Adventure stories; England -- Fiction; Romanies -- Fiction
Romulidae Cannas ego Varnam clade notavi;
Discite mortales non temerare fidem:
Me nisi Pontifices jussissent rumpere foedus
Non ferret Scythicum Pannonis ora jugum."
"Halloo!" said the jockey, starting up from a doze in which he had been
indulging for the last hour, his head leaning upon his breast, "what is
that? That's not high Dutch; I bargained for high Dutch, and I left you
speaking high Dutch, as it sounded very much like the language of horses,
as I have been told high Dutch does; but as for what you are speaking
now, whatever you may call it, it sounds more like the language of
another kind of animal. I suppose you want to insult me, because I was
once a dicky-boy."
"Nothing of the kind," said I; "the gentleman was making a quotation in
Latin."
"Latin, was it?" said the jockey; "that alters the case. Latin is
genteel, and I have sent my eldest boy to an academy to learn it. Come,
let us hear you fire away in Latin," he continued, proceeding to re-light
his pipe, which, before going to sleep, he had laid on the table.
"If you wish to follow the discourse in Latin," said the Hungarian, in
very bad English, "I can oblige you; I learned to speak very good Latin
in the college of Debreczen."
"That's more," said I, "than I have done in the colleges where I have
been; in any little conversation which we may yet have, I wish you would
use German."
"Well," said the jockey, taking a whiff, "make your conversation as short
as possible, whether in Latin or Dutch, for, to tell you the truth, I am
rather tired of merely playing listener."
"You were saying you had been in Russia," said I; "I believe the Russians
are part of the Sclavonian race."
_Hungarian_. Yes, part of the great Sclavonian family; one of the most
numerous races in the world. The Russians themselves are very numerous;
would that the Magyars could boast of the fifth part of their number!
_Myself_. What is the number of the Magyars?
_Hungarian_. Barely four millions. We came a tribe of Tartars into
Europe, and settled down amongst Sclavonians, whom we conquered, but who
never coalesced with us. The Austrian at present plays in Pannonia the
Sclavonian against us, and us against the Sclavonian; but the downfall of
the Austrian is at hand; they, like us, are not a numerous people.
_Myself_. Who will bring about his downfall?
_Hungarian_. The Russians. The Rysckie Tsar will lead his people forth,
all the Sclavonians will join him, he will conquer all before him.
_Myself_. Are the Russians good soldiers?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account