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
2. Not to appear any more in large cloaks, which are chiefly useful to
hide things that have been stolen.
3. No Gipsey, except he be a goldwasher, shall keep a horse: also the
goldwashers
4. Must refrain from all kinds of bartering at the annual fairs.
5. The magistrates of every place must be very attentive, that no
Gipsey waste his time in idleness: but at those seasons when they have
no employment, either for themselves or any landholder, recommend them
to some other person, with whom they shall be compelled to work for
hire.
6. They are to be kept, particularly, to agriculture; therefore
7. It is to be observed, where possible, that every territorial lord
who takes any Gipseys under his jurisdiction, do allot them a certain
piece of ground to cultivate:
8. Whoever is remiss in his husbandry, shall be liable to corporal
punishment:
9. They shall only be permitted to amuse themselves with music, or
other things, when there is no field work to be done.
Such were the regulations wisely adopted by the emperor Joseph, for the
purpose of civilising, and rendering good and profitable citizens,
upwards of eighty thousand miserable wretches, ignorant of God and
virtue. It must be regretted that similar measures have not been used in
the other countries of Europe, where these people still remain wandering
in error, and scarcely deserving to be considered as human beings.
SECTION II.
ON THE ORIGIN OF THE GIPSEYS.
CHAPTER I.
_The first Appearance of Gipseys in Europe_.
NO record is to be found, stating in what year, or in what part of
Europe, Gipseys made their first appearance. But it is to be premised,
what will afterwards be investigated, that they did not originate in our
quarter of the globe; on the contrary, that they strayed hither, as
oriental strangers, either from Egypt, Asia Minor, or some other part: we
shall then examine, whether it be not possible, by means of what is
related in old writings concerning the first observance of them in
different countries, to follow the track so as to ascertain where and
when they first set foot on European ground.
Mention is made of them in Germany so early as the year 1417, when they
appeared in the vicinity of the North Sea. A year afterwards we find
them also in Switzerland and the country of the Grisons. In 1422 they
likewise appeared in Italy. It is unknown what was the earliest period
at which they were observed in France and Spain: but their appearance in
these countries must have been of later date than in Germany, as is
proved in respect to France, by the name Bohemians, which they bear
there. In regard to Spain, Cordova, in order to contradict some surmises
about the Gipseys’ mother country, uses the argument, that they were
known in Germany prior to either Spain or Italy. The French make the
first mention of them in 1427, when they straggled about Paris, having
arrived there on the 17th day of August in that year.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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