1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar TongueGrose, Francis
History
1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue
Grose, Francis
English language -- Slang -- Dictionaries
GYPSIES. A set of vagrants, who, to the great disgrace of
our police, are suffered to wander about the country.
They pretend that they derive their origin from the
ancient Egyptians, who were famous for their knowledge
in astronomy and other sciences; and, under the pretence
of fortune-telling, find means to rob or defraud the ignorant
and superstitious. To colour their impostures, they
artificially discolour their faces, and speak a kind of
gibberish peculiar to themselves. They rove up and down the
country in large companies, to the great terror of the
farmers, from whose geese, turkeys, and fowls, they take very
considerable contributions.
When a fresh recruit is admitted into the fraternity, he is to
take the following oath, administered by the principal
maunder, after going through the annexed forms:
First, a new name is given him by which he is ever after to
be called; then standing up in the middle of the assembly,
and directing his face to the dimber damber, or principal
man of the gang, he repeats the following oath, which is
dictated to him by some experienced member of the fraternity:
I, Crank Cuffin, do swear to be a true brother, and that I will
in all things obey the commands of the great tawney
prince, and keep his counsel and not divulge the secrets of
my brethren.
I will never leave nor forsake the company, but observe and
keep all the times of appointment, either by day or by
night, in every place whatever.
I will not teach any one to cant, nor will I disclose any of
our mysteries to them.
I will take my prince's part against all that shall oppose him,
or any of us, according to the utmost of my ability; nor
will I suffer him, or any one belongiug to us, to be abused
by any strange abrams, rufflers, hookers, pailliards,
swaddlers, Irish toyles, swigmen, whip jacks, jarkmen,
bawdy baskets, dommerars, clapper dogeons, patricoes,
or curtals; but will defend him, or them, as much as I
can, against all other outliers whatever. I will not conceal
aught I win out of libkins or from the ruffmans, but
will preserve it for the use of the company. Lastly, I
will cleave to my doxy wap stiffly, and will bring her
duds, marjery praters, goblers, grunting cheats, or tibs
of the buttery, or any thing else I can come at, as
winnings for her weppings.
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