . . . mostly a kind of scoriæ.—Among the Egyptians, likewise, such impostors rambled up and down. These were Ethiopians by descent, who carried on a similar trade.“From the last considerations, compared with the former, one would be inclined rather to deduce the origin of the Gipseys from the Ethiopians and Troglodytes, than from the Egyptians. But what I am going to add, will make it more probable that they are a mixture of all the three nations.[161]“It is well known that people of both sexes, calling themselves Egyptian priests and priestesses, were, in ancient times, scattered through Italy, Greece, and all the provinces of the Roman empire: where they not only introduced the worship of the goddess Isis, but wandered from place to place, begged, and professed the same kinds of ingenuity in which the Gipseys of the Banat, and the rest of their brethren dispersed over Europe, are so thoroughly versed. These said priests and priestesses, which Apuleius ironically callsmagnæ religionis sidera, not only knocked at people’s doors, in Rome, with their sistris, but even had the skill to persuade the common people, that to refuse them alms and to commit sacrilege were equally heinous. They even went so far as to threaten those who slighted them, in the name of their goddess Isis, tostrike them with blindness, or the tympany (hydrops tympanites).—Aventin says, the Gipseys could so terrify the people in Bavaria, with the like threats, that they suffered themselves to be robbed by them with impunity. Likewise in the Banat, the women, particularly, are heard to vent the most horrid curses and imprecations if they are reprimanded, or not paid for their calculations of nativities, singing, or fortune-telling.“The licentiousness and immorality of the Gipseys are extreme. In early youth, when yet young girls, they exhibit themselves, with their dances, before every person from whom they expect any present; and these dances always end in lascivious attitudes and shameful gestures. In like manner, the ordinary women in Egypt used to dance at their orgies, especially at the feast of Bubostes, and the procession of Canopus. The like scenes appeared at Rome, among the wives, daughters, and sponsors of the priests of Isis, agreeably to the mysteries of that goddess.”
“According to the most authentic writers, the Egyptians were solicitous to build themselves convenient habitations. They lived decently; and their attention to cleanliness, in the observance of certain rules of health, was so general, that even the peasants, and the lowest classes of people in the nation, were no exception to it.—The residences of the Gipseys in the Banat present a very different picture. . . . Miserable dwellings, consisting, partly of thorns and straw packed together, and partly of holes, ten ortwelve feet deep, dug in the earth. Taken in this point of view, the Gipseys have more the appearance of being related to the hordes of Æthiopians and Troglodytes.
“Among the ancient Egyptians, agriculture was in high esteem; as it still is among the present Copts, their true descendants.—The Gipseys, on the contrary, are the worst, and most careless farmers: another argument for their being Ethiopians and Troglodytes.
“These and other African hordes, employ themselves in collecting gold out of the river sand;—in like manner, the Marosch, Nera, and other streams, have induced the Gipseys to become goldwashers.
“An inclination for strolling, to which the Egyptians were so very adverse, is the particular propensity of the Gipseys in general; nor are those of the Banat exempt from it.
“The more artful, particularly of the other sex, go about from house to house, where they tell fortunes, cast nativities, discover thefts, and pretend they possess remedies, to which they ascribe wonders and infallible cures. These nostrums consist, chiefly, of roots, amulets, certain small stones . . . mostly a kind of scoriæ.—Among the Egyptians, likewise, such impostors rambled up and down. These were Ethiopians by descent, who carried on a similar trade.
“From the last considerations, compared with the former, one would be inclined rather to deduce the origin of the Gipseys from the Ethiopians and Troglodytes, than from the Egyptians. But what I am going to add, will make it more probable that they are a mixture of all the three nations.[161]
“It is well known that people of both sexes, calling themselves Egyptian priests and priestesses, were, in ancient times, scattered through Italy, Greece, and all the provinces of the Roman empire: where they not only introduced the worship of the goddess Isis, but wandered from place to place, begged, and professed the same kinds of ingenuity in which the Gipseys of the Banat, and the rest of their brethren dispersed over Europe, are so thoroughly versed. These said priests and priestesses, which Apuleius ironically callsmagnæ religionis sidera, not only knocked at people’s doors, in Rome, with their sistris, but even had the skill to persuade the common people, that to refuse them alms and to commit sacrilege were equally heinous. They even went so far as to threaten those who slighted them, in the name of their goddess Isis, tostrike them with blindness, or the tympany (hydrops tympanites).—Aventin says, the Gipseys could so terrify the people in Bavaria, with the like threats, that they suffered themselves to be robbed by them with impunity. Likewise in the Banat, the women, particularly, are heard to vent the most horrid curses and imprecations if they are reprimanded, or not paid for their calculations of nativities, singing, or fortune-telling.
“The licentiousness and immorality of the Gipseys are extreme. In early youth, when yet young girls, they exhibit themselves, with their dances, before every person from whom they expect any present; and these dances always end in lascivious attitudes and shameful gestures. In like manner, the ordinary women in Egypt used to dance at their orgies, especially at the feast of Bubostes, and the procession of Canopus. The like scenes appeared at Rome, among the wives, daughters, and sponsors of the priests of Isis, agreeably to the mysteries of that goddess.”
Griselini now comes to the point:—To what nation did these priests and priestesses belong? And when did their emigration happen?
“It was after the time of Augustus,” he says, “that they began to wander through the different parts of Europe; in every district of which, they endeavoured to disseminate the worship of Isis.“They practised astrology, and other kinds of superstitious impositions, with all sorts of vagrants’ tricks, in nearly the same manner as the Gipseys of our age deceive people.“Now it is known that the Egyptian priests had stated incomes, from appropriated lands; which circumstance attached them to their native country: and hence they hated an unsettled life. Neither did they desire to make proselytes; and strangers, who wished to be initiated into the rites and mysteries of Isis, were obliged to submit to be circumcised;—this ceremony was indispensable: on the contrary, the before-mentioned priests of Isis wandering about the Roman provinces, never mentioned a word of circumcision to their new converts. Very sensible critics have produced palpable evidence that they were Ethiopians and Troglodytes, who could the more easily pass for Egyptians, as their features, persons, customs, and religion, were the same.“Of all the writers who mention these emigrations, from Egypt, into Italy, Greece, and every part of the globe which was known in the time of the Romans, I shall refer only to Heliodorus. It was very possible that, sometimes, real Egyptians who had been driven by misfortunes from their native country, or perhaps some of the very lowest rank of people who had nothing to lose, might be mixed with these wanderers.From this mixture of Ethiopians, Troglodytes, and Egyptians, then, sprang a distinct wandering race, which partakes, in some measure, of all the three nations; and from which, according to the foregoing observations, we may reasonably conclude the Gipseys of our time to be descended; as in all of them we discover, sometimes the Troglodyte, sometimes the Ethiopian, and sometimes the Egyptian.“That no mention is made of them in the Hungarian yearly publications before the year 1417, is by no means a proof that they were not known long before, both in that kingdom and the Banat. If we admit the Roman coins which are dug out of the earth as proof that the Romans have been inhabitants of any place, without the concurrent testimony of any historian; we are equally authorised to admit the little Egyptian idols, of bronze, which are dug up near them in the Banat, as proof for the Gipseys. Being dispersed all over the Roman conquest, why might they not as well, when Dacia became a province, have gone there likewise, and propagated the worship of Isis, Anubis, and other Egyptian deities, the same as in Italy?”
“It was after the time of Augustus,” he says, “that they began to wander through the different parts of Europe; in every district of which, they endeavoured to disseminate the worship of Isis.
“They practised astrology, and other kinds of superstitious impositions, with all sorts of vagrants’ tricks, in nearly the same manner as the Gipseys of our age deceive people.
“Now it is known that the Egyptian priests had stated incomes, from appropriated lands; which circumstance attached them to their native country: and hence they hated an unsettled life. Neither did they desire to make proselytes; and strangers, who wished to be initiated into the rites and mysteries of Isis, were obliged to submit to be circumcised;—this ceremony was indispensable: on the contrary, the before-mentioned priests of Isis wandering about the Roman provinces, never mentioned a word of circumcision to their new converts. Very sensible critics have produced palpable evidence that they were Ethiopians and Troglodytes, who could the more easily pass for Egyptians, as their features, persons, customs, and religion, were the same.
“Of all the writers who mention these emigrations, from Egypt, into Italy, Greece, and every part of the globe which was known in the time of the Romans, I shall refer only to Heliodorus. It was very possible that, sometimes, real Egyptians who had been driven by misfortunes from their native country, or perhaps some of the very lowest rank of people who had nothing to lose, might be mixed with these wanderers.From this mixture of Ethiopians, Troglodytes, and Egyptians, then, sprang a distinct wandering race, which partakes, in some measure, of all the three nations; and from which, according to the foregoing observations, we may reasonably conclude the Gipseys of our time to be descended; as in all of them we discover, sometimes the Troglodyte, sometimes the Ethiopian, and sometimes the Egyptian.
“That no mention is made of them in the Hungarian yearly publications before the year 1417, is by no means a proof that they were not known long before, both in that kingdom and the Banat. If we admit the Roman coins which are dug out of the earth as proof that the Romans have been inhabitants of any place, without the concurrent testimony of any historian; we are equally authorised to admit the little Egyptian idols, of bronze, which are dug up near them in the Banat, as proof for the Gipseys. Being dispersed all over the Roman conquest, why might they not as well, when Dacia became a province, have gone there likewise, and propagated the worship of Isis, Anubis, and other Egyptian deities, the same as in Italy?”
Such are Mr. Griselini’s arguments, stated very diffusely, as they may be found in his works: but it will be evident, that what he adduces in support of his opinion, is a direct proof that itcannot be established. Supposing any person charitable enough to allow there is good argument in his far-fetched similarities; yet the circumstance, that neither in the Hungarian nor in any other Journals, is the least notice taken of Gipseys before the year 1417, would overset the whole again. Griselini felt this himself; but what he urges in reply, is no answer to the objection. Nor is it just, that the Roman coins found in the Banat should be esteemed, without concurrent testimony, a proof of the Romans having formerly dwelt there. German crowns are, as Mr. Niebuhr informs us, the chief current coin in Yemen (Arabia Felix), and great numbers are yearly sent thither for coffee. If some centuries hence, when revolutions may have occasioned great changes, the said German money should be dug up, would any historical writer venture to assert as a truth, that Arabia Felix had formerly been inhabited by Germans! But it is unnecessary to enter into a laboured confutation of Mr. Griselini’s arguments; yet a few hints, with respect to his mode of proceeding, strike so forcibly, that we cannot forbear to notice them.
He relies chiefly upon certain similarities between the Gipseys, Egyptians, and Ethiopians, without reflecting whether they are distinctions peculiar to these people. Of this description the following are examples:—he thinks the Gipseysmust be Troglodytes and Ethiopians, because they follow the employment of goldwashing; these latter, as well as some of the African hordes, do the same in their rivers which produce gold: he makes them Egyptians, because they eat swine’s flesh: again, he concludes they must be priests of Isis, because they exclaim against the hard-hearted, who refuse the boon they ask. Are these, then, distinctions which none but Egyptians and Ethiopians have in common with the Gipseys? Is it necessary to recur to the Egyptians, to find people, beside Gipseys, who eat pork?—Or to the priests of Isis, for sturdy beggars? And, with regard to goldwashers, how came he not to recollect that the Wallachians also follow this employment?—And that near Strasburgh, beside other places, hundreds of people who have not a drop of Gipsey blood in their veins get their living by it?
Further, the said Mr. Griselini, in order to render his system the more plausible, has made use of certain expedients at the expense of truth; and, in spite of all experience to the contrary, so modelled the properties of the Gipseys, as to give them the appearance of complete Egyptians. He makes them by nature inclined to melancholy; whereas their dispositions have not the least tincture of it: they are described as most conscientiously, nay rather superstitiously, attached to religious customs; and yet, according to theuniversal testimony of other observers of these people, they are totally indifferent as to every thing connected with religion. He says, they are adverse to eating onions; and as for beans, they abhor them: whereas Sulzer was a witness how much they liked the flavour of both. By proceeding in this manner, every thing may be made to answer all purposes. But woe to the records and histories which are used in this manner!
It will be seen, from what has been said on the subject, that the supposed Egyptian descent of the Gipseys is very far from being proved; notwithstanding it was formerly so generally credited, and even is to this day. Arguing on the supposition that they originated from Egypt, care was taken to inform us what kind of people they had been in that country. It is very confidently related, and to our great edification, that their forefathers were the same sorcerers who, in the presence of Pharaoh, imitated Moses’s miracles: moreover, that the Egyptian king set these people as taskmasters over the children of Israel, in order to render their labour the more grievous: and finally, that these were the very murderers employed by the inhuman Herod, to carry into effect his cruel decree respecting the children of Bethlehem. This kind of dreaming has been carried still further; it having been calculated to what degree of indolence these people had accustomed themselvesin Egypt, living by the labour and sweat of others. Afterwards, when, contrary to expectation, the Children of Israel escaped from their servitude, the lucrative employment of these overseers, of course, had an end: instead of reconciling themselves to any kind of labour, they rather chose to decamp, with goods, wives, and children, from Egypt, in hopes, by cunning and fraud, to procure an easier subsistence in foreign countries. They pursued this shameful course of life through the following centuries; and have, at last, pushed their excursions into our territories.
But it is not sufficient that the Egyptian descent of these people is entirely destitute of proof; on the other side, the most positive proof is to be found to contradict it. Their language differs entirely from the Coptic; and their customs, as Ahasuerus Fritsch has remarked, are diametrically opposite to the Egyptian. To these facts must be added that weighty circumstance, of their wandering about like strangers in Egypt, where they form a distinct people; as not only Bellonius, but many later writers assure us. Muratori, therefore, is not in the wrong, when he thinks it ridiculous to account them Egyptians—people having no better authority for this belief, than their own unsupported opinion.
Thus, then, stands the argument, as well with respect to the derivation of the Gipseys in general, as in regard to the Egyptian descent of them in particular.While many men, and among these some very respectable for their learning, declare the origin of these people to remain an unsolved riddle, the opinion that they were not originally from Egypt, will, it is thought, by the contents of this and the foregoing chapter, be thoroughly confirmed. Notwithstanding the innumerable researches, the Gipseys still remain unacknowledged inmates in Europe.
It may nevertheless be doubted whether Swinburne is quite right, in asserting it to be impossible ever to find out the real home of these strangers. After so many unsuccessful endeavours, it is not without apprehension, though with the best-founded hope, we venture on another trial.
The Gipseys come from Hindostan.
Itis justly asserted, that one of the most infallible methods of determining the origin of these people with certainty, would be the discovery of a country where their language was in common use. The first and most necessary examination here, therefore, will be, to find out the part of the globe in which the Gipseys’ language is that of the natives: and this country is no other than Hindostan. But before we endeavour to prove this assertion, by a comparison of the Hindostan and Gipsey languages, it will be proper to premise something, which will serve as an introduction of considerable weight. It is an article of intelligence, to be found in the Vienna Gazette, and comes from a Captain Szekely von Doba, a man who was thinking of nothing less than of searching for the Gipseys and their language in the East Indies.
“In the year 1763, on the 6th of November,” says Captain Szekely, “a printer, whose name was Stephen Pap Szathmar Nemethi, came to see me. Talking upon various subjects, we at last fell upon that of the Gipseys; and my guest related to me the following anecdote, from the mouth of a preacher of the reformed church,Stephen Vali, at Almasch in the county of Komora.—When the said Vali studied at the university of Leyden, he was intimately acquainted with some young Malabars, of whom three are obliged constantly to study there, nor can they return home till relieved by three others. Having observed that their native language bore a great affinity to that spoken by the Gipseys, he availed himself of the opportunity to note down, from themselves, upwards of one thousand words, together with their significations. They assured him, at the same time, that upon their island was a tract of land, or province, called Czigania (but it is not laid down on the map). After Vali was returned from the university, he informed himself, among the Raber Gipseys, concerning the meaning of his Malabar words, which they explained without trouble or hesitation.”
“In the year 1763, on the 6th of November,” says Captain Szekely, “a printer, whose name was Stephen Pap Szathmar Nemethi, came to see me. Talking upon various subjects, we at last fell upon that of the Gipseys; and my guest related to me the following anecdote, from the mouth of a preacher of the reformed church,Stephen Vali, at Almasch in the county of Komora.—When the said Vali studied at the university of Leyden, he was intimately acquainted with some young Malabars, of whom three are obliged constantly to study there, nor can they return home till relieved by three others. Having observed that their native language bore a great affinity to that spoken by the Gipseys, he availed himself of the opportunity to note down, from themselves, upwards of one thousand words, together with their significations. They assured him, at the same time, that upon their island was a tract of land, or province, called Czigania (but it is not laid down on the map). After Vali was returned from the university, he informed himself, among the Raber Gipseys, concerning the meaning of his Malabar words, which they explained without trouble or hesitation.”
In this anecdote, every thing seems to happen by chance; even to the learned man who published it in the Gazette, it appeared as if fallen from the clouds, and entirely oversets his system; for he was the person, mentioned above, who broached the opinion of the Gipseys being Mongol Tartars. So much more weighty, therefore, and unexceptionable, are the hints it throws out, for the discovery of the Gipseys’ mother country, by means of their language.
The consideration that, according to this anecdote, the Gipsey language is declared to be Malabar, and we have pronounced it Hindostan, does not create any difficulty, although they are very different from each other. Probably the three young men, from whom Vali took down his words, were Bramins’ sons, whose language was that proper to the learned Bramins, or the Shanscritt. But the affinity between this and the common language spoken by the people of Hindostan, is the same as between pure Latin and modern Italian. It was therefore very natural that the Raber Gipseys should understand, if not all, at least the greatest part of the words which Vali repeated to them.
However, we do not want this come-off. The difficulty will subside without it, when we examine the connection between the Gipsey and Hindostan languages. The next thing, therefore, is to give a list of words from both.
Gipsey.
Hindostan.
English.
Ick;Ek
Ek
One
Duj;Doj
Du
Two
Trin;Tri
Tin
Three
Schtar;Star
Tschar
Four
Pantsch;Pansch
Pansch
Five
Tschowe;Schow;Sof
Tscho
Six
Efta
Hefta; Sat
Seven
Ochto
Aute
Eight
Enja; Eija
Now
Nine
Desch;Des
Dos;Des
Ten
Besch;Bisch;Bis
Bjs
Twenty
Trianda; Tranda
Tjs
Thirty
Starweldesch; Saranda
Tschaljs
Forty
Pantschwerdesch; Panda Pontsandis
Petschass
Fifty
Tschowerdesch; Schoandis
Sytt
Sixty
Estawerdesch
Syttr
Seventy
Ochtowerdesch
Asseh
Eighty
Eijawerdesch; Enjandis
Nubbeh
Ninety
Tschèl; Schèl; Sel
Souw
Hundred
Deschwerschel;Ekezeros
Ekhazar;Hazar
Thousand
O Gluno; a Jékto
Pajla
The First
ODuito; aDuito
Dusera
The Second
OTrito
Tjssera
The Third
O Schtarto
Tscharta
The Fourth
Gipsey.
Hindustan.
English.
Tziro
Wakht
Time
Bersch
Burz; Sal
A Year
Manet; Tschon
Meina
A Month
Diwes
Diw; Rase
Day
Ratti;Rattgin;Rat
Rateh
Night
Feizrile
Fazir; Nur
Morning
Kurko
Etwar
Sunday
Doga
Tschis
An Affair; a Thing
Kak
Tulad; Rykem
The Sex
Arti
Zatt
The Sort
Goswro
Gustur; Moffikj
The Manner
Jek; Otter
Tschan; Tukra
A Piece
Gin
Adadah
The Number
Dewe;Dewel;Dewol;Dewla
Khoda; Allah
God
Deuw
Deuw; Muret
An Idol
Bollopen; Boliben
Dune
The World
Mulro
Dumm
The Spirit
Sie; Wode
Jan
The Soul
Trupo; Teschta
Dhj; Ang; Hal
The Body
Shweto; Tscherosz
Behescht; Asman
Heaven
Tserhenje; Tscherhenja
Tara
A Star
Cham;Cam;Okam
Kam; Surez
The Sun
Schon; Tschemut; Mrascha
Tschand
The Moon
Prabal
Howah
The Air
Jag;Jak;Jago
Ag
Fire
Panj;Pango
Panj
Water
Pu; Bhu; Pube; Epebu
Zemin
The Earth
Balwal,Bear
Beiar; Batas
The Wind
Felhoeschnodi
Baddel
A Cloud
Felheschine
Bjdschelj
Lightening
Tschetogasch
Meg
Thunder
Brischint;Brechindo
Birrsat
Rain
Mrascha;Osch
Kohassa;Osh
The Dew
Koeddo
Kohassa; Kohol
Fog
Temm
Muluk
The Soil
Akra
Moidan
The Field
Hedjo
Pahr
A Mountain
Bar
Pytter; Kaja
A Hillock
Gere; Wermo
Gerrah
A Pit
Wesch
Djp
An Island
Baro Pani
Deriauw
The Ocean
Sero
Dschjl
The Sea
Kunara; Parra
Kinerj
The Shore
TatoPanj; Poschi
Tschata
Morass; Slough
Hani; Foljasi
Pohara
A Spring
Hanj;Hanik
Huah; Koka
A Well
Tallo
Tallauw
A Dike
Flammus
Tjm; Lu
Flame
Jangar; Angar
Koyla
Coal
Mommli; Mumeli
Batthj
Light
Schik
Moil
Mud
Tschar; Djiplo
Rag; Bowus
Ashes
Mescho
Tscuna
Chalk
Balu
Bull; Rith
Sand
Bàre;Bar
Sanka; Pytter
Stone
Wahlin; Tcheklo
Belun
Glass
Jegekoro bar
Patter
Flint-stone
Sonnai;Sonnikey;Schomnakai
Suna
Gold
Rùp
Ruppa
Silver
Tzaster; Trascht
Luha
Iron
Tschino
Kelley
Tin
Molliwo
Mulwa; Sjscha
Lead
Tzindo rup
Parrat
Quicksilver
Lohn;Lon
Nun
Salt
Lonkeren
Sura
Saltpetre
Kandinimomelli
Genden
Sulphur
Char;Tschar; Wira
Gas
Grass
Jiv
Giuw
Wheat
Gib; Arpa
Jou
Barley
Tzirja: Pura
Ljsun
Garlic
Purum; Lolipurum
Peiaz
Onion
Schach
Kubj
Cabbage
Hirhil
Mytter
Peas
Dudum
Hulla
A Gourd
Herbuzho
Terbus
A Melon
Boborka
Birka
A Cucumber
Rùk
Garsch
A Tree
Pabuj
Pawug; Sjuw
An Apple
Brohl
Prohlo
A Pear
Télel
Januwr
A Beast
Kirmo
Kentschuwa
A Worm Silk
Rezh
Rissem
Silk
Birlin
Mumukkj; Schehetkj
A Bee
Jerni
Mum
Wax
Gwju; Mescho
Schahed
Honey
Kirja
Kiro; Tschontj
An Ant
Jua;Tzua
Juj
A Louse
Puzhum;Puschan
Pjsche
A Flea
Matschu;Matscho;Mulo
Mutschli
Fish
Alo
Bam
An Eel
Tschirikli;Tschiriklo
Tschuri
A Bird
Bischothilo
Ghido
The Eagle
Papin; Papim; Papi
Hans
A Goose
Hiretza; Retschori
Buttugh
A Duck
Tovadei
Tubbuter; Tschetschlj
A Dove
Jaros; Garum
Unnda
An Egg
Baropeng; Oroschlana
Sjr; Sing
The Lion
Ru
Bira; Hundar
A Wolf
Jùkel; Tzùkel; Juket; Tschokel; Schokel; Tschikel
Kuttha
A Dog
Schoschi;Tschoschai
Sassa; Khurr
A Hare
Papinori
Baner
An Ape
Gra;Grea;Krej
Gorra; Ghassi
A Horse
Gratsch;Grast
Gorra
A Stallion
Grasnj;Graschni
Gorrj
A Mare
Dernagresch
Batscheru
A Foal
Gurrub;Guru;Gurni
Gorna; Boil
An Ox
Guruni; Kircumni; Gurongatsch
Gaj; Borjuko
A Cow
Warjuhilo
Batschera
A Calf
Bàkera:Bakra;Bakro
Bhjra;Bhjri; Mendha; Mendhi
A Sheep
Bakero;Bharadohilo
Mendhj batscha
A Lamb
Jeschingingri; Ketschka
Bukkrj
A Goat
Balo;Bala
Pala; Sur
A Swine
Bikarisch krohilo
Sur
A Boar
Balóra
Surbatscha
A Pig
Djanba
Beng; Mendowk
A Frog
Tsap
Sarap
A Snake
Beng
Guddj
A Dragon
Kazht; Karscht
Lakerj
Wood
Tschjlka; Borka
Tschal
The Bark
Patrin
Pat
A Leaf
Pèperi
Mirritz
Pepper
Bàl;Pàl
Bàl
The Hair
Puzhum
Ojr
Wool
Pori
Dum
The Tail
Rat
Lohu
Blood
Tud
Dhud
Milk
Kjl
Kel; Mukken
Butter
Kiral; Chiral; Kiras
Panjr
Cheese
Tulo
Tschjli
Fat
Swa
Ansu
A Tear
Mas; Masz
Ghost
Flesh
Tschero;Schero;Cheru
Ser
The Head
Aok;Jaok;Jaka; Po; Aran
Awk
The Eye
Kan
Kawn
The Ear
Nàk
Nakk
The Nose
Tscham
Gal
The Cheek
Tchammedini
Thori
A Slap on the Face
Tschor
Dharri
The Beard
Mui;Moi
Mu
The Mouth
Dant
Dant
A Tooth
Tschib;Tscheb
Jibb
The Tongue
Men
Gerdhen; Gulla
The Neck
Dummo
Piteh
The Back
Andririk
Terrik
The Side
Gew; Buhl
Tschutter
The Behind
Kelin
Tschatti
The Breast
Per
Piteh
The Belly
Mossin; Mucia
Bhan; Hateh
The Arm
Wast; Wass
Hateh
The Hand
Kuzhilo; Guzhdo; Gusto
Awngli
A Finger
Ghazdo; Paltzo
Anguta
The Thumb
Heroi
Tingeri
The Leg
Piro
Par; Pauw
The Foot
Tschangu
Gunga
The Knee
Naj
Nouh
A Finger Nail
Sie; Si
Djl
The Heart
Buko
Sjiger
The Liver
Buchlipen
Jagga
A Place
Rundo
Nala
A District
Geb
Gibah; Tsched
A Hole
But; Behjr
Pot
A Multitude
Pisla
Toro
A Scarcity
Lowe; Löwe
Peyssa
Money
Libra
Sere
A Pound
Jemia; Miga
Koss
A Mile
Buda;Purana
Potdjna
Age
Tschiwawa
Tiuw; Ratbhah
Life
Rikewela
Ehad
The Memory
Sunjo
Sunnj
The Hearing
Sung
Sunkh
The smell
Sik
Tschik
The Taste
Rakerpen; Rakriben; Tschip
Bat; Juvanj
The Speech
Lab; Alo
Bat; Kelam
A Word
Nao; Lawe
Nom
A Name
Liel
Khutt
An Epistle
Buchos
Ketab
A Book
Schin
Rengeh
Colour
Pul;Pos
Pual
Straw
Baxt
Bukhtj
Fortune
Dromnazhedum
Aheb; Tiffauti
Error
Sik
Minet
Diligence
Merla
Mordanj; Mot
Death
Bkò
Buk
Hunger
Truzhilo
Peas
Thirst
Sentinella
Para; Tschokkj
Watching
Sowawa
Njn; Khab
Sleep
Dùk
Dirk
Smart
Dòko
Dumm
The Breath
Ghas
Kassj
A Cough
Butin
Kar; Kam
Labour
Muskatella
Mekljm
Balsam
Tschinneben
Zukhmj; Gatel
A Wound
Ker
Gurr; Havelj
A House
Tschater; Chör
Tschater
A Tent; Roof
Gadsi
Kassi; Juru
A Wife
Tschowo; Tschabo
Lirrka
A Child
Tsche;Tschaj
Tschuknj
A Girl
Tschabe;Tschawo
Tschokna
A Boy
Tschek
Tschekerin
A Virgin
Dade;Dadi
Bab
A Father
Daj; Daju; Dajo
Ma
A Mother
Mami
A Grandmother
Tschawo; Schave
Beth
A Son
Tschaj; Schaj
Bethj
A Daughter
Tschakrorum
Jamwatsch
Son-in-law
Kako
Tsche-tscherabhais
Cousin
Dades Krupral
Tschatscha
Father’s Brother
Dades Kripen
Tschatschi
Father’s Sister
Pewli
Rhenduj; Rand
A Widow
Velèto
Noker; Tschaker
Man Servant
Rakli
Tschakerin
Maid Servant
Wirthus
Gurkka-Suheb
A Landlord
Werda
Seratsch; Kham
An Inn
Sikerwawa
Talima
Instruction
Putzjum
Sowal
A Question
Pen
Bjn; Jivab
An Answer
Mangawa
Urrizi
A Petition
Schegari; Sidah
The Chase
Wezheskro
Scheggar
A Huntsman
Kellipen
Kele; Notsch
A Game
Schetra
Serinda
A Violin
Tschorori
Tscherjfi; Konkatj
Poverty
Drum
Musafferj
A Voyage; Journey
Jangustri;Gostring;Gusderin
Angutri
A Ring
Tower; Tober
Kulhari
An Ax; A Bill
Pàl
Mes; Tukhta
A Board
Bechari
Piala; Tschasj
A Cup
Tschupni
Tschabukk
A Whip
Tschor
Tschur
A Thief
Tschordas
Tschurj
A Theft
Goro; Chadum
Dhoro; Krjs
A Sword; Dagger
Pleisserdum
Masuri
A Reward
Tschatscho
Jnsaf; Sjera
Right
Paro;Birda
Bharr;Birz
Weight; Burthen
Tchumoben
Tschuma
A Kiss
Dori
Sutlj; Fjtha
A Band
Manru; Maro
Rutj
Bread
Jaro;Aro
Atà; Moidda
Meal
Gabèn
Konna
Food; Eatables
Kjl
Mukken
Butter
Raja; Rajah
Raja
The Prince
Ranj
Roji
The Princess
Raz
Raz; Surdari
The Principality
Buklo
Koluff
A Castle
Kuroben
Jungro
War
Kutwnaskro
Gardj; Tscholdar
A Warrior
Harmi
Hattiar
A Breastplate
Puschka;Banduk
Sanduk
A Musket
Gaue; Gal; Jegag
Gauw; Busti
A Village
Tombun
Tumbur
A Drum
Kandinimomelli
Genden
Brimstone
Thu
Dhuah
Smoke
Paka
Bosu
The Wing
Palmande
Musaka
The Rear
Romm; Manusch
Murd; Manusch
Man, Mankind
Jammadar
Surrdar
Commander
Klusturi
Takkor bar
A Cloister
Kangri; Kangheri
Musizam
A Church
Isba
Ischba; Kuterj
Apartment
Skaurnin
Tschukire
A Chair
Kambana
Guntha Ghittal
A Bell
Gowr
Kibr
The Grave
Doga
Tschjs
The Matter
Nani kek
Quotsch-netsch
Nobody
Schut
Sirrka
Vinegar
Ker; Baua
Havelj; Emarat
An Edifice
Klidin
Tschabj; Kili
A Key
Schoste
Petschamma
Drawers
Koro
Kurti
A Coat
Kuni
Map; Kejasa
A Measure
Kutschahu
Kitseh
Potter’s Clay
Goji
Goig
A Sausage
Mol
Angur; Schrab
Wine
Gereta
Karamitti
Chalk
Sapuni
Savin
Soap
Kammawa
Guna
Accusation; Debt
Gono
Kissa
A Knapsack
Por;For
Purr;Por
A Feather
Madjho; Matzlin
Mudkj
A Fly
Gipsey.
Hindostan.
English.
Schoker
Jssekta; Hakabat
Respectable
Puro
Purana; Buda
Old
Dumino
Pagla
Simple
Prinjerdo
Tschinta
Known
Nango
Nenga
Bare
Nanilalsch; Erio
Budd; Khrab
Wicked
Bulhàila
Tschaura
Broad
Duber;Aduito
Duara
Double
Sana
Schano; Pittla
Thin
Tschori ropen
Kambukht
Miserable
Ajecto
Ekara
Single
Tschimaster
Netko; Kerned
Eternal
Latschila; Wingro
Juta
False
Tamlo
Nerassa
Dark
Piro
Kalasch
Free
Zelo
Sumutscha
Entire
Baro
Burra
Great
Latscho
Bala
Good
Tschorero
Budd-suret
Ugly, Hateful
Pral
Unscha
High
Boko
Buka
Hungry
Baugo
Benka; Tera
Crooked
Tikno;Tigno
Tengna
Short
Bango
Lingra; Aftara
Lame
Lokes; Betschuker
Djla; Derrtschka
Slow
Sorlo
Jeura
Powerful
Kindo
Binga
Wet
Nevo
Naia
New
Barwello
Matwir; Talivirr
Rich
Kalo;Kala
Kala; Sjah
Black
Mitschach
Tik
Severe
Bharahilo
Barri
Heavy
Gudlo
Mitha
Sweet
Gor
Gehera
Deep
Merla;Mojas
Mua; Whakka
Dead
Schukrohilo
Sukka
Dry
Gojemen
Kuffa
Arrogant
But
Bot; Fatta
Much
Perdo
Purra;Bharra
Full
Massob
Kaberdar
Watchful
Tscha
Sutscha
True
Tatto; Tatip
Gorm
Warm
Parna
Saffed; Vjela
White
Dur
Tschaura
Far
Naneleskeksi
Tschimmero
Tough
Gipsey.
Hindostan.
English.
Riokerwawa
Mul-kurrna
To esteem
Wias
Pontschna
To arrive
Kovokardas
Luggauna
To entice
Tschindas
Schina-kurrna
To charge
Pekgum
Tamburine-pukkauna
To bake
Tschjl
Hjlna
To shake
Mongawa
Mangna
To beg
Gohena
Bjramet-kurrna
To cheat
Pàkjum
Turauna
To break
Bandopen
Bandna
To bind
Lubekirdaspas
Zanakari-kurrna
To commit adultery
Pral
Derkarhuna
To be poor
Pratterdum
Dantna
To threaten
Tscherodiastele
Sir-katna
To behead
Perdo
Bhurrna
To accomplish
Stildum
Pukkerna; Bojena
To seize
Gana;Kha
Kauna
To eat
Androssaster kordo
Zinjir; Luggauna
To fetter
Nasch
Tschuna
To flow
Jarawe
I fear
Jirrna;Dirrhuna
To fear
Muterwawa
Mutna
To make water
Bango
Lingra huna
To halt (go lame)
Getschaha
Jauna
To go any-where
Ghas
Kassi-kurrna
To cough
Nazh
Schegar-kurrna
To hunt
Kindjelle
Mul-lena
To buy
Tschumauna
To kiss
Tschumedele
She kisses
Savva
Hussna
To laugh
Muk
Mukhset-kurrna
To leave
Schiwawa
Jjna
To live
Tscharawa
Tschatna
To lick
Deletschedoman
Sulah-huna
To lie down
Gochoben
Jut bolena
To lye
Kerla
Kurrna
To make
Siwawa
Siwena
To sew
Lawa
Lena; Pukkerna
To take
Nabe
Nomdena
To name
Tschi-kurrna
To sneeze
Tschikatele
He sneezes
Barreskro
Barretsch-karrna
To boast
Sennelowisa
Djwana huna
To be mad; to rave
Birrsna
To rain
Diasbrischendo
It did rain
Zhinawa
Ginna; Tikna
To reckon
Tsatschoben
Jnsaf dena
To right one
Songawa;Sung
Sunkhna; Bokurrna
To smell
Pennawa
Kabena; Bolena
To say
Tschinnawa
Karat-kurrna
To saw
Giuwawa
Guwena
To sing
Limmaugi
Kurrauna
To provide
Zamander
Judda-kurrna
To divide
Zhinger
Galljdena
To scold
Kàrj
Urauna
To shoot
Kuroben
Kassa-kurrna
To slay
Bezhawna;Bezh
Bahetna
To sit
Tschor
Tschure-kurrna
To steal
Mujas; Mulo
Muena
To die
Mongna
Duntena
To seek
Lejauna
Lena
To carry
Luno
Zumma-kurrna
To marry
Kuroben
Marna
To meet
Piava;Pi
Piena
To drink
Puro
Purana
To grow obsolete
Latsakerjl
Benschna
To sell
Tschinna
To know
Metschana
I know
Tzawari
Jadu-kurrna
To bewitch
Dekkna
To see
Medikkaha
I saw
Sana
To hear
Neschunele
I do not hear