Dissertation on the Gipseys: Representing their manner of life, family economy, occupations & trades, marriages & education, sickness, death, & burial, religion, language, sciences & arts, &c. &c. &c.; with an historical enquiry concerning their origin & first appearance in Europe — John Shaqi
Dissertation on the Gipseys: Representing their manner of life, family economy, occupations & trades, marriages & education, sickness, death, & burial, religion, language, sciences & arts, &c. &c. &c.; with an historical enquiry concerning their origin & first appearance in EuropeGrellmann, Heinrich Moritz Gottlieb
History
Dissertation on the Gipseys: Representing their manner of life, family economy, occupations & trades, marriages & education, sickness, death, & burial, religion, language, sciences & arts, &c. &c. &c.; with an historical enquiry concerning their origin & first appearance in Europe
Grellmann, Heinrich Moritz Gottlieb
Romanies
proved by the fact itself. But we see instances of this infatuation in
other transactions: it is well known that every Jew will cheat, whenever
he has an opportunity; yet these people have lived by trade, ever since
their dispersion from Babel. Then, these frauds do not always happen:
the Gipseys too sell their horses cheap; and as poor people cannot afford
to pay dear for them, they must buy where they can; and thus the Gipseys
are enabled to continue their traffick.
To the two professions before mentioned as commonly followed by the men,
may be added, those of carpenters and turners: the former make
watering-troughs and chests; the latter turn trenchers, dishes, make
spoons and other trifling articles, which they hawk about. There are
others who make sieves, or maintain themselves by cobbling shoes. Many
of these, as well as the blacksmiths and whitesmiths, find constant
employment in the houses of the better sort of people, for whom they work
the year round. They are not paid in money; but, beside other
advantages, find a certain subsistence. Those who are not thus
circumstanced, do not wait at home for customers, but, with their
implements in a sack thrown over their shoulders, seek business in the
cities or villages: when any one calls, they throw down the bundle, and
prepare the apparatus for work, before the door of their employer.
The Gipseys have a fixed dislike to agriculture; and had rather suffer
hunger, or any privation, than follow the plough, to earn a decent
livelihood. But, as there is no general rule without an exception, so,
beside the slaves to the bojars in Moldavia and Wallachia, who are
constrained to apply to it, there are some in Hungary who are cultivators
by choice. Since the year 1768, the Empress Theresa has commanded that
the Hungarian and Transylvanian Gipseys should be instructed in
husbandry; but these orders have been very little regarded. At this time
there are so few of them farmers, in those parts, that they are
undeserving of notice; though in Spain, and other European countries,
they are still more scarce, as it would be difficult to find one who had
ever made a furrow in his life.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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