Part 5 (1/2)

Gipsies and Coular Manner of Mourning for the Dead, as practised by Gipsies--Illustrations froars--Oaths by the Dead--Universal Gipsy Custo valuable Objects with the Dead--Gipsies, Coelians, and Jews--The Rev James Crabbe

Comte, the author of the Positivist philosophy, never felt the need of a religion until he had fallen in love; and at the present day his ”faith”

appears to consist in a worshi+p of the great and wise and good a h Hegelians I may now add, that, like the Positivists, they seeh the influence of love; and by a strange custo the departed and offering to the dead a singular sacrifice

He who has no house finds a home in family and friends, whence it results that the Gipsy, despite his ferocious quarrels in the clan, and his sharp practice even with near relations, is--all things considered--perhaps the most devoted to kith and kin of any one in the world His very name--rom, a husband--indicates it His children, as almost every writer on him, from Grellhly indulged and spoiled than any non-gipsy can conceive; and despite all the apparent contradictions caused by the selfishness born of poverty, irritable Eastern blood, and the eccentricity of semi-civilisation, I doubt if any man, on the whole, in the world, is more attached to his own

It was only three or four hours ago, as I write, on the fifth day of February 1872, that a Gipsy said to ive all Anglaterra to have her again”

That the real religion of the Gipsies, as I have already observed, consists like that of the Comteists, in devotion to the dead, is indicated by a very extraordinary custoeneral decay, of late years, of all their old habits, still prevails universally This is the refraining froence in honour of the departed--a sacrifice, as it were, to their _, it will be found to exist aland it is shown by observances which are reat personal inconvenience, so life Thus, there are many Gipsies who, because a deceased brother was fond of spirits, have refrained, after his departure, froiven up their favourite pursuits, for the reason that they were last indulged in, in company with the lost and loved one

As a further illustration, I will give in the original Gipsy-language, as I myself took it down rapidly, but literally, the comments of a full-blooded Gipsy on this custo annexed I should state that the narrative which precedes his comments was a reply to ars?

”No; I never toovs cigaras, kek I never toovs 'em kenna since my pal's chavo Job mullered And I'll pooker tute hoelled”

”It was at the boro wellgooro where the graias prasters I was kairin the paiass of the koshters, and mandy dicked a rye an' pookered him for a droppi levinor '_Avali_,' he penned, 'I'll del you levinor and a kushto tuvalo too' 'Parraco,' says I, 'rya' So he del aras I pet ee and latched odoi my pal's chavo, an' he pook'd mandy, 'Where you jallin to, kako?' And I penned: 'Job, I've lelled some covvas for tute' 'Tacho,'

says he--so I del hiaras Penned he: 'Where did tute latcher 'em?' 'A rye del 'em a mandy' So he pet em adree his poachy, an'

pookered mandy, 'What'll tu lel to pi?' 'A droppi levinor' So he penned, 'Pauli the grais prasters, I'll jal atut the puvius and dick tute'

”Eight or nine divvuses pauli, at the K'allis's Gav, his pal welled todush?'

'Worse nor dovo' 'What _is_ the covvo?' Says yuv, 'Mandy kaury--ht ht I'd mored her An'

I pet her dree the stanya, an' I jalled a lay in the puv and' odoi I dicked Job 'Thank ets opre this bugni (for 'twas the bugni he'd lelled), I'll del tute the kushtiest gry that you'll beat sar the Romni chuls' But he mullered

”And he pens as he was arras you del a ot 'em acai in my poachy' Mandy and my pens was by him, but his romni was avree, adree the boro tan, bikinin covvas, for she'd never lelled the bugni, nor his chavos, so they couldn't well a dickin, for ouldn't mukk em And so he mullered

”And when yuv's mullo I pet aras And froar

”Avali--there's adusta Romni chuls that kairs dovo And when ro kekooro avree my mokto, and when I'd pen, 'Deari juvo, what do you kair dovo for?' she pooker mandy, 'It's kushti for my sherro' And so when she mullered mandy never lelled chichi sensus

”Some mushi+s wont haw mass because the pal or pen that mullered was kammaben to it,--some wont pi levinor for panj or ten besh, some wont haw the karoes or pi tood, or haw pabos, and saw (sar) for the ro--'that's illi'--and some won't kel 'No, I can't kel, the last time I kelled ith mandy's poor juvo that's been mullo this shtor besh'

”'Cori's odoi'

'Kek, pal, kekoomi--I never pi'd a drappi levinor since my bibi's jalled' 'Kushto--lel some tuvalo pal?' 'Kek--kek--mandy never tooved since minno juvo pelled a lay in the panni, and never jalled avree kekoomi a jivaben' 'Well, let's jal and kair paiass with the koshters--we dui'll play you dui for a pint o' levinor' 'Kek--I never kaired the paiass of the koshters since my dadas mullered--the last chairus I ever played ith him'

”And Lena, the juva of my pal's chavo, Job, never hawed plums a'ter her roars No; I never smoke them now since my brother's son Job died And I'll tell you how it careat fair where the horses run (_ie_, the races), I was keeping a cock-shy, and I saw a gentleive you ale, and a good save ars I put them in my pocket, and went on the road and found there , uncle?' And I said: 'Job, I have soars He said: 'Where did you find theave them to me' So he put them in his pocket, and asked me, 'What'll you take to drink?' 'A drop of ale' So he said, 'After the horses (have) run I'll go across the field and see you'

”Eight or nine days after, at Hampton Court, {53} his 'pal' ca wrong?' 'Worse nor that' 'What _is_ the affair?' Said he, 'I want you to go to ave ht I'd killed her And I put her in the stable, and I went down into the field, and there I saw Job

'Thank God!' said he; 'Uncle, you've coet over this sive you the best horse that you'll beat all the Gipsies' But he died