爱爱小说网 > 其他电子书 > the zincali >

第20章

the zincali-第20章

小说: the zincali 字数: 每页3500字

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!





as an assurance that the Lord will yet one day redeem and gather 



together his scattered and oppressed people。  'Art thou not the God 



who brought us out of the land of bondage?' they exclaim in the 



days of their heaviest trouble and affliction。  He who redeemed 



Israel from the hand of Pharaoh is yet capable of restoring the 



kingdom and sceptre to Israel。







If the Rommany trusted in any God at the period of THEIR exodus; 



they must speedily have forgotten him。  Coming from Ind; as they 



most assuredly did; it was impossible for them to have known the 



true; and they must have been followers (if they followed any) 



either of Buddh; or Brahmah; those tremendous phantoms which have 



led; and are likely still to lead; the souls of hundreds of 



millions to destruction; yet they are now ignorant of such names; 



nor does it appear that such were ever current amongst them 



subsequent to their arrival in Europe; if indeed they ever were。  



They brought with them no Indian idols; as far as we are able to 



judge at the present time; nor indeed Indian rites or observances; 



for no traces of such are to be discovered amongst them。







All; therefore; which relates to their original religion is 



shrouded in mystery; and is likely so to remain。  They may have 



been idolaters; or atheists; or what they now are; totally 



neglectful of worship of any kind; and though not exactly prepared 



to deny the existence of a Supreme Being; as regardless of him as 



if he existed not; and never mentioning his name; save in oaths and 



blasphemy; or in moments of pain or sudden surprise; as they have 



heard other people do; but always without any fixed belief; trust; 



or hope。







There are certainly some points of resemblance between the children 



of Roma and those of Israel。  Both have had an exodus; both are 



exiles and dispersed amongst the Gentiles; by whom they are hated 



and despised; and whom they hate and despise; under the names of 



Busnees and Goyim; both; though speaking the language of the 



Gentiles; possess a peculiar tongue; which the latter do not 



understand; and both possess a peculiar cast of countenance; by 



which they may; without difficulty; be distinguished from all other 



nations; but with these points the similarity terminates。  The 



Israelites have a peculiar religion; to which they are fanatically 



attached; the Romas have none; as they invariably adopt; though 



only in appearance; that of the people with whom they chance to 



sojourn; the Israelites possess the most authentic history of any 



people in the world; and are acquainted with and delight to 



recapitulate all that has befallen their race; from ages the most 



remote; the Romas have no history; they do not even know the name 



of their original country; and the only tradition which they 



possess; that of their Egyptian origin; is a false one; whether 



invented by themselves or others; the Israelites are of all people 



the most wealthy; the Romas the most poor … poor as a Gypsy being 



proverbial amongst some nations; though both are equally greedy of 



gain; and finally; though both are noted for peculiar craft and 



cunning; no people are more ignorant than the Romas; whilst the 



Jews have always been a learned people; being in possession of the 



oldest literature in the world; and certainly the most important 



and interesting。







Sad and weary must have been the path of the mixed rabble of the 



Romas; when they left India's sunny land and wended their way to 



the West; in comparison with the glorious exodus of the Israelites 



from Egypt; whose God went before them in cloud and in fire; 



working miracles and astonishing the hearts of their foes。







Even supposing that they worshipped Buddh or Brahmah; neither of 



these false deities could have accomplished for them what God 



effected for his chosen people; although it is true that the idea 



that a Supreme Being was watching over them; in return for the 



reverence paid to his image; might have cheered them 'midst storm 



and lightning; 'midst mountains and wildernesses; 'midst hunger and 



drought; for it is assuredly better to trust even in an idol; in a 



tree; or a stone; than to be entirely godless; and the most 



superstitious hind of the Himalayan hills; who trusts in the Grand 



Foutsa in the hour of peril and danger; is more wise than the most 



enlightened atheist; who cherishes no consoling delusion to relieve 



his mind; oppressed by the terrible ideas of reality。







But it is evident that they arrived at the confines of Europe 



without any certain or rooted faith。  Knowing; as we do; with what 



tenacity they retain their primitive habits and customs; their sect 



being; in all points; the same as it was four hundred years ago; it 



appears impossible that they should have forgotten their peculiar 



god; if in any peculiar god they trusted。







Though cloudy ideas of the Indian deities might be occasionally 



floating in their minds; these ideas; doubtless; quickly passed 



away when they ceased to behold the pagodas and temples of Indian 



worship; and were no longer in contact with the enthusiastic 



adorers of the idols of the East; they passed away even as the dim 



and cloudy ideas which they subsequently adopted of the Eternal and 



His Son; Mary and the saints; would pass away when they ceased to 



be nourished by the sight of churches and crosses; for should it 



please the Almighty to reconduct the Romas to Indian climes; who 



can doubt that within half a century they would entirely forget all 



connected with the religion of the West!  Any poor shreds of that 



faith which they bore with them they would drop by degrees as they 



would relinquish their European garments when they became old; and 



as they relinquished their Asiatic ones to adopt those of Europe; 



no particular dress makes a part of the things essential to the 



sect of Roma; so likewise no particular god and no particular 



religion。







Where these people first assumed the name of Egyptians; or where 



that title was first bestowed upon them; it is difficult to 



determine; perhaps; however; in the eastern parts of Europe; where 



it should seem the grand body of this nation of wanderers made a 



halt for a considerable time; and where they are still to be found 



in greater numbers than in any other part。  One thing is certain; 



that when they first entered Germany; which they speedily overran; 



they appeared under the character of Egyptians; doing penance for 



the sin of having refused hospitality to the Virgin and her Son; 



and; of course; as believers in the Christian faith; 



notwithstanding that they subsisted by the perpetration of every 



kind of robbery and imposition; Aventinus (ANNALES BOIORUM; 826) 



speaking of them says:  'Adeo tamen vana superstitio hominum 



mentes; velut lethargus invasit; ut eos violari nefas putet; atque 



grassari; furari; imponere passim sinant。'







This singular story of banishment from Egypt; and Wandering through 



the world for a period of seven years; for inhospitality displayed 



to the Virgin; and which I find much difficulty in attributing to 



the invention of people so ignorant as the Romas; tallies strangely 



with the fate foretold to the ancient Egyptians in certain chapters 



of Ezekiel; so much so; indeed; that it seems to be derived from 



that source。  The Lord is angry with Egypt because its inhabitants 



have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel; and thus he 



threatens them by the mouth of his prophet。







'I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the 



countries that are desolate; and her cities among the cities that 



are laid waste shall be desolate forty years:  and I will scatter 



the Egyptians among the nations; and will disperse them through the 



countries。'  Ezek。; chap。 xxix。 v。 12。  'Yet thus saith the Lord 



God; at the end of forty years will I gather the Egyptians from the 



people whither they were scattered。' v。 13。







'Thus saith the Lord; I will make the multitude of Egypt to cease; 



by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar; king of Babylon。'  Chap。 xxx。 v。 10。







'And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations; and disperse 



them among the countries; and they shall know that I am the Lord。' 



Chap。  xxx。 v。 26。







The reader will at once observe that the apocryphal tale which the 



Romas brought into Germany; concerning their origin and wanderings; 



agrees in every material point with the sacred prophecy。  The 



ancient Egyptians were to be driven from their country and 



dispersed amongst the nations; for a period of forty years; for 



having been the cause of Israel's backsliding; and for not having 



known the Lord; … the modern pseudo…Egyptians are to be dispersed 



among the nations for seven years; for having denied hospitality to 



the Virgin and her child。  The prophecy seems only to have been 



remodelled for the purpose of suiting the taste of the time; as no 



legend possessed much interest in which the Virgin did not figure; 



she and her child are here introduced instead of the Israelites; 



and the Lord of Heaven offended with the Egyptians; and this legend 



appears to have been very well received in Germany; for a time at 



least; for; as Aventinus observes; it was esteemed a crime of the 



first magnitude to offer any violence to the Egyptian pilgrims; who 



were permitted to rob on the highway; to commit larceny; and to 



practise every species of imposition with impunity。







The tale; however; of the Romas could hardly have been invented by 



themselves; as they were; and still are; utterly unacquainted with 



the Scripture; it probably originated amongst the priests and 



learned men of the east of Europe; who; startled by the sudden 



apparition of bands of people foreign in appearance and language; 



skilled in divination and the occult arts; endeavoured to find in 



Scripture a clue to such a phenomenon; the result of which was; 



that the Romas of Hindustan were suddenly transformed into Egyptian 



penitents; a title which they have ever since borne in various 



parts of Europe。  There are no means of ascertaining whether they 



themselves believed from the first in this story; they most 



probably took it on credit; more especially as they could give no 



account of themselves; there being every reason for supposing that 



from time immemorial they had existed in the East as a thievish 



wandering sect; as they at present do in Europe; without history or 



traditions; and unable to look back for a period of eighty years。  



The tale moreover answered their purpose; as beneath the gar

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 2

你可能喜欢的