the zincali-第24章

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！




moving　him　who　so　much　values　himself　in　being　a　faithful　son　of　



the　church；　…　I　mean　the　example　which　Pope　Pius　the　Fifth　gave　to　



all　the　princes；　for　he　drove　the　Gitanos　from　all　his　domains；　and　



in　the　year　1568；　he　expelled　the　Jews；　assigning　as　reasons　for　



their　expulsion　those　which　are　more　closely　applicable　to　the　



Gitanos；　…　namely；　that　they　sucked　the　vitals　of　the　state；　



without　being　of　any　utility　whatever；　that　they　were　thieves　



themselves；　and　harbourers　of　others；　that　they　were　wizards；　



diviners；　and　wretches　who　induced　people　to　believe　that　they　knew　



the　future；　which　is　what　the　Gitanos　at　present　do　by　telling　



fortunes。







'Your　Majesty　has　already　freed　us　from　greater　and　more　dangerous　



enemies；　finish；　therefore；　the　enterprise　begun；　whence　will　



result　universal　joy　and　security；　and　by　which　your　Majesty　will　



earn　immortal　honour。　　Amen。







'O　Regum　summe；　horum　plura　ne　temnas　（absit）　ne　forte　tempsisse　



Hispaniae　periculosum　existat。'















CHAPTER　XI















PERHAPS　there　is　no　country　in　which　more　laws　have　been　framed；　



having　in　view　the　extinction　and　suppression　of　the　Gypsy　name；　



race；　and　manner　of　life；　than　Spain。　　Every　monarch；　during　a　



period　of　three　hundred　years；　appears　at　his　accession　to　the　



throne　to　have　considered　that　one　of　his　first　and　most　imperative　



duties　consisted　in　suppressing　or　checking　the　robberies；　frauds；　



and　other　enormities　of　the　Gitanos；　with　which　the　whole　country　



seems　to　have　resounded　since　the　time　of　their　first　appearance。







They　have；　by　royal　edicts；　been　repeatedly　banished　from　Spain；　



under　terrible　penalties；　unless　they　renounced　their　inveterate　



habits；　and　for　the　purpose　of　eventually　confounding　them　with　the　



residue　of　the　population；　they　have　been　forbidden；　even　when　



stationary；　to　reside　together；　every　family　being　enjoined　to　live　



apart；　and　neither　to　seek　nor　to　hold　communication　with　others　of　



the　race。







We　shall　say　nothing　at　present　as　to　the　wisdom　which　dictated　



these　provisions；　nor　whether　others　might　not　have　been　devised；　



better　calculated　to　produce　the　end　desired。　　Certain　it　is；　that　



the　laws　were　never；　or　very　imperfectly；　put　in　force；　and　for　



reasons　with　which　their　expediency　or　equity　（which　no　one　at　the　



time　impugned）　had　no　connection　whatever。







It　is　true　that；　in　a　country　like　Spain；　abounding　in　wildernesses　



and　almost　inaccessible　mountains；　the　task　of　hunting　down　and　



exterminating　or　banishing　the　roving　bands　would　have　been　found　



one　of　no　slight　difficulty；　even　if　such　had　ever　been　attempted；　



but　it　must　be　remembered；　that　from　an　early　period　colonies　of　



Gitanos　have　existed　in　the　principal　towns　of　Spain；　where　the　men　



have　plied　the　trades　of　jockeys　and　blacksmiths；　and　the　women　



subsisted　by　divination；　and　all　kinds　of　fraud。　　These　colonies　



were；　of　course；　always　within　the　reach　of　the　hand　of　justice；　



yet　it　does　not　appear　that　they　were　more　interfered　with　than　the　



roving　and　independent　bands；　and　that　any　serious　attempts　were　



made　to　break　them　up；　though　notorious　as　nurseries　and　refuges　of　



crime。







It　is　a　lamentable　fact；　that　pure　and　uncorrupt　justice　has　never　



existed　in　Spain；　as　far　at　least　as　record　will　allow　us　to　judge；　



not　that　the　principles　of　justice　have　been　less　understood　there　



than　in　other　countries；　but　because　the　entire　system　of　



justiciary　administration　has　ever　been　shamelessly　profligate　and　



vile。







Spanish　justice　has　invariably　been　a　mockery；　a　thing　to　be　bought　



and　sold；　terrible　only　to　the　feeble　and　innocent；　and　an　



instrument　of　cruelty　and　avarice。







The　tremendous　satires　of　Le　Sage　upon　Spanish　corregidors　and　



alguazils　are　true；　even　at　the　present　day；　and　the　most　notorious　



offenders　can　generally　escape；　if　able　to　administer　sufficient　



bribes　to　the　ministers　（40）　of　what　is　misnamed　justice。







The　reader；　whilst　perusing　the　following　extracts　from　the　laws　



framed　against　the　Gitanos；　will　be　filled　with　wonder　that　the　



Gypsy　sect　still　exists　in　Spain；　contrary　to　the　declared　will　of　



the　sovereign　and　the　nation；　so　often　repeated　during　a　period　of　



three　hundred　years；　yet　such　is　the　fact；　and　it　can　only　be　



accounted　for　on　the　ground　of　corruption。







It　was　notorious　that　the　Gitanos　had　powerful　friends　and　



favourers　in　every　district；　who　sanctioned　and　encouraged　them　in　



their　Gypsy　practices。　　These　their　fautors　were　of　all　ranks　and　



grades；　from　the　corregidor　of　noble　blood　to　the　low　and　obscure　



escribano；　and　from　the　viceroy　of　the　province　to　the　archer　of　



the　Hermandad。







To　the　high　and　noble；　they　were　known　as　Chalanes；　and　to　the　



plebeian　functionaries；　as　people　who；　notwithstanding　their　



general　poverty；　could　pay　for　protection。







A　law　was　even　enacted　against　these　protectors　of　the　Gitanos；　



which　of　course　failed；　as　the　execution　of　the　law　was　confided　to　



the　very　delinquents　against　whom　it　was　directed。　　Thus；　the　



Gitano　bought；　sold；　and　exchanged　animals　openly；　though　he　



subjected　himself　to　the　penalty　of　death　by　so　doing；　or　left　his　



habitation　when　he　thought　fit；　though　such　an　act；　by　the　law　of　



the　land；　was　punishable　with　the　galleys。







In　one　of　their　songs　they　have　commemorated　the　impunity　with　



which　they　wandered　about。　　The　escribano；　to　whom　the　Gitanos　of　



the　neighbourhood　pay　contribution；　on　a　strange　Gypsy　being　



brought　before　him；　instantly　orders　him　to　be　liberated；　assigning　



as　a　reason　that　he　is　no　Gitano；　but　a　legitimate　Spaniard：…











'I　left　my　house；　and　walked　about



They　seized　me　fast；　and　bound：



It　is　a　Gypsy　thief；　they　shout；



The　Spaniards　here　have　found。







'From　out　the　prison　me　they　led；



Before　the　scribe　they　brought；



It　is　no　Gypsy　thief；　he　said；



The　Spaniards　here　have　caught。'











In　a　word；　nothing　was　to　be　gained　by　interfering　with　the　



Gitanos；　by　those　in　whose　hands　the　power　was　vested；　but；　on　the　



contrary；　something　was　to　be　lost。　　The　chief　sufferers　were　the　



labourers；　and　they　had　no　power　to　right　themselves；　though　their　



wrongs　were　universally　admitted；　and　laws　for　their　protection　



continually　being　made；　which　their　enemies　contrived　to　set　at　



nought；　as　will　presently　be　seen。







The　first　law　issued　against　the　Gypsies　appears　to　have　been　that　



of　Ferdinand　and　Isabella；　at　Medina　del　Campo；　in　1499。　　In　this　



edict　they　were　commanded；　under　certain　penalties；　to　become　



stationary　in　towns　and　villages；　and　to　provide　themselves　with　



masters　whom　they　might　serve　for　their　maintenance；　or　in　default　



thereof；　to　quit　the　kingdom　at　the　end　of　sixty　days。　　No　mention　



is　made　of　the　country　to　which　they　were　expected　to　betake　



themselves　in　the　event　of　their　quitting　Spain。　　Perhaps；　as　they　



are　called　Egyptians；　it　was　concluded　that　they　would　forthwith　



return　to　Egypt；　but　the　framers　of　the　law　never　seem　to　have　



considered　what　means　these　Egyptians　possessed　of　transporting　



their　families　and　themselves　across　the　sea　to　such　a　distance；　or　



if　they　betook　themselves　to　other　countries；　what　reception　a　host　



of　people；　confessedly　thieves　and　vagabonds；　were　likely　to　meet　



with；　or　whether　it　was　fair　in　the　TWO　CHRISTIAN　PRINCES　to　get　



rid　of　such　a　nuisance　at　the　expense　of　their　neighbours。　　Such　



matters　were　of　course　left　for　the　Gypsies　themselves　to　settle。







In　this　edict；　a　class　of　individuals　is　mentioned　in　conjunction　



with　the　Gitanos；　or　Gypsies；　but　distinguished　from　them　by　the　



name　of　foreign　tinkers；　or　Calderos　estrangeros。　　By　these；　we　



presume；　were　meant　the　Calabrians；　who　are　still　to　be　seen　upon　



the　roads　of　Spain；　wandering　about　from　town　to　town；　in　much　the　



same　way　as　the　itinerant　tinkers　of　England　at　the　present　day。　　A　



man；　half　a　savage；　a　haggard　woman；　who　is　generally　a　Spaniard；　a　



wretched　child；　and　still　more　miserable　donkey；　compose　the　group；　



the　gains　are　of　course　exceedingly　scanty；　nevertheless　this　life；　



seemingly　so　wretched；　has　its　charms　for　these　outcasts；　who　live　



without　care　and　anxiety；　without　a　thought　beyond　the　present　



hour；　and　who　sleep　as　sound　in　ruined　posadas　and　ventas；　or　in　



ravines　amongst　rocks　and　pines；　as　the　proudest　grandee　in　his　



palace　at　Seville　or　Madrid。







Don　Carlos　and　Donna　Juanna；　at　Toledo；　1539；　confirmed　the　edict　



of　Medina　del　Campo　against　the　Egyptians；　with　the　addition；　that　



if　any　Egyptian；　after　the　expiration　of　the　sixty　days；　should　be　



found　wandering　about；　he　should　be　sent　to　the　galleys　for　six　



years；　if　above　the　age　of　twenty　and　under　that　of　fifty；　and　if　



under　or　above　those　years；　punished　as　the　preceding　law　provides。







Philip　the　Second；　at　Madrid；　1586；　after　commanding　that　all　the　



laws　and　edicts　be　observed；　by　which　the　Gypsies　are　forbidden　to　



wander　about；　and　commanded　to　establish　themselves；　ordains；　with　



the　view　of　restraining　their　thievish　and　cheating　practices；　that　



none　of　them　be　permitted　to　sell　anything；　either　within　or　



without　fairs　or　markets；　if　not　provided　with　a　testimony　signed　



by　the　notary　public；　to　prove　that　they　have　a　settled　residence；　



and　where　it　may　be；　which　testimony　must　also　specify　and　describe　



the　horses；　cattle；　linen；　and　other　things；　which　they　carry　forth　



for　sale；　otherwise　they　are　to　be　punished　as　thieves；　and　what　



they　attempt　to　sell　considered　as　stolen　property。







Philip　the　Third；　at　Belem；　in　Portugal；　1619；　commands　all　the　



Gypsies　of　the　kingdom　to　quit　the　same　within　the　term　of　six　



months；　and　never　to　return；　under　pain　of　death；　those　who　should　



wish　to　remain　are　to　establish　themselves　in　cities；　towns；　and　



villages；　of　one　thousand　families　and　upwards；　and　are　not　to　be　



allowed　the　use　of　the　dress；　name；　and　language　of　Gypsies；　IN　



ORDER　THAT；　FORASMUCH　AS　THEY　ARE　NOT　SUCH　BY　NATION；　THIS　NAME　AND　



MANNER　OF　LIFE　MAY　BE　FOR　EVERMORE　CONFOUNDED　AND　FORGOTTEN。　　They　



are　moreover　forbidden；　under　the　same　penalty；　to　have　anything　to　



do　with　the　buying　or　selling　of　cattle；　whether　great　or　small。







The　most　curious　portion　of　the　above　law　is　the　passage　in　which　



these　people　are　declared　not　to　be　Gypsies　by　nation。　　If　they　are　



not　Gypsies；　who　are　they　then？　　Spaniards？　　If　so；　what　right　had　



the　King　of　Spain　to　send　the　refuse　of　his　subjects　abroad；　to　



corrupt　other　land